Abstract: A device includes a first element substrate and a second element substrate for driving a driving element; a first signal input unit connected to an input terminal of the first element substrate; a second signal input unit connected to an input terminal of the second element substrate; and a signal output unit. Each of the first and second element substrates includes a driving element, a first signal generation unit configured to output a first signal, a second signal generation unit configured to output a second signal, an input terminal, an output terminal, and a selection unit configured to receive a signal from the first and the second signal generation units, select one of a state of the first signal, a state of the second signal, and a high-impedance state on the basis of the selection signal input from the input terminal, and output the state to the output terminal.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a sensor for detecting temperature of a printhead and outputting the detected temperature as a voltage, and a controller for detecting the voltage, which has been output by the sensor, via a cable and controlling driving of the printhead. The apparatus further includes a switch settable to two states, one in which current is supplied to the sensor and one in which current is not supplied to the sensor; and a correction unit that subtracts a first voltage detected by the controller in a case where the state in which current is not supplied to the sensor has been set by the switch from a second voltage detected by the controller in a case where the state in which current is supplied to the sensor has been set by the switch, thereby obtaining a correction voltage corrected for a crosstalk component produced in the cable.

Abstract: A printing apparatus that includes printing element substrates which are provided with printing elements that discharge ink. A plurality of temperature sensors, each of which is provided with one of the printing element substrates, measures a temperature of a corresponding printing element substrate. A selection unit selects any one of the temperature sensors, and a determination unit performs a determination operation to determine a state of the printing element substrate based on the temperature measured by the selected temperature sensor in a case when only the printing elements of a substrate that corresponds to the selected temperature sensor are driven. The determination unit performs the determination operation on a first substrate and then on a second non-adjacent substrate.

Abstract: A device includes a first element substrate and a second element substrate for driving a driving element; a first signal input unit connected to an input terminal of the first element substrate; a second signal input unit connected to an input terminal of the second element substrate; and a signal output unit. Each of the first and second element substrates includes a driving element, a first signal generation unit configured to output a first signal, a second signal generation unit configured to output a second signal, an input terminal, an output terminal, and a selection unit configured to receive a signal from the first and the second signal generation units, select one of a state of the first signal, a state of the second signal, and a high-impedance state on the basis of the selection signal input from the input terminal, and output the state to the output terminal.

Abstract: A device includes a first element substrate and a second element substrate for driving a driving element; a first signal input unit connected to an input terminal of the first element substrate; a second signal input unit connected to an input terminal of the second element substrate; and a signal output unit. Each of the first and second element substrates includes a driving element, a first signal generation unit configured to output a first signal, a second signal generation unit configured to output a second signal, an input terminal, an output terminal, and a selection unit configured to receive a signal from the first and the second signal generation units, select one of a state of the first signal, a state of the second signal, and a high-impedance state on the basis of the selection signal input from the input terminal, and output the state to the output terminal.

Abstract: A device includes a first element substrate and a second element substrate for driving a driving element; a first signal input unit connected to an input terminal of the first element substrate; a second signal input unit connected to an input terminal of the second element substrate; and a signal output unit. Each of the first and second element substrates includes a driving element, a first signal generation unit configured to output a first signal, a second signal generation unit configured to output a second signal, an input terminal, an output terminal, and a selection unit configured to receive a signal from the first and the second signal generation units, select one of a state of the first signal, a state of the second signal, and a high-impedance state on the basis of the selection signal input from the input terminal, and output the state to the output terminal.

Abstract: A printing apparatus, comprising a plurality of printing element substrates provided with printing elements that discharge ink using thermal energy, a plurality of temperature sensors, each of the plurality of temperature sensors is provided on each of the printing element substrates, and that measure a temperature of the printing element substrates, a selection unit configured to select any one of the plurality of temperature sensors, a control unit configured to perform control such that driving is performed for only the printing elements of the printing element substrate on which is provided the temperature sensor selected by the selection unit, and a determination unit configured to determine a presence/absence of an abnormality of the printing element substrates based on a measured temperature that has been measured by the temperature sensor selected by the selection unit.

Abstract: A device includes a first element substrate and a second element substrate for driving a driving element; a first signal input unit connected to an input terminal of the first element substrate; a second signal input unit connected to an input terminal of the second element substrate; and a signal output unit. Each of the first and second element substrates includes a driving element, a first signal generation unit configured to output a first signal, a second signal generation unit configured to output a second signal, an input terminal, an output terminal, and a selection unit configured to receive a signal from the first and the second signal generation units, select one of a state of the first signal, a state of the second signal, and a high-impedance state on the basis of the selection signal input from the input terminal, and output the state to the output terminal.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a sensor for detecting temperature of a printhead and outputting the detected temperature as a voltage, and a controller for detecting the voltage, which has been output by the sensor, via a cable and controlling driving of the printhead. The apparatus comprises a switch settable to two states, one in which current is supplied to the sensor and one in which current is not supplied to the sensor; and a correction unit that subtracts a first voltage detected by the controller in a case where the state in which current is not supplied to the sensor has been set by the switch from a second voltage detected by the controller in a case where the state in which current is supplied to the sensor has been set by the switch, thereby obtaining a correction voltage corrected for a crosstalk component produced in the cable.

Abstract: A printer, which enables complicated printhead controls without a complicated logic circuit, includes a data table showing a control pattern of six controls stored in a RAM. When a drive trigger is inputted into a read-trigger generator, an address generator generates the address of the data table in the RAM as an address signal and inputs the address signal into the RAM. On the other hand, the read-trigger generator inputs a data-read trigger into the RAM. Control signals read by these signals are inputted into a head driver with heat pulses, which drives the printhead.

Abstract: To provide a recording apparatus which can avoid a retry of recording from the beginning due to interruption of a data transfer, when the transfer of print data is interrupted and retransfer of the print data is started, a count value RD_CNT of a first counter is initialized, a count value WD_CNT of a second counter is held, the data read out from an FIFO is abandoned for a period of time from the start of the retransfer of the print data until the count value RD_CNT of the first counter exceeds the count value WD_CNT of the second counter, and when the count value RD_CNT of the first counter exceeds the count value WD_CNT of the second counter, the data read out from the FIFO is written into an input buffer.

Abstract: A printer which enables a complicated printhead controls without complicated logic circuit. In this printer, a data table showing a control pattern of six control signals (COM11, COM12, COM21, COM22, UPPER ENABLE and LOWER ENABLE) is stored in RAM 74. When a drive trigger is inputted into read-trigger generator 71, address generator 72 generates the address of the data table in the RAM 74 as address signal AD1 and inputs the address signal into the RAM 74. On the other hand, read-trigger generator 71 inputs a data-read trigger into RAM 74. Control signals read by these signals are inputted into head driver 75 with heat pulses, which drives the printhead.

Abstract: A printer and printing control method for improving throughput by performing efficient smoothing processing. The printer adopting the method monitors print data while it is transmitted from a receiving buffer 25a to a print buffer 25b, analyses the print data by a unit of one scanning area of a printhead whether the print data causes printing operation of the printhead, and, if no print data which causes printing operation is included in the print data corresponding to the one scanning area, controls to skip execution of row-column conversion and/or smoothing processing.

Abstract: When the sub-heaters of recording heads are PWM controlled in a low-temperature environment, temperatures of the recording heads are respectively detected by temperature sensors. The number of recording heads to be heating controlled is determined from the detected recording head temperatures, and a maximum duty ratio of a pulse train supplied to the sub-heater corresponding to the recording head to be heating controlled is determined in accordance with the determined number of the recording heads, so that supply timings of pulse width controlled pulse trains supplied to the sub-heaters corresponding to the recording heads to be heating controlled are not overlapped.

Abstract: A printing apparatus and a print control method for performing H-V conversion and minimum track printing at high speed. When printing is to be performed on a print medium by reciprocally scanning a printhead, image data is externally inputted, vertical and horizontal orientation of the inputted image data is converted with considering the print width of the printhead so that the vertical and horizontal arrays are reversed in a buffer of a DMAC, the outputted result is continuously processed by utilizing a logical circuit, the left and right ends where actual printing operation is performed based on the image data is detected within a scan area of the printhead, and the scan area of the printhead is controlled based on the detection result.

Abstract: A data processing method which efficiently performs data transfer by using a data bus with an appropriate access width corresponding to transfer data and a printer using the data processing method. In the printer, a CPU bus 70 having a 16-bit physical bus width, is shared by a CPU 21 and a DMAC 80. In a case where the CPU 21 accesses a memory via the CPU bus 70 with an 8-bit width, while the DMAC 80 accesses the memory via the CPU bus 70 with a 16-bit width, each time the DMAC 80 needs to access the memory, the DMAC 80 issues a DMA request signal to the CPU 21, requiring an exclusive access right for the CPU bus 70. In accordance with the request signal, the CPU 21 delivers the exclusive access right for the CPU bus 70 to the DMAC 80. Then the DMAC 80 controls memory access with the 16-bit width.

Abstract: This invention has as its object to improve the net processing speed by appropriately assigning the DMA processing time for attaining high-speed processing using hardware, and the software execution time of a CPU. By interrupting the operation of one of a CPU and a DMA processor only when a device such as an external D-RAM shared by processors such as the CPU, DMA processor, and the like, is to be accessed, the CPU operation and the DMA processing are substantially parallelly executed, thereby improving the net processing speed.

Abstract: A printer which enables flexible printing control to be performed in conformity with the capacity of a memory installed to satisfy the requirements of a user. In this printer, it is first determined whether the additional memory has been installed or not. Then, the printer further examines the total available capacity of the basic memory and additional memory based upon results of the determination, compares the total capacity with an amount of data necessary to perform printing by a single scan using all ink discharge nozzles of a printhead, decides, based upon the results of the comparison, the capacity of a buffer memory for temporarily storing printing data to be transferred to the printhead, and decides to change resolution in the scanning direction or whether to perform printing by multiscan printing using the buffer memory having the capacity decided or perform printing in which printing using all ink discharge nozzles of the printhead is completed by a single scan of the printhead.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that includes a recording head capable of performing dot recording, a main scanner for scanning the recording head, and a data storage for storing data sent from a host computer. The apparatus can make a record according to stored data by performing a plurality of main scans, and further comprises a restorer for restoring data, which has been subjected to given processing by the host computer, to another data in line with the given processing. The present invention further relates to a record data processing method. According to the present invention, an amount of sent data to be held can be reduced by reducing an amount of data to be transferred from the host computer. Moreover, a record with irregular concentration suppressed can be made in substantially the same recording area by performing a plurality of rounds of main scan as conventionally, while a reduction in cost can be achieved.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes first and second carriers, a capping device and a switching device. The first carrier is movable by a drive force, and the second carrier is movable when connected to the first carrier. The second carrier carries an ink jet head thereon. The capping device caps the ink jet head when the ink jet head is mounted on the second carrier and the second carrier is located at a capping position. The switching device switches between a first mode and a second mode. In the first mode, the ink jet head is capped by the capping device. In the second mode, the first and second carriers are integrally connected and are capable of moving together to effect recording by the ink jet head in a full recording range.