JP2013052583A - Image forming apparatus and liquid filling method in the image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that a mechanism for increasing liquidity of liquid at an initial filling time is complex.SOLUTION: When starting ink filling from a no-ink state (empty state) of flow passage, or when a common liquid chamber 110, liquid chamber 106, and nozzle 104 in a recording head 34 are not filled with ink, all of piezoelectric members 112, to begin with, are given a common drive waveform. Thereby, the piezoelectric members 112 are driven to generate heat so that a flow passage plate 101 and frame member 117 are warmed. Under such a condition, an ink filling action for the recording head 34 is started.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a liquid filling method in the image forming apparatus.

  As an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, a plotter, and a complex machine of these, for example, a liquid discharge recording method using a liquid discharge head (also referred to as a droplet discharge head) for discharging ink droplets as a recording head. An ink jet recording apparatus or the like is known as an image forming apparatus.

  By the way, in the liquid ejection head, if bubbles are mixed in the flow path, ejection failure such as ejection bend of the ejected droplets or inability to eject occurs, and stable droplet ejection cannot be performed. Will drop.

  In particular, when the liquid discharge head is filled with the liquid for the first time, or when the liquid in the liquid discharge head is once emptied and washed to be replaced, and then the replacement liquid is filled (hereinafter referred to as “initial filling”). )), Bubbles are easily mixed. When the viscosity of the liquid itself is high, or when the liquid viscosity is increased in a low temperature environment, the fluidity of the liquid is lowered, so that it is difficult to discharge the mixed bubbles.

  Therefore, conventionally, a heating means is provided in the ink supply path to increase the ink temperature, thereby lowering the viscosity, improving the discharge property of bubbles mixed during the initial filling, and improving the initial filling property. (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2003-127417 A JP-A-9-164702

  However, as described above, in the configuration in which the heating unit is provided in the supply path, there is a problem that the configuration becomes complicated and the cost increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to improve the initial filling property by improving the bubble discharging property at the initial filling time with a simple configuration.

In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention provides:
A liquid discharge head having a nozzle for discharging liquid droplets, a liquid chamber in communication with the nozzle, and a pressure generating means for generating pressure for pressurizing the liquid in the liquid chamber;
Head driving means for driving the pressure generating means;
When filling the liquid from a state in which the liquid ejection head is not filled with the liquid,
And a means for starting the liquid filling operation after the pressure generating means is driven by the head driving means.

An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes:
A plurality of nozzles that discharge droplets, a plurality of individual liquid chambers that communicate with the plurality of nozzles, a common liquid chamber that supplies liquid to the plurality of individual liquid chambers, and a pressure in the liquid in the individual liquid chambers A liquid discharge head having pressure generating means for generating pressure;
Head driving means for driving the pressure generating means;
When filling the liquid from a state in which the liquid ejection head is not filled with the liquid,
Means for driving the pressure generating means by the head driving means in a state where the liquid is filled in the common liquid chamber, and then starting the liquid filling operation downstream from the common liquid chamber. It was set as the composition.

  Here, during at least a part of the period during the liquid filling operation, the pressure generating means can be driven by the head driving means.

  In the filling operation, filling and filling stop can be intermittently performed.

  Further, the pressure generating means can be driven by an integral multiple of the natural vibration period of the liquid chamber by the head driving means.

Further, the pressure generating means is a laminated piezoelectric member,
A depth of the common liquid chamber in the expansion / contraction direction of the multilayer piezoelectric member may be smaller than a length of the multilayer piezoelectric member in the expansion / contraction direction.

The liquid filling method in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes:
A plurality of nozzles that discharge droplets, a plurality of individual liquid chambers that communicate with the plurality of nozzles, a common liquid chamber that supplies liquid to the plurality of individual liquid chambers, and a pressure in the liquid in the individual liquid chambers A liquid filling method in an image forming apparatus for filling a liquid discharge head having a pressure generating means for generating pressure with the liquid,
When filling the liquid from a state in which the liquid ejection head is not filled with the liquid,
In a state where the liquid discharge head is not filled with the liquid or in a state where the common liquid chamber is filled with the liquid, the pressure generating unit is driven and then the liquid filling operation is started or the common liquid chamber is started. The operation of filling the liquid downstream from the liquid chamber is started.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when the liquid is filled from a state where the liquid ejection head is not filled with the liquid, the liquid filling operation is started after the pressure generating unit is driven by the head driving unit. Therefore, with a simple configuration, the temperature of the liquid to be filled can be raised to improve the fluidity, the ability to discharge bubbles mixed during filling is increased, and the initial filling property is improved.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when filling the liquid from the state where the liquid ejection head is not filled with the liquid, the pressure generating unit is driven by the head driving unit while the liquid is filled in the common liquid chamber. After that, the operation of filling the liquid downstream from the common liquid chamber is started, so that the fluidity can be improved by increasing the temperature of the liquid to be filled with a simple structure, and bubbles mixed during filling As a result, the initial filling property is improved.

  According to the liquid filling method in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, when the liquid is filled from the state in which the liquid ejection head is not filled with the liquid, the liquid ejection head is not filled with the liquid or the common liquid chamber. After the pressure generating means is driven in a state filled with liquid, the liquid filling operation is started or the operation for filling the liquid downstream from the common liquid chamber is started. The fluidity can be increased by raising the temperature of the liquid to be filled, the dischargeability of bubbles mixed during filling is increased, and the initial filling property is improved.

1 is a schematic side view illustrating an overall configuration of a mechanism unit of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is principal part plane explanatory drawing of the mechanism part. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional explanatory view in the longitudinal direction of the liquid chamber showing an example of a liquid discharge head constituting the recording head of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 5 is an explanatory cross-sectional view for explaining an expansion stroke of the liquid discharge head. FIG. 6 is an explanatory cross-sectional view for explaining the contraction process of the liquid discharge head. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the ink supply / discharge system of the same apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block explanatory diagram illustrating an overview of a control unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a block explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a print control unit and a head driver of the control unit. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of control of the initial filling operation | movement in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the drive waveform which a piezoelectric member applies. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of control of the initial filling operation | movement in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of control of the initial filling operation | movement in 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of an example of the temperature change in the same embodiment. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of an example of the relationship between the pulse width of a drive waveform, and droplet speed.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an explanatory side view for explaining the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of a main part of the apparatus.

  This image forming apparatus is a serial type ink jet recording apparatus, and a carriage 33 is slidable in a main scanning direction by main and sub guide rods 31 and 32 which are guide members horizontally mounted on the left and right side plates 21A and 21B of the apparatus main body 1. 2 is moved and scanned in the direction indicated by the arrow (carriage main scanning direction) in FIG. 2 via a timing belt by a main scanning motor (not shown).

  The carriage 33 is provided with recording heads 34a and 34b composed of liquid ejection heads for ejecting ink droplets of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K). The “recording head 34” is arranged in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, and the ink droplet ejection direction is directed downward.

  Each of the recording heads 34 has two nozzle rows. One nozzle row of the recording head 34a has black (K) droplets, the other nozzle row has cyan (C) droplets, and the recording head 34b has one nozzle row. One nozzle row ejects magenta (M) droplets, and the other nozzle row ejects yellow (Y) droplets. As the recording head 34, a recording head having a nozzle row of each color in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged on one nozzle surface can be used.

  The carriage 33 has head tanks 35a and 35b as second ink supply units for supplying ink of each color corresponding to the nozzle rows of the recording head 34 (referred to as “head tank 35” when not distinguished). It is equipped with. From the ink cartridges (main tanks) 10y, 10m, 10c, and 10k of the respective colors that are detachably attached to the cartridge loading unit 4 to the head tank 35, the respective colors are supplied by the supply pump unit 24 through the supply tubes 36 of the respective colors. The recording liquid is replenished.

  On the other hand, as a paper feeding unit for feeding the papers 42 stacked on the paper stacking unit (pressure plate) 41 of the paper feeding tray 2, a half-moon roller (feeding) that separates and feeds the papers 42 one by one from the paper stacking unit 41. A separation pad 44 made of a material having a large friction coefficient is provided facing the paper roller 43) and the paper feed roller 43, and the separation pad 44 is urged toward the paper feed roller 43 side.

  In order to feed the paper 42 fed from the paper feeding unit to the lower side of the recording head 34, a guide member 45 for guiding the paper 42, a counter roller 46, a transport guide member 47, and a tip pressure roller. And a holding belt 48 which is a conveying means for electrostatically attracting the fed paper 42 and conveying it at a position facing the recording head 34.

  The transport belt 51 is an endless belt, and is configured to wrap around the transport roller 52 and the tension roller 53 and circulate in the belt transport direction (sub-scanning direction). Further, a charging roller 56 that is a charging unit for charging the surface of the transport belt 51 is provided. The charging roller 56 is disposed so as to come into contact with the surface layer of the transport belt 51 and to rotate following the rotation of the transport belt 51. The transport belt 51 rotates in the belt transport direction of FIG. 2 when the transport roller 52 is rotationally driven through timing by a sub-scanning motor (not shown).

  Further, as a paper discharge unit for discharging the paper 42 recorded by the recording head 34, a separation claw 61 for separating the paper 42 from the conveying belt 51, a paper discharge roller 62, and a spur 63 that is a paper discharge roller. And a paper discharge tray 3 below the paper discharge roller 62.

  A duplex unit 71 is detachably mounted on the back surface of the apparatus body 1. The duplex unit 71 takes in the paper 42 returned by the reverse rotation of the conveyance belt 51, reverses it, and feeds it again between the counter roller 46 and the conveyance belt 51. The upper surface of the duplex unit 71 is a manual feed tray 72.

  Further, a maintenance / recovery mechanism 81 for maintaining and recovering the nozzle state of the recording head 34 is disposed in the non-printing area on one side of the carriage 33 in the scanning direction. The maintenance / recovery mechanism 81 includes cap members (hereinafter referred to as “caps”) 82a and 82b (hereinafter referred to as “caps 82” when not distinguished from each other) for capping the nozzle surfaces of the recording head 34, and nozzle surfaces. A wiper member (wiper blade) 83 for wiping the recording medium, an empty discharge receiver 84 for receiving liquid droplets when performing empty discharge for discharging liquid droplets that do not contribute to recording in order to discharge the thickened recording liquid, and a carriage And a carriage lock 87 for locking 33. Further, a waste liquid tank 99 for storing waste liquid generated by the maintenance and recovery operation is mounted on the lower side of the head maintenance and recovery mechanism 81 in a replaceable manner with respect to the apparatus main body.

  Further, in the non-printing area on the other side of the carriage 33 in the scanning direction, there is an empty space for receiving liquid droplets when performing empty discharge for discharging liquid droplets that do not contribute to recording in order to discharge the recording liquid thickened during recording or the like. A discharge receiver 88 is disposed, and the idle discharge receiver 88 includes an opening 89 along the nozzle row direction of the recording head 34.

  In this image forming apparatus configured as described above, the sheets 42 are separated and fed one by one from the sheet feed tray 2, and the sheet 42 fed substantially vertically upward is guided by the guide 45, and includes the transport belt 51 and the counter. It is sandwiched between the rollers 46 and conveyed, and the leading end is guided by the conveying guide 37 and pressed against the conveying belt 51 by the leading end pressing roller 49, and the conveying direction is changed by approximately 90 °.

  At this time, a voltage is applied to the charging roller 56 so that a positive output and a negative output are alternately repeated, and the conveying belt 51 is charged with an alternating charging voltage pattern, and the sheet 42 is placed on the charged conveying belt 51. When fed, the paper 42 is attracted to the transport belt 51, and the paper 42 is transported in the sub-scanning direction by the circular movement of the transport belt 51.

  Therefore, by driving the recording head 34 according to the image signal while moving the carriage 33, ink droplets are ejected onto the stopped paper 42 to record one line, and after the paper 42 is conveyed by a predetermined amount, Record the next line. Upon receiving a recording end signal or a signal that the trailing edge of the paper 42 has reached the recording area, the recording operation is finished and the paper 42 is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 3.

  When performing the maintenance and recovery of the nozzles of the recording head 34, the nozzle 33 performs the suction from the nozzles by moving the carriage 33 to a position facing the maintenance and recovery mechanism 81 which is the home position and performing capping by the cap member 82. By performing a maintenance and recovery operation such as an empty discharge operation for discharging droplets that do not contribute to image formation, it is possible to perform image formation by stable droplet discharge.

  Next, an example of the liquid discharge head constituting the recording head 34 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory sectional view taken along the liquid chamber longitudinal direction (direction orthogonal to the nozzle arrangement direction) of the head.

  This liquid discharge head 100 is composed of an individual liquid chamber (pressurization) in which a flow path plate 101, a vibration plate member 102, and a nozzle plate 103 are joined, and a nozzle 104 that discharges liquid droplets communicates via a communication path 105. Chamber, pressurized liquid chamber, pressure chamber, individual flow path, pressure generation chamber, etc. Hereinafter, simply referred to as “liquid chamber”) 106, fluid for supplying liquid to the liquid chamber 106 A resistance portion 107 and a liquid introduction portion 108 are formed, respectively, and liquid (ink) is introduced into the liquid introduction portion 108 from a common liquid chamber 110 formed in a frame member 117 described later through a filter 109 formed in the vibration plate member 102. Then, ink is supplied from the liquid introduction unit 108 to the liquid chamber 106 via the fluid resistance unit 107.

  The flow path plate 101 is formed by laminating metal plates 101A and 101B such as SUS to form openings and groove portions such as the communication path 5, the liquid chamber 106, the fluid resistance portion 107, and the liquid introduction portion 108, respectively. The diaphragm member 102 is a wall surface member that forms the wall surface of each liquid chamber 106, fluid resistance portion 107, liquid introduction portion 108, and the like, and a member that forms the filter portion 109. The flow path plate 101 is not limited to a metal plate such as SUS, and may be formed by anisotropic etching of a silicon substrate.

  Then, a columnar shape as a drive element (actuator means, pressure generating means) that generates energy for pressurizing the ink in the liquid chamber 106 to the surface opposite to the liquid chamber 106 of the vibration plate member 102 and ejecting droplets from the nozzle 104. A laminated piezoelectric member 112 which is an electromechanical conversion element is joined. One end of the piezoelectric member 112 is joined to the base member 113, and the FPC 115 that transmits a driving waveform is connected to the piezoelectric member 112. These elements constitute the piezoelectric actuator 111.

  In this example, the liquid discharge head has four rows of nozzles 104 arranged. Further, although the piezoelectric member 112 is used in the d33 mode that expands and contracts in the stacking direction, it may be in the d31 mode that expands and contracts in the direction orthogonal to the stacking direction.

  In the liquid ejection head 100 configured as described above, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the piezoelectric member 112 contracts and the diaphragm member 102 deforms by lowering the voltage applied to the piezoelectric member 112 from the reference potential Ve. As the volume of the liquid chamber 106 expands, ink flows into the liquid chamber 106, and then the voltage applied to the piezoelectric member 112 is increased to extend the piezoelectric member 112 in the stacking direction, as shown in FIG. The diaphragm member 102 is deformed in the direction of the nozzle 104 to contract the volume of the liquid chamber 106, whereby the ink in the liquid chamber 106 is pressurized and the droplet 301 is ejected from the nozzle 104.

  Then, by returning the voltage applied to the piezoelectric member 112 to the reference potential, the diaphragm member 102 is restored to the initial position, and the liquid chamber 106 expands and negative pressure is generated. The chamber 106 is filled with ink. Therefore, after the vibration of the meniscus surface of the nozzle 104 is attenuated and stabilized, the operation proceeds to the next droplet discharge.

Next, an ink supply / discharge system in the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.
First, ink is supplied from the ink cartridge (hereinafter referred to as “main tank”) 10 to the head tank 35 through a supply tube 36 by a liquid supply pump 241 which is a liquid supply means of the supply pump unit 24. The liquid feed pump 241 is a reversible pump constituted by a tube pump or the like, and can perform an operation of supplying ink from the ink cartridge 10 to the head tank 35 and an operation of returning ink from the head tank 35 to the ink cartridge 10. I try to do it.

  The maintenance / recovery mechanism 81 has the suction cap 82a for capping the nozzle surface of the recording head 34 and the suction pump 812 connected to the suction cap 82a as described above, and the suction pump 812 is capped with the cap 82a. By driving the, the ink in the head tank 35 can be sucked by sucking ink from the nozzles via the suction tube 811. The sucked waste ink is discharged to the waste liquid tank 99.

  Next, an outline of the control unit of the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory block diagram of the control unit.

  The controller 500 controls the entire apparatus, a CPU 511, a ROM 502 for storing fixed data such as various programs including a program for controlling the filling operation according to the present invention executed by the CPU 511, and temporarily stores image data and the like. RAM 503, a rewritable nonvolatile memory 504 for holding data even while the apparatus is powered off, image processing for performing various signal processing and rearrangement on image data, and other overall apparatus control And an ASIC 505 for processing input / output signals.

  Further, a print control unit 508 including a data transfer unit for driving and controlling the recording head 34 and a driving signal generating unit, a head driver (driver IC) 509 for driving the recording head 34 provided on the carriage 33 side, A main scanning motor 554 that moves and scans the carriage 33, a sub-scanning motor 555 that moves the conveyor belt 51 around, a movement of the cap 82 and the wiper member 83 of the maintenance and recovery mechanism 81, and a maintenance and recovery motor 556 that drives the suction pump 812 and the like are driven. For example, a motor drive unit 510 for supplying an AC bias to the charging roller 56, a supply system drive unit 512 for driving the liquid feed pump 241, and the like.

  The control unit 500 is connected to an operation panel 514 for inputting and displaying information necessary for the apparatus.

  The control unit 500 has an I / F 506 for transmitting and receiving data and signals to and from the host side, an information processing device such as a personal computer, an image reading device such as an image scanner, an imaging device such as a digital camera, and the like. From the host 600 side via the cable or network via the I / F 506.

  The CPU 501 of the control unit 500 reads and analyzes the print data in the reception buffer included in the I / F 506, performs necessary image processing, data rearrangement processing, and the like in the ASIC 505, and prints the image data. The data is transferred from the unit 508 to the head driver 509. In order to output an image, dot pattern data can be generated by the printer driver 601 on the host 600 side or by the control unit 500.

  The print control unit 508 transfers the above-described image data as serial data, and outputs a transfer clock, a latch signal, a control signal, and the like necessary for transferring the image data and confirming the transfer to the head driver 509. Including a D / A converter for D / A converting D / A conversion of drive pulse pattern data stored in the ROM, a voltage signal amplifier, a current amplifier, and the like, and a drive signal or a plurality of drive pulses Is output to the head driver 509.

  The head driver 509 selects a driving pulse constituting a driving waveform provided from the print control unit 508 based on image data corresponding to one line of the recording head 34 input serially, and drops droplets of the recording head 34. The recording head 34 is driven by applying it to the piezoelectric member 112 as pressure generating means for generating energy to be discharged. At this time, by selecting part or all of the pulses constituting the drive waveform or all or part of the waveform elements forming the pulses, for example, dots of different sizes such as large drops, medium drops, and small drops Can be sorted out.

  The I / O unit 513 acquires information from various sensor groups 515 mounted on the apparatus, extracts information necessary for controlling the printer, a print control unit 508, a motor drive unit 510, and an AC bias supply unit. Used to control 511. The sensor group 515 includes an optical sensor for detecting the position of the paper, a thermistor for monitoring the temperature in the machine, a sensor for monitoring the voltage of the charging belt, an interlock switch for detecting opening and closing of the cover, and the like. The I / O unit 513 can process various sensor information.

  Next, an example of the print control unit 508 and the head driver 509 will be described with reference to the block explanatory diagram of FIG.

  The print control unit 508 generates a drive waveform (common drive waveform) composed of a plurality of pulses (drive signals) within one print cycle (one drive cycle) during image formation, and outputs a drive waveform generation unit 701. A data transfer unit 702 that outputs 2-bit image data (gradation signals 0 and 1) corresponding to a print image, a clock signal, a latch signal (LAT), and droplet control signals M0 to M3 is provided.

  The droplet control signal is a 2-bit signal that instructs each droplet to open and close an analog switch 715, which will be described later, of the head driver 209. A pulse or waveform to be selected in accordance with the printing cycle of the common drive waveform. The element makes a state transition to the H level (ON), and when not selected, makes a state transition to the L level (OFF).

  The head driver 509 receives a transfer clock (shift clock) from the data transfer unit 702 and serial image data (gradation data: 2 bits / 1 channel (1 nozzle)), and register values of the shift register 711. Is latched by a latch signal, a decoder 713 that decodes gradation data and control signals M0 to M3 and outputs the result, and a logic level voltage signal of the decoder 713 is a level at which the analog switch 715 can operate. A level shifter 714 that performs level conversion to an analog switch, and an analog switch 715 that is turned on / off (opened / closed) by an output of a decoder 713 provided via the level shifter 714.

  The analog switch 715 is connected to the selection electrode (individual electrode) of each piezoelectric member 112, and the common drive waveform Pv from the drive waveform generation unit 701 is input. Accordingly, the analog switch 715 is turned on in accordance with the result of decoding the serially transferred image data (gradation data) and the control signals M0 to M3 by the decoder 713, so that the required pulses (which constitute the common drive waveform Pv) ( Alternatively, the waveform element is passed (selected) and applied to the piezoelectric member 112.

  Next, the control of the initial filling operation by the control unit in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When ink filling is started from a state where ink is not filled in the flow paths such as the common liquid chamber 110, the liquid chamber 106, and the nozzle 104 in the recording head 34 (empty state), first, all the piezoelectric members 112 are used. The piezoelectric member 112 is driven by giving a common drive waveform to the. At this time, the drive waveform applied to the piezoelectric member 112 is not intended to eject droplets, and may be, for example, a simple ON / OFF waveform as shown in FIG. This waveform is also stored and held in the ROM 502 in advance.

  By driving the piezoelectric member 112, the piezoelectric member 112 generates heat, and the flow path plate 101 and the frame member 117 are heated. Therefore, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time (this is referred to as “predetermined driving time”) from the start of driving of the piezoelectric member 112 until the flow path plate 101 and the frame member 117 are warmed.

  Then, when a predetermined driving time has elapsed, an ink filling operation for the recording head 34 is started. In this ink filling operation, the liquid feeding pump 241 is driven to feed ink from the main tank 10, while the suction pump 812 is driven in a state where the nozzle face of the recording head 34 is capped by the suction cap 82a. Pressurized suction supply is performed.

  At this time, the ink supplied to the common liquid chamber 110 of the recording head 34 is heated when the frame member 117 is warmed, and the flow path plate 101 is also warmed, so that the liquid chamber 106 is also warmed. . As a result, the viscosity of the supplied ink is lowered, the fluidity of the ink in the recording head 34 is increased, and the bubbles generated by the filling and the bubbles mixed in the ink are easily discharged from the nozzle 104 together with the ink.

  In addition, as a filling operation, a tube pump that can be connected as the liquid feed pump 241 may be used, and only the suction pump 812 may be driven to supply the suction into the head 34, or the liquid feed may be performed. Only the pump 241 may be driven to supply pressure in the head 34.

  Here, filling is started after the piezoelectric member 112 is driven for a predetermined time. However, instead of managing the driving time of the piezoelectric member 112, a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the head is provided, and the detection temperature is determined in advance. It is also possible to start filling when the predetermined temperature is reached.

  Then, it is determined whether or not ink filling is completed. When filling is completed, the driving of the piezoelectric member 112 is stopped and the filling operation is finished.

  As described above, when filling the liquid from a state where the liquid discharge head is not filled with the liquid, the liquid filling operation is started after the pressure generating means is driven by the head driving means, thereby simplifying the structure. Thus, the temperature of the liquid to be filled can be raised to improve the fluidity, the discharge property of bubbles mixed during filling is increased, and the initial filling property is improved.

  Next, the control of the initial filling operation by the control unit in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Here, after ink is filled up to the common liquid chamber 110 of the recording head 34, the piezoelectric member 112 is driven to heat the ink in the common liquid chamber 110, and then downstream from the common liquid chamber 110. The ink filling operation is resumed. In this case as well, the head temperature and the ink temperature can be detected, and the filling operation can be resumed when the temperature becomes a predetermined temperature or higher.

  In this way, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the frame member 117 from rapidly decreasing by supplying ink to the common liquid chamber 110 after the frame member 117 is heated by driving the piezoelectric member 112.

  Next, control of the initial filling operation in the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When ink filling is started from a state where ink is not filled in the flow paths such as the common liquid chamber 110, the liquid chamber 106, and the nozzle 104 in the head (empty state), first, common to all the piezoelectric members 112. The piezoelectric member 112 is driven by giving a driving waveform.

  By driving the piezoelectric member 112, the piezoelectric member 112 generates heat, and the flow path plate 101 and the frame member 117 are heated. Therefore, it is determined whether or not a first predetermined time has elapsed from the start of driving of the piezoelectric member 112 until the flow path plate 101 and the frame member 117 are warmed.

  Then, when the first predetermined time has elapsed, the ink filling operation for a predetermined time (or a predetermined amount) with respect to the head is started and the filling operation is stopped.

  Thereafter, the driving of the piezoelectric member 112 is stopped.

  Then, when the second predetermined time has elapsed, the filling operation for a predetermined time (or a predetermined amount) is resumed.

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not ink filling is completed. When filling is completed, the driving of the piezoelectric member 112 is stopped and the filling operation is ended. When the filling operation is resumed, the piezoelectric member 112 can be driven again. In this case, a process for stopping the driving of the piezoelectric member 112 when the filling is completed is added.

  In other words, by filling the ink in a state where the piezoelectric member 112 is driven and the head is warmed, the temperature of the warmed head is lowered. Therefore, the filling is stopped when the ink is filled for a predetermined time (or a predetermined amount), and the driving of the piezoelectric member 112 is stopped.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 13, by stopping the filling, there is no supply of a new low temperature liquid, and even if the driving of the piezoelectric member 112 is stopped, the temperature rises suddenly. Therefore, by restarting the filling in this state, the ink viscosity is lowered and the fluidity is increased, so that the bubble discharge performance is improved.

  In other words, in the filling operation, filling and stopping of filling are intermittently performed to prevent the fluidity from being lowered due to a temperature drop due to a new liquid supply at a low temperature, and filling can be performed while the fluidity is improved. As a result, the bubble discharging property is improved and the initial filling property is improved.

  Here, the relationship between the length of the piezoelectric member 112 in the expansion / contraction direction and the depth of the common liquid chamber 110 in the same direction will be described with reference to FIG. 3 described above.

  The depth of the common liquid chamber 110 in the expansion / contraction direction of the piezoelectric member 112 is smaller than the length of the piezoelectric member 112 in the expansion / contraction direction. This makes it easier to heat the ink supplied to the common liquid chamber 110.

  Specifically, the multilayer piezoelectric member 112 generates heat when driven. Here, the common liquid chamber 110 provided in the frame member 117 is in the vicinity of the multilayer piezoelectric member 112, and the depth of the common liquid chamber 110 is shorter than the length of the multilayer piezoelectric member 112. Further, since the partition wall 118 on the piezoelectric member 112 side of the common liquid chamber 110 of the frame member 117 is thin, for example, about 1 mm to 2 mm, heat from the multilayer piezoelectric member 112 is easily transmitted. That is, when the supply of new ink is stopped, the heat of the laminated piezoelectric member 112 is transmitted, and the temperature of the ink is likely to rise even if the driving of the laminated piezoelectric member 112 is stopped. Naturally, the temperature of the ink is also transmitted from the vibration plate member 102 and rises.

Next, driving waveforms for driving the piezoelectric member 112 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 14 described above.
The period of the drive waveform for driving the piezoelectric member 112 is the natural vibration period Tc of the liquid chamber 6 (or an integer multiple of the natural vibration period Tc). At this time, the pulse width PW is a pulse width at which the natural vibration period Tc (or an integer multiple of the natural vibration period Tc) is obtained.

  That is, the velocity of the droplet when the pulse width Pw (see FIG. 10) of the pulse waveform is changed changes as shown in FIG. 14, and when the pulse width Pw of the drive pulse is increased, the natural period of the head The speed of the droplet varies. At this time, the efficiency is most improved (the speed of the droplet is increased) when it is at the position of the point PW in FIG. This is called pulse width resonance driving. Further, the droplet ejection efficiency is increased by setting the period of the pulse waveform to a natural period. Thereby, the ink filled in the liquid chamber 6 can be efficiently vibrated to improve the fluidity, and the bubble discharge property can be further improved.

  In the present application, the “paper” is not limited to paper, but includes OHP, cloth, glass, a substrate, etc., and means a material to which ink droplets or other liquids can be attached. , Recording media, recording paper, recording paper, and the like. In addition, image formation, recording, printing, printing, and printing are all synonymous.

  The “image forming apparatus” means an apparatus that forms an image by discharging liquid onto a medium such as paper, thread, fiber, fabric, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics, etc. “Formation” means not only giving an image having a meaning such as a character or a figure to a medium but also giving an image having no meaning such as a pattern to the medium (simply causing a droplet to land on the medium). ) Also means.

  The “ink” is not limited to an ink unless otherwise specified, but includes any liquid that can form an image, such as a recording liquid, a fixing processing liquid, or a liquid. Used generically, for example, includes DNA samples, resists, pattern materials, resins, and the like.

  In addition, the “image” is not limited to a planar image, and includes an image given to a three-dimensionally formed image and an image formed by three-dimensionally modeling a solid itself.

  Further, the image forming apparatus includes both a serial type image forming apparatus and a line type image forming apparatus, unless otherwise limited.

10 Ink cartridge (main tank)
33 Carriage 34, 34a, 34b Recording head (liquid ejection head)
35 Head tank 100 Liquid discharge head 106 Individual liquid chamber 110 Common liquid chamber 112 Piezoelectric member (pressure generating means)
500 control unit 508 print control unit 701 drive waveform generation unit

Claims (7)

A liquid discharge head having a nozzle for discharging liquid droplets, a liquid chamber in communication with the nozzle, and a pressure generating means for generating pressure for pressurizing the liquid in the liquid chamber;
Head driving means for driving the pressure generating means;
When filling the liquid from a state in which the liquid ejection head is not filled with the liquid,
An image forming apparatus comprising: means for starting the liquid filling operation after driving the pressure generating means by the head driving means. A plurality of nozzles that discharge droplets, a plurality of individual liquid chambers that communicate with the plurality of nozzles, a common liquid chamber that supplies liquid to the plurality of individual liquid chambers, and a pressure in the liquid in the individual liquid chambers A liquid discharge head having pressure generating means for generating pressure;
Head driving means for driving the pressure generating means;
When filling the liquid from a state in which the liquid ejection head is not filled with the liquid,
Means for driving the pressure generating means by the head driving means in a state where the liquid is filled in the common liquid chamber, and then starting the liquid filling operation downstream from the common liquid chamber. An image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure generating unit is driven by the head driving unit during at least a part of the liquid filling operation.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the filling operation, filling and filling stop are performed intermittently.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure generating unit is driven by an integral multiple of a natural vibration period of the liquid chamber by the head driving unit. The pressure generating means is a laminated piezoelectric member;
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a depth of the multi-layer piezoelectric member in the expansion / contraction direction of the common liquid chamber is smaller than a length of the multi-layer piezoelectric member in the expansion / contraction direction. A plurality of nozzles that discharge droplets, a plurality of individual liquid chambers that communicate with the plurality of nozzles, a common liquid chamber that supplies liquid to the plurality of individual liquid chambers, and a pressure in the liquid in the individual liquid chambers A liquid filling method in an image forming apparatus for filling a liquid discharge head having a pressure generating means for generating pressure with the liquid,
When filling the liquid from a state in which the liquid ejection head is not filled with the liquid,
In a state where the liquid discharge head is not filled with the liquid or in a state where the common liquid chamber is filled with the liquid, the pressure generating unit is driven and then the liquid filling operation is started or the common liquid chamber is started. A liquid filling method in an image forming apparatus, wherein an operation of filling the liquid downstream from the liquid chamber is started.

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