JPH0497854A - Ink jet recorder and document processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify a timer for an interrupt processing by a method wherein in a drive (sub-heat) control of a recording head heat-reserving heater, the counting actions of a printing counter means and a waiting counting means for managing a heating element drive time and timings of various controls are conducted by a key interval interruption. CONSTITUTION:A key interval interruption based on a key timer 1A is accepted while a CPU 100 is conducting a document edition processing, a printing processing, and the like. In this state, various key input information inputted during the aforesaid processings are received by a key interval interruption. In addition, using this interrupt timing, timings of measuring a printing time and a waiting time are generated. Based on these measured times, various types of sub-heat (initial head, preheat, line heat, interval heat, and duty heat) controls, are performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to inkjet recording devices and document processing devices, and in particular to inkjet recording in which an inkjet type recording head is equipped with a heat-retaining heater to control the temperature of the recording head. The present invention relates to a device and a document processing device using the device as a printing means.

[Background Art] In recent years, inkjet recording devices, especially recording heads, have been manufactured using film-forming technology and micro-processing technology in semiconductor devices, and the recording devices themselves have become smaller and cheaper. It is being offered. In addition, in the above-mentioned recording head manufacturing process, an electrothermal conversion element (heater) for ejecting ink consisting of a heating resistor, a switching element for driving this heater, etc. are configured on one silicon chip. It is possible to form transistor resistors, diodes, and wiring between these elements.

In view of the above-mentioned background, there has been provided a printing apparatus that controls the temperature of a print head by forming a heat retention heater in addition to an ink ejection heater on the same chip.

On the other hand, as small printheads are becoming available at low prices, printing devices using disposable printheads with integrated ink tanks are gradually being realized. Devices that are used as recording means in word processors, electronic typewriters, copying machines, facsimile machines, etc. are also being provided.

As described above, one trend in recording devices and devices using them as recording means is to provide them as compact or simple structures and at low prices.

From this point of view, it is desired that the configuration for controlling the temperature of the recording head using the above-mentioned heating/warming heater is also small, simple, and inexpensive.

Conventionally, the following configurations using the above-described heating and heat-retaining heater are known.

(1) A temperature detecting section is located in the recording head, and a heater for heating and keeping the temperature is used in combination, and a voltage is continuously applied to the heater to control it in a closed loop.

(2) A temperature detecting section is located outside the recording head, and a heater for heating and keeping the temperature is used in conjunction with the temperature detecting section, and a voltage is continuously applied to this heater to control the temperature in an open loop.

(3) A temperature detecting section is located outside the recording head, and a heater for heating and keeping the temperature is used in combination, and voltage is applied to the heater in an open loop to control the temperature in an open loop.

Among the above configurations, configuration (1) requires a complicated and expensive heater drive system, and the temperature detection unit must detect minute temperature changes to directly measure the temperature of the recording head. Relatively high accuracy is required for reasons such as: Further, configuration (2) has the same problem as <1) that the heater drive system is complicated and expensive.

On the other hand, the configuration shown in (3) above has advantages such as a relatively simple heater drive circuit and easy control. The following is known as an example of control of subheat.

■Initial heat performed when the power is turned on ■Preheat activated by a command to start printing after the standby time ■Line heat performed every time a line is printed ■Interval heat performed during the standby time after printing is completed [Problems to be solved by the invention] ] By the way, in the above head temperature control configuration (3), in order to perform the above four subheat controls, a printing time measuring means for measuring the cumulative printing time and a waiting time measuring means for measuring the printing waiting time after the end of printing are required. become. There are two ways to perform these measurements: one is to have a timer for each and manage each time, and the other is to have one timer that creates a fairly long constant time interval, a print counter, and a wait counter to manage the constant time that the timer creates. There is a method of counting up each counter at the timing of a time interval and measuring each time.

At least one timer is required in both cases.

In the case of a word processor or the like integrated with the recording device that uses such a recording device as a printing means and is equipped with a key input means, conventionally, in addition to the above-mentioned timer, a dedicated timer for creating timing for capturing key input information has been required.

However, the configuration of the conventional time measuring means as described above has a plurality of timers, and it is difficult to simplify the configuration and reduce the cost of the aforementioned recording device or a device using this as a recording means. There is a problem.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and uses the timing of key interval interrupt processing managed by the key timer as the timing of counting of each of the print time counter and print waiting time counter, and calculates the printing time and waiting time. An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording device and a document processing device that can perform appropriate subheat control based on the following.

[Means for Solving the Problems] To this end, in the present invention, in an inkjet recording apparatus for printing by ejecting ink, a recording head for ejecting the ink and an ambient temperature of the recording head are detected. a temperature detection means, a heating element provided in the recording head for controlling the temperature of the ink by heating the ink of the recording head, a driving means for driving the heating element, and a printing time by the recording head. a print counter means for counting the print standby time of the recording head; an ambient temperature detected by the temperature detection means; and a printing time or the standby time counted by the print count means. table means for determining drive information for the heating element by the drive means according to the print standby time counted by the counting means; and initial heat control for driving the drive means when the apparatus is powered on according to the table means. , preheat control that is activated immediately before the first printing starts in a certain period, line heat control that is activated every time printing starts, and activation within a predetermined time after the end of printing within the printing standby time from the end of printing until the start of printing. subheat control means having an interval control to cause the print counter to perform counting, and a counter control means for counting the print counter means or the standby counter means in response to a periodic key interval interrupt signal for capturing key inputs. -Characterized by:

Further, in a document processing device using an inkjet recording device for printing by discharging ink as a print output means, in an inkjet recording device for performing printing by discharging ink, a method for discharging the ink is used. A recording head, a temperature detection means for detecting an ambient temperature of the recording head, a heating element provided in the recording head for controlling the temperature of the ink by heating the ink of the recording head, and the heating element a driving means for driving the recording head; a printing counter means for counting the printing time by the recording head; a standby counter means for counting the printing standby time of the recording head; an ambient temperature detected by the temperature detection means; and a table means that defines driving information of the heating element by the drive means according to the printing time counted by the print count means or the print standby time counted by the standby count means, and the drive means according to the table means. an initial heat control that is activated when the power of the device is turned on, a preheat control that is activated immediately before the start of the first printing in a certain period of time, a line heat control that is activated every time printing starts, and the above-mentioned printing after the end of printing until the start of printing. a sub-heat control means having interval control for driving within a predetermined time after the end of printing within a standby time; a key input means for inputting information to the apparatus using a key; and input by the key input means. an interrupt generating means for generating a periodic key interval interrupt signal to take in the key ink interval; and a counter controlling means for performing counting in the print counter means or the standby counter means in response to the key interval interrupt signal from the interrupt generating means. It is characterized by having the following.

[For Use] According to the above configuration, the printing counter means and standby counter means for managing the heating element drive time and timing of various controls in subheat control can be counted by key interval interrupt.

(The following is a margin) [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 an electronic typewriter as a device to which the present invention is applicable.

゛Here, 1 is a keyboard section, on 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, by rotating around a hinge 3, ) It is designed to be foldable as shown in the figure. 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 liquid crystal display (LCD) for displaying input text, etc., and 7 is used when transporting the device according to this example. It's a handle.

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

Here, 9 is a head cartridge having an inkjet recording head, which will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, and 11 is a carriage on which this is mounted and for scanning in the S direction in the figure. 13, the head cartridge 9 is connected to the carriage 11;
15 is a lever for operating the hook 13. This lever 15 is provided with a marker 17 for indicating a scale provided on the cover, which will be described later, so as to read the printing position, setting position, etc. by the recording head of the head cartridge. Reference numeral 19 denotes a support plate that supports the electrical connection to the head cartridge 9. 21 is a flexible cable for connecting the electrical connection section and the main body control section.

23 is a guide shaft for guiding the carriage 11 in the S direction, and is inserted into a bearing 25 of the carriage 11. A timing belt 27 is fixed to the carriage 11 and transmits power for moving the carriage 11 in the S direction, and is stretched around pulleys 29A and 29B arranged on both sides of the apparatus. Driving force is transmitted to one pulley 29B from a carriage motor ((:M) 31 via a transmission mechanism such as a gear.

A conveyance roller 33 is driven by a conveyance motor (FM) 35 for regulating the recording surface of a recording medium such as paper (hereinafter also referred to as recording paper) and for conveying it during recording. 37 is a paper pan for guiding the recording medium from the paper feed tray 4 side to the recording position; 39 is disposed in the middle of the recording medium feeding path to press the recording medium toward the conveyance roller 33 and convey it. 34 is a platen that faces the ejection port forming surface of the head cartridge 9 and regulates the recording surface of the recording medium. 41 is a platen that faces the ejection port forming surface of the head cartridge 9 and regulates the recording surface of the recording medium. This is a paper ejection roller disposed in the paper ejecting roller 42 for ejecting the recording medium toward a paper ejection port (not shown). Reference numeral 42 denotes a spur provided corresponding to the paper ejection roller 41.
is pressed to generate a force for conveying the recording medium by the paper ejection roller 41. 43 is a feed roller 39.43 used when setting a recording medium, etc. This is a release lever for releasing the biasing of the presser plate 451 and the spur 42, respectively.

Reference numeral 45 denotes a press plate for suppressing floating of the recording medium in the vicinity of the recording position and ensuring close contact with the conveying roller 33. In this example, an inkjet recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink is used as the recording head.

Therefore, the distance between the ink ejection orifice forming surface of the recording head and the recording surface of the recording medium is relatively small, and the distance must be strictly controlled to avoid contact between the recording medium and the ejection orifice forming surface. , it is effective to provide a presser plate 45. 47 is a scale provided on the holding plate 45, and 49 is a marker provided on the carriage 11 corresponding to this scale, and the print position and setting position of the recording head can also be read by these.

A cap 51 is made of an elastic material such as rubber and faces the ink ejection orifice forming surface of the recording head in the home position, and is supported so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the recording head. This cap 51 is used to protect the recording head during non-recording time and during ejection recovery processing of the recording head. The ejection recovery process is to eject ink from all ejection ports by driving an energy generating element provided inside the ink ejection ports and used for ink ejection.
This process removes the causes of ejection failure, such as air bubbles, dust, and ink that has thickened and become unsuitable for recording (preliminary ejection).
In addition to this, it is a process for forcibly discharging ink from an ejection port to eliminate causes of ejection failure.

Reference numeral 53 denotes a pump that applies a suction force for forced ejection of ink and is used to suck ink received in the cap 51 during ejection recovery processing by such forced ejection or ejection recovery processing by preliminary ejection. 55 is a waste ink tank for storing the waste ink sucked by the pump 53, and 57 is a tube that communicates the pump 53 and the waste ink tank 55.

Reference numeral 59 denotes a blade for wiping the ejection orifice forming surface of the recording head, and it has two positions: one in which it protrudes toward the recording head and performs wiping during the head movement process, and the other in a retracted position where it does not engage the ejection orifice formation surface. movably supported. 61 is a motor (SM), and 63 is a cam device that receives power from the motor 61 to drive the pump 53 and move the cap 51 and blade 59, respectively.

Next, details of the above-mentioned head cartridge 9 will be explained.

FIG. 3 shows an external perspective view of a head cartridge 9 that integrates an ejection unit 9a and an ink tank 9b, which constitute an inkjet recording head main body.
Denoted at e is a pawl that is hung by a hook 13 provided on the carriage 11 when the head cartridge 9 is mounted. As is clear from the figure, the pawl 906e is disposed inside the entire extension of the recording head. Further, near the front discharge unit 9a of the head cartridge 9, a positioning abutting portion is provided, although not shown in this figure. 90
6f is a flexible substrate (
This is the head opening into which a support plate for supporting electrical connections) and rubber pads is inserted.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are exploded perspective views of the head cartridge shown in FIG. 3, which is of a disposable type with an integrated ink storage section serving as an ink supply source, as described above.

In the same figure (A), 911 has electrothermal conversion elements (discharge heaters) of the number corresponding to the number of discharge ports on the Si substrate, a heater for heating and heat retention consisting of the same electrothermal conversion elements, and furthermore, electric power is supplied to these. This is a heater board in which An wiring, etc. for supplying the energy are formed by film-forming technology. 921 is a wiring board for the heater board 911, and the corresponding wiring is connected by wire bonding, for example. 940
A top plate is provided with a partition wall for limiting the ink flow path, a common liquid chamber, etc., and in this example, it is made of a resin material and integrally has an orifice plate portion.

For example, 930 is a metal support, and 950 is a pressing spring. By sandwiching the heater board 911 and the top plate 940 between them and engaging them, the urging force of the pressing spring 950 pushes the heater board 910. and top plate 9
40 are crimped and fixed. Note that the support body 930 may also have a wiring board 921 attached thereto by adhesion or the like, and may also have a positioning reference for the carriage 11 that scans the head. The support body 930 also functions as a member that radiates and cools the heat of the heater board 911 that is generated during driving.

960 is a supply tank which receives ink supply from the ink storage section 9b serving as an ink supply source, and which is connected to the heater board 911.
It functions as a sub-tank that guides ink to a common liquid chamber formed by joining the top plate 940 and the top plate 940. Reference numeral 970 indicates a filter disposed within the supply tank 960 near the ink supply port to the common liquid chamber, and reference numeral 980 indicates a lid member of the supply tank 960.

Reference numeral 900 denotes an absorber for impregnating ink, and is disposed within the ink tank body 9b. Reference numeral 1200 is a supply port for supplying ink to the recording element 9a consisting of the above-mentioned parts 911 to 980, and ink is injected from the supply port 1200 in a process before placing the unit in the section 1010 of the ink tank body 9b. By doing so, the absorber 900 can be impregnated with ink.

1100 is a lid member of the cartridge main body, and 1400 is an atmosphere communication port provided in the lid member for communicating the inside of the cartridge with the atmosphere. Reference numeral 1300 denotes a liquid repellent material disposed inside the atmosphere communication port 1400, so that the atmosphere communication port 14
Ink leakage from 00 is prevented.

When the filling of ink into the ink tank 9b via the supply port 1200 is completed, the ejection unit 9a consisting of each part 911 to 980 is positioned and disposed in the part 1010.

Positioning or fixing at this time can be performed, for example, by fitting a protrusion 1012 provided on the ink tank body 9b into a corresponding hole 931 provided on the support body 930. (The head cartridge 9 shown in Bl is completed.

The ink is supplied from inside the cartridge through the supply port 1200.
, a hole 932 in the support 930 and a supply tank 96
Ink is supplied into the supply tank 960 through an inlet provided on the solid surface side of FIG. It flows into the common liquid chamber through port 942. A packing made of, for example, silicone rubber or butyl rubber is disposed at the above-mentioned connection portion for ink communication, and this seals the ink supply path to ensure an ink supply path.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control system of the electronic typewriter according to this example.

Here, 100 is a CPU in the form of a microprocessor which forms the main control section of the apparatus, and executes necessary processing based on data and control signals input from the keyboard 1. 104 is a character generator (C
G), ROM for storing other fixed data, 10
Reference numeral 6 denotes a work area used as a register etc., a line buffer for storing one line of print data, a key buffer for storing key input data, an FDD buffer for storing data read from a floppy disk, and other parts according to the present invention. R has development areas such as a print counter and a standby counter for counting printing time and printing standby time.
AM, 108 is an interval control circuit which outputs a key interval interrupt signal having the above-mentioned intervals to the CPU 100 based on an interwoven signal generated from the key timer IA in order to capture key inputs on the keyboard 1 at predetermined intervals. Similarly, the LCD interlaced signal for driving the display of the display 6, the second timer included signal from the second timer for driving the carriage motor and discharge heater, and the driving of the motor 61, transport motor 35, and heat retention heater 128 are controlled. The first thing to manage
Each interrupt signal is output based on the first timer interwoven signal from the timer. 110 is a display controller for displaying data on the display 6 in the form of a liquid crystal display (LCD).

A head controller 114 includes a head driver 116 (segment driver 116A, common driver 116B) that has the second timer and drives the ejection energy generating element group of the ejection unit (recording head) 9a.
and generates a control signal for the carriage motor driver 31A. 61A, 35A and 128A are recovery system motors 61. @Feed motor 35 and heat retention heater 1
3M driver, FM driver and subheat driver for driving 28.

Reference numeral 120 denotes a print dot buffer for processing data received for recording and storing, for example, one line of dot data used for recording.

122 is a carriage position sensor that detects that the carriage 11 is in a predetermined position, 126 is a motor position sensor that detects the rotational position of the recovery system motor 61, and 124 is a temperature sensor that detects the ambient temperature of the recording head 9a. Further, 132 is a floppy disk drive, and 132A is a floppy disk drive controller.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the electrical configuration of the recording head and head driver 116.

In this example, it is assumed that the ejection unit 9a has 64 ejection ports, and #1 to #64 indicate numbers corresponding to the positions of the ejection ports provided in the ejection unit 9a. R1-R64 are heating resistors as electrothermal conversion elements provided corresponding to the discharge ports #1 to #64, respectively. The heating resistors R1 to R64 are divided into eight blocks, and switching transistors 01 to Q8 in the common side driver circuit C are commonly connected to each block. Transistors Ql-08 each receive a control signal C
The energization path is turned on/off according to the on/off state of OMI-C0Mg. Note that D1 to D64 arranged in the current-carrying path to each heating resistor old to R64 are diodes for preventing backflow.

On/off transistors 09 to Q16 in the segment side driver circuit S are connected to the heating resistors located at corresponding positions between each block.

The transistors Ql-016 each receive a control signal 5E.
The energizing path to the heat generating resistor is turned on/off in accordance with the on/off of GI-5EG8.

FIG. 7 shows a timing chart for driving the head with this configuration. At a certain position in the head scanning direction, common side control signals C0M8 to COMI are sequentially turned on. When turned on, one block is selected and becomes energized, so the segment side control signal 5EG8 is sent according to the image to be recorded in the selected block.
By turning ON or OFF 5EGI, the heating resistors are selectively energized, and ink is ejected in response to heat generation to perform dot recording.

FIG. 8 shows the timing of signals C0M8 to COMI during recording by the head controller (carriage motor/discharge heater control circuit) 114 shown in FIG. 5, the output timing of motor drive signals CMI to CM4, the timing of data reception, and area P in dot buffer 120
B is a timing chart showing the timing of IB selection. In the figure, one dot in the scanning direction corresponds to one step of the motor.

As shown in the figure, when printing at a certain position in the scanning direction, the buffer area PB is selected, and the address (for example $00 to $07) storing the data to be printed at that position
are sequentially designated and the relevant data is selected, and the signal C0M8
~COMI is output sequentially, and at the timing of each output, the signal 5EG8 is output corresponding to the data as shown in FIG.
Recording is performed by outputting ~5EGI.

Then, at the end of recording at that position, the buffer area IB is selected and the received data is stored.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a series of processing steps such as document editing and printing in the electronic typewriter of this example.

When the power of the electronic typewriter of this example is turned on, this process is started, and in step 5901, the key-interval interrupt based on the key timer is enabled to be accepted. Next, in step 5902, initial processing in the printer such as print head ejection recovery processing is performed, and step 5
In 903, an initial heat, which is one of the subheats and will be described later, is performed.

In steps 5904 and 5905 or step 5910, processing is performed in accordance with document editing performed by the user while operating keys. That is, first, in step 5904, it is determined whether a new file is to be created. It should be noted that the electronic typewriter in this example can of course print out the information entered using the keys as is without any editing, and even if a new file is created, it can only be printed without storing it on the disk. Such input/output is also included in this document editing and printing described later. If it is determined in step 5904 that a new file is to be created, step 59
If the determination in step 5904 is negative, the process proceeds to step 5910 to perform reading processing, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 15, and then performs document editing processing in step 5905.

Next, in step 5906, it is determined whether the edited or inputted document file is to be stored on the disk. If the data is to be stored on the disk, the storage process is performed in step 5911, and then the process advances to step 5907.

In step 5907, it is determined whether or not to print, and if the determination is affirmative, in step 5912, the carriage 1
After performing printing processes such as ejecting ink onto the recording paper by the recording head 9a in accordance with the movement of step 1 and transporting the recording paper for each printing line, it is determined in step 5908 whether or not this processing procedure is finished. Here, if the judgment is negative, step 590
Returning to step 4, if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 5909 in which the key interval interrupt is enabled to be accepted and the present processing procedure ends.

As shown in the above processing procedure, while the CPU 100 is performing document editing processing, printing processing, etc., key interval interrupts based on the key timer IA are accepted, and various key input information input during this time is Incorporate by incorporating. At the same time, in this example, the timing of printing time measurement and waiting time measurement is generated using the timing of this interrupt, and various subheat controls are performed based on these measured times.

The subheat control in this example includes (1) an initial heat that is performed so that the temperature of the recording head rises quickly when the power is turned on, and (2) an initial heat that is performed so that the temperature of the recording head quickly rises when the power is turned on, and (2) a heat that quickly rises the head temperature just before the power is turned on and the first printing is performed. (3) Line heat that is performed for each line of printing; (4) Interval heat that is performed to keep the head temperature constant during a short pause between each line of printing; 5) There are five types of duty heat subheat control that are performed to keep the head temperature constant during printing standby. In addition, in controlling these subheats, a table is used for the time during which subheating is performed so that the recording head temperature can be maintained at a predetermined target value regardless of whether printing is in progress or while waiting for printing, except immediately after the power is turned on.

FIGS. 13(A) to (E) are schematic diagrams showing the above tables, and FIG. 13(A) is an initial heat table,
Below, Figure 13 (B) shows the preheat, Figure 13 (C) shows the line heat in draft recording mode, Figure 13 (D) shows the line heat in fine recording mode, and Figure 13 (E) shows the duty heat. Each shows a table. Note that for interval heat, the subheat time is set with reference to the line heat table, and this is performed at 1 sec intervals.

As shown in these figures, in each table, the parameters that refer to the sub-heat time (the time for energizing the heat-retaining heater 128) are the printing standby time or printing time, and the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor 124 (actually, there are multiple parameters). There are two ranks determined by the average value of the number of times detected.

This rank setting is performed as follows.

That is, in this example, with reference to the table that takes into account the hysteresis of the detected temperature shown in FIG. 14, when the temperature rises, 14°C or less is ranked as 0.14°C to 16°C is ranked as 1.16°C to 18°C. Rank 2.18°C to 21'C Rank 3. Rank 4 above 21'C, and rank 0.13°C to 15°C below 13°C when the temperature drops.
Rank 1.15℃~17℃ Rank 2.17℃~20
℃ is ranked 3, and 20℃ or higher is ranked 4. Note that line heating is performed when the carriage is accelerated, and the drive power for the carriage drive and the heater 128 are shared, so there is a difference between the normal fine mode and the draft mode where the carriage speed is double the normal fine mode.
The mode of line heat is different and each table (FIGS. 13(c) and (D)) is provided. The same can be said about interval heats.

10 and 11 show a flowchart of the process activated by the key interval interrupt of this example based on the key timer LA, and FIG. 12 shows a timing chart regarding the above process. The key interval interrupt processing according to this example will now be explained.

A key interval interrupt occurs every 8m5ec, and this process is activated in response to this. When this process is started,
In step 5 IOI, the key input input by the user is captured. That is, a process of removing chattering from key input and a process of storing input data in a key buffer in the RAM 106 are performed. Then step 510
In step 3, temperature detection and temperature correction processing detailed in FIG. 11 are performed, and in step 5105, it is determined whether or not the device is in an initial state after the power is turned on. If it is in the initial state, the print counter (print time counter) and standby counter (print standby time counter) in the RAM 106 are stored in step 5107.
In order to clearly understand the point in Figure 12, only the point in time is shown below.)
In step 5109, it is determined whether initialization for device initialization is to be started. In case of affirmative judgment, step 5ill
The initialization wait time is counted up (point ■).
If the determination is negative, it is determined in step S1]3 whether or not the initialization standby has ended, and if it has not ended, the initialization standby time is counted up and then the process returns to the present process.

If it is determined in step 5113 that the standby for initialization has ended, it is determined in step 5115 whether or not it is time to start initial heating. If it is the timing to start, turn on the sub-heat in step 5117 (at time ■), then count up the initial heat time in step 5119, and start the initial heat according to the table shown in FIG. 13(A). Let's do it. That is, the heat-retaining heater 128 is driven for the subheat time corresponding to the rank determined in step 5103. In addition, the initial heat time shown in FIG. 12 is 0.3 sec.
c is the subheat time corresponding to rank O, which is of course only an example, and the same applies to the subheat time shown in FIG. 12 below. Step 51
If the determination in step 15 is negative, it is determined in step 5121 whether the initial heat has ended, and if it has not ended, the initial heat time is counted up in step 5119, and then the process returns to the main process.

As is clear from the above explanation, according to this example, the activation timing of initial heat, which is one aspect of subheat control, is managed in the process activated by a key interval interrupt, and the preheat and line Heat.

The same can be said about the activation timing of interval heat, duplex heat, and other processes.

If it is determined in step 5121 that the initial heat has ended, the subheat is turned off in step 5123, and in step 5124A it is determined whether or not to start waiting after the initial heat. If it is started (time point ■), the waiting time of the initial heat is set. count up. Note that this waiting time is 0.3 seconds in this example. Also, step 51
If a negative determination is made in step 24A, it is determined in step 3124C whether or not the standby after the initial heat has ended, and if not, the standby time is counted up in step 5124B, and then the process returns to the main process.

If it is determined in step 3124C that the standby after the initial heat is finished, the standby counter is cleared in step 5125, and the print power counter count-up enable is turned on to count the printing time (time point ■).

This print counter holds this value after counting up to 360 seconds. Next, in step 5127, the RA
It is determined whether the print counter of M106 is O or not.

If the determination is negative here, that is, if it is determined that not even one line has been printed yet, step 512
In step 9, it is determined whether or not it is time to start preheating. If it is time to start preheating, step 5131
At step 5133, the subheat is turned on and preheat is started (time point ①), and the preheat time is counted up at step 5133.

Further, if it is determined in step 5129 that it is not the timing to start preheating, it is determined in step 5135 whether or not the preheating has ended, and if the determination is negative, step 5
After counting up the preheat time in step 133, the process returns to the main process. Note that this preheating is performed for 0.2 seconds.

When it is determined in step 5135 that the preheat has ended, the subheat is turned off in step 5137, and then in step 5139 it is determined whether or not it is time to start waiting after the preheat. If it is the timing to start standby (time point ■), the standby time after preheating is counted up in step 5141, and the process returns to the main process. In addition, in the case of a negative determination in step 5139, in the case of a negative determination in step 5143 after determining whether or not the standby after preheating is completed, in the case of a negative determination, step 51
In step 41, the standby time after preheating is counted up and the process returns to the main process.

If it is determined in step 5143 that the standby after preheating has ended, the print ready state is set in step 5145, and
An actual printing operation for one line is started in the recording device. Note that the print command is turned on when the standby after the initial heat described above is completed, but the actual printing operation is performed after the standby after the preheat is completed and the print ready state (time point ■
), it will be started for the first time. Then step 5147
It is determined whether the print command is on or not, and if the judgment is negative, the process returns to this process, and if the print is on, the process goes to step 5149.
Similarly, it is determined whether or not the time of this interruption is the timing to start line heat.

If the determination is affirmative, the subheat is turned on in step 5151, the line heat time is counted up in step 5153, the printing time is counted up in step 5155, and the process returns to the main process. Also, step 5
In the case of a negative determination in step 149, and in the case of a negative determination in step 5157 by determining whether or not the line heat has ended based on the line heat count time, similarly, in the case of a negative determination, step 5 is performed.
After performing the processes 153 and 5155, the process returns to the main process.

When it is determined in step 5157 that the line heat has ended, the subheat is turned off in step 5159, and in step 5161 it is determined whether printing has ended.

If the judgment is negative, the process returns to step 5155, the printing time is counted up, and the process returns to the main process.If the printing is completed (time point ■), the duty heat was performed after the power was turned on in step 8162, but the process was not successful. If it has never been done, in step 5163 RAM1 is
06 is cleared and this counter is counted up in step 5165, and then in step 816
7 to count up the printing time. In this way, the print count that counts the print time continues to be counted up every time the print command is turned on and every key interval interrupt occurs every 8 m5ec.

Next, in step 5169, it is determined based on the contents of the standby counter in the RAM 106 whether or not the print standby time is longer than l0sec. Here, if it is determined that the print standby time is less than 10 seconds, it is determined in step 5171 whether or not the print command is on, and if the print command is not on, interval heat processing is performed in step 5173 (for example,
(after point ■). This interval heat process is similar to the process related to the initial heat, preheat, and line heat described above, so a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. That is, this process includes a process of determining whether or not it is time to start and end this process, and these determinations also include processes such as turning on or turning off the subheat.

If it is determined in step 5171 that the print command is on, it is determined in step 5175 whether or not it is time to start the line heat, similar to the processing from step 5149 described above, and if the determination is affirmative, subheat is started in step 5177. At the same time, the line heat time is counted up in step 5179, the printing time is counted up in step 3181, and the process returns to the main process. Also, if it is determined that it is not the timing to start the line heat,
If the line heat is not completed in step 3183, steps 5179 and 5181 are performed and the process returns to the main process.

If it is determined in step 8183 that the line heat has ended, the subheat is turned off in step 5185, and it is determined in step 31g7 whether one line printing has ended or not. Here, if it is determined that one line printing has not been completed, the printing time is counted up in step 3181 and the process returns to this process. Also, step S1g? If the determination is affirmative, the process returns to step 5163.

If it is determined in step 5169 that the wait time is 1 Osec or more, that is, if it is determined that the value of the wait counter exceeds 10 seconds during the key interval interrupt processing, the wait counter is cleared in step 5189, and the process proceeds to step 5195. It is determined whether or not it is the timing to start duty heat. If the determination is affirmative, the subheat is turned on in step 5197, and the duty heat time is counted up in step 5199, and the process returns to the main process. If the determination is negative in step 5195, the table shown in FIG. 13(E) is referred to in step 5201 to determine whether the duty heat has ended. 5199
After performing the above processing, the process returns to the main processing. Step 5201
If it is determined that the duty heat has ended, the subheat is turned off in step 52Q3, and the process returns to the main process.

In step 5162, if it is determined that duty heat has been performed in the past, that is, while waiting for printing, interval heat for 10 seconds immediately after printing and subsequent duty heat have been performed in the past. If so, the process advances to step 5191, and first it is determined whether or not the waiting time of 6 seconds has elapsed. If it has not, the process returns to this process. If it is determined that 6 seconds have elapsed, the print command is turned on in step 5193. Decide whether or not. Here, in case of affirmative judgment, step 5175
Return to the process, and if the judgment is negative, proceed to step 5 described above.
Duty heat processing is performed after 195 (for example, time point 0).

According to the processing from step 3162 onward, while waiting for printing, interval heat processing is performed until 10 seconds have elapsed after printing is completed, and after 10 seconds, daily heat processing is performed. Furthermore, 6 seconds after this
Duty heat will be performed every time.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the process of step 5103 in detail.

When entering this process, first, in step 5301, temperature detection processing is performed by the temperature sensor 124, and then in step 5303.
Then, it is determined whether or not it is time to determine the rank, which is a reference parameter of the table shown in FIG. That is, in this example, the temperature is detected as shown in step 5301 every time the key interval interrupt processing is started every 8 m5ec, but the temperature detected in the past 320m5ec (40 interrupt processing) is averaged. In order to use this temperature as the basis for determining the rank, the rank is determined every time data for 840 temperature tests are collected. Therefore, if it is determined that it is not the timing to determine the rank, the detected temperature is stored in the work area of the RAM 106 in step 5305, and the process ends.

If it is determined in step 5303 that it is time to determine the rank, in step 5309 the average temperature of the past 40 times is stored in register A in the work area of the RAM 106, and then in step 5311 the value of this register A and the rank determination timing are stored. The value of register B, which stores the average temperature one time before, is compared with the value of register B. If the value of A is smaller in this comparison, the rank is determined by referring to the table for when the temperature decreases shown in FIG. Further, if the value of A is larger in the above comparison, the rank is determined by referring to the table at the time of temperature rise.

Next, in step 5315, the contents of the register are set as the contents of register B, and in step 5317, the stored detected temperatures of the past 40 times are cleared, and the present process ends.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing details of the process of reading from the disk shown in step 910 of FIG.

When this process is started, the input of the document file name is taken in step 51501, a message indicating that the document file name is being read from the disk is displayed in step 51502, and an interrupt by the LCD timer, first timer, and second timer is generated in step 51503. The receiver is not attached. Further, in step 51504, key interval interrupts are also not accepted. Next, in step 31505, the directory of the input document file name is read out, and in step 51506, key interval interrupts are enabled to be accepted, and in step 51507, it is determined whether reading of the document data has been completed. . In other words, a file allocation table (hereinafter referred to as FAT) is created based on sector information.
) to determine whether this is the last sector of the document data. As a result, for example, in the case of a document file that only has a directory and no document data is stored, it is determined in step 51507 that the data is completed without reading the document data, and the process proceeds to step 51514. I will move on.

If the determination in step 51507 is negative, it is determined in step SL50g whether or not an error has occurred, and if an error has occurred, the error processing is performed in step 51513, and then the process proceeds to step 51514 to remove the disc from the disk. A message indicating completion of reading is displayed and the process ends.

If the determination in step 51508 is negative, step 515
In step 09, the FAT search is performed to obtain the next sector information of the current sector information, and based on this sector information, step 51 is performed.
After entering the key interval interrupt acceptance state at 510,
In step 51511, the document data of this sector is read out and stored in the FDD buffer of the RAM 106. Next, after making it possible to accept key interval interrupts in step 51512, the processes from step 51507 onward are repeated until the sector information reaches the end of the document file, and step 5
After the process of 1514, this process ends.

In the above embodiment, the heat retention heater is formed in a different form from the ejection heater, but it is possible to use the same form as the ejection heater or the ejection heater itself, and apply a driving pulse to the extent that the ink is not ejected. The heat generated by this may be used for keeping warm.

Further, in the above embodiment, an electronic typewriter is used as the document processing device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any device that generates an interrupt signal to receive key inputs at predetermined intervals such as a word processor may be used.

(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. The growth and contraction of the bubble causes liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet. If this drive signal is in the form of a pulse, bubble growth and contraction will occur immediately and appropriately.
Particularly responsive liquid (ink) ejection can be achieved,
More preferred. This pulse-shaped drive signal is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262.
Those described in the specification 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 better distribution can be achieved.

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. That is, regardless of the form of the recording head, according to the present invention, 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 with the serial type shown above, the recording head is fixed to the device body, or by being attached to the device body, electrical connection to the device body and ink supply from the device body are possible. The present invention is also effective when using a replaceable chip type recording head or a cartridge type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself.

Furthermore, it is preferable to add a recovery means for the recording head, a 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. Specifically, these include capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressure or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element, or a combination thereof; It is also effective to perform a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection is performed separately from printing in order to perform stable printing.

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. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to a recording mode of only a mainstream color such as black, but may also include a recording head that is configured integrally or a combination of a plurality of recording heads; The present invention is also extremely effective for devices equipped with at least one full color by color mixture.

Additionally, in the embodiments of the present invention described above,
Although ink is described as a liquid, it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or below, but softens or liquefies at room temperature, or in an inkjet method, the ink itself is
Generally, the temperature is adjusted within the range of 0°C or more and 70°C or less so that the viscosity of the ink is within the stable ejection range, so even if the ink is in a liquid state when the recording signal is applied. Bye. In addition, the temperature increase caused by thermal energy can be actively prevented by using the energy to change the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or ink that solidifies when left standing is used to prevent ink evaporation. In any case, the ink is liquefied by applying thermal energy in accordance with the recording signal, and the liquid ink is ejected, or the ink has already begun to solidify by the time it reaches the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable when using ink that is liquefied only by energy. The ink used in this case is
Publication No. 4-56847 or JP-A-60-71260
As described in the above publication, the porous sheet may be held in a liquid or solid state in the recesses or through-holes of the porous sheet, facing the electrothermal converter. In the present invention, the most effective method for each of the above-mentioned inks is to implement the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention may take the form of an image output terminal for information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader, etc., or a facsimile apparatus having a transmitting/receiving function. It may also be something.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the counting of the printing counter means and the standby counter means for managing the heating element driving time and the timing of various controls in subheat control is performed using key interval interrupts. This can be done by

As a result, the timer for interrupt processing can be simplified, and a device with a simple configuration can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 FA) and (B) are external perspective views of an electronic typewriter as a device according to an embodiment of the present invention during use and storage, and Figure 2 is an electronic typewriter stored in the electronic typewriter shown in Figure 1. 3 is an external perspective view of the head cartridge shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 (A> and (B) is an exploded view of the head cartridge shown in FIG. 3. Perspective view and external perspective part, Figure 5 is the first
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the electronic typewriter shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing an example of the operation timing of each part of the head controller according to this example. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the main processing steps in the electronic typewriter of this example. Fig. 1O is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of subheat control by key interval interrupt processing according to this example, Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing details of the temperature detection and temperature correction processing shown in Fig. 1O, and Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the above-mentioned keys. Timing chart of subheat control by interval interrupt processing, Fig. 13 (A) to (
E) is an explanatory diagram of a table for setting the heat time of each type of subheat in the subheat control, and FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the detailed processing procedure of the process of reading from the disk shown in FIG. 1... Keyboard, IA... Key timer, 6... LCD, 31... Carriage motor, 31A... Carriage motor driver, 100...
CPU. 104...ROM. 106...RAM. 108... Interval control circuit, 110... LCDC1 112... Discharge heater, 114... Carriage motor/discharge heater control circuit (
head controller), 116A... segment driver, 116B... common driver, 120... print dot buffer, 124... temperature sensor, 128... heat retention heater, 128A... sub heat driver, 130 ...Power control, 132...FDD. EG2 Figure 10 (Figure 71 Procedural Amendment (December 27, 1990)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) An inkjet recording device for performing printing by discharging ink, comprising: a recording head for discharging the ink, a temperature detection means for detecting the ambient temperature of the recording head, and the recording head. a heating element provided in the head for controlling the temperature of the ink by heating the ink of the recording head; a driving means for driving the heating element; and a print counter for counting printing time by the recording head. means, a standby counter means for counting the print standby time of the recording head, an ambient temperature detected by the temperature detection means, and a print time counted by the print count means or a print standby count counted by the standby count means. table means for determining drive information for the heating element by the drive means according to time; initial heat control for driving the drive means when the device is powered on according to the table means; Preheat control is activated just before printing starts, line heat control is activated every time printing starts,
subheat control means having interval control for driving within a predetermined time after the end of printing within the printing standby time from the end of printing until the start of printing; and in response to a regular key interval interrupt signal for capturing key input an inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a counter control means for counting the print counter means or the standby counter means; 2) The subheat control means further includes duty heat control for periodically driving the driving means according to the table means when the predetermined time is exceeded within the printing standby time. Item 1. The inkjet recording device according to item 1. 3) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head heats the ink using thermal energy to cause film boiling, and ejects the ink as bubbles grow due to the boiling. 4) In a document processing device using an inkjet recording device for discharging ink to perform printing as a print output means, a recording head for discharging the ink and a temperature detection for detecting the ambient temperature of the recording head. means, a heating element provided in the recording head for controlling the temperature of the ink by heating the ink of the recording head, a driving means for driving the heating element, and counting the printing time by the recording head. a print counter means for counting the print standby time of the recording head; an ambient temperature detected by the temperature detection means; and a print time counted by the print count means or the standby count means. table means that determines drive information for the heating element by the drive means according to the printing standby time counted by the printer; and initial heat control that drives the drive means when the device is powered on according to the table means; A preheat control that is driven immediately before the first printing starts in a certain period, and a line heat control that is driven every time printing starts.
sub-heat control means having interval control for driving within a predetermined time after the end of printing within the printing standby time from the end of printing until the start of printing; and a key input for inputting information to the device using a key. means, an interrupt generating means for generating a periodic key interval interrupt signal for capturing an input by the key input means, and an interrupt generating means for generating the print counter means or the standby counter means in response to the key interval interrupt signal from the interrupt generating means. A document processing device comprising: a counter control means for counting; and a document processing device. 5) The subheat control means further includes duty heat control for periodically driving the driving means according to the table means when the predetermined time is exceeded within the printing standby time. Item 4. The inkjet recording device according to item 4. 6) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the recording head heats the ink using thermal energy to cause film boiling, and ejects the ink as bubbles grow due to the boiling.