Patent ID: 6050669
Filing Date: 2000-04-18
Classification: B41J,G06F

Abstract:
An ink-jet recording apparatus for performing recording using an exchangeable ink-jet recording head portion having a plurality of discharge ports for discharging ink and an exchangeable ink tank for storing ink to be supplied to said ink-jet recording head portion, said ink-jet recording head portion and said ink tank being exchangeable separately from each other, said apparatus comprising:suction recovery means for performing suction recovery by sucking the ink from said plurality of discharge ports;preliminary discharge means for performing preliminary discharge recovery by discharging the ink multiple times from said plurality of discharge ports;head replacement detecting means for detecting whether or not said ink-jet recording head portion has been exchanged;recovery control means for performing plural recovery operations by controlling said suction recovery means to perform the suction recovery and said preliminary discharge means to perform the preliminary discharge recovery; andtemperature detecting means for measuring an ambient temperature,wherein different recovery operations are performed when an output of said head replacement detecting means indicates that said ink-jet recording head portion has been exchanged and when only said ink tank has been exchanged, a frequency of recovery of said suction recovery means or of said preliminary discharge means is changed according to the temperature detected by said temperature detecting means, the frequency of the suction recovery by said suction recovery means decreases as the temperature detected by said temperature detecting means increases, and said recovery control means controls said suction recovery means to perform a predetermined suction recovery to decrease a temperature of the recording head after said preliminary discharge means performs the preliminary discharge recovery following the suction recovery.