JPH06183017A - Ink cartridge and ink head cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance stabilized ink supply to the head side while preventing leakage by initially wetting a porous body, held in an ink cartridge, prior to use. CONSTITUTION:In an ink tank cartridge 1 comprising a supply part ink chamber (a) comprising a supply part 2 to a recording head 10 and a part 3 communicated with the atmosphere and containing a porous body, and a plurality of ink chambers (b) communicated with the ink chamber (a) and storing ink, the porous body is wetted with ink prior to use. This constitution realizes an ink cartridge and an ink head cartridge in which stabilized ink supply to the head side is enhanced while preventing leakage.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink cartridge of an ink jet recording apparatus for supplying ink to a recording head to print on a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink tank used in an ink jet recording apparatus can supply ink in an amount suitable for the amount of ink ejected from a recording head during recording, and
It is required that ink does not leak from the ejection port during non-recording.

Further, when the ink tank is of a replaceable type, it is required that the ink tank can be attached and detached smoothly, ink leakage does not occur at that time, and the ink is reliably supplied to the recording head.

As an ink tank for a conventional ink jet recording apparatus, first, an ink bag filled with ink is attached below the position of the recording head, and ink is supplied to the recording head by drawing an ink supply tube. There is a method. In this system, a negative head pressure is generated due to the difference in height between the tank and the recording head, and a stable ink meniscus is maintained at the ink ejection port. However, the supply system itself becomes very large and it is difficult to miniaturize the device, and the ink consumption in the recovery pump increases due to the evaporation of ink in the tube, which causes problems of waste ink processing and running costs. There was also the problem of increase.

In addition to this, as an ink tank used in a conventional ink jet recording apparatus, there is disclosed in JP-A-63-632.
No. 42 publication. This is an ink jet recording cartridge having a plurality of ink ejection orifices in which a foaming agent (absorbent body) is arranged in an ink tank. In order to maintain a stable ink meniscus at an ink ejection portion of a recording head, An absorber such as polyurethane foam, which is a foam material, is filled in the tank, and the ink is held by the capillary force of the absorber. In this case, an absorber is required almost in the entire ink tank, and the internal negative pressure is generated by holding a little less ink than the maximum amount of ink that the absorber can hold. Even when mechanical shock such as vibration or thermal shock such as temperature change is applied to the tank, ink does not leak from the ejection portion of the recording head or the atmosphere communication portion of the ink tank. However, this conventional method in which the entire tank is filled with an absorber has a problem that the amount of ink that can be held with respect to the ink tank volume (ink holding ratio) is small, and the amount of ink that remains unused is large, resulting in poor use efficiency. was there. Further, considering that the ink tank is mounted on the carriage together with the recording head to face the recording paper for recording and scanning, it has been a problem in downsizing the main body of the recording apparatus and reducing the running cost.

Therefore, it is desired that the ink use efficiency is high, and there has been proposed a system in which an absorber is not used in the ink tank.

JP-A-56-67269 and JP-A-59-98857 disclose methods using an ink bag urged by a spring in an ink tank. Although this spring bag method is excellent in that it internally generates a negative pressure in the ink supply section using a spring force, it has restrictions on the shape of the spring to obtain a predetermined negative pressure and ink tanks. There is a problem that the process of fixing the bag to the cartridge is a little complicated, the manufacturing cost is high, and the ink holding ratio is small in the thin ink tank.

Recently, there has been proposed a type in which the absorber is not filled in the entire ink tank but is partially filled with the absorber. The reason for this is that the use efficiency of the ink is improved by improving the ink holding ratio by providing the portion not filled with the porous member.

[0009]

However, in the conventional ink cartridge, the ink use efficiency, ink leakage,
It was not always satisfactory from the viewpoint of generation of stable negative pressure.

(Object) It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink cartridge using a negative pressure generating member and having a high ink use efficiency.

Further, according to the present invention, ink leaks even when mechanical shock such as vibration or thermal shock such as temperature change is applied to the recording head and the ink tank during physical distribution or conditions of use of the ink jet recording apparatus. The purpose is to realize a more reliable ink cartridge that does not have any problems.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, according to the present invention, an ink tank comprising an ink chamber filled with an ink absorber and an ink chamber communicating with it and not filled with one or more absorbers is used. By preliminarily moistening the body with the ink, it is possible to realize an ink jet ink cartridge with a high ink retention ratio that can maintain stable ejection and reliably prevent ink leakage. Further, according to the present invention, the recording head and the ink tank can be configured to be separable from each other, and an ink jet ink cartridge having excellent economy and being friendly to the global environment can be obtained.

[0013]

【Example】

<First Embodiment> An embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view in which a part of the ink tank of the first embodiment is cut away, and FIG. 2A is a schematic sectional view of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink cartridge body 1 of this embodiment has two ink chambers (a,
b) and the bottom part of which is communicated with each other, one ink chamber a is filled with an ink absorber having a capillary force adjusted, and an ink supply part 2 and an atmosphere communication part 3 for connecting with an inkjet recording head are provided. Has become.

The positions of the atmosphere communicating portion 3 and the ink supply portion 2 are not particularly limited to this, and the positional relationship shown in FIG. 2B may be used.

As the ink absorbing member used in the present invention, a conventionally known member can be used as long as it has the ability to retain the ink itself against the own weight of liquid (ink) and a slight vibration. In the ink jet recording apparatus, the heater may be damaged by the elution from the member, and there are some restrictions on the material selection. Considering these points, a sponge (porous body) such as polyurethane foam, which can easily adjust the ink holding power and the generation of negative pressure, is preferable. Particularly in the case of foam, it is preferable because it can be adjusted so as to have a desired porosity during foam production.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the combined state of the recording head, ink tank, and carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

The recording head 10 in this embodiment is of a thermal ink jet type which carries out recording by using an electrothermal converter which generates thermal energy for causing film boiling in ink in response to an electric signal.

In FIG. 3, the main configuration of the recording head 10 is that the head base plate 11 has a positioning projection provided on the head base plate 11 as a positioning reference.
It is formed by laminating and adhering or pressure-bonding on top. Here, the in-plane vertical direction in FIG. 3 is positioned by the head positioning portion 104 of the carriage HC and the protrusion. Further, in the vertical direction of the cross sectional view of FIG.
4 so as to cover 4 and notch of the protrusion (not shown)
Are positioned by the head positioning unit 104. The heater board 13 is composed of an electrothermal converter (ejection heater) arranged in a plurality of rows on a Si substrate and electric wiring such as Al for supplying electric power to the electrothermal converter by a film forming technique. Head flexible substrate (hereinafter, referred to as "head PC") having wiring having pads for receiving electric signals from
B ". ) 105, corresponding wirings are connected by wire bonding. A plurality of ejection ports and a common liquid chamber for introducing the ink from the replacement ink tank 1 to the ink flow path through partition walls or flow paths for dividing the plurality of ink flow paths corresponding to the ejection heaters are formed. The groove top plate 12 integrally formed with the orifice to be formed by polysulfone or the like is pressed against the heater board 13 by a spring (not shown), and is pressure-bonded and sealed with a sealant to form an ink discharge portion. The member having the flow path 15 that is joined and sealed to the groove top plate 12 is a head PCB in this embodiment so that it can be joined to the replacement ink tank 1.
And through the hole provided in the head base plate 11 to the opposite side of the head base plate 11,
The penetrating portion is adhesively fixed to the head base plate 11. A filter 8 is provided at the end of the flow path 15 on the side where the flow path 15 is connected to the ink tank 1 to prevent dust and involuntary bubbles from flowing into the ejection portion. The replacement ink tank is connected to the recording head 10 by the engagement guide 5 and the pressurizing means 103, and the ink absorber of the ink supply unit 2 is mechanically connected to the filter 8 provided at the tip of the flow path 15. Is done. After the combination, the recording head suction recovery pump 5015 or the like of the recording apparatus main body is used to forcibly supply and fill the recording head 10 with the ink from the replacement ink tank 1 to perform the ink combination.

In the present embodiment, the recording head 10 and the replacement ink tank 1 are coupled at the time of engagement by the pressing means, and the recording head 10 and the carriage HC are mechanically and electrically connected in the same direction. Therefore, the pads on the head PCB 105 and the head drive electrodes 102 can be reliably positioned.

The ring seal 9 is made of a slightly thick elastic ring in this embodiment so that the joint with the outer wall of the replacement ink tank can be widened so as to allow the backlash of the ink supply section 2.

As described above, in this embodiment, the replacement ink tank 1 and the recording head 10 are sufficiently coupled to each other and then the replacement ink tank is urged, so that the carriage, the recording head and the positioning can be easily arranged. In addition, the recording head and the replacement ink tank are easily coupled outside the main body and then mounted on the carriage, so that the replacement operation can be facilitated. Further, in this embodiment,
Since the electrical connection between the carriage (recording device main body) and the recording head is made at the same time, the operability when exchanging the recording head and the replacement ink tank is good, but the electrical connection is a separate connector connection method, etc. Thus, it is also possible to increase the degree of freedom in the configuration for ensuring the positioning of the recording head and the connection with the replacement ink tank.

Here, in order to describe the arrangement and operation of the recording head in the ink jet recording apparatus in this embodiment, the operation of the recording apparatus will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 4 which is a perspective view. In FIG. 4, the recording medium P is guided from the lower side to the upper side of the paper using the platen roller 5000, and is pressed against the platen 5000 by the paper pressing plate 5002 in the carriage movement direction. The carriage HC is supported and engaged by a lead screw 5005 which operates as a drive source when a carriage drive pin is fitted in the spiral groove 5004 and is rotated by itself, and a slider 5003 which is arranged in parallel with the lead screw, so that the platen roller is supported. It reciprocates left and right along the recording surface of the recording medium P guided above 5000. The lead screw 5005 is rotationally drive-controlled via drive transmission gears 5011 and 5009 in association with forward and reverse rotation of a drive motor. 5007, 500
Reference numeral 8 denotes a home position detecting means for confirming the presence of the lever 5006 of the carriage HC in this area by a photocoupler and switching the rotation direction of the motor 5013.
The image recording signal is sent to the recording head 10 in synchronism with the movement of the carriage HC carrying the recording head, and ink droplets are ejected at a predetermined position for recording. 5016
Is a cap member 5 that caps the front surface of the recording head 10.
Numeral 5015 is a member for supporting 022, and a suction means 5015 sucks the inside of the cap to perform suction recovery of the recording head through the opening 5023 in the cap. Reference numeral 5017 is a cleaning blade, and 5019 is a member that allows this blade to move in the front-rear direction, and these are supported by a main body support plate 5018. Needless to say, the suction means, the blade, and the like need not be in this form, and known ones can be applied. Reference numeral 5012 is a lever for determining the timing of the suction recovery operation, which moves with the movement of the cam 5020 that engages with the carriage, and the driving force from the drive motor is controlled by a known transmission means such as clutch switching. To be done. These recovery means are configured so that when the carriage HC comes to the home position side area, the desired processing can be performed at a predetermined timing at the corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 5005.

The present invention will be described in more detail below.

The ink state shown in FIG. 5 shows an initial state in which the ink chambers a and b are sufficiently filled with ink, and FIG. 6 shows the ink that can be supplied from the initial state and the ink chamber b.
In this state, about 1/5 of the ink is consumed.

In order to maintain the negative pressure immediately after opening the ink cartridge, the ink chamber b may be filled up to the volume limit, but the ink filling amount in the ink chamber a is not more than the ink holding force limit of the absorber. It is preferable to set it, and it is possible to fill most of the ink chamber a with ink within that range as shown in FIG. The ink holding force referred to here is the ability of the absorbing member to hold the ink alone when the absorbing member is impregnated with the ink.

In FIG. 6, the ink in the compressed ink absorber is maintained at a height in which the hydraulic head pressure from the ejection portion of the recording head, the reduced pressure in the ink chamber b and the capillary force in the compressed ink absorber are balanced. . When ink is supplied from the ink supply unit, the ink amount in the ink chamber a does not decrease, and the ink in the ink chamber b is consumed. That is, the ink distribution in the ink chamber a does not change and the ink pressure in the ink chamber b is maintained while the internal pressure balance is maintained.
Ink corresponding to the ink supply is consumed from the above, and the corresponding atmosphere is introduced from the atmosphere communicating portion through the ink chamber a. At this time, the ink and the atmosphere are exchanged in the communicating portion between the ink chamber a and the ink chamber b, and a portion of the meniscus formed in the compressed ink absorber of the ink chamber a near the ink chamber b is partially broken to reduce the pressure. Then, the atmosphere is introduced into the ink chamber b so that the pressure in the ink chamber b is balanced with the meniscus holding force of the compressed ink absorber. That is, the internal pressure of the ink supply unit is maintained at a predetermined value by the capillary force of the compressed ink absorber in the ink chamber a. At this time, the flow path 15 of the recording head is pushed into the ink supply unit 2 to bring the filter 8 into pressure contact with the absorber, thereby partially increasing the compressibility of the absorber near the ink supply unit to the ink supply unit. The ink may be distributed more to facilitate gas-liquid exchange near the wall of the ink chamber. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a rib 4 or the like may be provided in the ink chamber a between the ink chamber wall and the compressed ink absorber so that air from the atmosphere communicating portion can easily pass therethrough.

FIG. 8 shows how the internal pressure in the ink supply portion of the replacement ink tank of this embodiment changes according to the ink supply amount (consumption amount). In the initial state, a certain amount of ink is present in the ink chamber a, and the internal pressure is generated by the capillary force of the compressed ink absorber, but the compressed ink is absorbed as the ink in the ink chamber a decreases as the ink is supplied. The internal pressure generated by the capillary force gradually increases according to the compressibility distribution (pore distribution) of the body. When the ink is further consumed, the ink distribution in the ink chamber a is stabilized and the ink in the ink chamber b is consumed.
By introducing the atmosphere into the ink chamber b as described above, a substantially constant internal pressure is maintained thereafter. When the ink is further consumed and all the ink in the ink chamber b is consumed, the ink chamber a is again consumed.
Ink starts to be consumed and the internal pressure changes. When the internal pressure of the ink supply unit becomes larger than a predetermined negative value, it is necessary to replace the ink tank or the print head.

FIG. 9 illustrates the function of the compression absorber as a buffer absorber. From the state of FIG. 6, the ink chamber b is expanded by the expansion of the air in the ink chamber b due to the pressure reduction of the atmospheric pressure or the temperature rise. It shows a state in which the above ink has flowed out to the ink chamber a. In this embodiment, the ink flowing out to the ink chamber a is held by the compression absorber. Regarding the relationship between the ink absorption amount of the compression absorber and the ink chamber, from the viewpoint of preventing the ink leakage when the pressure is reduced or the temperature is changed, the ink outflow amount from the ink chamber b under the worst condition and the ink In consideration of the amount of ink held in the ink chamber a when ink is supplied from the chamber b, the ink chamber a
The maximum ink absorption amount is determined, and at least the volume for accommodating the compressed absorber is provided in the ink chamber a. FIG. 10 shows the initial space volume of the ink chamber b before depressurization and 0.
The solid line graph shows the relationship with the ink outflow amount when the pressure is reduced to 7 atm. Further, when the maximum decompression condition of the atmospheric pressure is 0.5 atmospheric pressure, it is shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. Ink chamber b
When the maximum depressurization condition of the atmospheric pressure is 0.7 atm, the ink outflow amount from the ink chamber b becomes the maximum when the worst ink outflow amount from the ink chamber b is the volume VB of the ink chamber b. 30% of the ink remains in the ink chamber b, and if the ink below the lower end of the ink chamber wall is also absorbed by the compression absorber of the ink chamber a, it remains in the ink chamber b. It can be considered that all the existing ink (30% of VB) leaks. If the worst condition of atmospheric pressure is 0.5 atm, 50% of the volume of the ink chamber b will flow out. That is, the ink chamber b that expands under reduced pressure
The air in the chamber becomes larger as the residual ink amount is smaller and a large amount of ink is pushed out, but it does not flow out beyond the ink amount in the ink chamber b. Therefore, 0.
Assuming a pressure of 7 atm, when the residual ink is 30% or less, the residual ink amount becomes smaller than the expansion amount of the air, so that the outflow amount into the ink chamber a decreases.
The maximum leaked ink amount is 30% of the volume (50% at 0.5 atm). The above phenomenon is the same when the temperature of the ink tank changes, but the outflow amount is smaller than that at the time of depressurization even if the temperature rises by about 50 deg.

The composition of the ink used in this example was as shown below.

Composition Dye 4 parts Glycerin 7.5 parts Thiodiglycol 7.5 parts Urea 7.5 parts Pure water 73.5 parts

This kind of ink is an ink with good character quality for so-called plain paper such as copy paper and bond paper. Generally, the ink for inkjet is η / (γ
It is said that the smaller the value of cos θ), the faster the penetration of ink into the paper. Here, η is the viscosity of the ink, γ is the surface tension of the ink, and θ is the contact angle between the ink and the paper. Generally, if the contact angle is made small and the penetration into the paper is made fast, the ink will bleed along the non-uniform fiber fibers on the paper surface and the printing quality will be degraded. In order to improve the printing quality, one is to improve the quality by increasing the ratio of water (high γ, high θ) in the ink, but the permeability to paper is reduced. The ink having the above composition has a surface tension of 40 to 50.
dyne / cm and high surface tension for ink, the permeability to paper is lowered while considering the balance with fixing property, and the ink spreads on the paper surface and bleeds along uneven fiber (feather). Ring) to improve printing quality.

When this type of ink was used to perform a decompression test in the tank as described above, some ink tanks had a problem that the ink leaked out, and it was found that the tanks had variations. It was As a result of earnest study, it was found that the effect of the ink buffer depends not only on its capacity but also on the familiar state of the ink and the tank.

11 to 13 show comparative examples of ink tanks in which ink leakage has occurred. FIG. 11 shows the initial state of the ink tank, and FIG. 12 shows a state in which the ink that can be supplied to the ink chamber a and the ink that is about ⅕ of the ink chamber b have been consumed from the initial state. FIG. 13 shows a state in which the ink in the ink chamber b is pushed out toward the ink chamber a from the state of FIG. 12 due to the expansion of the air in the ink chamber b due to the pressure reduction of the atmospheric pressure or the temperature rise. Some of the ink is absorbed by the portion where the ink had permeated before, but the other ink is not absorbed by the absorber and travels through the gap between the tank wall or the ink chamber wall and the absorber to connect to the atmosphere communication unit 3. There was a problem that the ink leaked from the.

This is because the absorber that has never been in contact with the ink has poor ink absorbency, and the absorber that has a history of absorbing the ink changes its surface state to improve the ink permeability. It is considered that the absorbability of the ink has improved significantly. In order to verify this more clearly, we measured the height at which the ink was absorbed by immersing an unused compressed absorber (polyurethane foam) and a compressed absorber that had a history of absorbing ink once in the ink. However, the unused ink absorber did not absorb the ink, which was about a few millimeters, whereas the absorber that had a history of absorbing the ink showed an overwhelming difference in absorbency of several centimeters or more. .

In the ink cartridge of this embodiment, the ink chamber b can be filled up to the volume limit in the initial state. or,
It is possible to set the amount of ink filled in the ink chamber a up to the ink holding force limit of the absorber. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in consideration of the above points, the ink chamber b is filled up to the volume limit, and the ink chamber a is filled up to almost the volume limit so that the absorber is once wetted with ink before use. Further, after that, in order to maintain a predetermined negative pressure immediately after opening the ink cartridge, an operation of extracting an appropriate amount of ink so that the absorber in the ink chamber a becomes equal to or less than the ink holding force limit may be performed.

Immediately after the tank of this embodiment is opened, the ink in the ink chamber a is first used, and then the ink in the ink chamber b is used. Therefore, when the ink in the ink chamber b requiring the buffer function is used, Since the ink absorber in the ink chamber a is in a wet state in advance, the ink easily penetrates and the buffer function can be sufficiently drawn out. Also, there is no risk of ink overflowing from the atmosphere communication port. As a result of mounting the tank thus manufactured on an ink jet recording apparatus and performing a decompression test, an ink tank for an ink jet recording apparatus, which has no leakage and has high printing quality, was realized.

In order to manufacture an ink tank having such a function, a method of pretreatment with ink or an alternative solvent having a good rewetting property before incorporating the absorber may be considered. However, in this case, a step of wetting and drying later is required, and when a solvent other than ink is used, it is necessary to take care not to elute it in the ink and damage the heater. . In addition, it is possible to make the ink easier to permeate into the absorber, but in general, the permeation into the paper will be too good, and as described above, the ink will follow the uneven fiber fibers on the paper surface. As a result, the print quality deteriorates.

14 to 15 are views showing a modified example of this embodiment, showing an example in which two ink chambers c and d are further provided so as to communicate with the ink chamber b. In this modification, ink is consumed in the order of the ink chamber b, the ink chamber c, and the ink chamber d. The reason why the ink chamber is divided into four in this modified example is to prevent the ink from leaking under the reduced pressure environment and the temperature change described in the above embodiment. For example, in the state of FIG. When the atmosphere in the ink chamber c expands, the atmospheric expansion in the ink chamber b is released from the atmosphere communicating portion via the ink chamber a, and the atmospheric expansion in the ink chamber c is transferred to the ink chambers b and a. Is solved by the outflow. That is, the ink chamber a has a function as a buffer chamber, and the ink holding capacity of the compressed ink absorber in the ink chamber a may be set in consideration of the leakage from one ink chamber. Become. Even in this case, needless to say, the effect is exhibited by making the entire compression absorber of the ink chamber a once to have a history of ink absorption. Further, since the buffer chamber (ink chamber a) can be made small, the amount of waste ink can be reduced when the ink removing step after the ink filling is included in the manufacturing.

In this embodiment, the single-color recording apparatus having one recording head has been described, but a plurality of recording heads capable of ejecting ink of different colors, for example, four recording heads Bk, C, M and Y.
It can also be applied to a color inkjet recording device having a head, and can also be applied to a recording head capable of ejecting ink of multiple colors with one recording head. In that case, means for regulating the connecting position / direction of the replacement tank Should be added.

In the present embodiment, the example in which the ink tank is replaced has been described. However, the present invention is applied to a recording head / ink tank integrated replacement system in which a recording head and an ink tank filled with a predetermined amount of ink are integrally formed. It is also possible to do so.

The present invention provides excellent effects particularly in an ink jet recording head and a recording apparatus using heat among the ink jet recording systems.

Regarding its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. 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, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path in which the is held, which corresponds to the recorded information and gives a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, This is effective because heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter to cause film boiling on the heat acting surface of the recording head, and as a result, bubbles can be formed in the liquid (ink) in one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection openings by the growth and contraction of the bubbles to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make the driving signal into a pulse shape because bubbles can be grown and contracted immediately and appropriately, and thus a liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be ejected. This pulse-shaped drive signal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,359 and No. 43.
Those as described in 45262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124, which is an invention relating to the rate of temperature rise on the heat acting surface, are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the discharge port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the linear liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications. US Pat. No. 4,558,333, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, which discloses a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of No. 459600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 123670/1984 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of the electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 138461/1984, which discloses a configuration that corresponds to the discharge portion.

Further, a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium which can be recorded by the recording apparatus is obtained by combining a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. Although the structure may be one that satisfies the length or one recording head integrally formed, the present invention can more effectively exhibit the above-described effects.

In addition, by being attached to the apparatus main body, it can be electrically connected to the apparatus main body and can be supplied with ink from the apparatus main body by a replaceable chip type recording head or the recording head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge-type recording head that is specially provided is used.

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 of the present invention, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specific examples thereof include capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suctioning means, electrothermal converters or heating elements other than these, or preheating means for the recording head. ,
It is also effective to perform stable recording by performing a preliminary discharge mode in which discharge is performed separately from recording.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but the recording head may be integrally formed or a plurality of combinations may be used. The present invention is also extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of full color by color mixing.

<Second Embodiment> FIG. 16 illustrates the function of the ink tank in the second embodiment. The replacement ink tank 1 has an inner surface partitioned into four ink chambers (a to d) and communicated with each other at the bottom, and an ink absorber having a capillary force adjusted between the ink chamber a of the ink supply unit and the communication unit between the ink chambers. 2 is filled with almost no space, and the atmosphere communication part 3
It is an improved type of ink cartridge of a divided ink chamber type in which a buffer absorber for preventing the leakage of ink is packed in the ink chamber d having.

The state of the ink in FIG.
It is a state in which about half of the ink in the ink chamber c has been consumed from the initial state in which b and c are sufficiently filled. When the ink is further consumed, the ink in the ink chamber c runs out, and
As shown in FIG. 7, the ink in the ink chamber b starts to be supplied.
When the ink is further consumed from the state of FIG. 17 and the ink in the ink chamber b is exhausted, the ink held in the ink absorber in the ink chamber a filled with the ink absorber starts to be supplied, When the ink is almost exhausted,
Replace Replace the ink tank. FIG. 18 illustrates the principle of ink supply and ink internal pressure generation in the second embodiment. Ink is almost consumed in the ink chamber on the left side of FIG.
It is in the atmospheric pressure state because it is communicated with the atmosphere communication section by the action of the communication section between the ink chambers. When ink is supplied from the ink supply unit to the recording head side through the communication unit between the ink chambers, ink at atmospheric pressure is passed through the ink absorber in which the communication unit between the ink chambers is compressed and the capillary force is increased. Ink flows out and is supplied from an ink chamber communicating with the chamber adjacent to the chamber. The ink chamber in which the ink has been consumed is to be decompressed by that amount, and the meniscus formed in the compressed ink absorber between the ink chambers is partially ruptured and the pressure in the decompressed ink chamber is compressed. Atmosphere is introduced into the consuming ink chamber to balance the meniscus holding power of the ink absorber. That is, the internal pressure of the ink supply section is maintained at a predetermined value by the capillary force of the compressed ink absorber in the communication section between the ink chambers. FIG. 19 shows how the internal pressure in the ink supply portion of the replacement ink tank of the second embodiment changes according to the ink supply amount (consumption amount). Although the internal pressure is generated by the capillary force of the buffer absorber or the ink absorber, the ink chamber d
The internal pressure is generated by the capillary force of the compressed ink absorber (compressing portion) in the communication portion between the ink chamber c and the ink chamber c, and while the ink is being supplied from the ink chamber c as described above, Maintain a constant internal pressure. When the ink is further consumed, the ink in the ink chamber b starts to be consumed.
When the ink chamber is switched, the internal pressure of the ink supply unit fluctuates slightly. This is considered to be related to the fact that the ink is continuously supplied to measure the internal pressure and that the state in which both the ink chambers c and b are depressurized temporarily occurs. It was confirmed that it was not a big problem in terms of functionality. When the ink in the ink chamber b is stably consumed, the internal pressure becomes stable again.
When the ink in the ink chamber b is consumed, the ink in the ink chamber a is supplied (consumed) next. According to the study by the present inventor, good recording could be performed without any problem in recording characteristics during the ink stable supply period shown in FIG.

FIG. 20 explains the function of the buffer absorber, and the state where the ink in the ink chamber c overflows from the state of FIG. 16 due to the expansion of the air in the ink chamber c due to the pressure reduction of the atmospheric pressure or the temperature rise. Is shown. In this embodiment, the ink that overflows into the ink chamber d is held by the buffer absorber. However, in the case of 0.7 atm, the buffer is considered in consideration of the leakage of the ink amount of 30% of the volume of the ink chamber c at the maximum. The ink absorption capacity of the absorber may be determined. When the atmospheric pressure is restored to the level before depressurization (assuming it returned to 1 atm),
The ink leaked to the ink chamber d and held in the buffer absorber returns to the ink chamber c again. The above phenomenon is the same when the temperature of the ink tank changes, but the amount of leakage is smaller than that when the pressure is reduced even if the temperature rises by about 50 deg.

In this case as well, it is considered that the ink buffer should be designed in consideration of the maximum amount of leaked ink. However, in the decompression test, some ink tanks have a problem that ink leaks out. However, it was found that there were variations in the tanks, and as a result of diligent studies, it was obtained that it depends on the familiar state between the ink and the buffer absorber in the ink chamber d.

Therefore, in the second embodiment as well, the buffer absorber in the ink chamber d is kept in a state of having a history of being once absorbed by the ink before use. As a result, the ink is depressurized by the atmospheric pressure or the temperature rises. When the ink in the ink chamber c was pushed toward the ink chamber d due to the expansion of the air in the chamber c, the buffer absorber in the ink chamber d did not absorb the ink and leaked out of the ink cartridge.

As described above, since the ink chamber d is the ink buffer chamber, it is preferable that the ink chamber d is not initially filled with ink. Therefore, in this embodiment, the ink chamber a,
All of b and c are filled up to the volume limit, and the ink chamber d is filled up to almost the volume limit, and then only this ink is extracted so that the ink buffer effect can be maintained.

As a result of mounting the ink tank thus produced in an ink jet recording apparatus and conducting a decompression test, it is possible to realize a reliable ink tank for an ink jet recording apparatus which has no leakage and has high printing quality. It was

[0057]

As described above, in the ink tank cartridge including the ink chamber of the supply portion for containing the ink absorber having the adjusted capillary force and one or a plurality of ink chambers communicating with the ink chamber for storing ink. By pre-wetting the absorber with ink, there is no ink leakage due to changes in the operating environment conditions of the inkjet recording device during recording and non-recording, high ink usage efficiency, and an ink cartridge with good character quality are realized. We were able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a partially broken ink tank of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a mounting state of the recording head and the replacement ink tank of the first embodiment of the invention on the carriage.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an example of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an initial state of the ink tank of the first embodiment. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the ink consumption of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the internal pressure of the ink supply unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an ink buffer effect at the time of decompression of the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the amount of ink outflow when the pressure is reduced.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an initial state of an ink tank of a comparative example.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of ink consumption of a comparative example.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state of ink leakage during decompression of a comparative example.

FIG. 14 is a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the recording head and the replacement ink tank of the second embodiment are mounted on the carriage.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of ink consumption according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of the principle of exchange of ink with the atmosphere.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of the internal pressure of the ink supply unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of an ink buffer function of the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Ink Tank 2 Ink Supply Section 3 Atmosphere Communication Section 4 Rib 8 Filter 9 Ring Seal 15 Flow Path

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] December 15, 1993

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Brief description of the drawing

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a partially broken ink tank of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a mounting state of the recording head and the replacement ink tank of the first embodiment of the invention on the carriage.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an example of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an initial state of the ink tank of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of ink consumption according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the internal pressure of the ink supply unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an ink buffer effect at the time of decompression of the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the amount of ink outflow when the pressure is reduced.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an initial state of an ink tank of a comparative example.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of ink consumption of a comparative example.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state of ink leakage during decompression of a comparative example.

FIG. 14 is a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the recording head and the replacement ink tank of the second embodiment are mounted on the carriage.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of ink consumption according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of the principle of exchange of ink with the atmosphere.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of the internal pressure of the ink supply unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of an ink buffer function of the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 ink tank 2 ink supply unit 3 atmosphere communication unit 4 rib 8 filter 9 ring seal 15 flow path

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiromitsu Hirabayashi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Norifumi Koitabashi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Incorporated (72) Inventor Shigetasu Nagoshi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Masaya Uetsuki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. In-house (72) Inventor Miyuki Matsubara 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Fumihiro Goto 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) ) Inventor Yuji Akiyama 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An ink tank cartridge comprising a supply section ink chamber having a recording head supply section and an atmosphere communicating section and containing a porous body, and one or a plurality of ink chambers communicating therewith for storing ink. An ink cartridge characterized in that the porous body contained therein is wetted with ink before use. 2. A supply section ink chamber comprising a supply section ink chamber having a supply section for a recording head and containing a porous body, and one or a plurality of ink chambers communicating therewith for storing ink. An ink cartridge characterized in that an ink chamber communicating with the atmosphere communicates with a porous body, and the porous body of the ink chamber is pre-wetted with ink. 3. The ink cartridge according to claim 2, wherein a capillary member is provided at a communicating portion with an adjacent ink chamber. 4. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the recording head and the ink tank are configured to be separable and replaceable. 5. The ink cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, and a supply of ink from the ink cartridge,
An ink jet head cartridge, comprising: a recording head that performs recording by ejecting the ink.