KR100436374B1 - Ink cartridge and Printer having ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

An ink cartridge and a printer having the same are disclosed. A cartridge detachably formed in a printing press for supplying stored ink to a printing press, wherein the first and second conductors are disposed to face each other, and are electrically connected to the printing press along a perpendicular direction to an inner surface of the container where the ink is stored. Is installed. The rod-shaped resistance bar is inclined so that one end is connected to any one of the first and second conductors, and the other end is inclined so as to maintain a predetermined distance from any one of the opposing second and first conductors and has a predetermined resistance value. . The conductive float is larger than a predetermined distance from any one of the first and second conductors opposite to the other end of the rod-shaped resistance bar, and has conductivity and buoyancy, and flows in a space partitioned by the rod-shaped resistance bar. Therefore, according to the present invention, by providing a plurality of inclined bar-shaped resistance bars having a predetermined resistance value, it is possible to detect the reservoir level of ink more precisely at low cost.

Description

Ink cartridge and printer having same {Ink cartridge and Printer having ink cartridge}

The present invention relates to an ink cartridge and a printer having the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ink cartridge and a printer having the same, which detects a low level of ink by inclining a rod-shaped resistance bar having a resistance element in the cartridge. .

In general, an ink cartridge is a device for discharging ink stored in the cartridge through the head to printing paper. An ink cartridge is mounted on a wet developing printer such as an inkjet printer, a laser printer, or a copying machine using ink as a developer to form an image.

Ink stored in the cartridge is gradually consumed as the number of times of operation or operating time of the wet developing printer increases, and the user must replenish the ink at an appropriate time to prevent the ink from running out. To this end, an ink cartridge is provided with an apparatus for detecting the storage level of the ink contained in the container to provide information on the storage level of the ink.

1 is a view showing a part of a cartridge capable of detecting a conventional ink reservoir level.

Referring to the drawings, the conventional ink cartridge 100 capable of low water level detection has a reservoir 110 and two electrode plates 120.

Reservoir 110 stores ink.

Two electrode plates 120 are installed in the reservoir 110. The two electrode plates 120 generate capacitance corresponding to changes in the low level of ink contained in the reservoir 110.

The capacitive sensing unit 130 is installed in a printing press (not shown). When the cartridge 100 is mounted in the printing press (not shown), the storage 110 uses the change in capacitance measured from two electrode plates 120. ) Detects the reservoir level of the ink contained therein.

However, in the cartridge capable of detecting the low ink level of the related art, since some ink is fixed to the electrode plate 120 of the portion where the ink is drained, the capacitance of the portion where the ink is fixed can be measured. That is, a difference in capacitance with respect to the measured capacitance and the actual storage level of the ink may occur. In addition, since ink capacitance level detection using such a change in capacitance varies depending on the composition of the ink, there is a limitation that cannot be applied to various kinds of inks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a cartridge and a printer having the same capable of detecting a low level of ink stored at a low level and detecting a low ink level. There is.

1 is a view showing a portion of a conventional cartridge capable of detecting a low ink level,

2 is a schematic view of a printing press having a cartridge capable of low ink level detection according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a circuit diagram schematically showing an equivalent circuit of the printer according to FIG. 2.

Description of the main parts of the drawing

200: printer 210: cartridge

212 vessel 214 first conductor

216: second conductor 218_1,... , 218_n: Multiple bar resistor bars

220_1,... , 220_n: Conductive float 222: Connection terminal part

240: level signal generator 250: detector

260 control unit

In order to solve the technical problem as described above, the cartridge detachably formed and supplied to the printer according to the present invention for supplying the ink to the printer, the container for storing the ink; A first conductor installed along an inner side of the container in a vertical direction and electrically connected to the printer; A second conductor installed along the vertical direction on an inner surface of the container facing the first conductor, the second conductor being electrically connected to the printer; One end is connected to any one of the first and second conductors and the other end is inclined so as to maintain a predetermined distance from any one of the second and first conductors facing each of the first and second conductors. At least one bar-shaped resistance bar having a predetermined resistance value; And a buoyant buoyant buoyant against the ink, having a diameter larger than the predetermined interval with any one of the first and second conductors opposite to the other end of the rod-shaped resistance bar. And at least one conductive float flowing in the space defined by the resistance bar.

More specifically, the resistance value of at least one bar-shaped resistance bar is the same.

In addition, any one of the first and second conductors may include a main conductive line recessed in an inner wall of any one of the first and second conductors; And a contact terminal connected to the main conductive line at each position corresponding to the free end, the contact terminal being installed to be exposed to the inner surface of the container.

On the other hand, to solve the above technical problem, a printer having a cartridge for supplying the removable ink formed and stored in accordance with the present invention to the printer, the cartridge comprising: a container for storing the ink; A first conductor installed along an inner side of the container in a vertical direction and electrically connected to the printer; A second conductor installed along the vertical direction on an inner surface of the container facing the first conductor, the second conductor being electrically connected to the printer; One end is connected to any one of the first and second conductors, and the other end is inclined so as to maintain a predetermined distance from any one of the second and first conductors opposite to the first and second conductors, respectively. At least one bar-shaped resistance bar having a predetermined resistance value; It has a diameter larger than the predetermined interval with any one of the first and second conductors opposite to the other end of the rod-shaped resistance bar, is conductive and has a buoyancy buoyant against the ink. At least one conductive floater flowing in the space defined by the bar; a level signal generator for generating a signal corresponding to an effective resistance value between the first and second conductors; And a detector configured to measure a storage level of the ink stored in the cartridge from the signal generated by the level signal generator.

More specifically, the level signal generation unit, the power supply unit; And a pull-up resistor, one end of which is connected to a positive bias terminal of the power supply, and the other end of which is connected to the first conductor.

In addition, the resistance value of at least one bar-shaped resistance bar is the same.

According to the present invention, the larger the inclined number of bar-shaped resistance bars having a predetermined resistance value, the more accurately the level of the stored ink can be detected.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the present invention.

2 is a view schematically showing a printer having a cartridge capable of detecting a low water level according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the cartridge 210 capable of low ink level detection according to the present invention includes a container 212, a first conductor 214, a second conductor 216, a plurality of rod-shaped resistance bars 218_1, 218_2,..., 218_n), a plurality of conductive floating bodies 220_1, 220_2,..., 220_n, and a connection terminal portion 222. The cartridge 210 is detachably formed in the printer 200 and supplies the stored ink to the printing paper of the printer 200.

The container 212 stores ink.

The first conductor 214 is installed along the vertical direction on the inner surface of the container 212, and is electrically connected to the printer 200.

The first conductor 214 has a main conductive line 214a and first to nth contact terminals P ₁ , P ₂ ,..., P _n . The main conductive line 214a is an electric wire recessed in the inner surface of the first conductor 214 and is shown by a dashed line in the drawing.

The first to n th contact terminals P ₁ , P ₂ ,..., And P _n are main conductive lines 214a at positions corresponding to the other ends of the first to n th bar type resistance bars 218_1, 218_2,..., 218_n. It is installed in connection with). The first to n th contact terminals P ₁ , P ₂ ,..., P _n may be installed to protrude from the inner surface of the container 212.

In addition, the first conductor 214 may be configured to be entirely conductive along the vertical direction of the inner surface of the container 212.

The second conductor 216 is installed along the vertical direction on the inner surface of the container 212 opposite to the inner surface on which the first conductor 214 is installed, and is electrically connected to the printer 200. .

The bar resistor bars 218_1, 218_2,..., 218_n are provided as at least one metal rod having predetermined resistance values R ₁ , R ₂ , R ₃ , R ₄ ,..., R _n . One end of the first to nth bar type resistance bars 218_1, 218_2,..., 218_n is connected to one of the first and second conductors 216, and the other end of the first and second conductive bars 216 is connected to the first and second conductor bars 216. Each of the second and first conductors 214 facing each other is provided so as to maintain a predetermined distance d.

The first to n th bar type resistance bars 218_1, 218_2,..., 218_n are provided to have a predetermined inclination angle. In addition, the resistance values R ₁ , R ₂ , R ₃ , R ₄ ,..., R _{n of} the first to nth bar type resistance bars 218_1, 218_2,..., 218_n have the same or different values.

At least one of the first to nth conductive floats 220_1, 220_2,..., 220_n has a buoyancy force that is conductive and floats against the ink stored in the container 212. The first to nth conductive floating bodies 220_1, 220_2,..., And 220_n have buoyancy and flow in the space partitioned by the bar-shaped resistance bars 218_1, 218_2,..., 218_n.

In addition, it is preferable that the first to nth conductive floating bodies 220_1, 220_2,..., 220_n have the same number as the number of the first to nth rod-type resistance bars 218_1, 218_2,..., 218_n.

The first to nth conductive floating bodies 220_1, 220_2,..., 220_n may include the first and second conductive bodies facing the other ends of the first to nth bar resistance bars 218_1, 218_2,..., 218_n. It is in the form of a ball having a diameter larger than the predetermined distance d with any one of 214 and 216.

When the first to nth bar type resistance bars 218_1, 218_2,..., 218_n are installed, the first to nth conductive floating bodies 220_1, 220_2,..., 220_n have a diameter larger than the predetermined interval d. It is impossible to move to the up / down section formed by the first to n-th bar type resistance bars 218_1, 218_2,..., 218_n.

According to this structure, as shown in the figure, the non-fixed end, that is, the other end of the first bar-shaped resistance bar 218_1 located above the reservoir level (shown by the water line) of the current ink is the first conductive part. In contact with the fluid 220_1. As a result, the first conductive floating body 220_1 may be electrically energized by connecting the _first bar-type resistance bar 218_1 and the first contact terminal P ₁ . The other conductive floats 220_2,..., 220_n are located at the top of each section by buoyancy.

That is, the conductive floats 220_1, 220_2,..., 220_n serve as a switch for connecting the contact terminals P ₁ , P ₂ ,..., P _{n to the} bar resistor bars 218_1, 218_2,. do.

In addition, one end of the cartridge 210 is provided with a connection terminal portion 222 that electrically connects the cartridge 210 and the printer 200. The connection terminal unit 222 has a first terminal 222a connected to one end of the first conductor 214 and a second terminal 222b connected to one end of the second conductor 216.

Meanwhile, referring to the drawings, the printer 200 having the cartridge 210 according to the present invention includes a connector unit 230, a level signal generator 240, a detector 250, a controller 260, and an operation panel unit. (Operating Pnael: OPE) 270.

The connector portion 230 has third and fourth terminals 230a and 230b. When the first and second terminals 222a and 222b of the cartridge 210 are connected to the third and fourth terminals 230a and 230b of the printer 200, the cartridge 210 is mounted to the printer 200.

In detail, the third terminal 230a is electrically connected to the first terminal 222a to transmit a signal for the effective resistance value of the cartridge 210. The fourth terminal 230b is connected to the second conductor 216 through the second terminal 222b as a ground terminal.

The level signal generator 240 generates a signal corresponding to the effective resistance value between the first and second conductors 216.

The level signal generator 240 has a power supply V _CC and a _pull-up resistor R _pull-up . One end of the _pull-up resistor R _pull-up is connected in series with a positive bias terminal of the power supply unit V _CC , and the other end thereof is connected to the first conductor 214 through the third terminal 230a and the first terminal 222a. It is installed to be accessible with.

The _pull-up resistor R has a proper resistance value in consideration of the effective resistance value of the cartridge 210 so that the information of the cartridge 210 is output.

The detector 250 measures a signal for the storage level of the ink stored in the cartridge 210 from the level signal generator 240, that is, the effective resistance value of the cartridge 210.

The controller 260 controls the overall operation of the printer 200 in which the cartridge 210 is mounted according to the measurement result of the detector 250. For example, the controller 260 compares the ink reservoir level signal detected by the detector 250 with a preset reference reservoir level signal, and if it is determined that the cartridge 210 needs to be replaced, the controller 260 may replace the cartridge 210. The OPE 270 is controlled to display the warning beep and / or warning message for a predetermined time.

The OPE 270 has a display portion 272 and an input portion 274. The display unit 272 is an LCD window and / or a speaker that displays an operating state of the printer 200 under the control of the controller 260. The input unit 264 includes various function keys for supporting text and / or numeric input.

3 is a circuit diagram schematically showing an equivalent circuit of the printer according to FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the equivalent circuit 300 of the printer 200 according to the present invention is the first to n-th resistance elements (R ₁ , R ₂ , ..., R _n ), the first to n-th conductive floating body 220_1 , 220_2,..., 220_n), a power supply unit V _CC , a _pull-up resistor R _pull-up , a detector 250, a controller 260, and an OPE 270.

Each of the above portions may include the first to nth resistor elements R ₁ , R ₂ , R ₃ ,..., R _n of FIG. 2, the first to nth predetermined intervals d, and the first to nth conductive floats. Since 2201, 220_2, ..., 220_n, the power supply unit V _CC , the pull-up resistor R _{pull_up} , the detector 250, the controller 260, and the OPE 270 are the same in structure and operation, detailed description thereof will be omitted. .

However, the switch illustrated in FIG. 3 is provided between the other end of the first to nth bar type resistance bars 218_1, 218_2,..., 218_n and the first to nth contacts P ₁ , P ₂ ,..., P _n . When the first to nth conductive floats 220_1, 220_2,..., 220_n are placed on the predetermined interval d, the first to nth conductive floats 220_1, 220_2,..., 220_n serve as a switch. To perform.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a storage level detection method of the ink stored in the container 212 of the cartridge 210 will be described below.

When the level of the ink stored in the container 212 reaches or below the level of any contact point P _{n in} FIG. 2, the nth conductive floating body 220_n moves to the nth bar type resistance bar 218_1, 218_2,..., 218_n It lies on the predetermined interval (d) between the other end of the) and the n-th contact (P _n ). At this time, the detection unit 250 measures the storage level of the current ink by the following [Equation 1].

Referring to [Equation 1], V _detect-n is an ink reservoir level signal at the _n th contact point P _n , and the resistance values of the first to n th bar resistance bars 218_1, 218_2,..., 218_n are as follows. This is the case where the resistance values of (R ₁ , R ₂ ,..., R _n ) and the pull-up resistor R _{pull_up} are the same.

For example, when the level of the ink stored in the container 212 reaches the level of the first contact point P ₁ of FIG. 2, the detection unit 250 may be n = 1. Detect the level signal of the stored ink for.

According to the present invention, the larger the number of the rod-shaped resistance bars 218_1, 218_2, ..., 218_n installed in the cartridge 210, the more accurately the level of the stored ink can be detected.

According to the cartridge according to the present invention and a printer having the same, at least one rod-shaped resistance bar having a predetermined resistance value may be mounted in the cartridge at a predetermined slope to receive low level information of ink, and the received information may be It can be expressed as By requiring the proper ink supply by employing an ink cartridge capable of detecting the ink low water level in this way, the wet developing printer can prevent unprocessing or interruption of a print job due to exhaustion of ink during a print job.

Although the present invention has been described in detail through the representative embodiments, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can make various modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention. Will understand. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims below and equivalents thereof.

Claims (8)

A cartridge which is detachably formed in a printer and supplies ink stored in the printer to the printer, A container for storing the ink; A first conductor installed along an inner side of the container in a vertical direction and electrically connected to the printer; A second conductor installed along the vertical direction on an inner surface of the container facing the first conductor, the second conductor being electrically connected to the printer; One end is connected to any one of the first and second conductors and the other end is inclined so as to maintain a predetermined distance from any one of the second and first conductors facing each of the first and second conductors. At least one bar-shaped resistance bar having a predetermined resistance value; And It has a diameter larger than the predetermined interval with any one of the first and second conductors opposite to the other end of the rod-shaped resistance bar, is conductive and has a buoyancy buoyant against the ink. And at least one conductive float flowing in the space defined by the bar. The method of claim 1, And the resistance value of at least one rod-shaped resistance bar is the same. The method of claim 1, Any one of the first and second conductors, A main conductive line recessed in an inner wall of any one of the first and second conductors; And And a contact terminal connected to the main conductive line at each position corresponding to a free end, the contact terminal being installed to be exposed to the inner surface of the container. A printing machine comprising a cartridge which is detachably formed on a printing machine and supplies a stored ink to the printing machine, The cartridge, A container for storing the ink; A first conductor installed along an inner side of the container in a vertical direction and electrically connected to the printer; A second conductor installed along the vertical direction on an inner surface of the container facing the first conductor, the second conductor being electrically connected to the printer; One end is connected to any one of the first and second conductors and the other end is inclined so as to maintain a predetermined distance from any one of the second and first conductors facing each of the first and second conductors. At least one bar-shaped resistance bar having a predetermined resistance value; It has a diameter larger than the predetermined interval with any one of the first and second conductors opposite to the other end of the rod-shaped resistance bar, is conductive and has a buoyancy buoyant against the ink. At least one conductive float flowing in the space defined by the bar; A level signal generator configured to generate a signal corresponding to an effective resistance value between the first and second conductors; And And a detection unit for measuring the storage level of the ink stored in the cartridge from the signal generated by the level signal generation unit. The method of claim 4, wherein The level signal generator, A power supply unit; And And a pull-up resistor, one end of which is connected to a positive bias end of the power supply, and the other end of which is connected to the first conductor. The method of claim 4, wherein And a resistance value of at least one rod-shaped resistance bar is the same. The method of claim 4, wherein And a display unit for displaying a warning sound and / or a warning message for a predetermined time requesting replacement of the cartridge when the ink is depleted from the detection unit. The method of claim 4, wherein Any one of the first and second conductors, A main conductive line recessed in an inner surface of any one of the first and second conductors; And A contact terminal installed at a position corresponding to the other end of the rod-shaped resistance bar to be connected to the main conductive line and protruding from the inner side surface of the container, the contact terminal being capable of energizing the conductive floating body; A printing machine having a.