Recording apparatus and method for controlling the same

Abstract

To provide a recording device capable of highly accurately acquiring an amount of waste liquid discharged from a recording head.SOLUTION: A recording device 1 includes discharge means 20 that performs discharge operation of discharging liquid from a discharge port 7 of a recording head 4. The recording device 1 includes: determination means 4000 that determines a filling state of liquid in a recording device body 1A and the recording head 4; and acquisition means 4000 that acquires an amount of waste liquid discharged from the discharge port 7 by the discharge operation, on the basis of the filling state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus having a print head that ejects liquid to perform printing, and more particularly to a technique for acquiring the amount of waste liquid discharged from the print head. [Background technology]

[0002] In an inkjet recording device that records by ejecting ink from a recording head, a recovery process is performed to recover the ejection performance of the recording head by forcibly ejecting ink that has thickened at the ejection ports of the recording head from the ejection ports. This recovery process involves generating negative pressure in a cap that covers the ejection ports of the recording head, thereby forcibly sucking and ejecting ink from the ejection ports.

[0003] Generally, the waste ink discharged from the recording head by the suction and discharge process is stored in a waste ink storage unit provided in the recording device. In addition, in conventional recording devices, the amount of waste ink discharged to the waste ink storage unit is estimated, and when the amount of waste ink in the waste ink storage unit reaches its storage limit, control is performed to stop discharging the waste ink.

[0004] A recording device that performs the above-mentioned control is disclosed in Patent Document 1. That is, in the recording device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the amount of waste ink stored in a waste ink storage container is counted by a waste ink counting means, and the recovery operation is prohibited and a notification is given to the user based on whether or not the count value has reached the storage limit of the waste ink storage container. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-160868 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the value counted by the waste ink counting means may deviate from the count value corresponding to the amount of waste ink actually discharged to the waste ink container. In other words, the count value of the waste ink counting means may be greater than the count value corresponding to the amount of waste ink actually discharged to the waste ink container. In this case, there is a risk that the waste ink container will be replaced before it reaches its capacity limit.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus capable of acquiring the amount of waste liquid discharged from a print head with high accuracy, and a method for controlling the apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention is a recording device that performs recording by discharging liquid from the nozzles of a recording head, the recording device comprising: a discharge unit that performs a discharge operation to discharge liquid from the nozzles; a determination unit that determines a liquid filling state in a recording device body and the recording head; and an acquisition unit that acquires the amount of waste liquid discharged from the nozzles by the discharge operation based on the filling state. The determination means determines whether the recording device body and the recording head are in the state at the time of delivery, and if the recording device body and the recording head are in the state at the time of delivery, determines whether the recording head has a usage history, and if the recording head has a usage history, further determines whether the recording head has a liquid drainage history, and the acquisition means, based on the result of the determination by the determination means, acquires a first waste liquid amount as the waste liquid amount if the recording head has no usage history or has a liquid drainage history, and acquires a second waste liquid amount greater than the first waste liquid amount as the waste liquid amount if the recording head has no liquid drainage history. The present invention is characterized by the above. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain the amount of waste liquid discharged from the print head with high accuracy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a recovery mechanism in more detail. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the internal structure of a recording head mounted in a recording apparatus. [Figure 6]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system in the embodiment. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing an overall processing procedure of waste ink management control in the embodiment. [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart showing a first process for obtaining a waste ink subtraction amount. [Figure 9] 11 is a flowchart showing a second waste ink subtraction amount acquisition process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment. The recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment is an inkjet type recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink (liquid) from a recording head. A carriage 3 is supported in the recording apparatus main body 1A so as to be movable back and forth along the main scanning direction (X direction). A recording head 4 that ejects ink is mounted on the carriage 3. The recording head 4 is connected to an ink tank 11 that stores ink via a supply tube 8. The ink stored in the ink tank 11 is supplied to the recording head 4 via the supply tube 8 that constitutes an ink supply path.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an ink supply mechanism in the first embodiment. The ink tank 11 for storing ink includes a color ink tank 11a for storing a plurality of color inks (in this example, three colors of ink: cyan, magenta, and yellow) individually, and an ink tank 11b for storing black ink. The recording head 4 includes a color ink recording head 4a for discharging each color ink, and a black ink recording head 4b for discharging black ink. The color ink tank 11a is connected to the recording head 4a via a supply tube 8a. The black ink tank 11b is connected to the recording head 4b via a supply tube 8b. The supply tubes 8a and 8b are provided with tube valves 9, which can switch between communication and cut-off between the ink tank 11 and the recording head 4. In FIG. 2, 4011 indicates a carriage motor for generating a driving force for moving the carriage 3 along the main scanning direction. The endless belt 31 moves in the forward and reverse directions along the main scanning direction (X direction) by the driving force of the carriage motor 4011, and the carriage 3 moves in the forward and backward directions accordingly.

[0013] 3 is a perspective view showing a recovery mechanism 20 as a discharge means for forcibly sucking and discharging ink from the discharge ports 7 of the recording head 4. The recovery mechanism 20 in this embodiment is provided with a cap 21 for covering the discharge ports 7 of the recording head 4, and a suction pump 23 connected to the cap 21 via a suction tube 22. The caps 21 include a cap 21a for covering the discharge ports provided in the recording head 4a for color inks, and a cap 21b for covering the discharge ports provided in the recording head 4b for black ink. The caps 21a and 21b are connected to the suction pump 23 via suction tubes 22a and 22b, respectively.

[0014] 4 is an explanatory diagram showing in more detail the configuration of the recovery mechanism 20 in the first embodiment. The ejection ports 7 for ejecting ink are arranged on the ejection port surface 42 located on the bottom surface of the recording head 4. The cap 21 moves up and down by an elevating mechanism (not shown). When raised, the cap 21 comes into close contact with the ejection port surface 42 of the recording head 4 to cover the ejection ports 7, and when lowered, it moves away from the ejection port surface 42 to open the ejection ports 7.

[0015] In a state where the cap 21 is in close contact with the discharge port surface 42 of the recording head 4 (closed state), the suction pump 23 is driven to suck ink from the discharge port 7. The suction pump 23 rotates the rotary shaft 25 in the direction of the arrow, and the rollers 24 arranged at multiple points (three points in FIG. 4) on the circumferential surface of the rotary shaft 25 rotate while sequentially squeezing the suction tube 22 arranged between the rotary shaft 25 and the guide 26. As a result, air or ink in the suction tube 22 is sent to the downstream waste ink tube 27, and the pressure in the suction tube 22 is reduced. As a result, negative pressure is generated in the sealed space formed between the cap 21 and the discharge port surface 42 of the recording head 4. This negative pressure forcibly sucks and discharges the ink in the recording head 4 from the discharge port 7 to the cap 21. The suction amount and suction force of the suction pump 23 can be adjusted by controlling the number of rotations and the rotation speed of the rotary shaft 25, which are specified in advance.

[0016] The ink discharged from the suction pump 23 is collected in a waste ink tank 28 via a waste ink tube 27. A waste ink absorber 29 is provided inside the waste ink tank (waste liquid collection section) 28. The waste ink tank 28 in this embodiment is configured to be detachable from the recording device body, and can be replaced by the user.

[0017] FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the internal structure of the recording head 4 mounted on the recording device 1 in this embodiment. The tip of a supply tube 8 connected to an ink tank 11 is connected to the upper part of the recording head 4. This connection is made by pressing a needle 14 provided at the tip of the supply tube 8 into a joint part 13 made of an elastic member provided on the recording head 4. A sub-tank 15 capable of holding a certain amount of ink is provided inside the recording head 4. A filter 16 for removing foreign matter contained in the ink is provided at the lower part of the sub-tank 15. An ink flow path 17 is formed below the filter 16, and a liquid chamber 18 is formed below the ink flow path 17. The ink that has passed through the filter 16 and flowed into the ink flow path 17 is supplied to the liquid chamber 18. A plurality of discharge ports 7 formed in the discharge port surface 42 communicate with the lower part of the liquid chamber 18, and the discharge ports 7 are filled with ink supplied from the liquid chamber 18.

[0018] The recording head 4 in this embodiment employs an inkjet method for ejecting ink from the ejection ports 7, and includes electrothermal conversion elements that generate thermal energy as ejection energy generating elements that generate ejection energy for ejecting ink. The electrothermal conversion elements are provided corresponding to each ejection port 7. The electrothermal conversion elements generate thermal energy in response to a pulse signal, and the thermal energy causes film boiling in the ink, causing a pressure change in the ink, which causes the ink to be ejected from the ejection ports 7. An image is formed by the ink ejected from the ejection ports 7 landing on the recording medium. In addition, in the preliminary ejection performed as a recovery process described later, ink is ejected from the ejection ports 7 toward a cap 21 that covers the ejection ports 7.

[0019] 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system in this embodiment. A control circuit 4000 executes a control program stored in a ROM 4001 or a control program loaded in a RAM 4002. The control circuit 4000 functions as a control means for controlling the operation of each part of the printing apparatus, and also functions as a determination means for performing a determination process described below and a waste ink amount acquisition means. The sequence executed in this embodiment is a part of the sequence executed by the control program loaded in the RAM 4002. The ROM 4001 stores the control program executed by the control circuit 4000 and various setting values. The RAM 4002 has an area for loading the control program stored in the ROM 4001 when the control program is executed, an area for storing print data and control commands, an area for storing control variables in each control, and the like.

[0020] The timer circuit 4003 is a circuit capable of acquiring the current time and measuring the elapsed time. The non-volatile memory 4004 is a storage means capable of holding data such as parameters stored by the control operation even when the power supply to the recording device 1 is cut off. In the control of this embodiment, the writing and reading of the time that is the starting point for calculating the elapsed time is performed using the non-volatile memory 4004.

[0021] The external connection circuit 4005 is a circuit that functions as an interface when performing wired or wireless communication between an external host device and the recording device 1, and signals are exchanged between the host device and the recording device 1 via this external connection circuit 4005. For example, recording data created by the host device is input to the control circuit 4000 via this external connection circuit 4005. It is also possible to input the current time to the control circuit 4000 of the recording device 1 via the external connection circuit 4005.

[0022] When performing a printing operation, the control circuit 4000 expands the print data received from the host device in the RAM 4002. Furthermore, based on the print data expanded in the RAM 4002, the control circuit 4000 controls the driving of the electrothermal conversion elements of the print head 4 via the print head drive circuit 4006, and at the same time controls the carriage motor 4011 via the carriage motor drive circuit 4010. While moving the carriage 3 in the main scanning direction by the carriage motor 4, ink is ejected from the desired print head 4 to a desired position on the print medium, thereby performing printing on the print medium. Note that a printing operation performed while moving the print head 4 in the main scanning direction is called a printing scan. Each time this printing scan is performed once, the control circuit 4000 drives the conveying motor 4013 via the conveying motor drive circuit 4012 to convey the print medium by a predetermined amount. By repeating this printing scan and the conveying operation (also called sub-scanning) of the print medium, an image is printed on the entire print medium. In this way, the printing device in this embodiment is a serial type printing device that performs printing while moving the print head.

[0023] The control circuit 4000 also controls a pump motor 4009, which is a drive source for the suction pump 23, via a pump motor drive circuit 4008. The pump motor 4009 generates negative pressure in the cap 21, which is in close contact with the ejection port surface 42, by rotating the rotary shaft 25 of the suction pump 23. Furthermore, preliminary ejection, which ejects ink into the cap 21, is performed by the control circuit 400 driving an electric heat generating element of the printhead 4 via a printhead drive circuit 4006. In this case, the pattern for driving the printhead 4 is based on any one of data expanded in the RAM 4002, data stored in the ROM 4001, or data generated by the control circuit 4000, as in the printing operation.

[0024] The recording device 1 performs a recovery operation for the purpose of removing air bubbles mixed in the recording head 4, discharging thickened and solidified ink, and filling the ink filling area from the ink tank 11 to the recording head 4 with ink. This recovery operation becomes necessary in the following cases, for example. That is, the recovery operation is performed when: (i) When the cap 21 is left separated from the discharge port surface 42 of the recording head 4 after an abnormal termination (after the power supply to the main body of the apparatus is turned off unexpectedly) (ii) When the ink tank 11 is replaced (iii) When a certain amount of time has passed since the previous recovery operation was performed (iv) This is necessary in cases such as when the amount of ink (the number of ink ejections) required for the printing operation after the previous recovery operation is equal to or greater than a certain value.

[0025] In this embodiment, in the above case, the control circuit 4000 sets a recovery flag and stores it in the non-volatile memory 4004 shown in FIG. 6. Then, the control circuit 4000 performs a recovery operation at a predetermined timing based on the recovery flag. The amount of waste ink to be discharged from the print head 4 by the recovery operation is set for each recovery operation, and when each recovery operation is performed, the amount of waste ink discharged by that recovery operation is cumulatively added to the amount of waste ink stored in the waste ink tank 28. Also, in this embodiment, when a recovery operation to be performed is selected, a total value of the amount of waste ink collected that has been cumulatively added since the start of use of the waste ink tank 28 and the amount of waste ink stored in the selected recovery operation is calculated before the recovery operation is performed. Then, if it is determined that the calculated total value exceeds the storage limit of the waste ink tank 28, the selected recovery operation is canceled, and a message is notified to the user that the recovery process cannot be performed. In this example, the user is notified by displaying a message on a UI (user interface) panel (not shown), but it may be by voice.

[0026] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the overall processing procedure of the waste ink management control executed by the control circuit 4000.

[0027] The process steps executed in this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 7. Note that the letter S attached to each process number in the flowcharts in Fig. 7 to Fig. 9 indicates a step.

[0028] First, in S701, the control circuit 4000 acquires information on the capacity limit C of the waste ink tank 28 stored in the ROM 4001. The capacity limit C of the waste ink tank 28 refers to the maximum amount of waste ink that can be stored in the waste ink tank.

[0029] Next, in S702, the control circuit 4000 acquires the accumulated waste ink amount T stored in a non-volatile memory 4004 (not shown) associated with the waste ink tank 28. The accumulated waste ink amount T means the accumulated amount of waste ink that has been stored up to the present in the waste ink tank 28 that has no usage history.

[0030] Next, in S703, the control circuit 4000 receives an instruction to perform a recovery operation. The instruction to perform a recovery operation is an instruction issued based on a recovery operation flag stored in the non-volatile memory 4004. This recovery operation flag is stored in the non-volatile memory 4004 when the user inputs a user recovery operation from the printer driver or UI panel, or in the above-mentioned cases (i) to (iv). Based on this recovery operation flag, a recovery instruction to perform a recovery operation is issued at the timing when the power of the device main body is turned on, before and after the start of recording, when the user specifies a recovery operation, and the like.

[0031] Next, in S704, the control circuit 4000 acquires the amount of waste ink N to be discharged into the waste ink tank 28 by the suction recovery operation being performed. This amount of waste ink N indicates a value to be added to the amount of waste ink already contained in the waste ink tank 28, and will be referred to as the waste ink addition value N in the following description. The waste ink addition value N is a value obtained by converting the amount of waste ink discharged from the nozzles of the recording head 4 into the number of ink droplets (count value). The count value is managed in mg units. It should be noted that the waste ink addition value N also includes the waste ink discharged by preliminary discharge to the cap 21.

[0032] In this embodiment, it is assumed that multiple types of recovery operations will be performed depending on the purpose, so a waste ink addition value N (count value) is set for each recovery operation. Table 1 shows the relationship between the types of recovery operations that can be performed by this embodiment and the waste ink addition value N for each recovery operation.

[0033] The suction recovery operation includes normal suction that sucks up a small amount of ink (count value 100), strong suction that sucks up more ink than normal suction (count value 500), and system suction for replacing the ink in the recording head and tubes with new ink. In system suction, a suction operation is performed to suck up a large amount of ink with a count value of about 30,000. In this embodiment, the recording device 1 performs an arrival suction operation, which is the first suction operation performed when the recording device 1 arrives, and a head replacement suction operation, which is performed when the recording head 4 is replaced. In the arrival suction operation, a suction operation is performed to suck up ink with a count value of 50,000 as the waste ink addition value N. In the head replacement suction operation, a suction operation is performed to suck up ink with a count value of 40,000 as the waste ink addition value N.

[0034] [Table 1]

[0035] Next, in S705, the control circuit 4000 determines whether the total value (T+N) of the accumulated waste ink amount T acquired in S702 and the waste ink added value N acquired in S704 exceeds the capacity limit C of the waste ink tank acquired in S701. If the control circuit 4000 determines that the total value (T+N) exceeds the capacity limit C, it cancels the recovery operation in S713, and displays a message recommending replacement of the waste ink tank 28 in S714. Also, if it determines in S701 that the capacity limit C of the waste ink tank 28 will not be exceeded, the control circuit 4000 advances the process to S706.

[0036] In S706, the control circuit 4000 updates the accumulated waste ink amount T to the sum (T+N) of the accumulated waste ink amount T and the waste ink addition value N calculated in S705, and stores the updated accumulated waste ink amount T in the non-volatile memory 4004.

[0037] In S707, the control circuit 4000 determines whether the recovery operation to be executed is a suction operation upon arrival. If the recovery operation to be executed is a suction operation upon arrival, the control circuit 4000 advances the process to S710 and executes a first setting process for the waste ink subtraction value. If the recovery operation to be executed is other than a suction operation upon arrival, the control circuit 4000 advances the process to S708 and determines whether the recovery operation to be executed is a suction operation upon head replacement. Here, if it is determined that the recovery operation to be executed is a suction operation upon head replacement, the control circuit 4000 advances the process to S709 and executes a second setting process for the waste ink subtraction value.

[0038] The waste ink subtraction value A set in S710 and S709 is a value set according to the usage state of the recording device 1, and is a value to be subtracted from the accumulated waste ink amount set in S706 described above. The waste ink addition value N in the accumulated waste ink amount (T+N) set in S706 is the amount of waste ink discharged from the recording head 4 when a suction operation is performed in a state in which all ink filling areas in the recording device 1 are filled with ink. However, when the recording device 1 arrives or the recording head 4 is replaced, there may be areas that are not filled with ink. When a suction recovery operation is performed in such a situation, air is first sucked and discharged from the recording head 4, and then ink is discharged. Therefore, even if the same suction recovery operation is performed, when there is an area that is not filled with ink, the amount of waste ink discharged from the recording head 4 is reduced compared to when there is no unfilled area. This reduction amount corresponds to the waste ink subtraction value A, and in S710 and S709, processing (first setting processing and second setting processing) for setting this waste ink subtraction value A is performed, respectively. The first setting process performed in S710 and the second setting process performed in S709 will be described in detail later with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0039] After the setting processes of S709 and S710, the control circuit 4000 judges whether the selected recovery operation has been completed normally (S711). Then, only if the recovery operation has been completed normally, the control circuit 4000 assumes that the ink refill area of ​​the recording device 1 has been refilled with ink, and proceeds to the process of S712. On the other hand, if it is determined that the recovery operation has not been completed normally, the control circuit 4000 ends the waste ink management process.

[0040] In S712, the control circuit 4000 subtracts the waste ink subtraction value A calculated in S710 from the accumulated waste ink amount T acquired in S706, updates the calculated value as a new accumulated waste ink amount T, and stores the updated value T in the non-volatile memory 4004. The above processing is the overall processing procedure of the waste ink management processing in this embodiment.

[0041] Next, the first setting process of the waste ink subtraction value A executed in S710 of FIG. 7 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0042] As described above, when the recording device 1 arrives, the ink filling area in the recording device 1 is not filled with ink. In other words, the recording head 4 and the supply tube 8 are not filled with ink. In Table 2, the waste ink storage limit C of the waste ink tank 28 used in this embodiment, the capacity (head capacity) Dh of the ink filling area in the recording head 4, and the capacity (tube capacity) Dc of the ink filling area of ​​the supply tube 8 are expressed as count values. The count values ​​are managed in mg units. These count values ​​are fixed values ​​determined for each model, regardless of the usage state of the recording device 1.

[0043] The tube capacity Dc of the supply tube 8 shown here is the total value of the tube capacity of each of the supply tubes 8a, 8b for supplying black ink and color ink to the recording head 4. Also, the head capacity Dh of the recording head 4 is the total value of the amount of ink filled in the sub-tank 15, the liquid chamber 18, and each ink flow path provided separately for the black ink and the color ink.

[0044] [Table 2]

[0045] 8, in S801, the control circuit 4000 determines whether or not there is a usage history (head usage history) of the mounted print head 4. If there is no head usage history, the supply tube 8 and print head 4 are not filled with ink. Therefore, in S803, the control circuit 4000 sets the sum (Dc+Dh) of the tube capacity Dc and the head capacity Dh as the waste ink subtraction value A, and ends the first setting process. In the example shown in Table 2, the count value of the tube capacity DC is 800 and the head capacity Dh is 1000, so the count value of the subtraction value A is 1800.

[0046] If it is determined in S801 that there is a head usage history, the control circuit 4000 further determines in S802 whether there is a history of ink removal (liquid removal). Here, ink removal refers to a process of discharging ink from the print head 4 that is filled with ink. If it is determined that there is a history of ink removal, the ink in the print head 4 has been discharged, so the control circuit 4000 sets the total value of the tube capacity Dc and the head capacity Dh as the waste ink subtraction value A in S805 and ends the first setting process. In this case, the count value of the subtraction value A becomes 1800. This subtraction value A is subtracted from the accumulated waste ink amount T obtained in S706 described above, and the new waste ink amount T obtained by this subtraction becomes the first waste ink amount (first waste liquid amount) in the present invention.

[0047] On the other hand, if it is determined in S802 that there is no history of ink removal, the recording head 4 is filled with ink, and therefore the control circuit 4000 does not include the head capacity Dh in setting the waste ink subtraction value A (S804). That is, in S804, the control circuit 4000 sets only the tube capacity Dc as the waste ink subtraction value A, and ends the first setting process. In this case, the count value of the subtraction value A becomes 800. This subtraction value A is subtracted from the accumulated waste ink amount T obtained in S706 described above, and the new waste ink amount T obtained by this subtraction becomes the second waste ink amount (second waste liquid amount) in the present invention. Note that this second waste ink amount is a waste ink amount (waste liquid amount) greater than the first waste ink amount described above.

[0048] The reason for determining whether or not there is a head usage history in S801 is that it is assumed that a print head used in another printing device is mounted on the printing device 1 of this embodiment and the on-arrival suction operation is performed. Even in such a case, the waste ink subtraction value A is subtracted from the waste ink addition value N of 50,000 at the time of arrival suction according to the usage status of the printing device 1.

[0049] As described above, according to the waste ink management process of this embodiment, when the suction operation is performed upon arrival, the amount of waste ink subtracted according to the usage state of the recording device 1 is added to the accumulated amount of waste ink in the waste ink tank. This makes it possible to detect the amount of waste ink contained in the waste ink tank with high accuracy, and also improves the accuracy of determining whether the amount of waste ink contained in the waste ink tank 28 has reached its capacity limit.

[0050] Next, the second setting process of the waste ink subtraction value A executed in S709 of FIG. 7 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0051] When the recording head 4 is replaced, the supply tube 8 is filled with ink because the above-mentioned initial suction operation is performed. However, the ink filled area in the replaced recording head 4 may not be filled with ink. In other words, the subtank 15, ink flow path 17, and liquid chamber 18 in the recording head 4 may not be filled with ink. The ink capacity (head capacity) in the recording head 4 is the total amount of ink filled in each flow path, including the subtank 15, liquid chamber 18, and ink flow path 17. This total value is the head capacity Dh shown in Table 2.

[0052] 9, in S901, the control circuit 4000 determines whether or not there is a usage history (head usage history) of the mounted print head 4. If there is no head usage history, the print head 4 is not filled with ink. Therefore, in S903, the control circuit 4000 sets the head capacity Dh as the waste ink subtraction value A, and ends the second setting process. In the example shown in Table 2, since the head capacity Dh is 1000, the count value of the subtraction value A becomes 1000. This subtraction value A is subtracted from the accumulated waste ink amount T obtained in S706 described above, and the new waste ink amount T obtained by this subtraction becomes the third waste ink amount (third waste liquid amount) in the present invention.

[0053] Furthermore, if it is determined in S901 that there is a head usage history, the control circuit 4000 further determines in S902 whether or not there is a history of ink removal as described above. If it is determined that there is a history of ink removal, the ink in the print head 4 has been discharged, so the control circuit 4000 sets the head capacity Dh as the waste ink subtraction value A in S905 and ends the first setting process. In this case, the count value of subtraction value A becomes 1000.

[0054] On the other hand, if it is determined in S902 that there is no history of ink removal, the print head 4 is filled with ink, and therefore the control circuit 4000 does not include the head capacity Dh in the waste ink subtraction value A when setting the waste ink subtraction value A (S904). Therefore, in S904, the control circuit 4000 sets the waste ink subtraction value A to "0" and ends the second setting process. Since this subtraction value A is "0", the accumulated waste ink amount T acquired in S706 described above becomes the fourth waste ink amount (fourth waste liquid amount) in the present invention. This fourth waste ink amount is the maximum amount of waste ink that can be discharged by the performed suction and discharge operation, and is a waste ink amount larger than the third waste ink amount described above.

[0055] The reason for determining whether or not there is a head usage history in S801 is that it is assumed that the suction operation will be performed when the head is replaced after the recording head 4 with a usage history is reinstalled. In this case as well, the waste ink subtraction value A will be subtracted from the waste ink addition value N of 50,000 at the time of suction upon arrival according to the usage status of the recording device 1.

[0056] The above is the second setting process of the waste ink subtraction value executed in the suction operation when replacing the head. By performing this second setting process, when performing the suction operation when replacing the head, the amount of waste ink subtracted according to the usage state of the recording head 4 is added to the accumulated amount of waste ink in the waste ink tank. This makes it possible to obtain the amount of waste ink contained in the waste ink tank with high accuracy, and also improves the accuracy of the process of determining whether the amount of waste ink contained in the waste ink tank 28 has reached its limit amount. This also reduces the waste of replacing the waste ink tank 28 that is capable of containing waste ink, and enables the waste ink tank 28 to be used effectively.

[0057] (Other embodiments) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the process of acquiring the amount of waste ink according to the usage state of the recording device is performed for both the suction operation upon arrival and the suction operation upon head replacement, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also perform the above-mentioned waste ink acquisition process only for either the suction operation upon arrival or the suction operation upon head replacement. In this case, too, the amount of waste ink can be acquired with higher accuracy than in conventional devices, and the accuracy of managing the amount of waste ink stored in the waste ink tank can be improved.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the method of subtracting the amount of waste ink according to the usage state of the recording device is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, all of the amounts of waste ink according to the usage state of each part of the recording device may be stored in advance, and an individual amount of waste ink may be selected for each usage state and used in the process of acquiring the amount of waste ink.

[0059] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a recording device in which a waste ink tank is removably mounted has been shown, but the same effects as those of the above embodiment can also be obtained in a recording device in which a waste ink tank is mounted in a fixed state. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1 Recording device 1A Recording device body 4 Recording head 7 Outlet 20 Recovery mechanism (ejection means) 4000 Control circuit (judging means, acquiring means)

Claims

1. A recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting liquid from an ejection port of a recording head, a discharge means for performing a discharge operation to discharge liquid from the discharge port; a determination unit for determining a filling state of liquid in the recording device body and the recording head; an acquisition means for acquiring an amount of waste liquid discharged from the discharge port by the discharge operation based on the filling state; Equipped with the determining means determines whether the recording device body and the recording head are in the same state as when the recording device body and the recording head were delivered, and if the recording device body and the recording head are in the same state as when the recording device body and the recording head were delivered, determines whether the recording head has a usage history, and if the recording head has a usage history, further determines whether the recording head has a liquid removal history, The acquisition means acquires a first amount of waste liquid as the amount of waste liquid when the recording head has no usage history and when there is a history of liquid removal based on the results of the judgment by the judgment means, and acquires a second amount of waste liquid, which is greater than the first amount of waste liquid, as the amount of waste liquid when the recording head has no history of liquid removal.

2. the determining means determines a volume of an unfilled area of ​​the recording device body and the recording head, 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the amount of waste liquid based on the volume of the unfilled area.

3. The determining means determines whether the recording head is in a state at the time of replacement, 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring unit acquires the amount of waste liquid based on the result of the determination made by the determining unit.

4. the determining means, when the recording head is in a replaced state, determines whether or not the recording head has a usage history, and, when the recording head has a usage history, further determines whether or not the recording head has a liquid removal history; The recording device according to claim 3, characterized in that the acquisition means acquires a third amount of waste liquid when the recording head has no usage history and when there is a history of liquid removal, and acquires a fourth amount of waste liquid that is greater than the third amount of waste liquid when the recording head has no history of liquid removal.

5. A recording device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the acquisition means acquires the first amount of waste liquid by subtracting the capacity within the recording head and the capacity within a supply path that supplies liquid to the recording head from the maximum amount of waste liquid that can be discharged from the ejection port by the discharge operation of the discharge means, and acquires the second amount of waste liquid by subtracting the capacity within the supply path from the maximum amount of waste liquid.

6. The recording device according to claim 4, wherein the acquisition means acquires a third amount of waste liquid by subtracting the capacity within the recording head from the maximum amount of waste liquid that can be discharged from the ejection port by the discharge operation of the discharge means, and acquires the maximum amount of waste liquid as the fourth amount of waste liquid.

7. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the amount of waste liquid only when the discharge operation by the discharge unit is normally completed.

8. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharging means discharges the liquid by forcibly sucking the liquid from the ejection openings of the recording head.

9. 9. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is connected to a tank that contains a liquid to be supplied to the recording head through a tube that constitutes a supply path.

10. 10. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus main body is equipped with a waste liquid storage section that stores waste liquid discharged from the ejection openings by the discharge means.

11. 11. The recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the waste liquid storage section is detachably provided on the main body of the recording apparatus.

12. A method for controlling a recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting liquid from an ejection port of a recording head, comprising the steps of: a discharge step of performing a discharge operation of discharging liquid from the discharge port; a determination step of determining a filling state of liquid in the recording device body and the recording head; an acquisition step of acquiring an amount of waste liquid discharged from the discharge port by the discharge operation based on the filling state; Equipped with In the determination step, it is determined whether the recording device body and the recording head are in a state at the time of delivery, and if the recording device body and the recording head are in a state at the time of delivery, it is determined whether the recording head has a usage history, and if the recording head has a usage history, it is further determined whether the recording head has a liquid removal history, A control method for a recording device, characterized in that in the acquisition process, based on the results determined in the judgment process, a first amount of waste liquid is acquired as the amount of waste liquid if the recording head has no usage history and has a history of liquid removal, and a second amount of waste liquid greater than the first amount of waste liquid is acquired as the amount of waste liquid if the recording head has no history of liquid removal.

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