Patent ID: 9724915
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: B41J

Claim:
1. A liquid ejection apparatus, comprising: a head including a plurality of ejection openings for ejecting a liquid; a conveyor configured to convey a recording medium in a conveyance direction through an opposing region opposite the ejection openings; an annular member configured to surround the head; a discharger configured to discharge the liquid through at least one of the ejection openings; a receiving member configured to receive the liquid discharged through at least one of the ejection openings; a remover configured to remove the liquid on the receiving member; a memory configured to store information about liquid discharge by the discharger and liquid removal by the remover; a sensor configured to detect at least one of temperature and humidity inside the liquid ejection apparatus; and a controller configured to: (a) control the head according to a recording command received to eject the liquid through the ejection openings toward a recording medium; (b) control the discharger to discharge the liquid toward the receiving member through at least one of the ejection openings; (c′) calculate a liquid amount on the receiving member, by subtracting an amount of the liquid that dries over time on the receiving member using a result of the detection of the sensor, from an amount derived from at least the information stored in the memory based at least on an amount of the liquid discharged onto the receiving member in the step (b); (c) determine whether the liquid amount calculated in the step (c′) is equal to or greater than a first predetermined amount; (d) control the remover to remove the liquid on the receiving member; perform the step (a) before the step (d) when it is determined in the step (c) that the liquid amount is less than the first predetermined amount; (e) control the conveyor according to the recording command to continuously convey a plurality of recording media passing through the opposing region; (f) determine whether the step (b) needs to be performed in each of a plurality of intermediate periods, the intermediate period defining a time period from a time point when an upstream end of the recording medium with respect to the conveyance direction passes the opposing region to a time point when a downstream end of the next recording medium with respect to the conveyance direction reaches the opposing region in the step (e); (g) perform the step (b) in the intermediate period for which the step (b) is determined as being necessary in the step (f); perform the step (c′) and (c) after the step (g), and, when it is determined in the step (c) that the liquid amount is equal to or greater than the first predetermined amount, perform the step (d) to make the amount of the liquid on the receiving member less than the first predetermined amount, the step (d) being performed in the intermediate period that occurs after the step (g) and before the step (b) is performed next; (h) perform the step (d), after the step (e) is finished, to make the amount of the liquid on the receiving member less than a second predetermined amount smaller than the first predetermined amount; and (i) control at least one of the annular member and the receiving member after the step (h) to bring a tip of the annular member into contact with the receiving member and cap the ejection openings with the annular member and the receiving member.