JPH1016217A - Recording-control method and record - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording control method capable of easily controlling an ink emitting amt. by simple constitution to realize intermediate contrast recording and a recorder therefor. SOLUTION: When recording is performed by using a recording head equipped with a plurality of ink emitting nozzles and having first and second heaters 1712, 1713 heating ink in a plurality of the nozzles, multi-value recording data is inputted from an external device to be analyzed and, after a current is supplied to the first heater according to the analyzed result, the delay time up to the supply of a current to the second heater is changed to control ink emitting amts. (Vd1, Vd2, Vd3, Vd4).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing control method and a printing apparatus therefor, and more particularly to a printing control method using a printing head for performing printing by an ink jet system and a printing apparatus therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording head according to a conventional ink jet system includes an energy conversion element (for example, a heater) for generating a pressure wave serving as an energy source for ejecting ink droplets from a nozzle in each nozzle. By changing the voltage applied to the nozzle, the pulse width, and the like, the amount of the droplet (discharge amount) for discharging the ink in the nozzle from the orifice is changed, and the density modulation of the recorded image has been realized.

[0003] Also, by the multiple pulse control, for example,
There has also been proposed a method of changing the first pulse waveform of a plurality of pulses according to a gray signal indicating a halftone to change the ink ejection amount. However, in such a method, the variation width of the ink ejection amount is only about several tens of the standard ejection amount, and therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-247951,
JP-A-4-250057, JP-A-5-92565
As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 5-31905, the method is used to stabilize fluctuations in the ink ejection amount due to a change in the temperature of the installation location of the apparatus, or to use such a method as recording paper. It has been limited to use for slightly increasing or decreasing the ejection amount according to the type of the recording medium.

Further, as a method of controlling the ink discharge amount, it has been proposed to use a recording head having a configuration in which a plurality of heating elements are provided in nozzles for discharging ink. For example, according to JP-A-63-151449, the first
Pressure wave generated by the heating element of
A method of changing the discharge amount by the pressure of the heating element has been proposed. Further, according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-55144, there is a method in which bubbles ejected by a pair of electrodes are used to further change the ink ejection amount according to the amount of bubbles ejected due to the generation of pressure waves due to discharge. Proposed. Furthermore, according to JP-A-2-239940, the first
A method has been proposed in which the pressure wave generated by the heating element is attenuated by the pressure wave generated by the second heating element, thereby controlling the size of foaming and controlling the ink ejection amount.

[0005]

However, in the system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-151449,
The bubble heated by the heating element expands to push out the flexible film to control the ink droplets being ejected by the pressure of the first heating element and to control the ink ejection amount. However, there is a problem in that the stability and durability and the responsiveness caused by, for example, fluctuations in the vapor pressure in the air bubbles cause a problem that stable concentration modulation cannot be performed. In addition, since the first heating element and the second heating element have different heating surfaces, not only is it difficult to manufacture a print head, but also the ink discharge direction changes.

Further, in the method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-55144, the amount of bubbles generated by electrolysis is not stable, and the generated bubbles adhere to the electrodes to inhibit foaming. However, it is not preferable, and has a drawback such as low response since the generation of gas by electrolysis takes too much time.

Further, in the method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-239940, it is difficult to control the foaming pressure, and it is necessary to perform delicate timing control and drive control depending on the temperature and the state of the ink. Since a control circuit is required, the circuit scale becomes large, and it is difficult to reduce the cost of the device.

As described above, there have been proposed several methods of controlling the ink discharge amount using a plurality of heating elements. However, a method for easily controlling the ink discharge amount and a technique relating to a recording head using the same have been proposed. I didn't.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned prior art, and has as its object to provide a recording control method and a recording apparatus capable of easily controlling the ink ejection amount with a simple configuration and realizing halftone recording. .

[0010]

To achieve the above object, a recording apparatus according to the present invention has the following arrangement.

That is, recording is performed by using a recording head having a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink and having a first heater and a second heater for heating the ink inside each of the plurality of nozzles. An input unit for externally inputting multi-valued recording data; an analyzing unit for analyzing a value of the multi-valued recording data input by the input unit; and supplying power to the first and second heaters to Control means for controlling the amount of ink discharge by changing the delay time between the time when the first heater is energized and the time when the second heater is energized, in accordance with the analysis result by the driving means for driving the recording head and the analysis means; A recording device characterized by having means.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording head including a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink, and a first heater and a second heater for heating the ink inside each of the plurality of nozzles. A recording control method for performing recording by using the multi-value recording data input from an external device; an analysis step of analyzing the multi-value recording data input in the input step; A driving step of energizing a heater to drive the recording head; and a delay time from energizing the first heater to energizing the second heater after energizing the first heater according to an analysis result in the analyzing step. The recording control method further includes a control step of controlling a discharge amount.

[0013]

According to the present invention, the present invention has a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink, and has a first heater and a second heater for heating the ink inside each of the plurality of nozzles. When recording is performed using the recording head, the multi-level recording data is input from an external device, the input multi-level recording data is analyzed, and the first heater is energized according to the analysis result. The operation is performed so as to control the ink ejection amount by changing the delay time until the heater is energized.

Here, the first heater is provided inside the discharge port of the nozzle from the second heater. Further, the first heater is energized, and as a result of the energization, the ink is heated,
Bubbles are generated in the ink, and after the ink overflows from the discharge port of the nozzle due to the bubbling pressure of the bubbles, the second bubble is generated.
Is controlled to energize the heater.

Note that a single pulse may be used to energize the first and second heaters, or a double pulse may be used. When a double pulse is used, control may be performed so that the pulse width of the preheat pulse is changed according to the above analysis result.

When the value of the multi-valued recording data is small, the value of the delay time is small. On the other hand, when the value of the multi-valued recording data is large, the value of the delay time is large.

Furthermore, a conversion table for obtaining the characteristics of the pulses to be supplied to the first and second heaters based on the analyzed multi-valued recording data may be provided. The conversion table is stored in the ROM. It may be stored as a look-up table.

The recording head performs recording according to an ink jet system.

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

<Schematic Description of Apparatus Main Body> FIG. 1 shows an ink jet printer IJ which is a typical embodiment of the present invention.
It is an external appearance perspective view showing the outline of composition of RA. In FIG. 1, a carriage HC that engages with a spiral groove 5004 of a lead screw 5005 that rotates via driving force transmission gears 5009 to 5011 in conjunction with forward and reverse rotation of a drive motor 5013 has pins (not shown). Guide rail 50
03 reciprocates in the directions of arrows a and b. The carriage HC includes a recording head IJH and an ink tank IT.
Integrated inkjet cartridge IJC
Is installed. Reference numeral 5002 denotes a paper pressing plate, which feeds the recording paper P to the platen 50 over 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. Reference numeral 5016 denotes a cap member 50 for capping the front surface of the recording head IJH.
Reference numeral 5015 denotes a suction device that suctions the inside of the cap, and performs suction recovery of the recording head through an 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 desired operations can be performed at the corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 5005 when the carriage comes to the area on the home position side. If a desired operation is performed at the timing, any of the embodiments can be applied.

The recording head IJH has a plurality of nozzles (for example, 64 nozzles or 128 nozzles) for discharging ink. Each nozzle is provided with two heaters. Control circuit.

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

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit of the ink jet printer IJRA. In the figure showing a control circuit, 1700 is an interface for inputting a recording signal from a host (not shown), 1701 is an MPU, 1
Reference numeral 702 denotes a ROM for storing a control program executed by the MPU 1701, and reference numeral 1703 denotes a DRAM for storing various data (the print signal and print data supplied to the print head IJH). A gate array (G. 1704) controls supply of print data to the print head IJH.
A. ), The interface 1700, the MPU 170
1. Data transfer control between the RAMs 1703 is also performed. 171
Reference numeral 0 denotes a carrier motor for transporting the recording head IJH, and reference numeral 1709 denotes a transport motor for transporting the recording paper.
Reference numeral 1705 denotes a head driver for driving the recording head IJH, and reference numerals 1706 and 1707 denote transport motors 170, respectively.
9. A motor driver for driving the carrier motor 1710.

Reference numeral 1708 denotes a gradation conversion table (LUT) which is used for halftone printing stored in a partial area of the ROM 1702 and converts a value of print data into a value of a drive signal of a printhead. 1711 is the MPU 1701
Is a timer used in various timing controls. Reference numerals 1712 and 1713 denote a first heater (PHT) provided in each nozzle of the print head IJH and a second heater (PHT), respectively.
Heater (SHT).

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.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are views showing a detailed structure of one of the plurality of nozzles provided in the recording head IJH.

As shown in FIG. 3, a first heater (PHT) 1712 and a second heater (SHT) 1713 formed on a silicon (Si) substrate 3 apply ink filled in the flow path 4. Heat. Specifically, first, the first heater (PHT) 1712 is energized to heat the ink, and bubbles 6a are generated near the first heater (PHT) 1712. Next, an ink droplet is formed from the orifice 7 by the bubble 6a, and before the ink droplet is separated from the orifice 7, the second heater (SHT) 1713 is energized to heat the ink, and the second heater (SHT) 1713 is heated. A bubble 6b is generated near (SHT) 1713. Then, the ink droplets during the separation process are forcibly divided by the bubbles 6b, and the ejection droplets 9
Get.

In this embodiment, the first print head IJH
Heater (PHT) 1712 and second heater (SHT) 1
The size of 713 is 30 × 100 (μm), 30 ×
30 (μm), and the sheet resistance value is “40 (□ / c
m2) ”.

The first heater (PHT) 1712 and the second heater (SHT) 1713 are formed on the silicon (Si) substrate 3 as described below. That is, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, silica (SiO2) is formed as an insulating layer 31 on a silicon (Si) substrate 30 to a thickness of several μm by a sputtering method, and then a heating resistance layer made of tantalum nitride (TaN2) is formed thereon. The electrode layer 33 is made of aluminum (Al) and has a thickness of about 1000
Are stacked to a thickness of about 3000 nm, and first and second heaters 1712 and 1713 are formed by a selective etching method. Then, a protective film layer 34 having a thickness of 0.5 (μm) is formed of silica (SiO 2) on the uppermost portion.

Next, a description will be given of the halftone recording control using the printer and the recording head having the above-described configurations. The halftone printing here is to change the size of ink droplets by controlling the amount of ink ejected from the recording head,
As a result, halftone expression is performed by changing the area gradation of recording dots formed on recording paper.

In this embodiment, printing control is performed by applying a single pulse as shown in FIG. 5A to the first and second heaters. Specific driving conditions in this embodiment are as shown in Table 1.

[0033]

[Table 1]

[0034] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
After applying a pulse to the heater (PHT) 1712 of
A pulse is applied to the second heater (SHT) 1713 with a delay of i. Then, by controlling the value of Ti, the size of the ink droplet to be formed is changed to perform halftone recording control.

The flowchart shown in FIG. 6 and the flowchart shown in FIG.
The halftone recording control according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the ink droplet forming process shown in FIGS. Here, the recording data to be handled is such that one pixel has a plurality of bits (for example,
(3 bits), which is data that can be expressed in gradation.

First, in step S1, the host receives print data via the interface 1700 and stores the data in a predetermined area of the DRAM 1703. Then, in step S2, the end of the data reception is checked.
If it is determined in step S2 that the data reception has ended, the process proceeds to step S3, in which the MPU 1701 extracts the received recording data and performs bitmap development.

Next, in step S4, the first ink ejection amount is controlled in accordance with the received print data.
Heater (PHT) 1712 and second heater (SHT)
The information of a drive signal for driving 1713 is generated.
As a result, the LUT 17 stored in the ROM 1702 is
08, based on the value of the received recording data,
The pulse width (Pw) of the first heater and the second heater and the delay time (Ti) of pulse application to the second heater can be obtained. In this embodiment, as shown in Table 1, the pulse width (Pw) of the first heater and the second heater
Are the same, different delay times (Ti) can be obtained based on the values of the received recording data.

For example, considering print data represented by 3 bits per pixel, if the value is "0", no ink is ejected, so that the pulse of the pulse is supplied to both the first heater and the second heater. There is no application, and thus Ti itself has no meaning, but if its value is a value of 1 to 7, seven different T
Any one of the values of i is obtained.

In step S5, a printhead IJH drive signal is sent via the head driver 1705. Here, it is determined whether or not an instruction to drive the first heater (PHT) 1712 has been issued based on the value of the print data. That is, if the value of the print data is "0", ink ejection is not required, and thus the first heater is not driven.
Of course, the second heater is not driven. Here, if the instruction to drive the first heater (PHT) 1712 has not been issued, the process proceeds to step S9, while if the instruction has been issued, the process proceeds to step S6. And
In step S6, the first heater (PHT) 1712 is driven, and the delay time (Ti) that is the timing for driving the second heater (PHT) 1713 is set in the timer (TIMER) 1711 according to the value of the print data. I do.

In step S7, a timer (TIMER)
1711 monitors the time, and if the delay time (Ti) has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S8, where the second heater (SH)
T) 1713 is driven.

Here, the first heater (PHT) 1712
And a process of driving the second heater (PHT) 1713 to form ink droplets will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 7 shows the process of applying a pulse only to the first heater (PHT) 1712 to form an ink droplet, and FIG. The second heater (SHT) 17 is delayed by 2 μs.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a process of applying a pulse to 13 to form an ink droplet.

According to FIG. 7, the first heater (PHT) 1
5A, a single pulse as shown in FIG. 5A is applied to rapidly heat the ink to cause film boiling and generate bubbles 6a.
Is generated, the ink droplet overflows from the orifice 7 about 1 μs after the pulse is applied along with the growth of the bubble 6a (FIG. 7A). Next, bubbles 6a grow, and the ink that has been pushed out in about 2 to 3 μs after pulse application tends to become spherical due to the surface tension of the ink itself (FIG. 7).
(B)). In the next stage, the bubble 6a begins to contract,
About 3 to 5 μs after the application of the pulse, the ink droplet pushed out from the orifice 7 is narrowed at its trailing end to form a discharge droplet, and starts to separate from the orifice 7 (FIG. 7C). Furthermore, after pulse application,
After s, the bubble 6a is reduced, and the ink droplet is completely separated from the orifice 7 and formed (FIG. 7D). Further, the bubbles disappear about 9 to 10 μs after the pulse application, and the meniscus recedes (FIG. 7E). That is, the second
Without the heater, the ink droplets are heated by ink,
Foaming, spontaneous separation of ink droplets, ejection of ink droplets,
It is formed through a process called ink refill.

On the other hand, according to FIG. 8, the first heater (PH
T) 1712 by applying a single pulse as shown in FIG. 5A to generate bubbles 6a first is the same as that of FIG. 7A (FIG. 8A). Now, the first heater (PH
T) A pulse is applied to the second heater (SHT) 1712, and after a delay of 1 to 2 μs, a single pulse as shown in FIG. 5A is applied to the second heater (SHT) 1713.
The ink near 1713 is rapidly heated, causing film boiling, and bubbles 6b are generated (FIG. 8B). Then, by the growing bubble 6b (FIG. 8 (c)), the ink droplet in the separating process is instantaneously forcibly cut off from the orifice 7 (FIG. 8 (d)), after which the bubbles 6a and 6b disappear. And
The ink droplets are ejected, and the meniscus recedes (FIG. 8E). That is, when the first and second heaters are used, the ink droplet is heated by the first heater,
It is formed through processes of bubbling near the first heater, ink heating by the second heater, bubbling near the second heater, forced separation of ink droplets to natural separation, ejection of ink droplets, and refilling of ink. You.

At this time, since the size (volume) of the ink droplets formed and ejected depends on the delay time (Ti), the ejected droplets 9 corresponding to the value of the recording data can be obtained. .

As described above, by changing the delay time (Ti), the size of the ink droplet changes as shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the delay time (Ti) and the ink ejection amount. In FIG. 9, (a) to
(D) In all cases, first, a (single) pulse is applied to the first heater 1712 to generate bubbles 6a. Then, FIG. 9A shows the state of ejection of ink droplets when a (single) pulse is applied to the second heater 1713 after a delay of about 0.5 (μs) of Ti = FIG. 9B. Is Ti
= Second heater 171 after a delay of about 1.0 (μs)
FIG. 9C shows the state of ejection of ink droplets when a (single) pulse is applied to No. 3 and the (single) pulse is applied to the second heater 1713 after a delay of Ti = about 1.5 (μs). FIG. 9D shows the state of ejection of the ink droplets when applied, and FIG. 9D shows bubbles generated by applying a (single) pulse to the first heater 1712 without applying a pulse to the second heater 1713. It is a figure which shows a mode that an ink droplet is discharged only by 6a.

As is apparent from this figure, the delay time (T
When the value of i) changes, the volume of the ejected ink droplet becomes Vd1 <Vd2 <Vd3 <Vd4. From the above, if the value of the input recording data is small (low density), the value of the delay time (Ti) is small, while if the value is large (high density), the value of the delay time (Ti) is large. Will take a large value. Note that in FIGS. 9A to 9D, v1, v2, v3, and v4 are ink ejection speeds of the ink droplets to be ejected, and v1 <v2 <v.
3 <v4.

Thereafter, in step S9, it is determined whether or not the recording of all the received recording data has been completed. If the recording has not been completed, the process returns to step S3. If it is determined that the recording has been completed, the process ends.

Therefore, according to the embodiment described above, the delay time from when the pulse is applied to the first heater to when the pulse is applied to the second heater is controlled in accordance with the value of the received print data. Thus, an ink droplet having a size according to the density value represented by the print data can be ejected.

In the above example, the first heater and the second heater
The pulse widths of the pulses applied to the heaters are assumed to be the same, but the present invention is not limited to this. The pulse width (Pw) and the pulse voltage (Vop) are controlled according to the density value represented by the print data. Is also good.

[0052]

[Other Embodiments] In the above embodiment, the pulse applied to the first and second heaters is a single pulse. After the pulse is applied to the first heater, the pulse is applied to the second heater. By controlling the delay time (Ti) until
Although the ink ejection amount is controlled, a case where the ink ejection amount is controlled by applying a double pulse to the first and second heaters will be described here. The equipment used here is
The same device as that used in the above embodiment is used.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the waveform of a double pulse applied to the first heater 1712 and the second heater 1713 in this embodiment. Specific driving conditions in this embodiment are as shown in Table 2.

[0054]

[Table 2]

[0055] By applying such a double pulse to the first and second heaters, bubbles are conceptually generated as shown in FIG. 7 and ink droplets are ejected from the orifice 7.

That is, first, by applying a double pulse to the first heating heater 1712, the applied ink is rapidly heated to cause film boiling and generate bubbles 6a. Bubble 6a
As the ink grows, ink overflows from the orifice 7 (FIG. 8A). At this time, as described later, the preheat pulse width (P
According to 1), the ink ejection amount can be controlled to some extent.

At this time, by applying a double pulse to the second heating heater 1713, the second heating heater 1713
The ink near 13 is rapidly heated to cause film boiling to generate bubbles 6b (FIG. 8B). At this time, since the bubbling pressure changes according to the preheat pulse width (P1) applied to the second heating heater 1713, the timing for forcibly separating the ink droplets using this pressure change is determined by the separation process. Can be controlled (Fig. 8
(C)). By pushing the ink droplet in the separation process by the bubble 6b out of the orifice 7 without the bubble 6b contracting, the ink droplet in the orifice is instantaneously forcibly forcibly separated from the ink in the orifice to obtain a discharge droplet 9 having a desired volume. 8 (d) to 8 (e).

The control by the application of the double pulse and the control of the delay time (Ti) from when the pulse is applied to the first heater to when the pulse is applied to the second heater are combined. The size (volume) and ejection speed of the ejected ink droplets are controlled as follows.

(1) State of minimum discharge amount (FIG. 9A, Ti
= Approximately 0.5 (μs)) A single pulse is applied to the first heater 1712 to generate a bubble 6a having a small foaming pressure, and a single pulse is applied to the second heater 1713 to generate a bubble 6b. In this case, the size of the ejected ink droplet (Vd
1) and the discharge speed (v1) are the minimum of FIGS. 9A to 9D. In this embodiment, Vd1 = 5 (p
1), v1 = 8 (m / s). Such small-sized ink droplets are used for recording in a low density portion.

(2) When the discharge amount is slightly small (FIG. 9)
(B), Ti = approximately 1.0 (μs) In this case, by applying a double pulse having a reduced preheat width (P1) to the first heater 1712, bubbles with slightly reduced foaming pressure are generated. Next, the second heater 1713
After the first heater 1712 is driven, it is driven by applying a double pulse with a delay of about 1.0 (μs). At this time,
The bubbling pressure of the bubble 6a by the first heater is slightly increased, and the second heater 1713 also separates the formed ink droplet by slightly increasing the separation pressure by driving by the double pulse. In this embodiment, Vd2 = 10 (pl), v2 = 10
(M / s).

(3) Medium discharge amount (FIG. 9)
(C), Ti = approximately 1.5 (μs)) By applying a double pulse with a slightly increased preheat width (P1) to the first heater 1712, bubbles with slightly increased foaming pressure are generated. Next, after driving the first heater 1712, the second heater 1713 is driven by applying a double pulse with a delay of about 1.5 (μs). At this time, the foaming pressure of the bubble 6a by the first heater is increased, and the second heater 1713 also drives the double pulse to further increase the separation pressure to separate the formed ink droplets. In this embodiment, Vd3 = 20 (pl), v3 = 12 (m /
s).

(4) Maximum discharge amount (FIG. 9D) By applying a double pulse with the maximum preheat width (P1) to the first heater 1712, bubbles with the maximum foaming pressure are generated. At this time, no pulse is applied to the second heater 1713, and the ink droplets are not separated using the second heater 1713. At this time, the ink ejection amount becomes maximum. In this embodiment, Vd4 = 30 (pl), b4 =
15 (m / s). Such large size ink droplets are used for recording at the maximum density.

Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, by combining the double pulse control and the control of the delay time (Ti), finer control of the ink ejection amount can be performed, and more effective gradation can be achieved. Records can be made.

In the above two embodiments, a recording head having a configuration in which two heaters are provided in a nozzle is used, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, 3
One or more heaters may be mounted in the nozzle, or a ring-shaped heating element may be provided around the orifice to control the ink ejection amount at finer timing by the generation of bubbles from around the ring. You may do it.

[0065]

EXAMPLES Table 3 shows the ink compositions of the dye inks used in the embodiments described above.

[0066]

[Table 3]

[0067] Although the above example is an example in which a dye is used as a coloring material of the Y, M, C, and Bk inks, for example, a coloring material using a pigment, or a coloring material mixed with a dye and a pigment is used. Is also good.

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 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.

The typical structure and principle are described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
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 driving signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of a discharge port, a liquid path, and an electrothermal converter (a linear liquid flow path or a right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, A configuration using U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which discloses a configuration in which a heat acting surface is arranged in a bent region, is also included in the present invention. 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-mentioned 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 the 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, since the printing operation can be further stabilized. Specific examples thereof include capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or 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 integrally formed or 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 embodiment described above, 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 a solid state to a liquid state,
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, the application of heat energy causes the ink to be liquefied by application of the heat energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink to be ejected, or to start to solidify when reaching the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable to a case where an ink having a property of liquefying for the first time is used. In such a case, as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260, the ink is held in a liquid state or a solid state in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet. It is good also as a form which opposes an electrothermal transducer. 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 an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer which is provided integrally or separately, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, It may take the form of a facsimile machine having functions.

The present invention can be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), but can be applied to a single device (for example, a copier, a facsimile). Device).

[0080]

As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink are provided, and a first heater and a second heater for heating the ink are provided inside each of the plurality of nozzles. When printing is performed using the print head having the multi-valued print data input from an external device, the input multi-valued print data is analyzed, and according to the analysis result, the first heater is energized. Since the ink ejection amount is controlled by changing the delay time until the second heater is energized, halftone printing can be performed with a simple configuration and control by changing the ink ejection amount according to multi-valued print data. There is an effect that can be.

[0081]

[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 diagram showing a detailed structure of one of a plurality of nozzles provided in a print head IJH.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a detailed structure of one of a plurality of nozzles provided in a print head IJH.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the waveform of a single pulse and pulses applied to first and second heaters.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating printing control using first and second heaters.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an ink droplet forming process when only a first heater is used.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an ink droplet forming process when the first and second heaters are used.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a change in ink ejection amount due to a difference in delay time (Ti).

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a waveform of a double pulse.

[Explanation of symbols]

 6a, 6b Bubble 7 Orifice 9 Discharged drop 1708 LUT 1711 TIMER (timer) 1712 First heater 1713 Second heater IJH Recording head

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Shigeyasu Nagoshi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Fumihiro Goto 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Masao Kato 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (10)

[Claims] A plurality of nozzles for discharging ink;
What is claimed is: 1. A recording apparatus which performs recording using a recording head having a first heater and a second heater for heating said ink inside each of said plurality of nozzles, comprising: Means, analysis means for analyzing the value of multi-level print data input by the input means, drive means for energizing the first and second heaters to drive the print head, and analysis results by the analysis means A control unit for controlling a discharge time by changing a delay time from when the first heater is energized to when the second heater is energized. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first heater is provided inside the ejection port of the nozzle from the second heater. 3. The control unit energizes the first heater. As a result of the energization, the ink is heated, bubbles are generated in the ink, and the ink is supplied to the nozzle by the foaming pressure of the bubbles. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second heater is energized after overflowing from the discharge port. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit uses a single pulse or a double pulse as a pulse used to energize the first and second heaters. 5. When the driving means uses a double pulse, the control means controls to change a pulse width of a pre-heat pulse among the double pulses in accordance with an analysis result by the analysis means. The recording device according to claim 4, wherein 6. When the value of the multi-valued recording data is small,
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the value of the delay time is small, while the value of the multi-level recording data is large, and the value of the delay time is large. 7. A conversion table for obtaining a characteristic of a pulse energized to the first and second heaters based on a value of the multi-valued print data analyzed by the analysis means. Item 2. The recording device according to Item 1. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the conversion table is stored as a look-up table in a ROM. 9. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head performs recording according to an ink jet system. 10. A printing method that includes a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink, and performs printing using a printing head having a first heater and a second heater for heating the ink inside each of the plurality of nozzles. A control method, comprising: an input step of inputting multi-valued recording data from an external device; an analyzing step of analyzing the multi-valued recording data input in the inputting step; and energizing the first and second heaters, A driving step of driving a recording head, and a control of changing a delay time from when the first heater is energized to when the second heater is energized, according to an analysis result in the analysis step, to control an ink ejection amount. A recording control method comprising the steps of: