# US 11,440,316 B2 · Recording apparatus and determination method

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- Number: US 11,440,316 B2
- Document ID: US11440316B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/160,108
- Filed: 2021-01-27
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2020-01-31
- Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Kohei Sato; Yuhei Oikawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440316B2

## CPC

- B41J 2/04563: {detecting head temperature; Ink temperature}
- B41J 2/0451: {for detecting failure, e.g. clogging, malfunctioning actuator}
- B41J 2/04541: {Specific driving circuit}
- B41J 2/04573: {Timing; Delays}
- B41J 2/0458: {controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles}
- B41J 2/04588: {using a specific waveform}
- B41J 2/04591: {Width of the driving signal being adjusted}
- B41J 2/04598: {Pre-pulse}
- B41J 2/14129: {Layer structure}
- B41J 2/14153: {Structures including a sensor}
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

## Abstract

A recording apparatus includes a recording head including a plurality of ejection ports and a recording element, a driving unit configured to apply a driving pulse to drive the recording element, a temperature detection unit configured to detect a temperature change in a vicinity of the recording element, a determination unit configured to determine an ink ejection state of each of the ejection ports on the basis of the temperature change detected by the temperature detection unit, an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about atmospheric pressure around the recording head, and a setting unit configured to, when the determination unit determines the ink ejection state, set the driving pulse to be applied by the driving unit to the recording element on the basis of the information about the atmospheric pressure acquired by the acquisition unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A recording apparatus, comprising:
a recording head including a plurality of ejection ports and a recording element provided at a position corresponding to each of the ejection ports and configured to generate heat energy, the recording head being configured to eject ink from the ejection ports by driving of the recording element;
a driving unit configured to apply a driving pulse to drive the recording element;
a temperature detection unit configured to detect a temperature change in a vicinity of the recording element when the recording element is driven by application of a driving pulse by the driving unit to eject ink;
a determination unit configured to determine an ink ejection state of each of the ejection ports on a basis of the temperature change detected by the temperature detection unit;
an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about atmospheric pressure around the recording head; and
a setting unit configured to, when the determination unit determines the ink ejection state, set the driving pulse to be applied by the driving unit to the recording element on a basis of the information about the atmospheric pressure acquired by the acquisition unit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The recording apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the temperature detection unit is configured to apply one first driving pulse to drive the recording element to detect the temperature change, and
wherein the setting unit is configured to change a pulse width of the first driving pulse on the basis of the information about the atmospheric pressure acquired by the acquisition unit.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the setting unit is configured to set the first driving pulse so that a pulse width of the first driving pulse to be set in a case where atmospheric pressure indicated by the information about the atmospheric pressure acquired by the acquisition unit is second atmospheric pressure lower than first atmospheric pressure is larger than a pulse width of the first driving pulse to be set in a case where the atmospheric pressure indicated by the information about the atmospheric pressure acquired by the acquisition unit is first atmospheric pressure.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit is configured to, when the determination unit determines the ink ejection state, apply, to the recording element, a first driving pulse to eject ink and a second driving pulse after the first driving pulse to eject ink.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the setting unit is configured to change a pulse width of the second driving pulse on the basis of the information about the atmospheric pressure acquired by the acquisition unit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the setting unit is configured to set the second driving pulse so that a pulse width of the second driving pulse to be set in a case where atmospheric pressure indicated by the information about the atmospheric pressure acquired by the acquisition unit is second atmospheric pressure lower than first atmospheric pressure is larger than a pulse width of the second driving pulse to be set in a case where the atmospheric pressure indicated by the information about the atmospheric pressure acquired by the acquisition unit is the first atmospheric pressure.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the setting unit is configured to change a time period from application of the first driving pulse to application of the second driving pulse on the basis of the information about the atmospheric pressure acquired by the acquisition unit.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the setting unit is configured to set the second driving pulse so that a time period from the application of the first driving pulse to the application of the second driving pulse is longer for the second driving pulse to be set in a case where atmospheric pressure indicated by the information about the atmospheric pressure acquired by the acquisition unit is second atmospheric pressure lower than first atmospheric pressure than for the second driving pulse to be set in a case where the atmospheric pressure indicated by the information about the atmospheric pressure acquired by the acquisition unit is the first atmospheric pressure.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit is configured to change a voltage of the driving pulse to be applied.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit is a sensor configured to measure atmospheric pressure.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit is configured to acquire information about an installation location of the recording apparatus and determine the atmospheric pressure on a basis of the information about the installation location.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the information about the installation location is information including any of a height above sea level, a latitude, a longitude, and a name of a region.

### Claim 13

A method of determining an ink ejection state, comprising:
applying a driving pulse to a recording element of a recording head to eject ink, the recording head including a plurality of ejection ports and the recording element provided at a position corresponding to each of the ejection ports and configured to generate heat energy, the recording head being configured to eject ink from each of the ejection ports by driving of the recording element;
acquiring information about atmospheric pressure around the recording head;
setting the driving pulse applied to the recording element at time of determining the ink ejection state on a basis of the acquired information about the atmospheric pressure;
detecting a temperature change in a vicinity of the recording element when the recording element is driven by application of the set driving pulse; and
determining the ink ejection state of each of the ejection ports on a basis of the detected temperature change.