JP4860516B2 - Waste liquid container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a waste liquid container and an image forming apparatus for image formation.

  As an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, or a combination of these, an ink jet recording apparatus or the like is known as an image forming apparatus of a liquid discharge recording method using a recording head for discharging a recording liquid droplet, for example. . In this liquid discharge recording type image forming apparatus, a recording liquid, for example, ink droplets, is transported from a recording head (not limited to paper, including OHP, and ink droplets, other liquids can be attached) This is also used as a synonym for image formation (recording, printing, printing, printing) by discharging onto a recording medium or recording medium, recording paper, recording paper, etc.). And a serial type image forming apparatus that forms an image by ejecting droplets while the recording head moves in the main scanning direction, and forms an image by ejecting droplets without moving the recording head There is a line type image forming apparatus using a line type head.

  The image forming apparatus means an apparatus for forming an image by discharging a liquid onto a medium such as paper, thread, fiber, fabric, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics, etc. The term “not only” means not only giving an image having a meaning such as a character or a figure to a medium but also giving an image having no meaning such as a pattern to the medium. Further, the liquid is not limited to the recording liquid and ink, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a liquid capable of forming an image. Further, the liquid discharge device means a device that discharges liquid from the liquid discharge head.

  In an image forming apparatus that includes such a liquid ejecting apparatus and forms an image, a maintenance / recovery mechanism that maintains and recovers the performance of the recording head that ejects liquid (hereinafter referred to as “ink”) is provided. The surface (the surface on which the nozzles are formed) is sealed with a cap member, and a suction pump composed of a tube pump connected to the cap member is driven to forcibly discharge ink from the nozzles of the recording head. In addition, an idle ejection operation for ejecting ink droplets that do not contribute to image formation is performed.

  By performing such a performance maintaining and recovering operation of the head, ink that is not used for recording (image formation) is discharged as waste liquid, and a waste liquid storage container for storing the waste liquid of this ink (Also referred to as a waste liquid storage unit, a waste liquid tank, a waste ink tank, etc.). When the waste liquid container is full (full is also used synonymously) or near full, it is necessary to stop the operation of the apparatus.

Therefore, in Patent Document 1, a waste ink inlet is provided at one end of the upper wall of the waste ink tank, a detection window is provided at the other end, and a white sponge is provided below the detection window. Furthermore, a light detection sensor for detecting the reflected light of the sponge is provided so that the white sponge absorbs the waste ink and changes to black, and the light reflectance of the sponge becomes a predetermined value or less. Is detected so that the waste ink in the waste ink tank becomes full.
JP 2000-85143 A

Patent Document 2 includes means for counting the number of maintenance operations, and an integrated value of waste ink amount is calculated from this count, and whether or not the calculated waste ink amount is full compared with a preset capacity. What detects is described.
JP 2000-141704 A

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 describes an integration unit that detects the total amount of waste ink discharged to the waste ink tank and a unit that detects whether or not the total amount of waste ink is full while increasing the reference value over time. Has been.
JP 2004-136550 A

Patent Document 4 is a waste liquid storage container configured to store accumulated ink without providing an absorber near the waste liquid inlet, and to absorb liquid waste ink by providing an absorbing member at other locations, In the detection of accumulated ink in a space where no absorber is provided, there is described a method for detecting whether or not the ink is full by calculating the number of maintenance operations as a count value and comparing it with a reference value.
JP 2006-159465 A

  By the way, as described in Patent Document 4, when printing on plain paper, characteristics such as image color reproducibility, durability, light resistance, ink drying, character bleeding, color boundary bleeding, double-sided printing property, etc. In order to print satisfactorily, a pigment-based ink composed of a solvent containing a wetting agent (humectant), a penetrating agent and the like in water and a pigment is used as a recording liquid.

  Such a pigment-based ink has a higher viscosity than a general dye-based ink, and it takes a long time to reach a viscosity at which the solvent component evaporates and loses its fluidity. In some cases, the fluidity may be lost and the liquid may accumulate near the waste liquid inlet. When such waste liquid deposits are generated, on the premise of fluidity of the waste liquid, in the full tank detection device as described in Patent Document 1 that detects full tank by the change in the color of the absorber that absorbs the waste liquid, Before the full tank is detected, the deposit grows and protrudes from the waste liquid inlet.

  In other words, when the detection by the optical sensor is performed on the assumption that the waste liquid ink is absorbed by the sponge (absorber) as in Patent Document 1, the waste liquid ink reaches the optical sensor disposed at the other end of the inflow port. Ink accumulates in the vicinity of the inlet without reaching, and the accumulated ink protrudes from the waste liquid container and overflows with the addition of further waste liquid. In the worst case, the ink overflows outside the machine. There are challenges.

  On the other hand, each of Patent Documents 2 to 4 is a method of counting the amount of waste liquid ink stored in the waste liquid storage container and detecting fullness based on whether or not the count value has reached a certain threshold. The waste ink itself is not actually measured. Therefore, the accuracy of full tank detection greatly depends on the accuracy of the calculation means (threshold value). In the case of a criterion with a high safety factor for the threshold, full detection will occur at an early stage even when waste ink can still be sufficiently accommodated, and the waste container cannot be fully utilized (reduced lifespan). To do). On the other hand, when the safety factor is estimated too low, or when it is used under a condition (environment) more specific than the condition for calculating the threshold, there is a problem that the problem of ink overflow occurs.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and enables ink in any state, such as liquid ink and solid accumulated ink, to be reliably detected with high accuracy so that it can be effectively used until the end of its life. The purpose is to.

In order to solve the above problems, the waste liquid storage container according to the present invention is:
A container body for storing liquid waste liquid that does not contribute to image formation ;
First detection means for detecting solid waste in a space in which the waste liquid solidifies and accumulates in the container body ;
And a second detecting means for detecting the liquid waste space other than the space which the waste is deposited within the said container body,
Each of the first detection means and the second detection means is a capacitive sensor having at least a pair of sensor electrodes provided on opposite side surfaces of the container body,
By applying an AC electric field to the pair of sensor electrodes of the first detection means and measuring the capacitance between the pair of sensor electrodes, the height of the solid waste from the bottom surface inside the container body is increased. Is detectable,
The height of the liquid waste from the inner bottom surface of the container body is detected by applying an AC electric field to the pair of sensor electrodes of the second detection means and measuring the capacitance between the pair of sensor electrodes. The configuration is possible .

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the waste liquid storage container according to the present invention.

According to the waste liquid storage container according to the present invention, such as liquids like ink and solid deposited ink, to be able reliably detected with high accuracy even with an ink which is in any state, it becomes possible to effectively utilize the lifetime. In the image forming apparatus including the waste liquid storage container, the life of the waste liquid storage container is extended, and the life of the apparatus itself can be extended.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. An example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram on the right side of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an explanatory perspective view of a recording unit of the apparatus, and FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a carriage of the apparatus. FIG.

  The image forming apparatus is a copying apparatus. The apparatus main body 1 includes an image reading unit 2 such as a scanner for reading an original image, a recording unit 3 for forming an image on a recording medium (hereinafter referred to as “paper”) P, and a recording. The unit 3 includes a paper feed cassette unit 4 that feeds the paper P. Then, the paper P stored in the paper feed cassette unit 4 is separated and fed one by one by the paper feed roller 5 and the separation pad, and conveyed to the printing unit 10 through the conveyance path 7 to record a required image. The paper P on which the image is formed passes through the paper discharge path 8 and is discharged and stacked on the paper discharge stack unit 9.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the printing unit 10 holds a carriage 23 by a carriage guide (guide rod) 21 and a guide stay (not shown) so as to be movable in the main scanning direction, and a driving pulley by a main scanning motor 27. The moving scanning is performed in the main scanning direction via a timing belt 30 spanned between 28 and the driven pulley 29.

  On the carriage 23, a recording head 24k composed of a liquid ejection head for ejecting black (K) ink and 1 each for ejecting cyan (C) ink, magenta (M) ink, and yellow (Y) ink, respectively. The recording heads 24c, 24m, and 24y (which are referred to as “recording head 24” when they are not distinguished or collectively referred to) are mounted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, each recording head 24 has two nozzle rows 32 in which a plurality of nozzles 31 for discharging droplets are arranged in a row, and the nozzle rows 32 are arranged in the main scanning direction (of the carriage 23). The carriage 23 is mounted with a surface (referred to as a nozzle nozzle surface 31a) on which the nozzle 31 is formed facing downward so as to be in a direction orthogonal to the movement direction. Each recording head 24 is supplied with ink of a required color from an ink cartridge 26.

  The recording head 24 uses a piezoelectric element as a pressure generating means (actuator means) for pressurizing the ink in the ink flow path (pressure generation chamber) to deform the vibration plate that forms the wall surface of the ink flow path. A so-called piezo type that discharges ink droplets by changing the volume in the flow channel, or discharges ink droplets with a pressure generated by heating the ink in the ink flow channel using a heating resistor to generate bubbles. The so-called thermal type, the diaphragm that forms the wall surface of the ink flow path and the electrode are placed opposite to each other, and the diaphragm is deformed by the electrostatic force generated between the vibration plate and the electrode, thereby the ink flow path inner volume It is possible to use an electrostatic type or the like that discharges ink droplets by changing the above.

  An endless transport belt 35 that transports the paper P by electrostatic adsorption or the like is disposed below the carriage 23. The conveyor belt 35 is wound between the driving roller 36 and the driven roller 37 and moves around, thereby conveying the paper P in a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a maintenance / recovery mechanism (device) 38 for maintaining and recovering the nozzle state of the recording head 24 is disposed in the non-printing area on one side of the carriage 23 in the scanning direction. An empty discharge receiving member 39 for empty discharge is disposed in the non-printing area on the other side in the scanning direction.

  The maintenance / recovery mechanism 38 includes a plurality of cap members 41 (suction cap 41a and three moisturizing caps 42b) for capping each nozzle surface 31a of the recording head 24, and a wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface 31a of the recording head 24. A wiper blade 42 and an idle discharge receiver 43 are arranged. A suction pump 45 using a tube pump is connected to the suction cap 41a, and is discharged from the suction pump 45 through the discharge tube 46 to the waste liquid storage container 40 according to the present invention that stores the waste ink disposed on the lower side. I have to. In addition, the ink droplets ejected idly in the lower portion of the empty discharge receiver 43 also face the waste liquid storage container 40 are dropped into the waste liquid storage container 40 and discharged. The empty discharge receiving member 39 has four openings 39a.

Next, a portion for performing head suction (operation for forcibly discharging ink from the nozzles) in the maintenance / recovery mechanism 38 will be described with reference to FIG.
When the ink in the nozzle 31 of the recording head 24 becomes thickened and the ink droplets cannot be ejected normally or at a predetermined timing, the nozzle surface 31a of the recording head 24 is sealed with the suction cap 41a, and the suction pump 45 Is rotated by the motor 47, and the internal space formed by the nozzle surface 31a and the suction cap 41a is set to a negative pressure, whereby ink is sucked and discharged from the nozzle 31. The discharged ink generated at this time is discharged from the suction pump 45 to the waste liquid container 40 as waste liquid.

Next, the waste liquid storage container according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 is an explanatory plan view of the waste liquid container, FIG. 7 is an explanatory front view, FIG. 8 is an explanatory right side view, and FIG. 9 is an explanatory front sectional view.
The waste liquid storage container 40 has an opening (waste liquid input port) for receiving ink (waste liquid ink) 121 that does not contribute to image formation discharged from the waste liquid discharge tube 49 or the empty discharge receiver 43 on the upper wall of the rectangular parallelepiped container main body 101. ) 102. Of the space inside the container main body 101, the space below the waste liquid inlet 102 is a space 105 where the waste liquid ink 121 is solidified and accumulated, and the other space is a space 106 where the waste liquid ink 121 is stored as a liquid. .

  Therefore, on the outer surface of the container main body 101, the first sensor electrodes 111a and 111a (both of which are combined together) constituting the capacitance type sensor (electric field sensor) which is the first detecting means corresponding to the space 105 are combined. 1 sensor 111.) corresponding to the space 106, the second sensor electrodes 112a and 112a (both of which are combined to form the second sensor means, that is, the second sensor means). 2 sensors 112). The first sensor electrodes 111 a and 111 a and the second sensor electrodes 112 a and 112 a are provided over the entire area of the container body 101 in the height direction.

  Here, the detection principle of the capacitive sensor constituting the first sensor 111 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. A pair of sensor electrodes 111 a and 111 a are formed on the opposing outer surfaces of the waste liquid container body 101. Arranged in parallel. Between the sensor electrodes 111a and 111a, there is a space 105 for storing the solid waste 122 in which the waste liquid ink 121 is deposited. At this time, an AC electric field V is applied to each of the sensor electrodes 111a and 111a, and the capacitance between the sensor electrodes 111a and 1111a is measured. The capacitance between the two sensor electrodes 111a and 111a is a value obtained by the following equation: capacitance (F) = (dielectric constant of substance × electrode area) / distance between electrodes. Since the capacitance is fixed, the capacitance changes depending on the relative dielectric constant of the substance between the sensor electrodes 111a and 111a. Therefore, since the measured value of the capacitance directly corresponds to the amount of the solid waste 122 discharged and deposited in the space 105, the solid waste 122 in the space 105 is determined based on the measured value. The state of can be detected.

  Similarly, the measurement value of the capacitance between the sensor electrodes 112a and 112a of the second sensor 112 corresponding to the space 106 is the value of the liquid waste 123 in which the waste liquid ink 110 of the liquid waste 123 in the space 106 is not solidified. Since it directly corresponds to the amount, the state of the solid waste 123 in the space 106 can be detected from the measured value.

  Note that the pair of sensor electrodes is not provided on the opposite side surfaces of the container body 101. For example, even if the sensor electrodes are arranged on the same side surface, an electric field extending to the space in the container body 101 is generated between the electrodes. The state of the waste can be detected.

  As a result, the first sensor 111 detects that the solid waste 122 in the space 105 has reached a predetermined height and the space 105 is full, and the liquid in the space 106 is liquid. The second sensor 112 detects that the waste 123 has reached a predetermined height and the space 106 is full. Therefore, it is determined that the waste liquid storage container 40 is full when the detection result of either the first sensor 111 or the second sensor 112 is full.

  As described above, the waste liquid storage container has a first sensor for detecting solid waste in a space where the waste liquid is solidified and accumulated, and a second sensor for detecting liquid waste in a space other than the space where the waste liquid is accumulated. Since the sensor is provided, it is possible to reliably detect the ink in any state, such as liquid ink and solid accumulated ink, with high accuracy, and it can be effectively used until the life of the waste liquid storage container.

Next, a waste liquid container according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory front view of the waste liquid container.
The waste liquid storage container 40 has a rising portion 101 formed at a portion where the opening 102 of the upper wall of the rectangular parallelepiped container main body 101 is formed to make the space 105 higher than the space 106, thereby increasing the amount of waste liquid ink deposits. More than the first embodiment. A first sensor 111 configured by an electric field sensor is provided corresponding to the space 105, and an optical sensor 113 including a reflective photosensor is provided as a second detection unit on the upper wall of the container body 101 corresponding to the space 106. It is arranged. Note that both the first and second sensors can be optical sensors.

  Here, the optical sensor 113 will be described with reference to FIGS. The optical sensor 113 includes a reflective photosensor 114, an absorber 115 that absorbs waste ink, and a case 116 that holds the optical sensor 114 and the absorber 115. The absorber 115 is a member that easily absorbs liquid waste liquid ink, such as felt or sponge, and is configured in a color that reflects light well, such as white. The photosensor 114 is attached to the case 116 so as to have a certain distance from the absorber 115. The case 116 shields the space between the absorber 115 and the photosensor 114, and prevents light from entering the space and ink mist from flowing into the space. By shielding the space between the absorber 115 and the photosensor 114, ink mist does not adhere to the sensor surface of the photosensor 114 and the optical sensor 113 does not erroneously detect. Further, by shielding the space, only the light reflected by the absorber 115 can be detected by the photosensor 114, and it can be well detected whether the waste ink is absorbed by the absorber 115.

  When the photosensor 114 is inserted into the upper opening of the case 116 and attached, the photosensor 114 includes a claw portion 114a as shown in the figure, and this claw portion 114a is press-fitted into the upper opening of the case 116. Thus, the photo sensor 114 is attached to the case 116. The absorber 115 is fixed to the absorber holding part of the case 115 with an adhesive or the like. The absorber 115 is attached to the upper wall of the waste liquid storage container main body 101 so as to face the inside of the container main body 101 so that the waste liquid ink can be captured by the absorber 115.

  As a result, the height of the liquid waste 123 in the space 106 rises and is absorbed by contact with the absorber 115, and it is detected that the space 106 is full by changing the color of the absorber 115. Is done.

  As described above, by increasing only the shape of the space where the waste ink is deposited to ensure that the accumulated ink can be stored, the waste liquid storage container can be reduced in size, and the layout space of the entire apparatus can be effectively utilized. It becomes possible. Further, when the second detection means detects the height of the liquid waste, it is possible to detect the liquid waste liquid ink flowing to the end of the waste liquid storage container.

Next, different examples of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The first example shown in FIG. 14 is an example in which a plurality of first sensors 111 corresponding to the space 105 are arranged, and the second example shown in FIG. 15 is the first and second sensors 111 and 112 corresponding to the spaces 105 and 106. An example in which a plurality of them are arranged, and a third example shown in FIG. 16 is an example in which a plurality of first sensors 111 corresponding to the space 105 are arranged around the four sides of the space 105.

  In this way, by disposing a plurality of sensors 111 (sensor electrodes 111a) in the space 105 in which the solid waste 122 in which the waste liquid ink 121 is solidified is deposited, the waste ink (solid) in the space 105 of the container body 101 is disposed. It becomes possible to actually measure the shape of the solid waste 122).

Next, an example of the control unit of the image forming apparatus including the liquid container 40 as described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is an explanatory block diagram of a portion related to waste liquid full detection and waste ink discharge position change control of the control unit.
The main control unit 201 is a part that controls the entire image forming apparatus that also functions as a unit for performing waste liquid discharge position change control according to the present invention, and includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, and a rewritable nonvolatile memory. Etc. The main control unit 201 rotates the main scanning motor 27 via the drive circuit 202 to move the carriage 23 by a predetermined amount in a required direction. In addition, the recording head 24 is driven via the driving circuit 203 to discharge droplets. Further, the pump drive motor 47 that drives the suction pump 45 is driven to rotate via the drive circuit 204.

  Further, the main control unit 201 receives the detection signals from the first sensor 111 and the second sensor 112 described above, detects the state of the waste liquid in the waste liquid storage container 40, and compares this with a predetermined threshold value. Accordingly, it is determined whether the waste liquid storage container 40 is full, near full (a state close to full), or the like. Further, as described later, a detection signal from a tank mounting sensor 119 for detecting whether or not the waste liquid storage container 40 is mounted is also input.

Here, setting of threshold values by the first sensor 111 and the second sensor 112 of the waste liquid storage container 40 will be described with reference to FIG.
Threshold values are set in advance with respect to the shape (capacity) of the container main body 101 of the waste liquid storage container 40, and when the waste liquid ink reaches each threshold, the device availability limit and the position where the waste liquid ink is discharged are set. Allow variable motion to start. Here, thresholds A, B, and C (height has a relationship of A <B <C) are set corresponding to the height position of the liquid waste 123 detected by the second sensor 112, and the first. The thresholds D and E (the height is in a relationship of D <E) are set corresponding to the height position of the solid waste 122 detected by the first sensor 111. The threshold setting is not limited to the above.

Therefore, full detection and waste liquid discharge position change processing in this image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, it is determined whether or not the waste ink height H detected by the first sensor 111 is greater than or equal to the threshold A (H ≧ A), and the waste ink height H detected by the first sensor 111 is greater than or equal to the threshold A. Then, it is determined whether or not the waste ink height H detected by the second sensor 112 is equal to or greater than the threshold value B (H ≧ A). At this time, if the waste ink height H detected by the second sensor 112 is not equal to or greater than the threshold value A, the solid waste (deposit) 122 in the space 105 has accumulated, so the waste ink is discharged. A waste ink discharge position changing sequence for changing the position is executed.

  On the other hand, if the waste ink height H detected by the second sensor 112 is greater than or equal to the threshold A, then the waste ink height H detected by the first sensor 111 is greater than or equal to the threshold B (H ≧ B). If the waste ink height H detected by the first sensor 111 is equal to or greater than the threshold B, the waste ink height H detected by the second sensor 112 is equal to or greater than the threshold B (H ≧ B). At this time, if the waste ink height H detected by the second sensor 112 is not greater than or equal to the threshold value B, a waste ink discharge position changing sequence for changing the waste ink discharge position is executed.

  On the other hand, if the waste ink height H detected by the second sensor 112 is greater than or equal to the threshold B, then the waste ink height H detected by the first sensor 111 is greater than or equal to the threshold C (H ≧ C). If the waste ink height H detected by the first sensor 111 is greater than or equal to the threshold C, the waste ink height H detected by the second sensor 112 is greater than or equal to the threshold B (H ≧ C). At this time, if the waste ink height H detected by the second sensor 112 is not greater than or equal to the threshold value C, a waste ink discharge position changing sequence for changing the waste ink discharge position is executed.

  On the other hand, if the waste ink height H detected by the second sensor 112 is greater than or equal to the threshold C, then the waste ink height H detected by the first sensor 111 is greater than or equal to the threshold D (H ≧ D). If the waste ink height H detected by the first sensor 111 is equal to or greater than the threshold value D, it is determined that the near ink is full, and then the waste ink height H detected by the first sensor 111 is It is determined whether or not the threshold value E is equal to or greater than (H ≧ E). If the waste ink height H detected by the first sensor 111 is equal to or greater than the threshold value E, it is determined that the apparatus is full and the operation of the apparatus is stopped. In addition, a display for prompting replacement of the waste liquid container 40 is displayed through an operation panel of the main body, a printer driver on the host side, or the like.

Here, an example of changing the idle ejection position as an example of the waste ink discharge position changing sequence will be described with reference to FIG.
Here, when changing the main ejection position by a preset threshold value, the stop position of the carriage 23 is controlled. The stop position of the carriage 23 is discharged from the information on the accumulated ink to the place where the waste liquid ink is the lowest. As a result, it is possible to prevent the waste ink from being accumulated only at that portion and continuously discharged to one location, and the waste fluid storage container 40 can be used efficiently.

An example of changing the discharge direction from the waste liquid discharge tube 46 as an example of a waste liquid ink discharge position change sequence will be described with reference to FIG.
The tip discharge port portion of the waste liquid discharge tube 46 is disposed to be inclined with respect to the opening 102 of the waste liquid storage container 40 from the vertical direction. Then, by changing the rotation speed of the motor 47 that is the drive source of the suction pump 45, the discharge speed of the waste liquid ink 122 changes and the arrival position (landing position) changes. As a result, it is possible to prevent the waste ink from being accumulated only at that portion and continuously discharged to one location, and the waste fluid storage container 40 can be used efficiently. Further, the discharge position can be changed with a simple configuration by arranging the waste liquid discharge tube at an angle.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the figure is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the attachment or detachment structure of the sensor electrode in the embodiment.
Electrodes of the capacitive sensors constituting the first sensor 111 and the second sensor 112 described above (explained by the sensor electrode 111a) are conductive materials, such as aluminum, copper, nickel, iron, etc. It has the following thin film shape. Therefore, the sensor electrode 111a may be fixed with an adhesive or a double-sided tape, but preferably, as shown in FIG. 22, claw portions 131 and 131 are provided on the side surface of the container body 101 of the waste liquid storage container 40, The sensor electrode 111a is detachably attached to the container body 101 by fitting the holes 130, 130 of the sensor electrode 111a into the claw portions 131, 131.

  Thus, since the sensor is detachably provided in the waste liquid storage container, the recyclability of each of the waste liquid storage container and the sensor can be improved.

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 is an explanatory perspective view for explaining the structure for attaching and detaching the waste liquid storage container according to the embodiment, and FIG. 25 is a schematic explanatory view of a mounting portion of the waste liquid storage container.
The waste liquid storage container 40 is configured to be taken out of the apparatus main body 1 by removing the exterior cover on the back side of the apparatus main body 1. As shown in FIG. 25, the mounting portion 120 in the apparatus main body 1 is provided with the tank presence / absence detection sensor 119 described above that detects the presence / absence of the waste liquid storage container 40.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 26, the main control unit 201 determines whether or not the tank presence / absence detection sensor 119 is turned on (the sensor 119 is turned on when the container 40 is removed). When it is detached from the apparatus main body 1, it shifts to the “machine stopped state”.

  As described above, when the waste liquid storage container is detachably provided in the apparatus main body, when the waste liquid is full, the waste liquid storage container is taken out and the waste ink stored inside is discarded. Again, it can be set in the machine main body, or a new waste liquid container can be set in the machine main body, so that maintenance is improved. Further, by detecting the presence / absence of the waste liquid storage container, the waste liquid ink is not accidentally discharged without the waste liquid storage container being set, so that the surroundings are not stained with ink.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described copying machine configuration, but can be applied to a simple machine having a single printer function, a multifunction machine including a facsimile function, and the like.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram on the left side of FIG. It is a perspective explanatory view of a printing part of the same device. It is perspective explanatory drawing seen from the bottom face of the carriage of the same apparatus. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of head attraction | suction. It is a plane explanatory view of the waste liquid storage container concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is front explanatory drawing similarly. It is a side explanatory view similarly. It is a front cross-sectional explanatory drawing similarly. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the detection principle of an electrostatic capacitance type sensor. It is front explanatory drawing of the waste liquid storage container which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the 2nd detection means of the embodiment. It is an exploded perspective view similarly. It is front explanatory drawing which shows the 1st example of the waste liquid storage container of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is front explanatory drawing which similarly shows a 2nd example. It is principal part perspective explanatory drawing which similarly shows the 3rd example. FIG. 4 is a block explanatory diagram of a portion related to control for full detection and discharge position change of the image forming apparatus. It is front explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the threshold value with respect to a waste liquid storage container. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of a full detection and discharge position change process similarly. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of the process following FIG. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of an example of a waste-liquid ink discharge position change sequence. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the other example of a waste-liquid ink discharge position change sequence. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the attachment or detachment structure of the sensor electrode in 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is an isometric view explanatory drawing used for description of the attachment or detachment structure of the waste liquid storage container in 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a typical explanatory view of the mounting part of the waste liquid storage container. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of a tank mounting presence determination process similarly.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Apparatus main body 2 ... Image reading part 3 ... Recording part 4 ... Paper feed cassette part P ... Paper (recording medium)
10 ... Printing unit (engine unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 23 ... Carriage 24 ... Recording head 35 ... Conveying belt 38 ... Maintenance recovery mechanism part 40 ... Waste liquid storage container 43 ... Empty discharge receptacle 45 ... Suction pump 101 ... Container main body 102 ... Opening part 105 ... Space 106 ... Space 111 ... First Sensor 112 ... second sensor

Claims (10)

A container body for storing liquid waste liquid that does not contribute to image formation ;
First detection means for detecting solid waste in a space in which the waste liquid solidifies and accumulates in the container body ;
And a second detecting means for detecting the liquid waste space other than the space which the waste is deposited within the said container body,
Each of the first detection means and the second detection means is a capacitive sensor having at least a pair of sensor electrodes provided on opposite side surfaces of the container body,
By applying an AC electric field to the pair of sensor electrodes of the first detection means and measuring the capacitance between the pair of sensor electrodes, the height of the solid waste from the bottom surface inside the container body is increased. Is detectable,
The height of the liquid waste from the inner bottom surface of the container body is detected by applying an AC electric field to the pair of sensor electrodes of the second detection means and measuring the capacitance between the pair of sensor electrodes. A waste liquid container characterized in that it is possible . 2. The waste liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein the space in which the waste liquid accumulates is higher from the inner bottom surface of the container body than other spaces. In the waste liquid container according to claim 1 or 2,
The first detection means includes a plurality of the pair of sensor electrodes,
The plurality of the pair of sensor electrodes are arranged side by side in a direction orthogonal to the height direction of the container body,
The waste liquid container, wherein the shape of the solid waste can be measured from the measurement results obtained by the plurality of the pair of sensor electrodes . In the waste liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first, the waste liquid container of the second detecting means, characterized in that mounted detachably. 5. An image forming apparatus comprising a waste liquid storage container for storing a liquid that does not contribute to image formation, comprising the waste liquid storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein whether or not the waste liquid storage container is full is determined based on a detection result of the first detection means and a detection result of the second detection means of the waste liquid storage container. An image forming apparatus. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein a waste liquid discharge position with respect to the waste liquid storage container is changed based on a detection result of the first detection means and a detection result of the second detection means of the waste liquid storage container. An image forming apparatus. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein a waste liquid discharge position is changed in an idle discharge operation for discharging a droplet that does not contribute to image formation. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the waste liquid storage container is detachably mounted. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising means for detecting whether or not the waste liquid storage container is mounted.

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