Patent ID: 7575291

Claim:
A recording apparatus comprising: (a) a recording head unit having actuators and operable to perform a dot recording operation using at least one recording material that is ejected by activation of said actuators; (b) a main circuit operable to output activator signals for activating said actuators, and drive waveform signals for controlling ejection of the at least one recording material; and (c) a drive circuit operable to receive said activator signals and said drive waveform signals, generate drive signals based on said output activator signals and said drive waveform signals, and supply the generated drive signals to said actuators, wherein said main circuit has (b-1) a merged-signal generator operable to generate a merged signal into which at least part of said activator signals and at least one of said drive waveform signals are serially merged, and (b-2) a merged-signal transmitter operable to transmit said merged signal to said drive circuit, wherein said drive circuit retrieves said at least part of said activator signals and said at least one of said drive waveform signals from the transmitted merged signal, such that the retrieved at least part of said activator signals and the retrieved at least one of said drive waveform signals are separated from each other, wherein said main circuit transmit, in addition to said merged signal, a clock signal and a drive-waveform-signal-level change indicator signal to said drive circuit, said clock signal being alternately placed in first and second level states thereof, said drive-waveform-signal-level change indicator signal being alternately placed in first and second level states thereof, and being placed in one of said first and second level states at least when said at least one of said drive waveform signals is changed in level, wherein said merged-signal generator generates said merged signal, such that the generated merged signal has (i) drive-waveform-signal portions indicative of the level of said at least one of said drive waveform signals and (ii) activator-signal portions constituted by said at least part of said activator signals, and such that said drive-waveform-signal portions and said activator-signal portions are alternately arranged in the generated merged signal, and wherein said merged-signal transmitter transmits said merged signal, such that said drive-waveform-signal portions are synchronized with placement of said clock signal in one of said first and second level states thereof when said drive-waveform-signal-level change indicator signal is being placed in said one of said first and second level states thereof, and such that said activator-signal portions are synchronized with placement of said clock signal in said one of said first and second level states thereof when said drive-waveform-signal-level change indicator signal is being placed in the other of said first and second level states thereof.