JPH11277761A - Apparatus for detecting quantity of ink remaining in recording apparatus or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely recognize a liquid level of ink in an ink cartridge and correctly detect a quantity of remaining ink in an apparatus for detecting the quantity of remaining ink in a recording apparatus or the like. SOLUTION: When a predetermined time passes (S2) after a carriage stops at a quantity detection position (YES in S1), a quantity of remaining ink is detected by an ink quantity detection sensor (S3), based on which the presence/ absence of the quantity of remaining ink in an ink cartridge is judged (S4). The ink is thus prevented from being detected in a state where the ink waves in the ink cartridge immediately after the carriage stops scanning and the quantity of remaining ink is detected in a state where the waving of the ink is brought to the end. A liquid level of ink is surely recognized, thereby enabling correct detection for the quantity of remaining ink.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for detecting the remaining amount of ink in a recording apparatus or the like, and more particularly to a technique for detecting the presence or absence of the remaining amount of ink in an ink cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a device for detecting the remaining amount of ink in a recording apparatus or the like, a light emitting portion for emitting a light beam to an ink cartridge containing ink in a transparent or translucent case, and an ink cartridge for the light beam are used. In some cases, the remaining amount of ink in an ink cartridge is detected by an optical sensor including a light receiving unit that receives reflected light or transmitted light. This ink remaining amount detecting device emits a light beam from a light emitting portion to the side surface of an ink cartridge immediately after the recording means finishes the recording operation and the carriage stops scanning movement at a position detected by the optical sensor. By receiving the reflected light or transmitted light from the ink cartridge, the color of the ink inside the ink cartridge is recognized to detect the remaining amount of ink. Based on the output from the light receiving unit, the device control unit The presence or absence of the remaining ink is detected.

[0003]

However, according to the conventional ink remaining amount detecting device as described above, the remaining amount of ink is detected by the optical sensor immediately after the scanning movement of the carriage is stopped. Detection is performed for ink in a state where a wave is formed in the ink cartridge due to vibration during the scanning movement of the carriage, or detection is performed before ink attached to the upper portion of the inner wall surface of the ink cartridge flows down due to the wave. . Therefore, the optical sensor recognizes the ink attached to the ink cartridge inner wall surface at a position above or below the original ink liquid level, and may erroneously detect that the ink is filled up to that position, Ink remaining amount could not be detected accurately.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and it is intended to reduce the amount of ink remaining in an ink cartridge after a predetermined time has elapsed since the carriage stopped scanning at the ink remaining amount detecting position. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink remaining amount detecting device in a recording device or the like that can accurately detect the remaining amount of ink by detecting the presence or absence.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, recording is performed by ejecting ink in an ink cartridge containing ink onto a recording medium. An ink remaining amount detecting device in a recording device or the like including a recording unit and a carriage on which the ink cartridge and the recording unit are mounted and capable of scanning and moving on a recording medium, wherein the remaining ink amount in the ink cartridge is Detecting means for detecting the amount, timer means for measuring the time from the time when the carriage stopped at the ink remaining amount detecting position by the detecting means, and when the predetermined time has elapsed when the timer means has counted the time,
Determining means for detecting the remaining amount of ink by the detecting means and determining whether or not there is a remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge based on the detection result.

According to the present invention, the timer measures the time from the time when the carriage stops at the ink remaining amount detecting position by the detecting means, and after a predetermined time has elapsed since the carriage stopped the scanning movement, The determining means detects the remaining amount of ink by the detecting means, and determines the presence or absence of the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge based on the detection result. Therefore, immediately after the carriage stops scanning, it is possible to avoid the detection of the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge or the ink remaining on the inner wall surface due to the vibration during the scanning movement of the carriage. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the detecting means from recognizing the ink attached to the inner wall surface of the ink cartridge at a position above or below the original ink liquid level and performing erroneous detection, and to prevent the original ink liquid level inside the ink cartridge from being detected. Can be accurately recognized, and an accurate remaining ink amount can be detected. Here, as the detection means, various types such as an optical type described later or a type for measuring electric resistance between electrodes can be applied.

[0007] The invention described in claim 2 is the first invention.
Wherein the ink cartridge case is made of a transparent or translucent material, and the detecting means comprises: a light emitting unit for emitting a light beam to the ink cartridge; and an ink cartridge for the light beam. And a light receiving unit for receiving the reflected light or transmitted light from the light receiving unit, and the determination unit determines the presence or absence of the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge based on a signal from the light receiving unit.

According to the present invention, when a light beam is emitted from the light emitting portion to the ink cartridge, the reflected light or the transmitted light on the inner wall surface of the case changes depending on the presence or absence of the ink in the ink cartridge, and the light is received. The amount of light received at the section changes.
That is, the refractive index or the reflectance at these boundary surfaces changes depending on whether or not there is ink on the inner wall surface of the case, that is, when there is an air layer, thereby reflecting or transmitting light on the inner wall surface of the case. Changes, and the amount of light received by the light receiving unit changes. The judging means can judge the presence or absence of the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge by detecting this change.

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is the first invention.
Alternatively, in the ink remaining amount detecting device in the recording apparatus or the like according to claim 2, a display means for displaying a result of the determination of the presence or absence of the ink remaining amount by the determining means is further provided.

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to notify the user of the result of the determination of the presence or absence of the remaining amount of ink by the determining means to prompt the user to replace the ink cartridge. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent recording from being performed in a state where the ink remaining amount is insufficient, and to eliminate a recording defect.

The invention described in claim 4 is the first invention.
4. A device for detecting the remaining amount of ink in a recording device or the like according to claim 3, wherein the device for detecting the remaining amount of ink by the detecting unit is provided at a position outside the recording area of the recording unit and facing the recording unit. It is.

According to the present invention, since the remaining amount of ink is detected by the detecting unit outside the recording area by the recording unit, the detection of the remaining amount of ink by the detecting unit does not hinder the recording operation by the recording unit. .

The invention described in claim 5 is the first invention.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the detecting unit is disposed at a position where the recording unit is moved for maintenance.

According to the present invention, it is possible to detect the remaining amount of ink at the same time as performing the maintenance operation on the recording means, so that no special time is required only for detecting the remaining amount of ink. Accordingly, the recording speed does not decrease for detecting the remaining amount of ink, and the mounting area dedicated to the detecting means is not required, so that the size of the entire apparatus can be reduced.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A description will now be given, with reference to the drawings, of an ink remaining amount detecting device in a recording apparatus or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a recording apparatus provided with the ink remaining amount detecting device. A recording apparatus 1 composed of an ink jet printer includes a cylindrical conveying roller 4 rotatably supported on a frame 2.
Having. A carriage 6 on which an ink jet type recording head 5 is mounted is provided in front of the transport roller 4 so as to be movable in a horizontal and horizontal direction along an axis of the transport roller 4. The transport roller 4 transports the recording medium P supplied from a paper cassette or a manual paper feed unit toward the recording head 5 by rotating in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The recording head 5 includes four recording heads so that four color inks of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black can be ejected in order to perform color recording. The recording medium P
Is supplied from a paper supply port (not shown) behind the frame 2, passes through the recording head 5, and is discharged from a paper discharge port (not shown).

On the carriage 6, a head unit 20 having a recording head 5 and ink cartridges 7y, 7m, 7c, 7 for supplying ink to the recording head 5 are provided.
b are detachably mounted. In addition, the carriage 6 supports the front portion of the carriage 6 by a carriage shaft 8 provided in parallel with the axis of the transport roller 4 and the rear portion of the carriage 6 by a support member 9 to lower the recording head 5 at the front of the carriage 6. It is kept in a tilted position. A carriage drive motor (CR motor) 10 for driving the carriage 6 drives the carriage 6 by a belt 11 and pulleys 12 and 13, and a step motor or a DC motor is used. With the above configuration, the recording head 5 mounted on the carriage 6 performs a recording operation while sliding in a direction crossing the recording medium P supported by the transport rollers 4.

Also, on the right side in FIG. 1 with respect to the conveying roller 4 and outside the recording range for the recording medium P,
A maintenance device 15 for recovering non-ejection or ejection failure of the recording head 5 is provided. Such a maintenance device 15 is provided because the ink jet recording head 5 discharges ink bubbles due to the occurrence of air bubbles inside during use or the attachment of ink droplets on the discharge surface. Since a defect is caused, the state is restored to a favorable discharge state, and drying is prevented. Maintenance device 15
Is provided with a suction cap 16. The suction cap 16 covers the nozzles of the recording head 5 and recovers the recording head 5 by suctioning (purging) defective ink inside the recording head 5 by the negative pressure generated by the pump 17. The sucked defective ink is sent to the storage unit 18.

A wiper 19 for wiping the ejection surface of the recording head 5 is provided on the recording area side of the suction cap 16. The wiping operation by the wiper 19 and the defective ink suction operation by the suction cap 16 are performed for each of the four nozzles of the recording head 5. The suction cap 16, the pump 17, and the wiper 19 are driven by a cam drive motor 59 (FIG. 3), and the driving force is transmitted via the pump cam gear 25 when the carriage 6 enters the recovery area. Is transmitted. Further, further to the right of the suction cap 16, a storage cap 27 that covers the recording head 5 during a pause of the recording operation is provided. The storage cap 27 is for preventing the ink in the nozzles of the recording head 5 from drying, and has cap portions corresponding to the number of head portions. Further, the ink cartridges 7y, 7
At positions facing m, 7c, 7b, an ink remaining amount detection sensor (detection means) including an optical sensor for detecting the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridges 7y, 7m, 7c, 7b.
30 are provided. This ink remaining amount detection sensor 30
Will be described later in detail.

The head unit 20 mounted on the carriage 6 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the head unit 20 part. As mentioned above,
The recording head 5 is provided in a head unit 20. The recording head 5 includes four recording head units 5y, 5m, 5c, and 5b for discharging four color inks of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black for color recording. It consists of. Each of the recording heads 5y, 5m, 5c, and 5b has a plurality of nozzles 24 formed on a nozzle plate 23, and ink of each color is ejected from the nozzles 24 onto the recording medium P. . In addition, the ink cartridge 7
y, 7m, 7c, 7b are made of a transparent or translucent case so that the remaining amount of ink can be visually recognized from outside,
The head unit 20 is mounted from the side opposite to the surface on which the recording head 5 is provided, and is connected to each of the recording head units 5y, 5m, 5c, and 5b of the corresponding color. An opening 20a is provided above a portion of the head unit 20 where the recording head 5 is provided. The opening 20a allows the above-described remaining ink amount detection sensor 30 to directly irradiate the ink cartridges 7y, 7m, 7c, and 7b with light rays.

Next, the electrical configuration of the recording apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the recording apparatus 1. The recording device 1 includes a control unit 50 for controlling each unit of the recording device 1. The control unit 50 has a CPU 50a for controlling the operation of the entire recording apparatus 1. The CPU 50a includes a ROM 50b storing a work program and the like, and a CPU 50a.
a is connected to a RAM 50c for temporarily storing recording data received from a host computer or the like (not shown). Further, the CPU 50a has a built-in timer (timer means) (not shown) for measuring the time from when the carriage 6 stops at the ink remaining amount detection position by the ink remaining amount detection sensor 30.

Further, the CPU 50a is connected to each unit of the apparatus such as the purge button 51 via the input / output unit 50d. The purge button 51 is for outputting a start signal of a purge operation by the suction cap 16 and the pump 17 to the CPU 50a when pressed by the user, and the cartridge detector 52 determines whether or not the ink cartridge 7 is loaded on the carriage 6. Is detected and the result is
Output to U50a. Purge position sensor 53
Is a sensor for detecting whether or not the recording head 5 is at a position facing the suction cap 16 during the purge operation, and outputs the detection result to the CPU 50a. The CR position sensor 56 detects the position of the carriage 6 accompanying the scanning movement and outputs the position to the CPU 50a. The ink remaining amount detection sensor 30 is also connected to the CPU 50a,
a is based on the output from the ink remaining amount detection sensor 30,
It is determined whether there is any remaining ink in the ink cartridge 7. The ink remaining amount detecting device according to the present invention is constituted by an ink remaining amount detecting sensor 30 (detecting means) and a CPU 50a (determining means).

The CPU 50a includes the recording head 5,
The CR motor 10 and the LF motor 58 are connected, and the CPU
Reference numeral 50a controls the recording operation of the recording head 5, and controls the driving of the CR motor 10 and the LF motor (conveyance roller driving motor) 58 in correspondence with the recording operation of the recording head 5. Further, a cam drive motor 59 and a display unit (display means) 60 are connected to the CPU 50a. The cam drive motor 59 controls the carriage 6 by the CR position sensor 56.
Is controlled to be driven when it is detected that the ink has moved to the recovery position.
Control is performed such that a display is performed in accordance with the operation status of each unit of the recording apparatus 1 such as a detection result of the presence or absence of the remaining amount of ink by 0.

Next, the detection of the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridges 7y, 7m, 7c, 7b (hereinafter collectively referred to as the ink cartridge 7) by the remaining ink amount detection sensor 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the head unit 20 and the remaining ink amount detection sensor 30. The ink remaining amount detection sensor 30 includes a light emitting unit 30a that irradiates a light beam to the ink cartridge 7, and a light receiving unit 30b that receives the light reflected by the inner wall surface of the case of the ink cartridge 7. On the other hand, in the ink cartridge 7, the inside of the case is partitioned by the partition wall 71 into the first ink chamber 72.
The second ink chamber 73 is partitioned, and the two ink chambers communicate with each other through a communication hole 71 a provided in a lower portion of the partition wall 71. The first ink chamber 72 is provided in the second ink chamber 7.
The ink supply port 72a for supplying ink to the recording head 5 is provided at the lower part of the side surface of the ink supply port 72a. A porous ink impregnating material is disposed in the second ink chamber 73, and an opening (not shown) communicating with the atmosphere is provided at a rear portion.

In the ink cartridge 7 having this structure, the first ink chamber 72 and the second ink chamber 73 are filled with ink.
When the ink in the first ink chamber 72 is supplied, the amount of ink reduced in the first ink chamber 72 is supplied from the second ink chamber 73 to the first ink chamber 72 through the communication hole 71a. As a result, even if the ink in the ink cartridge 7 decreases due to the supply of ink to the recording head 5, the ink in the second ink chamber 73 decreases and the first ink chamber 72 becomes almost filled. Will be kept. Only when the ink in the second ink chamber 73 is almost exhausted and air flows from the chamber into the first ink chamber 72, the ink in the first ink chamber 72 is reduced and the ink liquid in the first ink chamber 72 is reduced. Surface A descends. Therefore, when the ink level in the first ink chamber 72 drops, the total amount of ink in the ink cartridge 7 remains small. Therefore, by detecting the ink level position in the first ink chamber 72 by the ink remaining amount detection sensor 30, it is possible to know whether there is a remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 7.

The first ink chamber 7 of the ink cartridge 7 on the recording head 5 side of the ink cartridge 7 having the above configuration.
When a light beam is emitted from the light emitting portion 30a of the ink remaining amount detection sensor 30 to the inner wall surface of the second side wall 72b,
The state of the light reflected on the inner wall surface of the light beam changes depending on whether or not there is ink on the inner wall surface of 2b. That is, the refractive index at the boundary surface between the inner wall of the side wall 72b and the inner ink or air changes depending on whether or not there is ink. The amount of reflected light increases. As a result, the light receiving portion 30b increases the amount of light received when the ink runs out. Therefore, based on the amount of light received by the light receiving portion 30b, it is determined whether or not the ink liquid level in the first ink chamber 72 has dropped. It is possible to detect whether or not the remaining amount of ink in 7 is low.

For example, when the amount of ink in the first ink chamber 72 decreases and the ink level becomes C, the amount of light received by the light receiving section 30b increases, and it can be determined that the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 7 is small. . However, the carriage 6
Immediately after stopping the scanning movement, the ink in the first ink chamber 72 is wavy due to the vibration at the time of the scanning movement, or the ink adheres to the upper part of the wall surface. In some cases, the ink liquid level may be in the state B shown by the broken line, even though the position is the position. In this case, if the detection by the remaining ink amount detection sensor 30 is performed, it is erroneously detected that there is an ink remaining amount. Therefore, in the ink remaining amount detecting device according to the present invention, the ink remaining amount detecting sensor 30 is used.
Is detected after a lapse of a predetermined time after the scanning movement of the carriage 6 is stopped. Hereinafter, the processing at the time of detecting the remaining amount of ink will be described.

The detection of the remaining amount of ink will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the remaining ink amount detection process by the remaining ink amount detection device. When the CR position sensor 56 detects that the carriage 6 has moved to the ink remaining amount detection position (the same position as the recovery position by the suction cap 16 in this embodiment) (S
If YES in step 1), the CPU 50a starts counting time and waits until the predetermined time has elapsed without detecting the remaining ink amount (S2). The predetermined time is defined as the carriage 6
This is the time required for the ripples of the ink waving in the ink cartridge 7 due to the vibration at the time of the scanning movement to stop, or for the ink attached to the wall to flow down, for example, about one minute. It is possible to do. After the elapse of the predetermined time, the ink remaining amount detection sensor 30
(S3). That is, a light beam is irradiated on the ink cartridge 7 by the light emitting unit 30a, and the light beam reflected by the inner wall surface of the side surface 72b is received by the light receiving unit 30b, and the light receiving unit 30b outputs an output signal based on the received light amount to the CPU 50a. I do. The CPU 50a detects the presence or absence of the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 7 based on the output signal from the light receiving unit 30b (S4). If there is no remaining amount of ink (NO in S4), the display unit 60 (FIG. 3). Is performed such that "no remaining ink" is displayed (S5). If there is ink remaining (YE in S4)
S), the process ends without performing the display process. This operation is performed for all the colors by driving the carriage 6 so that the ink cartridges of the respective colors sequentially face the detection positions.

As described above, according to the ink remaining amount detecting device in the recording apparatus and the like of this embodiment, when the remaining ink amount is detected by the ink remaining amount detecting sensor 30, the carriage 6
Does not immediately detect when the ink has moved to the ink remaining amount detection position, but performs the ink remaining amount detection after the ink ripples in the ink cartridge 7 have ceased, so that the ink liquid level is stabilized, and When the ink is wavy, the ink droplets adhering to the inner wall surface of the ink cartridge 7 fall to the ink liquid level. Accordingly, the ink remaining amount detection sensor 30 detects the ink remaining level by detecting the wavy ink liquid level, or causes the ink droplet adhering to the inner wall surface of the ink cartridge 7 to be changed to the ink liquid level. No misunderstanding or
The presence or absence of the remaining ink amount can be accurately detected. Also, since the first ink chamber 72 is formed with a small capacity,
After the carriage 6 stops scanning, the first ink chamber 7
The undulation of the ink in 2 is settled in a short time. Therefore, the waiting time from when the carriage 6 stops the scanning movement to when the remaining ink amount is detected can be shortened. Also,
When the purge position sensor 56 detects the carriage,
By driving the motor 59, the suction cap 16 is moved to the recording head 5.
, The purge operation is started, and the remaining ink amount detection operation can be performed.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, the remaining amount of ink may be checked by using the fact that the amount of reflected light of the light beam emitted from the light emitting unit 30a changes depending on the color of the ink in the ink cartridge 7.

In the above embodiment, the recording apparatus 1 to which the ink remaining amount detecting device according to the present invention is applied is an ink jet printer. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to a facsimile, a copying machine, and the like as long as the recording apparatus uses the liquid ink. In the above embodiment,
The ink remaining amount detection sensor 30 is attached to the upper part of the suction cap 16 for purging and detects the ink remaining amount at a maintenance position outside the recording area. For example, the ink remaining amount detection sensor 30 can be attached to a position such as above the storage cap 27 or above the carriage 6.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a recording apparatus provided with an ink remaining amount detecting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a head unit provided in the recording apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the recording apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a head unit and an ink remaining amount detection sensor provided in the recording apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a remaining ink amount detecting process by the remaining ink amount detecting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording device 7 Ink cartridge 5 Recording head (recording means) 6 Carriage 30 Ink remaining amount detection sensor (detection means) 30a Light emission part (detection means) 30b Light reception part (detection means) 50a CPU (control means) 60 Display part (display) means)

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A recording means for performing recording by ejecting ink in an ink cartridge containing ink onto a recording medium, and the ink cartridge and the recording means are mounted to enable scanning movement on the recording medium. Detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge, and detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge from the time when the carriage stops at the remaining ink amount detecting position by the detecting means. Timer means for measuring the time of, when the time measured by the timer means has passed a predetermined time,
Recording means for detecting the remaining amount of ink by the detecting means when a predetermined time has elapsed, and determining the presence or absence of the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge based on the detection result. A device for detecting the remaining amount of ink in a device or the like. 2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a case of the ink cartridge is made of a transparent or translucent material. The detecting unit includes a light emitting unit that emits a light beam to the ink cartridge, and a reflected light or a transmitted light of the light beam in the ink cartridge. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a light receiving unit for receiving the remaining ink, wherein the determining unit determines whether there is a remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge based on a signal from the light receiving unit. Ink remaining amount detection device. 3. The ink remaining amount in a recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying a result of the determination on the presence or absence of the remaining amount of ink by said determining unit. Detection device. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remaining ink amount detecting device based on the detecting means is provided at a position outside the recording area of the recording means and facing the recording means.
An ink remaining amount detecting device in a recording device or the like according to claim 3. 5. The ink in a recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is disposed at a position where the recording unit is moved for maintenance. Remaining amount detection device.