Ejection restoration apparatus for liquid ejection head and image forming apparatus comprising ejection restoration apparatus

Abstract

The ejection restoration apparatus for a liquid ejection head having a plurality of nozzles which are disposed in a planar nozzle surface and from which liquid is ejected, includes: a first suction cap which covers a partial region of the planar nozzle surface and which has a contact portion being constituted by an elastic body and making contact with the planar nozzle surface, the partial region being smaller than area of the planar nozzle surface in which the nozzles are disposed and being larger than cross-sectional area of one of the nozzles; a suction cap movement device which moves the first suction cap in parallel with the planar nozzle surface while causing the contact portion of the first suction cap to make contact with the planar nozzle surface; a nozzle abnormality detection device which detects an abnormal nozzle suffering an abnormality, in the nozzles; and a suction control device which causes the first suction cap to suction the liquid in the abnormal nozzle detected by the nozzle abnormality detection device, wherein the first suction cap is moved on the planar nozzle surface in a state where a space defined by the first suction cap and the planar nozzle surface is set to a pressure lower than an atmospheric pressure, so that the first suction cap fulfills both a wiping function and a suctioning function.