Image forming apparatus, control method of image forming apparatus, and program

Abstract

An image forming apparatus (100) includes: a recording head (3) that performs a printing operation on a recording medium while performing scanning and moving; a maintenance means (70) that performs a maintenance operation on the recording head (3) with a maintenance member (71); and a controller (9) that controls the printing operation of the recording head (3) and the maintenance operation of the maintenance means (70). The controller (9) interrupts the printing operation in a middle of a series of print jobs and causes the maintenance means (70) to perform the maintenance operation. The maintenance operation is a divided maintenance that is performed for each of unit areas (Ar1, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4) into which the recording head (3) is divided. The controller (9) causes the maintenance means (70) to perform, based on states of the printing operation and the divided maintenance, either a first maintenance operation that is performed at a normal time and a second maintenance operation that is different from the first maintenance operation.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a control method of an image forming apparatus, and a program.DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

[0002] In an image forming apparatus that performs image formation by ejecting ink, part of the ejected ink becomes mist and adheres to a nozzle surface or the like, which causes clogging of nozzles or the like. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically perform a maintenance operation of the head. However, the ink that has already been ejected onto a recording medium spreads during maintenance, thereby causing density unevenness, which may lead to a decrease in the quality of a printed image.

[0003] In this point, for example, Japanese Patent No. 6491976 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-74130 disclose image forming apparatuses that perform maintenance while suppressing occurrence of density unevenness by performing a maintenance operation in a dispersed manner.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] However, the apparatuses described in Japanese Patent No. 6491976 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-74130 do not perform the maintenance operation at the appropriate timing in accordance with the states of a printing operation or divided maintenances.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described problems, and in an image forming apparatus, a maintenance operation is performed in consideration of states of a printing operation and divided maintenances. Thus, it is an object to suppress occurrence of density unevenness during the standby time due to a maintenance operation and reduce influence on the printing quality.

[0006] To achieve at least one of the abovementioned objects, according to an aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus reflecting one aspect of the present invention includes: a recording head that performs a printing operation on a recording medium while performing scanning and moving; a maintenance means that performs a maintenance operation on the recording head with a maintenance member; and a controller that controls the recording operation of the recording head and the maintenance operation of the maintenance means, wherein the controller interrupts the printing operation of the recording head in a middle of a series of print jobs and causes the maintenance means to perform the maintenance operation, thereby performing the print jobs while the printing operation and the maintenance operation are repeated, wherein the maintenance operation by the maintenance means is a divided maintenance that is performed for each unit area of unit areas into which the recording head is divided, and wherein the controller causes the maintenance means to perform, based on states of the printing operation and the divided maintenance, either a first maintenance operation that is performed at a normal time and a second maintenance operation that is different from the first maintenance operation.

[0007] According to an aspect of the present invention, a control method of an image forming apparatus reflecting one aspect of the present invention includes: in the image forming apparatus including a recording head that performs a printing operation on a recording medium while performing scanning and moving and a maintenance means that performs a maintenance operation on the recording head with a maintenance member, interrupting the printing operation of the recording head in a middle of a series of print jobs and causing the maintenance means to perform the maintenance operation, thereby performing the print jobs while the printing operation and the maintenance operation are repeated, wherein the maintenance operation by the maintenance means is a divided maintenance that is performed for each unit area of unit areas into which the recording head is divided, and wherein the maintenance means performs, based on states of the printing operation and the divided maintenance, either a first maintenance operation that is performed at a normal time and a second maintenance operation that is different from the first maintenance operation.

[0008] According to an aspect of the present invention, a program reflecting one aspect of the present invention causes, of an image forming apparatus including a recording head that performs a printing operation on a recording medium while performing scanning and moving and a maintenance means that performs a maintenance operation on the recording head with a maintenance member, a computer to: realize an operation control function of interrupting the printing operation of the recording head in a middle of a series of print jobs and causing the maintenance means to perform the maintenance operation, wherein the maintenance operation by the maintenance means is a divided maintenance that is performed for each unit area of unit areas into which the recording head is divided, and wherein the operation control function causes the maintenance means to perform, based on states of the printing operation and the divided maintenance, either a first maintenance operation that is performed at a normal time and a second maintenance operation that is different from the first maintenance operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The advantages and features provided by one or more embodiments of the invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinafter and the appended drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention, and wherein: FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a carriage and a recording head mounted in the carriage when the carriage is viewed from a bottom surface side according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention when viewed from a recording medium side; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the main part of a cleaning section in the embodiment; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the main part of a maintenance unit of the cleaning section shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of setting of unit areas of the recording head in a case where divided maintenances are performed; FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the recording head and a maintenance member and illustrates an example of the case where the divided maintenances are performed on the recording head illustrated in FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a control system of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 9 is a schematic explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the flow of print jobs in which the divided maintenances are performed in the embodiment; FIG. 10 is a schematic explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the flow of a print job in a case where a second maintenance operation is performed in the embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the flow of a print job in the case where the second maintenance operation is performed in the embodiment; FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the recording head and a maintenance member according to a modification example and illustrates an example of the case where the divided maintenances are performed with the maintenance member; and FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the recording head and a maintenance member according to one modification example and illustrates an example of the case where the divided maintenances are performed with the maintenance member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] Hereinafter, one or more embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

[0011] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of an image forming apparatus, a control method of an image forming apparatus, and a program according to the present invention will be described. In the following embodiment, a case where an image forming apparatus is an inkjet recording apparatus that forms an image by an inkjet method is illustrated as an example. It should be noted that the following embodiments are provided with various technical preferences for carrying out the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.<Schematic Configuration of Inkjet Recording Apparatus>

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus 100 which is an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction in the embodiment refer to the directions illustrated in FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the inkjet recording apparatus 100 includes a conveyance device 1, a carriage 2, and a main scanning device 4. In addition, the inkjet recording apparatus 100 includes a moisturizing device 5, a cleaning section 7, and a flushing receiving section 8.

[0013] The conveyance device 1 is a device that conveys a recording medium in a conveyance direction F indicated by an arrow in the figure (direction along the Y-axis direction in the figure). As the recording medium, a recording medium having ink absorbency is assumed. For example, in the following embodiment, a case where the recording medium is a textile will be illustrated. Note that the recording medium is not limited to textile. For example, the recording medium may be made of any of various materials capable of forming an image using ink, such as paper, synthetic paper, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a PET material, ceramic, glass, and a laminate material.

[0014] The conveyance device 1 includes a drive roller 11, a driven roller (not illustrated), a drive motor (not illustrated), and a conveyance belt 13. The drive roller 11 and the driven roller are formed of cylindrical members extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction F of the textile, and are arranged in parallel to each other with a predetermined gap therebetween. The drive roller 11 is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not illustrated) constituting a conveyance drive section 131 (see FIG. 8).

[0015] The conveyance belt 13 is formed in an endless shape, and is bridged between the drive roller 11 and the driven roller. When the drive roller 11 is rotationally driven by the drive motor, the conveyance belt 13 circulates between the drive roller 11 and the driven roller. Thus, the textile placed on the upper surface of the conveyance belt 13 is conveyed along the conveyance direction F. When the rotation of the drive roller 11 stops, the conveyance belt 13 stops circulating between the rollers, and the conveyance of the textile is stopped.

[0016] The drive motor rotates the drive roller 11 by a predetermined amount when one one-way scanning along the X-axis direction by the recording head 3 finishes. Thus, the textile is conveyed in the conveyance direction F by a predetermined distance, and the driving is stopped. Then, the recording head 3 performs scanning in a direction opposite to the main scanning direction X, and when this ends, the drive motor rotates the drive roller 11 again by a predetermined amount. Thus, the textile is conveyed in the conveyance direction F by a predetermined distance, and the driving is stopped. By repeating this operation, the conveyance drive section 131 including the drive motor performs so-called intermittent conveyance of the textile.

[0017] The main scanning device 4 is a device that conveys the carriage 2 along the X-axis direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction F. The main scanning device 4 is formed of a hollow rectangular prism, and is arranged along the X-axis direction above the conveyance device 1 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The length of the main scanning device 4 in the X-axis direction is set to be longer than the length of the conveyance belt 13 in the X-axis direction.

[0018] A pair of guide rails 41 and 42 is provided on a lateral surface on the front side in the figure of the main scanning device 4. The guide rails 41 and 42 are equipped with stators of linear motors (not illustrated). A movable element (not illustrated) supported by the guide rails 41 and 42 is provided on a surface of the carriage 2 facing the main scanning device 4. Then, the carriage 2 moves along the X-axis direction by being guided by the guide rails 41 and 42 by current control of the coils on the stator side of the guide rails 41 and 42.

[0019] The carriage 2 that is conveyed by the main scanning device 4 is a box-shaped housing in which a recording head 3 (see FIG. 2) is mounted. In the present embodiment, a description will be provided on the assumption that the bottom surface side (the lower side in the Z-axis direction) of the carriage 2 is widely open. While the carriage 2 reciprocates above the conveyance belt 13 along a scanning (X-axis) direction, desired ink is ejected from the recording head 3. The ejected ink is dropped below the carriage 2 through the opening. Thus, an image is formed on the textile on the conveyance belt 13.

[0020] The bottom surface side of the carriage 2 may not be entirely opened. For example, a slit-shaped opening along the Y-axis direction may be appropriately provided corresponding to the attachment position of each unit head 30, which will be described later, of the recording head 3. In this case, the recording head 3 ejects ink droplets downward of the carriage 2 through the slit-shaped openings.

[0021] Next, the configuration of the recording head 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the carriage 2 and the recording head 3 mounted in the carriage 2 when viewed from the bottom surface side of the carriage 2. The recording head 3 performs a printing operation on the textile while performing scanning and moving in the state of being mounted in the carriage 2.

[0022] The inkjet recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can perform printing with nine colors of Y (yellow), Lm (light magenta), Or (orange), M (magenta), Bk (black), Bl (blue), Lk (light black), C (cyan), and Lc (light cyan). The recording head 3 of the present embodiment is a head unit including unit heads 30Y and 30Lm, 30Or, 30M, 30Bk, 30Bl, 30Lk, 30C, and 30Lc corresponding to these nine colors. In FIG. 2, unit heads 30Y to 30 Lc mounted in the carriage 2 are indicated by dash-double-dot lines. Each of the unit heads 30Y to 30 Lc includes a plurality of inkjet modules 31. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, each of the unit heads 30Y to 30 Lc includes nine inkjet modules 31.

[0023] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the unit heads 30Y to 30 Lc corresponding to the respective colors are arranged in order of Y, Lm, Or, M, Bk, Bl, Lk, C and Lc from the left along the X-axis direction. Further, the nine inkjet modules 31 in each of the unit heads 30Y to 30 Lc are arranged in a staggered manner along the Y-axis direction. By arranging the inkjet modules 31 in a staggered manner, it is possible to eject ink of each color to an appropriate position(s) within an area spanning substantially the entire width in the Y-axis direction on the bottom surface side of the carriage 2. Note that in the example illustrated in FIG. 2, only the inkjet modules 31 in the unit head 30Y at the left end are illustrated, and the inkjet modules 31 in the other unit heads 30 are not illustrated. Note that the configuration of each of the unit heads 30Y to 30 Lc is not limited to the example illustrated therein. The recording head 3 is not limited to the one including the unit heads 30Y to 30 Lc corresponding to the nine colors.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a state of the unit head 30 viewed from the textile side. Note that the unit heads 30Y to 30Lc constituting the recording head 3 as a head unit all have the same configuration. Therefore, in FIG. 3, the unit head(s) 30 may be referred to as the recording head 3.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, each unit head 30 constituting the recording head 3 has a plurality of (in this example, 18) inkjet heads 32. As described above, the unit head 30 of the present embodiment has nine inkjet modules 31. Each of the inkjet modules 31 is configured of two inkjet heads 32 as one set.

[0026] In the following embodiment, in the recording head 3 (unit heads 30), a surface facing the textile, which is the recording medium, is referred to as a head top plate 35. The inkjet modules 31 are provided to be exposed to the head top plate 35.

[0027] Each of the inkjet heads 32 has a plurality of nozzles 33 through which ink is ejected. The nozzles 33 are arranged in rows in each inkjet head 32, and forms a nozzle surface. In FIG. 3, the arrangement direction of the nozzles 33 is a nozzle row direction Ln. In the present embodiment, the nozzle row direction Ln corresponds to the Y-axis direction (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) orthogonal to the X-axis direction that is the scanning moving direction of the recording head 3. The nozzle surface is substantially flush with an area of the head top plate 35 other than the nozzle surface.

[0028] The inkjet heads 32 eject ink toward the textile from the nozzles 33. Thus, an image is formed on the textile. Note that the number and arrangement of the inkjet modules 31 are not limited to those described above.

[0029] Plate-like carriage receiving sections 43 and 44 are provided at both ends of the main scanning device 4, the ends being areas protruding from the conveyance device 1. The carriage receiving sections 43 and 44 are attached in a posture substantially parallel to the conveyance belt 13 of the conveyance device 1. At the time of no recording operation, the carriage 2 moves onto the upper surface of the carriage receiving section 43 provided on one end side (left side in the figure) of the main scanning device 4.

[0030] The moisturizing device 5 is detachably attached to under the carriage receiving section 43. The moisturizing device 5 is a device that moisturizes the nozzles 33 of the recording head 3 mounted in the carriage 2. For example, rectangular slits are provided in the carriage receiving section 43 at positions corresponding to the nozzles 33 of the inkjet heads 32 in the carriage 2. Water or a moisturizing liquid is contained inside the moisturizing device 5. The carriage 2 is arranged at a position facing the moisturizing device 5 in the Z-axis direction, and thus the nozzle surface of the recording head 3 in the carriage 2 can be moisturized by the moisturizing device 5.

[0031] The carriage receiving section 44 provided on the other end side (right side in the figure) of the main scanning device 4 is provided with the cleaning section 7 and the flushing receiving section 8. The cleaning section 7 cleans at least the nozzle surface (the surface on which the ejection ports of the nozzles 33 are arranged) of the recording head 3. The flushing receiving section 8 receives ink ejected from the nozzles 33 by a flushing operation. The flushing operation is appropriately performed for the purpose of preventing clogging of the nozzles 33 of the recording head 3.

[0032] Hereinafter, the configuration of the cleaning section 7 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning section 7 includes a maintenance unit 70 that performs maintenance of at least the nozzle surface of the recording head 3 in the present embodiment. The cleaning section 7 further includes a guide rail 75 extending in the Y-axis direction, a unit drive motor 76 that moves the maintenance unit 70 along the guide rail 75, and the like. The length of the guide rail 75 in the Y-axis direction is set to be equal to or larger than the length of the nozzle surface of the recording head 3 in the Y-axis direction.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the main part of the maintenance unit 70. The maintenance unit 70 performs a maintenance operation of the recording head 3, and is a maintenance means in the embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the maintenance unit 70 includes a wet roller 71, a roller drive motor 72, a squeeze rod 73, and a liquid storage section 77. As described above, the recording head 3 of the present embodiment has the nozzle surface on the surface facing the textile (the surface of the head top plate 35). The maintenance unit 70 performs the maintenance operation on a wide area of the head top plate 35 (see FIG. 3) including the nozzle surface.

[0035] The wet roller 71 is formed of, for example, a cylindrical sponge. In the embodiment, the wet roller 71 is a maintenance member that performs a maintenance operation on the recording head 3 by wiping.

[0036] As described above, on the nozzle surface of the recording head 3, the nozzles 33 are arranged along a direction (the Y-axis direction in the embodiment) intersecting the scanning moving direction (the X-axis direction) of the recording head 3. The wet roller 71 performs a wiping operation of the nozzle surface along the nozzle row direction Ln of the nozzles 33.

[0037] A cleaning liquid is preferably stored inside the wet roller 71. The wet roller 71 is rotatable about a shaft 711 provided along the X-axis direction. In the embodiment, the maintenance operation by the maintenance unit 70 is divided maintenances.

[0038] Hereinafter, the divided maintenances will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the recording head 3 for explaining divided maintenances according to the embodiment. In FIG. 6, for convenience of explanation, the recording head 3 constituted by four unit heads 30 is schematically shown in a simplified manner. Note that the same maintenance operation is performed for the recording head 3 constituted by the nine unit heads 30 illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

[0039] In FIG. 6, the area of the head top plate 35 of each unit head 30 constituting the recording head 3 is defined as a unit area. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 6 or the like, the recording head 3 is divided into four unit areas Ar1, Ar2, Ar3, and Ar4 corresponding to the respective unit heads 30. Note that it is not essential that the unit areas correspond to the unit heads 30. For example, one unit head 30 may be divided into a plurality of unit areas, or two or more unit heads 30 may be defined as one unit area.

[0040] In the present embodiment, the maintenance unit 70 performs divided maintenances that are performed for respective unit areas. Therefore, the length of the wet roller 71 in the X-axis direction is set to a length that can cover at least the width of one unit area of the nozzle surface of the recording head 3 in the X-axis direction.

[0041] However, it is preferable that at the time of a divided maintenance, the maintenance operation is performed so as to overlap (to be performed on part of) a unit area adjacent to one unit area. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the length of the wet roller 71 according to the embodiment in the X-axis direction is longer than the width of one unit area in the X-axis direction. Thus, the maintenance operation can be performed so as to overlap with a part of the adjacent unit area. In FIG. 7, an area to be maintained in the case where a divided maintenance is performed for the unit area Ar1 is indicated in white. At a part through which an end of the wet roller 71 passes, ink or dirt wiped by the wet roller 71 may remain in a stripe shape. By performing the maintenance while overlapping the adjacent unit area, it is possible to eliminate such a streaky stain residue.

[0042] The wet roller 71 is rotated by the roller drive motor 72 in the same direction as the movement direction of the maintenance unit 70 in the Y-axis direction. In FIG. 5, a direction in which the maintenance unit 70 moves is defined as an "A" direction indicated by a thick arrow. Further, in FIG. 5, a rotation direction of the wet roller 71 is defined as a "B" direction. Accordingly, the wet roller 71 comes into contact with the recording head 3, which moves relative to the maintenance unit 70, in the counter direction. Therefore, the wet roller 71 can strongly wipe the nozzle surface of the recording head 3.

[0043] The liquid storage section 77 is disposed below the wet roller 71 in the Z-axis direction. A cleaning liquid is stored in the liquid storage section 77. The lower part of the wet roller 71 is immersed in the cleaning liquid, and when the wet roller 71 rotates, the cleaning liquid is stirred up. Thus, the wet roller 71 cleans the nozzle surface of the recording head 3 while supplying the cleaning liquid to the nozzle surface of the recording head 3.

[0044] The roller drive motor 72, the liquid storage section 77 that stores the cleaning liquid, and the like constitute a cleaning means that cleans the wet roller 71 in the embodiment. That is, the roller drive motor 72 rotates the wet roller 71, and the wet roller 71 passes through the cleaning liquid in the liquid storage section 77, whereby the wet roller 71 is cleaned.

[0045] The squeeze rod 73 has an axis substantially parallel to the axis of the wet roller 71. The squeeze rod 73 is disposed in the vicinity of the wet roller 71 in such a manner as to be able to be pressed against and separated from the wet roller 71. When the wet roller 71 rotates in a state where the squeeze rod 73 is pressed against the wet roller 71, the ink and the cleaning liquid adhering to the wet roller 71 are squeezed and removed from the wet roller 71. In the embodiment, the squeeze rod 73 also functions as the cleaning means for performing the cleaning operation of the wet roller 71.

[0046] The flushing receiving section 8 includes, for example, an endless belt made of a material capable of absorbing the ink ejected from the nozzles 33 of the inkjet heads 32 of the recording head 3. The flushing operation is performed in a state where the carriage 2 at the time of no recording operation is disposed above the flushing receiving section 8. Thus, ink is ejected from the nozzles 33 and is absorbed by the belt of the flushing receiving section 8.

[0047] The belt of the flushing receiving section 8 is wound around, for example, three rollers (not illustrated), and one of the rollers is arranged at a position where the roller is immersed in a cleaning liquid stored in a tank (not illustrated). Therefore, as the belt rotates along the three rollers, a part of the belt is immersed in the cleaning liquid, and the ink adhering to the belt is cleaned by the cleaning liquid.

[0048] In the present embodiment, an example in which the flushing receiving section 8 includes a tank has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the tank is not provided and the ink absorbed during the flushing operation is removed by a squeezing roller or the like.<Configuration of Control System of Inkjet Recording Apparatus>

[0049] Next, the configuration of the control system of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a control configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 8, the inkjet recording apparatus 100 includes a controller 9 and a storage section 93. The inkjet recording apparatus 100 further includes an operation and display part 96 and an input / output interface 97. In addition, the inkjet recording apparatus 100 includes a head drive section 301, a conveyance drive section 131, and a main scanning device drive section 401. These components such as the controller 9 are connected to each other via, for example, a bus.

[0050] The controller 9 is a computer including a processor 91 such as a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory 92 such as a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).

[0051] The storage section 93 is configured by a nonvolatile memory or the like, and includes a program storage section 94 that stores various programs and the like, and a data storage section 95. The storage section 93 may be constituted by a hard disk drive or the like as a mass storage device. The data storage section 95 may be a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, a removable portable storage medium such as a memory card, or the like.

[0052] In the controller 9, the processor 91 reads necessary programs such as a system program stored in the program storage section 94, loads the programs to a work area of the memory 92, and in cooperation with the programs loaded to the memory 92, controls the operation of each component and executes various processes. The controller 9 controls at least the operation of the recording head 3 and the maintenance unit 70. That is, the controller 9 interrupts the printing operation of the recording head 3 in the middle of a series of print jobs and causes the maintenance operation to be performed. Thus, the controller 9 causes the inkjet recording apparatus 100 to execute a series of print jobs while causing the printing operation and the maintenance operation to be performed repeatedly.

[0053] The operation and display part 96 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD). The operation and display part 96 may be configured by an organic electroluminescence display (organic ELD), another flat display, or the like. The operation and display part 96 displays a setting screen or the like for performing various settings related to printing by the inkjet recording apparatus 100 in response to a display instruction from the controller 9. In addition, a touch screen is integrally formed in the operation and display part 96. The operation and display part 96 includes a plurality of keys, and also functions as an input section that receives a key operation based on a user's touch operation. The operation and display part 96 accepts user's input of various instructions and data such as letters and numerals. The information accepted by the operation and display part 96 is output to the controller 9.

[0054] The input / output interface 97 is connected to an external device 200 such as a personal computer (PC). The input / output interface 97 receives a job from the external device 200 and outputs the job to the controller 9.

[0055] The head drive section 301 drives each inkjet head 32 of the recording head 3 mounted in the carriage 2. Thus, ink is ejected from each nozzle 33, and an image is formed on the textile on the conveyance belt 13. The head drive section 301 and the inkjet heads 32 constitute the recording head 3.

[0056] The conveyance drive section 131 includes a drive motor (not illustrated). When the drive motor of the conveyance drive section 131 operates in accordance with the control of the controller 9, the drive roller 11 rotates, and the textile is conveyed by the conveyance belt 13.

[0057] The main scanning device drive section 401 moves the carriage 2 held by the guide rails 41 and 42 along the X-axis direction by performing current control of coils on the stator side provided in the guide rails 41 and 42.

[0058] Further, in the embodiment, the controller 9 controls the maintenance operation of the nozzle surface of the recording head 3 by the cleaning section 7. Specifically, the controller 9 causes the cleaning section 7 to start a maintenance operation in accordance with a predetermined periodic maintenance interval MD. The maintenance operation on the recording head 3 by the maintenance unit 70 is controlled. The control of the maintenance operation by the cleaning section 7 (maintenance unit 70) by the controller 9 will be described in detail.

[0059] The data storage section 95 stores, for example, a table defining the maintenance interval MD and so forth. The maintenance operation on the recording head 3 is usually performed at predetermined time intervals. The controller 9 determines the execution interval of the maintenance operation and the like with reference to these pieces of information stored in the storage section 95.

[0060] For example, when the unit areas Ar1 to Ar4 constituting the recording head 3 illustrated in FIG. 6 are set as one set, the maintenance interval MD is an interval from the end of the maintenance operation on the unit area Ar1 to the next maintenance operation on the unit area Ar1.

[0061] Note that the controller 9 preferably changes the interval at which the maintenance operation is performed in accordance with the type of ink ejected by the recording head 3. Examples of the ink type include "reactive dye ink," "disperse dye ink," and "acidic ink." The "reactive dye ink" is ink suitable for fabric such as cotton or rayon. The "disperse dye ink" is ink suitable for fabric such as polyester or acetate. The "acidic ink" is ink suitable for fabric such as silk. The data storage section 95 stores, for example, a data table that defines the maintenance interval MD for each type of ink. For example, the "acidic ink" is relatively less likely to contaminate the recording head 3 than the other inks. For this reason, when the "acidic ink" is used, the maintenance interval MD is defined to be long.

[0062] The maintenance interval MD may be changed according to, for example, the type of textile used as the recording medium. Examples of the type of the textile include polyester, cotton, blended fabrics (blended fabrics of chemical fibers and natural fibers, blended fabrics of natural fibers and natural fibers, and the like), silk, and the like. The recording medium is not limited to textile, and may be any of various types of paper, film, and the like. When various types of recording medium are used, the maintenance interval MD may be changed according to the type of recording medium or the like. In any case, the data storage section 95 stores a table or the like that defines an appropriate maintenance interval MD corresponding to each condition. The controller 9 refers to the information stored in the data storage section 95 and appropriately sets the maintenance interval MD.

[0063] As described above, in the present embodiment, the maintenance operation is performed by the divided maintenances for respective unit areas. FIG. 9 is a schematic explanatory diagram for explaining a maintenance operation in a case where a subsequent print job is performed by the recording head 3 following a preceding print job.

[0064] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 9, divided maintenances m1, m2, and m3 are performed on three unit areas α, β, and γ during one maintenance interval MD. Note that in each of the divided maintenances m1, m2, and m3, the maintenance operation is completed within a predetermined time. The predetermined time is, for example, 30 seconds.

[0065] The controller 9 causes the maintenance unit 70 to perform either a first maintenance operation that is performed at normal time or a second maintenance operation different from the first maintenance operation, based on the states of the printing operation and the divided maintenance(s). For example, in FIG. 9, unit maintenance intervals md are the maintenance intervals of the divided maintenances m1, m2 and m3 that are performed for the unit areas α, β and γ, respectively. In the first maintenance operation, each unit maintenance interval md is a time obtained by dividing the maintenance interval MD substantially equally. For example, if the maintenance interval MD is 30 minutes, each unit maintenance interval md is set to approximately 10 minutes.

[0066] In addition, normally, when a print job is started, the divided maintenances m1, m2, ... are executed in order from the unit area positioned at the end of the recording head 3 at predetermined time intervals. For example, FIG. 9 illustrates an example in which the unit areas constituting the recording head 3 are unit areas α, β, and γ in order from the end. In this case, in the maintenance operation, the divided maintenance m1 is performed for the unit area α, and the divided maintenance m2 is performed for the unit area β. Then, the divided maintenance m3 is performed for the unit area γ. Then, after the unit maintenance interval md, the process returns to the unit area α again, and the divided maintenance m4 is performed for the unit area α.

[0067] In a case where one print job is finished and a different print job is started, normally, the divided maintenances are executed in order from the unit area α at the end of the recording head 3. However, there is a case where a subsequent print job is executed continuously to a preceding print job. In this case, when a divided maintenance is performed by returning to the unit area α, there is a concern that an area in which the maintenance is not performed for a long time may occur. Therefore, the controller 9 causes the divided maintenances m1, m2, ... in the subsequent print job to start from the continuation of the preceding print job as the second maintenance operation.

[0068] In FIG. 9, a case where the maintenance operation performed last in the preceding print job is on the unit area β is exemplified. In this case, the controller 9 controls the operation of each component so as to start the divided maintenances m1, m2, ... in the subsequent print job from the unit area γ. Therefore, in the subsequent job, the divided maintenance m1 is performed for the unit area γ, and the divided maintenance m2 is performed for the unit area α. Then, the divided maintenance m3 is performed for the unit area β. Then, after the unit maintenance interval md, the divided maintenance m4 is performed for the unit area γ again. Note that the controller 9 appropriately determines which of the first maintenance operation and the second maintenance operation is to be performed in the subsequent job. For example, in a case where the subsequent print job is performed after a predetermined period or more from the preceding print job, the first maintenance operation may be performed in order from the unit area positioned at the end in the subsequent print job.

[0069] Further, in a case where a subsequent print job is started in succession to a preceding print job, the controller 9 may perform the following control as the second maintenance operation. For example, the execution start timing of the maintenance operation to be performed first in a subsequent print job is determined in consideration of the state of a preceding job. That is, the start time point of the divided maintenance m1 in the subsequent print job is determined in consideration of the elapsed time from the end of the divided maintenance m5 performed last in the preceding print job. In the example of FIG. 9, regardless of the start time point of the subsequent print job, after the last divided maintenance m5 of the preceding print job, the maintenance operation of the subsequent print job is started after the lapse of the unit maintenance interval md5.

[0070] Further, the controller 9 may perform the following control as the second maintenance operation. For example, in a case where the maintenance operation performed last in a print job is the divided maintenance on the unit area in the middle of the plurality of unit areas α, β, and γ, the maintenance operation is performed on the remaining unit area(s) after the end of the print job. For example, FIG. 10 illustrates a case where the maintenance operation performed last in a print job is the division maintenance m5 to the unit area β. In FIG. 10, after the divided maintenance m5, the printing operation p6 is performed and the print job is finished. In this case, upon completion of the print job, the controller 9 causes the maintenance unit 70 to perform the divided maintenance m6 on the unit area γ. In this case, it is not necessary to leave a predetermined unit maintenance interval md such as 10 minutes after the divided maintenance m5.

[0071] Further, the controller 9 may perform the following control as the second maintenance operation. For example, in a case where the scheduled execution time of the next maintenance operation is before the completion of printing in a print job by the recording head 3, but is within a predetermined time to the completion of the print job, the next maintenance operation is skipped and the print job is completed first.

[0072] In the example shown in FIG. 11, the unit maintenance interval md4 from the divided maintenance m4 for the unit area α to the next divided maintenance m5 is 10 minutes. Meanwhile, a time Et to the completion of printing in the print job after the divided maintenance m4 is 15 minutes. In this case, the controller 9 skips the maintenance operation (the divided maintenance m5 on the unit area β), and causes the maintenance operation to be executed after completion of the print job. In FIG. 11, the divided maintenance m5 to be skipped is indicated by a dash-double-dot line, and the divided maintenance m5 to be performed after completion of the print job is indicated by a solid line. Note that the maintenance operation to be performed after the completion of the print job may be only the skipped divided maintenance m5 for the unit area β. Further, in a case where the recording head 3 is constituted of the unit areas α, β, and γ, the divided maintenances m5 and m6 for the unit areas β and γ that were unable to be executed within the print job may be performed after the completion of the print job.

[0073] In addition, the controller 9 causes the cleaning operation to be performed on the maintenance unit 70 every time the maintenance operation (division maintenance) is performed for one unit area. The cleaning operation is performed, for example, by the roller drive motor 72 rotating the wet roller 71 and the wet roller 71 passing through the cleaning liquid in the liquid storage section 77. The cleaning operation is also performed by pressing the squeeze rod 73 against the wet roller 71, or the like.

[0074] Upon completion of the maintenance operation by the maintenance unit 70, the controller 9 causes the cleaning operation to be performed on the wet roller 71 in parallel with the printing operation. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the maintenance unit 70 is provided in an area different from a printing area of the recording head 3. Therefore, while the printing operation is being performed, in parallel with this, the cleaning operation of the wet roller 71 can be performed in preparation for the next maintenance operation. Thus, the wet roller 71 can be cleaned before the ink or the like removed from the recording head solidifies, which is preferable.

[0075] The controller 9 causes the flushing receiving section 8 to appropriately perform the flushing operation of the nozzles 33 of the inkjet heads 32. The controller 9 determines that the flushing operation is necessary, for example, in a case where the ejection failure of the nozzle surface of the recording head 3 is not sufficiently recovered even by the maintenance operation by the cleaning section 7.<Operation and Control Method of Inkjet Recording Apparatus>

[0076] Next, with reference to FIG. 9 to FIG. 11 and the like, detailed description will be given centering on control by the controller 9 on the printing operation by the recording head 3 and the maintenance operation by the maintenance unit 70 performed.

[0077] In the present embodiment, the controller 9 interrupts the printing operation of the recording head 3 in the middle of a series of print jobs by the recording head 3, and causes the maintenance unit 70 to perform the maintenance operation. Thus, the printing operation and the maintenance operation are repeated.

[0078] The maintenance operation by the maintenance unit 70 is, as described above, the divided maintenances that are performed for the respective unit areas into which the recording head 3 is divided. Normally, when a print job by the recording head 3 is started and a predetermined printing operation is performed, the maintenance operation is started. FIG. 9 illustrates an example in which the controller 9 determines that it is the timing to start the maintenance operation when a printing operation P1 is performed. Note that the "p1" may be the duration of the printing operation, or may be set by the amount of printed letters or images.

[0079] When the start timing of the maintenance operation is reached, the controller 9 interrupts the printing operation and first causes the maintenance unit 70 to execute the divided maintenance m1 for the first unit area α. For example, in a case where the recording head 3 is constituted by the unit areas α, β, and γ, the unit area α is the area positioned at the end. During the maintenance operation, the controller 9 moves the recording head 3 so that the unit area α comes to the position corresponding to the wet roller 71.

[0080] Then, the roller drive motor 72 is operated to rotate the wet roller 71 in the B direction. At the same time, the unit drive motor 76 is operated to move the maintenance unit 70 in the A direction along the Y-axis direction. Accordingly, the wet roller 71 is pressed against the recording head 3, which moves relative to the maintenance unit 70, from the counter direction. Then, the nozzle surface of the recording head 3 is wiped by the wet roller 71, and dirt such as ink is removed. In the embodiment, the wet roller 71 is longer than the width of the unit area α or the like in the X-axis direction. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 9, when the divided maintenance m1 is performed for the unit area, an area overlapping with a part of the adjacent unit area is wiped. The controller 9 performs control such that the divided maintenance m1 ends within 30 seconds.

[0081] Upon completion of the divided maintenance m1, the controller 9 moves the recording head 3 to the printing area and causes it to perform a printing operation P2. The printing operation p2 is performed during the unit maintenance interval md1. In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the unit maintenance interval md1 is 10 minutes. While the recording head 3 is performing the printing operation, the controller 9 causes the cleaning operation to be performed on the wet roller 71 to prepare for the next maintenance operation. When the unit maintenance interval md1 elapses, the controller 9 interrupts the printing operation and moves the recording head 3 so that the unit area β comes to the position corresponding to the wet roller 71. Then, the divided maintenance m2 is performed for the unit area β. At this time, the area wiped in an overlapping manner by the divided maintenance m1 is wiped again. As a result, there is no streaky stain due to the residue or the like between the unit area α and the unit area β.

[0082] Upon completion of the divided maintenance m2, similarly, the controller 9 moves the recording head 3 to the printing area and causes it to perform a printing operation p3. During this period, the cleaning operation of the wet roller 71 is performed similarly to the case of the divided maintenance m1. When the unit maintenance interval md2 elapses, the controller 9 interrupts the printing operation and moves the recording head 3 so that the unit area γ comes to the position corresponding to the wet roller 71. Then, the divided maintenance m3 is performed for the unit area γ. Also in this case, the area wiped in an overlapping manner by the divided maintenance m2 is wiped again. As a result, there is no streaky stain due to the residue or the like between the unit area β and the unit area γ.

[0083] Upon completion of the divided maintenance m3, similarly, the controller 9 moves the recording head 3 to the printing area and causes it to perform a printing operation p4. When the unit maintenance interval md3 elapses, the controller 9 moves the recording head 3 so that the unit area α comes to the position corresponding to the wet roller 71 again. Then, the divided maintenance m4 is performed for the unit area α. The controller 9 thus causes the printing operation and the maintenance operation to be repeatedly performed until a series of print jobs is completed. For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 9, after the divided maintenance m5 for the unit area β, a printing operation p6 is performed, and a series of print jobs is completed.

[0084] As in the example illustrated in FIG. 9, in a case where a subsequent job is performed after a preceding job, the controller 9 treats the print jobs as separate jobs but treats the maintenance operation as continuous processing. That is, when the unit maintenance interval m5 elapses from the end of the divided maintenance md5 performed last in the preceding print job, the controller 9 causes the next divided maintenance m1 to be performed. This divided maintenance m1 is the first divided maintenance in the subsequent print job. However, the divided maintenance m1 is performed not on the first unit area α but on the unit area γ as the maintenance operation continued from the preceding print job. Thereafter, the printing operation and the maintenance operation are repeated in a similar manner until the subsequent print job is completed.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 10, in the case where the maintenance operation performed last in a print job is the divided maintenance for the unit area β in the middle of the plurality of unit areas α, β, and γ, the following process is performed. That is, the controller 9 causes the maintenance unit 70 to perform the maintenance operation on the remaining unit area γ constituting the recording head 3 after the end of the print job. Unlike the example of FIG. 10, in the case where the maintenance operation performed last in a print job is for the unit area α, the maintenance operation for the remaining unit areas β and γ is performed after the end of the print job.

[0086] Further, as shown in FIG. 11, in the case where the scheduled execution time of the next maintenance operation is before the completion of printing in a print job by the recording head 3 but within a predetermined time to the completion of the print job, the following process is performed. That is, the controller 9 compares the scheduled execution time of the next maintenance operation with the printing completion time in the print job. For example, if the print job is completed within a half of the original unit maintenance interval md after the scheduled execution time of the maintenance operation, the next maintenance operation is skipped.

[0087] In the example shown in FIG. 11, the original unit maintenance interval md is 10 minutes, and the time Et from the end of the immediately preceding divided maintenance m4 to the completion of the print job is 13 minutes. In this case, the time Et is shorter than the unit maintenance interval md 10 minutes + 10 minutes / 2 = 15 minutes. In this case, the controller 9 skips the next maintenance operation (divided maintenance m5) and causes divided maintenance m5 to be performed after the completion of the print job. Note that the relationship between the scheduled execution time of the next maintenance operation and the printing completion time in a print job for the controller 9 to skip the next maintenance operation is not limited to the example shown here.<Effects>

[0088] As described above, in the inkjet recording apparatus 100 which is the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, the controller 9 controls the operations of the recording head 3 and the maintenance unit 70, and interrupts the printing operation of the recording head 3 in the middle of a series of print jobs and causes the maintenance operation to be performed. Thus, the print jobs are executed by repeating the printing operation and the maintenance operation. The maintenance operation of the present embodiment is a divided maintenance that is performed for each of unit areas into which the recording head 3 is divided. For this reason, it is possible to shorten the time for one maintenance. During the maintenance operation, the printing operation is stopped, so that it is the standby time. If the ink already ejected onto the recording medium spreads during the standby time, density unevenness occurs, and the printing quality deteriorates. Of the recording medium, a part on which printing has already been performed may be sent to a dryer. In this case, density unevenness is more likely to occur due to a difference in a drying degree. In this regard, in the present embodiment, an appropriate measure is taken according to the states of the printing operation and the divided maintenance. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the quality of a printed image from decreasing due to the density unevenness.

[0089] Further, the controller 9 causes the maintenance unit 70 to perform either the first maintenance operation that is performed at the normal time and the second maintenance operation that is different from the first maintenance operation, on the basis of the states of the printing operation and the divided maintenance. For example, in the embodiment, in the case where a subsequent print job is performed successively to a preceding print job, as the second maintenance operation, the controller 9 causes the divided maintenance in the subsequent print job to be started from a unit area next to a unit area on which the maintenance operation has been performed last in the preceding print job.

[0090] If the maintenance operation is started from the first area (for example, the unit area α) of one set of unit areas constituting the recording head 3 every time the print job is switched, there is a concern that an area which is not maintained for a long period of time may be generated. In this regard, even when the print job is switched, the maintenance operation is performed from the continuation of the maintenance operation performed in the preceding print job, and thus it is possible to perform the maintenance on all the unit areas substantially uniformly.

[0091] Further, in the case where a subsequent job is performed successively to a preceding job, as the second maintenance operation, the controller 9 may determine the execution start timing of the maintenance operation that is performed first in the subsequent job by taking into account the elapsed time from the end of the maintenance operation performed last in the preceding print job.

[0092] Accordingly, in a case where the ink adheres to the recording head 3 in the preceding print job, it is possible to appropriately perform the maintenance before the ink becomes difficult to be removed due to solidification or the like.

[0093] Further, in the case where the maintenance operation performed last in a print job performed by the recording head 3 is the divided maintenance on a unit area in the middle of a plurality of unit areas constituting the recording head 3, as the second maintenance operation, the controller 9 causes the maintenance unit 70 to perform the maintenance operation on the remaining unit area(s) after the end of the print job.

[0094] Thus, when the print job is finished, the recording head 3 is in the state in which it is entirely maintained. After the end of the print job, there is no risk of density unevenness occurring in printing before and after the maintenance operation.

[0095] Further, in the case where the scheduled execution time of the next maintenance operation is before completion of printing in a print job by the recording head 3 but within a predetermined time to completion of the print job, the controller 9 causes the maintenance operation to be skipped and the maintenance operation to be performed after completion of the print job.

[0096] Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the printing operation from being divided and performed before and after the standby time due to the maintenance operation as much as possible, and to suppress the occurrence of the density unevenness.

[0097] Further, it is preferable that the controller 9 cause the maintenance operation of one or a plurality of unit areas within a predetermined time, such as 30 seconds, in the divided maintenance(s).

[0098] Thus, the standby time due to the maintenance operation can be shortened as much as possible, thus suppressing the occurrence of density unevenness.

[0099] Further, it is preferable that the controller 9 change the intervals at which the maintenance operation is performed in accordance with to the type of ink that is ejected by the recording head 3.

[0100] For example, in the case of ink to which dirt hardly adheres, the maintenance time is lengthened, so that the standby time due to the maintenance operation can be made to be the necessary minimum.

[0101] Further, the maintenance unit 70 according to the embodiment includes the wet roller 71 formed of a sponge or the like as the maintenance member. In this case, the maintenance operation is performed by wiping with the wet roller 71.

[0102] By wiping the nozzle surface with the wet roller 71, it is possible to appropriately remove the ink or the like adhering to the recording head 3.

[0103] Further, the recording head 3 of the embodiment has the nozzle surface where the nozzles 33 from which ink is ejected are arranged in a row(s) on the head top plate 35 which faces a textile which is a recording medium. In the embodiment, the nozzle surface and the head top plate 35 other than the nozzle surface are substantially flush with each other. Ink mist or the like may adhere not only to the nozzle surface but also to the head top plate 35 in the vicinity thereof. In this respect, the maintenance unit 70 according to the embodiment performs the maintenance operation on the area of the head top plate 35 including the nozzle surface. Therefore, when the nozzle surface is wiped, ink or the like adhering to the head top plate 35 can also be removed.

[0104] Further, the controller 9 according to the present embodiment causes the maintenance unit 70 to perform the divided maintenance so as to overlap a unit area adjacent to a unit area of the unit areas.

[0105] At a part through which the end of the maintenance member passes, ink or dirt wiped by the maintenance member may remain in a stripe shape. In this regard, by performing the maintenance by covering a unit area and a part of its adjacent unit area, the wiping can be performed on the end of a unit area every time the maintenance is performed. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the streaky stain from remaining at the part through which the end of the maintenance member passes.

[0106] Further, the recording head 3 of the embodiment has the nozzle surface where the nozzles 33 are arranged in a row(s) along the direction (the Y-axis direction) intersecting the scanning moving direction (the X-axis direction) of the recording head 3. Then, the maintenance unit 70 performs the wiping operation of the nozzle surface along the nozzle row direction Ln.

[0107] Thus, the maintenance operation can be efficiently performed without leaving an unwiped part.

[0108] The maintenance unit 70 includes the cleaning means that cleans the maintenance member such as the wet roller 71. Then, the controller 9 causes the cleaning means to perform the cleaning operation of the maintenance member each time the maintenance operation of one unit area is performed in the divided maintenance by the maintenance unit 70.

[0109] For example, as in the present embodiment, in the case where the unit areas are set for the respective unit heads 30 constituting the recording head 3, the color of the ink is different unit area by unit area. For this reason, if the maintenance member which has wiped a certain unit area wipes another unit area as it is, there is a concern that the ink which adheres to the maintenance member at the time of maintenance moves to another unit area. In this respect, by performing the cleaning operation every time the maintenance operation is performed, it is possible to prevent the recording head from being contaminated by the maintenance.

[0110] Further, the cleaning means of the embodiment includes the roller drive motor that rotates the wet roller 71, and the liquid storage section 77 that stores the cleaning liquid. Then, the wet roller 71 is rotated and passed through the cleaning liquid in the liquid storage section 77 to be cleaned.

[0111] Thus, the wet roller 71 can be effectively cleaned.

[0112] Further, in the embodiment, when the maintenance operation by the maintenance unit 70 is completed, the controller 9 causes the cleaning means to perform the cleaning operation of the maintenance member in parallel with the printing operation.

[0113] In this way, by performing the printing operation by the recording head 3 and the cleaning operation of the maintenance member in parallel, it is possible to clean the maintenance member before the next maintenance operation, and it is possible to efficiently perform the printing operation and the maintenance operation.<Modification Examples>

[0114] It should be noted that while one or more embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0115] For example, in the embodiment, the recording medium is formed of textile, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0116] Further, for example, the number of maintenance members included in the maintenance unit 70 is not limited to one. A plurality of maintenance members each having a width smaller than that of an area to be maintained may be provided.

[0117] Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, one maintenance member 71a may be provided which is narrower than the width of a unit area, for example, which is approximately half as wide as that of a unit area. In this case, the maintenance member reciprocates over the unit area a plurality of times while changing the position in the X-axis direction, for example. In this case, it is preferable that the maintenance member 71a move such that the wiping areas overlap each other even when the maintenance member 71a reciprocates.

[0118] Further, in the embodiment described above, the case where the recording head 3 has the nozzle surface where the nozzles 33 are arranged in rows along the direction (the Y-axis direction) intersecting the scanning moving direction (the X-axis direction) of the recording head 3 has been described. However, the nozzle row direction Ln of the nozzles 33 included in the recording head 3 is not limited thereto.

[0119] Further, the maintenance direction of the maintenance unit 70 is not limited to the nozzle row direction Ln. For example, the maintenance unit 70 may perform the wiping operation of the nozzle surface along the scanning moving direction (the X-axis direction) of the recording head 3. FIG. 13 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a case where the maintenance unit 70 performs maintenance along the scanning moving direction (X-axis direction) of the recording head 3. As shown in FIG. 13, in this case, a maintenance member 71b is preferably formed to be longer than the length of the nozzle surface of the recording head 3 in the Y-axis direction. Note that also in this case, one unit area may be maintained by reciprocating a maintenance member shorter than the length of the nozzle surface in the Y-axis direction a plurality of times.

[0120] While the maintenance unit 70 of the cleaning section 7 includes the wet roller 71 as the maintenance member in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. The cleaning section 7 only needs to have a configuration / component capable of cleaning the nozzle surface of the recording head 3.

[0121] For example, the maintenance unit 70 may include an elastic member as the maintenance member and may perform the maintenance operation by wiping with the elastic member. The elastic member is, for example, a blade or the like made of silicon rubber.

[0122] Also in this case, ink or the like adhering to the head top plate 35 such as the nozzle surface can be removed by wiping the nozzle surface of the recording head 3 with the elastic member such as the blade.

[0123] Further, the maintenance unit, which is the maintenance means, may perform the maintenance operation by sucking excess liquid with a suction device.

[0124] In this way, even in a case where the maintenance unit performs wiping by a vacuum method in which ink or the like adhering to the nozzle surface or the like of the recording head 3 is sucked like a vacuum cleaner, it is possible to appropriately perform maintenance on the nozzle surface or the like.

[0125] Further, the cleaning means for performing the cleaning operation of the maintenance member is not limited to the example illustrated in the embodiment. For example, the cleaning means may include an absorber and perform cleaning by pressing the absorber against the wet roller 71 or the maintenance member such as a blade.

[0126] In this case, dirt such as ink adhering to the maintenance member such as the wet roller 71 is removed by being absorbed and adsorbed by the absorber, so that the maintenance member returns to a clean state.

[0127] Further, the cleaning means may include a motor that rotates the maintenance member and perform cleaning by rotating the maintenance member and using a centrifugal force. In this case, as the motor that rotates the maintenance member, a motor which is strong enough to obtain a centrifugal force by rotation is provided.

[0128] Further, in a case where the cleaning means includes the liquid storage section 77 that stores the cleaning liquid, cleaning may be performed by spraying the cleaning liquid in the liquid storage section onto the maintenance member such as the wet roller 71.

[0129] In the above-described embodiment, the configuration of the image forming apparatus (inkjet recording apparatus) has been described in detail and specifically, for the purpose of describing the present invention. The image forming apparatus is not necessarily limited to the one including all the described components.

[0130] The present invention is not limited to the embodiment(s) described above and illustrated in the drawings, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention described in the claims.

[0131] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated in detail, the disclosed embodiments are made for purposes of illustration and example only and not limitation. The scope of the present invention should be interpreted by terms of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus (100) comprising: a recording head (3) that performs a printing operation on a recording medium while performing scanning and moving; a maintenance means (70) that performs a maintenance operation on the recording head (3) with a maintenance member (71); and a controller (9) that controls the recording operation of the recording head (3) and the maintenance operation of the maintenance means (70), wherein the controller (9) interrupts the printing operation of the recording head (3) in a middle of a series of print jobs and causes the maintenance means (70) to perform the maintenance operation, thereby performing the print jobs while the printing operation and the maintenance operation are repeated, wherein the maintenance operation by the maintenance means (70) is a divided maintenance that is performed for each unit area of unit areas (Arl, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4) into which the recording head (3) is divided, and wherein the controller (9) causes the maintenance means (70) to perform, based on states of the printing operation and the divided maintenance, either a first maintenance operation that is performed at a normal time and a second maintenance operation that is different from the first maintenance operation.

2. The image forming apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the recording head (3) performs a subsequent print job successively to a preceding print job, the controller (9) controls the maintenance operation of the maintenance means (70) such that the divided maintenance in the subsequent print job is started from, of the unit areas (Arl, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4), a unit area next to a unit area on which the maintenance operation has been performed last in the preceding print job.

3. The image forming apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the recording head (3) performs a subsequent print job successively to a preceding print job, the controller (9) determines an execution start timing of the maintenance operation that is performed first in the subsequent print job by taking into account an elapsed time from an end of the maintenance operation performed last in the preceding print job.

4. The image forming apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the maintenance operation performed last in a print job performed by the recording head (3) is the divided maintenance on a unit area in a middle of the unit areas (Arl, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4) constituting the recording head (3), the controller (9) causes, after the print job is completed, the maintenance means (70) to perform the maintenance operation on a remaining unit area as the second maintenance operation.

5. The image forming apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the maintenance operation by the maintenance means (70) is performed at predetermined time intervals, and a scheduled execution time of the maintenance operation that is performed next is before completion of printing in a print job by the recording head (3) but within a predetermined time to the completion of the print job, the controller (9) causes the maintenance means (70) to skip the maintenance operation and perform the maintenance operation after the completion of the print job.

6. The image forming apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the divided maintenance is a maintenance operation on one or a plurality of unit areas of the unit areas (Arl, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4), the maintenance operation being completed within a predetermined time.

7. The image forming apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the maintenance operation by the maintenance means (70) is performed at predetermined time intervals, the controller (9) changes the intervals at which the maintenance operation is performed, in accordance with a type of ink that is ejected by the recording head (3).

8. The image forming apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the recording head (3) has, on a head top plate (35) facing a recording medium, a nozzle surface where nozzles (33) from which ink is ejected are arranged in a row, and wherein the maintenance means (70) performs the maintenance operation on an area of the head top plate (35) including the nozzle surface.

9. The image forming apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the controller (9) causes the maintenance means (70) to perform the divided maintenance so as to overlap a unit area adjacent to a unit area of the unit areas (Ar1, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4).

10. The image forming apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the recording head (3) has a nozzle surface where nozzles (33) are arranged in a row along a direction intersecting a scanning moving direction of the recording head (3), and wherein the maintenance means (70) performs a wiping operation on the nozzle surface along a nozzle row direction (Ln).

11. The image forming apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the recording head (3) has a nozzle surface where nozzles (33) are arranged in a row along a direction intersecting a scanning moving direction of the recording head (3), and wherein the maintenance means (70) performs a wiping operation on the nozzle surface along the scanning moving direction of the recording head (3).

12. The image forming apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance means (70) includes a cleaning means (72, 73, 77) that cleans the maintenance member (71), and wherein the controller (9) causes the cleaning means (72, 73, 77) to clean the maintenance member (71) each time in the divided maintenance by the maintenance means (70), the maintenance operation is performed on one of the unit areas (Ar1, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4).

13. The image forming apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance means (70) includes a cleaning means (72, 73, 77) that cleans the maintenance member (71), and wherein in response to completion of the maintenance operation by the maintenance means (70), the controller (9) causes the cleaning means (72, 73, 77) to clean the maintenance member (71) in parallel with the printing operation by the recording head (3).

14. A control method of an image forming apparatus (100), comprising: in the image forming apparatus (100) including a recording head (3) that performs a printing operation on a recording medium while performing scanning and moving and a maintenance means (70) that performs a maintenance operation on the recording head (3) with a maintenance member (71), interrupting the printing operation of the recording head (3) in a middle of a series of print jobs and causing the maintenance means (70) to perform the maintenance operation, thereby performing the print jobs while the printing operation and the maintenance operation are repeated, wherein the maintenance operation by the maintenance means (70) is a divided maintenance that is performed for each unit area of unit areas (Arl, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4) into which the recording head (3) is divided, and wherein the maintenance means (70) performs, based on states of the printing operation and the divided maintenance, either a first maintenance operation that is performed at a normal time and a second maintenance operation that is different from the first maintenance operation.

15. A program causing, of an image forming apparatus (100) including a recording head (3) that performs a printing operation on a recording medium while performing scanning and moving and a maintenance means (70) that performs a maintenance operation on the recording head (3) with a maintenance member (71), a computer (9) to: realize an operation control function of interrupting the printing operation of the recording head (3) in a middle of a series of print jobs and causing the maintenance means (70) to perform the maintenance operation, wherein the maintenance operation by the maintenance means (70) is a divided maintenance that is performed for each unit area of unit areas (Arl, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4) into which the recording head (3) is divided, and wherein the operation control function causes the maintenance means (70) to perform, based on states of the printing operation and the divided maintenance, either a first maintenance operation that is performed at a normal time and a second maintenance operation that is different from the first maintenance operation.

Images