| 主权项 |
1. An ink discharge apparatus which discharges a first ink and a second ink having a color deeper than a color of the first ink, the ink discharge apparatus comprising:
a discharge head provided with a nozzle surface having a first nozzle which is formed in the nozzle surface and via which a liquid droplet of the first ink is discharged and a second nozzle which is formed in the nozzle surface and via which a liquid droplet of the second ink is discharged, the second nozzle being located at one side in a first direction in the nozzle surface, the first nozzle being located at an other side in the first direction in the nozzle surface; and a maintenance device which performs maintenance of the discharge head, the maintenance device including:
a suction cap which is brought into contact with the nozzle surface to cover the first and second nozzles, and which has a partition wall, a first suction port and a second suction port formed therein, the partition wall partitioning a space, defined between the suction cap and the nozzle surface in a state that the suction cap is brought into contact with the nozzle surface, into a first ink chamber facing the first nozzle and a second ink chamber facing the second nozzle, the first suction port being located in the first ink chamber, and the second suction port being located in the second ink chamber,a suction mechanism which is connected to the suction port of the first and second suction ports of the suction cap, and an urging mechanism which is located at only one corner portion of the suction cap, the urging mechanism being configured to urge the one corner portion in a third direction orthogonal to the nozzle surface; a controller configured to control the maintenance device and the discharge head; and an apparatus body in which the maintenance device is arranged, wherein the one corner portion of the suction cap is located at an intersection of an end of an other side of the first ink chamber in the first direction, that is from the second nozzle toward the first nozzle and is parallel to the nozzle surface, and an end of one side of the first ink chamber in a second direction, that is orthogonal to the first direction and is parallel to the nozzle surface; wherein the suction cap is arranged with respect to the apparatus body with a predetermined clearance so that the suction cap is rockable in each of the first direction, the second direction and the third direction; wherein the first suction port is arranged in the first ink chamber of the suction cap at the end of the one side in the second direction; and wherein the second suction port is arranged in the second ink chamber of the suction cap at the end of the one side in the second direction; wherein the suction cap inclines, while the suction cap is being separated from the nozzle surface, so that a portion of the suction cap, on the other side in the second direction is separated from the nozzle surface in the third direction by a greater distance than another portion of the suction cap on the one side in the second direction; wherein the suction cap inclines, while the suction cap is being separated from the nozzle surface, so that a portion, of the suction cap, on the one side in the first direction is separated from the nozzle surface in the third direction by a greater distance than another portion, of the suction cap, on the other side in the first direction; wherein the controller is configured to control the maintenance device and the discharge head to:
bring the suction cap into contact with the nozzle surface;discharge one of the first and second inks from one of the first and second nozzles in the state that the suction cap is brought into contact with the nozzle surface;separate the suction cap from the nozzle surface; andsuck the one of the first and second inks via the suction mechanism in a state that the suction cap is separated from the nozzle surface. |
