# US 10,479,124 B2 · Inkjet printing apparatus and temperature control method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,479,124 B2 - Document ID: US10479124B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/025,548 - Filed: 2018-07-02 - Published: 2019-01-10 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-07-06 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Takuto Moriguchi; Yusuke Nakaya; Ryosuke Sato - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10479124B2 ## CPC - B41M 5/0011: {Pre-treatment or treatment during printing of the recording material, e.g. heating, irradiating (after-treatment of prints B41M7/00; printers for treating or overcoating copy materials before, during or after printing B41J11/0015)} - B41J 2/0057: {where an intermediate transfer member receives the ink before transferring it on the printing material} - B41J 2/04528: {aiming at warming up the head} - B41J 2/04563: {detecting head temperature; Ink temperature} - B41J 2/04566: {detecting humidity} - B41J 2/0458: {controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles} - B41J 2/1404: {Geometrical characteristics} - B41J 2/175: Ink supply systems {; Circuit parts therefor} - B41J 2/18: Ink recirculation systems - B41J 2202/12: with ink circulating through the whole print head - B41M: PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING, (correction of typographical errors B41J; processes for applying transfer pictures or the like B44C1/16; fluid media for correction of typographical errors by coating C09D10/00; printing textiles D06P) - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS ## Abstract According to an embodiment of the present invention, an inkjet printing apparatus capable of controlling temperatures of a transfer member and a printhead properly, and printing a high-quality image is provided. More specifically, in an inkjet printing apparatus that includes a transfer member, a printhead configured to discharge ink to form an image on the transfer member, and a transfer unit configured to transfer the image on the transfer member to a print medium, the following control is performed. That is, the transfer member is heated, a temperature of the heated transfer member is measured, and a temperature of the printhead is adjusted based on the measured temperature. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An inkjet printing apparatus comprising: a transfer member; a printhead configured to discharge ink to form an image on the transfer member; a transfer unit configured to transfer the image on the transfer member to a print medium; a heating unit configured to heat the transfer member; a first measurement unit configured to measure a temperature of the transfer member heated by the heating unit; and an adjustment unit configured to adjust a temperature of the printhead based on a temperature measured by the first measurement unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer member is a rotating body that rotates about a predetermined rotation axis, and a surface of the transfer member is configured to move cyclically on a circular orbit by the rotation, and the first measurement unit is arranged on an upstream side, with respect to a rotation direction of the rotating body, of a position at which an image is formed by discharging ink to the transfer member by the printhead. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment unit includes: a warm-up unit provided inside the printhead and configured to warm up the printhead; and a second measurement unit provided inside the printhead and configured to measure a temperature of the printhead, and the warm-up unit is driven to adjust the temperature of the printhead. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the temperature of the printhead to be higher than the temperature of the transfer member measured by the first measurement unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a third measurement unit configured to measure humidity in a vicinity of the printhead; and a calculation unit configured to calculate a dew-point temperature based on the temperature of the transfer member measured by the first measurement unit and the humidity measured by the third measurement unit, wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the temperature of the printhead to be higher than the dew-point temperature calculated by the calculation unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the printhead comprises a plurality of printheads in the rotation direction of the rotating body, and the third measurement unit is provided in at least one of a position on a downstream side of a position at which the image is formed and a position between printheads, of the plurality of printheads. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a cooling unit configured to cool the transfer member after the image is transferred by the transfer unit, wherein the heating unit is arranged on an upstream side, with respect to the rotation direction of the rotating body, of a position at which the image is transferred by the transfer unit, and the cooling unit is arranged on a downstream side, with respect to the rotation direction of the rotating body, of the position at which the image is transferred by the transfer unit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a blowing unit configured to blow air to a space between the printhead and the transfer member; and a suction unit configured to suck the air from the space. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an ink tank configured to supply ink to the printhead, wherein the printhead is configured to circulate the ink with the ink tank. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the printhead includes a plurality of nozzles configured to discharge the ink, and the ink circulates in each of the plurality of nozzles. ### Claim 11 A temperature control method in an inkjet printing apparatus that includes a transfer member, a printhead configured to discharge ink to form an image on the transfer member, and a transfer unit configured to transfer the image on the transfer member to a print medium, the method comprising: heating the transfer member by a heater; measuring a temperature of the heated transfer member; and adjusting a temperature of the printhead based on the measured temperature. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the transfer member is a rotating body that rotates about a predetermined rotation axis, and a surface of the transfer member is configured to move cyclically on a circular orbit by the rotation, and measurement of the temperature of the heated transfer member is performed on an upstream side, with respect to a rotation direction of the rotating body, of a position at which an image is formed by discharging ink to the transfer member by the printhead. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein in the adjusting, the printhead is warmed up by an internal heater of the printhead, and the temperature of the printhead is measured by an internal sensor of the printhead, and the internal heater is driven to adjust the temperature of the printhead. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein in the adjusting, the temperature of the printhead is adjusted to be higher than the measured temperature of the transfer member. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, further comprising: measuring humidity in a vicinity of the printhead; and calculating a dew-point temperature based on the measured temperature of the transfer member and the measured humidity in the vicinity of the printhead, wherein in the adjusting, the temperature of the printhead is adjusted to be higher than the calculated dew-point temperature. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, wherein a plurality of the printheads are provided in the rotation direction of the rotating body, and a sensor configured to measure the humidity in the vicinity of the printhead is provided at least one of a position on a downstream side of a position at which the image is formed and a position between printheads, of the plurality of printheads. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, further comprising cooling the transfer member after the image is transferred by the transfer unit, wherein the heater is arranged on an upstream side, with respect to the rotation direction of the rotating body, of a position at which the image is transferred by the transfer unit, and a chiller for the cooling is arranged on a downstream side, with respect to the rotation direction of the rotating body, of the position at which the image is transferred by the transfer unit. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, further comprising: blowing air to a space between the printhead and the transfer member; and sucking the air from the space.