Recording device, control method, and program

Abstract

This technology can help reduce the increase in discarded ink. [Solution] The recording head is provided with a first discharge port capable of discharging a first ink and a second discharge port capable of discharging a second ink; a cap that contacts the discharge port surface on which the first and second discharge ports are formed and covers the area including the first and second discharge ports; a suction means for reducing the pressure inside the cap; an discharge control means that, with the cap in contact with the discharge port surface, generates negative pressure inside the cap using the suction means to discharge ink into the cap from each discharge port; and, when the discharge of ink by the discharge control means is performed, an ejection control means that first discharges the first ink into the cap by performing a preliminary discharge from the first discharge port, and then first discharges the second ink into the cap by performing a preliminary discharge from the second discharge port.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a recording apparatus, a control method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In a recording apparatus having a recording head that discharges ink from discharge ports for recording by an inkjet method, a configuration is provided that can execute a recovery process for maintaining and recovering the ink discharge performance from the discharge ports.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which, as a recovery process, with a cap abutted against the discharge port surface of the recording head, negative pressure is applied to the discharge port surface to forcibly suck ink from each discharge port, and then preliminary discharge, which is discharge of ink that does not contribute to recording, is performed. Thus, in a configuration in which the same cap is used for discharge ports that discharge a plurality of types of ink, even if different types of ink are mixed into the discharge ports, the ink mixed due to the mixing can be discharged by the preliminary discharge.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, depending on the combination of inks, after preliminary discharge for discharging the mixed ink, the ink discharge amount from the discharge ports may decrease. In this case, in order to eliminate the decrease in the ink discharge amount, additional preliminary discharge is to be performed. However, in this additional preliminary discharge, it is necessary to increase the number of discharges very much, and the amount of ink to be discarded has increased.

[0006] This disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned issues and aims to provide a technology that can suppress the increase in discarded ink. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, one embodiment of the recording device according to the present disclosure is characterized by comprising: a recording head having a first discharge port capable of discharging a first ink and a second discharge port capable of discharging a second ink; a cap that abuts against the discharge port surface on which the first discharge port and the second discharge port are formed and covers an area including the first discharge port and the second discharge port; a suction means for reducing the pressure inside the cap; an discharge control means that, with the cap in contact with the discharge port surface, generates negative pressure inside the cap using the suction means to discharge ink into the cap from the first discharge port and the second discharge port; and, when the discharge of ink by the discharge control means is performed, an ejection control means that performs a preliminary ejection, which is the discharge of ink that does not contribute to recording, from the first discharge port to discharge the first ink into the cap, and after performing the preliminary ejection for the first ink, an ejection control means that performs the preliminary ejection for the second ink, which is the discharge of ink that does not contribute to recording, from the first discharge port to discharge the second ink into the cap. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, it will be possible to curb the increase in discarded ink. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram of the recording device. [Figure 2] A schematic diagram of the recording and recovery sections. [Figure 3] A block diagram showing the configuration of the control system for the recording device. [Figure 4] A flowchart illustrating the process of recovery using publicly known technology. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating the process of recovery using publicly known technology. [Figure 6] A diagram showing the configuration provided for each discharge port. [Figure 7] A flowchart showing the processing details of the recovery process in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 7 shows a table illustrating the number of discharges during various preliminary discharge operations in the recovery process. [Figure 9] A table showing the number of discharges during various preliminary discharge operations in recovery processing using publicly known technology. [Figure 10] A flowchart showing the processing details of the recovery process in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows a table illustrating the number of discharges during various preliminary discharge operations in the recovery process. [Figure 12] A flowchart showing the processing details of the pre-recording process in the second embodiment. [Figure 13] Figure 12 shows a table illustrating the number of discharges during various preliminary discharge operations in the pre-recording processing. [Figure 14] A flowchart showing the processing details of the recovery process in the third embodiment. [Figure 15] A flowchart showing the processing details of the pre-recording process in the third embodiment. [Figure 16] A flowchart showing the processing details of the recovery process in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 17] A flowchart showing the processing details of the pre-recording process in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 18] A flowchart showing the processing details of the determination process in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 19] A flowchart showing the processing details of the discharge inspection process in the fifth embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a recording apparatus, a control method, and a program will be described in detail while referring to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present disclosure, and not all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution means of the present disclosure. Also, the positions, shapes, etc. of the components described in the embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure only to them.

[0011] (First Embodiment) First, a recording apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described in detail while referring to FIGS. 1 to 9.

[0012] <Configuration of Recording Apparatus> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, (a) is a schematic configuration diagram of the main part, and (b) is a configuration diagram of the discharge port surface of the recording head. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the recovery unit, (a) is a schematic configuration diagram of the recording unit and the recovery unit, and (b) is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the cap and the wiper.

[0013] The recording apparatus 10 includes a conveyance unit 12 that conveys a recording medium M, a recording unit 14 that discharges and records ink onto the recording medium M conveyed by the conveyance unit 12, and a recovery unit 16 that maintains and recovers the ink discharge performance in the recording unit 14 (see FIG. 1(a)).

[0014] The conveyance unit 12 includes a pair of conveyance rollers 18. The pair of conveyance rollers 18 includes a conveyance roller 18a that rotates by driving a conveyance motor (not shown) and a driven roller 18b that is pressed against the conveyance roller 18a and rotates in a driven manner. In the conveyance unit 12, in the pair of conveyance rollers 18, the recording medium M is nipped by the conveyance roller 18a and the driven roller 18b, and the recording medium M is conveyed in the Y direction by driving the conveyance roller 18a. Note that the specific configuration of the conveyance unit 12 is not limited to this, and in the recording apparatus 10, various known configurations capable of conveying the recording medium M can be used.

[0015] The recording unit 14 includes a carriage 20 that is movable in a direction (X direction) that intersects (orthogonal in this embodiment) with the transport direction of the recording medium M, and a recording head 22 mounted on the carriage 20 that ejects ink onto the transported recording medium M (see Figure 2(a)). In this embodiment, multiple types of ink are ejected from the recording head 22.

[0016] The carriage 20 is slidably mounted on a guide shaft 24 extending in the X direction, and is configured to reciprocate along the guide shaft 24 in the X direction via a belt 28 when driven by a carriage motor 26 (see Figure 1(a)). The carriage 20 is equipped with an ink tank 30 that stores ink ejected from the recording head 22 (see Figure 2(a)). The ink tank 30 and the recording head 22 are configured to be detachable from the carriage 20 and can be replaced as needed. A flexible cable 32 is also connected to the carriage 20 (see Figure 1(a)). The flexible cable 32 electrically connects the recording head 22 to a circuit board (not shown) provided on the main body of the device, while following the movement of the carriage 20. As a result, the ink tank 30 and the recording head 22 mounted on the carriage 20 are connected to a control unit 306 (see Figure 3).

[0017] The remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 30 is detected by the value of the dot counter 34 (see Figure 1(a)). In the recording device 10, the control unit 306 counts the amount of ink ejected from each nozzle. The ink ejected from the nozzles includes the ink ejected from the nozzles during the recording process and the ink discharged during the recovery process by the recovery unit 16.

[0018] The dot counter 34 counts the number of ink droplets ejected from each nozzle multiplied by the volume per droplet, as well as the amount of ink ejected during the recovery process. The ink tank 30 may be equipped with a memory (not shown) for storing the remaining amount of ink, and the dot count value may be stored in this memory. This makes it easier to manage the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 30. In this case, the control unit 306 can also access the memory to detect whether or not the ink tank 30 is installed in the carriage 20.

[0019] The dot count value managed by the dot counter 34 indicates the amount of ink consumed, with a higher value indicating more ink has been used. For example, when notifying the user of the remaining ink level in the ink tank 30 using the dot count value stored in the ink tank 30's memory, the notification will be based on the total capacity of the ink tank 30 minus the dot count value.

[0020] When the recording head 22 is mounted on the carriage 20, chips 40 and 42, which have ejection ports for ejecting ink, are provided on the surface 22a (see Figure 2(a)) facing the recording medium M transported by the transport unit 12 (see Figure 1(b)). Hereinafter, in the recording head 22, the surface 22a facing the recording medium M transported by the transport unit 12, on which the ejection ports are provided by chips 40 and 42, will be referred to as the ejection port surface 22a. Chips 40 and 42 are arranged side by side along the X direction on the ejection port surface 22a.

[0021] Each of the chips 40 and 42 is equipped with a nozzle row 46, each consisting of 1280 nozzles 44 arranged in the Y direction, corresponding to the type of ink. Specifically, chip 40 is provided with a nozzle row 46GY formed by nozzles 44 that eject gray (GY) ink, and a nozzle row 46PBK formed by nozzles 44 that eject photo black (PBK) ink. Chip 40 is also provided with a nozzle row 46C formed by nozzles 44 that eject cyan (C) ink, and a nozzle row 46R formed by nozzles 44 that eject red (R) ink. Furthermore, chip 40 is provided with a nozzle row 46M formed by nozzles 44 that eject magenta (M) ink. In chip 40, these nozzle rows 46 are arranged side by side along the X direction.

[0022] The chip 42 is provided with a series of ejector ports 46PM formed by ejector ports 44 for ejecting photo magenta (PM) ink, and a series of ejector ports 46PC formed by ejector ports 44 for ejecting photo cyan (PC) ink. The chip 42 is also provided with a series of ejector ports 46Y formed by ejector ports 44 for ejecting yellow (Y) ink, and a series of ejector ports 46CO formed by ejector ports 44 for ejecting chroma optimizer (CO) ink, which is a transparent ink used to adjust glossiness. Furthermore, the chip 42 is provided with a series of ejector ports 46MBK formed by ejector ports 44 for ejecting matte black (MBK) ink. These series of ejector ports 46 are arranged side by side along the X direction on the chip 42.

[0023] Each nozzle row 46 consists of two rows of nozzles 44 arranged at a density of 600 per inch, offset by 1 / 1200 of an inch, so that the two rows of nozzles 44 are arranged in a staggered pattern. By considering these two rows (see Even row and Odd row in Figure 1(b)) as one nozzle row, it is possible to form 1200 dots per inch on the recording medium M. The amount of ink droplet ejected from one nozzle 44 (ejection volume) is, for example, about 4 pl.

[0024] In this embodiment, the recording head 22 is configured to eject ink using thermal energy. Accordingly, the recording head 22 is equipped with an electrothermal converter 604 for generating thermal energy in each foaming chamber 602 corresponding to each ejection port 44 (see Figure 6). Furthermore, the ink ejected by the recording head 22 is not limited to the ink described above, but may be of a different type, or any configuration capable of ejecting two or more types of ink is acceptable. In addition, the ink that can be ejected from the recording head 22 is not limited to ink containing colorants such as pigments and dyes, but may include various processing solutions that perform a predetermined treatment on the ink after ejection.

[0025] In the recording device 10, a recording operation is performed on the recording medium M, which has been transported to the recording start position by the transport unit 12, by ejecting ink while moving (scanning) the recording head 22 in the X direction based on the recording data. Next, the transport unit 12 performs a transport operation to transport the recording medium M by a predetermined amount, and then performs the recording operation again. In this way, the recording device 10 performs recording on the recording medium M based on the recording data by repeatedly and alternately executing the recording operation and the transport operation.

[0026] The recovery unit 16 is positioned in a location that overlaps with the movement area of ​​the carriage 20 and is located outside the recording area on the recording medium M by the recording head 22. It is positioned in a home position and is capable of performing various recovery operations with respect to the ejection port surface 22a of the recording head 22. In this embodiment, the carriage 20 is controlled to be in the home position when not performing a recording operation.

[0027] The recovery unit 16 includes a cap 48 that contacts the discharge port surface 22a and protects the area including the discharge port row 46, a suction unit 50 that reduces the pressure inside the cap 48, and a wiper unit 52 that wipes the area including the discharge port row 46 on the discharge port surface 22a (see Figure 2(a)). Note that the configuration provided in the recovery unit 16 is not limited to the three configurations described above, and may include various known configurations for maintaining and restoring the ink discharge performance from each discharge port 44.

[0028] The cap 48 is configured to be vertically movable. It rises relative to the recording head 22, which is in the home position, to contact the ejection port surface 22a, and then descends from that position to separate from the ejection port surface 22a. In the following description, the act of bringing the cap 48 into contact with the ejection port surface 22a will be referred to as "capping". Note that in Figure 2(a), the vertical movement mechanism of the cap 48 is omitted for the sake of clarity. In this embodiment, the cap 48 includes a cap 48a that protects the area of ​​the chip 40 including the ejection port rows 46GY, 46PBK, 46C, 46R, and 46M (see Figure 2(b)). The cap 48 also includes a cap 48b that protects the area of ​​the chip 42 including the ejection port rows 46PM, 46PC, 46Y, 46CO, and 46MBK. Inside the caps 48a and 48b, there is a porous absorbent (not shown) capable of receiving ink.

[0029] In this embodiment, the caps 48a and 48b are configured to protect an area including five rows of discharge ports 46, but the invention is not limited to this configuration, and may be configured to protect an area including two, three, four, or six or more rows of discharge ports 46. Furthermore, the caps 48a and 48b may be configured to be able to move up and down together, or they may be configured to be able to move up and down independently.

[0030] A suction unit 50 is provided for each of the caps 48a and 48b. The suction unit 50 connected to cap 48a and the suction unit 50 connected to cap 48b have the same configuration. Therefore, the following description will focus on the suction unit 50 connected to cap 48a, and the description of the suction unit 50 connected to cap 48b will be omitted.

[0031] The suction unit 50 includes a suction pump 56 connected to the cap 48a via a tube 54, and an atmospheric communication valve 60 via a tube 58 that can connect and disconnect the inside of the capped cap 48 to the atmosphere (see Figure 2(a)). The tubes 54 and 58 communicate with the inside of the cap 48a. The tubes 54 and 58 are made of, for example, rubber or resin and are flexible. The atmospheric communication valve 60 is configured to be opened and closed by, for example, a cam mechanism (not shown).

[0032] The suction pump 56 is a tube pump. Specifically, the suction pump 56 generates negative pressure inside the cap 48 that communicates with the tube 54 by squeezing the tube 54, which is disposed on the tube guide surface of the pump base 62, with two rollers 66 provided on a roller holder 64 that rotates in the direction of arrow A. The ink sucked out and discharged by the drive of the suction pump 56 is stored in a waste ink storage section (not shown). The tube guide surface of the pump base 62 is semicircular in shape, and the roller holder 64 rotates in the direction of arrow A around the rotation axis 68. In this embodiment, a tube pump is used as the suction pump 56, but various known suction pumps can be used for the suction pump 56. Note that the suction pump 56 may not be provided in a configuration corresponding to each of the caps 48a and 48b, but may be provided in a configuration common to both caps 48a and 48b.

[0033] The wiper section 52 includes a wiper 70 for wiping the discharge port surface 22a, and a wiper holder 72 that holds the wiper 70 and is configured to reciprocate in the Y direction. The wiper 70 includes a wiper 70a capable of wiping the area of ​​the chip 40 including the discharge port rows 46GY, 46PBK, 46C, 46R, and 46M (see Figure 2(b)). The wiper 70 also includes a wiper 70b capable of wiping the area of ​​the chip 42 including the discharge port rows 46PM, 46PC, 46Y, 46CO, and 46MBK.

[0034] In this embodiment, the wiper unit 52, located in the standby position (see Figure 2(a)), moves in the +Y direction relative to the carriage 20 in the home position, causing the wiper 70 to come into contact with the discharge port surface 22a and wipe away any ink droplets, paper dust, etc. remaining on the discharge port surface 22a. Hereinafter, the wiping of the discharge port surface 22a by the wiper unit 52 will be referred to as "wiping".

[0035] <Configuration of the control system for the recording device> Next, the configuration of the control system of the recording device 10 will be described. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the recording device 10.

[0036] The recording device 10 includes a control unit 306 that controls the overall operation of the recording device 10. This control unit 306 is connected to the host computer 302 via an interface circuit 303. The host computer 302 receives multi-level image data stored in various storage media such as image input devices 304, such as scanners and digital cameras, and hard disks. The host computer 302 outputs the input multi-level image data (hereinafter also simply referred to as "image data") to the recording device 10 as image information to be recorded. The host computer 302 is equipped with, for example, a CPU 302a and a memory element (ROM) 302b, which are necessary when outputting image data. As the host computer 302, for example, a computer as an information processing device or an image reader can be used.

[0037] The control unit 306 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 308, input / output ports 310, a memory element (ROM) 312 for storing control programs and the like, a RAM 314 which serves as a work area for executing various processes, and a non-volatile memory (NVRAM) 316.

[0038] The CPU 308 loads various control programs stored in the ROM 312 into the RAM 314 to control each component of the recording device 10. The ROM 312 stores various data, such as the CPU 308's control programs and parameters necessary for recording operations. The RAM 314 is used as the CPU 308's work area and also temporarily stores various data, such as image data output from the host computer 302 and recording data generated based on the image data.

[0039] The CPU 308 is connected via an input / output port 310 to a drive circuit 318 that drives sensors such as a temperature and humidity sensor 316 that detects the temperature and humidity of the surrounding environment of the recording device 10. The CPU 308 controls the driving of various sensors via the drive circuit 318. The CPU 308 is also connected via an input / output port 310 to a drive circuit 320 that drives various motors 321 such as a carriage motor 26. The CPU 308 controls the driving of various motors via the drive circuit 320. Examples of motors 321 controlled via the drive circuit 320 include a transport motor that drives the transport roller 18a, a motor for raising and lowering the cap 48, and a motor for moving the wiper unit 52. The CPU 308 controls the movement of the carriage 20, the transport of the recording medium M, the raising and lowering of the cap 48, and the movement of the wiper unit 52 via the drive circuit 320.

[0040] The CPU 308 is connected via the input / output port 310 to a drive circuit 324 that controls the drive of the suction unit 50. The CPU 308 controls the drive of the suction pump 56 by controlling the suction motor 322 via the drive circuit 324, and also controls the opening and closing of the atmospheric communication valve 60. The CPU 308 is also connected via the input / output port 310 to a drive circuit 326 that controls the drive of the recording head 22. The CPU 308 controls the ejection of ink from each ejection port 44 of the recording head 22 based on the recorded data via the drive circuit 326. Furthermore, the CPU 308 is connected via the input / output port 310 to a controller 330 that drives the operation unit 328, which is equipped with a display unit, buttons, or a touch panel. The CPU 308 controls the display content on the operation unit 328 via the controller 330 and accepts user input to the operation unit 328.

[0041] <ink> Next, the ink discharged from the discharge port will be described. The ink used in the recording device 10 contains, for example, a volatile liquid solvent, a solid component that forms an image, and a functional solid component. Examples of solvents include water-soluble organic solvents and water. Examples of solid components that form an image include dyes and pigments as colorants. Transparent materials may also be used in the solid component that forms the image to adjust glossiness and image fastness. As a functional solid component, for example, a resin (water-soluble resin or water-soluble resin fine particles) may be used to improve image performance. Wax may also be used as a functional solid component to improve fastness. In addition to these components, the ink may also contain water-soluble organic compounds that are solid at room temperature, such as urea and its derivatives, trimethylolpropane, and trimethylolethane. Furthermore, the ink may contain various additives such as defoamers, surfactants, pH adjusters, preservatives, fungicides, antioxidants, and anti-mold agents to impart desired physical properties as needed.

[0042] The various physical properties of the ink should be within the same range as, for example, general inkjet recording inks. In this embodiment, the water-soluble resin fine particles are polymer fine particles that exist in a dispersed state in water. Specifically, the following resin fine particles can be mentioned: Acrylic resin fine particles synthesized by emulsion polymerization of monomers such as alkyl (meth)acrylate or alkyl (meth)acrylate amide. Styrene-acrylic resin fine particles synthesized by emulsion polymerization of alkyl (meth)acrylate or alkyl (meth)acrylate amide with styrene monomer. Polyethylene resin fine particles, polypropylene resin fine particles, polyurethane resin fine particles, styrene-butadiene resin fine particles.

[0043] Furthermore, the water-soluble resin microparticles may also be core-shell type resin microparticles in which the polymer composition differs between the core and shell portions that constitute the resin microparticles, or resin microparticles obtained by using pre-synthesized acrylic microparticles as seed particles to control the particle size and emulsion polymerization around them. Moreover, hybrid type resin microparticles may also be obtained by chemically bonding different resin microparticles, such as acrylic resin microparticles and urethane resin microparticles.

[0044] Specifically, waxes include synthetic wax particles such as Fischer-Tropsch wax (EMUSTAR-6315) manufactured by Nippon Seiro Co., Ltd. and polyolefin wax (Hi-Tec E-9500) manufactured by Toho Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. Additionally, waxes can also include natural wax particles such as carnauba wax (Cerosol 524) manufactured by Chukyo Oils Co., Ltd. and paraffin wax (AQUACER 497) manufactured by Big Chemie Japan Co., Ltd.

[0045] <Concerns arising from publicly known technologies> Next, we will discuss the concerns arising from publicly known technologies.

[0046] =Recovery process using publicly known technology= First, a recovery process performed by a recording device of known technology will be described. Figure 4 is a flowchart detailing the recovery process performed by a recording device of known technology. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 4 are performed by the CPU 308 loading the program code stored in the ROM 312 into the RAM 314 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 4 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit. In this specification, the symbol S in the description of each process in the flowchart means a step in that flowchart.

[0047] In the recording device 10, generally, at times such as when the recording head 22 is initially filled with ink, after the ink tank 30 is replaced, or after a long period of inactivity, the recovery unit 16 performs a recovery process to maintain and restore the ink ejection performance from the ejection port 44 of the recording head 22. In this embodiment, the recovery process includes a suction operation that forcibly sucks ink from the ejection port 44 to remove bubbles and impurities inside the recording head 22, a wiping operation that wipes away droplets and paper dust from the ejection port surface 22a, and a preliminary ejection operation which is the ejection of ink that does not contribute to recording.

[0048] When the recovery process begins, first, in S402, the CPU 308 caps the ejection port surface 22a with the cap 48. Specifically, in S402, the cap 48 is raised relative to the recording head 22, which is in the home position, and the cap 48 is brought into contact with the ejection port surface 22a. As a result, the cap 48a, which is in contact with the ejection port surface 22a, covers the area of ​​the chip 40 including the ejection port rows 46GY, 46PBK, 46C, 46R, and 46M. Additionally, the cap 48b, which is in contact with the ejection port surface 22a, covers the area of ​​the chip 42 including the ejection port rows 46PM, 46PC, 46Y, 46CO, and 46MBK.

[0049] Next, in S404, the CPU 308 closes the atmospheric communication valve 60 to shield the inside of the cap 48 from the atmosphere. Then, in S406, the CPU 308 drives the suction pump 56 to perform a suction operation, creating negative pressure inside the cap 48. As a result, ink is forcibly sucked out and discharged from each discharge port 44 in each discharge port row 46 located within the area capped by caps 48a and 48b. In S406, the CPU 308 stops the suction operation by the suction pump 56 when the amount of ink in the ink tank 30 has decreased by a predetermined amount. For example, it determines that the amount of ink in the ink tank 30 has decreased by a predetermined amount based on the elapsed time since the start of operation of the suction pump 56. Note that the detection of the amount of ink decrease in the ink tank 30 is not limited to this, and various known technologies can be used, such as providing a sensor to detect the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 30. Then, when the suction operation by the suction pump 56 is completed, in S408, the CPU 308 opens the atmospheric communication valve 60 to connect the inside of the cap 48 to the atmosphere.

[0050] Here, caps 48a and 48b are configured to cover an area including multiple rows of discharge ports 46. As a result, multiple colors of ink are discharged into the caps 48a and 48b by the suction action. This causes the discharged inks to mix in an absorbent (not shown) provided inside each cap 48, and there is a risk that the resulting mixed inks may enter the discharge port 44.

[0051] Specifically, for example, when the suction pump 56 stops operating, the mixed ink generated inside the cap 48 may flow back into the discharge port 44. Also, as will be described later, between the time the cap 48 is separated after the suction operation and the time the wiping operation is performed, the mixed ink adhering to the discharge port surface 22a may enter the discharge port 44. Furthermore, the inside of the ink tank 30 is always set to be under negative pressure relative to the discharge port 44. As a result, the mixed ink that enters the discharge port 44 may flow back into the foaming chamber 602, which is equipped with an electrothermal converter 604, through the foaming chamber 602 to the flow path inside the recording head 22, and then to the ink tank 30.

[0052] If the mixed ink enters through the discharge port 44 and recording is performed based on the recorded data, parts of the recorded image will differ from the intended color. Therefore, after the suction operation and before starting recording based on the recorded data, a preliminary discharge is performed to discharge the mixed ink from the discharge port 44.

[0053] Therefore, when the atmospheric communication valve 60 is opened in S408, thereby communicating the inside of the cap 48 to the atmosphere, the process quickly proceeds to S410, where the CPU 308 performs a preliminary ejection operation as an ejection operation of mixed ink to eliminate unintended color mixing in the recorded image. In this specification, the "preliminary ejection operation as an ejection operation of mixed ink to eliminate unintended color mixing in the recorded image" is referred to as the "preliminary ejection operation to eliminate color mixing". In the preliminary ejection operation to eliminate color mixing, a preset amount of ink (a preset number of ink droplets) is ejected.

[0054] In the color mixing elimination preliminary ejection operation in S410, ink is ejected into the cap 48 from each ejection port 44, and the suction pump 56 is driven while this ink is being ejected. In other words, in S410, the ejection of ink by driving the electric heat converter 604 and the suction by the suction pump 56 are performed in parallel. As a result, the ink ejected into the cap 48 is transferred to the waste ink storage section by suction by the suction pump 56. In other words, the suction section 50 is configured to discharge ink from inside the cap 48 while reducing the pressure inside the cap by driving the suction pump 56. In S410, suction by the suction pump 56 may be omitted, but it is preferable to perform suction when a large amount of ink is ejected into the cap 48. In S410, when a preset amount of ink is ejected by the electric heat converter 604 (ink is ejected a preset number of times), the suction by the suction pump 56 is stopped, and the color mixing elimination preliminary ejection operation is terminated.

[0055] After the preliminary ejection operation to eliminate color mixing is completed, in S412, the CPU 308 releases the cap 48 from capping the ejection port surface 22a. In other words, in S412, the caps 48a and 48b are lowered to separate them from the ejection port surface 22a. Then, in S414, the CPU 308 performs a wiping operation to wipe the ejection port surface 22a with the wiper unit 52. In S414, the wiper unit 52, which is in a standby position, is moved in the +Y direction, so that the wiper 70 wipes the ejection port surface 22a and removes the ink adhering to the ejection port surface 22a.

[0056] During the wiping operation, wiped ink may enter the discharge port 44. Therefore, after the wiping operation in S414, in S416, the CPU 308 performs a preliminary discharge operation to discharge the ink that has entered the discharge port 44 due to the wiping operation, and then terminates this recovery process. In this specification, the "preliminary discharge operation to discharge the ink that has entered the discharge port 44 due to the wiping operation" will be appropriately referred to as the "post-wiping preliminary discharge operation." In S416, the electrothermal converter 604 is driven to discharge ink, and when a preset amount of ink (a preset number of ink discharges) has been discharged, the post-wiping preliminary discharge operation is terminated. In the post-wiping preliminary discharge operation, ink is discharged toward the inside of the cap 48, which is located spaced apart from the discharge port surface 22a. In this embodiment, suction by the suction pump 56 is not performed during the post-wiping preliminary discharge operation, but depending on the amount of ink to be discharged (number of ink discharges), suction by the suction pump 56 may be performed in parallel with the ink discharge.

[0057] =Recovery procedures using known techniques when certain inks are present= However, when the recovery process, including the pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing described above, is performed, the amount of ink discharged in a single shot from the discharge port 44 may decrease for certain inks. In other words, when the recovery process is performed for certain inks, the amount of ink discharged in a single shot from the discharge port 44 that has been contaminated with other inks may decrease. In this specification, this phenomenon of a decrease in the amount of ink discharged in a single shot from the discharge port 44 is referred to as the "discharge amount reduction phenomenon." In this embodiment, "discharge amount reduced" means that "the discharge amount has decreased by 30% or more from the normal discharge amount," or in other words, "the discharge amount has become 70% or less of the normal amount." "Normal" means when a particular ink is not discharged in a mixed state with other inks. Furthermore, the percentage of decrease in discharge amount from the normal discharge amount used to determine that the discharge amount has decreased is not limited to 30% or more, but may be set as appropriate, for example, to 25% or more.

[0058] Therefore, in known technology, for a specific ink in which a decrease in ejection volume occurs, in addition to the various pre-ejection operations performed in the recovery process described above, a pre-ejection operation is performed for the purpose of restoring the ejection volume of a single ink jet from the ejection port 44. In this specification, the "pre-ejection operation for the purpose of restoring the ejection volume of a single ink jet from the ejection port 44" is referred to as the "additional pre-ejection operation." Furthermore, in this specification, unless otherwise specified, "specific ink" means an ink in which a decrease in ejection volume may occur due to the pre-ejection operation. Therefore, in a recording device according to known technology, if a specific ink whose ejection volume decreases due to the pre-ejection operation for color mixing is used, an additional pre-ejection operation is performed only for that specific ink during the recovery process to restore the decrease in ejection volume.

[0059] The following describes a known recovery process performed in a recording device capable of ejecting multiple inks, including a specific ink. Figure 5 is a flowchart detailing the recovery process performed in a recording device capable of ejecting multiple inks, including a specific ink. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 5 are performed by the CPU 308 loading the program code stored in the ROM 312 into the RAM 314 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 5 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit.

[0060] When the recovery process shown in Figure 5 is initiated, first, in S502, the CPU 308 caps the discharge port surface 22a with the cap 48. Next, in S504, the CPU 308 closes the atmospheric communication valve 60. Then, in S506, the CPU 308 performs a suction operation, and in S508, the CPU 308 opens the atmospheric communication valve 60. After that, in S510, the CPU 308 performs a preliminary discharge operation to eliminate color mixing for all inks, and in S512, the CPU 308 releases the cap 48 from capping the discharge port surface 22a. Furthermore, in S514, the CPU 308 performs a wiping operation, and in S516, the CPU 308 performs a post-wiping preliminary discharge operation for all inks. Note that the specific processing content from S502 to S516 is the same as that from S402 to S416 described above, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0061] As described above, for certain inks, a decrease in ejection volume occurs after the pre-ejection operation to correct color mixing. Therefore, in this recovery process, once the pre-ejection operation after wiping is completed, in S518, the CPU 308 performs capping of the ejection port surface 22a with the cap 48. Then, in S520, the CPU 308 performs an additional pre-ejection operation for the specific ink, and this recovery process is completed.

[0062] In S520, no additional pre-dispensing operation is performed for inks other than the specific ink. However, in S520, a small amount of pre-dispensing may be performed for other inks in addition to the additional pre-dispensing operation for the specific ink, in the following cases: For example, when there is a risk that the specific ink discharged by the additional pre-dispensing operation may enter the discharge port of the other ink. Another example is when the additional pre-dispensing operation for the specific ink takes a long time, and there is a risk that the other ink may dry out inside the discharge port. In the additional pre-dispensing operation in S520, the specific ink is discharged into the cap 48 from each discharge port 44, and the suction pump 56 is driven while the specific ink is being discharged. In other words, in S520, the discharge of the specific ink by driving the electric heat converter 604 and the suction by the suction pump 56 are performed in parallel. As a result, the specific ink discharged into the cap 48 is transferred to the waste ink storage section by suction from the suction pump 56. In S520, once a preset amount of ink has been ejected by the electric heat converter 604 (for a preset number of times), the suction by the suction pump 56 is stopped, thereby ending the additional preliminary ejection operation.

[0063] In Figure 5, the additional pre-ejection operation is performed after the wiped pre-ejection operation, but this is not the only option. The wiped operation and the post-wipe pre-ejection operation may be performed after the additional pre-ejection operation. In this case, the color mixing elimination pre-ejection operation is performed on all inks, then the additional pre-ejection operation is performed on a specific ink, after which the capping is released, the wiped operation is performed, and then the post-wipe pre-ejection operation is performed.

[0064] =Occurrence of a decrease in discharge volume= Next, the cause of the discharge volume reduction phenomenon will be explained. Figure 6 shows the configuration of the foaming chamber that communicates with the discharge port 44. Each discharge port 44 is connected to a foaming chamber 602, and in each foaming chamber 602, an electrothermal converter 604 is provided at a position corresponding to the discharge port 44. The recording head 22 generates thermal energy by a pulse signal applied to the electrothermal converter 604, and this thermal energy causes film boiling in the ink in the foaming chamber 602, and the foaming pressure of the film boiling is used to discharge the ink from the discharge port 44.

[0065] After the suction operation in S506 of the recovery process, as described above, the mixed ink in the cap 48 may enter the foaming chamber 602 from the discharge port 44. When certain inks are discharged in a mixed state with other inks in the foaming chamber 602, it is thought that some of the components contained in them, such as colorants, waxes, and water-soluble resin particles, adhere in large quantities to the surface of the electrothermal converter 604. Furthermore, it is thought that the deposits adhering to the surface of the electrothermal converter 604 adhere in a shape different from the usual (i.e., deposits that adhere when a specific ink without mixing is discharged). It is thought that these deposits on the surface of the electrothermal converter 604 cause a decrease in the discharge volume phenomenon for certain inks.

[0066] However, in the additional pre-dispensing operation to restore the dispensing volume of a specific ink that has experienced a decrease in dispensing volume, a very large amount of ink needs to be dispensed. Specifically, in the additional pre-dispensing operation, the number of ink ejections from the ejection port 44 is required to be tens to hundreds of times greater than in the pre-dispensing operation to correct color mixing or the pre-dispensing operation after wiping.

[0067] <Characteristic technology according to this embodiment> Therefore, in this embodiment, in the recovery process, in order to suppress the amount of ink required for the additional pre-ejection operation, the processing after the color mixing elimination pre-ejection operation for a specific ink is performed after the wiping pre-ejection operation for the other inks. The other inks refer to inks other than the specific ink among the multiple inks that can be ejected from the recording head 22. In this embodiment, the specific ink is MBK ink. Hereafter, the specific ink will be described as MBK ink. In other words, if other ink enters the ejection port 44 that ejects MBK ink, and the MBK ink and the other ink are mixed, and the ejection operation of MBK ink is performed from the ejection port 44, a phenomenon occurs in which the amount of MBK ink ejected from the ejection port 44 decreases.

[0068] =Recovery process in this embodiment= The recovery process performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the detailed processing content of the recovery process performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment. Figure 8 is a table showing the number of times ink is ejected per ejection port as the ejection amount of each ink during various preliminary ejection operations in the recovery process of Figure 7. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the detailed processing content of the recovery process performed by the recording device according to this embodiment. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 7 are performed by the CPU 308 expanding the program code stored in the ROM 312 into the RAM 314 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 7 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit.

[0069] When the recovery process shown in Figure 7 is initiated, first, in S702, the CPU 308 performs capping of the discharge port surface 22a with the cap 48. Next, in S704, the CPU 308 closes the atmospheric communication valve 60. Then, in S706, the CPU 308 performs a suction operation, and in S708, the CPU 308 opens the atmospheric communication valve 60. Note that the specific processing content from S702 to S708 is the same as that from S402 to S408 described above, so a detailed explanation is omitted. Thus, in this embodiment, the CPU 308 functions as an discharge control unit that generates negative pressure inside the cap 48 capped on the discharge port surface 22a of the recording head 22, and discharges ink into the cap 48 from each discharge port 44.

[0070] Next, in S710, the CPU308 performs a preliminary ejection operation to eliminate color mixing for the other inks. Specifically, S710 performs a preliminary ejection operation to eliminate color mixing for nine types of ink: GY ink, PBK ink, C ink, R ink, M ink, PM ink, PC ink, Y ink, and CO ink. However, S710 does not perform a preliminary ejection operation to eliminate color mixing for MBK ink. In addition, for the other inks, S710 performs a preliminary ejection operation to eliminate color mixing, with the number of ejections per ejector port 44 set to 2500 (see Figure 8(a)).

[0071] Then, in S712, the CPU 308 releases the cap 48 from capping the discharge port surface 22a. Also, in S714, the CPU 308 performs a wiping operation. The specific processing details of S712 and S714 are the same as those of S412 and S414 described above, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0072] Subsequently, in S716, a pre-ejection operation is performed on the other inks after wiping. Specifically, in S716, a pre-ejection operation is performed on the GY ink, PBK ink, C ink, R ink, M ink, PM ink, PC ink, Y ink, and CO ink. However, in S716, no pre-ejection operation is performed on the MBK ink. In addition, in S716, as a pre-ejection operation after wiping for the other inks, a pre-ejection operation is performed with a number of ejections per ejector port 44 of 15,000 (see Figure 8).

[0073] Thus, once the pre-ejection operation after wiping for the other inks is completed, in S718, the CPU 308 performs a pre-ejection operation to eliminate color mixing for the MBK ink. That is, in S718, the pre-ejection operation to eliminate color mixing is not performed for the GY ink, PBK ink, C ink, R ink, M ink, PM ink, PC ink, Y ink, and CO ink. In this way, in the recovery process performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment, for the MBK ink, the pre-ejection operation to eliminate color mixing is performed after a predetermined time (approximately 30 seconds in this embodiment) has elapsed after the suction operation in S706. In contrast, for the other inks, the pre-ejection operation to eliminate color mixing is performed immediately after the suction operation in S706.

[0074] In S718, for MBK ink, a preliminary ejection operation is performed to eliminate color mixing, with 50,000 ejections per ejection port 44 (see Figure 8). Furthermore, the preliminary ejection operation for eliminating color mixing in S718 is the same as the preliminary ejection operation for other inks, except for the ejection of ink to separated caps, the suction pump 56 not being performed in parallel with the preliminary ejection, and the number of ink ejections. However, in the preliminary ejection operation for eliminating color mixing in S718, suction by the suction pump 56 may be performed in parallel with the preliminary ejection.

[0075] Subsequently, in S720, the CPU 308 performs a wiping operation. The specific processing content of S720 is the same as that of S414 described above. Then, in S722, the CPU 308 performs a post-wiping pre-ejection operation for the MBK ink. That is, in S722, the post-wiping pre-ejection operation is not performed for the GY ink, PBK ink, C ink, R ink, M ink, PM ink, PC ink, Y ink, and CO ink. In S722, for the MBK ink, a pre-ejection operation is performed with a number of ejections per ejector port 44 set to 15,000 as a post-wiping pre-ejection operation (see Figure 8). The post-wiping pre-ejection operation in S722 is the same as the post-wiping pre-ejection operation for the other inks. In S722, in the following cases, a small amount of pre-ejection operation may be performed for other inks along with the post-wiping pre-ejection operation for the specific ink. One example of a situation where a small amount of preliminary ejection operation for other inks is performed is when the wiping operation of the S720 may cause the special color ink to enter the ejection port of other inks.

[0076] Then, once the pre-discharge operation for the MBK ink after wiping is complete, in S724, the CPU 308 performs capping of the discharge port surface 22a with the cap 48. The specific processing content of S724 is the same as that of S402 described above. Note that in S724, the caps 48a and 48b may be configured to be able to move up and down independently, and capping may be performed using only the cap 48b. After that, in S726, the CPU 308 performs an additional pre-discharge operation for the MBK ink to complete this recovery process. Thus, in this embodiment, the CPU 308 functions as a discharge control unit that performs pre-discharge for a specific ink after performing pre-discharge for other inks.

[0077] In S726, MBK ink is ejected into the cap 48 from each ejection port 44 in the ejection port row 46MBK, and the suction pump 56 is driven while this ink is being ejected. In other words, in S726, the ejection of MBK ink by driving the electrothermal converter 604 and the suction by the suction pump 56 are performed in parallel. As a result, the MBK ink ejected into the cap 48 is transferred to the waste ink storage section by suction from the suction pump 56. The suction pump 56 is stopped when a predetermined amount of ink has been ejected by the electrothermal converter 604 (the ink has been ejected a predetermined number of times). In addition, in S726, a preliminary ejection operation is performed on the MBK ink, in which the number of ink ejections per ejection port 44 is set to 80,000 (see Figure 8).

[0078] =Verification of the Example and Comparative Example= Next, we will explain the verification results of the example using the recovery process shown in Figure 7 and the comparative example using the recovery process shown in Figure 5, which examined the number of ejections in various pre-ejection operations during the recovery process and the ejection amount of MBK ink (specific ink) before the execution of additional pre-ejection operations. Figure 9 shows the verification results for the example and the comparative example. Figure 9(a) is a table showing the number of ejections of each ink in each pre-ejection operation during the recovery process in the comparative example. Figure 9(b) is a table showing the ejection amount of one MBK ink shot before the execution of additional pre-ejection operations and the number of ejections during additional pre-ejection operations for the example and the comparative example.

[0079] =Comparative Example= In the comparative example, during the S510 color mixing correction pre-discharge operation, pre-discharge was performed for all inks, with 2500 ejections from a single ejector port 44 (see Figure 9(a)). Furthermore, during the S516 post-wiping pre-discharge operation, pre-discharge was performed for all inks, with 15000 ejections from a single ejector port 44. Additionally, during the S520 additional pre-discharge operation, pre-discharge was performed for a specific ink (MBK ink), with 500000 ejections from a single ejector port 44.

[0080] =Example In this embodiment, during the color mixing elimination preliminary ejection operation in S710, a preliminary ejection was performed for other inks, with the number of ejections from one ejection port 44 set to 2500 (see Figure 8). Furthermore, during the post-wiping preliminary ejection operation in S716, a preliminary ejection was performed for other inks, with the number of ejections from one ejection port 44 set to 15000. Additionally, during the color mixing elimination preliminary ejection operation in S718, a preliminary ejection was performed for a specific ink (MBK ink), with the number of ejections from one ejection port 44 set to 50000. Furthermore, during the post-wiping preliminary ejection operation in S722, a preliminary ejection was performed for a specific ink, with the number of ejections from one ejection port 44 set to 15000. Finally, during the additional preliminary ejection operation in S726, a preliminary ejection was performed for a specific ink, with the number of ejections from one ejection port 44 set to 80000.

[0081] =Verification= In the comparative example, a preliminary operation to eliminate color mixing was performed immediately after the suction operation in S506 for a specific ink, MBK ink, along with other inks. As a result, the amount of ink ejected in one shot from the ejection port 44 before the additional preliminary ejection operation was performed (i.e., at the end of S516) was 1.0 pl, which was a 75% decrease from the normal ejection amount of 4.0 pl (see Figure 9(b)).

[0082] In contrast, in this embodiment, after the pre-discharge operation following wiping for other inks is completed, the operations from the pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing are performed for a specific ink, MBK ink. As a result, the amount of ink discharged in one shot from the discharge port 44 at the stage before the additional pre-discharge operation is performed (i.e., at the end of S722) is 3.6 pl, which is a 10% decrease from the normal discharge amount of 4.0 pl.

[0083] Subsequently, an additional pre-dispensing operation is performed to restore the MBK ink discharge volume to the normal discharge volume of 4.0 pl. The number of ink discharges required for this additional pre-dispensing operation was 500,000 in the comparative example (see Figure 9(b)), while it was 80,000 in the example (see Figure 8).

[0084] Thus, in the embodiment, which is a recovery process, it was shown that the amount of ink required to recover to the normal discharge amount by additional pre-discharge operations can be suppressed while suppressing the discharge volume reduction phenomenon compared to the comparative example, which is a recovery process using known technology. In this verification experiment, the number of discharges in the pre-discharge operations to eliminate color mixing for a specific ink was greater in the embodiment than in the comparative example. On the other hand, the number of discharges in the additional pre-discharge operations for a specific ink was greater in the comparative example than in the embodiment. However, the difference in the number of discharges in the pre-discharge operations to eliminate color mixing between the embodiment and the comparative example (47,500 discharges) is significantly smaller than the difference in the number of discharges in the additional pre-discharge operations between the embodiment and the comparative example (420,000 discharges). As a result, the total number of ink discharges in each pre-discharge operation during the recovery process is significantly less in the embodiment than in the comparative example. In addition, in the comparative example, 500,000 ink discharges occur during the additional pre-discharge operation after various pre-discharge operations have been performed for all inks. In contrast, in the embodiment, 145,000 ink discharges occur during various pre-discharge operations for a specific ink after various pre-discharge operations have been performed for other inks. This demonstrated that, in the examples, the amount of ink discarded is significantly reduced, and the time required for recovery processing is shortened.

[0085] In the recovery process performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment, the processing after the preliminary ejection operation to correct color mixing of a specific ink was performed after the completion of the post-wiping preliminary ejection operation of the other inks. This was done considering the following mechanism.

[0086] In the recovery process shown in Figure 7, after the suction operation, other inks enter the foaming chamber 602 of the MBK ink, causing mixing. However, experiments conducted by the inventors of this invention have shown that near the electrothermal converter 604, the mixing rate of MBK ink with other inks becomes approximately 1% after mixing occurs. Furthermore, experiments conducted by the inventors of this invention have shown that the lower this mixing rate is (below 1%), the less the decrease in the amount of MBK ink ejected per shot is reduced. This result is thought to be because, when MBK ink is ejected in a mixed state with other inks, the lower the ratio of other inks to MBK ink, the less residue adheres to the electrothermal converter 604. From these results, it is thought that the longer the time elapsed from the start of mixing to the execution of the ejection operation, the more the mixed ink diffuses within the foaming chamber, reducing the mixing rate of other inks to MBK ink near the electrothermal converter, and thus suppressing the decrease in the amount of MBK ink ejected.

[0087] Furthermore, immediately after the suction operation of S706, the amount of mixed ink and the amount of foam caused by the ink in the cap 48 are large, so if the preliminary ejection operation is performed in this state, the mixed ink in the cap 48 will enter the foaming chamber 602 during the preliminary ejection operation. However, if the preliminary ejection operation is performed after a sufficient amount of time has elapsed since the suction operation of S706, or after sufficient suction of the ink from the cap 48, the amount of mixed ink and foam in the cap 48 will have decreased, and the entry of the mixed ink into the foaming chamber 602 during the preliminary ejection operation can be suppressed. And because the decrease in ejection volume before the execution of the additional preliminary ejection operation is suppressed, the amount of ink required during the additional preliminary ejection operation in S726 (the number of times ink is ejected from one ejection port 44) can be suppressed.

[0088] However, the longer the time elapsed between the occurrence of color mixing and the start of the pre-discharge operation, the greater the amount of ink required during the pre-discharge operation to resolve the color mixing (the number of times ink is dispensed from one discharge port 44). This is thought to be due to factors such as the progression of diffusion of the mixed inks in the foaming chamber 602 and the rise of other inks due to differences in specific gravity with a particular ink.

[0089] Therefore, the timing for performing a preliminary ejection operation to eliminate color mixing for a specific ink is set so that the sum of the amount of ink required for the preliminary ejection operation and the amount of ink required for the additional preliminary ejection operation is smaller. This setting is determined experimentally, for example, depending on the type of electrothermal converter 604, the size of the foaming chamber 602, and the type of ink. The timing for performing the preliminary ejection operation to eliminate color mixing for a specific ink should be set so that the increase in the amount of ink required for the preliminary ejection operation is smaller than the decrease in the amount of ink required for the additional preliminary ejection operation, compared to known technology.

[0090] Therefore, in this embodiment, a preliminary dispensing operation to eliminate color mixing for other inks is performed immediately after the suction operation of S706. In other words, in this embodiment, by performing a preliminary dispensing operation to eliminate color mixing for other inks immediately after color mixing occurs due to the suction operation, the amount of ink required for the preliminary dispensing operation to eliminate color mixing is suppressed by dispensing the mixed ink before the mixed ink diffuses in the foaming chamber 602.

[0091] <Variation> In the recovery process shown in Figure 7 above, two preliminary ejection operations (a color-mixing elimination preliminary ejection operation and a pre-wiping preliminary ejection operation) are performed for a specific ink, MBK ink, before the additional preliminary ejection operation is performed. However, the process is not limited to this. For MBK ink, for example, the two preliminary ejection operations may be combined into one operation before the additional preliminary ejection operation is performed, or the two preliminary ejection operations may be divided into three or more preliminary ejection operations.

[0092] The recovery process shown in Figure 7 above was explained using MBK ink only for the sake of ease of understanding, but it is not limited to this. For example, the recording device 10 may be equipped with multiple specific inks. Also, depending on the type of ink that can be ejected from the recording head 22, other inks described as "other inks" above, such as PM ink, PC ink, and CO ink, may also be considered specific inks.

[0093] <Effects and Effects> As described above, in the recording device according to this embodiment, for a specific ink in which a reduction in the amount of ink ejected from the ejection port decreases due to a pre-ejection operation, the pre-ejection operation is performed after the pre-ejection operation for other inks has been completed. Specifically, immediately after the suction operation that forcibly ejects the ink, the pre-ejection operation for other inks is performed, and after the pre-ejection operation for other inks has been completed, the pre-ejection operation for the specific ink is performed. As a result, in this embodiment, the number of times ink is ejected in the pre-ejection operation performed for the specific ink can be reduced during the recovery process. Therefore, the amount of discarded ink (waste ink) generated during the recovery process can be suppressed, and the time required for the recovery process can be reduced.

[0094] (Second Embodiment) Next, a recording device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 13. In the following description, components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the recording device according to the first embodiment described above will be referred to with the same reference numerals used in the first embodiment described above, and their detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0095] <Concerns arising from publicly known technologies> First, let me explain another concern that arises in the known technology. As mentioned above, the cause of the reduced discharge volume phenomenon is that, for certain inks, when a preliminary discharge operation is performed in the foaming chamber while the ink is mixed with other inks, some of the ink components, such as colorants, waxes, and water-soluble resin fine particles, become unstable and adhere to the electrothermal converter. It is thought that this adhesion to the electrothermal converter causes foaming failure by the electrothermal converter in the foaming chamber, resulting in a reduced discharge volume phenomenon where the amount of ink discharged in one shot from a single nozzle decreases.

[0096] Here, the recovery process is performed at various times, such as when the ink is initially filled into the recording head, after replacing the ink tank, and after a long period of inactivity. Therefore, if a particular ink is not used between the time a recovery process is performed and the next recovery process is performed, the additional pre-ejection operation in the previous recovery process is unnecessary.

[0097] More specifically, if the ink tank 30 or the recording head 22 is replaced immediately after a recovery process, or if the recording device is not used for a long period of time immediately after a recovery process, the additional pre-ejection operation for specific inks in the previously performed recovery process becomes unnecessary. Also, if specific inks are not used in predetermined processes such as recording processes performed between the execution of a recovery process and the execution of the next recovery process, the additional pre-ejection operation for specific inks in the previously performed recovery process becomes unnecessary. Examples of recording processes that do not use specific inks include recording processes that record on glossy recording media, in which case MBK ink is not used. Furthermore, in recording modes that prioritize recording speed over image quality, PM ink and PC ink may not be used, and CO ink may not be used on plain paper or matte recording media. In these cases, PM ink, PC ink, and CO ink become the specific inks.

[0098] For example, suppose a first recovery process is performed, followed by a second recovery process by replacing the ink tank 30, and then a recording process that does not use a specific ink is performed. Furthermore, suppose a third recovery process is performed after the device has been left unused for a long period of time, and then a recording process that uses a specific ink is performed. In this case, the additional pre-ejection operation in the first and second recovery processes is unnecessary because the next process performed will not involve recording with a specific ink. On the other hand, the third recovery process, which will involve recording with a specific ink, requires an additional pre-ejection operation.

[0099] <Characteristic technology according to this embodiment> Therefore, in this embodiment, during the recovery process, if an additional pre-discharge operation is required for a specific ink, the additional pre-discharge operation is not performed, and a flag for performing the additional pre-discharge operation is turned ON. Then, when a recording job is input, the additional pre-discharge operation is performed based on the flag during the pre-recording processing that is performed before the recording process based on the recording job is executed. In this embodiment, the recovery process is provided with multiple modes for which the target of the suction operation differs. Specifically, the recovery process includes a first mode in which only a suction operation using cap 48a is performed, for example when the ink tank 30 that stores ink discharged from the discharge port row 46 located in the area capped by cap 48a is replaced. The recovery process also includes a second mode in which only a suction operation using cap 48b is performed, for example when the ink tank 30 that stores ink discharged from the discharge port row 46 located in the area capped by cap 48b is replaced. Furthermore, the recovery process includes a third mode in which a suction operation using caps 48a and 48b is performed, for example when the recording head 22 is replaced or when the device has been left unused for a long period of time. In the following explanation, a specific ink will be referred to as MBK ink.

[0100] =Recovery process in this embodiment= The recovery process performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the detailed processing content of the recovery process performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment. Figure 11 is a table showing the number of times ink is ejected from one ejection port 44 during various pre-ejection operations performed in the recovery process of Figure 10. Figure 11(a) is a table showing the number of ejections for each pre-ejection operation for other inks when the suction operation is performed with only the cap 48a. Figure 11(b) is a table showing the number of ejections for the color mixing elimination pre-ejection operation and the post-wiping pre-ejection operation for other inks when the suction operation is performed with caps 48a and 48b. Figure 11(c) is a table showing the number of ejections for the color mixing elimination pre-ejection operation and the post-wiping pre-ejection operation for other inks when the suction operation is performed with cap 48b. Figure 11(d) is a table showing the number of ejections for the color mixing elimination pre-ejection operation and the post-wiping pre-ejection operation for a specific ink.

[0101] The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 10 are performed by the CPU 308 loading the program code stored in the ROM 312 into the RAM 314 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 10 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit.

[0102] When the recovery process shown in Figure 10 is started, first, in S1002, the CPU 308 caps the discharge port surface 22a with the cap 48. The specific processing content of S1002 is the same as that of S402 described above. Then, in S1004, the CPU 308 closes the atmospheric communication valve 60. In this embodiment, the recovery process can be performed in three modes: a first mode in which only the suction operation by cap 48a is performed, a second mode in which only the suction operation by cap 48b is performed, and a third mode in which the suction operation by both caps 48a and 48b is performed. Therefore, in S1004, in the first mode, only the atmospheric communication valve 60 connected to cap 48a is closed, and in the second mode, only the atmospheric communication valve 60 connected to cap 48b is closed. Also, in S1004, in the third mode, both the atmospheric communication valve 60 connected to cap 48a and the atmospheric communication valve 60 connected to cap 48b are closed.

[0103] Next, in S1006, the CPU 308 drives the suction pump 56 to perform a suction operation, sucking ink from each discharge port 44 of the discharge port row 46 located in the capped area of ​​the discharge port surface 22a and forcibly discharging it. At this time, ink is not sucked and discharged from caps 48 whose atmospheric communication valve 60 is not closed. In S1006, once a predetermined amount of ink has been discharged from the ink tank 30, the drive of the suction pump 56 is stopped, and the suction operation is stopped. Then, in S1008, the CPU 308 opens the atmospheric communication valve 60. In S1008, the atmospheric communication valve 60, which was closed in S1004, is opened.

[0104] Subsequently, in S1010, the CPU 308 determines whether or not ink was forcibly discharged using the cap 48b, which caps the area including the discharge port row 46MBK on the discharge port surface 22a during the suction operation in S1006. That is, in S1010, for example, it is determined whether or not the atmospheric communication valve 60 connected to the cap 48b was closed in S1004. In this case, if it is determined that the atmospheric communication valve 60 connected to the cap 48b was closed, it is determined that ink was forcibly discharged using the cap 48b. Also, if it is determined that the atmospheric communication valve 60 connected to the cap 48b was not closed, it is determined that ink was not forcibly discharged using the cap 48b. Alternatively, in S1010, for example, it is determined whether or not the recovery process was in the second mode or the third mode. In this case, if it is determined to be in the second mode or the third mode, it is determined that ink was forcibly discharged using the cap 48b. Also, if it is determined to be in the first mode, it is determined that ink was not forcibly discharged using the cap 48b.

[0105] If it is determined in S1010 that ink has not been forcibly ejected using cap 48b, the process proceeds to S1012. In S1012, the CPU 308 determines that the suction operation in S1006 was performed from the nozzle row 46 located in the area capped by cap 48a, and performs a color-mixing elimination pre-ejection operation for the other inks corresponding to the nozzle row 46 located in that area. In other words, if it is determined in S1010 that ink has not been forcibly ejected using cap 48b, it is determined that the various pre-ejection operations performed thereafter will not cause a decrease in ejection volume, and a color-mixing elimination pre-ejection operation is promptly performed on the ink that was forcibly ejected. Specifically, in S1012, a color-mixing elimination pre-ejection operation is performed for GY ink, PBK ink, C ink, R ink, and M ink. In addition, in S1012, a color-mixing elimination pre-ejection operation is performed for these inks, with a number of ejections per nozzle 44 set to 2500 (see Figure 11(a)).

[0106] Once the preliminary ejection operation to eliminate color mixing is complete, in S1014, the CPU 308 releases the cap 48 from the ejection port surface 22a, and in S1016, the CPU 308 performs a wiping operation. The specific processing details in S1014 and S1016 are the same as those in S412 and S414 described above. In the wiping operation in S1016, for example, the wiper section 52 may be configured so that the wipers 70a and 70b can move independently in the Y direction, and only the area including the ejection port row 46 corresponding to the forcibly ejected ink may be wiped by the wiper 70a.

[0107] Subsequently, in S1018, the CPU 308 performs a pre-discharge operation after wiping, and then terminates this recovery process. In S1018, the pre-discharge operation after wiping is performed on the ink that was forcibly discharged by the suction operation in S1006. Specifically, in S1018, the pre-discharge operation after wiping is performed on the GY ink, PBK ink, C ink, R ink, and M ink. In addition, in S1018, as a pre-discharge operation after wiping for these inks, a pre-discharge operation is performed with a number of ejections per ejection port 44 of 15,000 (see Figure 11(a)).

[0108] On the other hand, if it is determined in S1010 that ink was forcibly discharged using cap 48b, the process proceeds to S1020. In S1020, the CPU 308 determines whether or not ink was forcibly discharged using cap 48a during the suction operation in S1006. That is, in S1020, for example, it determines whether or not the atmospheric communication valve 60 connected to cap 48a was closed in S1004. In this case, if it is determined that the atmospheric communication valve 60 connected to cap 48a was closed, it is determined that ink was forcibly discharged using cap 48a. Also, if it is determined that the atmospheric communication valve 60 connected to cap 48a was not closed, it is determined that ink was not forcibly discharged using cap 48a.

[0109] Furthermore, S1020 determines, for example, whether the recovery process was in the third mode. In this case, if it is determined to be the third mode, it is determined that the ink was forcibly ejected using cap 48a. If it is determined to be the first or second mode, it is determined that the ink was not forcibly ejected using cap 48a. More specifically, S1020 determines whether the ink was forcibly ejected using cap 48b and also using cap 48a. Therefore, in the first mode, where the ink is forcibly ejected using only cap 48a, S1020 determines that the ink was not forcibly ejected using cap 48a.

[0110] If it is determined in S1020 that ink has been forcibly ejected using the cap 48a, the process proceeds to S1022. In S1022, the CPU 308 performs a pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing for the other inks. Then, in S1024, the CPU 308 releases the cap 48 from capping the discharge port surface 22a. In S1026, the CPU 308 performs a wiping operation, and then in S1028, the CPU 308 performs a post-wiping pre-discharge operation for the other inks. The specific processing content from S1022 to S1028 is the same as that described in S710 to S716 above. The number of times ink is ejected per discharge port 44 during the pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing in S1022 and the post-wiping pre-discharge operation in S1028 is shown in Figure 11(b).

[0111] After the pre-discharge operation following the wiping is completed, in S1030, the CPU 308 performs a pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing for the MBK ink. Then, in S1032, the CPU 308 performs a wiping operation, and subsequently, in S1034, the CPU 308 performs a pre-discharge operation after wiping for the MBK ink. The specific processing details from S1030 to S1034 are the same as those described in S718 to 722 above. The number of ink ejections per nozzle 44 during the pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing in S1030 and the pre-discharge operation after wiping in S1034 is shown in Figure 11(d).

[0112] Subsequently, in S1036, the CPU 308 turns ON a flag (information regarding the execution of an additional pre-discharge operation) to perform an additional pre-discharge operation, and terminates this recovery process. In the recording device 10, the ON / OFF status of the flag is stored in a recording area such as the RAM 314. In S1036, if the flag is OFF, it is changed to ON; if the flag is already ON, it remains ON. In this embodiment, when the flag is ON, it indicates that an additional pre-discharge operation will be performed, and when the flag is OFF, it indicates that an additional pre-discharge operation will not be performed.

[0113] On the other hand, if it is determined in S1020 that ink has not been forcibly ejected using the cap 48a, the process proceeds to S1038. In S1038, the CPU 308 determines that the suction operation in S1006 was performed from the nozzle row 46 located in the area capped by the cap 48b, and performs a pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing for the other inks corresponding to the nozzle row 46 located in that area. Specifically, in S1038, the pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing is performed for PM ink, PC ink, Y ink, and CO ink. In addition, in S1038, as a pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing for these inks, a pre-discharge operation is performed with a number of ejections per nozzle 44 of 2500 (see Figure 11(c)).

[0114] Once the preliminary ejection operation to eliminate color mixing is complete, in S1040, the CPU 308 releases the cap 48 from the ejection port surface 22a, and in S1042, the CPU 308 performs a wiping operation. The specific processing details in S1040 and S1042 are the same as those in S412 and S414 described above. In the wiping operation in S1042, for example, the wiper section 52 may be configured so that the wipers 70a and 70b can move independently in the Y direction, and only the area including the ejection port row 46 corresponding to the forcibly ejected ink may be wiped by the wiper 70b.

[0115] Subsequently, in S1044, the CPU 308 performs a pre-discharge operation after wiping, and proceeds to S1030. In S1044, a pre-discharge operation after wiping is performed on the ink that was forcibly discharged by the suction operation in S1006. Specifically, in S1044, a pre-discharge operation after wiping is performed on PM ink, PC ink, Y ink, and CO ink. In addition, in S1044, a pre-discharge operation is performed on these inks, with the number of ejections per ejection port 44 set to 15,000 (see Figure 11(c)).

[0116] =Pre-processing for recording= Next, we will describe in detail the pre-processing performed before the execution of the recording process based on the recording job. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the detailed processing of the pre-processing. Figure 13 is a table showing the number of times ink is ejected from one ejection port 44 during various preliminary ejection operations performed in the pre-processing in Figure 12. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 12 are performed by the CPU 308 loading the program code stored in the ROM 312 into the RAM 314 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 12 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit.

[0117] When pre-recording processing begins, first, in S1202, the CPU 308 determines whether the flag stored in the memory area for executing an additional pre-ejection operation is ON. If it is determined in S1202 that the flag is not ON, i.e., the flag is OFF, the process proceeds to S1220, which will be described later. If it is determined in S1202 that the flag is ON, the process proceeds to S1204, where the CPU 308 determines whether or not to use MBK ink in the recording process based on the recording job that will be executed.

[0118] In S1204, for example, it is determined whether or not to use MBK ink depending on the type of recording medium M. In S1204, the determination is made based on the information regarding the type of recording medium set in the recording job. In this embodiment, for example, plain paper and coated paper are set as recording media that use MBK ink, and when the information regarding the type of recording medium set in the recording job is plain paper or coated paper, it is determined in S1204 that MBK ink will be used. On the other hand, glossy paper is set as a recording medium that does not use MBK ink, and when the information regarding the type of recording medium set in the recording job is glossy paper, it is determined in S1204 that MBK ink will not be used.

[0119] Furthermore, S1204 is not limited to determining whether or not to use MBK ink based on information regarding the type of recording medium M set for the recording job. For example, the type of recording medium to be used may be registered in the recording device 10 in advance, and the determination of whether or not to use MBK ink may be made based on this registered information regarding the type of recording medium. Also, the determination of whether or not to use MBK ink is not limited to determining based on the type of recording medium M, and various known techniques capable of determining the type of ink to be used in the recording to be performed can be used. In this embodiment, the determination of whether or not to use a specific ink is made after determining whether or not to use a specific ink, but this is not limited to this, and the determination of whether or not to use a specific ink is made after determining whether or not to use a specific ink is made.

[0120] If it is determined in S1204 that MBK ink will not be used, the process proceeds to S1220, which will be described later. If it is determined in S1204 that MBK ink will be used, the process proceeds to S1206, where the CPU 308 performs capping of the ejection port surface 22a with the cap 48. The specific processing details of S1204 are the same as those of S724 described above. Then, in S1208, the atmospheric communication valve 60 is closed. In S1208, only the atmospheric communication valve 60 connected to cap 48b is closed, and the atmospheric communication valve connected to cap 48a is left open.

[0121] Next, in S1210, an additional pre-discharge operation is performed for the MBK ink. The specific processing content of S1210 is the same as that of S726 described above. In the additional pre-discharge operation of S1210, the number of ink ejections per nozzle 44 is set to 80,000 (see Figure 13). Thus, in this embodiment, the additional pre-discharge operation is performed when the flag is ON and a specific ink is used in the recording process. On the other hand, if these conditions are not met, the additional pre-discharge operation is not performed. Subsequently, in S1212, the CPU 308 releases the cap 48 from capping the nozzle surface 22a, and in S1214, the CPU 308 performs a wiping operation. The specific processing content of S1212 and S1214 is the same as that of S412 and S414 described above.

[0122] Once the wiping operation is complete, the next step is to perform a post-wiping pre-ejection operation in S1216. The specific processing content of S1216 is the same as that of S416 described above, except that the number of ejections is different. The post-wiping pre-ejection operation in S1216 is performed for all inks, and in this post-wiping pre-ejection operation, the number of ejections per ejection port 44 is set to 500 (see Figure 13).

[0123] Subsequently, in S1218, the flag for executing an additional pre-ejection operation is changed from ON to OFF. Then, in S1220, a pre-ejection operation (hereinafter referred to as "pre-recording pre-ejection operation") is performed before executing the recording process. In S1220, the pre-recording pre-ejection operation is performed for all inks. For the pre-recording pre-ejection operation, ink that does not contribute to recording is ejected into the inside of the cap 48, which is located at a position spaced apart from the ejection port surface 22a.

[0124] In the pre-recording preliminary ejection operation performed in S1220, the number of ejections from one ejection port 44 is determined based on the elapsed time since the most recent final ejection. The longer the elapsed time since the previous recording process, the greater the effects of evaporation of the liquid component of the ink from the ejection port 44, and the more pre-ejections are needed to restore the ejection state. In this embodiment, if the elapsed time since the most recent final ejection is within 5 minutes, the number of ejections per ejection port 44 is 500; if the elapsed time exceeds 5 minutes, the number of ejections is 1000; and if the elapsed time is 1 day (24 hours) or more, the number of ejections is 10000. Therefore, when S1220 is executed after processing from S1206 to S1218, it is determined that the elapsed time since the final ejection is within 5 minutes. Furthermore, if S1220 is executed without going through the processes from S1206 to S1218, the number of ejections is determined based on the elapsed time since the last ejection time in the most recent recording and recovery processes.

[0125] Furthermore, the recording device 10 is equipped with a clock (not shown) capable of measuring the date and time. When the ejection operation in the recording process and recovery process is completed, the completion time of the ejection operation is stored as the final ejection time in a memory area such as RAM 314. Therefore, in S1220, the elapsed time is obtained based on the final ejection time stored in this memory area and the time at which the process of S1220 is executed, and the number of times ink is ejected from one ejection port 44 during the pre-recording preliminary ejection operation is determined based on this elapsed time. Then, in S1220, the pre-recording preliminary ejection operation is executed with the determined number of ejections.

[0126] Once the pre-recording pre-ejection operation is completed, in S1222, the CPU 308 performs a wiping operation, and then in S1224, the CPU 308 performs a post-wiping pre-ejection operation. The specific processing content of S1222 is the same as that of S414 described above. The specific processing content of S1224 is the same as that of S416 described above, except that the number of ejections is different. The post-wiping pre-ejection operation in S1224 is performed for all inks, and in this post-wiping pre-ejection operation, the number of ejections per ejection port 44 is set to 500 (see Figure 13).

[0127] Subsequently, in S1226, the CPU 308 performs the pre-recording ejection operation again, and this pre-recording process is completed. The second pre-recording ejection operation in S1226 is a pre-dispatch operation performed after the recording medium M has been fed, in order to stabilize the ejection state before recording. The specific processing content of S1226 is the same as that of S1220 described above, except that the number of ejections is different. The pre-recording ejection operation in S1226 is performed for all inks, and in this pre-recording ejection operation, the number of ejections per ejection port 44 is set to 50 (see Figure 13). Once this pre-recording process is completed, the recording device 10 performs the recording process, which records based on the various settings of the recording job.

[0128] <Effects and Effects> As described above, in this embodiment, during the recovery process, when a specific ink suction operation is performed that causes a decrease in the amount of ink dispensed, a flag for performing an additional dispense operation is turned ON instead of performing an additional pre-dispensing operation. Then, in the pre-recording process performed before the recording process in which the recording job is executed, an additional pre-dispensing operation is performed based on whether the flag is ON or OFF and whether or not a specific ink is used in the recording process.

[0129] As a result, in this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment described above, the number of additional pre-ejection operations can be suppressed when the ink tank is replaced immediately after the recovery process, or when a specific ink is not used in the recording process. Therefore, the amount of ink wasted during the process of recovering and maintaining the ejection performance of the ejection port can be suppressed. Furthermore, by suppressing the number of additional pre-ejection operations, the time required for the process is shortened, improving usability.

[0130] (Third embodiment) Next, a recording device according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 14 and 15. In the following description, components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the recording device according to the first embodiment described above will be referred to with the same reference numerals as those used in the first embodiment described above, and their detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0131] In the second embodiment described above, during the recovery process, when a suction operation is performed for a specific ink, a flag for performing an additional pre-discharge operation is set to ON. Then, in the pre-recording process performed before the recording process that performs recording based on the recording job, the additional pre-discharge operation is performed based on whether the flag is ON or OFF and whether or not the specific ink is used in the recording process.

[0132] However, depending on the ink composition, if the flag is ON and no additional pre-dispensing operation is performed for an extended period, the substance causing the reduced dispensing volume may accumulate on the surface of the electrothermal converter, or the adhesion force of the substance on that surface may increase. In this case, even if the set number of additional pre-dispensing operations are performed, the reduced dispensing volume may not be recovered, and there is a risk that the amount of ink dispensed in a single shot from the nozzle may not be sufficiently restored.

[0133] Therefore, in the third embodiment, the number of times a specific ink suction operation is performed when the flag is ON is monitored, and when the number of executions exceeds a predetermined value, an additional preliminary ejection operation is performed. This will be explained in detail below.

[0134] <Characteristic technology according to this embodiment> In this embodiment, similar to the second embodiment described above, the recovery process includes multiple modes for which the suction operation targets different elements. In the following description, the specific ink will be referred to as MBK ink.

[0135] =Recovery process in this embodiment= The recovery process performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figure 14. Figure 14 is a flowchart detailing the processing content of the recovery process performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 14 are performed by the CPU 308 expanding the program code stored in the ROM 312 into the RAM 314 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 14 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit. In Figure 14, for steps with the same processing content as the recovery process in Figure 10, the same step numbers used in Figure 10 are used, and the detailed explanation of the processing content is omitted.

[0136] In the recovery process shown in Figure 14, when the flag is turned ON in S1036, in S1402 the CPU 308 updates the variable n, which represents the number of times a specific ink suction operation has been performed while the flag is ON, and then terminates this recovery process. Specifically, S1402 increments the variable n. For example, in S1402, if n=0, the variable n stored in a memory area such as RAM 314 is set to n=1, and if n=m (where m is a positive integer), n is incremented by 1.

[0137] More specifically, the variable n is the number of times a particular ink suction operation is performed when the flag is ON. Therefore, if the flag changes from OFF to ON in S1036, it is not counted in the above execution count. Consequently, if the flag changes from OFF to ON in S1036, n remains at 0 in S1502. If the flag remains ON in S1036, then in S1502, n becomes 1 when n=0, and n is incremented by 1 when n=m (where m is a positive integer).

[0138] Note that the update of the variable n is not limited to this; the case when the flag changes from OFF to ON in S1036 may also be included in the above execution count. That is, if the flag changes from OFF to ON in S1036, n=1 in S1502, and if the flag remains ON in S1036, n is counted up by 1 in S1502. In other words, in this case, the variable n will be the number of times the suction operation for a specific ink that requires an additional pre-dispensing operation has been performed from the OFF state of the flag.

[0139] =Pre-processing for recording= Next, the pre-recording processing performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figure 15. Figure 15 is a flowchart detailing the processing content of the pre-recording processing performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 15 are performed by the CPU 308 expanding the program code stored in the ROM 312 into the RAM 314 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 15 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit. In Figure 15, for steps with the same processing content as the pre-recording processing in Figure 12, the same step numbers used in Figure 12 are used, and the detailed explanation of the processing content is omitted.

[0140] In the recording preprocessing shown in Figure 15, if it is determined in S1202 that the flag is ON, the process proceeds to S1502, where the CPU 308 determines whether the variable n, which represents the number of times the specific ink suction operation has been performed with the flag ON, exceeds the threshold Th. If it is determined in S1502 that the variable n does not exceed the threshold Th (n ≤ Th), the process proceeds to S1204, where the CPU 308 determines whether or not to use the specific ink for the recording process to be executed. If it is determined in S1502 that the variable n exceeds the threshold Th (n > Th), the process skips S1204 and proceeds to S1206, where the CPU 308 performs capping of the discharge port surface 22a with the cap 48. The threshold Th is set to, for example, "5," but is not limited to this. The threshold Th is determined experimentally, for example, depending on the composition of the ink.

[0141] Subsequently, after the processes from S1208 to S1214, and once the pre-discharge operation after wiping in S1216 is completed, in S1504, the CPU 308 initializes the variable n and proceeds to S1218. That is, in S1504, the variable n stored in the memory area is set to n=0.

[0142] <Effects and Effects> As described above, in this embodiment, during the recovery process, when a specific ink suction operation is performed that causes a decrease in the amount of ink dispensed, a flag for performing an additional pre-dispensing operation is turned ON instead of performing an additional pre-dispensing operation. Furthermore, the number of times the specific ink suction operation is performed with the flag ON is counted. Then, in the pre-recording processing, an additional pre-dispensing operation is performed based on the ON / OFF status of the flag and whether or not the specific ink is used during the recording process. Furthermore, in this pre-recording processing, if the counted number of executions exceeds a threshold, an additional pre-dispensing operation is performed regardless of whether or not the specific ink is used during the recording process.

[0143] As a result, in this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first and second embodiments described above, the additional pre-discharge operation will not be performed for a long period of time while the flag is ON. This makes it possible to suppress the inability to recover from the discharge port reduction phenomenon.

[0144] (Fourth Embodiment) Next, a recording device according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 16 and 17. In the following description, components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the recording device according to the first embodiment described above will be referred to with the same reference numerals as those used in the first embodiment described above, and their detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0145] In the second embodiment described above, during the recovery process, when a suction operation is performed for a specific ink, a flag for performing an additional pre-discharge operation is set to ON. Then, in the pre-recording process performed before the recording process that performs recording based on the recording job, the additional pre-discharge operation is performed based on whether the flag is ON or OFF and whether or not the specific ink is used in the recording process.

[0146] However, when the color mixing elimination pre-discharge operation is performed with the flag ON, the amount of ink ejected per shot is reduced, thus diminishing the effectiveness of color mixing elimination in the color mixing elimination pre-discharge operation with the flag ON and the pre-discharge operation after wiping. Therefore, it is possible that in the foaming chamber after these pre-discharge operations, a mixture of one ink and another ink may be present. If this state persists for a long time, depending on the ink composition, evaporation of the ink solvent may progress, increasing the concentration of the substance causing the reduced ejection volume in the foaming chamber. In this case, even if additional pre-discharge operations are performed for the set number of times, the reduced ejection volume may not be recovered, and the amount of ink ejected per shot from the nozzle may not be sufficiently restored.

[0147] Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the elapsed time from the moment the flag changed from OFF to ON is monitored, and when the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, an additional preliminary dispensing operation is performed. This will be explained in detail below.

[0148] <Characteristic technology according to this embodiment> In this embodiment, similar to the second embodiment described above, the recovery process includes multiple modes for which the suction operation targets different elements. In the following description, the specific ink will be referred to as MBK ink.

[0149] =Recovery process in this embodiment= The recovery process performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figure 16. Figure 16 is a flowchart detailing the processing content of the recovery process performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 16 are performed by the CPU 308 expanding the program code stored in the ROM 312 into the RAM 314 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 16 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit. In Figure 16, for steps with the same processing content as the recovery process in Figure 10, the same step numbers used in Figure 10 are used, and the detailed explanation of the processing content is omitted.

[0150] In the recovery process shown in Figure 16, if the flag is turned ON in S1036, the CPU 308 determines in S1602 whether the flag has been changed from OFF to ON. That is, if the flag remains ON in S1036, S1602 determines that the flag has not been changed from OFF to ON. If S1602 determines that the flag has not been changed from OFF to ON in S1036, this recovery process terminates. Also, if S1602 determines that the flag has been changed from OFF to ON in S1036, then in S1604... Proceed. In S1604, the CPU 308 stores the time at which it executed this process as the time the flag was changed from OFF to ON in a memory area such as RAM 314. This time is obtained by referring to the clock provided in the recording device 10.

[0151] =Pre-processing for recording= Next, the pre-recording processing performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figure 17. Figure 17 is a flowchart detailing the processing content of the pre-recording processing performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 17 are performed by the CPU 308 expanding the program code stored in the ROM 312 into the RAM 314 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 17 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit. In Figure 17, for steps with the same processing content as the pre-recording processing in Figure 12, the same step numbers used in Figure 12 are used, and the detailed explanation of the processing content is omitted.

[0152] In the pre-recording process shown in Figure 17, if it is determined in S1202 that the flag is ON, the process proceeds to S1702. In S1702, the CPU 308 obtains the elapsed time T since the flag was changed from OFF to ON, based on the time when the flag stored in S1604 was changed from OFF to ON. Specifically, in S1702, the difference between the time when the flag stored in the memory area was changed from OFF to ON and the time when the process in S1702 is executed is obtained as the elapsed time T since the flag was changed from OFF to ON.

[0153] Next, in S1704, if it is determined that the elapsed time T does not exceed the threshold T1 (T ≤ T1), the process proceeds to S1204, where the CPU 308 determines whether or not to use a specific ink for the recording process to be executed. Also, in S1704, if it is determined that the elapsed time T exceeds the threshold T1 (T > T1), S1204 is skipped, and the process proceeds to S1206, where the CPU 308 performs capping of the ejection port surface 22a with the cap 48. The threshold T1 is, for example, 240 hours, but is not limited to this. The threshold T1 is determined experimentally, for example, depending on the composition of the ink.

[0154] After that, following the processes from S1208 to S1214, once the pre-discharge operation after wiping in S1216 is completed, in S1706 the CPU 308 initializes the time when the flag stored in the memory area was changed from OFF to ON, and then proceeds to S1218.

[0155] <Effects and Effects> As described above, in this embodiment, during the recovery process, when the suction operation for a specific ink that causes a decrease in ejection volume is completed, the flag for executing an additional pre-ejection operation is turned ON instead of executing an additional pre-ejection operation. Furthermore, the time at which the flag was changed from OFF to ON is stored. Then, in the pre-recording process, the additional pre-ejection operation is executed based on the ON / OFF status of the flag and whether or not a specific ink is used during the recording process. Furthermore, in this pre-recording process, if the elapsed time since the time the flag was changed from OFF to ON exceeds a threshold, the additional pre-ejection operation is executed regardless of whether or not a specific ink is used during the recording process.

[0156] As a result, in this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first and second embodiments described above, it is possible to manage the time elapsed since the need to perform an additional pre-discharge operation arose, thereby suppressing the occurrence of difficulties in recovering from the discharge volume reduction phenomenon caused by solvent evaporation.

[0157] (Fifth embodiment) Next, a recording device according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 18 and 19. In the following description, detailed explanations of components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the recording device according to the first embodiment described above will be omitted, as the same reference numerals used in the first embodiment will be used.

[0158] In the fifth embodiment, when a recording job is input, a discharge inspection process is performed for each ink based on the number of times it has been discharged, thereby performing pre-recording processing. This will be explained in detail below.

[0159] <Characteristic technology according to this embodiment> In this embodiment, after the recovery process in the second embodiment described above has been performed, when a recording job is input, a determination process is first performed to determine whether or not to perform the discharge inspection process. If the determination process determines that the discharge inspection process should be performed, the discharge inspection process is performed, followed by pre-recording processing and then the recording process. If the determination process determines that the discharge inspection process should not be performed, the pre-recording processing and then the recording process are performed without performing the discharge inspection process.

[0160] =Judgment Process= First, the decision process will be explained with reference to Figure 18. Figure 18 is a flowchart detailing the process of the decision process that determines whether or not to perform the ejection inspection process. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 18 are performed by the CPU 308 loading the program code stored in the ROM 312 into the RAM 314 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 18 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit.

[0161] When the determination process begins, first, in S1802, the CPU 308 obtains the number of times each ink is ejected. The recording device 10 counts the number of times each ink is ejected, and the count value C is associated with the type of ink and stored in a memory area such as RAM 314. Therefore, in S1802, the count value C, which indicates the number of ejections and is associated with each ink, is obtained from this memory area.

[0162] Next, in S1804, the CPU 308 determines whether the count value C for each ink exceeds a preset threshold T2. The threshold T2 may be a common value for all inks, or it may be a different value for each ink. This threshold T2 is determined experimentally, for example, depending on the composition of the ink.

[0163] In S1804, if it is determined that the count value C of each ink does not exceed the threshold T2, that is, if the count value C of all inks does not exceed the threshold T2, the process proceeds to S1806, where the CPU 308 decides not to perform the ejection inspection process and terminates this determination process. Alternatively, in S1804, if it is determined that the count value C of at least one ink exceeds the threshold T2, the process proceeds to S1808, where the CPU 308 decides to perform the ejection inspection process and terminates this determination process.

[0164] Subsequently, if the recording device 10 determines in S1806 that it will not perform the discharge inspection process based on the determination result of the determination process, it will perform the recording process after performing the pre-recording process without performing the discharge inspection process. If it is determined in S1808 that it will perform the discharge inspection process, it will perform the discharge inspection process, then perform the pre-recording process, and then perform the recording process. Note that the pre-recording process performed in this embodiment is the same as the pre-recording process in the second embodiment described above, so its explanation will be omitted.

[0165] =Discharge Inspection Processing= Next, the ejection inspection process will be described with reference to Figure 19. Figure 19 is a flowchart detailing the ejection inspection process, which determines the ink ejection state from the ejection port. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 19 are performed by the CPU 308 loading the program code stored in the ROM 312 into the RAM 314 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 19 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit.

[0166] When the ejection inspection process begins, first, in S1902, the CPU 308 determines whether the flag is ON or OFF. The specific processing content of S1902 is the same as that of S1202, so a detailed explanation is omitted. If in S1902 it is determined that the flag is not ON, that is, the flag is OFF, the process proceeds to S1920, which will be described later. If in S1902 it is determined that the flag is ON, the process proceeds to S1904, where the CPU 308 determines whether or not to use a specific ink (MBK ink) in the ejection inspection that will be performed.

[0167] In other words, S1904 determines whether the target of the ejection test is a specific ink. Therefore, S1904 determines whether the count value C of the specific ink is greater than the threshold T2. In S1904, if the count value C of the specific ink is greater than the threshold T2, it is determined that the specific ink will be used in the ejection test; if the count value C of the specific ink is less than or equal to the threshold T2, it is determined that the specific ink will not be used in the ejection test.

[0168] In S1904, if it is determined in the ejection test that a specific ink will not be used, the process proceeds to S1920, which will be described later. Also in S1904, if it is determined in the ejection test that a specific ink will be used, the process proceeds to S1906, where the CPU 308 performs capping of the ejection port surface 22a with the cap 48. Then, in S1908, the CPU 308 closes the atmospheric communication valve 60. Furthermore, in S1910, the CPU 308 performs an additional pre-ejection operation for the specific ink, and then, in S1912, the CPU 308 releases the cap 48 from capping the ejection port surface 22a.

[0169] Next, in S1914, CPU308 performs a wiping operation, and in S1916, CPU308 performs a pre-ejection operation after wiping for all inks. Then, in S1918, the flag is turned OFF. Note that the specific processing content from S1906 to S1918 is the same as that from S1206 to S1218 described above, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0170] Subsequently, in S1920, the CPU 308 performs an ejection test on the inks subject to the ejection test and terminates the ejection test process. That is, in S1920, the ejection test is performed on inks whose count value C is greater than the threshold T2. Also in S1920, after the ejection test is performed, the count value C of the inks that underwent the ejection test is initialized. In this embodiment, the ejection test method is to eject ink between a light-emitting element such as an LED and a light-receiving element such as a photodiode, and to determine the ink ejection state by the change in the amount of light received by the light-receiving element as the light emitted from the light-emitting element is blocked by the ink droplets. However, the specific method of the ejection test is not limited to this, and various known test methods capable of determining the ink ejection state may be used.

[0171] <Effects and Effects> As described above, in this embodiment, after the recovery process, when a record job is input, an ejection inspection process is executed to determine the ink ejection state based on the number of times each ink is ejected. In the ejection inspection process, an additional pre-ejection operation is performed based on the ON / OFF status of a flag and whether or not a specific ink is used in the ejection inspection. As a result, in this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first and second embodiments described above, it becomes possible to perform an ejection inspection for a specific ink while suppressing the number of times the additional pre-ejection operation is performed and with the ejection volume reduction phenomenon recovered.

[0172] (Other embodiments) The above-described embodiments may be modified as shown in (1) to (6) below.

[0173] (1) In the second to fifth embodiments described above, the recovery process is performed to perform preliminary ejection for a specific ink after performing preliminary ejection for other inks, and an additional preliminary ejection operation for the specific ink is performed before the recording process (ejection inspection process), but the invention is not limited to this. For example, in the recovery process, preliminary ejection operations may be performed simultaneously for other inks and the specific ink. In this case, the amount of waste ink generated in the additional preliminary ejection operation is the same as in the known technology, but the number of times the additional preliminary ejection operation is performed can be reduced compared to the known technology, and as a result, the amount of waste ink can be reduced.

[0174] (2) In the above embodiment, the recording device 10 is a so-called serial scan type recording device that records by ejecting ink while moving in the width direction of the recording medium, but it is not limited to this. For example, it may be a so-called full line type recording device that records by ejecting ink from a plurality of ejection ports arranged in the width direction of the recording medium with a length corresponding to the width of the recordable recording medium.

[0175] (3) In the first embodiment described above, for a specific ink, a pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing is performed after a predetermined time (approximately 30 seconds) has elapsed following the suction operation of S706, and for other inks, a pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing is performed immediately after the suction operation. However, the timing of the pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing is not limited to the timing described above. For example, the pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing for a specific ink may be started after a predetermined time of 10 seconds or more has elapsed following the suction operation. Also, the pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing for other inks may be started before 10 seconds have elapsed (less than 10 seconds) following the suction operation. Therefore, if the time required for the three processes of the pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing for other inks, the wiping operation, and the pre-discharge operation after wiping for other inks does not exceed the predetermined time, the pre-discharge operation to eliminate color mixing for a specific ink will be performed after the predetermined time has elapsed or more.

[0176] (4) Although not specifically described in the above embodiments, the timing for starting the pre-dispensing operation for mixing other inks is, for example, before the suction of the volume inside the cap 48 is completed by driving the suction pump 56. On the other hand, the timing for starting the pre-dispensing operation for mixing a specific ink is after the pre-dispensing operation for the other inks is completed, for example, after the suction of at least the volume inside the cap 48 is completed by driving the suction pump 56.

[0177] (5) The above embodiment can also be implemented by supplying a program that implements one or more functions to a system or device via a network or recording medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be implemented by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0178] (6) The above embodiments and the various forms shown in (1) to (5) above may be combined as appropriate.

[0179] The above disclosure of embodiments includes the following configurations and methods. (Composition 1) A recording head comprising a first ejection port capable of ejecting a first ink, and a second ejection port capable of ejecting a second ink, A cap that abuts against the discharge port surface on which the first discharge port and the second discharge port are formed, and covers the area including the first discharge port and the second discharge port, A suction means for reducing the pressure inside the cap, With the cap in contact with the discharge port surface, the discharge control means generates negative pressure inside the cap by the suction means, causing ink to be discharged into the cap from the first discharge port and the second discharge port. A recording device characterized by having an ejection control means that, when ink ejection is performed by the ejection control means, performs a preliminary ejection from the first ejection port, which is the ejection of ink that does not contribute to recording, to eject the first ink into the cap, and after performing the preliminary ejection for the first ink, performs the preliminary ejection from the second ejection port to eject the second ink into the cap. (Configuration 2) The recording device according to configuration 1, characterized in that the second ink, when dispensed from the second discharge port in a state mixed with the first ink, reduces the amount of ink dispensed from the second discharge port after the dispensing. (Composition 3) The recording device according to configuration 1, characterized in that the second ink, when dispensed from the second discharge port in a state mixed with the first ink, reduces the amount dispensed from the second discharge port after such dispensing by 30% or more compared to the amount dispensed when the second ink and the first ink were not dispensed from the second discharge port in a state mixed with each other. (Composition 4) The recording device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that the ejection control means starts the preliminary ejection of the second ink after 10 seconds or more have elapsed since the ejection control means performed the ejection of the ink. (Composition 5) The recording device according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, characterized in that the ejection control means starts the preliminary ejection of the first ink less than 10 seconds after the ejection control means performs the ejection of the ink. (Composition 6) The recording device according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that the discharge control means discharges the first ink into the inside of the cap and into the discharge port surface when the ink is discharged by the discharge control means, by the preliminary discharge for the first ink, but does not discharge the second ink by the preliminary discharge for the second ink. (Composition 7) The suction means is configured to discharge ink from inside the cap while reducing the pressure inside the cap. The aforementioned discharge control means is Before the suction of the volume inside the cap by the suction means is completed, the preliminary dispensing of the first ink is performed. A recording device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, characterized in that the preliminary dispensing of the second ink is performed after the suction means has completed suction of at least the volume inside the cap. (Composition 8) The pre-discharge for the second ink is, After the ink discharge by the discharge control means is completed, the first pre-discharge operation is performed to discharge the ink that has entered through the second discharge port and the second ink mixed together, The recording apparatus according to configuration 2 or 3, characterized by including a second pre-discharge operation for recovering the amount of second ink discharged from the second discharge port, which has been reduced by the first pre-discharge operation. (Composition 9) The aforementioned discharge control means is When the first preliminary discharge operation is performed, the information regarding the execution of the second preliminary discharge operation is updated to perform the second preliminary discharge operation. When executing a predetermined process, if the information indicates that the second preliminary ejection operation will be performed, and the conditions are met that the second ink will be ejected from the second ejection port during the predetermined process, the second preliminary ejection operation will be performed. The recording device according to configuration 8, characterized in that when the predetermined processing is performed, the second preliminary discharge operation is not performed if the conditions are not met. (Composition 10) The recording device according to configuration 9, characterized in that the predetermined process is a recording process that performs recording based on a recording job. (Composition 11) The recording device according to configuration 9, characterized in that the predetermined process is an ejection inspection process for determining the state of ink ejection from the ejection port. (Composition 12) The recording device according to configuration 10, characterized in that the ejection control means executes the second preliminary ejection operation regardless of whether the second ink is ejected in the predetermined process when the number of executions of the first preliminary ejection operation exceeds a predetermined value while the information indicates that the second preliminary ejection operation is to be executed. (Composition 13) The recording device according to configuration 10, characterized in that the ejection control means executes the second preliminary ejection operation regardless of whether the second ink is ejected in the predetermined process if the number of executions of the first preliminary ejection operation after the information has changed from a state indicating that the second preliminary ejection operation will not be performed to a state indicating that the second preliminary ejection operation will be performed exceeds a predetermined value. (Composition 14) The recording device according to configuration 10, characterized in that the ejection control means executes the second preliminary ejection operation regardless of whether the second ink is ejected in the predetermined process if the elapsed time from the time when the information changes from a state indicating that the second preliminary ejection operation will not be performed to a state indicating that the second preliminary ejection operation will be performed exceeds a predetermined time. (Composition 15) A recording head comprising a first ejection port capable of ejecting a first ink, and a second ejection port capable of ejecting a second ink, A cap that abuts against the discharge port surface on which the first discharge port and the second discharge port are formed, and covers the area including the first discharge port and the second discharge port, A control method for a recording device having a suction means for reducing the pressure inside the cap, With the cap in contact with the discharge port surface, a discharge control step is performed in which negative pressure is generated inside the cap by the suction means, and ink is discharged into the cap from the first discharge port and the second discharge port. A control method characterized by comprising: an ejection control step which, when ink ejection in the ejection control step is performed, performs a preliminary ejection from the first ejection port, which is the ejection of ink that does not contribute to recording, to eject the first ink into the cap; and after performing the preliminary ejection for the first ink, performs the preliminary ejection from the second ejection port to eject the second ink into the cap. (Composition 16) The second ink, when mixed with the first ink and ejected from the second nozzle, is an ink that reduces the amount of ink ejected from the second nozzle after the ejection. The pre-discharge for the second ink is, After the ink discharge in the discharge control process is completed, a first pre-discharge operation is performed to discharge the ink that has entered through the second discharge port and the second ink mixed together, The control method according to configuration 15, characterized in that it includes a second pre-discharge operation for recovering the amount of second ink discharged from the second discharge port, which has been reduced by the pre-discharge operation performed by the first pre-discharge operation. (Composition 17) In the aforementioned discharge control process, When the first preliminary discharge operation is performed, the information regarding the execution of the second preliminary discharge operation is updated to perform the second preliminary discharge operation. When executing a predetermined process, if the information indicates that the second preliminary ejection operation will be performed, and the conditions are met that the second ink will be ejected from the second ejection port during the predetermined process, the second preliminary ejection operation will be performed. The control method according to configuration 16, characterized in that when the predetermined processing is performed, the second preliminary discharge operation is not performed if the conditions are not met. (Composition 18) A program to cause a computer to execute one of the control methods described in any one of configurations 15 to 17. [Explanation of symbols]

[0180] 10 Recording device 22 Recording head 44 Discharge port 48 Cap 50 Suction part 308 CPU

Claims

1. A recording head comprising a first ejection port capable of ejecting a first ink, and a second ejection port capable of ejecting a second ink, A cap that abuts against the discharge port surface on which the first discharge port and the second discharge port are formed, and covers the area including the first discharge port and the second discharge port, A suction means for reducing the pressure inside the cap, With the cap in contact with the discharge port surface, the discharge control means generates negative pressure inside the cap by the suction means, causing ink to be discharged into the cap from the first discharge port and the second discharge port. A recording device characterized by having an ejection control means that, when ink ejection is performed by the ejection control means, performs a preliminary ejection from the first ejection port, which is the ejection of ink that does not contribute to recording, to eject the first ink into the cap, and after performing the preliminary ejection for the first ink, performs the preliminary ejection from the second ejection port to eject the second ink into the cap.

2. The recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second ink, when dispensed from the second discharge port in a state mixed with the first ink, reduces the amount dispensed from the second discharge port after the dispensing.

3. The recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second ink, when dispensed from the second discharge port in a state mixed with the first ink, reduces the amount dispensed from the second discharge port after such dispensing by 30% or more compared to the amount dispensed when the second ink and the first ink were not dispensed from the second discharge port in a state mixed with each other.

4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the ejection control means starts the preliminary ejection of the second ink after 10 seconds or more have elapsed since the ejection control means performed the ejection of the ink.

5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the ejection control means starts the preliminary ejection of the first ink before 10 seconds have elapsed since the ejection control means performed the ejection of the ink.

6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the discharge control means discharges the first ink into the cap, which is in contact with the discharge port surface when the ink is discharged by the discharge control means, by the preliminary discharge for the first ink, but does not discharge the second ink by the preliminary discharge for the second ink.

7. The suction means is configured to discharge ink from inside the cap while reducing the pressure inside the cap. The aforementioned discharge control means is Before the suction of the volume inside the cap by the suction means is completed, the preliminary dispensing of the first ink is performed. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the preliminary dispensing of the second ink is performed after the suction means has completed suction of at least the volume inside the cap.

8. The preliminary ejection for the second ink is, After the ink discharge by the discharge control means is completed, the first pre-discharge operation is performed to discharge the ink that has entered through the second discharge port and the second ink mixed together, The recording apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a second pre-discharge operation for recovering the amount of second ink discharged from the second discharge port, which has been reduced by the pre-discharge operation described above.

9. The aforementioned discharge control means is When the first preliminary discharge operation is performed, the information regarding the execution of the second preliminary discharge operation is updated to perform the second preliminary discharge operation. When executing a predetermined process, if the information indicates that the second preliminary ejection operation will be performed, and the conditions are met that the second ink will be ejected from the second ejection port during the predetermined process, the second preliminary ejection operation will be performed. The recording device according to claim 8, characterized in that when the predetermined processing is performed, the second preliminary discharge operation is not performed if the conditions are not met.

10. The recording device according to claim 9, characterized in that the predetermined processing is a recording process that performs recording based on a recording job.

11. The recording device according to claim 9, characterized in that the predetermined process is an ejection inspection process for determining the state of ink ejection from the ejection port.

12. The recording device according to claim 10, characterized in that the ejection control means executes the second preliminary ejection operation regardless of whether the second ink is ejected in the predetermined process when the number of executions of the first preliminary ejection operation exceeds a predetermined value while the information indicates that the second preliminary ejection operation is to be executed.

13. The recording device according to claim 10, characterized in that the ejection control means executes the second preliminary ejection operation regardless of whether the second ink is ejected in the predetermined process if the number of executions of the first preliminary ejection operation after the information has changed from a state indicating that the second preliminary ejection operation will not be performed to a state indicating that the second preliminary ejection operation will be performed exceeds a predetermined value.

14. The recording device according to claim 10, characterized in that the ejection control means executes the second preliminary ejection operation regardless of whether the second ink is ejected in the predetermined process if the elapsed time from the time when the information changes from a state indicating that the second preliminary ejection operation will not be performed to a state indicating that the second preliminary ejection operation will be performed exceeds a predetermined time.

15. A recording head comprising a first ejection port capable of ejecting a first ink, and a second ejection port capable of ejecting a second ink, A cap that abuts against the discharge port surface on which the first discharge port and the second discharge port are formed, and covers the area including the first discharge port and the second discharge port, A control method for a recording device having a suction means for reducing the pressure inside the cap, With the cap in contact with the discharge port surface, a discharge control step is performed in which negative pressure is generated inside the cap by the suction means, and ink is discharged into the cap from the first discharge port and the second discharge port. A control method characterized by comprising: an ejection control step which, when ink ejection in the ejection control step is performed, performs a preliminary ejection from the first ejection port, which is the ejection of ink that does not contribute to recording, to eject the first ink into the cap; and after performing the preliminary ejection for the first ink, performs the preliminary ejection from the second ejection port to eject the second ink into the cap.

16. The second ink, when dispensed from the second nozzle in a state mixed with the first ink, is an ink that reduces the amount dispensed from the second nozzle after the initial dispensing. The preliminary ejection for the second ink is, After the ink discharge in the discharge control process is completed, the first pre-discharge operation is performed to discharge the ink mixed with the ink that entered through the second discharge port and the second ink, The control method according to claim 15, characterized in that it includes a second pre-discharge operation for recovering the amount of second ink discharged from the second discharge port, which has been reduced by the pre-discharge operation performed by the first pre-discharge operation.

17. In the aforementioned discharge control process, When the first preliminary discharge operation is performed, the information regarding the execution of the second preliminary discharge operation is updated to perform the second preliminary discharge operation. When executing a predetermined process, if the information indicates that the second preliminary ejection operation will be performed, and the conditions are met that the second ink will be ejected from the second ejection port during the predetermined process, the second preliminary ejection operation will be performed. The control method according to claim 16, characterized in that when the predetermined processing is performed, the second preliminary discharge operation is not performed if the conditions are not met.

18. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method described in any one of claims 15 to 17.

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