JPH03218847A - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To detect an inappropriate form of ink refill by detecting an ink amount increase in an ink storage device based on a residual ink amount detected by a residual ink detection device and a stored residual ink amount. CONSTITUTION:A voltage output in each paired electrodes of a residual ink amount sensor S1 is supplied to an ADIN terminal of CPU 50 to interprete the ink levels 1 to 5 corresponding to the height of arranged five paired electrodes. When the terminals 01 to 05 of CPU 50 reach the level of not more than 1 from a normal level of L due to the consumption of ink from a state where the ink is full, the terminal 01 is set to H and a transistor Tr1 is turned On. An electric current runs to a fuse FU1 from a power supply Vcc through a resistor R1 and fuses. The fuses become cut sequentially as ink consumption increases. If the fuses FU1, FU2 are cut and the fuses FU3 to FU5 remain uncut, a decrease in the ink amount below the level 2 is displayed, and an input to the ADIN is again checked. If the ink level is 1 or 2, it is interpreted that the ink amount has increases due to an inappropriate refilling action. Therefore, the system is stopped and a warning is sounded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device.

[Prior Art] In an inkjet recording apparatus that uses ink as a recording material, ink must be replenished when the amount of ink remaining in an ink supply source becomes zero or very small due to ink consumption. One method of replenishing the ink is to use a cartridge-shaped ink tank (hereinafter referred to as an ink cartridge) as the ink supply source, and to replace the ink tank, taking into consideration the workability of the user. Furthermore, there is also a cartridge in which a recording head and an ink tank are integrated (hereinafter referred to as a head cartridge) that is replaceable.

With such a configuration, in addition to making ink refilling extremely easy, the ink or the inside of the ink tank is not exposed to the atmosphere during refilling, so there is no contamination of dust, and there is no record in terms of composition and viscosity. There are advantages such as no deterioration of ink ejection characteristics due to erroneous use of ink that is not suitable for the head.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] On the other hand, if the user disassembles the ink cartridge or head cartridge and replenishes ink by injection or the like, the above advantages cannot be utilized. In other words, if the inside of the ink or ink tank is exposed to the atmosphere and dust gets mixed in, and the ink ejection port of the storage head becomes sluggish, or if ink with an inappropriate composition or viscosity is used, the original The ejection characteristics (ejection amount, ejection speed, good ejection condition, etc.) cannot be obtained, and there is a great possibility that the print quality will deteriorate due to changes in the print dot diameter, misalignment of the print dots, etc. These issues are particularly important for inkjet recording devices that have a recording head with fine ink ejection ports or liquid channels arranged at a high density in order to obtain high-definition recorded images. It becomes noticeable because it has to be done strictly.

In addition, if inks of different hues are used, the recording quality will change, and especially in devices that perform overlapping printing using multicolored inks, the hue of the desired color will change. There are also problems such as problems such as

An object of the present invention is to prevent the above-mentioned problems from occurring by detecting ink replenishment in an inappropriate manner.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an inkjet recording device that is provided with an ink storage means that stores recording ink to be supplied to an inkjet recording head, and is removably attached to the main body of the device. A remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage means, a storage means for storing the remaining ink amount, and a remaining amount of ink detected by the remaining amount detecting means and stored by the storage means. The present invention is characterized by comprising an increase detection means for detecting an increase in the amount of ink in the ink storage means based on the remaining amount of ink.

[Operation] Ink replenishment in an inappropriate manner, such as injection into the ink supply means, can be detected from the remaining ink amount detected by the remaining amount detection means and the ink remaining amount stored in the storage means.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Example 1) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a head cartridge and a remaining ink amount detection section according to this example.

Here, ■ is a recording head section, which includes a common liquid chamber IA that stores the supplied ink, and a group of liquid paths IB whose one end is an ejection port facing the recording medium and whose other end communicates with the common liquid chamber IA. have. Then, by driving an ejection energy generating element such as an electrothermal transducer arranged in the liquid path IB, an ink droplet is ejected from the ejection port to perform desired recording.

Reference numeral 2 denotes an ink tank section containing ink, and ink is supplied to the common liquid chamber IA via an ink supply path 4. I
OA and IOB are a pair of electrodes, electrodes 10A,
Continuity between the electrodes by measuring the voltage across the IOB
By detecting non-conductivity, it is possible to know whether there is ink between the electrodes. In this example, five pairs of electrodes are arranged at different heights in the ink tank, so that the ink level can be determined, that is, the amount of remaining ink can be known.

The head cartridge is also provided with other means for preventing inappropriate ink replenishment, which will be described later with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied.

Head power cartridge 1 having a schematic configuration as shown in FIG.
4 is fixed on the carriage 15 by a holding member 4l, and can reciprocate along the shaft 21 in the longitudinal direction. The ink ejected from the recording head reaches the recording medium l8 whose recording surface is regulated by the platen l9 at a minute distance from the recording head, and the recording medium 1
Form an image on 8.

An ejection signal corresponding to image data is supplied to the recording head section 1 of the head cartridge l4 via a cable 16 and a terminal connected thereto. Further, a pair of electrodes provided in the ink tank section 2 of the head cartridge l4 is also connected to the remaining ink amount detection section on the apparatus main body side via a terminal and a cable l6. Note that, depending on the ink color used, one or more head cartridges (two in the figure) can be provided.

In FIG. 2, l7 is a carriage motor 2 for scanning the carriage l5 along the shaft 21.
A wire 2 transmits the driving force of the motor 17 to the carriage 15. Further, 20 is a feed motor coupled to the platen roller 19 for conveying the recording medium l8.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the main parts of the control system according to this example, which is configured when the head cartridge 14 is mounted on the printer main body 30.

Here, FUI to FU5 are fuses mounted on the head, and S1 is a remaining ink level detection sensor consisting of an electrode group shown in the first figure. Information is given to the CPU 50 in the printer from a state where the electrodes are electrically connected (full state) to a state where the lowest electrode is non-conductive (embedded state). CPU
50 receives the information, which is an analog quantity, at an A/D conversion terminal (ADIN) and uses it as digital data.

Trl to Tr5 are the outputs Ol to 0 of the CPU 50, respectively.
When 5 becomes H, it turns on and the fuse FUI~
This is a transistor for flowing a fusing current to FL15.

These fuses FUI to FU5 serve as ink remaining amount storage means according to this example, that is, means for storing the remaining amount of ink initially filled.

Rl, R3, R5, R7, and R9 are resistors that set the fusing current. Further, R2, R4, R6, R8, and RIO are resistors connected to the fuses FUI to FU5 and the CPU 50, and are used to determine the potentials of the input boards I1 to I5 of the CPU 50.

Reference numeral 52 denotes a notification unit used to notify the operator that there is no remaining ink and prompt the operator to replace the head cartridge 14, and can be in the form of a display, a buzzer, or the like. 5
4 is a ROM that stores programs and other programs corresponding to the processing procedures shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and 56 is a RAM that has an area for storing a predetermined amount of image data and a work area.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the remaining ink level detection procedure according to this example,
It can be started at an appropriate timing.

The recording head unit 1 is driven in response to input of data signals to be recorded, and ink is consumed by the recording operation. The voltage output at each electrode pair of the ink level sensor S1 is supplied to the ADIN terminal of the CPU 50 (step St).
．． Ink levels 1 to 5 are determined according to the arrangement height of the 5 pairs of electrodes.Here, level 1 indicates that the ink level is near the top electrode pair, and level 5 indicates that the ink level is near the bottom electrode pair. Indicates that there is an ink level. Terminals Ol to 05 of the CPU 50 are normally at L level.

When the ink is consumed from a full state (level 1 or higher) to less than level 1 (if a negative determination is made in step S3), the terminal 01 is set to H and the transistor Tri is turned on (step S5). At this time, current flows through the fuse FUI from the power supply Vcc through the resistor R, and the fuse FUI
The UI will melt. In this way, as ink consumption progresses, the fuses are sequentially cut according to the ink level (steps 87 to S13).

FIG. 5 shows an example of a processing procedure for notifying that there is no remaining ink and detecting inappropriate ink replenishment, and this procedure can also be executed at an appropriate timing.

After inputting the output of the ink level sensor S1 (step S
21), determine the voltage level of terminal I1 (step S
23). This is H because head cartridge l4
In this case, the process ends because the ink initially filled in the ink tank portion 2 is still full and the fuse FUI has not yet blown. on the other hand,
If I1=L, it is determined in step S24 whether the level is 1 or higher, and in the case of a negative determination, step S25
, and similar processing is performed for the voltage levels of terminals I2 to I5. (Steps 325 to S32). If it is determined in step S32 that the level is less than 5, that is, I
5=L, and when the initially filled ink is consumed and the state is empty (a state where the ink level is below the lowest electrode pair), a notification that there is no remaining ink is sent in step S33. , prompts the operator to replace the head cartridge.

Steps S24, S26, S28, S30, S
If an affirmative determination is made in step S32, that is, if a value lower than the level is detected in the process of FIG. 3 and the corresponding fuse is blown, but it is determined in this procedure that the level is higher than that level, the process proceeds to step S35. Performs ink increase warning processing. For example, when the fuses FUI and FU2 are cut and the fuses FU3 to FU5 are not cut, the voltage levels at the terminals If and I2 are L and the voltage levels at I3 to I5 are H. This indicates that the ink amount has once fallen below level 2. Then, the input of ADIN is determined again, and if it is level 1 or level 2, the amount of ink has increased due to an inappropriate replenishment operation, so processing such as stopping the system or issuing a warning is performed in step S35. Let's do it. . As described above, according to this example, it is possible to easily and reliably detect an increase in ink due to an inappropriate replenishment operation such as filling the ink tank of a head cartridge without significantly increasing the configuration cost. It is possible to prevent inconveniences that may occur when ink is mixed in or an inappropriate ink is used.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of the main parts of a control system according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals for parts that can be configured in the same manner as in FIG. 3. .

The head cartridge 114 according to this example has an EE as a remaining ink amount storage means instead of the fuse group in the above example.
It has a nonvolatile memory 101 such as FROM, and its contents can be read/written by the CPU 50 of the printer main body 130.

In this example as well, levels 1 to 5 are determined in the CPU 50 by performing the same processing as in Example 1, but in this example, a predetermined address (for example, address O) of EEFROMIOI is Write down the judgment level. For example, if level 3, address O
Write “3” in .

Next, when performing the operation of notifying that there is no remaining amount of ink and warning of ink increase, the contents of address 0 of EEPROMIOI are read out and compared with the information input to ADIN. For example, even though address O is ``3'', level 1 or level 2 is determined, and at that time it is determined that there has been an increase in ink.On the other hand, when it is level 3 to 5, the system continues to operate. Just let it happen.

In this example as well, the same effect as in Example 1 is obtained, but
In this example, the contents of EEPROMIOI include not only the remaining amount of ink but also head drive information (temperature, pulse width, etc.)
It is also possible to add information such as color and ink information (color, viscosity, etc.), which also allows for more advanced control.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of the main parts of a control system according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals for parts that can be configured in the same way as in FIG. 3. . In this example, the remaining ink amount storage means is provided on the printer main body side.

The ECI is an encoder disposed in the head cartridge 214 according to this example, and generates a binary code unique to the head and supplies it to the CPU 50 in the printer main body 230.

Further, as in the above example, the output of the remaining ink amount detection sensor S1 is also input to ADIN of the CPtl 50 and converted into digital data. Then, the CPU 50 stores an EEPROM 20 as a remaining ink amount storage means corresponding to the encoded output value.
By reading or writing data from sensor s1 to address 1, the amount of ink is stored and whether it is increased or decreased is determined.

At this time, it is highly desirable that the printer 230 side be able to identify a unique head cartridge, and in this example, the encoder ECI is provided with this function.

The encoder can be configured extremely easily as shown in Figure 8, for example, and considering that the switch section S can actually be configured with fixed wiring, there is almost no increase in head cartridge size or cost due to the addition of encoder ECl. do not. In this embodiment as well, the remaining amount of ink can be detected and the amount increased can be determined in the same manner as in the second embodiment.

As described above, according to this embodiment, even when the ink amount storage means is provided on the printer side, inappropriate ink replenishment increases and decreases can be determined inexpensively, easily, and reliably. Furthermore, similar to the second embodiment, there is an advantage that head drive information, ink information, etc. can be similarly provided.

(Others) It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

For example, in the above example, the present invention is applied to an inkjet storage device that has a removably attached head cartridge that integrates a storage head and an ink tank, but the invention may also be applied to an inkjet storage device that uses an ink cartridge.

Further, the remaining amount detection sensor disposed in the ink tank is not limited to one having a group of electrode pairs as in the above example, but may have an appropriate configuration. For example, a photocoupler may be used. Further, in the above example, the sensor is capable of detecting the ink level stepwise, but it may be a sensor capable of continuously detecting the ink level. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the remaining amount of ink and the level are related,
The threshold value for determining each level may be stored in advance in the ROM 54 or the like.

It should be noted that the present invention provides excellent effects particularly in bubble jet recording heads and recording apparatuses among ink jet recording systems.

This is because such a system achieves high recording density and high definition, and must be strictly protected from dust contamination and inappropriate use of ink.

As for typical configurations and principles thereof, it is preferable to use the basic principles disclosed in, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129 and US Pat. No. 4,740,796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it is necessary to arrange the liquid (ink) in accordance with the sheet and liquid path that hold it. The electrothermal converter that is
Generating thermal energy in the electrothermal transducer and producing film boiling on the thermally active surface of the recording head by applying at least one drive signal that corresponds to recorded information and provides a rapid temperature rise above nucleate boiling. As a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) can be formed in a one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal, which is effective. The growth of this bubble. The contraction causes liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one drop. If this drive signal is in the form of a pulse, bubble growth and contraction will occur immediately and appropriately.
Particularly responsive liquid (ink) ejection can be achieved,
More preferred. This pulse-shaped drive signal is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,359 and U.S. Pat.
Those described in the specification are suitable. Furthermore, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 concerning the invention regarding the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, even more excellent recording can be performed.

In addition to the configuration of the discharge port, liquid path, and electrothermal converter combination (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, the log head has a heat-acting section. The present invention also includes configurations using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose configurations in which the wafer is placed in a bending region. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1989-5 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part of a plurality of electrothermal converters.
No. 9-123670 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59/1989 which discloses a configuration in which a discharge portion is made to correspond to an opening that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy.
- The effects of the present invention are also effective even with a configuration based on Publication No. 138461. In other words, regardless of the form of the recording head, recording can be performed reliably and efficiently.

Furthermore, 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 that can be recorded by a recording apparatus.

Such a recording head may have either a configuration in which the length is satisfied by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally. In addition, even serial type recording heads like the one above can be installed in the main body of the device, making it possible to electrically connect to the main body of the device and supply ink from the main body of the device.Replaceable chip-type recording heads Alternatively, the present invention is also effective when using a cartridge type recording head that is integrally provided with the recording head itself as in the above example.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc., which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus, to the present invention, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, these include capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressure or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element, or a combination thereof; It is also effective to perform a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection is performed separately from printing in order to perform stable printing.

In addition, regarding the type and number of recording heads installed, for example, in addition to one type that corresponds to single-color ink, there is also a plurality of recording heads that correspond to multiple inks with different recording colors and densities. It may be something that can be done.

In addition, the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention may take the form of an image output terminal for information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader, etc., or a facsimile apparatus having a transmitting/receiving function. It may be something.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to detect ink replenishment in an inappropriate manner, so there is an effect that inconveniences due to contamination with dust or improper use of ink can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a head cartridge and a remaining ink amount detection section to which the present invention can be applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied, and FIG. is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the main parts of the control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the ink amount detection processing procedure, and FIG. Flowcharts illustrating an example of ink increase detection processing procedures, FIGS. 6 and 7
Each figure is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the main parts of the control system according to the second and third embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the encoder disposed in the head cartridge in the third embodiment. The circuit diagram shown in FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining still another embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Recording head part, 2... Ink tank part, 10A, JOB... Electrode, 14, 114, 214... Head cartridge,
30, 130, 230... printer body, 32.
・Remaining power detection unit, 50...cpu. 52... Notification unit, 101, 201... EEPROM, FUI~FU5
...Fuse, S1...Remaining amount detection sensor, ECI...Encoder, L...Ink level. Fig. 7, Iko 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 4 Fig. 6 Fig. 7 Fig. 8

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) In an inkjet recording apparatus that includes an ink storage means that stores recording ink to be supplied to an inkjet recording head and is removably attached to the main body of the apparatus, the amount of ink remaining in the ink storage means is detected. a storage means for storing the remaining amount of ink; and a storage means for storing the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage means based on the remaining ink amount detected by the remaining amount detection means and the remaining ink amount stored by the storage means. An inkjet recording device comprising: an increase detection means for detecting an increase in the amount of ink; 2) The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage means is provided integrally with the ink storage means. 3) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage means is provided in the apparatus main body. 4) The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inkjet recording head is provided integrally with the ink storage means and is removable from the apparatus main body. 5) Items 1 to 4, wherein the inkjet recording head has an electrothermal transducer as an element that generates energy used for ink ejection.
The inkjet recording device according to any one of the above.