Patent ID: 6193342
Filing Date: 2001-02-27
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
An ink jet printer, comprising:an ink discharge device for discharging ink, having (i) a body prescribing an ink flow path through which the ink is supplied, a plurality of ink storing chambers each connected to the ink flow path in which the supplied ink is temporarily stored and a plurality of ink discharge holes connected to respective one of the ink storing chambers though which the temporarily stored ink is discharged, and (ii) a plurality of actuators for selectively applying pressure fluctuation to the ink in the ink storing chambers;a driving voltage generating device for generating a driving voltage having a pulse-like waveform, which causes the ink to be discharged from each of the ink discharge holes by inducing the pressure fluctuation with the respective one of the actuators;a plurality of analog switching devices for selectively opening and closing each current-carrying path, through which the driving voltage is supplied to the respective one of the actuators;a power source voltage supplying device for supplying a power source voltage to the analog switching devices;a driving voltage adjusting device for changing at least one of a slope and an amplitude of the waveform of the driving voltage; anda power source voltage adjusting device for changing the power source voltage,wherein each of the analog switching devices includes a transistor having an input terminal as an input of the corresponding current-carrying path, an output terminal as an output of the corresponding current-carrying path and a switching state control terminal for controlling open or close of the corresponding current-carrying path, and an ON-resistance between the input terminal and the output terminal of the transistor in a state that the corresponding current-carrying path is closed is changed with a change in the power source voltage.