JP2021028131A - Recording apparatus and recording control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To control a plurality of recording chips with fewer electric wiring.SOLUTION: A recording apparatus comprises, in daisy chain-connected recording chips 100-1 to 100-4, a determination part 103 which, on the basis of the contents indicated by a control signal outputted from a control part 101, determines whether or not to transfer a control signal, which is outputted from the control part 101 thereafter, to a next stage, a holding part 104 which holds a value which indicates the determination result in the determination part 103, and a selector 105 which changes whether or not to transfer the control signal to the recording chip connected to the next stage on the basis of the value held by the holding part 104.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

The present invention relates to a recording device and a recording control method.

Among the liquid ejection type recording devices widely used in recent years, those having a full-line type recording head in which a plurality of recording elements are arranged at a high density by a distance corresponding to the width of the recording paper are rapidly becoming widespread. .. Such a long recording head is often configured by arranging a plurality of recording chips in which a smaller number of recording elements are arranged in a plurality of rows in the width direction of the recording paper. In a full-line type recording head composed of a plurality of recording chips in this way, a large amount of electrical wiring is required to transmit control data from the chip controller to each recording chip.

As described in Patent Document 1, a method has been proposed in which individual identification codes are set for a plurality of head control units and the plurality of head control units are identified by using the identification codes.

JP-A-2010-76191

However, the method described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that a dedicated line for setting an identification code, a dedicated flow, and a memory for storing the identification code are required.

The recording device of the present invention
Each has a plurality of recording chips for discharging a liquid and a control unit for outputting a control signal for controlling the plurality of recording chips.
The plurality of recording chips are daisy-chained so that the control signal output from the control unit can be transferred to the recording chip connected to the next stage.
Each of the plurality of recording chips
A determination unit that determines whether or not to transfer the control signal output from the control unit to the recording chip connected to the next stage based on the content indicated by the control signal.
A holding unit that holds a value indicating a determination result in the determination unit,
It has a selector for switching whether or not to transfer the control signal to the recording chip connected to the next stage based on the value held by the holding unit.

The recording control method of the present invention
It is a recording control method that controls recording on a recording medium using a plurality of recording chips, each of which discharges a liquid.
Based on the content indicated by the control signal output from the control unit to control the plurality of recording chips, the control signal subsequently output from the control unit is transferred to the recording chip connected to the daisy chain in the next stage. The process of determining whether to transfer and
The process of holding the value indicating the result of the determination and
Based on the held value, a process of switching whether or not to transfer the control signal to the recording chip connected to the next stage is performed.

According to the present invention, a plurality of recording chips can be controlled with less electrical wiring.

It is a figure which shows an example of the appearance of the recording apparatus of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the internal structure of a recording apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship of the relative movement of a recording medium and a recording head. It is a figure which shows an example of the nozzle surface and the nozzle array of a recording chip. It is a figure which shows the outline of the electric connection structure of a recording chip and a chip controller. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the component of the control system in a recording apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the internal structure of a recording chip. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the control method in a recording chip. It is a timing chart for demonstrating the control method of a heater part. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the processing of a chip controller. It is a timing chart for explaining the timing at the time of performing 1-line recording. This is a timing chart for explaining the control of discharging the liquid only from the recording chip in the previous stage. It is a timing chart for demonstrating the control which discharges a liquid only from the recording chip of the latter stage. It is a figure which shows the outline of the internal structure of the recording apparatus of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the recording device of the present invention. The recording medium 3 is held in a roll shape in the recording device 1 shown in FIG. After the recording medium 3 is fed to the recording unit (pattern recording means / recording process) provided in the recording device 1, recording is performed on the recording medium 3 based on the input recording data. The recording medium 3 after recording is pulled out in the Y direction shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration of the recording device 1 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the recording device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a paper feeding unit 2, a transport amount detecting unit 4, a recording unit 5, a transport mechanism 7, and a platen 10.
The paper feeding unit 2 pulls out the recording medium 3 held in a roll shape and supplies the recording medium 3 to the recording unit 5 arranged downstream in the transport direction. In the present embodiment, the transport amount detection unit 4 is an optical encoder sensor and detects the transport amount of the recording medium 3. The transport mechanism 7 includes a plurality of transport roller pairs, and supports a recording medium 3 between the transport roller pairs. The recording unit 5 records on the recording medium 3 conveyed from the paper feeding unit 2 based on the position information of the recording medium 3 detected by the conveyed amount detecting unit 4. The recording unit 5 includes a full-line type recording head that ejects a liquid (ink). The details of the recording head will be described later. Further, between one transfer roller pair and the other transfer roller pair, a platen 10 having a support surface for supporting the recording medium 3 is arranged from the back surface of the recording surface at the time of recording. Further, the recording head, the transport mechanism 7, and the platen 10 are housed in the housing.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the relative movement of the recording medium 3 shown in FIG. 2 and the recording head arranged in the recording unit 5. FIG. 3 is a top view of the vicinity of the recording unit 5 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the recording device 1 is provided with a full-line type recording head 6 so as to cover the width direction of the recording medium 3. The recording head 6 is provided with a plurality of recording chips 61 to 64 having a nozzle array in which discharge ports (nozzles) as recording elements are arranged along a width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the recording medium 3. Recording is performed on the recording medium 3 by ejecting a liquid (ink) from the nozzles provided in the plurality of recording chips 61 to 64.

FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an example of the nozzle surface of the recording head 6 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A, the recording head 6 shown in FIG. 3 is provided with recording chips 61 to 64, each of which has one nozzle row. For convenience of explanation, the recording chip has four recording chips and one nozzle row, and black ink is ejected from the nozzle which is the ejection port. However, the number of recording chips on the recording head and the nozzle row The number, the number of colors, etc. are not limited to the number. The recording chips 61 to 64 are arranged in a row on the recording head 6. Regarding the arrangement shape of the recording chips 61 to 64, the recording chips 61 to 64 may be arranged so as to overlap each other so as not to form a gap between nozzles in the transport direction of the recording medium 3, such as a houndstooth arrangement.

FIG. 4B is a diagram showing an example of a nozzle array arranged on the recording chip 61 shown in FIG. 4A. As shown in FIG. 4B, the nozzle row arranged on the recording chip 61 is composed of 256 nozzles 611. Each of the nozzles 611 is controlled to eject ink based on a control signal output from a chip controller which is a control unit described later. As the method of ejecting ink from the nozzle 611, a method using a heat generating element, a method using a piezo element, a method using an electrostatic element, a method using a Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) element, and the like are adopted. be able to. In this embodiment, a heat generating element (heater) is used as the discharge energy generating element. The heat generating element generates heat when energized, the heat generated causes the liquid (ink) to foam, and the foaming energy causes the liquid (ink) to be discharged from the discharge port. The ejected ink droplets are applied to the recording medium to form dots on the recording medium, and the dots form an image to record on the recording medium.

The electrical connection configuration between the recording chips 61 to 64 and the recording head control chip controller in this embodiment will be described below. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an outline of an electrical connection configuration between the recording chips 61 to 64 and the recording head control chip controller. In the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the chip controller 8 is mounted on the electric board 9 installed in the recording device 1. The recording chips 61 to 64 are mounted on a flexible cable substrate 11 mounted on the recording head 6, and the recording chips 61 to 64 and the flexible cable substrate 11 are connected by wire bonding (not shown). Further, in the recording chips 61 to 64, the control signals 12 (a) to (d) are electrically cascaded on the flexible cable substrate 11. By this connection, the control signal (a) can be transferred from the recording chip 61 to the recording chip 62 as the control signal (b). Further, the control signal (b) can be transferred from the recording chip 62 to the recording chip 63 as a control signal (c). Further, the control signal (c) can be transferred from the recording chip 63 to the recording chip 64 as a control signal (d).
The control signal 12 (a) output from the chip controller 8 is output from the connector 13 to the flexible cable board 11 through the wiring formed on the electric board 9, and passes through the wiring formed on the flexible cable board 11 to be a recording chip. It is input to 61. The control signal 12 (a) input to the recording chip 61 is output as a control signal 12 (b) to the recording chip 62 connected in a daisy chain through the internal circuit of the recording chip 61 described later. Similarly, the control signal 12 (b) input to the recording chip 62 is also output as the control signal 12 (c) to the recording chip 63 connected to the recording chip 62. Similarly, the control signal 12 (c) input to the recording chip 63 is also output as the control signal 12 (d) to the recording chip 64 connected to the recording chip 63.
In the present embodiment, the control signal is transmitted by two signals of CLK (clock) and DATA (data) in the LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling) method, and the transmission data uses the command method. Details of this command method will be described later.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the components of the control system in the recording device 1 shown in FIG. The recorded data sent from the external device 15 such as a host PC (Personal Computer) to the recording device 1 is received by the interface (hereinafter referred to as I / F) control block 16 in the chip controller 8. The received data is expanded into the recorded data for each nozzle row by the data expansion block 17. Here, the CPU 18 reads and executes a control program stored in advance in the ROM 19 to control the recording operation. The recorded data expanded by the data expansion block 17 is transferred to the DRAM 20 by the DMA controller 21 controlled by the CPU 18, and temporarily stored in the DRAM 20. The control command generation block 50 reads recorded data from the DRAM 20 based on a signal (encoder output) indicating a detection result in the transport amount detection unit 4, which is a detection unit that detects the transport amount of the recording medium 3, and records chips 61 to 61. This is a block that creates control data to be output to 64 and outputs it to the recording chip 61.

The internal configuration of the recording chip 61 shown in FIG. 6 will be described below. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the recording chip 61 shown in FIG. In the following, the recording chip 61 will be described as a representative, but the internal configuration of the recording chips 62 to 64 is also the same as the internal configuration of the recording chip 61.
As shown in FIG. 7, the recording chip 61 shown in FIG. 6 has a command analysis unit 25, a state holding unit 26, a data selector A29, a data selector B30, a heater control unit 27, and a heater unit 28. .. The command analysis unit 25 is a block that analyzes a command from the input data of the control signal 12 (a). For example, when 4-bit data of "1010" is input to the command analysis unit 25, the command analysis unit 25 detects the data as a heater drive pulse width command, and the 8-bit data following the command is the pulse width. Detect as a value.
In this embodiment, the following five types of commands are output from the chip controller 8 shown in FIG.
・ Data read command ・ Data through command ・ Heat pulse width data command ・ Heat data command ・ Heat delay data command

The commands described above will be described below. The data read command (first control signal) and the data through command (second control signal) are commands for controlling the data selector A29 and the data selector B30. These commands are used to detect the command itself and have no data to follow. The data-through command is also used for driving timing control of the heater unit 28 performed by the heater control unit 27. The heat pulse width data command, the heat data command, and the heat delay data command are heater control commands used by the heater control unit 27 to control the heater unit 28. For each of these commands, heater control data (heat pulse width data, heat data, heat delay data) is output following the command. The heat pulse width data is a width setting value of the voltage pulse applied to the resistance element that heats the heater unit 28. The heat data is data for determining whether or not to heat each of the heater portions 28 corresponding to the nozzles 611 of the nozzle row. The heat delay data is data that determines the application timing of the voltage pulse that actually heats the heater unit 28.

The operation of the heater control unit 27 shown in FIG. 7 will be described below. The heater control unit 27 is a heater control block that drives the heater unit 28 based on the heater control data analyzed by the command analysis unit 25. When the command analysis unit 25 inputs the detection result of the data-through command, the heater control unit 27 delays the timing by the set value indicated by the heat delay data to generate a voltage pulse to heat the heater unit 28. ..

The state holding unit 26 is a latch circuit (holding unit) that holds information when the command analysis unit 25 detects a data reading command and a data through command. In the present embodiment, the state holding unit 26 holds an Enable (High level signal, hereinafter referred to as Hi) when the command analysis unit 25 detects a data reading command. Further, the state holding unit 26 holds a Diskle (Low level signal, hereinafter referred to as Lo) when the command analysis unit 25 detects a data through command.

The data selector A29 (first selector) and the data selector B30 (second selector) transfer the input data to the next-stage recording chip based on the value (signal level) held by the state holding unit 26. It is a data selector that switches whether to transfer or not. When the value held by the state holding unit 26 is Enable (Hi), the data selector A29 transfers the analysis result 31 output from the command analysis unit 25 to the heater control unit 27. Further, in the data selector B30, when the value held by the state holding unit 26 is Diskle (Lo), the control signal 12 (a) input to the recording chip 61 is used as the control signal 12 (b) as it is in the recording chip. Transfer to 62. Further, for convenience of explanation, although not shown in FIG. 7, each of the input unit and the output unit has a buffer circuit for amplifying a signal. The heater unit 28 is a heat resistance block that generates energy based on the pulse output from the heater control unit 27 and actually heats the heater corresponding to the nozzle that is the discharge port.

The control method in the recording chip 61 shown in FIG. 7 will be described below. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the control method in the recording chip 61 shown in FIG. 7.
First, the control signal output from the chip controller 8 is input to the recording chip 61 (S110). Then, it is determined whether the value held by the state holding unit 26 is Hi or Lo (S112). When the value held by the state holding unit 26 is Lo, the data selector B30 transfers the control signal as it is to the recording chip 62 of the next stage (S117). Subsequently, the command analysis unit 25 performs command analysis on the control signal (S111b). When the command analysis unit 25 analyzes the command, it is determined whether the analysis result detects data reading or data through (S113). When the command analysis result is that a data-through command is detected, the state holding unit 26 ends the process without changing the held value as Lo (S115). On the other hand, in step S113, when the command analysis result detects the data reading command, the value held by the state holding unit 26 is changed to Hi (S114), and the process ends.
On the other hand, in step S112, when the value held by the state holding unit 26 is Hi, the command analysis unit 25 performs command analysis on the control signal (111a). The analysis result in the command analysis unit 25 is output to the heater control unit 27, and the heater control unit 27 controls the heater unit 28 based on the input analysis result (S116). Subsequently, it is determined whether the analysis result in the command analysis unit 25 detects data reading or data through (S113). If the command analysis result is that a data-through command is detected, the value held by the state holding unit 26 is changed to Lo (S115), and the process ends. If the command analysis result is that a data reading command is detected, the value held by the state holding unit 26 remains Hi (S115), and the process ends.

The control method of the heater unit 28 in the heater control unit 27 shown in FIG. 7 will be described below. FIG. 9 is a timing chart for explaining an example of a control method of the heater unit 28 in the heater control unit 27 shown in FIG. 7. The control signal 12 (a) is an input signal to the recording chip 61 output from the chip controller 8 shown in FIG. The output 32 of the state holding unit is a value held by the state holding unit 26 shown in FIG. 7, and is a signal output from the state holding unit 26 to the data selector A29 and the data selector B30. The heater control unit input 33 is a signal that is output from the data selector A29 to the heater control unit 27 and input to the heater control unit 27. The heat pulse 34 is an applied pulse given to the heater unit 28 by the heater control unit 27. The control signal 12 (b) is output data output from the recording chip 61 to the recording chip 62 in the next stage. In the present embodiment, the initial value of the value held by the state holding unit 26 is Diskle (Lo). Regarding the initial value held by the state holding unit 26, a method of setting it as an initial value at the time of power-on (startup) or a data-through command output from the chip controller 8 before controlling the recording chip to hold the Device (Lo). A method of causing the state to be input, or a method of separately providing a Reset signal to be input to the state holding unit 26 can be considered.

First, the chip controller 8 outputs a data reading command as a control signal 12 (a) to the recording chip 61. The data reading command input to the recording chip 61 is input to the command analysis unit 25 and the data selector B30. Since the value held by the state holding unit 26 (output 32 of the state holding unit) is Diskle (Lo) in the initial state, the data selector B30 uses the data reading command as the control signal 12 (b) as it is and records the chip 62. Transfer to. Further, the command analysis unit 25 analyzes the data reading command. The analysis result 31 is output from the command analysis unit 25 to the data selector A29. Since the value held by the state holding unit 26 (output 32 of the state holding unit) is Diskle (Lo), the data selector A29 does not transfer the data reading command to the heater control unit 27. After outputting the data reading command to the data selector A29, the command analysis unit 25 changes the value held by the state holding unit 26 (output 32 of the state holding unit) to Allow (Hi).

Subsequently, the chip controller 8 sends a heater control command and its data (heat pulse width data command, heat pulse width data, heat data command, heat data, heat delay data command, heat delay data) to the recording chip 61. Together, it outputs heater control data (referred to as the third control signal). The heater control data input to the recording chip 61 is input to the command analysis unit 25 and the data selector B30. Since the value held by the state holding unit 26 (output 32 of the state holding unit) is Enable (Hi), the data selector B30 does not transfer the heater control data as the control signal 12 (b) to the recording chip 62. Further, the command analysis unit 25 analyzes the heater control data. The analysis result 31 is output from the command analysis unit 25 to the data selector A29. Since the value held by the state holding unit 26 (output 32 of the state holding unit) is Enable (Hi), the data selector A29 sequentially transfers the heater control data to the heater control unit 27. Here, since the command analysis unit 25 outputs the data after one command analysis to the data selector A29, the output timing to the heater control unit 27 is delayed by one command as compared with the input timing of the command analysis unit 25. It will be the timing.

Subsequently, the chip controller 8 outputs a data-through command to the recording chip 61 as a control signal 12 (a). The data through command input to the recording chip 61 is input to the command analysis unit 25 and the data selector B30. Since the value held by the state holding unit 26 (output 32 of the state holding unit) is Enable (Hi), the data selector B30 does not transfer the data through command to the recording chip 62 as the control signal 12 (b). In addition, the command analysis unit 25 analyzes the data-through command. The analysis result 31 is output from the command analysis unit 25 to the data selector A29. Since the value held by the state holding unit 26 (output 32 of the state holding unit) is Enable (Hi), the data selector A29 transfers the data through command to the heater control unit 27. When the analysis result of the data-through command is input, the heater control unit 27 heats each heater of the heater unit 28 (generates energy for discharging the liquid) based on the heater control data. 34 is generated. In the present embodiment, the data through command is an individual command, but it may be shared with an error detection command such as CRC check. After outputting the data through command to the data selector A29, the command analysis unit 25 changes the value held by the state holding unit 26 (output 32 of the state holding unit) to Diskle (Lo).

The one-line recording control from the recording chips 61 to 64 shown in FIG. 6 to the recording medium 3 will be described below. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing of the chip controller 8 when performing one-line recording from the recording chips 61 to 64 shown in FIG. 6 to the recording medium 3. FIG. 11 is a timing chart for explaining an example of the timing of each signal when performing one-line recording from the recording chips 61 to 64 shown in FIG. 6 to the recording medium 3.

First, the recorded data transmitted from the external device 15 is received by the chip controller 8, and the recorded data developed for each nozzle row is stored in the DRAM 20 of the chip controller 8. The paper feed unit 2 of the recording device 1 conveys the recording medium 3 to the recording unit 5. During the transfer of the recording medium 3, the transfer amount detection unit 4 (encoder) detects the transfer amount of the recording medium 3 and continues to output the detection signal to the control command generation block 50.

The control command generation block 50 of the chip controller 8 calculates the positional relationship between the recording medium 3 and the recording chip based on the detection signal (encoder output) of the transport amount detection unit 4, and the recording medium 3 sets the recording timing (recording timing (encoder output). It is determined whether or not the recording row of the full-line recording head) has been reached (S401). When the control command generation block 50 determines that the recording medium 3 has reached the recording timing, the chip controller 8 outputs a data reading command to the recording chip 61 (S402). As described above, the data reading command changes the value held by the state holding unit 26 of the recording chip 61 to Enable (Hi). The data reading command is directly transferred to the recording chip 62 of the next stage connected in the daisy chain. The transferred data reading command also changes the value held by the state holding unit 26 in the recording chip 62 to Enable (Hi), and is transferred to the recording chip 63 in the next stage. In this way, the same processing is performed on the recording chip 63 and the recording chip 64, and the values held by the state holding units 26 of all the recording chips 61 to 64 are changed to Enable (Hi). As described above, the value held by the state holding units 26 of all the recording chips 61 to 64 is Diskle (Lo) in the initial state after the power is turned on.

Subsequently, the chip controller 8 outputs the heater control data for the recording chip 61 to the recording chip 61 (S403). Since the value held by the state holding unit 26 of the recording chip 61 is Enable (Hi), the heater control data for the recording chip 61 is output to the heater control unit 27. Further, since the value held by the state holding unit 26 of the recording chip 61 is Enable (Hi), the heater control data for the recording chip 61 is blocked by the data selector B30, and the recording chip 62 of the next stage is blocked. Not transferred to.

Subsequently, the chip controller 8 outputs a data-through command to the recording chip 61 (S404). After the data-through command is output to the heater control unit 27, the value held by the state holding unit 26 of the recording chip 61 is changed to Diskle (Lo). The heater control unit 27 to which the data through command is input outputs a heat pulse for heating to the heater unit 28 based on the heater control data. Here, at the timing when the heater control data for the recording chip 61 and the data through command are input to the data selector B30, the value held by the state holding unit 26 is Enable (Hi), so that the data is recorded. The heater control data for the chip 61 and the data through command are blocked by the data selector B30 and are not transferred to the recording chip 62 in the next stage.

Subsequently, the chip controller 8 outputs the heater control data for the recording chip 62 to the recording chip 61 (S405). Since the value held by the state holding unit 26 of the recording chip 61 is Diskle (Lo), the heater control data for the recording chip 62 is blocked by the data selector A29 and is not transferred to the heater control unit 27. Further, since the value held by the state holding unit 26 of the recording chip 61 is Diskle (Lo), the heater control data for the recording chip 61 passes through the data selector B30, and the recording chip 62 of the next stage Transferred to. Since the value held by the state holding unit 26 of the recording chip 62 is Enable (Hi), the control data for the recording chip 62 transferred to the recording chip 62 is transferred to the heater control unit 27 of the recording chip 62. Will be done.

Subsequently, the chip controller 8 outputs a data-through command to the recording chip 61 (S406). The data-through command passes through the recording chip 61 as it is and is input to the recording chip 62, similarly to the heater control data for the recording chip 62 in step S405. The data-through command input to the recording chip 62 is output to the heater control unit 27 of the recording chip 62 and then held by the state holding unit 26 of the recording chip 62 in the same manner as the processing performed by the recording chip 61. Change the value to Diskle (Lo). The heater control unit 27 to which the data through command is input outputs a heat pulse for heating to the heater unit 28 based on the heater control data. Here, at the timing when the heater control data for the recording chip 62 and the data through command are input to the data selector B30, the value held by the state holding unit 26 is Enable (Hi), so that the data is recorded. The heater control data for the chip 62 and the data through command are blocked by the data selector B30 and are not transferred to the recording chip 63 in the next stage.

Similarly, the chip controller 8 sequentially outputs the heater control data for the recording chip 63, the data through command, the control data for the recording chip 64, and the data through command to the recording chip 61 (S407 to S410). Then, the recording chips 61 to 64 perform the same processing as the above-described processing.

As described above, the recording device 1 controls the heaters of the recording chips 61 to 64, and the chip controller 8 completes the recording of one line. After the recording of one line is completed, the chip controller 8 waits for the recording timing to be output from the transport amount detection unit 4 for recording the next line.

The control for discharging the liquid from only the recording chip 61 and the recording chip 62 in the one-line recording control will be described below. FIG. 12 is a timing chart for explaining an example of control for discharging liquid from only the recording chip 61 and the recording chip 62 in the one-line recording control. When performing discharge control of only the recording chip 61 and the recording chip 62, the chip controller 8 follows the data reading command, the heater control data for the recording chip 61, the data through command, the heater control data for the recording chip 62, and the through. The commands are sequentially output to the recording chip 61 (control signal 12 (a)). The detailed operation will be omitted because it is the same as the one-line recording control described above, but the recording chip 61 and the recording chip 62 are set according to the contents of the respective heater control data by the output of the control signal 12 (a). Heat pulses (recording chip 61 heat pulse and recording chip 62 heat pulse) are generated in the chip. In this state, the chip controller 8 does not output the heater control data of the recording chip 63 and the recording chip 64, but outputs a data reading command, so that the state holding unit 26 of the recording chip 61 and the recording chip 62 holds the data. The value can be set to Enable (Hi), and chip control can be performed again from the recording chip 61 without transferring the respective heater control data to the recording chip 63 and the recording chip 64.

The control for discharging the liquid from only the recording chip 63 and the recording chip 64 in the one-line recording control will be described below. FIG. 13 is a timing chart for explaining an example of control for discharging the liquid only from the recording chip 63 and the recording chip 64 in the one-line recording control. When the ejection control of only the recording chip 63 and the recording chip 64 is performed, it is necessary to pass the commands and data output by the chip controller 8 through the recording chip 61 and the recording chip 62. Therefore, the chip controller 8 outputs a data reading command, and subsequently holds a data-through command for changing the value held by the state holding unit 26 of the recording chip 61 and the state holding unit 26 of the recording chip 62. Output a data-through command to change the value being set. Subsequently, the chip controller 8 sequentially outputs the heater control data for the recording chip 63, the data through command, the heater control data for the recording chip 64, and the data through command. By doing so, it is possible to control only the recording chip 63 and the recording chip 64 in the subsequent stage.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an outline of the internal configuration of the recording device of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 14, the recording device of the present invention has a plurality of recording chips 100-1 to 100-4 connected in a daisy chain, a control unit 101, and a detection unit 102. The detection unit 102 detects the timing of recording on the recording medium based on the positional relationship between the recording medium and the recording chips 100-1 to 100-4. The control unit 101 outputs a control signal for controlling the recording chips 100-1 to 100-4 to the recording chip 100-1 arranged in the front stage. The control signals are the above-mentioned five types.
The recording chips 100-1 to 100-4 are arranged with discharge ports for discharging the liquid, and based on the control signal output from the control unit 101, recording is performed on the recording medium or the recording chip is transferred to the next stage. Transfer the control signal. As shown in FIG. 14, the recording chip 100-1 has a determination unit 103, a holding unit 104, a selector 105, a heater control unit 106, and a heater unit 107. The recording chips 100-2 to 100-4 also have the same components as those included in the recording chip 100-1.
The determination unit 103 determines whether or not to transfer the control signal output from the control unit 101 to the recording chip 100-2 based on the content indicated by the control signal output from the control unit 101. The control unit 101 outputs a control signal (data reading command) for determining that the determination unit 103 does not transfer the control signal to the recording chip connected to the next stage in synchronization with the timing detected by the detection unit 102. ..
The holding unit 104 holds a value indicating a determination result in the determination unit 103. After transferring the data reading command to the recording chip 100-2, the holding unit 104 holds a value for switching the control signal output from the control unit 101 so that the selector 105 does not transfer to the recording chip 100-2. The initial value held by the holding unit 104 is a value that the selector 105 switches so as to transfer the control signal to the recording chip 100-2.
The selector 105 switches whether to transfer the control signal to the recording chip 100-2 based on the value held by the holding unit 104.
The heater control unit 106 controls the heater unit 107 that generates energy for discharging the liquid. The heater control unit 106 determines that the determination unit 103 transfers the control signal to the recording chip 100-2 at the timing when the second control signal (data through command) is output (in the recording chips 100-2 to 100-4). Outputs a heat pulse for generating energy for discharging the liquid to the heater unit 107 based on the transferred timing).

As described above, in the present invention, the process of extracting necessary data in order from each recording chip is performed by switching between the data reading command and the data through command. Therefore, the order of transmitting chip control data to the recording chip is matched with the order of electrical connection for each recording chip, and the recording chip can be controlled without requiring special ID identification or the like for each recording chip. Further, it is not necessary to connect the control unit and the plurality of recording chips with a shared line, and it is possible to prevent signal quality deterioration due to branching of the connection line. Further, the later the position where the recording chip is connected, the smaller the number of data to be transferred. Therefore, it can be expected that the fluctuation of the power supply-GND and the improvement of the radiation noise due to the signal drive can be expected.

100-1 to 100-4 Recording Chip 101 Control Unit 103 Judgment Unit 104 Holding Unit 105 Selector

Claims (9)

Each has a plurality of recording chips for discharging a liquid and a control unit for outputting a control signal for controlling the plurality of recording chips.
The plurality of recording chips are daisy-chained so that the control signal output from the control unit can be transferred to the recording chip connected to the next stage.
Each of the plurality of recording chips
A determination unit that determines whether or not to transfer the control signal output from the control unit to the recording chip connected to the next stage based on the content indicated by the control signal.
A holding unit that holds a value indicating a determination result in the determination unit,
A recording device having a selector for switching whether or not to transfer the control signal to the recording chip connected to the next stage based on the value held by the holding unit. In the recording device according to claim 1,
When the value held by the holding unit is a value indicating that the determination unit has determined that the control signal is not transferred to the recording chip connected to the next stage, the selector is subsequently subjected to the control unit. The control signal output from the recording chip is output to the heater control unit included in the recording chip, and the value held by the holding unit is transferred by the determination unit to the recording chip connected to the next stage. A recording device that transfers a control signal output from the control unit to a recording chip connected to the next stage when the value indicates that the determination is made. In the recording device according to claim 2,
Each of the plurality of recording chips has a heater that generates energy for discharging the liquid.
The heater control unit records the timing at which the control signal indicating the content determined by the determination unit to transfer the control signal to the recording chip connected to the next stage is output from the control unit or connected to the previous stage. A recording device that outputs a heat pulse for generating the energy to the heater using the contents indicated by the control signal output from the selector based on the timing transferred from the chip. In the recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
It has a detection unit that detects the timing of recording on the recording medium based on the positional relationship between the recording medium and the recording chip.
The control unit outputs a control signal indicating the content that the determination unit has determined not to transfer the control signal to the recording chip connected to the next stage in synchronization with the timing detected by the detection unit. apparatus. In the recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The holding unit transfers a control signal indicating the content indicating that the determination unit has determined not to transfer the control signal to the recording chip connected to the next stage to the recording chip connected to the next stage, and then transfers the control signal to the recording chip connected to the next stage. A recording device that holds a value for switching the selector so that the control signal output from is not transferred to the recording chip connected to the next stage. In the recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The initial value of the value held by the holding unit is a value that the selector switches to transfer the control signal to the recording chip connected to the next stage. In the recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The control unit is a recording device that outputs the control signal by a command method. In the recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
A recording device in which the plurality of recording chips are arranged side by side in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the recording medium. It is a recording control method that controls recording on a recording medium using a plurality of recording chips, each of which discharges a liquid.
Based on the content indicated by the control signal output from the control unit to control the plurality of recording chips, the control signal subsequently output from the control unit is transferred to the recording chip connected to the daisy chain in the next stage. The process of determining whether to transfer and
The process of holding the value indicating the result of the determination and
A recording control method that performs a process of switching whether or not to transfer the control signal to the recording chip connected to the next stage based on the held value.