Ink jet recording apparatus and ink jet recording method

Claim 2

An ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said ink jet recording apparatus further comprises a scanning means for performing a scanning operation of said recording head for recording, and each of said plurality of individually different discharging portions is used to eject an ink droplet in respective different scanning of said recording head.

Claim 3

An ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said recording head generates a bubble in an ink fluid by thermal energy and ejects the ink droplet in responsive to generation of said bubble.

Claim 4

An ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said data setting means assigns said plurality of driving data to said plurality of individually different discharging portions in a predetermined order, and the discharging portion assigned at first to each of said pixels is different from one of said pixels to another of said pixels.

Claim 5

An ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said discharging portion assigned at first is one next to the discharging portion assigned in the previous data setting of the pixel in said predetermined order.

Claim 6

An ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that said predetermined order is an sequential order of said plurality of individually different discharging portions.

Claim 7

An ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that said predetermined order is a sequential order of said plurality of individually different discharging portions, and said discharging portion assigned at first is determined in accordance with a position of a corresponding pixel in said set of pixels.

Claim 8

An ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said predetermined order is a sequential order of said plurality of individually different discharging portions, and said discharging portion assigned at first is determined randomly.

Claim 9

An ink jet recording apparatus for recording an image with a set of pixels formed by ejecting an ink droplet onto a recording medium, characterized by comprising: a plurality of recording heads each of which has a plurality of discharging portions, each of said plurality of recording heads ejecting individually different kinds of ink droplets from said each of a plurality of discharging portions, respectively; a driving means for making said plurality of recording heads eject respective ink droplets in responsive to driving data; and a driving data setting means for assigning said driving data to a plurality of individually different discharging portions of said plurality of recording heads so as to form each one of said pixels by means of a plurality of ink droplets ejected from said plurality of individually different discharging portions of said plurality of recording heads, identical kinds of ink droplets of said plurality of ink droplets being ejected on different positions from one another in said each one of said pixels, and the discharging portions to which said driving data are assigned at first in said plurality of recording heads ejecting ink droplets on identical positions with one another.

Claim 10

An ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that said ink jet recording apparatus further comprises a scanning means for performing a scanning operation of said plurality of recording heads for recording, and each of said plurality of discharging portions in each of said plurality of recording heads ejects a respective kind of ink droplet in respective different scanning of said recording head.

Claim 11

An ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that each of said plurality of recording heads generates a bubble in an ink fluid by thermal energy and ejects the ink droplet in responsive to generation of said bubble.

Claim 12

An ink jet recording apparatus for recording an image with a set of pixels formed by ejecting an ink droplet onto a recording medium, characterized by comprising: a recording head having a plurality of discharging portions from each of which the ink droplet is ejected; a driving means for making said recording head eject the ink droplet according to driving data; and a data setting means for assigning said driving data to one of said plurality of discharging portions so as to form each of said pixels, said one of said plurality of discharging portions being different from one of said pixels to another of said pixels.

Claim 13

An ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that said ink jet recording apparatus further comprises a scanning means for performing a scanning operation of said recording head, and said one of said plurality of discharging portions ejects the ink droplet in respective different scanning of said recording head.

Claim 14

An ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that said recording head generates a bubble in an ink fluid by thermal energy and ejects the ink droplet in responsive to generation of said bubble.

Claim 15

An ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that said one of said plurality of discharging portions is different from one of said pixels to another of said pixels in the direction of said scanning of said recording head.

Claim 16

An ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that said one of said plurality of discharging portions is different from one of said pixels to another of said pixels in the direction of array of said plurality of discharging portions.

Claim 17

An ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that said driving data is a gray scale level data, and each of said pixels is formed by means of one or more ink droplets ejected from said plurality of discharging portions.

Claim 18

An ink jet recording method for recording an image with a set of pixels formed by ejecting an ink droplet onto a recording medium, characterized by comprising the steps of: providing for a recording head having a plurality of discharging portions from each of which the ink droplet is ejected; assigning driving data to a plurality of individually different discharging portions so as to form each one of said pixels by means of a plurality of ink droplets ejected from said plurality of individually different discharging portions, which are different from one of said pixels to another of said pixels; and making said recording head eject the ink droplet according to said driving data assigned.

Claim 19

An ink jet recording method as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that said ink jet recording method further comprises a step for performing a scanning operation of said recording head for recording, and each of said plurality of individually different discharging portions is used to eject an ink droplet in respective different scanning of said recording head.

Claim 20

An ink jet recording method as claimed in claim 19, characterized in that said recording head generates a bubble in an ink fluid by thermal energy and ejects the ink droplet in responsive to generation of said bubble.

Claim 21

An ink jet recording method as claimed in claim 19, characterized in that said assigning step assigns said driving data to said plurality of individually different discharging portions in a predetermined order, and the discharging portion assigned at first to each of said pixels is different from one of said pixels to another of said pixels.

Claim 22

An ink jet recording method as claimed in claim 21, characterized in that said discharging portion assigned at first is one next to the discharging portion assigned in the previous data setting of the pixel in said predetermined order.

Claim 23

An ink jet recording method as claimed in claim 22, characterized in that said predetermined order is a sequential order of said plurality of individually different discharging portions.

Claim 24

An ink jet recording method as claimed in claim 22, characterized in that said predetermined order is a sequential order of said plurality of individually different discharging portions, and said discharging portion assigned at first is determined in accordance with a position of a corresponding pixel in said set of pixels.

Claim 25

An ink jet recording method as claimed in claim 21, characterized in that said predetermined order is a sequential order of said plurality of individually different discharging portions, and said discharging portion assigned at first is determined randomly.

Claim 26

An ink jet recording method for recording an image with a set of pixels formed by ejecting an ink droplet onto a recording medium, characterized by comprising the steps of: providing for a plurality of recording heads each of which has a plurality of discharging portions, each of said plurality of recording heads ejecting individually different kinds of ink droplets from said each of a plurality of discharging portions, respectively; assigning driving data to a plurality of individually different discharging portions of said plurality of recording heads, so as to form each one of said pixels by means of a plurality of ink droplets ejected from said plurality of individually different discharging portions of said plurality of recording heads, identical kinds of ink droplets of said plurality of ink droplets being ejected on different positions from one another in said each one of said pixels, and the discharging portions to which said driving data are assigned at first in said plurality of recording heads ejecting ink droplets on identical positions with one another; and making said plurality of recording heads eject respective ink droplets in responsive to said driving data assigned.

Claim 27

An ink jet recording method as claimed in claim 26, characterized in that said method further comprises a step for performing scanning operations of said plurality of recording head for recording, and each of said plurality of discharging portions in each of said plurality of recording head ejects a respective kind of ink droplet in respective different scanning of said recording head.

Claim 28

An ink jet recording method as claimed in claim 27, characterized in that each of said plurality of recording heads generates a bubble in an ink fluid by thermal energy and ejects the ink droplet in responsive to generation of said bubble.

Claim 29

A recording method for forming a pixel on a designated line on a recording medium by scanning a recording head ejecting an ink fluid from a plurality of discharging portions, characterized by comprising the steps of: selecting a plurality of discharging portions which can be used for forming said pixel on said designated line; determining the discharging portion used for forming the first pixel on said designated line in accordance with ejection data corresponding to an ejection from said plurality of selected discharging portions onto said first pixel; and determining the discharging portion used for forming the second pixel on said designated line among said plurality of selected discharging portions in accordance with data corresponding to an ejection from the discharging portion determined to be used before said plurality of selected discharging portions to said second pixel.

Claim 30

A recording method as claimed in claim 29, characterized in that said ejection data is defined as gray scale level data, and said pixel on said designated line is formed by a single ink droplet or a plurality of ink droplets ejected from a plurality of discharging portions.

Claim 31

A recording method as claimed in claim 30, characterized in that the discharging portion used for forming said second pixel is determined in a predetermined order among said plurality of selected discharging portions.

Claim 32

A recording method as claimed in claim 31, characterized in that said recording head generates a bubble in an ink fluid by thermal energy and ejects the ink droplet in responsive to generation of said bubble.

Claim 33

Ink jet recording method or apparatus in which each picture element to be recorded is formed by ink dots from a plurality of different jets, characterised in that the jets employed for different pixels are varied so as to maintain an even use distribution over the jets.

Claim 34

Ink jet recording method or apparatus in which each pixel is recorded as a plurality of different dots, characterised in that the different dots are formed by a pseudo half toning or error diffusion processing.