JPH06191051A - Ink jet recording apparatus, ink tank therefor and ink tank integrated type recording head cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simply and inexpensively provide an ink tank having a plurality of capacities without requiring special discrimination from the aspect of a manufacturing process. CONSTITUTION:Partition walls 1050, 1051 having two kinds of wall thicknesses are formed to an ink tank main body 1000 and the thin-walled partition wall 1051 is set to a part possible to cut off and a part 1060 becoming a wedge-shape recessed part is provided along the end edge of the partition wall on the thin- walled side to make cutting-off easy and certain. By this constitution, an ink container common in almost all of constitutional parts and having a plurality of ink capacities can be provided by adding a process cutting off the partition wall on the thin-walled side in the same manufacturing process or not and the ink container matched with a use can be inexpensively provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention has an ink jet recording apparatus for forming characters, images and the like by ejecting droplets onto a recording material, an ink tank used in the apparatus, and an ink tank integrally provided. And a recording head cartridge integrated with an ink tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one form of a recording system, ink is guided from an ink tank to a recording head, and an energy generator, such as a heating element or a piezoelectric element, provided near the ejection port of the recording head is driven based on a signal. By doing
An ink jet recording method is known in which an ink droplet is ejected from an ejection port and the ejected ink is attached to a recording material to perform recording.

In this type of apparatus, a cartridge type ink tank is often used because of the demand for easy replenishment of ink. In this case, it is possible to replenish ink only by exchanging the ink tank, and to judge the replenishment amount. Is unnecessary, and further, there is an advantage that contamination by ink hardly occurs at the time of replenishment.

Further, a cartridge type ink tank and an ink jet recording head which are integrated with each other (hereinafter, this type is also referred to as an ink tank integrated recording head cartridge or simply a head cartridge) are convenient. In addition to its characteristics, it is small, lightweight and inexpensive, so it is rapidly gaining popularity. For this reason,
Ink-tank integrated recording head cartridges are being mass-produced using highly automated production equipment.

On the other hand, with the increase in demand for ink jet recording apparatuses, ink capacities used in the same printer have become diverse, reflecting various needs of users. For example, mainly for business use, those who have a large ink capacity, and for personal use, on the contrary, there are many demands for a material that has a small ink capacity. To meet these needs, conventionally, in order to provide a cartridge type ink container having a different ink capacity, ink containers corresponding to the respective ink capacities have been individually prepared. In addition, in the case of an integrated recording head cartridge having an ink tank, there is currently no one having two or more kinds of ink capacities.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, when a plurality of ink containers are prepared, there are the following problems.

1) Since most of the components such as the ink tank body and lid are required separately, mold investment increases,
The unit price of the parts, and eventually the ink tank, will also be expensive.

2) The structure of the printer body for accommodating the ink tanks of a plurality of sizes becomes complicated,
This will increase the cost of the main unit.

Further, in the case of the ink tank integrated type recording head cartridge, which has become the mainstream in recent years, in addition to the above-mentioned problems, the following problems also occur particularly when considering a manufacturing process in which mass production is performed. Occurs.

3) Since the production quantity ratio of each of the plurality of ink capacities is determined at the time of inserting the parts, it is not possible to deal with the flexible production quantity variation.

4) Since the jigs and tools on the manufacturing line are made to correspond to the sizes of the ink tanks having a plurality of ink capacities, the jigs and tools and the structure of the line are complicated, and in extreme cases, they are manufactured on separate lines. Therefore, the productivity may be significantly reduced.

To solve these problems, it is possible to provide a plurality of ink tanks by simply changing the amount of ink sealed in the same container. However, in this case, when it is possible to easily check the remaining amount of ink from the outside by partially making the ink tank transparent, the amount seen from the confirmation window does not indicate the position corresponding to the ink amount. For example, when the volume of the ink tank is 1, the confirmation window shows the remaining amount of the ink when the ink is completely filled. However, an ink tank having an ink volume of 1/2 of the volume of the ink tank was prepared. In this case, even though the tank has the initial filling amount corresponding to the tank, it is visually recognized that only 1/2 is contained in the confirmation window, which is very unsightly and may cause unnecessary confusion for the operator. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve these problems and provide an ink tank having a plurality of capacities simply and at low cost without requiring special distinction in the manufacturing process.

[0014]

To this end, the present invention is used in an ink jet recording apparatus for recording using a recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording medium, and contains ink to be supplied to the recording head. In the ink tank for this purpose, the partition is a partition that divides the inside into two or more chambers, and at least a part of the partition can be removed.

Here, the partition wall includes a portion having a large wall thickness and a portion having a small wall thickness, and the portion having the small wall thickness can be removed.

Then, a groove, which is a wedge-shaped recess, can be formed along the edge of the portion having the small wall thickness.

Further, when at least a part of the partition wall is not removed, the chamber in which the ink is contained among the two or more chambers is communicated by the removal when the removal is performed. A float that moves in accordance with ink consumption due to ink supply can be arranged in the chamber formed as described above.

A window for confirming the remaining amount of ink can be provided corresponding to the chamber in which the ink is stored.

Further, according to the present invention, such an ink tank and a recording head for ejecting ink onto the recording medium are integrally provided and can be attached to and detached from the ink jet recording apparatus.

Further, the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a supporting means for detachably supporting such an ink tank type recording head cartridge.

[0021]

According to the present invention, a partition wall which divides into at least two chambers in the ink tank and at least a part of which can be removed, for example, a partition wall having two kinds of wall thickness is formed. The partition on the thin side is made a resectable part,
Also, by providing a wedge-shaped concave portion along the end of the partition wall on the thin wall side, most of the components are common, and the partition wall on the thin wall side is cut off in the same manufacturing process. An ink container having a plurality of ink capacities can be provided depending on whether or not steps are added, and an ink container suitable for the intended use can be provided at a low price.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a view showing the schematic arrangement of an ink tank according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 to 7 show the ink jet unit IJU, ink jet head IJH, ink tank IT, ink jet cartridge IJC, ink jet recording apparatus main body IJRA, carriage HC, and ink in the ink jet unit which are suitable for implementing or applying the present invention. It is an explanatory view for explaining each of channels and their mutual relation. The configuration of each part will be described below with reference to these drawings.

Inkjet cartridge IJ in this example
As is clear from the perspective view of FIG. 3, C has a large proportion of the ink storage portion, and has a shape in which the tip of the inkjet unit IJU slightly projects from the front surface of the ink tank IT. This inkjet cartridge IJC is an inkjet recording device main body IJR.
The carriage HC (FIG. 5) mounted on A is fixedly supported by the positioning means and electrical contacts, which will be described later, and is detachable from the carriage HC. In this example, FIGS. 1 to 7 have a configuration to which various new technologies made in the stage of establishment of the present invention are applied.
The entire structure will be described while briefly describing these configurations.

(I) Description of Configuration of Inkjet Unit IJU The inkjet unit IJU of this example performs recording using an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy for causing film boiling in the ink in response to an electrical signal. Is a unit of.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 100 denotes an electrothermal converter (discharge 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, which are formed by a film forming technique. It is a heater board consisting of. Reference numeral 200 is a wiring board for the heater board 100.
It has a wiring corresponding to the wiring of 0 (for example, it is connected by wire bonding), and a pad 201 located at the end of this wiring and receiving an electric signal from the main body device.

Reference numeral 1300 denotes a grooved top plate provided with partition walls for partitioning a plurality of liquid passages and a common liquid chamber for temporarily storing ink for supplying ink to each liquid passage, which is supplied from the ink tank IT. The ink receiving port 1500 for receiving the generated ink and introducing it into the common liquid chamber and the discharge port forming member (orifice plate) 400 having a plurality of discharge ports corresponding to the respective liquid paths are integrally molded. Polysulfone is preferable as the integral molding material, but other molding resin materials may be used.

Reference numeral 300 denotes a support body made of, for example, a metal, which supports the back surface of the wiring board 200 on a flat surface and serves as a bottom plate of the ink jet unit. 500 is a presser spring, which is approximately M
The central portion of the M-shaped portion presses the common liquid chamber with a light pressure, and the front droop portion 501 centrally presses a part of the liquid passage, preferably a region near the discharge port, with a linear pressure. By pressing the heater board 100 and the top plate 1300, the foot portion of the spring 500 engages with the back surface side of the support body 300 through the hole 3121 of the support body 300 to sandwich them, and by engaging them in that state. The heater board 100 and the top plate 1300 are pressure-bonded to each other by the concentrated urging force of the pressing spring 500 and its front slant portion 501. In addition, the support 300 is
In addition to having positioning holes 312, 1900, and 2000 that engage with the two positioning protrusions 1012 of the ink tank IT and the protrusions 1800 and 1801 for holding the positioning / heat-fusion adhesion, a protrusion 2500 for positioning the carriage HC of the apparatus main body IJRA, 2600 is provided on the back side.
In addition, the support 300 also has a hole 320 that allows an ink supply pipe 2200 (described later) that allows the ink to be supplied from the ink tank to pass therethrough. The wiring board 200 is attached to the support 300 by adhering it with an adhesive or the like.

The recesses 2400, 24 of the support 300 are
01 is provided in the vicinity of the positioning projections 2500 and 2600, respectively, and in the assembled ink jet cartridge IJC (FIG. 3), the head tip region formed by a plurality of parallel grooves 3000 and 3001 on the three sides of the periphery. Is located at the extension point of 1) so that unnecessary substances such as dust and ink do not reach the protrusions 2500 and 2600. The lid member 800 in which the parallel groove 3000 is formed is
As is apparent from FIG. 5, the outer wall of the inkjet cartridge IJC is formed, and a space portion for accommodating the inkjet unit IJU is formed together with the ink tank. In addition, the ink supply member 600 in which the parallel groove 3001 is formed is formed as a cantilever with the ink conduit 1600 continuous to the above-described ink supply pipe 2200 being fixed on the supply pipe 2200 side. A sealing pin 602 is inserted to secure a capillarity with the supply tube 2200. 601 is a packing for connecting and sealing the ink tank IT and the supply pipe 2200, and 700 is a filter provided at the tank side end of the supply pipe.

Since the ink supply member 600 is molded, the ink supply member 600 is inexpensive, has a high positional accuracy, and eliminates a decrease in the accuracy of formation and manufacturing. Moreover, the cantilevered conduit 1600 allows the ink supplying member 600 to be used for mass production. The pressure contact state of 1600 to the ink receiving port 1500 can be stabilized. In this example, by simply pouring the sealing adhesive from the ink supply member side under this pressure contact state, a more complete communication state can be reliably obtained. In addition, the fixing of the ink supply member 600 to the support 300 is performed by the holes 1901 of the support 300.
A pin (not shown) on the back surface of the ink supply member 600 with respect to 1902 is projected through the holes 1901 and 1902 of the support 300, and the portion protruding on the back surface of the support 300 is heat-fused to easily perform the operation. Be seen. In addition, the slightly projected area of the heat-sealed back surface is accommodated in the recess (not shown) in the side wall surface of the ink jet unit IJU mounting surface of the ink tank IT, so that the positioning surface of the unit IJU can be accurately obtained. .

(Ii) Description of ink tank IT structure The ink tank is composed of a cartridge main body (hereinafter also referred to as an ink tank main body or an ink container main body) 1000, a float 900 that moves along with ink consumption, and a cartridge main body 1000 after ink injection. After the float 900 is inserted from the side surface opposite to the unit IJU mounting surface, the lid member 1100 is provided to seal the float 900. Also, an ink remaining amount confirmation window 1030 is formed on the cartridge body 1000 by two-color molding.
It is equipped with 0, so that the remaining amount of ink can be easily confirmed from the outside.

The float 900 follows the movement of the ink as the amount of ink decreases, and the negative pressure is kept constant by the frictional force with the outer wall portion. The float 900 is arranged in the cartridge body 1000. Reference numeral 1200 is a supply port for supplying ink to the unit including the above-described units 100 to 600.

In this example, the float 900 has a hole shape 901 in the center and is adapted to engage with the partition wall 1050 formed in the cartridge body 1000. The float 900 of this example represents one used when the thin wall 1051 is cut off in the manufacturing process.
By using the float 900, it is possible to provide the ink having a volume substantially equal to the volume of the cartridge body 1000. A float 910 shown beside the float 900 in FIG. 2 represents a float 910 used when the partition wall 1051 on the thin side is not cut off in the manufacturing process. By using the float 910, it is possible to provide the ink having the ink capacity which is about ½ of the volume of the cartridge body 1000.

As described above, in this example, it is possible to easily provide an ink container having two kinds of ink capacities in the same manufacturing process by preparing only the float 900 and the float 910 as replacement parts.

Reference numeral 1401 denotes an atmosphere communication port provided in the lid member 1100 for communicating the inside of the cartridge with the atmosphere. A liquid repellent 1400 is arranged inside the atmosphere communication port 1401, and thus ink leakage from the atmosphere communication port 1401 is prevented.

FIG. 4 shows the above unit I of the ink tank IT.
The structure of the mounting surface of JU is shown. The ink tank IT passes through almost the center of the projecting opening of the orifice plate 400.
Let L ₁ be a straight line parallel to the mounting reference plane on the bottom surface or on the surface of the carriage, the two positioning protrusions 1012 that engage with the holes 312 of the support 300 are on this straight line L ₁ . The height of the protrusion 1012 is slightly lower than the thickness of the support 300, and the support 300 is positioned. In this drawing, a claw 2100 with which the 90 ° angle engaging surface 4002 of the carriage positioning hook 4001 is engaged is located on an extension of the straight line L ₁ , and the positioning force for the carriage is the straight line L ₁ Is configured to operate in a plane area parallel to the reference plane. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 5, these relationships are effective because the positioning accuracy of only the ink tank is equal to the positioning accuracy of the ejection port of the head.

Further, the projections 1800 and 1801 of the ink tank corresponding to the fixing holes 1900 and 2000 on the side surface of the ink tank of the support 300 are the projections 101 described above.
It is for fixing the support body 300 to the side surface by heat-sealing a portion that is longer than 2 and penetrates the support body 300 and projects. Assuming that a straight line passing through the protrusion 1800 perpendicular to the above line L ₁ is L ₃ and a straight line passing through the protrusion 1801 is L ₂ , the approximate center of the supply port 1200 is located on the straight line L ₃ , so that the supply unit This is a preferable configuration because it acts to stabilize the combined state of the mouth 1200 and the supply pipe 2200, and the load on these combined states can be reduced even when dropped or impacted. Further, the straight lines L ₂ and L ₃ do not coincide with each other, and the protrusions 1800, 1800, around the protrusion 1012 on the ejection port side of the head IJH.
Since 1801 is present, the positioning effect of the head IJH with respect to the tank is further produced. In addition,
The curve indicated by L ₄ is the outer wall position when the ink supply member 600 is mounted. Since the protrusions 1800 and 1801 are along the curved line L ₄ , sufficient strength and positional accuracy are given to the weight of the tip side structure of the head IJH.

Reference numeral 2700 denotes a front end flange of the ink tank IT, which is a hole of the front plate 4000 provided on the carriage HC (FIG. 5).
It is installed in the case of an abnormal situation where the displacement of the ink tank becomes extremely bad. Reference numeral 2101 denotes a retainer for the carriage HC, which is provided for a bar (not shown) of the carriage HC and enters below the bar at a position where the cartridge IJC is pivotally mounted as will be described later, thereby unnecessarily positioning the bar. It is a protective member for maintaining the mounted state even when a force is exerted in the upward direction to disengage from.

By the way, the ink tank IT has a shape that surrounds the unit IJU except the lower opening by covering the unit IJU with the lid 800 after the unit IJU is mounted.
Since the lower opening for mounting on the HC is close to the carriage HC, a substantial four-sided surrounding space is formed. Therefore, although the heat generated from the head IJH in the enclosed space is effective as a heat-retaining space in this space, a slight temperature rise occurs when it is continuously used for a long period of time. Therefore, in this example, in order to assist the natural heat dissipation of the support, the cartridge I
Slit 17 with a width smaller than this space on the upper surface of JC
00 is provided so that the temperature distribution is prevented and the temperature distribution of the entire unit IJU is made uniform regardless of the environment.

When assembled as an ink jet cartridge IJC, the ink is supplied from the inside of the cartridge into the supply tank 600 through the supply port 1200, the hole 320 provided in the support 300, and the introduction port provided on the back side of the supply tank 600. Then, after passing through the inside thereof, an appropriate supply pipe from the outlet and an ink inlet 15 of the top plate 1300.
Through 00 into the common liquid chamber.

In the above-mentioned connecting portion for communicating ink,
For example, packing such as silicone rubber or butyl rubber is provided, and sealing is performed by this to secure the ink supply path.

Further, in this embodiment, the top plate 1300
Is made of a resin such as polysulfone, polyether sulfone, polyphenylene oxide, polypropylene, etc., which has excellent ink resistance, and is integrally molded together with the orifice plate portion 400 in the mold.

As described above, in this embodiment, the ink supply member 600, the top plate / orifice plate integrated portion, and the ink tank main body 1000 are integrally molded parts.
Not only is the assembly accuracy raised to a high level, but it is also extremely effective in improving the quality of mass production. Further, since the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the conventional one, excellent desired characteristics can be surely exhibited.

Further, in this embodiment, in the shape after the above assembly, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the ink supply member 600 has a roof portion whose upper surface portion 603 is provided with the slit 1700 of the ink tank IT. As shown in FIG. 3, a slit S is formed between the end portion 4008 and
Reference numeral 04 forms a slit (not shown) similar to the above-mentioned slit S with the head side end portion 4011 of the thin plate member to which the lid 800 below the ink tank IT is adhered. The slits between the ink tank IT and the ink supply member 600 have a function of further promoting heat dissipation of the slit 1700, and even if unnecessary pressure is applied to the tank IT, the slits are directly supplied to the member. As a result, the ink jet unit IJT is prevented from being affected.

In any case, the above configuration of this embodiment is
It has a configuration that has not been available in the past, and each has an effective effect independently, and also has an organic configuration due to the composite requirements.

(Iii) Description of Installation of Inkjet Cartridge IJC to Carriage HC In FIG. 5, reference numeral 5000 is a platen roller which guides the recording medium P from the lower side to the upper side of the drawing. Carriage HC is
It moves along the platen roller 5000, and the inkjet cartridge is installed on the front platen side of the carriage.
Front plate 4000 (thickness 2mm) located on the front side of IJC
And the pad 20 of the wiring board 200 of the cartridge IJC
Flexible sheet 4005 having a pad 2011 corresponding to No. 1 and each pad 2011 from the back side
Support plate 4003 for electrical connection portion holding a rubber pad sheet 4007 for generating elastic force pressing against
And a positioning hook 4001 for fixing the inkjet cartridge IJC to the recording position. The front plate 4000 has the positioning protrusion surface 4010 on the above-mentioned positioning protrusion 250 of the support 300 of the cartridge.
Two cartridges are provided corresponding to 0 and 2600, respectively, and after mounting the cartridge, a vertical force toward the protruding surface 4010 is received. For this reason, the platen roller side of the front plate has a plurality of ribs (not shown) directed in the direction of the vertical force. This rib also forms a head protection protrusion that protrudes slightly (about 0.1 mm) toward the platen roller from the front position L ₅ when the cartridge IJC is mounted. The supporting plate 4003 for the electrical connection portion is provided with the reinforcing ribs 40.
A plurality of 04 are provided in the vertical direction, not in the direction of the ribs, and the ratio of lateral projection from the platen side toward the hook 4001 side is reduced. This also fulfills the function of inclining the position when the cartridge is mounted as shown in the figure.

Further, the support body 4003 stabilizes the electrical contact state, so that the two positioning protrusion surfaces 4010 are provided.
Positioning surface 4 on the hook side for exerting an acting force on the cartridge in a direction opposite to the acting direction on the cartridge by
There are two 006 corresponding to the projecting surface 4010, a pad contact area is formed between them, and the pad 201
The amount of deformation of the 1-corresponding rubber sheet 4007 with a boss is uniquely defined. These positioning surfaces come into contact with the surface of the wiring board 200 when the cartridge IJC is fixed at a recordable position. In this example, the pads 201 of the wiring board 200 are further distributed symmetrically with respect to the line L ₁ described above.
The amount of deformation of each Botchi of 007 is made uniform and the pad 201
The contact pressure of 1,201 is further stabilized. The distribution of the pads 201 in this example is upper, lower two rows, and vertical two rows.

The hook 4001 has an elongated hole that engages with the fixed shaft 4009, and the platen roller 500 is rotated after rotating counterclockwise from the position shown in the figure by utilizing the moving space of the elongated hole.
The inkjet cartridge IJC is positioned with respect to the carriage HC by moving to the left along 0. The hook 4001 may be moved by any means, but it is preferable that the hook 4001 can be moved by a lever or the like. In any case, when the hook 4001 rotates, the cartridge IJC moves to the platen roller side, and the positioning protrusion 2500,
2600 moves to a position where it can contact the positioning surface 4010 of the front plate, and the hook 4001 moves to the left by 90 °.
The hook surface 4002 of the cartridge is the nail 2100 of the cartridge IJC.
While closely contacting the 90 ° surface of the cartridge IJC, the cartridge IJC is swung in the horizontal plane around the contact area of the positioning surfaces 2500 and 4010, and finally the pads 201 and 2011 come into contact with each other. When the hook 4001 is held at a predetermined position, that is, a fixed position, the pads 201 and 2011 are in full contact with each other, the positioning surfaces 2500 and 4010 are in full contact with each other, and the 90 ° surface 4002 and the 90 ° surface of the claw are in contact with each other. The two-face contact and the face contact between the wiring board 300 and the positioning surface 4006 are simultaneously formed, and the holding of the cartridge IJC with respect to the carriage is completed.

(Iv) General Description of Apparatus Main Body FIG. 6 shows an ink jet recording apparatus IJ to which the present invention is applied.
It is a general-view figure of RA. Here, the carriage HC is interlocked with the forward and reverse rotations of the drive motor 5013, and the drive force transmission gear 50.
Lead screw 50 rotating through 11,5009
05 has a pin (not shown) that engages with the spiral groove 5004 and the arrow a,
It is reciprocated in the b direction. Reference numeral 5002 denotes a holding plate (paper holding plate) for paper, OHP film, and other recording media (hereinafter also simply referred to as paper), and presses the paper against the platen 5000 in the carriage movement direction. 5007,50
Reference numeral 08 denotes a photo coupler, which is a lever 500 of the carriage.
6 is a home position detecting means for confirming the existence of 6 in this region and switching the rotation direction of the motor 5013. Reference numeral 5016 is a member that supports a cap member 5022 that caps the front surface of the recording head, and 5015 is a suction unit that sucks the inside of the cap, which is an opening 502 in the cap.
The suction recovery of the recording head is performed via 3. 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, a well-known cleaning blade can be applied to this example instead of this form. Reference numeral 5012 is a lever for starting suction for suction recovery, which moves with the movement of the cam 5020 that engages with the carriage, and the driving force from the driving motor moves by a known transmission means such as clutch switching. Controlled.

The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery are configured so that the desired processing can be performed at their corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 5005 when the carriage HC is positioned in the home position side area. Any of these can be applied to the present example as long as a desired operation is performed at a known timing.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the ink tank main body of this embodiment as seen from the direction in which its characteristics are clear, and FIG. 7 shows a view of the ink tank main body as seen from the front right side of FIG.

The ink tank main body in this example is provided with partition walls 1050 and 1051 for dividing the inside of the cartridge main body 1000 at positions having a dimensional relationship that roughly divides the volume inside the cartridge main body 1000. It should be noted that the end edges of the partition walls 1050 and 1051 opposite to the end edges shown in FIG. 1 are continuously integrated with the side wall of the ink tank body.

When the ink tank main body 1000 has the supply port 1200 formed in the lower portion of FIGS. 1 and 2 and the upper and lower portions are partitioned by the partition walls 1050 and 1051, the ink tank is used in the lower portion. Ink is accommodated in the portion, and the float 910 is disposed in the lower portion. Further, when the ink tank is used in a state where the ink is contained in the entire ink tank, the partition wall 1051 is removed so that the upper and lower parts communicate with each other, and the hole 9 that engages with the partition wall 1050 is formed.
The float 900 provided with 01 is arranged. In addition, since the confirmation window 1030 is provided in the lower portion, the confirmation of the remaining amount of ink can be easily performed without any discomfort in any case.

The wall thickness T1 of the partition wall 1050 and the wall thickness T2 of the partition wall 1051 have a relationship of T1> T2, and in this example, the partition wall 1050 is approximately equal to the outer wall portion of the ink container.

On the other hand, the partition wall 1051 is preferably sufficiently thin. The reason is that the partition wall 1051 is cut off in an automatic machine during the manufacturing process, so that excessive stress is not generated in the cutting machine or the ink tank. However, if the partition wall 1051 is extremely thin, molding defects such as a short circuit phenomenon in which the molding resin does not flow in may occur particularly when molding a single ink tank. Therefore, it is desirable that the wall thickness of the partition wall 1051 be determined within the range of the above two conditions. In this example, the partition wall 1051 has a wall thickness of 0.15 mm so as to satisfy both conditions.

Next, a wedge-shaped groove 1060 having a wedge shape is formed along the edge portion of the partition wall 1051 (edge portion continuous with the partition wall 1050 and the side wall of the ink tank body). This will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
The presence of the wedge-shaped groove 1060 in this example is very effective for the following reasons.

1) Partition wall 105 by an automatic machine during the manufacturing process
1 is cut off, the tip portion of the groove 1060, that is, the partition wall 10
Since stress concentration is stably generated at the edge portion of 51, the cutting position is stable during the manufacturing process as shown in FIG.

2) After cutting the partition wall 1051, the cut portion 10
Although a heater is applied to the cutout portion 1061 in the manufacturing process for smoothing 61 and for float, the surplus portion 1063 enters the wedge portion 1062 after the heater is applied, so that the wall surface 1064 does not travel.

As a result, not only when the float 910 is arranged with the ink capacity "1/2", but also when the float 900 is arranged with the ink capacity "1".
It has become possible to slide on the tank side wall or the wall surface 1064 of the partition wall 1050 without affecting the operation.

As described above, according to this example, the float 9
It is possible to provide ink tanks with two ink capacities by using the same manufacturing process and all other parts by simply preparing two types, 00 and 910. Each of the ink tanks can be supplied at low cost, including investment in equipment and management of parts.

(Other Embodiments) Another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the features of this embodiment in an easy-to-understand manner. The ink tank body 6000 includes partition walls 6010 and 6020 that divide the volume inside the container into four. Assuming that the partition 6020 is not removed in a normal state, the container surrounded by the partitions 6010 and 6020 is divided into four chambers, for example, black, cyan, and
Ink of four colors of magenta and yellow can be injected. Then, after the ink is injected, a supply port 701 for supplying ink from each chamber to the inkjet head.
A cover member 7 including four 0s and a valve member 7020 for supplying ink only when the ink container is set from the supply port 7010 to the main body of the inkjet recording apparatus (not shown).
Ink container main body 600 using a method such as heat welding
By fixing it to 0, an ink container for full color is provided.

FIG. 12 shows a view in which the partition wall 6020 is cut off.

In the manufacturing process for manufacturing the above-described full-color ink container, the side wall 6020 on the thin side is cut off in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment in the process before injecting each color ink. After that, for example, full-color inks of respective colors are injected into the ink container. Further, the valve member 7020 is provided with one supply port 7030 for supplying ink from the rear chamber to the inkjet head, and supplies the ink only when the ink container is set from the supply port 7030 to the main body of the inkjet recording apparatus (not shown). By fixing the lid member 7040 provided with the to the ink container main body 6000 using a method such as heat welding, an ink container in which the chambers communicate with each other is provided.

By doing so, the ink is mixed because there is no partition by the partition in the ink container, and as a result, an ink container containing only black ink can be formed.

That is, in the manufacturing process for manufacturing the full-color ink container, the partition-cutting process is provided, and a cap member corresponding to the partition-cutting process is prepared. It is possible to provide two types of black single color ink containers having four times the amount of ink.

By doing so, not only the manufacturing process becomes very simple, but also the amount of ink to be used is not biased, and a product with an added value is provided at a very low cost by the minimum change of parts. It becomes possible to do.

The location of the partition, that is, the size and number of the partitioned ink chambers, the selection of the chamber into which the ink is injected,
The type of ink to be injected is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and it is needless to say that it is appropriately determined according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the ink is applied and the like.

Further, the structure capable of removing at least a part of the partition wall is not limited to the above example, but may be any structure which can simplify the manufacturing process.

(Others) The present invention is particularly provided with a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for ejecting ink even in the ink jet recording system. The present invention brings about excellent effects in a recording head and a recording apparatus of the type in which the state of ink is changed by the heat energy. This is because such a system can achieve high density recording and high definition recording.

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 is a so-called on-demand type,
It can be applied to any of the continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recording information and giving a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter, and film boiling is caused on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal in a one-to-one correspondence
It is effective because bubbles can be formed inside. Due to the growth and contraction of the bubbles, the liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal into a pulse shape, because the bubble growth and contraction are immediately and appropriately performed, so that the ejection of the liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the 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 ejection 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.
The structure using the specification of No. 59600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-123670 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 is provided. The effect of the present invention is effective even if the configuration corresponding to the ejection portion is disclosed in JP-A-59-138461. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be surely and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, 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 which can be recorded by the recording apparatus. Such a recording head may have a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads or a configuration as one recording head integrally formed.

In addition, even in the case of the serial type as in the above example, the recording head fixed to the main body of the apparatus or the electrical connection to the main body of the apparatus and the ink from the main body of the apparatus by being attached to the main body of the apparatus. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be supplied or a cartridge-type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself is used.

Further, as the constitution of the recording apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to add the ejection recovery means of the recording head, the preliminary auxiliary means and the like because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, heating is performed by using a capping unit, a cleaning unit, a pressure or suction unit for the recording head, an electrothermal converter or a heating element other than this, or a combination thereof. Examples thereof include a preliminary heating unit for performing the discharge and a preliminary discharge unit for performing discharge different from the recording.

Regarding the type and number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, only one is provided corresponding to a single color ink, and a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities are supported. A plurality of pieces may be provided. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but it may be either the recording head is 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 recording modes by color mixing.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the ink is described as a liquid, but an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used. Or, in the inkjet system, it is common to control the temperature of the ink itself within the range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is within the stable ejection range. Sometimes, a liquid ink may be used. In addition, the temperature rise due to thermal energy is positively prevented by using it as the energy of the state change of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or in order to prevent the evaporation of the ink, it is solidified and heated in the standing state. You may use the ink liquefied by. In any case, by applying thermal energy such as ink that is liquefied by applying thermal energy according to the recording signal and liquid ink is ejected, or that begins to solidify when it reaches the recording medium. The present invention can be applied to the case where an ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time is used. In this case, the ink is
JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-7
As described in Japanese Patent No. 1260, it may be configured to face the electrothermal converter in a state of being held as a liquid or a solid in the concave portion or the through hole of the porous sheet. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as the form of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, besides the one used as an image output terminal of information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile apparatus having a transmitting / receiving function are provided. It may be a form or the like.

[0080]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A partition wall that divides into at least two chambers in the ink tank and at least a part of which can be removed. For example, a partition wall having two types of wall thickness is formed, and the partition wall on the thin wall side is cut off. By providing a wedge-shaped concave portion along the partition wall end on the thin wall side as a feasible portion, most of the components are common, and the thin wall side of the thin wall side is common in the same manufacturing process. It is possible to provide an ink container having a plurality of ink capacities depending on whether or not a step of cutting off the partition wall is added, and it is possible to inexpensively provide an ink container suitable for the intended use.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ink tank body of an inkjet cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the ink jet cartridge of this example.

FIG. 3 is an external view of the assembly of the inkjet cartridge.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a mounting surface of the inkjet cartridge.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an example of a mounting portion of a recording apparatus to which the inkjet cartridge is applied.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an example of a recording apparatus to which the inkjet cartridge is applied.

7 is a front view of the ink tank body of FIG. 1 as viewed from the right-hand direction of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining a structure of an edge portion of a thin partition wall in the ink tank body.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a state when a thin partition wall is cut off.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state during smoothing after the excision.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an ink tank body according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an ink tank main body when a partition wall is cut off and used in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 Heater board 200 Wiring board 201 Pad 300 Support 320 Hole 400 Orifice plate 500 Presser spring 501 Front salient 600 Ink supply member 601 Packing 602 Sealing pin 700 Filter 900 Float 1000 Cartridge body (ink tank body) 1050, 1051, 6010 , 6020 Partition wall 1060 Groove 1100 Lid member 1200, 7010, 7030 Ink supply port 1300 Groove top plate 1400 Atmosphere communication port

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Koichi Tanno 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Kenji Kawano 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Non-Incorporated (72) Inventor Masami Kojima 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Yoshifumi Hattori 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Mitsushi Kitani 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An ink tank for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head, which is used in an inkjet recording apparatus for recording by using a recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording medium. An ink tank characterized in that it is a partition that divides into two or more chambers, and that at least a part of it can be removed. 2. The ink according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall includes a portion having a large wall thickness and a portion having a small wall thickness, and the portion having the small wall thickness can be removed. tank. 3. The ink tank according to claim 2, wherein a groove, which is a wedge-shaped recess, is formed along the edge of the portion having the small thickness. 4. When at least a part of the partition wall is not removed, the chamber of the two or more chambers containing ink is communicated with the chamber where the removal is performed by the removal. The ink tank according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a float that moves according to ink consumption due to ink supply is disposed in the chamber formed as described above. 5. A window for confirming the remaining amount of ink is provided corresponding to the chamber containing the ink.
Ink tank described in. 6. An ink tank according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and a recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording medium are integrally provided, and can be attached to and detached from an ink jet recording apparatus. An ink tank-integrated recording head cartridge characterized in that 7. The recording head has an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy that causes film boiling in the ink, as an element that generates energy used for ejecting the ink. The ink tank integrated recording head cartridge according to claim 6. 8. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a supporting means for detachably supporting the ink tank integrated recording head cartridge according to claim 6 or 7.