JP3171932B2 - Ink jet cartridge and ink jet recording apparatus - 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 cartridge having an ink remaining amount detecting function, an ink cartridge in which an ink jet head and an ink tank are integrated, and a copying machine, a facsimile, a computer provided with the same.
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus as a word processor or a combination thereof.

Further, the present invention relates to a recording apparatus using ink, such as a thermal transfer recording apparatus or an ink jet recording apparatus, and more particularly to a recording control when the remaining amount of ink is small and an ink out display control.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Ink tanks and ink cartridges used in ink-jet printers, ink-jet plotters and the like are loaded with ink in a sealed state.
As a method of detecting the remaining amount of ink in this type of ink cartridge, conventionally, a detection plate displaced by contraction of the ink bag due to consumption of the ink due to printing of a character image or the like is provided on the upper portion of the ink bag. And an electrical switch mechanically connected to the switch to detect the remaining amount of ink.

A recording apparatus such as a printer or a facsimile is configured to form a dot pattern corresponding to recording information on a storage medium by driving a dot forming means of a recording head based on the recording information. It is, depending on the type of dot forming means, inkjet type,
Thermal type, etc.

[0005] Among these, in the ink jet type (ink jet recording apparatus), the discharge surface of the recording head, in which the discharge port is formed, faces the storage medium, and the recording head is mounted on a carrier to supply ink. And, while moving the carrier in the recording range of the storage medium,
An ink is ejected from the ejection port, and the ink droplet is attached to the storage medium to perform image recording.

[0006] An ink cartridge that integrates an ink jet head for discharging ink and an ink tank for supplying ink is configured as a replaceable ink cartridge. The ink color is not limited to black, but may be various types. The setting of the ink color in the ink jet recording apparatus is left to the user. Further, information such as the date of manufacture of the ink cartridge and the manufacturing lot has been recorded on the cartridge by means such as printing and engraving.

Further, conventionally, a recording apparatus which performs recording on a recording medium (hereinafter, also referred to as recording paper or simply paper) such as paper, OHP sheet, etc. using ink is equipped with recording heads of various recording systems. Proposed in form.
Examples of the recording head include a wire dot type, a thermal transfer type, and an ink jet type.

In these recording apparatuses, the remaining amount of ink is not detected, or even if it is detected, it is detected only when the ink is almost exhausted. When the ink runs out, the printing is interrupted or the printing is continued as it is. Furthermore, the display means for indicating that the ink has run out is often simply lit by a single lamp.

[0009]

However, in the above-described conventional method for detecting the remaining amount of the ink cartridge, the detection plate is mounted on the upper portion of the ink bag, and the weight of the detection plate is added to the ink bag to press the ink. Had become the way.
Generally, the pressure state of ink in an ink jet printer or the like must be a negative pressure state with respect to the atmospheric pressure. Because if the ink is pressurized against the atmospheric pressure, the ink will flow out of the discharge port of the ink jet head, causing damage to the printer, and preventing the ink droplets from being ejected properly during printing, resulting in accurate character images. Is not possible.

Further, since the contraction of the ink bag is measured by the direct detection mechanism, the measurement position is limited to the periphery of the ink bag.
It was difficult to set the detection device at the required position.

Further, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, information unique to each ink cartridge, such as the ink color of the ink cartridge, the manufacturing date, the manufacturing lot, and the usage time of the ink cartridge, is stored between the ink cartridge and the ink jet recording apparatus. Since there was no means for directly exchanging information and no means for recording information, there were the following disadvantages.

(1) In order to prevent the ink-jet head from drying, the inks are mixed unless the caps provided in the ink-jet recording apparatus are changed for each ink color. Therefore, when the ink colors are changed, it is necessary to change the cap to be used. However, if the setting of the ink color is left to the user, the ink may be mixed due to an incorrect setting and the print quality may be extremely deteriorated.

(2) Since the frequency of use of the individual ink cartridges is not recorded, the amount of ink used in the ink cartridges is not known, and it is not possible to know when the ink runs out.

(3) Even if the ink component of the ink cartridge is changed and the optimum control method of the ink jet recording apparatus is changed, it is very difficult to leave the setting to the user.

(4) Means for informing the user of the expiration date of the ink cartridge to the user is difficult to understand by simply displaying the date of manufacture, printing, engraving, etc. on the ink cartridge.

Further, as described above, in the recording apparatus which detects when the remaining amount of the ink is almost exhausted even if the remaining amount of the ink is detected, the indication of the ink exhaustion appears after the ink is exhausted. A person had to constantly monitor the ink condition and prepare spare ink.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge capable of reliably detecting the remaining amount of ink while preventing the outflow of ink.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording apparatus which can easily grasp information on the ink jet cartridge.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus which is designed so that an out-of-ink condition can be detected before the ink runs out.

[0020]

[0021]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following arrangement.
That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge case having an ink bag filled with ink, a sealed chamber containing the ink bag, and having a pressure reduced with the contraction of the ink bag. A differential pressure responsive member that is provided so as not to be in contact with the ink bag, and that moves by an amount accompanying shrinkage of the ink bag so as to maintain an equilibrium state between the pressure in the closed chamber containing the ink bag and the atmospheric pressure; And an ink cartridge comprising: According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ink cartridge according to the first aspect, the remaining amount of the ink is detected based on a moving amount of the differential pressure responsive member. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ink cartridge according to the first aspect, the cartridge case has a detection window for detecting a position of the differential pressure responsive member, and the detection window uses the differential pressure responsive member. The remaining amount of ink is detected by detecting the position of. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the ink cartridge according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising an inkjet head for discharging ink, and a surface-adhesive storage medium capable of reading and / or writing information. It is characterized by the following. The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 4.
And a drive unit for applying a drive signal to the ink jet head of the ink cartridge, and a unit capable of reading information from the storage medium or writing information to the storage medium. This is an inkjet recording apparatus. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the remaining amount of the ink in the ink cartridge is determined in a plurality of steps based on a moving amount of the differential pressure responsive member provided in the ink cartridge. Detecting means detectable by the printer, an out-of-ink display means for displaying that the ink is out of ink, and the ink detecting means detecting that the remaining amount of the ink has reached a predetermined first stage. The ink-out indicator is displayed by the ink-out indicator and the recording operation of the recording device is continued, and the ink-out is detected in response to the detection operation of the detector that the remaining amount of ink has reached a predetermined second stage. And a control unit for performing control for interrupting the recording operation of the recording unit while the ink-out display on the display unit is performed. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the sixth aspect, when the control unit determines that the remaining amount of the ink has reached the second stage by the detection of the detection unit. Ink information is transmitted to an external host through an interface connected to the host. According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the sixth or seventh aspect, the out-of-ink display means displays an out-of-ink display in accordance with a detection step of the remaining amount of the ink detected by the detection means. Is changed. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the eighth aspect, the out-of-ink display means is constituted by a single element, and the lighting luminance is changed according to a detection step of the remaining amount of the ink. It is characterized by the following. Claim 10
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, the out-of-ink display means is constituted by a single element, and changes a blinking cycle in accordance with a step of detecting the remaining amount of the ink. It is assumed that. According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of the fifth to tenth aspects, the inkjet head is a head that ejects ink using thermal energy, and derives thermal energy given to the ink. And a heat energy generator for performing the heat energy generation.

[0022]

[0023]

[0024]

[0025]

[0026]

[0027]

[0028]

[0029]

[0030]

In the above-mentioned invention, when ink is consumed to form a character or an image, the ink bag shrinks and the air pressure in the sealed chamber decreases. Then, the pressure-responsive member moves by an amount accompanying the shrinkage of the ink bag so that the pressure in the sealed chamber and the atmospheric pressure are kept in an equilibrium state. Therefore, the remaining amount of ink can be detected based on the amount of movement. Further, in the invention according to claim 4 or 5, information unique to an individual ink jet cartridge can be read or written between the ink jet cartridge and the ink jet recording apparatus without the intervention of a user, and setting errors and management errors are eliminated. In the invention according to claim 6 or 7, a detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of ink in a plurality of steps (levels) is provided, and the first step in which the remaining amount of ink is small but printing is possible is performed. The second stage, where the remaining amount is small and printing is not possible, can be recognized, the ink is displayed before the ink runs out, and the user is prompted to prepare a spare ink, and the ink has run out. In such a case, control is performed so as to display an out-of-ink state and interrupt printing. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to know beforehand that the ink has run out, so that a spare can be prepared, which contributes to the efficiency of document printing. Further, even if printing is performed with the ink end displayed, when the ink is really exhausted, the printing is interrupted, and paper is not wasted. Claim 8
In any one of the inventions described in any one of (10) to (10), detection means for detecting the remaining amount of ink in a plurality of stages is provided, and the out-of-ink display is appropriately changed according to the detection stage, so that the ink runs out. The control is performed so that the user can be prompted to prepare spare ink by displaying that the remaining amount of ink is low. Therefore, according to the present invention, since the out-of-ink state can be accurately known in advance, a spare can be prepared, which contributes to the efficiency of document printing.

[0031]

[0032]

[0033]

[0034]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

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

The ink jet recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment is
A carriage 11 on which an ink jet cartridge 10 in which an ink jet head 10A and an ink tank (not shown) are integrated is mounted, is connected to a part of a drive belt 12 that transmits a driving force of a drive motor 13, and is arranged in parallel with each other. Slidably mounted on the two guide shafts 14A and 14B.
By the driving force of No. 3, the recording paper is fed from a medium supply device (not shown) onto the platen 15 and reciprocates over the entire width of the recording paper as a storage medium so as to face the discharge surface of the ink jet head 10A. Is recorded.

In the ink jet recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the position (the position of the guide shaft 14A in the figure) of the ink jet head 10A to which the ink jet head 10A is moved during the head recovery operation is out of the range of the reciprocating motion in the recording operation of the ink jet head 10A. Left end, hereinafter referred to as "recovery position".)
, A head recovery device 16 provided with a cap 16A that is driven by a driving force of a motor 18 via a transmission mechanism 19 to face the ejection surface of the inkjet head 10A and caps the ejection surface of the inkjet head 10A. Have been. This head recovery device 16
Is related to the capping of the ejection surface of the inkjet head 10A by the cap unit 16A during the head recovery operation, by suction of ink by an appropriate suction unit or by an appropriate pressurizing unit provided in the ink supply path to the inkjet head 10A. Recovery means for performing an ejection recovery movement such as removing the thickened ink in the nozzles by performing ink pressure feeding and forcibly discharging the ink from the ink discharge port.

Further, on the side of the head recovery device 16,
A blade 17 as a wiping member formed of silicon rubber is held in a cantilever form, and is operated by a motor 18 and a transmission mechanism 19, like the head recovery device, and can be connected to the ejection surface of the inkjet head 10A. Thus, after the ejection recovery operation using the head recovery device 16, the blade 17 is made to protrude into the movement path of the inkjet head 10A, and the inkjet head 10A moves with the movement operation of the inkjet head 10A.
Wipe off condensation, wetness, dust, etc. on the discharge surface of A.

Next, the structure of the ink jet head of this embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, an ink jet head 10A to which ink is supplied from an ink tank (not shown) integrated in the ink jet cartridge 10 includes:
In order to discharge ink from the plurality of discharge ports 30 provided in a row, an electrothermal converter 40 that is supplied with an applied voltage and generates thermal energy is provided for each liquid path. Then, by applying a drive signal by a drive unit (not shown) in the ink jet recording apparatus 1, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer 40 to cause film boiling as a state change, thereby causing bubbles in the ink liquid path. Form. Then, ink droplets are ejected from the ejection ports 30 by the growth of the bubbles.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the ink jet cartridge 10 and the ink jet recording apparatus 1 of the present invention. The ink jet cartridge 10 shown in FIG. 1 and the control unit 10 of the ink jet recording apparatus 1 not shown in FIG.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of No. 1.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 101 denotes a control unit of the ink jet recording apparatus 1. The control unit 101 includes a CPU
102, a memory 103, a motor controller 104, an analog-digital converter 105, an input amplifier 106, and an output amplifier 107. The control unit 101 interprets a control code from a host 110 (word processor, personal computer, etc.) by the CPU 102 and the memory 103, and
And drives the drive motor 13 via the motor controller 104 and controls the analog-digital converter 105. The magnetic head 108 is fixed at a predetermined position of the ink jet recording apparatus 1 by means (not shown), and transmits information of a magnetic tape 109 as a surface-adhesive storage medium attached to the ink jet cartridge 10 to the CPU 1.
Under the control of 02, reading is performed via the analog-digital converter 105 or writing to the magnetic tape 109 is performed. The input amplifier 106 amplifies the input signal from the magnetic head 108, and the output amplifier 107 amplifies the output signal to the magnetic head.

When the CPU 102 operates the drive motor 13, the ink jet cartridge 10
The magnetic tape 109 moves in the direction and passes while contacting the magnetic head 108 fixed at a predetermined position by means (not shown), and the information on the magnetic tape 109 is read by the magnetic head 108. This information is transmitted to the CPU 102 via the input amplifier 106 and the analog-digital converter 105. The CPU 102 transmits information to the memory 103 or the host 110. Similarly, information from the CPU 102 can be written to the magnetic tape 109 by operating the magnetic head 108 via the analog-digital converter 105 and the output amplifier 107.

When the ink jet cartridge 10 is manufactured, information such as a manufacturing date, a manufacturing lot, and an ink color is recorded on the magnetic tape 109 so that the information can be stored in the CPU 102 or the host 110.
Can be told.

Although the magnetic tape and the magnetic head are used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, a bar code tape may be attached to the ink jet cartridge and an optical reading means may be provided on the ink jet recording apparatus side.

As described above, the use of the surface-adhesive storage medium makes it possible to reduce the cost with a simple structure.

Next, an embodiment of an ink cartridge which can easily detect the remaining amount of ink will be described.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 4 visually detects the remaining amount of ink by utilizing the differential pressure between the negative pressure in the ink cartridge 200 and the atmospheric pressure due to the contraction of the ink bag. In FIG. 4, the ink cartridge 200 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped ink cartridge case 201. The ink cartridge case 201 has a partition wall 20 above the middle part thereof.
2, a first sealed chamber 205 for accommodating an ink bag 204 filled with ink 203 below the partition wall 202.
Is provided. The upper surface of the ink cartridge case 201 is provided with an atmosphere communication port 206 communicating with the atmosphere and a rectangular detection window 207 closed with a transparent body.

Further, between the partition wall 202 and the upper surface of the case 201, there is provided a moving body display section 208 as a differential pressure responsive member capable of moving in a range corresponding to the detection window 207 while maintaining a sealed state. I have. On the upper side of the partition wall 202, the atmospheric pressure chamber 209 having the above-mentioned atmospheric communication port 206 and the second sealed chamber 210 communicating with the first sealed chamber 205 are provided.
Are defined by the moving object display unit 208. In addition,
Reference numeral 211 denotes an ink tube connected to the ink bag 204, which is connected to an ink jet head (not shown). When the ink 203 is sufficiently filled in the ink bag 204, the moving body display unit 208 displays the F on the atmospheric pressure chamber 209 side.
It is in the UL position. At this time, the ink 2
03 can be confirmed by the display unit of the detection window 207. When ink flows out of the ink bag 204 via the ink tube 211 during printing, the ink bag 204 contracts as the ink in the ink bag 204 decreases, and the pressure in the first and second sealed chambers 205 and 210 decreases. Lower than atmospheric pressure. Then, the atmospheric pressure 209 and the sealed chamber 20
The moving body display unit 208 moves in the direction of the arrow → so as to maintain an equilibrium state with the pressure of 5,210 . The moving body display moves in the direction of EMPTY in accordance with a decrease in the ink in the ink bag 204 due to consumption of the ink by printing. Ink bag 2
In a state where the ink in the ink cartridge 04 has run out, the moving object display unit 208
Moves to the EMPTY position and stops, so that the absence of ink can be visually confirmed through the detection window 207.

Another embodiment in which the remaining amount of ink is electrically detected will be described with reference to FIG. The same reference numerals are given to the same functional parts as those in the embodiment of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the ink cartridge 200 includes an ink bag 2 in an ink cartridge case 201.
04, a detection bag 212 communicated with the atmosphere via the atmosphere communication port 206, a detection plate 213 attached to the upper end of the detection bag 212, and a detection window 207. Due to the pressure difference with respect to the atmospheric pressure in the closed ink cartridge case 201 caused by the decrease in the ink in the ink bag 204, the atmosphere is released from the atmosphere communication port 206 to the atmospheric pressure chamber 2 of the detection bag 212.
09. With the inflow, the detection bag 212 expands and pushes the detection plate 213 upward (indicated by a solid line on the detection plate 213). Further, when the amount of the ink 203 in the ink bag 204 decreases, the detection plate 213 further moves upward (indicated by a broken line on the detection plate 213). A highly reflective sheet is adhered to the upper part of the detection plate 213, and reflects the light of the reflection type photo sensor 214 emitted from the upper detection window 207. The remaining amount of ink is detected by reading the reflection intensity of the detection plate 213 by the reflection type photo sensor 214.

FIG. 6 shows a main part of an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. 6, reference numeral 311 denotes a recording sheet (cut sheet) as a recording medium; 312, a recording head (inkjet head); 313, a platen; 314, a sheet feed roller for feeding the recording sheet 311 by rotation; This is a pinch roller that generates a frictional conveying force by pressing the recording sheet 311 against 314. Reference numeral 316 denotes a replaceable ink cartridge constituting a recording unit, 3
Reference numeral 17 denotes a recording head 312 from the ink cartridge 316.
Supply pipe for supplying ink (recording liquid) to the
Reference numeral 8 denotes an ink remaining amount detecting unit which includes a diaphragm or the like for detecting the ink remaining amount as detecting means. Reference numeral 320 denotes a bail roller that rotates in synchronization with a sheet feed roller 314 for conveying the recording sheet 311 to a stacker (not shown) (a place where the recorded recording sheet is stored).

With the above configuration, the ink cartridge 3
16 to supply ink to the recording head 312,
An ink ejection unit in the recording head 312 is driven based on recording information from an external host to eject ink, and a flying ink droplet formed by the ink ejection is attached to the recording medium 311 to form a dot pattern. Then, the sheet is fed every time one line is recorded, and the next line is recorded.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic configuration of a control system of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. In FIG.
Reference numeral 321 denotes the entire ink jet recording apparatus,
A CPU (Central Processing Unit) such as a microprocessor for controlling the recording device 321;
4 is a memory unit including a ROM storing control software and a working RAM. FIG.
Is an ink remaining amount detection unit composed of a diaphragm or the like for detecting the ink remaining amount shown in FIG. Reference numeral 325 denotes an operation panel section provided on the front surface of the exterior of the recording apparatus as shown in FIG. 8, which will be described later. An online switch 326 operated manually by the user and an online display for indicating that the recording apparatus is in an online state. LED (light emitting diode) 327
And an out-of-ink display LED (also referred to as an ink remaining amount display LED) 328 as an out-of-ink display means for displaying that there is no ink. Reference numeral 329 denotes a drive circuit, which includes an online LED 327 and an out-of-ink display LED.
328 is driven. Reference numeral 330 denotes a printing unit.

Here, the ink remaining amount detecting section 318 is configured to detect three states as an example in this embodiment. That is, there is a state in which printing cannot be performed because there is no ink (the remaining amount of ink is equal to or lower than the second level), and a state in which the ink is low but printing is still possible (the remaining amount of ink is the first level).
Below the level), there is sufficient ink (the remaining amount of ink exceeds the first level).

The ink jet recording device 321
Is connected via a serial interface 332 to a host 322 that transfers a recording command signal, recording information data, and the like to the recording apparatus.

FIG. 8 shows the recording device 321 and the host 32.
2 shows the appearance. Here, 331 is the recording device 32
1 and an interface cable for connecting the host 322.

FIG. 9 shows the operation procedure of the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in this figure, the CP of the recording device 321
U 324 performs various operations according to commands from the host 322.

First, it is checked in step S0 whether a command has been received. If the command has not been received, the process waits (loops) until the command is received.

When a command is received, the process proceeds to step S1, where it is checked whether the received command is a print command. If it is not a print command, the process proceeds to step S2, performs other processing, and then returns to step S0. If it is a print command, the flow advances to step S3 to start printing.

First, in step S3, the detection signal of the ink remaining amount detecting unit 318 is checked to determine whether the ink remaining amount is equal to or lower than the second level. If it is not below the second level, the process proceeds to step S4, where it is checked whether the remaining amount of ink is below the first level. If it is not equal to or lower than the first level, the process proceeds to step S5, and one line is printed according to the print data from the host 322. Then, the process returns to step S0 and waits for the next command. Printing is performed by repeating the above.

If it is determined in step S4 that the remaining amount of ink is equal to or lower than the first level, the flow advances to step S6 to issue a command to the drive circuit 329 to display the out-of-ink display L.
The ED 328 is turned on. However, even if the remaining amount of ink is equal to or less than the first level, printing is still possible, so the process proceeds to step S5 to continue printing as described above.

If the remaining amount of ink is equal to or less than the second level in step S3, it is determined that printing is not possible,
Printing is interrupted and the process proceeds to step S7, in which a command is issued to the drive circuit 329 to turn on the out-of-ink display LED 328. Then, the process proceeds to step S8 to notify the host 322 that the ink has run out through the interface 332 and the interface cable 331. Thereafter, the process proceeds to error processing for which description is omitted.

FIG. 10 shows an operation procedure of another embodiment of the present invention. In the first step S10, it is checked whether a command has been received. If a command has not been received, it waits until a command is received.

When a command is received, the flow advances to step S11 to check whether the received command is a print command. If it is not a print command, the process proceeds to step S12, performs other processing, and thereafter returns to step S10. If it is a print command, the flow advances to step S13 to start printing.

First, in step S13, the detection signal of the ink remaining amount detecting unit 318 is checked to determine whether the remaining amount of ink is equal to or lower than the second level. If it is not lower than the second level, the process proceeds to step S14, where it is checked whether the remaining amount of ink is lower than the first level. If it is not equal to or lower than the first level, the process proceeds to step S15, and one line is printed according to the print data from the host 322. Then, the process returns to step S10 and waits for the next command. Printing is performed by repeating the above.

If it is determined in step S14 that the remaining amount of ink is equal to or lower than the first level, the process proceeds to step S16.
Then, a command is issued to the drive circuit 329 to cause the ink remaining amount display LED 328 to blink at a low speed. However, even if the remaining amount of ink is equal to or less than the first level, printing is still possible, so the process proceeds to step S15 to continue printing as described above.

If it is determined in step S13 that the remaining amount of ink is lower than the second level, it is determined that printing is not possible, the printing is interrupted, and the flow advances to step S17.
29 is issued, and the ink remaining amount display LED 328 is blinked at high speed. Thereafter, the process proceeds to error processing for which description is omitted.

(Other Embodiments) In the above-described embodiment of the present invention,
Although the serial interface is used, a parallel interface may of course be used.

In the embodiment of the present invention, two detection levels are used, but more levels may be used. Also,
Although the remaining level is displayed by changing the blinking cycle of the LED, it is apparent that the same effect can be obtained by changing the brightness of the LED.

Further, the above-described embodiments of the present invention may be combined.

(Others) It should be noted that the present invention includes a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for discharging ink, particularly in an ink jet recording system. An excellent effect is obtained in a recording head and a recording apparatus of a type in which the state of ink is changed by the thermal energy. This is because according to such a method, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.

The typical configuration 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 is a so-called on-demand type,
Although it can be applied to any type of continuous type, in particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to a sheet holding liquid (ink) or an electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and giving a rapid temperature rise exceeding the nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and film boiling occurs on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis.
This is effective because air bubbles inside can be formed. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. 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.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of a discharge port, a liquid path, and an electrothermal converter (a linear liquid flow path or a right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 44,558 which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of Japanese Patent No. 59600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters. The effect of the present invention is effective even if the configuration is based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration corresponding to a discharge unit. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be reliably and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium on which a recording apparatus can record. Such a recording head may have a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as one integrally formed recording head.

In addition, even in the case of the serial type as described above, the recording head fixed to the apparatus main body or the electric connection with the apparatus main body or the ink from the apparatus main body is attached to the apparatus main body by being attached to the apparatus main body. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be supplied or a cartridge-type recording head in which an ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself is used.

Further, it is preferable to add a recording head discharge recovery unit, a preliminary auxiliary unit, and the like as the configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If these are specifically mentioned, the recording head is heated using capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, an electrothermal transducer, another heating element or a combination thereof. Pre-heating means for performing the pre-heating and pre-discharging means for performing the discharging other than the recording can be used.

Regarding the type and number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, in addition to the recording head having only one corresponding to a single color ink, it corresponds to a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities. A plurality may be provided. That is, for example, the printing mode of the printing apparatus is not limited to a printing mode of only a mainstream color such as black, but may be any of integrally forming a printing head or a combination of a plurality of printing heads. The present invention is also very effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of the recording modes of full color by color mixture.

In addition, 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 lower and which softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used. In general, the ink jet method generally controls the temperature of the ink itself 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. Sometimes, the ink may be in a liquid state. In addition, in order to positively prevent temperature rise due to thermal energy by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or to prevent evaporation of the ink, the ink is solidified in a standing state and heated. May be used. In any case, the application of heat energy causes the ink to be liquefied by the application of the heat energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink to be ejected, or to start solidifying when it reaches the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable to a case where an ink having a property of liquefying for the first time is used. In such a case, the ink
JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-7
As described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1260, it is also possible to adopt a form in which the sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter in a state where it is held as a liquid or solid substance in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

Further, the form of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is not limited to those used as image output terminals of information processing equipment such as computers, copying apparatuses combined with readers and the like, and facsimile apparatuses having a transmission / reception function. It may take a form.

[0082]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the detecting means does not directly contact the ink bag, (a) an external force from the detecting means is applied to the ink bag. No matter how the ink bag changes when the ink bag shrinks, highly accurate detection can be performed by the ink remaining amount detecting means without depending on how the ink bag is deformed. b) There is an effect that there is no danger that ink will adhere to the remaining ink amount detecting means and lower the detection accuracy of the remaining ink amount. In addition, since the ink bag is housed in the cartridge case, (c) the ink bag is protected from external force, and is not damaged or the pressure in the ink bag is increased carelessly. Even if ink leaks from the ink, the ink does not leak to the outside, so that there is an effect that safety against ink leak is improved. Further, since the differential pressure responsive member moves by an amount associated with the contraction of the ink bag so as to keep the pressure in the sealed chamber and the atmospheric pressure in an equilibrium state, (e) the differential pressure responsive member changes in the ink bag. There is an effect that the remaining ink amount to be detected can be reliably detected. Claim 4 or 5
In the described invention, the information unique to each ink jet cartridge can be transmitted between the ink jet cartridge and the ink jet recording apparatus without the intervention of the user only by sticking the information unique to the ink cartridge to the surface of the ink cartridge. This has the effect of eliminating management errors and preventing print quality degradation, ink color mixing and the like. Further, according to the invention of claim 6 or 7, since it is possible to know beforehand that the ink has run out, it is possible to spare the spare and to contribute to the efficiency of document printing. Further, even if printing is performed while the ink end is displayed, when the ink is completely exhausted, the printing is interrupted and there is an effect that the paper is not wasted. According to any one of the eighth to tenth aspects of the present invention, the out-of-ink state can be accurately known in advance, so that there is a margin for preparing spares, which contributes to the efficiency of document printing.

[0083]

[0084]

[0085]

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an inkjet head according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

4A and 4B show an embodiment of the ink cartridge according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 4A is a plan view and FIG. 4B is a side sectional view.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing another embodiment of the ink cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a main part of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a control system of the recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the recording apparatus and the host of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing one operation procedure of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing another operation procedure of the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink jet recording apparatus 10 Ink jet cartridge 10A Ink jet head 11 Carriage 12 Drive belt 13 Drive motor 14A, 14B Guide shaft 15 Platen 16 Head recovery device 16A Cap part 17 Blade 18 Motor 19 Power transmission mechanism 30 Discharge port 40 Electrothermal converter 101 Control part 102 CPU 103 Memory 104 Motor Controller 105 Analog-Digital Converter 106 Input Amplifier 107 Output Amplifier 108 Magnetic Head 109 Magnetic Tape 200 Ink Cartridge 201 Ink Cartridge Case 202 Partition Wall 203 Ink 204 Ink Bag 205 First Sealed Room 206 Atmospheric Communication Port 207 Detection window 208 Moving body display section 209 Atmospheric pressure chamber 210 Second sealed chamber 212 Detection bag 213 Detection plate 214 Reflection type photo sensor 311 Recording sheet 312 Recording head 313 Platen 314 Sheet feed roller 315 Pinch roller 316 Ink cartridge 317 Ink supply pipe 318 Ink remaining amount detecting section 321 Ink jet recording apparatus 322 Host 323 ROM and RAM 324 CPU 325 Operation panel section 326 Online switch 327 Online display LED 328 Out of ink display LED (Ink remaining amount display LE
D) 329 drive circuit 330 printing unit 331 interface cable 332 interface

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Shoji Kanemura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Makoto Nihei 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo JP-A-59-209149 (JP, A) JP-A-58-211482 (JP, A) JP-A-59-115860 (JP, A) JP-A-63-147650 (JP) JP-A-3-227650 (JP, A) JP-A-2-33222 (JP, A) JP-A-2-227258 (JP, A) JP-A-2-171669 (JP, A) 2-53236 (JP, U) (58) Fields studied (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/175 B41J 2/01

Claims (11)

(57) [Claims] An ink bag filled with ink, a cartridge case containing the ink bag, and having a sealed chamber in which the pressure is reduced as the ink bag shrinks, is connected to the ink bag in the cartridge case. A differential pressure responsive member that is provided so as not to move, and moves by an amount accompanying shrinkage of the ink bag so as to keep the pressure in the closed chamber in which the ink bag is housed and the atmospheric pressure in an equilibrium state. An ink cartridge characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a remaining amount of the ink is detected based on a moving amount of the differential pressure responsive member. 3. The cartridge case has a detection window for detecting the position of the differential pressure responsive member, and detects the position of the differential pressure responsive member with the detection window to reduce the remaining amount of ink. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the detection is performed. 4. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising an ink jet head for ejecting ink, and a surface-adhesive storage medium capable of reading and / or writing information. . 5. An ink cartridge according to claim 4, driving means for applying a drive signal to said ink jet head of said ink cartridge, and means capable of reading information from said storage medium or writing information to said storage medium. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: 6. A detecting means capable of detecting a remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge in a plurality of stages based on a moving amount of the differential pressure responsive member provided in the ink cartridge, and the ink has run out. Running out of ink indicating that the remaining amount of ink has reached a predetermined first stage, and the recording means The recording operation of the recording means is continued while the ink-out display of the ink-out display means is performed in response to the detection operation of the detection means that the remaining amount of the ink has reached a predetermined second stage. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising control means for performing control for interrupting the recording operation. 7. The ink-out information via an interface connected to an external host when the control means determines that the remaining amount of the ink has reached the second stage by the detection of the detection means. 7. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the information is transmitted to the host. 8. The ink-out display unit according to claim 6, wherein the out-of-ink display unit changes the display of the out-of-ink display in accordance with a detection step of the remaining amount of the ink detected by the detection unit. Ink jet recording device. 9. The ink-jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the out-of-ink display means is constituted by a single element, and changes lighting brightness in accordance with a step of detecting the remaining amount of the ink. . 10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the ink-out display means is constituted by a single element, and changes a blinking cycle in accordance with a step of detecting the remaining amount of the ink. . 11. The ink-jet head is a head that ejects ink using thermal energy, and includes a thermal energy generator for generating thermal energy to be applied to the ink. The inkjet recording device according to any one of the above.