LIQUID EJECTING APPARATUS AND LIQUID EJECTING METHOD

• US 20090322816A1
• Filed: 06/24/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: IHARA, Seiji
• Granted Patent: US 8,651,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/14
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04528 aiming at warming up the head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0454 involving calculation of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04541 Specific driving circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04563 detecting head temperature; Ink temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0458 controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04581 controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04588 using a specific waveform
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0459 Height of the driving signal being adjusted
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04593 Dot-size modulation by changing the size of the drop
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/072 by thermal compensation

Abstract

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a heating unit which heats a medium; a head which ejects liquid droplets onto the medium opposed thereto; and a driving signal generating unit which generates a driving signal to be applied to the head in order to eject the liquid droplets and which generates a driving signal different in accordance with whether the heating unit is used.

Claims

1. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

a heating unit which heats a medium;

a head which ejects liquid droplets onto the medium opposed thereto; and

a driving signal generating unit which generates a driving signal to be applied to the head in order to eject the liquid droplets and which generates a driving signal different in accordance with whether the heating unit is used.

2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor which outputs temperature information on a temperature of the head,

wherein the driving signal generating unit generates a driving signal of which a waveform is corrected on the basis of the temperature information output by the sensor.

3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the temperature information is corrected upon using the heating unit and the driving signal generating unit generates a driving signal of which a waveform is on the basis of the corrected temperature information.

4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the temperature information is corrected upon using the heating unit, a method of correcting the temperature information is different in accordance with whether an ejection amount of liquid droplets ejected onto the medium exceeds a predetermined amount.

5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the correction of the temperature information is performed using a correction expression different depending on a location where the heating unit is provided.

6. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sensor is mounted on an upper portion of the head.

7. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit is disposed at a location opposed to ejection ports for the liquid droplets in the head.

8. A liquid ejecting method comprising:

generating a driving signal different in accordance with whether a heating unit heating a medium is used; and

ejecting liquid droplets onto the medium opposed to the head by applying the driving signal to the head.