JPH07112531A - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an ink jet recording device in which more restoration actuation than it is necessary is avoided and waste of ink and stand-by time are decreased and optimum restoration treatment is executed according to the kind of ink and the kind of a head. CONSTITUTION:In an ink jet recording device having a recording head for forming an image on a recording medium by discharging ink, the recording head 1 has at least discrimination information representing either of the kind of ink to be used or information showing the structure of the recording head 1. The discrimination information is read by an ID read part 102 and discriminated. Restoration actuation of the recording head 1 is decided and executed according to the read discrimination information. Furthermore, the recording head 1 is replaced and thereafter the elapsed time from restoration actuation of the last time is counted by a timer 24. Restoration actuation is changed according to the elapsed time.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus having a recording head which ejects ink to form an image on a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a recording device having a function of a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, etc., or a recording device used as an output device of a composite type electronic device or workstation including a computer, a word processor, etc., based on image data. An image is recorded on a recording material (recording medium) such as paper or a plastic thin plate.
Such a recording device can be classified into, for example, an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a thermal type, a laser beam type, etc., depending on the recording system.

Now, the recording material conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction)
In a serial type printing apparatus that prints by scanning the print head in the direction intersecting with (main scanning direction), an image is printed by the print head mounted on the carriage, and
When the recording for one line is completed, a predetermined amount of paper is fed (pitch conveyance) according to the recording width, and then the image of the next line is recorded (main scanning) on the recording material stopped again. The above operation is repeated to record an image on the recording material.

On the other hand, in a recording apparatus in which only the recording material is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction and recording is performed line by line, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position and recording for one line is performed collectively. After that, the entire recording material is recorded by repeating the operation of feeding the recording material by a predetermined amount according to the recording width (pitch feeding) and then recording the next row.

Among such recording apparatuses, an inkjet recording apparatus (inkjet recording apparatus) performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording head onto a recording material, and the recording means can be downsized and high. A fine image can be recorded at high speed. Also, it is possible to record on a recording material that has not undergone any special processing, such as plain paper.
In addition to advantages such as low running cost and less noise due to the non-impact method, it is easy to record a color image using multicolor ink. Above all, according to the line type printer device using the line type recording head in which a large number of ejection ports are arranged in the width direction of the recording material, the recording speed can be further increased.

Particularly, an ink jet type recording head for ejecting ink by utilizing thermal energy is
An electrothermal converter, an electrode, a liquid path wall, which is formed on a substrate by using a semiconductor manufacturing process such as vapor deposition and sputtering.
By forming a top plate or the like, it is possible to manufacture the liquid crystal device having a high density liquid passage arrangement (ejection outlet arrangement). This makes it possible to make the device even more compact. On the other hand, there are various requirements for the material of the recording material, and in recent years,
In addition to ordinary recording media such as paper and resin thin plates (OHP, etc.), it is required to be able to use thin paper or processed paper (paper with punch holes for perforations, paper with perforations, or paper of any shape). It has started to be done.

In such an ink jet recording apparatus, when paper dust or dust adheres to the ink ejection surface of the recording head, or a part of the ink ejected from the nozzle adheres to the ink ejection surface, Ink ejection failure occurs such that the ejection direction changes or ink is not ejected due to clogging. In order to prevent such ejection failure, it is necessary to regularly clean the ink ejection surface.

Further, since ink remaining in the nozzles of the recording head is thickened or air in the nozzles is discharged, it is necessary to suck the ink with a pump from the ink ejection surface. Such cleaning processing and suction processing are called recovery operations, and are necessary for stabilizing the amount of ink ejected from the recording head and obtaining a good image. This recovery operation includes manual recovery performed by the user's judgment and automatic recovery performed automatically under certain circumstances. For example, the automatic recovery is configured to be performed after the recording head is replaced or after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0009]

However, there are cases where a plurality of recording heads, each of which ejects a different type of ink, can be mounted, and these heads are replaced to perform multicolor printing. In this way, if the print head that ejects different types of ink is frequently replaced according to the purpose of use, the automatic recovery operation is activated each time the print head is replaced, and the recovery operation is performed more frequently than necessary. Will be done. Therefore, there is a problem in that the ink is consumed more than necessary and waste is increased, and the time required for the recovery operation to rise is increased.

Further, when the recording heads ejecting different kinds of inks are used, it is desirable that the recording heads are executed according to each recording head in order to perform the optimum recovery operation. Since it is uniformly performed for all the mounted recording heads, the effect of the recovery process may not be sufficiently obtained, or a certain recording head may be useless.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus which avoids unnecessary recovery operation and reduces waste of ink and standby time.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of performing an optimum recovery process according to the type of ink and the type of head.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention has the following constitution. That is, in an inkjet recording apparatus having a recording head that ejects ink to form an image on a recording medium, the recording head is at least identification information indicating either the type of ink used or the information indicating the structure of the recording head. And an identification unit that reads and identifies the identification information, and a recovery unit that determines and executes a recovery operation of the recording head according to the identification information.

[0014]

With the above construction, the identification information for discriminating the information such as the type of the recording head can be attached to the recording head, the identification information can be read, and the recovery process suitable for the recording head can be executed.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an ink jet printer of this embodiment.

The recording head 1 records an image on the recording medium 5 by ejecting ink from the ejection port of the ink ejection surface 1a. The recording head 1 is mounted on a carriage 2, and the carriage 2 is supported by a guide shaft 3 that guides the moving direction and reciprocates while facing the recording medium 5. The recording medium 5 is pressed against the feed roller 4 by the pinch roller 6, and the feed roller 4 is rotated to be conveyed in a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction of the carriage 2. Further, the recording medium 5 on which the image has been formed is discharged to the outside of the recording apparatus by the rotation of the discharge roller 7.

Foreign matter such as paper dust and extra ink adhering to the ink ejection surface 1a of the recording head 1 is scraped off by a wiper 8 provided outside the image forming area of the recording medium 5. Further, by covering the ink ejection surface 1a, a cap 9 is provided for preventing clogging of the ejection port and for sucking ink from the ejection port from the outside of the recording head 1. Therefore, the cap 9 is provided. Is a pump (not shown)
Are connected.

The recording head 1 of this embodiment is an ink jet recording means for ejecting ink by utilizing thermal energy, and has an electrothermal converter 55 (see FIG. 2) for generating thermal energy. . Further, the recording head 1 performs recording by ejecting ink from the ejection port by utilizing the pressure change caused by the growth and contraction of the bubble due to the film boiling of the ink generated by the thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter. It is a thing.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection portion of the recording head 1 of the ink jet printer of this embodiment.

In FIG. 2, a plurality of discharge ports 5 are formed at a predetermined pitch on a discharge port forming surface 51 facing a recording medium with a predetermined gap (for example, about 0.5 to 2.0 mm).
2 is formed. Furthermore, the common liquid chamber 53 and each discharge port 5
An electrothermal converter (heat-generating resistor, etc.) 55 for generating energy for ejecting ink is arranged along the wall surface of each liquid path 54 communicating with 2. In this embodiment, the recording head 1 is mounted and mounted on the carriage 2 in such a positional relationship that the ejection openings 52 are arranged in a direction intersecting the scanning direction of the carriage 2. Thus, based on the image signal or the ejection signal, the electrothermal converter 55 corresponding to the signal is driven (energized) to cause film boiling of the ink in the liquid path 54, and the ejection port 52 is caused by the pressure generated at that time. The ink is ejected from.

In each of the embodiments described below, an ink jet printer in which one recording head 1 (for single-color recording or color recording capable of ejecting ink of plural colors by one) is mounted on the carriage 2 is used. As an example,
Of course, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the present invention uses an inkjet printer for color recording that uses a plurality of recording heads that respectively record with inks of different colors, or a plurality of recording heads that record with inks of the same color but different densities. It can be similarly applied to various types of printer devices regardless of the number of recording heads and ink characteristics such as an inkjet printer for gradation recording.
The same action and effect can be achieved.

Further, in each of the embodiments described below, the recording head 1 will be described as an example of a cartridge type in which the recording head and an ink tank are integrated.
What is the structure of the recording head and the ink tank, such as a structure in which the recording head and the ink tank are separated and directly connected to each other, and a structure in which these are connected by an ink supply tube? Can be applied in the same manner, and the same effect can be achieved.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the schematic arrangement of the ink jet printer of this embodiment.

In FIG. 3, 101 is a control unit for controlling the entire printer, which is a CPU such as a microprocessor.
120, a ROM 121 that stores various programs and control programs for the CPU 120, a RAM that is used as a work area for the CPU 120 and that stores various data, and the like. The RAM 123 also includes an ID (identification) code of the recording head 1 to be described later and an ID memory that stores the ID code associated with the recording head 1 and the elapsed time since the mounting. Reference numeral 124 denotes a timer, which starts clocking according to an instruction from the CPU 120 and notifies the CPU 120 of the elapsed time.

Reference numeral 102 denotes an ID reading unit for reading the ID code attached to the recording head 1. The ID code read here is output to the control unit 101. Reference numeral 103 denotes a head driver that drives the recording head 1 by energizing the heating element 55 of the recording head 1 according to the image data output from the control unit 101. A sensor 104 outputs a signal indicating whether the recording head 1 is mounted on the carriage 2. Based on the signal from the sensor 104, the control unit 101 can detect whether the recording head 1 is attached or detached for replacement or the like. 106
Is a carriage motor for carrying the carriage 2,
Reference numeral 108 denotes a paper feed motor for conveying and driving a recording material, such as recording paper. Each of 105 and 107 is a motor driver for driving a corresponding motor. The recovery unit 109 includes the wiper 8, the cap 9 and a pump for suction described above.

Although not shown in the drawings, in addition to this, print data is obtained by performing communication control with an ink cartridge, a sensor for detecting the ink remaining amount in the cartridge, a home position sensor, and a host computer. It has an interface and the like for receiving and inputting.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the processing when the recording head 1 is mounted in the printer of the first embodiment of the present invention. The control program for executing this processing is the ROM 121.
Remembered in.

In this printer device, the time when the recording head 1 is detached from the carriage 2 is detected by a signal from the sensor 104, and the date and time when the recording head 1 is detached are detected together with the ID of the recording head 1 by a timer 124. And stored in the ID memory 123. Therefore, it is desirable that the ID memory 123 is provided in the non-volatile memory area.

When the sensor 104 detects that the recording head is mounted on the carriage 2, first in step S1, the ID code attached to the recording head is read. Next, in step S2, the read I
It is checked whether the D code is stored in the ID memory 123. If not stored, the process proceeds to step S3, the carriage motor 2 is rotationally driven to move the carriage 2 to the recovery operation position, and the recovery unit 109 is driven. And perform head recovery processing.

On the other hand, if the ID matching the ID code is stored in the ID memory 123 in step S2, the process proceeds to step S3, in which the date and time data stored together with the ID in the ID memory 123 and the timer 124 indicate. The elapsed time from when the recording head is attached or detached is calculated from the difference from the current date and time. When the elapsed time is longer than the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S3, and as described above, step S3 is performed.
The process proceeds to step 3 to perform the head recovery operation, but if it is within the predetermined time, the head recovery operation is omitted and the process goes to the standby state.

As described above, according to the first embodiment,
If the time from when the recording head is removed from the recording apparatus to when it is reattached is short, the recording head is not deteriorated so much, and the recovery operation can be omitted or simplified. Therefore, the recording head is frequently replaced. Even in such a case, it is possible to maintain the state of the recording head in a good condition, and it is possible to eliminate the consumption of ink and the occurrence of unnecessary standby time due to the recovery operation.

The ID reading unit 102 described above is electrically,
Various means such as optical and mechanical means are conceivable. [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. There are various types of ink such as color, monochrome, and water-resistant ink, and the optimum recovery operation method differs depending on the type of ink and the structure of the recording head. Therefore, the above-mentioned ID code added to the recording head includes information for identifying the type of ink, the structure of the recording head, etc., so that the recording apparatus can read the ID and select the optimum recovery operation. It is a thing.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the operation of the second embodiment, and the control program for executing this processing is also stored in the ROM 121.

When it is detected by the signal from the sensor 104 that the recording head 1 is attached to the printer device, the process proceeds to step S10, and the ID attached to the recording head 1 is detected.
To read. Then, in step S11, the type of the mounted recording head 1 and the type of ink are identified based on the read ID. Then, the most optimal recovery operation is selected and executed according to the identified type. For example, when highly viscous ink is used,
The recovery operation is carefully performed by shortening the recovery operation time interval, but when ink with low viscosity is used, the recovery operation time interval is increased and the recovery operation is completed in a relatively short time. Etc. are conceivable.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, a necessary and sufficient recovery operation can be performed according to each recording head and the type of ink used. As a result, a good output image can be obtained using the recording head without wasting ink and operating time.

As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to save ink and time required for the recovery operation without degrading the quality of the output image. [Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the construction of the recovery apparatus of this embodiment, in which the same parts as those in the above-mentioned drawings are designated by the same reference numerals. FIG. 6 shows a model view of the pump to which the cap 9 is connected, as viewed from the direction A in FIG. The cap 9 is connected to the cylinder 10, and the cylinder 10
A piston 11 that is movable in the left-right direction in the drawing and a piston shaft 12 that moves the piston 11 in the cylinder 10 in the left-right direction are attached to the cylinder. Pump gears 16a, 16b, 1 that mesh with each other by a drive source (not shown)
Pump cam 17 via a gear train formed by 6c
When the pump is driven to rotate, the piston 11 and the piston shaft 12 are driven by the cam surface provided on the pump cam 17.
Moves to the left and right in the figure. Thereby, the ink is sucked into the cylinder from the ink discharge port of the recording head 1 through the cap 9 in the capping state, and the sucked ink is discharged by the waste ink pipe 15 connected to the cylinder 10. ing. Reference numeral 13 is a cylinder cap for sealing the cylinder 10, and 14 is a suction pipe portion of the cylinder 10, which is connected by fitting the cap 9 to the cylinder suction pipe portion 14 and sealing the same. Reference numeral 15 is a waste ink tube for discharging the sucked ink to the outside of the cylinder 10. An ink absorber 18 (see FIG. 7) is attached to the upper half (on the recording head 1 side) of the cap 9, and the ink absorber 18 is provided on the absorber stopper 19 (see FIG. 7). ) Is fixed to the cap 9 so as not to fall off. Therefore, the cap 9 is attached to the cylinder 10 so that the ink absorber 18 faces the end opening of the cylinder suction pipe portion 14.

When the piston 11 is pushed from right to left from the state shown in FIG. 7 using a cam or the like, the sliding surface 11a of the piston 11 is pushed.
And the frictional resistance between the inner surface of the cylinder 10 and the inner surface of the cylinder 10 causes the seal surface 11b of the piston 11 to move to the piston shaft 1
It comes into close contact with the second flange portion 12a and moves from right to left together with the piston shaft 12. During this period, the suction tube 1
The negative pressure in the cylinder 10 increases until 4 communicates with the cylinder 10 in the negative pressure state.

Then, when the suction pipe 14 comes into communication with the cylinder 10 as shown in FIG. 8, the ink of the recording head 1 whose ejection surface 1a is covered with the cap 9 is sucked into the cylinder 10 through the liquid passage. Going away. When the required suction amount is reached in this way, the movement of the piston 11 is once stopped, and the cap 9 and the cylinder 10 are tilted as shown in FIG. 9 to cancel the sealed state and then the movement of the piston 11 is restarted. At this time, since the end portion of the suction tube 14 on the recording head side communicates with the atmosphere, only air is sucked.

In this way, when the piston 11 moves to the left end in FIG. 7, its moving direction is reversed and the state shown in FIG. 7 is restored.
At this time, the sliding surface 11a of the piston 11 and the cylinder 10
Due to the frictional resistance with the inner surface of the piston 11, the retaining portion 12c of the piston shaft 12 starts to move together after hitting the left end surface of the piston 11. This creates a gap between the seal surface 11b and the flange portion 12a. Then, as the piston 11 moves from left to right, the sucked ink passes through a gap formed between the seal surface 11b and the flange portion 12a, a groove portion 12b between the flange portion 12a of the piston shaft 12 and the retaining portion 12c. Flow into the opposite side of the cylinder 10. Next, the left and right reciprocating motion of the piston 11 is repeated, and the ink in the cylinder 10 is discharged from the waste ink pipe 15.

Next, a capping method will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. Note that, also in these drawings, the portions common to the above-mentioned drawings are indicated by the same numbers.

In FIG. 9, the cylinder 10 is fixed to the pump base 20 so as to be rotatable by a predetermined angle as shown by the arrow in the figure. Reference numeral 21 denotes a slide lever, which slides a rail on a pump base (not shown) in the left-right direction in the drawing, and is always biased to the left by a slide lever spring 23. At this time, the cylinder 10
Is biased by the cylinder spring 22 so as to be tilted to the left as shown, and the cap 9 is in an open state.

When the carriage 2 carrying the recording head 1 moves to the right from the state of FIG. 9, the carriage 2 or the recording head 1 itself hits the slide lever 21, and the slide lever 23 also slides to the right. At this time, the pressing member 21 of the slide lever 21
The a hits the piston 11 to rotate the piston 11. As a result, the capping state shown in FIG. 10 is obtained. When the carriage 2 is moved leftward in such a capping state, the cap 9 is automatically opened.

As is clear from the above description, the total stroke of the piston 11 is constant, but the cap 9
By adjusting the timing for removing the closed state (the timing for opening the cap 9) as necessary, the amount of ink suction can be changed with the same configuration. Here, the stroke of the piston 11 until the cap 9 is opened is called the effective stroke.

As an example, referring to FIG. 8,
Here, assuming that the recording head 1 containing monochrome ink is mounted, the cap 9 is opened when the piston 11 reaches the position C. On the other hand, when the recording head 1 containing the color ink is mounted, the cap 9 is opened when the piston 11 comes to the position D. Such a difference in effective stroke appears as a difference in the amount of ink suction. Thus, by changing the opening / closing timing of the cap 9 according to the ink used, it is possible to perform an appropriate recovery process according to the ink. This method can also be applied to the case where the recovery operation is changed in accordance with the recording head or the type of ink in the second embodiment described above.

For this reason, as a method of making the ink jet recording apparatus recognize the type of the recording head 1, in addition to the key operation of the operation panel by the user, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. It is conceivable to add an ID for identifying the type and change the recovery process by reading the ID, as in the above-described embodiment. Thus, the suction means may be controlled by the above-described method so as to suck the optimal amount of ink for the type of recording head. The configuration of the inkjet printer of the third embodiment is similar to that of the above-described embodiment, and the control program for executing the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11 is stored in the ROM 121.

In the flowchart of FIG. 11, first, in step S20, the ID attached to the recording head 1 is read by the ID reading unit 102, and in step S21, the type of the recording head 1 and the ink used are determined. . The ink suction amount is determined according to the determination result. This can be realized, for example, by changing the opening / closing timing of the cap 9 as described above. And step S23
Then, the recovery operation of the recording head is started.

The present invention can be applied to an ink jet recording apparatus using a recording means (recording head) using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezoelectric element, for example.
Above all, it has an excellent effect in an ink jet recording apparatus of a type that ejects ink by utilizing thermal energy. [Fourth Embodiment] A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The configuration of this embodiment is also similar to that of the printer device of the above-described embodiment.

The recovery operation is activated not only automatically after the recording head is mounted, but also by a recovery command from the host or a user's manual operation. As a result, the recovery operation may be attempted more frequently than necessary. In such a case, the date and time at which the recovery operation is performed is set by the timer 124.
Detected by, and stored in the RAM 122 in a nonvolatile manner,
The elapsed time from the previous recovery operation to the present is calculated (step S30). According to the length of this elapsed time, a predetermined optimum suction amount is calculated (step S
31), the timing for opening and closing the cap 9 is determined and the recovery operation is performed (step S32). If the elapsed time is extremely short, the recovery operation may be omitted.

Even when the recording head is once detached from the recording apparatus main body and reattached as in the first embodiment, the time when the recording head ID and the previous recovery operation are performed remain in the printer apparatus main body. Since it is stored, after the recording head is mounted, the ID of the recording head is read, the same one is detected from the stored IDs,
Calculate the elapsed time. A recovery operation is performed by determining the ink suction amount according to the length of this elapsed time.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the recovery process for sucking the optimum ink amount can be performed according to the type of the recording head, the type of ink used, and the recovery operation time interval. it can.

The present invention is particularly equipped with means for generating thermal energy as energy used for ejecting ink (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) even in the ink jet recording system, and by the thermal energy. The printing apparatus of the type that causes a change in the state of ink has been described. According to such a method, the recording density is increased,
High definition can be achieved.

With regard to its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. 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, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path in which the liquid crystal is held, which corresponds to the recorded information and causes a rapid temperature rise exceeding film boiling. Since the electrothermal converter is caused to generate heat energy to cause film boiling on the heat-acting surface of the recording head, as a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to the drive signal in a one-to-one relationship can be formed. It is valid. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection openings by the growth and contraction of the bubbles to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal in a pulse shape, because bubbles can be grown and contracted immediately and appropriately, and thus a liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be achieved.

As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise on the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the discharge port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the linear liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications. 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 heat-acting surface is arranged in a bending region. In addition, for multiple electrothermal converters,
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-123670, which discloses a structure in which a common slot is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-63, which discloses a structure in which an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is associated with the discharge portion. A configuration based on Japanese Patent No. 138461 may be used.

Further, as a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length can be increased by combining a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. Either of the structure satisfying the requirement or the structure as one recording head integrally formed may be used.

In addition, by being attached to the apparatus main body, it can be electrically connected to the apparatus main body and can be supplied with ink from the apparatus main body by a replaceable chip type recording head or the recording head itself. Alternatively, a cartridge type recording head provided with an ink tank may be used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc., which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention, because the effect of the present invention can be further stabilized. . Specific examples thereof include capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suctioning means for the recording head, preheating means using an electrothermal converter or another heating element or a combination thereof, and recording. It is also effective to perform a stable recording by performing a preliminary discharge mode in which another discharge is performed.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but the recording head may be integrally formed or a plurality of combinations may be used. Alternatively, the device may be provided with at least one of full-color mixed colors.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid, but an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower, or one that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used, or In the inkjet method, it is common to control the temperature of the ink itself within a range of 30 ° C to 70 ° C to control the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is within a stable ejection range. It is sufficient that the ink is liquid.

In addition, in order to positively prevent the temperature rise due to thermal energy from being used as the energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state,
Alternatively, in order to prevent the ink from evaporating, an ink that solidifies in a standing state and liquefies by heating may be used. In any case, by applying heat energy, such as ink that is liquefied by applying heat energy according to the recording signal and liquid ink is ejected, or that begins to solidify when it reaches the recording medium. The present invention can be applied to the case where an ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time is used. In such a case, the ink is retained as a liquid or solid in the recesses or through holes of the porous sheet as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260. It may be configured to face the electrothermal converter. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as a form of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to one provided integrally or separately as an image output terminal of information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and further transmission / reception It may take the form of a facsimile machine having a function.

[0064]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to avoid unnecessary recovery operation and reduce waste of ink and waiting time.

Further, there is an effect that an optimum recovery process can be executed according to the type of ink and the type of head.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a main configuration of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of an ink ejection portion of the recording head of this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a process when the recording head is mounted in the inkjet printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process when the recording head is mounted in the inkjet printer according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a recovery device in the inkjet printer of the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows a pump used as an ink suction means.
It is explanatory drawing when it sees from the A direction.

FIG. 8 shows a pump used as an ink suction means.
It is explanatory drawing when it sees from the A direction.

FIG. 9 shows a pump used as an ink suction means.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view when viewed from the direction B of FIG. 6A, showing a state in which the cap is open.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a pump used as an ink suction means when viewed from the direction B in FIG. 1, showing a capped state.

FIG. 11 is an inkjet according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printer.

FIG. 12 is an inkjet according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Recording Head 2 Carriage 5 Recording Medium 8 Wiper 9 Cap 101 Control Section 102 ID Reading Section 109 Recovery Section 120 CPU 121 ROM 122 RAM 123 ID Memory 124 Timer

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display location B41J 2/185 B41J 3/04 102 R (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Saito 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Makoto Karama 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Masahiro Taniguro 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Incorporated (72) Inventor Masaya Shinmachi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Koichi Tanno 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. ( 72) Inventor Tetsuo Suzuki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Junichi Asano 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording apparatus having a recording head for ejecting ink to form an image on a recording medium, wherein the recording head contains at least either the type of ink used or information indicating the structure of the recording head. Inkjet recording, comprising identification information that represents the identification information, and identification means that reads and identifies the identification information, and recovery means that determines and executes a recovery operation of the recording head according to the identification information. apparatus. 2. The recording head is replaceable, and the recording head further has a time measuring means for measuring an elapsed time from when the recording head was previously removed to when the recording head is reattached, and the recovery means has a length of the elapsed time. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recovery operation is changed according to the above. 3. The recording head further comprises a time measuring means for measuring an elapsed time from the recovery operation of the recording head, and the recovery means changes the recovery operation in accordance with the length of the elapsed time. The inkjet recording device according to claim 1. 4. An ink jet recording apparatus having a recording head for ejecting ink to form an image on a recording medium, a cap member having an ink flow path for covering an ink ejection portion of the recording head, and the cap. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a suction unit for sucking ink from an ink ejecting unit through a member; and an adjusting unit that adjusts the suction amount of ink by changing the timing of opening and closing the cap member. 5. The recording medium according to claim 4, further comprising a reading unit for reading the identification information attached to the recording head, and the adjusting unit adjusts the ink suction amount based on the identification information. Inkjet recording device. 6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising a time measuring unit for measuring an elapsed time from the recovery operation, wherein the adjusting unit adjusts an ink suction amount based on the elapsed time and the identification information. The inkjet recording device according to item 1. 7. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is an ink jet recording head including an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy for ejecting ink. The inkjet recording device described. 8. The ink jet recording according to claim 7, wherein the recording head ejects the ink from an ejection port by utilizing film boiling generated in the ink by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter. apparatus.