Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Controller
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-12
2004-11-23
Meier, Stephen D. (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Controller
C347S014000, C347S017000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06820955
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ink-jet recording apparatus that ejects ink reserved in an ink reservoir such as an ink cartridge and an ink tank from a recording head, an ink-jet recording method and an ink-jet recording medium.
An ink-jet recording apparatus such as an ink-jet printer and an ink-jet plotter (hereinafter referred to as a recording apparatus) comprises a recording head that is for ejecting ink as ink droplets, which is reserved in an ink reservoir such as an ink cartridge and an ink tank. In the recording apparatus, the recording head is made to move along a main scanning direction, and ink droplets are ejected from the recording head so as to interlock with the movement of the recording head.
Incidentally, if an environmental temperature (for example, a room temperature) at a place where the recording apparatus is used is changed, the ejection amount of ink droplets fluctuates since ink viscosity is changed. For example, when the environmental temperature is higher than a reference temperature on design, the ink viscosity becomes lower than a normal state. Thus, when the ink droplets are ejected in a standard driving pulse, the amount of ejected ink droplets becomes larger than a designed value. Conversely, when the environmental temperature is lower than the reference temperature, the ink viscosity becomes higher than a normal state. Thus, when the ink droplets are ejected in a standard driving pulse, the amount of ejected ink droplets becomes smaller than a designed value. Such fluctuation of the ink amount is a cause of deterioration of image quality.
Accordingly, in order to prevent the ink amount from fluctuating along with the change of environmental temperature, a recording apparatus is provided, in which a temperature sensor such as a thermistor is provided, for example, on a recording head or a carriage, and the driving signal that drives the piezoelectric element based on head temperature information detected by the temperature sensor is adjusted.
In the recording apparatus, for example, when the head temperature information value is lower than the reference temperature, the driving voltage for a driving pulse included in the driving signal is set higher than the standard value. On the contrary, when the head temperature information value is higher than the reference temperature, the driving voltage for the driving pulse included in the driving signal is set lower than the standard value.
However, since the head temperature information used for driving signal adjustment is an environmental temperature, such as a room temperature, a difference thereof of the temperature of ink reserved in an ink reservoir may occur in some cases. This is because the heat capacity of ink is larger than the heat capacity of air, and because ink has a property that it is harder to heat and harder to cool down. And, when a difference exists between the head temperature information value and the ink temperature; it is difficult to unify ink droplets in a desired amount even if the driving signal is adjusted based on the head temperature information.
Such a phenomenon is prominent when a rapid temperature change occurs in a place where the printing apparatus is used, such as on an occasion that air conditioning is turned on in summer or heating is turned on in winter.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention was invented in consideration of the foregoing problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide an ink-jet recording apparatus, an ink-jet recording method, and an ink-jet recording medium, which can accurately grasp the ink reservation amount in the ink reservoir by unifying the ejection amount of ink droplets even if a temperature change occurs in a place where the recording apparatus is used, and can obtain a recorded image of stable quality.
A first aspect of the present invention for solving the foregoing problems is an ink-jet recording apparatus, which has a recording head for ejecting ink from an ink reservoir and driving signal generating means for generating a driving signal for ejecting ink droplets, characterized in that it comprises: ink reservation amount obtaining means for obtaining the ink reservation amount in the ink reservoir; temperature change amount obtaining means for obtaining the temperature change amount of the recording head; and ink consumption amount controlling means for controlling the ink consumption amount of the recording head based on the temperature change amount of the recording head obtained by the temperature change amount obtaining means and the ink reservation amount obtained by the ink reservation amount obtaining means.
In the first aspect, since the ink consumption amount controlling means can control the ink consumption amount suitable to the actual ink temperature in accordance with the temperature change amount and the ink reservation amount of the recording head, the ink consumption amount of the recording head can be stable regardless of the change of environmental temperature. Moreover, the ink reservation amount in the ink reservoir can be accurately grasped by controlling the ink consumption amount.
A second aspect of the present invention is the ink-jet recording apparatus in the first aspect, characterized in that the ink consumption amount controlled by the ink consumption amount controlling means is the a ink consumption amount by ink ejection and preparatory ejection.
In the second aspect, by controlling the ink consumption amount of the ink ejection and the preparatory ejection by the ink consumption amount controlling means, stable ink ejection can be performed regardless of the environmental temperature.
A third aspect of the present invention is the ink-jet recording apparatus in the second aspect, characterized in that the ink consumption amount controlled by the ink consumption amount controlling means further includes the ink consumption amount by a sucking operation.
In the third aspect, by controlling the ink consumption amount by the sucking operation of the ink consumption amount controlling means, the sucked amount can be maintained in a specified amount regardless of the environmental temperature.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is the ink-jet recording apparatus in any one of the first to third aspects, characterized in that the ink reservation amount obtaining means detects the ink consumption amount and obtains the ink reservation amount in the ink reservoir.
In the fourth aspect, by detecting the ink consumption amount through totalizing the controlled ink consumption amount, the ink reservation amount in the ink reservoir can be accurately grasped.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is the ink-jet recording apparatus in the fourth aspect, characterized in that the ink consumption amount detected by the ink reservation amount obtaining means is the ejected amount of ink in a recording operation, the ejected amount of ink in a preparatory ejection operation and the sucked amount of ink in a sucking operation.
In the fifth aspect, the ink reservation amount in the ink reservoir can be accurately grasped from the ink ejection amount in the recording operation, the ink ejection amount in the preparatory ejection operation and the ink sucking amount in the sucking operation.
A sixth aspect of the present invention is the ink-jet recording apparatus in any one of the first to fifth aspects, characterized in that the temperature change amount obtaining means comprises temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the recording head and temperature information storing means for storing the head temperature information from the temperature detecting means.
In the sixth aspect, the change of amount of the recording head temperature can be obtained relatively easily by the temperature detecting means and the temperature information storing means.
A seventh aspect of the present invention is the ink-jet recording apparatus in the sixth aspect, characterized in that the temperature information storing means stores the recording he
Meier Stephen D.
Seiko Epson Corporation
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Tran Ly T
LandOfFree
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