Patent ID: 8403456
Filing Date: 2013-03-26
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A fluid droplet discharge device comprising: a fluid tank loading unit; an access cover that opens and closes the fluid tank loading unit; a cover linking mechanism that connects a fluid supply opening of a fluid tank set in the fluid tank loading unit to a fluid supply path that supplies fluid to a fluid droplet discharge head when the access cover closes, and disconnects the fluid supply opening from the fluid supply path when the access cover opens; an open/close sensor that detects opening and closing of the access cover; a fluid suction unit that vacuums fluid from the nozzles of the fluid droplet discharge head; a nozzle check unit that detects if a nozzle of the fluid droplet discharge head is a defective nozzle; a flushing unit that flushes by discharging fluid droplets from each nozzle of the fluid droplet discharge head; and a head cleaning control unit that executes a cleaning process using the fluid suction unit to recover the defective nozzle when a defective nozzle is detected by the nozzle check unit only after the open/close sensor detects that the access cover is closed, and that changes at least one of the cleaning intensity and the execution timing of a cleaning process executed after flushing if opening of the access cover is detected while flushing.