Recording Apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021252855-A1
Application number	US-202117174659-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 12, 2021
Priority date	Feb 13, 2020
Publication date	Aug 19, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A recording apparatus includes a liquid ejection head having nozzles, a controller, and a signal input part through which a user inputs, to the controller, a setting signal indicating settings related to a grade of a barcode or two-dimensional code. The controller drives the liquid ejection head based on the setting signal input through the signal input part to cause the nozzles to eject liquid to record a barcode or two-dimensional code on a recording medium in the grade corresponding to the setting signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A recording apparatus comprising:
a liquid ejection head having nozzles; a controller; and a signal input part through which a user inputs, to the controller, a setting signal indicating settings related to a grade of a barcode or two-dimensional code, wherein the controller drives the liquid ejection head based on the setting signal input through the signal input part to cause the nozzles to eject liquid to record a barcode or two-dimensional code on a recording medium in the grade corresponding to the setting signal.

2 . The recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller:
sets a driving waveform signal for driving the liquid ejection head based on the setting signal input through the signal input part; and
drives the liquid ejection head using the set driving waveform signal to cause the nozzles to eject liquid to record a barcode or two-dimensional code on a recording medium in the grade corresponding to the setting signal.

3 . The recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller:
sets a driving voltage to be applied to the liquid ejection head based on the setting signal input through the signal input part; and
applies the set driving voltage to the liquid ejection head to cause the nozzles to eject liquid to record a barcode or two-dimensional code on a recording medium in the grade corresponding to the setting signal.

4 . The recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the liquid ejection head has a nozzle surface to which the nozzles are formed, and the recording apparatus includes a relative displacement unit configured to cause the liquid ejection head and the recording medium to relatively displace in a direction parallel to the nozzle surface, wherein the controller:
performs the setting including a setting related to an ejection speed of liquid from the nozzles based on the setting signal input through the signal input part;
controls the relative displacement unit to cause the liquid ejection head and the recording medium to relatively displace and, at the same time, drives the liquid ejection head based on the setting to eject liquid from the nozzles to record a barcode or two-dimensional code on the recording medium; and
makes a relative displacement speed between the liquid ejection head and the recording medium by the relative displacement unit faster as the liquid ejection speed corresponding to the setting signal gets faster.

5 . The recording apparatus according to claim 4 , comprising a gap changing unit configured to change a gap between the nozzle surface and the recording medium by relatively displacing the liquid ejection head and the recording medium in a direction intersecting with the nozzle surface,
wherein the controller controls the gap changing unit to make the gap between the nozzle surface and the recording medium greater as the relative displacement speed between the liquid ejection head and the recording medium by the relative displacement unit gets faster.

6 . The recording apparatus according to claim 3 , comprising a cooling fan provided to the liquid ejection head,
wherein the controller makes a rotation speed of the cooling fan faster as the driving voltage gets higher.

7 . The recording apparatus according to claim 3 , comprising:
a cooling flow path provided to the liquid ejection head and through which cooling liquid flows; and a pump connected to the cooling flow path, wherein the controller makes a rotation speed of the pump faster as the driving voltage gets higher.

8 . The recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the liquid ejection head has a nozzle surface to which the nozzles are formed, and the recording apparatus includes a relative displacement unit configured to cause the liquid ejection head and the recording medium to relatively displace in a direction parallel to the nozzle surface, wherein the controller:
sets a driving frequency of the liquid ejection head based on the setting signal input through the signal input part;
controls the relative displacement unit to cause the liquid ejection head and the recording medium to relatively displace and, at the same time, drives the liquid ejection head at the set driving frequency to eject liquid from the nozzles to record a barcode or two-dimensional code on the recording medium; and
makes a relative displacement speed between the liquid ejection head and the recording medium by the relative displacement unit faster as the driving frequency gets higher.

9 . The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a storage configured to store correlation information indicating correlation between the setting and the grade,
wherein the controller is configured to transmit a display signal for causing a display part to display a setting screen for performing the setting, the setting screen including a setting display part configured to display information concerning the setting and a grade display part configured to display information concerning the grade and being configured such that the information concerning the setting displayed on the setting display part and the information concerning the grade displayed on the grade display part are linked based on the correlation information.

10 . The recording apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the controller is configured to output the display signal for causing the display part to display the setting screen further including a notifying part configured to notify a user of the setting for making the grade a predetermined grade.

11 . The recording apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein the setting includes a setting of a smallest width of elements of a barcode or two-dimensional code, and wherein the correlation information includes information indicating that the grade will be set to the one with which a reading accuracy by a reader becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined accuracy if the smallest width of the elements of a barcode or two-dimensional code is set to a width that is smaller than a smallest width defined in a regulation of a barcode or two-dimensional code.

12 . The recording apparatus according to claim 9 , comprising the display part.

13 . The recording apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the controller is configured to output the display signal to a device separate from the recording device which is connected to the recording device and which comprises the display part.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Kanzaki Shotaro
• Kishigami Toshihiro
• Ito Atsushi

Classifications

• G06F3/1253

  Configuration of print job parameters, e.g. using UI at the client · CPC title

• B41J3/01

  for special character, e.g. for Chinese characters or barcodes · CPC title

• B41J2/505

  from an assembly of identical printing elements · CPC title

• B41J2/04551 Primary

  using several operating modes · CPC title

• B41J2/04581

  controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements · CPC title