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US 11,919,318 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.
Claims45
An inkjet printing apparatus comprising:
- 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 in the pressure chamber;
- a decision unit configured to perform a decision operation for deciding an ink ejection state of the ejection opening;
- 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 flow path for supplying ink to the pressure chamber of the print head to a second flow path, and circulate ink so that ink which has flowed through the second flow path flows through the first flow path again, the second flow path being communicated with the pressure chamber and different from the ejection opening and the first flow path;
- and
- a control unit configured to cause the decision unit to perform the decision operation in a period of circulating ink by the circulation unit.
2 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 first flow path configured to flow ink from the tank to the print head;
- a second flow path configured to flow ink so that ink which has flowed through the first flow path and through the second flow path flows through the first flow path again;
- a decision unit configured to perform a decision operation for deciding an ink ejection state of the ejection opening;
- a circulation unit configured to circulate ink in a circulation path including the first flow path and the second flow path so that ink which has flowed through the second flow path flows through the first flow path again;
- and
- a control unit configured to cause the circulation unit to circulate ink and to cause the decision unit to perform the decision operation in a period of circulating ink by the circulation unit.
5 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 in the pressure chamber, so as 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 flow path for supplying ink to the pressure chamber of the print head to a second flow path, so that ink which has flowed through the second flow path flows through the first flow path again, the second flow path being communicated with the pressure chamber and different from the ejection opening and the first flow path, and
- a decision step of deciding an ink ejection state of the ejection opening in a period of circulating ink in the circulation step.
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as an inkjet printing apparatus, the inkjet printing apparatus comprising:
- 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 in the pressure chamber;
- a decision unit configured to perform a decision operation for deciding an ink ejection state of the ejection opening;
- 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 flow path for supplying ink to the pressure chamber of the print head to a second flow path, and circulate ink so that ink which has flowed through the second flow path flows through the first flow path again, the second flow path being communicated with the pressure chamber and different from the ejection opening and the first flow path;
- and
- a control unit configured to cause the decision unit to perform the decision operation in a period of circulating ink by the circulation unit.
2 more elements
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as an inkjet printing apparatus, the 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 first flow path configured to flow ink from the tank to the print head;
- a second flow path configured to flow ink so that ink which has flowed through the first flow path and through the second flow path flows through the first flow path again;
- a decision unit configured to perform a decision operation for deciding an ink ejection state of the ejection opening;
- a circulation unit configured to circulate ink in a circulation path including the first flow path and the second flow path so that ink which has flowed through the second flow path flows through the first flow path again;
- and
- a control unit configured to cause the circulation unit to circulate ink and to cause the decision unit to perform the decision operation in a period of circulating ink by the circulation unit.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.