Ink-jet printer in which high speed printing is possible
AssigneeNEC Corporation
InventorShinji Seto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ink-jet printer includes a nozzle, an ink storage room, an actuator and a drive section. Ink drops are discharged from the nozzle in a print operation. The ink storage room stores ink. The actuator applies pressure to the ink stored in the ink storage room for the ink drops to be discharged in response to each of a drive signal and a preliminary drive signal. The drive section selectively issues one of the drive signal and the preliminary drive signal to the actuator for each of unit time periods, based on whether or not the ink drops should be discharged. The unit time period is shorter than a time period needed until vibration of an ink meniscus in an end portion of the nozzle is attenuated.
Claims16
An ink-jet printer comprising:
- a nozzle from which ink drops are discharged in a print operation;
- an ink storage room storing ink;
- an actuator applying pressure to said ink stored in said ink storage room in response to each of a drive signal to cause discharge of ink drops from said nozzle and a preliminary drive signal;
- and
- a drive section selectively issuing one of said drive signal and said preliminary drive signal to said actuator for each of unit time periods, said preliminary drive signal having a lower voltage than said drive signal, each of said unit time periods being shorter than a time period needed until vibration of an ink meniscus in an end portion of said nozzle is attenuated.
A method of driving a print head of an ink-jet printer, the method comprising:
- issuing one of a drive signal and a preliminary drive signal in a first time period based upon an evaluation of a remaining vibration of an ink meniscus after said ink drop is discharged, wherein
- said preliminary drive signal has a lower voltage than said drive signal, said drive signal is capable of discharging an ink drop for a print operation, and said preliminary drive signal is not capable of discharging an ink drop.
An ink-jet printer comprising:
- a nozzle from which ink drops are discharged in a print operation;
- an ink storage room storing ink;
- an actuator applying pressure to said ink stored in said ink storage room in response to each of a drive signal and a preliminary drive signal, said actuator causing vibration of an ink meniscus in said nozzle;
- and
- a drive section selectively issuing one of said drive signal and said preliminary drive signal to said actuator for each of unit time periods based on whether or not said ink drops should be discharged, said preliminary drive signal having a lower voltage than said drive signal, said drive signal causing a discharge of ink drops from said nozzle, and each of said unit time periods being shorter than a predetermined time period needed until vibration of said ink meniscus in an end portion of said nozzle is attenuated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.