JPH09174847A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recorder which makes it possible to record at a high quality level while performing a high speed recording operation and to prolong the life of a recording head. SOLUTION: When a recording head which makes it possible to conduct a recording operation by dividing it into 8 blocks each having 8 heaters from 32 heaters and time division controlling at the respective blocks is driven by a double pulse control, the period T of the recording operation of one cycle is divided into 9 time zones, and a prepulse is applied to the one block 1 and a main pulse is applied to the block 8 in each of the divided initial and last time zones. In the zones except them, a prepulse is applied to the block (i+1) and a main pulse is applied to the block (i), thereby controlling so that the prepulse and main pulse are plied to the recording elements of the same block over the two divided time zones.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, and more particularly to a recording apparatus using a recording head for recording according to an inkjet recording system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording method in which ink droplets are discharged from a nozzle opening (orifice) onto a recording medium for recording is capable of high-speed recording in that noise during recording is extremely small to be ignored. However, since it is possible to perform recording without using special processing such as fixing using so-called plain paper which has not been subjected to special processing or processing, it has recently attracted much interest.

Among them, for example, JP-A-54-5183.
The recording method described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7 and German Publication (DOLS) No. 2843064 is different from other inkjet recording methods in that thermal energy is applied to a liquid to provide a driving force for droplet ejection. , Have different characteristics.

That is, according to the recording method disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, the liquid subjected to the action of thermal energy undergoes a state change accompanied by a sharp increase in volume, and recording is performed by the action based on the state change. The liquid is ejected from the orifice of the head, the droplets fly, and the droplets adhere to the recording medium to perform recording.

In particular, according to the ink jet recording method disclosed in DOLS 2843064, not only is it very effectively applied to the so-called drop-on-demand recording method, but also the recording width of the recording head is extended,
Since it is possible to easily realize a so-called full-line type recording head having a high density of orifices, it is possible to obtain a high-resolution and high-quality image at high speed.

A recording head to which such a recording method is applied is an orifice provided for ejecting a liquid, and a portion communicating with the orifice, in which thermal energy for ejecting a droplet acts on the liquid. It is composed of a liquid discharge part having a liquid flow path having a heat acting part as a part of its constitution, and a base part provided with an electrothermal converter (heating element) for generating heat energy.

In recent years, such a base portion is provided not only for mounting a plurality of heating elements on a substrate, but also for each heating element driving driver and for parallel transfer of 1-bit serially input image data to the driver. It has become possible to mount a shift register having the same number of bits on the generated heating element and a control logic circuit such as a latch circuit for temporarily storing data output from the shift register on the same substrate.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control logic circuit of a base portion of a recording head having 4n heating elements in the related art. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 2000 denotes a substrate, 2001
Is a heating element, 2002 is a power transistor, 2003 is a latch circuit, 2004 is a shift register, and 2015 is a sensor for monitoring the resistance value of the heating element 2001 and the substrate temperature. Reference numerals 2005 to 2014 represent input pads, which are used as clock input pads 2005 for moving the shift register as input signals, image data input pads 2006 for serially inputting image data, and latch circuits 2003 for holding image data. Input signal (heat pulse) or heat signal for externally controlling the on time of the latch input pad 2007 for inputting the latch clock of the power transistor and the power transistor, that is, the time for driving by supplying a current to the heating element 2001. Input pad 2008, 4n heating elements 2001
Is divided into n blocks by four blocks (blocks 1, 2, ..., N-1, n in FIG. 9), and a block selection signal (block enable) input pad 2013- () for selecting a block for time-division driving. 1) to 2013 (n), a reset signal input pad 2012 for initializing the shift register 2004 and the latch circuit 2003, sensor drive signal input pads 2014a and 2014b, a logic circuit drive voltage (5V) input pad 2009, and a GND terminal. 20
10, an input pad 201 of the heating element driving power source, and the like.

The driving sequence of the recording head having such a structure is as follows.

First, when image data is serially sent from the main body of the recording apparatus to the base portion of the recording head in synchronization with the clock, the shift register 2004 receives the image data through the image data input pad 2006. Next, the captured image data is temporarily stored in the latch circuit 2003, and the latch circuit 2003 outputs ON / OFF according to the value of the image data. In that state, when a heat pulse is input from the heat signal input pad 2008, the value of the image data is “ON”, and one or more power transistors 2002 in the block-selected portion are heated. When the pulse is on for a period of time, a current flows through one or more heating elements corresponding to the power transistor 2002, thermal energy is generated, the ink on the heating element is foamed, and the ink is ejected by the energy. .

In FIG. 10, the number of block divisions is "8 (=
10 is a time chart showing a heat signal and a block selection signal applied to a recording head having a total of 32 heating elements, where n) ”and the number of heating elements per block is“ 4 ”. , BENB represents a block selection signal for selecting each block, and BENB
Is "H", the heating element and power transistor to which the signal is connected can be driven, and
The value of the image data is “H”, the Heat (heat signal) is “H”, and the corresponding heating element or power transistor is driven. The reason why the driving of the heating elements is divided into blocks and time-sharing is that when the number of heating elements driven at the same time increases, the current value at the moment required for driving increases, power supply capacity, voltage drop due to over wiring resistance, noise, etc. This is because various problems occur. Further, T is a cycle of one cycle of the recording operation under time division control, and SELECT BLOCK is a signal designating a selected block number at the time division drive.

As shown in an example of 3001 in FIG. 10, a double pulse composed of a short pulse and a long pulse has been conventionally used as a heat signal. This is compared to the application of a single pulse by increasing the temperature of the ink around the heating element with a short pulse (pre-pulse) that does not generate ink ejection and applying a long pulse (main pulse). The amount of ink ejection can be increased, and the ejection amount can be controlled by changing the pulse width of the pre-pulse or the interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse, and by controlling the main pulse width, the resistance value of the heating element can be controlled. This is because it is possible to adjust the input power supply required for ink ejection that changes due to variations and the like.

[0013]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, the time (cycle) that can be used to drive all the heating elements is accompanied by the recent increase in the recording speed of the recording apparatus.
However, considering the current situation that is becoming shorter and shorter, there are the following problems.

That is, when performing time-divisional drive by block division, the time that can be used for the recording operation of one block becomes short, and in the double pulse control, the interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse and the width of each pulse are changed. The range that can be changed is extremely limited, and it is becoming difficult to control the ink discharge amount and adjust the power supply (mainly the main pulse width) by varying the resistance value of the heating element. In particular, when the interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse becomes short, it is no longer possible to raise the temperature around the heating element, which is the original purpose.For example, immediately after the surface temperature of the heating element rises, the main pulse If applied, the surface temperature of the heating element will rise further after ink bubbling, that is, an energy excess state will occur,
In addition to the inability to control the discharge amount, there is a problem that the life of the heating element is shortened due to heat stress or the like.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional example, and provides a recording apparatus capable of performing high-quality recording while achieving high-speed recording operation and extending the life of the recording head. Is intended.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, the recording apparatus of the present invention has the following constitution.

That is, a recording apparatus for dividing n recording elements into m blocks and performing recording on a recording medium by double pulse control using a recording head which performs time division recording for each block, Dividing means for dividing the cycle of the recording operation using the recording elements by m + L (L: positive integer), selecting means for selecting one of the m blocks, and selecting means by the selecting means. Applying means for applying a pre-pulse and a main pulse to a recording element of a block, and the application of the pre-pulse and the main pulse to a recording element of the same block are performed in the plurality of divided time zones. A recording device characterized by having an application control means for controlling the means.

[0018]

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, n recording elements are divided into m blocks and recording is performed on a recording medium by double pulse control using a recording head that performs time division recording for each block. When performing, the cycle of the recording operation using n recording elements is divided by m + L (L: positive integer), one of the m blocks is selected, and the recording element of the selected block is selected. On the other hand, when the pre-pulse and the main pulse are applied, the application of the pre-pulse and the main pulse to the recording element of the same block is controlled to be performed in a plurality of divided time zones.

Further, in the control, in the first L divided time zones among the m + L divided time zones, only the pre-pulse is applied to the recording elements of the selected block, and the last L divided time zones are applied. In the divided time zone of, the main pulse is applied only to the recording elements of the selected block, and in the divided time zones of m−L, excluding the first L and the last L, the selection is performed. A pre-pulse and a main pulse are applied to the recording elements of the formed block.

Here, when L = 1, it is controlled so that the pre-pulse and the main pulse are applied to the recording elements of the same block within two consecutive divided time zones of the divided time zones. Further, the pulse interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse is set within two continuous divided time zones. Furthermore, in the m−2 divided time zones except the first and last divided time zones, the (i + 1) block is selected for the pre-pulse application and the (i) block is selected for the main pulse application (1 ≦ i ≤m-1).

On the other hand, when L = 2, the control is performed so that the pre-pulse and the main pulse are applied to the recording elements of the same block within the continuous three divided time zones of the divided time zones. Further, the pulse interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse is set within three consecutive divided time zones. Furthermore, in the m−4 divided time zones except the divided time zones of the first, the second from the beginning, the second from the end, and the last, the (i + 2) block for the pre-pulse application and the main pulse for the main pulse application (I) Select a block (1≤i≤m-2).

Regarding selection of blocks, the device may be configured to have the same number of selection signal lines as the number of divided blocks, or the number of selection signal lines smaller than the number of divided blocks. Alternatively, the device may be configured. In this case, the recording head is provided with a decoder for inputting the number of selection signal lines smaller than the number of divided blocks and generating the same number of block selection signals as the number of divided blocks.

The recording head may be an ink jet recording head which ejects ink to perform recording, or is a recording head which ejects ink by utilizing thermal energy and applies thermal energy to the ink. You may comprise so that the heat energy converter for generating may be provided.

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

<Outline of Device Main Body> FIG. 1 shows an ink jet printer IJ as a typical embodiment of the present invention.
It is an appearance perspective view showing an outline of composition of RA. In FIG. 1, the carriage HC that engages with the spiral groove 5004 of the lead screw 5005 that rotates via the driving force transmission gears 5009 to 5011 in association with the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 5013 has a pin (not shown). Guide rail 50
It is supported by 03 and reciprocates in the directions of arrows a and b. The carriage HC has a recording head IJH and an ink tank IT.
Integrated inkjet cartridge IJC with and
Is installed. Reference numeral 5002 denotes a paper pressing plate which holds the recording paper P on the platen 50 in the moving direction of the carriage HC.
Press against 00. Reference numerals 5007 and 5008 denote photocouplers, which are home position detectors for confirming the presence of the carriage lever 5006 in this region and switching the rotation direction of the motor 5013. 5016 is a cap member 50 for capping the front surface of the recording head IJH.
Reference numeral 5015 is a member for supporting the inside of the cap, and 5015 is a suction device for sucking the inside of the cap to perform suction recovery of the recording head through the opening 5023 in the cap. Reference numeral 5017 denotes a cleaning blade. Reference numeral 5019 denotes a member which allows the blade to move in the front-rear direction. These members are supported by a main body support plate 5018. It goes without saying that the blade is not limited to this form and a known cleaning blade can be applied to this example. Reference numeral 5021 denotes a lever for starting suction for recovery of suction. The lever 5021 moves with the movement of the cam 5020 that engages with the carriage, and the driving force from the driving motor is controlled by a known transmission mechanism such as clutch switching. Is done.

The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery are configured so that the desired processing can be performed at their corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 5005 when the carriage comes to the area on the home position side. As long as the desired operation is performed at the timing, any of the above can be applied.

<Description of Control Configuration> Next, a control configuration for executing the recording control of the above-mentioned apparatus will be described.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control circuit of the ink jet printer IJRA. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1700 denotes an interface for inputting a recording signal, 1
Reference numeral 701 is an MPU, 1702 is a ROM that stores a control program executed by the MPU 1701, and 1703 is a DRAM that saves various data (the above-described recording signals and recording data supplied to the recording head). Reference numeral 1704 denotes a gate array (GA) for controlling supply of print data to the print head IJH, which includes an interface 1700,
It also controls data transfer between the MPU 1701 and the RAM 1703. Reference numeral 1710 is a carrier motor for carrying the recording head IJH, and 1709 is a carrying motor for carrying the recording paper. Reference numeral 1705 denotes a head driver for driving the recording head IJH, and 1706 and 1707 are motor drivers for driving the carry motor 1709 and the carrier motor 1710, respectively.

The operation of the above control configuration will be described. When a recording signal enters the interface 1700, the gate array 17
04 and the MPU 1701 converts the recording signal into recording data for printing. Then, the motor driver 17
06 and 1707 are driven, and the head driver 1
Print head IJH according to the print data sent to
Is driven, and recording is performed.

FIG. 3 is a cutaway perspective view showing the internal structure of the recording head IJH.

The recording head IJH adopting the ink jet recording system has a plurality of ejection ports 600 as shown in FIG.
Flow path wall member 60 for forming a liquid path 605 communicating with the
1 and a top plate 602 having an ink supply port 603 are attached. In this case, the ink supply port 60
The ink injected from 3 is stored in the common liquid chamber 604 inside and is supplied to each liquid path 605, and in that state, the substrate 200
Ink is ejected from the ejection port 600 by driving the heating element 2001 provided in No. 0.

The recording head IJH having the above-described structure is mounted on the recording apparatus IJRA, and the recording head IJRA is moved from the apparatus main body.
By inputting a signal to JH, a high quality image can be recorded at high speed.

Next, some embodiments of the recording control when the recording apparatus IJRA having the above-mentioned configuration performs the recording operation using the recording head IJH will be described.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 4 has a control logic circuit as shown in FIG. 9 described in the conventional example, the block division number (n) is "8", and heat generation for each block. 9 is a time chart of control signals when a recording head having a total of 32 heating elements with the number of bodies being “4” is time-division driven.

In FIG. 4, BENBi is a block selection signal, HEAT is a heat signal, and SELECT BLOC.
K is a selected block number at the time division drive. In this case, since the block division number (n) is "8", the block selection signals of the blocks are BENB1 to BENB8, and the respective blocks are time-division driven. Also, T
Is the period of one cycle of the recording operation under time division control. The various control signals shown here are supplied from the control circuit shown in FIG. 2 to the recording head IJH via the head driver 1705.

Next, the features of the recording control of this embodiment will be described.
While comparing with the recording control according to the conventional technique shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to the characteristics of the pre-pulse and the main pulse in the double pulse control shown in FIG.

In the prior art, regarding the heat signal,
As shown in FIG. 5A, it is not necessary to set the prepulse width (T1), the main pulse width (T2), and the prepulse-main pulse interval (T3) within one block selected time (T / 8). Therefore, the allowable range in which these values can be changed was extremely limited. In other words, the setting range of T1 and T2 is limited by the time T / 8 when the heating element of the selected block is driven, and the values of T1 and T2 are determined depending on their respective values.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the pre-pulse drivable region 501 and the main pulse drivable region 50 for each block
2 removes the time limit of T / 8, allowing the values of T1 and T2 to be set independently of each other. In order to do this, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 10, the timing when the block selection signals (BENB1 to BENB8) are turned "ON" is T / 8 when the heating elements of the respective blocks are driven.
Although it was limited by the time of, as shown in Fig. 4,
The block selection signals (BENB1 to BENB8) of "O"
The timing of N ″ is extended outside the time of T / 8.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the period T of one cycle of the recording operation is divided by the value of “the number of block divisions (n) +1” (“9” in this example), and further divided into nine. In the first time zone (time division 1), only the pre-pulse of block 1 is applied, and in the last time zone (time division 9), only the main pulse of block 8 is applied. In the time zones (time division 2 to 8) excluding the first and last time zones (time division 1 and 9), block 1
The main pulse of, the prepulse of blocks 2 to 7, the main pulse, and the prepulse of block 8 are applied. Particularly, in the time zone (time division 2 to 8), the order of applied pulses, that is, the order of driven blocks is
Let m be the block number (1 ≤ m ≤ block division number n),
When the prepulse and the main pulse are distinguished by the symbols P and M in parentheses () added to m, respectively, m
Block selection signal (BLOCK SELECT) so that (P) → m−1 (M) → m + 1 (P) → m (M).
Is applied.

This point will be described with reference to FIG. 4. For example, considering the pre-pulse of the third block,
Block selection signal (BENB1) so that 3 blocks (pre-pulse) → 2 blocks (main pulse) → 4 blocks (pre-pulse) → 3 blocks (main pulse)
~ 8) is applied.

Therefore, according to the control of the above-described embodiment, the pre-pulse and the main pulse and the interval thereof are set so that they are set within T / 8 time in the conventional case, whereas in the present embodiment, FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the pre-pulse, the main pulse and the interval between them can be set within 2T / 9 hours, and pulse control can be performed with a time width almost double that of the conventional case. Furthermore, since the values of T1 and T2 can be set independently of each other, it becomes possible to control the pulse width by fully utilizing the drivable region of each pulse.

As described above, in the above embodiments, the block selection signals (BENB1 to BENB1 to BENB1 to BENB1) are not increased without increasing other control signals.
8) and the application timing of the heat signal (HEAT) are changed, and the characteristic is that the interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse can be sufficiently set without changing the cycle of the recording operation.

In the above description, no particular mention has been made as to whether the recording head is compatible with color recording or monochrome recording. For print heads that support color printing, black, cyan, magenta,
The recording operation is generally executed by using recording heads for exclusive use of yellow and recording materials (for example, inks) of respective colors, that is, four recording heads. In such a printhead, the block selection signal can be common to each color, but the heat signal must often be controlled so that the drive pulse width of the printhead differs due to the characteristics of the printing agent of each color. It is often difficult to standardize. It is general to increase the number of heat signal lines in order to cope with high-speed recording with such a recording head. For example, when the number of heat signal lines is two,
Since the number of signals for four colors is eight, an increase in the number of signals leads to an increase in the size of the recording head and an increase in the size of the connecting cable between the recording device and the recording head.

Therefore, according to the embodiment described above,
Since the number of signals does not increase, the feature of this embodiment can be said to be a particularly great advantage when the recording head is compatible with color recording.

(Second Embodiment) Here, an embodiment using a recording head having another structure will be described.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the control logic circuit of the base portion of the recording head having 4n heating elements. 6, the same components as those already described in FIG. 9 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Here, in particular, only a characteristic part of this embodiment will be described.

In the recording head shown in FIG. 9, the block selection signal line is directly drawn from the AND circuit connected to the power transistor. However, in this embodiment, the block selection signal line is connected to the signal line drawn from the AND circuit. Block selection signal input pad 2017- (1), 2017-
(2) and 2017- (3), the decoder 2016
Is provided to reduce the number of block signal selection input pads.

As described in the first embodiment and the conventional example, the number of heating elements in this recording head is 32, the number of block divisions (n) is 8, and the number of heating elements in each block is 4. For example, the decoder 2016 is a 3-8 decoder which inputs block selection signals (BENB1 to BENB3) from three input pads and combines the values of these signals to generate eight types of selection signals. With such a configuration, the number of block selection signal lines can be reduced from eight to three. For example, when the values of BENB1 to 3 are 0, 0, 0, 1 block is selected, and the values of BENB1 to 3 are
When 1,0,0, 2 blocks, when the value of BENB1 to 3 is 0,1,0, 3 blocks, ..., And B
When the values of ENB1 to ENB1 are 1, 1 and 1, 8 blocks are selected.

FIG. 7 is a time chart of control signals when the recording head having the structure shown in FIG. 6 is driven in a time division manner.
When this case is compared with FIG. 4, it can be seen that the same recording control as that executed in the first embodiment is performed with fewer control signal lines.

As described above, in the case of this embodiment, by providing the decoder in the recording head, it is possible to perform the same control as that of the first embodiment with fewer signal control lines. It is needless to say that the number of block divisions and the number of block selection signals are not limited to the examples described here.

(Third Embodiment) In the first and second embodiments, the recording control is performed by dividing the time of one recording operation cycle (T) by the number of "block division number (n) +1". However, an example of the recording control for coping with the further speeding up of the recording operation which cannot be dealt with by the first and second embodiments will be described here.

FIG. 8 is a time chart of control signals when the recording head is driven in a time division manner according to this embodiment. In addition, here, the recording head having the configuration described in the second embodiment is used.

In this embodiment, the recording operation 1 is performed in order to ensure a sufficient interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse.
The time of the cycle (T) is defined as “the number of block divisions (n) + L (L:
Integer division, L ≧ 2) ”, that is, the number of time-division drive blocks is n + L. Then, in the (n + L) -divided first time zone (time division 1) to the L-th time zone (time division L), only the pre-palace is applied as the heat signal, and the L-th time zone from the last time zone. (Time division n-L +
From 1) to the last time zone (time division n), only the main pulse is applied as a heat signal. Also, from the first time zone (time division 1) to the Lth time zone (time division L),
L-th time zone from last time zone (time division n-L + 1)
In the time zones other than the last time zone (time division n), the pre-pulse and the main pulse are applied. In these time zones, the order of the applied pulses, that is, the order of the driven blocks is m, where the block number (1 ≦ m ≦ the number of block divisions n) is m, and the distinction between the pre-pulse and the main pulse is m. Assuming that the symbols P and M in the added parentheses () are used, m (P) → m−L (M) → m + L (P)
→ m−L (M) → m + 2 (P) → m−L + 2 (M) → ...
A block selection signal (BLOCK SELECT) is applied so that → m + L (P) → m (M).

This point will be described with reference to FIG. 8 showing the case where L = 2. From the first time zone (time division 1) to 2
Only the pre-pulse is applied as the heat signal in the first time period (time division 2), and only the main pulse is applied as the heat signal in the ninth time zone (time division 9) to the last time zone (time division 10). Is applied. Further, the pre-pulse and the main pulse are applied from the third time zone (time division 3) to the eighth time zone (time division 8). For example, in time division 3 to 8, focusing on application of preheat of 4 blocks, prepulse of 4 blocks → main pulse of 2 blocks → prepulse of 5 blocks → main pulse of 3 blocks → prepulse of 6 blocks → main pulse of 4 blocks Block select signal (BENB1
~ BENB3) is applied.

In this way, the block selection signal (BENB
i), the heat signal (HEAT), and the selected block number (SELECT BLOCK) at the time-division driving are given, the time division number is set to "9", as compared with the first and second embodiments. ), The longer 3T / 1
The interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse can be set within 0 hour. Then, by increasing the value of L, a longer value can be selected.

Therefore, according to the embodiment described above,
The interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse can be made more sufficient only by changing the application pattern of the block selection signal and the heat signal without increasing other control signals and without changing the configuration of the recording head.

In the second and third embodiments described above, 32 heating elements are divided into 8 blocks so that each block has 4 heating elements, and a decoder is provided for selecting the blocks. The case where the recording head having the above-mentioned configuration is used has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the invention can be applied to recording heads having different numbers of heating elements, block division numbers, and heating elements in blocks. In particular, as the number of block divisions is increased and the number of time divisions is increased, the maximum current value required instantaneously can be suppressed to be low, and the load on the recording head can be reduced.

Furthermore, the first, second and third described above
The recording head used in the embodiment has a configuration in which a drive circuit, a logic circuit, and the like are mounted on the substrate of the base portion, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example,
If the number of wire bonds and the number of contacts between the recording device and the recording head do not matter, the recording device may be provided with the drive circuit or logic circuit.

In the above description, an example in which an ink jet recording head is adopted has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it can be applied to a thermal recording head that performs recording by a thermal transfer method.

The above-described embodiment is particularly provided with a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for performing ink ejection even in an ink jet recording system. By using a method in which a change in the state of the ink is caused by energy, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.

Regarding its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding the film boiling to an electrothermal transducer arranged corresponding to the sheet or the liquid path in which Since thermal energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer and film boiling occurs on the heat-acting surface of the recording head, bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis can be formed. It is valid. By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of the liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable.

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 transducers,
JP-A-59-123670 which discloses a configuration in which a common slot is used as a discharge part of an electrothermal transducer, and JP-A-59-123670 which discloses a configuration in which an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy corresponds to a discharge part. A configuration based on 138461 may be adopted.

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 is determined by a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification. This may be either a configuration satisfying the above requirements or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally.

In addition to the cartridge type recording head in which an ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself described in the above embodiment, the recording head is electrically connected to the apparatus main body by being mounted on the apparatus main body. A replaceable chip-type recording head, which enables a simple connection and supply of ink from the apparatus main body, may be used.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like to the configuration of the printing apparatus described above because the printing operation can be further stabilized. Specific examples thereof include capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or sucking means, electrothermal converters or heating elements other than these, or preheating means by a combination thereof. It is also effective to provide a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection that is different from printing, in order to perform stable printing.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, and the recording head may be formed integrally or by a combination of a plurality of recording heads. Alternatively, the apparatus may be provided with at least one of full colors by color mixture.

In the above-described embodiment, the description is made on the assumption that the ink is a liquid. However, even if the ink solidifies at room temperature or lower, it is possible to use an ink that softens or liquefies at room temperature. Or, in the ink jet method, generally, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range.
It is sufficient that the ink is in a liquid state when the use recording signal is applied.

In addition, in order to positively prevent the temperature rise due to thermal energy as energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, the temperature is positively prevented.
Alternatively, in order to prevent evaporation of the ink, an ink which solidifies in a standing state and liquefies by heating may be used. In any case, by applying thermal energy such as ink that is liquefied by applying thermal 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 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.

Further, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of one device. Further, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to the case where it is implemented by supplying a program to a system or an apparatus. In this case, the storage medium storing the program according to the present invention constitutes the present invention. Then, by reading the program from the storage medium to the system or device, the system or device operates in a predetermined manner.

[0072]

As described above, according to the present invention, n
When a recording head is divided into m blocks and recording is performed on a recording medium by double pulse control using a recording head that performs time-divisional recording for each block, the recording operation cycle using n recording elements Is divided by m + L (L: positive integer), one of the m blocks is selected, and when the pre-pulse and the main pulse are applied to the recording elements of the selected block, recording of the same block is performed. Since the application of the pre-pulse and the main pulse to the element is controlled so as to be performed in a plurality of divided time zones, the interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse and the pulse width of the main pulse can be set sufficiently without lengthening the recording operation cycle. As a result, the recording element is sufficiently heated, a stable recording operation is performed, and high-quality recording can be performed. Further, the stable recording operation contributes to prolonging the life of the recording head.

Further, according to the present invention, even if the recording operation time in one block in the time division control is shortened by increasing the recording speed, it is sufficient to drive the recording elements belonging to that block. Since the interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse and the pulse width of the main pulse can be set sufficiently, there is an advantage that high-speed recording can be performed and high-quality recording can be performed.

[0074]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an outline of a configuration of an ink jet printer IJRA which is a typical embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control circuit of the inkjet printer IJRA.

FIG. 3 is a cutaway perspective view showing an internal structure of a recording head IJH.

FIG. 4 is a time chart of control signals when the recording head is driven in a time division manner according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing characteristics of a prepulse and a main pulse in double pulse control.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control logic circuit of a base portion of the recording head according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a time chart of control signals when the recording head is time-division driven according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a time chart of control signals when the recording head is driven in a time division manner according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control logic circuit of a base portion of a recording head having 4n heating elements in the related art.

FIG. 10 shows a heat signal applied to a recording head having a total of 32 heating elements in which the number of block divisions is “8 (= n)” and the number of heating elements per block is “4”. It is a time chart which shows a block selection signal.

[Explanation of symbols]

 600 Discharge port 601 Flow path wall member 602 Top plate 603 Ink supply port 604 Common liquid chamber 605 Liquid path 2000 Substrate 2001 Heating element 2002 Power transistor 2003 Latch circuit 2004 Shift register IJH recording head

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by double pulse control using a recording head for dividing n recording elements into m blocks and performing time-divisional recording for each block. The period of the recording operation using the individual recording elements is m + L
(L: a positive integer) dividing means, a selecting means for selecting one of the m blocks, and a pre-pulse and a main pulse are applied to the recording element of the block selected by the selecting means. And an application control unit that controls the application unit so that the application of the pre-pulse and the main pulse to the recording element of the same block is performed in the plurality of divided time zones. Recording device. 2. The application control means further comprises the m +
Of the L divided time zones, in the first L divided time zones, only the pre-pulse is applied to the recording element of the block selected by the selection means, and the last L divided time zones are applied. Then, only the main pulse is applied to the recording elements of the block selected by the selecting means, and m−L divided time zones except the first L and the last L are divided. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording element of the block selected by the selecting unit is controlled to apply the pre-pulse and the main pulse. 3. When L = 1, the application control means sets two consecutive time slots within the divided time zone.
The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the pre-pulse and the main pulse are applied to the recording elements of the same block within one divided time zone. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a pulse interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse is set within the two continuous divided time zones. 5. The selecting means selects (i + 1) blocks for applying the pre-pulse and (i) for applying the main pulse in m−2 divided time zones excluding the first and last divided time zones. ) Select a block (1 ≦ i ≦ m
-1) The recording apparatus according to claim 3. 6. When L = 2, the application control means is configured so that three consecutive time periods are included in the divided time period.
The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the pre-pulse and the main pulse are applied to the recording elements of the same block within one divided time zone. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a pulse interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse is set within the continuous three divided time zones. 8. The selecting means applies (i + 2) blocks for applying the pre-pulse in m−4 divided time zones excluding the divided time zones of the first, the second from the beginning, the second from the last and the end. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein block (i) is selected for applying the main pulse (1 ≦ i ≦ m−2). 9. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit has the same number of selection signal lines as the number of divided blocks. 10. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit has a number of selection signal lines smaller than the number of divided blocks. 11. The recording head comprises a decoder for inputting selection signal lines of a number smaller than the number of divided blocks and generating block selection signals of the same number as the number of divided blocks. The recording device according to item 10. 12. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is an inkjet recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink. 13. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the recording head ejects ink using thermal energy, and includes a thermal energy converter for generating thermal energy applied to the ink. Item 2. The recording device according to Item 1.