JPH0768781A - Liquid jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To remarkably enhance an operability with respect to a cartridge and reduce the size of the cartridge by a method wherein knob parts of a plurality of cartridge are so provided that the knob parts of adjacent cartridges are disposed on different positions. CONSTITUTION:The heights of knob parts 12a-15a of cartridges 12-15 from a stage 10a are all different from each other. The heights are reduced in the order of the knob parts 14a, 12a, 15a, and 13a. In this construction, a sufficient space can be obtained between the knob parts of the adjacent cartridges, thereby preventing occurrence of such an erroneous operation that together with a specific cartridge to be removed, a cartridge adjacent thereto is also erroneously removed by the same operation. In addition, the knob parts 12a-15a are corresponding to fitting holes 17-20 of a cartridge holder 10c in a ratio of 1:1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid jet printing apparatus having an improved structure such as a removable ink cartridge.

Here, as the print, cloth, thread, paper,
The present invention can be applied to all kinds of information processing devices or a printer as an output device thereof, including the application of ink to all ink supports that receive various types of ink application such as sheet materials. It is something.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an inkjet printing apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as a liquid jet printing apparatus or simply a printing apparatus) has been researched and developed at a low cost and capable of easily obtaining a high image quality. In particular, recently, there is a tendency toward colorization, multi-nozzle or high density, and various printing apparatuses have been proposed.

In such a printing apparatus, a device for replacing ink (printing liquid), which is a consumable item, has been devised. For example, an ink cartridge replacement method in which the ink cartridge itself containing ink from the print head or the like is removed and replaced, or in the case where the print head and the ink cartridge are integrated, the integrated head ink cartridge is replaced. There are exchange methods.

Further, in the case of a printing apparatus using a plurality of different inks, for example, in the case of a color printing apparatus, a method of storing one kind of ink in one cartridge and using a plurality of cartridges, or another method of using one cartridge There is a method to store and use different types of ink. Also in this case, the ink replacement is performed for each cartridge or for each integrated product of the print head and the cartridge.

However, in the above-described conventional printing apparatus, one cartridge contains one type of ink,
When using a plurality of cartridges, it is necessary to replace a plurality of cartridges for each cartridge, and it is easy to cause difficulty in operability at the time of replacement. In addition, it is necessary to secure a space for a plurality of cartridges, which is an obstacle to downsizing of the apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a plurality of ink cartridges and their vicinity in a conventional printing apparatus. In FIG. 8, 101 is a print head, 102 is a carriage for mounting the print head 101, and 103 to 106 are the carriage 10 respectively.
2 is a hexahedral cartridge mounted on the print head 101 and coupled to the print head 101 in a state capable of supplying ink. All of these cartridges 103 to 106 have the same shape and store different kinds of ink, respectively, and are removable in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Each cartridge 103-106 has a printhead 10
Handles 103a to 106a for facilitating the removal of the cartridge are provided on the surface opposite to the surface on which the cartridge 1 is coupled. Since the cartridges have the same shape, the handle portions 103a to 106a are also provided at the same height, and the cartridge 103 is mounted on the carriage 102.
When ~ 106 are mounted, the handle parts 103a to 106a can be arranged in a horizontal row.

In the printing apparatus having such a structure, in order to reduce the running cost and the replacement frequency of the cartridge, if each cartridge is made larger, the housing of the apparatus for accommodating the cartridge must be made larger, and the apparatus is miniaturized. It will be contrary to the request of. Further, when the width of each of the cartridges 103 to 106 is reduced in order to reduce the size of the apparatus, since the handle portions 103a to 106a are arranged in a horizontal row, it is not necessary to replace the cartridges that need to be removed together. The cartridge may also be removed, and the operability may be further deteriorated, so that the configuration as shown in FIG. 8 cannot be downsized.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus which can easily attach and detach a plurality of ink cartridges.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 mounts a print head for ejecting a printing liquid to print on a print medium, and reciprocates in the width direction of the print medium. A moving carriage,
A liquid jet printing apparatus comprising: a plurality of cartridges mounted on the carriage, detachably coupled to the print head, and containing the printing liquid supplied to the print head, wherein each of the cartridges prints itself. It is characterized in that it has a handle portion for detaching from the head, and the handle portion is provided at a position separated from each other between adjacent cartridges.

Here, in the liquid jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, the carriage further has a locking member that locks the cartridge and holds it on the carriage, and the locking member is It may have a fitting portion for fitting the handle portion of the cartridge when the cartridge is locked.

Further, in the liquid jet printing apparatus according to the first aspect, the handle portion of the cartridge may be bent to hold another adjacent cartridge when the cartridge is coupled to the print head.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a print head that jets a printing liquid to print on a print medium, a carriage that mounts the print head and reciprocates in the width direction of the print medium, and the carriage In a liquid ejecting printing apparatus including a plurality of cartridges mounted and detachably coupled to the print head and containing the printing liquid supplied to the print head, each cartridge separates itself from the print head. A handle portion for allowing the cartridge to be arranged in a plurality of rows in the entire cartridge, and at least two cartridges are connected to the print head in a row along a direction orthogonal to the direction of each arrangement. It is characterized by

Here, in the liquid jet printing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the print head may receive the coupling of all the cartridges from the same direction.

Further, in the liquid jet printing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the print head may receive the coupling of the cartridge from different directions.

Further, in the liquid jet printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the print head and the cartridge may be integrally mounted on the carriage. Further, in the liquid jet printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the print head is an element that generates energy used to eject the printing liquid,
It may have an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy that causes film boiling in the printing liquid.

[0017]

In the present invention, the handle portions of the plurality of cartridges are provided at positions different from the handle portions of the adjacent cartridges, whereby the operability of the cartridge can be remarkably improved and the operability can be maintained. At the same time, the size of the cartridge and the size of the entire apparatus can be reduced.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the perspective view, the lower left side is the front surface.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a printing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the main part of the printing apparatus shown in FIG.

First, in FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a printing apparatus, 2 is an operation panel section provided on a front upper surface of a housing of the printing apparatus 1, and 3 is a sheet feeding apparatus mounted from an opening on the front surface of the housing. A cassette, 4 is a paper (print medium) supplied from the paper feed cassette 3,
Reference numeral 5 is a paper discharge tray for holding the paper discharged through the paper conveying path in the printing apparatus 1. Reference numeral 6 is a body cover having an L-shaped cross section. The main body cover 6 covers a large opening 7 formed in the right front portion of the housing, and is rotatably attached to an inner end of the opening 7 by a hinge 8. Inside the housing, a carriage 10 supported by a guide 9 shown in FIG.
Is provided. The carriage 10 can reciprocate along the width direction of the paper passing through the paper transport path, that is, along the longitudinal direction of the guide 9 or the like. As shown in FIG.
The carriage 10 in this embodiment includes a stage 10 a horizontally held by a guide 9 and the like, and a stage 10 a
0a and an opening (not shown) formed in the vicinity of the guide 9 for mounting a print head, which will be described later, for accommodating a predetermined number of cartridges formed on the stage 10a in front of the opening. Cartridge garage 10b
And a cartridge holder 10c for preventing the cartridge housed in the garage 10b from coming off.

The stage 10a is slidably supported by the guide 9 at its rear end, and the lower side of its front end is mounted on a guide plate (not shown). Note that this guide plate may function as a paper pressing member for preventing the lifting of the paper conveyed through the above-mentioned paper conveyance path, and the stage 1 may be used depending on the thickness of the paper.
It may have a function of cantilevering 0a with respect to the guide 9.

The print head 11 is mounted in the opening of the stage 10a with its ink ejection port facing downward.

The cartridge garage 10b has through holes formed in the front-rear direction for accommodating a plurality of (four in this embodiment) cartridges 12 to 15 at the same time. An engaging recess 10d with which the engaging claw is engaged is formed.

A hinge 1 is attached to the front end of the stage 10a.
The cartridge holder 10c is rotatably attached by means of the numeral 6. The size from the front end surface of the garage 10b to the hinge 16 is the cartridges 12 to 1
Garage 10b when 5 is housed in garage 10b
It is determined in consideration of the size and the like protruding from the front end of the. The cartridge holder 10c has a substantially rectangular plate shape.
In the cartridge holder 10c, both side portions of the upper portion apart from the lower portion fixed by the hinge 16 project in the direction orthogonal to the plate surface, and when the holder 10c is closed, the engaging concave portion 10d of the garage 10b is provided. A pair of engaging claws 10e that engage with each other is provided. Further, the holder 10c is formed with fitting holes 17 to 20 for fitting the later-described handle parts of the cartridges 12 to 15 in its plate part. These fitting holes 17 to 20 have positions, shapes and sizes corresponding to the handle portion.

Here, the shape and arrangement method of the cartridges 12 to 15 used in this embodiment will be described. In this example, as shown in FIGS.
Handles 12a to 15a of the cartridges 12 to 15
The feature is that the heights of the above from the stage 10a are all different. That is, the height of the handle portion 14a,
It becomes lower in order of 12a, 15a, 13a. With this configuration, a sufficient space can be secured between the handle parts of the adjacent cartridges, so when you try to remove a specific cartridge, you can accidentally remove the adjacent cartridge by the same operation. It is possible to prevent erroneous operation from occurring. Further, the handle portions 12a to 15a of the cartridge and the fitting holes 17 to 20 of the cartridge holder 10c of the carriage have a one-to-one correspondence. If there is an error in this correspondence, the cartridge holder 10c itself is closed. From being unable to
There is an advantage that the user can easily grasp the correctness of the above correspondence by opening and closing.

(Embodiment 2) FIGS. 3 and 4 show the essential parts of a second embodiment of the printing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view and FIG. 4 is a side view. is there.

The feature of this embodiment is that the positions of the handle portions 12b to 15b are different between the adjacent cartridges 12 to 15 and the handle portions 12b to 12b of the cartridges 12 to 15 are different.
It is possible to make 15b bendable from its root and at the same time to hold an adjacent cartridge. With the configuration of this embodiment, as in the first embodiment,
In addition to the effect of preventing an erroneous operation when the cartridge is removed, four cartridges 12 are provided without providing the cartridge holder 10c in the first embodiment.
15 to 15 can be accommodated in the cartridge garage 10b, and since the holder 10c is not provided, space can be saved, and the overall size of the apparatus can be reduced.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an essential part of a third embodiment of the printing apparatus of the present invention. Similar to the first embodiment, the feature of the present embodiment is that four cartridges are provided without providing the cartridge holder 10c in the first embodiment, in addition to the effect of preventing an erroneous operation when the cartridge is removed. Cartridges 12 to 15 are divided into two groups,
The point is that each group is coupled to the print head 11 from different directions. That is, the cartridges 12 and 13 are sandwiched from the one side with the print head 11 interposed therebetween.
And the cartridges 14 and 15 from the other side, respectively. At this time, the handle portion 12 of the cartridge 12
The height of c and the height of the handle portion 13c of the cartridge 13 are different from each other. Similarly, the height of the handle portion (not shown) of the cartridge 14 and the height of the handle portion 15c of the cartridge 15 are also different from each other. In this case, the cartridges 12 and 14 are connected via the print head 11 along a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the cartridges 12 and 13 (indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5). Similarly, the cartridges 13 and 15 are connected to each other via the print head 11 in the direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction.

With such a structure, similar to the first embodiment, the cartridge holder 10c in the first embodiment is provided in addition to the effect of preventing an erroneous operation when the cartridge is removed. Without increasing the capacity of each cartridge, it is not necessary to increase the width dimension of the carriage 10 in the scanning direction (in this case, the direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction). The replacement frequency can be reduced.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the essential parts of a fourth embodiment of the printing apparatus of the present invention. Similar to the first embodiment, the feature of the present embodiment is that, in addition to the effect of preventing an erroneous operation when the cartridge is removed, the cartridge holder 10c in the first embodiment is not provided, and Different from the third embodiment, four cartridges 1
2 to 15 are connected to the print head 11 from the same direction.

Also in this embodiment, the positions of the handle portions 12d to 15d of the cartridges 12 to 15 are made different from the handle portions of the adjacent cartridges, and 2 in the direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction (shown by the arrow in FIG. 6). A series of individual cartridges.

With such a structure, substantially the same as in the third embodiment, even if the capacity of each cartridge is increased, the carriage 10 is moved in the scanning direction (also in this case, the direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction). Since it is not necessary to increase the width dimension, the cartridge replacement frequency can be reduced without changing the size of the apparatus.

(Embodiment 5) FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the essential parts of a fifth embodiment of the printing apparatus of the present invention. The present embodiment is characterized in that each of the cartridges 21 to 24 has a hexagonal cross section, and when they are mounted on a print head not shown in FIG. 7, a so-called honeycomb structure is formed. Similar to Example 1, in addition to the effect of preventing erroneous operation at the time of cartridge removal operation, rattling of each cartridge at the time of mounting can be minimized by the honeycomb structure, and the structure is bundled. The strength of can be improved. When ink is stored in a cartridge containing foam, the cartridge has a hexagonal cross section, which makes it more circular than a quadrangular shape, that is, a cylinder shape that is more efficient than the quadrangular shape, that is, a cylinder shape. Ink of good quality can be used, and the frequency of cartridge replacement can be reduced.

In each of the above embodiments, the print head and the cartridge are described as separate bodies, but the same effect as above can be obtained even if the print head and the cartridge are integrated.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the cartridge has a quadrangular shape, a hexagonal shape, or the like. However, although there are differences between the shapes, the cartridge is mounted on the print head or integrated with the print head. Any shape can be used.

Further, although the operability of the cartridge on the carriage is a problem in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied even if the cartridge is not on the carriage and is of a stationary type.

(Others) The present invention is provided with a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for ejecting ink, particularly in the ink jet printing system. The present invention provides excellent effects in a print head and a printing apparatus of the type in which the thermal energy causes a change in the state of ink. This is because such a method can achieve high density and high definition printing.

Regarding the typical structure and principle thereof, see, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129 and US Pat. No. 4,740.
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 print information and causing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter, and film boiling occurs on the heat acting surface of the print head. This is effective because bubbles can be generated in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal one-to-one as a result. 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, which is an invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface, are adopted, more excellent printing can be performed.

In addition to the combination of the discharge port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the straight liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, the print head is constructed as follows. The present invention also includes a configuration using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which the heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region. In addition, for multiple electrothermal converters,
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-123670, which discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as the discharge portion of the electrothermal converter, and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 59-63, which discloses a structure in which an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is associated with the discharge portion. The effects of the present invention are effective even with a configuration based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 138461. That is, according to the present invention, regardless of the form of the print head, printing can be surely performed efficiently.

Further, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full line type print head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a print medium which can be printed by the printing apparatus. As such a print head, a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of print heads,
It may be configured as one print head integrally formed.

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

Further, as the constitution of the printing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to add ejection recovery means of the print head, preliminary auxiliary means and the like because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If you list these specifically,
Capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suctioning means for the print head, preheating means for heating using an electrothermal converter or another heating element or a combination thereof, and printing Preliminary ejection means for performing another ejection can be mentioned.

The type or number of print heads to be mounted is, for example, 1 for a single color ink.
Instead of providing only a single piece, a plurality of pieces may be provided corresponding to a plurality of inks having different print colors and densities. That is, for example, the print mode of the printing apparatus is not limited to the print mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but may be either the print head is integrally configured 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 print 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 method, 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, the ink is liquefied by applying heat energy according to the print signal,
The present invention is also applicable to the case of using an ink that has a property of being liquefied only when heat energy is applied, such as one that ejects a liquid ink or one that already begins to solidify when it reaches a print medium. The ink in such a case is in a state of being held as a liquid or a solid in the concave portion or the through hole of the porous sheet as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260. Alternatively, it may be configured to face the electrothermal converter. 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 a form of the ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, other than the one used as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus 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.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By providing the handle portions of the plurality of cartridges at positions different from the handle portions of the adjacent cartridges, the operability of the cartridge can be significantly improved, and
It is possible to reduce the size of the cartridge and the size of the entire apparatus while maintaining the operability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of a first embodiment of a printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an enlarged view of the main part shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main part of a second embodiment of the printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an enlarged view of a main part shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of a third embodiment of the printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a main part of a fourth embodiment of the printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the main parts of a fifth embodiment of the printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a main part of a conventional printing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printing apparatus 2 Operation panel section 3 Paper feed cassette 4 Print paper 5 Paper ejection tray 6 Main body cover 7 Opening 8 Hinge 9 Guide 10 Carriage 10a Stage 10b Cartridge garage 10c Cartridge holder 10d Engagement recess 10e Engagement claw 11 Print head 12-15 Cartridge 12a-15a Handle part 12b-15b Handle part 12c-15c Handle part 16 Hinge 17-20 Fitting hole 21-24 Cartridge

(72) Inventor Toshiyuki Onishi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Unozawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Masaru Sato 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hisashi Morioka 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Makoto Kashimura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Shinji Kanemitsu 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A carriage that carries a print head for ejecting a printing liquid to print on a print medium and reciprocates in the width direction of the print medium; and a carriage mounted on the carriage and detachably coupled to the print head. And a plurality of cartridges containing the printing liquid to be supplied to the print head, wherein each of the cartridges has a handle for separating itself from the print head, and The liquid ejecting printing apparatus, wherein the handle portions are provided at positions separated from each other between adjacent cartridges. 2. The liquid jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carriage further includes a locking member that locks the cartridge and holds the cartridge on the carriage, and the locking member includes: A liquid jet printing apparatus comprising a fitting portion for fitting a handle portion of the cartridge when the cartridge is locked. 3. The liquid jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the handle portion of the cartridge is bent and grips another adjacent cartridge when the cartridge is coupled to the print head. Liquid jet printing device. 4. A print head that ejects a printing liquid to print on a print medium, a carriage that mounts the print head and reciprocates in the width direction of the print medium, and the print head that is mounted on the carriage. And a plurality of cartridges that contain the printing liquid supplied to the print head and are detachably connected to each of the cartridges, each of the cartridges has a handle for separating itself from the print head. The handle portion is arranged in a plurality of rows in the entire cartridge, and at least two cartridges are connected in series to the print head along a direction orthogonal to the direction of each arrangement. Liquid jet printing device. 5. The liquid-jet printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the print head receives the coupling of all the cartridges from the same direction. 6. The liquid-jet printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the print head receives the coupling of the cartridge from different directions. 7. The liquid jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print head and the cartridge are integrally mounted on the carriage. Printing equipment. 8. The liquid jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print head is
A liquid ejecting apparatus, comprising an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy that causes film boiling in the printing liquid, as an element that generates energy used to eject the printing liquid. Printing equipment.