JP4120695B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink droplets.

  As an example of this type of ink jet printer, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-279344 discloses a storage unit provided in an ink jet print head including an ink chamber, and this storage unit holds the operating conditions of the print head, ink information, and the like. The information in the storage means is read out in an electrically non-contact state by the read / write head provided in the printer, and the print head is operated optimally based on this information. Note that the print head in the printer of this example accommodates ink in the ink chamber and is detachably mounted on the carriage, and also has a so-called ink cartridge function.

  According to this example, since information about the print head and ink can be transmitted to the printer in a non-contact state, no electrical contact is required, and there is no possibility that ink will adhere to the exposed contact and cause poor contact. Further, it is not necessary to increase the mechanical position accuracy in order to maintain contact between the contacts.

  In the above-described conventional printer, information on the print head and ink can be read and written in a non-contact manner. However, the print head having the ink chamber is not mounted on the carriage, and the storage means can be used from the printer side. I can't read or write.

  By the way, as the number of types of recording devices increases, it becomes difficult to support a plurality of recording devices with the same ink cartridge, the types of ink cartridges differ depending on the recording device, or a combination of compatible recording devices and ink cartridges. Becomes complicated. For this reason, the user cannot easily determine the suitability between the recording apparatus and the ink cartridge, and eventually the ink cartridge is not installed until the ink cartridge is opened and actually mounted on the carriage of the recording apparatus. There is a problem that it cannot be determined whether or not the recording apparatus is suitable.

  When the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage, the seal that has sealed the ink supply port of the ink cartridge is broken by the ink supply needle provided on the carriage side. Then, a predetermined amount of ink in the ink cartridge is consumed regardless of whether or not the recording apparatus and the ink cartridge are compatible. Therefore, if the ink cartridge is incompatible, unnecessary ink consumption is caused. It will be.

  The present invention has been made for the purpose of solving the above problems, and an ink jet recording apparatus capable of communicating with a storage element provided in an ink container before the ink container is mounted on a carriage. It is to provide.

  An ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink droplets, a carriage on which an ink storage body that stores ink supplied to the recording head is detachably mounted, and the ink storage body. A communication body that communicates with a provided ink storage body storage element, and is capable of communicating with the ink storage body storage element in a state where the ink storage body is not mounted on the carriage. And.

  Preferably, the communication body can communicate with the ink storage body storage element even in a state where the ink storage body is mounted on the carriage.

  Preferably, communication is performed in a non-contact manner between the storage element for the ink container and the communication body.

  Preferably, the communication body is an antenna.

  Preferably, power is supplied to the ink storage element in a non-contact manner.

  Preferably, the ink container storage element is rewritable, and information stored in the ink container storage element is read and rewritten via the communication body.

  Preferably, the recording head further includes a recording head storage element that stores information about the recording head, and the communication body communicates with the recording head storage element.

  Preferably, communication is performed in a non-contact manner between the recording element for the recording head and the communication body.

  Preferably, the communication body also communicates with a recording medium storage element provided in a recording medium package on which recording is performed by the ink jet recording apparatus.

  Preferably, communication is performed in a non-contact manner between the recording medium storage element and the communication body.

  Hereinafter, a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer according to the present embodiment moves the carriage 1 along the guide shaft 4 by the carriage 1, the recording head 6 and ink cartridges 7 a and 7 b mounted on the carriage 1, and the carriage motor 3. A mechanism for driving, a mechanism for transporting the paper 5 by the paper feed roller 2 driven by the paper feed motor 10, and a head cap 8 for sealing the recording head 6 and sucking ink from the recording head 6 are provided.

  A mechanism for reciprocally moving the carriage 1 in the axial direction of the paper feed roller 2 is installed in parallel with the axis of the paper feed roller 2, and a guide shaft 4 that slidably holds the carriage 1 and a drive belt 13. A pulley 14 connected to the motor 3 and a position detection sensor 25 for detecting the origin position of the carriage 1 are configured.

  The ink cartridge 7a on the carriage 1 contains black ink (K), and the ink cartridge 7b contains cyan ink (C), magenta ink (M), yellow ink (Y), light cyan ink (LC), and light magenta ink ( LM) 5 color inks are incorporated. Note that light cyan ink and light magenta ink are inks in which the dye content is reduced to 1/4 with respect to cyan ink and magenta ink, and are for forming light-colored dots.

  The ink cartridges 7a and 7b are respectively attached with tags 21a and 21b with built-in storage elements that are electrically rewritable in a non-contact state.

  A tag 22 containing a storage element that can be read out in an electrically non-contact state is attached to the side surface of the carriage 1.

  The printer has an exterior 12 that is only partially illustrated in FIG. 1, and a transmission / reception antenna 52 is disposed on the inner surface of the exterior 12. The transmission / reception antenna 52 can receive both a signal emitted from the inside of the exterior 12 and a signal emitted from the outside of the exterior 12. In addition, on the outer surface of the exterior 12, an overhanging portion 12 a for placing a product tag 23 containing a storage element attached to a recording paper package is provided at a position facing the transmission / reception antenna 52.

  Further, the tag 21 a ′ of another ink cartridge 7 a ′ is placed close to the transmitting / receiving antenna 52 from the outside of the exterior 12 so as to be close to the tag 21 a of the ink cartridge 7 a ′ not mounted on the carriage 1. Communication with 'is also possible.

  2A, 2B, and 2C are views of the carriage 1 and its surroundings as seen from above, and FIG. 2A shows the carriage 1 in the standby position. At this time, the transmitting / receiving antenna 52 faces the tag 21a attached to the ink cartridge 7a, and can communicate with the storage element 53a (see FIG. 3). Thereby, ink information of the ink cartridge 7a can be acquired, and information such as ink consumption can be written.

  Next, FIG. 2B shows a state in which the carriage 1 moves in the direction of arrow FF and the tag 22 of the recording head 6 faces the antenna 52. At this time, communication with the storage element 55 (see FIG. 3) in which the information of the recording head 6 is written becomes possible, and the information of the recording head 6 can be acquired.

  Next, FIG. 2C shows a state where the carriage 1 further moves in the direction of the arrow FF, and the tag 21b on the ink cartridge 7b faces the antenna 52. At this time, communication can be performed with the storage element 53b (see FIG. 3) in which the information of the ink cartridge 7b is written, information of the ink cartridge 7b can be acquired, and information such as ink consumption can be written.

  Further, by placing the tag 23 attached to the package of the recording paper 5 on the overhanging portion 12a of the exterior 12 shown in FIG. 1, the antenna 52 and the tag 23 face each other and information about the recording paper 5 can be acquired.

  Further, when the attachment surface of the tag 21a 'of the ink cartridge 7a' is brought close to the projecting portion 12a of the exterior 12, the tag 21a 'and the antenna 52 face each other. Accordingly, communication with the storage element 53a ′ (see FIG. 3) of the tag 21a ′ can be performed, and information on the ink cartridge 7a ′ can be acquired before the ink cartridge 7a ′ is mounted on the carriage 1. . Note that the ink cartridge 7a 'in this case does not affect the non-contact electromagnetic coupling even when sealed with a resin film or the like, and therefore communication by the transmission / reception antenna 52 is possible.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the printer control circuit includes a CPU 41, a PROM 42, and a RAM 43 connected by a bus 50, a PC interface 45 for exchanging data with the host 90, a paper feed motor 10, and a carriage. A peripheral input / output unit (PIO) 46 for exchanging signals with the motor 3 and the operation panel 32 and a timer 44 for measuring time are provided. The control circuit further includes a drive buffer 47 that outputs an ink dot on / off signal to the recording head 6 and an oscillator that outputs a drive waveform timing as a voltage signal for driving the piezoelectric element at a predetermined frequency. 49 and a drive circuit 48 that outputs a drive waveform to the recording head 6 by a timing signal of the oscillator 49 are provided.

  The control circuit receives the dot data processed by the host 90, temporarily stores it in the RAM 43, and outputs it to the driving buffer 47 at a predetermined timing. Further, a non-contact communication interface 51 is provided for communicating with the ink cartridges 7a, 7b, 7a ', the recording head 6, and the tags 21a, 21b, 21a', 22, 23 attached to the recording paper 5, respectively. A transmission / reception antenna 52 is connected to the non-contact communication interface 51, and communicates with the tags 21 a, 21 b, 21 a ′, 22, and 23 through the antenna 52.

  Each of the tags 21a, 21b, 21a, 22, and 23 includes storage elements 53a, 53b, 53a ′, 55, and 57 and antennas 54a, 54b, 54a ′, 56, and 58, and an antenna on the recording device side. 52 and the respective antennas 54a, 54b, 54a ′, 56, 58 communicate by electromagnetic coupling.

  The storage elements 53a, 53b, and 53a ′ of the tags 21a, 21b, and 21a ′ attached to the ink cartridges 7a, 7b, and 7a ′ include information such as the remaining ink amount, ink type, date of manufacture, and serial number for each color. Is stored in advance, and the printer control circuit reads the information and uses it for recording control and maintenance control.

  For example, for the remaining ink information, the printer control circuit counts the amount of ink dots used for recording, the amount of ink consumed during head cleaning, the amount of nozzle flushing, and the like, and the counted values are stored in the storage elements 53a, 53b, 53a. Is subtracted from the remaining amount of ink stored in ', and the result is written again in the storage elements 53a, 53b, 53a'. Accordingly, the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridges 7a, 7b, and 7a 'can be accurately grasped, and when the remaining amount of ink becomes 0, the user can be notified of the ink cartridge replacement.

  The ink type information can be used to determine whether or not the ink stored in the ink cartridges 7a, 7b, and 7a 'is compatible with the printer. If the ink does not fit, a warning can be issued to the user. The ink type information can also be used to perform color correction processing optimal for the ink type.

  Further, the accumulated time from when the cartridges 7a, 7b, 7a ′ are mounted on the carriage 1 is written in the storage elements 53a, 53b, 53a ′, and stored in the storage elements 53a, 53b, 53a ′ during head maintenance. Based on the accumulated time, the head maintenance can be performed according to the change with time of the ink.

  The storage element 55 on the tag 22 attached to the recording head 6 has a driving condition for making the weight and speed of ink droplets ejected from the recording head 6 constant, for example, a driving voltage and a driving time which are parameters of a driving waveform. The coefficient corresponding to the temperature change is stored, and the printer control circuit reads each condition from the storage element 55 via the transmission / reception antenna 52 to drive the recording head 6 optimally.

  In the storage element 57 on the tag 23 attached to the recording paper 5, information such as the optimum ink droplet weight, color correction parameter, and recording method for the recording paper 5 is written. By placing it at 12a, the printer control circuit reads the information in the storage element 57 via the transmission / reception antenna 52, and automatically sets the optimum recording conditions for the recording paper 5.

  FIG. 4 shows a state in the middle of the operation of mounting the ink cartridge 7 a on the carriage 1 of the printer according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 shows a state where the ink cartridge 7 a is completely mounted on the carriage 1. A window portion 60 is formed on the side surface of the carriage 1, and the tag 21 a made of an IC attached to the side surface of the ink cartridge 1 faces the window portion 60 when the ink cartridge 7 a is completely mounted on the carriage 1. It comes to the position to do.

  The ink cartridge 7a is filled with a porous member 70 that holds ink. As shown in FIG. 4, in the unused ink cartridge 7 a, the ink supply port 71 is sealed with the sealing film 72. When the ink cartridge 7a is mounted on the carriage 1, the sealing film 72 is broken by the ink supply needle 61 provided on the carriage 1 as shown in FIG. The ink supply needle 61 penetrating the sealing film 72 is inserted into a seal rubber member 73 provided in the ink supply port 71, and the ink in the ink cartridge 7a flows into the recording head 6 side through the ink supply needle 61.

  Thus, by mounting the ink cartridge 7a on the carriage 1, the sealing film 72 of the ink cartridge 7a is broken, and the ink in the ink cartridge 7a flows into the recording head 6 side. It is desirable to prevent the unnecessary consumption of ink by preventing the ink from being attached.

  Therefore, when the ink cartridge 7a is mounted on the carriage 1 of the printer according to the present embodiment, the information in the tag 21a of the ink cartridge 7a is read through the transmission / reception antenna 52 to confirm that the ink cartridge 7a is suitable. Thereafter, the ink cartridge 7a is mounted on the carriage 1. As a result, unnecessary ink consumption due to mounting of an incompatible ink cartridge can be prevented.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. Various modifications or improvements can be added to the above embodiment. It is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  As apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the ink container can be communicated with the storage element for the ink container provided in the ink container by bringing the ink container close to the communication body of the ink jet recording apparatus. Therefore, before the ink container is mounted on the carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus, the type of ink in the ink container can be confirmed, and the compatibility between the ink container and the ink jet recording apparatus can be confirmed. Therefore, it is possible to easily and quickly confirm the suitability of the ink container, and it is possible to prevent wasteful consumption of ink due to mounting the nonconforming ink container on the carriage.

  Further, according to the present invention, even after the ink container is mounted on the carriage, it is possible to communicate with the ink container storage element using the same communication body used before the ink container is mounted. is there. As described above, since the communication body can be shared, the structure of the ink jet recording apparatus can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, communication is performed not only with the ink storage element, but also with the recording head storage element provided in the recording head and the recording medium storage element provided in the recording medium package. Therefore, an optimal recording process can be performed.

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a carriage and its periphery of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a carriage and its periphery of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a carriage and its periphery of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the internal structure of the control circuit of the inkjet recording device by this invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in the middle of an operation of mounting the ink cartridge on the carriage in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the ink cartridge is completely attached to the carriage in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Carriage 6 Recording head 7a, 7a ', 7b Ink cartridge (ink container)
21a, 21a ', 21b Ink cartridge tag (ink storage body storage element)
22 Printhead tag (recording head storage element)
23 Product tag (storage element for recording medium)
52 Transmitting and receiving antenna (communication body)

Claims (9)

A recording head for recording by discharging ink droplets;
A carriage on which an ink container containing ink supplied to the recording head is detachably mounted;
A communication body that communicates with a storage element for an ink container provided in the ink container, the ink container not only in a state where the ink container is mounted on the carriage, A communication body that is not mounted on the carriage and is communicable with the ink storage body storage element even when the ink supply needle provided on the carriage is not inserted into the ink supply port of the ink storage body. When,
An exterior in which the communication body is disposed,
The carriage is provided with a recording head storage element that stores information about the recording head,
The communication body sequentially performs communication between the storage element for the ink container and the storage element for the recording head as the carriage moves in a state where the ink container is mounted on the carriage. An ink jet recording apparatus.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein communication is performed in a non-contact manner between the storage element for the ink container and the communication body.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the communication body is an antenna.   3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein electric power is supplied in a non-contact manner to the ink container storage element.   2. The inkjet recording according to claim 1, wherein the ink storage element is rewritable, and information stored in the ink storage element is read and rewritten via the communication body. apparatus.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein communication is performed in a non-contact manner between the recording element for the recording head and the communication body.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication body also communicates with a recording medium storage element provided in a package of a recording medium on which recording is performed by the ink jet recording apparatus.   8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein communication is performed in a non-contact manner between the recording medium storage element and the communication body.   The communication body is in a state where the ink container is not mounted on the carriage from a side different from the side facing the storage element for the ink container when the ink container is mounted on the carriage. The ink-jet storage element is communicable with the ink-container storage element in a state where the ink-container storage element is close to the communication body. Recording device.

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