Patent ID: 7866783

Claim:
An inkjet recording apparatus which discharges ink onto a recording medium to form an image, the inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a recording head having a nozzle for discharging ink; a conveying belt for supporting a recording medium and conveying the recording medium to a position facing the nozzle; a cleaning roller for cleaning the conveying belt; a cleaning liquid storage section for storing cleaning liquid to be applied to the cleaning roller; a contamination detector for detecting a density of contamination of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid storage section; a liquid supplying section for controlling supply of cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid storage section in accordance with a density of contamination detected by the contamination detector, wherein the liquid supplying section supplies cleaning liquid when the density of contamination detected by the contamination detector is greater than a predetermined threshold value, and stops the supply of the cleaning liquid when the detected density of contamination is smaller than the predetermined threshold value; a liquid draining section for draining at least a part of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid storage section; and an alarming section for giving alarm, when a supply rate of cleaning liquid is at a maximum supply rate of the liquid supplying section during supply of cleaning liquid by the liquid supplying section, and the density of contamination does not become lower than the predetermined threshold value within a predetermined time after the beginning of the supply of cleaning liquid at the maximum supply rate.