JP2001212985A - Pack, ink jet recorder, and ink jet recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pack (ink media pack) ensuring high image quality without requiring a troublesome operation. SOLUTION: A recording medium containing part 211 is formed integrally with an ink containing part 210 wherein ink contained in the ink containing part contains a color agent by 2.0-15.0 wt.% and recording medium contained in the recording medium containing part exhibits a blur rate of 2.0-4.0 times when that ink is used for recording.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink-recording medium-integrated pack in which ink and a recording medium used in an ink-jet recording system are integrally stored, an ink-jet recording apparatus capable of detachably using this pack,
And an ink jet recording method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an ink jet recording system, fine droplets of ink are caused to fly according to various operating principles and adhere to a recording medium such as paper to record images, characters, and the like.
It has advantages such as high-speed, low-noise recording and easy multi-color recording.It also has features such as a large degree of freedom in the pattern that can be recorded and no development or fixing is required. I have. From such a point, the recording apparatus of this system is rapidly spreading in various fields such as information processing as an apparatus capable of responding to various images or recording media.

Further, an image formed by a multicolor ink jet recording system can be obtained as compared with multicolor printing by a plate making system or printing by a color photographic system, and particularly, the number of copies is small. In this case, since it can be produced at a lower cost than ordinary multicolor printing or photographic printing, it is widely used in the field of full-color image recording.

A recording apparatus or a recording method has been improved in order to cope with a wider application of such an ink jet recording method and to improve recording characteristics such as high-speed recording, high definition and full color in recent years. Is being done. Characteristics required for wider application and improvement of recording characteristics of the ink jet recording method include, for example, a high density of ink dots to be recorded, a bright and vivid color tone,
Ink absorption is fast, and even when ink dots overlap, ink does not flow out or be miserable, and ink dots are spread by moderate misery.

By the way, it is known that these characteristics can be realized not only by the recording apparatus or the recording method but also by improving the ink used for the recording and the recording medium itself.

For example, it is known that coated paper is used as a recording medium from the viewpoint of ink absorbency or fixability. This is, for example, a silicon pigment such as silica or
Absorbing polymers such as resins such as colloidal silica, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene oxide-isocyanate crosslinked product and acrylic polymer having a carboxyl group, or alumina-based pigments such as alumina hydrate and aluminum oxide, water-based binders It is also applied to paper, film, cloth and the like. On the other hand, for ink, for example, the permeability of the ink is adjusted by a surfactant or the like contained therein.

However, in order to cope with the improvement of the recording characteristics, a recording medium or an ink which can realize the above characteristics in an optimal combination of the recording medium and the ink is used instead of individually selecting the recording medium or the ink according to each characteristic. It is more preferable to select. This is because the ink and the recording medium exhibit their respective characteristics in a mutual relationship.

In this case, in order to specifically realize the optimum combination of the recording medium and the ink in the ink jet recording apparatus, it is necessary to exchange or mount the recording medium or the ink according to the combination of the recording medium and the ink. Configuration and work are required. Further, it is also necessary to set a recording condition, for example, on a host computer, such as setting a recording mode according to a combination of these. That is, it is complicated to perform these operations and setting operations every time the combination is switched, and there is a problem that it is not easy for the user to obtain an optimal combination.

In this respect, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-25470
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2005-11095 discloses that a media cartridge integrally incorporating a combination of a cassette portion for loading a recording medium and an ink tank and a waste ink tank containing waste ink is detachably mounted on a recording apparatus. Is disclosed. Then, by recognizing the media cartridge that is detachable from the recording device on the recording device side, the recording mode corresponding to the recording medium and the ink is automatically set, and the combination of the recording medium and the ink is easily performed. It is possible to perform appropriate recording control according to the information.

[0010]

However, although the above-mentioned publication describes a media cartridge in which a cassette accommodating a recording medium and an ink tank are integrated, in forming a recording apparatus using the cartridge, It does not describe a specific configuration in consideration of downsizing of the apparatus, handling and use of the cartridge, and the like.

Further, considering the material or composition of both the recording medium and the ink, there is no suggestion from the viewpoint of a combination that can realize the above-described desired recording characteristics.
That is, in the above publication, when plain paper is set as a recording medium as a plain paper cartridge, the ink setting is processing liquid, black, yellow, magenta, and cyan. On the other hand, the recording medium is coated paper, glossy paper. When setting the OHP sheet, the ink setting is the same as the above setting except for the processing liquid. This is because the coated paper or the like to which the ink receiving layer has been applied is considered to have a reduced image quality when a treatment liquid for insolubilizing the dye is used. Furthermore, the above publication describes that when setting the photographic image quality mode, the ink settings are, for example, dark black, light black, dark yellow, light yellow, dark magenta, light magenta, dark cyan, and light cyan. ing.

As described above, in the above-mentioned publication, a combination of inks selected according to a recording medium or a recording mode from several kinds of inks which are easy for a user to identify is made into an integrated cartridge. It only discloses. On the other hand, for example, from the viewpoint of dyeing properties, even if the recording media seemingly are the same, if the material or the composition is different, the appropriate ink composition is also different, and there is an optimal combination in this respect. In particular, in the combination of paper and ink, there is ink bleeding as a factor that greatly affects image quality, and the state of bleeding significantly changes the sharpness or granularity of an image.

However, there is also the fact that it is almost impossible for a user to make an appropriate choice depending on the image quality for which a combination of paper and ink is to be formed.

As yet another problem, many of the currently known ink jet recording apparatuses are more or less liable in terms of recording characteristics, and in this case, it is relatively difficult to meet the above-described requirements of the various recording characteristics. There is a problem that it is difficult.

For example, as one of the factors that determine the recording characteristics, the characteristics of the recording head include the life of the recording head itself, and when the frequency of use is high, the durability is further increased.
Similarly, the characteristics of the ink include that the ink in the nozzles can be easily removed by performing a recovery operation or the like without performing recording for a long period of time, or that the composition of the ink is hard to change and discoloration is difficult. Can be Since the characteristics of the ink jet recording apparatus are restricted by the above-described factors, the provision of an ink jet recording apparatus having all the characteristics tends to increase the size and cost of the apparatus. For this reason, manufacturers of ink jet recording apparatuses and the like have developed printer characteristics such as those for users who frequently use them, those for users who require high-quality, high-quality images, and those for low-temperature or high-temperature environments. At present, printers are manufactured and sold in accordance with the mainstream of such demands, with the capability limited to a certain range, such as those corresponding to users used below. For this reason, when a user having an ink jet recording apparatus having a certain characteristic A wants to print with another characteristic B, even if a special mode is set so as to correspond to the characteristic B, there is a limit to the correspondence. . For this reason, there is a problem that the user can only respond to the characteristic B by purchasing a printer having the characteristic separately.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and has as its object the following:
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pack capable of reliably obtaining a desired image without a complicated setting by a user, an ink jet recording apparatus in which the pack can be detachably mounted and used, and an ink jet recording method.

[0017]

To solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention has the following arrangement.

That is, the invention according to claim 1 is a pack in which a recording medium storage section for storing a recording medium and an ink storage section for storing ink are integrally formed.
The ink stored in the ink storage unit has a colorant content of 2.0% by weight to 15.0% by weight, and the recording medium stored in the recording medium storage unit records using the ink. The bleeding rate at the time of performing is 2.0 times to 4.0 times.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pack in which a recording medium storage section for storing a recording medium and an ink storage section for storing ink are integrally formed, the pack being stored in the ink storage section. The obtained ink has a coloring agent content of 2.0% by weight to 15.0% by weight, and an ink having no coloring agent contains 2% by weight.
The recording medium contained in the recording medium storage section and having an ink having a surface tension of 40 mN / m or less at 5 ° C. has a bleeding rate of 2.10 when recorded using the ink.
It is characterized by being 0-4.0 times.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2
In the invention described in the above description, the ink stored in the ink storage section has a coloring agent content of 2.5% by weight to 12.0% by weight.

The invention described in claim 4 is the first to third aspects of the present invention.
In any one of the inventions described above, the ink stored in the ink storage unit has a colorant content of 3.0% by weight to 10.0%.
% By weight.

The fifth aspect of the present invention provides the first to fourth aspects.
In the invention described in the above, the recording medium stored in the recording medium storage section has a bleeding rate of 2.3 to 3.7 times when recording is performed using the ink. .

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claims 1 to 5
In any one of the inventions described above, the recording medium stored in the recording medium storage section has a bleeding rate of 2.5 to 3.5 times when recorded using the ink. It is.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claims 1 to 5
A recording section having a mounting section for detachably mounting the pack according to any one of the above, an ink introduction unit for introducing ink from the pack into an ink tank communicating with a recording head, and a recording target contained in the pack. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a recording medium transport unit for sequentially feeding one medium at a time to a recording position by a recording head.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect, the recording head generates bubbles in the ink by thermal energy and discharges the ink by the pressure of the bubbles. is there.

[0026] The invention according to claim 8 provides the invention according to claims 1 to 5.
Any one of the packs is detachably mounted, ink is introduced from the pack into an ink tank communicating with a recording head, and the recording medium contained in the pack is sequentially moved to a recording position by the recording head. An ink jet recording method, wherein the ink is ejected from a recording head onto a recording medium fed to a recording position, and recording is performed on the recording medium fed to a recording position.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, details of an ink and a recording medium used in an example of an ink media pack according to the present invention will be described.

As a result of intensive studies in the present invention, an ink media pack (an ink-recording medium integrated type pack) in which ink and a recording medium described later are integrated,
The user performs special settings and the like by having both an ink having a colorant content of 3.0% by weight or more and a recording medium having a bleeding rate of 2.5 times or more when printing using the ink. It has been found that a desired image can be easily obtained without any problem, and particularly, high image quality can be obtained in a photographic image.

Generally, when a certain image is printed at a certain density, the higher the colorant density of the ink,
Less ink is required and the volume of ink in the pack is reduced. However, if the colorant concentration is increased, for example, the suitability as an ink jet recording apparatus such as a problem of nozzle clogging and ejection durability may be deteriorated. Further, there is a possibility that the dots are conspicuous in the image and have a granular feeling.

Therefore, in order to obtain a high quality image while reducing the required amount of ink, it is necessary to control the bleeding rate of the ink on the recording medium.

From the above points, the colorant concentration in the ink is, for example, 2.0% by weight to 15.0% by weight, preferably
2.5 to 12.0% by weight, more preferably 3.
The content should be 0% to 10.0% by weight.

When the concentration of the colorant is less than 2.0% by weight, the effect of reducing the size and weight is not so much obtained, and sometimes the sufficient concentration cannot be obtained, which is not preferable. Conversely, if the colorant concentration is more than 15.0% by weight, the disadvantages described above increase, which is not preferable.

As a method for measuring the colorant content, an absorbance method based on comparison with a colorant having a known concentration is suitable, but is not particularly limited thereto. The absorbance method is based on, for example, Lambert-Beer's law. Lambert-Beer's law is based on the fact that the absorbance of a solution is proportional to both its optical path length and its concentration, and the intensity of light passing through a solvent layer and a solution layer having a thickness of d is expressed as Io, respectively.
And I, the concentration of the solution is c, and the proportionality constant is α, the relationship is expressed by the following equation.

[0034]

Log ₁₀ (Io / I) = αcd On the other hand, the bleeding rate of the recording medium is 2.0 to 4.0.
Times, preferably 2.3 times to 3.7 times, more preferably
It is necessary to control to 2.5 to 3.5 times.

When the bleeding rate is less than 2.0 times, the spread of the dots is insufficient, the dots are conspicuous, the image becomes grainy, or the white area remains, and the same amount of the dye is deposited on the recording medium. There is a problem that the density is not obtained despite the provision. Conversely, if the bleed rate is greater than 4.0, the dots are too wide and the borders between adjacent different colors are not clear, and a high-definition image cannot be obtained.

Here, the bleed rate is a numerical value represented by a value obtained by dividing the diameter of a dot formed on the recording surface of a recording medium by the diameter of an ink droplet (dot diameter / droplet diameter). The bleed rate indicates that the larger the value is, the easier the bleed is. The dot diameter is measured by enlarging with a microscope or the like.

In calculating the droplet diameter, for example, 100,000 ink droplets are ejected, the amount of ink consumed at that time is measured, the weight per droplet is calculated, and the weight is further divided by the specific gravity of the ink. Thus, the volume per drop is calculated. The droplet diameter is determined by assuming that the ink droplet is a sphere and calculating the diameter of the sphere at the calculated volume.

The method of controlling the bleeding rate is not particularly limited, and may be realized by optimizing the solvent composition and additives of the ink, or by controlling the recording medium itself or the coating on the surface of the recording medium. This may be achieved by optimizing the layers. Also, besides the ink containing the colorant, 25 ° C
It is also effective to control the bleeding ratio by printing together with an ink containing a colorant having a surface tension of 40 mN / m or less and containing a colorant.
Here, when the surface tension of the ink containing no coloring agent is as low as possible, the bleeding rate can be increased.

The components of the ink used in the present invention include:
Examples include water, water-soluble organic solvents, surfactants, alcohols, alkali-soluble resins, and basic substances, but are not particularly limited thereto. As the colorant in the ink used in the present invention, a direct dye, an acid dye, a basic dye, a reactive dye, a water-soluble dye represented by an edible dye, a disperse dye, a pigment and the like are used.

The recording medium used in the present invention may be any paper, film, cloth, or the like. Further, the recording medium preferably contains, for example, a general sizing agent, and the surface coating agent includes casein, a hydrophilic resin having a swelling property with respect to a cellulose derivative such as starch and ink,
It is preferable to control the bleeding rate by including a water-repellent substance such as an acrylic emulsion, a sizing agent, and an inorganic pigment or an organic pigment generally used conventionally, but it is not particularly limited to this.

Example 1 A yellow, magenta, and cyan ink having a dye concentration of 3.0% by weight, diethylene glycol 30% by weight, acetylenol EH (manufactured by Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) 0.2% by weight, and water 66.5% by weight was used. , Dye concentration 3.5% by weight, diethylene glycol 30% by weight, acetylenol EH
(Manufactured by Kawaken Fine Chemicals) 0.5% by weight, water 6
A photographic image was printed using 6.0% by weight of black ink and inkjet coated paper LC-201 (trade name, manufactured by Canon Inc.) in an ink media pack described below. However, a high quality image with sufficient density without graininess was obtained, and the bleeding rate at this time was 2.5 times.

Example 2 A dye concentration of 10.0% by weight and diethylene glycol 30
%, Acetylenol EH (manufactured by Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) 1.0% by weight, water 59.0% by weight of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black inks, and inkjet-coated paper LC-201 (trade name, manufactured by Canon Inc.) When a photographic image was printed using an ink media pack described below, the image was printed without graininess.
A high-quality image with a sufficient density was obtained. The bleeding rate at this time was 3.0 times.

Example 3 A dye concentration of 2.0% by weight, 30% by weight of diethylene glycol, 0.1% by weight of acetylenol EH (manufactured by Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) and 67.9% by weight of water of yellow, magenta, cyan and black were used. When a photographic image was printed using ink and ink-jet coated paper HR-101 (trade name, manufactured by Canon Inc.) placed in an ink media pack described below, there was almost no graininess. A high-quality image with a sufficient density was obtained. The bleeding rate at this time was 2.1 times.

Example 4 A dye concentration of 12.0% by weight, glycerin 5% by weight, triethylene glycol 5% by weight, urea 5% by weight, acetylenol EH (manufactured by Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) Yellow, magenta and cyan inks of O weight%, isopropyl alcohol 5 weight%, water 67.0 weight%, dye concentration 15.0 weight%, glycerin 5 weight%, triethylene glycol 5 weight%, urea 5 weight %, Acetylenol E
H (manufactured by Kawaken Fine Chemicals) 1.0% by weight, 5% by weight of isopropyl alcohol, 64.0% by weight of water, a black ink, and inkjet-coated paper LC-20.
Photographic images were printed using No. 1 (trade name, manufactured by Canon Inc.) in an ink media pack to be described later. As a result, both images were obtained without graininess and with sufficient density. . The bleeding rate at this time was 3.5 times.

Example 5 A dye concentration of 3.5% by weight, glycerin 5% by weight, triethylene glycol 5% by weight, urea 5% by weight, water 81.5
5% by weight of yellow, magenta and cyan inks, 5% by weight of glycerin, 5% by weight of triethylene glycol, 5% by weight of urea, 5% by weight of isopropyl alcohol, 0.1% by weight of acetylenol EH (manufactured by Kawaken Fine Chemicals) 79.8% by weight of water containing no dye and ink-coated paper LC-201 (trade name,
When a photographic image was printed using an ink media pack described below (manufactured by Canon Inc.) in an ink media pack described later, a high-quality image with sufficient density without graininess was obtained. The bleeding rate at this time was 2.7 times.

Comparative Example 1 A dye concentration of 3.0% by weight, diethylene glycol 30.
0% by weight, 67.0% by weight of water, yellow, magenta, and cyan inks, 3.5% by weight of dye concentration, 30% by weight of diethylene glycol, 66.5% by weight of water, and 66.5% by weight of water, and inkjet coated paper When a photographic field image was printed using HR-101 (trade name, manufactured by Canon Inc.) in an ink media pack described later, an image with a noticeable graininess and a low density was obtained. Was. The bleeding rate at this time was 1.9 times.

Comparative Example 2 A dye concentration of 16.0% by weight, diethylene glycol 30
Weight%, acetylenol EH (manufactured by Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) 1.5% by weight, isopropyl alcohol 5% by weight, water 47.5% by weight of yellow, magenta, cyan,
Black ink and inkjet coated paper LC-
When a photographic image was printed using 201 (trade name, manufactured by Canon Inc.) in an ink media pack described below, an image with no graininess but with a blurred feeling was obtained. The bleeding rate at this time was 4.2 times.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of an ink media pack according to the present invention and an ink jet recording apparatus provided with the same. FIG. 2 is similar to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of the printer shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet recording apparatus of this embodiment includes a pack 20 (hereinafter, also referred to as an “ink media pack”) in which an ink storage section and a storage section for a recording medium such as paper are integrated. It can be detachably mounted and used. That is, the ink media pack 20 is detachably attached to an automatic paper feeder (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “ASF”) 1 attached to the printer main body. The recording medium storage unit 210 follows the posture of the ASF 1, whereas the ink storage unit 211 is separated from the recording medium storage unit 210 and maintains a substantially horizontal posture in accordance with the mounting operation as described later. As described above, the recording medium stored in the ink media pack 20 is a recording medium selected with respect to the pore diameter of the ink receiving layer or a cloth used for printing, and has a relatively special use. In response, ink media pack 2
The ink stored in 0 is also an ink that can appropriately dye the above-mentioned pore diameter and the material of the fiber constituting the fabric. In this manner, the ink media pack 20 is used for optimally combining the recording medium and the ink. When recording on ordinary plain paper, the ink media pack 20 is used.
Recording is performed on plain paper attached to the SF using plain paper ink stored in the printer body.

FIG. 2 shows the mounting of plain paper on the ASF 1 at this time, and the ink media pack 20 is removed.
The plain paper 4 is directly mounted on the ASF 1. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the ink is previously mounted on the printer body,
When the ink media pack 20 is mounted, it is housed in a plain paper ink replenishing unit 30 arranged next to the ink media pack 20, and ink for plain paper is supplied from this.

The carriage 2 is provided movably along a guide shaft 3 (see FIG. 2) provided so as to substantially cross the printer body. A recording head (not shown) for ejecting ink is provided below the carriage 2 with four inks, which are the number of types of ink that can be supplied from the plain paper ink replenishment unit 30 or the ink storage unit of the ink media pack. As a result, while moving in the paper width direction of the recording medium conveyed in the recording area 8 (see FIG. 2),
Scanning for discharging ink can be performed according to the recording information.

The carriage 2 of the present embodiment is provided with an ink introduction section 2A on the upper part thereof. That is, the ink introduction section 2A is composed of four ink introduction sections corresponding to the four recording heads, and each of the ink introduction sections is a sub-tank formed adjacent to the corresponding recording head. (Not shown) through an ink / air inlet described later. Then, the carriage 2 moves at a predetermined timing as described later, and moves the above-described ink introduction unit to a position corresponding to the supply unit 21a of the ink media pack 20 or the supply unit 30a of the plain paper ink replenishment unit 30. Let it. The corresponding position is also the position where the ink ejection port of the recording head corresponds to the cap 41 or the cap 40 corresponding to plain paper. As a result, as described later, it is possible to perform the ink supply, the ink replacement, and the ejection recovery operation to the sub tank of each recording head.

More specifically, at the time of the ink supply and the ink exchange, the movement of the carriage 2 causes the ink introduction unit 2A to reach a position corresponding to the supply unit 21a or the supply unit 30a, and a cam (not shown) having a cam is provided. The carriage 2 as a whole is rotated about the guide shaft 3 (see FIG. 2) as a rotation axis by the carriage elevating mechanism described above. Alternatively, it is brought into close contact with the joint of the plain paper ink replenishment unit. Then, the cap 41
Alternatively, the cap 40 is brought into contact with a recording head or the like mounted on the lower portion of the carriage 2 by the ascending operation, so that ink supply and ink exchange operations described later with reference to FIG.

When performing the ejection recovery process, the carriage lifting mechanism does not operate, and the cap 41 or 40 is not operated.
Of course, only the contact due to the rise of is performed. The operation of releasing the close contact between the ink introduction unit 2A and the respective joints can be performed by the operation reverse to the above-described operation of the carriage elevating mechanism. Further, the operation of the cam in this elevating mechanism is performed by the driving force of the motor, and the above-described drive control for raising and lowering the carriage is performed. In addition, when the carriage 2 moves, the cam is moved with the carriage. Drive control for retracting the position so as not to be engaged is performed.

At the time of ink supply and ink exchange, as described later with reference to FIG. 14 and the like, a pressing mechanism (not shown) including a cam, a push pin, and the like provided in the printer main body performs a predetermined operation. Then, the push-in pin engages with a predetermined member of the pressing portion 221a of the ink media pack 20 or the pressing portion 301a of the plain paper ink replenishing unit 30, thereby performing operations for ink supply and ink replacement. .

A recovery mechanism 42 is provided substantially below the caps 40 and 41. The recovery mechanism 42 includes a suction pump and the like used in the above-described ink supply, ink replacement, and ejection recovery operation.

In the above configuration, at the time of recording, first,
The recording medium is supplied to the recording area 8 directly from the ink media pack 20 or from the ASF 1 by the paper feed roller 5 (see FIG. 2) provided in the ASF 1. As shown in FIG. 2, each time the recording head mounted on the carriage 2 scans, the recording medium is fed by a predetermined amount in the direction of arrow A in FIG. Then, the recording is sequentially performed on the non-recording medium.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the detailed configuration of the ASF 1.

As shown in the figure, ASF1 is
02, pressure plate 103, paper feed roller unit 5, movable side guide 105, pressure plate spring (not shown), separation pad 10
6, and a gear train for transmitting driving force (not shown).

The base 102 is connected to the printer body by 3
It is provided in a posture inclined from 0 ° to 60 °, and directly supports plain paper when it is used, while it supports the mounted pack itself when using a recording medium stored in the ink media pack 20. A separation surface 107 is provided below the base 102. This separation surface 107
As a basic function, when plain paper is directly mounted on the ASF 1, a predetermined resistance is applied to the leading end of the plain paper sent out by the paper feed roller 5, whereby the leading end of the plain paper is regulated and separated one by one. It has a function to perform. Also,
The separation surface 107 also has a function of supporting the lower ends of a plurality of plain papers stacked and mounted.

Further, the separating surface 107 is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 107a and is urged upward by a spring (not shown) to thereby provide a predetermined surface for supporting the plain paper. Posture can be maintained. on the other hand,
When the ink media pack 20 is mounted on the ASF 1, the lower end of the ink media pack 20 rotates the separation surface 107 downward in the figure against the urging force of the spring, and the separation surface 107 Evacuate.

On the base 102, the separation surface 1
A pressure plate 103 is provided adjacent to above 07. Press plate 1
Numeral 03 is provided so as to be slidable as a whole in a direction perpendicular to the base 102, and is urged against the paper feed roller unit 5 by a pressure plate spring (not shown) provided on the back side of the pressure plate 103. . That is, the pressure plate spring is provided on the back side of the pressure plate 103 at a position substantially corresponding to the roller portion 104 of the paper feed roller unit 5, and the pressing force of the pressure plate spring causes the sheet stored in the plain paper or the ink media pack 20. Paper feed roller unit 5 for recording medium
Can be urged against.

The side guide 105 is provided so as to be slidable in the paper width direction of the plain paper mounted on the base 102, that is, in the horizontal direction in the drawing. Thus, the position of the plain paper in the paper width direction can be regulated. That is,
One side end of the plain paper is brought into contact with the right base plate 102a as a reference plane when the plain paper is set in the ASF1, and the side guide 105 is brought into contact with the other side end to make the paper width direction of the plain paper. Can be set by restricting the position of.

The paper feed roller unit 5 is rotatably supported by right and left side plates 102a and 102b integrally provided at both ends of the base 102, and has a shaft portion rotatably supported and a predetermined distance between the shaft portion. And an integral molded product of plastic or the like including two roller portions 104 provided on the surface. In addition, each roller unit 10
A paper feed roller unit rubber is attached to an outer peripheral surface forming a circumferential portion of No. 4 to generate a larger conveying force when feeding a recording medium including plain paper. In detail, the outer peripheral surface of the roller portion 104 has a substantially D-shaped cross-sectional shape (or a half-moon-shaped cross-sectional shape), whereby the stacked recording media are appropriately fed one by one. It is possible. The two roller portions 104 are provided at the shaft portion, for example, on the base right side plate 102a.
Are placed at positions about 40 mm and 170 mm from the standard paper reference position. Therefore, among the recording media, A4
When using relatively large paper width such as size, 2
The sheet is fed by the two roller portions 104. For example, when a sheet having a paper width such as a postcard is used, the base right side plate 10 is used.
The feeding operation is performed by one roller unit 104 on the side closer to 2a.

When setting plain paper or an ink media pack, the pressure plate 103 slides away from the paper feed roller unit 5 against the urging force of the pressure plate spring by the action of a cam (not shown). That is, this cam is connected to the paper feed roller unit 5 via a drive transmission system (not shown),
Is retracted from the paper feed roller unit 5 as described above (the release state of the pressure plate 103), the roller portion 104 of the paper feed roller unit 5 has a linear portion (half-moon shaped chord) on the outer periphery of the D shape. The phase of the rotation is controlled so as to face the pressure plate 103. As a result, a certain space is formed between the paper feed roller unit 5 and the pressure plate 103, so that plain paper or an ink media pack can be set.
The paper feed roller unit 5 is provided with a roller sensor (not shown), and the rotation phase of the roller unit 104 in the paper feed roller unit 5 and the paper feed roller unit 5
Thus, the slide position of the pressure plate 103, which is linked with the phase, can be detected, and the control timing in the feeding sequence of the recording medium in the plain paper or the ink media pack can be known.

When the plain paper is fed, the cam performs a predetermined rotation, whereby the pressure plate 103 moves closer to the paper feed roller unit 5 by the urging force of the pressure plate spring. Roller unit 1 of roller unit 5
04 comes into contact with the top surface of the top plain paper. Then, with the rotation of the roller unit 104, a frictional force acts on the plain paper in the paper feeding direction (downward in the drawing). At this time, only a relatively weak frictional force generated between the plain papers acts on the second and subsequent plain papers from the top, and these plain papers are separated by the separation surface 107 provided below the base 102. The movement in the sheet feeding direction is prevented by the resistance, so that only the topmost plain sheet is separated and fed.

The separated and fed plain paper is fed to a recording medium feeding section. The paper feed roller unit 5 rotates until the plain paper is fed into the recording medium feeding unit, and the pressure plate 103
Is released with respect to the paper feed roller unit 5, the rotational driving force of the roller unit 104 of the paper feed roller unit 5 with respect to plain paper is cut off, and this state is maintained.

In this manner, the paper or plain paper made of synthetic resin or the like placed on the pressure plate 103 of the ASF 1 is fed by the paper feed roller unit 5 and then fed by the paper feed roller 7.
(See FIG. 2), the recording is conveyed at the recording position facing the recording head.

The separation pad 1 made of a material having a relatively large coefficient of friction, such as artificial leather, is placed on the pressure plate 103 facing each roller portion 104 of the paper feed roller unit 5.
06 is provided to prevent double feeding when the number of sheets of plain paper placed is small.

Next, the configuration of the ink media pack 20 which is used by being detachably attached to the ASF 1 described above will be described.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show the ink media pack 20.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the ink media pack viewed from the front side, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ink media pack viewed from the back side, and FIG. It is a perspective view shown in a state.

As described above, the ink media pack accommodates the optimum combination of the recording medium and the ink corresponding to the various recording characteristics in accordance with the various recording characteristics. It enables setting. In other words, in the present embodiment, basically, even if the recording medium is apparently the same for the user, if the material or composition is different, the type of ink that is optimal in terms of recording characteristics is also different, and the recording medium is not In order not to make a mistake in the combination of the inks, and when the user mounts and uses the selected ink media pack in the printer, a print mode suitable for the combination of the mounted recording medium and the ink is automatically executed. Things.

For example, in the case of a characteristic of recording an image having a high density as a recording characteristic, if the recording medium has a different ink permeability, the optimum type of ink is also different. It is difficult to select an optimal ink combination for the recording medium.
Further, when a cloth is used as the recording medium, even if the cloths seem to be the same, the optimum inks for the dyeing properties differ depending on the types of the fibers constituting the cloths. For example, as a combination of the recording medium and the ink combined in the ink media pack, a cloth dyed by a covalent bond with the reactive dye is combined with the ink containing the reactive dye. Further, a fabric dyed by hydrogen bonding or ionic bonding to an ink containing an acid dye or a direct dye is combined.

In FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, the ink media pack 20 is generally constituted by a recording medium storage section 210 and an ink storage section 211, and these recording medium storage section and ink storage section have: The recording medium and the ink according to the optimal combination as described above are respectively stored. As the recording medium and the ink according to the optimum combination, for example, as described above, the colorant concentration range in the ink is 2.0% by weight to 15.0% by weight, preferably,
2.5 wt% to 12.0 wt%, more preferably 3.
0 to 10.0% by weight, and the bleeding rate of the recording medium is 2.0 to 4.0 times, preferably 2.3 to 3.7 times, more preferably 2. It is 5 times to 3.5 times.

A plurality of such ink media packs are prepared for each combination, and are used by being attached to the ASF 1 of the printer according to the selection of the user.

The ink storage section 211 has a structure in which the whole is sealed by an ink case 218. As described later with reference to FIG. 7, an ink chamber for each of a plurality of stored inks is formed in the inside, and an ink tube storing the ink is stored in each of the chambers. The ink storage unit 211 is provided so as to be able to open and close with respect to the recording medium storage unit 210 (see FIG. 6). That is, the ink case 218 is rotatably supported by rotating shafts 212e provided on both sides of the recording medium storage unit 210, so that when the ink media pack 20 is mounted on the printer, It rotates with the mounting operation and can occupy a predetermined position (see FIG. 1). In the ink case 218, a pressing portion 221a (see FIG. 4) is provided at a corner portion of the rectangular upper surface, and a joint portion 220 (see FIG. 6) is provided on the lower surface side opposed thereto. These are used at the time of ink exchange and ink supply as described later.

On the other hand, the recording medium storage section 210 covers most of the recording medium to be stored by the media case 212 forming the front side and the back cover 213 on the rear side, and also partially covers the lower part. Are provided with openings. That is, in the recording medium storage unit 210,
As shown in FIG. 6, a front opening 215 is provided below the front side.
Is provided. This is mainly due to ink media pack 2
This is because when the recording medium 217 is mounted on the ASF 1, the recording medium 217 to be stored comes into contact with the roller portion 104 (see FIG. 3) of the paper feeding roller unit 5 and the paper can be fed. On the other hand, on the rear surface side of the recording medium 210, as shown in FIG. 5, a rear opening 216 is provided. This is mainly
This is for enabling engagement of the ink media pack 20 with the pressure plate 103 of the ASF 1 when the ink media pack 20 is mounted on the ASF 1.

The recording medium accommodated in the recording medium accommodation section 210 is accommodated via the protective sheet 214 on the back side. The back opening 214 has a retaining 21.
26 are provided. It is possible to prevent the recording medium stored by the protective sheet 214 and the stopper 2126 from slipping out to the back side and prevent dust or the like from entering the storage section through the rear opening. Further, the protective sheet 214 is made of the same material as the recording medium to be stored, for example, and has an appropriate friction coefficient in relation to the recording medium, whereby the lowermost recording medium to be stacked and stored is formed. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of a phenomenon that a medium, that is, a recording medium that is in direct contact with a protective sheet cannot be satisfactorily fed, or a phenomenon that a recording medium stacked thereon is fed and fed (double feeding). it can.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a connector 400 for electrically connecting to the connector 310 (see FIG. 8) provided in the ASF 1 is provided at a part of the lower end surface of the recording medium storage section 210. Thus, as described later, it is possible to read various information stored in a predetermined memory of the ink media pack from the printer main body side, as described later.

Further, one side of the front opening 215 of the recording medium storage unit 210 is provided with a pack separation surface 212a.
(See FIG. 8). The pack separating surface 212a separates and feeds the recording media one by one when feeding the recording media stored in the ink media pack 20, as in the case of the plain paper described above with reference to FIG. belongs to. Specifically, the downstream end of the recording medium accommodated in the recording medium accommodation section 210 is formed as a surface that abuts by the feeding operation, and has an optimal abutment angle for separation.

In the present embodiment, the separating surface 107 and the above-described separating surface 212a shown in FIG. 3 are used as separating means.
It is necessary to provide a method for retracting the ASF separation claw when the pack is mounted. In this case, another separation claw may be provided on the recording medium storage unit side, or completely different separation means may be provided. May be. In both the ASF and the ink recording medium pack, the separating means is not limited to the above-described separating surface, and an optimal combination of the separating means can be used.

FIG. 7 is a view showing the internal structure of the ink storage section 211. FIG. 7 is a view showing the ink case 218 constituting the ink storage section with the ink case cover 219 removed.

Inside the ink case 218, four ink chambers 218a are formed according to the color of ink used for recording and the like. Then, an ink bag 218d is arranged in each ink chamber. For example, yellow, cyan, magenta, and black inks are stored in the four ink bags 218d. Of course, it is only necessary to store an appropriate ink according to the circumstances of recording, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described ink. The ink bag is formed of a flexible material, and a part of the ink bag is fixed to the ink chamber by being adhered to the bottom surface of the ink chamber. FIG. 7 shows only one ink bag. The ink supply from each ink bag 218d is enabled by connecting the ink supply pipe 218c attached to one end of the ink bag 218d to the corresponding joint valve 221.
The joint valve communicates with the joint portion shown in FIG. 6, and as described above with reference to FIG. 1, the ink is introduced by the movement of the carriage so that the ink introduction portion faces the joint portion. It becomes possible to supply ink to the head.

As described above, in the ink media pack 20 having the configuration shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, when the ink media pack 20 is not attached to the printer, the ink storage unit 211 of the ink media pack 20 is closed with respect to the recording medium storage unit 210. Accordingly, the ink storage unit 211 functions as a lid for the recording medium storage unit 210. That is, the recording medium 200P stored through the front opening 215 of the recording medium storage unit 210 is prevented from being exposed to the outside air.

Further, a rubber cap 222 is provided at a position adjacent to the front opening 215 of the recording medium storage section 210 and corresponding to the joint section 220 of the ink storage section 211. Accordingly, when the ink storage unit 211 is closed with respect to the recording medium storage unit 210, the rubber cap 222 seals the joint unit 220 to prevent ink from leaking from the ink bag of each ink chamber 218a. ing.

On the other hand, when the ink media pack 20 is mounted on the ASF 1 of the printer,
Reference numeral 1 denotes an open state with respect to the recording medium storage unit 210
(See FIG. 1). That is, the ink storage unit 211 is
By being rotatably supported by 12e, the ink storage section 211 is opened with respect to the recording medium storage section 210 in accordance with the mounting operation, whereby ink can be supplied to the above-described recording head.

In the present embodiment, the ink is stored in the ink storage section in the optimum combination for the recording medium. However, when the ink is replaced, the ink for the recording head and the recording head is replaced. Cleaning ink for cleaning the inside of the supply path may be stored. Further, in the case where the ejection energy generating element of the recording head is an electrothermal transducer, if the ink that is optimal for the recording medium uses ink that may generate kogation on the electrothermal transducer, the electrothermal transducer may be used. A kogation removing liquid for removing kogation on the body may be stored.

Next, the operation of mounting the ink media pack 20 on the ASF 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

The ink media pack 20 is configured so as to be detachable from the ASF 1 of the ink jet recording apparatus, and the necessary components for this attachment and detachment are provided in the ASF 1 and the ink media pack 20.

In the ASF 1 shown in FIG. 3, an introduction guide 102e is provided on each of the right base plate 102a and the left base plate 102b. This introduction guide 10
2e, when the ink media pack 20 is mounted, engages with the guide ribs 212c provided on both sides of the recording medium storage portion in the ink media pack 20, thereby guiding the mounting operation of the ink media pack 20. be able to. That is, the guide rib 212c mainly guides the insertion of the recording medium storage unit 210 into the ASF 1, and the guide rib 212c is
By engaging with and sliding along 2e, the mounting of the recording medium storage section can be guided. The guide ribs slide by abutting ribs 212d (see FIG. 6) formed on both sides of the recording medium accommodating portion 210, and stoppers 102f (see FIG. 6) provided on the base right side plate 102a and the base left side plate 102b, respectively. 6), whereby the insertion position of the recording medium storage unit 210 can be determined.

When the recording medium storage section 210 is mounted, the connector 310 on the printer side provided in the ASF is provided.
(See FIG. 8) and the connector 400 provided on the lower end surface of the recording medium storage section 210 are connected to each other, so that the printer can recognize that the ink media pack 20 is mounted. After this mounting, FIG.
The lock lever 150 provided on the left side plate 102b of the ASF 1 and rotatably supported by the lever shaft 150a is rotated as shown in FIG.
The lock hole 2 formed in the ink media pack 210
10a, the ink media pack 2
0 can be fixed to ASF1. And by this fixation, the connection between the above-mentioned connectors can be secured.

When the plain paper is directly mounted on the ASF 1, the introduction guide 102e has a space between the uppermost plain paper at the maximum loading time of the plain paper so as not to hinder the loading and feeding operations. It has a configuration. When the side guide 105 is moved to the leftmost position in FIG.
The side guide 105 is housed in a side guide housing (not shown) provided on the left base plate 102b.

On the other hand, the mounting operation of the ink storage section 211 in the ink media pack 20 is performed by providing the guide grooves 102d provided in the base side plates 102a and 102b of the ASF 1 and the ink case 218 of the ink storage section. Guided by engagement with the guide boss 218b. That is, the recording medium storage unit 21 described above
At the time of the zero insertion operation, the two guide bosses 218b of the ink storage section 211 are also engaged with the corresponding two guide grooves 102d of the ASF1. As a result, the ink storage unit 211 follows the insertion operation of the recording medium storage unit 210 described above.
Rotates about the rotation shaft 212e, and at the end of the insertion operation, is at the substantially horizontal predetermined position shown in FIG.
Installation is completed.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the ink media pack 20 has been mounted on the ASF 1 by the mounting operation described above.

As shown in the drawing, in the mounted state, the ink storage section 211 is opened with respect to the recording medium storage section 210, and the front opening 215 of the recording medium storage section 210 is opened.
Faces the roller section 104 of the paper feed roller unit 5.
At this time, the rear opening 216 faces the pressure plate 103. That is, the opening area of the rear opening 216 is
03, and when the pressure plate 103 is in the pressed state, it presses the back surface of the recording medium stored via the protective sheet 214 in the recording storage section, whereby the ink media pack 20 is not displaced. The stored recording medium can be brought into pressure contact with the roller section 104 of the paper feed roller unit 5.

The ink storage section 211 is guided and held substantially horizontally as described above.
And the tip of the ink storage unit including the pressing unit 221a,
It is possible to take a position to enter the inside of the ink jet recording apparatus main body. That is, this tip can be located above the moving range of the carriage. Further, as will be described later, when the pressing portion 221a is pressed by a cam mechanism (not shown) provided on the printer main body, the joint portion 220 is operated, and the ink is supplied via the ink introduction portion 2A on the carriage. Can be performed.

Note that the ink media pack 20 is
To remove from 1, the above operations are performed in the reverse order.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing the processing of the printer accompanying the mounting of the ink media pack 20 described above. FIG. 9 shows the case where the ink media pack is mounted while the printer is turned on. FIGS. 10A and 10B show a processing procedure when an ink media pack is mounted while the power is off. This processing is enabled by electrically connecting the connector 400 provided on the ink media pack to the connector 310 on the printer side.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the ink media pack is mounted while the power is on, this is performed as part of the recording standby process (step S101) of the printer. That is, this process is started at a predetermined time interval during the recording standby, and first, it is determined whether or not the ink media pack is mounted on the printer (S102). This determination process is performed based on data on mounting / non-mounting which is written in a predetermined memory of the printer together with data such as the ID of the ink media pack, ink, and the type of the recording medium. If it is determined that this data is different from the previous data, the current state is written into the above-mentioned memory including the ID of the attached ink media pack (if attached) (S103). Then, it is determined whether or not the ink media pack is currently mounted with reference to the above-mentioned memory (S104). It should be noted that whether or not the ink media pack 20 is mounted may be determined based on the state of the mounting detection switch 315.

Here, when it is determined that the ink media pack is mounted, it is determined that the state has been changed from a state where the ink media pack has not been mounted to a state where the ink media pack has been mounted.
The processing (a) described below is executed, and step S101 is performed.
Continue the standby process of.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S104 that the ink media pack has been removed, the two cases, that is, the case where the plain paper is loaded and the operation of replacing the ink media pack with another type of ink media pack, is performed. Therefore, the processing after step S106 is performed.

That is, in order to distinguish the above or the above cases, first, the presence or absence of the ink media pack and the presence or absence of the recording data are monitored (S106, S10).
9). If the presence or absence of the ink media pack is detected in step S106, it is determined that the state is the same as the previous time, that is, the ink media pack has been removed, and if it is determined that print data has been sent from the host (S10).
9) It is determined that plain paper is loaded, and the process (b) described below is executed.

If it is detected in step S106 that the ink media pack is present before the recording data is sent, it is determined that the ink media pack is mounted, and in step S107, the ink media pack is detected. It is determined whether or not the type of ink in the ink cartridge is the same as the type of ink in the ink media pack that was previously mounted. Then, the process (a) is executed only when the types of ink are different. If the ink type has not changed, there is no need to replace the ink in the printhead,
Continue the waiting process.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B, a description will be given of the processing in the case where the ink media pack is attached / detached when the power of the printer is turned off.

As shown in FIG. 10A, when the power supply is turned off, the mounting state of the ink media pack at that time is written in the above-described memory (S111), and then the power supply is shut off. In some cases, the ink media pack is attached and detached while the power is off.

Next, when the power-on operation is performed, FIG.
The process shown in FIG. 0 (B) is started, and first, step S112
Then, the current mounting state of the ink media pack is compared with that written in step S111. Here, if the ink media packs are installed in the same state, it is not necessary to replace the ink in the head, and the process directly proceeds to the standby process shown in FIG. 9 and ends.

On the other hand, when the mounting state of the ink media pack is different, it is determined whether or not the ink media pack is present (S113). Here, when the absence of the ink media pack is detected, the plain paper is loaded,
In the middle of the exchange operation for another type of pack, there are two cases, as in FIG.
The process proceeds to the process of step S106 shown in FIG.

If the presence of an ink media pack is detected, the type of ink in the ink media pack is compared with the ink type information written in step S111 (S114). Here, when the types of ink are the same, it is not necessary to replace the ink in the print head, and the process shifts to the standby process and ends.

On the other hand, when the types of ink are different, the process (a) described below is executed to replace the ink in the recording head, and then the process proceeds to the standby process.

Next, the above processes (a) and (b) will be described mainly with reference to FIG.

Process (a) This process is performed when the ink media pack is replaced with a different one. First, carriage 2
Is a media pack cap 41 and a recovery system 42
, And as described later, the carriage 2 moves the recording head and the sub-tank by sucking ink from the recording head while moving for each color of ink, and then the same ink supply. At the position, ink is supplied for each color. When the supply of the ink of each color is completed, the carriage 2 moves to the home position, and performs the above-described waiting process for the recording command.

In the standby process of step S101, when a recording command is issued, the recording medium is fed from the ink media pack and recording is performed, and after the recording is completed, the paper is discharged. If ink supply to the sub-tank is required during this recording, the carriage moves to the ink supply position as described above, and supplies ink for each color.

Process (b) This process is executed when plain paper is directly mounted on the ASF 1 and recording is performed on it. First,
The carriage 2 moves to the position of the plain paper cap 40 and the recovery system 42, and as described later, the carriage 2
After the print head and sub tank are emptied by sucking ink from the print head while moving for each ink color, at the same ink supply position,
Ink is supplied for each color. When the supply of the ink of each color is completed, the carriage 2 moves to the home position, and performs the above-described waiting process for the recording command.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram mainly showing a control configuration of a system including the ink jet recording apparatus and the ink media pack according to the present embodiment.

In the ink jet recording apparatus 1, a microprocessor (MPU 301) controls the entire ink jet recording apparatus according to a control program stored in the ROM 302. The RAM 303 stores the host device 30
The MPU 301 includes a reception buffer for storing recording data transferred from 0, and is used as a work area in the processing of the MPU 301.

The MPU 301 executes command data and recording data transferred from a host computer (host device) 300 via a transmitting / receiving means 304 comprising a known Centronics interface or the like in accordance with the procedure of a program stored in a ROM 302. Based on
It controls the rotation of the carriage motor and the transport motor via the input / output port 305 and the motor drive circuit 306, and outputs print data to the printhead via the head control unit 307 and the head drive unit 308 to control the print operation. I do. Further, a timer 309 is provided for creating the drive pulse width of the recording head and controlling the number of rotations of the motor.

On the other hand, in the system of the ink media pack 20 which functions by connecting to the above-described ink jet recording apparatus, the connector 400 for electrically connecting to the printer main body is mounted on the printed circuit board 4O1 (see FIG. 5). Have been. Further, on the printed circuit board 401, an EEPROM 402 that is electrically readable and writable and can hold data even when no voltage is applied is mounted. The EEPROM 402 of the present embodiment is a general serial type, and can operate when the CS signal 311 is “H”. That is, when the CS signal is “H”, at the rising edge of the CLK signal 312, a command (write, read, erase, etc.) or write data on the DI input signal 313 is written to the EEPROM 402, and read data is written on the DO output signal 314. Is output and can be read. Each of the signal lines 311 to 314 is connected to an input / output port of the main body through a connector 310 of the main body.
Reading and writing can be performed under the control of the PU 301. The capacity of the serial EEPROM is about several K bits, and the number of rewritable times is about 10 5 to 7, which is suitable as a rewritable storage element for storing information relating to the printer of the present embodiment.

Further, on the ink jet recording apparatus side,
An ink media pack attachment detection switch 315 is provided, and the switch is turned ON when the ink media pack is attached. Switch 315
Is output to the input / output port 305,
The MPU 305 can detect the detachment of the ink media pack by reading this signal. M
When detecting the attachment of the pack, the PU 301 outputs the EEPR in the pack by the output signal 317 of the input / output port 305.
Power is supplied to the OM 402 to make the EEPROM 402 readable and writable.

The EEPROM 4 in the ink media pack
The information stored in the storage device 02 is roughly classified into information that is written at the factory at the time of manufacturing the pack and then read only from the ink jet recording device, and information that is rewritten from the ink jet recording device while being attached to the ink jet recording device. . Typical examples of the former information include information that stores the type of recording medium and the type of ink set in the pack.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the outline of a recording process in the ink jet recording apparatus of this embodiment, and showing a control procedure executed by the MPU 301.
The processing shown in the figure mainly relates to the setting of a recording mode before recording and the like, and is executed substantially in parallel with the processing at the time of recording standby described above with reference to FIGS.

After turning on the power of the ink jet recording apparatus, M
The PU 301 performs an initial setting of the device in step S301. Next, in step S302, the state of the ink media pack mounting detection switch 315 is changed to the input / output port 3
Read through 05. When switch 315 is on,
It is determined that the ink media pack is mounted, and in step S303, power is supplied to the EEPROM 402,
The ID of the type of recording medium and the type of ink recorded in the EEPROM 402 at the time of factory shipment are read (step S304). This read data is stored in step S305.
Then, the data is transferred to the host device 300 via the transmission / reception means 304 such as the Centronics interface. Based on this information, the printer driver of the host device automatically performs the optimal image processing, ink ejection amount, print path, and ink combination for the recording medium and ink in the installed ink media pack without user selection. Create print data considering the number and transfer it to the printer. Step S3
In step S30, when the recording data is received, the process proceeds to step S30.
At 7, the recording operation is performed. When printing of one page is completed, in step S308, the power of the EEPROM 402 is turned off, and the process proceeds to step S302. In step S302, when the ink media pack attachment detection switch 315 is off, it is determined that the ink media pack is attached, and print data created at the print quality and print speed specified by the user with the printer driver is received. Then, a recording operation is performed using the ink on the inkjet recording apparatus side and the recording medium set in the ASF1 (step S3).
09).

By performing the above control, the ink jet recording apparatus can record with the recording data optimized for the combination of the ink set in the ink media pack and the recording medium without the user's instruction. It is possible to perform recording with high quality image quality. In step S310, the ROM type is read based on the data of the type of the recording medium and the type of the ink read by the MPU 301.
The parameters related to printing on the inkjet printing apparatus side stored in 302, that is, the drive pulse width of the print head,
It is also possible to set the number of dots for preliminary ejection (preliminary ejection dots), the preliminary ejection time interval, the recovery and suction time intervals for keeping the recording head ejection state normal, etc. to prevent head non-ejection of ink. Therefore, further optimization control is possible together with optimization by the printer driver.

In the above embodiment, the type of the recording medium and the ink (ID) stored in the ink media pack are read, and the parameters related to the recording control stored in the ROM 302 are set from the ID. EEPR of the ink media pack
The above parameters are stored in the OM 402 in advance, and
The parameters may be read directly from the PROM and set in the recording control circuit of the ink jet recording apparatus. With this method, for example, even if an additional pack of a recording medium and an ink combination that was not supposed before the inkjet recording apparatus was released is additionally released, recording can be performed by optimal recording control for the recording medium and the ink combination. Becomes

In addition to the above, as another embodiment, the information to be rewritten from the ink jet recording apparatus while the ink media pack is mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus includes the number of recording media in the pack, the remaining ink in the pack. There is quantity.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing another control example by the MPU 301.

In FIG. 13, after turning on the power of the ink jet recording apparatus, the MPU 301 performs an initial setting of the apparatus in step S401. Next, in step S402, the state of the ink media pack attachment detection switch 315 is read via the input / output port 305. Switch 31
When 5 is on, it is determined that the ink media pack is mounted, and power is supplied to the EEPROM 402 in step S403, and the remaining number of recording media stored in the EEPROM 402 is read (step S404). This read data is transferred to the host device 300 via the transmission / reception means 304 such as the above-mentioned Centronics interface in step S405.

The status monitor of the host device displays the current number of recording media remaining in the ink media pack on the monitor. Next, if it is determined in step S406 that print data has been received from the host device, the recording medium in the ink media pack is fed in step S407. At this time, in step S408, the value obtained by subtracting -1 from the current number of remaining recording media is
02, and transferred to the host device 300,
The remaining number of recording media displayed on the monitor is changed (S4
09), a recording operation is performed in step S410. When recording of one sheet is completed, in step S411, the EEPROM
From 402, the ink remaining amount value for each color is read, and based on that value, the ink amount ejected in one recording and the preliminary ejection amount,
In addition, when the suction operation is performed, the suction amount is subtracted from EEP.
Write to ROM 402. Thereafter, step S412
Then, assuming that the ink media pack is to be removed, the process proceeds to step S402 and the above process is repeated. The ink remaining amount in the ink storage unit is strictly calculated based on the amount supplied from the ink storage unit to the sub-tank in the carriage. However, the ink storage amount in the sub-tank is small, and therefore, is relatively high. Since ink is supplied from the ink storage unit to the sub-tank at a high frequency, the amount of ink ejected in the recording, the preliminary ejection amount, and the like are used as they are in the calculation of the remaining ink amount in the ink storage unit.

By performing the above processing, the current number of recording media in the ink media pack can be known, and by transmitting this data to the host device 300, the data is displayed on the CRT of the host device 300. Can be displayed, which has an effect of improving the user interface. In addition, it is possible to always know the latest state of the ink media pack, and by reading this information, it is possible to use it for processing for determining the ink injection amount at the time of recycling.

Next, an ink exchange system and an ink supply method provided in this embodiment will be described.

The ink exchange system according to the present embodiment supplies ink from each ink tank storage section of the above-described ink media pack, which is an ink supply source, to a sub-tank mounted on a carriage of a printer main body. A sub tank, a recording head, an ink air introduction mechanism, and the like are provided.

FIGS. 14 to 19 are explanatory vertical sectional side views showing the sub-tank, recording head and ink air supply mechanism of the ink exchange system. FIG. 14 shows a state during the recording operation, and FIG. Fig. 1
6 shows a state at the time of air introduction, FIG. 17 shows a state at the time of ink air discharging operation, FIG. 18 shows a state at the time when the sub tank is depressurized again, and FIG. 19 shows a state at the time of ink introduction.

In each of the figures, reference numeral 501 denotes a recording head in which a large number of electrothermal transducers or electrostrictive elements (not shown) as ink discharge pressure generating sources and nozzles having discharge ports 502 for discharging ink are arranged. A head drive circuit (not shown) for supplying a recording signal and electricity is connected to each ink ejection pressure generation source in each nozzle unit.

Reference numeral 520 denotes a sub-tank for storing the ink supplied from the ink storage section 211 as an ink supply source formed in the ink media pack. The recording head 501 is integrally fixed to the bottom of the sub-tank. I have.

In the sub-tank 520, reference numeral 521 denotes a sub-tank main body which forms the outer shell of the sub-tank 520.
The sub-tank main body 521 is provided with the same number of decompression chambers 505 as the number of types of ink to be applied (here, four types). Each decompression chamber 505 is provided with the sub tank main body 521.
Is connected to an intake passage 505c that communicates with a pressure reduction adjustment port 506 formed at the bottom of the air conditioner.

As shown in FIG. 20, four openings H are provided on the upper surface of each of the sub-tank main bodies 521 in correspondence with the respective decompression chambers 505 in the vertical direction including the introduction port 508a (perpendicular to the main scanning direction). (In the direction in which the sub-tanks are formed), and 16 openings H are formed in a matrix in the entire sub-tank. Of these, each decompression chamber 505
Are arranged on a straight line that intersects the main scanning direction which is the moving direction of the carriage. On the other hand, the opening H other than the introduction port 508a is an opening of a concave portion 508c through which an introduction needle 553 described later is inserted, and an elastic ink prevention member (not shown) having elasticity is fixed on the bottom surface of the concave portion 508c. Have been.

A sealing mechanism 509 for opening and closing an inlet 508a formed at the upper end of the inlet 508 is provided in the inlet 508. This sealing mechanism 509
Is a valve storage chamber 5 formed upstream of the introduction path 508.
08b, and a spring 509b for biasing the ball valve 509a.
The introduction port 508a is always sealed by a ball valve 509a by the urging force of b. Reference numeral 510 denotes an ink leakage prevention member which is made of an elastic member and is fixed outside the introduction port 508a. Also, 5
Reference numeral 05b denotes an outlet valve provided at the outlet 505a of the introduction path 508 so that ink and air can be led out to the introduction path 508 while preventing reverse flow of ink and air from the introduction path 508. Has become.

Reference numeral 507 denotes a pressure reducing mechanism inserted into the intake passage 505c. This pressure reduction adjusting mechanism 507 includes a valve storage chamber 507a formed in the intake passage 505c.
And the pressure-reducing regulating valve 5 inserted into the valve storage chamber 507a.
07b, and a spring 50 for urging the pressure reducing valve 507b.
7c.

The pressure reducing valve 507b is connected to the spring 507c.
The communication between the intake passage 505c and the pressure-reducing adjusting port 506 is always kept in a cut-off state by the biasing force of
When a predetermined pressing member (not shown) is inserted through an insertion hole 521a formed on the side surface of the pressure-receiving member 21 and the pressure-reducing regulating valve 507b is moved against the spring 507c, the pressure-reducing regulating valve 5
07b communicates with the decompression adjusting port 506 and the intake passage 505c through an air passage (not shown) formed in the decompression chamber 50b.
The inside of 5 is decompressed.

Therefore, the pressure reducing valve 507b is in a state where the pressure reducing port 506 is closed except when adjusting the degree of pressure reduction, and is shut off from the outside air to maintain the reduced pressure state. As described above, by forming the decompressed state, the ink in the sub tank 505 is depressurized and the ink drops from the ejection port 502 and
2 can be prevented from being drawn into the discharge port 50.
In No. 2, an appropriate ink meniscus is formed, and the ink ejection can be stabilized. Adjustment of the degree of pressure reduction can be managed by providing a pressure sensor as pressure reduction measurement means in the intake passage 505c.

Reference numeral 503 denotes an ink chamber serving as an ink storage section housed in the decompression chamber 505. The ink liquid chamber 503 is formed in a bag shape by a flexible member having a lower end fixed to the bottom of the decompression chamber 505.
The volume changes due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside. In the present embodiment, the flexible member has a lower half 503b formed thick and an upper half 503a thinned, and the lower half 503b has a relatively high rigidity and maintains a constant shape. However, the upper half 503a has low rigidity and changes in volume in response to a change in pressure inside and outside caused by the decompression chamber. This is to reduce the internal volume and reduce the remaining amount of ink in the ink discharging operation. However, changing the thickness of the ink liquid chamber is not an essential requirement in the present invention.

The ink chamber 503 is provided in the decompression chamber 5.
The ink supply path 50 communicates with the recording head 501 via an ink supply path 504 formed at the bottom of the ink supply path 50.
4, the ink from the ink liquid chamber 503 is supplied to the recording head 501.

Reference numeral 530 denotes a decompression applying mechanism (decompression means) provided in the recovery mechanism. This decompression mechanism 5
Reference numeral 30 denotes the pair of caps 40, 41, a suction pump (not shown) provided as a pressure reduction source provided for each of the caps 40, 41, and two sets of pressure reduction paths 531 connecting the suction pump and the cap. , 532 and the recording head 5
A switching mechanism 530 for switching the reduced pressure application state is provided for the discharge port 502 and the reduced pressure adjusting port 506 of No. 01. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 15, both of the caps 40 and 41 have a discharge port side sealing portion 541 that covers the discharge port 532 in a sealed state, and a state in which the pressure reduction adjustment port 506 is sealed. And a pressure-reducing-port-side sealing portion 542 which covers the suction port.

Further, the two pressure reduction paths 531 and 532
Are suction holes 541a, 5a of the sealing portions 541, 542.
It is constituted by two tubes 531 and 532 connected to 42a, and one tube 531 is formed by a flexible member. Also, the pressure reduction switching mechanism 530
Are connected to the tubes 531 and 533 by a predetermined driving source.
2 and a pressure roller 536 pivotally mounted on one end of the rotation arm 535. The rotation arm 53
By selecting the position of the pressure contact roller 536 by 5, communication and cutoff of the tube 531 can be switched.

That is, as shown in FIG. 15, FIG. 18, and FIG. 19, by pressing the pressure roller 536 against the tube 531, the tube 531 is crushed and the communication state is cut off, and the discharge port side sealing portion 541 is connected to the suction pump. Be cut off from. Also, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, by separating the pressing roller 536 from the tube 531, the tube 531 returns to the original shape, and the close contact portion 541 communicates with the suction pump.

Reference numeral 570 denotes an ink air introduction mechanism. The ink air introduction mechanism 570 is for selectively introducing ink and outside air into the ink liquid chamber 503 of the sub tank 521, and functions as an ink introduction mechanism and a gas introduction mechanism. The ink air introduction mechanism includes an ink air introduction mechanism on the plain paper side for introducing ink and air from the plain paper ink replenishment unit 30, and an ink media pack for introducing ink and air in the ink media pack 20. Two types of ink air introduction mechanisms are provided. Both ink air introduction mechanisms have the same structure, and both of them have a pressing mechanism 560 and an introduction switching mechanism 5.
50.

The pressing mechanism 560 in the plain paper side ink air introduction mechanism is installed with reference to the arrangement position of the plain paper ink replenishing cap 40, and the pressing mechanism 560 in the pack side ink air introduction mechanism is The special paper ink replenishment cap 41 accommodated in the ink media pack 20 is installed with reference to the arrangement position. The pressing pins 561 of each pressing mechanism 560 are arranged in a line in a direction (sub-scanning direction) orthogonal to the moving direction (main scanning direction) of the carriage 2.

One of the introduction switching mechanisms 550 is provided in the supply section 30 a of the plain paper ink replenishment unit 30, and the other is provided in the supply section 21 a of the ink media pack 20.

The pressing mechanism 560 includes a plurality (four in this example) of pressing pins 561 inserted through a predetermined support P1 on the printer body side so as to be able to move up and down.
A spring 563 that is elastically mounted between the first head 562 and the supporting body P1 and constantly urges the lower end of each pressing pin 561 to enter the supporting body P1, and is rotated by a predetermined driving source. A single eccentric cam 564 that rotates about the moving center Co. The eccentric cam 564 is connected to each of the pressing pins 56.
All the pressing pins 5 are provided at a position where the pressing pins 5 are always in pressure contact with the first head 562, and are rotated around a rotation center Co.
61 can be moved up and down.

That is, the point a on the peripheral surface of the eccentric cam 564
When the point (the point at which the distance from the rotation center C0 is the smallest) contacts the head 562 of the pressing pin 561, the pressing pin 5
The lower end of 61 is set at an initial position where it is immersed in the support P1, and a point c (a point where the distance interval from the rotation center C0 is the largest) on the peripheral surface of the eccentric cam 564 is attached to the head 562. The lower end of the pressing pin 561 is set at the maximum protruding position which protrudes most from the lower surface of the support P1 when it comes into contact, and the lower end of the pressing pin 561 when the point b on the peripheral surface of the eccentric cam 564 contacts the head 562 Is set at a predetermined intermediate position between the initial position and the maximum projecting position.

On the other hand, the introduction switching mechanism 550 includes a housing 556 having a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) storage chambers 556R defined in correspondence with the pressing pins 561,
A switching block 551 accommodated in each storage chamber 556R of the housing 556 so as to be able to move up and down, an introduction needle 553 fixed to the lower end of each switching block 551 and having an introduction path 553a formed in the center; A spring 554 is provided between the switching block 551 and the bottom of the housing 556.

Of these, the upper surface of the housing 556 has an insertion hole 5 through which the pressing pin 561 of the pressing mechanism can be inserted and removed.
A plurality of pressing pins 56a (four in this embodiment) are formed corresponding to the respective pressing pins, and a plurality of insertion holes 556b for allowing the insertion and removal of the introduction needle 553 are formed on the bottom surface in correspondence with the respective introduction needles 553. (In the present embodiment, four). Further, an air introduction port 558 and an ink introduction port 559 communicating with the outside air are formed on a side surface of each storage chamber 556R in the housing 556. Each of the air introduction ports 558 communicates with the outside air, and the ink introduction port 559 is connected to the outside. It is connected to a plain paper ink replenishing unit 30 as an ink supply source or an ink storage unit 211 of the ink media pack 20 via a predetermined communication path.

Each of the switching blocks 551 is connected to an enclosure 556 by an O-ring 552 fixed to its peripheral surface.
Of each of the storage chambers 556R can be moved up and down while maintaining an airtight state with the inner surface thereof. This switching block 551
Is formed with an introduction path 551a bent in an L shape from a side opening formed on one side surface to a bottom opening formed in the center of the bottom, and this is formed as an introduction path 55 for the introduction needle 553.
3a.

Further, each of the introduction needles 553 is arranged along the sub-scanning direction similarly to the pressing pin 561 of each of the pressing mechanisms 560. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20, the introduction port 508a is arranged in the arrangement direction of each introduction needle 553, as shown in FIG.
They are arranged along the direction crossing the arrangement direction of the introduction needles 553 in the housing 556. However, each inlet 508
The arrangement pitch in the sub-scanning direction of the a
As shown in FIG. 20, by moving the carriage 2 in the main scanning direction, the four introduction needles 553 are sequentially moved one by one to the corresponding introduction ports 508a. And can be matched. The introduction switching mechanism constitutes ink introduction switching means and gas introduction switching means.

Next, the ink exchange operation and the ink supply operation in this embodiment will be described.

As described above, in the present embodiment, switching between the recording operation using the special paper such as the ink media pack 20 and the recording operation using the plain paper, and the type of the media pack 20 to be used are performed. Changes, etc., the type of ink to be applied also needs to be changed in accordance with the change of the recording medium, and the ink stored so far and the ink to be used for the next printing operation must be changed. Replacement is required.

This ink exchange is performed as shown in FIGS. Here, an operation at the time of ink replacement accompanying a change in the type of the ink media pack 20 will be described as an example.

When a replacement command is input when replacing the ink media pack, first, the carriage 2 on which the sub-tank 520 is mounted moves to a retracted position on the side that can avoid interference with the ink media pack 20 (see FIG. 1). Then, the ink media pack 20 used in that state is removed.

Thereafter, a new ink media pack 20
When the pressing mechanism 560 is moved from the retracted position to the lateral mounting position, the bottom of the housing 556 in the introduction switching mechanism 550 approaches the upper surface of the sub tank main body 521 and is formed on the upper surface of the housing 556. Insertion hole 556a
The pressing pin 561 of the pressing mechanism 560 is opposed to.

Here, when an ink exchange command is input, the memory 40 of the newly mounted ink media pack 20 is
0, the information on the ink stored in each ink liquid chamber 503 is read out, and the MPU 30 based on the current ink information and the information on the ink used immediately before.
1 determines the ink that needs to be replaced.

Based on this judgment, the carriage 2 moves,
The decompression adjusting port 506 formed on the bottom surface of the decompression chamber 505 containing the ink to be replaced and the ejection port 502 of the recording head 501 are opposed to the close contact portions 541 and 542 provided on the cap 40 or 41, respectively. . Thereafter, the cap 40 or 41 is raised, and the close parts 541 and 542 are in close contact with the periphery of the discharge port 502 and the pressure reduction control port 506 (see FIG. 15).

Thereafter, the rotation arm 535 of the pressure reduction switching mechanism 530 rotates, and the pressure contact roller 536 presses against the tube 531 to cut off the communication between the discharge port 502 and the suction pump, while the pressure reduction switching valve 507b is not shown. Of the spring 507c against the urging force of the spring 507c,
Reference numeral 5 communicates with the suction pump via the pressure reducing valve 507b and the like. At this time, an introduction path 508 that can communicate with the decompression chamber 505
Is shut off from the outside air by the sealing mechanism 509, so that the pressure in the decompression chamber 505 is reduced by the air suction operation of the suction pump. Also, the ink liquid chamber 503 housed in the decompression chamber 505 has an upper half 503a.
Is formed of a flexible member, the decompression chamber 50
5 is depressurized from the atmosphere, the ink chamber 5
03 undergoes a volume change and is in a reduced pressure state.

Here, when the decompression chamber 505 reaches a certain degree of decompression, a pushing member (not shown) releases the pressing on the decompression regulating valve 507b, and the decompression regulating valve 507b is moved by the spring 507c.
Returns to the initial position according to the urging force of the intake passage 505c.
The communication between the pump and the suction pump is cut off to maintain the reduced pressure in the reduced pressure chamber 505 and the ink liquid chamber 503 (see FIG. 15).

Next, the eccentric cam 564 is rotated about the center of rotation Co by the driving means (not shown), and stops at the position where the point b on the peripheral surface contacts the head 562. As a result, the pressing pin 561 protrudes from the lower surface of the support P1, and the insertion hole 556
a, the switching block 551 is pushed downward, and the air introduction port (gas introduction port) 558 communicates with the introduction path 551a (see FIG. 16). As a result, outside air is introduced into the ink liquid chamber 503 in a reduced pressure state from the air introduction port 558 through the introduction paths 551a, 553a, 508 and the introduction valve 505b. Since the ink is swung and agitated in the ink liquid chamber 503 by the reduced pressure and the introduction of air, the fluidity of the ink can be increased.

Next, by operating the suction pump as the suction source, the ink remaining in the ink liquid chamber 503 and used for the previous printing operation is discharged from the discharge port 502 of the print head 501 through the tube 531. It is discharged (see FIG. 17). By this discharge step, the ink in the ink liquid chamber 503 can be completely discharged. However, when the discharge of the ink is to be performed more reliably, the above-described pressure reduction,
It is also effective to repeatedly execute the respective steps of introducing and discharging air, or to swing the ink inside by reciprocating the carriage 2 a predetermined distance.

After the completion of the ink discharge, the eccentric cam 564 is rotated as shown in FIG. As a result, the pressing pin 561 returns to the upper initial position according to the biasing force of the spring 563,
Withdraws from the housing 556 of the introduction switching mechanism 550. As a result, the introduction needle 553 together with the switching block 551 is
It rises by the urging force of 54 and withdraws from the inlet 508a. As a result, the ball valve 509a is
The introduction port 508a of the introduction path 508 is closed by the biasing force of b, and the communication with the outside air is cut off.

At the same time, the pressure-reducing valve 507b of the pressure-reducing adjusting mechanism 507 is pressed against the spring 507c to make the intake passage 505c and the tube 532 communicate with each other so that the pressure reducing chamber 505 communicates with the suction pump. Switching mechanism 5
The communication between the discharge port 502 and the suction pump is interrupted by the 30 pressing rollers 536, and the suction pump is driven in this state. As a result, the pressure in the ink liquid chamber 503 is reduced again.

Next, the pressing mechanism 560 is driven to rotate the eccentric cam 564 so that the point c on the peripheral surface is pressed against the head 562 (see FIG. 19). As a result, the pressing pin 561 projects downward to move the switching block 551 to the maximum projecting position, so that the ink introduction port 559 communicates with the introduction path 551a. As a result, a path from the ink media pack 20, which is an ink supply source, to the ink liquid chamber 503, that is, a path from the ink media pack 20 to the ink supply pipe 21 is formed.
8c, ink introduction port 559, introduction paths 551a, 553
a, 508 and the path leading to the ink liquid chamber 503 are in communication.

At this time, since the ink liquid chamber 503 is in a decompressed state together with the decompression chamber 505 in the decompression step shown in FIG. 18, the ink stored in the ink media pack 20 is transferred to the ink liquid chamber 503 via the above path. Introduced,
Then, when the ink is filled in the ink liquid chamber 503, the eccentric cam 564 is rotated to remove the pressing pin 561 from the housing 556, and the introduction needle 553 is removed from the introduction port 508a. Is completed, thereby completing the ink replacement process for one ink storage chamber. The operation in the ink introduction step is as follows.
This is the same as the operation executed when replenishing the ink consumed by the recording operation and the recovery operation.

Further, as shown in FIG. 18, after the introduction needle 553 is withdrawn after ink filling, the degree of pressure reduction may be further adjusted in order to make the pressure in the sub tank 520 suitable for the recording operation.

As described above, after supplying ink to the ink liquid chamber 503 in one of the decompression chambers 505 in the sub-tank 520, if it is necessary to supply ink to the other ink liquid chamber 503, First, the cap 40 or 41 descends and separates from the lower surface of the sub-tank 505, and then the carriage 2 descends with the sub-tank and separates from the housing 556 by the above-described elevating mechanism. Thereafter, the carriage 2 moves in the main scanning direction, and the pressure reduction adjusting port 506 and the discharge port 502 of another pressure reducing chamber 505 requiring ink replacement or ink replenishment are opposed to the cap 40 or 41. Then, the caps 40 and 41 are raised again to seal the pressure reduction adjusting port 506 and the discharge port 502,
After that, as before, decompression, air introduction, discharge, decompression,
Steps such as ink introduction are sequentially performed. The above operation is repeatedly performed for each of the decompression chambers 505 requiring ink replacement.

Incidentally, the four pressing mechanisms 560 provided in the present embodiment have a structure in which a single eccentric cam 564 simultaneously raises and lowers all the pressing pins 561 by the same amount. Therefore, all of the switching block 551 and the introduction needle 553 of the introduction switching mechanism 550 are simultaneously pressed with the pressing operation of the pressing pin 561.

However, as described above, each of the introduction needles 55
3, only one introduction needle 553 is inserted into the introduction port 508a, and the other introduction needles 553 are in the same row among the twelve introduction needle insertion recesses 508c formed on the upper surface of the sub tank main body 521a. Are inserted into three of them. An ink leakage prevention member having appropriate elasticity is provided on the bottom surface of the concave portion 508c, and the lower end of the introduction needle 553 inserted into the concave portion 508c is pressed against the ink leakage prevention member. Therefore, unnecessary leakage of the ink can be prevented without damaging the tip of the introduction needle 553.
In addition, since the introduction port 508a of the introduction path 508 into which the introduction needle 553 is not inserted is kept closed by the ball valve 509, there is no possibility that dust or the like enters the introduction path 508.

The introduction path 551 in the present embodiment
Although a, 553a, and 508 are common flow paths through which both ink and air flow, the introduction paths for ink and air may be independent flow paths.

Further, in this embodiment, the ink is discharged from the ink chamber by discharging the ink from the discharge port of the recording head 501. However, the ink discharge flow path having a relatively large flow area is used. It is also possible to provide the ink separately from the ejection port of the recording head 501 and to discharge the ink from the ejection port. According to this, it is possible to discharge the ink more quickly, and to discharge the ink. It is also possible to prevent the life of the discharge port from being shortened.

[0175]

As described above, in the present invention,
The colorant content of the ink stored in the ink storage unit of the pack was 2.0% by weight to 15.0% by weight, and the recording medium stored in the recording medium storage unit was recorded using the ink. Since the bleeding rate at the time is set to be 2.0 to 4.0 times, if an image is formed by attaching this pack to an ink jet recording apparatus, the bleeding can be surely suppressed without any troublesome setting. Since it is possible to form a proper image and to prevent a mistake in image formation due to a wrong combination of ink and a recording medium as in the related art, it is possible to greatly reduce running costs.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the printer as viewed from the side, and is a diagram mainly illustrating a transport mechanism of a recording medium.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an automatic sheet feeder (ASF) of the printer.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an outer appearance of an ink media pack detachably used in the printer.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the back side of the ink media pack.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the ink media pack in a state where an ink storage unit is opened.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of the ink storage unit.

FIG. 8 shows a case where the ink media pack is an ASF of a printer.
It is a figure showing the state where it was attached to.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a process related to ink replacement and the like when an ink media pack is attached / detached at the time of recording standby of the printer.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are flowcharts showing processing related to ink replacement and the like at the time of recording standby when an ink media pack is attached and detached when the power of the printer is turned off.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration for mainly transmitting and receiving signals and data in the printer and the ink media pack.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a process mainly performed during a recording standby process performed by the printer.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the processing during the recording standby processing.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory vertical sectional side view showing a sub tank, a recording head, and an ink air supply mechanism in the ink exchange system of the printer, and shows a state during a recording operation.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory vertical sectional side view showing a sub-tank, a recording head, and an ink air supply mechanism of the ink exchange system of the printer, showing a state where the sub-tank is depressurized.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory vertical sectional side view showing a sub-tank, a recording head, and an ink air supply mechanism of the ink exchange system of the printer, showing a state when air is introduced.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory vertical sectional side view showing a sub-tank, a recording head, and an ink air supply mechanism of the ink exchange system of the printer, showing a state during an ink air discharging operation.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory vertical sectional side view showing a sub-tank, a recording head, and an ink air supply mechanism of the ink exchange system of the printer, and shows a state where the sub-tank is depressurized again.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory vertical sectional side view showing a sub-tank, a recording head, and an ink air supply mechanism of the ink exchange system of the printer, showing a state when ink is introduced.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory plan view showing ink introduction holes and the like of the sub tank.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A Recording paper discharge direction 1 Automatic paper feeder (ASF) 2 Carriage 2A Ink introduction unit 4 Plain paper 5 Feed roller unit 6 Press roller 7 Paper feed roller 8 Recording area 20 Ink media packs 21a, 30a Supply unit 30 Plain paper ink Replenishment unit 40 Plain paper ink suction cap 41 Special paper ink suction cap 42 Recovery system 102 Base 102a Base right side plate 102b Base left side plate 102d Guide groove 102e Introduction guide 102f Stopper 103 Pressure plate 104 Roller part 105 Side guide 106 Separation pad 107 Separation surface 150 Lock lever 150b Protrusion 210 Recording medium storage section 210a Lock hole 211 Ink storage section 212 Recording medium case 212b Retaining member 212c Guide rib 213 Back cover 214 Protection sheet G 215 Front opening 217 Recording medium 218 Ink case 218a Ink chamber 218b Guide boss 218d Ink bag 219 Ink case cover 220 Joint part 221 Joint valve 221a Pressing part 300 Host device 301 MPU 302 ROM 304 Transmission / reception means 305 Input / output port 306 Motor Drive circuit 310 Connector (printer side) 315 Switch 400 Connector (ink media pack side) 401 Printed circuit board 501 Recording head 502 Discharge port 503 Ink liquid chamber (ink storage section) 503a Upper half 503b Lower half 504 Ink supply path 505 Pressure reduction Room 505a Outlet 505b Outlet valve 505c Intake passage 506 Depressurization adjusting port 507 Depressurization adjusting mechanism 507a Valve storage chamber 507b Depressurization adjusting valve 507c Spring 508 Inlet 508a Inlet 508b Valve storage chamber 508c Concave part 509 Sealing mechanism 509a Ball valve 509b Spring 510 Ink leakage prevention member 520 Subtank 521 Subtank body 521a Insertion hole 530 Pressure reduction switching mechanism 531 Tube 532 Tube 535 Rotating arm 536 Pressure reduction mechanism Pressing roller 541 Depressurizing port side close contact portion 541a Suction hole 542 Discharge port side close contact portion 542a Suction hole 550 Introduction switching mechanism 551 Switching block 551a Introduction path 552 O-ring 553 Introduction needle 553a Introduction path 554 Spring 556 Housing 556a Insertion hole 556 556R Storage chamber 558 Air inlet 559 Ink inlet 560 Pressing mechanism 561 Press pin 562 Head 563 Spring 564 Eccentric cam 570 Ink air inlet

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Yoshiaki Kangi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Tadayoshi Inamoto 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Within Non Corporation (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Saito 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Corporation (72) Inventor Hiroshi Yoshino 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Corporation (72) Inventor Ako Takemura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo F-term within Canon Inc. (reference) 2C056 EA05 EA11 EA25 EB02 EB13 EB20 EB44 EB45 EB56 EC11 EC20 EC34 EC62 EC65 FA10 FB03 FC02 HA28 JC06 JC20 JC KB05 KB08 KB37 KC02 KC05 KC13 KC14 KC30 2C057 AF27 AG76 AG80 AJ03 AL02 AL14 AM26 AM40 AN01 BA03 BA13 2H086 BA02 BA55 BA60 BA62

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A pack formed by integrally forming a recording medium storage section for storing a recording medium and an ink storage section for storing ink, wherein the ink stored in the ink storage section is color The recording medium stored in the recording medium storage section has a bleeding rate of 2.0 to 4 times when recorded using the ink. A pack characterized in that it is 0.0 times. 2. A pack formed by integrally forming a recording medium storage section for storing a recording medium and an ink storage section for storing ink, wherein the ink stored in the ink storage section is color. The recording medium having both an ink having an agent content of 2.0% by weight to 15.0% by weight and an ink containing no coloring agent and having a surface tension of 40 mN / m or less at 25 ° C. A pack characterized in that the recording medium stored in the storage portion has a bleeding rate of 2.0 to 4.0 times when recorded using the ink. 3. The pack according to claim 1, wherein the ink contained in the ink containing section has a coloring agent content of 2.5% by weight to 12.0% by weight. 4. The pack according to claim 1, wherein the ink contained in the ink containing section has a coloring agent content of 3.0% by weight to 10.0% by weight. 5. The recording medium stored in the recording medium storage section has a bleeding rate of 2.10 when recorded using the ink.
The pack according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ratio is 3 to 3.7 times. 6. The recording medium accommodated in the recording medium accommodation section has a bleeding rate of 2.10 when recorded using the ink.
The pack according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the ratio is 5 to 3.5 times. 7. An ink introduction means having a mounting portion for detachably mounting the ink media pack according to claim 1 and introducing ink from the ink media pack into an ink tank communicating with a recording head. And a recording medium transporting means for sequentially feeding the recording medium contained in the media pack one by one to a recording position by a recording head. 8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the recording head generates bubbles in the ink by thermal energy and discharges the ink by the pressure of the bubbles. 9. A recording medium which is removably mounted with the pack according to claim 1 and which introduces ink from the pack into an ink tank communicating with a recording head, and is stored in the pack. An ink jet recording method in which the recording head is sequentially fed one by one to a recording position by a recording head, and the recording head ejects the ink to the recording medium fed to the recording position to perform recording.