Inkjet printing apparatus and a purging method therefor
AssigneeDainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
InventorTakaharu YAMAMOTO
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An inkjet printing apparatus carries out printing by moving an inkjet head and printing paper relative to each other. The inkjet head has a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink droplets. The apparatus includes a feed pipe connected to each nozzle of the inkjet head for feeding ink thereto, an ink feed control valve mounted on the feed pipe for controlling circulation of the ink, a cap for blocking the plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head, a decompression device for decompressing an inside of the cap, decompression piping for connecting the cap and the decompression device, a decompression control valve mounted on the decompression piping for controlling communication between the cap and the decompression device, and a controller.
Claims15
An inkjet printing apparatus for carrying out printing by moving an inkjet head and printing paper relative to each other, the inkjet head having a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink droplets, the apparatus comprising:
- a feed pipe connected to each nozzle of the inkjet head for feeding ink thereto;
- an ink feed control valve mounted on the feed pipe for controlling circulation of the ink;
- a cap for blocking the plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head;
- a decompression device for decompressing an inside of the cap;
- decompression piping for connecting the cap and the decompression device;
- a decompression control valve mounted on the decompression piping for controlling communication between the cap and the decompression device;
- and
- a control device for moving the cap into contact with the inkjet head to block all the nozzles of the inkjet head, then closing the ink feed control valve and the decompression control valve, operating the decompression device, thereafter opening the decompression control valve to decompress the inside of the cap, opening the ink feed control valve, closing the ink feed control valve upon lapse of a predetermined time thereafter, then closing the decompression control valve, stopping the decompression device, and separating the cap from the inkjet head.
A purging method for an inkjet printing apparatus which carries out printing by moving an inkjet head and printing paper relative to each other, the method comprising the steps of:
- moving a cap into contact with the inkjet head to block all nozzles of the inkjet head;
- closing an ink feed control valve mounted on a feed pipe connected to each nozzle of the inkjet head for feeding ink thereto, the ink feed control valve controlling circulation of the ink, and a decompression control valve mounted on decompression piping connecting the cap and a decompression device for decompressing an inside of the cap, the decompression control valve controlling communication between the cap and the decompression device;
- operating the decompression device;
- opening the decompression control valve to decompress the inside of the cap;
- opening the ink feed control valve;
- closing the ink feed control valve upon lapse of a predetermined time;
- closing the decompression control valve, and stopping the decompression device;
- and
- separating the cap from the inkjet head.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.