JP3408113B2 - PRINT HEAD, PRINTING APPARATUS USING THE PRINT HEAD, PRINTING METHOD, AND PRINT CONTROL METHOD - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording head, a recording apparatus using the recording head, a recording method, and a recording control method, and more particularly to a recording head compatible with a wide variety of recording apparatuses and the recording head thereof. The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, a recording method, and a recording control method used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an ink jet recording apparatus in which a recording head is attachable / detachable and a plurality of recording heads can be replaced, a discrimination terminal or a discrimination terminal for discriminating the type of the recording head on the recording apparatus side. A unit is provided so that the type of the attached recording head can be identified on the recording apparatus side.

In the ink jet recording method, noise during recording is so small that it can be ignored, high speed recording is possible, and so-called plain paper can be used. Since it is a recording method that has various advantages such as not requiring special processing, it has attracted great interest recently.

Among them, for example, JP-A-54-5183.
The inkjet recording method described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7 and German Publication (DOLS) No. 2843064 is another inkjet recording method in that thermal energy is applied to a liquid to obtain a driving force for ejecting droplets. And have different characteristics.

That is, in the recording method disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, the liquid subjected to the action of thermal energy undergoes a state change accompanied by a sharp increase in volume, and recording is performed by the force generated based on the state change. The liquid is ejected from the orifice at the tip of the head to form flying droplets, and the droplets adhere to the recording medium to form pixels for recording.

In particular, the recording method disclosed in DOLS2843064 is not only very effectively applied to so-called drop-on-demand recording, but the recording width of the recording head is comparable to that of the recording medium. Since it is possible to easily realize a full line type high density multi-orifice recording head that is extended to the width, there is an advantage that a high resolution and high quality image can be obtained at high speed.

A recording head to which such a recording method is applied has an orifice provided for ejecting a liquid,
A nozzle having a liquid flow path that communicates with the orifice and has a thermal action part for acting thermal energy for ejecting droplets on the liquid, and an electrothermal conversion as means for generating thermal energy And a base body having a body (heating element).

In recent years, not only a plurality of heating elements are mounted on a substrate but also a driver for driving each heating element and a serially input image signal are transferred to the drivers in parallel on the substrate of such a recording head. In order to implement a shift register that can store an image signal of the same number of bits and a logic circuit such as a latch circuit that temporarily stores the data output from the shift register, the heating element can be mounted on the same substrate. It's coming.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a logic circuit of a recording head capable of recording with a conventional recording density of 360 dpi and having 32 heating elements (recording elements).

In FIG. 14, 400 is a substrate, 401 is a heating element (H1 to H32), 402 is a power transistor, 403 is a 32-bit latch circuit, and 404 is a 32-bit shift register. Further, 415 is a heating element 401.
And a heater for keeping the temperature of the base 400. A plurality of these sensors and heaters may be mounted. 405
414 are input / output pads. Of these input / output pads, 405 is a clock input pad for inputting a clock (CLK) for operating the shift register 404, 406 is an image data input pad for serially inputting image data (DATA), and 407 is a latch circuit 403.
Latch clock (LT
CLK), a latch input pad 408, a drive signal input pad 408 for inputting a heat pulse (HEAT) for externally controlling the time for energizing and heating the heating element 401 by turning on the power transistor 402. A drive power input pad for inputting a drive power (3 to 8 V, generally 5 V) of the logic circuit, 410 is a GND terminal, 411
Is a heating element power source input pad for inputting a power source for driving the heating element 401, 412 is a latch 403 and a shift register 40
4 is a reset input pad for inputting a reset signal (RST) for initializing 4;

Further, 413-1 to 413-8 are block selection signals (BLK1 to BLK1) for selecting blocks when the 32 heating elements 401 are divided into eight blocks and time-divisionally driven.
BLK8) input block selection signal input pad, 4
14-1 to 414-n are an output pad for a monitor signal and an input pad for a control signal for driving the sensor and the warming heater.

Next, the drive sequence of the recording head having the above-mentioned structure will be described. Here, the image data (DATA) is binary data of 1 bit per pixel.

First, when the main body of the recording apparatus equipped with the recording head outputs the image data (DATA) serially in synchronization with the clock (CLK), the data is taken into the shift register 404. Next, the captured image data (DATA) is temporarily stored in the latch circuit 403,
ON / O depending on the image data value (“0” or “1”)
The FF output is output from the latch circuit 403.

In such a state, the block selection signal (B
LK1 to BLK8), and when the output from the latch circuit 403 is ON, when a heat pulse (HEAT) is input, the heat pulse (HEAT) is input.
The corresponding power transistor 402 is driven only while the AT is ON, and a current flows through the corresponding heating element 401 to heat the ink, thereby ejecting ink droplets.

In FIG. 15, the number of heating elements is 32 (H1, H
2, ..., H32) and four of these (H1 to H)
4, H5 to H8, ..., H29 to H32), block selection signals (BLK1 to BLK8) divided into eight blocks.
6 is a time chart showing the drive timing in the case of time-division drive by. Of the signals sent from the recording apparatus main body, the waveforms shown here are only the block selection signal for time division and the heat pulse (HEAT) that determines the time for driving the heating element 401.

By such a control signal, the latch circuit 4
When the output from 03 is ON, all the heating elements are driven at a timing slightly deviated once per cycle / block. By such time-division control, the number of heating elements simultaneously driven is reduced, the capacity of the drive power source is reduced, or noise generated during driving is reduced.

[0017]

In the future, diversification and improvement of recording devices and recording heads will be advanced in order to meet various needs such as higher image quality, higher resolution and complex image expression, or cost reduction. Then, instead of using a dedicated recording head for each recording apparatus, it is required that various recording heads can be mounted on various recording apparatuses. For this reason, conventionally, the connection between the recording device and the recording head and the like have been made common to cope with the diversification of the recording head.
However, the recording device merely determines what kind of recording head is mounted.

In addition, the recording density of the recording head, which is the main target of development and production, is 600 to 72, which is 600/72 in comparison with the conventional one, reflecting the tendency of high quality of recorded images in recent years.
It is shifting to 0 dpi etc. Therefore, the structure of the recording head is also required to be new, in which the arrangement pitch of the heating elements in the conventional recording head described so far, and the arrangement structure on the substrate are different from those of the driver, the logic circuit and the like.

On the other hand, on the other hand, the recording heads produced and sold in the past with a conventional recording density are consumable items even if the production of the recording apparatus using the conventional recording head is stopped. As long as it has such characteristics, it is necessary to continue production, and the types of recording heads to be manufactured will increase steadily.

Such a tendency is extremely inefficient in terms of the production efficiency of the recording head, and there is a problem that the production cost is increased. In addition, when the apparatus user purchases a replacement recording head, there is a demerit that it is difficult to determine which kind of recording head to select.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example, and an object of the present invention is to provide a recording head that can be used in various recording apparatuses.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus which outputs a signal to the discriminating means of the recording head for use.

[0023]

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a recording method for performing recording using the recording head.

Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to a conventional recording apparatus having a low recording density and the latest recording apparatus having a high recording density, and recording can be performed at a recording density suitable for the performance of the recording apparatus. It is still another object to provide a print head that can be used and a printing apparatus that uses the print head.

[0026]

In order to achieve the above object, the recording head of the present invention has the following constitution.

That is, in the recording head which can be exchangeably mounted on the recording apparatus and which ejects ink to perform recording by selectively driving a plurality of recording elements based on an image signal, Based on the difference in drive control for the elements, a discriminating means for discriminating the type of the recording device on which the recording head is mounted, and based on the discrimination result by the discriminating means, the recording device side driving for the plurality of recording elements The recording head comprises: a selection unit that selects a driving method so as to change the number of recording elements driven for each image signal in response to a difference in control.

With the above structure, the recording head of the present invention is
The type of the recording device equipped with the recording head is discriminated, and driving is performed for each image signal in response to the difference in drive control on the recording device side for a plurality of recording elements of the recording head based on the discrimination result. The driving method is selected so as to change the number of recording elements to be used.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in a plurality of recording devices, which can selectively drive a plurality of recording elements based on an image signal and have different recording resolutions and different drive controls for the plurality of recording elements. A recording head that can be used, and a recording device that records the recording device based on the discrimination means that discriminates which of the plurality of recording devices the recording device equipped with the recording head is Corresponding to the difference in drive control for the plurality of recording elements according to the resolution, selection means for selecting the driving method so as to change the number of recording elements driven for each image signal, and the selection means And a drive control unit that controls drive according to a drive method.

In this recording head, N recording elements and N driving circuits for energizing and driving the N recording elements,
M latch circuits for latching (N / M) -bit image data, shift registers for storing (N / M) -bit image data, and the N recording elements are divided into L blocks. Recorded at L block selection signal input terminals for inputting L block selection signals for driving, and at a first recording density or a second recording density that is M times the first recording density. A recording density selection signal terminal for inputting a recording density selection signal for instructing selection, and a control circuit for controlling latches of the M latch circuits according to the recording density selection signal. Each of the N driving circuits may be driven M times by one cycle of the selection signal.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus using the recording head having the above-mentioned structure, wherein the transmitting means transmits the recording density selection signal to the recording density selection signal terminal. Transfer means for transferring the image data to the shift register M times by (N / M) bits; and a latch signal each time the transfer means transfers the image data by (N / M) bits. And a latch control unit that controls the N-bit image data to be latched by the M latch circuits by M times of transfer.

Therefore, with the above configuration, for example, when the recording device is mounted in a recording device capable of recording at the first recording density which is a low recording density, the same data is latched in the M latch circuits and the L latch circuits are latched. When block selection signals are sequentially input,
In the input cycle of the block selection signal, the N driving circuits are driven M times each to perform recording.

Further, by such recording, a plurality of recording dots having the second recording density can be used to substantially represent one recording dot having the first recording density.

On the other hand, when it is mounted on a recording apparatus capable of recording at a second recording density which is a high recording density, image data is transferred and input by (N / M) bits to the shift register.
A latch signal is input each time, and a total of N bits of image data are latched in M latch circuits by M times of transfer.

[0035]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Schematic Description of Apparatus Main Body> FIG. 1 shows an ink jet printer IJ as a typical embodiment of the present invention.
It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the outline of a structure of RA. It is assumed that this printer IJRA can perform recording at a recording density of 720 dpi. In FIG. 1, the drive motor 501
Driving force transmission gears 5009-50
The carriage HC that engages with the spiral groove 5004 of the lead screw 5005 that rotates via 11 has a pin (not shown), is supported by the guide rail 5003, and reciprocates in the directions of arrows a and b. The carriage HC is equipped with an integrated ink jet cartridge IJC having a recording head IJH and an ink tank IT. 5
A paper pressing plate 002 presses the recording paper P against the platen 5000 in the moving direction of the carriage HC. Reference numerals 5007 and 5008 denote photocouplers, which are home position detectors for confirming the presence of the carriage lever 5006 in this region and for switching the rotation direction of the motor 5013. Reference numeral 5016 is a member that supports a cap member 5022 that caps the front surface of the recording head IJH. Reference numeral 5015 is a suction device that sucks the inside of the cap, and suction recovery of the recording head is performed via the opening 5023 in the cap. 5017 is a cleaning blade, and 5019 is a member for moving this blade in the front-back direction.
These are supported by the main body support plate 5018. Needless to say, a well-known cleaning blade can be applied to this example instead of this form. Also, 5021
Is a lever for starting the suction for suction recovery, which moves in accordance with the movement of the cam 5020 that engages with the carriage, and the driving force from the driving motor is movement-controlled by a known transmission mechanism such as clutch switching.

The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery are configured so that the desired processing can be performed at their corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 5005 when the carriage comes to the area on the home position side. As long as the desired operation is performed at the timing, any of the above can be applied.

Further, the ink jet printer IJRA having the above-mentioned structure is provided with an automatic recording paper feeder (not shown).
Is provided, and the recording paper P is automatically fed.

Inkjet cartridge IJC
The recording head IJH and the ink tank IT may not be integrated, but may be separable.

FIG. 2 shows the recording head IJH and the ink tank I.
Inkjet cartridge I which can be separated from T
It is a perspective view showing the appearance of JC.

Inkjet cartridge I shown in FIG.
In JC, a printhead IJ having a plurality of ejection ports 600
H and the ink tank IT holding the ink to be supplied to the recording head IJH can be separated at the position of the boundary line K. The inkjet cartridge IJC is provided with an electrical contact for receiving an electrical signal from the carriage HC side when the inkjet cartridge IJC is mounted on the carriage HC.
JH is driven. On the other hand, a fibrous or porous ink absorber is provided inside the ink tank IT, and the ink is held by these ink absorbers.

<Description of Control Configuration> Next, a control configuration for executing the recording control of the above-described apparatus will be described.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control circuit of the ink jet printer IJRA. In the figure showing the control circuit, 1700 is an interface for inputting an image signal, 1701 is an MPU, 1702 is an MPU 170.
ROM for storing a control program executed by
Reference numeral 3 is a DRAM for storing various data (the above-mentioned image signal, image data supplied to the recording head IJH, etc.). Reference numeral 1704 is a gate array (GA) that controls the supply of image data to the printhead IJH, and includes an interface 1700, an MPU 1701, and a RAM 1703.
It also controls data transfer between them. 1710 is a recording head IJ
A carrier motor for carrying H, 1709 is a carry motor for carrying the recording paper. Reference numeral 1705 denotes a head driver that drives the recording head IJH, and 1706 and 1707.
Are carrier motor 1709 and carrier motor 171 respectively.
It is a motor driver for driving 0.

The operation of the above control structure will be described. When an image signal is input to the interface 1700, the gate array 17
The recording signal is converted into image data for printing between 04 and the MPU 1701. Then, the motor driver 17
06 and 1707 are driven, and the head driver 1
The print head IJH according to the print data sent to 705.
Is driven and recording is performed.

Next, some embodiments will be described in which the recording apparatus having the above configuration is used as a common apparatus.

<First Embodiment> [Detailed Configuration of Recording Head (FIGS. 4 to 5)] Next, the detailed configuration of the recording head will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a part of the drive circuit board of the recording head on which the heating element is mounted. This circuit board has a multi-layer structure, and wiring can be performed from an element in one layer to an element in another layer through through holes provided in each layer. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the nozzle portion of the recording head.

Although there are various types of recording heads, in the following description, one type of ink flow path for ejecting ink is provided with two types of heating elements, and 64 ink flow paths and 64 ink flow paths are provided. A recording head having individual ink ejection nozzles will be described as an example.

As shown in FIG. 4, of the two types of heating elements, the main heating element R discharges a large ink droplet, and the sub-heating element r discharges an ink droplet smaller than the main heating element R. is there. One end of the lead line 3 of the main heating element R is connected to the lower heating element power source line 1 through the through hole 2. The other end of the lead line 3 is connected to the drive driver 6. On the other hand, one end of the lead line 4 of the auxiliary heating element r is also connected to the lower heating element power source line 1 through the same through hole 2, and the other end of the lead line 4 is connected to the drive driver 6.

As shown in FIG. 5, the main heating element R and the sub-heating element r are arranged in the nozzle 5, for example. When a predetermined voltage is applied to the main heating element R and / or the sub-heating element r in a state where the inside of the nozzle 5 is filled with ink, the sizes of the main heating element R and the sub-heating element r are different, and thus foaming occurs. The size of the bubble that is formed changes and the amount of ink discharged from the nozzle 5 can be changed. That is, only the main heating element R is driven,
By using three driving methods such as driving only the sub heating element r and simultaneously driving the main and sub heating elements R and r, there are three stages of large ink droplets, medium ink droplets, and small ink droplets. Ink drops are obtained. Further, since the drive driver 6 is provided with two heat enable terminals, the main and sub heating elements R and r can be independently driven, and the amount of ejected ink droplets and the ejection speed can be set to desired values. Similarly, the main and sub heating elements R and r can be driven at the same time to independently drive even larger ink droplets, so that the degree of bubbling can be delicately controlled, and the amount of ejected ink droplets and the ejection speed can be controlled. It can be set to a desired value.

The recording head IJ according to this embodiment
H is a heat generation amount or a heat generation amount so that the ink ejection amount when the main and sub heating elements R and r are simultaneously driven is substantially equal to the ink ejection amount in the recording head in which one heating element is provided for each nozzle. The contact area of the heating element with the ink is adjusted.

[Recording Head Drive Circuit (FIGS. 6 to 8)]
Next, the detailed configuration of the drive circuit of the recording head will be described. FIG. 6 is a drive circuit diagram of the recording head. Figure 7
7 is an operation timing chart of the circuit shown in FIG. 6.

As shown in FIG. 6, the power source VH has a main heating element R.
It is connected to a heating power source line 1 for energizing a heating element group 7 composed of 1 to R64 and sub heating elements r1 to r64 to apply a voltage. The heating element group 7 has 64 main heating elements R and 64 sub heating elements r, and is connected to the output terminals of the drive driver 6 for driving a total of 128 heating elements R, r. And
The heating element group 7 can be energized by outputting pulses from 128 gate circuits 8 connected to the input terminals of the drive driver 6 and turning them on.

Now, the recording head IJH of this embodiment
(1) when the main and sub 64 heaters are installed in a recording device capable of driving control of either one or both of them;
(2) The operation is different when the recording device is originally installed in a recording device designed to drive by recording only 64 (main) heaters. Therefore, the following (1)
(2) The operation will be described separately.

(1) When the main and sub 64 heaters are mounted on a recording device capable of controlling the driving of either one or both of them, in this case, the recording device equipped with the recording head IJH sends a signal to the discrimination circuit described below. It is assumed that the carriage HC is provided with a signal supply terminal so as to supply the signal. In this case, the operation is performed so that the function of the recording head IJH can be fully brought out.

First, the recording apparatus transfers the reset signal (RESET) to the reset terminal 20, and the first and second 6
The serial data latched in the 4-bit latches 11 and 12 is reset by. Thereafter, the serial data (DATA) corresponding to each nozzle of the main heating elements R1 to R64 generated based on the image data is transferred to the data input terminal 21 of the 64-bit shift register 10 and the clock terminal 22 as shown in FIG. When input in synchronism with the clock pulse (CLK) input to the
Is captured. The data D1 is latched in the first latch 11 by the latch signal (LATCH1) input to the latch terminal 18. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 7, the serial data (DATA) corresponding to each nozzle of the sub-heating elements r1 to r64 is
When input to the data input terminal 21 of the 64-bit shift register 10 in synchronization with the clock pulse (CLK) input to the clock terminal 22, the 64-bit shift register 10
The data D2 is taken in. The data D2 is latched in the second latch 12 by the latch signal (LATCH2) input to the latch terminal 19.

On the other hand, if all the heating elements R and r are driven at the same time, a large current is required and it is not practical. Therefore, the heating element group 7 is set to the predetermined blocks B1 to B8 by the block selection circuit 9.
The heating elements R and r are driven in a time-division manner by dividing each of them.
Therefore, the block selection circuit 9 includes a block enable terminal 15 for selecting any one of the blocks.
16 and 17 are provided, and as shown in FIG. 7, the level (that is, HIGH level or LOW level) of the block enable signals (BLOCK ENB1, BLOCK ENB2, BLOCK ENB3) input to the block enable terminals 15, 16 and 17 is set. Depending on the combination, one of the block selection signals (B1 to B8) is set to the high level to select the drive block of the heating elements R and r.

The discriminating circuit 24 is provided to detect what kind of device the recording device is. For example, in the recording device such as (1), a predetermined signal is input from the recording device via the determination terminal 23. The output of the determination circuit 24 is input to the control signal input terminals of the switches SW1 and SW2. The switch SW1 connects the terminal c to the terminal a or the terminal b according to the output signal from the discrimination circuit input to the control signal input terminal. Accordingly, when the terminal c is connected to the terminal b, the heat enable signal (HEAT
The main heating element R and the sub heating element r are driven simultaneously by ENB1). When the terminal c is connected to the terminal a, the main heating element R and the sub-heating element r are independently driven by the heat enable signals (HEAT ENB1, HEAT ENB2) input to the heat enable terminals 13 and 14, respectively. It Switch SW2
Connects the terminal c'to the terminal a'or the terminal b'according to the output signal from the discrimination circuit input to the control signal input terminal. As a result, when the terminal c'is connected to the terminal b ', the latch signal (LA
The data corresponding to the main heating element R and the sub heating element r are simultaneously latched in the first and second 64-bit latches 11 and 12 by TCH1). When the terminal c ′ is connected to the terminal a ′, the latch signals (LATCH1, LATCH2) input to the latch terminals 18 and 19 respectively cause the 64-bit shift register 10 to shift to the first 64-bit latch 11 and the first 64-bit latch 11. Data is separately latched into the two 64-bit latches 12.

In this embodiment, when a high-level discrimination signal (Det) is input to the discrimination terminal 23, the discrimination circuit 2
4, switches SW1 and SW2 connect terminals c and c'to terminals a and a ', respectively, and the main heating element R and the sub heating element r are independent of heat enable signals (HEAT ENB1, HEAT EN
The drive is controlled by B2) and the latch signals (LATCH1, LATCH2). In addition, a low level discrimination signal (De
When t) is input, the determination circuit 24 causes the switch SW1,
SW2 connects terminals c and c'to terminals b and b ', respectively, and the main heating element R and the sub heating element r are simultaneously driven and controlled by one heat enable signal (HEAT ENB1) and latch signal (LATCH1). It will be.

In the recording apparatus equipped with the recording head IJH, the carriage HC is provided with a terminal for supplying the discrimination signal (Det) to the discrimination terminal 23. However, in the carriage HC not provided with such a terminal. Recording head IJH
Is mounted, the discrimination terminal 23 becomes non-conductive. In this case, the switches SW1 and SW2 are unconditionally connected to the terminal c,
Connect c ′ to terminals b and b ′.

Accordingly, in this drive circuit, the block selection circuit 9 selects the drive block of the heating element, and the heat enable terminal 13 selected by the switch SW1.
Alternatively, by inputting a predetermined drive waveform to the heat enable terminal 14 and / or the heat enable terminal 14, ink droplets having a desired amount and ejection speed can be obtained from a desired nozzle.

(2) When mounted on a recording device designed to drive by recording only 64 (main) heaters In this case, the determining device determines the recording device having the recording head IJH. The device is a conventional device that does not have a function of supplying a signal (Det). Therefore, even if the printhead IJH is mounted on the carriage HC of such an apparatus, the determination terminal 23 is in a non-conductive state, and the switches SW1 and S
W2 unconditionally connects terminals c and c'to terminals b and b '.

Therefore, in this case, the drive circuit of the printhead IJH is substantially equivalent to the drive circuit shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the power source VH is the heating elements R1 to R64.
Is connected to the heating power source line 1 for energizing and applying voltage to the heating element group 7 ', and the heating element group 7'is an output terminal of a 64-bit drive driver 6'for driving 64 heating elements R. It is connected to the. Then, the heating element group 7'can be energized by outputting pulses from the 64 gate circuits 8'which are respectively connected to the input terminals of the 64-bit drive driver 6'and turning them on. 8, the same components as those of the circuit shown in FIG. 6 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Now, regarding the operation of the recording head IJH,
Explaining with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 8 in comparison, the heat enable terminal 14 and the latch input terminal 19 do not function due to the connection state of the switch SW1 and the switch SW2, and the heat enable signal input from the heat enable terminal 13 ( HEAT ENB1) and the latch signal (LATCH1) input from the latch input terminal 18 alone, the main heating element R and the sub-heating element r are driven simultaneously to generate heat. That is, while using the drive circuit shown in FIG. 6, ink drops are ejected under the same conditions as when the drive circuit shown in FIG. 8 is operated.

Therefore, according to the embodiment described above,
If the recording apparatus equipped with the recording head IJH has a function of supplying two types of heat enable signals, two types of latch signals, and a discrimination signal (Det) to the discrimination terminal 23, it is provided for each nozzle. While the main and sub heating elements are controlled to be driven separately and / or, the ink ejection amount is controlled, and high gradation expression can be recorded.
The discriminating signal (D
In the case of not having the function of supplying (et), one main heat enable signal is automatically set so that both the main and sub heating elements are simultaneously driven, and recording can be performed.

As described above, when the recording head IJH is mounted and used in a high-performance and high-performance recording apparatus, it operates so as to sufficiently exert its performance and functions, while it is installed in a conventional recording apparatus. Also, there is compatibility so that recording can be performed according to the performance of the device. In particular, when used by being installed in a conventional device, the inside of the recording head is automatically set so that the signal interface is matched and the device operates normally even if the device does not have a special interface.

<Second Embodiment> In this embodiment, FIG.
The inkjet printer IJRA shown in FIG. 2 has a recording head IJH having a configuration described later and has a recording density of 720 dp.
It is assumed that i can record. Further, since the recording head IJH is driven to perform recording at a recording density of 720 dpi, the inkjet printer IJRA can supply a STA signal (described later) and two latch clock signals (LTCLK1 and LTCLK2) via the head driver 1705. It is composed. Furthermore, the recording head IJH
Data is transferred to all the heating elements provided in the recording head IJH by first transferring the image data (odd dots) to the odd-numbered heating elements and then to the even-numbered heating elements. It is controlled to transfer data (even dots).

<Internal Structure of Recording Head IJH> FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the internal structure of the recording head IJH.

In FIG. 9, 100 is a substrate on which a logic circuit described in detail below is mounted, 600 is an ejection port (orifice) for ejecting ink, 601 is an ink liquid passage, and 602 is a plurality of ink liquid passages. Common ink liquid chamber for temporarily storing ink, 603 is an ink supply port for supplying ink from an ink tank (not shown), 604 is a top plate, and 605
Is a flow path wall member that forms the ink liquid path 601 together with the top plate 604, 606 is a heating element, and 607 is wiring that connects the logic circuit and the heating element 606.

The logic circuit, the heating element 606, and the wiring 607 are
The recording head IJH is formed by forming a top plate 604 having an ink supply port 603 attached thereto and a flow path wall member 605 which are formed on the substrate 100 by using a semiconductor manufacturing process. Then, the ink injected from the ink supply port 603 is stored in the internal common ink liquid chamber 602 and supplied to each liquid path 601, and the heating element 606 is driven in this state to eject the ink from the ejection port 600. It

<Structure of Logic Circuit of Print Head IJH> FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the structure of the logic circuit of the print head IJH according to this embodiment. In FIG. 10, the same components and signals as those of the conventional recording head described with reference to FIG. 14 are designated by the same reference numerals and symbols, and description thereof will not be repeated here.

The recording head IJH described here has 360
A printer capable of recording at a recording density of dpi and 720d
The printer can be mounted on a printer capable of recording at a recording density of pi, and recording at each recording density (360 dpi / 720 dpi) is possible. The ink ejection amount per dot of the printhead IJH is about 20 ng. The recording head IJH is provided with 64 heating elements (H1 to H64), and the recording width thereof is the same as that of the conventional recording head having 32 heating elements described with reference to FIGS. It is the same as the recording width. On the other hand, FIG. 14 to FIG. 1 with the recording density of 360 dpi
In the case of the print head shown in FIG. 5, the ink ejection amount per dot is about 80 ng. In FIG.
R circuit, 102 is a 32-bit shift register (same as the conventional shift register 404 shown in FIG. 14), 10
3 to 104 are 32-bit latch circuits, 105 is a recording device recognition unit, 106 is a STA signal input pad, 107 to 1
Reference numeral 08 is a latch clock input pad for supplying the latch clocks (LTCLK1 and LTCLK2) to the latch circuits 103 and 104, respectively. Also, 109-1, 109-
, 109-8 are block selection signal input pads for inputting eight block selection signals (BLK1, BLK2, ..., BLK8), respectively.

Now, comparing the configuration shown in FIG. 10 with the conventional recording head described in FIG. 14, one block selection signal (BLK1 to BLK) is obtained in the conventional recording head.
In 8), the heating element for one block is selected, whereas in this embodiment, the heating element for two blocks is selected during one recording cycle by the same block selection signal.

Specifically, the latch clock input pad 1
Block selection signal (BLK1) input from 09-1
Selects heating elements H1 to H8 and heating elements H33 to H40,
The block selection signal (BLK2) input from the latch clock input pad 109-2 selects the heating elements H9 to H16 and the heating elements H41 to H48, and the block selection signal (BLK2) input from the latch clock input pad 109-3.
3) selects the heating elements H17 to H24 and the heating elements H49 to H56, and the block selection signal (BLK4) input from the latch clock input pad 109-4 is applied to the heating elements H25 to H25.
H32 and heating elements H57 to H64 are selected, and the block selection signal (BLK5) input from the latch clock input pad 109-5 is applied to the heating elements H33 to H40 and the heating elements H1 to H40.
Select H8 and latch clock input pad 109-6
The block selection signal (BLK6) input from the above selects the heating elements H41 to H48 and the heating elements H9 to H16, and the block selection signal (BLK7) input from the latch clock input pad 109-7 corresponds to the heating elements H49 to H56. The heating elements H17 to H24 are selected, and the block selection signal (B) input from the latch clock input pad 109-8 is selected.
LK8) are heating elements H57 to H64 and heating elements H25 to H3.
Select 2.

That is, in this embodiment, when the heating element is divided into blocks and the time-division drive control is performed, when the block selection signal is sequentially supplied from BLK1 to BLK8, each heating element is turned on in the recording cycle of the recording head. It is driven twice. By thus configuring the logic circuit of the recording head, it is possible to increase the number of times the heating element is selected per recording cycle and to eject ink from one nozzle twice within one cycle.

The output of each bit of the shift register 102 is connected to the latch circuit 403 of the conventional recording head described with reference to FIG. 14 on a one-to-one basis, whereas in this embodiment, the latch circuit 103 is used. , 104, respectively. That is, the output of each bit of the shift register 102 is connected to the latch circuits 103 and 104 on a one-to-two basis. This is because the number of heating elements (64) is shown in FIG.
The number of heating elements of the conventional recording head described in FIG. 15 (3
This is because the number of data memories for holding image data must be doubled in order to perform printing at a printing density of 720 dpi. in this way,
Even if the shift register has the same data capacity, by using this multiple times and individually performing the latch operation each time, the data of double the capacity can be obtained corresponding to the number of heating elements doubled. You can hold.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the output of the latch circuit 103 is the heating elements H1, H3, H5, ..., H6.
3, while the output of the latch circuit 104 is used to drive the heating elements H2, H4, H6, ..., H64.

Here, the detailed structure of the recording device recognition unit 105 will be described.

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram showing a detailed structure of the recording device recognition section 105.

The recording device recognizing section 105 is provided with the recording head IJ.
The recording device in which the H is mounted is a device compatible with a recording head capable of recording at a recording density of 360 dpi, or 72
It is recognized whether the device is compatible with a recording head capable of recording with a recording density of 0 dpi.

A device corresponding to a recording head capable of recording at a recording density of 720 dpi is a recording device recognition unit 105.
On the STA signal input pad 106 of
True ”) STA signal can be output and the latch clock (L
TCLK2) is output and the conventional 36
Even if the recording head IJH is mounted, the STA supporting the recording head capable of recording at the recording density of 0 dpi is STA.
It is assumed that there is no function of outputting a signal or a latch clock (LTCLK2), there is no interface with the STA signal input pad 106 or the latch clock input pad 108, and the connection of these pads is open. Although another latch clock (LTCLK1) is input to the latch clock input pad 107, the latch clock (LTCLK1) is the same as the conventional latch clock (LCLK).
TCLK).

Therefore, the recording head I can be installed in an apparatus corresponding to the recording head capable of recording with the conventional recording density of 360 dpi.
Latch clock input pad 107 when JH is installed
And its interface with the device are established and a latch clock (LTCLK) is provided. Then, the latch clock (LTCLK
Alternatively, when LTCLK1) is supplied, the image data is held by the latch circuit 103. Further, as is clear from the configuration shown in FIG. 11, in this case, the STA signal becomes “High”, and the latch clock (LTCLK or LTCLK1) is also supplied to the latch circuit 104,
As a result, the same data is latched in the latch circuits 103 and 104 with one latch clock. With such a configuration, the latch circuit 103 and the latch circuit 104
When the same data is latched, the two adjacent heating elements H1 and H2, H3 and H4, H5 and H6, ..., H63.
And H64 are driven by the same data.

On the other hand, when the recording head IJH is attached to the device corresponding to the recording head capable of recording at the recording density of 720 dpi, the interface between the latch clock input pad 108 and the device is established, and the latch clock (L
When TCLK2) is supplied, the image data is held by the latch circuit 104.

In this embodiment, in view of the above-mentioned premise, the STA signal input pad 106 is opened when the recording head IJH is attached to the device corresponding to the recording head capable of recording at the conventional recording density of 360 dpi. hand,
In order for the recording head IJH to recognize that it is a device compatible with a conventional recording head capable of recording at a recording density of 360 dpi, the STA signal input pad 106 is pulled up so that the STA signal automatically becomes high level. The circuit is configured in. On the other hand, the latch clock input pad 10
8 is configured to be connected to GND via a resistor. This prevents a defect from occurring in the circuit using the CMOS semiconductor when the connection of the latch clock input pad 108 is open.

Needless to say, the configuration in which the STA signal input pad 106 is pulled up may be a configuration in which it is pulled down and the logic of the subsequent stage may be inverted.

Next, the recording head IJ having the above structure
(1) Operation when recording is carried out by mounting H on a device corresponding to a recording head capable of recording at a conventional recording density of 360 dpi, and (2) 720 dpi as shown in FIGS.
12 to FIG. 1 for the operation when recording is performed by mounting the apparatus on a recording head capable of recording at a recording density of
This will be described with reference to FIG.

(1) When recording is carried out by mounting on a device corresponding to a recording head capable of recording at a conventional recording density of 360 dpi In this case, the STA signal becomes high level and one latch clock ( LTCLK or LTCLK
In 1), the same data is held in the latch circuits 103 and 104. In this state, when the block selection signal is sequentially supplied from BLK1 to BLK8, 64 heating elements of the recording head IJH are driven twice in one recording operation cycle in one recording operation cycle.

Therefore, when the block selection signal is supplied from BLK1 to BLK4 (one half of one recording operation)
All 64 heating elements are given the opportunity to drive once. At this time, since two adjacent heating elements are driven by the same data, two identical recording dots are recorded side by side in the recording width direction of the recording head at a recording density of 720 dpi. .

Subsequently, the remaining block selection signal (B
When LK5 to BLK8) are supplied, all 64 heating elements (in the remaining half cycle of one recording operation) are given the opportunity to be driven again. At this point, the same data used for the previous recording is held in the latch circuits 103 and 104, so the recording operation is performed with the same data. Now, in the recording apparatus, the carriage having the recording head mounted thereon has a recording density of 360 dp in the scanning direction.
Since it is moved in accordance with i, the dots recorded by the ink ejection performed by the remaining block selection signals (BLK5 to BLK8) are placed next to the dots recorded by the previous block selection signal (BLK1 to BLK4). They are formed side by side in the scanning direction of the carriage.

The recording dots thus obtained have a structure as shown in FIG. 12 (b).

When the recording is performed by mounting the recording head having the conventional recording density of 360 dpi (see FIGS. 14 to 15) shown in FIG. 12A on a recording apparatus capable of recording at the conventional recording density of 360 dpi. When compared with the recording dots formed in the above, the recording area of the same area is recorded with one recording dot in the case of FIG.
In the case of FIG. 12B, recording is performed with four recording dots using the same data. As a result, substantially the same recording is performed in FIGS. 12A and 12B.

(2) When recording is performed by mounting on a device corresponding to a recording head capable of recording at a recording density of 720 dpi In this case, the STA signal becomes low level, and as described above, the two latch clocks (LTCLK1, LTCLK
In 2), the latch circuit 103 is provided for each 32 bits of data.
And 104 are held.

As shown in FIG. 13, of the 64 bits corresponding to the recording width of the recording head IJH, first, the printer outputs odd-numbered bits (b1, b3, ..., B63) of image data to the 32 bits of the recording head IJH. After transmitting to the shift register 102, the latch clock (LTCLK1) is transmitted and latched in the latch circuit 103. After that, the printhead IJH sends the image data of the remaining 32-bit even bits (b2, b4, ..., B64) to the 32-bit shift register 102 of the printhead IJH, and further supplies the latch clock (LTCLK2). Then, the even-bit data is latched in the latch circuit 104. In this way, 64-bit data is stored in the latch circuits 103 and 104.

Next, the printer selects the block selection signal (BL
When K1 to BLK4) are sequentially transmitted, the heating element corresponding to the odd-numbered bit data that is the latched data is driven and recording is performed. As described above, the block selection signals (BLK1 to BLK4) give each heating element an opportunity to be driven once, and the heating element corresponding to the ON image data is driven. After that, a reset signal (RST) is sent from the printer to the recording head IJH, and the 32-bit shift register 102 and the latch circuit 10 are sent.
3, 104 are reset, and the same operation is repeated thereafter.

The recording dots recorded in this way are
It becomes as shown in FIG.

As described above, when recording is performed at the recording density of 720 dpi, the 32-bit shift register 1
02 is used twice to hold the image data for each of the latches 103 and 104 by 32 bits, and high density recording is performed.

Therefore, according to the above embodiment, 720
36 recording heads IJH capable of recording at a recording density of dpi
When installed in a 0 dpi recordable recording device,
The same print data sent from the printing apparatus is used twice in the print width direction of the print head and twice in the moving direction of the print head to make a total of four print dots with a print density of 720 dpi, which is substantially 360 dpi. When recording is performed so as to form one recording dot with a recording density of, and when mounted on a recording device capable of recording 720 dpi, the shift register is used twice to generate image data having twice the capacity. It is possible to latch and perform high-density image recording.

In this embodiment, the recording density 720
Although a recording head capable of recording at a recording density of 720 dpi and a recording apparatus capable of recording at a recording density of 720 dpi were used while the recording density of the conventional recording head and the recording apparatus was described as 360 dpi, the present invention is not limited to this. The recording density other than that described in the embodiment, for example, the recording density of the conventional recording head or the recording apparatus may be 300 dpi, and the recording density of the recording head or the recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied may be 600 dpi. Further, the number of heating elements mounted on the recording head is not limited to that described in the embodiment. In other words, the heating element may be driven a plurality of times in one printing operation cycle of the printing head, and the printing operation may be performed by using the same data a plurality of times.

Further, in the above description, the ratio of the ink ejection amount per nozzle of the recording head IJH and the recording head shown in FIGS. 14 to 15 used as a conventional representative example is 1: 4.
However, other ratios may be used. However, in consideration of image quality and high-density recording, the high-density recording may not be meaningful due to the size of the recording dots or the like unless the amount of ink ejected per dot of the conventional recording head is set to 1/2 or less. It is empirically understood.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the description has been made by using the logic circuit formed at the same time as the heating element in the base body in the head. However, an IC may be formed in the head separately from the heating element base body. However, it is a separate component, so it is desirable to integrate it with the heating element in terms of cost.

In the above description, an example in which the substrate of the recording head is applied to an ink jet type recording head has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It can also be applied to a thermal head substrate for recording according to another recording method, for example, a thermal transfer method.

However, the present invention is particularly equipped with means for generating thermal energy as energy used for ejecting ink (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) in the ink jet recording system, and High density and high definition recording can be achieved by using a method of causing a change in ink state by energy.

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

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

As the structure of the recording head, in addition to the combination structure of the discharge port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the straight liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, The present invention also includes configurations using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose configurations in which the heat-acting surface is arranged in a bending region.

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

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

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

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

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

In addition, in order to positively prevent the temperature rise due to thermal energy from being used as the energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state,
Alternatively, in order to prevent the ink from evaporating, an ink that solidifies in a standing state and liquefies by heating may be used. In any case, by applying heat energy, such as ink that is liquefied by applying heat energy according to the recording signal and liquid ink is ejected, or that begins to solidify when it reaches the recording medium. The present invention can be applied to the case where an ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time is used. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as a form of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to the one provided integrally or separately as an image output terminal of information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and further transmission / reception It may take the form of a facsimile machine having a function.

Even when the present invention is applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (eg, host computer, interface device, reader, printer, etc.), a device composed of one device (eg, copying machine, facsimile). Device). Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention is also applied when the object of the present invention is achieved by supplying a program to a system or an apparatus.

[0113]

As described above, according to the present invention, 1
A wide variety of recording devices can be applied to one recording head, for example, from inexpensive ones with simple functions to expensive recording devices with high functions, or from popular types to high image quality and high resolution types. The effect is that it can be done.

Further, since the popular type recording apparatus is discriminated inside the recording head and the driving method is automatically selected, the recording apparatus can be used without providing a special interface. Become.

According to still another invention, (N / M) bits of image data are transferred and input to the shift register, a latch signal is input each time, and M number of latch circuits are transferred by M times of transfer. Since N-bit image data in total is latched, there is an effect that one recording head can be applied to a recording device having a low recording density and a recording device having a high recording density.

From this point of view, from the viewpoint of the manufacturer,
There is an advantage that it is not necessary to increase the number of types of recording heads manufactured according to the recording density, which contributes to mass production of one type of recording heads, so that the cost can be reduced.

In addition, from the point of view of the user, there is an advantage that when purchasing a recording head, it is not necessary to be confused as to what kind of recording head should be selectively purchased.

[0118]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external perspective view showing the configuration of a recording apparatus that performs recording according to an inkjet method that is a typical embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of an ink cartridge IJH having a configuration in which an ink tank and a recording head can be separated.

3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit of the recording apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a part of a drive circuit board of a recording head on which a heating element is mounted.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a nozzle portion of a recording head.

FIG. 6 is a drive circuit diagram of a recording head.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart of the circuit diagram shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a drive circuit diagram of a 64-nozzle recording head in which one heater is arranged for one nozzle.

9 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an internal structure of a recording head mounted in the recording apparatus shown in FIG.

10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a logic circuit of a recording head mounted in the recording apparatus shown in FIG.

11 is a circuit diagram showing a detailed configuration of a recording device recognition unit 105. FIG.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a comparison between a conventional recording head and recording dots recorded by the recording heads shown in FIGS. 9 to 10.

FIG. 13 is a time chart of various signals when recording is performed at a recording density of 720 dpi.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a logic circuit of a conventional recording head.

FIG. 15 is a time chart showing control signals for driving the recording head having the configuration shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Power line for heat generation 2 through holes 3 Lead line on the main heating element side 4 Lead line on the auxiliary heating element side 5 nozzles 6 128-bit driver 7 heating element group 8 gate circuits 9 Block selection circuit 10 64-bit shift register 11 64-bit latch circuit for main heating element 12 64-bit latch circuit for auxiliary heating element 13 Heat enable terminal for main heating element 14 Heat enable terminal for auxiliary heating element 23 Discrimination terminal 24 Discrimination circuit 101 substrate 102 OR circuit 102 32-bit shift register 103, 104 32-bit latch circuit 105 recording device recognition unit 106 STA signal input pad 107, 108 Latch clock input pad

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Ichiro Saito 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Toshimori Miyakoshi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Ki In Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Mochizuki No. 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (56) Reference JP-A-2-281973 (JP, A) JP-A-8-2088 (JP, A) JP 5-270012 (JP, A) JP 6-957 (JP, A) JP 2-128846 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷⁾ , DB name) B41J 2/05 B41J 2/01 B41J 2/505

Claims (25)

(57) [Claims] 1. A replaceable mounted to the recording apparatus, the recording head for recording by discharging ink by selectively driven based a plurality of recording elements on image signals, the plurality of recording Based on the difference in drive control for the device
Te, a discriminating means for discriminating the type of the recording apparatus for mounting the recording head, and based on the determination result by the determination means, said plurality of serial
Supports the difference in drive control on the recording device side for recording elements
And a selection means for selecting a driving method so as to change the number of recording elements driven for each image signal . 2. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the discrimination unit has a discrimination terminal for inputting a predetermined signal for discriminating the type of the recording apparatus from the recording apparatus. 3. The recording head according to claim 2, wherein a high level signal or a low level signal is input from the recording device to the discrimination terminal. 4. The recording head is a recording head for ejecting ink by utilizing thermal energy, and comprises a thermal energy generator for generating thermal energy to be applied to the ink as the recording element. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is a recording head. 5. A first thermal energy generator for ejecting a large ink droplet and a second thermal energy generator for ejecting a small ink droplet are provided in each of the plurality of ink flow paths for ejecting ink. The recording head according to claim 4, further comprising a body. 6. The selection means selects a control method for simultaneously driving the first and second thermal energy generators when no signal is input to the determination terminal. The recording head according to item 5. 7. The apparatus further comprises a first drive signal input terminal and a second drive signal input terminal for inputting drive signals for driving the first and second thermal energy generators separately. Item 5. The recording head according to item 5. 8. A recording apparatus using the recording head according to claim 1, further comprising output means for outputting a signal to the discrimination means. 9. A plurality of recording elements are selected based on an image signal.
The recording method interchangeably recording apparatus mounting a recording head for recording by discharging ink by driving the択的 by discrimination means provided in said recording head, said double
Based on the difference in the drive control for the number of printing elements, a determination step of determining the type of the recording apparatus for carrying the recording head, by selecting means provided in the recording head, and based on the determination result in said determination step , The plurality of recording elements
To cope with the difference in drive control on the recording device side with respect to the child
And a selecting step of selecting a driving method so as to change the number of recording elements driven for each image signal, and a recording step of driving the recording head by the driving method selected in the selecting step to perform recording A recording method comprising: 10. A plurality of recording elements based on an image signal
A selectively driven, previously in different of the recording resolution
A recording head that can be used in a plurality of recording devices that have different drive controls for a plurality of recording elements, and a determination unit that determines which of the plurality of recording devices the recording device equipped with the recording head is. , said based on the discrimination by the discrimination means, the drive control for the plurality of recording elements intends follow the recording resolution of the recording apparatus
Corresponding to the difference, selecting means for selecting a driving method so as to change the number of recording elements driven for each image signal, and driving according to the driving method selected by the selecting means A recording head having a drive control means for controlling the recording head. 11. N recording elements, N drive circuits for energizing and driving the N recording elements, M latch circuits for latching (N / M) -bit image data, / M) bit shift register for storing image data, and L block selection signal input terminals for inputting L block selection signals for driving the N recording elements by dividing them into L blocks A recording density selection signal terminal for inputting a recording density selection signal for instructing selection to perform recording at a first recording density or a second recording density that is M times the first recording density; A control circuit for controlling the latches of the M latch circuits in accordance with a recording density selection signal, and the N number of the N block circuits are controlled by one cycle of the L block selection signals.
The recording head according to claim 10 , wherein each of the driving circuits is driven M times. 12. The recording head according to claim 11 , wherein M is an integer of 2 or more. 13. The ratio of the first and second recording densities is
The recording head according to claim 12 , wherein the recording head is 1: 2. 14. The recording head according to claim 13 , wherein the N recording elements are arranged so that recording can be performed at the second recording density. 15. When recording at the first recording density,
The recording head according to claim 11 , wherein the control circuit controls the M latch circuits to latch the same data. 16. When recording at the first recording density,
The recording head according to claim 11 , wherein one recording dot at the first recording density is substantially expressed by a plurality of recording dots recorded at the second recording density. 17. The control circuit automatically determines a recordable recording density of a recording device equipped with a recording head according to the recording density selection signal.
11. The recording head according to item 11 . 18. The recording density selection signal terminal is electrically connected to the recording device without being connected to the recording device when mounted on the recording device capable of recording at the first recording density. Item 18. The recording head according to item 17 . 19. The control circuit pulls up or pulls down the recording density selection signal terminal, and when the recording density selection signal terminal is electrically open,
The recording head according to claim 18 , wherein a recording density selection signal corresponding to the pull-up or pull-down can be input. 20. The N recording elements, the N driving circuits, the M latch circuits, the shift register, the L block selection signal input terminals, and the recording density selection signal. The recording head according to claim 11 , wherein the terminal is mounted on one circuit board. 21. The recording head is a recording head that ejects ink by utilizing thermal energy, and comprises a thermal energy generator for generating thermal energy to be applied to the ink as the recording element. The recording head according to claim 10 , wherein the recording head is a recording head. 22. The recording head according to claim 21 , wherein an ink ejection amount per one ink ejection per recording element is about 20 ng. 23. A recording apparatus using the recording head according to claim 11 , wherein a transmission unit that transmits the recording density selection signal to the recording density selection signal terminal, and (N) / M) bit for transferring the image data M times, and each time the transfer means transfers the image data for each (N / M) bit, a latch signal is transferred,
A recording apparatus, comprising: a latch control unit that controls N-bit image data to be latched by the M latch circuits by one transfer. 24. The recording apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein the recording apparatus performs recording at the second recording density. 25. A plurality of recording elements based on an image signal
A selectively driven, previously in different of the recording resolution
A recording control method using a recording head that can be used in a plurality of recording devices that have different drive controls for a plurality of recording elements, the recording device having the recording head mounted by a determination means provided in the recording head. There a determination step of determining which one of said plurality of recording devices, wherein the provided selection means to the recording head, and based on the determination in the determination step, the slave intends the plurality recording resolution of the recording apparatus Of drive control for various printing elements
Corresponding to, a selection step of selecting a drive method so as to change the number of recording elements driven for each image signal, and a drive control step of performing drive control according to the drive method selected in the selection step. A recording control method comprising: