Ink jet head and ink jet recording apparatus in which both preliminary heating and driving signals are supplied according to stored image data

An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:

• a recording head including a plurality of groups of a plurality of electrothermal transducers for producing thermal energy contributable to ejection of an ink;
• storing means for storing image data for said electrothermal transducers;
• selecting means for sequentially selecting groups from said groups of electrothermal transducers;
• and first supply means for supplying a first drive signal or a second drive signal for said electrothermal transducers in the group selected by said selecting means in accordance with the image data stored in said storing means, wherein the first drive signal comprises a first heat signal for preliminary ink heating and a second heat signal for ejecting the ink, and said second drive signal has the first heat signal and not the second heat signal;
• data transfer means for transferring the image data to said storing means;
• second supply means for supplying to said first supply means a signal for producing the first drive signal or the second drive signal;
• wherein said supply means, during a recording operation, supplies the first heat signal to all of the thermal transducers in the selected group at a same timing irrespective of whether said second heat signal for ejecting the ink is supplied thereto.

A method of driving plurality of groups of a plurality of electrothermal transducers, comprising the steps of:

• storing image data for said electrothermal transducers in storing means provided for the electrothermal transducers;
• sequentially selecting groups from said groups of electrothermal transducers;
• supplying, during a recording operation, a first drive signal and a second drive signal for the electrothermal transducers in the group selected in said selecting step in accordance with image data stored in the storing means;
• wherein the first drive signal comprises a first heat signal for preliminary ink heating and a second heat signal for ejecting the ink, and said second drive signal has the first heat signal and not the second heat signal;
• wherein said supplying step supplies the first heat signal to all of the thermal transducers in the selected group at a same timing irrespective of whether said second heat signal for ejecting the ink is supplied thereto.

An apparatus for driving a plurality of groups of a plurality of electrothermal transducers, comprising:

• storing means for storing image data for said electrothermal transducers;
• selecting means for sequentially selecting groups from said groups of electrothermal transducers;
• supplying means for supplying, during recording operation, a first drive signal and a second drive signal for the electrothermal transducers in the group selected by said selecting means at a predetermined timing in accordance with image data stored in the storing means;
• wherein the first drive signal comprises a first heat signal for preliminary ink heating and a second heat signal for ejecting the ink, and said second drive signal has the first heat signal and not the second heat signal;
• wherein said supply means supplies the first heat signal to all of the thermal transducers in the selected group at a same timing irrespective of whether said second heat signal for ejecting the ink is supplied thereto.

An ink jet head comprising:

• a plurality of groups of a plurality of electrothermal transducers for producing thermal energy contributable to ejection of an ink;
• a memory circuit, provided for the plurality of electrothermal transducers, for storing image data;
• selecting means for sequentially selecting groups from said groups of electrothermal transducers;
• a supplying circuit responsive to said memory circuit to supply to said electrothermal transducers in the group selected by said selecting means a first drive signal having a first heat signal for preliminary heating of the ink and a second heat signal for ejecting the ink, or a second drive signal having the first heat signal and not having the second heat signal;
• wherein said supply circuit, during a recording operation, supplies the first heat signal to all of the thermal transducers in the selected group at a same timing irrespective of whether said second heat signal for ejecting the ink is supplied thereto.

An ink jet head comprising:

• a plurality of groups of a plurality of electrothermal transducers for producing thermal energy contributable to ejection of an ink;
• storing means for storing image data for said electrothermal transducers;
• selecting means for sequentially selecting groups from said groups of electrothermal transducers;
• supply means for supplying a first drive signal or a second drive signal for the electrothermal transducers in the group selected by said selecting means in accordance with the image data stored in said storing means;
• wherein the first drive signal comprises a first heat signal for preliminary ink heating and a second heat signal for ejecting the ink, supplied after a predetermined time interval from termination of supply of the first heat signal, and said second drive signal has the first heat signal and not the second heat signal;
• wherein said supply means, during a recording operation, supplies the first heat signal to all of the thermal transducers in the selected group at a same timing irrespective of whether said second heat signal for ejecting the ink is supplied thereto.