Printer and printing method

• US 6,172,688 B1
• Filed: 12/08/1997
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Finetech Incorporated (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Aptex, Inc. (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Yuichi, Nishimoto, Kazunari, Ishikawa, Kohei, Inose, Shigeru, Wada, Yuzo, Iwasaki, Shinichi, Fukushima, Tatsuya, Harada, Tsutomu, Sugiyama, Katsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stewart, Jr., Charles W.
• Application Number:
  US08/986,732
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 347/42, 347/85, 347/89
• US Class Current: 347/2
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4075 Tape printers; Label printers

Abstract

A label printer performs recording on a roll label comprising a number of label sheets bonded in succession on a release sheet. The printer utilizes an ink jet method to attain a smaller size and to print information accurately. The printer comprises a conveyance section for conveying the label roll to an ink jet print head, an ink supply section for supplying ink to the head, and a recovery unit for making the head performance stable. A conveyance surface of the label roll is made substantially horizontal, with the ink jet print head and the recovery unit disposed above the surface and the ink supply section disposed underneath the surface.

Claims

1. A printer effecting printing by discharging ink onto a recording medium by use of an ink jet provided with a plurality of discharge means for discharging ink, said printer comprising:

head mounting means for mounting said ink jet head, said head mounting means mounting said ink jet head at a predetermined height above the recording medium, such that ink is discharged from said ink jet head in a downward direction onto the recording medium to perform printing;

conveying means for conveying the recording medium with respect to said ink jet head, said conveying means conveying the recording medium in a substantially horizontal direction in a print area where printing is performed in such a manner that ink is discharged from said ink jet head;

head recovery means for stabilizing a print performance of said ink jet head;

moving means for relatively moving said head recovery means and said head mounting means, said head recovery means executing an operation for stabilizing the print performance of said inkjet head in a state where said ink jet head to be mounted to said head mounting means is relatively positioned with respect to said head recovery means by said moving means;

ink tank mounting means for mounting an ink tank for storing ink for supply to said ink jet head, said ink tank mounting means mounting the ink tank below a conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area by said ink jet head; and

a sub ink tank, provided in an ink supply route from the ink tank mounted on said ink tank mounting means to said ink jet head, for temporarily storing ink, an upper portion of said sub ink tank being above the conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area and a lower portion of the sub ink tank being below the conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area, wherein said sub ink tank is arranged separate from the ink jet head,

wherein said head mounting means mounts said ink jet head above the conveying surface of the recording medium and said head recovery means is provided above the conveying surface of the recording medium.

2. A printer according to claim 1, wherein said conveying means comprises means for effecting conveyance of the recording medium at the print area by said ink jet head via a conveyance belt utilizing electrostatic attraction, and upstream of the print position in the conveyance direction, means for correcting the curl of the recording medium formed as a roll, and means for providing adequate flexure in conveying the recording medium.

3. A printer according to claim 2, wherein said conveyance belt comprises an NBR layer as an inside layer and a silicone type insulating layer as an outside layer and facing the recording medium, and prior to attraction of the recording medium, said conveying means applies minus electric charges to said silicone type insulating layer by a first electrification means, and applies plus electric charges to the neighborhood of a contact point between the recording medium and said conveyance belt by a second electrification means, said second electrification means carrying the recording medium while pinching the recording medium against said conveyance belt.

4. A printer according to claim 1, further comprising communication means for communicating with external equipment connected with said printer to communicate data concerning printing.

5. A printer according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of ink jet heads are provided corresponding to inks of different color tones, said printer further comprising time division processing means for time-dividing so that the timing of print driving pulse signals to be applied to said plurality of ink jet heads do not overlap each other.

6. A printer according to claim 1, further comprising three memory access means having access to storage means for storing print data, and control means for determining one of said three memory access means on the basis of a predetermined priority level by a first bus decision means for deciding the priority level of memory access, one of said three memory access means further including a plurality of data transfer means, and second bus decision means for transferring memory data sequentially to said plurality of data transfer means within a period permitted by the one of said three memory access means.

7. A printer according to claim 1, further comprising means for effecting interruption and restart of printing during a printing operation with head control means.

8. A printer according to claim 7, wherein the interruption and restart of printing is effected at every predetermined period, or by a command instruction, or through a key or switch operation.

9. A printer according to claim 7, wherein the stabilizing of print performance of said ink jet head is effected during the interruption of the printing operation.

10. A printer according to claim 1, wherein said recovery means discharges the ink through said ink jet head in accordance with predetermined pattern data.

11. A printer according to claim 1, wherein the stabilizing of print performance with said recovery means is effected by circulation of the ink in said ink jet head and said ink tank.

12. A printer according to claim 1, wherein said discharge means of said ink jet head comprises heat energy generating elements for generating heat energy to discharge the ink.

13. A printer according to claim 12, wherein said ink jet head causes state changes in the ink due to the heat energy generated by said heat energy generating elements to discharge the ink by the use of pressure produced by the state changes.

14. A printer according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor attached to said ink jet head, wherein an interruption of a printing operation, reduction of a printing speed, or circulation of the ink within said ink jet head is effected upon detecting a rise in temperature of said ink jet head by said sensor.

15. A printer according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium comprises a type of recording medium in which a label is adhered to a peeling sheet.

16. A printer according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium comprises a rolled sheet which is stored in a roll and supplied along a conveyance direction by said conveying means effecting a rotating operation.

17. A printer according to claim 1, further comprising ink supply driving means for supplying ink from a mounted ink tank through the ink supply route and said sub ink tank to said ink jet head, said ink supply driving means being capable of supplying ink from said recording head to said sub ink tank.

18. A printing method of effecting printing by discharging ink onto a recording medium by use of an ink jet head provided with a plurality of discharge means for discharging ink, said method comprising the steps of:

mounting the ink jet head at a predetermined height above the recording medium, such that ink is discharged from the ink jet head in a downward direction onto the recording medium to perform printing;

conveying the recording medium with respect to the ink jet head in a substantially horizontal direction in a print area where printing is performed in such a manner that ink is discharged from the ink jet head;

providing head recovery means for stabilizing a print performance of the ink jet head;

relatively moving the head recovery means and the mounted ink jet head, the recovery means executing an operation for stabilizing the print performance of the ink jet head in a state where the mounted ink jet is relatively positioned with respect to the head recovery means;

mounting an ink tank for storing ink for supply to the ink jet head, the ink tank being mounted below a conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area of the ink jet head; and

providing a sub ink tank arranged separate from the ink jet head in an ink supply route from the mounted ink tank to the ink jet head, for temporarily storing ink, an upper portion of the sub ink tank being above a conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area and a lower portion of the sub ink tank being below the conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area,

wherein the ink jet head is mounted above the conveying surface of the recording medium and the head recovery means is provided above the conveying surface of the recording medium.

19. A full-line printer for printing one line at a time with a downwardly-facing, stand-alone ink jet head separated from an above-and-below-the-recording-medium ink supply, said printer comprising:

a downwardly-facing, stand-alone ink jet head comprising a plurality of discharge means for discharging ink respectively through a plurality of discharge ports onto a recording medium to record an image, wherein the plurality of discharge ports are provided along a widthwise direction of the recording medium to permit printing of one line at a time without scanning the line in a main-scanning direction with the ink jet head, the widthwise direction being different from the conveyance direction of the recording medium;

head mounting means for mounting said ink jet head, said head mounting means mounting said ink jet head at a predetermined height above the recording medium, such that ink is discharged from said inkjet head in a vertical downward direction onto the recording medium to perform printing;

conveying means for conveying the recording medium with respect to said ink jet head in the conveying direction, said conveying means conveying the recording medium in a substantially horizontal direction in a print area where printing is performed in such a manner that ink is discharged from said ink jet head;

head recovery means for stabilizing a print performance of said ink jet head;

moving means for relatively moving said head recovery means and said head mounting means, said head recovery means executing an operation for stabilizing the print performance of said ink jet head in a state where said ink jet head to be mounted to said head mounting means is relatively positioned with respect to said head recovery means by said moving means;

ink tank mounting means for mounting an ink tank for storing ink for supply to said ink jet head, said ink tank mounting means mounting the ink tank below a conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area by said ink jet head; and

a sub ink tank, provided in an ink supply route from the ink tank mounted on said ink tank mounting means to said ink jet head, for temporarily storing ink, an upper portion of said sub ink tank being above the conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area and a lower portion of the sub ink tank being below the conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area,

wherein said sub ink tank is arranged separate from and is spaced from said ink jet head, and

wherein said head mounting means mounts said ink jet head above the conveying surface of the recording medium and said head recovery means is provided above the conveying surface of the recording medium.

20. A full-line printer for printing one line at a time with a downwardly-facing, stand-alone ink jet head separated from an above-and-below-the-recording-medium ink supply, said printer comprising:

a downwardly-facing, stand-alone ink jet head comprising a plurality of discharge means for discharging ink respectively through a plurality of discharge ports onto a recording medium to record an image, wherein the plurality of discharge ports are provided along a widthwise direction of the recording medium to permit printing of one line at a time without scanning the line in a main-scanning direction with the ink jet head, the widthwise direction being different from the conveyance direction of the recording medium;

head mounting means for mounting said ink jet head, said head mounting means mounting said ink jet head at a predetermined height above the recording medium, such that ink is discharged from said ink jet head in a vertical downward direction onto the recording medium to perform printing;

conveying means for conveying the recording medium with respect to said ink jet head in the conveying direction, said conveying means conveying the recording medium in a substantially horizontal direction in a print area where printing is performed in such a manner that ink is discharged from said ink jet head;

head recovery means for stabilizing a print performance of said ink jet head;

moving means for relatively moving said head recovery means and said head mounting means, said head recovery means executing an operation for stabilizing the print performance of said ink jet head in a state where said ink jet head to be mounted to said head mounting means is relatively positioned with respect to said head recovery means by said moving means;

ink tank mounting means for mounting an ink tank for storing ink for supply to said ink jet head, said ink tank mounting means mounting the ink tank below a conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area by said ink jet head; and

separated means, separated and spaced from said ink jet head, for storing ink both above and below the recording-medium conveyance surface, closer to said ink jet head than said ink tank, said separated means comprising a sub ink tank, provided in an ink supply route from the ink tank mounted on said ink tank mounting means to said ink jet head, for temporarily storing ink, an upper portion of said sub ink tank being above the conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area and a lower portion of the sub ink tank being below the conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area,

wherein said sub ink tank is arranged separate from and is spaced from said ink jet head, and

wherein said head mounting means mounts said ink jet head above the conveying surface of the recording medium and said head recovery means is provided above the conveying surface of the recording medium.