JPH11192719A - Detecting device of ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely fix an ink cartridge and to surely detect loading conditions of the ink cartridge and an attaching/detaching cover irrespective of forming accuracy or imposition accuracy. SOLUTION: An ink cartridge 30 is loaded to a cartridge housing chamber 3 and a V-shaped cam 15 is rotated in a clockwise direction. An attaching/ detaching cover 20 is loaded and the V-shaped cam 15 is further rotated by means of a stopping projection piece 23, then the ink cartridge 30 is fixed by pressing leg piece 14 and a contact point 19 is closed by means of a switch pressing piece 16 that is rotated to be displaced together with the pressing leg piece 14. As a result, it is possible to surely fix the ink cartridge and to surely detect the loading condition irrespective of forming accuracy or imposition accuracy.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink cartridge detecting device provided on a carriage of an ink jet printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an ink jet printer of a type in which an ink cartridge is mounted on a carriage, if the carriage is scanned without mounting the ink cartridge, the ink in the recording head drips and stains the paper. If left unattended for a long time, a special recovery operation will be required. Therefore, this type of inkjet printer requires a special sensor to detect the presence or absence of an ink cartridge. .

On the other hand, when a dedicated detachable cover for inserting and removing an ink cartridge is provided, it is necessary to suppress the ink cartridge by the detachable cover so as not to cause unnecessary rattling during running of the carriage. It is also necessary to prevent the printer from operating unless the removable cover is completely closed.

However, in order to prevent rattling, in addition to the molding accuracy between the cartridge case and the detachable cover, assembling accuracy between the printer body and the cartridge case is required. There is a problem that it becomes a big restriction in deciding the design.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a problem.
Provided is a new ink cartridge detection device that can reliably detect the presence or absence of an ink cartridge or the like and an abnormality without requiring the molding accuracy and assembly accuracy of components such as a printer body. It is in.

[0006]

That is, the present invention provides an ink cartridge detecting device for achieving the above object, in which a part of an ink cartridge mounted in a cartridge accommodating portion is brought into contact with the outside of the cartridge accommodating portion. The cam member which retreats and comes into contact with a part of the cover when the cover is attached to displace the ink cartridge between the cartridge accommodating portion and the contact member of the detecting member at the clamping position displaced with the movement of the cam member. An operation member for operating is provided.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention applied to a color inkjet printer. First, a schematic configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a carriage main body which reciprocates in the main scanning direction along a guide rod 2. The carriage main body 1 has two cartridge accommodating chambers 3 for accommodating black and color ink cartridges 30. 3 are provided through an image wall, and empty ink cartridges 30 are provided in the openings of the cartridge accommodating chambers 3 and 3, respectively.
A detachable cover 20 provided with a lifter 21 for pulling out a new ink cartridge 30 is pivotably supported around a support shaft 22.

The carriage body 1 is provided with two angle adjusting levers 4, 4 for independently adjusting the inclination of the recording head at portions corresponding to the cartridge accommodating chambers 3, 3, so that they can be operated from the front of the carriage body 1. A nozzle hole position which is movably disposed and has a side wall 5 on the cartridge storage chamber 3 side for storing one ink cartridge 30 for adjusting the position of one recording head in the paper feed direction with respect to the other recording head. The adjustment lever 6 is provided so as to be able to rotate.

FIGS. 2 to 4 show a detecting member 10 which is displaced in accordance with mounting of the ink cartridge 30 and opening and closing of the detachable cover 20. The detecting member 10 is made of a soft and elastic material. It is made of a resin material and is rotatable about the fulcrum pin 11 as a fulcrum in the locking recess 7 of the cartridge accommodating chamber 3 so as to be operated by the locking projection 23 provided at the free end of the lever 20 for attachment and detachment. It is pivoted.

The detecting member 10 has a V-shaped cam 15 composed of a pressing leg 13 and a detecting leg 14, and a switch formed integrally with the cam 15 at a different position in the axial direction. It is constituted by a pressing piece 16 and is normally urged by a spring (not shown) to hold the two leg pieces 13 and 14 in a state of being opened upward.

When one of the pressing leg pieces 13 constituting the V-shaped cam 15 is pressed by the locking projection 23 of the attaching / detaching cover 20 and rotates clockwise in the drawing, it is shown in FIG. As described above, the ink cartridge 30 is pressed immovably at its tip, and the other detection leg 24 is
In the state where is not attached, as shown in FIG.
A switch pressing piece 16 which projects into the cartridge accommodating chamber 3 and, when the ink cartridge 30 is mounted, comes into contact with a part of the ink cartridge 30 to avoid turning clockwise in FIG. Is the V-shaped cam 1
When the switch 5 is pressed by the locking projection 23 of the detachable cover 20 and rotates clockwise in FIG.
8 is configured to be pressed to close the contact piece 19.

In the thus constructed apparatus, the ink cartridge 30 is now placed on the lifter 21, and the detachable cover 20 is rotated on the lifter 21 in the closing direction to move the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge accommodating chamber 3. When loaded,
As shown in FIG. 2, the detection member 10 rotates clockwise in the drawing such that the detection leg 14 projecting into the cartridge accommodating chamber 3 is retracted out of the loading area by the ink cartridge 30. .

Then, when the removable cover 2 is further pushed in from this state and the locking projection 23 is locked to the locking portion 8 provided in the locking recess 7, the pressing projection 23 is pressed by the locking projection 23 and further pressed. The pressing leg 13 rotated clockwise in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the ink cartridge 30 is firmly fixed by pressing the ink cartridge 30 against the inner wall of the cartridge accommodating chamber 3 by the tip end thereof, and at the same time, the switch pressing piece 16 rotated clockwise in FIG. Is switch 2
8 is pressed to electrically detect that the ink cartridge 30 is completely loaded.

On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 30 is not loaded, as shown in FIG. 4, the detecting member 10 is rotated and displaced counterclockwise by a spring (not shown).
The detection leg 14 projects into the cartridge storage chamber 3 with the V-shaped opening facing upward.

Therefore, when the detachable cover 20 is closed in this state, the locking projection 23 becomes the V-shaped cam 1.
5 and the switch pressing piece 16 enter the V-shaped opening without rotating, and are locked by the locking portion 8 provided in the locking recessed portion 7 without closing the switch 18. Despite having the same appearance as loaded, the carriage 1 is prevented from running.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention, the cam which retracts to the outside of the cartridge housing portion by the ink cartridge mounted in the cartridge housing chamber, and clamps the ink cartridge with the cartridge housing portion by mounting the cover. Since the member and the operating member for operating the detecting means at the holding position by displacing with the cam member are provided, the mounting of the ink cartridge and the mounting of the cover can be detected by a single cam member, By displacing the cam member while being interposed between the cartridge accommodating portion and the ink cartridge, the fixing and detection of the ink cartridge can be reliably performed irrespective of the formation accuracy and assembly accuracy of the members. Can be.

Further, since the cam member is formed of an elastic material, the tolerance between the members can be absorbed, and the fixing and detection of the ink cartridge can be performed more reliably.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a carriage to which a detection device according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention with the ink cartridge mounted.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the same device with a detachable cover attached.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the same device in a state where the ink cartridge is not mounted.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Carriage 3 Cartridge accommodating chamber 13 Pressing leg 14 Detection leg 15 V-shaped cam 16 Switch pressing piece 18 Switch 20 Removable cover 23 Locking projection 30 Ink cartridge

Claims (2)

[Claims] An ink cartridge mounted in the cartridge accommodating portion and retreating to the outside of the cartridge accommodating portion; and, when the cover is attached, abutting against a portion of the cover and interposing the cartridge accommodating portion. An ink cartridge detection device, characterized in that a cam member that displaces the ink cartridge is provided with an operation member that is displaced with the movement of the cam member and operates the contact point of the detection member at the clamping position. 2. The ink cartridge detecting device according to claim 1, wherein said cam member is formed of an elastic material.