JP2004223853A - Control process for recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently take out information held by a recording head. <P>SOLUTION: This recorder performs recording by using a recording head having a recording element section for performing the recording and a memory block storing characteristic information. A command for acquiring specific information in the information held by the memory block is output from a control circuit in the body of the recorder. When a command control section in a carriage side control section receives the command, the command control section generates an access signal including an address for reading the information designated by the command from the memory block. The command control section accesses the memory block by using the access signal and acquires the specific information from the memory block according to the command. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a control method of a printing apparatus, and more particularly, to a control method of a printing apparatus capable of reading characteristic information of a print head held in an ink jet print head, for example.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, as an information output device in a word processor, a personal computer, a facsimile, or the like, a recording device that records desired information such as characters and images on a sheet-like recording medium such as paper or film is widely used. These recording devices are used as printers in modern business offices and other office processing departments, and even for personal use. While high density and high speed recording are strongly desired, further cost reduction or higher definition Development and improvement are being attempted in order to achieve the above.
[0003]
Among the printing apparatuses described above, an ink jet printing apparatus that performs printing by discharging ink from a discharge port arranged on a printing element as low-noise non-impact printing has high density and high speed printing due to its structural characteristics. It is possible and widely used as a low-cost color printer. An ink jet recording apparatus uses a recording head including a recording element (nozzle) having an ejection port and an electrothermal conversion element for generating ejection energy for ejecting ink from the ejection port, and according to desired recording information. The recording is performed by discharging ink.
[0004]
As a configuration of the recording head, a recording head in which a plurality of recording elements are arranged in one row or a plurality of rows is conventionally known. In such a recording head, several or several tens of drive integrated circuits capable of simultaneously driving the N recording elements as one block are mounted on the same substrate, and image data is aligned in correspondence with each recording element. By driving the recording element, it is possible to perform arbitrary recording on a recording medium such as recording paper.
[0005]
With the recent increase in definition and image quality, the performance of the recording head has been remarkably improved. For the purpose of increasing the number of recording elements and increasing the recording speed with the increase in definition and image quality, the number of simultaneous driving of recording elements also increases. In addition, there are various types of print heads in accordance with the performance of the printer body, and some print heads having information for identifying the models have appeared. Further, in the case of an ink jet recording head, there is a wide variety of information regarding the recording head required by the printer main body, such as the amount of ink used in an ink cartridge as a consumable.
[0006]
In a recording head, if the number of recording elements that are driven simultaneously increases, the energy required for driving also increases. Therefore, a printing element driving method suitable for the capacity of the power supply circuit is required. Furthermore, in the case of a recording element that performs recording using heat, if one recording element is driven continuously, heat is accumulated, which may change the recording density or destroy the recording element itself. There is. In particular, if there is a factor such as manufacturing variation, the energy applied to the printing element will not be appropriate, and it will also be a factor that reduces the durability and the like of the printing head.
[0007]
Further, the printing element is also affected by a printing element adjacent thereto. For example, in an ink jet recording apparatus, when adjacent recording elements are driven simultaneously, each nozzle receives interference due to mutual pressure due to pressure generated at the time of ink ejection. This pressure interference (crosstalk) may cause a change in the recording density. For this reason, after driving the recording element, it is preferable to provide a pause time to avoid heat radiation or crosstalk to some extent.
[0008]
In addition, there has been an increasing demand for drive control in accordance with the amount of recording agent used in a cartridge containing the recording agent, particularly the amount of ink cartridge used in an ink jet recording head. This requirement covers a wide variety, such as differences depending on the color information and the date of manufacture of the ink, differences due to the viscosity of the ink, and differences depending on the intended use.
[0009]
In order to address the above problems and demands, the printhead is provided with a means for detecting the printhead temperature, a means for arbitrarily changing the drive method by an external input signal, and a means for detecting a printhead difference due to manufacturing variations. However, it has been proposed to take out and control such information as needed (for example, see Patent Document 1). Further, a circuit configuration in which a printing element group is divided into a plurality of blocks each including a predetermined number of printing elements and time-division driving is performed for each block has been put to practical use.
[0010]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-7-241992.
[0011]
In a recording apparatus using the above-described recording head, the number of recording elements provided in the recording head tends to increase in order to increase the recording speed and to increase the recording density. For this reason, the number of blocks in the above-described time-division driving increases, and even if a decoder circuit or the like is used, the number of control signal lines increases. As the image quality and functions are improved, the configuration of such a recording head becomes more complicated and its control becomes more complicated. Come.
[0012]
For example, it is necessary to manage / execute a control sequence such as changing the drive pattern in accordance with the operation mode of the print head, and when the manufacturing variation of the print head or the lot difference is large, the difference in the printing state may be reduced. It is necessary to manage and calibrate these because they are remarkably reflected in the image, and it is necessary to discriminate the model of the head and to monitor the driving state sequentially.
[0013]
In order to address the above problem, in recent years, a recording head has a data holding function such as a nonvolatile memory (hereinafter, simply referred to as a memory). This memory includes, as printhead characteristic information, manufacturing variation information of the print element or the temperature sensor, manufacturing time information including the manufacturing date of the printhead, configuration information of the printhead, print dot count value of the printhead, and the like. Data is stored. In the memory of the recording head, the data including the characteristic information as described above is held in a non-rewritable or possible state, and is stored in the memory when the recording head is mounted on the recording apparatus main body. All the data that has been read are read. Then, by reflecting necessary information in a register or the like in the recording apparatus, control according to each recording head is enabled. Here, the printing apparatus refers to the mapping information that associates the type of information with the storage position, extracts information necessary for control from all data read from the memory of the print head, and uses the information for various controls. .
[0014]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, for example, in real-time drive control for performing drive adapted to temperature detection or the like during recording, all data (characteristic information and the like) is read from the memory as described above, and processing is performed while corresponding to mapping. In this case, the throughput is reduced, and high-speed, high-quality recording cannot be achieved. In particular, in the case of a thermal head or an ink jet recording head which performs ink ejection using heat, a temperature effect during recording is remarkably shown in a recorded image. Therefore, it is important to control the drive energy according to the printhead temperature, and this control is an essential function in a printing apparatus that requires high-quality printing. However, since the recording apparatus sends a large amount of recording data to the recording head at a high speed, it is difficult to control the recording head while detecting the information of the recording head in real time.
[0015]
In addition, there is a wide variety of uses, such as differences in ink color and viscosity, and in real-time drive control that performs drive adapted to differences in the ink storage amount of the ink tank (changes in the negative pressure in the ink tank, etc.) If all data (characteristic information and the like) are read from the memory and the processing is performed while corresponding to the mapping as described above, the throughput is reduced, and high-speed and high-quality recording cannot be achieved. In the case of a normal low-cost nonvolatile memory, the access time to the memory requires several hundred ns to 10 ms (writing) even for one address, so that it is difficult to leave a history or refer to it while accessing frequently. Is coming.
[0016]
From the above, one of the problems with the above-described conventional technology is that all data in the print head is read out to the printing apparatus side, and necessary data is selected and used in the printing apparatus. The point is that it takes time to read data from the head. This does not pose a significant problem when data is read from the printhead at a timing when a sufficient time is required for reading (for example, when the power to the printing apparatus is turned on). However, as described above, there is a problem when it is necessary to take out data from the recording head in a short time as in the case of real-time drive control, and in particular, there is a problem that much information cannot be handled.
[0017]
Further, as the types of printheads increase, the mapping information of the memory for each printhead must also be set each time. Therefore, it is necessary to change the reading process in the printing apparatus for each type of printhead. On the other hand, in order for the recording apparatus to be able to retrieve common specific information from various types of recording heads in the same reading process, the recording method and the addresses stored in the memory are commonly used even for recording heads of different types. There is a need to. However, in this case, there is a problem that the degree of freedom of memory use for each recording head is significantly limited.
[0018]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the related art, and enables information stored in a print head to be efficiently and rapidly retrieved, and at the same time, the type and access of a memory built in the print head. Regardless of the method, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of controlling a recording device that does not limit the degree of freedom in using the memory.
[0019]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A method for controlling a recording apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes the following steps.
[0020]
That is, a printing head having a printing element and a storage unit for storing characteristic information, a first control unit for controlling the overall operation of the printing apparatus, and operable independently of the first control unit A control method for a printing apparatus including a second control unit, wherein the first control unit issues an instruction to acquire specific information from information held in a storage unit of the printhead. An instruction generation step, wherein the second control unit receives a control instruction generated from the first control unit in the instruction generation step, and generates an address for accessing a storage unit of the recording head; An obtaining step of accessing the storage unit to obtain specific information according to the instruction, and based on the information for driving the recording head generated based on the information obtained in the obtaining step, Two A control method for a recording apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a control step for controlling the driving of the recording head in the control section.
[0021]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus for achieving the above object.
[0022]
The recording apparatus is a recording apparatus that performs recording using a recording head having a recording element and a storage unit that stores characteristic information, and is used to acquire specific information from information held in the recording head. Instruction generating means for generating an instruction, and an obtaining means for receiving a control instruction generated by the instruction generating means, accessing a storage unit of the recording head, and acquiring specific information corresponding to the instruction from the storage unit And characterized in that:
[0023]
Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording head for achieving the above object.
[0024]
The recording head is a recording head having a recording element and a storage unit for storing characteristic information, a receiving unit for receiving an instruction output from a recording device equipped with the recording head, and a receiving unit for receiving an instruction output from the receiving unit. A control unit that reads specific information corresponding to the instruction from the storage unit and outputs the specific information to the recording device.
[0025]
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an element substrate for a recording head for achieving the above object.
[0026]
The printhead element substrate is a printhead element substrate having a print element and a memory for storing characteristic information, and a receiving circuit for receiving an instruction output from a printing apparatus equipped with the printhead, An output circuit for acquiring specific information corresponding to the instruction received by the receiving circuit from the memory and outputting the acquired information to the recording device.
[0027]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
As described above, the present invention is implemented in various aspects. More specifically, each of these aspects preferably has the following configuration.
[0028]
For example, in the case of a control method of a printing apparatus, the second control unit includes a print head on the carriage on which the print head is mounted, the print head, or a print head having the print element and the storage unit in the print head. Is desirably provided on an element substrate for use.
[0029]
Further, in the recording apparatus, the control unit includes: a generation unit configured to generate an access signal including an address for reading information specified by the instruction generated by the instruction generation unit from the storage unit; It is preferable to include a reading unit that accesses the storage unit with the access signal thus obtained and reads out the specific information.
[0030]
In this case, the generating means has a plurality of tables for associating the information specified by the instruction with the storage address of the storage unit, for each of a plurality of types of recording heads. It is desirable to generate an access signal with reference to a table corresponding to a recording head mounted on the recording apparatus.
[0031]
Furthermore, the acquisition unit provided in the recording apparatus may be provided on a carriage for conveying the recording head. Further, it is preferable that the acquisition unit includes a transmission unit that transmits the instruction to the recording head.
[0032]
Still further, the control unit provided in the recording head includes: an address generation unit that generates an access signal including an address for reading out the information specified by the instruction received by the reception unit from the storage unit; It is desirable to include a reading unit that accesses the storage unit by the generated access signal and reads out corresponding specific information. In addition, it is preferable that the address generation unit has a table that associates information specified by the instruction with a storage address of the storage unit, and generates the access signal with reference to the table.
[0033]
Still further, the output circuit provided on the printhead element substrate includes an address generation circuit for generating an access signal including an address for reading out the information specified by the instruction received from the reception circuit from the memory; Preferably, a read circuit for accessing the memory by an access signal generated in the circuit and reading out corresponding specific information is provided. In addition, it is preferable that the address generation circuit has a table that associates information specified by the instruction with a storage address of the memory, and generates the access signal with reference to the table.
[0034]
In addition, it is desirable that the above-mentioned recording head is an ink jet recording head. In this case, the ink jet recording head uses an electric heat for generating thermal energy given to the ink in order to discharge the ink by using the thermal energy. It is preferable to have a converter.
[0035]
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described more specifically and in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0036]
In the embodiments described below, a recording apparatus using a recording head according to an inkjet method will be described as an example.
[0037]
In this specification, “record” (sometimes referred to as “print”) refers not only to the formation of significant information such as characters and figures, but also to the perception of human beings, whether significant or insignificant. Irrespective of whether or not it is made obvious so that it is obtained, a case where an image, a pattern, a pattern, or the like is widely formed on a recording medium or a case where the medium is processed is also described.
[0038]
In addition, the term “recording medium” refers to not only paper used in general recording devices, but also a wide range of materials that can accept ink, such as cloth, plastic films, metal plates, glass, ceramics, wood, and leather. Shall be.
[0039]
Further, “ink” (sometimes referred to as “liquid”) is to be interpreted broadly as in the definition of “recording (printing)”, and when applied on a recording medium, an image or pattern , Or a liquid that can be used for forming a pattern or the like, processing a recording medium, or processing ink (for example, coagulation or insolubilization of a colorant in ink applied to a recording medium).
[0040]
Further, the term “nozzle” generally refers to an ejection port, a liquid path communicating with the ejection port, and an element that generates energy used for ink ejection, unless otherwise specified.
[0041]
<First embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an ink jet recording apparatus which is a typical embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a lead screw 5005 rotates through driving force transmission gears 5011 and 5009 in conjunction with forward and reverse rotation of a carriage motor 5013. The carriage HC has a pin (not shown) that engages with the spiral groove 5005 of the lead screw 5004, and reciprocates in the directions of arrows a and b with the rotation of the lead screw 5004. An ink jet cartridge IJC is mounted on the carriage HC. The ink jet cartridge IJC includes a recording head IJH and an ink tank IT for storing recording ink.
[0042]
The recording IJH includes a recording head for monochrome recording and a recording head for color recording, and any of the recording heads can be appropriately selected by a user according to the application and mounted on the carriage HC. When a recording head for monochrome recording is used, an ink tank IT containing monochrome ink (black ink) is mounted, and when a recording head for color recording is used, as shown in FIG. Four ink tanks IT each containing four types of ink, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, are mounted.
[0043]
Further, the ink jet cartridge IJC may have a configuration in which the ink tank and the recording head are integrated, or may have a configuration in which the ink tank and the recording head are separable.
[0044]
Reference numeral 5002 denotes a paper pressing plate, which presses the paper against the platen 5000 in the moving direction of the carriage. The platen 5000 is rotated by a transport motor (not shown) to transport the recording paper P. Reference numerals 5007 and 5008 denote home position detecting means for confirming the presence of the lever 5006 of the carriage in this area and switching the rotation direction of the motor 5013. Reference numeral 5016 denotes a member that supports a cap member 5022 that caps the front surface of the recording head. Reference numeral 5015 denotes suction means for sucking the inside of the cap, and performs suction recovery of the recording head through the opening 5023 in the cap. Reference numeral 5017 denotes a cleaning blade. Reference numeral 5019 denotes a member that allows the blade to move in the front-rear direction. These members are supported by a main body support plate 5018. It goes without saying that the blade is not limited to this form and a known cleaning blade can be applied to the present embodiment. Reference numeral 5021 denotes a lever for starting suction for recovery of suction, which moves in accordance with the movement of the cam 5020 engaging with the carriage, and the driving force from the driving motor is controlled by a known transmission means such as clutch switching. Is done.
[0045]
The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery are configured so that desired operations can be performed at the corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 5004 when the carriage comes to the area on the home position side. If this operation is performed, any of the present embodiments can be applied.
[0046]
Next, a control configuration for executing the recording control of the above-described apparatus will be described.
[0047]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit of the printing apparatus shown in FIG.
[0048]
2, reference numeral 1700 denotes an interface for inputting a print signal, 1701 denotes an MPU, 1702 denotes a ROM for storing a control program executed by the MPU 1701, and 1703 denotes various data (the print signal and print data supplied to the print head). This is a DRAM to be stored. A gate array (GA) 1704 controls supply of print data to the print head IJH, and also controls data transfer between the interface 1700, the MPU 1701, and the RAM 1703. The above is the configuration of the control circuit 101 of the printing apparatus.
[0049]
Reference numeral 1709 denotes a transport motor (not shown in FIG. 1) for transporting the recording paper P. Reference numeral 1706 denotes a motor driver for driving the transport motor 1709, and 1707 denotes a motor driver for driving the carriage motor 5013.
[0050]
The operation of the above control configuration will be described. When a print signal enters the interface 1700, the print signal is converted into print data for printing between the gate array 1704 and the MPU 1701. Then, the motor drivers 1706 and 1707 are driven, and the printhead IJH is driven via the carriage-side control unit 102 in accordance with the print data sent to the carriage HC, so that an image is printed on the printing paper P.
[0051]
In order to drive the print elements provided in the print head IJH under optimum drive conditions, the drive conditions of each print element are determined by referring to the characteristic information held in the memory 131 in the print head IJH. .
[0052]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration for acquiring characteristic information stored in the memory 131 provided in the print head IJH according to this embodiment.
[0053]
The recording head IJH includes a recording element for performing recording in accordance with the transmitted control instruction and a configuration for outputting various characteristic information relating to recording. The recording head IJH is mounted on the carriage HC as before, and is also electrically connected. For the electrical connection between the recording head IJH and the carriage HC, various methods such as a contact pad having gold-plated terminals can be applied. The carriage-side control unit 102 provided on the carriage HC enables the printhead IJH to selectively read out the printhead characteristic information in accordance with a control instruction sent from the control circuit 101 of the printing apparatus. With this function of the carriage-side control unit 102, even if the printhead IJH is a conventional printhead, characteristic information of the printhead can be obtained in accordance with a control instruction from the control circuit 101.
[0054]
FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing a control instruction communication system according to this embodiment.
[0055]
In FIG. 4, a white arrow indicates transmission of a control instruction line, and a black arrow indicates normal signal transmission / reception. For example, an instruction for acquiring the manufacturing variation information of the recording head from the recording head is issued (control instruction line 1), and based on this instruction, the manufacturing variation information is drive-controlled from a predetermined area of the memory 131 in the recording head IJH. It is assumed that a sequence is read out as information (readout line), and recording energy correction is performed based on this (control instruction line 2).
[0056]
First, when the control instruction line 1 is executed in the control circuit 101 of the printing apparatus, the control circuit 101 sends out a control instruction 111 for “reading” “drive control information” of the print head. In the carriage control unit 102, the control instruction 111 is received by the memory control unit 121. The memory control unit 121 reads and acquires necessary information from the memory 131 included in the printhead IJH according to the received control instruction.
[0057]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control instruction.
[0058]
Hereinafter, the operation of the command control unit 120 that has received the control instruction 111 will be described with reference to this flowchart.
[0059]
First, in step S101, the command control unit 120 waits for the transmission of a control instruction from the control circuit 101. When the control instruction 111 is received, the type of the control instruction (whether or not it is a memory read instruction) is determined in the next step S102. Is determined. When it is determined that the received control instruction 111 is a memory read instruction, the process proceeds to step S103 (the control instruction is passed to the memory control unit 121 in FIG. 4). The processing of steps S103 to S106 is processing executed by the memory control unit 121.
[0060]
In step S103, the address at which the information specified by the control instruction 111 is stored is obtained from the addresses of the nonvolatile memory (memory 131) included in the print head IJH. In the example of this embodiment, the address where the drive control information is stored is obtained. Then, in step S104, an access signal (memory read command + address) 122 to the memory 131 is generated so as to read information from this address.
[0061]
Information indicating which information is stored at which address in the memory 131 is held by the memory control unit 121 as a table as shown in FIG.
[0062]
Therefore, an address corresponding to the information (information identification name) specified by the control instruction 111 is obtained by referring to this table, and an appropriate access signal 122 is generated. In the example of this embodiment, since the reading of the drive control information is specified, an access signal is generated to read the information stored in the addresses 0xSSSS to 0xTTTT, and the drive control information is read from the memory 131.
[0063]
In order to support a plurality of types of printheads, a table as shown in FIG. 6 is prepared for each printhead, and an access signal is generated with reference to the table corresponding to the currently mounted printhead. The plurality of types of tables may be stored in the memory of the memory control unit 121 in advance, and a table to be referred to may be selected from the head type information of the attached recording head and used. However, in this case, regarding the head type information, the storage address in the memory 131 needs to be common to all types of recording heads. Alternatively, a table as shown in FIG. 6 is stored at a predetermined address in the memory of the recording head, and the command control unit 120 reads and holds this table when the recording head is mounted (or when the power is turned on). You may keep it.
[0064]
As described above, using the address obtained in step S103, the memory control unit 121 generates an access signal in step S104, and accesses the memory block 131 according to the access signal 122. The memory 131 on the recording head IJH receives this access and outputs drive control information by designating an arbitrary address. Then, in step S105, the memory control unit 121 reads the information (drive control information) specified by the control instruction 111 and acquires the information as the memory read data 123. Further, in step S106, the acquired memory read data 123 is sent to the control circuit 101 that is the source of the control instruction 111 (read line), and becomes an execution result of the control instruction line 1 (memory read data 112).
[0065]
In the above example, the carriage-side control unit 102 returns the read drive control information of the print head to the control circuit 101, but the carriage-side control unit 102 may use the information as feedback control information. If this control system needs to perform drive control in real time, for example, it is possible to control the print head quickly by completing the drive control only by the carriage-side control unit 102. This embodiment will be described in a second embodiment.
[0066]
When the processing of the control instruction line 1 is completed, the control circuit 101 executes the control instruction line 2 according to the sequence. In the control instruction line 2, “drive energy change information” is transferred as a “control command”. That is, drive energy change information is generated based on the memory read data 112 (drive control information) acquired on the control instruction line 1, and a control instruction 113 for changing the drive control of the printing element is generated in accordance with the generated information.
[0067]
In this case, when the command reception is confirmed in step S101, it is determined in step S102 that the received command is not a memory read command, and the process proceeds to step S107 to determine whether the received command is a head drive control command. Find out.
[0068]
Here, if the command control unit 120 of the carriage-side control unit 102 determines that the control instruction 113 has been received, the process proceeds from step S107 to step S108. Steps S108 to S109 are executed by the drive control unit 124. The drive control unit 124 changes the recording energy applied to each print element according to the drive energy change information of the control instruction 113, and transmits the instruction to the head drive control unit 132. As a result, optimal driving of each printing element in the printing element section 134 is achieved.
[0069]
If a control instruction other than the above is received, the process proceeds to step S110, and a process corresponding to the instruction is executed. For example, the cumulative number of drive times of the recording element may be written to the memory at a specific timing, or the information may be read out as appropriate to perform optimal head drive according to the cumulative number of drive times. In addition, there are some controls by memory access, but the description of these processes is omitted here.
[0070]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a print head applicable to this embodiment.
[0071]
As shown in FIG. 7, the recording head IJH is divided into a head block 130 and a memory 131, and a part or all of the memory may be configured on the same substrate as the head block 130. When the capacity of the memory 131 is large, the memory 131 may be mounted separately from the head block 130. In the head block 130, a recording element unit 134, a head drive control unit 132, and a head detection unit 133 are provided.
[0072]
The printing element unit 134 is a group of printing elements as described later with reference to FIG. 8, and has a one-to-one correspondence with a circuit element in the head drive control unit 132 (described later with reference to FIG. 9).
[0073]
Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a temperature sensor 12 of the recording head, a recording head proper applied energy correction monitoring resistance element (hereinafter, referred to as a monitoring resistance element) 11 and the like are arranged in the head detection unit 133. Have been. When control related to sensor detection is completed in the head, a configuration including a control circuit for making these functions may be employed. Further, in order to provide a configuration capable of logical output, a configuration having the analog-digital conversion circuit 10 may be employed.
[0074]
Now, returning to FIG. 7, in the memory 131 shown in FIG. 7, reference numeral 23 denotes a memory block relating to the print head, and information in the memory block sequentially holds print head data corresponding to individual addresses. The contents include, for example, manufacturing variation information of the printing element in the printing element unit 134 or the temperature sensor in the head detecting unit 133, manufacturing time information including the manufacturing date of the printing head, configuration information of the printing head, and printing of the printing head. There are various types such as a dot count value (rewritable). Reference numeral 24 denotes a memory block that stores, for example, information related to an ink tank configured to be separated from the printhead, ink type information, manufacturing time information, use status information, and the like.
[0075]
8 and 9 are circuit diagrams each showing a specific example of the configuration of a circuit for time-divisionally driving a plurality of printing elements that perform printing by discharging ink by using heat, and FIG. 10 is a timing chart of signals input to the circuit shown in FIG.
[0076]
In FIG. 8, reference numeral 1 denotes an electrothermal conversion element such as a heater provided for each recording element, 2 denotes a functional element such as a bipolar transistor or an FET for controlling the energization state of the electrothermal conversion element, and 3 denotes a functional element and a control circuit. , 4 is a power supply line, and 5 is a ground line.
[0077]
In FIG. 9, reference numeral 6 denotes an AND circuit for outputting a control signal for the functional element 2, reference numeral 7 denotes a decoder, reference numeral 8 denotes a latch, and reference numeral 9 denotes a shift register. CLK is a clock signal, DATA is an image data signal, LAT is a latch pulse, BENB is a block selection signal, and ENB is a drive pulse signal. When the image data signal (DATA) is input, the image data is sequentially transferred to the shift register 9 by the image data transfer clock (CLK), and the image data is aligned in the latch 8 corresponding to each recording element.
[0078]
Then, as shown in FIG. 10, if the block selection signal (BENB) is activated sequentially within the cycle of the latch pulse signal (LAT), time-division driving is achieved. Further, when the block selection signal (BENB) is dispersedly connected to the printing elements, distributed driving is performed.
[0079]
Further, in a recording apparatus having various recording modes, a method of changing the pattern of the block selection signal (BENB) input to the decoder 7 in the cycle of the latch pulse signal (LAT) without changing the pattern depending on the recording mode is also used. Have been. In this case, the driving of the printing element in various patterns can be realized in combination with another control signal.
[0080]
The above circuit configuration is merely an example, and many circuit configurations have been proposed depending on the driving method of the printing element. For example, when it is desired to reduce the circuit configuration as much as possible, the recording element may be divided into several parts, and a structure including a shift register and a latch circuit capable of driving the divided blocks in order may be employed. In the case of a full-line printhead that transfers image data first and the division drive order can be set arbitrarily in the next cycle, a shift register and a latch circuit corresponding to the print element should be provided. May be better. The division control circuit 7 is a circuit including a decoder and a shift register.
[0081]
According to the above-described embodiment, since the direct access of the memory is used, the information unique to the recording head stored in the recording head is fed back to the recording apparatus main body side, and when performing the recording control, the parameter from the recording head is used. Acquisition can be performed in a short time.
[0082]
In a second embodiment to be described later, an example will be described in which the control circuit 101 on the printing apparatus side can concentrate on transferring image data only by performing drive control by a register inside the carriage even during printing. .
[0083]
[Second embodiment]
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration for acquiring characteristic information stored in the memory 131 provided in the recording head IJH according to the present embodiment. 11, the same components as those described in the first embodiment with reference to FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[0084]
In the first embodiment (FIG. 3), the control circuit 101 of the printing apparatus generates a read command 111 and a control command 113. However, in this embodiment, the carriage-side control unit 102 generates a read command. is there. That is, according to this embodiment, the instruction 204 transferred from the control circuit 101 on the main body side of the printing apparatus is the minimum necessary, and the carriage-side control unit 102 generates a read command based on the instruction. Then, the detailed instruction 205 is transferred to the recording head IJH. The printhead IJH according to this embodiment includes a command control unit 120 that reads various characteristic information from the memory 131 according to the detailed instruction 205 and controls driving of the print element unit 134.
[0085]
The carriage-side control unit 102 according to this embodiment generates a read command in response to an instruction 204 sent from the control circuit 101 provided on the main body side of the printing apparatus, and selectively transfers a detailed instruction to the print head IJH.
[0086]
FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram showing a control instruction communication system according to this embodiment.
[0087]
12, components having the same functions as those of the configuration shown in the first embodiment (FIG. 4) are denoted by the same reference numerals. As can be seen from a comparison between FIG. 4 and FIG. 12, in the first embodiment, the command control unit 120 provided in the carriage-side control unit 102 is provided in the printhead IJH, and the carriage-side control unit 102 includes a sequence control unit. 221 are provided.
[0088]
A control instruction 211 from the control circuit 101 provided on the main body side of the printing apparatus is a necessary minimum control instruction (corresponding to the control instruction 204 in FIG. 11). The necessary minimum control instruction 211 is a sequence control instruction representing a sequence of a plurality of control instructions.
[0089]
When the control instruction 211 is transferred to the carriage-side control unit 102, the sequence control unit 221 executes a control instruction line according to the control instruction. For example, the control instruction lines 1 and 2 (FIG. 4) described in the first embodiment are executed. Since the format of the sequence control instruction is defined in the same format as that of the normal control instruction line, it can be added according to the function.
[0090]
In this embodiment, if a minimum necessary control instruction is given to the carriage-side control unit, the processing related to the instruction can be completed only by the carriage-side control unit 102. This is a particularly effective function when it is necessary to control the recording head, so that the recording head can be quickly controlled.
[0091]
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the sequence control unit 221.
[0092]
First, in step S201, the sequence control unit 221 waits for reception of a control instruction from the control circuit 101 of the printing apparatus main body. When the control instruction is received, the process proceeds to step S202, and the control instruction is transmitted by a sequence instruction. It is determined whether or not there is. If the received control instruction is not a sequence instruction, the process proceeds to step S207, and the control instruction is transmitted to the command control unit 120 as it is.
[0093]
On the other hand, if the received control instruction is a sequence instruction, the process proceeds to step S203, interprets the sequence instruction, and further generates a control instruction (command) line in step S204. In steps S205 to S206, the generated control instruction lines are sequentially executed.
[0094]
In the example of this embodiment shown in FIG. 12, two command lines (control instruction lines 1 and 2) are generated and executed according to the control instruction 221 (drive energy change sequence instruction). Hereinafter, as a specific execution example of steps S205 to S206, an example of sequentially executing the two command lines will be described in detail.
[0095]
When the control instruction line 1 is executed in the sequence control unit 221 of the carriage control unit 102, a control instruction 111 for “reading out” “drive control information” of the recording head IJH is transmitted. As described in the first embodiment, when receiving the control instruction 111, the memory control unit 121 of the control command control unit 120 of the printhead IJH reads the drive control information stored in the memory 131 provided in the printhead IJH. Thus, the access signal 122 to the memory is generated. Note that the memory control unit 121 stores a table as shown in FIG. 6 corresponding to the memory 131 in the print head IJH.
[0096]
However, in this embodiment, since the memory control unit 121 is built in the printhead IJH, it is sufficient that the memory control unit 121 has its own memory-related table. There is no need to update the table or hold multiple types of tables.
[0097]
Then, the memory control unit 121 accesses the memory 131 in accordance with the access signal (memory read command) 122. The memory 131 on the recording head IJH receives the access signal and outputs drive control information to the memory control unit 121. In this way, the memory control unit 121 reads the information (drive control information) specified by the control instruction 111 from the memory 131 and acquires it as the memory read data 123. The acquired memory read data 123 is sent to the carriage-side control unit 202 and becomes an execution result of the control instruction line 1 (memory read data 112).
[0098]
When the execution of the control instruction line 1 is completed, the carriage control unit 102 executes the control instruction line 2 in accordance with the sequence instruction. In the control instruction line 2, the “drive energy change information” is transferred to the print head IJH as a “control command”. That is, based on the memory read data 112 (drive control information) acquired on the control instruction line 1, the carriage-side control unit 102 generates drive energy change information, and according to this, the control instruction 113 for changing the drive control of the printing element. Occurs.
[0099]
As in the first embodiment, upon receiving the control instruction 113, the command control unit 120 of the printhead IJH changes the print energy applied to each print element by the drive control unit 124, and changes this to the head drive control unit. 132. As a result, optimal driving of each printing element in the printing element section 134 is achieved.
[0100]
Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, the drive control for the printhead can be performed only between the carriage-side control unit and the printhead, and the printing apparatus main body only transmits a sequence command to the carriage-side control unit first. Is good. Accordingly, if the minimum necessary control instruction is given to the carriage-side control unit, the processing related to the instruction can be completed only by the carriage-side control unit. In such a case, the recording head can be quickly controlled.
[0101]
Further, by performing drive control inside the carriage, there is an advantage that the control circuit 101 of the printing apparatus can concentrate on transferring only image data even during printing.
[0102]
In this embodiment, the sequence control unit 221 is provided on the carriage and the command control unit 120 is provided on the printhead. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as described in the following third embodiment, both the sequence control unit 221 and the command control unit 120 may be provided on the carriage, or the sequence control unit 221 and the command control unit 120 may be provided on the printhead. May be provided.
[0103]
[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration for acquiring characteristic information stored in the memory 131 provided in the recording head IJH according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 14, the same components as those described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 11 in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[0104]
The configuration shown in this embodiment is based on the premise that a high-performance recording head capable of making the best use of the present invention is used.
[0105]
In this embodiment, the data sent from the control circuit 101 on the main body side of the printing apparatus to the printing head IJH is only image data (not shown) and the minimum necessary commands 304. The print head IJH according to this embodiment includes not only the command control unit 120 but also a sequence control unit 221 that can develop a sequence command.
[0106]
Such a form is particularly applicable to a full line recording head used for a page printer or the like.
[0107]
It is desirable that the electrical connection between the control circuit 101 and the recording head IJH be made by a normal connector or a card edge type connector. According to the configuration of this embodiment, since the sequence control unit 221 and the command control unit 120 are provided in the print head, the print head corresponds to the sequence command sent from the control circuit 101 provided on the main body side of the printing apparatus. Any control within is achieved in a self-contained manner.
[0108]
FIG. 15 is a schematic block diagram showing a control instruction communication system according to this embodiment.
[0109]
In FIG. 15, a minimum necessary command 304 is a sequence command in which a plurality of commands are sequenced, and is directly transferred to the print head IJH. In accordance with the sequence command 304, for example, the command lines 1 and 2 described in the second embodiment are executed in the print head.
[0110]
In FIG. 15, a sequence control unit 221 and a command control unit 120 have the same functions as those described in the second embodiment or the first embodiment. Since it is the same as the second embodiment, the description is omitted here.
[0111]
This sequence can be processed in parallel according to the function of the recording head. For example, self-contained processing such as monitoring the temperature change of the recording head while driving the recording element and changing the value of the register in which the recording energy data is set to control the driving when the temperature reaches a specific temperature can be achieved. On the other hand, the control circuit on the main body side of the recording apparatus only needs to send a desired sequence command before transferring the image data, so that high-performance control can be achieved only with a simple control command system.
[0112]
As described above, according to the first to third embodiments, the following effects can be obtained.
[0113]
(1) Since only necessary characteristic information can be extracted from the recording apparatus side from the characteristic information held by the recording head, it is possible to extract information as compared with the conventional case where all information is extracted from the recording head. Saves time.
[0114]
(2) A configuration in which the contents of a command from a control circuit provided on the main body side of the printing apparatus are interpreted and the necessary information is obtained by accessing the memory of each printing head is provided on the carriage side separately from the control circuit. Or by providing a control unit inside the printhead, when the printing apparatus retrieves information from the printhead, by transmitting a command to the control unit on the carriage side or the control unit of the printhead, Obtain necessary information from the recording head. With this configuration, even when a print head having a different memory specification or a storage address of characteristic information is used, only information required by the printing apparatus main body can be reliably obtained. Another advantage is that the degree of freedom in designing the memory of the recording head is increased.
[0115]
The location of the command control unit provided to realize the configuration of interpreting the command from the printing apparatus and fetching necessary data is located on the carriage of the printing apparatus as in the second embodiment. As in the third embodiment, it can be provided on any of the recording head and the element substrate (element substrate provided with the heating element) constituting the recording head.
[0116]
As described in detail above, according to each embodiment, even in the case of complicated drive control accompanying the enhancement of the function of the print head, the print head control from the main body of the printing apparatus can be simplified in the form of command communication. effective. For example, even when accessing a memory provided in the recording head and holding a plurality of pieces of information, any information can be accessed, read out and referenced, and controlled, so that the processing can be performed in a short time. . Furthermore, these controls can be performed in parallel with the execution of other processing, and the control time related to the recording head is greatly reduced as in the related art.
[0117]
Further, the configuration of each of the above embodiments is achieved by setting a command format corresponding to the printhead, and this command format serves as a control line linking the printhead and a printing apparatus equipped with the printhead. Even in the case of using a recording head, the carriage-side control unit controls commands from a control circuit provided in the main body of the recording apparatus in accordance with the purpose, thereby providing an effect of systematizing a command format.
[0118]
Even if the printhead becomes more sophisticated, if a command format corresponding to the advanced function is added, the advanced printhead can be used, so the command system itself is retained, and commands used in the past can be used. Can be used continuously. Further, by using a sequence command in which a plurality of commands are combined, it is possible to perform more sophisticated control.
[0119]
Further, since the present invention has a configuration in which the printing apparatus, the carriage control unit, and the print head are linked in the form of command communication, the control according to the present invention is not affected by the respective electrical and mechanical configurations, software sequences, and the like. Needless to say.
[0120]
In the above embodiments, the description has been made assuming that the droplets ejected from the recording head are ink, and the liquid contained in the ink tank is ink, but the contained matter is limited to ink. Not something. For example, an ink tank may contain a processing liquid discharged to a recording medium in order to improve the fixing property and water resistance of the recorded image or to improve the image quality.
[0121]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, an ink jet recording apparatus has been described as an example. However, it is apparent that the present invention can be applied to a recording apparatus employing another method, for example, a thermal recording apparatus. Would.
[0122]
However, the above-described embodiment includes a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for causing ink to be ejected, particularly in an ink jet recording system. By using a method that causes a change in the state of the ink, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.
[0123]
Regarding the typical configuration and principle, it is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path holding the liquid (ink). Applying at least one drive signal corresponding to recording information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling to the electrothermal transducer, thereby causing the electrothermal transducer to generate heat energy, and This is effective because a film in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal can be formed on a one-to-one basis by causing film boiling on the heat acting surface. By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed. When the drive signal is in a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable.
[0124]
As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.
[0125]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, a serial type recording apparatus that performs recording by scanning a recording head is used. However, a full line type recording apparatus using a recording head having a length corresponding to the width of a recording medium is used. May be. As a full-line type recording head, either a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification or a configuration as one integrally formed recording head is used. May be.
[0126]
In addition, not only the cartridge-type recording head in which the ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself described in the above embodiment, but also the electrical connection with the apparatus main body by being mounted on the apparatus main body. A replaceable chip-type recording head that can supply ink from the apparatus main body may be used.
[0127]
It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like to the configuration of the printing apparatus described above because the printing operation can be further stabilized. Specific examples thereof include capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or sucking means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof. It is also effective to provide a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection that is different from printing, in order to perform stable printing.
[0128]
Further, the printing mode of the printing apparatus is not limited to a printing mode of only a mainstream color such as black, and may be a printing head integrally formed or a combination of a plurality of printing heads. The device may be provided with at least one of the full colors.
[0129]
In the above-described embodiment, the description has been made on the assumption that the ink is a liquid.However, even if the ink solidifies at room temperature or below, an ink that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used. Alternatively, in the ink jet system, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. It is sufficient if the ink is sometimes in a liquid state.
[0130]
In addition to the above, the recording apparatus according to the present invention may include, as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer, an integrated or separate apparatus, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a transmission / reception function. It may take the form of a facsimile machine.
[0131]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that necessary information can be efficiently extracted at high speed from information held by the recording head.
Further, there is an advantage that the degree of freedom in using the memory mounted on the recording head can be increased.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an ink jet recording apparatus which is a typical embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit of the printing apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration for acquiring characteristic information stored in a memory provided in a print head according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing a control instruction communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control instruction.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration example of a table that associates addresses of information stored in a memory block with information identification names.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a recording head applicable to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing a specific example of a configuration of a circuit for time-divisionally driving a plurality of printing elements that perform printing by discharging ink using heat for each block.
FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram showing a specific example of a configuration of a circuit for time-divisionally driving a plurality of printing elements for performing printing by discharging ink using heat for each block.
FIG. 10 is a timing chart of signals input to the circuit shown in FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration for acquiring characteristic information stored in a memory provided in a print head according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram showing a control instruction communication system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a sequence control unit 221 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration for acquiring characteristic information stored in a memory provided in a print head according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a schematic block diagram showing a control instruction communication system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 electrothermal conversion element
2 Functional elements
3 electrical connection
4 Power line
5 Ground line
6 AND circuit
7 Decoder
8 Latch
9 Shift register
101 control circuit
102 Carriage side controller
120 Command control unit
121 Memory control unit
124 drive control unit
130 head block
131 memory
132 Head drive controller
133 Head detector
134 Recording element
221 Sequence control unit
1700 interface
1701 MPU
1702 ROM
1703 DRAM
1704 Gate array (GA)
1709 Transport motor
1706 Motor driver
1707 Motor driver
5013 Carriage motor
HC carriage
IJC inkjet cartridge
IJH recording head
IT ink tank

Claims (1)

A printhead having a print element and a storage unit for storing characteristic information, a first control unit for controlling the overall operation of the printing apparatus, and a second control unit operable independently of the first control unit A control method for a recording apparatus, comprising:
An instruction generating step of generating, from the first control unit, an instruction for acquiring specific information from information held in a storage unit of the recording head;
The second control unit receives a control instruction generated from the first control unit in the instruction generation step, generates an address for accessing a storage unit of the recording head, and stores the address in the storage unit using the address. An obtaining step of accessing and obtaining specific information according to the instruction;
Controlling the drive of the recording head in the second control unit based on the information for driving the recording head generated based on the information acquired in the acquiring step. Control method of recording device.

Images