US 11,731,427 B2
Ink jet printer and non-transitory recording medium storing computer program for cleaning
Kazuya Morizono, Hamamatsu (JP); Teppei Sawada, Hamamatsu (JP); and Akifumi Arai, Hamamatsu (JP)
Assigned to ROLAND DG CORPORATION, Shizuoka (JP)
Filed by Roland DG Corporation, Hamamatsu (JP)
Filed on Mar. 25, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/829,058.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-058324 (JP), filed on Mar. 26, 2019; and application No. 2019-114545 (JP), filed on Jun. 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0307220 A1, Oct. 1, 2020
Int. Cl. B41J 2/165 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 2/16508 (2013.01) 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ink jet printer comprising:
an ink head including a nozzle surface including first nozzles that discharge ink;
a cap assembly including a cap, a suction device, and a capping mechanism, the cap being attachable to the nozzle surface to cover the first nozzles and including an end portion that is contactable with the nozzle surface when attached to the nozzle surface, the suction device being connected to the cap, the capping mechanism being configured to attach the cap to the nozzle surface and separate the cap from the nozzle surface;
a memory that stores a suction position, a free suction position, and a minute open position beforehand, the suction position being a position of the cap at which the end portion of the cap is in contact with the nozzle surface and ink in the first nozzles is sucked by the suction device, the free suction position being a position of the cap at which the end portion of the cap is separated from the nozzle surface and ink in the first nozzles is not sucked by the suction device, the minute open position located between the suction position and the free suction position; and
a controller; wherein
the minute open position is a position of the cap at which the cap is closest to the nozzle surface among positions of the cap at which ink cannot be sucked from the nozzle of the ink head by the suction device;
the controller is configured or programmed to perform:
a suction process in which ink is sucked from the first nozzles with the cap located at the suction position;
a movement process in which the cap is moved toward the minute open position after the suction process;
a minute open position process in which movement of the cap is stopped with the cap located at the minute open position after the movement process;
another movement process in which the cap is moved toward the free suction position after the minute open position process; and
a free suction process in which the suction device is driven with the cap located at the free suction position after the another movement process;
an amount of movement of the cap per a unit time in the movement process is a first movement amount; and
an amount of movement of the cap per a unit time in the another movement process is a second movement amount larger than the first movement amount.