JP7468647B2 - Inkjet recording device and program - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an inkjet recording device and a program.

Conventionally, there are inkjet recording devices that eject ink from nozzles to form images or structures on a medium. In inkjet recording devices, pressure changes are applied to the ink in the ink flow paths that connect to each nozzle, allowing an appropriate amount of ink to be ejected at a desired speed.

One method of applying pressure to ink is to deform the walls of a pressure chamber in the ink flow path by applying a specific drive waveform voltage to an actuator such as a piezoelectric element. The actuator deforms quickly and with high precision in response to the applied voltage, allowing for precise control of the ejection timing and ejection volume.

In recent years, the number of nozzles and the corresponding actuators has been increasing in accordance with the demand for higher speed and higher accuracy of inkjet recording devices. Accordingly, the number of driver ICs that select actuators corresponding to the nozzles that eject ink is also increasing. Therefore, the number of control signals of the driver ICs, the number of connector pins of the inkjet head, and the number of cables are increasing, making it difficult to lay out the wiring of the printer. In addition, there are problems such as noise malfunction due to signal crosstalk.
One possible solution to this problem is to reduce the number of pins on the inkjet head connector by converting the control signal into a serial signal and then transmitting it.
Furthermore, as a technique for transmitting data to a print head by serial communication, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-233663 describes a technique for directly connecting a standard computer and a print head via a universal serial bus (USB).

JP 2020-1384 A

However, the drive signals that drive the actuators have complex waveforms, which require a large circuit area to create and generate a lot of heat, so they need to be created on the drive board and supplied to the inkjet head. Therefore, if an inkjet head is created with a head interface that receives control signals from the drive board in a serial signal format and drive signals in analog, there is a delay in the control signal due to the time it takes to convert from serial to parallel, making it difficult to synchronize with the drive signal.

The object of this invention is to preferably synchronize a control signal in serial signal format and a drive signal transmitted from a drive board to an inkjet head.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention,
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs a control signal and a drive signal for causing each of a plurality of nozzles to eject ink; and an inkjet head that is connected to the drive board via a cable and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signal and the drive signal output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a driving unit that drives an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the driving signal received via the cable and the control signal that has been converted into a parallel signal by the conversion unit,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means;
a determination means for determining a time for delaying the drive signal ;
The determining means determines a time for delaying the driving signal based on a reference signal received by the inkjet head from the driving board together with the control signal and converted by the converting means .
In addition, the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs a control signal and a drive signal for causing each of a plurality of nozzles to eject ink; and an inkjet head that is connected to the drive board via a cable and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signal and the drive signal output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a driving unit that drives an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the driving signal received via the cable and the control signal that has been converted into a parallel signal by the conversion unit,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means;
a determination means for determining a time for delaying the drive signal;
The determining means determines the time for delaying the drive signal based on the printing result.

The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus comprising :
A plurality of said conversion means are provided,
The delay means unifies the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the plurality of conversion means.
In addition, the ink jet recording apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention comprises:
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs a control signal and a drive signal for causing each of a plurality of nozzles to eject ink; and an inkjet head that is connected to the drive board via a cable and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signal and the drive signal output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A plurality of conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a driving unit that drives an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the driving signal received via the cable and the control signal that has been converted into a parallel signal by the conversion unit,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means,
The delay means unifies the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the plurality of conversion means.
In addition, the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs a control signal and a drive signal for causing each of a plurality of nozzles to eject ink; and an inkjet head that is connected to the drive board via a cable and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signal and the drive signal output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A plurality of conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a driving unit that drives an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the driving signal received via the cable and the control signal that has been converted into a parallel signal by the conversion unit,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means;
a determination means for determining a time for delaying the drive signal;
The delay means unifies the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the plurality of conversion means.

The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus comprising:
A plurality of inkjet heads are included.
The delay means unifies the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the conversion means of the plurality of ink-jet heads.
In addition, the ink jet recording apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention comprises:
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs control signals and drive signals for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles; and a plurality of inkjet heads that are connected to the drive board via cables and eject ink from the nozzles based on the control signals and drive signals output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a driving unit that drives an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the driving signal received via the cable and the control signal that has been converted into a parallel signal by the conversion unit,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means,
The delay means unifies the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the conversion means of the plurality of ink-jet heads.
In addition, the ink jet recording apparatus according to the invention described in claim 8 is
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs control signals and drive signals for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles; and a plurality of inkjet heads that are connected to the drive board via cables and eject ink from the nozzles based on the control signals and drive signals output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a driving unit that drives an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the driving signal received via the cable and the control signal that has been converted into a parallel signal by the conversion unit,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means;
a determination means for determining a time for delaying the drive signal;
The delay means unifies the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the conversion means of the plurality of ink-jet heads.

The program of the invention according to claim 9 comprises:
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs a control signal and a drive signal for causing each of a plurality of nozzles to eject ink; and an inkjet head that is connected to the drive board via a cable and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signal and the drive signal output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a drive means for driving an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the drive signal received via the cable and the control signal converted into parallel by the conversion means,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means ;
a determining means for determining a time for delaying the drive signal ;
The determining means determines a time for delaying the driving signal based on a reference signal received by the inkjet head from the driving board together with the control signal and converted by the converting means .
The program of the invention according to claim 10 further comprises:
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs a control signal and a drive signal for causing each of a plurality of nozzles to eject ink; and an inkjet head that is connected to the drive board via a cable and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signal and the drive signal output from the drive board,
the driving board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a drive means for driving an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the drive signal received via the cable and the control signal converted into parallel by the conversion means,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means;
a determining means for determining a time for delaying the drive signal;
The determining means determines the time for delaying the drive signal based on the printing result.
The program of the invention according to claim 11 further comprises:
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs a control signal and a drive signal for causing each of a plurality of nozzles to eject ink; and an inkjet head that is connected to the drive board via a cable and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signal and the drive signal output from the drive board,
the driving board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
a plurality of conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a drive means for driving an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the drive signal received via the cable and the control signal converted into parallel by the conversion means,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means;
The delay means unifies the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the plurality of conversion means.
The program of the invention according to claim 12 further comprises:
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs control signals and drive signals for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles; and a plurality of inkjet heads that are connected to the drive board via cables and eject ink from the nozzles based on the control signals and drive signals output from the drive board,
the driving board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a drive means for driving an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the drive signal received via the cable and the control signal converted into parallel by the conversion means,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means;
The delay means unifies the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the conversion means of the plurality of ink-jet heads.

According to the present invention, it is possible to preferably synchronize the control signal in serial signal format transmitted from the drive board to the inkjet head with the drive signal.

1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating delays of various signals according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus according to a first modified example of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus according to a second modified example of an embodiment of the present invention.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention is explained based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus 1. As shown in FIG.
The inkjet recording device 1 includes a drive board 2 and an inkjet head 3. Here, only one inkjet head 3 is shown, but if the inkjet recording device 1 is a color printer that ejects a plurality of ink colors, inkjet heads 3 are provided corresponding to the ink colors (for example, four colors: yellow, magenta, cyan, and black). Furthermore, a plurality of inkjet heads 3 for ejecting ink of the same color may be provided to further increase the number of nozzles. The drive board 2 and the inkjet head 3 are connected by, for example, a cable such as an FPC4 (Flexible Printed Circuit).

The drive board 2 includes an FPGA 21 (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an input/output interface 22, a serializer 23, a drive signal generating circuit 24, a unit control unit 25, a memory (not shown), etc.

The FPGA 21 performs arithmetic processing and various control processes related to the image recording operation in the inkjet recording apparatus 1 .
Specifically, the FPGA 21 generates digital control signals and drive signals for ejecting ink from each of the multiple nozzles of the inkjet head 3 .
The control signals include signals for controlling whether or not operations such as the transfer of pixel data and the supply of drive signals are possible, and for controlling the timing of such operations.

The input/output interface 22 is an interface for receiving commands related to image recording, settings, and image data to be recorded from an external device, and for outputting status and abnormality occurrence information related to the image recording operation from the FPGA 21 to an external device. A network card (LAN card) or the like is used as the input/output interface 22.

The serializer 23 converts various control signals output from the FPGA 21 in a parallel signal format into serial signals.
The serially converted control signal is output to a deserializer 31 in the inkjet head 3 via an FPC 4 that connects the drive board 2 and the inkjet head 3 .

The drive signal generation circuit 24 converts the digital signal output from the FPGA 21 into an analog signal, amplifies the analog signal, and generates a drive signal.
The generated drive signal is output to a drive IC 32 in the inkjet head 3 via the FPC 4 and is used to drive an actuator 33 in the inkjet head 3 .
Therefore, the FPGA 21 and the drive signal generating circuit 24 function as a generating means.

The unit control unit 25 performs overall control of the operation of the inkjet recording device 1.

The memory (not shown) stores image data of the recording target obtained from an external device and pixel data generated from the image data that defines the ink ejection state from each nozzle. The pixel data is output from the memory (not shown) to the drive IC 32 of the inkjet head 3 and is used to select the nozzle that will eject ink.

The inkjet head 3 has a deserializer 31, a drive IC 32, an actuator 33, a nozzle row 34, etc.

The deserializer 31 converts the control signal in the serial signal format output from the serializer 23 into a parallel signal format. Here, the deserializer 31 functions as a conversion unit.
The parallel-converted control signal is output to the driver IC 32 .

The driving IC 32 receives the driving signal output from the driving signal generating circuit 24, the control signal output from the deserializer 31, and image data output from a memory (not shown).
The driving IC 32 outputs a driving signal for deforming the actuator 33 with appropriate timing, amplitude and duration to the actuator 33 corresponding to the selected nozzle based on image data and control signals.
Therefore, the driving IC 32 functions as a driving unit.

The actuator 33 applies pressure changes to the ink to eject ink for each channel (ink flow path) that communicates with each nozzle and supplies ink, or to vibrate the liquid surface (meniscus) without ejecting ink. Here, a piezoelectric element such as PZT (lead zirconate titanate) is used as the actuator 33, and this piezoelectric element is arranged between each channel as a partition of the one-dimensionally arranged channels. When a predetermined voltage is applied to the actuator through an electrode film provided on both sides of the actuator (i.e., the inner side of the channel), the actuator bends and deforms, applying pressure to the ink inside. Note that dummy channels are provided at both ends of the one-dimensionally arranged channels to affect bending deformation of the channels at both ends, and deformation operation is performed without supplying or ejecting ink. Here, a shear mode is used for the deformation of the actuator, but deformation in other modes such as a bend mode may also be used.

The nozzle row 34 has a predetermined number of nozzles, two or more, arranged in an appropriate pattern.

The actuator 33 and the nozzle row 34 are each configured as a single block, but may also be configured as multiple blocks.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing delays of various signals.
The DCLK, SA[1:0], LAT, LOAD, STB, GSCLK and GScounter signals at the top of Figure 2 are examples of control signals, and are waveforms input to the driver IC 32 when no conversion is performed by the serializer 23 and the deserializer 31.
2 are examples of drive signals input to the drive IC 32. The signals COM1, COM2 and DO1-256 in the upper part of FIG.
A delay of several μsec occurs when the control signal is converted by the serializer 23 and the deserializer 31. The delayed control signal input to the driver IC 32 is shown in the lower part of Fig. 2. The delay time is between the two dashed lines in Fig. 2.
The control signal and the drive signal need to be input in a synchronized state to the drive IC 32. Therefore, if the control signal is converted by the serializer 23 and the deserializer 31 and a delay occurs, the drive signal also needs to be delayed by the same amount as the delay time of the control signal in order to synchronize the timing.
In addition, when delaying the drive signal to synchronize the control signal and the drive signal, if the delay time is longer than necessary, the drive frequency will drop accordingly. Therefore, by delaying the drive signal by the time it takes for the control signal to be converted by the serializer 23 and the deserializer 31, it is possible to prevent the drive frequency from dropping.
Specifically, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 2, the signals COM1, COM2 and DO1-256 are delayed by the FPGA 21 by a time corresponding to the delay time of the control signal, and then input to the driving IC.

The delay time of the control signal caused by the conversion in the serializer 23 and the deserializer 31 varies depending on the individual differences of the serializer 23 and the deserializer 31, the length of the FPC 4, the usage environment, the usage time, and the like.
Therefore, in order to make the delay time of the drive signal the same as the delay time of the control signal, the reference signal 26 shown in FIG. 1 is used.
The reference signal 26 is output from the FPGA 21 in a parallel signal format together with the control signal, and input to the serializer 23. Next, the reference signal 26 is serial-converted together with the control signal in the serializer 23, and input to the deserializer 31 via the FPC 4. Next, the reference signal 26 is parallel-converted together with the control signal in the deserializer 31, and output. The reference signal 26 output from the deserializer 31 is input to the FPGA 21 via the FPC 4.
Therefore, like the control signal, a delay occurs in the reference signal 26 due to conversion in the serializer 23 and the deserializer 31. The delay time of the control signal and the delay time of the reference signal 26 are equal to each other.
The FPGA 21 determines the delay time of the drive signal based on the delay time of the reference signal 26, and outputs the delayed signal to the drive signal generating circuit 24. Here, the FPGA 21 functions as a delay unit and a determination unit.
The control signal delayed by conversion in the serializer 23 and the deserializer 31 and the drive signal whose delay has been set in the FPGA 21 are input to the drive IC 32, whereby the timing is synchronized.

As described above, the inkjet recording device 1 of this embodiment is an inkjet recording device 1 comprising: a drive board 2 that outputs control signals and drive signals for ejecting ink from each of a plurality of nozzles; and an inkjet head 3 that is connected to the drive board 2 via a cable 4 and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signals and drive signals output from the drive board 2. The drive board 2 comprises a generation means (FPGA 21, drive signal generation circuit 24) that generates control signals and drive signals. The inkjet head 3 comprises a conversion means (deserializer 31) that converts a control signal received via the cable 4 from a serial signal to a parallel signal, and a drive means (drive IC 32) that drives an actuator that ejects ink by input of the drive signal received via the cable 4 and the control signal converted to parallel by the conversion means, and a delay means (FPGA 21) that delays the drive signal by the delay time of the control signal in the conversion means.
Therefore, the control signal in the form of a serial signal transmitted from the drive board 2 to the inkjet head 3 can be suitably synchronized with the drive signal.

(Variation 1)
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to Modification 1. The following will mainly explain the differences from Fig. 1 showing the inkjet recording apparatus 1 of the above embodiment.

In the configuration of the present modified example 1, the drive board 2 has two serializers 23a and 23b, and the inkjet head 3 has two deserializers 31a and 31b corresponding to the serializers 23a and 23b.
Here, the serializer 23 and the deserializer 31 are configured to have two each, but this is not limiting, and each may have three or more.

The serializer 23a serially converts a part of the control signal in the parallel signal system output from the FPGA 21 and the reference signal 26a.
The control signal and reference signal 26a that have been serially converted by the serializer 23a are input to the deserializer 31a via the FPC 4.
The deserializer 31a converts the input serially converted control signal and reference signal 26a into parallel signals.
The control signal and reference signal 26a are delayed by a delay time a due to conversion in the serializer 23a and the deserializer 31a.
The parallel-converted control signal is input to the driver IC 32 .
The parallel-converted reference signal 26 a is input to the FPGA 21 via the FPC 4 .

Similarly, the serializer 23b serially converts a part of the control signal in the parallel signal system output from the FPGA 21 and the reference signal 26b.
The control signal and reference signal 26b that have been serially converted by the serializer 23b are input to a deserializer 31b via the FPC 4.
The deserializer 31b converts the input serially converted control signal and reference signal 26b into parallel signals.
The control signal and reference signal 26b are delayed by a delay time b due to conversion in the serializer 23b and the deserializer 31b.
The parallel-converted control signal is input to the driver IC 32 .
The parallel-converted reference signal 26 b is input to the FPGA 21 via the FPC 4 .

The FPGA 21 compares the delay time a indicated by the input reference signal 26a with the delay time b indicated by the reference signal 26b, and determines the delay time of the drive signal based on the longer time.

As described above, even when the drive board 2 has multiple serializers 23 and the inkjet head 3 has multiple deserializers 31, the control signal in serial signal format transmitted from the drive board to the inkjet head can be suitably synchronized with the drive signal.

(Variation 2)
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to Modification 2. The following mainly describes the differences from Fig. 1 showing the inkjet recording apparatus 1 of the above embodiment.

In the configuration of the present modified example 2, the drive board 2 has two serializers 23a and 23b and two drive signal generation circuits 24a and 24b.
Furthermore, an inkjet head 3a is connected to the drive substrate 2 via an FPC 4a, and similarly, an inkjet head 3b is connected to the drive substrate 2 via an FPC 4b.
The serializer 23a and the drive signal generating circuit 24a correspond to the inkjet head 3a, and the serializer 23b and the drive signal generating circuit 24b correspond to the inkjet head 3b.
Here, the number of inkjet heads connected to the driving substrate 2 is two, but this is not limiting. Three or more inkjet heads may be connected.

The inkjet head 3a includes a deserializer 31a, a driving IC 32a, an actuator 33a, and a nozzle row 34a.
The inkjet head 3b includes a deserializer 31b, a driving IC 32b, an actuator 33b, and a nozzle row 34b.

The serializer 23a serially converts a part of the control signal in the parallel signal system output from the FPGA 21 and the reference signal 26a.
The control signal and reference signal 26a that have been serially converted by the serializer 23a are input to a deserializer 31a via an FPC 4a.
The deserializer 31a converts the input serially converted control signal and reference signal 26a into parallel signals.
The control signal and reference signal 26a are delayed by a delay time a due to conversion in the serializer 23a and the deserializer 31a.
The parallel-converted control signal is input to the driver IC 32a.
The parallel-converted reference signal 26a is input to the FPGA 21 via the FPC 4a.

Similarly, the serializer 23b serially converts a part of the control signal in the parallel signal system output from the FPGA 21 and the reference signal 26b.
The control signal and reference signal 26b that have been serially converted by the serializer 23b are input to a deserializer 31b via an FPC 4b.
The deserializer 31b converts the input serially converted control signal and reference signal 26b into parallel signals.
The control signal and reference signal 26b are delayed by a delay time b due to conversion in the serializer 23b and the deserializer 31b.
The parallel-converted control signal is input to the driver IC 32b.
The parallel-converted reference signal 26b is input to the FPGA 21 via the FPC 4b.

The delay times of the drive signals that drive the actuators 33 a and 33 b must be consistent among the inkjet heads driven by the same drive substrate 2 .
Therefore, the FPGA 21 compares the delay time a indicated by the input reference signal 26a with the delay time b indicated by the reference signal 26b, and determines the delay time of the drive signal based on the longer time.

As described above, even when multiple inkjet heads 3 are connected to one drive board 2, the control signal in serial signal format transmitted from the drive board to the inkjet heads can be suitably synchronized with the drive signal.

In the above embodiments and variants, the determination of the delay time of the drive signal may be performed after the inkjet recording device 1 is turned on, or may be performed periodically.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but may be modified in various ways.
For example, in the above embodiment and modified example, the delay time of the drive signal is determined based on the delay time of the reference signal 26, but this is not limited to the above. It is also possible to perform printing using the inkjet recording device 1, calculate the amount of deviation in the print timing from the read data obtained by reading the print result, and determine the delay time of the drive signal required for timing synchronization with the control signal from the amount of deviation.

In addition, in the above embodiment and modified example, the FPGA 21 determines the delay time of the drive signal based on the delay time of the reference signal 26 as a determination means, but this is not limited to the above. An external device such as a computer connected via the input/output interface 22 may determine the delay time of the drive signal. In this case, the delay time information of the reference signal 26 is output to the external device via the FPGA 21 and the input/output interface 22 and used to determine the delay time of the drive signal. Therefore, in this case, the external device is also included in the inkjet recording apparatus 1.
The delay time may be a predetermined fixed value.

In the above embodiment and modified example, the FPGA 21 performs arithmetic processing, performs various control processes related to the image recording operation in the inkjet recording device 1, and determines the delay time of the drive signal based on the delay time of the reference signal 26. However, this is not limited to the above. A central processing unit (CPU) may be provided together with the FPGA, and the FPGA and the CPU may perform arithmetic processing, perform various control processes related to the image recording operation in the inkjet recording device 1, and determine the delay time of the drive signal based on the delay time of the reference signal 26.
Moreover, the CPU may be configured to execute a program to function as the delay means.

In addition, specific details such as the configuration, circuit layout, and operating procedures shown in the above embodiments can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

This invention can be used in an inkjet recording device and a program for controlling an inkjet recording device.

1 Inkjet recording device 2 Drive board 21 FPGA (generation means, delay means)
22 Input/output interface 23, 23a, 23b Serializer 24, 24a, 24b Drive signal generating circuit (generating means)
25 Unit control unit 26, 26a, 26b Reference signal 3, 3a, 3b Inkjet head 31, 31a, 31b Deserializer (conversion means)
32a, 32b Drive IC (drive means)
33, 33a, 33b Actuator 34, 34a, 34b Nozzle row 4, 4a, 4b FPC (cable)

Claims (12)

An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs a control signal and a drive signal for causing each of a plurality of nozzles to eject ink; and an inkjet head that is connected to the drive board via a cable and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signal and the drive signal output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a driving unit that drives an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the driving signal received via the cable and the control signal that has been converted into a parallel signal by the conversion unit,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means;
a determination means for determining a time for delaying the drive signal ;
The determining means determines a time for delaying the drive signal based on a reference signal received by the inkjet head from the drive board together with the control signal and converted by the converting means . An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs a control signal and a drive signal for causing each of a plurality of nozzles to eject ink; and an inkjet head that is connected to the drive board via a cable and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signal and the drive signal output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a driving unit that drives an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the driving signal received via the cable and the control signal that has been converted into a parallel signal by the conversion unit,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means;
a determination means for determining a time for delaying the drive signal;
The inkjet recording apparatus is configured so that the determining unit determines the delay time of the drive signal based on a printing result. A plurality of said conversion means are provided,
3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the delay means unifies the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the plurality of conversion means. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs a control signal and a drive signal for causing each of a plurality of nozzles to eject ink; and an inkjet head that is connected to the drive board via a cable and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signal and the drive signal output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A plurality of conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a driving unit that drives an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the driving signal received via the cable and the control signal that has been converted into a parallel signal by the conversion unit,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means,
The delay means unifies the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the plurality of conversion means. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs control signals and drive signals for causing ink to be ejected from each of a plurality of nozzles; and an inkjet head that is connected to the drive board via a cable and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signals and drive signals output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A plurality of conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a driving unit that drives an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the driving signal received via the cable and the control signal that has been converted into a parallel signal by the conversion unit,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means;
a determination means for determining a time for delaying the drive signal;
The delay means unifies the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the plurality of conversion means. A plurality of inkjet heads are included.
3. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the delay means unifies the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the conversion means of the plurality of inkjet heads. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs control signals and drive signals for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles; and a plurality of inkjet heads that are connected to the drive board via cables and eject ink from the nozzles based on the control signals and drive signals output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a driving unit that drives an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the driving signal received via the cable and the control signal that has been converted into a parallel signal by the conversion unit,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means,
The delay means unifies the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the conversion means of the plurality of inkjet heads. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs control signals and drive signals for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles; and a plurality of inkjet heads that are connected to the drive board via cables and eject ink from the nozzles based on the control signals and drive signals output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a driving unit that drives an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the driving signal received via the cable and the control signal that has been converted into a parallel signal by the conversion unit,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means;
a determination means for determining a time for delaying the drive signal;
The delay means unifies the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the conversion means of the plurality of inkjet heads. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs a control signal and a drive signal for causing each of a plurality of nozzles to eject ink; and an inkjet head that is connected to the drive board via a cable and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signal and the drive signal output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a drive means for driving an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the drive signal received via the cable and the control signal converted into parallel by the conversion means,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means ;
a determining means for determining a time for delaying the drive signal ;
The determining means is a program for determining a time for delaying the drive signal based on a reference signal received by the inkjet head from the drive board together with the control signal and converted by the converting means . An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs a control signal and a drive signal for causing each of a plurality of nozzles to eject ink; and an inkjet head that is connected to the drive board via a cable and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signal and the drive signal output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a drive means for driving an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the drive signal received via the cable and the control signal converted into parallel by the conversion means,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means;
a determining means for determining a time for delaying the drive signal;
The determining means is a program for determining the time for delaying the drive signal based on the printing result. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs a control signal and a drive signal for causing each of a plurality of nozzles to eject ink; and an inkjet head that is connected to the drive board via a cable and ejects ink from the nozzles based on the control signal and the drive signal output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A plurality of conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a drive means for driving an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the drive signal received via the cable and the control signal converted into parallel by the conversion means,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means;
The delay means includes a program for unifying the time for delaying the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the plurality of conversion means. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a drive board that outputs control signals and drive signals for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles; and a plurality of inkjet heads that are connected to the drive board via cables and eject ink from the nozzles based on the control signals and drive signals output from the drive board,
the driving circuit board includes a generating unit for generating the control signal and the driving signal;
The inkjet head comprises:
A conversion means for converting the control signal received via the cable from a serial signal to a parallel signal;
a drive means for driving an actuator that ejects ink by inputting the drive signal received via the cable and the control signal converted into parallel by the conversion means,
a delay means for delaying the drive signal by a delay time of the control signal in the conversion means;
The delay means is a program for unifying the delay time of the drive signal to the maximum delay time among the delay times of the control signal in the conversion means of the plurality of inkjet heads.

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