JP2003237041A - Ink jet recorder and its controlling method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recorder and its controlling method and program in which ejection can be stabilized depending on the variation of the head temperature by predicting the temperature of the recording head with high accuracy through a simple and inexpensive arrangement. <P>SOLUTION: Print data including a print pattern and its number of print sheets is inputted from an external interface 47 and the temperature of an ink jet recording head 11 is predicted by a program being executed by a CPU 30 based on the print pattern and its number of print sheets. Based on the prediction results, a driving signal of the ink jet recording head 11 is set before starting print operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus for continuously printing a print pattern using a recording head, a control method therefor, and a program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording device such as a printer, a copying machine or a facsimile is constructed to record an image consisting of a dot pattern on a recording material such as paper or a plastic thin plate based on image information. . Such a recording device is
Inkjet type, wire dot type,
It can be divided into a thermal type and a laser beam type. An ink jet type (ink jet recording apparatus) of these recording methods is configured to eject and eject ink (recording liquid) droplets from an ejection port of a recording head and attach the droplets to a recording material for recording. .

In recent years, a large number of recording devices have been used, and high speed recording, high resolution, high image quality, low noise, etc. are required for these recording devices. As an example of a recording device that meets such a demand, the inkjet recording device can be cited. In an inkjet recording device that performs recording by ejecting ink from the recording head,
The stabilization of the ink ejection and the stabilization of the ink ejection amount necessary to satisfy the above requirements are largely affected by the temperature of the ink in the ejection portion. That is, when the temperature of the ink is too low, the viscosity of the ink is abnormally lowered, and the ink cannot be ejected with normal ejection energy. Conversely, when the temperature is too high, the ejection amount increases and the ink overflows on the recording paper. This causes deterioration of image quality.

Therefore, in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, a temperature sensor is provided in the recording head section, and the temperature of the ink in the ejection section is controlled to a desired range based on the temperature detected by the recording head, and the ejection recovery is performed. A method of controlling the process was adopted.

As the temperature controlling heater, a heating heater member joined to a recording head portion, an ink jet type recording device for recording by forming flying droplets by utilizing thermal energy, That is, in the case of ejecting ink droplets by bubble growth due to film boiling of ink, the ejection heater itself may be used. In particular,
When this discharge heater is used, it is necessary to energize it so that the ink does not foam.

Further, in a recording apparatus that obtains ejected ink droplets by forming bubbles in solid ink or liquid ink by using thermal energy, the ejection characteristics greatly change depending on the temperature of the recording head. It is particularly important to control the temperature of the ink and the recording head that greatly affects the ink.

[0007]

However, the measurement of the ink temperature of the ejection portion, which has a great influence on the ejection characteristics, which is important in controlling the temperature of the recording head, is necessary for management because the ejection portion is also a heat source. It is very difficult because the detected temperature of the temperature sensor fluctuates more than the temperature fluctuation of the ink and the ink itself moves. Therefore, even if the temperature sensor is simply arranged in the vicinity of the recording head in order to measure the ink temperature during ejection with high accuracy, it is rather difficult to measure the temperature fluctuation of the ink itself.

As one of the means for controlling the temperature of the ink, there has been proposed an ink jet recording apparatus which indirectly stabilizes the ink temperature by stabilizing the temperature of the recording head.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,528, the temperature of the recording head is determined according to the prediction of the drive amount of the ejection heater within a predetermined time period, which is subsequently performed, based on the temperature detected by a temperature sensor installed in the immediate vicinity of the ejection heater. An inkjet printer having a means for stabilizing the ink is disclosed.

That is, the print head heating means, the discharge heater energization means, the carriage drive control means for keeping the print head temperature below a predetermined value, the carriage scanning delay means, and the carriage scanning speed according to the predicted temperature. The temperature of the recording head is stabilized by controlling the reducing means, the means for changing the recording sequence of the droplet ejection from the recording head, and the like.

However, US Pat. No. 4,910,528
The inkjet printer disclosed in the specification has a measurement error of the temperature sensor and a time lag from the reading of the temperature sensor until the reading result is reflected in the driving. Therefore, it is possible to stabilize the ejection in high-speed printing in recent years. It wasn't enough. Further, since the temperature sensor is built in the recording head, the cost of the recording head becomes high, and it is impossible to provide an inexpensive printing apparatus.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has a simple and inexpensive structure, predicts the temperature of a recording head with high accuracy, and stabilizes ejection in accordance with variations in the head temperature. An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus, a control method thereof, and a program that can be achieved.

[0012]

To achieve the above object, an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention has the following constitution. That is, an inkjet recording device for continuously printing a print pattern using a recording head, based on the input means for inputting print data including the print pattern and the number of prints thereof, and the print pattern and the number of prints thereof, A predicting unit that predicts the temperature of the recording head, and a setting unit that sets the drive signal of the recording head based on the prediction result of the predicting unit before printing is started.

Preferably, a calculation means for calculating the duty of the print pattern and a continuous print temperature increase prediction table showing the relationship between the number of prints of the print pattern and the temperature increase with respect to the duty of the print pattern. A first storage means for storing the data, and a second storage means for storing a setting table for setting a drive signal of the recording head based on the temperature of the recording head and the duty of a predetermined block in the print pattern. The predicting means predicts the temperature of the recording head based on the print pattern and the number of printed sheets by referring to the continuous print temperature increase predicting table, and the setting means predicts the temperature by the predicting means. Based on the temperature of the recording head, referring to the setting table, the drive signal for the recording head is set before printing is started.

[0014] Preferably, the recording head further comprises temperature detecting means for detecting the environmental temperature of the ink jet recording apparatus, and the predicting means determines the recording head of the recording head based on the environmental temperature, the printing pattern and the number of printed sheets. Predict temperature.

Also, preferably, the predetermined block is
It is a block obtained by dividing the print pattern into a first predetermined length in the print scanning direction, or a block obtained by dividing the first predetermined length and a second predetermined length in a direction perpendicular to the print scanning direction.

Further, preferably, the drive signal is composed of a divided pulse composed of one or a plurality of pre-pulses for one printing operation and a main pulse.

Further, preferably, the setting means sets the waveform of the divided pulse forming the drive signal before starting printing.

Further, preferably, the setting means sets an interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse in the divided pulses constituting the drive signal before starting printing.

A method of controlling an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object has the following configuration. That is, a method of controlling an inkjet recording apparatus that continuously prints a print pattern using a recording head, comprising an input step of inputting print data including the print pattern and the number of prints thereof, and the print pattern and the number of prints thereof. A prediction step of predicting the temperature of the recording head based on
And a setting step of setting a drive signal of the recording head before printing starts based on the prediction result of the prediction step.

A program according to the present invention for achieving the above object has the following configuration. That is, a program code for causing a computer to control an inkjet recording apparatus that continuously prints a print pattern using a print head, the program code of an input step of inputting print data including the print pattern and the number of prints thereof. When,
Setting for setting the drive signal of the recording head before printing starts based on the program code of the prediction step for predicting the temperature of the recording head based on the print pattern and the number of prints thereof and the prediction result of the prediction step And process program code.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the present specification, "printing" (hereinafter, also referred to as "recording") is not limited to the case of forming significant information such as characters and figures, and it may or may not be significant. In addition, regardless of whether or not the material is actualized so that it can be visually perceived by humans, a liquid is applied onto the recording medium to widely form an image, a pattern, a pattern, or the like, or the medium is processed. I will also say the case.

The "recording material" is not limited to paper used in a general recording apparatus, but is widely applicable to cloth, plastic film, metal plate, and the like that can receive ink ejected by a recording head. Shall also say.

The term "ink" should be broadly interpreted in the same way as the definition of "printing", and is applied to a recording medium to form an image, a pattern, a pattern, or the like, or to process the recording medium. It shall mean the liquid that can be supplied.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an internal perspective view of the inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Also,
FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the inkjet recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, an ink jet recording apparatus 100 including a guide plate 2 has a frame 1 for supporting all the constituent elements thereof, and a lower surface of the guide plate 2 is an upper surface of a recording material (not shown). The printing plane and the feed path along which the recording material is fed are formed in association with the endless belt.

The recording material is fed along the feeding path by the lower running surface of the belt projecting from the elongated slot of the guide plate 2 so as to cooperate with the plurality of backing rollers 3. In particular, in FIG. 1, the backing roller 3 is composed of two rows, and supports the recording material and ensures that it is pressed against the lower surface of the guide plate 2 and made flat. Also,
The backing roller 3 is rotatably attached to the free end of the arm. These arms are rotatably connected to an appropriate housing which is a part of the frame 1, and are provided above so as to be pressed against the recording material by an urging means such as a spring.

In FIG. 2, the belt 6 is supported by a pair of feed rollers 4, and one feed roller 4 is driven by a motor. In addition, a tape having an indefinite length is used by the roll attached to the housing to form the ink jet recording apparatus 10.
0, this tape is a pair of feed rollers 4
Sent from the roll upwards. The feed roller 5 is
It serves to help feed the tape to the throat achieved by the lower surface of the guide plate 2 and the upper surface of the pressure plate 7. The pressure plate 7 includes the pressure plate 7 and
In response to a spring 9 accommodated between the tape and the housing formed in the frame 1, the tape is movably attached so as to press the tape against the lower surface of the guide plate 2.

The tape is pulled out to a recording position by a separate pair of feed rollers 10 and, after a print pattern is printed by the ink jet recording head 11 and cut from the strip, the individual lengths of tape are fed to a take-out place. To be Further, the feed rollers 4 and 5 and the feed roller 1
0 is driven by a motor connected to these two pairs of feed rollers.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tape moving path constituted by the position of the tape and the positions of the pair of feeding rollers 4, 5, the pressure plate 7 and the feeding roller 10 is the feeding path of the recording material. They are arranged in parallel relationship offset with respect to each other and the respective feed paths are separated from one another.

The ink jet recording head 11 is attached to a pair of parallel rails 13 separated by a sliding bracket 12. These rails 13 are supported by a fixing bracket 14 attached to the frame 1, and the inkjet recording apparatus 1 for recording material and tape.
00 extends in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction. The inkjet recording head 11 is moved back and forth along a rail 13 by an endless belt 6 supported by a pair of rollers 15, and one of the rollers 15 is driven by a reversible motor 17. The inkjet recording head 11 is connected to the belt 16 by a bracket 18.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ink jet recording head 11 has a nozzle plate 19. Also,
The nozzle plate 19 has a nozzle row 20 in which ejection ports (nozzles) for ejecting droplets are formed in rows. Then, a small amount of ink is ejected from these nozzle rows 20 in a predetermined pattern under the control of software so that a predetermined image is formed on the recording material moving through the inkjet recording head 11. . Nozzle row 20
The array is arranged substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the recording material or the tape along the feeding path.

In particular, the ink jet recording head 11 is
It has a flexible cable or a sheet wiring member such as TAB for electric wiring for transmitting and receiving a print signal transmitted between a droplet ejection unit that ejects droplets from the nozzle row 20 according to a print signal and the recording apparatus main body. A recording liquid having a recording unit portion 21 and a recording liquid storage chamber (common liquid chamber) for accommodating the recording liquid supplied to the recording unit portion 21 and also serving as a housing for holding the recording unit portion 21. The storage unit unit 22 (hereinafter, referred to as a frame) is configured.

Then, the ink jet recording head 1
1 is a carriage 23 of the inkjet recording apparatus 100.
It is a so-called cartridge system that is detachably mounted.

(Control Configuration) Next, a functional configuration for executing recording control of each component of the above-described ink jet recording apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangement of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, 30 is a CPU and 31 is a CP.
A program ROM that stores the control program executed by the U30, and 32 is a backup RA that stores various data.
It is M. Reference numeral 33 denotes a scanning motor for conveying the recording material, which is also used for the suction recovery operation of the inkjet recording head 11 by the suction pump. Reference numeral 35 is a wiping solenoid used for wiping control, 36 is a paper feeding solenoid used for paper feeding control, and 37 is an inkjet recording apparatus 10.
It is a cooling fan that air-cools 0.

Reference numeral 41 is a paper feed sensor for detecting the presence / absence of a recording material, 42 is a paper discharge sensor for detecting the presence / absence of a printed recording material, and 43 is a suction pump position sensor for detecting the position of a suction pump. Reference numeral 44 is a carriage HP sensor that detects the home position (HP) of the carriage 23, and 45 is a door open sensor that detects the opening and closing of the door. 46 is the environmental temperature of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 (in-machine temperature)
Is a temperature sensor for measuring.

Reference numeral 47 is an external interface for connecting the inkjet recording apparatus 100 to an external device such as a host computer for generating print data. Reference numeral 48 is a gate array that controls the supply of print data to the head driver 49. Reference numeral 49 is a head driver that drives the inkjet recording head 11 based on print data, and 50 is an ink cartridge. The ink cartridge 50 has an ink remaining amount sensor 52 that detects the remaining amount of ink.

The inkjet recording head 11 stores various information of the main heater 53 for ejecting ink, the sub heater 54 for controlling the temperature of the inkjet recording head 11, and the inkjet recording head 11.
With OM55. (Outline of temperature prediction and input pulse setting) In the present embodiment, in the case of continuously printing a specific pattern, even if the environmental temperature before printing or the temperature of the inkjet recording head 11 is higher than 25 ° C. (room temperature), In order to set the application pulse condition that provides a substantially uniform ejection amount, as in the case of, the temperature rise prediction of the inkjet recording head 11 is performed. This temperature increase prediction is performed separately for the temperature increase prediction when the specific pattern is continuously printed and for the temperature increase prediction within the specific pattern.

For the temperature rise prediction during continuous printing, a prediction process for predicting the duty of the entire specific pattern area is executed. Then, based on the prediction result and the duty (image recording density) of each block obtained by dividing the specific pattern into predetermined blocks, an applied pulse condition that considers (predicts) the temperature rise of the recording head due to the duty of each block. To set.

As a result, before the start of printing, the setting of the application pulse condition that gives a substantially uniform discharge amount can be completed as at room temperature, and the discharge can be stabilized with a simpler configuration. .

This temperature rise prediction will be described by taking the case of continuously printing a specific pattern as shown in FIG. 5 as an example.

This specific pattern (postal stamp pattern in this embodiment) is used for the ink jet recording head 11.
600 dots in the same direction as the nozzle row direction and 1680 in the horizontal direction that is the conveyance direction of the recording material (envelope in this embodiment).
It is composed of dot pixels.

The vertical 600 dot of the specific pattern is 600 d
Arranged at pi density, horizontal 1680 dot is 300 dpi
Arranged in density. Then, ink droplets are ejected from the inkjet recording head 11 at a driving frequency of 15 KHz, and this specific pattern is continuously printed on each recording material (envelope). The printing speed is 260 envelopes per minute. Therefore, it takes 11 hours to print one specific pattern.
2ms, the time for each envelope to pass is 230ms
Becomes

This specific pattern is processed by the horizontal 1
680 dots are divided into 100 blocks, and the duty (image recording density) is calculated for each of the blocks (vertical 600 dots × horizontal 168 dots).

According to the present invention, the ink jet recording head 11 has the characteristics of head temperature and ejection amount change as shown in FIG. 6 when the pulse (driving signal) applied to eject ink droplets is constant. It became clear by the experiment of the person. In other words, as the head temperature rises,
The discharge amount increases linearly.

In particular, a double pulse composed of a short pulse and a long pulse has been conventionally used as this drive signal.

This is a single discharge operation, in which the temperature of ink around the heating element is raised by a short pulse (pre-pulse) that does not generate ink discharge, and a long pulse (main pulse) is applied. As a result, it is possible to increase the ink ejection amount as compared with the application of a single pulse.

Further, the ejection amount can be controlled by changing the pre-pulse width or the interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse. Further, by controlling the main pulse width, the ink ejection can be changed by the variation of the resistance value of the heating element. You can adjust the required power supply. That is, ejection stability can be achieved by performing pulse width modulation (applied pulse condition) setting including control / modulation of the pre-pulse width, the main pulse width, and the interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse.

A specific example of this pulse width modulation setting method will be described below.

FIG. 7 shows applied pulse conditions in various temperature ranges. Here, with respect to the applied voltage V, the pre-pulse width P1 in the region where the droplet does not foam, the pulse width P3 in the region where the droplet foams, and the time P2 during which the pulse between P1 and P3 is not applied are P1 and P2. And the applied pulse condition that is the input pulse condition of P3 are set to the inkjet recording head 1.
It changes according to the temperature of 1. Further, each applied pulse condition is given a rank value indicating its content.

Then, the ejection characteristics shown in FIG. 6 become the ejection characteristics shown in FIG. 8 according to the applied pulse conditions set in FIG. In this case, the inkjet recording head 11
The discharge amount is within a range of 30 ± 3 pl, and the discharge amount within this range cannot visually identify the unevenness of the density. By such a pulse width modulation setting process, one specific pattern has a substantially uniform ejection amount, and the ejection can be stabilized.

Although FIG. 7 shows an example in which the drive signal for one ejection operation is composed of one prepulse and one main pulse, this prepulse is not limited to one, and a plurality of prepulses are used. The pre-pulse and the main pulse may be used. As described above, the drive signal for one ejection operation is collectively referred to as a divided pulse, which is a pulse group including one or more pre-pulses and a main pulse, and is particularly composed of one pre-pulse and one main pulse. The pulse group is called a double pulse.

In the present embodiment, as the pulse width modulation setting process, the waveform of this divided pulse is controlled to stabilize the ejection. Here, the control of the waveform of the divided pulse includes control of the pulse width of at least one of the prepulse and the main pulse, control of the interval width between the prepulse and the main pulse, control of the pulse height of the prepulse and the main pulse, and the like. .

The above-mentioned pulse width modulation setting process is effective when the ambient temperature is room temperature (about 25 ° C.) and the temperature of the ink jet recording head 11 before the start of printing is also the same. In the ink jet recording head 11 in the state where there is a printing history immediately before (the head temperature is not room temperature), the above pulse width modulation setting is also different.

For example, the entire area 60 of the specific pattern shown in FIG.
When the duty of 0 dot × 1680 dot is changed and each specific pattern is continuously printed on the envelope, the temperature rising characteristic as shown in FIG. 9 is obtained.

Incidentally, t1, t2, t3, ..., Tn in FIG.
Is the temperature rise of one envelope each, and tn represents the time to n sheets.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the relationship between the number of printed sheets and the temperature rise ΔT obtained based on the temperature rise characteristics shown in FIG. In particular, in FIG. 10, the duty is 15
5 is a continuous printing temperature rise prediction table showing the relationship between the number of sheets and the temperature rise ΔT when a specific pattern of 100% is continuously printed on the recording material. Actually, the continuous printing temperature rise is performed at any duty other than 15%. There is a prediction table.

On the other hand, the ink jet recording head 11 is actually driven to measure the temperature rise characteristic for each duty of each divided block of one specific pattern, and based on this measurement result and the head temperature, the same as at room temperature. FIG. 11 shows an application pulse condition setting table that is obtained by collecting the relationship with the application pulse conditions that result in a substantially uniform ejection amount.

The numbers determined by the head temperature and duty in FIG. 11 correspond to the rank values in FIG. 7, and one rank value is determined by the head temperature and duty. This makes it possible to set the optimum applied pulse condition for printing each block.

As a concrete example, for example, in the case of printing 101 envelopes continuously, when continuous printing is started at room temperature of 25 ° C., after 100 times, the temperature rise ΔT = 2 from FIG.
0 ° C, head temperature predicted temperature is 25 (room temperature) + 2
0 (temperature rise ΔT) = 45 ° C. And, for example, 10
When the duty of the first divided block of the first specific pattern is 30%, that is, when the head temperature (45 ° C.) at the start of printing the 101st sheet and the duty (30%) in the divided block It can be seen from FIG. 11 that the applied pulse condition is “4” rank. That is, the applied pulse conditions in this case are P1 = 0.65 and P2 = 0.2.
0, P3 = 1.65 μs, which is the applied pulse condition (pulse width condition) when printing the first block of the 101st specific pattern.

By repeating such processing, it is possible to set the applied pulse condition for each divided block of the specific pattern. Particularly, in the case of the present embodiment, since the contents of the specific pattern to be printed are known in advance, the application pulse conditions (P1, P2, P3) of each divided block of the specific pattern according to the number of printed sheets are set before the start of printing. be able to.

Next, the processing executed by the ink jet recording apparatus 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the processing executed by the ink jet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The process executed in FIG. 12 may be realized by the CPU 30 reading and executing a program stored in the program ROM 31 inside the ink jet recording apparatus 100, or by dedicated hardware. May be. Further, the continuous printing temperature rise prediction table (FIG. 10) and the applied pulse condition setting table (FIG. 11) described above.
Are stored in the program ROM 31 or the backup RAM 32, for example.

When the power is turned on in step S101,
First, the temperature sensor 4 in the inkjet recording apparatus 100
The environmental temperature (internal temperature of the device) is measured by 6. next,
In step S102, print data including the print pattern and the number of prints is received via the external interface 47, and the print pattern in the print data is analyzed.

Next, in step S103, the duty of the entire print pattern area is calculated. Next, step S10
In step 4, referring to the continuous printing temperature rise prediction table (FIG. 10),
The temperature increase ΔT corresponding to the duty of the entire pattern area is determined as the predicted temperature increase.

Next, in step S106, the print pattern is divided into predetermined blocks and the duty of each block is calculated. In this embodiment, the duty of each block is calculated by dividing the block into 100 blocks.

Next, in step S107, referring to the applied pulse condition setting table (FIG. 11), the predicted temperature of the head temperature obtained from the measured environmental temperature and the determined temperature rise ΔT and the duty of each block are used. Thus, the applied pulse condition for printing each block is determined.

Next, in step S108, the input application pulse used for printing each block is set according to the determined application pulse condition.

Then, in step S109, the presence or absence of print data is determined. If there is no print data (step S
If NO at 109), the process returns to step S101. On the other hand, if there is print data (YES in step S109), the flow advances to step S110 to start printing based on the print data.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the temperature rise of the ink jet recording head 11 is predicted based on the duty of the specific pattern and the number of printed sheets, and the optimum input pulse is determined according to the prediction result. The applied pulse condition can be set. As a result, the ejection can be stabilized, and a high-quality image with excellent density uniformity can be obtained.

Further, without providing a temperature sensor in the ink jet recording head 11, the head temperature predicted from a specific pattern is predicted in advance to set the application pulse condition of the input pulse for ink ejection before the start of printing. It becomes possible. As a result, as in the conventional case, a temperature sensor is built in the inkjet recording head, the temperature sensor is read at intervals of several msec, and the application pulse condition of the input pulse is set based on the reading temperature, which is complicated and uncertain. There is no need to use a discharge stabilizing means. Therefore, the main body of the inkjet recording apparatus and the recording head can be further simplified, the cost can be significantly reduced and the ejection stability can be improved, and an inexpensive and high-quality inkjet recording apparatus can be provided.

(Other Embodiments) In the above embodiment, the horizontal 1680 dot of the specific pattern is divided into blocks.
Further, for vertical 600 dots, the duty for a matrix block obtained by dividing into blocks may be calculated, and the applied pulse condition may be set according to the duty for each matrix block. In this case, it is possible to achieve more accurate ejection stabilization as compared with the above embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the applied pulse condition (pulse width) is controlled, but the number of preliminary ejections, the preliminary ejection interval, and the suction recovery condition are also controlled according to the duty of the specific pattern. Is also good. For example,
In a print pattern with a low duty, the number of preliminary ejections can be reduced to increase the preliminary ejection interval, and in addition, the suction recovery amount can be suppressed and the suction recovery interval can be increased.

Further, when the print pattern and the number of prints thereof are known, the setting of the applied pulse conditions according to the various conditions described above can all be executed before the printing is started, and when the printing is started, the sequence based on the setting is performed. Also, by controlling the pulse width, it becomes possible to perform the printing operation uniquely without feeding back the state of the inkjet recording head to the main body device or changing the setting.

In the above embodiments, the liquid droplets ejected from the recording head have been described as ink, and the liquid contained in the ink tank has been described as ink. It is not limited. For example, to improve the fixability and water resistance of recorded images,
A treatment liquid such as a treatment liquid ejected onto the recording medium in order to improve the image quality may be contained in the ink tank.

In the above-described embodiment, particularly in the ink jet recording system, a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating heat energy as energy used for ejecting ink is provided, and High density and high definition recording can be achieved by using a method of causing a change in ink state by energy.

Regarding its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal transducer arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path in which is stored, which corresponds to the recorded information and gives a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling. Since the electrothermal converter is caused to generate heat energy to cause film boiling on the heat-acting surface of the recording head, as a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to the drive signal in a one-to-one relationship can be formed. It is valid. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection openings by the growth and contraction of the bubbles to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal in a pulse shape, because bubbles can be grown and contracted immediately and appropriately, and thus a liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be achieved.

As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise on the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the discharge port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the straight liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications. The present invention also includes configurations using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose configurations in which the heat-acting surface is arranged in a bending region. In addition, for multiple electrothermal converters,
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-123670, which discloses a structure in which a common slot is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-63, which discloses a structure in which an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is associated with the discharge portion A configuration based on Japanese Patent No. 138461 may be used.

Further, as a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium which can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length can be increased by combining a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. Either of the structure satisfying the requirement or the structure as one recording head integrally formed may be used.

In addition to the cartridge type recording head in which the ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself described in the above embodiment, the recording head is mounted on the main body of the apparatus to electrically connect with the main body of the apparatus. A replaceable chip-type recording head that enables various connections and supply of ink from the apparatus main body may be used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary means, etc. to the structure of the recording apparatus described above because the recording operation can be made more stable. Specific examples thereof include capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or sucking means, electrothermal converters or heating elements other than these, or preheating means by a combination thereof. Further, provision of a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection different from recording is also effective for stable recording.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but the recording head may be integrally formed or a plurality of combinations may be used. Alternatively, the device may be provided with at least one of full-color mixed colors.

In the above-described embodiments, the explanation is made on the assumption that the ink is a liquid, but even if the ink is solidified at room temperature or lower, it should be softened or liquefied at room temperature. Or, in the inkjet method, it is general that the temperature of the ink itself is adjusted within a range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower to control the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range.
It suffices that the ink is in a liquid state when the use recording signal is applied.

Further, according to the present invention, a software program (in the embodiment, a program corresponding to the flowchart shown in the drawing) for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiment is directly or remotely supplied to the system or apparatus, and the system or It also includes the case where it is achieved by the computer of the apparatus reading and executing the supplied program code. In that case, the form need not be a program as long as it has the functions of the program.

Therefore, the program code itself installed in the computer to implement the functional processing of the present invention by the computer also implements the present invention. That is, the present invention includes the computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

In this case, the program may take any form such as an object code, a program executed by an interpreter, or script data supplied to an OS as long as it has the function of the program.

A recording medium for supplying the program is, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, an MO, a CD.
-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, magnetic tape, non-volatile memory card, ROM, DVD (DVD-ROM,
DVD-R).

In addition, as a program supply method,
It can also be supplied by connecting to a homepage on the Internet using a browser of a client computer, and downloading the computer program itself of the present invention or a compressed file having an automatic installation function from the homepage to a recording medium such as a hard disk. It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from different homepages. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for implementing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the present invention.

Further, by encrypting the program of the present invention, C
By storing the information in a storage medium such as a D-ROM and distributing it to the user, and having the user who satisfies the predetermined conditions download the key information for decrypting the encryption from the home page via the Internet, and by using the key information It is also possible to execute the encrypted program and install the program in a computer to realize it.

Further, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the computer executing the read program, and the OS running on the computer executes the actual processing based on the instructions of the program. The function of the above-described embodiment can be realized also by performing a part or all of the above.

Further, after the program read from the recording medium is written in the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted in the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program,
CPU provided on the function expansion board or function expansion unit
Performs a part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

[0096]

As described above, according to the present invention,
An inkjet recording apparatus and a control method therefor capable of predicting the temperature of a recording head with high accuracy with a simple and inexpensive configuration and stabilizing the ejection according to the fluctuation of the head temperature,
Can provide programs.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an internal perspective view of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the inkjet recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a specific pattern according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a temperature rise characteristic graph of the ink jet recording head according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing applied pulse conditions of the inkjet recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a temperature rising characteristic graph of the inkjet recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a temperature rise characteristic graph of the ink jet recording head according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a continuous printing temperature rise prediction table according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an applied pulse condition setting table according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the inkjet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 frame 2 Guide plate 3, 4, 5, 10, 15 rollers 6 belts 7 Pressure plate 9 springs 11 Inkjet recording head 12 Sliding bracket 13 rails 14 Fixed bracket 16 belts 17 motor 18 bracket 19 nozzle plate 20 nozzle row 21 Recording unit 22 frame 23 carriage

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. An inkjet recording apparatus for continuously printing a print pattern using a recording head, comprising: input means for inputting print data including the print pattern and the number of prints thereof; and the print pattern and the number of prints thereof. Based on the prediction result of the recording head based on the prediction result of the prediction unit, the inkjet recording is characterized by including a setting unit configured to set a drive signal of the recording head before printing is started. apparatus. 2. A calculation means for calculating the duty of the print pattern, and a continuous printing temperature rise prediction table showing a relationship between the number of prints of the print pattern and the temperature rise for the duty of the print pattern. 1 storage means, and 2nd storage means for storing a setting table for setting a drive signal of the recording head based on the temperature of the recording head and the duty of a predetermined block in the print pattern, The predicting unit predicts the temperature of the recording head by referring to the continuous printing temperature increase prediction table based on the printing pattern and the number of printed sheets, and the setting unit predicts the recording head predicted by the predicting unit. 2. The drive signal for the recording head is set before printing is started by referring to the setting table based on the temperature of the print head. An ink jet recording apparatus. 3. A temperature detecting unit for detecting an environmental temperature of the ink jet recording apparatus is further provided, and the predicting unit predicts the temperature of the recording head based on the environmental temperature, the print pattern and the number of printed sheets. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The predetermined block is a block obtained by dividing the print pattern into a first predetermined length in a print scanning direction, or a block obtained by dividing the print pattern into a second predetermined length in a direction perpendicular to the first predetermined length and the print scanning direction. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive signal is composed of a divided pulse composed of a single or a plurality of pre-pulses for one printing operation and a main pulse. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the setting unit sets the waveform of the divided pulse forming the drive signal before starting printing. 7. The ink jet recording according to claim 5, wherein the setting unit sets an interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse in the divided pulses forming the drive signal before starting printing. apparatus. 8. A method of controlling an inkjet recording apparatus for continuously printing a print pattern using a print head, comprising: an input step of inputting print data including the print pattern and the number of prints thereof; It comprises a prediction step of predicting the temperature of the recording head based on the number of printed sheets, and a setting step of setting a drive signal of the recording head before starting printing based on the prediction result of the prediction step. Method for controlling an inkjet recording apparatus. 9. A calculation step of calculating the duty of the print pattern, wherein the predicting step is based on the print pattern and the number of prints thereof, and the number of prints of the print pattern with respect to the duty of the print pattern and The temperature of the recording head is predicted by referring to a continuous printing temperature increase prediction table showing a relationship with the temperature increase, and the setting step includes the recording head based on the temperature of the recording head predicted in the prediction step. The driving signal of the recording head is set before printing is started by referring to a setting table for setting the driving signal of the recording head based on the temperature of the print pattern and the duty of a predetermined block in the print pattern. The method for controlling an inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 8. 10. A temperature detecting step of detecting an environmental temperature of the ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the predicting step predicts the temperature of the recording head based on the environmental temperature, the print pattern and the number of printed sheets. The method for controlling an inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein: 11. The predetermined block is a block obtained by dividing the print pattern by a first predetermined length in a print scanning direction, or a block obtained by dividing a second predetermined length in a direction perpendicular to the first predetermined length and the print scanning direction. The method for controlling an inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: 12. The drive signal comprises a divided pulse composed of a single pulse or a plurality of pre-pulses and a main pulse for one printing operation.
5. A method for controlling an inkjet recording device according to item 4. 13. The method of controlling an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the setting step sets the waveform of the divided pulse forming the drive signal before starting printing. 14. The ink jet recording according to claim 12, wherein the setting step sets an interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse in the divided pulses forming the drive signal before starting printing. Device control method. 15. A program for causing a computer to control an inkjet recording apparatus that continuously prints a print pattern using a print head, the input step of inputting print data including the print pattern and the number of prints thereof. Based on the program code, the program code of the prediction step of predicting the temperature of the recording head based on the print pattern and the number of prints thereof, and based on the prediction result of the prediction step, start printing the drive signal of the recording head. A program comprising a program code of a setting step to be previously set.