Patent ID: 8746838
Filing Date: 2014-06-10
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A liquid ejection apparatus, comprising: a conveyor mechanism configured to convey a recording medium in a conveying direction; a head comprising an ejection face opposed to the recording medium conveyed by the conveyor mechanism, the ejection face comprising an ejection opening region having a plurality of ejection openings through which the head ejects liquid to record an image on the recording medium, the ejection opening region being greater in length than the recording medium in a conveyance perpendicular direction that is a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction; a capping unit configured to selectively establish one of: a sealing state in which an ejection space opposed to the ejection face is isolated from an outside space; and an open state in which the ejection space is open to the outside space; an air supply opening and an air discharge opening communicating with the ejection space in the sealing state and arranged such that the ejection opening region is interposed between the air supply opening and the air discharge opening in the conveyance perpendicular direction when seen in a direction perpendicular to the ejection face; a humidification unit configured to perform a humidifying maintenance in the sealing state by supplying humid air into the ejection space via the air supply opening and by discharging air from the ejection space via the air discharge opening; a recording control unit configured to control the head to perform image recording by ejecting the liquid from at least one of the plurality of ejection openings which is opposed to the recording medium; and a flushing control unit configured to control the head to perform flushing by ejecting the liquid from at least one of the plurality of ejection openings after the sealing state and before the image recording, wherein the conveyor mechanism is configured to convey the recording medium in the image recording such that one of opposite end portions of the ejection opening region in the conveyance perpendicular direction and one of opposite edge portions of the recording medium in the conveyance perpendicular direction are opposed to each other when seen in the direction perpendicular to the ejection face, wherein the plurality of ejection openings are divided into a plurality of ejection-opening groups in a direction directed from the air supply opening toward the air discharge opening, the plurality of ejection-opening groups each being constituted by at least one of the plurality of ejection openings, wherein the plurality of ejection-opening groups comprise: wherein the flushing control unit is configured to control the head to perform the flushing such that an amount of the liquid discharged from the non-opposed ejection-opening group is greater than an amount of the liquid discharged from the opposed ejection-opening group.