JPH03234646A - Ink jet recorder and information processor using the same recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent ink from waste by performing a recovery process only if necessary by a method wherein recovery operation is started according to a command from a device forming a supply source of data for recording. CONSTITUTION:When a printing command key is detected to have been operated with a recorder, present time read by using a timer 57 is compared with time when a command for former time the recovery operation read out from a RAM 55. When one week has elapsed, a recovery operation command is output to an ink jet memory. Then, a printer control part 24' starts recovery processing in correspondence therewith. Then, a time memory area in the RAM 55 is rewritten by using the present time as time when the recovery operation command is output. Thereafter, printing information assigned by an operator is transferred to the ink jet recorder, and printing is performed. Further, when one week has not elapsed, printing is immediately performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Fields] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device, and a computer that uses the recording device as an output device for images, documents, etc.
It relates to information processing devices such as electronic typewriters, word processors, and facsimiles.

[Prior Art] In an inkjet recording device, ink is supplied to a recording head, and the ink is ejected from an ejection port provided on the surface of the recording head facing the recording medium to form a flying ink drop, and the ink drop is attached to the recording medium. It is configured so that it can be recorded while In addition, in inkjet recording devices, ink scum that can adhere to the ink ejection ports is generally generated during operations such as printing or when the recording head is left unused.

Causes of ejection failure, such as paper powder, dust, and air trapped inside the ink ejection port, can be eliminated by sucking out the ink from the ink ejection port, pressurizing the ink supply system to discharge it, or replacing such forced ejection. A recovery device is used in which the ink is removed together with the ink by performing a predetermined ink ejection operation (preliminary ejection) either at the same time as the ink or by performing a predetermined ink ejection operation (preliminary ejection).

In such an inkjet recording device, the above-mentioned recovery device is automatically or It was designed to operate in response to manual operations by the operator.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in such an inkjet recording apparatus, in which the recovery device is activated when the power is turned on or when the recording operation is interrupted, the recovery device operates regardless of whether or not a subsequent recording operation is performed. When no operation is performed, ink is wasted due to ejection stabilization processing (recovery processing). In recent years, in particular, inkjet recording devices have become more compact with the adoption of bubble jet recording heads, and inkjet recording devices are now being integrated into word processors, electronic typewriters, and other information processing devices as one form of use. There is. In such devices, power is often turned on only for editing text, for example, without performing printing, so an increase in ink consumption in the inkjet printing device becomes a problem.

Furthermore, even if recovery processing is performed in response to manual operations determined by the operator, if the recovery device is activated only after a recording defect is discovered, the recording medium on which the printing defect has occurred will be wasted. There is a problem.

Furthermore, due to the nature of inkjet recording heads, if recovery processing is not performed at predetermined intervals, recording defects may easily occur. Therefore, in order to quickly respond to printing operations that are started irregularly, it is possible to manage the above-mentioned predetermined period on the inkjet printing apparatus side.In addition to providing a timer within the inkjet printing apparatus, A backup battery or the like is required to keep the time management timer operating even when the power is cut off, which may increase the construction cost and maintenance cost of the inkjet recording apparatus.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention aims to solve these problems, and for this purpose, the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium. and means for activating a recovery operation for performing processing for improving the ink ejection state of the recording head in response to a command from a device that is a supply source of data for recording. It is something.

Further, the present invention provides an information processing apparatus that uses such an inkjet recording apparatus as a data output device, and is characterized by comprising a recovery processing command means for outputting a command to start the recovery operation. .

[Function] According to the present invention, the recovery process of the inkjet recording device is managed on the information processing device main body side, and the recovery process is performed only when necessary during the recording operation using the inkjet recording device. , it is possible to prevent ink wastage. In addition, by using the clock function normally provided in information processing devices to manage the startup timing of recovery processing, there is no need to provide a timer or backup power source on the inkjet recording device side, and the configuration cost of the inkjet recording device is reduced. It is possible to suppress the increase in maintenance costs.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show an example of the external configuration of a text processing device such as a word processor as a device to which the present invention can be applied.

Here, 1 is a keyboard section, in which a group of keys 2 such as keys for inputting characters such as letters and numbers, control keys, etc. are arranged, and when not in use, it can be rotated around a hinge 3 as shown in Fig. 1 (B). It can be folded as shown. Reference numeral 4 denotes a paper feed tray for feeding a sheet-like recording medium to a printer section inside the apparatus, and when not in use, it is stored covering the printer section as shown in FIG. 5 is a feed knob for manually setting and ejecting a recording medium, 6 is a display for displaying input text, etc., and 7 is a handle used when transporting the apparatus according to this example.

Further, 8 constitutes a cover of the text processing device of this example, and a display 6
A window provided at the top of the device adjacent to the inkjet printer and the recording medium stored therein as described below can be seen.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the printer section according to this example.

In FIG. 2, the recording medium 11 is supported by conveyance rollers 12 and 13 disposed above and below the recording area, and is conveyed in the direction of arrow A by the conveyance rollers 12 and 13 driven by the sheet feed motor 14. A guide shaft 5 is provided in front of and parallel to the conveyance rollers 12 and 13, and a carriage 16 is reciprocated on this guide shaft 15 via a wire 18 by the output of a carriage motor 17.

A bubble jet type recording head 19 is mounted on the carriage 16, and a plurality of ink ejection ports are arranged in a vertical line on the front surface of the recording head 19, that is, the surface facing the recording medium 11 at a predetermined interval. A recording section is provided. A recovery mechanism 20 is provided at the end of the guide shaft at a position facing the front surface of the recording head 19 on the carriage 16.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a recovery mechanism 20, of which a suction recovery device is taken as an example. A pump 22 driven by a pump drive motor 21 is opposed to the front surface of the recording head 19 at its home position, for example, and communicates with a cap 23 which is disposed so as to be able to be connected and detached.
A suction operation of a predetermined amount is performed in accordance with a signal sent from the printer control section 24' via the control circuit 36.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the control circuit (CPU
), and the printer control unit 24°, which can include a fixed data storage ROM, working RAM, etc. in addition to the programs attached thereto, is formed on the control board 24, and is connected to the text processing device main body 25. The controller receives signals from the printer and controls the drive of various motors and recording heads based on the signals.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control system of the text processing device according to this example.

Reference numeral 51 denotes a central processing unit (CPU), which processes characters etc. input from the keyboard section l and displays them on the display 6, and a read/write storage device (RAM) shown by reference numeral 55.
). Reference numeral 54 is a read-only storage device (ROM) that stores programs, fixed data, etc. corresponding to the processing procedures executed by the CPtJ 51. The reference numeral 57 indicates a time management clock (timer).

Reference numeral 56 indicates a backup battery, which continues to operate the timer 57 and RAM 55 even if the power source 58 of the text processing device is cut off. Reference numeral 59 is the inkjet recording device described in FIGS. 2 and 3. The CPU 51 in the text processing device main body 25 outputs print command signals, recorded information, and other control signals, and
Recording operations and recovery processing are controlled by a printer control unit mounted in 4.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the control procedure of this embodiment. When printing (recording) is attempted with an inkjet recording device, the time it takes to print all the data is 1 minute from the time when the previous recovery operation command was output. If more than a week has passed, a recovery operation command is output before outputting a print command.

First, in step S1, it is determined whether the operator has operated a print command key to start printing with the inkjet recording apparatus. If no operation has been performed, this procedure ends and the process moves to other processing, such as text editing. On the other hand, if the operation of the print command key is detected in step S1, the current time is read using a timer 57 shown in FIG. Then, in step S3, the time when the previous recovery operation command was output is read from the RAM 55. Next, step S4
In step S2, the time read out in step S3 is compared with the time read out in step S3, and if one week has passed, the process proceeds to step S5 and a recovery operation command is output to the inkjet storage device. Then, in the printer control section 24',
In response to this, recovery processing as described above is activated. Next, in step S6, the time storage area in the RAM 55 is rewritten to the current time as the time when the recovery operation command was output.

Thereafter, the process moves to step S7, where the print information designated by the operator is transferred to the inkjet recording apparatus, and printing is performed. Note that if it is determined in step S4 that one week has not yet passed, the process immediately proceeds to step S7.

Note that the recovery process is not limited to forcibly discharging ink by suction as described above, but may also be one that pressurizes the ink supply system leading to the recording head 19 to forcibly discharge ink from the ejection ports. Further, instead of or in addition to such forced ejection, recovery processing by preliminary ejection may be performed.

In addition, in the above case, when the print process is started, this is performed if the recovery process has not been performed for more than a week, but such a period can be adjusted as needed depending on the performance of the recording head. Of course. Moreover, such a period may be made variable depending on environmental conditions such as ambient temperature. Furthermore, when multiple types of recovery processing are used together, the period may be varied depending on the type, or the combination of recovery processing may be changed.

In addition, although the above example describes an example in which an inkjet recording device is integrated into an information processing device in the form of a text processing device, the information processing device may also be a computer,
The inkjet recording device may be a facsimile or the like, and the inkjet recording device may be provided separately from the main body of the information processing device.

In addition, instead of all ejection recovery processing being managed by the information processing device itself, recovery processing can be performed independently on the inkjet printing device automatically or manually when the need arises during printing. You can.

(Others) The present invention brings about excellent effects particularly in a bubble jet type recording head and recording apparatus among inkjet recording types.

This is because such a system can achieve higher recording density and higher definition.

As for typical configurations and principles thereof, it is preferable to use the basic principles disclosed in, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129 and US Pat. No. 4,740,796. 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, it is necessary to arrange the liquid (ink) in accordance with the sheet and liquid path that hold it. The electrothermal converter that is
Generating thermal energy in the electrothermal transducer and producing film boiling on the thermally active surface of the recording head by applying at least one drive signal that corresponds to recorded information and provides a rapid temperature rise above nucleate boiling. As a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) can be formed in a one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal, which is effective. Through the discharge opening due to the growth and contraction of this bubble? The ink is ejected to form at least one drop. It is more preferable to use this drive signal in a pulse form, since the growth and contraction of bubbles can be carried out immediately and appropriately, making it possible to eject liquid (ink) with particularly excellent responsiveness. This pulse-shaped drive signal is:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,359, U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,26
Those described in Specification No. 2 are suitable.

Furthermore, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 concerning the invention regarding the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, even more excellent recording can be performed.

The configuration of the recording head includes, in addition to the combination configuration of ejection ports, liquid paths, and electrothermal converters (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, a heat acting section. 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 wafer is placed in a bending region. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1989-5 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part of a plurality of electrothermal converters.
No. 9-123670 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59/1989 which discloses a configuration in which a discharge portion is made to correspond to an opening that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy.
The effects of the present invention are also effective even if the structure is based on the publication No.-138461. In other words, regardless of the form of the recording head, recording can be performed reliably and efficiently.

Furthermore, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium that can be recorded by a recording apparatus.

Such a recording head may have either a configuration in which the length is satisfied by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally. In addition, even the serial type shown above can be installed on the main body of the device, allowing for electrical connection to the main body of the device and supply of ink from the main body of the device.Replaceable chip type recording heads. Alternatively, the present invention is also effective when using a cartridge type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc., which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus, to the present invention, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. It is. Specifically, in order to perform stable recording, it is also possible to provide a cleaning means for the recording head, a preheating means using an electrothermal converter, a separate heating element, or a combination thereof. It is valid.

In addition, regarding the type and number of recording heads installed, for example, in addition to one type that corresponds to single-color ink, there is also a plurality of recording heads that correspond to multiple inks with different recording colors and densities. It may be something that can be done.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, the recovery process of an inkjet recording device is managed on the information processing device main body side, and the recovery process is performed only when necessary during a recording operation using the inkjet recording device. This makes it possible to prevent ink from being wasted. In addition, by using the clock function normally provided in information processing devices to manage the startup timing of recovery processing, there is no need to provide a timer or backup power source on the inkjet recording device side, and the configuration cost of the inkjet recording device is reduced. It is possible to suppress the increase in maintenance costs.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIGS. 1A and 1B are external perspective views of a text processing device as an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of an inkjet recording device as a printer section thereof. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the recovery mechanism, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control system of the information processing device according to this example, and FIG. 5 is an example of the control procedure. It is a flowchart. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Keyboard part, 6...Display device, 11...Recording medium, 19...Recording head, 20...Recovery mechanism, 24...Control board, 25...Text processing device main body , 36... recovery mechanism control circuit, 51... cpu. 54...ROM, 55...RAM. 56... Backup battery, 57... Timer, 59... Inkjet recording device. Figure 1 Figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) A recording head that performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording medium, and data for recording a recovery operation that performs processing to improve the ink discharge state of the recording head. An inkjet recording device characterized by comprising: means for starting in response to a command from a device serving as a supply source of the inkjet recording device. 2) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head has an element for applying thermal energy to cause film boiling on the ink, as an element for generating energy for ejecting ink. . 3) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recovery operation is a preliminary ejection operation performed by driving the recording head. 4) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recovery means for performing the recovery operation. 5) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the recovery means is a suction recovery device that sucks ink from the recording head. 6) The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the suction recovery device includes a cap capable of covering the vicinity of the ink ejection ports of the recording head, and a pump communicating with the cap. 7) An information processing device using the inkjet recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 as a data output device, comprising recovery processing command means for outputting a command to start the recovery operation. Characteristic information processing device. 8) The recovery processing means outputs the command if the recovery process has not been executed for a predetermined period of time or more when sending print data to the inkjet recording apparatus to perform printing. The information processing device described in .