Ink jet recording apparatus having temperature control function

• US 6,139,125 A
• Filed: 06/06/1995
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Otsuka, Naoji, Takahashi, Kiichiro, Yano, Kentaro, Iwasaki, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, HUAN HUU
• Application Number:
  US08/468,989
• Time in Patent Office: 1,974 Days
• Field of Search: 347/11, 347/14, 347/17, 347/60
• US Class Current: 347/11
• 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 2/04543 Block driving
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04553 detecting ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04563 detecting head temperature; Ink temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04573 Timing; Delays
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0458 controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04588 using a specific waveform
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04591 Width of the driving signal being adjusted
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04598 Pre-pulse
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17553 Outer structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17566 Ink level or ink residue control
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/195 for monitoring ink quality
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14379 Edge shooter

Abstract

An ink jet recording apparatus records by supplying heat energy according to a drive pulse to an ink to form a bubble based on film boiling and ejecting the ink from a recording head onto a recording medium based on formation of the bubble. The ink jet recording apparatus includes a driver for supplying a pre-driving pulse that does not cause ink ejection and a main driving pulse that causes the ink ejection with a rest period between the two pulses for ejection of one ink droplet, and a rest period controller for controlling the rest period within a range where an amount of the ink ejection increases in accordance with an increase of the rest period. Controlling the rest period controls an amount of the ink ejection, with the rest period based on a temperature of the recording head. Also, a temperature of the recording head is obtained by calculating the energy input to the recording head by the supplied driving pulses.

Claims

1. An ink jet recording apparatus for performing recording by supplying heat energy according to a driving pulse to an ink to form a bubble based on film boiling, and ejecting the ink from a recording head onto a recording medium on the basis of formation of the bubble, comprising:

driving means for supplying a pre-driving pulse that does not cause ink ejection and a main driving pulse that causes the ink ejection with a rest period between the two pulses for ejection of one ink droplet;

rest period control means for controlling the rest period within a range where an amount of the ink ejection increases in accordance with an increase of the rest period, in order to control an amount of the ink ejection, with said rest period control means controlling the rest period on the basis of a temperature of said recording head; and

means for obtaining a temperature of said recording head by calculating the energy input to said recording head by the driving pulses supplied from said driving means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

pre-driving pulse control means for increasing a width of the pre-driving pulse to increase heat energy by the pre-driving pulse, thereby increasing an ink region associated with formation of the bubble based on film boiling.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein heat energy of the pre-driving pulse is conducted during the rest period, thereby increasing an ink region associated with formation of the bubble based on film boiling.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rest period control means controls the rest period on the basis of a difference between the temperature of the recording head and a target temperature.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising temperature control means for heating the recording head until a temperature thereof reaches a predetermined temperature when it is less than the predetermined temperature.

6. A method for recording by supplying heat energy according to a driving pulse to an ink to form a bubble based on film boiling, and ejecting the ink from a recording head onto a recording medium on the basis of formation of the bubble, said method comprising the steps of:

supplying a pre-driving pulse that does not cause ink ejection and a main driving pulse that causes the ink ejection with a rest period between the two pulses for ejection of one ink droplet;

controlling the rest period within a range where an amount of the ink ejection increases in accordance with the increase of the rest period, in order to control an amount of the ink ejection, wherein the rest period is controlled on the basis of a temperature of the recording head; and

obtaining a temperature of the recording head by calculating the energy input to the recording head by the supplied driving pulses.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of:

increasing a width of the pre-driving pulse to increase heat energy by the pre-driving pulse, thereby increasing an ink region associated with formation of the bubble based on film boiling.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein heat energy of the pre-driving pulse is conducted during the rest period, thereby increasing an ink region associated with formation of the bubble based on film boiling.

9. A method according to claim 6, wherein the rest period is controlled on the basis of a difference between the temperature of the recording head and a target temperature.

10. A method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of heating the recording head until a temperature thereof reaches a predetermined temperature when it is less than the predetermined temperature.