Ink jet recording apparatus using the thermal energy and recovery method therefor

Claim 2

The recovery method for the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said compulsory recovery mode is to perform said predischarge onto a supplied recording sheet.

Claim 3

The recovery method for ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that said recording means has a plurality of said heat acting areas, and the predischarge onto said recording sheet is performed intermittently.

Claim 4

An ink jet recording apparatus characterized by means for supplying more than 10³ shots of the energy exceeding 1.48 times the minimum energy Eo necessary for discharging the ink with bubbles formed by the thermal energy applied to a heat acting area in an ink holding portion.

Claim 5

An ink jet recording apparatus characterized by means for supplying the energy preheating a heat acting area in an ink holding portion, and means for supplying more than 5 x 10⁵ shots of the energy exceeding 1.44 times the minimum energy Eo necessary for discharging the ink with bubbles formed by the thermal energy applied to the heat acting area in the ink holding portion.

Claim 6

An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a recording sheet conveying mechanism; a recording head which has an ink holding portion and forms bubbles on a heat acting area; and a recording head cap having an absorbing member inside thereof; said apparatus having a compulsory recovery mode during the recording in which the predischarge is accomplished into the recording head cap by supplying more than 10³ shots of the energy exceeding 1.48 times the minimum energy Eo necessary for discharging the ink with bubbles formed by the thermal energy supplied to act on the heat acting area in the ink holding portion; and a compulsory recovery mode during the non-recording in which the discharge is performed onto a recording sheet supplied from said recording sheet conveying mechanism by supplying more than 10⁴ shots of the energy exceeding 1.48 times the minimum energy Eo necessary for discharging the ink with the bubbles formed by the thermal energy supplied to act on the heat acting area in the ink holding portion.

Claim 7

An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a recording sheet conveying mechanism; a recording head which has an ink holding portion and forms bubbles on a heat acting area; said apparatus having a compulsory recovery mode during the non-recording in which the predischarge is performed onto a recording sheet supplied from said recording sheet conveying mechanism by supplying more than 10⁴ shots of the energy exceeding 1.48 times the minimum energy Eo necessary for discharging the ink with bubbles formed by the thermal energy supplied to act on the heat acting area in the ink holding portion; and a compulsory recovery mode for maintenance in which the predischarge is performed onto the recording sheet supplied from the recording sheet conveying mechanism by supplying more than 10⁵ shots of the energy exceeding 1.48 times the minimum energy Eo necessary for discharging the ink with the bubbles formed by the thermal energy supplied to act on the heat acting area in the ink holding portion, thereby supplying a larger amount of energy than in the compulsory recovery mode during the non-recording.

Claim 8

An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a recording head having discharge energy generating elements and capable of making a recovery operation of compulsorily discharging the ink through discharge ports by driving said discharge energy generating elements at a discharge failure as well as recording by discharging the ink through said discharge ports by the use of the energy obtained from said discharge energy generating elements, characterized by providing: driving energy control means for controlling the driving energy so that the amount of electrical energy for driving said discharge energy generating elements during said recovery operation may be more than or equal to 1.48 times the minimum amount of electrical energy necessary for driving said discharge energy generating elements during the recording.

Claim 9

The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that said driving energy control means can output electrical pulses continuously or intermittently, and the amount of said electrical energy can be varied in connection with the voltage of said electrical pulses and/or the width of pulse, and the number of pulses to be output continuously or intermittently.

Claim 10

The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the ink discharged at said recovery operation is received within a cap member for said recording head, and can be exhausted from said cap member with suction means.

Claim 11

The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that an ink absorbing member for absorbing the ink discharged during said recovery operation is provided in said cap member.

Claim 12

The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the ink discharge during said recovery operation is received within an ink receiving portion having the ink absorbing member provided apart from said cap member for said recording head, and can be exhausted from said ink receiving portion with suction means.

Claim 13

A recovery method for an ink jet recording apparatus comprising a recording head having discharge energy generating elements and capable of recording by discharging ink droplets discharge through discharge ports by the use of the energy obtained from said discharge energy generating elements, characterized in that at discharge failure of said recording apparatus, the ink is compulsory discharged through said discharge ports by supplying more than or equal to 1.48 times the minimum amount of electrical energy necessary for discharging the ink to said discharge energy generating elements during the recording.

Claim 14

The recovery method for the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that said recovery operation performed at discharge failure of said recording head is conducted at a higher temperature than the self-heating by specifically heating said recording head.

Claim 15

The recovery method for the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the electrical energy to be supplied to said discharge energy generating elements at discharge failure of said recording head is output continuously or intermittently, and the number of pulses ranges from 3 x 10⁵ to 10⁶.

Claim 16

The recovery method for the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the electrical energy to be supplied to said discharge energy generating elements at discharge failure of said recording head is output continuously or intermittently, and the number of pulses ranges from 3 x 10⁵ to 10⁶.

Claim 17

The recovery method of the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the amount of said electrical energy can be varied in connection with the voltage of said electrical pulses and/or the width of pulse, and the number of pulses to be output continuously or intermittently.