JPH1158768A - Ink recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the ink exhaustion accident during printing without the need of frequent change of the ink tank. SOLUTION: The recording apparatus comprises a carriage 32 reciprocally movable in the direction parallel with a recording medium 11, a recording head mounted on the carriage 32 for forming an image on the recording medium 11 by the scan of the carriage 32, an ink tank 30 provided with an ink filling opening, for supplying an ink to the recording head, an ink residual amount detecting sensor for detecting the ink residual amount in the ink tank 30, and an ink supplementing tank 37 provided at a position other than the carriage 32 for supplementing an ink to the ink tank 30 from an ink supply opening provided capable of contacting with or moving away from the ink supplementing opening. Accordingly, if the ink exhaustion is not detected by the ink residual amount detecting sensor during the printing operation, an ink is supplemented form the supplementing tank 37 to the ink tank 30 after finishing a predetermined printing operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink recording apparatus such as an ink jet recording apparatus, a copying machine, and a facsimile, and more particularly to an ink supply technique used in an ink recording apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium such as paper using ink has been used as an output device such as a facsimile or a computer. Particularly in recent years, there has been an increasing demand for high-speed image forming apparatuses.

[0003] A schematic configuration and operation of a conventional ink recording apparatus will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a conventional ink recording apparatus. As shown in the figure, a carriage 3 on which a recording head 1 (see FIG. 8) and an ink tank 2 for supplying ink to the recording head 1 are mounted is a recording medium 1.
The timing belt 9 is supported by a carriage guide shaft 4 and a carriage guide 5 disposed in parallel to one printing surface, and is supported by a drive pulley 8 and a pulley 7 rotatably supported by a side plate 6. Is engaged. The timing belt 9 is driven by a drive motor 10 via a drive pulley 8, and is rotationally driven in conjunction with forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 10. This allows
The carriage 3 is reciprocated by the timing belt 9 in the left-right direction (arrow A).

The recording medium 11 is fed by a pickup roller 12 in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage 3 (arrow B direction), and is pressed and fixed by a feed roller 13 in an arrow B direction.

A photocoupler 1 is provided near the drive motor 10.
4 are installed. The photocoupler 14 is a home position detecting unit of the carriage 3. The carriage 3 is detected at an arbitrary position near the photocoupler 14, and the rotation direction of the drive motor 10 is switched. Then, the image recording signal is sent to the recording head 1 at a timing with respect to the movement of the carriage 3 on which the recording head 1 is mounted. A record is made. The recording of the next line is appropriately performed after the recording medium 11 is fed by the feed roller 13 in the direction of arrow B by a predetermined amount.

[0007] A cap member 15 is arranged at one moving end of the recording head 1 mounted on the carriage 3.
The cap member 15 performs suction recovery of the recording head 1 through an opening formed in the cap, and the recording head 1
To prevent clogging of the ink discharge unit with the dried ink, and supplies the ink in the ink tank 2 to the ink discharge unit. A cleaning blade 16 is arranged near the cap member 15. This cleaning blade 1
Numeral 6 is adapted to move to and away from the recording head 1 when the recording head 1 is sucked by the cap member 15 or when extra ink adheres to the surface of the recording head 1 after printing. , This excess ink is removed.

A cam (not shown) for transmitting a driving force to the cap member 15 and the cleaning blade 16 is provided for performing the suction recovery, the cleaning operation, and the like at a predetermined position. It is rotated in conjunction with the rotation of a cleaning motor (not shown) supported by the main body support plate. The timing of suction recovery, blade operation, and the like is controlled by detecting the home position detection signal by the photocoupler 14 when the carriage 3 comes to the home position side area, and controlling the rotation operation of the motor at a predetermined timing by desired processing. It is configured to be performed.

Next, an example of a conventional ink holding structure including the recording head 1 and the ink tank 2 and the operation thereof will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a conventional ink holding container. The ink holding container 17 includes a recording head 1 that prints on a recording medium, an ink absorber 18 impregnated with ink, a filter 19 that filters ink traveling from the ink absorber 18 to the recording head 1, and an ink absorber And an ink supply port 2 formed between the ink holding container 17 and the recording head 1.
And 1.

The ink absorber 18 absorbs and retains the ink by capillary force, and is formed by foaming a mixture of polyether polyol, toluene diisocyanate, silicon, tertiary amine and the like. And communicating ether-based urethane foams. The ink absorber 18 is compressed by an arbitrary volume and inserted and held in the ink holding container 17 with almost no gap. The recording head 1 selectively discharges ink to a recording medium in accordance with a print signal, and forms a picture or a character composed of a matrix of dots on the recording medium.

Here, as a method of discharging ink, bubbles of a desired size are formed in the ink by heating a heater disposed in the flow path of the ink, and the ink droplets are discharged to the recording medium by the pressure. And a method of ejecting ink by a volume change due to the fluctuation of the piezo element using a piezo element or the like.

The filter 19 is disposed immediately above the ink supply port 21 which is a connection portion between the ink holding container 17 and the recording head 1, and is attached to the ink supply port 21 by ultrasonic welding or the like. The ink absorber 18 is locally compressed in the vicinity of the filter 19 to create a state in which the capillary force is stronger than in other parts, and the retained ink is filtered by the filter 19.
It is configured to be collected in the vicinity. Filter 19
When the ink held in the ink absorber 18 is supplied to the recording head 1, dust in the ink,
Air bubbles remaining at the time of filling the ink inside, and dust and the like that have entered through the gap between the ink holding container 17 and the ink absorber 18 are filtered to prevent clogging of the recording head 1 caused by these.

The air communication port 20 is provided on the upper part of the ink holding container 17 for communicating the inside of the ink holding container 17 with the atmosphere. When the ink is continuously ejected from the recording head 1 to the recording medium, the pressure in the ink holding container 17 decreases by the reduced amount of the ink volume. Is introduced, a rapid pressure change in the ink holding container 17 is prevented.

In such an ink holding container 17, the recording head 1 is adhered to itself and the two are integrated, so that after the ink in the ink holding container 17 is consumed, the recording head 1 can be used. Nevertheless, replacement with a new ink cartridge is required, which is uneconomical.

To solve such a problem, there has been proposed an ink cartridge in which a recording head and an ink tank can be separated.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the structure of a conventional recording head separated type ink cartridge. As shown
In this head-separated ink cartridge, the ink holding unit 22 and the recording head unit 23 can be separated from each other.

The ink holding section 22 has an ink holding container 17 containing an ink absorber 18, and the ink holding container 17 has an air communication port 20 for introducing the atmosphere into the inside as described above. Have been. Further, the ink holding container 17 is provided with a projection 25 for engaging with an engagement hole 26 provided in a recording head holding member 24 described later.

In the recording head section 23, the recording head 1 for discharging ink is adhered and fixed to a recording head holding member 24. An ink supply port 21 for supplying ink to the print head 1 is formed in the recording head holding member 24, and a filter 19 for removing dust and extra air bubbles is provided immediately above the ink supply port 21. Are attached by ultrasonic welding or the like. Further, the recording head section 23 is provided with an engagement hole 26 with which the projection 25 of the ink holding section 22 is engaged when the ink holding section 22 is inserted.

Here, when the ink holding section 22 and the recording head section 23 are engaged, the ink supply port 21 and the filter 1 are connected.
9 is the ink supply path 2 formed in the ink holding section 22
7, the ink absorber 18 is pressed and compressed.

The ink holding unit 22 and the recording head unit 23
Whether the ink holding unit 22 is mounted on the recording head unit 23 after mounting the recording head unit 23 on the carriage 3 or mounted on the carriage 3 with the ink holding unit 22 and the recording head unit 23 engaged and held. Is mounted on the carriage 3.

In such a head-separated ink cartridge, since the ink holding portion 22 and the recording head portion 23 are separable, even if the ink in the ink absorber 18 is consumed, only the ink holding portion 22 is moved from the carriage 3. If the recording head unit 23 is removed and replaced, the recording head unit 23 can be continuously used, so that there is an advantage that running cost is suppressed and economical.

[0023]

However, the conventional head-separated ink cartridge as described above has a problem that the ink tank must be replaced every time the ink in the ink tank runs out due to printing. If the replacement is neglected, an accident occurs in which the ink runs out during printing and data during output is lost.

Here, it is conceivable to increase the capacity of the ink tank in order to avoid frequent replacement of the ink tank. However, the size of the carriage itself to which the ink tank is mounted and moved is increased. A new problem arises in that it is difficult to increase the printing speed.

As another solution, a large ink tank is provided outside the carriage, the large ink tank is connected to the ink tank on the carriage by a tube or the like, and the tube is routed when scanning the carriage. Alternatively, an ink recording apparatus having a configuration in which the ink capacity of the ink tank in the carriage is apparently increased. However, in this case, a tube drawing mechanism is required, which results in an increase in the size of the drive system and the size of the entire apparatus.

Accordingly, the present invention prevents the occurrence of ink shortage during printing without increasing the size of the ink tank mounted on the carriage and the size of the ink recording apparatus itself, and without requiring frequent replacement of the ink tank. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink recording apparatus that can prevent the occurrence of a problem.

[0027]

In order to solve this problem, an ink recording apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a carriage provided reciprocally in parallel with a recording medium, and mounted on the carriage, and scanning by the carriage. A recording head that ejects ink to form an image on a recording medium, an ink tank that is also mounted on the carriage, forms an ink filling port and supplies ink to the recording head, and an ink tank that is attached to the ink tank. An ink remaining amount detection sensor that detects the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge and an ink supply port that is installed in a location other than the carriage and that is provided so as to be able to approach and separate from the ink filling port are formed. An ink replenishing tank for replenishing the ink tank with the ink tank by contacting the ink tank; If the detected about Les made during the printing operation, in which the ink refilling to the ink tank from the ink refilling tank after a predetermined print end is performed.

[0028] Thus, without increasing the size of the ink tank mounted on the carriage and the size of the ink recording apparatus itself, it is not necessary to frequently replace the ink tank, and the accident of running out of ink during printing is prevented. And an ink recording apparatus that can perform the recording.

[0029]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS According to the first aspect of the present invention, a carriage provided reciprocally in parallel with a recording medium, and mounted on the carriage, ejecting ink by scanning the carriage to perform recording. A recording head that forms an image on a medium, an ink tank that is also mounted on the carriage, forms an ink filling port, and supplies ink to the recording head, and is attached to the ink tank. An ink remaining amount detection sensor to be detected and an ink supply port provided at a location other than the carriage and provided so as to be able to come in contact with and separate from the ink filling port are formed. An ink replenishment tank for replenishing ink is provided, and detection of ink exhaustion in the ink tank by an ink remaining amount detection sensor is performed during a printing operation. This is an ink recording device in which the ink is replenished from the ink replenishing tank to the ink tank after completion of printing a predetermined number of passes by scanning the carriage. Ink is replenished as needed, so that the size of the ink tank mounted on the carriage and the size of the ink recording device itself are not increased, and frequent ink tank replacements are not required, and ink runs out during printing. This has the effect that accidents can be prevented beforehand.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a carriage provided reciprocally in parallel with a recording medium, and mounted on the carriage, ink is ejected by scanning of the carriage to form an image on the recording medium. A recording head to be formed, an ink tank also mounted on the carriage to form an ink filling port and supplying ink to the recording head, and an ink residual quantity attached to the ink tank and detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank. An ink supply port which is provided at a location other than the carriage and which is provided so as to be capable of coming into contact with and separating from the ink filling port is formed. The ink supply port is brought into contact with the ink filling port to replenish the ink tank. An ink replenishment tank is provided, and detection of ink exhaustion in the ink tank by an ink remaining amount detection sensor is performed during a printing operation. The ink recording apparatus is characterized in that ink is replenished from the ink replenishing tank to the ink tank after printing of a predetermined number of pages by scanning the carriage, and an ink replenishing tank for replenishing the ink with the ink tank is provided. The ink consumed in the printer is appropriately refilled, so that the size of the ink tank mounted on the carriage and the size of the ink recording device itself are not increased, and frequent replacement of the ink tank is not required while printing is being performed. This has the effect that it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an out-of-ink accident.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a carriage provided reciprocally in parallel with a recording medium, and a carriage mounted on the carriage and ejecting ink by scanning the carriage to form an image on the recording medium. A recording head to be formed, an ink tank also mounted on the carriage to form an ink filling port and supplying ink to the recording head, and an ink residual quantity attached to the ink tank and detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank. An ink supply port which is provided at a location other than the carriage and which is provided so as to be capable of coming into contact with and separating from the ink filling port is formed. The ink supply port is brought into contact with the ink filling port to replenish the ink tank. An ink replenishment tank is provided, and detection of ink exhaustion in the ink tank by an ink remaining amount detection sensor is performed during a printing operation. In this case, the number of passes or pages that can be output by scanning the carriage is determined from the detection result of the remaining amount of ink, and based on this determination result, ink is replenished from the ink replenishment tank to the ink tank after predetermined printing is completed. An ink replenishing tank for replenishing the ink tank with ink is provided to appropriately replenish the ink consumed in printing, so that the size of the ink tank mounted on the carriage and the ink recording device Without increasing the size of itself
This has the effect of making it possible to prevent an ink shortage accident during printing while eliminating the need for frequent ink tank replacement.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. In these drawings, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description is omitted.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a carriage portion of an ink recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the recording head according to the present embodiment is of an energized bubble jet type that performs recording using an electrode that generates thermal energy for causing a boiling phenomenon in the ink itself. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various other recording methods can be adopted.

In FIG. 1, the recording head 1 for printing on the recording medium 11 by discharging ink droplets is adhered and held on a heat radiating plate 28. The radiator plate 28 is made of a metal such as aluminum in order to prevent a temperature rise of an IC (not shown) attached to the device, and is adhered and fixed to a head block 29 made of a resin such as polycarbonate. I have. The ink tank 30 containing the ink is detachably inserted into the head block 29 along the positioning rib 31 of the head block 29. After the head block 29 is removably mounted on the carriage 32, the ink tank 30 is provided by a tank cover 33 rotatably held by the carriage 32.
It is fixed to. A supply port 34 for supplying ink from the ink tank 30 provided in the head block 29 to the recording head 1 has a supply port 34 for supplying ink to the recording head 1. A filter 35 for preventing clogging is fixed by ultrasonic welding or the like. An elastic member 36 such as EPDM is press-fitted and held on the upper portion of the filter 35 in order to prevent communication of the atmosphere from the joint with the ink tank 30.

With such a configuration, the ink tank 30 can be replaced while the head block 29 is fixed to the carriage 32, and the head block 29 and the ink tank 30 can be replaced simultaneously. Here, there is no problem even if the head block 29 and the ink tank 30 are mechanically connected in an inseparable state.

Next, the structure and operation of the ink recording apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an ink recording apparatus in which a recording head is set to a horizontal printing posture.

A carriage 32 on which the recording head 1 and the ink tank 30 are mounted is supported by a carriage guide shaft 4 and a carriage guide 5 arranged in parallel with the recording medium 11. And this carriage 32
A timing belt 9 is engaged with a pulley 7 rotatably supported by a side plate 6 and a drive belt 8, and is driven by a drive motor 10 through the drive pulley 8. The guide shaft 4 is reciprocated in the direction of the arrow A, which is the length direction, that is, in the direction parallel to the recording medium 11. Further, the recording medium 11 is transported by the pickup roller 12 to the carriage 32.
The paper is fed in the direction of the arrow B perpendicular to the moving direction of the sheet, and is pressed and fixed by the feed roller 13. A photocoupler 14 is installed near the drive motor 10, and the home position of the carriage 32 is detected by the photocoupler 14, and the rotation direction of the drive motor 10 is switched.

In accordance with the image recording signal sent to the recording head 1 at a predetermined timing along with the scanning of the carriage 3, ink droplets are ejected onto the recording medium 11 to perform recording. The recording medium 11 is fed by a predetermined amount in the direction of arrow B by the feed roller 13, and recording of the next line is performed.

A cap member 15 is disposed at one moving end of the recording head 1. With the cap member 15, the suction recovery of the recording head 1 is performed, and the ink tank 30 is recovered.
Is supplied to the ink ejection section. In the vicinity of the cap member 15, a cleaning blade 16 that moves so as to be able to separate from and contact the recording head 1 is arranged. The cleaning blade 16 removes excess ink adhering to the surface of the recording head 1.

The cap member 15 and the cleaning blade 16 are operated by a cleaning motor (not shown) provided separately from the drive motor 10. Also,
The suction recovery, the blade operation, and the like are performed by controlling the rotation operation of the motor at a predetermined timing by a desired process according to a detection signal of the photocoupler 14 that detects the carriage 32 when it comes to the home position side area. Will be

A tank holder 38 is disposed above the carriage 32 at the home position, and an ink replenishment tank 37 is detachably held in the tank holder 38. The tank holder 38 is rotatably held by the side plate 6 and a sub-frame 39 provided facing the side plate 6. Further, the ink replenishing operation of the tank holder 38 is restricted by a cam gear 40 provided at a lower portion of the tank holder 38 and having a function of a stopper. Usually, the tank holder 38 is brought into contact with the cam gear 40, and damping during transportation is performed. For the prevention, the urging spring 41 is urged toward the carriage 32 side.

The cam gear 4 in contact with the tank holder 38
Numeral 0 is rotationally linked by the stepping motor 42, and converts the rotational force of the stepping motor 42 into a vertical movement of the tank holder 38. The cam gear 40 is normally urged in one direction by an urging spring 41 so that the tank holder 38 does not descend from a predetermined position. In the present embodiment, the tank holder 38 is arranged on the home position side of the carriage 32. However, when the ink tank 30 is refilled with ink, a predetermined amount or more of ink is replenished from the recording head 1. Even when the ink leaks, there is an advantage that the leaked ink is sucked by the cap member 15 and the surroundings are not stained.

Next, the ink replenishment operation by the ink replenishment tank 37 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an ink replenishing section and a carriage section according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 2, when the carriage 32 stops at a predetermined position below the tank holder 38, the cam gear 40 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the stepping motor 42,
Tank holder 38 urged by urging spring 41
Rotates down. When the tank holder 38 is lowered, FIG.
In this case, the valve 44, which is held by the tank holder 38 so as to be able to move up and down, is always pressed downward by the spring 43, and has the ink supply hole formed therein, is provided with the ink formed in the ink tank 30 mounted on the carriage 32. Filling port 61
Contact When the tank holder 38 is further lowered, the valve 44 is moved to the ink bag 46 in the ink replenishing tank 37.
The O-ring 48 press-fitted into the ink supply port 47 formed at the end of the ink bag 46 is moved upward, and the stopper member slidably held at the position of the O-ring 48 with respect to the ink supply port 47 of the ink bag 46. Push up 49. Thereby, the ink in the ink bag 46 is determined by the head pressure determined by the water level of the ink.
The ink is supplied from the valve 44 into the ink tank 30.

Here, the ink bag 46 is made of a laminated film in which a flexible adhesive layer is made of a polypropylene, an aluminum vapor-deposited film having a good air barrier property and the like, and the three sides are hermetically sealed by heat sealing or the like. A hard ink supply member 50 is welded to one side.

When such an ink bag 46 is completely closed, it is necessary to perform volume replacement accompanying a decrease in the amount of ink. However, since the hole diameter of the valve 44 serving as an ink replenishing port is small, the air from the valve 44 is Substitution is difficult. However, if the ink bag 46 is formed of a very soft flexible bag, the ink bag shrinks by the reduced amount of ink, so that there is no problem even if air replacement cannot be performed. Even if the ink bag 46 is formed of a material that is not easily deformed, if the ink bag 46 has a fine communication port that communicates with the atmosphere, the air can be introduced into the ink bag 46 by the reduced amount of ink. . However,
In this case, since air is mixed into the ink bag 46, ink may leak due to expansion of the air when an external change such as a rise in temperature or a decrease in air pressure occurs. become.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view showing a part of the ink replenishing tank 37 in one embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated ink replenishing tank 37 has a mechanism for increasing the replenishing speed of the ink from the ink bag 46.

In the ink supply container 51, an ink bag 46 is provided.
Is provided by a leaf spring 52 for constantly applying pressure from both sides. Since the leaf spring 52 has a function of pressing the ink bag 46 and forcibly pushing out the ink from the valve 44, the ink supply time can be shortened as compared with the case of simple replenishment with a constant pressure of water. It is desirable that the leaf spring 52 efficiently discharges ink, and it is preferable that the leaf spring 52 be of a type that can always be pressed with a substantially equal load in the direction of ink volume reduction. Specifically, by using a spring such as a trapezoidal spring, a disc spring, or the like, whose pressing force is substantially constant with respect to a change in the amount of pressurization, the ink bag 46 is always substantially equal from the beginning to the end of use. Because it is pressed by the load,
The replenishment amount of the ink becomes constant, and a fixed amount of ink can be filled by adjusting the opening and closing time of the valve 44.

Further, in the ink recording apparatus according to the present invention, since the ink tank 30 and the ink replenishing tank 37 on the carriage 32 are separated, the carriage 32 can be reduced in size and weight. Thus, the printing speed can be increased by the high-speed and high-precision operation of the carriage 32. Further, the running cost can be reduced by increasing the ink capacity in the ink replenishing tank 37. Since the ink is directly replenished from the ink replenishment tank 37 to the ink tank 30, a special mechanism for sending the ink in the ink replenishment tank 37 to the ink tank 30 is not required, and the size of the ink recording apparatus itself is reduced. Can also be made compact.

Next, the structure of the ink tank 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of the ink tank 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an operation principle of the ink tank 30 of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the ink tank 30 is divided into two chambers, an ink supply chamber 54 and an ink replenishment chamber 55, by a laminate film 53 which is a movable wall.

The ink supply liquid chamber 54 is defined by an ink tank base 56 and a laminate film 53.
Here, the laminate film 53 is made of a multi-layer made of a flexible polypropylene film having an adhesive layer and an aluminum vapor-deposited film having a good air barrier property. The ink tank base 56 is formed of a resin such as polypropylene of the same material so that heat sealing with the laminate film 53 is easy. An ink supply port 57 for supplying ink to the head block 29 (FIG. 1) is formed below the ink supply liquid chamber 54.

In the ink tank 30, a negative pressure generating spring (spring member) 58 for making the inside of the ink supply liquid chamber 54 a uniform negative pressure, and a thin plate for giving a reaction force to the negative pressure generating spring 58 The rigid plate 59 is formed by heat-sealing a part of the laminate film 53 on the ink supply liquid chamber 54 side. Also,
The negative pressure generating spring 58 maintains the inside of the ink supply liquid chamber 54 in a negative pressure state by constantly pressing the rigid plate 59 together with the laminate film 53. Accordingly, when the amount of ink in the ink supply liquid chamber 54 changes in a decreasing direction, the negative pressure generating spring 58 contracts to the height of the linear portion of the spring, so that the displacement amount of the laminate film 53 and the rigid plate 59 increases. Thus, the change in volume of the ink supply liquid chamber 54 can be increased, that is, the amount of replenished ink in the ink supply liquid chamber 54 can be increased. Further, the force of the negative pressure generating spring 58 becomes a force for sucking the ink in the ink replenishment liquid chamber 55 into the ink supply liquid chamber 54 when the ink in the ink supply liquid chamber 54 decreases.

The ink replenishing liquid chamber 55 is defined by an ink tank cover 60 joined to an ink tank base 56 and a laminate film 53. The ink tank cover 60 is made of the same material so that it can be easily heat-sealed to the ink tank base 56. When ink is replenished from the ink replenishing tank 37, the air in the ink replenishing liquid chamber 55 is formed above. The ink filling port 61 is provided in an elliptical shape so that replacement with the refill ink is easily performed. Further, a communication path 62 for moving and supplying the ink replenished in the ink replenishing liquid chamber 55 to the ink supply liquid chamber 54 is provided.
Is provided in the ink tank base 56, and a hydrophilic filter 63 having stronger capillary force than the filter 35 provided in the supply port 34 of the head block 29 shown in FIG. Joined by ultrasonic welding or the like.

Next, a procedure for moving and supplying ink from the ink replenisher chamber 55 to the ink supply chamber 54 will be described.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 6A is a view showing a state in which ink is filled in the ink supply liquid chamber 54. The negative pressure generation spring 58 presses the rigid plate 59 together with the laminate film 53, and the ink supply liquid chamber 54 is filled with ink. The inside of 54 is maintained in a negative pressure state. Then, even if the ink filled in the ink replenishment liquid chamber 55 is sucked into the ink supply liquid chamber 54 at a negative pressure, the volume in the ink supply liquid chamber 54 does not become full,
The steel plate body 59 is pressed by the negative pressure generating spring 58 so as to spread outward in the direction of increasing the volume.
As a result, the internal pressure of the ink supply liquid chamber 54 is always lower than the atmospheric pressure, that is, a negative pressure state, a back pressure of the ink discharge port is generated, and a concave meniscus of the ink is formed in the ink discharge port. Thus, the state of the ink discharge amount is stabilized.

Here, the ink in the ink supply liquid chamber 54 continues to be supplied to the head block 29 shown in FIG. 1, and when the ink in the ink supply liquid chamber 54 decreases, the ink in the ink supply liquid chamber 54 decreases by the reduced amount of ink. Of the ink supply liquid chamber 54 together with the laminate film 53 is reduced.
Move in the direction to decrease the volume of the. Further, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, when the amount of ink in the ink supply liquid chamber 54 decreases, the ink replenishment tank 55
A predetermined amount of ink is supplied through the ink filling port 61. FIG. 6C shows a state in which the ink has been replenished into the ink replenishing liquid chamber 55. In this state, the compressive force of the negative pressure generating spring 58 (the force pressing the rigid body plate 59) is increased. The negative pressure in the chamber 54 has increased. As described above, since the filter 63 provided in the communication path 62 is a hydrophilic material, the ink remaining in the ink supply liquid chamber 54 and the ink in the ink replenishment liquid chamber 55 are connected via the filter 63. Then, the ink in the ink replenishing liquid chamber 55 is rapidly sucked into the ink supply liquid chamber 54 and moves. As a result, the inside of the ink tank 30 returns to the state shown in FIG.

As described above, by partitioning the inside of the ink tank 30 with the laminate film 53, the ink supply liquid chamber 54 in a semi-sealed state and the ink that has been opened to the atmosphere, An ink replenishing liquid chamber 55 in which air is replaced is formed. As a result, the ink is filled in the ink tank 30 by an amount corresponding to the reduction in the volume of the ink used for printing, so that an extra amount of ink is not filled. Further, since a negative pressure generating spring 58, which is an elastic member for generating a negative pressure, is provided in the ink supply liquid chamber 54, the refill ink is easily sucked from the ink replenishment liquid chamber 55 into the ink supply liquid chamber 54. It becomes possible to do.

Next, detection of the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 30 will be described. Ink tank 3 of the present embodiment
At 0, an ink remaining amount detection sensor (not shown) for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the tank is attached. When the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 30 becomes low, a control signal for performing a replenishing operation is issued to replenish the ink from the ink replenishing tank 37.

During the printing operation by scanning the carriage 32, the ink tank 30 is detected by the ink remaining amount detecting sensor.
When the detection of the ink exhaustion in the ink cartridge is detected, the ink replenishment tank 37 is received after receiving a signal from the ink remaining amount detection sensor and printing a predetermined number of passes by scanning the carriage 32 or printing a predetermined number of pages. Ink replenishment operation is performed. However, it is also possible to determine the remaining number of passes or pages that can be output each time based on the detected remaining amount of ink, and to perform the ink replenishment operation after predetermined printing is completed based on the determination result.

By setting the ink replenishment timing as described above, it is possible to prevent an accident such as an ink shortage occurring during printing and data being output being wasted.

[0064]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the ink is appropriately replenished from the ink replenishment tank into the ink tank, the size of the ink tank mounted on the carriage can be reduced. That is, an effective effect is obtained. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the carriage, and it is possible to obtain an effective effect that the printing speed can be increased by high-speed and high-precision operation.

Since the ink is appropriately replenished from the ink replenishment tank into the ink tank, an effective effect that the user does not need to frequently replace the ink tank is required.

By increasing the ink capacity in the ink replenishing tank, an effective effect that the running cost can be reduced can be obtained.

Since ink is directly replenished from the ink replenishment tank to the ink tank, no special mechanism is required for sending the ink in the ink replenishment tank to the ink tank, and the size of the ink recording apparatus itself can be reduced in size. An effective effect is obtained.

Since the ink consumed during printing is appropriately replenished by detecting the ink shortage during printing, the ink running out during printing is prevented beforehand, and the loss of print data during output is avoided. can do.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a carriage portion of an ink recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an ink recording apparatus in which a recording head is placed in a horizontal printing position in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an ink replenishing unit and a carriage unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view showing a part of an ink replenishing tank according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of an ink tank according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the operation principle of the ink tank of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a conventional ink recording apparatus.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a conventional ink holding container.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a conventional recording head separated type ink cartridge.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording head 11 Recording medium 30 Ink tank 32 Carriage 37 Ink replenishment tank 47 Ink supply port 61 Ink filling port

Claims (3)

[Claims] A carriage mounted on the carriage so as to reciprocate in parallel with a recording medium; a recording head mounted on the carriage and ejecting ink by scanning the carriage to form an image on the recording medium; An ink tank mounted on the carriage and having an ink filling port formed therein and supplying ink to the recording head; an ink remaining amount detection sensor attached to the ink tank and detecting an ink remaining amount in the ink tank; An ink supply port that is provided at a location other than the carriage and that is provided so as to be capable of coming into contact with and separating from the ink filling port; and an ink that refills the ink tank by bringing the ink supply port into contact with the ink filling port. A replenishment tank, and the detection of the ink exhaustion in the ink tank by the ink remaining amount detection sensor is marked. If it has made during the operation,
An ink recording apparatus, wherein ink is replenished from the ink replenishment tank to the ink tank after printing of a predetermined number of passes by scanning the carriage. A carriage mounted on the carriage so as to reciprocate in parallel with the recording medium; a recording head mounted on the carriage and ejecting ink by scanning the carriage to form an image on the recording medium; An ink tank mounted on the carriage and having an ink filling port formed therein and supplying ink to the recording head; an ink remaining amount detection sensor attached to the ink tank and detecting an ink remaining amount in the ink tank; An ink supply port that is provided at a location other than the carriage and that is provided so as to be capable of coming into contact with and separating from the ink filling port; and an ink that refills the ink tank by bringing the ink supply port into contact with the ink filling port. A replenishment tank, and the detection of the ink exhaustion in the ink tank by the ink remaining amount detection sensor is marked. If it has made during the operation,
An ink recording apparatus, wherein ink is replenished from the ink replenishment tank to the ink tank after printing of a predetermined number of pages by scanning the carriage. A carriage mounted on the carriage and ejecting ink by scanning the carriage to form an image on the recording medium; and a recording head mounted on the carriage and forming an image on the recording medium. An ink tank mounted on the carriage and having an ink filling port formed therein and supplying ink to the recording head; an ink remaining amount detection sensor attached to the ink tank and detecting an ink remaining amount in the ink tank; An ink supply port that is provided at a location other than the carriage and that is provided so as to be capable of coming into contact with and separating from the ink filling port; and an ink that refills the ink tank by bringing the ink supply port into contact with the ink filling port. A replenishment tank, and the detection of the ink exhaustion in the ink tank by the ink remaining amount detection sensor is marked. If it has made during the operation,
The number of passes or pages that can be output by scanning the carriage is determined based on the detection result of the remaining amount of ink. Based on the determination result, it is determined that the ink is replenished from the ink replenishment tank to the ink tank after predetermined printing is completed. Characteristic ink recording device.