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US 11,141,990 B2Granted
Inkjet printing apparatus and inkjet printing method
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTakuya Fukasawa, Yuhei Oikawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Atsushi Takahashi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Ink is circulated through a circulation flow path between a print head and an ink tank. Detection operation for detecting an ink ejection state in an ejection opening in the print head is performed. The ink circulation and the detection operation are simultaneously performed by performing the detection operation in response to a start of the ink circulation.
Claims28
An inkjet printing apparatus comprising:
- a print head comprising at least one ejection opening, a printing element for generating energy used for ejecting ink corresponding to the ejection opening, and a pressure chamber which is an area facing to the printing element, the ejection opening ejecting ink supplied in the pressure chamber;
- and
- a detection unit configured to perform a detection operation for detecting an ink ejection state of the ejection opening,
- wherein the inkjet printing apparatus further comprises:
- a circulation unit configured to circulate ink from the outside of the pressure chamber to the inside of the pressure chamber and from the inside of the pressure chamber to the outside of the pressure chamber by supplying ink such that the ink flows from a first supply flow path for supplying ink to the pressure chamber of the print head to a first collection flow path, the first collection flow path being communicated with the pressure chamber and different from the ejection opening and the first supply flow path;
- and
- a control unit configured to cause the circulation unit to circulate ink and to cause the detection unit to perform the detection operation in a period of circulating ink by the circulation unit.
4 more elements
An inkjet printing apparatus comprising:
- a print head comprising at least one ejection opening for ejecting ink;
- a tank configured to store ink to be supplied to the print head;
- a supply flow path configured to supply ink from the tank to the print head;
- a collection flow path configured to collect ink from the print head to tank;
- and
- a detection unit configured to perform a detection operation for detecting an ink ejection state of the ejection opening,
- wherein the inkjet printing apparatus further comprises:
- a circulation unit configured to circulate ink between the tank and the print head such that the ink flows from the tank to the print head and from the print head to the tank, and
- a control unit configured to cause the circulation unit to circulate ink and to cause the detection unit to perform the detection operation in a period of circulating ink by the circulation unit.
6 more elements
An inkjet printing method, comprising:
- a circulation step of circulating ink in a print head comprising at least:
- one ejection opening for ejecting ink, a printing element for generating energy used for ejecting ink corresponding to the ejection opening, and a pressure chamber which is an area facing to the printing element, the ejection opening ejecting ink supplied through the pressure chamber, so as to circulate from the outside of the pressure chamber to the inside of the pressure chamber and from the inside of the pressure chamber to the outside of the pressure chamber by supplying ink such that the ink flows from a supply flow path for supplying ink to the pressure chamber of the print head to a collection flow path, the collection flow path being communicated with the pressure chamber and different from the ejection opening and the supply flow path, and
- a detection step of detecting an ink ejection state of the ejection opening in a period of circulating ink in the circulation step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.