Ink-jet type recording device

An ink-jet type recording device comprising:

• an ink-jet recording head including a pressure chamber defined between a nozzle plate having a nozzle opening formed therein and a vibratory plate deformable in accordance with an expansion and a contraction of a piezoelectric vibrator;
• drive signal generation means for generating a drive signal;
• switching means for adjusting the drive signal and outputting the adjusted drive signal to said piezoelectric vibrator;
• and,
• control signal generation means for generating a selection signal to activate said switching means;
• wherein the selection signal has, variously, at least a first duration, associated with a printing state, and a second duration, associated with a non-printing state;
• an output level of the adjusted drive signal varies in relation to the duration of activation of said switching means by the selection signal;
• and
• the selection signal having the second duration has a pulse width which can be adjusted in accordance with a signal generated from a pulse width control circuit for detecting a temperature of a periphery of said recording head.

A method of operating an ink-jet recording head comprising piezoelectric vibrators capable of being actuated in either a printing or a non-printing state, comprising the steps of:

• generating a drive signal to cause at least a plurality of the piezoelectric vibrators to vibrate in either the printing or the non-printing state, wherein the drive signal is generated to have a trapezoidal waveform;
• generating a control signal having either a first duration or a second duration, the duration corresponding, respectively, to the printing or the non-printing state;
• using the duration of the control signal to adjust an output level of the drive signal, the output level corresponding either to the printing or the non-printing state;
• and
• for each of the plurality of piezoelectric vibrators, selecting the printing or the non-printing state and outputting the respective adjusted drive signal to the respective piezoelectric vibrator.

An ink-jet type recording device comprising an ink-jet recording head comprising a nozzle plate having a nozzle opening formed therein, a piezoelectric vibrator, and a vibratory plate deformable in accordance with expansion and contraction of said piezoelectric vibrator, a pressure chamber being defined between said nozzle plate and said vibratory plate;

• means for generating drive pulses and for applying said drive pulses to said piezoelectric vibrator in response to a printing signal, wherein said drive pulses have a first amplitude when said printing signal indicates a printing state and a second amplitude when said printing signal indicates a non-printing state, said first amplitude being greater than said second amplitude, said first amplitude being sufficient to drive said piezoelectric vibrator with an amplitude to eject a droplet of ink from said recording head, and said second amplitude being sufficient to cause a meniscus of printing ink at said nozzle opening to vibrate without expelling an ink droplet through said nozzle opening;
• and
• pulse width control means coupled to said drive pulse generating means for controlling a width of said-drive pulses, said pulse width control means comprising means for detecting an ambient temperature of said recording head, memory means for storing a relation between ambient temperature and a vibration amplitude of said drive pulses which prevents formation of an ink film on said meniscus, and means for reading out a vibration amplitude from said memory means in accordance with a temperature detected by said temperature detecting means and applying said vibration amplitude to control an amplitude of said drive pulses.

An ink jet recording device comprising:

• an ink jet recording head including a pressure generation chamber defined between a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzle openings formed therein and a vibratory plate deformable in accordance with an expansion and a contraction of a piezoelectric vibrator;
• drive signal generating means for generating a trapezoidal drive signal, wherein the trapezoidal drive signal has a waveform defined by a first area rising at a given gradient for a given rise time, a second area maintaining a given voltage and a third area falling at a given gradient, said drive signal generating means including a circuit for charging and discharging a capacitor;
• control means for adjusting a maximum voltage level of the waveform of the trapezoidal drive signal by controlling the rise time of the waveform in the first area of the waveform;
• and
• means for driving said piezoelectric vibrator with the adjusted waveform.