JPH10226089A - Ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance detection accuracy of the residual quantity of ink while avoiding useless recovery process by delivering an alarm from an alarm means when the residual quantity of ink detected at residual quantity of ink detecting section is lower than a specified level and the quantity of ink jetted from an ink jetting section is lower than a specified level. SOLUTION: A reflective photosensor is disposed oppositely to the surface at the outer shell part of first and second chambers 48B, 48A in a containing section 32r for carriage part 32 in order to provide a residual quantity of ink detecting section 56 and an output signal therefrom is inputted to a control unit. If the residual quantity of ink is higher than a specified level when ink is not jetted, an ink jet command signal and a control signal are delivered. When the residual quantity of ink is lower than the specified level and the quantity of ink jetted from an ink jetting section is lower than a specified level, a signal for requesting replacement of ink cartridge part 34 is delivered to a display control circuit where a replace request alarm signal is generated and delivered to a display section.

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 capable of monitoring the remaining amount of ink in an ink storing section for storing ink used for a printing operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to avoid a shortage of ink used for a recording head unit in an ink jet recording apparatus at the start of a recording operation or during a recording operation, each ink cartridge is used as an ink storage unit. It has been proposed to monitor the remaining amount.

As shown in FIG. 7, for example, an ink cartridge section is provided with an ink tank section 2 as an ink storage section and a supply path 12 in a second chamber 2A of the ink tank section 2.
And a recording head unit 4 that is connected to the recording head unit 4 via a.

[0004] The recording head section 4 includes an ink ejection section 4B in which a plurality of ink ejection ports are arrayed and formed, and a common liquid chamber 4A communicating with each ink ejection port of the ink ejection section. One end of the supply path 12 is connected to the opening 4a provided in the common liquid chamber 4A. The other end of the supply path 12 is connected to the second chamber 2A in the ink tank section 2.

[0005] The ink tank 2 to which the other end of the supply path 12 is connected has a first chamber 2B in which the ink liquid Ik is stored.
And the second room communicating with the first room 2B via the communication passage 2C.
And the room 2A.

The second room 2A is provided with a porous foam material Sg for absorbing ink supplied from the first room 2B through the communication passage 2C. First room 2B
The second room 2A is partitioned by a partition 10 having a communication passage 2C formed at the lower end thereof. Also, the first
The outer shells of the room 2B and the second room 2A are, for example,
The partition 10 is formed of, for example, a white water-repellent resin.

In monitoring the remaining amount of each ink for each ink cartridge section as described above, the first method is to provide an ink remaining amount detecting section 8 on a carriage section on which the ink cartridge section is mounted. Originally, it is a method of monitoring whether or not the remaining amount of ink stored in the ink tank unit 2 is not less than a predetermined value based on the detection output from the remaining ink amount detecting unit 8.

In this method, for example, the ink remaining amount detecting section 8 which is a reflection type photo sensor is so arranged that the irradiating light beam BL reaches the vicinity of the communication path 2C in the partition section 10. It is arranged facing the partition 10. In such an ink remaining amount detecting section 8, when the ink remaining amount is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the detection output is not sent out because the light beam BL is blocked by the ink liquid and a reflected beam cannot be obtained. If the remaining amount is less than the predetermined value, the detection output is transmitted because the reflected beam is not blocked by the ink liquid.

When a detection output from the ink remaining amount detecting section 8 is obtained, an ink discharge limit amount is set according to an estimated value of the residual ink in the recording head 4, the supply path 12, and the ink tank section 2. Originally, when the amount of ink ejected from the ink ejection section 4B reaches the vicinity of the ink ejection limit value, a warning is issued to prompt replacement of a new ink cartridge section 2.

As a second method, as shown in FIG. 6, an ink discharge state detecting section 6 for detecting the presence or absence of ink discharge is disposed so as to face the ink discharge section 4B of the recording head section 4. This is a method of monitoring whether or not the remaining amount of ink stored in the ink tank unit 2 is not less than a predetermined value based on a detection output from the ink discharge state detection unit 6.

In this method, for example, the ink discharge state detecting unit 6, which is a transmission type photo sensor, determines that the optical path of the irradiated light beam BL is substantially perpendicular to the ink discharge port arrangement of the ink discharge unit 4B. It is arranged to become. Such an ink ejection state detection unit 6 sends out a detection output when a predetermined amount of ink ejected from the ink ejection unit 4B at a predetermined timing crosses the optical path of the light beam BL. If no ink is ejected and the ink does not cross the optical path of the light beam BL, no detection output is sent.

In such a configuration, when a detection output is not obtained from the ink discharge state detection unit 6, a warning is issued to prompt replacement of the new ink cartridge unit 2.

[0013]

In the above-described first method, even if the remaining amount of ink is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the ink ejection state of the ink ejection unit 4B is not detected, so that even during the recording operation, Regardless, an abnormal state in which the ink is not ejected by the ink ejection unit 4B for some reason is not found. When the remaining ink amount is detected by the remaining ink amount detection unit 8 to be less than the predetermined value, the remaining ink amount that is less than the predetermined value is supplied from the ink tank unit 2 of each ink cartridge unit to the supply path. There is a variation among individuals depending on the route from the position 12 to the ink discharge unit 4B. In addition, since the amount of ink ejected from the ink ejection unit 4B also varies, the above-described ink ejection limit amount is set to be relatively small in consideration of the variation. As a result, replacement of a new ink cartridge unit may be premature, and running costs may increase.

In the second method described above, the case where the ink is not ejected from the ink ejection section 4B is not limited to the case where the remaining amount of the ink liquid in the ink tank section 2 is relatively small. There is a possibility that replacement of a new ink cartridge unit 2 is prompted. In other words, in this method, if ink is not ejected due to some cause, for example, bubbles staying in the ink ejection section, the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank section 2 is not detected, so that Even though the ink remaining amount is equal to or more than the predetermined value, the ink cartridge unit 2 is erroneously replaced with a new ink cartridge unit.

Further, when ink is not ejected due to bubbles remaining in the ink ejection section 4B, the ink ejection section 4B is normally operated when the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank section 2 is equal to or more than a predetermined value. When the recovery process for returning to the normal state is performed, the ink ejection unit returns to the normal state. On the other hand, when the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank unit 2 is less than the predetermined value, the ink ejection unit 4B is returned to the normal state. When the recovery process for returning to the normal state is performed, the ink tank unit 2 is vibrated by the vibration based on the recovery process operation, and a small amount of the remaining ink liquid is guided to the ink discharge unit 4, which may discharge the ink liquid. . In such a case, when ink ejection is detected by the ink ejection state detection unit 6, there is a problem that the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank unit 2 is regarded as being equal to or more than a predetermined value.

In the second method, there is an inconvenience that it is not possible to foresee that the remaining amount of ink is relatively small below a predetermined value.

In consideration of the above problems, the present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus capable of monitoring the remaining amount of ink in an ink storage section in which ink used for a printing operation is stored. Provided is an ink jet recording apparatus capable of accurately detecting the remaining amount of ink and improving the reliability of the detection of the remaining amount of ink stored in the printer, and also avoiding the execution of useless recovery processing. The purpose is to do.

[0018]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention comprises an ink storage unit for detecting the remaining ink amount in an ink storage unit for storing ink used for a printing operation. An amount detection unit, an ink ejection state detection unit that detects the presence or absence of ink ejection by a recording head having an ink ejection unit that ejects ink, and a warning that warns that the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Means and the ink remaining amount based on the detection output from the ink remaining amount detection unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and ink is ejected by the ink ejection unit of the recording head by a predetermined amount based on the detection output from the ink ejection state detection unit. If not, the warning means is provided with control means for performing a warning operation.

[0019]

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show a schematic configuration of an example of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

In FIG. 5, an ink jet recording apparatus is provided at a lower portion of a casing CS and has a paper feed unit 14 in which recording paper Pa as a predetermined number of recording media is loaded and stored.
And a recording unit Pa to be described later which outputs the recording paper Pa from the paper supply unit 14.
The recording unit 51 includes a recording paper transport unit 15 that supplies the recording paper Pa to the recording paper Pa, a recording head unit 50 that performs a recording operation on a recording surface of the recording paper Pa transported by the recording paper transport unit 15, and a recording paper 51. A recording unit transport unit 53 that transports the recording paper Pa recorded and transported by the recording unit 51 in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the printer. Have been.

As shown in FIG. 5, the paper feed section 14 is provided with a recording paper P disposed at the bottom on the inner side of the casing CS.
A plate-like member PL supporting one end side of a from below, and a coil spring SP for urging the plate-like member PL upward.
And the recording paper P in cooperation with the urging force of the coil spring SP.
and a pickup roller PR for sending out a to the recording paper transport unit 15 one by one. With such a configuration, when the pickup roller PR is activated, the recording paper Pa loaded by the plate member PL pressed upward by the urging force of the coil spring SP is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the pickup roller PR. Recording paper P
The uppermost recording paper Pa of a is supplied to the recording paper transport unit 15 one by one.

The recording paper transport section 15 includes a paper supply roller 18 and a retard roller 16 which are respectively disposed opposite to the pickup roller PR, and a recording paper Pa from the paper supply roller 18 which is disposed adjacent to the paper supply roller 18. , And guide rollers 30A and 24A for nipping and transporting the recording paper Pa.

The paper feed roller 18 has both ends fixed to a rotating shaft 18a which is rotatably supported by the casing CS. The retard roller 16 is also fixed to a rotating shaft (not shown). The rotating shaft 18a and the rotating shaft to which the retard roller 16 is fixed are connected to the transport motor unit 76, respectively. Thus, when the transport motor unit 76 is activated by the drive circuit unit 74 described later, the recording paper Pa
Is conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow to the recording unit 51 side along the inner surface of the guide plate 30 while being held between the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 18 and the outer peripheral surface of the retard roller 16. Become.

The guide plate 30 is supported by a support member (not shown) inside the casing CS. The guide plate 30 is formed in a curved shape along the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 18. The inner peripheral surface of the guide plate 30 and the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 18 are arranged to face each other at a predetermined interval.

Paper discharge roller 22 in recording paper transport section 15
A and 24A are fixed to rotating shafts 22a and 24a, respectively, which are rotatably supported inside the casing CS along a direction orthogonal to the recording paper Pa conveyance direction. The rotating shafts 22a and 24a are respectively connected to a transport motor unit 76 described later. The drive shaft unit 22 is rotated by the drive control of the transport motor unit 76 by the drive circuit unit 74.

The paper discharge rollers 22A and 24A which are in contact with the back side of the recording paper Pa are disposed opposite to each other at a predetermined interval and are provided with a plurality of guide rollers 22B and 22A which are in contact with the recording surface of the recording paper Pa. Recording paper P in cooperation with 24B
a.

A plurality of guide rollers 2 made of a water-repellent material
2B are arranged at predetermined intervals along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 22b supported rotatably in parallel with the rotating shaft 22a. The plurality of guide rollers 24B made of a water-repellent material are arranged in parallel to the rotation shaft 22b, and
The rotary shaft 24b is rotatably supported in parallel with the rotary shaft 24a, and is arranged at predetermined intervals along the axial direction of the rotary shaft 24b. An idler roller 26 that is in contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the rotating shafts 22b and 24b is disposed between the rotating shaft 22b and the rotating shaft 24b. Thus, when the rotating shaft 22b is rotated in one direction with the plurality of guide rollers 22B, the rotating shaft 24b is also rotated in the same direction with the plurality of guide rollers 24B.

The plurality of guide rollers 22B and 24B have their blade-shaped outer peripheral portions slidably in contact with the recording surface of the recording paper Pa to guide the recording paper Pa, so that an unfixed image is formed on the recording surface. In this case, the image is not damaged.

The recording section transport section 53 stores the recording paper P to be transported.
a and the output shaft 40a of the driving motor 40, which are disposed opposite to each other at both ends along the transport direction of the motor a.
And a belt 44 wound between the pulleys 38A and 38B and connected to a connecting portion 32a of the carriage portion 32 described later.
And a carriage unit 3 disposed substantially parallel to an end of the recording paper Pa to be conveyed along a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction.
And a guide shaft 28 that reciprocates the second shaft 2.

Both ends of the guide shaft 28 are supported in the casing CS. The drive motor 40 is, for example, a stepping motor, is driven by a drive circuit unit 72 described later, and is controlled so that its rotation angle becomes a predetermined value. As a result, the carriage 32 connected to the belt 44 is conveyed by a predetermined moving amount while being guided by the guide shaft 28.

As shown in FIG. 4, the carriage unit 32 is located at a position facing one side end of the casing CS in the transport direction of the transported recording paper Pa.
Is away from the recording surface of the recording paper Pa and takes a standby state,
That is, the reference position sensor 42 is provided to detect a standby state when the carriage section 32 assumes the home position. The reference position sensor 42 is, for example, a transmissive photointerrupter, and has a gap 42a between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit into which a light shielding plate 32b of the carriage unit 32 described later is inserted. With such a configuration, when the light shielding plate 32b of the carriage unit 32 is inserted into the gap, the reference position sensor 42 sends a detection output signal Sh indicating that the carriage unit 32 is in a standby state to the control unit 60 described later. Send out.

Further, at a position near the reference position sensor 42 in the casing CS, when the carriage unit 32 is in a standby state, the ink ejection unit 50 of the recording head 50 is provided.
A recovery processing unit 36 is arranged to face B. The recovery processing unit 36 selectively adheres to the ink ejection unit 50B to avoid evaporation of the ink and adhesion of foreign matter, and the cap unit 36a that receives the ejected ink and the cap unit 36a are moved to the ink ejection unit 50B. When the cap mechanism 36 is moved up and down and the cap section 36 is brought into contact with the ink discharge section 50B,
A suction pump unit for forcibly sucking bubbles together with the ejected ink received by the cap unit 36 is configured.

Although the detailed structure of the elevating mechanism is not shown, the elevating mechanism includes a driving motor 36MB. Although the detailed illustration of the structure of the suction pump section is omitted, the suction pump section also includes a driving motor 36MA. The motors 36MA and 36MB respectively control a drive control signal K from a recovery operation control unit 78 described later.
It is controlled based on C and KD.

Then, between the cap section 36 in the recovery processing section 36 and one side end along the conveying direction of the recording paper Pa, whether or not ink has been ejected from the ink ejection section 50 B of the recording head section 50. For example, an ink ejection state detection unit 54 which is a transmission type photo interrupter
Is provided.

The light emitting section 54b in the ink discharge state detecting section 54 is, for example, a light emitting diode (LE) for irradiating infrared rays.
D). Since the lens is integrally formed on the light emitting surface, a substantially parallel light beam is irradiated. The light receiving unit 54a is, for example, a phototransistor. The light receiving surface is provided with a covering member in which a square hole having a side of 0.7 mm is formed on the optical axis. As a result, the detection range between the light emitting unit 54b and the light receiving unit 54a is narrowed to a range of 0.7 mm square on the optical axis.

The ink discharge state detecting section 54 is arranged so that the optical axis between the light emitting section 54b and the light receiving section 54a is along the direction of arrangement of the ink discharge ports of the ink discharge section 50B. The interval between the light emitting unit 54b and the light receiving unit 54a is set to be longer than the length of the arrangement of the ink ejection ports of the ink ejection unit 50B.

Thus, when the optical axis of the ink discharge state detecting section 54 and the straight line where the ink discharge ports of the ink discharge section 50B are aligned, all the ink discharged from the ink discharge section 50B emits light. Unit 54b and light receiving unit 54a
Will pass through the detection range described above.

Since the amount of light received by the light receiving section 54a decreases in accordance with the amount of ink as the ink passes through the above-described detection range, the ink discharge state detecting section 54 outputs the detection output signal Si corresponding to the amount of ink. This will be supplied to the signal processing unit 66 described later. In detecting the presence or absence of ink ejection, ink is actually ejected so as to form a mark of about 5 mm square at a corner of the recording paper Pa, and when the mark is detected by the reflection type photo sensor, It may be configured to determine that there is ink ejection.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the recording section 51 has an ink cartridge section 34 having a recording head section 50, and a storage section 32 in which the ink cartridge section 34 is selectively removably mounted. And a carriage portion 32 slidably supported on the guide shaft 28 via an attachment portion 32g.

The ink cartridge 34 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the ink jet printer includes an ink tank section 48 as an ink storage section, and a recording head section 50 connected to a second chamber 48A of the ink tank section 48 via a supply path 52.

For example, the recording head unit 50 of the bubble jet type includes an ink ejection unit 50B in which a plurality of ink ejection openings, for example, 64 ink ejection openings are formed in a line at a predetermined resolution (360 DPI). And a common liquid chamber 50A communicating with each ink ejection port of the ink ejection section. One end of a supply path 52 is connected to an opening 50a provided in the common liquid chamber 50A. The other end of the supply path 52 is connected to a second chamber 48A in the ink tank unit 48. The ink ejection unit 50B is controlled based on a drive control pulse signal supplied via a flexible cable 46 from a printing operation control unit 70 described later.

The ink tank 48 to which the other end of the supply path 52 is connected is connected to a first chamber 48B in which, for example, the black ink liquid Ik is stored, and a communication path 48C to the first chamber 48B. And a second room 48 </ b> A communicating with the second room 48 </ b> A.

The second room 48A has the first room 48B
Is provided with a porous foam material Sg that absorbs ink supplied through the communication passage 48C from the ink jet printer. The first room 48B and the second room 48A are partitioned by a partition wall portion 48D having a communication passage 48C formed at a lower end thereof. The outer shells of the first chamber 48B and the second chamber 48A are formed of, for example, a transparent resin, and the partition 48D is formed of, for example, a white water-repellent resin. Note that the first room 48B and the second room 48
On the surface of the outer shell portion of A, an identification code unique to each ink cartridge portion 34 is attached by, for example, a bar code.

A portion of the housing portion 32r of the carriage portion 32 facing the surface of the outer shell portion of the first room 48B and the second room 48A has an ink remaining amount detecting portion 56 which is a reflection type photo sensor. Is provided. The remaining ink amount detecting section 56 is arranged to face the irradiation light beam BL so that the arriving position of the light beam BL is in the vicinity of the communication path 48C in the partition wall section 48D. Such an ink remaining amount detecting unit 5
In No. 6, when the remaining amount of ink is equal to or more than the predetermined value, the detection output signal Sr is not transmitted because the light beam BL is blocked by the ink liquid and a reflected beam cannot be obtained. In this case, since the reflected beam is not blocked by the ink liquid, the detection output signal Sr is sent to the signal processing unit 66 described later. Although illustration is omitted in the accommodation part 32r of the carriage part 32,
A bar code reader unit for detecting the above-described bar code for each ink cartridge unit 34 is provided. In addition,
In detecting the remaining amount of ink, the first room 48
With a pair of electrodes provided at the bottom of B, the determination may be made based on the presence or absence of electrical conduction between the pair of electrodes.

Further, the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention further includes a control unit 60 as shown in FIG.

The control unit 60 includes a data group HD including image data and recording control data from the host computer 62 via a communication unit 64 for transmitting and receiving data.
A detection output signal Sh from the reference position sensor 42 and data Dx representing an identification symbol from the bar code reader of the carriage 32 are supplied.

The control unit 60 performs predetermined signal processing on the detection output signal Si from the ink ejection state detector 54 and the detection output signal Sr from the ink remaining amount detector 56, for example, digital conversion. The data Di and Dr obtained based on the detection output signals Si and Sr are supplied by the signal processing unit 66 that performs the processing.

The control unit 60 stores, for example, a memory unit 60MA for storing a data group HD supplied for each scan of the carriage unit 32, and operation program data for recording operation control or transport operation control. And a memory unit 60 MB.

When controlling the operation of the recording head unit 50, the control unit 60 forms image data DV for each scan of the carriage unit 32 based on the data group HD and supplies the image data DV to the image processing unit 68. . Image processing unit 68
Performs density conversion processing and binarization processing based on the supplied image data DV and a control signal (not shown) to form drive control data DK, and supplies the drive control data DK to the printing operation control unit 70.

The recording operation control unit 70 controls the drive control data D
A drive control pulse signal CP corresponding to the arrangement of the ink ejection ports of the ink ejection section 50B of the recording head section 50 is formed on the basis of K,
2 is supplied to the recording head unit 50 according to the moving speed. Further, when the ink is ejected in the recovery processing unit 36 or when the ink is ejected in detecting the ink ejection state, the recording operation control unit 70 responds to the ink ejection command signal Ct supplied from the control unit 60. A drive control pulse signal CP is formed in response thereto and supplied to the recording head unit 50 at a predetermined timing.

The recording head unit 50 performs a recording operation on the recording surface of the recording paper Pa in order to form an image corresponding to the image data based on the supplied drive control pulse signal CP.
Further, the recording head unit 50 discharges toward the cap unit 36a in the recovery processing unit 36 or discharges toward the ink discharge state detector 54 based on the drive control pulse signal CP.

When controlling the recording paper transport unit 15, the control unit 60 starts transporting the recording paper Pa based on the data group HD and performs the recording operation of the recording head unit 50 at a predetermined transport distance. A control signal Ck is formed to repeat conveyance stop and conveyance start according to
It is supplied to the drive circuit section 74. The drive circuit unit 74
A drive signal group KB is formed based on the control signal Ck, and the drive signal group KB is supplied to the transport motor unit 76.

The control unit 60 determines the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank section 48 of the ink cartridge section 34 and determines the ink discharge state, for example, by setting the recording head on the recording surface of one recording sheet Pa. After the recording operation by the unit 50 is completed, the carriage unit 32 is returned to a position near the standby state (home position) or to a position where the ink discharge state detector 54 is disposed.

The control unit 60 sends the image data DV to the image processing section 68 as described above in order to cause the recording head section 50 to perform a recording operation, and after the recording is completed for one recording sheet Pa. The control signal Cc is sent to the drive circuit unit 72 to move the carriage unit 32 to the standby position, and when the detection output signal Sh is supplied, the control signal Cc
Stop sending. As a result, the carriage section 32 reaches the vicinity of the standby position.

Further, the control unit 60 further sends a control signal Cc to the drive circuit section so that the arrangement straight line of the ink ejection ports of the recording head section 50 in the carriage section 32 and the optical axis of the ink ejection state detector 54 coincide with each other. 72. At this time, the moving amount is set based on the distance between the arrangement straight line of the ink ejection ports of the recording head unit 50 in the standby state and the optical axis of the ink ejection state detector 54.

The control unit 60 supplies the control signal Cc to the drive circuit section 72, and the carriage section 32 moves with the ink cartridge section 34 at a predetermined linear velocity, for example, about 300 mm / s, as shown in FIG. Position P
S, for example, when the distance from the arrangement straight line of the ink ejection ports of the recording head unit 50 to the optical axis of the ink ejection state detector 54 is 2
mm, the ink ejection command signal C
The supply of t to the recording operation control unit 70 is started. continue,
The control unit 60 moves the position PE shown in FIG. 3, for example, the end in the traveling direction of the carriage unit 32, through the position of the optical axis of the ink discharge state detector 54, and arranges the ink discharge ports of the recording head unit 50. When the distance from the straight line to the optical axis of the ink ejection state detector 54 reaches 2 mm, the recording operation control unit 70 of the ink ejection command signal Ct
Stop supply to. At this time, the ink is, for example, 6k
Hz. The number of ink ejections is determined by the moving speed of the carriage unit 32 or the ejection area, and is, for example, 80 times.

Subsequently, the control unit 60 controls the data Di corresponding to the detection output signal Si from the ink discharge state detector.
The presence / absence of ink ejection is determined based on.

Experiments by the inventor of the present application have demonstrated that the number of ink ejection ports from which ink is ejected and the change in the detection output signal Si are substantially proportional. In the determination, the control unit 60 sets, for example, the level of the data Di when the ink discharge ports corresponding to about 5 to 25% of all the ink discharge ports do not discharge ink, as the determination level for determining that the ink is abnormal. .

The control unit 60 controls the obtained data Di.
Is higher than this determination level, for example, it is determined that ink has not been discharged. On the other hand, if the obtained data Di is lower than this determination level, for example, it is determined that ink has been discharged.

When the control unit 60 determines that the ink has not been ejected, it sends out an ink ejection command signal Ct and a control signal Cr when the remaining amount of ink is equal to or more than a predetermined value based on the data Dr. Thereby, the recovery operation control unit 78 forms the drive control signals KC and KD based on the control signal Cr so as to bring the motors 36MA and 36MB into the operating state, and supplies them to the recovery processing unit 36. The recovery processing unit 36 performs a recovery process based on the drive control signals KC and KD.

At this time, if the remaining amount of ink is less than the predetermined value, the remaining amount of ink is less than the predetermined value, and it is difficult to discharge the ink. A signal Cf indicating the request is supplied to the display control circuit unit 80. Thereby, the display control circuit unit 8
0 forms a warning display signal SD2 indicating a warning of a replacement request based on the control signal Cf, and supplies it to the display unit 84. The display unit 84 displays that the ink cartridge unit 34 needs to be replaced based on the warning display signal SD2. The display unit 84 may be a lamp or a liquid crystal display.

On the other hand, when the control unit 60 determines that the ink has been ejected, and when the remaining amount of ink is smaller than the predetermined value based on the data Dr, the remaining amount of ink is relatively small, so that the remaining amount of ink is small. In order to warn the user, the display control circuit unit 8 outputs a caution signal Ce indicating the caution of the remaining amount of ink.
Supply 0. Accordingly, the display control circuit unit 80 forms the caution display signal SD1 indicating the caution of the remaining ink amount based on the control signal Ce, and supplies the caution display signal SD1 to the display unit 82. The display unit 82 displays that it is necessary to pay attention to the remaining amount of ink based on the attention display signal SD2. The display unit 82
It may be a lamp or a liquid crystal display.

The control unit 60 for making the above determination is constituted by, for example, a microcomputer. An example of a program executed by the microcomputer will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.

In the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, first, at step 90, each data and signal is fetched, and at step 91, it is determined whether or not the flag Fh is set to "1". In the following step 92, it is determined whether or not the ink cartridge unit 2 has been newly replaced based on the data Dx. If not, the process proceeds to step 93.
In step 93, it is determined whether or not the carriage unit 32 is in the standby state position (home position). If the carriage unit 32 is not in the standby state position, the image data DV is sent out in the following step 94, Proceed to step 95. In step 95, the control signal Cc
And returns.

If it is determined in step 93 that the carriage unit 32 is in the standby state, the process proceeds to step 96.
To determine whether or not the recording operation corresponding to one sheet of recording paper Pa has been completed. If the recording operation has not been completed, the process proceeds to step 94, and the subsequent steps are similarly executed to return to the original state. If the recording operation has been completed, step 97
Proceed to. In step 97, an ink ejection command signal Ct is transmitted, and in step 98, the flag Fh
Is set to 1 and the process returns.

If the flag Fh is set to 1 in step 91, the process proceeds to step 100, where the data Di
It is determined whether or not ink is being ejected based on the data. If the ink is being ejected, the flag Fh is set to zero in the following step 101, and the process proceeds to step 102. It is determined whether or not the remaining amount is equal to or more than the predetermined value.
If the remaining ink amount is less than the predetermined value,
At 3, the signal Ce is sent out and returns.

If it is determined in step 100 that the ink has not been ejected, the process proceeds to step 104, where it is determined whether or not the remaining amount of ink is equal to or more than a predetermined value. At 105, the control signal Cr is transmitted, and the routine proceeds to step 108, at which the ink discharge command signal Ct is transmitted and returns.

If the remaining amount of ink is less than the predetermined value in step 104, the transmission of the signal Ce is stopped in the following step 106, and the process proceeds to step 107 to transmit the signal Cf and return to the original state.

Further, if the ink cartridge section 34 has been replaced at step 92,
In step, the transmission of the signal Cf is stopped, and the process proceeds to step 105, and the subsequent steps are executed in the same manner, and the process returns.

As described above, the present invention provides both a remaining amount detector for detecting the state of the amount of ink in the ink storage section and a discharge state detector for detecting the discharged state by detecting the discharged liquid droplets. The recovery operation and the warning operation can be appropriately controlled by combining the detection results of the above.

According to the present invention, the reliability of the remaining amount detection can be improved, and unnecessary recovery processing can be avoided, and the running cost can be reduced without wasting ink.

Next, the principle of ejection of the recording head used as the recording means in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment will be described. A recording head section applied to an ink jet recording apparatus generally includes a fine liquid discharge port (orifice), a liquid path, an energy action section provided in a part of the liquid path, and a droplet acting on the liquid in the action section. Energy generating means for generating formation energy.

As an energy generating means for generating such energy, a means using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element, or irradiating an electromagnetic wave such as a laser to absorb the liquid therein to generate heat, There is a type in which droplets are ejected and fly by the action of heat generation, and a type in which a liquid is discharged by heating a liquid with an electrothermal converter. Among them, a recording head portion used in an ink jet recording method in which a liquid is discharged by thermal energy has a high density of liquid discharge ports (orifices) for discharging a recording droplet to form a flying droplet. This makes it possible to record at a high resolution.

A recording head using an electrothermal transducer as an energy generating means can be easily made compact as a whole as a recording head, and has recently been improved in technology and reliability in the semiconductor field. The advantages of remarkable IC technology and micro-machining technology can be fully utilized, and it is easy to increase the length and form the surface (two-dimensional). In addition, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording head unit having high productivity and low manufacturing cost.

As described above, an ink jet recording head manufactured through a semiconductor manufacturing process using an electrothermal transducer as an energy generating means generally has a liquid path corresponding to each ink ejection port, and a liquid path corresponding to each ink discharge port. An electrothermal converter is provided as a means for applying thermal energy to the liquid filling the liquid path and discharging the liquid from the corresponding ink discharge port to form a flying droplet.Each liquid path includes The liquid is supplied from a common liquid chamber communicating with each liquid path. In addition, regarding the method of manufacturing the ink discharge unit, the applicant of the present invention provided a solid layer for forming at least a liquid path on the first substrate, and at least an active energy ray-curable material layer used for forming walls of the liquid path, After sequentially stacking the second substrate, a mask is stacked on the second substrate, and an active energy ray is irradiated from above the mask to form at least a liquid path wall of the active energy ray-curable material layer. Cured as a part,
Furthermore, an application has been filed for a method of removing at least a liquid path by removing an uncured portion of a solid layer and an active energy ray-curable material layer from between two substrates (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-253457).

The present invention includes a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for performing ink ejection, particularly in an ink jet recording system. The present invention provides an excellent effect in an ink jet recording apparatus that forms a flying droplet by using the liquid crystal and performs recording.

The typical configuration and principle are described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
Although it can be applied to any type of continuous type, in particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to a sheet holding liquid (ink) or an electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and film boiling occurs on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis.
This is effective because air bubbles inside can be formed.

By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of a liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable.

As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of the discharge port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (linear liquid flow path or right-angle liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 44,558 which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
It is good also as composition using 59600 specification. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. S59-5959 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-123670 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. S59-5959 discloses a configuration in which an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is made to correspond to a discharge portion.
The effect of the present invention is effective even in a configuration based on JP-A-138461.

That is, no matter what the form of the recording head is, according to the present invention, recording can be performed reliably and efficiently.

Further, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium on which a recording apparatus can record. Such a recording head may have a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as one integrally formed recording head.

In addition, the print head is replaceable with a print head of a replaceable chip type, which can be electrically connected to the main body of the apparatus or supplied with ink from the main body of the apparatus, or integrated with the print head itself. Alternatively, a cartridge type recording head provided with an ink tank may be used.

Further, it is preferable to add ejection recovery means to the print head, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like provided as components of the printing apparatus of the present invention since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. is there. If these are specifically mentioned, capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof, and printing Performing a preliminary ejection mode for performing another ejection is also effective for performing stable printing.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to a recording mode of only a mainstream color such as black, and may be either an integral recording head or a combination of a plurality of recording heads. The apparatus may be provided with at least one of the recording modes of color or full color by color mixture.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid. However, it is possible to use a recording medium such as an ink that solidifies at room temperature or below and softens at room temperature or a liquid. The signal may be applied as long as the ink is in a liquid state.

In addition, the temperature rise due to thermal energy can be positively prevented by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or left for the purpose of preventing the ink from evaporating. Either use ink that solidifies in a state, or in any case, the ink is liquefied by applying heat energy according to the recording signal, and the liquid ink is ejected, and when it reaches the recording medium, it already starts to solidify The present invention is also applicable to a case where an ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time by the application of thermal energy, such as an ink. In such a case, the ink is disclosed in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71.
No. 260, as held in a liquid or solid state in the porous sheet recess or through hole,
It is good also as a form which opposes an electrothermal transducer. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

[0088]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, when the warning means warns that the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage section is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the control means The ink remaining amount based on the detection output from the ink remaining amount detection unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and the predetermined amount of ink is not ejected by the ink ejection unit of the recording head based on the detection output from the ink ejection state detection unit. In this case, the warning unit is caused to perform a warning operation, so that the remaining amount of the ink stored in the ink storage unit can be accurately detected.

In addition, in the case where there is provided a recovery processing means for recovering the ink discharge portion of the recording head to a state in which ink can be discharged, the control means determines whether the remaining ink amount based on the detection output from the remaining ink amount detection portion is a predetermined value. If the value is equal to or greater than the value and the predetermined amount of ink is not ejected by the ink ejection unit of the recording head based on the detection output from the ink ejection state detection unit, the recovery processing unit is caused to perform an operation of recovering. There is an advantage that execution of the recovery processing can be avoided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control block provided in an example of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an ink cartridge unit provided in an example of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention together with a carriage unit.

FIG. 3 is a diagram provided for an explanation of the operation in the example shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a main part of an example of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a main part of the example shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a program executed by the microcomputer when the control unit in the example shown in FIG. 1 is constituted by a microcomputer.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional ink cartridge together with an ink remaining amount detector and an ink discharge state detector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 32 Carriage unit 34 Ink cartridge unit 36 Recovery processing unit 48 Ink tank unit 50 Recording head unit 54 Ink ejection state detector 56 Ink remaining amount detector 60 Control unit 82, 84 Display unit

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An ink remaining amount detecting unit for detecting an ink remaining amount in an ink storing unit for storing ink used for a printing operation, and an ink discharging unit for discharging ink by an ink discharging unit discharging the ink. An ink discharge state detection unit for detecting the presence or absence; a warning unit for warning that the remaining ink amount in the ink storage unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value; a predetermined ink remaining amount based on a detection output from the remaining ink amount detection unit If the value is equal to or less than the predetermined value and the predetermined amount of ink is not discharged by the ink discharge unit of the recording head based on the detection output from the ink discharge state detection unit, the warning unit performs the warning operation. Control means;
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: A first warning unit that warns that the remaining amount of ink is equal to or less than a predetermined value; and a warning unit that discharges ink by the ink discharging unit when the remaining amount of ink is equal to or less than a predetermined value. A second warning unit that warns that no ink remains in the recording head, wherein the control unit controls the ink discharge unit of the recording head based on a detection output from the ink discharge state detection unit. Is discharged by a predetermined amount, and when the remaining ink amount based on the detection output from the remaining ink amount detection unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the first warning unit performs the warning operation, A predetermined amount of ink is not ejected by the ink ejection unit of the recording head based on the detection output from the ink ejection state detection unit, and the remaining amount of ink based on the detection output from the ink remaining amount detection unit is determined. If the value or less, the the second warning unit, an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the causing the operation of the warning. 3. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ink storage section is provided on said recording head. 4. A printing apparatus, further comprising a carriage section, which is disposed to face the ink discharge section of the print head and moves in a direction substantially perpendicular to a conveying direction of a printing medium, wherein the carriage section is selectively mounted with the ink storage section. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a receiving section. 5. An ink remaining amount detecting section for detecting an ink remaining amount in an ink storing section in which ink used for a printing operation is stored, and an ink discharging section for discharging ink by an ink discharging section for discharging the ink. An ink ejection state detection unit for detecting the presence or absence, a recovery processing unit for restoring the ink ejection unit of the recording head to a state where ink can be ejected, and a predetermined amount of ink remaining based on a detection output from the ink remaining amount detection unit Control for causing the recovery processing unit to perform an operation of recovering when a predetermined amount of ink is not discharged by the ink discharge unit of the recording head based on the detection output from the ink discharge state detection unit. And an ink jet recording apparatus. 6. An apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a warning unit for warning that the remaining amount of ink in said ink storage unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value. If the predetermined amount is equal to or less than a predetermined value and the predetermined amount of ink is not discharged by the ink discharge unit of the recording head based on the detection output from the ink discharge state detection unit, the warning unit performs the warning operation. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the recording is performed. 7. A first warning unit for warning that the remaining amount of ink is equal to or less than a predetermined value, wherein the first warning unit warns that the remaining amount of ink is equal to or less than a predetermined value. A second warning unit that warns that no ink remains in the recording head, wherein the control unit controls the ink discharge unit of the recording head based on a detection output from the ink discharge state detection unit. Is discharged by a predetermined amount, and when the remaining ink amount based on the detection output from the remaining ink amount detection unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the first warning unit performs the warning operation, A predetermined amount of ink is not ejected by the ink ejection unit of the recording head based on the detection output from the ink ejection state detection unit, and the remaining amount of ink based on the detection output from the ink remaining amount detection unit is determined. If the value or less, the the second warning unit, an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the causing the operation of the warning. 8. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said ink storage section is provided on said recording head. 9. A printing apparatus, further comprising a carriage section, which is arranged to face the ink ejection section of the print head and moves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the transport direction of a printing medium, wherein the carriage section is selectively mounted with the ink storage section. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a storage section to be inserted. 10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording head discharges ink through an ink discharge section by heat generated by an electrothermal transducer.