Ink jet printing apparatus and ink jet printing method
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorHidemi Kubota
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A printing apparatus employing a bubble jet (a registered trademark) capable of maintaining at all times conditions of ink at and around a discharge port suitable for discharge without performing a predischarge or the like involving an interruption of a printing operation is provided. The printing apparatus supplies the electrothermal energy converting element with such an electrical energy that generates a bubble to the extent that ink droplets are discharged from the nozzle.
Claims14
An ink jet printing apparatus capable of mounting a printing head having a plurality of ink discharging ports for discharging ink, electrothermal energy converting elemens provided corresponding to each of said plurality of ink discharging ports being energized, and then generating a bubble in the ink to discharging ink;
- said energization means, comprising:
- a single driving power source serving as a source of supplying said electrical energy;
- and
- a control unit for controlling the electrical energy supplied from said driving power source;
- wherein said control unit performs a control for supplying said electrothermal energy converting element with such an electrical energy that generates a bubble to the extent that ink droplets are discharged from the ink discharge ports, if the electrothermal energy converting element is driven to accomplish printing;
- wherein said control unit performs a control for supplying said electrothermal energy converting element with such an electrical energy that generates a bubble to the extent that ink droplets are not discharged from the ink discharge ports;
- and
- wherein said controls are selectively performed.
An ink jet printing method using a printing head having a plurality of ink discharging ports for discharging ink, electrothermal energy converting elements provided corresponding to each of said plurality of ink discharging ports being energized, and then generating a bubble in the ink to discharge ink;
- comprising the steps of:
- first step for supplying said electrothermal energy converting element with such an electrical energy that generates a bubble to the extent that ink droplets are discharged from the nozzle, if the electrothermal energy converting element is driven to accomplish recording;
- and
- second step for supplying said electrothermal energy converting element with such an electrical energy that generates bubbles to the extent that ink droplets are not discharged from the nozzle;
- wherein said first step and second step are selectively performed.
An ink jet printing apparatus capable of mounting a printing head having a plurality of ink discharging ports for discharging ink, electrothermal energy converting elemens provided corresponding to each of said plurality of ink discharging ports being energized, and then generating a bubble in the ink to discharge ink;
- wherein said energization means generates driving signals for supplying said electrothermal energy converting elements corresponding to low use frequency ink discharging ports with such an electrical energy that generates bubbles in ink in said low use frequency ink discharging ports to the extent that ink droplets are not discharged from said low use frequency ink discharging ports.
An ink jet printing method, comprising a printing head forming a plurality of ink discharging ports for discharging ink, each of said plurality of ink discharging ports being provided with an electrothermal energy converting element, said electrothermal energy converting element being energized and then generating a bubble in the ink to discharge ink,
- wherein said energization means generates driving signals for supplying said electrothermal energy converting elements corresponding to low use frequency ink discharging ports with such an electrical energy that generates bubbles in ink in said low use frequency ink dischartging ports to the extent that ink droplets are not discharged from said low use frequency ink discharging ports.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.