JP2016104547A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device capable of sensing a filler of a head tank and capable of performing ink supply control, no matter how a recording head is arranged on a carriage.SOLUTION: A bracket 52 which can slide in a main scan direction on a carriage 5 is provided, and a sensor 51 which detects a filler 205 of a head tank 12 is arranged on the bracket 52. Also, on a home position side of the carriage 5, an abutting member 103 to which the bracket 52 is abutted is provided. The carriage 5 is provided so as to be able to move in a state where the bracket 52 is abutted to the abutting member 103. After the bracket 52 is abutted to the abutting member 103, sensing of the filler 205 is performed by the sensor 51 in a state where the carriage 5 and the sensor 51 are relatively moving.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that records by discharging droplets from an ejection head.

  2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording apparatus or the like is known as an image forming apparatus that records by discharging droplets from a discharge head (recording head) onto a recording medium. As a configuration of such a liquid discharge recording type image forming apparatus, there is one in which a plurality of recording heads are mounted on a main scanning carriage that performs reciprocal scanning. A mechanism is known in which a head tank is attached to a recording head mounted on a carriage and ink supply control is performed using a filler provided in the head tank.

  In addition, there is a configuration in which a plurality of recording heads mounted on a carriage are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction, and are shifted in the sub-scanning direction (direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction). In such a configuration, an inkjet image forming apparatus in which a recording head is arranged so that all the head tank fillers can be read by a sensor arranged on the carriage home position side is already known.

  However, in a configuration in which the amount of ink in the head tank is controlled using a filler and an optical sensor simply by using the head placement method on the carriage as described above, a head that cannot read the filler with the optical sensor installed in the apparatus main body. In the case of the arrangement, there is a problem that the ink supply control cannot be performed and the apparatus is not established.

  In Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-159010), in a mechanism that performs ink supply control using a filler in a head tank of an ink jet printer, the filler is filled with an optical sensor installed on the main scanning home position side of the apparatus main body. Disclosed is a technique that aims to perform ink supply control of a head arranged by shifting a plurality of head tanks in the sub-scanning direction by arranging a head tank so that it can be read. However, even in this technology, when the heads are arranged in a staggered pattern in the sub-scanning direction, the problem that the ink mounted on the carriage cannot be sensed by the sensor installed in the apparatus body and ink supply control cannot be performed can be solved. Not.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems in the conventional image forming apparatus, and can detect the filler in the head tank, regardless of how the recording head is arranged on the carriage, and supply ink. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing control.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a recording head that discharges liquid, a head tank that stores liquid to be supplied to the recording head, and the recording head and the head tank that are mounted and move in the main scanning direction. A carriage capable of being slidable in the main scanning direction on the carriage in an image forming apparatus having a displacement member that is displaced according to the liquid volume in the sub tank. A detecting means for detecting the displacement of the displacement member is disposed, and an abutting member for abutting the bracket is provided on the carriage home position side, and the carriage moves in a state where the bracket abuts the abutting member. It is possible to be provided.

  According to the present invention, since the carriage is movably provided in a state where the bracket is in contact with the abutting member, even if the sensor on the bracket is stationary with respect to the image forming apparatus main body, the sensor and the carriage Are relatively movable. That is, the sensor can apparently move with respect to the head tank filler on the carriage, and the head tank filler can be sensed regardless of the arrangement of the recording head. Therefore, ink supply control can be performed with any head arrangement.

1 is an explanatory perspective view illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is a top view which shows typically the typical structural example of a head tank. It is a figure which shows the structure which reads the filler which a head tank has using an optical sensor. It is a figure which shows another structure which reads the filler which a head tank has using an optical sensor. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a typical configuration example of an ink supply system corresponding to the configuration of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a typical configuration example of an ink supply system corresponding to the configuration of FIG. 4. It is a figure explaining the example of arrangement | positioning of the recording head in a prior art, and arrangement | positioning of the sensor which reads the filler of the head tank. 2 shows different arrangement examples of recording heads in the prior art. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of recording heads that cannot be handled by the conventional technology. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of recording heads that cannot be handled by the conventional technology. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the basic form of this invention. It is the front view which looked at FIG. 11 from the apparatus front (downstream side of a subscanning direction). It is a figure explaining the reading operation | movement of the filler in the structure of FIG. FIG. 6 is a partial plan view showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a configuration in which eight recording heads are mounted in a staggered manner on a carriage. It is a figure which shows the moment when the sensor bracket contact | abutted against the butting side plate. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the carriage is further moved from the state of FIG. 15. It is a figure explaining the Example which the sensor on a carriage has a several stop position. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement in the structure of FIG. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a case where the configuration described in FIGS. 17 and 18 is applied to a configuration in which recording heads are arranged in a staggered manner on a carriage. It is a figure explaining the Example which enabled it to determine the sensor stop position on a carriage using another sensor. It is a figure explaining the Example which enabled it to determine the sensor position which has several stop positions with another structure.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 is a serial type image forming apparatus, and includes an apparatus main body 101 and a paper feeding device 102 disposed below the apparatus main body 101.

  Inside the apparatus main body 101, guide rods 1 and guide stays 2, which are guide members, are spanned on both side plates (not shown), and a carriage 5 is placed on these guide rods 1 and guide stays 2 in the direction of arrow A (main scanning direction, It is held so as to be movable in the carriage movement direction).

  A main scanning mechanism that moves and scans the carriage 5 is disposed on one side in the main scanning direction, a driving pulley 7 that is rotationally driven by the driving motor 6, and on the other side in the main scanning direction. The driven pulley 8 and a timing belt 9 that is a pulling member wound between the drive pulley 7 and the driven pulley 8 are provided.

  On the carriage 5, recording heads 11a to 11a each having a plurality (five in this example) of liquid ejection heads that eject droplets of each color of black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C). 11e (referred to as “recording head 11” when not distinguished from each other) is arranged in such a manner that a nozzle row composed of a plurality of nozzles is arranged in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction and the droplet discharge direction is directed downward. The recording head 11 is not shown in FIG.

  The carriage 5 stands by at the home position except for printing and when necessary. In the present embodiment, the upper portion of the box-shaped head maintenance unit (maintenance / recovery mechanism) 30 indicated by the broken line on the right side in the apparatus main body 101 is the home position. Ink supply to the recording head mounted on the carriage is performed by a tube connected from the ink cartridge 10 as a main tank to the recording head (a head tank attached thereto) and a pump (not shown) in the middle of the path.

FIG. 2 is a top view schematically showing a typical configuration example of the head tank.
The head tank 12 has a tank case 201 that forms an ink containing portion that is open at one side for holding ink. The opening portion of the tank case 201 is sealed with a flexible film 203 and the ink containing portion. And the flexible film 203 is always urged outward by the restoring force of the spring 204 as an elastic member disposed in the tank case 201.

  The flexible film 203 is displaced in such a form that the film portion expands and contracts as the amount of ink held in the tank changes. Further, a filler 205 (displacement member) configured to come into contact with the flexible film 203 and follow the displacement of the film is provided, and the filler position is read using an optical sensor described later. Thereby, the ink amount in the head tank 12 can be detected.

3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating a configuration in which the filler 205 included in the head tank 12 is read using an optical sensor.
FIG. 3 shows a configuration example when only the optical sensor 301 (installed in the printer main body 101) for mainly performing maintenance control of the recording head 11 is used.

  FIG. 4 shows an optical sensor 251 (mounted on the carriage 5 together with the recording head 11) used for controlling ink supply during printing, and an optical sensor 301 (mainly installed in the printer main body 101) for controlling maintenance of the recording head 11. A configuration example in the case of using installation) is shown.

  5 and 6 are diagrams showing typical configuration examples of the ink supply system corresponding to the configurations of FIGS. FIG. 5 shows a system configuration of an intermittent supply method in which ink is mainly not supplied during printing. FIG. 6 shows a system configuration of a constant supply system that supplies ink during printing.

  In the ink supply system shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, ink is supplied from the ink cartridge (main tank) 10 to the head tank 12 through a supply tube 16 by a liquid supply pump 241 serving as liquid supply means. The liquid feed pump 241 is a reversible pump configured by a tube pump or the like, and can perform an operation of supplying ink from the ink cartridge 10 to the head tank 12 and an operation of returning ink from the head tank 12 to the ink cartridge 10. I try to do it.

  In addition, the suction cap 41 for capping the nozzle surface of the recording head 11 and the suction pump 812 connected to the suction cap 41 are provided, and the suction tube 812 is driven by driving the suction pump 812 in a state where the suction cap 41 is capped. The ink in the head tank 12 can be sucked by sucking ink from the nozzles. The sucked waste ink is discharged to the waste liquid tank 100.

  An air release solenoid 302 that is a member for opening and closing the air release mechanism 207 of the head tank 12 is disposed on the apparatus main body side, and the air release mechanism 207 can be opened by operating the air release solenoid 302. .

  Furthermore, a main body sensor 301 including an optical sensor for detecting the filler 205 as a displacement member is provided on the apparatus main body side. In the configuration of FIG. 6, the carriage 5 is provided with a carriage sensor 251 that is an optical sensor that detects the filler 205, and the ink supply operation to the head tank 12 using the detection results of the carriage sensor 251 and the main body sensor 301. To control. Note that the control unit 500 performs the drive control and ink supply control operations of the liquid feed pump 241, the air release solenoid 302, and the suction pump 812 described above.

  Here, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, an example of the arrangement of the recording head in the prior art and the arrangement of the sensor for reading the filler in the head tank will be described. Here, the recording head 11 includes a head tank 12 (the same applies hereinafter).

  FIG. 7 is a top view schematically showing a printing unit inside the image forming apparatus main body. As shown in this figure, the recording head 11 is disposed on the carriage 5, and optical sensors (maintenance sensors) 301a and 301b used for maintenance control of the recording head are disposed in the main body of the image forming apparatus. In the illustrated example, five recording heads 11 (11a to 11e) are mounted on the carriage 5, but the leftmost recording head 11a in the figure is shifted forward (sub-scanning direction) by one head from the other four heads. Arranged.

  The home position of the carriage 5 is above the head maintenance unit 30 disposed outside the printing area. When performing maintenance of the recording head, the carriage 5 returns to the home position, and maintenance control is performed by reading the filler of the head with the maintenance sensors 301a and 301b fixed to the apparatus main body.

  When the carriage 5 moves to the home position, the recording head (here, the recording head 11a) on the side away from the home position on the carriage is read by the sensor 301a. Other recording heads (here, the recording heads 11b to 11e) read by the sensor 301b. Corresponding to the arrangement of the recording head 11, the maintenance sensors 301a and 301b are shifted in the sub-scanning direction (downstream side), so that all the fillers can be read by the maintenance sensor without any problem.

  FIG. 8 shows different arrangement examples of the recording head. The example shown in FIG. 8A includes six heads, and the recording heads 11a and 11b are arranged so as to be shifted in the sub-scanning direction (downstream side). The example shown in FIG. 8B includes nine heads, and the recording heads 11a and 11b and the recording heads 11c and 11d are arranged so as to be shifted in the sub-scanning direction (downstream side). Also in the head arrangement as shown in FIG. 8, all the fillers can be read by the maintenance sensor by arranging the maintenance sensor correspondingly.

Next, an example of the arrangement of recording heads that cannot be handled by the conventional technology will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the example shown in FIG. 9, a total of eight recording heads 11 are arranged in a staggered manner. Each head is arranged so as to be shifted by one head in the sub-scanning direction. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 10, when the carriage 5 moves to the home position, the maintenance sensor 301b hits the carriage 5, and the carriage cannot move to the right any more, and the left four recording heads 11a. ˜11d filler cannot be read.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a configuration capable of sensing the filler of the head (head tank) regardless of the arrangement of the recording head mounted on the carriage, as will be described below.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the basic form of the present invention, and shows an example in which one recording head (head tank) is mounted on the carriage. Although an example in which one recording head is mounted will be described here, the basic configuration is the same when a plurality of recording heads are mounted on a carriage. FIG. 12 is a front view of FIG. 11 as seen from the front of the apparatus (downstream in the sub-scanning direction).

  11 and 12, a recording head (including a head tank) 11 is mounted on the carriage 5. In the present invention, a sensor 51 for sensing the filler 205 of the head tank 12 is mounted on the carriage 5. The sensor 51 is mounted using a sensor bracket 52 slidable in the main scanning direction (left-right direction in FIG. 11) with respect to the carriage 5, and the sensor 51 is arranged on the carriage 5 via the sensor bracket 52. Therefore, the sensor 51 can move on the carriage 5 in the main scanning direction (direction indicated by a thick arrow in the drawing).

  The sensor bracket 52 is provided so that the right end (home position side of the carriage 5) of the sensor bracket 52 protrudes from the carriage 5. A predetermined urging force is exerted on the sensor bracket 52 in the right direction (home position side of the carriage 5) in the drawing by an urging means 54 (a tension spring in the illustrated example) provided between the sensor bracket 52 and the carriage 5. Is granted. Further, at a position on the apparatus main body side corresponding to the sensor bracket 52, an abutting side plate 103 (abutting member) on which the sensor bracket 52 (an end portion thereof) abuts is provided.

  In such a configuration, when the carriage 5 moves and the end of the sensor bracket 52 abuts against the abutting side plate 103 with a force equal to or greater than the urging force of the urging means 54, the sensor 51 on the carriage 5 is Of the sensor bracket 52 is slid in the opposite direction by the amount of movement of the carriage 5 (by the amount of movement of the carriage 5 after the end of the sensor bracket 52 hits the abutting side plate 103). Thereby, even if the carriage 5 moves apparently, the sensor 51 maintains the fixed position.

  Even when the carriage 5 moves in the opposite direction (the direction away from the abutting side plate 103) from that state, the carriage 5 is apparently moved until the end of the sensor bracket 52 is separated from the abutting side plate 103. The sensor 51 maintains a fixed position (positioned at a fixed position). When the bracket end is separated from the abutting side plate 103, the sensor 51 is positioned (returned) at the initial position on the carriage 5 (the fixed position pulled by the biasing means 54).

  Next, the filler reading (sensing) operation will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the upper stage of FIG. 13 is a top view of a head part, and the lower stage is a front view explaining a sensor position.

  FIG. 13A shows a state where the carriage is moved to the home position (in the drawing, the right position) in order to perform head maintenance during printing or after printing. At this time, the sensor 51 is located outside the operating range (the range indicated by the dotted line in the drawing) of the filler 205 provided in the recording head 11 (head tank).

  FIG. 13B shows the state of the urging means 54 even after the carriage moves from the state of FIG. 13A to the right in the drawing and the end of the sensor bracket 52 hits the abutting side plate 103. When the carriage moves with a force greater than the urging force, the sensor 51 on the carriage apparently moves within the operating range of the filler 205 and is sensing. The sensing information of the filler 205 by the sensor 51 can recognize the sensing position based on the information of the encoder used for the main scanning movement control of the carriage 5.

  FIG. 13C shows a state where the end of the sensor bracket 52 hits the abutting side plate 103 and the sensor bracket 52 cannot be pushed any further. At this time, the sensor 51 is in a state where it exceeds the operating range of the filler 205 and is in the filler sensing end position.

  As shown in FIG. 13B, in a state where the slidable sensor bracket 52 is in contact with the abutting side plate 103, the carriage 5 is moved to the left and right to obtain sensor position information necessary for maintenance of the recording head. The carriage 5 is stopped at a (predetermined) sensor position, and ink is supplied to the head tank attached to the recording head 11 until the sensor is detected (until the sensor 51 detects the filler 205), and the supply pump 812 (FIG. 5) is used. Necessary control such as operation can be performed.

Next, a case where the present invention is applied to a configuration in which recording heads are arranged in a staggered manner on a carriage will be described.
FIG. 14 is a partial plan view showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a configuration in which eight recording heads are mounted in a staggered manner on a carriage. In the illustrated example, one sensor 51 is provided for each of the eight recording heads. The eight sensors 51 are installed on one slidable sensor bracket 52. Thus, when the sensor bracket 52 hits the side plate (butting side plate) 103, the eight sensors 51 are configured to perform the same movement.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the moment when the sensor bracket 52 hits the side plate (butting side plate) 103. The sensor bracket 52 has not yet been slid, and the eight sensors 51 are in the sensing start position of the filler in the head tank 12.

  FIG. 16 is a view showing a state where the carriage 5 is further moved from the state of FIG. 15 toward the side plate 103 (rightward in the drawing). When the carriage 5 moves from the state shown in FIG. 15 to the state shown in FIG. 16, the sensor bracket 52 has already been in contact with the side plate (butting side plate) 103, so that it does not move and the sensor 51 is also stopped. Then, the eight recording heads (head tanks 12) move to the state shown in FIG. That is, apparently the recording head (head tank 12) moves relative to the sensor 51 in the stopped state, and the sensor 51 senses the head tank filler. FIG. 16 shows a state where each sensor 51 has finished sensing the filler of each head tank 12.

  As described here, even in the staggered recording heads that cannot be handled by the prior art as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the present invention allows the fillers of the respective recording heads (head tanks) to be mounted on the carriage without any problem. Sensing can be performed by a sensor (sensor 51).

  Next, an embodiment in which the sensor mounted on the carriage is configured to be stopped at a plurality of positions (can be held in a stopped state) (sensors on the carriage have a plurality of stop positions) will be described. Here, an example in which one recording head (head tank) is mounted on the carriage will be described. However, a case where a plurality of heads are mounted on the carriage can be handled with the same configuration. The plan view (top view) is the same as FIG. 11 and will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 11, the sensor 51 for sensing the filler 205 of the head tank 12 is mounted on the carriage 5. The sensor 51 is mounted on the carriage 5 via a slidable sensor bracket 52. The carriage 5 (the end of the sensor bracket 52) abuts against the abutting side plate 103 with a force greater than the urging force of the urging means 54, so that the sensor 51 on the carriage 5 moves within the carriage 5. It slides by the amount (only the amount of movement of the carriage 5 after the end of the sensor bracket 52 hits the abutting side plate 103). Thereby, even if the carriage 5 moves apparently, the sensor 51 maintains the fixed position.

  Even when the carriage 5 moves in the opposite direction (the direction away from the abutting side plate 103) from that state, the carriage 5 is apparently moved until the end of the sensor bracket 52 is separated from the abutting side plate 103. The sensor 51 maintains a fixed position (positioned at a fixed position).

  As shown in FIG. 17, a cam groove 52 b having a shape similar to a heart is provided on the side surface of the sensor bracket 52. An L-shaped operating member 55 is attached to the side surface of the sensor bracket 52 so as to be rotatable by a shaft 55a. A tension spring 56 is stretched between the one side of the operating member 55 and the sensor bracket 52. The tension spring 56 applies a counterclockwise biasing force to the operating member 55 in the drawing. In addition, a restriction projection 59 is provided on the side surface of the sensor bracket 52 to restrict the rotation range of the operation member 55.

  Further, an L-shaped cam follower 57 is rotatably attached to the sensor slide bracket 53 of the carriage 5 by a shaft 57a. A tension spring 58 is stretched between the short side end of the cam follower 57 and the bracket 53. The tension spring 58 applies a clockwise urging force to the cam follower 57 in the drawing. A protrusion that fits into the cam groove 52b is provided at the distal end of the long side of the cam follower 57, and the protrusion moves along the cam groove 52b.

  By having such a configuration, as will be described below with reference to FIG. 18, each time the sensor bracket 52 is abutted against or separated from the side plate (abutting side plate) 103 by the movement of the carriage 5, the carriage 5 is repeated. The upper sensor 51 can change the stop position.

FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the operation in the configuration of FIG.
FIG. 18A shows a carriage state during printing. At this time, the cam follower 57 is located at the first position of the cam groove 52b (in the heart shape, the position of the upper depression), whereby the position of the sensor bracket 52 is held at the predetermined first position, The sensor 51 is also located at a predetermined first position (stopped at the first position). In this first position, the sensor 51 is positioned (stopped) in the filler operating area of the head tank 12 during printing, and ink supply control is performed during printing by detecting the filler 205 with the sensor 51. Is possible.

  In FIG. 18B, the carriage 5 is moved to the home position to perform head maintenance after printing, and after the sensor bracket 52 hits the side plate (butting side plate) 103, the carriage 5 moves in the direction of the arrow (leftward in the figure). ) Shows the movement. At this time, the cam follower 57 moves along the groove of the cam groove 52b to the second position (the position of the left end of the groove, the lower end position in the case of a heart shape). The sensor 51 on the sensor bracket 52 is located (stopped) at a position (second position) outside the filler operating area of the head tank 12. This state is the state of the filler sensing start position during head maintenance.

  FIG. 18C shows the state after the carriage 5 moves from the state of FIG. 18B toward the side plate (butting side plate) 103 (right direction in the drawing) and the sensor bracket 52 hits the butting side plate 103. When the carriage moves with a force greater than the urging force of the urging means 54, the sensor 51 on the carriage apparently moves within the operating range of the filler 205, and the carriage 5 cannot push the sensor bracket 52 any more. State. At this time, the cam follower 57 moves to the third position (the right end of the groove, one apex in the case of a heart shape) along the groove of the cam groove 52b, and the sensor 51 exceeds the operating range of the filler 205 (FIG. 18 ( This is a state where the filler sensing end position is reached.

After the state shown in FIG. 18C, the carriage 5 is moved to the left in the figure, so that the sensor position during printing shown in FIG. 18A can be obtained.
By combining such operations and using the carriage position information by the encoder 104, sensor position information necessary for the maintenance of the recording head is obtained, or the carriage 5 is stopped at the necessary (predetermined) sensor position and the recording head 11 is set. Necessary control can be performed such as operating the supply pump 812 (FIG. 5) until ink is supplied to the attached head tank and the sensor is detected (until the sensor 51 detects the filler 205).

Next, a case where the configuration described in FIGS. 17 and 18 is applied to a configuration in which recording heads are arranged in a staggered manner on a carriage will be described with reference to FIG.
In the example shown in FIG. 19, eight recording heads are mounted on the carriage 5 in a staggered arrangement. One sensor 51 is provided for each of the eight recording heads. The eight sensors 51 are installed on one slidable sensor bracket 52. Thus, when the sensor bracket 52 hits the side plate (butting side plate) 103, the eight sensors 51 are configured to perform the same movement.

  FIG. 19A shows a state where the carriage 5 is reciprocating and printing is in progress. The sensor 51 disposed on the carriage 5 is located (stopped) in the filler operating area of the head tank 12 (corresponding to FIG. 18A). An encoder sensor 105 is disposed on the carriage 5, and the position information of the carriage 5 can be obtained by reading the encoder 104.

  In FIG. 19B, the sensor bracket 52 of the carriage once strikes the side plate (abutting side plate) 103, and the carriage 5 moves in the left direction in the figure to release the abutting, so that the position of the sensor bracket 52 changes. In this state, the sensor 51 is in a filler reading start position (corresponding to FIG. 18B). The sensor 51 is located at the filler reading start position, but is not yet sensed.

  19C, the carriage 5 further moves (again) from the state of FIG. 19B to the right side of the drawing, the sensor bracket 52 hits the side plate (butting side plate) 103, and the sensor 51 senses the filler. Indicates the state to be started. Sensing starts when the sensor bracket 52 hits the side plate (butting side plate) 103.

  In FIG. 19D, the carriage 5 further moves to the right side of the figure from the state of FIG. 19C (the sensor bracket 52 does not move), and the eight sensors 51 sense the filler of each head tank 12 respectively. The finished state is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 19, even with a staggered head arrangement that could not be sensed by the prior art, according to the present invention, a sensor (sensor 51) in which the filler of each recording head (head tank) is mounted on the carriage without any problem. Sensing is possible.

  Next, an embodiment in which the position of the sensor mounted on the carriage (stop position) can be determined using another sensor (detection means position detection means) will be described.

  The configuration of FIG. 20 is the same as the configuration of FIG. 17 except that a passage sensor 60 (detection unit position detection unit) for detecting the operation member 55 is provided, and thus a duplicate description is omitted.

  FIG. 20A shows a carriage state during printing, and the sensor 51 is located at the first position (stopped at the first position). At this time, the passage sensor 60 does not detect the operating member 55, and the output of the passage sensor 60 is off.

  As shown in FIG. 20B, when the sensor 51 reaches the second position, which is the reading start (filler sensing start) position, the passage sensor 60 detects the operating member 55 and the sensor output is turned on. When the passage sensor 60 is turned on, it can be recognized (determined) that the sensor 51, which is a maintenance filler sensor, is at the sensing start position.

  FIG. 20C shows a state where the carriage 5 further moves and the sensor 51 stops at the third position after the sensor bracket 52 hits the side plate (butting side plate) 103. At this time, the operating member 55 is detached from the passage sensor 60, and the output of the passage sensor 60 is turned off. It can be recognized (determined) that the sensor 51 is at the reading end position (sensing end position) by changing the output of the passage sensor 60 from ON to OFF.

  Since the state of (a) → (b) → (c) in FIG. 20 is repeated by repeating the movement of the carriage 5 in the main scanning direction (left-right direction in the figure), the sensor 51 on the carriage has a plurality of stop positions. In this case, the current position of the sensor 51 can be recognized (determined) from the signal (output) of the passage sensor 60 and the information on the number of times the carriage 5 has moved left and right.

Next, an embodiment in which the position of the sensor 51 having a plurality of stop positions can be recognized (determined) by another configuration will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 21, the carriage 5 is movable between the right side plate 103 and the left side plate 106 in the main scanning direction. In the present embodiment, the right side plate 103 on the home position side of the carriage 5 is an abutting side plate against which the sensor bracket 52 of the carriage abuts. Further, the carriage 5 has a home position at the top of the head maintenance unit (maintenance / recovery mechanism) 30.

  FIG. 21A shows a state in which the carriage 5 is moving toward the home position during printing or for head maintenance. When the position of the carriage 5 is based on the left side plate 106, the distance X (shown as an arrow X in the figure) from the left side plate 106 is read by the encoder sensor 105 in which the encoder 104 is disposed on the carriage (the carriage 5 is It can be recognized (determined) by the encoder information after being abutted against the left side plate 106.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 21B, the moment when the carriage sensor bracket 52 hits the right side plate (abutting side plate) 103, the sensing of the filler sensor (sensor 51) starts. The position of the filler sensor (sensor 51) can be recognized from the encoder information at this time, that is, the movement amount X1.

  FIG. 21C shows a state in which the carriage 5 further moves in the right direction (to the right side plate 103 side) from the state of FIG. 21B and reaches the sensing end position of the filler sensor (sensor 51). ing. Even after the sensor bracket 52 hits the right side plate (butting side plate) 103 in FIG. 21B, the filler information (sensor 51) is obtained from the encoder information, that is, the movement amount X2 due to the left and right (main scanning direction) movement of the carriage 5. Can be recognized.

  As described so far, according to the present invention, since the carriage is movably provided in a state where the bracket is in contact with the abutting member, the sensor on the bracket is stationary with respect to the image forming apparatus main body. Even in the state, the sensor and the carriage are relatively movable. That is, the sensor can apparently move with respect to the head tank filler on the carriage, and the head tank filler can be sensed regardless of the arrangement of the recording head. Therefore, ink supply control can be performed with any head arrangement.

  In addition, by providing the detection means on the carriage so as to be held at a plurality of predetermined positions in the main scanning direction, it is possible to obtain sensor position information necessary for head maintenance, or to obtain predetermined positions (required positions). The necessary control can be performed such as stopping the carriage and supplying ink to the head tank and moving the ink supply pump until the sensor detects the filler.

  Further, by including a detection unit position detection unit that detects which position of the plurality of positions the detection unit is, it is possible to determine the position of the detection unit and perform necessary control.

  Further, it is necessary to determine which position of the detection means is by determining which position of the plurality of positions is based on the amount of movement of the carriage from a predetermined reference position in advance. Control can be performed.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated by the example of illustration, this invention is not limited to this. The shape and configuration of the filler can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present invention. Moreover, the detection means for detecting the filler can adopt an appropriate method. Also, the carriage and the ink supply system can adopt appropriate configurations as long as the present invention can be applied. Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus as the ink jet recording apparatus, the configuration and form of each part can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present invention.

5 Carriage 9 Timing belt 11 Recording head 12 Head tank 30 Maintenance unit 51 Sensor (detection means)
52 sensor bracket 52b cam groove 54 tension spring (biasing means)
55 Operation member 57 Cam follower 60 Pass sensor (detection means position detection means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Image forming apparatus main body 102 Paper feeding apparatus 103 Abutting side board (abutting member)
104 Encoder 105 Encoder Sensor 203 Flexible Film 205 Filler (Displacement Member)

JP2013-159010A

Claims (6)

A recording head that discharges liquid; a head tank that stores liquid to be supplied to the recording head; and a carriage that is mounted with the recording head and the head tank and is movable in the main scanning direction.
The head tank is an image forming apparatus having a displacement member that is displaced according to a liquid volume in the head tank.
A bracket slidable in the main scanning direction on the carriage is provided, and a detecting means for detecting the displacement of the displacement member is disposed on the bracket,
An abutting member against which the bracket is abutted is provided on the home position side of the carriage,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the carriage is movably provided in a state where the bracket is in contact with the abutting member.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is provided so as to be held at predetermined positions in the main scanning direction on the carriage in a stopped state.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a detection unit position detection unit configured to detect which of the plurality of positions the detection unit is located.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the position of the plurality of positions of the detection unit is determined based on a movement amount of the carriage from a predetermined reference position in advance. .   The displacement of the displacement member is detected by the detection means during the movement of the carriage after the bracket hits the abutting member. Image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the recording heads are arranged in a staggered manner on the carriage.

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