Abstract: To provide a method of effectively reducing the amount of ink droplets remaining on a nozzle surface after a cleaning operation, and an inkjet recording apparatus capable of shortening an entire processing time of an initial filling operation and a cleaning operation by shortening an ink discharge operation time. By providing a partition wall so that a suction port and an atmosphere opening port provided on a back side of a porous sheet placed in a cap are not directly communicated with each other, in an ink discharge operation in the cap, air having entered through the atmosphere opening port flows through a space between the porous sheet and the nozzle surface, and thereafter, flows to the suction port via the porous sheet. Therefore, ink droplets remaining adhering to the nozzle surface can be removed using the force of air flow.

Abstract: To provide a method of effectively reducing the amount of ink droplets remaining on a nozzle surface after a cleaning operation, and an inkjet recording apparatus capable of shortening an entire processing time of an initial filling operation and a cleaning operation by shortening an ink discharge operation time. By providing a partition wall so that a suction port and an atmosphere opening port provided on a back side of a porous sheet placed in a cap are not directly communicated with each other, in an ink discharge operation in the cap, air having entered through the atmosphere opening port flows through a space between the porous sheet and the nozzle surface, and thereafter, flows to the suction port via the porous sheet. Therefore, ink droplets remaining adhering to the nozzle surface can be removed using the force of air flow.

Abstract: An ink-jet head has deformable ink chambers formed in a piezoelectric ceramic plate and communicating with nozzle openings for ejecting ink from the chambers in response to voltage drive waveforms applied to electrodes on side walls of the chambers. A drive waveform generator selectively applies to the electrodes a first drive waveform to eject an ink droplet from a nozzle opening or a second drive waveform for vibrating a meniscus of the ink to the extent that no ink droplet is ejected from the nozzle opening. By vibrating the ink meniscus, thickening of ink in the nozzle openings can be suppressed without a complicated voltage control.

Abstract: An ink-jet print head has a piezoelectric ceramic plate having grooves for receiving ink, a nozzle plate connected to the piezoelectric ceramic plate and having nozzle apertures each disposed in communication with respective ones of the grooves, and an ink storing device for storing ink. An ink chamber plate is connected to the piezoelectric ceramic plate and has an ink chamber for supplying ink from the ink storing device to the grooves. A base plate is connected to a side of the ink chamber plate and has an ink reservoir defining a portion of an ink flow path for transporting ink from the ink storing device to the ink chamber of the ink chamber plate. The ink reservoir has at least one tapered portion progressively diverging in a direction toward the ink chamber of the ink chamber plate.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus has an ink jet head comprised of a substrate having at least a pair of partition walls with deformable side walls spaced apart at a preselected distance to form a channel for receiving ink and communicating with a nozzle opening, a pair of electrodes each connected to respective ones of the side walls of the partition walls, and a driving circuit for applying a driving voltage to the pair of electrodes to deform the side walls of the partition walls to vary the volume of the channel to thereby eject ink from the channel. A data storage device of the ink jet head stores two or more different types of driving information data of the ink jet head including driving condition data. An external circuit is connected to the driving circuit of the ink jet head and has a setting device for reading at least the driving condition data stored in the data storage device and automatically setting driving conditions of the ink jet head.

Abstract: In order to provide an ink-jet head in which thickening of ink in a nozzle opening portion can be suppressed by vibrating a meniscus to an extent to which the ejection is not performed on an arbitrary nozzle even during a printing operation without complicated voltage control and a nozzle in which the meniscus is vibrated can be easily specified, and ink-jet type recording apparatus, there is provided a drive waveform generating means that selectively outputs to separate electrodes a first drive waveform for ejecting an ink droplet from a nozzle opening and a second drive waveform for vibrating a meniscus to the extent to which the ink droplet is not ejected from the nozzle opening.

Abstract: To provide an ink jet head and an ink jet recording apparatus in which it is possible to reliably prevent ink bubbles from staying in the ink sump and the interior of the head chip and in which it is relatively easy to remove the bubbles. The ink jet head includes: a plurality of grooves arranged side by side so as to communicate with nozzle openings; an ink chamber for supplying ink to each of the grooves; an ink sump provided so as to communicate with the ink chamber; and ink storage unit (50) communicating with the ink sump through ink supply passages, in which there is provided an air duct (100) establishing communication between a region in the ink sump which is substantially free from interference with an ink flow from the ink supply passages (33) to the ink chamber and in which bubbles easily gather and an air region of the ink storage unit (50). Therefore, the bubbles in the ink can be surely removed.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus is provided in which: an operation for managing and setting driving conditions of an ink jet head can be simplified; and a usage status of the ink jet head can be reliably grasped.

Abstract: Providing an ink-jet print head and ink-jet recording apparatus capable of preventing the dwell of air bubbles contained in ink and relatively easily removing the air bubbles. In an ink-jet print head 10 comprising a plurality of grooves 22 communicated with nozzle apertures 28; an ink chamber 26 for supplying ink to the individual grooves 22; and an ink reservoir 31 defining a communication portion of a flow path with the ink chamber 26, the flow path intercommunicating ink storage means for storing the ink and the ink chamber 26, the ink reservoir 31 includes at least one of a tapered portion 37 opened progressively wider toward the ink chamber 26 and a throttling portion 38 progressively narrowing the flow path toward the ink chamber 26.

Abstract: To provide an ink jet head and an ink jet recording apparatus in which it is possible to reliably prevent ink bubbles from staying in the ink sump and the interior of the head chip and in which it is relatively easy to remove the bubbles. The ink jet head includes: a plurality of grooves arranged side by side so as to communicate with nozzle openings; an ink chamber for supplying ink to each of the grooves; an ink sump provided so as to communicate with the ink chamber; and ink storage unit (50) communicating with the ink sump through ink supply passages, in which there is provided an air duct (100) establishing communication between a region in the ink sump which is substantially free from interference with an ink flow from the ink supply passages (33) to the ink chamber and in which bubbles easily gather and an air region of the ink storage unit (50). Therefore, the bubbles in the ink can be surely removed.