JPH03247456A - Ink-jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve accuracy in detection of ink remainder and to make good use of the ink in an ink tank by a method wherein electric resistance value is detected between detecting electrodes and counting for matters relating to consumption of the ink is started after the above-mentioned detection, and the recording is stopped when the counting reaches a set value for the counting. CONSTITUTION:An ink remainder-detecting circuit 101 detects electric resistance between remainder-detecting electrodes 5 and 5 and outputs an ink remainder-detecting signal S1 to a recording control circuit 102 when the detected resistance value exceeds a set value R2. The recording control circuit 102 then outputs a first warning signal Y1 and, at the same time, outputs a signal S2, instructing start of counting for recording quantity to a recording quantity-counting circuit 103. A recording quantity-counting signal S3 outputted from the recording control circuit 102 in accordance with feeding or delivery of materials 20 on which the recording is made is then inputted into the recording quantity-counting circuit 103, and when the counting reaches a set value C1, a signal S4 indicating completion of the counting is then outputted from the circuit 103 to the recording control circuit 102. The recording control circuit 102 then outputs a second warning signal Y2 and, at the same time, outputs a recording stop signal S5 and the recording operation is stopped therewith.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] This invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording head.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art Recording devices such as printers, copying machines, and facsimile machines are configured to record images consisting of dot patterns on recording materials such as paper and thin plastic plates based on recorded data.

The recording device may be an inkjet type,
It can be divided into wire dot type, thermal type, laser beam type, etc. Among them, inkjet type (inkjet recording apparatus) is configured to perform recording by ejecting ink onto a recording material.

Inkjet recording devices are capable of high-density and high-speed recording, have low noise because they are non-impact, and have the advantages of being easy to record color images using multicolored inks. ing.

Since this type of printing apparatus performs printing while supplying ink in an ink tank to a print head, it is required to detect the amount of ink remaining in the ink tank.

Conventionally, as a method for detecting the remaining amount of ink in an inkjet recording device, for example, a plurality of electrodes are provided in a tank containing ink or a flow path connecting the tank and the recording head, and the electrical resistance between the electrodes is detected. However, a method has been adopted in which the amount of ink remaining is detected by utilizing the fact that the electrical resistance of the ink is correlated with the amount remaining.

FIG. 12 is a graph showing the relationship between the remaining amount of ink and electrical resistance.

According to FIG. 12, the electrical resistance between the electrodes increases as the amount of ink decreases.

Therefore, set in advance an electrical resistance value (4 resistance settings) that corresponds to the remaining amount of ink that you want to detect (remaining ink level), and when the detected value exceeds this setting value, a warning will be issued on the display etc. The method used was to emit a signal and stop recording at the same time.

[Technical Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional method described above, as can be seen from the characteristics shown in FIG. 12, when the amount of ink falls below a certain level, the electrical resistance between the detection electrodes decreases to 2.
Stand up violently.

Furthermore, this characteristic varies as shown in curves ia, b, and c in the figure, due to individual differences in the ink ejection portion and the detection electrode.

Here, it is assumed that the set resistance value is set to the resistance value d in the figure in order to use the ink to the full capacity of the tank.

However, as a practical matter, this set resistance value is in the hundreds of Ω, making it difficult to detect. This appears as variations in detection levels such as e, f, and H inside.

In an inkjet recording apparatus, the difference between the inks ile to g is equivalent to a difference of several tens of sheets of A4 size recording paper.

Therefore, conventionally, the set resistance value has been set at a portion h where the influence of individual differences in ink and detection electrodes is small.

Although this type of setting has the advantage that there are no individual differences, a detection signal is emitted when there is a large amount of ink remaining, which increases the number of ink refills, and prevents the ink tank from running. There were problems such as increased costs.

The third aspect of the present invention has been made in view of the above five technical problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording device that can improve the accuracy of detecting the amount of remaining ink and can effectively use up the ink in the ink tank. purpose.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In the present invention, the set resistance value is determined as h in FIG. For example, the number of recorded images,
Counting of the number of ejected dots or the number of scans is started, and subsequent recording is stopped when the count has elapsed by a set value.

That is, the present invention provides an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording head, which includes a remaining amount detection means for detecting the remaining amount of ink, and a counting means for counting the occurrence of events related to the recording operation and the number of operations. and a control means that causes the counting means to start counting from the time when the detection output of the remaining amount detecting means reaches a predetermined level, thereby increasing the accuracy of detecting the remaining amount of ink, An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording device that can effectively use up ink in an ink tank.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an inkjet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1.

In this embodiment, a recording head is used in which an ink tank and an ink ejection section are integrally configured, and the cartridge is removably attached to the main body of the recording apparatus.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, l is a recording head chip which is the main body part of the inkjet recording head, and the head chip 1 is connected to a recording material 2 such as paper or a thin plastic plate.
While moving facing each other, ink is ejected in accordance with a recording signal to perform recording. An ink tank 2 that stores a predetermined amount of ink has a communicating portion at the top, and is integrated into a supply section 6 and the recording chip 1 separated by a partition plate 3, so that a predetermined amount of ink can be consumed. It is configured to function as a recording head that can be replaced as needed.

That is, in the illustrated embodiment, a cartridge (usually a disposable type) that integrates a recording head and an ink tank is used.
is used.

The recording head is an inkjet recording head that discharges ink using thermal energy, and is equipped with an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy.

Further, the inkjet recording head performs recording by ejecting ink from an ejection port by the growth of bubbles due to film boiling caused by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter.

Inside the supply section 6, an ink absorber 4 and an ink amount detection electrode 5.5 are provided.

The supply section 6 of the ink tank 2 is connected to the head chip 1 via a porous filter 7 that does not easily allow air bubbles to pass through.

The ink absorber 4 is filled above the filter 7 of the supply section, and ink is held in the ink absorber.

A fine air communication hole 8 is provided in the upper part of the ink tank 2 through a hydrophobic open cell 9, and as the ink of the head chip l is consumed, the ink held in the ink absorber is transferred to the head chip. The liquid is supplied from the supply section 6 to the head chip 1 without generating bubbles therein.

Incidentally, in the liquid path array 10 of the 7-drop recording medium 1, an ejection energy generating element such as an electrothermal transducer that generates energy for ejecting ink is provided.

Further, the supply section 6 of the ink tank 2 is provided with a pair of pin-shaped electrodes 5.5 for detecting the remaining amount of ink, which are inserted into the ink absorber 4.

The cartridge body is provided with an electrode array II electrically connected to the electrodes 5.5.

Note that a liquid chamber 15 is formed in the head chip l to receive ink from the ink absorber 4 and to supply the ink into each liquid path lO.

The above-mentioned integrated cartridge is handled mainly by holding the ink tank 2 side.

Further, the cartridge is attached to and removed from the main body of the recording apparatus in the directions of arrows A and B in FIG.

When installing, while pushing the cartridge lever 12 that holds the tank 2 in the opposite direction (in the direction of the arrow C) to the biasing direction (in the direction of arrow C), drop it into the hand ridge 23 from almost above, and then remove the cartridge. The retaining part 14 of the carriage 23 engages with the receiving part 13, and the electrode array 11 on the cartridge side and the flexible cable 15A on the main body side are connected to each other.
and electrically connect them in a press-contact state.

After inserting the cartridge ridge, by slowly operating the cartridge lever 12 in the direction of arrow C, the cartridge is urged downward and fixed onto the carriage 7 ridge 13.

Further, the cartridge can be easily removed by opening the cartridge lever 12 and pulling the cartridge upward.

When recording with the recording apparatus according to this embodiment, the recording guide 1 is moved by the feed roller pair 16 and the feed discharge roller pair 19.
8, the carriage shaft 2 is moved in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording material 20.
2, ink is ejected from a RAD (a RAD chip 1 of an integrated cartridge) onto a recording surface on a carriage 23 that moves along a carriage 23.

In the illustrated example, when the carriage 23 scans, the rollers 21 pivotally supported by the carriage 23 press the paper presser rail 17 extending in the width direction of the recording material 20 against the recording material 20. It is composed of

Furthermore, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the carriage 23
is a scanning drum 27 that rotates in synchronization with the recording signal.
It is coupled to a drive wire 26 wound around the drive wire 26 and reciprocated in the direction of arrow G between pulleys 28,29.

The carriage 23 is rotatably supported around a carriage shaft 22, and by rotating a carriage rotation motor 31, the carriage 23 is moved in the direction of arrow E ( vertical direction).

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of ink remaining in the ink absorber 4 and the resistance value between the electrodes 5.5 for detecting the amount of remaining ink. Due to individual differences in discharge parts, detection electrodes, etc., the characteristic curves a,
There are variations as shown in b and c.

When the small but conductive ink is consumed and the amount of ink inside the ink absorber 4 decreases, the electrical resistance of the ink absorber 4 increases as shown in FIG. It is possible to detect that the detected value between .

Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, when it is detected by the means described below that the amount of ink in the absorbent body has become inappropriate for recording, recording is stopped, and the ink absorption is stopped by the mechanical mechanism described below. It has a mechanism that replenishes the body with 4 Heink.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the movement of the inkjet recording apparatus of this embodiment.

When the carriage rotation motor 31 rotates, the carriage 23 rotates about the carriage shaft 22 in the direction of arrow E, taking the position shown in FIG. 4.

In this position, the ink in the ink tank 2 is transferred to the partition plate 3.
The ink is supplied from the upper part of the ink to the supply section 6, and the ink absorber 4 once again retains sufficient ink.

Thereafter, the motor 31 may be reversed to return the carriage 23 and the cartridge to their original positions.

Note that during such ink replenishment, it is conceivable that an amount of ink exceeding the holding force of the ink absorber 4 may flow into the supply section 6.

In such a case, use a suction means consisting of a suction bow gear 32, a suction hole 33, and a suction pump 32 as shown in FIG. By suctioning AIT from the outlet row 10 side, the discharge port portion can be maintained at an appropriate water head.

By the way, in the ink absorber 4 used in this example, when the amount of ink exceeds 70% of the volume, the water head pressure at the ejection port exceeds an appropriate range (for example, a negative pressure of -20 to -4QMaqu). If the ink amount is too high, leakage from the ejection port and wetting of the surface on which the ejection port is formed may occur.On the other hand, if the amount of ink is less than 20%, the ejection may become unstable.

However, when comparing the conventional configuration and the configuration of this embodiment in terms of ink capacity, the configuration of this embodiment can effectively use more ink in the same volume than the conventional configuration.

In other words, in the conventional configuration, the entire interior was filled with the ink absorber, which resulted in approximately 30% of the internal volume being wasted.In addition, the ink initially put in could not be drawn out from the ink absorber. The amount of ink was also over 10%.

In contrast, in this embodiment, since the ink absorber 4 is provided in a part of the cartridge, the ratio of the ink absorber 4 to the internal volume of the cartridge is reduced, and therefore, the effective amount of ink used can be increased accordingly. did it.

In addition, in this embodiment, as a means for performing a predetermined operation for rotating the carriage 23 and the integrated cartridge, in addition to the means using the motor 31 as described above, various configurations may be adopted. I can do it.

For example, a member that engages with the carriage 23 and guides the carriage while rotating in the direction of arrow E is provided at a predetermined position, and an electrode for detecting the remaining amount of ink detects that the amount is less than a predetermined amount. At times, the carriage 2 is moved along the member.
3 may be moved.

Further, the operator can also remove the cartridge from the carriage 23 and shake it to replenish the ink absorber 4 with ink.

Further, the cartridge itself is provided with a means for opening and closing the ink communication path between the ink tank section 2 and the ink supply section 6 without displacement of the cartridge, and when the ink supply section 6 (the ink inside the ink supply section 6) is opened and closed, It is also possible to configure the absorber 4) to be supplied with ink.

Furthermore, although the ejection direction is directed downward in this embodiment, the present invention is equally applicable to any ejection direction.

Further, the replenishment means for opening/closing the communication section provided in the partition section 3 between the ink tank 2 and the ink absorber 4 is composed of a magnetic material or a permanent magnet, and includes, for example, an on-off valve and a magnetic drive means. A valve structure consisting of:

With such an on-off valve that utilizes magnetic force, it is possible to configure the container so that ink can be replenished for each recording head, and even when multiple recording heads are installed on a carriage,
It becomes possible to replenish ink separately.

Further, instead of using magnetic force as described above, the ink replenishment may be performed by, for example, the operator removing the recording head and operating a lever or the like provided integrally with the valve body. can.

Next, the relationship between the remaining amount of ink (the amount of ink held in the ink absorber 4) and the pressure (head pressure) applied to the ejection port in the above embodiment will be explained.

Figure 6 shows the relationship between the remaining amount of ink and the pressure applied to the ejection port.
That is, it shows the above relationship.

In FIG. 6, the curve a shows the case where the absorption capacity of the ink absorber 4 is small, and the curve a shows the case where the absorption capacity of the ink absorption body 4 is large.

Further, the maximum holding amount of the ink absorber shown in the figure means a state in which ink is replenished to the extent that the ink absorber 4 is overflowing.

Here, it is desirable that the pressure near the discharge port be maintained within a predetermined range of negative pressure.

If this pressure is positive, problems such as ink leakage from the ejection port or wetting of the ejection port surface due to the leakage or a defective ink drawing operation after the ejection operation are likely to occur.

In addition, if the negative pressure exceeds a predetermined value, the ejection operation may become unsmooth, or the area near the ejection port may not be refilled with ink after ejection.
Refills) become difficult to perform.

In any case, if the pressure near the ejection port deviates from the above-mentioned predetermined range, the ejection characteristics, ejection amount, etc. will be adversely affected, and the image quality will be disturbed.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressure (head pressure) applied to the ejection port and the amount of ink ejected.

In order to make the diameter of the recording dots uniform and obtain good image quality, it is important that the ink ejection amount is stable.
Since the amount of ink ejected depends on the water head pressure, before the amount of ink ejected exceeds a constant range and reaches a range where it rapidly decreases, in other words, the amount of ink ejected is lower than a certain value (when the negative pressure is strongly It is desirable to perform a replenishment operation based on the result of detecting the remaining amount of the absorber 4 before the absorber 4 becomes dry.

Referring again to FIG. 6, the pressure at the discharge port is also influenced by the capillary force of the liquid path, the absorbing force of the absorbent body 4, and the like.

In particular, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in which the discharge direction is vertically downward, it is necessary to consider the influence of pressure that acts depending on the positional relationship between the absorber 4 and the discharge port surface, and the absorption force is large and the discharge port is quickly It is preferable to select an absorber that exhibits curve 1b in which a portion is under negative pressure.

On the other hand, an absorber as shown by curve a in FIG. 6 is disadvantageous because the amount of ink stored in the absorber section is small and the ratio of ink to the entire cartridge is small.

In addition, in a configuration in which ejection is performed in the horizontal direction, it is easy to obtain negative pressure even when there is a large amount of remaining ink due to the positional relationship between the absorber section and the ejection port surface. It may be a small force.

Furthermore, although the fluctuation of the water head pressure becomes large in the curve shown in Fig. 6, as shown in Fig. 7, the remaining amount is detected before the ink ejection amount suddenly drops (before the water head pressure reaches Q0). It should be configured as follows.

In addition, in the case of a recording head such as head chip 1, which has a large ink ejection radius and whose ejection characteristics are not easily deteriorated even when the ejection port gets wet, the ink meniscus near the ejection port is not destroyed and leakage does not occur. If so, the head pressure can be made positive.

Next, the ink remaining amount detection means in the ink absorber in the inkjet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be explained.

The ink jet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention has the configuration as explained in FIG. It is configured to apply a pulse voltage at a detection timing set for detecting the remaining amount of ink and to determine the remaining amount of ink by detecting the inter-electrode resistance value during that time.

FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating this pulse voltage and its timing.

Here, the reason why the pulse voltage is applied at a predetermined timing is to prevent electrolysis of the ink due to the application of the DC voltage.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the actual remaining amount of ink and the inter-electrode resistance value.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the remaining amount falls below a certain level, the resistance value increases rapidly, making it difficult to set a predetermined threshold value for the resistance value.

That is, for example, when the remaining NPl is set to a detection level, the individual differences between individual cartridges become large as shown by ΔR, making it difficult to set a predetermined threshold value.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the remaining ink flP2 is set to the first remaining amount check level.

When setting P2 within a range where there is a relatively large amount of remaining ink as the check level, the variation in resistance value is as small as ΔR2, so by setting the center value Rt to the threshold level, it is easy to check the ink with high accuracy. The remaining amount can be detected.

However, at the time of the remaining amount P2, there is usually enough ink remaining to print on several dozen sheets of paper with standard printing output, so at this point a warning display is generated and the printing operation is prohibited or It is not appropriate to stop.

Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the number of recorded sheets counter is operated from the time when the remaining amount P2 is detected to count the number of recorded sheets, and when it is detected that a predetermined number of sheets have been recorded, a warning is displayed and the number of recorded sheets is Controlled to stop or prohibit operation.

In this case, it is required to monitor the count of the recording sheet number counter so as to issue a warning before the ink ejection amount reaches a point Q0 on the characteristic curve of FIG. 7 where it suddenly drops.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a control system suitable for realizing the embodiment of the present invention described above.

In the ninth article, the remaining ink amount detection circuit 101 includes the remaining amount detection electrode 5.5 in FIG. The detection resistance value is constantly compared with the detected amount set value R2, and when the detected resistance value exceeds the set value R2, an ink remaining amount detection signal S is output to the recording control circuit 102.

The recording control circuit 102, which receives the remaining ink level detection signal S, outputs a notice signal (first warning signal) Yl, and at the same time instructs the recording sheet number counting circuit 103 to start counting the number of recorded sheets. A counting start signal S2 is output.

The recording number counting circuit 103 receives a counting start signal S! Immediately after inputting the number of recording sheets S, the recording number signal S is output from the recording control circuit 102 in response to the feeding or ejection of the recording material 20.
is input and compared with a separately set count setting value CI.

When the count reaches the count setting 4ILCI, the recording number counting circuit 103 sends the counting completion signal S4 to the recording control circuit 1.
Output to 02.

The recording control circuit 102, which has received the counting completion signal S4, outputs a warning signal (second warning signal) Y2 and at the same time outputs a recording stop signal S to stop the recording operation.

In this embodiment, the number of recording sheets is counted in order to estimate the remaining amount of ink based on the number of recording materials 20.

That is, after rough detection is performed by the first detection means, which has a relatively low detection accuracy or a narrow detection range, the remaining amount detection is switched to the second detection means, thereby improving the detection accuracy. There is.

Specifically, after the amount of ink remaining is detected by the resistance value R between the electrodes 5, 5, the number of printable sheets is determined from the amount of remaining ink in order to use up the remaining ink in the ink tank to a certain extent. , the recording is controlled so as not to be prohibited or stopped until the set number of sheets have been recorded.

In this case, since the recording density (ink ejection amount) on the negative recording material 20 differs for each recording, the count setting value is determined using the standard recording density (standard ink consumption of 7 sheets).

In this embodiment, the advance notice signal Y and the warning signal Y! This signal is sent to the user of the printing device, and in particular, the warning signal Y is used to inform the user that ink is running low, and to be careful not to set the number of sheets to be printed higher than the number of sheets that can be printed with the amount of remaining ink. The purpose is to encourage.

Further, the purpose of the warning signal Y2 is to inform the user that the operation of the recording apparatus is to be stopped.

According to the embodiments described above, an inkjet recording apparatus was obtained in which highly accurate residual ink detection can be performed and the ink in the ink tank can be used up effectively.

[Other Examples]

In the embodiment of the present invention described above, the second detection means (warning signal Y
Although a means for counting the number of recorded sheets is used as the means for emitting 2 ink dots, the second embodiment (this embodiment) can also be implemented by counting the number of ink dots to be ejected.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a control system for realizing this embodiment.

In FIG. 10, the ink dot number counting circuit 104 is
The number of pulses of the ejection pulse signal S applied to the recording head is counted.

This ejection pulse signal S is a signal output from the recording control circuit 102 and input to the recording head.

Although this embodiment differs from the above-described embodiments of the present invention in the above points, other parts have substantially the same configuration, corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be given below. Omitted.

According to this embodiment, since the number of pulses of the ink ejection pulse signal S6 which is proportional to the amount of ink consumption is counted, there is an effect that the remaining amount of ink can be detected more accurately compared to the above-mentioned embodiment. Obtained.

Further, in the third embodiment of the present invention, after the advance notice signal (first warning signal) Yl is issued, the number of scans in which the recording head moves for recording is counted, and the counted value is When reaching a set number of times, the warning signal (second warning signal) Yt is generated.

That is, the present invention can also be implemented using means for counting the number of times the recording head scans the recording material 20 as the second detection means.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a control system for realizing the third embodiment.

In FIG. 11, a circuit 105 for counting the number of scans to record
counts the number of times the recording head moves along the recording material 20 for recording.

A signal indicating the number of times the print head scans the recording material is output from the print control circuit 102 and input to the print head scan number counting circuit 105 .

Although this embodiment differs from the above-described embodiments of the present invention in the above points, other parts have substantially the same configuration, corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be given below. Omitted.

According to this embodiment, since the second detection means counts the number of times the recording head is scanned, which has a correlation with the amount of ink consumption, the accuracy of detecting residual ink can be improved compared to the first embodiment described above. This has the effect of reducing the capacity of the comparison counter compared to the second embodiment described above.

In each of the above embodiments, the present invention has been explained by taking as an example a case where the present invention is applicable to a serial type inkjet recording apparatus in which the recording head 1 is mounted on a carillon 23 and moves over the recording material 20. The present invention can be similarly implemented in an inkjet recording apparatus using a full multi-type recording head, and similar effects can be obtained.

Further, the present invention can be implemented regardless of the number of print heads, such as when a plurality of print heads are used in color printing, and similar effects can be achieved.

The present invention brings about excellent effects particularly in inkjet recording heads and inkjet recording apparatuses using bubble jet type inkjet recording heads and recording nodules among inkjet recording types.

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 the continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it is necessary to place the liquid (ink) on the sheet or liquid path where it is held. By applying at least one drive signal that corresponds to recorded information and provides a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling to the electrothermal transducer being
This method is effective because it generates thermal energy in the electrothermal transducer to cause film boiling on the heat-active surface of the recording head, resulting in the formation of bubbles in the liquid (ink) in one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal.

Due to the growth and contraction of these bubbles, liquid (
ink) to form at least one droplet.

If this drive signal is in the form of a pulse, bubble growth and contraction will occur immediately and appropriately, so liquids with particularly excellent responsiveness (
Ink) can be ejected, which is more preferable. As this pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. No. 4,463,359 and US Pat. No. 4,345,262 are suitable.

Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 concerning the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, even more excellent recording can be achieved.

The configuration of the recording head includes, in addition to the combined configuration of ejection ports, liquid paths, and electrothermal converters (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, a heat acting section. US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600 disclose a configuration in which the
The present invention also includes a configuration using the specification of the above specification.

In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 123670 of 1982 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and a hole that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy is disclosed. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 138461 of 1981, which discloses a configuration in which a discharge portion corresponds to a discharge portion.

Furthermore, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length can be increased by combining multiple recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. Either a configuration that satisfies the above requirements or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally may be used, but the present invention can more effectively exhibit the above-mentioned effects.

In addition, a replaceable chip-type recording head that is attached to the device body enables electrical connection to the device body and ink supply from the device body, or a chip-type recording head that is installed integrally with the recording head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge type recording head is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means, preliminary auxiliary means, etc. for the recording head, which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized.

Specifically, these include capping means, cleaning means, pressure or suction means, preheating means for the recording head 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.

Furthermore, the recording mode of the recording device is not limited to a recording mode in which only the mainstream color such as black is used; the recording head may be configured integrally or in combination with a plurality of recording heads; The present invention is also extremely effective for devices equipped with at least one full color image.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is explained as a liquid, but it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower, and is softened or liquid at room temperature, or in the above-mentioned inkjet, the ink itself is heated at 30°C or higher. Since the temperature is generally controlled within a range of 70° C. or less so that the viscosity of the ink is within the stable ejection range, it is sufficient that the ink is in a liquid state when the recording signal is applied.

In addition, it is possible to actively prevent temperature rise due to thermal energy by using it as energy to transform the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or to prevent ink from evaporating when it is left to solidify. In any case, ink may be liquefied by applying thermal energy in response to a recording signal and ejected as liquid ink, or it may already begin to solidify when it reaches the recording material. It is also possible to use ink that is liquefied only by thermal energy.

In such a case, as in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 54-56847, the ink is held as a liquid or solid in the recesses or through holes of the porous sheet and is placed facing the electrothermal transducer. It may be in any form.

In the present invention, the most effective method for the above-mentioned ink is the one that implements the above-mentioned film boiling method.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, in an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording head, there is provided a remaining amount detection means for detecting the remaining amount of ink, and an occurrence of an event related to a recording operation. Since the configuration includes a counting means for counting the number of times, and a control means for starting counting of the counting means from the time when the detection output of the remaining amount detecting means reaches a predetermined level, the accuracy of detecting the remaining amount of ink can be improved. Provided is an inkjet recording device that can increase the volume of ink and effectively use up ink in an ink tank.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of the inkjet recording device of FIG. 1 during ink replenishment, and FIG. 5 is a partial plan view schematically showing the ink recovery means of the inkjet recording device of FIG. 1. , Fig. 6 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the amount of remaining ink and the pressure applied to the ejection port, Fig. 7 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the head pressure of the ejection port and the amount of ink ejected, and Fig. 8 is the graph illustrating the relationship between the amount of ink remaining and the pressure applied to the ejection port. FIG. 9 is a timing chart illustrating the detection timing and pulse voltage of detection; FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the control system of the ink remaining amount detection means of the first embodiment of the inkjet gutter recording device according to the present invention; FIG. 10 11 is a block diagram illustrating the control system of the remaining ink amount detection means of the second embodiment of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 11 shows the remaining ink amount of the third embodiment of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention. A block diagram illustrating a control system of the detection means,
FIG. 12 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the remaining amount of ink and the electrical resistance between the electrodes for detecting the remaining ink amount. Below, symbols representing main components in the drawings are listed. ■・−・−・−Record Henodo part (Heradochimp), 2−・
・−・・Ink tank part, 4−・・・Ink absorber,
5---Electrode for detecting remaining ink amount, 6---Supply section, 10--Discharge port array, 16--Feed roller, 20--One cover Recording material, 23-- Carriage, 31-- Carriage rotation motor, 32-
-----1 suction canop, 34...-suction pump, 1
01--1--Remaining ink amount detection circuit, 102 Recording control circuit, 103--1 Recording number counting circuit, 104--
- Ink dot number counting circuit, 105 recording hand scanning number counting circuit, y, - Notice signal, Y2--11-- Warning signal. Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure hmig

Claims (7)

[Claims] (1) In an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from a recording head, a remaining amount detection means for detecting the remaining amount of ink, a counting means for counting the number of occurrences of an event related to a recording operation, and the remaining amount An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a control means for causing the counting means to start counting from the time when the detection output of the detection means reaches a predetermined level. (2) A first warning is issued simultaneously with the start of counting by the counting means, and when the counting result reaches a set value, a second warning is issued and recording is stopped. The inkjet recording device described above. (3) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the counting means counts the number of recorded recording materials. (4) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the counting means counts the number of ejected dots of ink. (5) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the counting means counts the number of times the recording head scans for recording. (6) A claim characterized in that the recording head is an inkjet recording head that ejects ink using thermal energy and is equipped with an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy. Item 6. The inkjet recording device according to any one of Items 1 to 5. (7) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the ink is ejected from the ejection port by the growth of bubbles due to film boiling caused by the thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter.