Abstract: An ink jet recording device includes a recording head unit having discharge ports for discharging ink, ink channels communicating to the discharge ports and leading the ink thereto, and an ink tank unit for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head unit. The recording head unit consists of a device for storing parameter information concerning the ink discharge characteristics, and a protective member disposed on a side face area adjacent to the discharge port formation face for preventing the ink from flowing around.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus executes recording with a recording head, provided in a main body, for ejecting ink. The apparatus includes a head temperature detection member provided for the recording head, a reference temperature detection member provided for the main body, and a timer means for counting time. The apparatus further includes a correction amount determination section for determining a correction amount of a head temperature detected by the head temperature detection member based on a detected value of the head temperature detection member and a detected value of the reference temperature detection member at a predetermined time counted by the timer means. A calibration section is provided for calibrating a head temperature detected by the head temperature detection member based on the correction amount.

Abstract: A method of exchanging a waste ink pack that stores waste ink discharged by repeated ink clearing operations performed on an ink jet head involves comparing a cumulative number of times the ink clearing operation have been performed using a particular waste ink pack with upper limit data based on the capacity of the waste ink pack. When the cumulative number reaches the upper limit data, an indication is provided that the waste ink pack should be exchanged for a new one, after which exchange a previous instruction to a recovery device to perform an ink clearing operation is performed. Ink clearing operations are then repeated with that waste ink pack until the number of such operations again reaches the upper limit data.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus and method for forming an image including a text region and a halftone region. The text region contains at least a part of a character and/or a thin line thinner than a predetermined thickness, and the halftone region contains a dot image on a recording medium. An image is formed by ejecting ink from recording heads in response to an input signal. The apparatus or method identifies the text region and the halftone region of an image on the basis of the input signal, expels black ink onto a recording area on the recording medium so as to form at least a part of the text region in a first scanning of the recording heads, expels a plurality of inks including the black ink onto the recording area so as to form at least a part of the text and the halftone regions in a second scanning, and repeating the first scanning and the second scanning on the next recording area after incrementing the recording medium.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head for ejecting ink from ejection unit to cause a change in temperature in a recording period, a temperature keeping unit for maintaining a temperature of the recording head at a predetermined keeping temperature higher than an upper limit of a surrounding temperature range in which recording is possible, a temperature prediction unit for predicting an ink temperature in the ejection unit in the recording period prior to recording, and an ejection stabilization unit for stabilizing ink ejection from the ejection unit according to the ink temperature in the ejection unit predicted by the temperature prediction unit.

Abstract: A replaceable ink cartridge, usable with a bubble jet printer, includes a container having front, back, top bottom and side walls, the container being divided internally into a first chamber and a second chamber having a common partition extending downward perpendicularly toward the bottom wall to provide an opening between the chambers formed by the partition proximate to the bottom wall. The first chamber contains a reservoir of liquid ink and is generally sealed from ambient air except through the opening, and the second chamber has an air vent for admitting ambient air into the second chamber and an ink supply outlet in the front wall.

Abstract: When an image to be recorded has a density to be recorded by using thin ink of thick and thin inks, areas of dots recording from ink discharge ports arranged normally to a main scan direction of a recording head are irregularly varied so that a variation of density in a low density area is reduced.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording head having plural recording heads, a test pattern recorded for recording a test pattern, a read-out for reading out the test pattern which was recorded by the test pattern recorder, a correction data setting device for setting shading correction data used when the recording head records based on the read-out data from the read-out, and a modification device that modifies the test pattern recorder and/or the correction data setting device in response to at least one of a recording mode of the recording apparatus, the state of the recording head, or the state of the test pattern recorder.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head for performing recording by discharging ink by forming a bubble by applying thermal energy to a heat acting portion of an ink holding portion of the recording head. Thermal energy is generated in the recording head and a cap sealingly caps a discharge opening forming surface of the recording head. Ink is sucked from the cap and positive recovery is effected so that 10.sup.4 or more times of preliminary discharges are performed toward the cap which is detached from the recording head, by supplying energy greater than energy at a recording condition by predetermined multiples of a minimum energy E.sub.o required for generating the bubble, and for causing the ink to be sucked in the cap that is open to atmosphere.

Abstract: A recording head having a plurality of ink discharge element lines arranged thereon is moved in a direction different from the direction of arrangement of the ink discharge elements to conduct a main scan, and at the end of the main scan, a recording medium is moved by a predetermined width in a direction different from the main scan direction to record an image. A record area of the recording head is divided into a plurality (n) of areas and each unit image area on the recording medium is main scanned n times by using the n divided areas of the recording head and thinned images with a print factor of 1/n are sequentially recorded to complete the record of the unit image area. The print factor for the pixels in the boundary area of adjacent unit image areas is lower than the print factor to the entire unit image area in at least one of the n main scans. Thus, the number of pixels recorded by the same main scan in the boundary area is increased.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a carriage for carrying a recording head for effecting recording by ejection of ink on a recording material; a cap for capping an ejection outlet of the recording head formed in an ejection side surface; sucking pump for sucking the ink out through the ejection outlet while the cap is closely contacted to the ejection side surface; a clearance forming mechanism for forming a clearance at a part of close-contact portion between the ejection side surface and the cap by relative motion between the cap and the carriage.

Abstract: In a color ink jet recording system for performing color image recording on a recording medium using a plurality of recording heads and different color inks, the thinning ratio for at least one (e.g., black K) of the recording heads is set to be different from the thinning ratio for the remaining recording heads (e.g., cyan C, and the like). The total implantation quantity of the black ink can be twice the normal quantity without increasing the number of times of scan operations, and without causing boundary blur, and the print density of black can be increased.

Abstract: A plurality of recording heads for ejecting inks of different colors are reciprocally moved relative to a recording medium, and printing operations are performed by executing main scans in forward and backward scans of the recording heads. In this case, an area printable in a single main scan is recorded by performing a plurality of main scans using a plurality of thinning patterns in which an m.times.n pixel group is defined as a unit pixel group, and the pixel groups are arranged at non-neighboring positions, and which have a complementary arrangement relationship therebetween. A high-quality color image free from time difference nonuniformity, and density nonuniformity caused by, e.g., variations of recording elements is obtained at high speed.

Abstract: A recording section of each of recording heads of different recording colors is divided into a plurality of sub-sections, and the recording heads are moved back and forth relative to a recording medium to conduct a main scan in each run, and thinned images are sequentially recorded on the same area of the recording medium by using different recording sections of the recording heads in a plurality of main scans. The numbers of dots recorded in the main scans are equal without regard to the image data to prevent ununiformity of density due to reach accuracy and amount of discharge and regular ununiformity of color due to a sequence of ink injection.

Abstract: An ink jet recording method records a color image on a recording medium while performing a main scan operation by using a first recording head having a plurality of ink eject orifices for ejecting an ink of a first color and a second recording head having a plurality of ink eject orifices for ejecting an ink of a second color. The method includes the steps of dividing a record area of each of the first and second recording heads into a plurality of blocks, and performing a main scan operation a plurality of number of times for the same area of the recording medium by using different blocks of the plurality of blocks of each of the first and second recording heads, thereby sequentially recording a plurality of thinned images of the first color and a plurality of thinned images of the second color. Different thinning mask patterns are used for the blocks of each recording head and the thinning mask pattern for each block is maintained constant during recording on the recording medium.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head with a number of ink ejection orifices for ejecting ink. The number of ink ejection orifices are grouped into N blocks which can be driven simultaneously, are arranged in an eject orifice array and perform recording by divisionally driving the N blocks. A recording medium and the recording head are moved relative to each other by a conveying length obtained by equally dividing an ejection orifice array of the recording head into n parts. The recording apparatus masks a signal to be recorded such that 1/n dots, where n<N, of all dots to be formed on an area of the recording medium having a width equal to the conveying length may be formed by one scan of the recording head.

Abstract: A mounted thermal head is energized to determine a thermal change state of the thermal head and a driving condition of the mounted thermal head is set in accordance with the determined thermal change state. The drive condition of the recording head can be self-set at a high precision with a simple construction and stabilization of the recording characteristics and a long lifetime are attained.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes ink ejecting outlets for ejecting ink, an ink container for containing the ink to be supplied to the ejecting outlets, ink supply passage for supplying the ink from the container to the ejecting outlets, a recovery system for forcedly ejecting the ink through the ejecting outlets. The recovery system repeats the forced ejecting action, and a quantity of the ink ejected by one forced ejecting action is larger than an inside volume of the ink supply passage.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus provided according to the present invention does not generate any printing density streaks in low density areas of an image and is therefore capable of outputting stabilized images without any density unevennesses and density streaks in any tonality. The apparatus is structured so as to correct density signals in accordance with a correction table 1 for indicating the recording characteristics of each of the recording elements of the head and the recording characteristics indicated by this correction table 1, and to drive the recording head in accordance with a correction table 2, which does not allow the foregoing corrections to be made when the density signals are lower than a given density, and the density signals corrected by this correction table 2.

Abstract: A plurality of recording heads for ejecting inks in different colors are aligned, and are reciprocally moved in the alignment direction, and an image is recorded by performing main scans in both the forward and backward paths of the reciprocal movement, and performing a sub-scan after each main scan. An area recordable in a single main scan is thinned out according to thinning arrangements having a complementary relationship therebetween, and thinned-out images are recorded in a plurality of main scans. During this interval, the sub-scan is performed in a direction opposite to the normal sub-scan direction at a predetermined period.