JP2005161757A - Inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet printer that performs stable image formation and reduces costs. <P>SOLUTION: The inkjet printer 1 has recording heads 5, 6, 7 and 8 for forming an image on a recording medium 99 by discharging an ink, an ink temperature sensing device 13 for sensing the temperature of the ink in the recording head, a heating device 15 for heating the ink in the recording head and a temperature control section 30 for controlling the heating device on the basis of the temperature of the ink sensed by the ink temperature sensing device. The temperature control section is provided in a subsidiary control board 31 intermediating between a main control board 24 having a main control section 20 for performing a variety of controls concerning image formation and the recording head. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet printer, and more particularly to an inkjet printer including a recording head that heats and discharges ink.

  In general, inkjet printers are widely used as image forming apparatuses because noise during printing is relatively low, printing quality is good, and printing is possible on various recording media. The ink jet printer forms an image by ejecting ink from a recording head to a recording medium according to predetermined image information while conveying the recording medium by a conveying device.

By the way, depending on the type of ink used in the ink jet printer, there are some inks that have high viscosity at room temperature and are difficult to eject or cannot perform normal image formation. In addition, it is necessary to discharge the ink from the recording head by reducing the viscosity to an appropriate viscosity by heating. Therefore, conventionally, an ink jet printer includes an ink temperature detection device that detects the ink temperature inside the recording head and a heating device that heats the ink inside the recording head, and the ink temperature detected by the ink temperature detection device. There exist some which were provided with the temperature control part which controls the said heating apparatus based on (for example, refer patent document 1).
JP 2003-127417 A

  However, in the conventional ink jet printer, the main control board that includes the main control section that performs various controls relating to image formation is also provided with the temperature control section that controls the temperature of the ink inside the recording head. There has been a problem that the load on the CPU becomes too large. If the load on the CPU of the main control board becomes too large, stable image formation may not be performed.

  Inkjet printers include a configuration that heats the ink inside the recording head and a configuration that does not heat the ink. The difference in the control configuration between the two is whether or not the temperature control of the ink is performed by the temperature control unit. However, with respect to other controls, the apparatus and the control configuration have almost the same configuration. However, if the temperature control unit is provided on the main control board, the main control board can be used only for an ink jet printer configured to heat ink, and for an ink jet printer configured not to heat ink. Separately, it is necessary to produce a main control board that is not provided with a temperature control unit, which causes a problem of increased cost. In some cases, it is possible to use a main control board equipped with a temperature control unit for an inkjet printer that does not heat ink, but in that case, a temperature control unit on the main control board is absolutely necessary. However, there is a problem that it is wasted on the member and the manufacturing process.

  Conventionally, an ink jet printer having a configuration in which a temperature control unit is provided in a recording head having a heating device has also been proposed. In this case, since the temperature control unit is provided in a portion different from the main control board, the load on the CPU of the main control board can be reduced. Furthermore, since the main control board is not provided with a temperature control unit, there is also an advantage that the main control board of the ink jet printer can be applied to an ink jet printer having a configuration in which the ink inside the recording head is not heated.

However, in a recording head that does not include a temperature control unit, the difference between a recording head configured to heat ink and a recording head configured to not heat ink is only whether a heating device is attached to the recording head. Therefore, both recording heads can be manufactured with almost the same members and manufacturing processes.
On the other hand, when the temperature control unit is provided in the recording head configured to heat the ink, the difference from the recording head configured to not heat the ink becomes large, so the recording head configured to heat the ink and the ink It is difficult to manufacture a recording head having a configuration in which the recording medium is not heated in a common manufacturing process, and it is necessary to use separate manufacturing processes. As a result, the cost increases.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer that can perform stable image formation and can reduce costs.

The invention described in claim 1
A recording head that ejects ink to form an image on a recording medium;
An ink temperature detecting device for detecting the ink temperature inside the recording head;
A heating device for heating the ink inside the recording head;
A temperature control unit for controlling the heating device based on the ink temperature detected by the ink temperature detection device;
In an inkjet printer comprising:
The temperature controller is provided in a sub-control board that relays between a main control board having a main control section that performs various controls relating to image formation and the recording head.

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the temperature control unit is provided in the sub-control board that relays between the main control board including the main control unit that performs various controls relating to image formation and the recording head. Therefore, the temperature control of the ink inside the recording head can be performed by the sub-control board, and the load on the CPU of the main control board can be reduced.
In addition, since the sub control board is configured not to be included in either the main control board or the print head at a position where the sub control board is relayed between the main control board and the print head, By simply connecting the main control board and the recording head without relaying the board, a control configuration without a temperature control unit can be achieved. Accordingly, a common main control board can be used for both the ink jet printers configured to heat the ink inside the recording head and not to heat the ink.
Furthermore, since the temperature control unit is not provided in the recording head, the difference between a recording head configured to heat ink and a recording head configured to not heat ink is that a heating device is attached to the recording head. Therefore, both recording heads can be manufactured with almost the same members and manufacturing processes.

The invention according to claim 2 is the inkjet printer according to claim 1,
The sub-control board is directly mounted on a connector connected to the recording head.

  Thus, according to the invention described in claim 2, since the sub control board is directly mounted on the connector connected to the print head, a connection cable between the sub control board and the print head is not necessary, The number of parts can be reduced.

The invention according to claim 3 is the ink jet printer according to claim 1 or 2,
The sub-control board is sealed.

  Thus, according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the sub control board is sealed, it is possible to prevent ink mist, dust, and the like from adhering to the sub control board.

The invention according to claim 4 is the inkjet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The sub-control board is composed of an analog circuit.

  Thus, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the sub control board is composed of an analog circuit, the main control board composed of a digital circuit can be completely separated from the control. The load on the CPU of the control board can be surely reduced.

The invention according to claim 5 is the inkjet printer according to claim 4,
The temperature control unit performs temperature control by PWM control on the analog circuit.

  Thus, according to the invention described in claim 5, since the temperature control unit performs temperature control by PWM control on the analog circuit, more specifically, the load on the CPU of the main control board can be reduced. Can do.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the temperature of the ink inside the recording head can be controlled by the sub-control board, and the load on the CPU of the main control board can be reduced, so that stable image formation is performed. be able to.
In addition, a common main control board can be used for both ink jet printers configured to heat and not heat ink inside the printhead, and both printheads can be manufactured with almost the same members and manufacturing processes. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the ink jet printer can be suppressed, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, since the number of parts can be reduced, the manufacturing cost of the ink jet printer can be further suppressed.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, since it is possible to prevent ink mist, dust and the like from adhering to the sub-control board, the sub-control board can be stably operated without causing any trouble.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to completely separate the control from the main control board configured by the digital circuit, and to reliably reduce the load on the CPU of the main control board. Stable image formation can be performed.

  According to the fifth aspect of the invention, more specifically, the load on the CPU of the main control board can be reduced, so that more stable image formation can be performed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an inkjet printer according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the illustrated examples.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a recording head and a sub control board of the ink jet printer according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram showing a main control configuration of the ink jet printer according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet printer 1 is a serial type ink jet printer, and includes a flat platen 2 that supports a non-recording surface on the back side of a recording surface of a recording medium 99. Conveying rollers 3a and 3b of the recording medium conveying mechanism 3 are disposed before and after the platen 2, respectively. The conveying rollers 3a and 3b are coupled by a conveying belt 3c and rotate in a predetermined direction around the axis before and after the platen 2, and the recording medium 99 is conveyed along with the rotation of the conveying rollers 3a and 3b. It is conveyed along the direction A.

  Above the platen 2, an image recording unit 4 that forms an image on the recording surface of the recording medium 99 is disposed. The image recording unit 4 includes a guide member 12 extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction A (hereinafter referred to as “scanning direction B”), and a carriage 11 is supported on the guide member 12. The carriage 11 is reciprocally movable along the scanning direction B while being guided by the guide member 12 by driving a carriage driving mechanism 11a (shown in FIG. 3).

  Four recording heads 5 and 6 eject inks of process colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toward the recording surface of the recording medium 99 on the carriage 11, respectively. , 7 and 8 are mounted, and the four recording heads 5, 6, 7 and 8 can be simultaneously moved by the reciprocating movement of the carriage 11. In this embodiment, the recording head 5 discharges yellow ink, the recording head 6 discharges magenta ink, the recording head 7 discharges cyan ink, and the recording head 8 discharges black ink.

  A plurality of nozzles (not shown) for ejecting ink as droplets are disposed on the sides of the recording heads 5, 6, 7, 8 facing the recording surface of the recording medium 99. The plurality of nozzles are arranged along the conveyance direction A of the recording medium 99 for each of the recording heads 5, 6, 7, and 8 to form nozzle rows (not shown), and the recording head having the nozzle outlets A surface facing the recording surface of the recording medium 99 in 5, 6, 7, and 8 is a nozzle surface.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a temperature sensor 13 is provided at a predetermined position in the recording head 5 that discharges yellow ink as an ink temperature detecting device that detects the ink temperature inside the recording head 5. The temperature is detected every predetermined period or always. The detected ink temperature is transmitted as information to a temperature control unit 30 described later.
Furthermore, an ink heater 15 as a heating device that heats the ink inside the recording head 5 under the control of the temperature control unit 30 based on information from the temperature sensor 13 is disposed at a predetermined position in the yellow recording head 5. Has been.
The temperature sensor 13 and the ink heater 15 may be known ones.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a main control board 24 composed of a digital circuit is disposed at a predetermined position of the ink jet printer 1. As will be described later, the main control board 24 includes a main control unit 20 that digitally performs various controls relating to image formation. The main control board 24 is connected to each drive unit of the inkjet printer 1 and transmits a control signal from the main control unit 20 to each drive unit.

  Among them, for the recording head 5 that discharges yellow ink, the cable K connected to the main control board 24 is connected to the sub control board 31 constituted by an analog circuit. Are connected to the recording head 5. The sub control board 31 and the recording head 5 may be connected by a cable or the like. However, in the present embodiment, the sub control board 31 is directly mounted on the connector 35 connected to the recording head 5. The recording head terminal 33 disposed on the lower surface of the sub-control board 31 in the connector 35 is connected to the sub-control board terminal 5 A disposed on the upper surface of the recording head 5. Yes. The sub-control board 31 includes a temperature control unit 30 that controls the ink heater 15 as a heating device in an analog manner based on the ink temperature detected by the temperature sensor 13 as an ink temperature detection device. The lower surface of the recording head 5 is a nozzle surface 5B.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the sub control board 31 is covered and sealed with a case 32 made of plastic or the like, and the cable K connected to the portion where the recording head terminal 33 is disposed and the main control board 24. It is comprised so that only the site | part through which may pass may be opened. In the present embodiment, the case 32 also covers the connection portion between the recording head terminal 33 and the sub control board terminal 5A, and the size and shape of the case 32 are hermetically sealed. It has become. For this reason, it is possible to prevent ink mist, dust, and the like from adhering to the connection portion, thereby further bringing the sub-control board 31 into a stable operating state. The material of the case 32 is not limited to plastic, and an appropriate material may be used as long as it is a material having corrosion resistance to ink or the like. As a means for sealing the sub control board 31, as described above, in addition to sealing in the case 32, the sub control board 31 (connection between the recording head terminal 33 and the sub control board terminal 5A is made of resin such as silicon). It is also possible to include a part, etc.).

  In FIG. 2, only the yellow recording head 5 is shown for the sake of convenience. Actually, however, other recording heads 6, 7, and 8 are adjacent to the recording head 5 as shown in FIG. The main control board 24 and each recording head are connected via the sub control board. Further, with respect to the plurality of nozzles, nozzle row, nozzle surface 5B, temperature sensor 13, ink heater 15 and the like provided in the yellow recording head 5, the same applies to the other recording heads 6, 7 and 8. It is assumed that the configuration, control, operation, and the like described for the yellow recording head 5 are also applied to the other recording heads 6, 7, and 8.

  Further, as described above, the ultraviolet irradiation devices 9 and 10 for irradiating the ink landed on the recording medium 99 with ultraviolet rays are mounted on both ends in the scanning direction B of the carriage 11, respectively. Similar to the recording heads 5, 6, 7, 8, the carriage 11 can be moved by reciprocating movement. Each ultraviolet irradiation device 9, 10 is provided with an ultraviolet light source (not shown), and each ultraviolet irradiation device 9, 10 emits ultraviolet light toward the recording surface of the recording medium 99 when the ultraviolet light source is turned on. Can be irradiated. As the ultraviolet light source, a high pressure mercury lamp, a low pressure mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp, a black light, a hot cathode tube, a cold cathode tube, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), or the like is applied.

Next, the control configuration in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In the present embodiment, the inkjet printer 1 is provided with a main control unit 20 that digitally controls each drive unit as shown in FIG. The main control unit 20 includes a CPU 21, a RAM 22, a ROM 23, and the like, and is provided on the main control board 24 configured with a digital circuit. The main control unit 20 is connected to the recording medium transport mechanism 3, the recording heads 5, 6, 7, 8, the ultraviolet irradiation devices 9, 10, the carriage driving mechanism 11 a, and the type of the recording medium 99 via an interface (not shown). Are electrically connected to an input unit 14 for inputting an instruction at the time of image recording and the like, a temperature control unit 30 for controlling the temperature of ink in the recording heads 5, 6, 7, and 8. In addition to these, the main control unit 20 is connected to each drive unit of the inkjet printer 1 and the like.

The main control unit 20 reciprocates the carriage 11 in the scanning direction B and repeats conveyance and stop of the recording medium 99 in accordance with the operation of the carriage 11 so that the recording medium 99 is intermittently conveyed in the conveyance direction A. In addition, the operations of the carriage driving mechanism 11a and the recording medium conveying mechanism 3 are controlled.
The main control unit 20 controls the ultraviolet irradiation devices 9 and 10 to generate ultraviolet rays.

  Further, the main control unit 20 is connected to an input unit 14 including a host computer and a scanner for inputting image information, a keyboard for inputting image recording conditions, and the like, and recording heads 5, 6, 7, and 8. The unit 20 operates the recording heads 5, 6, 7, and 8 based on a predetermined signal input from the input unit 14, and discharges ink onto the recording medium 99 to record a predetermined image. Yes.

  On the other hand, a temperature sensor 13 for detecting the ink temperature inside the recording head 5 and an ink heater 15 for heating the ink inside the recording head 5 are provided on the sub-control board 24 constituted by an analog circuit and are analog. It is electrically connected to the temperature control unit 30 that performs control, and is not directly connected to the main control unit 20. Thereby, the temperature control of the ink inside the recording head 5 can be performed completely separated from the main control board 24 provided with the main control unit 20. The temperature sensors for detecting the ink temperature inside the other recording heads 6, 7, 8 and the ink heaters for heating the ink inside the other recording heads 6, 7, 8 are also used for the recording heads 6, 7. , 8 are electrically connected to the temperature control units of the sub-control boards connected to each other, and are controlled by the respective temperature control units.

The temperature control unit 30 receives the ink temperature inside the recording head 5 detected by the temperature sensor 13 as information, and controls the ink heater 15 correspondingly. In this embodiment, PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control is performed on an analog circuit. Specific examples of the control of the ink heater 15 include the following cases.
First, the temperature control unit 30 stores in advance a reference temperature for the ink to have an appropriate viscosity for each ink type. Then, the ink temperature detected by the temperature sensor 13 is compared with the reference temperature. When the detected ink temperature is lower than a predetermined reference temperature, the ink heater 15 is operated, and the detected ink temperature is equal to or higher than the reference temperature. In this case, the ink heater 15 is controlled to be stopped.

  The reference temperature determined for each ink type is stored in the main control unit 20, and when the type of ink to be used is determined, only the reference temperature for the ink is transmitted to the temperature control unit 30. May be. Further, the ink reference temperature may be changed not only by the type of ink but also by other conditions such as the type of recording medium 99 to be used. Further, in addition to the control as described above, the ink heater is operated when the detected ink temperature is lower than a predetermined reference temperature, and the ink heater 15 is stopped when the detected ink temperature reaches the reference temperature. Control that gradually increases the heating amount of the ink heater 15 as the ink temperature detected with respect to a predetermined reference temperature decreases is also conceivable.

Next, “ink” used in the present embodiment will be described.
The ink used in the present embodiment is an ultraviolet curable ink that is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays as light, and includes as a main component a polymerizable compound (including known polymerizable compounds), a photoinitiator, and a color. It contains at least a material.

  The ultraviolet curable ink is roughly classified into a radical polymerization type ink containing a radical polymerizable compound and a cationic polymerization type ink containing a cationic polymerizable compound as a polymerizable compound. As the ink used in the present embodiment, a hybrid ink in which a radical polymerization ink and a cation polymerization ink are combined may be used as the ink used in the present embodiment. Here, as compared with radical polymerization ink, cationic polymerization ink has higher sensitivity to ultraviolet light and less inhibition of polymerization reaction by oxygen, and therefore can reduce the illuminance necessary for curing the ink. For this reason, in this embodiment, a cationic polymerization type ultraviolet curable ink is used as the ink. In addition, since the cationic polymerization type ink has a property that the rate of change in physical properties due to temperature is large, it is necessary to control the temperature of the ink, and conventionally, a large burden is imposed on the main control board. However, according to the present invention, the burden on the main control board 24 can be eliminated by disposing the sub control board 31 including the temperature control unit 30.

Next, the recording medium 99 used in the ink jet printer 1 will be described.
The recording medium 99 used in the present embodiment is made of various papers such as plain paper, recycled paper, glossy paper, etc., various fabrics, various non-woven fabrics, resin, metal, glass, and the like applied to ordinary ink jet printers. Things are applicable. Further, as the form of the recording medium 99, a roll shape, a cut sheet shape, a plate shape, or the like is applicable.
Furthermore, as the recording medium 99 used in the present embodiment, various known papers whose surfaces are coated with a resin, films containing pigments, foamed films, and other known opaque recording media can be applied.

Next, the operation of the ink jet printer 1 in the present embodiment will be described.
When an operator sets the recording medium 99 in the ink jet printer 1 and the power of the ink jet printer 1 is turned on, the ultraviolet light source is turned on to irradiate ultraviolet rays toward the recording surface of the recording medium 99 on which ink droplets land. To do.

When image information is sent from the input unit 14 and setting information for various image recording conditions is sent to the main control unit 20 of the inkjet printer 1, the main control unit 20 starts image recording.
During the operation of the ink jet printer 1, on the other hand, the transport rollers 3 a and 3 b are operated and rotated, and the recording medium 99 is transported in the transport direction A from the rear to the front with the non-recording surface supported by the platen 2. It is conveyed along. On the other hand, the carriage 11 is operated to reciprocate along the scanning direction B immediately above the recording medium 99, and the four recording heads 5, 6, 7, 8 and the two ultraviolet irradiation devices 9 mounted on the carriage 11. , 10 also move as the carriage 11 reciprocates.

  During the movement of the carriage 11, the four recording heads 5, 6, 7, and 8 eject ink from the nozzles toward the recording surface of the recording medium 99, and the two ultraviolet irradiation devices 9 and 10 include the recording medium 99. Irradiate ultraviolet rays toward the recording surface. In this embodiment, since the respective ultraviolet light sources of the two ultraviolet irradiation devices 9 and 10 are always in the on state, the ink ejected from the respective recording heads 5, 6, 7, and 8 Immediately after landing on the recording medium 99 by the ultraviolet irradiation device on the downstream side of the recording heads 5, 6, 7, and 8 with respect to the moving direction, the ultraviolet rays are irradiated and cured immediately. Further, since the carriage 11 is reciprocated, the ultraviolet rays are irradiated a plurality of times from the two ultraviolet irradiation devices 9 and 10 to the same portion, so that the ink is reliably fixed on the recording surface of the recording medium 99.

  Thereafter, the inkjet printer 1 repeats the above operations, and a desired image composed of a plurality of dots of each process color is sequentially recorded on the recording surface of the recording medium 99.

  Here, in the ink jet printer 1 of the present embodiment, the temperature sensor 13 detects the ink temperature inside the recording head 5 every predetermined period or always. The detected temperature is transmitted as information to the temperature control unit 30, and the temperature of the detected temperature is compared with the reference temperature set for each ink type by the control of the temperature control unit 30 that has received the information. When the detected ink temperature is lower than the reference temperature, the ink heater 15 is activated. Further, when the detected ink temperature is equal to or higher than the reference temperature, the ink heater 15 is stopped. As a result, the ink temperature inside the recording head 5 is kept appropriate.

  As described above, according to the ink jet printer of the present embodiment, the temperature control unit is connected to the sub control substrate that relays between the main control substrate including the main control unit that performs various controls relating to image formation and the recording head. Accordingly, the temperature control of the ink inside the recording head can be performed by the sub control board, and the load on the CPU of the main control board can be reduced. As a result, stable image formation can be performed.

In addition, since the sub control board is configured not to be included in either the main control board or the print head at a position where the sub control board is relayed between the main control board and the print head, By simply connecting the main control board and the recording head without relaying the board, a control configuration without a temperature control unit can be achieved. Accordingly, a common main control board can be used for both the ink jet printers configured to heat the ink inside the recording head and not to heat the ink.
Furthermore, since the temperature control unit is not provided in the recording head, the difference between a recording head configured to heat ink and a recording head configured to not heat ink is that a heating device is attached to the recording head. Therefore, both recording heads can be manufactured with almost the same members and manufacturing processes.
As a result, the manufacturing cost of the ink jet printer can be suppressed, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

  In this embodiment, since the sub control board is directly mounted on the connector connected to the print head, a connection cable between the sub control board and the print head is not necessary, and the number of parts can be reduced. it can. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the ink jet printer can be further suppressed.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the sub control board is sealed, it is possible to prevent ink mist, dust, and the like from adhering to the sub control board. As a result, the sub control board can be stably operated without causing any trouble.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the sub-control board is composed of an analog circuit, the main control board composed of a digital circuit can be completely separated from the control, and the CPU of the main control board can be controlled. The load can be reliably reduced. As a result, more stable image formation can be performed.

  In the present embodiment, since the temperature control unit performs temperature control by PWM control on the analog circuit, the load on the CPU of the main control board can be more specifically reduced. As a result, more stable image formation can be performed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and design changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the present embodiment, a serial type ink jet printer is used as the ink jet printer, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a line printer may be used as the ink jet printer.

  In addition, as described above, the ink (including radical polymerization ink, cationic polymerization ink, and hybrid ink) used in the present embodiment is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays, but is not necessarily limited thereto. However, the ink may be cured by irradiation with light other than ultraviolet light, or may be ink that is not photocurable ink. Here, “light” is light in a broad sense and includes electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays, electron beams, X-rays, visible rays, and infrared rays. That is, the ink used in the present embodiment is applied with a polymerizable compound that is polymerized and cured with light other than ultraviolet light and a photoinitiator that initiates a polymerization reaction between the polymerizable compounds with light other than ultraviolet light. Also good. When using a photocurable ink that is cured by light other than ultraviolet rays as the ink used in this embodiment, a light irradiation device that irradiates the light instead of the ultraviolet irradiation devices 9 and 10 shown in FIG. 1 must be applied. I must.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic which shows the recording head and sub control board of the inkjet printer in this Embodiment. It is a control block diagram which shows the main control structures of the inkjet printer in this Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 3 Recording-medium conveyance mechanism 5,6,7,8 Recording head 5A Sub control board terminal 5B Nozzle surface 9,10 Ultraviolet irradiation apparatus 11 Carriage 13 Temperature sensor (ink temperature detection apparatus)
15 Ink heater (heating device)
20 Main Control Unit 24 Main Control Board 30 Temperature Control Unit 31 Sub Control Board 32 Case 33 Recording Head Terminal 35 Connector 99 Recording Medium A Conveying Direction B Scanning Direction K Cable

Claims (5)

A recording head that ejects ink to form an image on a recording medium;
An ink temperature detecting device for detecting the ink temperature inside the recording head;
A heating device for heating the ink inside the recording head;
A temperature control unit for controlling the heating device based on the ink temperature detected by the ink temperature detection device;
In an inkjet printer comprising:
An ink jet printer, wherein the temperature control unit is provided on a sub control substrate that relays between a main control substrate having a main control unit that performs various controls relating to image formation and the recording head. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein
An ink jet printer, wherein the sub control board is directly mounted on a connector connected to the recording head. The inkjet printer according to claim 1 or 2,
An ink jet printer, wherein the sub-control board is sealed. In the inkjet printer as described in any one of Claims 1-3,
An ink jet printer, wherein the sub-control board is composed of an analog circuit. The inkjet printer according to claim 4.
The ink jet printer, wherein the temperature control unit performs temperature control by PWM control on the analog circuit.

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