JP2000318179A - Ink jet recording apparatus, ink bag and ink residual quantity sensing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recording apparatus for accurately sensing the residual quantity and an ink residual quantity sensing method. SOLUTION: A trough member 62 provided with a hole portion 76 for supplying ink to an ink supply channel is arranged in an ink bag 26. Even if the ink bag 26 comes to collapse, a space is ensured in the vicinity of the hole portion 76 by the trough member 62 and ink 80 is certainly led out. After a predetermined amt. of ink 80 is led out, air 82 is led out to an ink supply passage and an optical sensing means senses the absence of ink residual quantity. At an initial use stage of the ink bag 26, an air bubble adheres to the trough member 62 but the air bubble adhering to the inner surface 70 of the trough member is moved to the inner surface 70 from through-holes 74 by bouyancy and the air bubble adhering to the outer surface 72 of the trough member is moved to the inner surface 70 from the through-holes 74 by accompanying the leading-out of ink and these air bubbles move to the upper portion of the ink bag 26. Therefore, air 82 is led out to the ink supply channel at an initial use stage to prevent the erroneous sensing of the absence of ink residual quantity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus in which ink is supplied from an ink bag to a recording head, and a method of detecting the remaining amount of ink. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of filling an ink bag with gas and ink. The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink bag, and an ink remaining amount detecting method for reliably detecting the remaining amount of an ink bag.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording apparatus having an ink tank separated from a recording head is used. This is because the frequency of ink tank replacement is reduced by increasing the ink capacity of the ink jet recording apparatus. As described above, there is an ink jet recording apparatus in which the ink tank is separated from the recording head, which uses an ink bag in which two flexible films are laminated in the ink tank. By using the ink bag, the ink can be used efficiently to the end.

[0003] In such an ink jet recording apparatus,
In order to accurately detect the remaining amount of ink in the ink bag,
Various proposals have been made. Hereinafter, description will be made in order.

In Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-44548 (hereinafter referred to as Conventional Example 1), a distortion cage is disposed on the surface of a flexible ink bag, and deformation of the ink bag accompanying ink consumption is detected by the distortion cage. In this way, the remaining amount of ink is detected.

In Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-61605 (hereinafter referred to as Conventional Example 2), a temperature measuring resistor is disposed in a flexible ink bag, and the temperature measuring resistor changes according to the heat capacity of the ink. The remaining amount of ink is detected by detecting the resistance value.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-15103 (hereinafter referred to as Conventional Example 3)
In this method, a conductive liquid is filled between the ink bag and the housing, a pair of electrodes are arranged inside the liquid, and the liquid level of the conductive liquid accompanying the deformation of the ink bag is detected. Then, the remaining amount of ink is detected.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-21750 (hereinafter referred to as Conventional Example 4)
), A hollow needle forming a pair of electrodes on an inner surface and an outer surface which is also used as an ink supply needle is inserted into the inside of the ink bag, and the conduction state is detected to detect the remaining amount of ink.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-22582, Patent No. 2610
No. 018 (hereinafter referred to as Conventional Examples 5 and 6, respectively)
Means for detecting a pressure fluctuation occurring in the ink supply path through which the ink derived from the ink bag passes through is provided in the ink supply path to detect the remaining amount of ink.

[0009] In Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-19467 (hereinafter referred to as Conventional Example 7), the amount of liquid discharged is detected by counting the drive signal to the recording head and the recovery signal to the recovery means.
Detect the remaining amount of ink. As a similar example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 8-2649 (hereinafter referred to as Conventional Example 8), the remaining amount of ink is detected by measuring the print amount.

Japanese Patent No. 2627777 (hereinafter referred to as Conventional Example 9)
In this paper, a thin-film ink bag in which inks with different hues are sealed in the ink in the ink container is arranged, and when the ink reaches a predetermined remaining amount, the ink is pierced into an ink supply needle protruding into the ink container, and the thin-film ink is discharged. Since the bag bursts, the remaining amount of ink is detected in the printing state of the recording paper.

Japanese Patent No. 2766827 (hereinafter referred to as Conventional Example 1)
0), a flexible sheet is attached to an ink supply path through which ink derived from the ink bag passes, and the remaining amount of ink is detected by a photoreflector based on the deformation of the flexible sheet due to a change in pressure in the supply path. I do.

JP-A-3-7350, JP-B-3-606
No. 70, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-77068, JP-A-5-1637
7, JP-A-5-16378, JP-A-5-16379
In JP-A-6-328706 (hereinafter referred to as conventional examples 11 to 17, respectively), an ink remaining amount detecting plate is attached to the surface of an ink bag, and the ink remaining amount detecting plate is displaced in accordance with deformation of the ink bag. Is detected visually or by pressing a detector to detect the remaining amount of ink.

JP-B-7-20700, JP-B-7-25
In Japanese Patent No. 166 (hereinafter, referred to as Conventional Examples 18 and 19), the ink bag is filled with ink and gas in advance, and an electrode for detecting the presence or absence of ink is provided in an uncrushed space inside the ink bag. When deformed, the gas moves to the uncrushed space and reaches the electrode, and the electric resistance changes, so that the remaining amount of ink is detected.

In connection with the above-described means for detecting the remaining amount of ink, various proposals have been made for means for deriving ink or gas in the ink bag. Hereinafter, these will be described.

JP-A-56-63457 and JP-A-56-63457
131169, JP-A-57-12683, and Shokai 6
No. 1-18843 (hereinafter referred to as conventional examples 20 to 2 respectively)
3), in order to derive more ink from the ink bag, various forms of outlet pipes are disposed inside the ink bag.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-114080 (hereinafter referred to as Conventional Example 24), an ink outlet is provided on the surface of an ink bag so that the flexible films of the ink bag do not stick to each other. Providing projections inside the ink bag and making it not flat makes it possible to lead out the ink.

In JP-A-63-35346 (hereinafter referred to as "conventional example 25"), only the ink out of the ink and air inside the ink bag is provided. An electrode is arranged above the portion so as to be exposed inside the ink bag, and the remaining ink amount can be detected.

[0018]

As described above, various proposals have been made as means for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink bag, but there have been the following inconveniences. Less than,
It will be described in order.

In the conventional examples 1 to 4, since the electric element is disposed inside and outside of any of the ink bags, it is difficult to assemble the electric element itself while reducing the cost of the electric element itself and the electric signal from the electric element. In addition, a wiring for receiving the ink is required, and a connector or the like as an electric signal receiving unit is required in the printing apparatus itself, which causes a disadvantage that the cost increases when the ink bag is viewed as a replacement part of the printing apparatus. Further, in Conventional Example 3, a conductive liquid is required in addition to the ink, which further increases the cost.

In the conventional examples 5 and 6, there is no problem of the cost of the ink bag itself as described above. However, as means for detecting a pressure change in the ink supply path, an ink pressure feeding device, a pressure detector, an electrode, Since a screw or the like is required in the recording apparatus, there is a disadvantage that the recording apparatus itself is increased in size and cost is increased. Further, in the case of Conventional Example 6, there is also a disadvantage that the number of steps is increased because an adjusting operation using an adjusting screw is required.

In the conventional examples 7 and 8, since the means for judging the remaining amount of ink is determined by an electric signal, there is a disadvantage that a difference between the actual ink consumption and the actual ink consumption easily occurs due to a difference in printing density on recording paper. . Further, in the conventional example 9, since the ink supply path is contaminated by supplying inks having different hues to the ink supply path, it is necessary to replace all the contaminated ink in the ink supply path with new ink after replacing the ink tank. However, there is a disadvantage that ink is wasted.

In Conventional Example 10, the ink passage chamber (supply path)
Since the flexible sheet is used, when the surrounding environment of the recording apparatus changes, the air bubbles that have entered the ink passage chamber expand or contract, and the internal pressure fluctuates. Operation, and as a result, there is a problem that erroneous detection occurs in the remaining ink amount detection.

In the conventional examples 11 to 17, since the variation in the deformation process of the ink bag accompanying the consumption of ink is large, as a result, the operation of the ink remaining amount detecting plate varies, and the variation in the accuracy of detecting the ink remaining amount increases. was there.

In the conventional examples 18 and 19, since the electrodes are arranged in the ink bag, the cost of the electrodes themselves is reduced, and the assembly of the electrodes and the material of the electrodes themselves cause a chemical reaction with the ink. There is an inconvenience of generating harmful precipitates in the inside.

In the conventional examples 20 and 23, the lead-out tube is provided in the ink bag in order to lead out more ink in the ink bag. However, when leading out the air filled in the ink bag, the lead-out tube is provided. However, since air can only be extracted from the end of the outlet pipe, there is a problem that air accumulated on the surface of the outlet pipe cannot be output.

In the conventional examples 21 and 22, a plurality of holes are provided in the outlet pipe in order to lead out even more ink. However, because of the pipe shape, the air itself is hardly led out, and the outlet of the hole is difficult. There is a problem that it is impossible to take out the air accumulated on the surface of the lead-out pipe that does not exist. In addition, in the conventional example 21, the assembly is difficult due to the meandering pipe, and the cost of the material of the pipe increases.

In the conventional example 24, when a plurality of ink bags are provided, a large space is required, which is not suitable for increasing the size (larger capacity) of the ink bag. In addition, there is a disadvantage that the air accumulated in the upper portion of the ink bag is led out.

In the conventional example 25, since the ink outlet is provided at the ink outlet, it is impossible to derive the air inside the ink bag. In addition, since the electrode is provided in the ink bag, the electrode itself is not provided. Aside from the cost of
Depending on the difficulty of the assembly and the material of the electrode itself, there is a problem that a chemical reaction occurs with the ink and harmful precipitates are generated in the ink bag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to provide an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink bag, and an ink remaining amount detecting method for accurately detecting the remaining amount of ink in an ink bag.

[0030]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, ink is supplied from an ink bag to a recording head, and recording is performed by discharging ink droplets from the recording head onto recording paper. An ink bag filled with gas and ink, an opening for guiding ink from the inside of the ink bag to the outside, and an ink supply path for supplying ink from the opening to the recording head. And an ink remaining amount detecting means provided on the ink supply path and detecting the amount of ink remaining in the ink bag by detecting ink or gas passing through the ink supply path; A guide member that secures a space inside the ink bag through which ink can be led out from the mouth and prevents gas from adhering. To.

With this configuration, even if the ink bag is crushed due to the ink being drawn out from the ink bag, a space is secured at the mouth inside the ink bag by the guide member provided inside the ink bag. The ink is stably derived. In addition, since the guide member guides the ink toward the mouth, the ink is efficiently discharged.

When the remaining amount of ink reaches a predetermined amount, a gas is drawn out of the mouth into the ink supply path instead of ink, and the ink remaining amount detecting means provided in the ink supply path detects that the ink remaining amount has run out. I do. Printing is stopped based on this detection, and the ink bag is replaced. As described above, since the detection means is provided outside the ink bag, the ink remaining amount detection means can be easily provided, and is not affected by the variation in the deformation state (how to crush) of the ink bag. The remaining amount of ink can be accurately detected.

When the ink bag is installed in the ink jet recording apparatus, the gas inside the ink bag may become air bubbles and adhere to the guide member. However, the guide member is configured to prevent the gas from adhering. Therefore, adhesion of air bubbles can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the bubbles from being drawn out at the beginning of use of the ink bag and the ink remaining amount detecting means from erroneously detecting that there is no remaining ink.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the guide member extends from a mouth provided at one end of the ink bag to a vicinity of the other end.

With this configuration, when the ink bag is crushed due to the ink derivation, the ink is reliably discharged not only from the vicinity of the inside of the ink bag at the mouth but also from the portion separated from the mouth. can do.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the guide member is a gutter member.

With this configuration, even if the ink bag is crushed, a space is reliably secured on the inner surface side of the gutter, the ink is guided to the mouth along the gutter member, and is guided to the ink supply path. Can be. Moreover, since the inner surface of the gutter member is open, ink and air are easily led out unlike the tube member.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when disposing the ink bag in the ink jet recording apparatus, the inner surface of the gutter member is disposed so as to face upward in the direction of gravity.

With this configuration, by disposing the ink bag in the ink jet recording apparatus with the inner surface of the gutter member facing upward in the direction of gravity, the inner surface of the gutter member where air bubbles are most likely to adhere is located above the upper direction in the direction of gravity. Since the air bubbles are oriented, the bubbles move away from the inner surface due to buoyancy and move upward of the ink bag. That is, adhesion of bubbles to the gutter member can be suppressed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the gutter member includes:
A plurality of holes penetrating from the outer surface to the inner surface are provided.

With this configuration, the air bubbles adhering to the outer surface of the gutter member move toward the inner surface side of the gutter member through the hole by approaching the ink supply port as the ink is drawn out, and the ink bag is moved by buoyancy. Move to the top. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the erroneous detection that the remaining ink amount is not detected by the remaining ink amount detecting unit due to the fact that the bubbles are led out of the mouth portion even though the ink is sufficiently present in the ink bag.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the ink outlet provided in the mouth communicates with the inner surface of the gutter member.

With this configuration, the ink or gas guided to the ink outlet through the inner surface of the gutter member is smoothly drawn out of the ink bag.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the ink outlet provided in the mouth communicates with the outer surface of the gutter member.

With this configuration, the ink or gas that has moved to the outer surface through the outer surface of the gutter member or through the hole from the inner surface is guided to the ink outlet, and is smoothly drawn out of the ink bag. Is done. Further, since the position of the ink outlet can be arranged below the direction of gravity, the ink can be used more efficiently.

The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that the guide member is attached to the mouth by snap fitting.

With this configuration, the guide member can be easily attached to the mouth.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the guide member is attached to the mouth by press fitting.

With this configuration, the guide member can be easily attached to the mouth.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the guide member is attached to the mouth by snap fitting and press fitting.

With this configuration, the guide member can be easily attached to the mouth and firmly fixed (it becomes difficult to remove).

The present invention according to claim 11 is characterized in that the guide member and the mouth are formed integrally.

With this configuration, the number of parts of the ink bag can be reduced, and the manufacturing process of the ink bag can be simplified.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the mouth is formed from a polyolefin resin material.

With this configuration, since the inner material of the film member constituting the ink bag is generally formed of a polyethylene material, the opening is formed of a polyolefin resin material. The mouth or gutter member can be easily and reliably joined to the ink bag.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the remaining amount detecting means is an optical detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink bag by detecting the presence or absence of ink and gas passing through the ink supply path. It is characterized by the following.

With this configuration, it is not necessary to dispose the ink remaining amount detection value means inside the ink bag, and it is possible to prevent the ink supply from being affected.
Moreover, since the influence of the expansion and contraction of the bubbles due to the pressure fluctuation can be avoided, the remaining ink amount can be detected with high accuracy.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus, there is provided an ink bag for storing ink for supplying ink to a recording head, wherein an opening for leading ink from the inside of the ink bag to the outside is provided. And a guide member provided inside the ink bag inside the ink bag to secure a space allowing ink to be drawn out from the mouth inside the ink bag and to prevent gas from adhering, and an initial state inside the ink bag. And gas and ink are filled.

With this configuration, when the ink bag is provided in the ink jet recording apparatus that detects the amount of remaining ink by detecting the gas passing through the ink supply path, the guide member is used to open the ink bag inside the ink bag. A space is secured inside the portion, and even when the ink bag is crushed, ink or gas can be reliably discharged. Moreover, since the guide member prevents the gas from adhering, the gas adhering to the guide member in the initial stage of the ink derivation is not erroneously detected.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in an ink jet recording apparatus for supplying ink from an ink bag to a recording head via an ink supply path, a method for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink bag is provided. An ink bag filled with ink and gas is disposed in an ink jet recording apparatus, and a space secured by a guide member provided at the mouth of the ink bag inside the ink bag to prevent the adhesion of gas is provided. After the ink is led out from the mouth to the ink supply path, the gas is led out from the mouth to the ink supply path via the guide member, and the remaining amount of the ink in the ink bag is detected by detecting the gas with the optical detection means. It is characterized by doing.

With this configuration, no air bubbles adhere to the guide member when the ink bag is installed in the ink jet recording apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the air bubbles adhering to the guide member at the beginning of use of the ink bag from being led out to the ink supply path, and from being erroneously detected by the optical detection means as being out of ink.

Further, since the optical detection means detects bubbles passing through the ink supply path to detect that there is no ink remaining in the ink bag, the ink bag is not affected by pressure fluctuations and the ink bag is not affected. The remaining amount of ink can be detected with high accuracy without being affected by the variation of the crushing method (change in shape).

Further, when the ink bag is crushed, a space for leading out the ink or air is secured by the guide member provided inside the ink bag, so that the ink can be led out to the end. Can be used efficiently.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the guide member is provided from an opening provided at one end of the ink bag to the vicinity of the other end inside the ink bag, and extends along the guide member. The ink and the gas at the other end are led out to an ink supply path.

With this configuration, even if the ink bag is crushed with the consumption of the ink, the ink present at the other end of the ink bag can be surely secured by the guide member or the space where the guide member secures the mouth. Can be derived.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the guide member is a gutter member, and when the ink bag is provided in the ink jet recording apparatus, the guide member is provided with the inner surface facing upward in the direction of gravity. .

With this configuration, air bubbles adhering to the inner surface of the gutter member are separated from the inner surface by buoyancy,
Move to the top of the ink bag. Therefore, it is possible to prevent bubbles adhering to the gutter member in the initial stage of use of the ink bag from being led out to the ink supply path and from being erroneously detected by the optical detection means as being out of ink.

The invention according to claim 18 is characterized in that ink and gas are led out from the mouth through a gutter member provided with a hole penetrating from the outer surface to the inner surface.

With this configuration, the air bubbles adhering to the outer surface of the gutter member move toward the mouth with the derivation of the ink, but move to the inner surface of the gutter member through the hole penetrating from the outer surface to the inner surface. It moves, moves away from the inner surface by buoyancy, and moves to the upper part of the ink bag. Therefore, it is possible to prevent bubbles adhering to the gutter member in the initial stage of use of the ink bag from being led out to the ink supply path and from being erroneously detected by the optical detection means as being out of ink.

[0070]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 2, a sheet 1 conveyed by a conveying roller 12 is
4, the transport direction of the paper 14 (sub-scanning direction, arrow A)
The carriage 20 is arranged so as to be movable by a drive mechanism 16 and a guide bar 18 in a main scanning direction (direction of arrow B) intersecting with the direction (arrow B). The carriage 20 includes a recording head that discharges black, yellow, magenta, and cyan inks toward the paper 14.

An ink tank 22 for supplying ink to the recording head is disposed below the carriage 20 and is connected by a flexible tube 24.

The ink tank 22, as shown in FIG.
An ink bag 26 corresponding to each ink is provided upright, and ink is supplied from the ink bag 26 to each recording head via a tube 24.

The ink bag 26 is formed by laminating two flexible aluminum laminated films 28 (see FIG. 1) and joining the four sides by heat welding. The aluminum laminate film 28 is formed by sandwiching an aluminum foil between two films, for example, a nylon film on the outside and a polyethylene film on the inside to improve gas permeability.

On one of the four sides to be joined, a joining portion 32 of an ink mouth portion 30 (see FIG. 1), which is a thermoplastic resin molded product, is joined to the ink bag 26 (aluminum laminated film 28) by heat welding. ing. The cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the bonding surface of the bonding portion 32 has a so-called boat shape in which the center is wide and the width gradually decreases toward both ends in order to improve the weldability with the aluminum laminate film 28.

As shown in FIG. 4, the ink port 30 is separated by a stop wall 36 from a joining portion 32 joined to the ink bag 26 and a fitting portion 34 into which a sealing member 44 described later is press-fitted. Configuration.

The joint 32 has a hole 60 to which a gutter member 62 described later is fixed by snap fitting and press fitting.

The fitting portion 34 has an insertion hole 38 for press-fitting the sealing member. A communication groove 40 extending in the axial direction from a predetermined position is formed in a wall surface at a lower end in the gravity direction of the insertion hole 38, and one end of the communication groove 40 is connected to a communication hole 42 formed at a lower end in the gravity direction of the stop wall 36. Is in communication with By forming the communication hole 42 at the lower end in the direction of gravity of the stop wall 36, the amount of ink that can be used to the end can be increased.

A sealing member 44 made of an elastic member is press-fitted and adhered to the insertion hole 38. As a result, the insertion hole 38 is sealed by the seal portion 48 formed on the outer periphery of the sealing member 44. That is, ink reaching the insertion hole 38 from the inside of the ink bag 26 via the communication hole 42 and the communication groove 40 is blocked from the outside. The sealing member 44 is desirably made of a material such as rubber, preferably butyl rubber having excellent gas permeability. The sealing member 44 is formed with a through hole 46 that penetrates from one side surface to the other side surface in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction. ), The through hole 46 communicates with the communication groove 40.

The ink supply needle 5 inserted into the sealing member 44
No. 0 indicates that the ink outlet channel 52 is formed inside, but the ink outlet channel is not formed up to the pointed portion,
A lateral hole 54 communicating from the side to the outside is formed at the end of the second member (at a position separated from the tip of the ink supply needle by 2 to 6 mm).

The stop wall 36 (around the concave portion 56) has a sufficient thickness, and the ink supply needle 50 is
To prevent penetration.

The diameter (cross-sectional area) of the through-hole 46 of the sealing member 44 is equal to the diameter (cross-sectional area) of the horizontal hole 54 of the ink supply needle 50.
The horizontal hole 54 and the through hole 46 are formed so as to reliably communicate even if the position of the horizontal hole 54 is slightly shifted.

By inserting the ink supply needle 50 into the sealing member 44 of the ink port portion 30 configured as described above and entering the concave portion 56, the communication groove 42, the through hole 46, the ink supply needle It communicates with the ink supply path to the recording head via the horizontal hole 54 of 50 and the flow path 52.

On the other hand, the gutter member 62 press-fitted into the hole portion 60 of the joint portion 32 of the ink port portion 30 has a flexible insertion portion 66 protrudingly formed on one side of a wall surface 64 and is formed on the outer peripheral surface. Claws 65 are formed. On the other hand, the wall surface 6 of the gutter member 62
On the other side of 4, a gutter section 68 having a substantially semicircular cross section is formed.

Inner surface (inner side of semicircular cross section) 70 of gutter portion 68
The ink bag 26 is disposed in the ink tank 22 so that the ink bag 26 faces upward in the direction of gravity. The gutter portion 68 has a plurality of through holes 74 penetrating from the inner surface 70 to the outer surface 72 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal (extending) direction.

The inner surface 70 of the gutter 68 is provided on the wall surface 64.
And a hole 76 communicating with the inside of the insertion portion 66. The cross-sectional shape of the hole 76 may be circular or rectangular,
If the pressure loss in the pressure control of the ink bag 26 is not unnecessarily large, the smaller the cross-sectional area, the better.

The insertion portion 66 of the gutter member 62 thus configured is press-fitted into the hole portion 60 of the joint portion 32 of the ink port portion 30 and is fixed by the snap fit of the flexible claw 65. As a result, the hole 76 of the gutter member 62 communicates with the communication hole 42 via the inside of the insertion portion 66, and communicates with an external ink supply path.

In this embodiment, the gutter member 62 is fixed to the ink port 30 by both press-fitting and snap-fitting. However, if it is sufficiently fixed, it may be fixed by only one of press-fitting and snap-fitting. . In addition, it is more preferable that the ink port portion 30 and the gutter member 62 are integrally formed, because the number of components can be reduced and the assembling is simplified. In this case, the materials of the ink port 30 and the gutter member 62 are matched with the polyethylene film which is the inner material of the flexible aluminum laminated film, and LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene), LDPE
(Low-density polyethylene), MDPE (medium-density polyethylene), HDPE (high-density polyethylene) or the like is preferable from the viewpoint of joining.

The ink bag 26 configured as described above
Is formed by fixing the gutter member 62 to the hole 60 of the ink port 30 and integrating the same, and then welding the joint 32 to the aluminum laminate film 28. The ink 80 and the air 8 are stored in the ink bag 26 thus formed.
2 is sealed in a predetermined amount, and the gutter member 6 is
The ink bag 26 is disposed so that the inner surface 70 of the second gutter 68 faces upward in the direction of gravity.

An ink supply path (not shown) is formed between the ink supply needle 50 and the recording head, and an optical sensor (not shown) serving as an optical detection means for detecting the ink 80 or the air 82. A prism section (not shown) is provided facing the ink supply path. The optical sensor detects the air 82 in place of the ink 80, thereby detecting that the ink amount in the ink bag 26 is exhausted.

The operation of the thus configured ink jet recording apparatus 10 will be described.

The ink bag 26 is erected inside the ink tank 22 so that the inner surface 70 of the gutter member 62 is located above the gravitational direction, so that the air 82 enclosed therein becomes bubbles and becomes a bubble. It adheres to the inner surface 70 or the outer surface 72 of 62. However, bubbles attached to the inner surface 70 move above the ink bag 26 by buoyancy. In addition, air bubbles adhered to the outer surface 72 are also reduced to the outer surface 7 having a semicircular cross section.
It moves upward along 2 and moves above the ink bag 26. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the bubbles from being led out of the ink bag 26 to the ink supply path in the initial stage of the ink derivation and being detected by the optical sensor, thereby erroneously detecting that there is no remaining ink.

When the ink discharge from the ink bag 26 is started, the ink 80 is discharged to the ink supply path via the hole 76, the communication hole 42, the ink supply needle 50, etc. via the inner surface 70 of the gutter member 62. , Ink 80 is supplied to the recording head. At this time, the air bubbles still remaining on the outer surface 72 of the gutter portion 68 of the gutter member 62 move to the wall surface 64 (hole portion 76) side through the through hole 74 while moving out of the ink 80 to the inner surface 70 side. And moves above the ink bag 26. Therefore, the air bubbles are not led out of the holes 76 to the outside, and the optical detection means reliably prevents the ink remaining amount from being erroneously detected.

Further, even when the ink bag 26 is crushed due to the discharge of the ink 80, the space is secured near the hole 76 by the gutter member 62, so that the hole 76 of the wall surface 64 is closed by the aluminum laminate film 28. The ink 80 can be reliably derived without peeling. In particular, the ink 80 extends along the inner surface 70 of the
The ink 80 can be efficiently led out by being guided to the side 6.

By deriving a predetermined amount of the ink 80, the liquid level of the ink 80 in the ink bag 26 decreases, and the inner surface 70 or the outer surface 7 of the gutter portion 68 of the gutter member 62.
2, the air 82 is led out from the inner surface 70 through the hole 76 through the through hole 74 to the ink supply path. This air 82
Is detected by the optical sensor and the ink bag 26
No ink remaining is detected. Based on this result, printing of the ink jet recording apparatus 10 is stopped, and the ink bag 26 is replaced.

In this embodiment, since the optical detection means is provided outside the ink bag 26 (ink supply path) as a means for detecting the remaining amount of ink, it is not necessary to dispose components inside the ink bag 26, and it is possible to assemble the ink bag. Becomes easier. Further, the detection accuracy of the remaining amount of ink is not affected by the shape change of the ink bag 26. Moreover, the air 82 (the remaining amount of ink) can be reliably detected without being affected by the expansion and contraction of the bubbles due to the pressure fluctuation of the ink 80.

Although the present embodiment is limited to the optical detection means, any other detection means that can be easily arranged along the ink supply path and can accurately detect the remaining ink amount can be used. It may be a means.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the ink bag 26 is crushed by extending the gutter 68 of the gutter member 62 to the vicinity of the side opposite to the side where the ink port 30 of the ink bag 26 is joined. Make sure ink 8 from the other side
0 can be derived, and the ink 80 can be derived more efficiently.

In the gutter member of this embodiment, the hole 76 of the wall surface 64 is formed on the inner surface 70 side, and the inner surface 70 and the communication hole 42 of the ink port 30 communicate with each other. The portion 76 may be formed on the outer surface 72 side, and the outer surface 72 may communicate with the communication hole 42 of the ink port 30. As a result, the ink 80 can be derived to a lower liquid level, so that the ink 80 can be derived more efficiently.

Further, in this embodiment, the gutter member 62 has been described as the guide member. However, the ink 80 and the air 82 can be satisfactorily led out, that is, the communication between the communication hole 42 and the hole 76 can be ensured to the last. In addition, other members may be used as long as they can prevent the attachment of air bubbles.

[0101]

As described above, according to the ink jet recording apparatus and the ink remaining amount detecting method of the present invention, the gas sealed in the ink bag is precisely discharged by the ink remaining amount detecting means provided outside the ink bag. The remaining amount can be detected. Moreover, since a space is secured inside the ink bag by the guide member, the ink can be led out to the end and the gas can be led out reliably. Furthermore, since the guide member prevents bubbles from adhering to the guide member when the ink bag is provided, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection that there is no remaining ink amount at the beginning of ink derivation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective sectional view showing an ink bag according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view of an ink tank according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective sectional view showing an ink port and a gutter member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective sectional view showing an ink bag according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ink jet recording apparatus 26 Ink bag 30 Ink port (mouth) 42 Communication hole (ink outlet) 62 Gutter member (guide member) 70 Inner surface 72 Outer surface 74 Through hole (hole)

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording apparatus for supplying ink from an ink bag to a recording head and discharging ink droplets from the recording head onto recording paper to perform recording, comprising: an ink bag filled with gas and ink. An opening that guides ink from the inside of the ink bag to the outside; an ink supply path that supplies ink from the opening to the recording head; and ink or gas that is provided on the ink supply path and passes through the ink supply path. And an ink remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of the ink in the ink bag, and a space inside the ink bag inside the ink bag where the ink can be led out from the opening. And a guide member for preventing gas from adhering. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member extends from an opening provided at one end of the ink bag to near the other end. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is a gutter member. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when the ink bag is disposed in the ink jet recording apparatus, the inner surface of the gutter member is disposed facing upward in the direction of gravity. 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the gutter member has a plurality of holes penetrating from an outer surface to an inner surface. 6. The ink outlet port provided in the mouth portion and an inner surface side of the gutter member communicate with each other.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein 7. The ink outlet port provided in the mouth portion and an outer surface side of the gutter member communicate with each other.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is attached to the mouth by snap fitting.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of the above items. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is attached to the mouth by press fitting. 10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is attached to the mouth by snap fitting and press fitting. 11. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said guide member and said mouth are formed integrally. 12. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said mouth is formed of a polyolefin resin material. 13. The ink remaining amount detecting means is an optical detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink bag by detecting the presence or absence of ink or gas passing through the ink supply path. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1. 14. An ink-jet recording apparatus, comprising: an ink bag for storing ink for supplying ink to a recording head; and a port for leading the ink to the outside from the inside of the ink bag; On the inside of the bag, a guide member that secures a space inside the ink bag from which the ink can be drawn out from the mouth and prevents gas from adhering, and the inside of the ink bag is initially filled with gas and ink. An ink bag, characterized in that: 15. An ink-jet recording apparatus for supplying ink from an ink bag to a recording head via an ink supply path, the method comprising: detecting an ink remaining amount in an ink bag; The filled ink bag is disposed in the ink jet recording apparatus, and from the mouth to the ink supply path through a space secured by a guide member provided at the mouth of the ink bag inside the ink bag to prevent gas from adhering. After the ink is drawn out, the ink is drawn out from the mouth to the ink supply path via the guide member, and the remaining amount of the ink in the ink bag is detected by detecting the gas with an optical detection unit. Remaining amount detection method. 16. The guide member is provided from an opening provided at one end of the ink bag to the vicinity of the other end, and ink and gas at the other end are supplied along the guide member. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information is derived to a road.
5. An ink remaining amount detecting method according to 5. 17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the guide member is a gutter member, and when the ink bag is provided in the ink jet recording apparatus, the guide member is provided with the inner surface of the gutter member facing upward in the direction of gravity. Or the ink remaining amount detection method according to 16. 18. The ink remaining amount detecting method according to claim 17, wherein the ink and the gas are led out from an opening through a gutter member provided with a hole penetrating from the outer surface to the inner surface.