JPH02175256A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a high-quality image recording even when the recording is repeatedly conducted for a long time by providing an output change means capable of changing the output of a drive means according to temp. information obtained by a temp. detection means. CONSTITUTION:In a recording head 37 formed by loading a nozzle drive circuit 202, a liquid chamber 203, and 256-pieces of nozzles 204 on one sheet of substrate, a temp. sensor 205 is mounted on the rear of the nozzles 204 on the substrate. A signal of an analog level outputted from the temp. sensor 205 is converted to a digital signal by an A/D converter 206 to be inputted to a printer controller 200. Thus, the controller 200 can always monitor the temperature of a recording head 37, therefore controlling the temperature of the recording head 37 so that it can be invariably within a fixed range by a head heater 213 and a head cooling fan 214.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an apparatus for digitally processing a color image, for example, an image recording apparatus such as a digital color copying machine, a color image scanner, or a color printer.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, inkjet printers have attracted attention as output devices for various devices. In particular, on-demand type inkjet printers are not only suitable for small size and light weight, but also suitable for color printing, so their development as future output devices is remarkable.

Among them, inkjet printers that perform recording by applying thermal energy to the ink to cause a change in the state of the ink, such as JP-A No. 9993 No. It is attracting attention because not only can a large number of ejection ports be arranged, but it is also suitable for high-speed recording, miniaturization, and mass production.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, since the inkjet printer using the above method heats the liquid (ink), the temperature of the ink itself may gradually rise due to thermal energy that is not used for ejecting the ink. In particular, when a large number of heating elements are arranged at high density, if the heating elements are driven repeatedly at high speed for a long time, dissolved gases in the ink may be released due to the temperature rise of the ink, and the viscosity of the ink may change. This may result in ink ejection failure (non-ejection or unstable ejection) or a change in the amount of ink ejected.

When such ejection failure or change in the amount of ejected ink occurs, a problem arises in that high-quality image recording cannot be performed.

Specifically, when an ejection failure occurs, the ejected ink may not land at a desired position on the recording member, or the ink may not be ejected, resulting in missing dots. Further, when the amount of ejected ink changes, the diameter of the dots formed on the recording member changes, resulting in a change in the density of the recorded image, resulting in density unevenness. This density unevenness causes a problem that when recording an image, the density differs between the first part and the last part of recording even on a single recording member.

Particularly when full-color printing is performed, these ejection failures and changes in the amount of ejected ink also change the color of the printed image, making it impossible to obtain a higher quality printed image in some cases.

The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and specifically, to provide an inkjet printer that can obtain high-quality image recording even when recording is performed repeatedly for a long time. purpose.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer in which ink discharge failures and changes in the amount of ink discharged from the discharge ports of an inkjet head do not substantially occur.

[This invention to solve the problem]

The present invention to solve the above problems includes a recording head that ejects ink using thermal energy, a carriage on which the recording head is mounted and that scans the recording member, and a system that detects the temperature of the recording head. In an image recording apparatus having a temperature detecting means and a recording head driving means for driving the recording head, an output changing means allows the output of the driving means to be changed according to temperature information obtained by the temperature detecting means. It is characterized by having the following.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on Examples.

(Explanation of External Shape) FIG. 1 shows an external view of a digital color copying machine to which the present invention is applied.

The whole can be divided into two parts.

The upper part of Figure 1 shows the color image scanner section 1 (which reads the original image and outputs digital color image data).
The control section 2 includes a scanner section 1 (hereinafter abbreviated as a scanner section 1) and a control section 2 which is built into the scanner section and performs various image processing of digital color image data, as well as having processing functions such as interface with external devices.

The scanner unit l has a built-in mechanism for reading a three-dimensional object and a sheet original placed downward under the original presser 11, and also for reading a large-sized sheet original.

Further, the operation unit IO is connected to the controller unit 2, and is used to input various information regarding the copying machine. The control unit 2 instructs the scanner unit 11 and printer unit 3 regarding operations according to the input information. Further, when it is necessary to perform complicated editing processing, a digitizer or the like is attached in place of the document presser 11 and connected to the controller section 2, thereby making it possible to perform sophisticated processing.

The lower part of FIG. 1 is a printer section 3 for recording the color digital image signal output from the controller section 2 on recording paper. In this embodiment, the printer section 3 is a full color ink jet printer using a so-called bubble jet recording head that utilizes thermal energy.

The two parts described above can be separated, and can be installed at separate locations by extending the connecting cable.

(Printer Section) FIG. 2 is a sectional view from the side of the digital color copying machine shown in FIG. 1.

First, an exposure lamp I4, a lens 15, and an image sensor 1 that can read line images in full color.
6 (in this embodiment, a CCD), the original platen glass 17
An original image placed on top, an image projected by a projector, or a sheet original image by the sheet feeding mechanism 12 is read. Next, the scanner unit 1 and controller unit 2 perform various image processing, and the printer unit 3 performs various image processing on recording materials (recording paper, OHP,
record on paper, etc.).

In FIG. 2, recording paper is stored in a paper feed cassette 20 that stores cut paper of small standard sizes (A4 to A3 size in this embodiment) and large size (A2 to AI size in this embodiment). It is supplied from a roll paper 29 for carrying out the process.

Further, paper feeding from outside the apparatus (manual paper feeding) is also possible by inserting recording paper one sheet at a time through the manual feed port 22 shown in FIG. 1 along the paper feeding section cover 21.

The big up roller 24 is a row for feeding cut sheets one by one from the paper feed cassette 20, and the fed cut sheets are transferred to the first feeding roller by the cut paper feed roller 25.
It is transported to 0-ra 26.

The roll paper 29 is sent out by the roll paper feed roller 30, cut into a standard length by the cutter 31, and then
It is transported to 0-ra 26.

Similarly, the recording paper input through the manual feed port 22 is conveyed to the paper feed tube 10-ra 26 by the manual feed roller 32.

Big up roller 24, cut I/paper feed roller 2
5. The roll paper feed roller 30, the 10th paper feed roller 26, and the manual feed roller 32 are connected to a paper feed motor (not shown) (in this embodiment,
(using a DC servo motor)
An electromagnetic clutch attached to each roller can turn on and off at any time.
Off control is possible.

When the printing operation is started in response to an instruction from the controller unit 2, the recording paper selectively fed from one of the above-mentioned paper feeding paths is conveyed to the paper feeding path 26. In order to eliminate the skew of the recording paper, after forming a predetermined amount of paper loops, the first paper feed roller 26 is turned on and the recording paper is conveyed to the 20th paper feed roller 27.

Between the 10th paper feed roller 26 and the 20th paper feed roller 27, a predetermined amount of paper is applied to the recording paper in order to perform an accurate paper feeding operation between the paper feed roller 28 and the 20th paper feed roller 27. The buffer amount detection sensor 33 is a sensor for detecting the buffer amount.The buffer amount detection sensor 33 is a sensor for detecting the buffer amount.By constantly creating a buffer during conveyance, the paper feed roller is used especially when conveying large-sized recording paper. 28. It is possible to reduce the load applied to the paper feeding number 20-ra 27, and accurate paper feeding operation becomes possible.

When printing with the recording head 37, the recording head 3
A scanning carriage 34 consisting of 7 etc. is a carriage.
The rail 36 is scanned back and forth by the scanning motor 35. In the forward scan, an image is printed on the recording paper, and in the backward scan, the paper feed roller 28 performs an operation to feed the recording paper by a predetermined amount. At this time, while the drive system is detected by the buffer amount detection sensor 33 using the paper feed motor, control is performed so that the buffer amount is always a predetermined amount.

The printed recording paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 23, and the printing operation is completed.

Next, a detailed explanation of the scanning carriage 3 and the invention will be given using FIG.

In FIG. 3, a paper feed motor 40 is a drive source for intermittently feeding recording paper, and a paper feed motor 40 is a driving source for intermittently feeding the recording paper.
The 20th paper feeder 27 is driven via the 0-ra clutch 43.

The scanning motor 35 moves the scanning carriage 34 to the scanning belt 3.
4 is a driving source for scanning in the directions of arrows A and B. In this embodiment, since accurate paper feeding control is required, pulse motors are used for the paper feeding motor 40 and the scanning motor 35.

When the recording paper reaches paper feed number 20-27, paper feed number 20
-La clutch 43 and paper feed motor 40 are turned on, and the recording paper is conveyed over the platen 39 to the paper feed roller 28.

The recording paper is detected by a paper detection sensor 14 provided on the platen, and sense information is used for position control, jam control, etc.

When the recording paper reaches the paper feed roller 28, the paper feed number 20-
The clutch 43 and the paper feed motor 40 are turned off, and a suction operation (not shown) is performed from inside the platen 39 to bring the recording paper into close contact with the platen 39.

Prior to the image recording operation on recording paper, the scanning carriage 34 is moved to the position of the home position sensor 41,
Next, forward scanning is performed in the direction of the arrow, and cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks are ejected from the recording head 37 from predetermined positions to record an image. After recording the image for a predetermined length, the scanning carriage 34 is stopped, and conversely, backward scanning is started in the direction of arrow B, and the scanning carriage 34 is returned to the position of the home position sensor 41.

During the backward scan, the paper is fed by the length recorded by the recording head 37 in the direction of arrow C by driving the paper feed roller 28 by the paper feed motor 40.

In this embodiment, the recording head 37 is a bubble jet type ink jet nozzle, and uses four of 256 nozzles each assembled into one.

The scanning carriage 34 is connected to the home position sensor 4
When the recording head 37 stops at the home position detected in step 1, the recording head 37 performs a recovery operation. This is a process for stable printing operation, and in order to prevent unevenness at the start of ejection caused by changes in the viscosity of the ink remaining in the nozzles of the print head 37, it is necessary to This is a process of applying pressure to the recording head 37, idling ink ejection, etc., based on preprogrammed conditions such as temperature and ejection time.

By repeating the operations described above, an image is recorded on the entire surface of the recording paper.

(Scanner Section) Next, the operation of the scanner section l will be explained using FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the mechanical mechanism inside the scanner section l.

The CCD unit 18 is a unit composed of a CCD 16, a lens 15, etc., and a main scanning motor 50 fixed on a rail 54, a pulley 51 . Pulley 52) Wire 53
The rail 54'' is moved by a drive system in the main scanning direction consisting of the following, and the image on the document platen glass 17 is read in the main scanning direction. Light shielding plate 55, home position sensor 56
is used for position control when moving the CCD unit 18 to the main scanning home position in the correction area 68 in the figure.

The rail 54 rests on rails 65 and 69, and is equipped with a sub-scanning motor 60, pulleys 67, 68, 71, 76, and shafts 72 and 69.
73, and is moved by a drive system in the sub-scanning direction consisting of wires 66 and 70. The light-shielding plate 57 and home position sensors 58 and 59 determine the respective sub-scanning home positions in the book mode for reading an original such as a book placed on the document platen glass 17, and in the sheet mode for sheet reading. It is used for position control when moving the rail 54.

Sheet feed motor 61, sheet feed rollers 74 and 75,
The pulleys 62 and 64 and the wire 63 are mechanisms for feeding the sheet original. This mechanism moves a sheet original placed face down on the original platen glass 17 to a sheet feeding roller 74.
75 is a mechanism for feeding a predetermined amount at a time.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the reading operation in book mode and sheet mode.

In the book mode, the CCD unit 18 is moved to the book mode home position (book mode HP) shown in the correction area 68 in FIG. Start reading the entire surface.

Prior to scanning the original, processing such as shading correction, black level correction, and color correction is performed in the correction area 68. Thereafter, scanning in the main scanning direction is started by the main scanning motor 50 in the direction of the illustrated arrow. When the reading operation of the area indicated by (2) is completed, the main scanning motor 50 is reversed, and the sub-scanning motor 60 is driven to move the area (2) to the correction area 68 in the sub-scanning direction. Subsequently, similar to the main scanning of the area (2), processing such as shading correction, black level correction, color correction, etc. is performed as necessary, and the reading operation of the area (2) is performed.

By repeating the above scanning, the entire area from ■ to ■ can be read. After completing the reading operation of the area (2), return the CCD unit 18 to the book mode home position again.

In this embodiment, the document platen glass 17 can read a maximum A2 size document, so in reality it must be scanned more times, but this explanation is simplified to make the operation easier to understand.

In the seat mode, the CCD unit 18 is moved to the seat mode home position (seat mode H) shown in the figure.
P), and repeatedly reads the sheet document in the area (3) while operating the sheet feed motor 61 intermittently, thereby reading the entire sheet document.

Prior to scanning the document, processing such as shading correction, black level correction, and color correction is performed in the correction area 68, and then scanning in the main scanning direction is started by the main scanning motor 50 in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure. When the forward scanning operation of the area (2) is completed, the main scanning motor 50 is reversed, and during this backward scanning, the sheet feed motor 61 is driven to move the sheet original by a predetermined amount in the sub-scanning direction. Subsequently, the same operation is repeated to read the entire sheet document.

Assuming that the reading operation described above is a reading operation at the same magnification, the area that can be read by the CCD unit 18 is actually a wide area as shown in FIG. this is,
This is because the digital color copying machine of this embodiment has a built-in magnification/reduction function. That is, as explained above, since the area that can be recorded by the recording head 37 is fixed at 256 bits at a time, for example, when performing a 50% reduction operation, the image information of an area of at least double 512 bits is This is because it is necessary. Therefore, the scanner part l is 1
It has a built-in function that reads and outputs image information from any image area with multiple main scanning scans.

(Overall Functional Block Description) Next, the functional blocks of the digital color copying machine of this embodiment will be described using FIG.

The control units 102, 111, and 121 are the scanner unit 1, respectively.
1 controller unit 2) A control circuit that controls the printer unit 3, which includes a microcomputer and a program ROM.
, data memory, communication circuits, etc. The control units 102 to 11.1 and the control units 111 to 121 are connected by a communication circuit, and a so-called master-slave control mode is adopted in which the control units 102 and 121 operate according to instructions from the control unit 111. are doing.

When operating as a color copying machine, the control section 111 operates according to input instructions from the operation section 10 and the digitizer 114.

The operation unit 1O uses, for example, a liquid crystal (LCD display unit 84) as a display unit, and is equipped with a touch panel 85 made of transparent electrodes on its surface, so that it is possible to specify colors, editing operations, etc. Can give selection instructions. In addition, keys related to operations, such as a key for instructing to start a copying operation; a start key 87, a key stop key 88 for instructing to stop a copying operation, a key reset key 89 for returning the operation mode to the standard state, a key unit reset key 89 for returning the operation mode to the standard state; Frequently used keys such as the projector key 86, which is a key for making a selection, are provided independently.

The digitizer 114 is used to input position information for trimming, masking, etc., and is connected as an option when complex editing processing is required.

Further, the control unit 111 also controls a control circuit = I/F control unit 11.2 of a general-purpose parallel interface such as TEEE488, so-called GP-IB interface, and inputs and outputs image data between external devices. , remote control by external devices can be performed via this interface.

Furthermore, the control unit 111 includes a multi-value synthesis unit 106, an image processing unit 107, and a binarization processing unit 1, which perform various processes related to images.
08. Also controls the binary synthesis unit 109 and buffer memory +10.

The control unit 102 controls a mechanical drive unit 105 that controls the drive of the mechanism of the scanner unit l described above, an exposure control unit 103 that controls the exposure of a lamp when reading a reflective original, and a halogen lamp when using a projector. The exposure controller 104 controls the exposure control section 90. In addition, the control unit +
02 also controls the analog signal processing section 100 and the input image processing section 101, which perform various processes related to images.

The control unit 121 includes a mechanical drive unit +05 that controls the drive of the mechanism of the printer unit 3 described in section 2, and a mechanism that absorbs time variations in the mechanical operation of the printer unit 3 and controls the recording heads 117 to 120.
Synchronous delay memory 1 that performs delay correction based on the mechanical arrangement of
15 controls are performed.

Next, the image processing block in FIG. 6 will be explained along the flow of the image.

The image formed on the CCD 16 is converted into an analog electrical signal by the CCD 16. The converted image information is
The signals are serially processed in the order of red → green → blue and input to the analog signal processing section 100.

The analog signal processing section 100 performs sample and hold dark level correction, dynamic range control, etc. for each color of red, green, and blue, and then performs analog-to-digital conversion (A/D conversion) and serial multi-level signal processing. (In this embodiment, each color has a length of 8 bits) and is converted into a digital image signal and output to the input image processing unit 101.

The input image processing unit 101 similarly performs correction processing necessary in the reading system, such as shading correction, color correction, and γ correction, on the serial multivalued digital image signal.

The multi-value synthesis section 106 of the control section 2
This is a circuit block that performs selection and compositing processing between a serial multi-value digital image signal sent from a serial multi-value digital image signal and a serial multi-value digital image signal sent via a parallel I/F. The selectively combined image data is sent to the image processing unit 107 as a serial multi-level digital image signal.

The image processing unit 107 performs smoothing processing, edge enhancement,
This circuit performs black extraction, masking processing for color correction of recording ink used in the recording heads 117 to 120, and the like. The serial multilevel digital image signal output is input to the binarization processing unit 108 and buffer memories 11 and 0, respectively.

The binarization processing unit 108 is a circuit for binarizing a serial multilevel digital image signal, and can select simple binary processing using a fixed slice level, pseudo halftone processing using a dither method, etc. Here, the serial multi-value digital image signal is converted into a four-color binary parallel image signal.

Image data of four colors is sent to the binary synthesis unit 109, and image data of three colors is sent to the buffer memory 110.

The binary synthesis section 109 combines the three-color binary parallel image signals sent from the buffer memory 110 and the binarization processing section 1.
This is a circuit for selecting and combining four-color binary parallel image signals sent from 08 to produce four-color binary parallel image signals.

The buffer memory 110 is a buffer memory for inputting and outputting multivalued images and binary images via a parallel I/F, and has memory for three colors.

The synchronization delay memory 115 of the printer section 3
Absorption of time variations in mechanical operation and recording head l 1.
This is a circuit for performing delay correction based on the mechanical arrangement of the recording heads i17 to i120, and internally also generates the timing necessary for driving the recording heads i17 to i120.

The head driver 116 drives the recording heads 117~! 20
This is an analog drive circuit for driving the recording heads 117-120, and internally generates signals that can directly drive the recording heads 117-120.

The recording heads 117 to 120 eject cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink, respectively, to record an image on recording paper.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the timing of images between the circuit blocks described in FIG. 6.

Signal BVE is a signal indicating the image effective section for each scanner in the main scanning reading operation explained in FIG. Signal B
Full-screen image output is performed by outputting VE multiple times.

The signal VE is a signal indicating the valid section of the image read by the CCD 16 for every l line. Only the signal VE is valid when the signal BVE is valid.

Signal ~rcK is a clock signal for sending out image data VD. Signal BVE and signal VE also change in synchronization with this signal VCK.

The signal H8 is a signal used when the valid and invalid sections are repeated discontinuously while the signal VE outputs one line.
If the signal VE is continuously valid while outputting one line, it is an unnecessary signal. ■This signal indicates the start of line image output.

Next, details of the present invention will be explained using FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a control mechanism around the recording head 37. The recording head 37 is connected to the nozzle drive circuit 20
2) Liquid chamber 203.256 nozzles 204 are mounted on one substrate, and a temperature sensor 205 (a thermistor in this embodiment) is attached to the back side of the nozzles 204 of the substrate. The analog level signal output by the temperature sensor 205 is converted into a digital signal by the A/D converter 206 and input to the printer controller 200, so the controller 200 can constantly monitor the temperature of the print head 37, and Heater 213
The head cooling fan 214 controls the temperature of the recording head 37 so that it always stays within a certain range.

Head driver 116 is divided into two blocks.

One is the image data V sent from the controller section 2.
D, signal VCK, signal VE, signal BVEi: A timing signal generation circuit 20) that controls the timing of ejecting ink from the recording head 37, and is controlled by an enable signal HENB from the printer controller 20. The other block is a block that controls the nozzle drive voltage VH, and is composed of a D/A converter 207 and a constant voltage power supply 208 (hereinafter referred to as CVR).

VH is 6 bits output by print controller 200
The code data is converted into an analog signal by the D/A converter 207 and inputted to the CVR 208, and depending on the level of the input signal, vH is set in 64 steps in the range from Ov to V)lm@X (26V in this example). When there is no need to drive the head, turn off vl.

Here, when the temperature of the recording head 37 rises, the liquid chamber 203
As the temperature of the ink inside the nozzle 204 rises, the viscosity of the ink decreases, the diameter of the droplet during ejection increases, and the amount of ink ejected increases. Therefore, this changes the density and chromaticity of the output when printed, so in order to prevent this, it is necessary to control the temperature and VH to adjust the amount of ink ejection. Here, when vH is raised, the amount of ink ejected increases and ink droplets with a large dot diameter are ejected, and when it is set low, the amount of ink ejected decreases and ink droplets with a small dot diameter are ejected, so when the ink temperature rises, VH is lowered. (Also, when the temperature decreases, vH is controlled to be high.

Next, the recovery operation of the recording head 37 will be explained.

There are two types of recovery operations; one is a pressurizing operation and the other is a dry discharge operation. The pressurizing operation is an operation in which the ink in the liquid chamber 203 and the nozzle 204 is circulated through the supply vibrator 212, and the pressurizing pump 209 is used to circulate the ink in the ink chamber 203 and the nozzle 204 for a preset time. The generation of air bubbles is suppressed by pressurizing the ink to forcibly replace the ink in the ink tank 210. At this time, the ink inside the nozzle 20 is pressurized and is discharged from the tip of the nozzle, and is absorbed by a sponge-like absorber (not shown).

The idle ejection operation is mainly an operation in which residual ink in the nozzle is ejected into a head cap (not shown) a preset number of times, and depending on the ejection pattern, ink in the nozzle that is used less frequently may be ejected due to changes in viscosity, temperature, etc. The purpose is to prevent unevenness in the diameter of ejected ink. In this embodiment, the idle ejection is performed in a predetermined pattern by controlling the idle ejection enable signal DJE output from the printer controller 200.

Next, the sequence of this embodiment will be explained using FIG.

In FIG. 9(1), the printer controller 200 detects that the controller unit 2 indicates an instruction to start printing, and starts the aforementioned paper feeding operation and pressurizing operation of the head 37.

After this, the process moves to (If), and by inputting predetermined data to the D/A converter 207, the rehead drive power source is turned on and a dry ejection operation is performed, and the process moves to (III). At (I[), the controller 2 waits until the main scanning start signal sent to synchronize the reader and printer becomes active, and after it becomes active, moves to (IV) and starts the recording operation for one main scanning. . In this embodiment, printing is performed only in the forward direction, and when the recording for I main scanning is completed, the scanning carriage 34
returns to the home position at four times the forward speed, and at the same time moves to feed the paper by a predetermined amount (V). (V) determines whether a recovery operation is necessary or whether to change the head drive voltage depending on the temperature of the head 37, the frequency of use of the head, etc., and performs a recovery operation or head drive voltage as necessary. Change the drive voltage. Next, in (VI), a counter that counts the number of times main scanning is performed is decremented, and if the content of this counter is 0, the process returns to (III) and the recording operation is continued again. Also, the contents of the counter are O.
When this happens, it is determined that the recording has been completed, and the process moves to (■), where the head power is turned off and the output image is ejected to the paper ejection tray 23, thereby ending the printing operation.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a full-color copying machine using a BJ head has been described, but there is no need to be particular about a color copying machine, and a full-color printer, a single-color copying machine, a single-color printer, etc. can be used without any problem. Further, in the case of this embodiment, printing was performed only on the outward path, but there is no problem even when printing is performed in both directions.

〔effect〕

As explained above, by providing a mechanism that monitors the recording temperature and uses that information to finely adjust the drive voltage of the recording head, it is possible to prevent unevenness in the diameter of ejected ink droplets caused by differences in viscosity due to changes in ink temperature. Furthermore, it has the effect of preventing variations in density, color, etc. in a printed image caused by such unevenness, and making it possible to always obtain output with stable quality.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a digital color copying machine to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a sectional view from the side of the digital color copying machine shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a detailed explanatory diagram of the scanning carriage 3 and the invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the mechanical mechanism inside the scanner section l. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the reading operation in book mode and sheet mode. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of functional blocks of a digital color copying machine to which the present invention is applied. Figure 7 is a timing chart. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a control mechanism around the recording head. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of operation of the present invention.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A recording head that ejects ink using thermal energy, a carriage on which the recording head is mounted and that scans the recording member, a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the recording head, and the An image recording apparatus having a recording head driving means for driving a recording head, characterized in that the image recording apparatus has an output changing means that allows the output of the driving means to be changed according to temperature information obtained by the temperature detecting means. image recording device. (2) The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output is controlled by temperature information for each scan of the carriage. (3) An image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output changing means is formed within the driving means.