JP2003019814A - Residual ink quantity detector and ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a residual ink quantity detector and an ink jet recorder in which a plurality of liquid levels can be detected and the fixing state of an ink cartridge can be detected. SOLUTION: The residual ink quantity detector comprises a light emitting section 31 for irradiating light, a plurality of reflective sections 20 provided in an ink cartridge 2 and reflecting light irradiated from the light emitting section 31, a light receiving section 32 for receiving reflected light from the reflective sections 20, and a control section 4 for detecting the residual quantity of ink in the ink cartridge 2 based on the quantity of light received at the light receiving section 32 wherein the reflective section 20 comprises a first reflective section 21 having a specified reflectivity, and one or a plurality of second reflective section 21 having a reflectivity variable depending on the residual quantity of ink and the control section 4 comprises a section for comparing the quantities of reflected light from the first and second reflective sections received at the light receiving section, and a section for detecting the residual quantity of ink based on the comparison results.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink remaining amount detecting device for optically detecting an ink remaining amount, and an ink jet recording device provided with the ink remaining amount detecting device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording apparatus faces a surface of a recording sheet fed in a predetermined direction (sub-scanning direction) and is substantially orthogonal to the feeding direction (main scanning direction).
An ink head that moves to the ink head, ink droplets ejected from the ink head collide with one surface of the recording paper, and a combination of dots formed at the collision position of each ink droplet,
It is configured to record patterns such as characters.

In such an ink jet recording apparatus,
Ink for recording is supplied to the ink head from the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage for movement together with the ink head. However, if the ink remaining in the ink cartridge is insufficient, The air is sucked in and air bubbles are generated, which causes a problem that the above-described ejection of the ink particles and the resulting pattern recording are supported. Therefore, conventionally, the liquid level of the ink inside the ink cartridge is detected, the remaining ink amount is detected, and when the detected remaining ink amount is less than a predetermined minimum remaining amount, the replacement of the ink cartridge is prompted. A message is displayed to prevent the aforementioned problems.

FIG. 21 is a side sectional view showing the structure of a conventional ink remaining amount detecting device. The ink remaining amount sensor 3 includes a light emitting unit 31 and a light emitting unit 3 that emit light to the ink cartridge 2.
1 is provided with a light receiving section 32 for receiving the light from 1, and a control section not shown. Further, a V-shaped groove is provided on the side wall of the ink cartridge 2. The two slopes X and Y forming the groove are formed inward from the side wall of the ink cartridge 2 at inclination angles of 45 degrees and are orthogonal to each other. The slopes X and Y are made of a light-transmissive synthetic resin that allows the inside of the ink cartridge 2 to be seen through. Therefore, slopes X and Y
Of the light changes depending on whether or not ink is present inside the ink cartridge 2, and when ink is present, it is affected by the refractive index of the ink and the light reflectance on the slopes X and Y is small. Therefore, when there is no ink inside the ink cartridge 2, the light reflectance on the slopes X and Y increases.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 21A, when the ink cartridge 2 has a sufficient amount of ink and the ink surface is located above the slopes X and Y, the light is emitted from the light emitting section 31. The generated light passes through the slopes X and Y and diffuses inside the ink cartridge 2.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 21B, when the liquid surface of the ink is located below the slopes X and Y, the light emitted from the light emitting portion 31 is the slopes X and Y. It is reflected by both and reaches the light receiving unit 32. As a result, the light receiving unit 32 outputs an output signal according to the received light amount to the control unit. The control unit has a reference value for the output signal, compares this reference value with the magnitude of the output signal received from the light receiving unit 32, and when the magnitude of the received output signal is larger than the reference value, , Ink cartridge 2
It is designed to detect that the remaining ink level is low.

Further, in the ink remaining amount detecting device shown in FIG. 21, one ink surface level is detected by using the ink remaining amount sensor 3 including a set of a light emitting section 31 and a light receiving section 32. Therefore, there is known an ink remaining amount detecting device provided with a plurality of ink remaining amount sensors 3 in order to detect a plurality of liquid surface levels.

[0008]

However, in the conventional ink remaining amount detecting device, since the ink remaining amount is detected by the light amount received by the light receiving unit 32, the light amount emitted by the light emitting unit 31 or the sensitivity of the light receiving unit 32 is detected. However, there is a problem in that the presence or absence of the remaining ink amount may be erroneously determined when it changes due to aging or when the elements of the light receiving unit 32 have variations in sensitivity due to environmental temperature.

Further, in the ink remaining amount detecting device for detecting a plurality of liquid surface levels, since a plurality of sets of the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are provided, a large installation space is required and the manufacturing cost is high. There was a problem.

Further, since the conventional ink remaining amount detecting device detects only the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge 2, the two slopes X and Y face the ink remaining amount sensor 3 in an imperfectly mounted state. If it is not at the position, since the reflected light cannot be received by the light receiving unit 32, the control unit determines that there is an ink remaining amount even when the ink remaining amount is insufficient. Further, as shown in FIG. 21C, the two slopes X,
Even when Y is at the position opposite to the ink remaining amount sensor 3, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 31 may not be reflected depending on the state of the liquid surface of the ink. The control unit determines that there is ink remaining. As a result, despite the fact that the ink level is actually insufficient,
Since printing is attempted, there are problems such as defective printing due to defective ink supply and suction of air bubbles into the ink pressurizing chamber. Further, although the ink cartridge is incompletely attached, the ink cartridge comes off during traveling of the carriage, and the carriage and the ink cartridge collide with each other, which causes a failure.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has a first reflectance that has a constant reflectance regardless of the remaining amount of ink.
By providing the ink cartridge with the reflecting portion and the second reflecting portion whose reflectance changes according to the remaining ink amount, and detecting the remaining ink amount based on the difference in the amount of light reflected from each reflecting portion, It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink remaining amount detecting device that has few errors in determining whether there is ink remaining.

Another object of the present invention is to be able to detect a plurality of liquid levels and to have a small installation space.
An object of the present invention is to provide an ink remaining amount detecting device whose manufacturing cost is low.

Still another object of the present invention is that the first liquid surface level reflecting portion is composed of two slopes formed from the wall surface of the ink cartridge toward the inside, so that it can be integrally molded with the ink cartridge. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink remaining amount detecting device whose manufacturing cost is low.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide the ink by forming the second liquid surface level reflecting portion by two slopes formed from the wall surface of the ink cartridge toward the inside and a plane continuous with the slopes. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink remaining amount detecting device that can be integrally molded with a cartridge and is inexpensive to manufacture.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an ink remaining amount detecting device capable of easily adjusting the position and the optical axis of the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion.

Still another object of the present invention is to reliably detect the liquid level based on the light reflected from the first and second liquid level reflecting portions when the liquid level is within a predetermined range. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink remaining amount detecting device.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an ink remaining amount detecting device capable of detecting the mounting state of the ink cartridge.

Still another object of the present invention is to have a plurality of ink containers for storing inks of different colors, and to provide the second reflecting portion for each ink container to detect the ink remaining amount of each color. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink remaining amount detecting device.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of detecting the ink remaining amount while the carriage to which the ink cartridge is attached is moving.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of accurately detecting the remaining amount of ink and the mounting state of an ink cartridge.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of detecting the position in the moving direction of an ink cartridge attached to a carriage.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus which can detect the mounting state of the ink cartridge after the printer is powered on or after the ink cartridge is mounted.

[0023]

An ink remaining amount detecting apparatus according to the present invention comprises a light emitting section for irradiating light, a plurality of reflecting sections provided in an ink cartridge for reflecting light irradiated by the light emitting section, In a remaining ink amount detecting device including a light receiving unit that receives the reflected light from the reflecting unit, and a detecting unit that detects the remaining ink amount of the ink cartridge based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit, the reflecting unit includes: The detecting section includes a first reflecting section having a predetermined reflectance and one or a plurality of second reflecting sections whose reflectance changes according to the remaining amount of ink. An ink cartridge comprising: a comparison calculation unit that compares the amount of light reflected from the second reflection unit; and a remaining amount detection unit that detects the remaining amount of ink based on the result calculated by the comparison calculation unit. Multiple reflections provided An irradiation unit that irradiates the reflecting unit with light, a light receiving unit that receives the light reflected by the reflecting unit, and the amount of light received by the light receiving unit that detects the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge. In the remaining ink amount detecting device, the reflecting unit includes a first reflecting unit having a reflectance that does not depend on the remaining ink amount, and one or more first reflecting units that change the reflectance according to the remaining ink amount. And a calculation unit that calculates a difference in the amount of light from the first and second reflection units, and a remaining ink amount based on the difference calculated by the calculation unit. The feature is that it is done.

According to the present invention, an ink cartridge having a first reflecting portion having a reflectance that does not depend on the remaining amount of ink and a second reflecting portion having a reflectance that changes according to the remaining amount of ink is provided. The light reflected from the reflecting portion is received, and the respective amounts of reflected light received are compared to detect the remaining amount of ink. Therefore, even if the sensitivity of the light receiving unit changes due to environmental temperature or aging, the presence or absence of the remaining ink amount can be detected without error.

In the ink remaining amount detecting device according to the present invention, the second reflecting portion should reflect the irradiation light from the light emitting portion when the ink liquid level is lower than the first liquid surface level. When the configured first liquid surface level reflecting portion and the liquid surface level of the ink are lower than the second liquid surface level different from the first liquid surface level, the light emitted from the light emitting portion is reflected. It is characterized in that it is constituted by a second liquid surface level reflecting portion constituted as described above.

According to the present invention, since at least a predetermined liquid level detecting unit is provided, which is determined by the positional relationship between the optical axis of the irradiated light and the liquid level, whether or not the liquid level is reflected is provided. It is possible to detect three liquid level levels belonging to the range. Further, since it is possible to detect a plurality of liquid surface levels by providing only one set of the light emitting section and the light receiving section, it is possible to provide an ink remaining amount detecting apparatus which has a small installation space and is inexpensive to manufacture. Is possible.

The ink remaining amount detecting device according to the present invention is characterized in that the first liquid level reflecting portion is composed of two slopes formed from the wall surface of the ink cartridge toward the inside.

In the present invention, since the first liquid surface level reflecting portion is composed of the two slopes formed from the wall surface of the ink cartridge toward the inside, it can be integrally molded with the ink cartridge. It can be manufactured at low cost.

In the ink remaining amount detecting device according to the present invention, the second liquid surface level reflecting portion has two slopes formed from the wall surface of the ink cartridge toward the inside, and each of the two slopes is continuous. It is characterized by being composed of a flat surface.

In the present invention, the second liquid surface level reflecting portion is composed of two slopes formed from the wall surface of the ink cartridge toward the inside, and flat surfaces continuous with the two slopes. Therefore, it can be integrally molded with the ink cartridge and can be manufactured at low cost.

In the ink remaining amount detecting device according to the present invention, the first and second liquid levels are arranged so that the optical axis of the irradiation light from the light emitting portion and the optical axis of the reflected light from the reflecting portion are parallel to each other. It is characterized in that each slope of the level reflecting portion is formed.

According to the present invention, the first liquid level reflecting portion is arranged so that the optical axis of the irradiation light emitted by the light emitting portion and the optical axis of the reflected light reflected by the reflecting portion are parallel to each other. Second
Since the liquid level reflector is configured, it is easy to adjust the position and the optical axis of the reflector and the light receiver.

The ink remaining amount detecting device according to the present invention is characterized in that a notch portion is provided adjacent to one of the slopes constituting the second liquid surface level reflecting portion.

In the present invention, the notch is provided adjacent to one of the slopes of the second liquid surface level reflecting portion, and the irradiation light emitted from the light emitting portion is reflected by the second liquid surface level reflecting portion. When reflected on each of the inclined surface and the flat surface of the portion, it is possible to make the inside state of the inclined surface reflected last the same as the state without ink. Therefore, when the liquid level is within a predetermined range, even if the irradiation light applied to the first liquid level reflecting portion is not reflected, the irradiation light applied to the second liquid level reflecting portion is reflected. It is possible to Therefore, the reflected light from the first liquid level reflecting portion
It is possible to detect the liquid level based on the reflected light from the liquid level reflection unit.

The ink remaining amount detecting device according to the present invention further comprises a comparison operation unit for comparing the light amount of the reflected light from the first reflecting unit received by the light receiving unit with a predetermined light amount stored in advance. It is characterized by

In the present invention, the reflected light from the first reflecting portion provided on the ink cartridge is received, and the mounting state of the ink cartridge is detected by the amount of the received light. Since the reflectance does not change depending on the remaining amount of ink from the first reflecting portion, a predetermined amount of light is received by the light receiving portion when the ink cartridge is normally attached at a predetermined position. However, when the mounting state of the ink cartridge is not normal due to the impact from the outside, the optical path of the light reflected from the first reflecting portion changes, and the amount of light received by the light receiving portion changes. It decreases or goes undetected at all. Therefore, the mounting state of the ink cartridge can be detected very easily by detecting the amount of light from the first reflecting portion.

In the ink remaining amount detecting device according to the present invention, the ink cartridge comprises a plurality of ink containers for storing inks of different colors, and each ink container is provided with the second reflecting portion. .

In the present invention, a plurality of ink containers are provided, and each ink container is provided with the second reflecting portion.
Therefore, in a color inkjet recording apparatus that uses a plurality of colors of ink, the inks of different colors stored in each ink container are used, but it is possible to detect the presence or absence of the ink remaining amount for each ink container (for each color). It will be possible.

The ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a carriage to which one or a plurality of ink cartridges are attached; a guide shaft for guiding the carriage; and a control unit for controlling reciprocating movement in a direction along the guide shaft, while the carriage moves. The ink remaining amount detecting device of the present invention for detecting the ink remaining amount of the attached ink cartridge is provided.

In the present invention, the light emitting portion emits light while the carriage to which the ink cartridge is attached is moving. Therefore, it is not necessary to move the ink cartridge or the detection unit only for the purpose of detecting the remaining ink amount, and it is possible to detect the remaining ink amount very easily. Further, since a plurality of ink cartridges respectively storing inks of different colors can be attached to the carriage and the presence or absence of the ink remaining amount of each ink cartridge can be detected, the ink cartridges in which the ink remaining amount is exhausted By exchanging only the other ink, it is possible to consume other ink that has not run out of ink without waste.

The ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is
It is characterized by comprising a light emitting part and a light receiving part of the ink remaining amount detecting device which are provided so as to be opposed to the end position of the movement path of the carriage.

In the present invention, since the light receiving portion and the light emitting portion are provided so as to face the end position of the moving range of the carriage, when the moving speed of the carriage is low, the remaining ink amount is detected and the ink cartridge is used. It is possible to detect the mounting state of the, and to improve the detection accuracy.

The ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is
It is further characterized by further comprising a position detection unit for detecting the position of the attached ink cartridge in the movement direction based on the result of receiving the reflected light from the first reflection unit of the ink remaining amount detection device.

In the present invention, the position in the moving direction of the ink cartridge can be detected based on the result of receiving the reflected light from the first reflecting portion, and the reflected light from the first reflecting portion can be detected. By receiving the reflected light from the second reflecting portion after a predetermined time has elapsed after receiving the light, it is possible to perform the control for detecting the remaining ink amount.

The ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is
The control unit includes means for receiving a drive start signal for starting the drive of the carriage.

In the present invention, there is provided means for receiving a drive start signal for starting the drive of the carriage.
Therefore, when the inkjet recording apparatus is operated for the first time after the inkjet recording apparatus is powered on and after the ink cartridge is replaced, the attachment state of the ink cartridge can be detected. Therefore, if the ink cartridge is not installed properly due to the influence of external vibration while the inkjet recording device is not in use, or immediately after the ink cartridge is replaced, the ink cartridge will not It may not be installed. In such a case, by detecting the mounting state of the ink cartridge, it is possible to prevent ink leakage and malfunction of the inkjet recording device due to the defective mounting state.

[0047]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings showing the embodiments thereof. Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a main part of an inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention. This ink jet recording apparatus is provided with an ink head 1 and an ink cartridge 2 on a carriage 10 supported by a guide shaft 11 extending horizontally inside a housing (not shown) so as to be movable in the axial direction. A feed belt 12 is stretched below the guide shaft 11 in parallel therewith, and a midway portion of the feed belt 12 is connected to a part of the carriage 10. With the above-described configuration, the carriage 10 reciprocates along the guide shaft 11 in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow in the figure in response to forward and reverse rotations of the feed belt 12 due to conduction from a feed motor (not shown).

The ink head 1 is fixed to the lower part of the carriage 10 so as to eject ink particles downward. The ink cartridge 2 is a rectangular box-shaped hollow container made of a light-transmissive synthetic resin material, and is located above the ink head 1 so as to supply the ink stored therein to the ink head 1. And is detachably attached to the carriage 10. The ink head 1 and the ink cartridge 2 reciprocate in the main scanning direction according to the movement of the carriage 10.

At an appropriate position below the ink head 1,
With a proper interval in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction,
A pair of upper and lower paper feed rollers 13 and 14 and a paper discharge roller 15 and 16 which are installed in parallel with the guide shaft 11 are arranged, and the recording paper 5 is provided between the paper feed rollers 13 and 14. The sheet is sandwiched between the sheet discharge rollers 15 and 16, and by rotation of these rollers, the sheet is conveyed in a sub-scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction, as indicated by a white arrow in the drawing. .

On the surface of the recording paper 5 thus conveyed, the ink head 1 adheres the ink particles to be ejected while moving in the main scanning direction in accordance with the operation command from the controller 4 (see FIG. 2), A desired design, characters, etc. are recorded by a combination of the movement of the ink head 1 and the conveyance of the recording paper 5 in the sub-scanning direction. The recording paper 5 on which the patterns, characters, etc. have been recorded,
By the rotation of the discharge rollers 15 and 16, the discharge rollers 15 and 16 are discharged and collected outside a housing (not shown).

Further, an ink remaining amount sensor 3 for detecting the ink remaining amount is provided at an appropriate position between the carriage 10 and the paper discharge rollers 15 and 16 with a proper distance from the moving path of the ink cartridge 2. . In addition, as shown in FIG.
The ink remaining amount sensor 3 is arranged substantially at the center of the moving path of the ink cartridge 2 moving along the guide shaft 11, but may be located at any position within the range of the moving path. The number of remaining ink level sensors 3 is not limited to one, and a plurality of ink level sensors 3 may be provided in the middle of the moving path.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention. CPU, RA
An image data D for pattern formation is given from an external device such as a computer to a control unit 4 constituted by a microprocessor having M and ROM, and a user inputs from an input unit 40 such as a switch and a keyboard. Operation information is given.

On the other hand, the output of the control section 4 is a display section 41 for displaying the operation state of the ink jet recording apparatus, and a head drive section 4 for causing the ink head 1 to perform an ink droplet ejection operation.
2, a carriage drive unit 43 for moving the carriage 10 carrying the ink head 1 and the ink cartridge 2 in the main scanning direction, and a paper feed roller 1 for conveying the recording paper 5.
The rollers 3 and 14 and the discharge rollers 15 and 16 are provided to a roller driving unit 44, respectively.

Further, the output of the control unit 4 is also given to the ink remaining amount sensor 3, and the ink remaining amount sensor 3 performs an operation described later for detecting the remaining amount in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 4. . The output of the ink remaining amount sensor 3 obtained when the remaining amount is detected is given to the control unit 4, and the control unit 4
The input from the ink level sensor 3 is used to determine whether or not the ink level inside the ink cartridge 2 is insufficient, and the result of this determination is output to the display unit 41. Display unit 4
As 1, a display unit that shows the state of the inkjet recording device by light from an LED, a display unit that displays a message such as a liquid crystal display, or a display unit that displays a voice such as a voice output device can be used.

The ROM provided in the control unit 4 includes a control program for various operations such as an operation of the ink head 1 for recording a pattern, characters and the like on the recording paper 5, an ink remaining amount detecting operation, and the like. Various information necessary for the following operations, such as the display contents of the display unit 41, is stored.

The operation of the ink head 1 for recording the above-mentioned symbols, characters, etc. is similar to the operation conventionally performed, and the inputted image data D is temporarily stored in the RAM, and the head drive section 42, the carriage. An operation command is issued to the drive unit 43 and the roller drive unit 44 to reciprocate the ink head 1 together with the carriage 10 in the main scanning direction, and ink particles are generated from the ink head 1 based on the image data D stored in the RAM. Ink head 1 on recording paper 5
Is performed in a procedure for forming a pattern corresponding to the image data D on the surface of the recording paper 5 by adding a feed for each predetermined pitch in the sub-scanning direction according to the movement of the.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of the ink remaining amount detecting device of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the same. The ink cartridge 2 is a rectangular parallelepiped hollow container made of a light-transmitting synthetic resin material, and is integrally molded with the ink cartridge 2 at the lower part of the wall surface facing the ink remaining amount sensor 3 when attached to the carriage 10. In addition, the reflection unit 20 that reflects the light emitted from the light emitting unit 31 (see FIG. 4) of the ink remaining amount sensor 3 is provided. The reflecting portion 20 is formed by arranging a first reflecting portion 21 and a second reflecting portion 22 having different properties in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure. First reflection part 2
Reference numeral 1 denotes a V-shaped groove along the direction of the arrow, and two slopes 21X and 21Y forming the groove are cut inward from the wall surface of the ink cartridge 2 at an inclination angle of 45 degrees and are orthogonal to each other. It is like this. A reflection tape 23 is attached to the two slopes 21X and 21Y as a reflection member that totally reflects light. The second reflecting portion 22
Is formed by a V-shaped groove similar to the first reflecting portion 21, and slopes 22X and 22Y forming the groove are formed.
(See FIG. 5) are inwardly cut from the side wall of the ink cartridge 2 at inclination angles of 45 degrees and are orthogonal to each other.

The ink remaining amount sensor 3 as shown in FIG. 4 is constructed, for example, by attaching a light emitting section 31 using an LED and a light receiving section 32 using a photodiode to a common base 33. Irradiation light from the light emitting unit 31 is provided on the slope 21X of the reflecting unit 20 provided in the ink cartridge 2.
(Or 22X), the reflected light reflected by the inclined surface 21Y (or 22Y) of the reflecting portion 20 at an angle of approximately 45 degrees is received by the light receiving portion 32. The optical axis is adjusted so that the light emitting portion 31 and the light receiving portion 32 are attached to the base portion 33. By adjusting the position of the optical axis in this way, the irradiation light from the light emitting portion 31 is emitted from one of the slopes 21X as shown by the arrow in FIG.
(Or 22X), a part of this irradiation light is reflected at a substantially right angle and reaches the other slope 21Y (or 22Y),
The reflected light reflected by the inclined surface 21Y (or 22Y) again at a substantially right angle is received by the light receiving section 32.

Here, the two slopes 21 of the first reflecting portion 21.
The light emitted from the light emitting portion 31 is reflected by the reflection tape 23 attached to X and 21Y at a constant reflectance, but the two slopes 22X and 22Y of the second reflecting portion 22 are made of a light-transmissive synthetic resin. Since it is made of a material, the reflectance changes depending on whether ink is present inside the ink cartridge 2. First, a case where ink does not exist inside the ink cartridge 2 will be described. According to Snell's law, when the relationship of n> 1 / Sin θ is satisfied, where n is the refractive index of the synthetic resin material and θ is the incident angle of the irradiation light, the irradiation light irradiated to the slopes 22X and 22Y is totally reflected. .
Here, when acrylic resin is selected as the synthetic resin material, the refractive index n is about 1.49, and the incident angle θ is about 4.
Since it is 5 degrees, 1 / Sin θ = 1.41, which satisfies the above relational expression. Therefore, when there is no ink inside the ink cartridge 2, the irradiation light emitted from the light emitting portion 31 of the ink remaining amount sensor 3 is totally reflected by the two slopes 22X and 22Y and reaches the light receiving portion 32. become. Next, a case where ink is present inside the ink cartridge 2 will be described. According to Snell's law, n> n ′ / Sin, where n is the refractive index of the synthetic resin material, n ′ is the refractive index of the ink, and θ is the incident angle of irradiation light.
When the relationship of θ is satisfied, the irradiation light applied to the slopes 22X and 22Y is totally reflected. Here, since the refractive index of the ink n'is about 1.33, the value of n '/ Sinθ is about 1.88. Therefore, when acrylic resin (refractive index n = 1.33) is selected as the synthetic resin material,
The irradiation light is not totally reflected by the slopes 22X and 22Y, and a part of the irradiation light is transmitted to the inside of the ink cartridge 2. Therefore, the material of the ink cartridge 2 is not limited to acrylic resin, and the refractive index n is 1.49 <
Any value in the range of n <1.88 may be used.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view for explaining the detection of the reflected light by the second reflecting section 22. As shown in FIG. 5A, when there is sufficient ink inside the ink cartridge 2 and the liquid level of the ink is higher than the second reflecting portion 22, the inside of the slopes 22X and 22Y is the ink. Since the amount of light transmitted through the slopes 22X and 22Y increases, the amount of reflected light reaching the light receiving unit 32 is small, and the output signal of the light receiving unit 32 corresponding to this light receiving amount becomes a low level. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the liquid surface of the ink is approaching the slope 22Y, the slope 22Y
Although the amount of light reflected by X is larger than that in the case of FIG. 5A described above, the amount of light transmitted through the slope 22Y is large, and therefore the amount of reflected light reaching the light receiving unit 32 is still small, and the light receiving unit 32 is small. The output signal output by 32 becomes low level.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5C, when the liquid surface of the ink is located below the slopes 22X and 22Y of the second reflecting portion 22, the amount of reflected light reflected by both slopes 22X and 22Y is reduced. Since the amount of reflected light received by the light receiving unit 32 increases, the output signal output from the light receiving unit 32 becomes high level. As described above, the level of the signal output by the light receiving unit 32 based on the amount of light reflected from the second reflecting unit 22 depends on the liquid level of the ink in the ink cartridge 2.

On the other hand, the first reflecting portion 21 has a constant reflectance irrespective of the liquid surface level of the ink in the ink cartridge 2, so that the amount of light emitted from the light emitting portion 31 does not change.
The amount of reflected light received by the light receiving unit 32 is constant, and the output signal output by the light receiving unit 32 has a signal level of a predetermined magnitude. The control unit 4 issues an operation command to the ink remaining amount sensor 3 to cause the light emitting unit 31 of the ink remaining amount sensor 3 to emit light while the carriage 10 mounting the ink cartridge 2 moves in the main scanning direction. . The control unit 4 takes in the output signal from the light receiving unit 32 at a predetermined sampling cycle. Then, the control unit 4 receives the output signal based on the reflected light amount from the first reflecting unit 21 and the output signal based on the reflected light amount from the second reflecting unit 22, and calculates the value of the difference between them. Then, when the value of this difference is within a predetermined allowable range, the control unit 4 determines that the ink in the ink cartridge 2 is insufficient, and the display unit 41 indicates that the ink is insufficient. Warning is displayed.

As described above, the amount of light reflected from the first reflector 21 is set to be used as a reference value for the amount of light reflected from the second reflector 22. This gives, for example,
Even if the light amount of the light emitting unit 31 or the sensitivity of the light receiving unit 32 is changed, the presence or absence of the ink remaining in the ink cartridge 2 can be detected without error.

6 and 7 are flowcharts showing the procedure for detecting the remaining ink amount. In the remaining ink amount detecting device of the present invention, the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 2 is detected while the carriage 10 is moving. First, the control unit 4 determines whether or not the printer in the standby state has accepted the print request (step S1). When the print request is not accepted (S1: NO), the process waits until the print request is accepted. When a print request is accepted (S1: YE
S), the control unit 4 issues an operation command to cause the carriage 10
Is scanned to perform printing (step S2), and at the same time, an operation command is issued to the ink remaining amount sensor 3 to cause the light emitting unit 31 to emit light (step S3). Further, the control unit 4 takes in the output signal from the light receiving unit 32 at a predetermined sampling cycle (step S4).

The control unit 4 controls the magnitude V of the output signal taken in.
It is determined whether 1 is larger than Vn1 (step S
5). Here, the value of Vn1 is set to a value slightly smaller than the magnitude of the output signal based on the amount of reflected light from the first reflecting section 21, for example. The magnitude of the captured output signal is Vn
If it is 1 or less (S5: NO), the process returns to S5,
When the magnitude of the captured output signal is larger than Vn1 (S
5: YES), the size V1 is stored in the RAM (step S6).

Then, the control unit 4 controls the magnitude V of the output signal which is first captured after the time t stored in advance has elapsed.
2 is stored in the RAM (step S7). Here, at the time t, the second reflecting portion 22 faces the ink remaining amount sensor 3 after the first reflecting portion 21 of the ink cartridge 2 passes the facing position of the ink remaining amount sensor 3 during the movement of the carriage 10. It is the elapsed time to pass the position.

In the control unit 4, the size of the stored V2 is Vn.
It is determined whether it is greater than 2 (step S8). Here, the value of Vn2 is set to a value slightly smaller than 0. When the magnitude of V2 is Vn2 or less (S8: N
O), it is determined that the scanning direction of the carriage is not the predetermined direction, and the process returns to S5.

When it is determined that the magnitude of V2 is larger than Vn2 (S8: YES), the control unit 4 calculates the difference between the magnitudes V1 and V2 of the stored output signals (step S8).
9) Then, it is determined whether or not the difference is within a predetermined range set in advance (step S10).

When it is determined that the difference between V1 and V2 is within the predetermined range (S10: YES), the ink cartridge 2
It is determined that the remaining amount of ink in the printer is insufficient, and a warning indicating that the ink is insufficient is displayed on the display unit 41 (step S1).
1). Then, it is determined whether or not there is a next print request (step S12). If there is a print request (S12: YES),
When the process returns to step S2 and there is no print request (S1
2: NO), and the printing ends.

If the calculated difference value is not within the predetermined range in step S10 (S10: NO), the controller 4
It is determined that there is sufficient ink in the ink cartridge 2, the warning that the ink is insufficient is not issued, and the presence or absence of the next print request is determined (step S12). If there is a print request (S12: YES), the process returns to S2, and if there is no print request (S12: NO), the printing ends.

In the present embodiment, the presence / absence of the remaining ink amount is detected by calculating the difference value between the output signal magnitudes V1 and V2 and determining whether the calculated difference value is within a predetermined range. However, the configuration may be such that the ratio between the output signal magnitudes V1 and V2 is calculated, and the presence or absence of the remaining ink amount is detected based on the calculated magnitude of the ratio.

Further, if it is determined in step S10 that the remaining amount of ink is insufficient, the scanning of the carriage 10 may be temporarily stopped after displaying a warning indicating that the ink is insufficient. Good.

Embodiment 2. In the present embodiment, an ink remaining amount detection device and an inkjet recording device that detect a plurality of liquid surface levels will be specifically described.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the structure of the ink remaining amount detecting device of the present invention. In the figure, 2 is an ink cartridge attached to the carriage 10 shown in FIG. 1, and 3 is an ink level sensor similar to that shown in FIG. The ink cartridge 2 is a rectangular parallelepiped hollow container made of a light-transmitting synthetic resin, and is a carriage 1.
The surface facing the ink remaining amount sensor 3 when attached to 0 is provided with a first reflecting portion 21 and a second reflecting portion 22 provided at a position slightly above the bottom surface of the ink cartridge 2. The first reflecting portion 21 is composed of a V-shaped groove provided on the side wall of the ink cartridge 2, and the two inclined surfaces 21X and 21Y forming the groove are each 45 degrees from the surface facing the ink remaining amount sensor 3. The cuts are made so that they are orthogonal to each other. A reflective tape 23 is attached to the two slopes 21X and 21Y as a reflective member that totally reflects the irradiated light. The second reflecting portion 22 is provided in the vicinity of the side wall opposite to the side wall and on the surface facing the ink remaining amount sensor 3, and is integrally formed of the same light-transmitting synthetic resin as the ink cartridge 2. Is. In addition, the second reflecting portion 22 includes a first liquid surface level reflecting portion 51 and a second liquid surface level reflecting portion 52, which will be described later in detail, for detecting two liquid surfaces. It is a thing.

9 and 10 are side sectional views of the ink remaining amount detecting device. As shown in FIG. 9A, the second liquid surface level reflection portion 52 is formed of a rectangular groove and cuts upward from the surface facing the ink remaining amount sensor 3 at an angle of about 45 degrees, respectively. Two slopes 52X and 52Z that are parallel to each other
And a slope 52Y orthogonal to both slopes 52X and 52Z. Further, a partition plate 55 that is parallel to the facing surface is provided below the slope 52Z, and a space that does not allow ink to enter is provided near the facing surface. In addition, FIG.
As shown in (b), the first liquid surface level reflection portion 51 is composed of a V-shaped groove, and is formed inwardly at an angle of approximately 45 degrees from each of the facing surfaces, and two slopes orthogonal to each other are formed. It is composed of 51X and 51Y.

The ink remaining amount sensor 3 is constructed by, for example, attaching a light emitting portion 31 using an LED and a light receiving portion 32 using a photodiode to a common base portion 33. The irradiation light is the slope 51X of the first liquid surface level reflecting portion 51 or the second liquid surface level reflecting portion 5
The optical axis of the irradiation light is adjusted so as to be incident on the second slope 52Z at an angle of approximately 45 degrees, and the slope 51Y or the slope 52
The optical axis is adjusted so that the reflected light reflected by Z at an angle of about 45 degrees can be received by the light receiving unit 32.

By adjusting the optical axis in this way and attaching the light emitting portion 31 and the light receiving portion 32 to the base, when ink is sufficiently inside the ink cartridge 2, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), the irradiation light emitted from the light emitting unit 31 toward the first liquid level reflection unit 51 is transmitted at the point e in the middle of the slope 51X and is reflected by the second liquid level reflection. Part 52
The irradiation light radiated toward
The point is transparent. In addition, the liquid level of the ink is shown in FIG.
When it is between the point e in the middle of the slope 51X and the point f in the middle of the slope 51Y shown in (b), the irradiation light irradiated to the first liquid level reflecting portion 51 is reflected at the point e. After being done, f
The point is transparent. On the other hand, the ink surface level is shown in FIG.
When it is in the position shown in (c), the irradiation light applied to the second liquid surface level reflecting portion 52 is the slopes 52Z, 52Y, 5
After being reflected at points a, b, and c in the middle of 2X, it is reflected by point d located above the space portion where the partition plate 55 prevents ink from entering, and the ink remaining amount sensor 3 Arrives at the light receiving section 32. Next, when the liquid level of the ink is lower than the above-mentioned point f, as shown in FIG. 10, the irradiation light applied to the first liquid level reflecting portion 51 is reflected at points e and f. , Ink level sensor 3
Arrives at the light receiving section 32.

As described above, the ink remaining amount detecting device of the present invention can detect a plurality of liquid surface levels by providing the pair of the light emitting portion 31 and the light receiving portion 32.

11 and 12 are flowcharts showing the procedure for detecting the remaining amount of ink. In the remaining ink amount detecting device of the present invention, the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 2 is detected while the carriage 10 is moving. First, the control unit 4 determines whether or not the printer in the standby state has accepted the print request (step S101). When the print request is not accepted (S101: NO), the process waits until the print request is accepted. When the print request is received (S101: YES), the control unit 4 issues an operation command, scans the carriage 10 (step S102), performs printing, and issues an operation command to the ink level sensor 3. Light is emitted to cause the light emitting unit 31 to emit light (step S10).
3). Further, the control unit 4 takes in the output signal from the light receiving unit 32 at a predetermined sampling cycle (step S10).
4).

The control unit 4 controls the magnitude V of the output signal taken in.
It is determined whether 1 is larger than Vn1 (step S1).
05). Here, the value of Vn1 is set to a value slightly smaller than the magnitude of the output signal based on the amount of reflected light from the first reflecting portion, for example. The magnitude of the captured output signal is Vn1
When it is the following (S105: NO), the process is returned to S105, and when the magnitude of the fetched output signal is larger than Vn1 (S105: YES), the magnitude V1 is stored in the RAM (step S106).

Next, the control unit 4 controls the magnitude V of the output signal which is first captured after the time t1 stored in advance has elapsed.
1'is stored in RAM (step S107), and time t2
After the lapse of time, the magnitude V2 'of the output signal that was first captured
Is stored in the RAM (step S108). Here, at the above-mentioned time t1, the first liquid surface level reflecting portion 51 remains in the ink after the first reflecting portion 21 of the ink cartridge 2 passes the position opposite to the ink remaining amount sensor 3 during the movement of the carriage 10. It is an elapsed time until it passes the facing position of the amount sensor 3, and the time t2 is when the first reflecting portion 21 of the ink cartridge 2 moves while the carriage 10 is moving.
After passing the facing position of the
Is the elapsed time until the ink passes the opposite position of the ink remaining amount sensor 3.

Then, the control section 4 determines whether or not the magnitudes V1 'and V2' of the stored output signal are larger than Vn2 (step S109). Here, the value of Vn2 is set to a value slightly smaller than the magnitude of the output signal based on the amount of light reflected from the second reflecting section 22 when the ink cartridge 2 is sufficiently filled with ink.

When it is determined that the values of V1 'and V2' are both larger than Vn2 (S109: YES), the control unit 4
Is the difference between the stored output signals D1 = V1-V1 'and D
2 = V1-V2 'is calculated (step S110), and D2
It is determined whether or not the value of is included in a predetermined range set in advance (step S111).

When it is determined that the value of D2 is within the predetermined range (S111: YES), the control unit 4 determines whether the value of D1 is within the predetermined range set in advance (step S112). . When the value of D1 is within the predetermined range (S
112: YES), it is determined that the ink in the ink cartridge 2 has run out, a warning to that effect is displayed on the display unit 41 (step S113), and the carriage 10 is stopped (step S114). When it is determined in S112 that the value of D1 is not within the predetermined range (S11
2: NO), it is determined that the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge 2 is insufficient, and a warning to that effect is displayed on the display unit 41 (step S115). Then, it is determined whether or not there is a next print request (step S116). If there is a print request (S116: YES), the process returns to step S102, and if there is no print request (S116: NO), the printing ends.

In step S111, the calculated D2
If the value of is not within the predetermined range (S111: NO), the control unit 4 determines that there is sufficient ink in the ink cartridge 2, does not display a warning on the display unit 41, and indicates whether there is a next print request. It is determined (step S116). If there is a print request (S116: YES), the process returns to S102, and if there is no print request (S116: NO), the printing ends.

Third Embodiment In the present embodiment, an ink remaining amount detecting device capable of detecting the mounting state of the ink cartridge 2 based on the amount of light reflected from the first reflecting portion 21 of the ink cartridge shown in FIGS. 3 and 8 will be described. .

The mounting state of the ink cartridge 2 can be detected by the ink remaining amount detecting device having the configuration shown in the first or second embodiment. As described above, the first reflection portion 21 is attached with the reflection tape 23 having a constant reflectance regardless of the remaining ink amount. Therefore, even if the ink cartridge 2 is poorly mounted, the optical path of the reflected light is changed, and the light quantity of the reflected light received by the light receiving section 32 is reduced. It is possible to detect the mounting state of No. 2 with high accuracy.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing the procedure for detecting the mounting state of the ink cartridge 2. First, the control unit 4 determines whether the printer in the standby state has received the print request (step S20). When the print request is not received (S20: NO), the process waits until the print request is received. When a print request is accepted (S20:
YES), the control unit 4 issues an operation command to scan the carriage 10 for printing (step S21) and
When the carriage 10 has passed a predetermined position in the main scanning direction, an operation command is issued to the ink remaining amount sensor 3 to cause the light emitting unit 31 to emit light (step S22). Then, the reflected light from the first reflecting unit 21 is received, the control unit 4 takes in the output signal based on the light amount of the reflected light (step S23), and the magnitude of the output signal is stored in the RAM in the control unit 4. Store V1.

Then, the control section 4 determines whether or not the magnitude V1 of the stored output signal is less than or equal to a preset predetermined value (step S24).

If it is less than the predetermined value (S24: YE
S), the control unit 4 determines that the mounting state of the ink cartridge 2 is defective, causes the display unit 41 to display a warning indicating that the mounting state is defective (step S25), and stops the carriage 10. Allow (Step S2
6).

When it is determined in step S24 that the magnitude of the output signal is larger than the predetermined value (S24: NO), it is determined whether or not there is a next print request (step S27).
When there is a print request (S27: YES), the process is S21.
When there is no print request (S27: NO), the printing ends.

As described above, the printer provided with the ink remaining amount detecting device of the present invention is set so as to detect the mounting state of the ink cartridge 2 based on the light amount of the reflected light from the reflecting portion 20. . That is, by using the first reflecting portion 21 provided for detecting the remaining amount of ink,
It is possible to easily detect the attachment state of the ink cartridge 2.

The above-mentioned detection of the mounting state of the ink cartridge 2 can be carried out during scanning, but it is desirable to carry out the detection when the power of the printer is turned on. That is, when the power of the printer is turned on, there is a possibility that the mounting condition of the ink cartridge 2 is not normal due to the influence of externally applied vibration during the suspension period of use. Immediately after the replacement of the ink cartridge 2, the installation state of the new ink cartridge 2 cannot be confirmed, and as described above, the installation state of the ink cartridge 2 is detected to reliably prevent the ink leakage due to the installation failure. can do.

Fourth Embodiment In the present embodiment, an ink remaining amount detecting device and an ink jet recording device for detecting the ink remaining amount in an ink cartridge having a plurality of color ink storage chambers will be specifically described.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the structure of the main part of the ink remaining amount detecting device of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 14A, the interior of the ink cartridge 2 is parallel to each other, and is provided with three partition plates 2 provided in the direction of the arrow in the figure.
4, 24, 24 include four ink containing chambers 25, 25,
It is divided into 25 and 25. Therefore, for example, four color inks of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) can be stored.
At the lower part of one side surface of each of the ink storage chambers 25, 25, 25, 25, the above-mentioned second reflecting portions 22, 22, 22, 22 are arranged side by side in the direction of the arrow, and one of them is the second one. The first reflecting portion 21 is arranged in parallel with the reflecting portion 22.

Further, the ink remaining amount sensor 3 as shown in FIG. 4 is separated from the moving path of the ink cartridge 2 by an appropriate length, and the first reflecting portion 21 and the second reflecting portions 22, 22, 22,
It is fixed to a part of the housing of an ink jet recording apparatus (not shown) so as to face 22.

In the ink level detecting device of the present invention, the light emitted from the light emitting section 31 of the ink level sensor 3 is reflected by the first reflecting section 21.
And the second reflecting portions 22, 22, 22, 22, and the light reflected from both reflecting portions is received by the light receiving portion 32, and the output signal corresponding to the amount of received light is compared to compare each ink containing chamber. The remaining ink amount of 25, 25, 25, 25 is detected.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing the procedure for detecting the remaining amount of ink and the mounting state of the ink cartridge. First, the control unit 4 determines whether the printer in the standby state has accepted the print request (step S30).
When the print request is not accepted (S30: NO), the process waits until the print request is accepted. When the print request is received (S30: YES), the control unit 4 issues an operation command, scans the carriage 10, and performs printing (step S).
31), when the carriage 10 passes a predetermined position in the main scanning direction, an operation command is issued to the ink remaining amount sensor 3 to cause the light emitting unit 31 to emit light for a short time (step S32). That is, the first of the ink cartridge 2
The light emitting unit 31 receives the operation command from the main control unit 4 at the timing when the reflecting unit 21 and each of the second reflecting units 22, 22, 22, and 22 pass through the facing position of the ink remaining amount sensor 3, and the first light emitting unit 31 receives the operation command from the main control unit 4. After emitting light toward the reflecting portion 21, the second reflecting portion 2
Light is emitted toward 2, 22, 22, and 22. And the first
Upon receiving the reflected light from the reflecting section 21, the control section 4 takes in an output signal based on the amount of the reflected light (step S
33), The magnitude V1 of the output signal is stored in the RAM in the control unit 4.

Further, the light receiving section 32 has n (n = 4) second
Upon receiving the reflected light from the reflecting section, the control section 4 fetches an output signal based on the amount of reflected light from each second reflecting section 22 (step S34), and stores the respective output signals in the RAM in the control section 4. The size V2 (n) is stored. The magnitudes V2 (1) to V2 (4) of these output signals have values according to the remaining ink amount inside the ink containing chambers 25, 25, 25, 25.

Next, the control section 4 sets the value of the counter inside the control section 4 to n = 1 (step S3).
5).

Then, the control section 4 calculates the difference between the stored output signal magnitudes V1 and V2 (n) (step S
36) and it is determined whether or not the difference is preset and included within a predetermined range (step S37).

When it is determined that the difference between V1 and V2 (n) is within the predetermined range (S37: YES), it is determined that the ink remaining amount in the nth ink storage chamber is insufficient, and the display unit 4 is displayed.
A warning indicating that the ink is insufficient is displayed at 1 (step S38).

At S38, after displaying the warning, or V1
And V2 (n) are not within the predetermined range (S
After 37: NO), the control unit 4 increments the value n of the counter by 1 (step S39). Then, the control unit 4
It is determined whether the counter value n is 4 or more (step S40).

If the counter value n is smaller than 4 (S40: NO), the process is returned to step S36, and if the counter value n is 4 or more (S40: YES),
Whether or not there is a next print request is determined (step S41). If there is a print request (S41: YES), the process returns to step S31, and if there is no print request (S41: NO),
Finish printing.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14A, the first reflecting portion 21 is provided only in one ink containing chamber 25.
And the second reflecting portion 22 are provided, and the remaining ink containing chambers 25, 2
Although only the second reflecting portion 22 is provided in each of the ink containers 5 and 25, as shown in FIG.
For each 25, 25, 25, the first reflecting portion 21 and the second reflecting portion 2
2 may be provided. Also, FIG. 14 (c)
As shown in FIG. 7, one first reflecting portion 21 is provided at an appropriate position of the ink cartridge 2, and the second reflecting portion 22 that covers all the ink containing chambers 25, 25, 25, 25 in the ink cartridge 2 is arranged side by side. You can set it up.

Further, in the present embodiment, the ink cartridge for storing four colors of ink is shown, but the number of colors of ink is not limited, and an ink containing chamber for storing six colors of ink is provided. The ink cartridge may be an ink cartridge, or an ink cartridge having more ink storage chambers.

Embodiment 5. FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a main part of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

This embodiment differs from the ink jet recording apparatus shown in the first embodiment in that a plurality of ink cartridges 2 are mounted on the carriage 10.

A plurality of (for example, four) ink cartridges 2 as shown in FIG. 3 are mounted in parallel on the carriage 10 in the direction of the arrow in the drawing.
The reflection portion 20 provided on the lower part of one side surface has a first reflection portion 21 having a constant reflectance regardless of the ink remaining amount inside the ink cartridge 2, and the reflectance changes according to the ink remaining amount. It is composed of the second reflecting portion 22.

17 and 18 are flowcharts showing the procedure for detecting the remaining ink amount and the mounting state of the ink cartridge.

First, the control unit 4 determines whether or not the printer in the standby state has accepted the print request (step S).
50). When the print request is not accepted (S50: N
O), and waits until the print request is accepted. When the print request is accepted (S50: YES), the reference value V _B (n) of the output signal from the first reflecting section 21 stored in advance is read (step S51). Here, n is an integer from 1 to 4, and V _B (1) to V _B (4) are yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively. When the ink cartridges 2, 2, 2, 2 for storing the ink are properly attached, the magnitudes of the output signals to be output by the light receiving portions that receive the reflected light from the respective first reflecting portions 21 are shown. .

Then, the control section 4 issues an operation command,
The carriage 10 is scanned (step S52), printing is performed, and when the carriage 10 passes a predetermined position in the main scanning direction, an operation command is issued to the ink remaining amount sensor 3 to cause the light emitting unit 31 to emit light. (Step S53).
That is, while the carriage 10 passes the position opposite to the ink remaining amount sensor 3, the light emitting section 31 receives an operation command from the main control section 4, emits light toward the first reflecting section 21, and then the second reflecting section 21. Light is emitted toward the reflecting portions 22, 22, 22, 22. Then, the reflected light from each first reflecting portion 21 is received,
The control unit 4 takes in the output signal based on the light amount of the reflected light (step S54) and stores the magnitude V1 (n) of the output signal in the RAM in the control unit 4.

Further, the light receiving section 32 receives the reflected light from each second reflecting section 22, and the control section 4 takes in the output signal based on the amount of reflected light from each second reflecting section 22 (step S5).
5) The magnitude V2 (n) of each output signal is stored in the RAM in the control unit 4. The magnitude V of these output signals
2 (1) to V2 (4) represent the ink storage chambers 25, 25,
It is a value corresponding to the remaining ink amount of 25, 25.

Next, the control unit 4 sets the value of the counter inside the control unit 4 to n = 1 (step S5).
6).

Then, the control section 4 determines whether or not the magnitude V1 (n) of the output signal based on the amount of light reflected from the first reflection section 21 of the nth ink cartridge 2 is equal to 0 (step S57). ).

When V1 (n) is 0 (S57: YE)
S), a warning indicating that the nth ink cartridge is not installed is displayed on the display unit 41 (step S58). V1
When (n) is not 0 (S57: NO), the control unit 4
The lower limit value of the light amount is calculated by multiplying the above-mentioned value of V _B (n) by a coefficient α (α <1), and V 1 (n) is the lower limit value α · V _B (n)
It is determined whether or not it is smaller (step S59). Here, the value of α is set to, for example, 0.85.

[0116] V1 (n) if the lower limit value α · V _B (n) smaller than (S59: YES), n-th display portion 41 a warning that the mounting state is poor in the ink cartridge 2
(Step S60). V1 (n) is the lower limit value α
When V _B (n) or more (S59: NO), the control unit 4 multiplies the value of V _B (n) by the coefficient β (β <1) to calculate the upper limit value of the light amount, and V2 (n ) Is the upper limit β · V _B (n)
It is determined whether or not it is smaller (step S61). Here, the value of β is set to 0.75. When V2 (n) is not less than the upper limit value β · V _B (n) (S61: NO), a warning indicating that the ink cartridge of the nth ink cartridge 2 is out of ink is displayed on the display unit 41 (step S62).

In step S62, after displaying the warning,
Alternatively, after determining that V2 (n) is smaller than the upper limit value β · V _B (n) (S61: YES), the control unit 4 increases the value n of the counter by 1 (step S63).
Next, the control unit 4 determines whether the value n of the counter is 4 or more (step S64).

When the value n of the counter is smaller than 4 (S64: NO), the process is returned to step S57, and when the value n of the counter is 4 or more (S64: YES),
Whether or not there is a next print request is determined (step S65). If there is a print request (S65: YES), the process returns to step S52, and if there is no print request (S65: NO),
Finish printing.

Sixth Embodiment This embodiment is an ink jet recording apparatus having a carriage with four ink cartridges, and has a function of updating a reference value of an output signal in order to cope with aging of a detection system. is there.

19 and 20 are flow charts showing the procedure for detecting the remaining amount of ink and the mounting state of the ink cartridge.

First, the control unit 4 determines whether or not the printer in the standby state has accepted the print request (step S).
70). When the print request is not accepted (S70: N
O), and waits until the print request is accepted. When the print request is received (S70: YES), the reference value V _B (n) of the output signal from the first reflecting section 21 stored in advance is read (step S71). Here, n is an integer from 1 to 4, and V _B (1) to V _B (4) are yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively. When the ink cartridges 2, 2, 2, 2 for storing ink are properly attached, the magnitude of the output signal to be output by the light receiving section 32 that receives the reflected light from each of the first reflecting sections 21 is expressed. There is.

Then, the control section 4 issues an operation command,
The carriage 10 is scanned (step S72), printing is performed, and when the carriage 10 passes a predetermined position in the main scanning direction, an operation command is issued to the ink remaining amount sensor 3 to cause the light emitting unit 31 to emit light. (Step S73).
That is, while the carriage 10 passes the position opposite to the ink remaining amount sensor 3, the light emitting section 31 receives an operation command from the main control section 4, emits light toward the first reflecting section 21, and then the second reflecting section 21. Light is emitted toward the reflecting portions 22, 22, 22, 22. Then, the reflected light from each first reflecting portion 21 is received,
The control unit 4 takes in the output signal based on the light amount of the reflected light (step S74), and stores the magnitude V1 (n) of the output signal in the RAM in the control unit 4.

Further, the light receiving section 32 receives the reflected light from each second reflecting section 22, and the control section 4 fetches the output signal based on the amount of reflected light from each second reflecting section 22 (step S7).
5) The magnitude V2 (n) of each output signal is stored in the RAM in the control unit 4. The magnitude V of these output signals
2 (1) to V2 (4) represent the ink storage chambers 25, 25,
It is a value corresponding to the remaining ink amount of 25, 25.

Then, the control unit 4 sets the value of the counter inside the control unit 4 to n = 1 (step S7).
6).

Next, the control section 4 determines whether or not the magnitude V1 (n) of the output signal based on the amount of light reflected from the first reflection section 21 of the nth ink cartridge 2 is equal to 0 (step S77). ).

When V1 (n) is 0 (S77: YE)
S), a warning indicating that the nth ink cartridge 2 is not installed is displayed on the display unit 41 (step S78). V
When 1 (n) is not 0 (S77: NO), the control unit 4
Takes the ratio of V1 (n) and V1 (n + 1) and judges whether or not the value is smaller than α (step S79).
Here, the value of α is set to α = 0.8. Also,
If the counter value is n = 4, then V1 (4) and V1
The ratio of V1 (5) is V
It is equal to the value of 1 (1).

When the ratio of V1 (n) and V1 (n + 1) is smaller than α (S79: YES), a warning indicating that the mounting state of the nth ink cartridge 2 is defective is displayed on the display unit 41 ( Step S80).

When the ratio of V1 (n) and V1 (n + 1) is a value equal to or larger than α (S79: NO), the control section 4 determines V1
(N) is β · V _B (n) <V1 (n) <γ · V
It is determined whether or not it is within the range of _B (n) (step S81). Here, as the values of β and γ, β = 0.7
5, γ = 1.25 is set. If V1 (n) is not within the range (S81: NO), a warning indicating that the mounting state of the nth ink cartridge 2 is defective is displayed on the display 41 (step S82). If V1 (n) is within the above range (S81: YES), secular change,
Or, if it is a normal fluctuation due to the ambient environment temperature, V
The value of V1 (n) is input as the value of _B (n) and stored in the ROM of the control unit 4 (step S83).

Then, the control section 4 multiplies the value of V _B (n) by the coefficient δ (δ <1) to calculate the upper limit value of the light quantity, and V2
It is determined whether (n) is smaller than the upper limit value δ · V _B (n) (step S84). V2 (n) is the upper limit value δ · V _B
If (n) or more (S84: NO), a warning indicating that the ink of the nth ink cartridge 2 is insufficient is displayed on the display unit 41 (step S85).

After displaying the warning in step S85,
Alternatively, after determining that V2 (n) is smaller than the upper limit value δ · V _B (n) (S84: YES), the control unit 4 increments the value n of the counter by 1 (step S86).
Next, the control unit 4 determines whether the value n of the counter is 4 or more (step S87).

If the value n of the counter is smaller than 4 (S87: NO), the process is returned to step S77, and if the value n of the counter is 4 or more (S87: YES),
Whether or not there is a next print request is determined (step S88). If there is a print request (S88: YES), the process returns to step S72, and if there is no print request (S88: NO),
Finish printing.

In this embodiment, in step S79,
The ratio of V1 (n) and V1 (n + 1) is taken and the value is α
If it is smaller, a warning indicating that the mounting state of the nth ink cartridge is defective is displayed, but it is judged whether or not the values from V1 (1) to V1 (4) are substantially equal, When the value of V1 (n) has decreased below a predetermined value, a warning indicating that the mounting state of the nth ink cartridge is defective may be displayed.

[0133]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the first reflecting portion having the reflectance that does not depend on the remaining ink amount and the second reflecting portion having the reflectance that changes depending on the remaining ink amount. The ink cartridge having the above is provided, the light reflected from each of the reflecting portions is received, and the remaining amount of ink is detected based on the difference in the amount of light. Therefore, even if the sensitivity of the light receiving part changes due to environmental temperature or aging,
It is possible to accurately detect the presence or absence of remaining ink.

Further, according to the present invention, since two liquid surface level detecting portions, which determine whether or not they are reflected, are provided depending on the positional relationship between the optical axis of the irradiated light and the liquid surface level.
It is possible to detect at least three liquid level levels belonging to a predetermined range. Further, since it is possible to detect a plurality of liquid surface levels by providing only one set of the light emitting section and the light receiving section, it is possible to provide an ink remaining amount detecting apparatus which has a small installation space and is inexpensive to manufacture. Is possible.

Furthermore, in the case of the present invention, the first liquid surface level reflection portion is composed of two slopes formed from the wall surface of the ink cartridge toward the inside, and therefore can be integrally molded with the ink cartridge. , Can be manufactured at low cost.

Furthermore, in the case of the present invention, the second liquid surface level reflection portion is composed of two slopes formed from the wall surface of the ink cartridge toward the inside, and flat surfaces continuous with each of the two slopes. Therefore, it can be integrally molded with the ink cartridge, and can be manufactured at low cost.

Further, in the case of the present invention, the first liquid level reflecting section is arranged so that the optical axis of the irradiation light emitted by the light emitting section and the optical axis of the reflected light reflected by the reflecting section are parallel to each other. And the second liquid level reflecting portion are configured,
It becomes easy to adjust the positions of the reflecting portion and the light receiving portion and adjust the optical axis.

Further, in the case of the present invention, the notch is provided adjacent to one of the slopes of the second liquid surface level reflecting portion, and the irradiation light emitted from the light emitting portion is for the second liquid surface level. When reflected on each of the inclined surface and the flat surface of the reflecting portion, it becomes possible to make the inside state of the inclined surface finally reflected the same as the state without ink. Therefore, when the liquid level is within a predetermined range, even if the irradiation light applied to the first liquid level reflecting portion is not reflected, the irradiation light applied to the second liquid level reflecting portion is reflected. It is possible to Therefore, it is possible to detect the liquid surface level based on the reflected light from the first liquid surface level reflecting portion and the reflected light from the second liquid surface level reflecting portion.

Further, according to the present invention, the reflected light from the first reflecting portion provided in the ink cartridge is received,
The mounting state of the ink cartridge is detected by the amount of light received. Since the reflectance does not change depending on the remaining amount of ink from the first reflecting portion, a predetermined amount of light is received by the light receiving portion when the ink cartridge is normally attached at a predetermined position. However, if the mounting state of the ink cartridge is not normal due to the impact from the outside, the first
The optical path of the light reflected from the reflecting portion changes, and the amount of light received by the light receiving portion decreases, or no light is detected at all. Therefore, the mounting state of the ink cartridge can be detected very easily by detecting the amount of light from the first reflecting portion.

Further, in the case of the present invention, a plurality of ink containers are provided, and each ink container is provided with the second reflecting portion. Therefore, in a color inkjet recording apparatus that uses a plurality of colors of ink, the inks of different colors stored in each ink container are used, but it is possible to detect the presence or absence of the ink remaining amount for each ink container (for each color). It will be possible.

Further, in the case of the present invention, the light emitting portion emits light while the carriage on which the ink cartridge is attached is moving. Therefore, it is not necessary to move the ink cartridge or the detection unit only for the purpose of detecting the remaining ink amount, and it is possible to detect the remaining ink amount very easily. Further, since a plurality of ink cartridges respectively storing inks of different colors can be attached to the carriage and the presence or absence of the ink remaining amount of each ink cartridge can be detected, the ink cartridges in which the ink remaining amount is exhausted By exchanging only the other ink, it is possible to consume other ink that has not run out of ink without waste.

Further, according to the present invention, since the light receiving portion and the light emitting portion are provided so as to face the end position of the moving range of the carriage, when the moving speed of the carriage is low, the ink remaining amount is detected and the ink is discharged. The mounting state of the cartridge can be detected, and the detection accuracy can be improved.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to detect the position in the moving direction of the ink cartridge based on the result of receiving the reflected light from the first reflecting portion, and the reflection from the first reflecting portion. By receiving the reflected light from the second reflecting portion after a predetermined time has elapsed after receiving the light, it is possible to perform the control for detecting the remaining ink amount.

Further, in the case of the present invention, there is provided means for receiving a drive start signal for starting the drive of the carriage. Therefore, when the inkjet recording apparatus is operated for the first time after the inkjet recording apparatus is powered on and after the ink cartridge is replaced, the attachment state of the ink cartridge can be detected. Therefore, if the ink cartridge is not installed properly due to the influence of external vibration while the inkjet recording device is not in use, or immediately after the ink cartridge is replaced, the ink cartridge will not It may not be installed. In such a case, by detecting the mounting state of the ink cartridge, it is possible to prevent ink leakage and malfunction of the inkjet recording device due to the defective mounting state, and the present invention has excellent effects.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a main part of an inkjet recording apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of the inkjet recording apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an ink remaining amount detecting device.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of an ink remaining amount detecting device.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating detection of reflected light by a second reflecting section.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting the remaining ink amount.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting the remaining ink amount.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an ink remaining amount detecting device.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of an ink remaining amount detecting device.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of an ink remaining amount detecting device.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting the remaining ink amount.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting the remaining ink amount.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting the attachment state of the ink cartridge.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a main configuration of an ink remaining amount detecting device.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting the remaining amount of ink and the mounting state of the ink cartridge.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a main part of the inkjet recording apparatus.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting the remaining amount of ink and the mounting state of the ink cartridge.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting the ink remaining amount and the mounting state of the ink cartridge.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting the ink remaining amount and the mounting state of the ink cartridge.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting the remaining amount of ink and the mounting state of the ink cartridge.

FIG. 21 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of a conventional ink remaining amount detecting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ink head 2 ink cartridge 3 Ink remaining amount sensor 20 Reflector 21 First Reflector 22 Second reflector 31 Light emitting part 32 Light receiving part 33 base

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yasushi Matsutomo             22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka             Inside the company (72) Inventor Koichi Irihara             22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka             Inside the company F-term (reference) 2C056 EA29 EB52 KC02

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A light emitting unit for irradiating light, a plurality of reflecting units provided in the ink cartridge for reflecting light emitted by the light emitting unit, a light receiving unit for receiving reflected light from the reflecting unit, and the light receiving unit. In a remaining ink amount detecting device including a detection unit that detects the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge based on the amount of light received by the unit, the reflecting unit includes a first reflecting unit having a predetermined reflectance, and an remaining amount of ink. One or more second whose reflectance changes according to
A reflecting section, wherein the detecting section compares a light amount of the reflected light from the first and second reflecting sections received by the light receiving section, and a result calculated by the comparing calculating section, An ink remaining amount detecting device, comprising: a remaining amount detecting unit for detecting the remaining amount of ink. 2. The first reflecting surface level is configured to reflect the irradiation light from the light emitting portion when the liquid surface level of the ink is lower than the first liquid surface level. And a second liquid level configured to reflect the irradiation light from the light emitting unit when the liquid level of the ink is lower than the second liquid level different from the first liquid level. 2. The remaining ink amount detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the remaining ink amount detecting device is formed of a reflection unit for use with an ink. 3. The ink remaining amount detection according to claim 2, wherein the first liquid surface level reflection portion is composed of two slopes formed from the wall surface of the ink cartridge toward the inside. apparatus. 4. The second liquid surface level reflecting portion is composed of two slopes formed from the wall surface of the ink cartridge toward the inside, and flat surfaces continuous with the two slopes. The ink remaining amount detecting device according to claim 2, wherein 5. The first axis is arranged so that an optical axis of irradiation light from the light emitting section and an optical axis of reflected light from the reflection section are parallel to each other.
The remaining ink level detecting device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein each of the slopes of the second liquid level reflecting portion is formed. 6. The ink remaining amount detecting device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a cutout portion is provided adjacent to one of the slopes forming the second liquid surface level reflection portion. 7. The comparison operation unit for comparing the light amount of the reflected light from the first reflecting unit received by the light receiving unit with a predetermined light amount stored in advance, further comprising: The ink remaining amount detecting device according to claim 6. 8. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the ink cartridge is composed of a plurality of ink containers that store inks of different colors, and each ink container is provided with the second reflecting portion. The ink remaining amount detecting device described in (1). 9. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a carriage to which one or a plurality of ink cartridges are attached; a guide shaft for guiding the carriage; and a control unit for controlling reciprocal movement in a direction along the guide shaft. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising the ink remaining amount detecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which detects an ink remaining amount of an attached ink cartridge while the ink is moving. 10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit of the ink remaining amount detecting device that are provided so as to face a terminal position of a moving path of the carriage. 11. A position detector is further provided for detecting the position of the attached ink cartridge in the moving direction based on the result of receiving the reflected light from the first reflector of the ink remaining amount detecting device. Claim 9 or claim 10
The inkjet recording device according to item 1. 12. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the control unit includes a unit that receives a drive start signal that starts driving the carriage.