JP3042826B2 - Ink jet recording apparatus including an ink tank and a holder for detachably holding the ink tank - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium by discharging ink, and more particularly, to an ink tank containing a recording ink.
Further, the present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a holder for detachably holding the ink tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, paper, cloth, plastic sheet, O
2. Description of the Related Art A recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording medium (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “recording paper”) such as a sheet for HP uses various recording methods, for example, a recording head based on a wire dot method, a heat-sensitive method, a thermal transfer method, and an inkjet method. It has been proposed as a form that can be mounted.

[0003] In particular, an ink jet recording apparatus is an output means of an information processing system such as a copying machine, a facsimile,
It is used and commercialized as a printer as an output terminal such as an electronic typewriter, a word processor, a workstation, or a handy or portable printer provided in a personal computer, a host computer, an optical disk device, a video device, and the like.

On the other hand, as an energy generating element for generating energy for discharging ink from a discharge port of a recording head, one using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element, or irradiating electromagnetic waves such as a laser to generate heat. There is a method in which an ink droplet is ejected by the action of the heat, or a method in which a liquid is heated by an electrothermal conversion element having a heating resistor.

[0005] In general, an ink tank for supplying ink to a recording head is generally constituted by an ink absorber, a container for accommodating the ink absorber, and a lid member for sealing the container. The recording head includes a chip type integrated with the ink tank and a recording head detachably connected to the ink tank. In either case, the positioning of the recording head and the ink tank, or the positioning of the recording head cartridge and the carriage in which these members are integrated, is an important matter relating to print quality. One of these positioning means uses an engagement hole and an engagement pin. By engaging both, an accurate positioning can be performed.

A detachable mechanism for positioning the recording head and the ink tank, or for positioning the recording head cartridge and the carriage, requires a small-sized ink jet recording apparatus so that it can be detached and mounted in a smaller space. And a mechanism for moving the ink tank or the recording head cartridge in a plurality of directions by operating a lever or the like.

[0007]

However, the conventional structure in which the ink tank or the recording head cartridge is attached and detached by moving in a plurality of directions requires a complicated structure of the carriage itself. And the world's smallest printer cannot be provided. In addition, the attaching / detaching operation is relatively complicated. Therefore, it is important to achieve a further reduction in the size of the apparatus, a simpler operation or a simpler mechanism, and a configuration that does not cause inconvenience during attachment and detachment and that does not reduce the positioning accuracy.

In order to achieve the above object, the applicant of the present application has a supply port for supplying the recording ink contained therein to the outside and inserts the supply ink into the opening of the box-shaped ink tank holder. When the ink cartridge is attached to the ink tank holder, the supply port is connected to the ink intake means of the ink tank holder. An inclined surface is formed at a ridge where a bottom surface facing the bottom wall of the opening of the tank holder and one side surface adjacent to the bottom surface intersect, and the one side surface is fitted into a retaining hole formed in the ink tank holder. The latch lever is provided with a claw-like projection that is fitted with the latch claw that is provided on the other side with a latch claw that engages with an engagement hole formed in the ink tank holder. Offering invention characterized by being provided to be supported. Therefore, the present invention can effectively utilize a given space for an ink storage area,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink tank and an ink jet recording apparatus that have a simpler structure and yet have improved operability.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, an ink tank according to the present invention has a supply port for supplying recording ink accommodated therein to the outside, and an end on one side. An ink tank that is rotatably held about a portion and is detachably held by a holder, wherein a latch lever that is inclined or curved outward and downward is elastically supported at an upper end of the other side surface, A latch claw that engages with the engaging portion of the holder is provided integrally.

[0010] The latch lever may be provided with an integral projection for operating the latch lever, or may have a distance from the tip of the latch lever to the latch claw of 3 mm or more. You may.

Further, in the case having the projection, the latch claw is engaged with the engaging portion from outside the holder, and the projection is integrally provided on the latch lever upward. It may be something.

An ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention is an ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording medium, wherein one of the ink tanks according to the present invention is detachably attached to the ink tank. It is characterized by having a holder for holding, and a recording head for discharging ink supplied from the ink tank based on a recording signal.

Further, the recording head may be provided integrally with the holder, and the holder may be detachably held. In this case, the holder is capable of reciprocating scanning with respect to the recording medium. May be detachably held by a carriage provided in the camera.

Further, the recording head may be provided with an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy used for discharging ink, and in particular, is applied by the electrothermal converter. By heat energy,
The ink may be ejected from the ejection port using film boiling generated in the ink.

[0015]

In the ink tank and the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, one end of one side of the ink tank is inserted into the holder first, and the other side is pushed into the holder. As a result, the ink tank rotates about the end on one side, and the latch claw engages with the engaging portion of the holder, and is mounted on the holder. When removing the ink tank from the holder, bend the latch lever,
Release the engagement between the latch claw and the engaging portion. When the two are disengaged, the other side of the ink tank is lifted by the restoring force of the latch lever, and the tip of the latch lever rides on the upper surface of the holder. By picking up the raised portion, the ink tank can be easily removed from the holder.
If the latch lever is integrally provided with a projection for operating the latch lever, the latch claw can easily be disengaged from the latch claw by simply pushing the projection toward the inside of the ink tank.

Further, by setting the distance from the tip of the latch lever to the latch claw to be 3 mm or more, when the engagement between the latch claw and the engaging portion is released and the ink tank is lifted,
The amount of protrusion of the ink tank from the holder is sufficient to pinch the ink tank.

Further, in the case where the latch claw is engaged with the engaging portion from the outside of the holder and the projection for operating the latch lever is provided upward, the upper portion of the projection is directed toward the inside of the ink tank. When the lever is pushed in, the latch lever bends to the outside of the ink tank on the principle of leverage, and the engagement between the latch claw and the engagement portion is released. Further, since the latch claw is engaged with the engagement portion from outside the holder, no space is required inside the holder for the latch lever. As a result, the ink tank is enlarged by that amount, and an ink tank containing more ink is obtained.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A comprehensive description of the present invention will be summarized below.

In the following ink tank, in order to mount it on the ink tank holder, first, a claw-like projection provided on one side is aligned with and fitted to the retaining hole of the ink tank holder, and then the other side is fitted. The latch claw of the latch lever elastically supported by the latch is engaged with the engagement hole of the ink tank holder. Thereby, both side surfaces of the ink tank are held by the ink tank holder, and the ink tank is accurately positioned and mounted. Further, since the ink tank is accurately positioned in the ink tank holder, the connection between the supply port of the ink tank and the ink take-out means of the ink tank holder is reliably performed, and no ink leakage occurs.

At this time, it is necessary to insert the ink tank obliquely into the opening of the ink tank holder in order to align the claw-shaped projections first. However, the bottom of the ink tank and the claw-shaped projections are formed. Since the inclined surface is formed at the ridge portion with one side surface, if the ink tank is inserted along the inclined surface, the positioning of the claw-shaped projection and the retaining hole is easy. In addition, since the ink tank is inserted obliquely into the ink tank holder and then the latch claw and the engagement hole are engaged, the ink tank rotates while rotating around the side where the claw-shaped protrusion is provided. It will be mounted on the ink tank holder. Therefore, the space required for mounting the ink tank on the ink tank holder is small.

In order to remove the ink tank from the ink tank holder, the engagement between the latch claw and the engagement hole is released by bending the latch lever to the side opposite to the engagement hole.
Also in this case, it is removed in a procedure reverse to the procedure of mounting.

Also, on the upper surface on one side of the ink tank,
In the case where the stepped portion that extends under the overhanging portion of the ink tank holder is formed, the insertion direction of the ink tank is regulated by the overhanging portion, so that the alignment between the claw-shaped protrusion and the retaining hole becomes easier.

In the case where a projection is provided at the upper end on one side of both sides of the ink tank, the projection is fitted into the recess of the ink tank holder. Rotate the ink tank. This makes it easier to align the claw-shaped projection with the retaining hole and to engage the latch claw with the engagement hole.

In this ink tank holder, a claw-like projection of the ink tank is fitted in a retaining hole formed in the inner surface of one end wall of the opening, and an ink hole is formed in an engaging hole formed in the inner surface of the other end wall of the opening. By engaging a latch claw of a latch lever elastically supported on the tank, the ink tank is accurately positioned and mounted. At this time, since the overhanging portion that covers a part of the opening is provided at the opening end of the one end wall, the insertion direction of the ink tank into the opening is regulated. That is, the ink tank is inserted obliquely from the surface on which the claw-shaped protrusions are provided, and then, the surface of the ink tank where the latch claw is provided is pushed in to engage the latch claw with the engagement hole. Therefore, it is easy to align the claw-like projections with the retaining holes, and the ink tank can be attached and detached in a small space.

Further, when the ink tank holder is formed with a concave portion on the upper end surface of both side walls to which the protrusion provided on the ink tank is fitted, the protrusion of the ink tank is attached when the ink tank is mounted. If the ink tank is inserted so as to fit into the concave portion of the holder, the insertion position of the ink tank into the ink tank holder is also restricted, and the alignment between the claw-shaped protrusion and the retaining hole becomes easier.

In the case where a latch lever guide groove into which the latch lever is fitted and an engagement hole is formed in the latch lever guide groove, the ink tank is inserted obliquely into the ink tank holder, and then the ink tank is removed. When pushed into the holder, the latch lever of the ink tank is pushed along the latch lever guide groove. The latch pawl is provided on the latch lever, and the engaging hole is formed in the latch lever guide groove. When the latch lever is pushed along the latch lever guide groove, the latch pawl and the engaging hole are engaged. Becomes easier. In addition, since the latch lever is elastically supported on the upper portion of the ink tank and is inclined or curved outward and downward, when the engagement between the latch claw and the engagement hole is released, the latch lever is moved to the latch lever guide. The other side of the ink tank,
It rises along the inclination or curvature of the latch lever. Thereby, the other side of the ink tank protrudes from the ink tank holder, and the ink tank can be easily removed.

In the case where the ink tank contains a plurality of colors of ink therein, and the supply port of the ink tank and the ink intake means of the ink tank holder are provided correspondingly, a plurality of ink intake means are provided. By arranging along the direction from one end wall to the other end wall of the ink tank holder, the supply port and the ink take-in means are connected from the one end wall side to the other end wall side of the ink tank holder when the ink tank is mounted differently. , The connection between the supply port and the ink intake means is stably maintained.

A plurality of ink tanks are mounted on one ink tank holder by providing a partition plate on the ink tank holder and dividing the opening of the ink tank holder into a plurality of regions. This is because, for example, when printing in color, the amount of consumption differs depending on the color of the ink, so if the ink tank is set for each color of ink, the ink can be used efficiently. In this case, erroneous mounting of the ink tank is prevented by forming inclined surfaces corresponding to each other on the ink tank and the ink tank holder.

Further, when the recording head is integrally provided, a recording head cartridge having a detachable ink tank can be obtained. In this case, by being detachable from the carriage, it can be applied to a serial type ink jet recording apparatus. In addition, a positioning means for positioning with the carriage is provided on the outer surface on one end wall side of the ink tank holder, and a concave shape engaging with a guide member elastically supported by the carriage is provided on the outer surface on the other end wall side. Since the engagement portion is provided, when mounting the ink tank holder, first, align the positioning means,
Next, the guide member and the engaging portion are engaged. That is, similar to the procedure for mounting the ink tank in the ink tank holder, the ink tank holder is inclined relative to the carriage to perform rough alignment, and then the other is rotated around one end of the ink tank holder. Push the end side toward the carriage.

Thus, both ends of the ink tank holder are held, and the ink tank holder is accurately positioned and mounted on the carriage. Since the ink tank holder is attached and detached while rotating the ink tank holder as described above, the space required for attaching and detaching the ink tank holder is small.

In this case, the head terminal portion and the engaging portion are arranged on a straight line parallel to the side wall of the ink tank holder. Since the ink tank holder is pressed in a direction perpendicular to the surface facing the terminal portion, the contact between the two is ensured.

Further, in the case where the knob is provided on the outer surface on the outer wall side of the ink tank holder, when the ink tank holder mounted on the carriage is removed from the carriage,
Since the ink tank holder can be pulled up by hooking a finger on the knob, the ink tank holder can be easily removed. Also, since the latch claw engagement hole is located corresponding to the latch lever operated when the ink tank is removed from the ink tank holder, by disposing the latch claw engagement hole and the knob at different positions from each other. When removing the ink tank from the ink tank holder,
Erroneous operation when removing the ink tank holder from the carriage is prevented.

On the other hand, there is provided a projecting area in which a fixing area for attaching and detaching the ink tank is projected outward, and an operation for attaching and detaching to and from the carriage is provided in an area which is relatively concave with respect to this projecting area. Since the ink tank holder provided with the portion has a protruding area, the area around the protruding area is a concave portion relative to the protruding area. Therefore, by utilizing the area serving as the concave portion and providing an operation section operated by the operator when attaching and detaching to and from the carriage, a space for the operator to insert a finger when attaching and detaching is specially provided. Need not be provided. Therefore, the structure of the operation unit for attaching and detaching to and from the carriage is simplified. In particular, by providing this operation portion at the upper end of the region that becomes the concave portion, the operation becomes easier.

On the other hand, when the operating portion is provided on the surface having the fixed portion which is held by the carriage when mounted on the carriage and in the region farthest from the fixed portion, a force is applied to the operating portion. In this case, the moment acting on the fixed portion increases. That is, the holding and release of the fixing portion can be performed with a small force, so that the attachment / detachment operation with respect to the carriage is facilitated.

Further, in the case where the operation section for attaching and detaching the ink tank and the operation section for attaching and detaching to and from the carriage are provided on the same side in the moving direction of the carriage,
Since the operation unit is concentrated, the operation is simplified when attaching or detaching the ink tank or the ink tank holder. In addition, if there is a space on the side where the operation unit is provided so that the operator can operate, the carriage can be attached and detached at any position. In this case, when the frequency of attaching and detaching the ink tank is compared with the frequency of attaching and detaching the ink tank holder, the frequency of attaching and detaching the ink tank is larger, so that the operation unit for attaching and detaching the ink tank is attached to and detached from the carriage. Providing the ink tank above the operation unit makes it easier to attach and detach the ink tank. In particular, when a plurality of ink tanks are detachable, arranging the operation units of the respective ink tanks on the same straight line makes the design more cohesive and enables further downsizing.

In this carriage, of the ink tank holder of the present invention, an ink tank holder integrally provided with a recording head is detachably held. Therefore, as described above, the ink tank holder can be easily attached and detached in a small space.

As the ink tank holder detachable from the carriage, any ink tank holder having a positioning means, a terminal portion and a guide member may be used as long as the positional relationship between them is equal.
That is, the ink tank holder that holds one ink tank or the ink tank holder that holds a plurality of ink tanks can be freely selected and detached. Therefore, when it is desired to switch from mono color to color or from color to mono color, it is only necessary to replace the ink tank holder.

Further, in the case where a cover portion which covers a part of the upper surface of the ink tank holder in a state where the ink tank holder is mounted is provided on a surface facing the outer surface on one end wall side of the ink tank holder, this cover is provided. The portion serves as a guide when inserting the ink tank, and the direction in which the ink tank holder is inserted into the carriage is regulated, so that the positioning of the ink tank holder and the positioning means of the carriage becomes easier. In addition, the cover makes it difficult for other members or the operator's finger to touch the terminal of the carriage, so that the terminal of the carriage is protected.

Further, in a device having two bearing portions and two holding portions as a support means for supporting the ink jet recording apparatus so as to be reciprocally movable, one of the two holding portions has one of the holding portions. In practice, the distance between the two members is greater than the distance between the two members of the other holding portion, so that the carriage is actually supported by the two bearing portions and the other holding portion in parallel to the surface of the recording medium. Is done. One holding portion is located closer to the guide member than the other holding portion, and a load when attaching and detaching the ink tank holder to and from the carriage is easily applied. By applying a load at the time of attaching and detaching the ink tank holder to the portion, the influence on the other holding portion and each bearing portion can be suppressed. Therefore, when the ink tank holder is attached or detached, the carriage is not deformed more than necessary, and operational problems are prevented.

In the present ink jet recording apparatus, since the above-mentioned carriage is provided, the space required for attaching and detaching the ink tank holder to and from the carriage and for attaching and detaching the ink tank to and from the ink tank holder can be reduced. An ink jet recording apparatus is realized. In addition, since the positioning between the ink tank and the ink tank holder is accurately performed, there is no leakage of ink, and further, since the positioning between the ink tank holder and the carriage is accurately performed, the recording head can be accurately positioned. Therefore, an ink jet recording apparatus having high reliability and good recording quality is provided.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a carriage 2 has a recording head cartridge 1 removably mounted thereon. The carriage 2 conveys a recording medium P to a guide shaft 5 and a guide rail 12 having both ends fixed to a frame 4 and arranged in parallel with each other. Perpendicular to the direction,
Further, the recording medium P is slidably supported in a direction parallel to the surface of the recording medium P. The carriage 2 is provided with a carriage drive motor 1
0, and is coupled to a portion of the carriage drive belt 11 that is hung between a drive pulley 13 fixedly attached to the output shaft of No. 0 and a driven pulley (not shown) that is rotatably supported.
By driving the carriage drive motor 10, the carriage drive belt 11 rotates, and the carriage 2 reciprocates in the above-described direction.

The recording head cartridge 1 includes a nozzle portion 50 (see FIG. 5) as a recording head for ejecting ink based on a recording signal which is an electric signal for ink ejection, a monocolor holder 60 (see FIG. 5). The mono-color holder 60 detachably holds the ink tank 30 containing the ink. The nozzle unit 50 is provided at the bottom (the lower end in the figure) of the recording head cartridge 1, and the ink is ejected downward in the figure. The recording signal to the nozzle unit 50 is transmitted to the carriage 2
Is transmitted from a control board (not shown) for controlling the operation of the ink jet recording apparatus via a flexible cable 3 provided in the printer. The flexible cable 3 is arranged along the moving direction of the carriage 2 and forms a loop as the carriage 2 moves. The recording head cartridge 1 and the carriage 2 will be described later in detail.

On the other hand, the recording medium P has a frame 4 at both ends.
Is mounted on a pressure plate 8 which is rotatably supported on the platen. Pressure plate 8
Is biased toward the pickup roller 9 by a biasing means (not shown), and the recording medium P stacked on the pressure plate 8 is pressed against the pickup roller 9. When the pickup roller 9 is rotated by a paper feed command,
The recording medium P is sent out by the frictional force between the pickup roller 9 and the recording medium P. The pressure plate 8 has a separating means (not shown) such as a separating claw used in a conventional automatic sheet feeding apparatus. Only one recording medium P at the uppermost position is sent out by the operation of the separating means.

The recording medium P sent out by the pickup roller 9 is conveyed below the carriage 2 while being nipped by the conveying roller 6 whose both ends are supported by the frame 4 and the pinch roller 7 provided on the base 14. . Recording is performed on the recording medium P at this position. Further, on the downstream side of the carriage 2 with respect to the transport direction of the recording medium P, a paper discharge roller 15 and a spur 16 are disposed so as to face each other. The sheet is sandwiched between the spur 16 and discharged. The above-described pickup roller 9, transport roller 6, and paper discharge roller 15 are driven using a paper feed motor (not shown) as a drive source.

In the following description, the upstream side with respect to the transport direction of the recording medium P is referred to as a back side, its surface is referred to as a back surface, the downstream side is referred to as a near side, and the surface is referred to as a front surface.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is housed in a housing. As shown in FIG. 2, an outer case is formed by a lower case 18 and an upper case 17, and the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is housed therein.

The upper case 17 is provided at the back side of the upper case 17.
Is provided so as to be openable and closable.
The upper case 17 has an opening at a position corresponding to the pressure plate 8, and the top cover 19 is opened to open the top cover 19.
Is a tray for setting the recording medium P on the pressure plate 8. Further, the upper case 17 has an opening from the central portion to the front surface, and the recording head cartridge 1 or the ink tank 30 can be detached from the opening. Therefore, when the recording head cartridge 1 or the ink tank 30 is replaced, the carriage 2 is moved to the center of the moving range by a predetermined operation. A head cover 20 that covers a part of the upper surface and the front surface of the opening is provided on the front side of the replacement opening of the recording head cartridge 1 or the ink tank 30 so as to be openable and closable. When the tank 30 is not replaced, the head cover 20 is closed to protect the recording head cartridge 1.

Next, the carriage will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the carriage 2 of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG.

The carriage 2 has a frame shape as a whole, and a recording head cartridge 1 (see FIG. 1) is mounted in a hollow portion thereof. Two bearings 2a are integrally provided on the back surface of the carriage 2, and the guide shaft 5 is inserted into each of the bearings 2a. On the front surface of the carriage 2, a guide rail holding portion 2b and a carriage deformation preventing stopper 2c are integrally provided as two holding portions. The guide rail holding portion 2b is provided on the cable holder 21 side, and the carriage deformation preventing stopper 2c is provided on the head guide 22 side. Guide rail clamping portion 2b and carriage deformation preventing stopper 2c
Are composed of two members protruding from each other at an interval in the vertical direction with a plate-like guide rail 12 interposed therebetween. As described above, the carriage 2 is supported by the two bearing portions 2a, the guide rail holding portion 2b, and the carriage deformation preventing stopper 2c. Accordingly, the carriage 2 is supported so as to be parallel to the base 14 (see FIG. 1), and the nozzle portion 50 (see FIG. 5) of the recording head cartridge 1 mounted on the carriage 2 and the recording medium P
(See FIG. 1) is kept substantially constant.

However, the carriage deformation preventing stopper 2
c is larger than the distance between the two members forming the guide rail holding portion 2b, and the carriage 2 is substantially a carriage deformation preventing stopper 2c.
It is supported at three points except for. This is because, in order to support the carriage 2 in parallel with the base 14, considering the sliding load of the carriage 2, it is sufficient to support the carriage 2 at three points that are not aligned on the same straight line. Further, the carriage deformation preventing stopper 2c is provided.
In order to prevent unnecessary displacement or deformation of the carriage 2 due to a load applied to the guide rail holding portion 2b and each bearing portion 2a when the recording head cartridge 1 is attached to and detached from the carriage 2, and to prevent a malfunction in operation. It is. Also,
The carriage deformation preventing stopper 2c is
The reason for this is that a force is applied to the head guide 22 when the recording head cartridge 1 is attached to or detached from the carriage 2 as described later.

The flexible cable 3 is routed through a predetermined path, and has a cable terminal 3a provided at the end thereof.
Is located inside the illustrated right side wall of the carriage 2,
It is fixed by a cable retainer 21. When the recording head cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 2, the cable terminal portion 3 a comes into contact with the head terminal portion 53 (see FIG. 5) of the recording head cartridge 1, so that the electric connection with the recording head cartridge 1 is established. Is made.

The cable retainer 21 is formed by bending a conductive plate-like member such as stainless steel. The upper end of the cable retainer 21 has a cover portion 21a projecting inward of the carriage 2 from the cable terminal portion 3a. Has become. Further, a part of the cable retainer 21 is in contact with the GND pattern of the flexible cable 3. That is, the cable retainer 21 is grounded via the flexible cable 3. This is because when an operator attaches or detaches the recording head cartridge 1 to / from the carriage 2, static electricity or the like accumulated on the operator's finger or the like or accumulated in the recording head cartridge 1 is discharged to the cable presser 21 to GND. This prevents discharge of the static electricity or the like to the cable terminal portion 3a, thereby preventing damage to the control substrate of the ink jet recording apparatus.

Also, by forming the cover 21a on the cable holder 21, the cable terminal 3a is connected to the cover 2a.
1a, and the cable terminal 3a
It is difficult for the operator's finger or the like to touch the touch panel. As a result, the above-mentioned static electricity or the like is easily discharged to the cable retainer 21, and the cable terminal 3a itself is protected by the cover 21a.

On the surface of the carriage 2 where the cable terminal 3a is located, two head positioning projections 2d, 2d
e is provided integrally. One of the head positioning projections 2d has a rectangular shape and is provided on the back side of the cable terminal portion 3a. The other positioning projection 2e has a circular tip with a conical shape, and is provided on the front side of the cable terminal 3a. In a state where the recording head cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 2, one of the head positioning projections 2d is fitted into the head positioning notch 53a (see FIG. 5) of the recording head cartridge 1 and the other is positioned, as described later. The protrusion 2e fits into the head positioning hole 53b (see FIG. 5) of the recording head cartridge 1, and accurate positioning of the recording head cartridge 1 with respect to the carriage 2 is performed. As is clear from the above explanation,
The head positioning projections 2d and 2e constitute the positioning means of the carriage 2, and the head positioning notch 53a and the head positioning hole 53b constitute the positioning means of the recording head cartridge 1.

Further, a contact spring 23 is provided at a portion of the carriage 2 facing the cable terminal portion 3a, and a head guide 2 made of resin is provided at the tip end thereof.
2 is fixed. That is, the head guide 22 is elastically supported by the carriage 2. Head guide 2
2, when the recording head cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 2, as described later, the recording head cartridge 1 is fitted to the head pressing portion 60 b (see FIG. 6) of the recording head cartridge 1, and the recording head is driven by the spring force of the contact spring 23. The cartridge 1 is urged toward the cable terminal portion 3a. By arranging the cable terminal portion 3a and the head guide 22 to face each other, the contact between the cable terminal portion 3a and the head terminal portion 53 is ensured. And Further, the head guide 22 connects the recording head cartridge 1 to the carriage 2.
It also plays the role of a guide when mounting it on.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a double torsion type torsion coil spring is used as the contact spring 23, and two coil portions are supported by a support rod integrally formed with the carriage 2. At the same time, the metal shaft member 24 supported by the carriage 2 is sandwiched between the ends extending from the respective coil portions. Thus, when a load is applied to the contact spring 23, the load applied to the carriage 2 is dispersed, and the deformation of the carriage 2 is prevented. Further, when the recording head cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 2, the pressing force of the contact spring 23 on the recording head cartridge 1 is set to about 2 kgf in order to more reliably make contact between the cable terminal portion 3 a and the head terminal portion 53. .

As described above, the cover 21a is formed on the cable retainer 21 and the cable terminal 3a is formed.
When the recording head cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 2, the head terminal 22 of the recording head cartridge 1 is provided.
The surface on the side of the recording head cartridge 3 is inserted under the cover 21a, and the front end of the cover 21a is used as a spindle.
Will be attached while rotating. Therefore, the cover portion 21a serves as a guide when the recording head cartridge 1 is mounted, and the recording head cartridge 1 can be mounted in a small space.

The cover 21a is connected to the cable terminal 3a.
When the recording head cartridge 1 is mounted without penetrating the cover terminal 21a below the surface of the recording head cartridge 1 on the side of the head terminal portion 53, the base plate 51 of the recording head cartridge 1 The recording head cartridge 1 hits the cover 21a before contacting the cable terminal 3a, and the recording head cartridge 1
To prevent damage.

Next, the recording head cartridge 1 will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the recording head cartridge 1 of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from a direction in which the head terminal portion 53 is visible. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the recording head cartridge 1 of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. ,
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the head terminal unit viewed from a direction in which a surface opposite to the head terminal unit is visible. 7 is a bottom view of the recording head cartridge 1 of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the nozzle section 50 of the recording head cartridge 1 shown in FIG.

The recording head cartridge 1 is a mono-color cartridge. As shown in FIGS.
The nozzle unit 50 for ejecting ink and the monocolor holder 60 having a box shape having an opening on the upper surface are integrated with each other. The tank 30 is detachably mounted.

As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 8, the nozzle portion 50 has a base plate 5 made of a metal plate such as aluminum.
1, a grooved member 52 having a plurality of liquid passages 50d and grooves forming the common liquid chamber 50c is fixed.
A plurality of ejection ports 50b, which are opening ends of the respective liquid paths 50d, are formed on the ejection port face 50a facing the recording medium P (see FIG. 1). Each liquid path 50d is formed at a predetermined pitch, and the base plate 5 corresponds to each liquid path 50d.
An electrothermal converter (heating resistor, etc.) 50e for generating energy for ink ejection is provided on 1. The common liquid chamber 50c communicates with the ink tank 30 (see FIG. 5), and ink is supplied from the ink tank 30 to the common liquid chamber 50c. Each electrothermal transducer 50e is electrically connected to the head terminal 53 shown in FIG. 5 via a wiring (not shown).

The head terminal portion 53 is provided on the base plate 51.
The wiring connected to each of the electrothermal transducers 50e is connected to the head terminal section 53 by wire bonding. Also,
As shown in FIG. 7, the base plate 51 is attached at an angle of 1 to 4 degrees with respect to the transport direction of the recording medium P.
Therefore, the rows of the ejection ports 50b are also inclined by 1 to 4 degrees with respect to the transport direction of the recording medium P.

The ink supplied from the ink tank 30 to the common liquid chamber 50c and temporarily stored enters the liquid path 50d by capillary action, forms a meniscus at the discharge port 50b, and fills the liquid path 50d. Keep. At this time, when the electrothermal transducer 50e is energized and generates heat based on the recording signal transmitted to the head terminal section 53, the electrothermal transducer 50e
The ink on the upper side is rapidly heated to cause film boiling, and bubbles are generated in the liquid passage 50d, and the expansion of the bubbles causes the ink to be discharged from the discharge port 50b. Here, the electrothermal transducer 50e is shown as an energy generating element for generating energy. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a piezoelectric element that generates mechanical energy that instantaneously applies discharge pressure may be used.

Among them, a recording head of an ink jet recording method of discharging ink droplets by using thermal energy can perform high-resolution recording because discharge ports can be arranged at a high density. In particular, a recording head using the electrothermal transducer 50e as an energy generating element can be easily miniaturized, and has the advantages of IC technology and micromachining technology, which have recently made remarkable progress in technology in the semiconductor field and remarkable improvement in reliability. This is advantageous because it is possible to make full use of the above, it is easy to implement high-density mounting, and the manufacturing cost is low.

When the recording head cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 2, a rectangular head positioning is formed on the base plate 51 in accordance with the positions of the head positioning projections 2 d and 2 e (see FIG. 3) of the carriage 2. Protrusion 2d
Are formed, and a head positioning notch 53a into which a circular head positioning protrusion 2e is fitted is formed.

The base plate 51 is fixed to one end wall of the monocolor holder 60 by heat welding, ultrasonic welding, or the like. A step 60a is formed at the end of the upper surface of the monocolor holder 60 on the base plate 51 side, and is one step lower than other parts. When the recording head cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 2, the stepped portion 60a
Cover 21a of cable holder 21 (see FIG. 3)
The recording head cartridge 1 can easily be roughly positioned by being sunk below the bottom.

A mechanism for attaching and detaching the recording head cartridge 1 to and from the carriage 2 is provided on the outer surface of the monocolor holder 60 opposite to the base plate 51, that is, on the other end wall side when the carriage 2 is mounted. A head pressing portion 60b, which is a fixed portion held by the head guide 22 (see FIG. 3) of the carriage 2, and a head attaching / detaching operation portion 60c, which is an operation portion for attaching / detaching to / from the carriage 2, are formed. The head pressing portion 60b is a concave portion formed to be inclined from the lower end to the upper end of the surface of the monocolor holder 60 opposite to the base plate 51. An upper portion of the head pressing portion 60b is a recessed head guide engaging portion 64. When the recording head cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 2, the head guide 22 of the carriage 2 is moved to the head guide engaging portion 64. 6
4 is engaged. The recording head cartridge 1 is positioned and fixed to the carriage 2 by the engagement of the head guide 22 with the head guide engaging portion 64.
The head attachment / detachment operation unit 60c is provided for the recording head cartridge 1
Is provided at the upper end of the area farthest from the head pressing portion 60b on the surface on which the head pressing portion 60b is provided, and when the recording head cartridge 1 is removed from the carriage 2, It is intended to be easily removed by pulling up.

Each of the head pressing portion 60b and the head attaching / detaching operation portion 60c serves as a guide for the latch lever 32a, and a latch lever guide groove 60h described later (FIG.
1) is provided in a region that becomes a concave portion relative to a protruding region formed by the above. As a result, the limited volume of the recording head cartridge 1 is effectively used, and a fixed portion held by the head guide 22 of the carriage 2 and an operation portion for attachment / detachment to / from the carriage 2 can be obtained with a minimum space. .

Here, the operation of attaching and detaching the recording head cartridge 1 to and from the carriage 2 will be described.

The recording head cartridge 1 is moved to the carriage 2
First, as shown in FIG. 9, the side of the recording head cartridge 1 on which the base plate 51 (see FIG. 5) is provided is connected to the cable presser 2 provided on the carriage 2.
Inserting diagonally in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, while inserting under the cover 21a. As a result, the rising surface of the step portion 60a (see FIG. 5) of the recording head cartridge 1 abuts against the end surface of the covering portion 21a, and the recording head cartridge 1
Approximate positioning is performed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the recording head cartridge 1 is pushed downward. At this time, the head pressing portion 60b of the recording head cartridge 1 (see FIG. 6)
Is the head guide 22 of the carriage 2 (see FIG. 3).
And each head positioning projection 2 of the carriage 2
The recording head cartridge 1 is smoothly mounted on the carriage 2 while d and e are fitted in the head positioning notch 53a and the head positioning hole 53b of the recording head cartridge 1. When the recording head cartridge 1 is completely mounted, the head guide 22 engages with the head guide engaging portion 64 (see FIG. 6), and the recording head cartridge 1
Is fixed. Further, the head terminal portion 53 of the recording head cartridge 1 is pressed by the cable terminal portion 3a of the carriage 2 by the pressing force of the head guide 22, and the electrical connection between the two is ensured.

The recording head cartridge 1 is moved to the carriage 2
When detaching the carriage 2, the head attachment / detachment operation unit 60c of the carriage 2 is pulled upward. Thereby, the engagement between the head guide 22 and the head guide engaging portion 64 is released, and the head pressing portion 60b rides on the head guide 22.
When the head pressing portion 60b rides on the head guide 22, the recording head cartridge 1 is in an oblique state with the head attaching / detaching operation portion 60c side protruding from the carriage 2. Then, by picking a portion protruding from the carriage 2, the recording head cartridge 1
Easily removed from

On the surface provided with the head pressing portion 60b, the head attaching / detaching operation portion 60c is provided at the position farthest from the head pressing portion 60b. The moment acting when the engaging portion 64 comes off the head guide 22 increases. Thus, the recording head cartridge 1 can be detached with a small force, and while the recording head cartridge 1 is securely held, the detachment of the recording head cartridge 1 becomes easier. In order to be able to remove the recording head cartridge 1 with a smaller force, a head pressing portion 60b is provided on the back side with respect to a center line of the recording head cartridge 1 parallel to the moving direction of the carriage 2, And,
That is, the head attachment / detachment operation unit 60c is provided at the end on the near side.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the recording head cartridge 1 shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line AA of the recording head cartridge 1 shown in FIG. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 12, an ink intake pipe 60d protrudes from the bottom wall of the monocolor holder 60, and an ink flow path 60e opening to the ink intake pipe 60d.
Communicates with the common liquid chamber 50c of the nozzle unit 50 (see FIG. 8). A seal ring 61 made of an elastic member such as rubber is fixed around the ink intake tube 60d. A filter 62 is attached to the open end of the ink intake tube 60d to prevent foreign matter from being taken into the nozzle unit 50.

Base plate 5 of monocolor holder 60
Overhangs 60f are formed at both corners of the upper end on one side, and a tank projection guide 60g, which is a semicircular recess, is formed near the overhangs 60f. On the other hand, when the ink tank 30 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) is mounted on the inner wall of the monocolor holder 60 on the side opposite to the base plate 51, a latch lever 32a (see FIGS. Latch lever insertion groove 60h to be inserted
Are formed. Further, an inclined surface 60k is formed at a ridge where the bottom wall of the monocolor holder 60 and the wall on the base plate 51 side intersect.

Here, the ink tank 30 mounted on the recording head cartridge 1 will be described. FIG.
FIG. 14 is a plan view of the ink tank 30 mounted on the recording head cartridge 1 shown in FIG. 5, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB of the ink tank 30 shown in FIG.

The ink tank 30 has a container 32 for holding ink, and a lid member 31 which covers and seals the container 32 and has an air communication port (not shown).

At the bottom of the container 32, a monocolor holder 6
An ink supply port 32b into which the 0 ink intake pipe 60d (see FIG. 12) is inserted is formed, and a cylindrical support portion 32c is provided upright around the ink supply port 32b. Ink supply port 32b
Before the ink tank 30 is mounted on the monocolor holder 60, the ink is sealed with a sealing material (not shown) to prevent ink leakage.

An ink absorber 33 made of sponge or the like is accommodated in the container 32, and the ink is absorbed and held by the ink absorber 33. Support 32
c, an ink supply member 35 composed of a unidirectional fiber bundle
Are inserted and supported, and the ink absorber 33 is in close contact with the upper end surface of the ink supply member 35. The ink absorbed by the ink absorber 33 is supplied to the ink supply member 3.
5 to the ink supply port 32b. When the ink tank 30 is mounted on the mono color holder 60, as shown in FIG.
The zero ink intake pipe 60d is inserted so that they communicate with each other, and ink is supplied to the nozzle unit 50 via the ink flow path 60d. At this time, the seal ring 61 provided around the ink supply port 32b is in close contact with the outer edge of the ink supply port 32b, and ink leakage is suppressed.

In order to connect the ink supply port 32b and the above-described air communication port via an air layer, a rib 34 is provided at a predetermined position inside the container 32 and the inside of the lid member 31.
(FIG. 14 shows only the ribs 34 of the lid member 31) to form the ink absorber 33, the container 32, and the lid member 3.
1 and a supporting space 32
A slit (not shown) that communicates the inside and the outside of the container 32 is provided in a part of the inner surface of c. As described above, by communicating the inside and the outside of the ink tank 30 through the air layer, when the sealing material sealing the ink supply port 32b is peeled off, the ejection of the ink from the ink supply port 32b can be prevented. Leakage can be prevented. Further, even when the ambient temperature of the ink tank 30 rises during printing,
The ink in the ink tank 30 is not pushed out. Further, since the ink does not stay on the inner wall of the container 32, there is no possibility that the ink leaks from the ink supply port 32b or the air communication port, and the ink consumption efficiency is improved.

On the other hand, as an external structure of the ink tank 30, a claw-like projection is provided on the surface of the container 32 which comes into contact with the inner wall of the mono-color holder 60 on the base plate 51 side when the ink tank 30 is mounted on the mono-color holder 60. 32d is integrally provided. The retaining claw 32d fits into a tank retaining hole 60i (see FIG. 12) formed in the monocolor holder 60, and serves as a guide when the ink tank 30 is mounted on the monocolor holder 60. When the ink tank 30 is mounted on the mono color holder 60, the ink tank 3
Serves to hold 0.

The bottom wall of the container 32 and the retaining claw 3
The ridge where the surface on which 2d is formed intersects has an inclined surface 32f.
Are formed. The angle and shape of the inclined surface 32f are substantially equal to the angle and size of the inclined surface 60k (see FIG. 12) of the monocolor holder 60.

Further, on the other end surface which is the outer wall opposite to the retaining claw 32d, the cover member 31 is integrally provided with a latch lever 32a whose upper end is elastically supported. The latch lever 32a is inclined downward and outward of the ink tank 30, and fits into the latch lever insertion groove 60h of the monocolor holder 60 (see FIGS. 11 and 12).
In the state where the latch lever 32 is mounted on the latch lever 32, the latch lever guide portion 60m, which is the upper end of the latch lever insertion groove 60h, is bent in the direction of arrow C shown in FIG.
The latch claw 32e formed at the lower end of the latch a is engaged with the latch claw engagement hole 60j formed in the latch lever insertion groove 60h. The latch lever 32a protrudes outward from the ink tank 30.
A latch lever operation portion 32g, which is a projection for the operation described above, is integrally provided. In this embodiment, the latch lever 32
a is formed integrally with the lid member 31.

The lid member 31 has a stepped portion 31a which is one step lower than the upper surface of the lid member 31 at the end of the upper surface on the side where the retaining claw 32d is formed. When the ink tank 30 is mounted on the monocolor holder 60, the ink tank 30 is inserted so that the stepped portion 31a is inserted under each overhanging portion 60f of the monocolor holder 60 (see FIGS. 11 and 12). Approximate positioning is performed. The tank projection 31b fitted to the tank projection guide 60g of the monocolor holder 60 is also provided.
Are formed.

Next, the operation of attaching and detaching the ink tank 30 to and from the monocolor holder 60 will be described. Ink tank 30
When the is mounted on the mono color holder 60, first, the sealing material sealing the ink supply port 32b is peeled off. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 16, the ink tank 30 is inserted obliquely in the direction of the arrow from the side where the retaining claw 32d is formed, and the step 31a of the ink tank 30 is inserted into the overhanging portion 60f of the monocolor holder 60. At the same time, the ink tank 30 is hooked into the tank retaining hole 60i (see FIG. 12) of the monocolor holder 60, and the ink tank 30 is roughly positioned. When the ink tank 30 is inserted into the monocolor holder 60, the ink tank 30 is formed with a slope 32f, and is used as a guide so that the slope 32f is substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the monocolor holder 60. Then, it is easy to make the step 31a of the ink tank 30 penetrate under each overhang 60f of the monocolor holder 60. In addition, the monocolor holder 60 and the ink tank 30 are provided with inclined surfaces 60 corresponding to each other.
Since k and 32f are formed, different types of ink tanks cannot be mounted on the monocolor holder 60, and erroneous mounting of the ink tanks is prevented.

Next, as shown in FIG. 17, the ink tank 3 is inserted so that the latch lever 32a is inserted along the latch lever insertion groove 60h (see FIGS. 11 and 12).
Push 0 down. Then, the ink tank 30 substantially rotates around the portion inserted into the monocolor holder 60,
The latch lever 32a is pressed by the latch lever guide portion 60m while being bent inward, and the latch claw 32e of the latch lever 32a (see FIG. 14) is inserted into the latch claw engagement hole 60j of the monocolor holder 60 (see FIG. 12). Engage. Thereby, the ink tank 30 is fixed to the monocolor holder 60. In addition, since the latch claw 32e engages with the latch claw engagement hole 60j, a click sensation is generated. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 12, the latch lever guide portion 60m has a tapered shape, so that the operability at the time of mounting is improved.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view showing a state where the ink tank 30 is mounted on the monocolor holder 60. The internal structure of the ink tank 30 is omitted in FIG.

When the ink tank 30 is mounted, the retaining claw 32d engages with the tank retaining hole 60i, and the latch claw 32e engages with the latch claw engaging hole 60j. (In the direction of the arrow in the figure), the bottom surface of the ink tank 30 crushes the seal ring 61, and the filter 62 is pressed against the ink absorbing member 35 (see FIG. 14). Accordingly, the ink tank 30 and the monocolor holder 60 are fluidly and airtightly connected, so that there is no fear of air being mixed in from the connection portion, and the reliability of recording is ensured. Further, since the leakage and evaporation of the ink from the connection portion are prevented, a highly reliable recording head cartridge can be obtained.

Next, the case where the ink tank 30 is removed from the monocolor holder 60 will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

The ink tank 30 is connected to the monocolor holder 60
To remove the latch claw 32e, the latch lever 32a is pushed inward by pushing the latch lever operation portion 32g, and the engagement between the latch claw 32e and the latch claw engagement hole 60j is released. Since the upper end of the latch lever 32a is elastically supported and is inclined downward and outward of the ink tank 30, when the engagement between the latch claw 32e and the latch claw hole 60j is released, FIG. Try to return to the state shown in. Therefore, the latch claw 32e slides up along the latch lever guide portion 60m, and as shown in FIG. 19, the latch lever 32a side of the ink tank 30 is automatically lifted to be in an oblique state. Then, the ink tank 30 can be easily removed from the monocolor holder 60 by picking the raised portion.

At this time, the amount of protrusion of the ink tank 30 from the monocolor holder 60 is determined by the shape of the latch lever 32a. In this embodiment, when the engagement between the latch claw 32e and the latch claw engagement hole 60j is released, as shown in FIG. 19, the tip of the latch lever 32a comes into contact with the latch lever guide portion 60m. Therefore, the protrusion amount is approximately from the latch claw 32e to the latch lever 32a.
Is the distance L to the tip of. This distance L was set to 4 mm in the present embodiment, but according to experiments by the present inventors, the distance L
It was found that, if not more than 3 mm, the lifted part was difficult to pick. Further, if the protrusion amount is large, even when the ink tank 30 is mounted on the monocolor holder 60,
When the engagement between the latch claw 32e and the latch claw engagement hole 60j is incomplete, the ink tank 30 returns to the state shown in FIG. 19, so that the mounting state of the ink tank 30 can be visually determined, and a mounting mistake can be made. Is also gone.

FIGS. 26 and 27 show the latch lever 10.
A case in which 32a is elastically supported by the lower end of the ink tank 1030 is shown as a comparative example with the present invention. In this example, the amount of protrusion of the ink tank 1030 from the monocolor holder 1060 is determined by the position where the latch lever 1032a and the latch lever insertion groove 1060h abut (restoring force of the latch lever 1032a). To increase the amount of protrusion, the inclination or curvature of the latch lever 1032a toward the outside and upward is increased, or the
For example, it is possible to increase the click amount of 32e. However, in any case, the degree of freedom in design is small because there is a balance between the mounting force and the click feeling when mounted.
Therefore, in order to increase the amount of protrusion, as shown in FIG.
When the latch pawl 1032a is disengaged from the latch pawl engagement hole 1060j, the ink force of the ink tank 1030 is provided by the spring force of the pop-up spring 1068.
Is projected from the monocolor holder 1060. However, in the case of this method, the number of parts to be used increases, resulting in an increase in cost.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, as described above,
The amount of protrusion of the ink tank 30 from the monocolor holder 60 can be arbitrarily set by the distance L from the latch claw 32e to the tip of the latch lever 32a. The amount can be increased.

As described above, according to this embodiment,
By substantially rotating the ink tank 30, the mono-color holder 60 is rotated.
By attaching and detaching to and from, it is possible to attach and detach in a small space. In addition, at the time of mounting, the stepped portion 31a is inserted into the overhanging portion 60f of the monocolor holder 60 while using the inclined surface 32f of the ink tank 30 as a guide, so that the ink container 30 can be inserted into the monocolor holder 60. The insertion direction is restricted. Further, since the ink tank 30 is provided with the tank protrusion 31b and the monocolor holder 60 is provided with the tank protrusion guide portion 60g, the insertion position of the ink tank 30 into the monocolor holder 60 is also restricted, and the ink tank 30 is It is rotated about the tank projection 31b.

Thus, the ink tank 30 is mounted without interfering with the filter 62 (see FIGS. 11 and 12) of the monocolor holder 60, and there is no possibility that the filter 62 will be damaged when the ink tank 30 is mounted.
Further, since the ink tank 30 is attached to and detached from the mono-color holder 60 by being rotated, the space for attaching and detaching the ink tank is small, and the size of the ink jet recording apparatus can be reduced. Further, with a simple structure, the ink tank 30 can be sufficiently protruded from the monocolor holder 60 when the ink tank 30 is attached or detached.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show the procedure for attaching and detaching the ink tank 30 to and from the recording head cartridge 1 alone. Needless to say, even when the recording head cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 2 (see FIG. 3), 30
Can be attached and detached.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a state in which the ink tank 30 is mounted on the recording head cartridge 1 and the recording head cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 2. As is apparent from FIG. 20, the latch lever 32a serving as an operation unit when attaching / detaching the ink tank 30 and the head attaching / detaching operation unit 60c serving as an operation unit when attaching / detaching the recording head cartridge 1 move the carriage 2. Both directions are arranged on the same side. Thereby, the operator can easily recognize each operation unit, and the operation can be unified, so that the operability is improved. Moreover, it is possible to provide an operation unit that is very cohesive in terms of design. Further, when the ink tank 30 is attached or detached or the recording head cartridge 1 is attached or detached, only the side provided with the latch lever 32a and the head attaching / detaching operation section 60c needs to have a space for the operator to operate. Therefore, if the carriage 2 is located at such a position, the ink tank 30 or the recording head cartridge 1 can be attached and detached at an arbitrary position.

Although the latch lever 32a and the head attaching / detaching operation section 60c are arranged adjacent to each other, the operation of removing the ink tank 30 is an operation of pushing the latch lever 32a inward, and the recording head cartridge 1 is removed. Since the operation is an operation of lifting the head attaching / detaching operation unit 60c, an erroneous operation is avoided due to a difference in the operation method. Further, since the position of the latch lever 32a and the position of the head attaching / detaching operation section 60c are arranged stepwise, it is easy to recognize the difference in the functions.

In the above-described example, the recording head cartridge 1 is of a monocolor type. However, in the ink jet recording apparatus of this embodiment, a color recording head cartridge may be used.

(Second Embodiment) FIGS. 21 and 22 show a second embodiment of the recording head cartridge mountable on the carriage shown in FIG. FIG. 21 is a perspective view thereof, and FIG.
Is a sectional view thereof.

In this embodiment, the shape of the latch lever 532a and the shape of the latch lever guide 560m are the same as those of the first embodiment.
This is different from the embodiment. That is, the latch lever 532
The latch claw 532e of a is formed toward the inside, and is configured to engage from outside the latch claw engagement hole 560j. The latch lever operation portion 532g is formed upward. On the other hand, the taper of the latch lever guide 560m is formed on the outer surface, contrary to the first embodiment. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

In this embodiment, the mono color holder 5
The procedure for mounting the ink tank 530 on the ink tank 530 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and the procedure for removing the ink tank 530 from the monocolor holder 560 will be described below.

The ink tank 530 is connected to the mono color holder 5
To remove from the latch lever operation section 53,
The upper end of 2 g is pushed inward (in the direction of the arrow shown). As a result, the latch claw 532e bends outward according to the leverage principle, and the engagement of the latch claw 532e with the latch claw engagement hole 560j is released. Then, the tip of the latch claw 532e slides up along the taper of the latch lever guide 560m, and the ink tank 530 projects from the monocolor holder 60 as in the first embodiment. By picking up the protruding portion, the ink tank 530 can be easily removed from the monocolor holder 560.

In this embodiment, the state in which the engagement between the latch claw 32e and the latch claw engagement hole 560j is released is not shown, but as in FIG. 19 of the first embodiment, the latch lever 532 is provided.
The state is such that the tip of “a” is in contact with the latch lever guide 560m. Therefore, the amount of protrusion of the ink tank 530 is
It can be set by the distance L from the latch claw 532e to the tip of the latch lever 532a.

As described above, also in this embodiment, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, in this embodiment,
Since the latch claw 532a engages with the latch claw engagement hole 560j from the outside of the monocolor holder 560, the latch claw insertion groove 60h (see FIG. 12) which was required as an insertion space for the latch lever 32a in the first embodiment. Since it is no longer necessary, increase the size of the ink tank 530 by that amount,
The ink capacity can be increased.

(Third Embodiment) In the present embodiment, the shape of the latch lever operating portion of the ink tank shown in the first embodiment is changed. The shape is shown in FIG. That is, FIG.
The latch lever operating portion 632g of the latch lever 632a shown in FIG. 3A is two columnar members formed at an interval from each other, and the latch lever 7 shown in FIG.
The latch lever operating portion 732g of 32a has a shape in which the central portion of the root penetrates. In this manner, by forming a shape in which a gap is provided at the root of the latch lever operating portions 632g and 732g, the structure of a mold used for forming a lid member in which the latch levers 632a and 732a are integrated can be simplified.

Although the present embodiment has shown a case where the shape of the latch lever of the first embodiment is changed, the same applies to the case of the second embodiment.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing a color recording head cartridge mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 together with two ink tanks mounted thereon. The color recording head cartridge 101 has a structure in which a black ink tank 130 for storing black ink and a color ink tank 140 for storing yellow, magenta, and cyan inks are detachable. This is for discharging ink. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 25, the nozzle unit 150 also has a black ejection port group 150B, a yellow ejection port group 150Y, a magenta ejection port group 150M, and a cyan ejection port group 150B corresponding to each color ink. Discharge port group 150
C. In addition, each ink tank 13
A partition plate 165 is integrally provided on the bottom wall of the color holder 160 in order to divide the area where the 0 and 140 are mounted.

The base plate 151 and the head terminal portion 153 are provided in the monocolor recording head cartridge 1 (FIG. 5).
(See Reference). Color holder 160
Is also different from the monocolor holder 60 (see FIG. 5) in detail, but the outer shape is substantially the same.
In particular, the shape of the portion related to the carriage 2 (see FIG. 3) and the position of the head attaching / detaching operation section 160c serving as a hook portion of a finger when removing the color recording head cartridge 101 from the carriage 2 are the same, and are the same as those for the mono color. The color recording head cartridge 101 can be attached to and detached from the same carriage 2 as the carriage 2 on which the recording head cartridge 1 is mounted. That is, the user can freely select and use the mono-color recording head cartridge 1 and the color recording head cartridge 101 in one inkjet recording apparatus.

The method of mounting the black ink tank 130 and the color ink tank 140 on the color holder 160 is the same as in the first embodiment.
Color holder 1 at a position corresponding to the mounting position of
In two latch claw engagement holes (not shown) formed in 60,
This is performed by engaging latch claws (not shown) of latch levers 132a, 142a formed on the upper portions of the ink tanks 130, 140.

In the above-described color recording head cartridge 101, by applying the configuration of the present invention, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments can be obtained.

The present invention provides an excellent effect particularly in an ink jet recording head and a recording apparatus in which a flying liquid droplet is formed by utilizing thermal energy and recording is performed among the ink jet recording methods.

The typical structure and principle are described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling to an electrothermal transducer arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path in which This is effective because heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, causing film boiling on the heat-acting surface of the recording head, and as a result, air bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding one-to-one to this drive signal can be formed. It is. By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of a liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable.

As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

The configuration of the recording head is not limited to the combination of the discharge port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (linear liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications. The present invention also includes a configuration using U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.

In addition, JP-A-59-123670 which discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters or absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration in which an opening corresponds to a discharge unit.

Further, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification is used. Either a configuration that satisfies the length or a configuration as a single recording head integrally formed may be used.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like provided as components of the recording apparatus of the present invention since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If you list these specifically,
Capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means for the printhead, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof, and a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection other than recording Is also effective for performing stable recording.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid. However, an ink which solidifies at room temperature or below and which softens at room temperature, or which is liquid, In general, in the ink jet method, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. What is necessary is just liquid thing.

In addition, the temperature rise due to thermal energy is positively prevented by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or the ink is solidified in a standing state to prevent evaporation of the ink. Either ink may be used, or in any case, the ink may be liquefied by application of heat energy according to the recording signal and ejected as a liquid ink, or may already start to solidify when reaching the recording medium. The use of an ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time by thermal energy is also applicable to the present invention. In such a case, the ink is disclosed in JP-A-54-5684.
No. 7 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-71260, in which the porous sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter while being held in a liquid or solid state in the concave portions or through holes of the porous sheet. It is good. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as a form of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to one provided integrally or separately as an image output terminal of an information processing device such as a word processor or a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader, A facsimile apparatus having a transmission / reception function may be employed.

[0123]

As described above, according to the present invention, the latch lever which is inclined or curved outward and downward at the upper end of the other side of the ink tank is elastically supported. Since the latch claw that engages with the joint portion is provided integrally, the detachment operation of the ink tank can be easily performed while having a simple configuration.

Further, by setting the distance from the tip of the latch lever to the latch claw to be 3 mm or more, the amount of protrusion from the holder when removing the ink tank can be made sufficient to pick the ink tank. In addition, the removal of the ink tank can be made easier. Further, the latch pawl is engaged with the engaging portion from the outside of the holder, and the protrusion for operating the latch lever is provided upward, thereby facilitating the attaching / detaching operation of the ink tank and increasing the size of the ink tank. Thus, the ink storage amount can be increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the inkjet recording apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 is housed in a housing.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a carriage of the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a head guide of the carriage shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a monocolor recording head cartridge mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1, viewed from a direction in which a head terminal portion is visible in a state where an ink tank is mounted.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a recording head cartridge for a mono color mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1, viewed from a direction in which a surface opposite to a head terminal portion can be seen in a state where an ink tank is mounted. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a mono-color recording head cartridge mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG.

8 is an enlarged perspective view of a nozzle portion of the recording head cartridge shown in FIG.

9 is a perspective view showing a first step of a procedure for mounting a printhead cartridge on a carriage in the ink jet printing apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a second step of a procedure for mounting a print head cartridge on a carriage in the ink jet printing apparatus shown in FIG.

11 is a plan view of the recording head cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a recording head cartridge shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A.

13 is a plan view of an ink tank mounted on the recording head cartridge shown in FIG.

14 is a cross-sectional view of the ink tank shown in FIG. 13 taken along line BB.

15 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an ink supply port of the ink tank shown in FIG. 14 is connected to a monocolor holder.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a first step of a procedure for mounting an ink tank on a recording head cartridge.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a second step of the procedure for mounting the ink tank on the recording head cartridge.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where an ink tank is mounted on a monocolor holder.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the latch claw of the ink tank is disengaged.

20 is a perspective view showing a state where the recording head cartridge shown in FIG. 6 is mounted on the carriage shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view for explaining a second embodiment of the ink tank of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a sectional view illustrating a second embodiment of the ink tank of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged perspective view of a latch lever operating portion of the latch lever of the third embodiment of the ink tank according to the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a view for explaining a fourth embodiment of the ink tank according to the present invention, in which a color recording head cartridge mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is welded to two ink tanks; It is the perspective view shown with it.

FIG. 25 is a bottom view of the color recording head cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view of a comparative example with the ink tank of the present invention, in which a latch lever is provided upward from a bottom.

27 is an example of a mono-color holder for increasing the amount of protrusion of the ink tank from the mono-color holder shown in FIG. 26; FIG.
It is sectional drawing corresponding to the -A 'line.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,501 Recording head cartridge 2 Carriage 2a Bearing part 2b Guide rail holding part 2c Carriage deformation prevention stopper 2d, 2e Head positioning projection 3 Flexible cable 3a Cable terminal part 4 Frame 6 Transport roller 7 Pinch roller 8 Pressure plate 9 Pickup roller 10 Carriage drive Motor 11 Carriage drive belt 12 Guide rail 13 Drive pulley 14 Base 15 Paper discharge roller 16 Spur 17 Upper case 18 Lower case 19 Top cover 20 Head cover 21 Cable holder 21a Covering part 22 Head guide 23 Contact spring 24 Shaft member 30, 530 Ink tank 31 lid member 31a step portion 31b tank projection 32 container 32a, 532a, 632a, 732a latch lever 32b ink supply port 32c support Holding part 32d Retaining claw 32e, 532e Latch claw 32f Inclined surface 32g, 532g, 632g, 732g Latch lever operation part 33 Ink absorber 34 Rib 35 Ink supply member 50 Nozzle part 50a Discharge port face 50b Discharge port 50c Common liquid chamber 50d Liquid path 50e Electrothermal transducer 51, 151 Base plate 52 Grooved member 53, 153 Head terminal 53a Head positioning notch 53b Head positioning hole 60, 560 Monocolor holder 60a Stepped portion 60b Head pressing portion 60c Head attaching / detaching operation portion 60d Ink Intake tube 60e Ink flow path 60f Overhanging part 60g Tank protrusion guide part 60h Latch lever insertion groove 60i Tank retaining hole 60j, 560j Latch claw engaging hole 60k Inclined surface 60m, 560m Latch lever guide 61 the seal ring 62 filter 64 head guide engaging portion 101 color recording head cartridge 130 black ink tank 140 color ink container 142f partition plate 160 color holder P recording medium

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-60-96481 (JP, A) JP-A-60-192642 (JP, A) JP-A-60-192643 (JP, A) JP-A-60-964 204342 (JP, A) JP-A-2-187366 (JP, A) JP-A-5-57906 (JP, A) JP-A-5-162298 (JP, A) JP-A 8-58107 (JP, A) JP-A-8-174859 (JP, A) JP-A-8-276601 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/175

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ink which has a supply port for supplying recording ink contained therein to the outside to the outside, and which is rotatable about an end on one side and held detachably on a holder. A latch lever that is inclined or curved outward and downward is elastically supported on an upper end of the other side surface, and a latch claw that engages with an engaging portion of the holder is integrated with the latch lever. An ink tank, wherein the ink tank is provided in the ink tank. 2. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein a projection for operating the latch lever is provided integrally with the latch lever. 3. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein a distance from a tip of the latch lever to the latch claw is 3 mm or more. 4. The latch according to claim 2, wherein the latch claw is engaged with the engagement portion from outside the holder, and the projection is provided integrally with the latch lever toward the upper side. Ink tank. 5. An ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording medium, wherein the ink tank according to claim 1, a holder for detachably holding the ink tank,
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a recording head for discharging ink supplied from the ink tank based on a recording signal. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the recording head is provided integrally with the holder, and the holder is detachably held. 7. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the holder is detachably held on a carriage provided to be capable of reciprocating scanning with respect to the recording medium. 8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the recording head includes an electrothermal transducer for generating thermal energy used for discharging ink. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the recording head discharges the ink from the discharge port by using a film boiling generated in the ink by the thermal energy applied by the electrothermal transducer.