LIQUID EJECTION HEAD, LIQUID EJECTION APPARATUS, AND TEMPERATURE CONTROL METHOD FOR LIQUID EJECTION HEAD

• US 20170274647A1
• Filed: 03/15/2017
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Aoki, Takatsuna, Iwanaga, Shuzo, Karita, Seiichiro, Yamada, Kazuhiro, Okushima, Shingo, Tamenaga, Zentaro, Yamamoto, Akira, Mori, Tatsurou, Nagai, Noriyasu, Saito, Akio, Hayashi, Masashi, Murase, Takeshi, Sawai, Yuki
• Granted Patent: US 10,293,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04528 aiming at warming up the head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04531 controlling a head having a heater in the manifold
• 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 2/14032 Structure of the pressure chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/12 with ink circulating through the whole print head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/20 Modules

Abstract

In order to keep possible local temperature differences in a liquid ejection head small to allow stable liquid ejection performance to be achieved, temperatures in a plurality of heating areas in a liquid ejection head are discretely controlled using heating elements and temperature detection elements.

Claims

1. A liquid ejection head that ejects a liquid through an ejection port, the liquid ejection head comprising:

an ejection energy generation element configured to generating energy utilized to eject the liquid;

a detection unit configured to detect a temperature of the liquid ejection head; and

a heating unit configured to heat the liquid ejection head by a heating value varying according to a temperature difference between a temperature detected by the detection unit and a predetermined target temperature.

2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit includes a first detection unit configured to detect a temperature in a first area and a second detection unit configured to detect a temperature in a second area,

the heating unit includes a first heating unit configured to heat the first area and a second heating unit configured to heat the second area, and

the liquid ejection head includes a driving unit configured to allow the first heating unit to generate heat according to a temperature difference between a predetermined target temperature and a temperature detected by the first detection unit and to allow the second heating unit to generate heat according to a temperature difference between the predetermined target temperature and a temperature detected by the second detection unit.

3. The liquid ejection head according to claim 2, wherein the first area is higher in temperature diffusivity than the second area, and

the driving unit sets a heating value of the first heating unit larger than a heating value of the second heating unit.

4. The liquid ejection head according to claim 2, comprising a supply path through which the liquid is fed to a plurality of the ejection ports,

wherein the first area is positioned on an upstream side in the supply path with respect to the second area, and

the driving unit sets the heating value of the first heating unit larger than the heating value of the second heating unit.

5. The liquid ejection head according to claim 4, wherein the supply path supplies the liquid to the plurality of ejection ports through a supply port, and

the first area is positioned closer to the supply port than the second area.

6. The liquid ejection head according to claim 2, wherein in a case where one of the first heating unit and the second heating unit has a larger heating value than the other, the driving unit reduces a driving pulse so as to make heat generation energy of the first heating unit and heat generation energy of the second heating unit equal.

7. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of pressure chambers each configured to communicate with a corresponding one of a plurality of the ejection ports and containing the ejection energy generation element;

a common liquid supply path configured to communicate with one side of each of the plurality of pressure chambers; and

a common liquid collection path configured to communicate with the other side of each of the plurality of pressure chambers,

wherein the common supply path has a higher internal static pressure than the common collection path.

8. The liquid ejection head according to claim 7, wherein the liquid in each of the pressure chambers is circulated to and from outside of the pressure chamber.

9. The liquid ejection head according to claim 2, wherein, at least one of the first heating unit and the second heating unit is a plurality of heating units

10. The liquid ejection head according to claim 2, wherein, at least one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit is a plurality of detection units.

11. The liquid ejection head according to claim 2, wherein the driving unit varies at least one of a magnitude of a driving voltage and a length of a driving pulse for the first heating unit and the second heating unit to vary the heating values of the first heating unit and the second heating unit.

12. The liquid ejection head according to claim 2, wherein the driving unit includes a first driving unit disposed in the first area and configured to allow the first heating unit to generate heat and a second driving unit disposed in the second area and configured to allow the second heating unit to generate heat.

13. A liquid ejection apparatus comprising:

a liquid ejection head configured to eject a liquid through an ejection port; and

a moving unit configured to move the liquid ejection head relative to a medium to which the liquid ejected from the liquid ejection head is applied,

wherein the liquid ejection head comprises;

an ejection energy generation element configured to generating energy utilized to eject the liquid;

a detection unit configured to detect a temperature of the liquid ejection head; and

a heating unit configured to heat the liquid ejection head by a heating value varying according to a temperature difference between a temperature detected by the detection unit and a predetermined target temperature.

14. A temperature control method for a liquid ejection head enabled to eject a liquid through a plurality of ejection ports, the method comprising:

a first detection step of detecting a temperature in a first area in which some of the plurality of ejection ports are disposed;

a second detection step of detecting a temperature in a second area in which some of the plurality of ejection ports are disposed; and

a heating step of heating the first area according to a temperature difference between a predetermined target temperature and the temperature detected in the first detection step and heating the second area according to a temperature difference between the predetermined target temperature and the temperature detected in the second detection step.