Inkjet Nozzle Wiping Control for Mist-Free Preliminary Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inkjet printing technologies face challenges in performing preliminary discharge without ink mist interference, which can lead to decreased throughput and potential discharge issues, as the time required for preliminary discharge varies among nozzles and may result in either excessive ink mist or reduced efficiency due to capping operations.
Innovation Solution
An inkjet printing apparatus and method that includes a wiping unit and cap unit to control preliminary discharge, where the wiping operation is performed only if the discharge amount is below a certain threshold, and the discharge is done with or without capping based on the discharge amount relative to threshold values, optimizing the process to minimize mist influence and maintain throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If the number of discharge times for each nozzle is set based on cumulative discharge times during aging process, then ink consumption is reduced, but preliminary discharge time varies among nozzles causing ink mist attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs a wiping operation as a preliminary action before the preliminary discharge operation when the preliminary discharge time exceeds a threshold. This removes ink mist from the nozzle arrangement surface before discharge, preventing mist attachment that would degrade discharge state while maintaining the optimized discharge times for ink efficiency.
2Reliability
If wiping operation is performed before preliminary discharge, then ink mist is removed, but throughput is degraded due to additional operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically controls the wiping operation based on the preliminary discharge time. The wiping operation is performed only when the preliminary discharge time exceeds a predetermined threshold, making the process adaptive rather than static. This ensures mist removal when necessary while avoiding unnecessary wiping operations that would reduce throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of performing wiping operation unconditionally for all nozzles, the patent applies partial action by performing wiping only for nozzles where the preliminary discharge time exceeds the threshold. This selective approach removes mist where it would cause problems while minimizing the overall wiping operation to preserve throughput.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If print head is covered by cap during preliminary discharge, then ink mist influence is prevented, but throughput is decreased due to capping operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs wiping operation as a preliminary action before preliminary discharge when discharge time exceeds threshold, eliminating the need for capping in most cases. This preliminary cleaning of the nozzle surface allows discharge to proceed without capping, preventing mist influence while maintaining throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the harmful factor (ink mist) from the system by performing selective wiping before discharge. By removing the mist source through conditional wiping rather than using the cap to contain it, the system prevents mist influence without requiring the capping operation that would reduce throughput.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an inkjet printing apparatus capable of performing preliminary discharge without the influence of mist while suppressing degradation in throughput regardless of a preliminary discharge time. Specifically, an inkjet printing apparatus that performs a wiping operation on a nozzle arrangement surface provided with nozzles discharging an ink in a print head includes a wiping determination unit that determines whether to perform the wiping operation before preliminary discharge based on the amount of the preliminary discharge to be performed.