JPH10211718A - Ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the leakage of ink and realize the safe and high speed recording of high quality level by providing a pump interposed in an ink flow path communicated with a recording head, a driving means for the pump and a means for controlling the driving means based on the sensing result of the actuating state of the driving means and the like. SOLUTION: An on-off valve 213 of a breather unit 212 communicated with a sub-tank 204 is closed by the suction operation of an on-off valve solenoid 607 at the time of the first ink feed mode. After confirming the closing of the on-off valve 213 by an on-of valve sensor 610 and a pressurizing clutch 604 is set ON and a pressurizing pump 210 is rotated in the CCW direction, ink in an ink cartridge 201 is fed into the sub-tank 204 through flow paths L1 and L2. In the case even if the on-off valve 213 is closed and the closing is not confirmed by the on-off valve sensor 610, it is judged that the abnormal operation of the on-off valve 213 is generated, and the operation is discontinued and error is displayed to prevent the leakage of ink from the sub-tank 204.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet printing apparatus for performing recording using a recording head capable of discharging ink, and for example, recording on a label or card used in POS, FA, physical distribution, and the like. The present invention can be applied as a label printer for performing the above.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink-jet printing apparatus is a recording apparatus which forms ink droplets by various methods and adheres them to a recording material such as recording paper for recording. Above all, an ink jet printing apparatus that utilizes heat as energy for forming ejection droplets is easy to arrange a plurality of ejection ports at high density in a recording head,
In addition, the high density of the ejection ports enables high-resolution and high-quality images to be recorded at a high speed, and the recorded images are easily colored.

As this type of ink jet printing apparatus, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 5-196196 and Japanese Patent Application No.
The printing apparatus described in JP-A-1110097 is applied as a label printer and a barcode printer capable of printing a high-quality color image at high speed by including a plurality of full-line type ink jet printing heads.

By the way, in this type of printing apparatus, air bubbles are generated in the ink in the discharge port of the print head by thermal energy, and the ink is discharged from the discharge port by the pressure of the bubbling to perform printing. It is desired to always maintain a stable dischargeable state.

However, ink ejection becomes unstable due to the effects of bubbles existing in the ink, drying of the ink at the ejection openings, and adhesion of paper powder on the ejection opening formation surface of the recording head, and ink ejection failure. Or a change in the ejection direction of the ink droplet may occur. In order to control such non-ejection of ink and deflection of ink droplets, this type of apparatus circulates ink in an ink supply path when the power is turned on, and performs cleaning operation for the ejection port forming surface of the recording head. Various measures have been taken for the ink supply means and the cleaning sequence, such as the implementation at regular time intervals.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the configuration of ink supply means in an ink jet printing apparatus of this type.

The ink supply means in FIG. 10 includes a sub tank 204 and a buffer tank 205 in an ink path between an ink cartridge 201 containing ink of each color and an ink jet recording head 251. The ink supply in this ink supply system is basically performed by a pressure difference generated by the tube pumps 209 and 210 and a head difference between each element. The ink supply means operates in the following four modes according to various states of the printer. That is, the first is an ink supply mode for supplying ink from the ink cartridge 201 to the sub-tank 204, the second is a recording mode for supplying ink from the sub-tank 204 to the recording head 251 during a recording operation such as printing, and the third is a recording mode for supplying ink to the recording head 251. A circulation mode in which ink is circulated between the sub-tank 204 and the recording head 251 during head cleaning, and a fourth mode is a pressurization mode in which ink is supplied from the sub-tank 204 to the recording head 251 during head cleaning.

In the first ink supply mode, the suction operation of the open / close valve solenoid 607 causes the sub-tank 20
Opening / closing valve 21 of breather unit 212 communicating with 4
3 is closed. Then, in this state, the pressure clutch 604
Is turned on, and the pressurizing pump 210 is rotated in the CCW direction, whereby the ink in the ink cartridge 201 is supplied to the sub tank 204 through the flow paths L1 and L2. When the ink capacity of the sub-tank 204 exceeds a certain amount, ink flows through the ink cartridge 20 through the flow path L3.
Refluxed to 1.

In the second recording mode, the open / close valve 213 of the breather unit 212 is opened, and the pressure cam 215 is released by the cam pressure release clutch 605.
The suction pump 209 and the pressure pump 210 are stopped to open the flow paths L2 and L4. Recording head 25
When the ink in the print head 251 and the ink in the tube decrease due to the ejection of the ink from the nozzle 1 and the internal pressure decreases, the ink is supplied from the sub tank 204 to the print head 251 by capillary action.

In the third circulation mode, the on-off valve 213
Is released, the pressurizing cam 215 is set in a pressurized state, and the pressurizing pump 210 is driven in the CW direction.
9 in the CCW direction. The ink is stored in the sub tank 20
4 returns to the sub-tank 204 via the pressurizing pump 210 in the flow path L2, the recording head 251 and the suction pump 209 in the flow path L4.

In the fourth pressurizing mode, the open / close valve 213
Is released, and the pressurizing pump is driven in the CW direction with the pressurizing cam 215 in a pressurized state. At this time, the suction pump 209 is stopped, and the recovery pump 211 is driven in the CCW direction. The ink is pressurized by the pressurizing pump 210, discharged from the ejection port of the recording head 251, and recovered.
After being received at 17, it is returned to the sub-tank 204 through the filter 216 by the recovery pump 211.

By appropriately performing the above operations, it is possible to remove bubbles in the recording head 251 and prevent the ink from increasing in viscosity, and to appropriately supply ink to the recording head 251. In FIG. 10, reference numeral 202 denotes a needle block inserted into the ink cartridge 201, 203 denotes a check valve,
214 is a release valve, 602 is a pump motor, 60
3, 604, 605 and 606 are electromagnetic clutches.

[0013]

However, in this type of ink supply system, since the ink is a liquid, if ink leakage or the like occurs, other units may be seriously affected. Further, in this type of ink supply system, the pumps 209, 210, and 211 are driven by ON / OFF control using the pump motor 602 and the electromagnetic clutches 603 to 606, so that the configuration is complicated and the number of parts is reduced. Will increase. Therefore, when a part of the electronic component or the like fails, not only the function of the failed part is impaired, but also ink leakage may occur. For example, if the operation in the circulation mode is performed when the suction clutch 603 fails, the normal ink circulation is not performed, and a predetermined amount or more of ink is discharged from the discharge port of the recording head 251. There is a possibility that the capacity may be exceeded and ink leakage may occur.

To avoid such a problem, it is conceivable to increase the capacity of the recovery stand 217 more than necessary or to provide a special ink leak sensor. these,
In either case, the configuration becomes complicated, the device becomes larger, and the price becomes higher.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printing apparatus having an optimum ink supply system at a low cost, and to provide a relatively simple structure for ink leakage. To realize safe, compact, high-quality, high-speed recording.

[0016]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet printing apparatus for performing recording on a recording material by using a recording head capable of discharging ink. A pump interposed in the ink flow path to be driven, a driving unit for driving the pump, a detecting unit for detecting an operation state of the driving unit, and a control for controlling the driving unit based on a detection result of the detecting unit. Means.

A second embodiment of the ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention uses a recording head capable of discharging ink,
In an ink jet printing apparatus for performing printing on a recording material, a pump interposed in an ink collection path for collecting ink discharged from the recording head, a driving unit for driving the pump, and an operation state of the driving unit And control means for controlling the driving means based on the detection result of the detection means.

According to the present invention, for example, even when a failure of the electromagnetic clutch provided as a driving means of the pump, a failure in energizing the electromagnetic clutch, disconnection of the connector, or the like occurs, ink leakage due to abnormal operation of the pump or the like can be prevented. The occurrence of a serious trouble can be detected in advance and appropriate error processing can be executed.

[0019]

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

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the structure of the ink jet printer according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view thereof. 251 (K), 251 (C), 251 (M), 25
1 (Y) is a full line type ink jet recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of the recording material 302. These recording heads 251 (K), 251
Black, cyan, magenta, and yellow inks are respectively ejected from the ejection openings of (C), 251 (M), and 251 (Y) toward the recording material 302 at a predetermined timing. Then, a color image is recorded on the recording material 302 in accordance with the movement of the recording material 302 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 according to the ink ejection timing.

In this embodiment, the recording material 302 is a continuous label paper wound in a roll shape, and the label paper supplied from the roll supply unit 301 is a recording head 251.
The transport unit 402 disposed below (K), 251 (C), 251 (M), and 251 (Y) transports at a predetermined speed in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

Ink cartridges 201 (K), 201
(C), 201 (M) and 201 (Y) (hereinafter collectively referred to as “ink cartridge 201”) and recording heads 251 (K), 251 (C) and 25
1 (M) and 251 (Y) (hereinafter collectively referred to as “print head 251”) are connected to an ink supply system unit to be described later for each ink color. Further, a recovery stand 217 for collecting ink discharged from each discharge port of the recording head 251 by cleaning or the like is also connected to the ink supply system unit for each color. In FIG. 2, 101 is a print unit, and 502 is a power switch.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control system according to this embodiment. In FIG. 3, the recording control circuit unit 501
Is an I / F unit 50 that controls an interface with an external device.
4. Operation unit control circuit 505, roll supply control circuit 50
6, and control of the ink supply system control circuit 601 and control of the entire printing operation, such as processing of a printed image. The head / transport control circuit 503 includes a plurality of recording heads 251.
(K), 251 (C), 251 (M), and 251
(Y) Ink ejection control and transport unit 4
In step 02, the control of the transport motor 403 is performed.

Next, the configuration and operation of the ink supply means in this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the ink supply means in the ink jet printer of this embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control system thereof.

The ink supply means in FIG. 4 includes an ink cartridge 201 containing ink of each color and an ink jet recording head 25 in the same manner as in the conventional example of FIG.
The sub-tank 204 and the buffer tank 205 are provided in the ink path between the two. The ink supply in this ink supply system is basically performed by the pressure difference generated by the pumps 209 and 210 and the head difference between each element. , A print mode, a circulation mode, and a pressure mode. In the ink supply system control circuit 601 of FIG. 5, reference numeral 651 denotes a motor control circuit for controlling the pump motor 602. Reference numeral 652 denotes a pump control circuit for controlling the clutches 603 to 606 and the opening / closing valve solenoid 607. A current detection circuit 654 is formed in a drive circuit or a control circuit of the suction clutch 603. 653 is a sensor detection circuit,
Cam position sensor 60 for detecting the position of pressure cam 215
8, a recovery pump sensor 609 for detecting the operating state of the recovery pump 211, an open / close valve sensor 610 for detecting the open / close state of the open / close valve 213, and an ink level sensor 611 (K) for detecting the amount of ink in the sub tank 204.
611 (C), 611 (M), 611 (Y), 612
(K), 612 (C), 612 (M), 612 (Y) and the like are connected.

In the first ink supply mode, the suction operation of the open / close valve solenoid 607 causes the sub tank 20
Opening / closing valve 21 of breather unit 212 communicating with 4
3 is closed. Then, after the closing of the opening and closing valve 213 is confirmed by the opening and closing valve sensor 610, the pressurizing clutch 604 is turned on in that state, and the pressurizing pump 210 is turned on.
By rotating in the CW direction, the ink in the ink cartridge 201 is supplied to the sub tank 204 through the flow paths L1 and L2. When the ink capacity of the sub tank 204 exceeds a certain amount, the ink is returned to the ink cartridge 201 through the flow path L3. In such an ink supply mode, if the opening / closing valve 213 is closed but the closing is not confirmed by the opening / closing valve sensor 610, it is determined that the opening / closing valve 213 is abnormal, the operation is stopped, and an error is displayed. I do. Thus, it is possible to prevent ink leakage from the sub tank 204 due to an abnormality of the opening / closing valve 213.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation in the ink supply mode. The operation when the closing of the open / close valve 213 is not confirmed by the open / close valve sensor 610 corresponds to steps S11 to S13. I do. The operation when the ink in the ink cartridge 201 is supplied to the sub tank 204 by the pressure pump 210 corresponds to steps S19 to S23. The operation time T of the pressurizing pump 210 is determined in step S21.
At a predetermined time Ts. Step S14
Steps S18 to S18 are operations in which the position of the pressure cam 215 operated by the clutch 605 is checked by the cam position sensor 608.

In the second recording mode, the sub tank 212
, The pressure cam 215 is released by the cam pressure release clutch 605, the suction clutch 603 is turned off, and the pressure clutch 604 is turned off.
As the FF, the suction pump 209 and the pressure pump 21
0 is stopped, and the flow paths L2 and L4 are opened. When the ink in the tube and the recording head 251 decrease due to the ejection of the ink from the recording head 251 and the internal pressure decreases, the ink is supplied from the sub tank 204 to the recording head 251 by a capillary phenomenon.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation in such a recording mode.
And the operation of turning off the suction clutch 603 is performed in step S.
24, S25. Steps S21 to S2
3 is an operation of checking the open state of the open / close valve 213 by the open / close valve sensor 610;
6 to S29 are operations in which the cam position sensor 608 checks the release state of the pressure cam 215.

In the third circulation mode, the open / close valve 213
Is released, the pressurizing cam 215 is set in a pressurized state, the pressurizing clutch 604 is turned on, and the suction clutch 603 is turned on.
Then, after the ON state of the suction clutch 603 is confirmed by the current detection circuit 654, the pressure pump 210 is driven in the CW direction and the suction pump 209 is driven in the CCW direction. The ink passes from the sub-tank 204 through the pressurizing pump 210 in the flow path L2, passes through the recording head 251 and the suction pump 209 in the flow path L4, and then flows into the sub-tank 204.
Return to At this time, if the ON state of the suction clutch 603 is not detected by the current detection circuit, the suction clutch 6
It is determined that the abnormality of No. 03 or disconnection of the energized portion of the suction clutch 603 or disconnection of the connector has occurred, and the operation is stopped to display an error. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent ink leakage from the recovery tray 217 caused by the abnormality of the suction clutch 603.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining the operation in such a circulation mode.
03, and after turning on the suction clutch 603, an operation of detecting and confirming the ON state of the suction clutch 603 by the current detection circuit 654 is performed in step S39.
To S42. When the ON state of the suction clutch 603 is confirmed, the suction pump is driven in the CCW direction for a predetermined time Tj in steps S43 to S46.
The pressure cam 215 is released. Steps S31 to S31
33 is an operation of checking the open state of the on-off valve 213 by the on-off valve sensor 610;
34 to S38 are operations in which the position of the pressure cam 215 is checked by the cam position sensor 608.

In the fourth pressurizing mode, the open / close valve 213
Is released, and the pressurizing cam 215 is pressurized to drive the pressurizing pump 210 in the CW direction. At this time, the suction pump 20
9 is stopped, and the recovery pump 211 is driven in the CCW direction. The ink is pressurized by a pressure pump 210,
After being discharged from the discharge port of the recording head 251 and received by the recovery tray 217, it is returned to the sub tank 204 through the filter 216 by the recovery pump 211.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation in such a pressurizing mode.
0 and the driving of the recovery pump 211 are performed in steps S59 and S59.
Equivalent to 60. Steps S61 and S62 are operations in which the operation of the recovery pump 211 is checked by the recovery pump sensor 609. The recovery pump 211 is normally driven for a predetermined time Ts in steps S63 and S64, and then the pressure cam 215 is released in step S65. Steps S51 to S53 are operations for checking the open state of the on-off valve 213 by the on-off valve sensor 610. Steps S54 to S58 are
In this operation, the position of the pressure cam 215 is checked by the cam position sensor 608.

In the above example, the case where the ON / OFF state of the electromagnetic clutch as the suction clutch 603 is detected by the current detection circuit 654 has been described. However, the other electromagnetic clutches 604 to 606, the solenoid 607 and the like are described. May be detected in the same manner.

Further, in the above example, the recording material 3
Although the case where the continuous label paper spread in a roll shape is used as 02 has been described, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a printer in which the recording material 302 is a card-shaped cut paper.

[0037]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In order to detect and deal with the operating state of the driving means of the ink pump, for example, even if a failure of the electromagnetic clutch provided as the driving means, poor power supply to the electromagnetic clutch, disconnection of the connector, etc. occur, the abnormal operation of the pump may occur. It is possible to detect in advance the occurrence of a serious trouble such as ink leakage or the like, and execute appropriate error processing. As a result, it is possible to perform safe, small, high-quality, high-speed printing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the inkjet printing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control system of the inkjet printing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an ink supply system in the inkjet printing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control unit of an ink supply system in the inkjet printing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in an ink supply mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in a recording mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in a circulation mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in a pressure mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of an ink system in a conventional inkjet recording apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101 Print Unit 201 (K) Ink Cartridge (Black) 201 (C) Ink Cartridge (Cyan) 201 (M) Ink Cartridge (Magenta) 201 (Y) Ink Cartridge (Yellow) 202 Needle Block 203 Check Valve 204 Subtank 205 Buffer Tank 209 Suction pump 210 Pressure pump 211 Recovery pump 212 Breather unit 213 Open / close valve 214 Release valve 215 Pump holding cam 216 Filter 217 Recovery 251 (K) Ink jet recording head (black) 251 (C) Ink jet recording head (cyan) 251 ( M) Inkjet recording head (magenta) 251 (Y) Inkjet recording head (yellow) 301 Roll supply unit 302 Recording 402 Transport unit 403 Transport motor 501 Recording control circuit section 502 Power switch 503 Head and transport control circuit section 504 I / F circuit 505 Operation section control circuit 506 Roll supply control circuit section 601 Ink supply system control circuit section 602 Pump motor 603 Suction clutch 604 Pressure clutch 605 Cam pressure release clutch 606 Recovery clutch 607 Open / close valve solenoid 608 Cam position sensor 609 Recovery pump sensor 610 Open / close valve sensor 611 Sub tank ink level sensor 651 Motor control circuit 652 Pump control circuit 653 Sensor detection circuit 654 Current detection circuit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yasunori Nakahara 5540-11 Sakate-cho, Mizukaido-city, Ibaraki Prefecture Within Canon Aptex Co., Ltd. Inside

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet printing apparatus for performing recording on a recording material using a recording head capable of discharging ink, comprising: a pump interposed in an ink flow path communicating with the recording head; and driving the pump. An ink jet printing apparatus comprising: a driving unit; a detection unit that detects an operation state of the driving unit; and a control unit that controls the driving unit based on a detection result of the detection unit. 2. The pump is a pressure pump and a suction pump capable of circulating ink through the recording head. The drive unit includes a first driving unit that drives the pressure pump, and a suction pump. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second driving unit that drives, wherein the detection unit detects an operation state of at least one of the first and second driving units. . 3. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the recording head discharges ink supplied from a sub-tank, and the pump is interposed in an ink supply path for supplying ink to the sub-tank. Printing device. 4. An ink jet printing apparatus for printing on a recording material using a recording head capable of discharging ink, comprising: a pump interposed in an ink recovery path for recovering ink discharged from the recording head. An ink jet apparatus comprising: a driving unit that drives the pump; a detecting unit that detects an operation state of the driving unit; and a control unit that controls the driving unit based on a detection result of the detecting unit. Printing device. 5. The ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the ink recovery path communicates with a receiving tray for receiving the ink discharged from the recording head. 6. The driving unit drives the motor by a driving force of the motor, and has an electromagnetic clutch in a transmission system of the driving force, and the detecting unit detects an operation state of the electromagnetic clutch. The inkjet printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: 7. An ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said detecting means has a current detecting circuit for detecting a current supplied to said electromagnetic clutch. 8. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the detection unit detects an abnormality in the driving unit, the control unit stops the operation of the driving unit and then executes a predetermined error process. 8. The inkjet printing apparatus according to any one of 1 to 7. 9. The ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays an error when the detection unit detects an abnormality in the driving unit. 10. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a moving unit that relatively moves the recording head and the recording material. 11. The ink-jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said printhead is a plurality of printheads capable of ejecting inks of different colors. 12. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the recording head includes, as an energy generating element for discharging the ink, an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy for causing film boiling of the ink. The inkjet printing apparatus according to any one of the above.