JPH09141869A - Ink-jet type recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adjust ink drop discharging force corresponding to the increase in the viscosity of ink without needing a memory for recording identification data of the production and installation time of an ink cartridge in the cartridge. SOLUTION: By providing an ink container attachment/detachment detection means 20 which detects the attachment/detachment of an ink container, a time measuring means 23 which detects the replacement of the ink container based on a signal from the detection means 20, resets time data, and measures the duration of ink container installation, and an actuation voltage adjustment means 24, the voltage applied to a recording head 7 is adjusted to make optimum discharge force corresponding to the duration of ink container installation, and the ink discharge force of the recording head 7 is changed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus having a recording head that moves in the width direction of a recording sheet and ejecting ink droplets onto the recording sheet in conformity with print data to form an image. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording apparatus supplies ink stored in an ink container such as a cartridge or a tank to a recording head through a flow path and pressurizes the ink in a pressure generating chamber to eject the ink from a nozzle opening. It is configured to be ejected as droplets onto the recording paper.

As the solvent that constitutes the ink, a liquid having a high evaporation power is preferably used in order to reduce the bleeding on the recording paper as much as possible. Therefore, the ink solvent is a polymer that constitutes the ink container. Evaporate through a layer of material. For this reason, the ink container is stored in a packaging bag that has a metal layer formed on a polymer film and has an excellent gas barrier property when not in use, so that the ink inside does not thicken even after long-term storage. Measures have been taken.

However, once the ink container is attached to the ink jet type recording apparatus, the solvent of the ink permeates through the polymer ink container and the solvent of the ink is 10% in one year.
Evaporate to a degree. Such evaporation of the ink solvent increases the viscosity of the ink as shown in FIG. 7, and the ink amount of the ink droplet ejected as shown in FIG. 8 due to the increase in the viscosity of the ink. And the print quality deteriorates.

In order to solve such a problem, JP-A-7-
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 232438, a memory for storing data for identifying the date and time of manufacture of the ink container and the date and time of attachment to the recording device is separately attached to each ink container, and is controlled by the control unit of the recording device main body. A technique has been proposed in which the data in the memory is read out and the electric power supplied to the heater is adjusted according to the mounting time of the ink container to keep the ink amount of the ink droplet constant regardless of the change in the viscosity of the ink.

[0006]

However, the cost of the ink container, which is a consumable item, increases because it is necessary to attach a memory for recording identification data of the manufacturing date and time of the ink container and the mounting date and time to the recording device to the ink container. As a result, there is a problem that the running cost of printing is raised, a place for accommodating a memory, and a connector for connection with the outside are required, so that the ink container becomes large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to cope with an increase in the viscosity of ink without the need for attaching a memory to the ink cartridge. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording device capable of adjusting the ejection force of droplets.

[0008]

In order to solve such a problem, in the present invention, an ink jet type recording head which receives ink from an ink container and ejects ink droplets, and the ink jet type recording head based on a print signal. In a recording apparatus including a recording head drive circuit that supplies a drive signal to a recording head, an ink container attachment / detachment detection unit for detecting attachment / detachment of the ink container, and an ink container based on a signal from the ink container attachment / detachment detection unit Is reset and the clock data is reset, and a clock means is provided for measuring the mounting duration of the ink container, and an operating voltage to be supplied to the recording head drive circuit in correspondence with the mounting duration. I adjusted it.

[0009]

[Function] The ink container mounting time is entirely controlled by the recording apparatus main body side, and the operating voltage of the recording head is increased in response to the increase in the ink viscosity due to the ink container mounting time to increase the ink ejection capacity of the recording head. Ink droplets with a constant ink amount are ejected regardless of the increase in viscosity of the ink.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The details of the present invention will be described below with reference to illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, in which reference numeral 1 is a carriage and a timing belt 2
Is connected to the carriage drive motor 3 and is configured to be guided by the guide member 4 to reciprocate in parallel with the platen 5.

On the surface of the carriage 1 facing the recording paper 6, a recording head 7 for ejecting black ink is mounted in a printing area (left side in the drawing), and a recording head 8 for color printing is mounted on the non-printing area side. Each of the recording heads 7 and 8 receives ink from the black ink container 9 and the color ink container 10, respectively, and ejects ink droplets onto the recording paper 6 for printing.

A capping device 12 is a feature of the present invention. A cap member 13 for sealing the black ink recording head 7 and a cap member 14 for sealing the color ink recording head 8 are mounted on the same slider. However, it is connected via a tube to a pump unit 16 composed of two tube pumps.

Each of the cap members 13 and 14 has a size capable of sealing the nozzle opening surfaces of the recording heads 7 and 8 in one space, and is made of an elastic material such as rubber in a cup shape. The nozzle openings of the heads 7 and 8 are sealed, and ink is forced from the recording heads 7 and 8 by negative pressure from the pump unit 16 that receives the power of the motor 17 that drives the paper feed roller (not shown) at the time of the ejection capacity recovery operation. It is configured so that it can be discharged.

In the vicinity of the capping device 12,
A cleaner unit 18 which moves up and down by a motor 17 is arranged. By moving these in parallel, it is possible to prevent local thickening and solidification of ink near the nozzle openings.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which reference numeral 20 is an ink container attachment / detachment detection means, which is a fixed contact 21 provided in a frame 19 for accommodating the ink container 9. And the movable contact 22 which is opposed to the movable contact 22 and is displaced by the contact of the ink container 9,
It is configured to output a signal by attaching or detaching.

Numeral 23 is a clock means which resets the previous clock data when the ink container 9 is replaced based on a signal from the ink container attachment / detachment detecting means 20 and when the mounted state continues. Is for measuring the installation duration of the ink container, and is configured to calculate the installation duration by acquiring time data input from a timer unit provided in the recording apparatus main body or the host device.

Reference numeral 24 is an operating voltage setting means, which reads out an operating voltage corresponding to the mounting duration time from an operating voltage storage means 25, which will be described later, based on the mounting duration data of the time counting means 23 when the power is turned on. The operating voltage is set as the output voltage of the recording head drive circuit 27.

Reference numeral 25 denotes the above-mentioned operating voltage storage means, which is based on the voltage data for correction (FIG. 6) necessary for obtaining the optimum printing result for the ink container mounting duration which has been investigated in advance. As shown in FIG. 4, it is configured to store data defining the relationship between the mounting duration and the operating voltage.

Reference numeral 26 in the figure denotes a print control means for controlling the recording head drive circuit 27 based on a print signal from an external device.

Next, the operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.
A description will be given based on the flowchart shown in FIG. When the power of the recording apparatus is turned on (step a), the operating voltage setting means 24 determines the mounting duration T of the currently mounted ink container based on the mounting duration data of the timing means 23.
2 is detected (step B), and the operating voltage V2 suitable for the mounting duration T2 is read from the operating voltage storage means 25 and set as the operating voltage of the recording head drive circuit 27 (step C).

When a print signal is input (step d),
The recording head drive circuit 27 drives the recording head 7 by the voltage V2 from the operating voltage setting means.

Since the ink droplets are discharged by the pressure generated by the pressure generating means provided in the pressure generating chamber, for example, the heat generating element or the electromechanical conversion element that deforms the pressure generating chamber from the outside, By changing the magnitude of the operating voltage according to the mounting duration, the recording head 7 pressurizes the ink with a pressure corresponding to the viscosity of the ink at that time, which is suitable for printing regardless of the viscosity of the ink. Eject ink drops.

When the old ink container 9 is removed from the recording device when the ink in the ink container 9 is completely consumed,
The removal of the ink container 9 is detected by the ink container attachment / detachment detecting means 20 (step F), and the time keeping means 23 resets the mounting duration data T2 which has been accumulated and counted until now (step).

Next, when a new ink container 9 is attached, a signal is output from the ink container attachment / detachment detecting means 20 (step), and the time measuring means 23 starts the time measuring operation (step). The operating voltage setting means 24 resets the operating voltage (step B) based on the data of the time measuring means 23 (step B) and waits for the input of a print signal (step D).

In the above embodiment, the case where the ink container is independently attached and detached is described as an example, but the ink jet type recording head and the ink container are integrated,
It is apparent that the present invention can be applied to a head-integrated ink cartridge that supplies ink at the same time when the recording head is replaced.

In the above embodiment, the recording apparatus of the type in which the ink container is mounted on the carriage has been described as an example, but the ink container is installed in the box and the ink is supplied to the recording head by the tube. It can also be applied.

[0027]

As described above, in the present invention, the ink container attachment / detachment detecting means for detecting attachment / detachment of the ink container, and the time measuring means for resetting the time data by the ink container attachment / detachment and measuring the attachment duration time. Since the operating voltage adjusting means for adjusting the operating voltage supplied to the recording head drive circuit according to the mounting duration is provided, the ink jet cartridge does not need a memory for recording the identification data of the cartridge manufacturing date and the mounting date and time. In addition, it is possible to print with an optimal amount of ink droplets in response to the increase in the viscosity of the ink due to the passage of the installation time of the ink container, while gradually reducing the ink container and running cost and reducing the size of the ink container. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an ink container attachment / detachment detection means.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an embodiment of operating voltage storage means.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of the above device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a relationship between a duration of mounting the ink container and a correction amount of an operating voltage required to obtain an optimum printing result.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the installation duration of the ink container and the viscosity of the ink in the ink container.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the viscosity of ink and the amount of ink in one drop.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 carriage 7 and 8 recording head 9 and 10 ink container 12 capping device 13 and 14 cap member 20 ink container attachment / detachment detection means

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A recording comprising an ink jet recording head that receives supply of ink from an ink container and ejects ink droplets, and a recording head drive circuit that supplies a drive signal to the ink jet recording head based on a print signal. In the apparatus, an ink container attachment / detachment detection means for detecting attachment / detachment of the ink container, resetting the clock data by detecting exchange of the ink container based on a signal from the ink container attachment / detachment detection means, and An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a clock means for measuring the mounting duration of a container and an operating voltage adjusting means for adjusting an operating voltage supplied to the recording head drive circuit in accordance with the mounting duration. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clock means comprises a timer. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clock means is configured as means for calculating the mounting duration time based on time data from a host.