JPH0323948A - Ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform good fixing regardless of the length of the stagnation time on a fixing heater by changing over the ON and OFF states of the power supply of a fixing means corresponding to the thickness of a recording medium. CONSTITUTION:A word processor control part 13 sends the data related to a recording medium to a recording apparatus through a D-line. This data is selected by a user before and after a composition is made. The data sent through the D-line shows only postcard printing or not. A fixing heater control part 15 controls the power supply supplying power to a heater 8a from an F-line on the basis of the paper data from the D-line and the data of a thermistor 12 from an E-line to control the heater to low or high temp. At the same time, paper data is transmitted to a feed apparatus control part 14 from a line A and the stagnation time of the recording medium on a fixing means is controlled corresponding to the thickness of the recording medium to be used.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field 1] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device that records a desired image on a recording medium by ejecting ink, and particularly to an inkjet recording device that discharges ink to record a desired image on a recording medium. The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with a fixing means for.

[Prior Art] Inkjet recording devices have the great advantage of being able to select plain paper as the recording medium, but depending on the type of paper, problems may arise in fixing performance. In other words, inkjet recording devices attach liquid ink to a recording medium in order to obtain a desired image, so if the ink absorption of the recording medium is poor, the ink does not penetrate into the recording medium quickly and the absorption is reduced. The ink that cannot be completely drained remains as a liquid on the recording medium, resulting in the following problems.

That is, when the above-mentioned condition occurs, there is a risk that undried ink may adhere to a conveying member such as a roller, and this ink may be transferred to the surface of a subsequent recording medium. Furthermore, when an operator handles a recorded recording medium, his or her hands will be contaminated if the ink is not dry. In addition, the recording medium is rubbed by contaminated hands, resulting in a deterioration in the quality of the recorded image.

Alternatively, when recorded recording media are stacked in rays 1 to 1, the recorded images may become blurred due to rubbing between the recording media that occurs when the recording media are stacked.

One method to prevent such problems and improve the fixation of ink to the recording medium is to incorporate a heating source such as a heater into the device to heat the recording medium and promote the evaporation of the water contained in the ink. Devices have been proposed that quickly dry ink on media. In such a device, for example, the fixing heater is installed near the recording position of the recording head, for example, in order to shorten the length of the recording medium conveyance path and speed up fixing to prevent contamination of the conveyance member. Some are placed in opposing areas.

By the way, when the above-mentioned inkjet recording device is used as an output device for computers, workstations, etc., the signal processing time for printing is extremely short in these host devices, so it is difficult to prevent warping of the recording medium. It has been confirmed that the temperature of the contact surface between the recording medium and the fixing heater is preferably about 60'C to 80C in order to perform good and quick fixing without causing any problem.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, when the above-mentioned inkjet recording device is used as an output device for a word processor, it is difficult to print ordinary characters (images in which the word processor itself has a pattern in advance). Regarding the process, since the signal processing time for printing is extremely short, good fixing processing can be performed even if the temperature of the contact surface between the recording medium and the fixing heater is about 60° C. to 80° C. However, for example, it takes a long time to process signals for images in which the word processor main body does not have a pattern in advance, such as characters, illustrations, rotational printing, etc.

In this case, the recording medium stays on the fixing heater for a long time, and for example, if the recording medium absorbs moisture in a high-temperature environment, drying shrinkage occurs in the area heated by the heater, which may cause the crease line to shift. This results in unevenness and warping of the paper surface. Particularly in such severe cases, problems such as contact with the inkjet head and staining the surface of the recording medium and damage to the head occur.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and can be used regardless of the type of image to be recorded, for example, whether the word processor itself has a pattern or no pattern. An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording device that can perform good fixing regardless of the length of residence time on a fixing heater.

Furthermore, in addition to recording on plain paper, word processors are also likely to frequently record on relatively thick recording media such as postcards. It is an object of the present invention to also provide an inkjet recording apparatus that can perform good fixing not only on plain paper but also on such thick recording media.

Furthermore, good fixing can be achieved by controlling both the fixing temperature and the residence time of the recording medium, taking into consideration various conditions such as the type of image to be recorded, the thickness of the recording medium, and even the print density. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording device that can perform the following steps.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus that can measure power consumption savings by appropriately switching the fixing heater on and off.

[Means to solve the problem]

As a result of intensive research to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present inventors focused on the fact that the appearance of fixing differs depending on various conditions such as the type of image to be recorded, the thickness of the recording medium, and the print density.
The present inventors have discovered that very good fixing can be achieved by controlling the conveyance time of the recording medium and the fixing temperature in combination or individually in accordance with these various conditions, and have thus arrived at the present invention.

11 Therefore, the present invention provides a recording head having an ejection port for ejecting ink, a conveying means for transporting a print medium through a predetermined interval through an area opposite to the ejection port of the print head, and a recording head having an ejection port for ejecting ink. an inkjet recording apparatus comprising: - a fixing means disposed in a region where the image is formed on the recording medium by the ink ejected from the ejection opening; The present invention is characterized in that it includes means for switching the power supply of the fixing means on and off.

Further, the image forming apparatus is characterized in that it includes means for switching the power supply of the fixing means on and off depending on the type of the image.

Furthermore, the apparatus is characterized by comprising means for controlling power on/off of the fixing means and residence time of the recording medium on the fixing means depending on the thickness of the recording medium. .

Furthermore, according to the type of the image, the image forming apparatus is characterized by comprising means for controlling on/off of the power supply of the fixing means and the residence time of the recording medium on the fixing means. be.

The invention further includes means for controlling power on/off of the fixing means and residence time of the recording medium on the fixing means depending on the thickness of the recording medium and the type of the image. This is a characteristic feature.

[For use] Depending on the thickness of the recording medium and the length of processing time for recorded images, the temperature of the contact surface between the recording medium and the fixing means and the residence or stopping time on the fixing means can be adjusted individually or collectively. A good fixing process can be performed by making appropriate adjustments.

〔Example〕

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

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of an ink jet 1/recording apparatus used in this embodiment.

1 is a cut sheet of a recording medium, which is separated and fed by a separating claw 2 and a feeding roller 3.

Thereafter, the recording medium 1 is conveyed to a predetermined position by being sandwiched between a friction roller 4 and a vinyl roller 5 pressed against it.

Reference numeral 6 denotes an inkjet head, which is attached to a carrier 7, which is configured to move freely in the sub-scanning direction. Ink ejection ports (not shown) are arranged vertically in the section 6a, and recording is performed by moving the head 6 from one end of the recording medium 1 to the other end (in the width direction) and conveying the recording medium 1 by the friction roller 4. Images or characters can be printed over the entire area of the medium 1. Reference numeral 8 denotes a fixing section, and the back surface of the fixing section is provided with a heater 8a attached so as to be able to control the temperature. This fixing section 8 has the function of accelerating the drying of the ink ejected onto the recording medium 1.

In the above embodiment, the ink ejecting means of the recording head is described in US Pat. No. 4,723,129, US Pat.
, No. 600, a bubble jet method (constituent requirements) uses thermal energy to cause a state change in a liquid, including the rapid formation and contraction of air bubbles, and ejects the liquid as droplets in response to the formation of air bubbles. As electricity, heat,
(preferably one with a converter) is adopted. In this way, the above-mentioned means includes a plurality of discharge ports communicating with the liquid path and a plurality of thermal energy generating means provided at a position for applying thermal energy to a part of the liquid in the liquid path, although not shown. This means that it is equipped with a dot recording means. The discharge port and the thermal energy generating means may correspond one to one, or one discharge port may have a plurality of thermal energy generating means. However, it is not limited to this.

Further, although the present application is a serial type printer in which the recording head moves, it goes without saying that a line printer having a head with a length of one line may also be used.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the circuit configuration of the entire system according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, KB is a keyboard, which includes an alphabet key 15 ANK, a print start key PRK, and the like.

The CPU is a microprocessor that performs calculations and logical decisions for document processing, and controls components connected to a common bus BUS, which will be described later.

BUS is a common bus used for instructions, control, and data transfer of connected devices. The ROM is a read-only memory that is connected to the microprocessor CPU, which will be explained in detail from Figure 4 onwards.
The control means are stored in advance.

DBUF is a document memory and has a code information area for storing character strings input from the keyboard KB.

PBUF is a print buffer, which is a memory that stores dot pattern data to be output to the inkjet recording device PRT, control commands, and the like.

A CRT is a display device that uses a cathode ray tube or the like.

The FDD is a floppy disk drive, and can read and write information stored on the floppy disk FD, such as document information and image information.

CG is a character generator, which generates a character pattern in the form of a font from character code information when outputting characters to the inkjet recording apparatus 600, for example.

RAM is random access memory, and print line counter L
It consists of CT etc.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the state of the document memory DBUF and its print result.

FIG. 3(a) shows the document memory DBUF in this embodiment.
This shows the state of In this embodiment, it is assumed that the number of characters in one line is 20, and each character data in the document memory DBUF is represented by a character code such as JIS C6226.

In FIG. 3(a), the rectangle whose left and right sides are the symbol [fl, that is, the rectangle whose diagonals are the 2nd row, 3rd column, and the 6th row, 10th column is the image area.

FIG. 3(b) shows the result of printing the document of FIG. 3(a) with the inkjet recording device PRT.

Image data read from the floppy disk is printed in the image area in FIG. 3(a).

(Embodiment 1) A fixing process will be described in a case where the above-described apparatus is used to record the image shown in FIG. 3, that is, an image in which the image processing time differs depending on the type of image.

FIG. 4 is a main flowchart showing the control procedure performed by the microprocessor CPU when the printer activation key PRK is manually pressed. In FIG. 4, it is assumed that document data already exists in the document memory DBUF due to another document editing process or the like.

In FIG. 4, in step SO, the fixing heater of the apparatus main body is heated until the temperature of the contact surface between the heater and the recording medium is 35°C or more.
The temperature is controlled at a low temperature of about 50'C.

Then, in step S1, initialization processing is performed. That is, processing such as setting "l°" in the print line counter LCT is performed.

In determination S1.1, the character code of the document memory DBUF corresponding to the print line count LCT is determined. Here, if the symbol [I] representing the image area exists, image printing processing S5 is performed, and if it does not exist, document printing S2 is performed.

In the document printing process S2, pattern data in a format to be output to the inkjet printer PRT, control commands, etc. are edited based on one line of document data in the document memory DBUF corresponding to the print line counter LCT. Thereafter, in step S3, 1 is added to the print line counter LCT.

Since the time required to edit the pattern data of the document is short, the process is then stopped for a certain period of time (for example, 5 seconds) in standby processing S4 to improve the fixation of the ink.

Also, in S2.1, the temperature for fixing can be changed from low temperature control to 45
By switching to high temperature control of about .degree. C. to 70.degree. C., good fixing can be achieved. Further, by setting the temperature for fixing to a high temperature, the above-mentioned stop time can be shortened, and throughput can be improved.

19 In the image printing process S5, one line of image data corresponding to the print line counter LCT is read from the floppy disk FD, and based on it, a pattern data in a format to be output to the inkjet recording device PRT, control commands, etc. are edited. Editing image pattern data involves accessing the floppy disk FD, and therefore takes a relatively long processing time. For example, it takes 3 to 4 seconds to create 10 enlarged characters from an outline font, and it takes about 14 seconds to add shadows, etc. Approximate times are stored as data through various processes, and based on editing commands. Calculate the processing time. Therefore, there is no need to perform standby processing, and sufficient fixing processing can be performed with the heater temperature remaining at a low temperature.

In the printer output process S6, the data created in the document print process S2 and image print process S5 is output to the inkjet recording apparatus PRT.

In determination 86.1, it is determined whether all the document data in the document memory DBUF20 has been printed, and if it is the end, this process ends, otherwise, determination 81.1 is performed again.

In the first embodiment, editing of image pattern data was treated as something that generally takes processing time, but the editing time of pattern data to be output to an inkjet recording device is actually calculated, and output is stopped accordingly. You can do it like this.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a case has been described in which the heater temperature at the initial stage is controlled to a low temperature state, and the heater temperature is controlled to a high temperature for a short image processing time, but the invention is not limited to this. When the temperature of the contact surface between the heater and the recording medium is 45°C to 70°C.
The temperature of the contact surface is set to 35℃ to 50℃ only when a long image processing signal is input.
The temperature may be as low as ℃. That is, image printing processing S
5, first, editing the image pattern data involves accessing the floppy disk FD, so the processing time is relatively long, and a control command is issued to the inkjet recording device to lower the temperature of the fixing heater. . When this command is received, the inkjet recording apparatus controls the fixing heater at a low temperature to prevent the recording medium from drying and shrinking until the next pattern data to be printed is received.

In addition, the temperature of the heater is not only high temperature and low temperature, but also
A temperature control table may be prepared according to the image processing time, and the temperature of the fixing heater may be finely changed in accordance with the temperature control table.

In addition, in the method of this embodiment, the fixing heater is controlled at a low temperature in the case of a printing pattern that requires a long processing time.
This can also be done by turning off.

(Embodiment 2) Next, fixing control according to the thickness and type of recording medium used will be explained using the above-described apparatus. In order to simplify the explanation, a case will be described in which plain paper and thick paper are fixed. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an inkjet recording apparatus used for fixing plain paper and thick paper.

Note that plain paper herein refers to paper with a basis weight of 100 mg/rrt' or less, and the surface thereof may be coated. In addition, cardboard has a basis weight of 100 mg, such as postcards.
/rrr or more.

A heater 8a heats the sheet metal part of the fixing section 8. The heater 8a may be in the form of a sheet, or may be in any shape such as a plate or a rod. In addition, it may be arranged over the entire back surface of the fixing section 8, or it may be arranged partially at a predetermined location. Furthermore, by making the heater 8a divisible, the heater may be operated only at necessary locations depending on the size of the recording medium. 12 is a thermistor that detects the temperature of the fixing heater. Reference numeral 13 denotes a device that serves as a host for the recording device, in this case a word processor, and 13a is its control unit. A is a line 23 that transmits the print content to the printing operation control unit of the recording device 14, and the control unit 14 drives the friction roller 4 through the B line and the inkjet head 6 through the C line according to the content. .

The word processor control section 13 sends information regarding the recording medium to the recording device through the D line. In this embodiment, this information depends on what the user selects before and after creating the text. The only information sent through the D line is whether or not postcard printing is being performed. A control section 15 controls the temperature of the fixing heater. Based on the paper information from the D line and the thermistor 12 information from the E line, the power supplied to the heater 8a from the F line is controlled to control the heater temperature to a low or high temperature.

At the same time, paper information is transmitted from line A to the conveying device control section 14, and the residence time (stopping time) of the recording medium on the fixing means is controlled according to the thickness of the recording medium used.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of control of the fixing process on the fixing means in the inkjet recording apparatus 2 4 of this embodiment.

The user first specifies the thickness of the recording paper to be used in the word processor and then creates a sentence. The user then causes the word processor to issue print commands. In FIG. 6, the recording device first receives a print signal and paper information from a word processor. At this time, the temperature of the contact surface between the fixing heater and the recording medium is controlled to be low. Next, based on the received paper information, the parameter t2 is set to 3 seconds or O seconds depending on whether the recording medium is a postcard or not. When the recording medium is a postcard, the temperature of the contact surface is controlled to a high temperature so that fixing is good. After that, the printing operation begins after the paper feeding operation. Here, the parameter t2 indicates the time period during which the recording paper is retained on the fixing heater for each line of printing. Therefore, in the case of plain paper, since t2=O, the residence time of the recording paper for each line of printing is not set, and printing is continued one after another and printing is quickly completed. Further, in the case of postcards, since it is t2-3, a residence time of 3 seconds is provided on the fixing heater for each line printed. As described above, in the case of cardboard, good fixing can be achieved by increasing the temperature of the contact surface and providing a residence time.

As described above, if the fixing temperature and residence time are controlled in the following manner, even better fixing processing can be achieved. This is particularly effective from the viewpoint of sufficient fixing between the recording area and the roller used for paper ejection.

The explanation will be given below. First, the user specifies the paper size on the word processor, creates a document, and then causes the word processor to issue a print command.

When the recording device receives the print data and paper information from the word processor, it determines the fixing temperature t° C. of the heater and the stop time T of each line in seconds.

When the fixing heater's set temperature is t°C, if it stays for T seconds during the distance L from the printing section to the spur roller, it will be fixed, then the combination of t°C and T seconds for a certain paper type and paper thickness. The alignment is determined within a certain range. Depending on the paper type, heating at high temperatures may cause problems such as curling and contacting the head, so in such cases, methods such as lowering the temperature and increasing the residence time T are taken. However, if T is too long, it will affect throughput and become unsuitable as a product.

Taking these conditions into consideration, t° C. and T seconds are determined in advance according to the thickness of the paper used for output from the word processor.

Here, if the length of one line feed is 4, it is considered that the line will be broken L/42 times before reaching the spur roller, so if a stop time of T1 seconds is included for every l line feed, then T becomes ``L/I2''. Become. In other words, if T is determined, T1
is determined. For paper types for which it is better not to heat with a heater, turn off the heater and fix with T, only, or conversely, depending on the paper type, use T, = O.
However, it is also possible that the temperature is only t°C.

As described above, when the two parameters t°C and 71 seconds are determined from the paper information, the control device 12 controls the temperature of the fixing heater by relines E and F, and controls the paper feed speed by line B to print. Fixation is complete by the time the section reaches the spur.

Contents of print data. The ink density of the printed result differs depending on the amount, and the time required for fixation also differs, so if we look at the printing line where the stop time T for each line is changed to achieve the required residence time T, the spur roller It is also possible to control the paper feed so that T can be achieved by the time T is reached.

For example, if there is no print data after printing the last line, continuous line feeds will occur, so instead of starting the line feed L/A times and stopping each time, after printing T, xL/'fl=T
It is also possible to eject the paper all at once after stopping for a second.

Also, it goes without saying that this includes not just stopping paper feeding but also low-speed driving.

Note that the above control can be performed by specifying the thickness of the recording medium from the host side, but it is also possible to perform the above control by automatic detection by providing a paper thickness detection sensor in the recording device. good.

For example, a paper thickness sensor may be provided in the recording apparatus and information on the thickness of the paper 2 8 may be transmitted to the control apparatus via a signal line. The sensor is, for example, a transmissive type photo sensor, and the sensor output is set to ON for thin paper with a thickness of about 10 microns, and OFF for thick paper such as postcards over 200 microns thick. Ru.

Alternatively, for example, a device that senses that the amount of movement of the pinch roller 75 in pressure contact with the friction roller 74 changes depending on the paper thickness is perfectly acceptable.

FIG. 7 shows an example of this, where 74 is a friction roller and 75 is a pinch roller.

Reference numeral 71 denotes a pinch roller base, which is rotatably mounted around the axis of 72 and biased in the direction of arrow P by a torsion coil spring (not shown). Its power is 73
It is transmitted to the pinch roller 75 via the pinch roller substrate.

Since the position of the friction roller 74 is fixed, the recording paper 1
If it is thick, the pinch roller 75 is pushed down in the direction of arrow Q. This movement is transmitted to the pinch roller base 71 and turns on the switch 76.

In this way, the paper thickness can be automatically determined within the recording apparatus and the parameter t''C.T seconds can be determined, so that the user does not need to input paper thickness information from the word processor side.

(Third Embodiment) When long image processing signals and short image processing signals coexist on one recording medium, fixing processing is performed as follows.

FIG. 8 is similar to FIG. 4, but shows the state of the document memory DBUF, an example of its printing results, and the printing order in this embodiment.

FIG. 8(a) shows the state of the document memory DBUF shown in FIG. 3 in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the number of characters in one line is 20, and the document memory DBU
It is assumed that each character data in F is represented by a character code such as JIS C 6226. Figure 8(b)
, the symbol doctor is a rectangle on the left and right sides, that is, 2 rows and 3
A rectangle whose diagonal is the column and the 6th row and 10th column is the expansion area. In FIG. 8(a), the character string ゜゜gazo゜゜ from 2nd row and 4th digit indicates that the expanded area is an image area. In addition, areas other than normal characters and ruled lines, such as graphs and modified characters, are called extended areas.

These data are data that take a long time to process, image 31 It is called Jidata.

FIG. 8(b) shows the result of printing the document of FIG. 8(a) with the inkjet recording device PRT.

Image data read from the floppy disk is printed in the expanded area in FIG. 4(a).

FIG. 8(c) shows the order in which the character portion and the extended area are printed when printing shown in FIG. 8(b). In this embodiment, it is assumed that characters and extended areas are printed in independent printing operations, and are printed sequentially from the top of the paper. Assuming that the number of columns that can be printed at one time is the same as the number of vertical dots of a character, the printing order will be ■, ■, etc.

FIG. 9 is a main flowchart showing the control procedure performed by the microprocessor CPU in the document processing apparatus of this embodiment. In FIG. 9, it is assumed that document data already exists in the document memory DBUF due to another document editing process or the like.

In FIG. 9, in step S1, initial setting processing is performed to make the inkjet recording apparatus PRT etc. ready for use. Note that detailed explanations of initial settings, document printing, etc. will be omitted.

Next, in step S2, it is determined whether what should be printed next is a character or an extended area. Furthermore, when a plurality of extension areas exist in parallel in the horizontal direction, which extension area is to be printed next is determined. Here, if the next thing to be printed is a character, the character printing process S4 is selected by determination 32.1. Further, if the area is an extended area, extended printing processing S3 is selected by determination S2.1.

In the extended printing process S3, after feeding the paper set in the inkjet recording apparatus PRT and moving the print head (if necessary), a pattern corresponding to the corresponding extended area is printed. Thereafter, it is determined whether the recording medium is a postcard or not according to determination S3,1, and if it is a postcard, the process advances to step s6. For cases other than postcards, further judgment is 83.2.
, determine whether it is the last line of the extended area,
If so, step S5; otherwise, determination S6,
Go to 1.

In the character printing process S4, as in S3, the paper feed,
Move the head and print a pattern corresponding to the corresponding character string. Then, in determination 84.1, it is determined whether the recording medium is a postcard, and if it is a postcard, step S
6. If not, proceed to decision S6.1.

In steps S5 and S6, the process is stopped for 10 seconds and 3 seconds, respectively, to give time for the ink on the recording medium to dry.

In determination 86.1, it is determined whether printing of one page of the document has been completed, and if it has not been completed, the process returns to step S2 again. If one page has been printed, the type of recording medium is determined in decision 86.2, and if it is a postcard, the process is stopped for 45 seconds in step S7 to allow enough time for the ink to dry again. .

Finally, in step S8, the recording material on which printing has been completed is discharged.

In this embodiment, the character part and the extended area part are printed independently, but this may be done in one printing operation. In this case, FIG. 8(C),
The figures corresponding to FIG. 9 are FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, respectively.

In FIG. 11, step Sll is the step S in FIG.
Same as 1. In step SL2, after feeding the paper set in the inkjet recording device PRT and moving the print head, one line of character strings and a pattern corresponding to the extended area are printed all at once. Thereafter, the type of recording medium is determined in determination 312.1, and if it is a postcard, the process is stopped for 3 seconds in step S14. If it is other than a postcard, it is determined in step S12.2 whether an extended area exists or not. If so, it is further determined in step 812.3 whether the expanded area is the last line, and if it is the last line, In step S13, the process is stopped for 10 seconds.

The processing after determination SL4.1 is the same as the processing after determination 86.1 in FIG. 9, so a description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, according to the present invention, the types of mixed pattern data to be output to the ink 35 jet recording apparatus are determined, and data output is appropriately stopped for a certain period of time in accordance with the determination. Therefore, an effect can be obtained in that the operator can avoid unnecessary stains and adhesion to the printed paper without being conscious of the pattern to be output or the recording medium.

The heater temperature is controlled as follows by determining the position of data that requires a long processing time.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram for executing this embodiment, showing details of the RAM shown in FIG. 2. In RAM 1, LTC is the print line counter, ILC is,
The post-extension area counter, HTF, is the heater status flag.

FIG. 13 is a main flowchart showing the control procedure performed by the present microprocessor CPU when the printer activation key PRK is input. In FIG. 13, it is assumed that document data already exists in the document memory DBUF due to another document editing process or the like.

3 6 In step S1 in FIG. 13, initial setting processing is performed to make devices such as the inkjet recording device PRT connected to the common bus BUS ready for use. Note that detailed explanations of initial settings, document printing, etc. will be omitted.

Next, in step S2, the expansion area counter ILC is set to ``゛゜1゜'' and the heater status flag HTF is set to ゛゜0.
゜゜, the print line counter LTC is set to ゜"1゛. Note that the extended area is an area where data that generally requires a long processing time, such as illustrations, decorative characters, etc., is printed.

The post-extension area counter ILC indicates that "-1° means "extension area not detected", "o" means "extension area printing in progress",
A natural number greater than or equal to 1 represents the number of lines after the expanded area. As will be described later, this is to keep the heater on for a predetermined number of rows after the expansion area ends. Furthermore, in the heater status flag HTF, "o" indicates "heater OFFJ", and "1" indicates "heater ONJ".

In determination 82.1, the contents of the document memory DBUF from the first line to the mth line are determined, and if an expansion area exists, step S3 is performed, and if there is not, determination S4.1 is performed. m
For example, by constantly observing 5 rows ahead using a 5th grade, it becomes easier to control the heater.

In step S3, the fixing heater of the inkjet recording apparatus PRT is turned on. After that, in step S4, the value of the heater status flag H TF is set to ゜゛1゜' (
Heater ON).

In determination S4.1, the content of the line in the document memory DBUF is determined by adding m to the value of the print line counter LCT, and if an expansion area exists, determination is made in S4.2, and if there is not, step S7 is executed. conduct. Further, in determination S4.2, the value of the heater status flag HTF is determined, and if it is ゛゜1゜゛, the heater is already turned on, so step S7 is performed.

゜"O゜゜, in step S5, the fixing heater of the inkjet recording apparatus PRT is turned on. Thereafter, in step S6, the value of the heater status flag HTF is set to ゛゜1゜゛ (heater ON).

In step S7, the contents of the document memory DBUF corresponding to the print line counter LTC are stored in the inkjet recording device P.
Convert and output pattern data to RT. Thereafter, in step S8, ``゛゜1゜'' is added to the value of the print line counter LTC.

In determination 88.1, it is determined whether the pattern output in step S7 is an extended area. Here, if it is an extended area, the value of the extended area post-counter ILC is set to ``0'' (extended area printing in progress) in step S9.

In judgment 89.1, the value of the heater status flag HTF is judged, and if it is ゛O゜゜ (heater OFF),
Decision 313.1 is made. In the case of “1° (heater ON), the value of the after-extension area counter ILC is further determined in determination S9.2.Here, if it is −1” (extension area not detected), determination SL3.1 is performed. .

Otherwise, in step SIO, the expansion 39 Add ゜゜1゛゜ to the value of the counter ILC after the expansion area.

Further, in decision 310.1, it is determined whether the value exceeds n. Here, if printing of the extended area is not completed, the value of the extended area post-counter ILC in step S9 is "O゜゜, so the value here is ゛゜1゜゜, and it is not possible to exceed n. No. Therefore,
The value exceeds n only when n lines have been reached after the expansion area is completed. In that case, the fixing heater of the inkjet recording device PRT is turned off in step Sll, and the value of the heater status flag HTF is set to '' in step S12. 'O' (heater OFF).Furthermore, in step S13, the value of the after-extension area counter ILC is set to ゜゜-1゜゜ (illustration not detected).

At determination SL3.1, it is determined whether all the internal notices in the document memory DBUF have been printed, and if they remain, the process returns to determination 84.1. In this embodiment, even if the expanded area and character data are on the same line, the heater is always controlled with the expanded area in mind. In this example, the heater is turned on and
Although it is off, the temperature may be switched to three levels, such as text, expansion, and text + expansion.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the existence of an expansion area can be detected from a predetermined number of lines before the pattern output to the inkjet recording device becomes data for the expansion area, and printing can be performed by turning on the heater until the specified number of lines is reached. This provides the effect of avoiding unnecessary stains on the resulting paper.

(Embodiment 4) Next, based on FIG. 14, a fixing process that takes into consideration differences in the type of recording medium, the type of recorded image, and the density of printing will be described.

Heater SW that can turn the fixing heater ON/OFF depending on whether the printing paper used is plain paper or thick paper (postcard).
be installed on the equipment. In addition, a fixing mode is provided on the print mode setting screen of the WP, so that the user can select and set two types of fixing modes, ie, "with stop" and "without stop."

The "no stop" fixing mode does not depend on the type of paper used, and the paper feeding speed depends on the data processing time of the WP main body.

Furthermore, in the case of "with stop", the paper feeding speed changes depending on the type of paper. On the print mode setting screen, you can select between plain paper and postcard in the format settings, and if the paper type is specified here, the paper feed speed corresponding to that paper type will be executed.

Normally, in the case of plain paper, when heated by the fixing heater, there are disadvantages such as warping of the paper, shrinkage of the paper, causing stains, and printed ruled lines being misaligned, so select the heater OFF using the heater switch. . If the printing content is low printing duty, such as characters or ruled lines, the fixing performance is good, so the fixing mode is set to "no stop".
Select. Then, after printing is executed, the paper feeding speed becomes a speed corresponding to the data processing time, and printing is executed.

If the printed content is illustrations, decorative characters, or outline fonts with a solid black background, the printing duty is high.
Since the fixing properties of that part are poor, select "with stop" as the stop mode. Then, during printing, after printing the last line of the black area of the above illustration, paper feeding is stopped for a certain period of time, and then paper feeding is restarted. In this embodiment, this stop time is set to about 10 seconds, but the optimal printing result can be obtained by changing this time depending on the type of paper, and it is also naturally possible to set the stop time in multiple stages. be.

Since this stop is executed only in the above-mentioned high printing duty area and not in the normal document area, the throughput does not drop unnecessarily even when printing a document in which both types are mixed.

Next, when using paper with poor fixing properties such as postcards, select ON for the heater SW.

Then, when only normal characters or only an address are written, "no stop" is selected as in the case of plain paper.

Then, printing is performed at a paper feeding speed that corresponds to the data processing time. At this time, the heater temperature is set at a temperature at which the postcard has good fixing properties with this printed content, and in this embodiment, it is approximately 48°C.

43 Next, when the fixing mode "with stop" is selected, printing will be performed with a 3-second stop for each line printed and a 45-second stop after the last line is printed, regardless of the content.

This prevents stains such as spur marks from unfixed areas even when printing duty is high, such as solid black backgrounds of illustrations and decorative characters, and solid black backgrounds of outline fonts.

Here, in the case of postcards, unlike plain paper, a stop time is added to each line regardless of the printed content, because the fixing properties of postcards are worse than that of plain paper.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the selection of ON/OFF of the heater according to the paper type is done by an external switch attached to the printing device, but this switching is linked to the selection of the paper type on the print screen so that the heater can be turned ON/OFF automatically. It is also possible to set the temperature to FF, and it is also possible to set a large number of set temperatures.

The present invention provides excellent effects particularly in bubble jet recording heads and recording apparatuses among ink jet recording systems. This is because high-density and high-definition recording can be achieved with this method, and it becomes necessary to provide a fixing device to promote fixation depending on the recorded pattern.

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. has been used as an electrothermal converter,
The electrothermal transducer generates thermal energy to cause 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 to nucleate boiling. As a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) can be formed in one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal, which is effective.

Due to the growth and contraction of these bubbles, the air bubbles (
ink) to form at least one droplet. 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, so that ejection of liquid (ink) with particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As this pulse-shaped drive signal, US Pat. No. 4,463,359
Suitable materials are those described in No. 4,345,262. Incidentally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,313] relates to the invention regarding the rate of temperature rise of the heat acting surface.
If the conditions described in No. 24 are adopted, even better recording can be made.

The configuration of the recording head includes, in addition to the combined 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. US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600 disclose a configuration in which the
The present invention also includes a configuration using the specification of the above specification.

In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 123670 of 1982 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and a hole that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy is disclosed. The effects of the present invention are also effective even with a structure based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 13846-1 of 1981, which discloses a structure in which a discharge portion corresponds to a discharge portion.

Furthermore, as a full-line type recording head whose length corresponds to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording device, there are two types of full-line type recording heads: a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of multiple recording heads, and a single recording head formed integrally. Although any configuration as a head may be used, the present invention can more effectively exhibit the above-mentioned effects. In addition, a replaceable chip-type recording head that is attached to the device body enables electrical connection to the device body and ink supply from the device body, or a chip-type recording head that is temporarily installed in the recording head itself. The present invention is also effective when using a ridge type recorder.

In addition, the type and number of recording heads installed include, for example, only one head for monochromatic ink, and
Multiple i4 7 with different recording colors and densities? A plurality of such devices may be provided corresponding to the various tasks.

〔effect〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, regardless of the type of image to be recorded, for example, whether the word processor main body has a pattern or an image without a pattern, it is possible to (1) It is possible to provide an inkjet recording apparatus that can perform good fixing regardless of the conditions.

In addition, in word processors, in addition to recording on plain paper, recording is also frequently performed on relatively thick recording media such as postcards. It is also possible to provide an inkjet recording apparatus that can perform good fixing even when using a thick recording medium.

Furthermore, by comprehensively considering various conditions such as the type of image to be recorded, the thickness of the recording medium, and even the print density, we can control both the fixing temperature and the residence time of the recording medium to ensure a good fixing process. It is possible to provide an inkjet recording device that can perform the following steps.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the time required to edit the pattern data to be transferred to the recording device and the thickness of the recording medium are automatically determined, and data transfer is stopped for a certain period of time or the temperature of the heater is controlled accordingly. Therefore, an effect can be obtained in that the operator can avoid unnecessary stains and adhesion on the printed paper without being conscious of the pattern to be output.

Furthermore, since fixing is performed by appropriately switching the heater on and off, power consumption can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a circuit configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the state diagram and output results of the document memory DBUF in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the control means according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with a temperature control means. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing another example of the control means according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a means for detecting the thickness of a recording material. FIGS. 8(a), (b), and (c) are explanatory diagrams showing other examples of the state diagram and output results of the document memory DBUF in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing still another example of the control means according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing still another example of the output result in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing another example of the control means according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the contents of the RAM in FIG. 2. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing still another example of the control means according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing still another example of the control means according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1... Recording material, 4... Friction roller, 5...
・Pinch roller, 6... Inkjet head, 8.
... Fixing, heater, 9... Ejection roller, 12...
Thermistor 13...word processor, 14...operation control section, 15.22...fixing heater control section, 21
・・・Thickness sensor 51 52 Block diagram of the present embodiment Fig. 2 JP-A-3-23948 (15)

Claims (17)

[Claims] (1) A recording head having an ejection port that ejects ink;
a conveying means for conveying a recording medium at a predetermined interval through an area facing the ejection opening of the recording head; and a fixing means for promoting fixing of an image formed on the recording medium, the inkjet recording apparatus having a means for switching the power supply of the fixing means on and off according to the thickness of the recording medium. Inkjet recording device. (2) a recording head having an ejection port that ejects ink;
a conveying means for conveying a recording medium at a predetermined interval through an area facing the ejection opening of the recording head; an inkjet recording device comprising: a fixing unit that promotes fixing of an image formed on the image;
An inkjet recording device characterized by having means for switching off. (3) a recording head having an ejection port that ejects ink;
a conveying means for conveying a recording medium at a predetermined interval through an area facing the ejection opening of the recording head; and a fixing means for promoting fixation of an image formed on the fixing means, the fixing means may be turned on or off depending on the thickness of the recording medium, and the recording on the fixing means may be turned on or off depending on the thickness of the recording medium. An inkjet recording apparatus characterized by having means for controlling a residence time of a medium. (4) a recording head having an ejection port for ejecting ink;
a conveying means for conveying a recording medium at a predetermined interval through an area facing the ejection opening of the recording head; an inkjet recording device comprising: a fixing unit that promotes fixing of an image formed on the image;
An inkjet recording apparatus characterized by comprising means for controlling off and residence time of the recording medium on the fixing means. (5) a recording head having an ejection port for ejecting ink;
a conveying means for conveying a recording medium at a predetermined interval through an area facing the ejection opening of the recording head; an inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a fixing means for promoting fixing of an image formed on the image; An inkjet recording apparatus comprising means for controlling a residence time of the recording medium on the means. (6) After the recording of an image that requires a longer signal processing time than a predetermined signal processing time is completed, the residence time is made longer than after the recording of an image that requires the predetermined signal processing time is completed. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 3, 4, or 5. (7) In recording an area consisting of an image where the signal processing time of the image ends in a relatively short time, a relatively short residence time is provided, and the signal processing time of the image takes a relatively long time. Inkjet recording according to any one of claims 3, 4, or 5, characterized in that in recording an area consisting of an image, a relatively long residence time is provided after the recording of the last line of the area is completed. Device. (8) The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 2, 4, and 5, wherein the power source is turned off after recording of an image that requires a longer signal processing time than a predetermined signal processing time. . (9) When recording an area consisting of an image for which the signal processing time of the image is completed in a relatively short time, the power source is turned off, and an area consisting of an image for which the signal processing time of the image is completed for a relatively long time is recorded. 6. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the power source is turned off during recording. (10) The inkjet recording device according to any one of claims 6, 7, 8, or 9, wherein the image that requires a long signal processing time is a pattern that the signal processing device does not have in advance. . (11) The recorded images are a combination of signals for which the signal processing time is completed in a relatively short time and signals that require a relatively long time, and the recorded images are The temperature of the contact surface between the medium and the fixing means is turned off when the signal processing time changes from a short time to a long time, and is turned on when the signal processing time changes from a long time to a short time. Claim 2
, 4 or 5. The inkjet recording device according to any one of . (12) The recording medium has a first thickness and a second thickness that is relatively thicker than the first thickness, and the recording medium with the first thickness has a basis weight of 100 mg/cm^ 6. The inkjet recording device according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium is a plain paper having a thickness of 2 or less or a coated paper whose surface is coated, and the recording medium having the second thickness is a postcard. . (13) The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 3, 5, or 12, wherein the thickness of the recording medium is given by externally specifying the thickness of the recording medium. . (14) The inkjet recording according to any one of claims 1, 3, 5, or 12, wherein the thickness of the recording medium is determined by a sensor provided in a conveyance path of the recording medium. Device. (15) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when the recording medium has a second thickness, the residence time is increased. (16) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when the recording medium has a second thickness, the power to the fixing means is turned on. (17) The recording head has a thermal energy generating element that generates thermal energy used for ejecting ink, and uses a rapid pressure change caused by bubbles generated by the thermal energy to ink the ink. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, characterized in that the inkjet recording apparatus ejects.