JPH09187957A - Ink-jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simply detach an ink tank by freeing the ink tank from the tight contact with a recording head cartridge without requiring a user's force. SOLUTION: An ink tank-extruding mechanism 90 is set at a position where ink tanks are exchanged. The ink tank-extruding mechanism 9 has a solenoid 91 and a pressing member 93 to which the operation of the solenoid is transmitted via a coupling member 92. An ink tank-turning member 98 is rotatably set to a holder 70 of a recording head cartridge. The ink tank-turning member 98 is turned when the pressing member 93 projects, thereby pressing a black ink tank 73 out of the holder 70 in a detaching direction.

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 for recording by ejecting ink onto a recording material,
In particular, the present invention relates to an inkjet recording device having an exchangeable ink tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording device having functions of a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, etc., or a recording device used as an output device of a composite type electronic device including a computer, a word processor, etc. An image is recorded on a recording material (recording medium) such as a plastic thin plate. The recording apparatus, depending on the recording method, inkjet type, wire dot type, thermal type,
It can be divided into a laser beam type and the like.

In a serial type recording apparatus employing a serial scanning system in which a main scan is performed in a direction intersecting a conveying direction (sub-scanning direction) of a recording material, a recording means mounted on a carriage which moves along the recording material. The image is printed (main scanning), a predetermined amount of paper is fed (pitch transport) after printing of one line is completed, and then the image of the next line is printed on the stopped recording material again. By repeating the operation of (main scanning), recording of the entire recording material is performed. On the other hand, in a line type recording apparatus that records only by sub-scanning in the conveying direction of the recording material, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position, and one line of recording is collectively performed, and then a predetermined amount is recorded. The paper is fed (pitch feed), and the recording of the next row is collectively performed, whereby the entire recording material is recorded.

Among the above recording apparatuses, an ink jet type recording apparatus (ink jet recording apparatus) performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording means (recording head) onto a recording material, and the recording means can be made compact. Easy, high-definition images can be recorded at high speed, plain paper can be recorded without requiring special processing, running costs are low, and there is little noise because it is a non-impact method. It has an advantage that it is easy to record a color image using multicolor inks. Among them,
The line type apparatus using the line type recording means in which a large number of ejection openings are arranged in the paper width direction can further increase the recording speed.

In particular, an ink jet type recording means (recording head) for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy,
Through a semiconductor manufacturing process such as etching, vapor deposition, sputtering, etc., an electrothermal converter, an electrode,
By forming the liquid passage wall, the top plate, and the like, it is possible to easily manufacture a liquid discharge device having a high-density liquid passage arrangement (ejection port arrangement), and to make it even more compact.

In the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, a so-called "permanent head system" in which the recording head is used semipermanently has been adopted. However, the permanent head system requires a large space and a large number of parts in the ink supply system, and there is a limit to miniaturization. Moreover, since the manufacturing process is performed through many steps in order to ensure the strict durability required for the recording head, the manufacturing cost also increases.

In contrast to the permanent head system, the recording head and the ink tank are integrated into a cartridge,
There is an exchange type that is detachably attached to the carriage.
Among them, the recording head and the ink tank cannot be separated, and when the ink in the ink tank is exhausted, the recording head and the ink tank can be replaced together, and the recording head and the ink tank can be separated so that only the ink tank can be replaced. There is something I did. The exchange type recording head is advantageous for downsizing because the ink supply system may have a simple structure, and
Since the durability of the recording head is not so required, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In particular, a recording head and an ink tank that can be separated are advantageous in terms of running cost because only the ink tank can be replaced.

The procedure for replacing a cartridge in a serial type ink jet recording apparatus using this replacement type recording head is usually as follows. First, the carriage is moved to the cartridge exchange position by key operation. In this state, the user removes the cartridge and installs a new cartridge. After that, the key operation is performed again to return the carriage to the home position, and the replacement work of the cartridge is completed. Especially,
In the cartridge in which the ink tank is separable, it is possible to replace only the ink tank without removing the entire cartridge.

[0009]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional cartridge in which the ink tank is separable, the ink tank is securely attached in order to prevent ink leakage between the ink tank and the recording head. In this state, the ink paths of the ink tank and the recording head are in close contact with each other. This structure is preferably a simple structure for downsizing of the cartridge, and means such as engagement of elastic claws is used. Therefore, when removing the ink tank, a force for releasing the close contact is required, and the work may be troublesome for the user.

The same applies when the ink tank is attached to the recording head, because a certain amount of force is required to bring them into close contact with each other. Further, in this case, if the ink tank is not securely attached, there is a problem that recording cannot be performed.

Therefore, the present invention provides an ink jet recording head in which when the ink tank is removed, the ink tank and the recording head cartridge are released from close contact with each other without requiring the force of the user himself, and the ink tank can be removed more easily. The purpose is to do. A second object of the present invention is to make it easier to mount the ink tank.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a carriage that detachably holds a recording head cartridge in which an ink tank is detachable, and the carriage is provided when the ink tank is replaced. In an inkjet recording apparatus that is moved to an ink tank replacement position, the inkjet recording apparatus has an extrusion mechanism that pushes the ink tank in a removal direction from the recording head cartridge by a driving force of a drive source driven by an electric signal at the ink tank replacement position. It is characterized by

Further, the recording head cartridge pushes the ink tank by the pushing force of the pushing mechanism, and the pushing force of the pushing mechanism is released so that the ink tank is attached to the recording head cartridge. It may have an ink tank urging mechanism for urging.

Further, the pushing mechanism may be provided on an electric board for controlling the operation of the entire ink jet recording apparatus. In this case, a plurality of ink tanks are mounted in the recording head cartridge side by side in the moving direction of the carriage, and the ink tank to be replaced is located at a position facing the pushing mechanism, depending on the ink tank to be replaced. A plurality of ink tanks are mounted side by side in the moving direction of the carriage, and a plurality of push-out mechanisms are provided corresponding to each of the ink tanks. Can be.

In the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, when the carriage is moved to the ink tank replacement position, the ink tank is pushed out from the recording head cartridge by the pushing mechanism, so that it does not depend on the operator's force. Then, the close contact between the ink tank and the recording head cartridge is released. Further, in the recording head cartridge having the ink tank urging mechanism, the pushing force of the pushing mechanism is transmitted through the ink tank urging mechanism, and the ink tank is urged from the recording head cartridge by the ink tank urging mechanism. On the other hand, when the pushing force of the pushing mechanism is released, the ink tank urging mechanism urges the ink tank in the direction of mounting it on the recording head cartridge. As a result, the ink tank is mounted by the operation of the pushing mechanism.

[0016]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.
2 is a front view of the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, this ink jet recording apparatus includes a carriage section 5 for mounting a recording head cartridge 7, a sheet feeding section 2 for conveying a sheet material P, a sheet feeding section 3 and a sheet ejection section. 4 and a cleaning unit 6 for cleaning the recording head cartridge 7. Each of these parts will be described below.

(A) Paper Feed Unit 2 As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the paper feed unit 2 includes a pressure plate 21 on which a sheet material P is stacked and a feeding rotary member 2 for feeding the sheet material P.
2 and 2 are attached to the base 20.
A movable side guide 23 is movably provided on the pressure plate 21 to regulate the stacking position of the sheet material P. Pressure plate 21
Is rotatably provided around a rotary shaft coupled to the base 20, and is biased by the pressure plate spring 24 to the feeding rotating body 22, while the release cam 29 resists the spring force of the pressure plate spring 24. It is configured to be rotatable in a direction away from the feeding rotating body 22. A separation pad 25 made of a material having a large friction coefficient, such as an artificial leather, is provided at a portion of the pressure plate 21 facing the feeding rotating body 22 in order to prevent double feeding of the sheet material P.
Is provided. The base 20 is provided with separation claws 26 that cover the corners of the lower end of the sheet material P and separate the recording sheets P one by one. Further, a bank 27 is integrally formed with the base 20 in order to separate a recording medium, such as thick paper, which is difficult to bend and cannot be separated by the separating claw 26. A switching lever 28 for switching the separation claw 26 so that it does not act at the position is provided.

In the above-described structure, in the standby state, the release cam 29 exerts a force against the spring force of the pressure plate spring 24 on the pressure plate 21, and the contact between the feeding rotary member 22 and the sheet material P is released. ing. In this state, when the driving force generated by the rotation of the conveyance roller 36 is transmitted to the feeding rotating body 22 and the release cam 29 by a gear or the like, the release cam 29 is separated from the pressure plate 21, and the feeding force is rotated by the spring force of the pressure plate spring 24. The body 22 and the sheet material P contact each other. And the feeding rotating body 2
When the sheet 2 is rotated, the sheet material P is fed by the frictional force between the sheet P and the sheet feeding rotary body 22 as the sheet feeding rotary body 22 rotates, and the sheet material P is separated one by one by the separating claw 26 to be described later. Three
Sent to The feeding rotator 22 and the release cam 29 rotate until the sheet material P is fed into the sheet feeding unit 3, and the contact state between the sheet material P and the feeding rotator 22 is released again, and the feeding roller 36 is set. The driving force from is cut off.

(B) Paper Feeding Section 3 The paper feeding section 3 includes a feeding roller 36 for feeding the sheet material P,
PE sensor 32 for detecting the front and rear ends of sheet material P
And The transport roller 36 is rotated by the drive of an LF motor (not shown), and the transport roller 36 is provided with a pinch roller 37 that is driven by the transport roller 36. The pinch roller 37 is held by the pinch roller guide 30 and pressed against the conveying roller 36 by urging it toward the conveying roller 36 with a pinch roller spring, so that the sheet material P
It produces the carrying power of. Further, an upper guide 33 and a platen 34 for guiding the sheet material P are provided at an entrance of the sheet feeding section 3 to which the sheet material P is conveyed.
Further, the upper guide 33 is provided with a PE sensor lever 35 for transmitting the detection of the front end and the rear end of the sheet material P to the PE sensor 32.

In the above structure, the sheet material P sent to the paper feeding section 3 is supplied to the upper guide 33 and the pinch roller guide 3.
Guided by 0, it is sent to a roller pair of a transport roller 36 and a pinch roller 37. At this time, PE sensor lever 3
5 detects the leading edge of the conveyed sheet material P, and thereby obtains the recording position of the sheet material P. Then, the sheet material P is further conveyed by the conveying roller 36 and the pinch roller 37 and reaches the platen 34, and at this position, recording is performed by the recording head cartridge 7 mounted on the carriage unit 5 described later.

(C) Paper Discharging Section 4 In the paper discharging section 4, the transmission roller 40 is provided in contact with the transport roller 36, and the paper ejection roller 41 is provided in contact with the transmission roller 40. Therefore, the driving force of the transport roller 36 is transmitted to the discharge roller 41 via the transmission roller 40. Further, the spur 4 that can be rotated by being driven by the paper discharge roller 41
2 is in contact with the discharge roller 41. With the above configuration, the sheet material P on which an image is formed by the carriage unit 5 is
The sheet is nipped in the nip between the sheet discharge roller 41 and the spur 42, conveyed, and discharged to a sheet discharge tray (not shown) or the like.

(D) Cleaning Section 6 The cleaning section 6 includes a pump 60 for cleaning the recording head cartridge 7, a cap 61 for capping the recording head cartridge 7 to prevent the recording head cartridge 7 from drying, and a conveyance roller. A drive switching arm 62 configured to switch the driving force from 36 to the sheet feeding unit 2 or the pump 60. The drive switching arm 62 fixes a planetary gear (not shown) that rotates around the shaft center of the transport roller 36 at a predetermined position except when feeding or cleaning, and at this time, transports it to the paper feeding unit 2 and the pump 60. The driving force of the roller 36 is not transmitted. When the drive switching arm 62 is moved in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 1 by the movement of the carriage 50, which will be described later, the planetary gear becomes free and the planetary gear moves in accordance with the forward and reverse rotations of the transport roller 36. The driving force is transmitted to the sheet feeding unit 2 when the transport roller 36 rotates in the normal direction, and the driving force is transmitted to the pump 60 when the transport roller 36 rotates in the reverse direction.

(E) Carriage Section 5 The carriage section 5 has a carriage 50 to which the recording head cartridge 7 is detachably mounted. The carriage 50 holds a guide shaft 81 for reciprocating scanning in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the sheet material P and a rear end of the carriage 50, and holds the recording head cartridge 7 and the sheet material P.
It is supported by a guide rail 82 that maintains a gap with the. The guide shaft 81 and the guide rail 82 are
It is attached to the chassis 8. The carriage 50 is reciprocally driven by a carriage motor 80 attached to the chassis 8 via a timing belt 83. This timing belt 83 is used for the idle pulley 8
It is stretched and supported by 4. Further, a flexible board 51 for transmitting an electric signal from the electric board 9 that controls the operation of the entire inkjet recording apparatus to the recording head cartridge 7 is attached to the carriage 50.

In the above structure, when an image is formed on the sheet material P, the sheet material P is conveyed by the conveying roller 36 and the pinch roller 37 to the row position where the image is formed (the position in the conveying direction of the sheet material P). The carriage motor 80 moves the carriage 50 to a column position where an image is formed (a position orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the sheet material P), and the recording head cartridge 7 is opposed to the image forming position.
After that, ink is ejected from the recording head cartridge 7 toward the sheet material P in response to a signal from the electric substrate 9 to form an image.

Next, details of the carriage 50 and the recording head cartridge 7 will be described. FIG. 4 is a front view of the carriage 50 of the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG.
FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the carriage 5
Reference numeral 0 denotes a holding means on which the recording head cartridge 7 is placed, which is a head holder 52 configured to slide left and right along a guide provided on the carriage 50.
Having. The recording head cartridge 7 is the carriage 5
0 is inserted along the guide arm 53 from the front side and is attached to the head holder 52 (FIG. 4B). Then, by depressing the hook lever 54, the recording head cartridge 7 moves to the right side together with the head holder 52 (FIG. 4A). In this state, the recording head cartridge 7 can be positioned and electrically contacted. Fitting pins 55 respectively corresponding to the two fitting holes 78 (see FIG. 6) of the recording head cartridge 7 are provided on the side plate of the carriage 50 for positioning the recording head cartridge 7. When the contact surface 76 (see FIG. 6) of the recording head cartridge 7 comes into contact with the contact surface 56 of the flexible substrate 51 mounted on the carriage 50, an electric signal is transmitted and received to enable image formation.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the carriage 50
The recording head cartridge 7 and the recording sheet P are provided on the upper part of the
(See FIG. 3) The paper interval adjusting unit 5 for adjusting the gap with
8 are provided. The sheet interval adjusting unit 58 is provided with the adjusting lever 5
81, a pressure contact lever 582, a pressure contact spring 583, and a top cover 584.

The adjusting lever 581 is rotatably supported by a pin inserted into a hole provided in the carriage 50. The adjusting lever 581 has a polygonal sliding surface 585 having a different distance from the rotation center of the adjusting lever 581 according to the number of positions between sheets. The pressure contact lever 582 is rotatably supported around a pin provided on the carriage 50, and the pressure contact spring 583 biases the sliding surface 585 of the adjustment lever 581 against the guide rail 82 (see FIG. 1). By changing the sliding surface 585 of the adjusting lever 581,
Since the carriage 50 rotates about the guide shaft 81 (see FIG. 1), the distance between sheets can be changed. The top cover 584 is fixed by claws formed on both sides of the carriage 50, and holds the adjustment lever 581, the pressure contact lever 582, and the like. Further, an elastic protrusion 581a is formed at the lever tip of the adjustment lever 581, and the protrusion 581a is fitted into a groove 584a formed at a predetermined position of the top cover 584 to fix the adjustment lever 581 to a predetermined paper. Forming a space.

6A and 6B are views showing an example of a recording head cartridge for color recording which can be mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6A is a front view and FIG. 6B is a side view. The figure and the same figure (c) are bottom views.

As shown in FIG. 6, the recording head cartridge 7 has a nozzle portion 71 (recording head) for ejecting ink and ink tanks 73 and 74 which are integrated.
The nozzle portion 71 is provided integrally with the holder 70.

The holder 70 is a housing partitioned into two regions by a middle plate 72, and in each region, a black ink tank 73 for containing black ink and three color inks of yellow, cyan and magenta are contained. The color ink tank 74 is detachably held. As a result, color recording can be performed in a small space.

The attachment / detachment of the black ink tank 73 and the color ink tank 74 to / from the holder 70 is performed through an opening at the top of the holder 70. Also, the holder 7
On the side surface of 0, a stepped guide 75 guided by the guide arm 53 when mounted on the head holder 52 (see FIG. 5) and an electrical contact means with the contact surface 56 of the carriage 50 (see FIG. 5). Contact surface 76
And a stopper 77, and the recording head cartridge 7
Is not in the regular position, the contact surface 76 and the contact surface 56 of the carriage 50 are prevented from coming into contact with other members. By attaching the black ink tank 73 and the color ink tank 74 to the holder 70, the ink supply portions (not shown) of the black ink tank 73 and the color ink tank 74 and the ink outlet portion (not shown) of the holder 70 are in close contact with each other. Then, it becomes possible to supply the ink to the nozzle portion 71. In addition, the recording head cartridge 7
In the state in which the black ink tank 73 is mounted on the carriage 50, the black ink tank 73 and the color ink tank 74 are arranged side by side in the moving direction of the carriage 50.

The nozzle section 71 has a large number of nozzles corresponding to each color ink, a heater for heating the ink in the nozzle, and the like. The heat generated by driving the heater causes the ink in the nozzle to film-boil, and the pressure change caused by the growth and contraction of the bubbles due to the film-boil is used to eject the ink from the nozzle to thereby eject the sheet material P. To form an image.

An image is formed by ejecting ink,
When the black ink tank 73 or the color ink tank 74 runs out of ink, it is necessary to replace the ink tank. When replacing the ink tank, an ink tank replacement switch (not shown) provided on the main body of the recording apparatus is pressed. When the ink tank replacement switch is pressed, the carriage 50 is moved to the ink tank replacement position (the position shown in FIG. 1), and the predetermined ink tank is replaced at this position.

Here, the structure of the portion related to the replacement of the ink tank will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. 7 is a plan sectional view of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 in the ink tank exchange position, and FIG.
It is a sectional side view in the position shown in (a).

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, an ink tank pushing mechanism 90 is provided at the ink tank replacement position. The ink tank pushing mechanism 90 is attached to the electric board 9, and is driven by the electric signal from the electric board 9 in the direction of arrow B and the guide member 94 so as to be slidably guided in the direction of arrow B. And a pressing member 93 movably provided in the center of the solenoid 91 and the pressing member 93 are rotatably supported to move the pressing member 93 in a direction opposite to the operation of the solenoid 91.
And a connecting member 92 connected to. When the solenoid 91 is excited and protrudes, the connecting member 92 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
In, the pressing member 93 is retracted in the clockwise direction (the state shown in FIG. 8). On the contrary, when the excitation of the solenoid 91 is cut off, the solenoid 91 moves backward and the pressing member 93 is projected.

A predetermined ink tank is pushed out by the ink tank pushing mechanism 90 in the take-out direction from the holder 70. In the present embodiment, there are two ink tanks, a black ink tank 73 and a color ink tank 74. As shown in FIG. 7, it is necessary to change the stop position of the carriage 50 according to the ink tank to be replaced. That is, when replacing the black ink tank 73, the carriage 50 is stopped at a position where the black ink tank 73 faces the ink tank pushing mechanism 90 as shown in FIG.
7B, it is necessary to stop the carriage 50 at a position where the color ink tank 74 faces the ink tank pushing mechanism 90 as shown in FIG. 7B. This can be performed by changing the stop position of the carriage 50 according to the number of times the ink tank replacement switch is pressed, or by providing an ink tank replacement switch for each ink tank.

In order to push out the ink tank by the ink tank pushing mechanism 90, as shown in FIG.
Openings 50a and 70a are formed in the carriage 50 and the holder 70 at portions corresponding to the black ink tank 73 and the color ink tank 74, respectively. By pressing the pressing member 93, the opening 50
a, 70a is penetrated.

Further, at the inner upper end of the holder 70,
As shown in FIG. 8, an L-shaped ink tank rotating member 98 that contacts the upper surface and the back surface of the black ink tank 73.
However, the bent portion is provided so as to be rotatable in the arrow C direction. The ink tank rotating member 98 is biased counterclockwise by the spring member 99 and closes the opening 70a of the holder 70 when no external force is applied. The ink tank rotating member 98 and the spring member 99
Then, an ink tank urging mechanism that urges the black ink tank 73 to the holder 70 in the detaching direction and the mounting direction in response to the driving of the ink tank pushing mechanism 90 is configured.

Further, at the inner lower end of the holder 70,
L that contacts the lower surface and the front surface of the black ink tank 73
A character-shaped ink tank positioning member 97 is rotatably provided. Note that the black ink tank 73 is shown in FIG.
Although the cross section of the holder 70 is shown for the area where the color ink tank 74 is mounted, the description is omitted because the area where the color ink tank 74 is mounted has the same configuration.

The ink tank replacement operation will be described below. The operation of the ink tank replacement switch is different between when the black ink tank 73 is replaced and when the color ink tank 74 is replaced. A case where the black ink tank 73 is replaced will be described.

When replacing the black ink tank 73, first, the carriage 50 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 7A by pressing the ink tank replacement switch a predetermined number of times or by pressing the predetermined ink tank replacement switch. Be moved. When the carriage 50 moves, the solenoid 91 is excited and the pressing member 93 projects as described above. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the ink tank rotating member 98 is pressed by the pressing member 93 and the spring member 99.
Rotate clockwise against the spring force of. When the ink tank rotation member 98 rotates, the upper end of the back surface of the black ink tank 73 is pushed by the ink tank rotation member 98, and the black ink tank 73 rotates around the rotation center of the ink tank positioning member 97. To do. As a result, the upper end of the black ink tank 73 is pushed out of the holder 70 to the front side, and the close contact between the black ink tank 73 and the holder 70 is released regardless of the force of the operator. The black ink tank 73 can be easily removed from the holder 70 by holding the pushed-out portion.

On the other hand, when a new black ink tank 73 is attached to the holder 70, the bottom of the black ink tank 73 is placed on the ink tank positioning member 97, and the back surface of the black ink tank 73 is placed on the ink rotating member. The ink tank replacement switch is pressed again while it is in contact with 78. Then, the excitation of the solenoid 91 is cut off and the pressing member 93 is pulled in. When the pressing member 93 is pulled in, the ink tank rotating member 98 rotates counterclockwise by the spring force of the spring member 99, and the black ink tank 7
The upper surface of 3 is pushed downward by the ink tank rotating member 98. As a result, the black ink tank 73 rotates around the rotation center of the ink tank positioning member 97 and is securely mounted in the holder 70. In particular, since the ink tank positioning member 97 is provided in this embodiment, the black ink tank 73 can be rotated more smoothly and the reliability of mounting the black ink tank 73 is improved.

As described above, the ink tank pushing mechanism 9
0, the black ink tank 73 is automatically removed and attached.
No more hassle when replacing. Moreover, since the black ink tank 73 can be surely attached to the holder 70, there is no problem caused by an attachment mistake. Further, since the ink tank pushing mechanism 90 is provided on the electric substrate 9 on the recording apparatus main body side, the structure of the carriage 50 and the solenoid 91 are provided.
Wiring for driving the motor is easy. The simple structure of the carriage 50 means that the carriage 50 does not need to be loaded with an extra weight. As a result, it is not necessary to increase the torque of the carriage motor 80 (see FIG. 2) that drives the carriage 50, and it is possible to prevent an increase in motor noise due to the torque increase of the carriage motor 80.

Here, an example in which the operation of the solenoid 91 is transmitted to the pressing member 93 via the connecting member 92 has been shown, but the solenoid 91 may directly push out the ink tank instead of the pressing member 93. Further, although the holder 70 is provided with the ink tank rotating member 98 so that the ink tank can be removed and attached automatically, the ink tank can be attached by an operator if the ink tank is attached by an operator. Instead of providing the tank rotating member 98, the pressing member 93 or the solenoid 91 may directly push out the ink tank.

(Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment,
Although the color ink tank 74 contains the inks of three colors of yellow, magenta and cyan, the ink tanks may be divided for each color of ink. Four
When color inks are used, a black ink tank 173, a cyan ink tank 174a, and a cyan ink tank 174a are provided in the holder 170 of the recording head cartridge 107, as shown in FIG.
Four ink tanks, a magenta ink tank 174b and a yellow ink tank 174c, are mounted. Therefore, the carriage 150 is stopped at four positions when the ink tank is replaced so that the ink tank to be replaced faces the ink tank pushing mechanism 191. FIG.
0 (a) shows the position of the carriage 150 when replacing the black ink tank 173, and FIG. 0 (b) shows the position of the carriage 150 when replacing the yellow ink tank 174c.

When the number of ink tanks increases in this way, the carriage 15 becomes the same as in the first embodiment.
If the stop position of 0 is designated by operating the ink tank replacement switch, the number of switches increases and the switch operation itself becomes complicated. Therefore, in such a case, the host computer may instruct the ink tank to be replaced, and the stop position of the carriage 150 may be controlled in accordance with the instruction.

(Third Embodiment) In order to move the carriage to the ink tank replacement position, the ink tank replacement switch, the command from the host computer, and the remaining ink amount in the ink tank are detected. The carriage may be automatically moved to the ink tank replacement position when the ink in the ink tank is used up. As a method of detecting the ink remaining amount in the ink tank, for example, the total ink amount in the ink tank is converted into a dot count by assuming the number of prints and the amount of waste ink at the time of head cleaning, When it reaches, there is a method of detecting that there is no ink remaining.

(Fourth Embodiment) In the above-described embodiment, there is one ink tank pushing mechanism, but as shown in FIG. 11, it corresponds to each of the black ink tank 273 and the color ink tank 274. An ink tank pushing mechanism 290 may be provided for each ink tank. In this case, the stop position of the carriage 250 is the same regardless of which ink tank is replaced, and the ejecting mechanism 290 to be driven differs depending on the ink tank to be replaced.

As described above, by providing the ink tank pushing mechanism 290 for each ink tank, when a plurality of ink tanks are to be replaced, these can be attached and detached at the same time, and the ink tanks can be efficiently replaced.

[0053]

As described above, since the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention has the pushing mechanism for pushing the ink tank in the take-out direction from the recording head cartridge at the ink tank exchange position, the operator's own force is applied. Instead, the contact between the ink tank and the recording head cartridge is released, and the ink tank can be easily removed. Further, by providing an ink tank urging mechanism in the recording head cartridge, it is possible to mount the ink tank in addition to removing the ink tank by operating the pushing mechanism.

Further, by providing the pushing mechanism on the electric board for controlling the operation of the entire ink jet recording apparatus, the structure of the carriage and the wiring for driving the pushing mechanism can be simplified. Moreover, since the structure of the carriage is simple, it is not necessary to increase the torque of the motor that drives the carriage, and it is possible to prevent an increase in motor noise.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG.

4A and 4B are front views of a carriage of the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 4A shows a state in which a recording head cartridge is removable, and FIG. 4B shows a state in which the recording head cartridge is positioned. Show.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the carriage shown in a state in which a sheet interval adjusting unit is disassembled.

FIG. 6 is a front view, a side view, and a bottom view of a recording head cartridge.

7 is a plan sectional view of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 at an ink tank exchange position.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the solenoid is not excited at the position shown in FIG. 7 (a).

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing a state where the solenoid is excited at the position shown in FIG. 7 (a).

FIG. 10 is a plan sectional view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention at an ink tank exchange position.

FIG. 11 is a plan sectional view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention at an ink tank exchange position.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Paper Feeding Section 3 Paper Feeding Section 4 Paper Discharging Section 5 Carriage Section 6 Cleaning Section 7 Recording Head Cartridge 8 Chassis 9 Electric Board 34 Platen 36 Conveying Roller 41 Discharging Roller 50 Carriage 50a Opening 51 Flexible Board 52 Head Holder 53 Guide Arm 54 Hook Lever 55 Fitting Pin 56 Contact Surface 70 Holder 70a Opening 71 Nozzle 73 Black Ink Tank 74 Color Ink Tank 75 Guide 76 Contact Surface 78 Fitting Hole 80 Carriage Motor 81 Guide Shaft 82 Guide Rail 83 Timing Belt 84 Idle Pulley 90 Ink Tank Pushing Mechanism 91 Solenoid 92 Connecting Member 93 Pressing Member 94 Guide Member 97 Ink Tank Positioning Member 98 Ink Tank Rotating Member 99 Spring Member

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Saito 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Tan Attoming 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Kya Non-Incorporated (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Kinoshita 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Masaya Shinmachi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Koichi Tanno 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording apparatus having a carriage that detachably holds a recording head cartridge to which an ink tank is detachable, and wherein the carriage is moved to an ink tank exchange position when the ink tank is exchanged. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising an ejecting mechanism that pushes out the ink tank in a take-out direction from the recording head cartridge by a driving force of a drive source driven by an electric signal at an ink tank replacement position. 2. The recording head cartridge pushes the ink tank by a pushing force of the pushing mechanism, and the pushing force of the pushing mechanism is released so that the ink tank is attached to the recording head cartridge. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing mechanism for biasing the ink tank. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pushing mechanism is provided on an electric board that controls the operation of the entire ink jet recording apparatus. 4. A plurality of ink tanks are mounted on the recording head cartridge side by side in the moving direction of the carriage, and the ink tank to be replaced faces the pushing mechanism in accordance with the ink tank to be replaced. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the carriage is moved to a position. 5. The recording head cartridge according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of ink tanks are mounted side by side in a moving direction of the carriage, and a plurality of pushing mechanisms are provided corresponding to the respective ink tanks. The inkjet recording device described.