Recording device, method of controlling a recording device, and a program
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorsNorio Tsuchiya, Akihiko Tsuchiya
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A recording device has a cartridge that holds a first ink tank filled with ink, and a second ink tank that is filled with ink of the same color; an inkjet head that prints using a first nozzle row that ejects ink supplied from the first ink tank, and a second nozzle row that ejects ink supplied from the second ink tank; and recording control unit that prints on a recording medium by ejecting ink from the first nozzle row or the second nozzle row. The recording control unit determines which ink tank contains more ink, and ejects ink to print from the nozzle row connected to the ink tank containing the most ink.
Claims22
A recording device comprising:
- 1) an ink cartridge comprising:
- a) a first ink tank filled with ink;
- and
- b) a second ink tank that is filled with ink of the same color as the ink in the first ink tank;
- 2) an inkjet head comprising:
- a) a first nozzle row that is connected to the first ink tank and ejects ink supplied from the first ink tank;
- and
- b) a second nozzle row that is connected to the second ink tank and ejects ink supplied from the second ink tank;
- and
- 3) recording control unit that prints on a recording medium by ejecting ink from the first nozzle row or the second nozzle row of the inkjet head, and when printing on the recording medium, determines whether the first ink tank or the second ink tank of the ink cartridge contains more ink, and prints by ejecting ink from the nozzle row connected to the ink tank containing the most ink.
A recording device comprising:
- 1) a cartridge comprising:
- a) a first ink tank filled with ink;
- and
- b) a second ink tank that is filled with ink of the same color as the ink in the first ink tank;
- 2) an inkjet head comprising:
- a) a first nozzle row that is connected to the first ink tank and ejects ink supplied from the first ink tank;
- and
- b) a second nozzle row that is connected to the second ink tank and ejects ink supplied from the second ink tank;
- and
- 3) a recording control unit configured to:
- a) print on a recording medium by ejecting ink from the first nozzle row or the second nozzle row of the inkjet head, and
- b) flush the first nozzle row and second nozzle row when a time for which ink is not ejected from the respective nozzle row exceeds a specific flushing time;
- and
- c) when printing on the recording medium:
- i) to print on the recording medium, first determine if the time for which ink has not been ejected by either the first nozzle row or the second nozzle row exceeds a first threshold time period when a control command is received, and when the time for which ink has not been ejected by either the first nozzle row or the second nozzle row exceeds the first threshold time period when the control command is received, print by ejecting ink from the nozzle row that exceeds this first threshold time period;
- and
- ii) when the time for which ink has not been ejected by either the first nozzle row or the second nozzle row does not exceed this first threshold time period when the control command is received, determine whether the first ink tank or the second ink tank of the ink cartridge contains more ink, and print by ejecting ink from the nozzle row connected to the ink tank containing the most ink.
A non-transitory storage medium storing a program that is executed by a control unit that controls a recording device having an ink cartridge that holds a first ink tank filled with ink, and a second ink tank that is filled with ink of the same color as the ink in the first ink tank, and
- an inkjet head that prints using a first nozzle row that is connected to the first ink tank and ejects ink supplied from the first ink tank, and a second nozzle row that is connected to the second ink tank and ejects ink supplied from the second ink tank,
- the program causing the control unit to function as a recording control unit that carries out the method comprising:
- receiving a first control command for printing a first image;
- determining, for the first image, whether the first ink tank or the second ink tank of the ink cartridge contains more ink, and printing the first image by ejecting ink from the nozzle row connected to the ink tank containing the most ink.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.