Ink Jet Nozzle Preliminary Ejection Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet recording apparatuses face issues with ejection failure due to ink thickening in nozzles when not in use, leading to ink overflow during preliminary ejections.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes a control unit that manages ink ejection by executing preliminary ejections with varying amounts of ink from different nozzle groups, ensuring that nozzles not used for recording do not perform preliminary ejections, thereby reducing ink storage in the cap.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If preliminary ejection is executed for all nozzles to prevent ejection failure, then reliability of ink ejection is improved, but ink overflow occurs and loss of substance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle array is divided into multiple nozzle groups, and preliminary ejection is selectively executed only for the nozzle group that will be used in the upcoming recording operation. This segmentation approach prevents unnecessary preliminary ejection from unused nozzles, thereby avoiding ink overflow while maintaining reliable ejection performance for the nozzles that will actually be used.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of performing preliminary ejection for all nozzles (excessive action), the invention performs preliminary ejection only for the necessary subset of nozzles that will be used for recording. This partial action approach is sufficient to prevent ejection failure in the used nozzles while avoiding the harmful effect of ink overflow from unused nozzles.
2Reliability
If preliminary ejection is executed frequently to prevent ink thickening, then ejection failure is reduced, but ink consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the preliminary ejection operation to apply only to the specific nozzle group that will be used for recording. This selective approach reduces overall ink consumption while maintaining prevention of ejection failure for the nozzles that will actually eject ink during recording.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention dynamically changes the parameter of preliminary ejection execution based on which nozzle group is selected for the recording operation. By adapting the preliminary ejection parameter (whether to execute it) to the actual recording requirements, ink consumption is optimized while maintaining ejection reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach prevents ink overflow and maintains image quality by ensuring that only the necessary nozzles perform preliminary ejections, reducing ink thickening and ejection failures.
Implementation Method 1
moisture contained in the ink evaporates, so that the ink is thickened
Data Source
AI summary
An ink jet recording apparatus includes a cap, a control unit, and a recording unit having nozzle arrays each including a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink in an image recording operation. The cap receives ink preliminarily ejected from the recording unit. The control unit controls an ejection operation to eject ink in response to receiving a recording command to cause an amount of ink ejected from a first nozzle group in a first preliminary ejection executed prior to the recording operation of the image to be smaller than an amount of ink ejected from a second nozzle group different from the first nozzle group in a second preliminary ejection executed prior to the recording operation of the image in a case where the recording command includes an instruction for recording the image by using the second nozzle group without using the first nozzle group among the plurality of nozzles.