JPH1191139A - Ink-jet type recording apparatus and ink cartridge used in the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve detection accuracy for an ink end by arranging an action point where an ink end detection lever is activated, at a middle point of a fulcrum and a free end when the quantity of ink is not larger than a predetermined value, and arranging an ink end detector at the side of the free end of the ink end detection lever. SOLUTION: A rectangular notched part 63a is formed at part of a frame 63. An ink end detection lever 75 is set to the notched part 63a in a manner to be rotatable. Specifically, the ink end detection lever 75 is shaped like a flat plate having an axial part 75a formed at one end. The axial part 75a is axially supported between a pair of rise parts 62b integrally formed with a lower side plate 62 and a pair of erection parts 63b formed at the frame 63 and is made rotatable. An ink end detector 76 is disposed at an outside part of the lower side plate 62. A lever 76a set at the ink end detector 76 is operated by a projecting element 75b formed at the side of a free end of the ink end detection lever 75.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention has a plurality of ink jet recording heads which move in the width direction of recording paper,
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that prints a color image by discharging, for example, inks of a plurality of colors onto recording paper based on print data, and an ink cartridge used for the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the development of personal computers, graphic processing has become relatively easy to execute. Therefore, a recording apparatus capable of outputting a hard copy of a color image displayed on a display with high quality has been demanded.

[0003] In order to meet such a demand, a recording apparatus equipped with an ink jet recording head has been provided.
This ink jet recording apparatus is used for many printings including color printing because the noise at the time of printing is relatively small and small dots can be formed at a high density. In such a recording apparatus, ink pressurized in the pressure generating chamber in the inkjet head is ejected as ink droplets from a nozzle facing the recording paper onto the recording paper to form dots.

[0004] In recent years, in order to improve print quality in color printing, in particular, color resolution, at least six colors of ink of normal magenta, light magenta, normal cyan, light cyan, yellow, and black are used. An ink jet recording apparatus has been proposed.

In the case of using such multi-color inks, at least six colors of ink cartridges are required. Therefore, in a recording apparatus in which an ink tank is mounted on a carriage, the total weight of the carriage is large. Problem. In addition, not only a large output is required for the carriage drive motor, but also technical problems such as a large recoil of the carriage upon carriage return occur.

Therefore, in a recording apparatus of this kind used for business, for example, a system is employed in which an ink cartridge is housed in a cartridge holder arranged in the main body of the recording apparatus and ink is supplied to a recording head via an ink supply tube. Has been adopted. In this case, in order to accommodate the ink cartridges for the six colors while maintaining the weight balance of the entire printing apparatus, the ink cartridges are separately arranged on both sides of the printing apparatus.

In the ink cartridge used in the above-described recording apparatus, a box-shaped case forming the outer shape of the cartridge and a flexible ink bag filled with ink are housed in the case. It has been. Further, when the amount of ink in each cartridge becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, it is possible to detect that the ink is out.

FIG. 5 shows an external configuration of a cartridge holder having an ink end detecting function and an ink cartridge.

First, the cartridge holder CH is mainly composed of a pair of frames 41, 41 each formed in an L-shape and arranged in parallel with each other in the vertical direction. Prevention surface is 41
a, 41a are formed. Also the upper frame 41
Is integrally formed with a lock arm 41b having a U-shaped lock portion formed via a neck portion.

A tongue piece 42b is formed on a shutter 42, one of which is pivotally supported on a rotating shaft (indicated by a chain line 42a).
Is engaged with a U-shaped lock portion of the lock arm 41b and is held in a closed state. When the ink cartridge IC described later is inserted in the direction of arrow D, the functional rib 51 formed on the cartridge IC is used.
e, the lock arm 41b is pushed up in the direction of arrow E to unlock, and at the same time, the shutter 42 is pushed in by the cartridge IC, and resists the urging force of a torsion spring (not shown) wound around the rotation shaft 42a. Then, the shutter 42 is released.

A leaf spring 43 is disposed so as to face the upper frame 41. When the cartridge IC is mounted, the leaf spring 43 engages with a functional rib 51e disposed on the cartridge IC to perform a click function. To be configured.

An ink end detector 44 is disposed on a side plate (not shown) so that it is possible to detect that the amount of ink stored in an ink cartridge IC, which will be described later, has fallen below a predetermined level. .

Further, a positioning shaft 45 is provided on an end plate (not shown).
And a guide shaft 46 is disposed so as to protrude into the holder. At a substantially intermediate point between the positioning shaft 45 and the guide shaft 46, an ink supply needle 47 having a hollow cross section protrudes into the holder. Are located.

The ink cartridge IC is loaded into the cartridge holder CH configured as described above from the direction of arrow D. As shown in an exploded view in FIG. 6, the ink cartridge IC has a case body 51 having one surface opened, and a lid 5 covering an open portion of the case body 51.
2 and is entirely box-shaped.

As shown in FIG. 6, a pair of L-shaped projections 52a are formed on the lid 52.
Are engaged with a pair of holes 51a formed in the case body 51, and a pair of claw portions 52b formed on the lid body 52 are engaged with a pair of concave portions 51b formed on the inner surface of the case body 51. Thus, the lid 52 is configured to be detachably attached to the case body 51.

The bag 53 is formed of a flexible material and has ink sealed therein.
A seal plate made of, for example, a thin aluminum sheet (so-called silver paper) is attached and fixed to the ink outlet 54 formed in a part of the bag body 53.

On the bag body 3 side of the ink outlet 54,
An annular groove 55 having a diameter one step smaller than the outer shape of the ink outlet 54 is formed. The annular groove 55 fits into an engagement rib 51 c formed in an arc shape in the case main body 51, so that the cartridge IC Is positioned with respect to

The lower surface of the bag 53 in which the ink is sealed, that is, the surface of the bag 53 on the case body 51 side is adhered and fixed to the case body 51 by an adhesive substance (not shown). A flat detection plate 56 is adhered and fixed to the upper surface of the bag body 53 by a double-sided tape (not shown). A detection projection 57 projecting in a direction orthogonal to the plate surface of the detection plate is formed integrally with a part of the detection plate 56, and the tip of the projection 57 has the amount of ink in the bag body 56. It is configured to be able to protrude while moving in the direction of the detection window 51d drilled in the case main body 51 with the decrease.

As shown in FIG. 5, a pair of functional ribs 51e are protruded from the upper and lower ends of the ink cartridge IC having the above-described structure on the side of the ink outlet 54, and when the cartridge is loaded into the holder CH. When the lock arm 41b is released, the functional rib 51e abuts on the leaf spring 43 to perform a click function. Then, in a state where the cartridge IC is to be loaded into the holder CH,
The positioning shaft 45 and the guide shaft 46 on the holder CH side
Fit into the positioning holes 51f and the guide holes 51g formed in the cartridge IC.

At the same time, the ink supply needle 47 on the holder CH side penetrates the seal plate adhered to the ink outlet 54 so that the ink can be led out to the recording apparatus.

When the ink in the ink cartridge IC is consumed in this manner, the protrusion 57 of the detection plate 56 mounted in the cartridge IC
Side, and the ink end detector 44 provided with the electric contact is operated in a state where the ink has reached a predetermined remaining amount. This makes it possible to indicate that the ink is out by, for example, turning on a display lamp provided on the display panel of the recording apparatus.

[0022]

By the way, in a recording apparatus having the above-described cartridge holder, it is known that the ink is in an ink end state by an electric output from an ink end detector provided in each holder.

However, the ink end detector is generally constituted by an electric contact such as a leaf switch, and requires an extremely small one because it is mounted on a part of the cartridge holder. Therefore, there is a technical problem that the stroke to be turned on or off is extremely small, and the variation of the on / off switching point of the contact becomes large.

In addition, in order to switch the contacts while catching a delicate decrease in the amount of ink in the ink cartridge, in addition to the above-mentioned variation in the switching points of the contacts, an error in mounting the ink end detector to the cartridge holder, or A problem arises in that the accuracy of detecting the remaining amount of ink is reduced due to the influence of a slight displacement when the ink cartridge is loaded into the holder.

In the conventional recording apparatus having such a problem, an ink end state occurs even though the remaining amount of the ink is sufficient, which causes an uneconomical problem such as a necessity of replacing the cartridge. In addition, there are problems such as promoting pollution problems caused by disposal of the ink cartridge.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an ink jet recording apparatus and an ink jet recording apparatus capable of eliminating the above-mentioned problems by improving the detection accuracy of the ink end. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink cartridge used for the above.

[0027]

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus which is mounted on a carriage and is driven reciprocally in a width direction of a recording sheet. What is claimed is: 1. An ink-jet recording apparatus comprising: a cartridge holder accommodating an ink cartridge for supplying ink to a recording head, wherein an ink end detection lever detects that an amount of ink accommodated in the ink cartridge has reached a predetermined level or less. The ink end detection lever is supported such that the free end side is rotatable via a fulcrum, and the ink amount is below a predetermined level at an intermediate point between the fulcrum and the free end. In this case, an action point for operating the ink end detection lever is provided, and the ink end detection lever is provided at a free end side of the ink end detection lever. It is a structure in which to place the end detector.

In this case, the ink end detector is preferably provided with an electric contact which is turned on or off in response to movement of the ink end detection lever. In a preferred embodiment, the ink end detection lever is formed in a flat plate shape, and has a shaft formed on one side, and is supported at both ends of the shaft so as to be rotatable with respect to the cartridge holder. And a protruding element that contacts the ink end detector is formed on the free end side.

An ink cartridge according to the present invention is an ink cartridge loaded in a cartridge holder arranged in an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the ink cartridge moves according to the amount of ink. And a detection protrusion formed on the detection plate, wherein the detection plate is attached and fixed to one side of a flexible bag body in which ink is sealed, and a tip of the detection protrusion is attached to the cartridge body. It is configured so as to face the detection window provided.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus and the ink cartridge used in the ink jet recording apparatus as described above, when the amount of ink in the cartridge becomes a predetermined level or less, the detection projection is made through the detection window formed in the cartridge body. Protrudes.

Since the point of action of the detection projection on the ink end detection lever is provided at an intermediate point between the fulcrum and the free end, the operation stroke for the ink end detector can be expanded. Therefore, even if there is a slight variation in the ON / OFF operation of the ink end detector and a slight mounting error of the ink end detector, the variation and the mounting error are absorbed by the effect of the enlarged operation stroke. Can be.

Further, a shaft portion is formed on one side of the plate-shaped detection lever, and the detection lever is rotatably supported at both ends of the shaft portion with respect to the cartridge holder. Even if there is a certain amount of looseness due to allowance, such as rattling or inclination, the influence is reduced, and the ink end detector can be reliably operated.

[0033]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention and an ink cartridge used therein will be described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus 10 according to the present invention. Carriage 11
Is configured to be guided by a pair of guide members 12 and move in parallel with the platen 13. The carriage 11 has a timing belt 1 stretched between a pair of pulleys 15 and 16 attached to a frame 14.
7 are connected. One of the pulleys 15 is driven to rotate by a motor 18, and the carriage 11 is repeatedly driven in the left-right direction by the reciprocating rotation of the motor 18.

On the surface of the carriage 11 facing the recording paper (not shown), a first recording head 19 and a second recording head 20 are mounted side by side in the moving direction of the carriage 11, and on the upper surface. Sub tank units 21 and 22 having a damper function are mounted.

On both sides of the frame 14, a cartridge holder CH (described later) for accommodating each ink cartridge is provided.
Are arranged, and the ink supply tubes 23a, 23b, and 2 are supplied from the ink cartridges IC accommodated in the respective holders CH.
The ink is supplied to the sub-tank units 21 and 22 via 3c, 23d, 23e, and 23f, respectively.

A capping device 24 for sealing the nozzle plates of the recording heads 19 and 20 is provided in a non-printing area on the movement path of the recording heads 19 and 20.

FIGS. 2 to 4 show the structure of a cartridge holder in which the ink cartridge IC is loaded. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the cartridge holder, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the configuration of the ink end detection lever attached to the cartridge holder in the loaded state.

In FIG. 2, a pair of upper plate 61 and lower plate 62 made of a synthetic resin are coupled to a metal frame 63 on one side thereof, respectively. On the other side, a metal coupling plate 64 is attached, and an end plate 65
a, 66b attached to the frame 63 to form a box shape as a whole.

The shaft 67a of the shutter 67 is engaged with the bosses 61a, 62a disposed so as to face the upper plate 61 and a part of the lower plate 62, and the shutter 67 is closed in the cartridge holder CH. Alternatively, the shutter 67 is wound around the shaft 67 a of the shutter 67, while the shutter 67 is closed in the holder CH by the torsion spring 68 arranged with the arm contacting the upper plate 61. It is urged in the direction as follows.

The frame 63, the upper plate 61, the connecting plate 6
4 is fitted with a metal shaft 69 through FIG.
As shown in (B), both legs 70a and 70b of a lever 70 for attaching and detaching a cartridge are connected to both ends of the shaft 69 so that the lever 70 can be rotated at the cartridge insertion port. It is configured.

The lever 70 for attaching and detaching the cartridge is formed by bending a metal plate into a U-shape, and a handle 71 made of synthetic resin is attached to the center of the metal plate, and both legs 70a and 70b are curved. ing.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the lever 7 is located at the midpoint of one leg 70b of the lever 70.
The end of the link plate 72 is coupled so as to be rotatable with respect to zero. The link plate 72 is connected to the frame 6
The link plate 72 is held down by a link holding plate 73 which is inserted so as to be inserted into a part of the link plate 3, and the link plate 72 is moved to the frame
3 so as to slide along the outer surface.

An L-shaped metal rod 74 is connected to the distal end of the link plate 72. The rod 74 is inserted into the holder CH through a long hole formed in the frame 63. And performs an operation of pulling back the cartridge when the cartridge is removed as described later.

A rectangular notch 63a is formed in a part of the frame 63, and this notch 63a
The ink end detection lever 75 is attached so as to be rotatable. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the ink end detection lever 75 is formed in a flat plate shape having a shaft 75 a at one end, and the shaft 75 a is attached to the lower plate 62.
And a pair of rising portions 62b formed integrally with the frame 6
3 and a pair of upright portions 63b,
It is made rotatable.

An ink end detector 76 is disposed outside the lower plate 62, and a lever 76a attached to the ink end detector 76 is formed on the free end side of the ink end detection lever 75. It is configured to be operated by the protrusion 75b. The ink end detector 76 is provided with a leaf switch type electrical contact which is turned on or off by the operation of a lever 76a of the ink end detector 76. Is configured to transmit an electrical output thereto.

The upper plate 61 is integrally formed with a lock arm 61b having a U-shaped lock portion via a neck portion. Thus, the tongue 67b formed on the shutter 67 is configured to be engaged with the U-shaped lock portion of the lock arm 61b and held in a closed state. There is no structure. Further, a click protrusion 6 urged toward the inner side surface of the holder CH by a bar spring 78 is provided on the upper plate 61.
1c is integrally formed.

Further, a positioning shaft 79 is provided on the end plate 65.
The guide shaft 80 is disposed so as to protrude into the holder. At substantially the midpoint between the positioning shaft 79 and the guide shaft 80, an ink supply needle 81 having a hollow cross section protrudes into the holder. Are located.

In the above-described configuration, in order to load the ink cartridge IC as shown in FIG. 6 into the cartridge holder CH, the cartridge mounting / dismounting lever 70 provided on the holder CH must be in a state of being flipped up. The cartridge IC is inserted so that the ink outlet 54 of the ink cartridge IC faces the holder.

As a result, the lock arm 61b is pushed up by the functional rib 51e formed on the cartridge IC to release the lock, and at the same time, the shutter 67 is pushed in by the cartridge IC, and the torsion spring 68 is wound around the rotary shaft 67a. Shutter 6 against the urging force of
7 is released.

When the cartridge IC is still inserted into the holder, the tip of the cartridge IC is rotatably connected to the tip of the link plate 72, and is loosely fitted into the slot of the frame 63 and slides. It abuts against a moving L-shaped metal rod 74.

In this state, by rotating the cartridge attaching / detaching lever 70 toward the holder, a part of the synthetic resin handle 71 attached to the center of the folding of the attaching / detaching lever 70 is moved to the tail of the cartridge IC. It comes into contact with the end and acts to push the cartridge IC into the holder.

In this case, since the edge on the support shaft side of the detachable lever 70, that is, a part of the handle 71 abuts on the tail end of the cartridge IC, the cartridge IC is rotated by the leverage principle. Thereby, it can be easily pushed into the holder side. At this time, the metal rod 74 formed in the L-shape is advanced by the advance of the link plate 72 and does not prevent the cartridge IC from entering.

When the cartridge IC is loaded, the projection 61c arranged on the upper plate 61 engages with the functional rib 51e formed on the cartridge IC, and the cartridge IC is loaded into the holder CH. .

During the loading process, the positioning shaft 79 and the guide shaft 80 arranged on the holder CH are fitted into the positioning holes 51f and the guide holes 51g formed in the cartridge IC, respectively. At the same time, the ink supply needle 81 disposed on the holder CH side penetrates the seal plate attached to the ink outlet 54 of the cartridge IC, so that the ink can be led out to the recording device side.

When the ink in the ink cartridge IC is gradually consumed as described above, the protrusion 57 of the detection plate 56 mounted in the cartridge IC
Gradually protrudes toward the detection window 51d provided in the.

Here, when the capacity of the ink in the cartridge IC becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, the protrusion 5 formed on the detection plate 56 is formed.
7 protrudes into the detection window 51. That is, the tip of the projection 57 advances toward the ink end detection lever 75 as shown in FIG.

Here, when the distance between the fulcrum position of the detection lever 75 and the line connecting the action point A is a, and the distance between the action point A and the point B where the lever 76a of the ink end detector 76 contacts is b. When the projection 57 acts on the action point A, (a + b)
An operation stroke with respect to the ink end detector 76 occurs at a magnification of / a.

Therefore, even if there is some variation in the ON and OFF actions of the ink end detector 76, the variation can be absorbed by the action of the extended operation stroke. Similarly, holder C
Even if there is a slight mounting error of the ink end detector 76 with respect to H, this can be absorbed.

Further, a shaft portion 75a is formed on one side of the detection lever 75 in the form of a flat plate, and the detection lever is rotatably supported at both ends of the shaft portion with respect to the cartridge holder. Even if there is some backlash or inclination due to the allowance required when assembling the ink cartridge, the influence of the looseness or inclination is reduced, and the ink end detector 76 can be reliably operated as the amount of ink in the cartridge decreases.

Even if there is some deviation in the loading state of the ink cartridge IC with respect to the cartridge holder CH, the detection protrusion on the cartridge side surely comes into contact with the periphery of the flat detection lever around the action point A. As a result, the reliability of the operation can be guaranteed.

In this way, the ink end detector 76
By actuating, it is possible to display that the ink is in an end state by turning on a display lamp provided on a display panel, for example, on a display panel.

When the ink cartridge is in the ink-end state and the ink cartridge IC is replaced, the lever 70 for attaching and detaching the cartridge in the cartridge holder CH is pivoted in a direction in which the lever 70 is flipped up. The link plate 72 retreats in the forward direction, and the link plate 7
The L-shaped metal rod 74 attached to the tip of the second 2 is pulled back. Therefore, the ink cartridge IC is pushed out of the holder CH by the rod 74.

The lever 70 for attaching and detaching the cartridge
The ink cartridge IC can be easily removed from the holder CH by grasping the end of the ink cartridge IC by hand and pulling the ink cartridge IC toward the user with the ink cartridge IC flipped up.

When the ink cartridge IC is detached from the holder CH in this manner, the shutter 67 disposed on the holder CH closes the holder CH by the action of the torsion spring 68, and the lock arm 61b provided on the upper plate 61 causes the shutter 67 to move. The holder CH is engaged with the tongue 67b formed on the
Is kept closed.

Although the above description has been made with reference to an ink jet recording apparatus in which color printing is performed using inks of a plurality of colors, the present invention is applicable to a monochrome printing apparatus using only black ink. Of course.

[0067]

As is apparent from the above description, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention and the ink cartridge used for the same, the ink end detection lever is supported so that the free end can rotate through the fulcrum. An operation point for operating the detection lever when the amount of ink falls below a predetermined level is disposed at an intermediate point between the fulcrum and the free end, and an ink end detection is provided at the free end side of the ink end detection lever. Since the detector is arranged, the operation stroke for the ink end detector can be expanded with respect to the action point.

Therefore, even if there is some variation in the ON and OFF actions of the ink end detector, the variation can be absorbed by the action of the enlarged operation stroke, and the reliability of the ink end detection can be improved. Can be improved. Also, even if there is a slight mounting error of the ink end detector with respect to the cartridge holder, it can be similarly absorbed.

Furthermore, since the detection lever is rotatably supported with respect to the cartridge holder at both ends of the shaft portion of the detection lever in the form of a flat plate, rattling or inclination due to some allowance required at the time of assembling the detection lever is prevented. Even if there is, the influence is reduced, and the ink end detection accuracy can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view showing a configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a cartridge holder mounted on the recording apparatus shown in FIG.

3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a state where an ink cartridge is loaded in the cartridge holder illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a configuration of an ink end detection lever attached to a cartridge holder.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of an ink end detection mechanism in a conventional cartridge holder.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of an ink cartridge loaded in the recording apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Recording device 11 Carriage 13 Platen 17 Timing belt 18 Motor 19 1st recording head 20 2nd recording head 24 Capping device CH cartridge holder IC ink cartridge 51 Case main body 51d Detection window 52 Lid 53 Bag body 54 Ink outlet 56 Detection plate 57 Detection protrusion 61 Upper plate 62 Lower plate 63 Frame 64 Coupling plate 65 End plate 67 Shutter 70 Cartridge attachment / detachment lever 71 Handle 72 Link plate 74 Rod 75 Ink end detection lever 75b Projector 76 Ink end detector 76a Lever 81 Ink supply needle A Detection protrusion action point B Ink end detector contact point

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a recording head mounted on a carriage and driven reciprocally in a width direction of recording paper, and a cartridge holder for accommodating an ink cartridge for supplying ink to the recording head. An ink end detection lever for detecting that the amount of ink stored in the ink cartridge has become equal to or less than a predetermined state, wherein the ink end detection lever is rotatable at a free end side via a fulcrum. And an action point for operating the ink end detection lever when the ink amount is equal to or less than a predetermined value is disposed at an intermediate point between the fulcrum and the free end, and the free end of the ink end detection lever is provided. An ink-jet recording apparatus, wherein an ink end detector is disposed on an end side. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink end detector includes an electric contact that is turned on or off in response to movement of the ink end detection lever. 3. The ink end detection lever is formed in a flat plate shape, a shaft is formed on one side, and both ends of the shaft are supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the cartridge holder. 2. A projection which is formed on the free end side to contact the ink end detector.
Alternatively, the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2. 4. An ink cartridge loaded in a cartridge holder arranged in an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the ink cartridge is formed on a detection plate that moves in accordance with an amount of ink and on the detection plate. A detection projection, wherein the detection plate is attached and fixed to one side of a flexible bag body in which ink is sealed, and a tip of the detection projection faces a detection window formed in the cartridge body. An ink cartridge characterized by being arranged as follows.