Recording device, control method and program

Abstract

To provide a technique of suppressing the variation in a drive amount of a pump with respect to a drive amount of a drive source after rotation direction switching.SOLUTION: Transmission means which transmits driving force by the normal rotation of a drive source to capping means that caps a discharge port surface of ink by a cap and transmits the driving force with the reverse rotation of the drive source to a pump that decompresses the inside of the cap transmits the driving force at timing delayed from the time of switching the rotation direction of the drive source to the pump. When switching the drive source from the normal rotation to the reverse rotation, the drive source is reversely rotated on the basis of the drive amount of the drive source when the drive source is normally rotated and a set prescribed drive amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus capable of suctioning ink from the nozzles of a print head to favorably maintain and recover the ink ejection performance of the print head, a control method for the printing apparatus, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In a recording device that records by discharging ink from the nozzles of a recording head using an inkjet method, a recovery mechanism is provided that sucks and discharges ink from the nozzles or pressurizes and discharges the ink in order to maintain and restore good ink discharge performance from the nozzles. For example, a cap is placed on the nozzle face where the nozzles are formed, and the pressure inside the cap is reduced using a pump or the like to suck ink from the nozzles. This allows high-viscosity ink, air bubbles, fine rubber particles, etc. that have formed inside the nozzles to be discharged into the cap.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to a recovery mechanism of a recording device that can perform multiple recovery operations by rotating one drive source in both forward and reverse directions. Specifically, in the technology of Patent Document 1, the drive source rotates in one direction to press the suction tube of the pump, and while rotating in the reverse direction, a delay mechanism closes the atmosphere communication valve while maintaining the pressure on the suction tube, and then rotates in the same direction again to suck up ink. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-36604 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the amount of delay accumulated in the delay mechanism when the drive source rotates in the reverse direction to operate the atmosphere communication valve varies depending on, for example, the configuration of the recovery mechanism and the configuration of the drive force transmission system, etc. For this reason, in the process of sucking ink after the atmosphere communication valve is closed, variation occurs in the amount of pump drive relative to the amount of drive source drive, resulting in variation in the amount of ink sucked.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a technique for suppressing variation in the drive amount of a pump relative to the drive amount of a drive source after switching of the rotation direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of a recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording head having orifices capable of ejecting ink, capping means capable of capping an orifice surface of the recording head on which the orifices are formed with a cap, a pump capable of reducing the pressure inside the cap when the capping means caps the orifice surface, a drive source that generates a drive force for operating the capping means and the pump, and a drive source that transmits a drive force generated by a forward rotation of the drive source to the capping means and transmits a drive force generated by a reverse rotation of the drive source to the capping means. The inkjet recording device has a transmission means for transmitting a driving force to a pump, a drive amount detection means capable of detecting the drive amount of the drive source, and a control means for controlling the drive of the drive source, wherein the transmission means transmits a driving force from the drive source to the pump at a timing delayed from when the rotation direction of the drive source is switched, and when switching the drive source from forward rotation to reverse rotation, the control means reverses the rotation of the drive source based on the drive amount of the drive source when the drive source is rotated forward, detected by the drive amount detection means, and a predetermined drive amount set for sucking ink from the ejection port. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress variation in the drive amount of the pump relative to the drive amount of the drive source after switching of the rotation direction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram of a recording device [Diagram 2] Side view of recovery section [Diagram 3] A diagram showing the connection relationship between the recovery motor and other components. [Figure 4] Schematic diagram of delay mechanism [Diagram 5] Schematic diagram of main cam [Figure 6] A diagram showing the difference in the state of each configuration according to the phase of the main cam [Figure 7] Block diagram showing the configuration of a control system for recording processing [Figure 8] A flowchart showing a detailed processing routine of the suction recovery process. [Figure 9] Timing chart corresponding to each timing in the flowchart [Figure 10] Timing chart showing the difference in delay amount depending on error factor conditions DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a recording device, a control method, and a program will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiment does not limit the present invention, and not all of the combinations of features described in the present embodiment are essential to the solution of the present invention. Furthermore, the positions, shapes, and the like of the components described in the present embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to only those.

[0011] (Recording device configuration) Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a recording device. The recording device 10 in Fig. 1 includes a transport unit 12 that transports a recording medium M, and a recording unit 14 that ejects ink onto the recording medium M transported by the transport unit 12 to perform recording. The recording device 10 also includes a recovery unit 16 that maintains and recovers the ink ejection performance of the recording unit 14. The overall operation of the recording device 10 is controlled by a control unit 700 (described later).

[0012] The conveying section 12 includes a tray 18 on which the recording medium M is placed, and conveying rollers 20 to which the recording medium M placed on the tray 18 is fed and which convey the fed recording medium to the recording section 14. The conveying rollers 20 are configured to rotate by the driving force of a conveying motor 22. A driven roller 24 which rotates following the rotation of the conveying roller 20 is in pressure contact with the conveying roller 20, and the fed recording medium M is nipped between the conveying roller 20 and the driven roller 24 and conveyed.

[0013] The recording unit 14 includes a recording head 26 that ejects ink onto a recording medium M that is transported by the transport unit 12 and supported on a platen (not shown), and a carriage 28 on which the recording head 26 is mounted and which can move back and forth in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the recording medium M. The recording head 26 is configured to be capable of ejecting black (BK) ink and color (CL) ink by an inkjet method. In the recording head 26, ejection port rows formed by a plurality of ejection ports that eject ink for each color are arranged in a direction intersecting the movement direction of the carriage 28. The recording head 26 is mounted on the carriage 28 so that an ejection port surface 26a (see FIG. 5) on which the ejection port rows are formed faces the platen.

[0014] The carriage 28 is slidably mounted on a shaft 33 extending in a scanning direction (Y direction) intersecting with the transport direction (X direction). The carriage 28 is connected to a part of a belt 32 that transmits the driving force of a carriage motor 30. Therefore, the carriage 28 is configured to be able to move back and forth in the scanning direction via the belt 32 in response to the driving of the carriage motor 30. Therefore, the recording head 26 mounted on the carriage 28 is configured to be able to move back and forth in the scanning direction via the carriage 28. An ink cartridge 34 that stores ink is detachably attached to the carriage 28. Then, ink is supplied to the recording head 26 from the ink cartridge 34 attached to the carriage 28.

[0015] (Configuration of recovery section) The recovery unit 16 is disposed at a predetermined position within the movement range of the recording head 26 via the carriage 28 and outside the recording area where the recording head 26 records on the recording medium M. Here, the configuration of the recovery unit 16 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the recovery unit 16. Note that Fig. 2 shows the housing unit 16a and the internal configuration separately.

[0016] The recovery unit 16 includes a cap 202 capable of contacting the ejection port surface 26a of the recording head 26 to cap the ejection port surface 26a, and a wiper 204 (see FIG. 1) that wipes the ejection port surface 26a. In this embodiment, the cap 202 includes a cap 202a that caps an area including an ejection port array that ejects BK ink, and a cap 202b that caps an area including an ejection port array that ejects CL ink. The cap 202 is configured to be movable in the Z direction, that is, to move up and down between an abutting position where the capping position is in contact with the ejection port surface 26a to cap the ejection port surface 26a, and a spaced position where the capping position is not in contact with the ejection port surface 26a and does not cap the ejection port surface 26a. The wiper 204 is configured to be capable of reciprocating movement in the extension direction of the ejection port array, for example.

[0017] The recovery unit 16 includes a suction pump 206 that can reduce the pressure inside the cap 202 by being driven. The suction pump 206 is a so-called tube pump, and is configured to perform suction by pressing a suction tube 208 with a pressing member (not shown) such as a roller held by a roller holder. The recovery unit 16 further includes an atmosphere communication valve 211 that can close or open a flow path from the cap 202 to the suction tube 208. That is, the atmosphere communication valve 211 is configured to communicate the inside of the cap 202 with the atmosphere by being opened, and to isolate the inside of the cap 202 from the atmosphere by being closed. In this embodiment, the atmosphere communication valve 211 includes an atmosphere communication valve 211a corresponding to the cap 202a and an atmosphere communication valve 211b corresponding to the cap 202b.

[0018] The cap 202, the wiper 204, the suction pump 206, and the atmosphere communication valve 211 are driven by a driving force from a recovery motor 210. The driving force of the recovery motor 210 is transmitted to the cap 202, the wiper 204, the suction pump 206, and the atmosphere communication valve 211 via a transmission unit 212. The transmission unit 212 is configured to be able to transmit the driving force to the main cam 220 via a delay mechanism 214, a recovery gear 216, and a one-way clutch 218. The cap 202, the wiper 204, and the atmosphere communication valve 211 are driven based on the rotation of the main cam 220 caused by the driving force transmitted via the transmission unit 212. The transmission unit 212 also transmits the driving force to the suction pump 206 via a delay mechanism 214.

[0019] Specifically, in the recovery unit 16, the lifting and lowering positions (contact position and separation position) of the cap 202, the open / close state of the atmosphere communication valve 211, and the reciprocating position of the wiper 204 (end position in the moving direction during wiping) are uniquely determined according to the phase of the main cam 220. The recovery unit 16 includes a cam position detection sensor 222 using a photointerrupter. The phase of the main cam 220 is specified using the cam position detection sensor 222 and a sensor flag 504 (see FIG. 5) provided on the main cam 220. Therefore, in the recovery unit 16, the movement operation of the cap 202 to the contact position and separation position, the opening and closing operation of the atmosphere communication valve 211, and the reciprocating operation of the wiper 204 are performed by the driving force transmitted from the recovery motor 210 via the transmission unit 212.

[0020] In the recovery unit 16, the cap 202 caps the ejection port surface 26a of the recording head 26 to seal the inside of the cap 202, closes the atmosphere communication valve 211, and presses the suction tube 208 of the suction pump 206. In this state, the recovery motor 210 is driven in the recovery unit 16 to drive the suction pump 206 via the delay mechanism 214 to generate negative pressure inside the cap 202, sucking ink from the ejection port, and discharging the ink into the cap 202. Note that if the atmosphere communication valve 211 is open, even if the other configurations are in the same state, no negative pressure is generated inside the cap 202, so that ink is not sucked from the ejection port even if the suction pump 206 is driven sufficiently to reliably press the suction tube 208. Also, the atmosphere communication valves 211a and 211b are configured to be able to switch between closing and opening at different timings by changing the phase of the main cam.

[0021] Here, a description will be given of the connection relationship of the main cam 220 and the suction pump 206 to the recovery motor 210. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the mechanical connection relationship (solid lines) from the recovery motor 210 to the main cam 220 and the suction pump 206, and the connection relationship (dashed lines) of sensors that directly detect the positions of the recovery motor 210 and the main cam 220.

[0022] The main cam 220 is connected to the recovery motor 210 via a one-way clutch 218. Therefore, the main cam 220 rotates only when the recovery motor 210 rotates in one direction. Therefore, the main cam 220 is configured to be rotatable only in one direction. In addition, the rotation position of the main cam 220 is identified using a cam position detection sensor 222. In this embodiment, the cam position detection sensor 222 functions as a position detection unit that detects the rotation position of the main cam 220. In the following description, regarding the rotation of the recovery motor 210, the rotation in the direction in which the main cam 220 rotates is appropriately referred to as forward rotation, and the rotation in the direction in which the main cam 220 does not rotate is appropriately referred to as reverse rotation. Therefore, in this embodiment, the forward rotation of the recovery motor 210 causes the lifting and lowering operation of the cap 202, the opening and closing operation of the atmosphere communication valve 211, and the reciprocating operation of the wiper 204.

[0023] In the suction pump 206, the suction tube 208 transitions from an open state to a pressed state by the reverse rotation of the recovery motor 210, and suction is performed by further reverse rotation of the recovery motor 210. Note that the open state of the suction tube 208 is a state in which the suction tube 208 is not pressed by a pressing member, and the pressed state of the suction tube 208 is a state in which the suction tube 208 is pressed by a pressing member. Thus, in this embodiment, the suction operation of the suction pump 206 is performed by the reverse rotation of the recovery motor 210.

[0024] When the recovery motor 210 rotates forward while the suction tube 208 is in a pressed state, the pressure applied by the pressing member to the suction tube 208 is released. When the recovery motor 210 further rotates forward, the pressing member is no longer able to press the suction tube 208. In other words, the pressing member rotates idly due to the further forward rotation of the recovery motor 210, and the suction pump 206 is not affected by the forward rotation. Note that, since various known techniques can be applied to the detailed configuration of the pressing mechanism for the suction tube 208 in the suction pump 206, detailed description thereof will be omitted in this embodiment.

[0025] Here, the suction pump 206 is connected to the recovery motor 210 via a delay mechanism 214. Since the delay mechanism 214 is configured as described below, when the rotation of the recovery motor 210 is switched from forward rotation to reverse rotation or from reverse rotation to forward rotation, the direction of rotation of the suction pump 206 is not immediately switched. The suction pump 206 is configured to be able to perform suction by pressing the suction tube 208 with a pressing member rotating around a rotation axis. Therefore, the rotation of the suction pump 206 means the rotation of the pressing member around this rotation axis. Due to this configuration, after the recovery motor 210 is rotated in reverse to press the suction tube 208, the atmosphere communication valve 211 is closed via the main cam 220. Therefore, even if the recovery motor 210 is rotated forward by a certain amount, the driving force is not transmitted to the suction pump 206, and the pressing state of the suction tube 208 is not released.

[0026] A recovery motor encoder 302 is connected to the recovery motor 210, and the drive amount of the recovery motor 210 is measured by the recovery motor encoder 302. In this embodiment, the recovery motor encoder 302 functions as a drive amount detection unit that can detect the drive amount of the drive source. Therefore, the recovery unit 16 cannot directly detect the drive amount of the main cam 220 or the suction pump 206, but is configured to be able to detect the drive amount of the main cam 220 and the suction pump 206 via the drive amount of the recovery motor 210. Note that the configuration for detecting the drive amount of the recovery motor 210 is not limited to an encoder, and various known technologies can be used.

[0027] (Delay mechanism configuration) Next, the configuration of the delay mechanism 214 will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the delay mechanism 214. The delay mechanism 214 includes a pump gear 402 that meshes with the recovery gear 216, and a wheel member 404 that is drivingly coupled to the pump gear 402. A driving force is transmitted from the recovery motor 210 to the pump gear 402. The pump gear 402 puts the suction tube 208 into a pressing state or a releasing state by the rotation of the pump gear 402. The wheel member 404 is fixedly disposed on the rotating shaft 206a of the suction pump 206. The suction pump 206 rotates by the rotation of the wheel member 404 about the rotating shaft 206a. That is, the amount of rotation of the wheel member 404 is the driving amount (amount of rotation) of the suction pump 206.

[0028] The pump gear 402 has a hole 406 through which the wheel member 404 can be inserted and removed at the rotation center to which the wheel member 404 is drivingly coupled. The hole 406 has a protrusion 408 protruding toward the center (the direction of the rotation axis). The wheel member 404 has a contact portion 410 that spreads out like a fan in the rotation direction of the wheel member 404. The contact portion 410 is sized so that a gap is generated between the protrusion 408 and the contact portion 410 in the circumferential direction of the rotation shaft 206a when the wheel member 404 is inserted into the hole 406. In other words, the total angle of the area in which the protrusion 408 and the contact portion 410 are located around the common rotation center of the pump gear 402 and the wheel member 404 is smaller than 360° by a certain amount. Due to this configuration, even if the pump gear 402 rotates in the directions of arrows I and II by the forward and reverse rotation of the recovery motor 210, the pump gear 402 does not rotate until the protrusion 408 and the abutment portion 410 come into contact with each other. In other words, the suction pump 206 does not operate until this state is reached.

[0029] In the following description, the amount of delay accumulated in the delay mechanism 214 is appropriately referred to as 0 when the protrusion 408 and the contact portion 410 are in a positional relationship in which the suction tube 208 is immediately pressed by the reverse rotation of the recovery motor 210 and suction is performed by the suction pump 206. Also, the amount of delay accumulated in the delay mechanism 214 is appropriately referred to as maximum when the protrusion 408 and the contact portion 410 are in a positional relationship in which the suction tube 208 is immediately released from its pressed state by the forward rotation of the recovery motor 210.

[0030] (Main cam configuration) Next, the configuration of the main cam 220 and the state of the sensor flag 504, the state of the atmosphere communication valve 211, and the state of the cap 202 according to the phase of the main cam 220 will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the main cam 220. FIG. 5(a) is a view of the main cam 220 viewed from a direction perpendicular to its rotation axis. FIG. 5(b) is a view of the sensor flag 504 viewed from a direction parallel to its rotation axis. FIG. 5(c) is a view of the opening / closing cam 506 for the atmosphere communication valve 211 viewed from a direction parallel to its rotation axis. FIG. 5(d) is a view of the lifting cam 508 for the cap 202 viewed from a direction parallel to its rotation axis. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the states of the sensor flag 504, the atmosphere communication valve 211, and the cap 202 according to the phase of the main cam 220. In the description of the main cam 220 using FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the configuration for operating the wiper 204 is omitted for ease of understanding.

[0031] The main cam 220 includes a shaft 502 that rotates in the direction of arrow A in response to the driving force transmitted via the one-way clutch 218. The main cam 220 also includes a sensor flag 504, an opening / closing cam 506, and an elevation cam 508 disposed on the shaft 502, and these members rotate in response to the rotation of the shaft 502.

[0032] Sensor flag 504 has a disk shape concentric with shaft 502, and is provided with a notch 504a and an edge 504b on its outer periphery. Cam position detection sensor 222 is disposed so that sensor flag 504 is located between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of cam position detection sensor 222. The black lines of cam position detection sensor 222 in Figures 5(a) and (b) indicate the slits for light emission and light reception.

[0033] Therefore, when the sensor flag 504 rotates in the direction of the arrow B and the edge portion 504b passes between the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion of the cam position detection sensor 222, the cam position detection sensor 222 cannot detect light, and the detection result is OFF, for example (see FIG. 5(b)). On the other hand, when the notch portion 504a is located between the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion of the cam position detection sensor 222, the cam position detection sensor 222 can detect light, and the detection result is ON, for example. The control unit 700 detects the position of the main cam 220 based on such a detection result of the cam position detection sensor 222. For example, after detecting the edge portion 504b a predetermined number of times, the recovery motor 210 is stopped at a position where it has been driven a predetermined amount, thereby stopping the main cam 220 at a desired position.

[0034] The opening / closing cam 506 is an egg-shaped plate, and by rotating the opening / closing cam 506, a bending member 510 in a substantially L-shape that abuts against the outer periphery of the opening / closing cam 506 is rotated, and the bending member 510 changes the atmosphere communication valve between a closed state and an open state. The opening / closing cam 506 is provided with a cam 506a that opens and closes the atmosphere communication valve 211a corresponding to the cap 202a, and a cam 506b that opens and closes the atmosphere communication valve 211b corresponding to the cap 202b. The cams 506a and 506b have different timings for opening and closing the corresponding atmosphere communication valve 211 due to differences in the shape and phase of the cams, but are basically configured the same as each other. In FIG. 5(c), the thick black line indicates a part of the tube 512 that is connected to the corresponding cap 202. When the atmosphere communication valve 211 is closed, the joint 516 connected to the tube 512 is pressed against the rubber member 514 represented by the upper rectangle (the state shown in FIG. 5(c)). Moreover, when the atmosphere communication valve 211 is opened, the opening / closing cam 506 is rotated in the direction of the arrow C (see FIG. 5(c)) to separate the joint 516 from the rubber member 514. In this manner, in this embodiment, the atmosphere communication valve 211, the tube 512, the joint 516, etc. function as a valve mechanism that switches between communication with the atmosphere inside the cap 202 and isolation from the atmosphere.

[0035] The lifting cam 508 has a generally elliptical plate shape, and its rotation rotates the lifting member 520 that contacts the outer periphery of the lifting cam 508, and the lifting member 520 lifts and lowers the cap 202 to the contact position or the separation position. Specifically, the rotation of the lifting cam 508 in the direction of arrow D rotates the lifting member 520 in the direction of arrow E about the shaft 522 as a fulcrum, and raises the cap 202 to the contact position, and brings the cap 202 into contact with the discharge port surface 26a of the recording head 26 (see FIG. 5(d)). Further rotation of the lifting cam 508 in the direction of arrow D rotates the lifting member 520 in the direction of arrow F, and lowers the cap 202 to the separation position, and separates the cap 202 from the discharge port surface 26a.

[0036] In the suction recovery process described later, the state of the sensor flag 504, the open / close state of the atmosphere communication valve 211, and the contact / separation state of the cap 202 at each transition position of the main cam 220 are as shown in Fig. 6. That is, when the phase of the main cam 220 is at the standby position, the edge portion 504b of the sensor flag 504 after rotation is located at the cam position detection sensor 222, the atmosphere communication valve 211 is in a closed state, and the cap 202 is in a state separated from the discharge port surface 26a. When the phase of the main cam 220 is at the tube pressing position, the notch portion 504a of the sensor flag 504 after rotation is located at the cam position detection sensor 222, the atmosphere communication valve 211 is in an open state, and the cap 202 is in a state of contact with the discharge port surface 26a. Furthermore, when the phase of the main cam 220 reaches the suction position, the edge portion 504b of the sensor flag 504 after rotation is positioned at the cam position detection sensor 222, the atmosphere communication valve 211 is in a closed state, and the cap 202 is in contact with the discharge port surface 26a.

[0037] (Configuration of the control system of the recording device) Next, the configuration of the control system of the recording device 10 will be described. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the recording device. The overall operation of the recording device 10 is controlled by a control unit 700 such as a main board. The control unit 700 has a CPU 702 in the form of a microprocessor, and is connected to each component described below via an internal bus 704. The control unit 700 has a program memory 706 in the form of a ROM that stores various programs executed by the CPU 702, and a data memory 708 in the form of a RAM that functions as a work area for the CPU 702 and is used as a storage area for temporarily storing various information.

[0038] The CPU 702 is connected to a transport motor driver 710 for driving the transport motor 22, a carriage motor driver 712 for driving the carriage motor 30, and a recovery motor driver 714 for driving the recovery motor 210. The CPU 702 is also connected to an input / output port 716 for inputting signals from various sensors, and a printhead driver 718 for driving the printhead 26. In this embodiment, the input / output port 716 is connected to the cam position detection sensor 222, a transport motor encoder 720, a carriage motor encoder 722, and a recovery motor encoder 302. The transport motor encoder 720 is a component for detecting the drive amount of the transport motor 22, and the carriage motor encoder 722 is a component for detecting the drive amount of the carriage motor 30.

[0039] The CPU 702 then controls the driving of the conveying motor 22 via a conveying motor driver 710 while referring to a signal from a conveying motor encoder 720. The CPU 702 also controls the driving of the carriage motor 30 via a carriage motor driver 712 while referring to a signal from a carriage motor encoder 722. In addition to this control, the CPU 702 controls the recording head 26 via a recording head driver 718 based on the recording data stored in an image memory 724 in the data memory 708, thereby performing recording on the recording medium M. Furthermore, the CPU 702 controls the driving of the recovery motor 210 via a recovery motor driver 714 while referring to signals from the cam position detection sensor 222 and the recovery motor encoder 302, thereby performing various recovery operations on the recording head 26 by the recovery unit 16.

[0040] (Suction recovery operation) In the above configuration, in the recording device 10, when a predetermined timing occurs, such as when the number of times ink is ejected from the ejection ports reaches a certain number, the recording head 26 is moved to a predetermined position where the recovery unit 16 is located, and then the recovery unit 16 performs a suction recovery process on the recording head 26. Note that the targets for which the suction recovery process is performed may be only the ejection port array that ejects BK ink, only the ejection port array that ejects CL ink, or both the ejection port array for BK ink and the ejection port array for CL ink.

[0041] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a detailed processing routine of the suction recovery operation. FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing the phase of the main cam 220, the opening and closing of the air communication valve, the rotation direction of the suction pump 206, the delay amount in the delay mechanism 214, and the rotation direction of the recovery motor 210 at the timing corresponding to each process in the flowchart of FIG. 8. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 are performed by the CPU 702 expanding the program code stored in the program memory 706 into the data memory 708 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in FIG. 8 may be executed by hardware such as an AIC or an electric circuit. Note that the symbol "S" in the explanation of each process means that it is a step in the flowchart. Also, times t0 to t6 in the flowchart correspond to times t0 to t6 in the timing chart. The timing chart of FIG. 9 shows the change in the context and the rough relationship of time, but does not strictly show the width (time) between each time.

[0042] At the timing when the suction recovery process starts, that is, at time t0, the phase of the main cam 220 is in the standby position, the cap 202 is in a lowered state and separated from the discharge port surface 26a of the recording head 26, and the atmosphere communication valve 211 is in a closed state. The amount of delay accumulated in the delay mechanism 214 is arbitrary, but here it is assumed to be the maximum.

[0043] When the suction recovery process is started, first, in S802, the CPU 702 prepares to press the suction tube 208. Specifically, the recovery motor 210 is rotated in the normal direction to rotate the shaft 502 via the recovery gear 216 and the one-way clutch 218, and the main cam 220 is rotated in response to the rotation of the shaft 502, and the phase of the main cam 220 is set to the tube pressing position. As a result, the cap 202 is brought into contact with the discharge port surface 26a, and the atmosphere communication valve 211 is set to the open state (see FIG. 6). Therefore, at time t1 when the process of S802 is completed, the phase of the main cam 220 is in the tube pressing position, the atmosphere communication valve 211 is in the open state, and the delay amount is maximum.

[0044] Next, in S804, the CPU 702 reverses the recovery motor 210. The drive amount for reversing the recovery motor 210 in S804 is preset, and is at least the drive amount that can reliably reset the delay amount accumulated in the delay mechanism 214 to 0. By reversing the recovery motor 210, the pump gear 402 rotates in a predetermined direction, and the protrusion 408 moves toward the abutment portion 410, and the gap between the protrusion 408 and the abutment portion 410 gradually becomes smaller, the delay amount decreases, and the protrusion 408 abuts against the abutment portion 410. The wheel member 404 rotates due to the subsequent reverse rotation of the recovery motor 210. As a result, the suction pump 206 rotates in the tube pressing direction, that is, in the direction in which the suction tube 208 is pressed and can be sucked, and the delay amount becomes 0. The timing at which the delay amount becomes 0 is time t2 in the timing chart of FIG. 9.

[0045] Then, by further reverse rotation of the recovery motor 210, the suction pump 206 rotates in the tube pressing direction (suction direction) and continues to press the suction tube 208, but at this point, the atmosphere communication valve 211 is in an open state. Therefore, it is not possible to reduce the pressure inside the cap 202, and ink cannot be sucked from the ejection port. In this way, in S804, by sufficiently reversely rotating the recovery motor 210, it is possible to reset the amount of delay accumulated in the delay mechanism 214 to 0 all at once, regardless of the amount of delay. Therefore, at time t3 when the process of S804 is completed, the phase of the main cam 220 maintains the tube pressing position, the atmosphere communication valve 211 is in an open state, and the amount of delay is 0.

[0046] Thereafter, in S806, the CPU 702 rotates the recovery motor 210 in the forward direction, and sets the phase of the main cam 220 to the suction position based on a signal from the cam position detection sensor 222. When the recovery motor 210 is rotated in the forward direction in S806, the main cam 220 rotates as soon as the one-way clutch 218 engages after a slight delay. Then, when the phase of the main cam 220 changes from the tube pressing position to the suction position due to the rotation of the main cam 220, the atmosphere communication valve 211 enters a closed state, and the ink suction preparation state is established.

[0047] Due to the forward rotation of the recovery motor 210 in S806, a delay amount is accumulated in the delay mechanism 214. The factor that causes the delay amount accumulated by the process of S806 is the error factor of the ink suction amount to be eliminated in this embodiment. Hereinafter, the "error factor of the ink suction amount" is simply referred to as the "error factor" as appropriate. There are roughly two error factors. The first is the drive amount of the recovery motor 210 corresponding to the phase difference between the tube pressing position and the suction position of the main cam 220, and this value can be obtained in advance from the design value of each component. The second is the drive amount of the recovery motor 210 until the one-way clutch 218 engages, and if there is uncertainty in the degree of engagement due to the characteristics of the one-way clutch 218 used, it cannot be obtained in advance. Other error factors with little influence include backlash of all gears from the recovery motor 210 to the main cam 220.

[0048] In this way, the amount of delay caused by the processing of S806 may be uncertain. On the other hand, the stop position of the main cam 220 can be detected based on the cam position detection sensor 222. Also, the drive amount of the recovery motor 210 when moving the main cam 220 to the stop position can be acquired by the recovery motor encoder 302. Therefore, the drive amount of the recovery motor 210 when the main cam 220 is rotated from the tube pressing position to the suction position corresponds to the delay amount accumulated in the delay mechanism 214.

[0049] Therefore, in S806, the CPU 702 further acquires the drive amount of the recovery motor 210 when rotating the recovery motor 210 forward to set the phase of the main cam 220 to the suction position, based on the signal from the recovery motor encoder 302. The acquired drive amount of the recovery motor 210 is stored in the data memory 708. At time t4 when the processing of S806 is completed, the phase of the main cam 220 is in the suction position, the atmosphere communication valve 211 is in a closed state, and the delay amount is an amount corresponding to the above-mentioned error factor.

[0050] Then, in S808, the CPU 702 reverses the recovery motor 210 by the drive amount acquired in S806 to cancel the delay amount accumulated in the process of S806. That is, in S808, the recovery motor 210 is reversed by the drive amount acquired in S806 to eliminate the delay amount that is the cause of the error, that is, to make the delay amount zero. As a result, when the recovery motor 210 is further reversed, the suction pump 206 immediately rotates in the suction direction (tube pressing direction). At time t5 when this S808 is completed, the phase of the main cam is in the suction position, the atmosphere communication valve 211 maintains the closed state, and the delay amount is zero. Thereafter, in S810, the CPU 702 reverses the recovery motor 210 by a predetermined drive amount to generate negative pressure in the cap 202, and sucks ink from the ejection port, and ends this suction recovery process. Note that the predetermined drive amount is a drive amount (fixed value) corresponding to the rotation amount for suctioning ink by the suction pump 206. As a result, the ink is sucked in accordance with a predetermined drive amount of the recovery motor 210.

[0051] Here, the difference in delay amount depending on the conditions for the two error factors will be described. FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing the difference in delay amount depending on the conditions for the two error factors. FIG. 10(a) shows the difference in delay amount when sucking BK ink and when sucking CL ink, for an error factor depending on the phase difference of the main cam 220 between the tube pressing position and the suction position. FIG. 10(b) shows the difference in delay amount depending on the difference in the drive amount of the recovery motor 210 until the one-way clutch 218 engages. Note that FIG. 10 shows an enlarged view of the range from time t3 to t6 in FIG. 9.

[0052] In FIG. 10(a), the time when BK ink is sucked is indicated by a solid line, and the time when CL ink is sucked is indicated by a dashed line. The change points t4a, t5a, and t6a of the dashed line correspond to the change points t4, t5, and t6 of the solid line. For ease of understanding, the one-way clutch 218 is assumed to engage immediately when the recovery motor 210 rotates forward in S806 in both the suction of BK ink and the suction of CL ink. As shown in FIG. 10(a), it takes longer for the phase of the main cam 220 to change from the tube pressing position to the suction position when CL ink is sucked than when BK ink is sucked. For this reason, the amount of delay accumulated in the delay mechanism 214 is greater when CL ink is sucked than when BK ink is sucked.

[0053] In addition, in FIG. 10(b), the solid line indicates when the one-way clutch 218 immediately engages, and the dashed line indicates when the one-way clutch 218 engages with a slight delay. The dashed line change points t4b, t5b, and t6b correspond to the solid line change points t4, t5, and t6. As shown in FIG. 10(b), it takes more time for the phase of the main cam 220 to change from the tube pressing position to the suction position when the clutch 218 engages with a slight delay than when the clutch 218 engages with an immediate delay. For this reason, the amount of delay accumulated in the delay mechanism 214 is greater when the clutch 218 engages with a slight delay than when the clutch 218 engages with an immediate delay.

[0054] 10(a) and 10(b), the amount of delay accumulated in the delay mechanism 214 at the end of S806 (see times t4, tAa, and t4b) differs depending on the conditions. For this reason, if ink is sucked in S810 without executing the process of S808, that is, without executing the operation to cancel the amount of delay, the timing at which the suction pump 206 starts rotating in the suction direction will differ depending on the conditions (see times t5, t5a, and t5b). If the drive amount of the recovery motor 210 in S810 is a fixed value, the difference in the timing at which the suction pump 206 starts rotating in the suction direction will result in a difference in the amount of ink sucked in S810.

[0055] In this embodiment, by executing a process to cancel the delay amount in S808, the delay amount accumulated in the delay mechanism 214 is set to 0, that is, after times t5, t5a, and t5b, ink is sucked in S810. In this case, in S810, the suction pump 206 immediately starts rotating in the suction direction by driving the recovery motor 210. As a result, even if the drive amount of the recovery motor 210 in S810 is a fixed value, the timing at which the suction pump 206 starts rotating in the suction direction is almost the same even under different conditions, and differences in the amount of ink sucked in S810 are unlikely to occur. That is, in this case, it is possible to maintain a constant amount of ink sucked in S810 regardless of the delay amount accumulated in the delay mechanism 214 by the process of S806.

[0056] As described above, in the recording device 10, the recovery motor 210 is rotated in the reverse direction just before ink is sucked based on the drive amount for rotating the recovery motor 210 in the forward direction in response to switching of the atmosphere communication valve after the delay amount of the delay mechanism is reset to 0. This makes it possible to cancel the delay amount accumulated in the delay mechanism 214 by the forward rotation of the recovery motor 210 for switching the atmosphere communication valve, that is, to make the delay amount 0. This makes it possible to suppress variations in the amount of ink sucked during the suction recovery process, which are caused by differences in the configuration of the recovery unit 16 and the configuration of the transmission mechanism.

[0057] (Other embodiments) The above embodiment may be modified as shown in the following (1) to (3).

[0058] (1) In the above embodiment, the process of S810 is executed after the process of S808 in the suction recovery process, but this is not limited to this. Both S808 and S810 are processes for rotating the recovery motor 210 in the reverse direction. Therefore, S808 and S810 may be executed as one process. In this case, the drive amount of the recovery motor 210 is the sum of the drive amount of the recovery motor 210 executed in S808 and the drive amount of the recovery motor 210 executed in S810. In the above embodiment, the CPU 702 of the control unit 700 controls the recovery unit 16 during the suction recovery process, but this is not limited to this. For example, an external device, such as a general-purpose personal computer, provided separately from the recording device 10 may be connected to the recording device 10, and the external device may control the recovery unit 16 during the suction recovery process via the control unit 700.

[0059] (2) Although not specifically described in the above embodiment, the suction recovery process may be performed by one cap in the processes from S802 to S810, and then the suction recovery process may be performed by the other cap. In this case, in the suction recovery process by the other cap, after the process of S810 of the suction recovery process by one cap, the atmosphere communication valve communicating with the other cap is switched (corresponding to S806). Next, a delay amount canceling operation is performed (corresponding to S808), and then ink is sucked (corresponding to S810). In this case, for example, during the suction recovery process by one cap, if the drive amount of the recovery motor in S810 is sufficiently larger than the delay amount accumulated in S806, the process of S810 can be regarded as a delay amount reset operation for the suction recovery process by the other cap. Therefore, in this case, the process of S808 of the suction recovery process by one cap may be omitted. In addition, "the amount of drive of the recovery motor in S810 is sufficiently larger than the amount of delay accumulated in S806" means "the amount of drive of the recovery motor in S810 is sufficiently larger than the amount of drive of the recovery motor required to eliminate the amount of delay accumulated in S806."

[0060] (3) The above embodiment and the various configurations shown in (1) and (2) above may be combined as appropriate.

[0061] The disclosure of the above embodiment includes the following configurations and methods.

[0062] (Configuration 1) A recording head having an ejection port capable of ejecting ink; a capping means for capping an ejection port surface of the recording head on which the ejection ports are formed, a pump capable of reducing pressure inside the cap when the capping means caps the discharge port surface; a driving source that generates a driving force for operating the capping means and the pump; a transmission means for transmitting a driving force generated by a forward rotation of the driving source to the capping means and a driving force generated by a reverse rotation of the driving source to the pump; a drive amount detection means for detecting a drive amount of the drive source; A control means for controlling the driving of the driving source, the transmission means transmits a driving force from the driving source to the pump at a timing delayed from when the rotation direction of the driving source is switched; When switching the drive source from forward rotation to reverse rotation, the control means a drive amount detection means for detecting a drive amount of the drive source when the drive source is rotated forward, and a predetermined drive amount set for sucking ink from the ejection port, the drive amount detection means detecting a drive amount of the drive source when the drive source is rotated forward, the drive amount detection means detecting a drive amount of the drive source when the drive source is rotated forward,

[0063] (Configuration 2) The cap further includes a valve mechanism that can switch between communication with the atmosphere and isolation from the atmosphere by opening and closing a valve, the transmission means transmits a driving force generated by a forward rotation of the drive source to the valve mechanism, The recording device described in configuration 1, characterized in that the control means rotates the drive source in the forward direction from a state in which the capping means caps the ejection port surface and the valve mechanism connects the inside of the cap to the atmosphere, thereby maintaining the state in which the ejection port surface is capped, thereby causing the valve mechanism to isolate the inside of the cap from the atmosphere, and then reverses the rotation of the drive source based on the drive amount detected by the drive amount detection means when the drive source is rotated in the forward direction to isolate the inside of the cap from the atmosphere and the specified drive force.

[0064] (Configuration 3) 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the capping means and the valve mechanism are operated by rotation of a cam provided in the transmission means.

[0065] (Configuration 4) The present invention further includes a position detection means for detecting a rotational position of the cam, The recording device according to configuration 3, wherein the control means obtains a drive amount of the drive source required to isolate the inside of the cap from the atmosphere based on detection results of the position detection means and the drive amount detection means.

[0066] (Configuration 5) the pump is a tube pump, 5. The recording device according to any one of configurations 2 to 4, wherein when the capping means caps the ejection port surface and the valve mechanism connects the inside of the cap to the atmosphere, a tube in the pump is in a pressed state.

[0067] (Configuration 6) the capping means includes a first cap and a second cap for capping the ejection ports capable of ejecting different inks from each other, the valve comprises a first valve corresponding to the first cap and a second valve corresponding to the second cap; 5. The recording device according to any one of configurations 2 to 4, wherein the transmission means is configured so that a timing for opening the first valve and a timing for opening the second valve are different from each other.

[0068] (Configuration 7) The recording device according to any one of configurations 2 to 4, wherein the transmission means transmits the driving force to the capping means and the valve mechanism via a transmission mechanism including a one-way clutch in which the timing at which the driving force can be transmitted is uncertain.

[0069] (Configuration 8) A recording head having an ejection port capable of ejecting ink; a capping means for capping an ejection port surface of the recording head on which the ejection ports are formed, a pump capable of reducing pressure inside the cap when the capping means caps the discharge port surface; a driving source that generates a driving force for operating the capping means and the pump; a transmission means for transmitting a driving force generated by a forward rotation of the driving source to the capping means, transmitting a driving force generated by a reverse rotation of the driving source to the pump, and transmitting a driving force from the driving source to the pump at a timing delayed from a time when the rotation direction of the driving source is switched, the method comprising: A control method characterized by, when switching the drive source from forward rotation to reverse rotation, reversing the rotation of the drive source based on the drive amount of the drive source when the drive source is rotated forward and a predetermined drive amount set for sucking ink from the ejection port.

[0070] (Configuration 9) The control method according to configuration 8, characterized in that when reducing the pressure inside the cap by the pump, the drive source is reversed at the drive amount of the drive source when the drive source is rotated forward, and then the drive source is reversed at the predetermined drive force.

[0071] (Configuration 10) The control method according to configuration 8, characterized in that when reducing the pressure inside the cap by the pump, the drive source is rotated in reverse with a drive amount that is a sum of the drive amount of the drive source when the drive source is rotated forward and the predetermined drive amount.

[0072] (Configuration 11) A program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to configuration 8. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 10 Recording Device 202 Cap 206 Suction Pump 210 Recovery Motor 211 Atmospheric communication valve 212 Transmission section 702 CPU

Claims

1. A recording head having a discharge port capable of discharging ink, Capping means capable of capping a discharge port surface on which the discharge port of the recording head is formed, using a cap, A pump capable of reducing the pressure inside the cap in a state where the capping means caps the discharge port surface, A drive source that generates a driving force for operating the capping means and the pump, Transmission means for transmitting the driving force generated by the forward rotation of the drive source to the capping means and transmitting the driving force generated by the reverse rotation of the drive source to the pump, Drive amount detection means capable of detecting the drive amount of the drive source, Control means for controlling the drive of the drive source, and having, The transmission means transmits the driving force from the drive source to the pump at a timing delayed from when the rotation direction of the drive source is switched, When the control means switches the drive source from forward rotation to reverse rotation, based on the drive amount of the drive source detected by the drive amount detection means when the drive source is rotated forward and a predetermined drive amount set for sucking ink from the discharge port, the drive source is reversed. A recording apparatus characterized by this.

2. Further having a valve mechanism capable of switching between communication with the atmosphere inside the cap and blocking from the atmosphere by opening and closing the valve, The transmission means transmits the driving force generated by the forward rotation of the drive source to the valve mechanism, When the capping means caps the discharge port surface and the valve mechanism communicates the inside of the cap with the atmosphere, the control means maintains the state of capping the discharge port surface by rotating the drive source forward, and after blocking the inside of the cap from the atmosphere in the valve mechanism, based on the drive amount of the drive source detected by the drive amount detection means when the drive source is rotated forward to block the inside of the cap from the atmosphere and the predetermined drive amount, the drive source is reversed. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The operations of the capping means and the valve mechanism are executed by the rotation of a cam provided in the transmission means. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by this.

4. Further having position detection means for detecting the rotational position of the cam, The control means acquires the driving amount of the drive source required to block the inside of the cap from the atmosphere based on the detection results of the position detection means and the driving amount detection means. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that.

5. The pump is a tube pump, When the capping means caps the discharge port surface and the valve mechanism communicates the inside of the cap with the atmosphere, the tube in the pump is in a pressed state. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that.

6. The capping means includes a first cap and a second cap that cap the discharge ports capable of discharging different inks, The valve includes a first valve corresponding to the first cap and a second valve corresponding to the second cap, The transmission means is configured such that the timing of opening the first valve and the timing of opening the second valve are different. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that.

7. The transmission means transmits a driving force to the capping means and the valve mechanism via a transmission mechanism including a one-way clutch having uncertainty in the timing at which the driving force can be transmitted. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that.

8. A recording head having a discharge port capable of discharging ink, Capping means capable of capping the discharge port surface on which the discharge port of the recording head is formed, using a cap, A pump capable of reducing the pressure inside the cap in a state where the capping means caps the discharge port surface, A drive source that generates a driving force for operating the capping means and the pump, A control method for a recording apparatus, comprising: a transmission means that transmits the driving force generated by the forward rotation of the drive source to the capping means, transmits the driving force generated by the reverse rotation of the drive source to the pump, and transmits the driving force from the drive source to the pump at a timing delayed from when the rotation direction of the drive source is switched. When switching the drive source from forward rotation to reverse rotation, the drive source is reversed based on the driving amount of the drive source when the drive source is rotated forward and a predetermined driving amount set for sucking ink from the discharge port. Control method characterized by that.

9. ​ When reducing the pressure inside the cap by the pump, after reversing the drive source by the drive amount of the drive source when the drive source is rotated forward, the drive source is reversed by the predetermined drive amount. The control method according to claim 8, characterized in that.

10. When reducing the pressure inside the cap by the pump, the drive source is reversed by a drive amount obtained by adding the drive amount of the drive source when the drive source is rotated forward and the predetermined drive amount. The control method according to claim 8, characterized in that.

11. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 8.

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