JP2002321388A - Ink tank, ink jet recording device, and detection method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink tank, an ink jet recording device and a detection method, in which a structure is simplified by dispensing with a flexible cable and the presence or absence of ink in the ink tank for housing the ink can be detected. SOLUTION: A light reflecting prism 321c, which is composed of two slant face parts 341 and 342, is provided on a surface, where a feed opening 336 for feeding the ink outward is provided, of the ink tank, so as to enable the detection of the presence or absence of the ink in positions of the face parts 341 and 342 of the prism 321c in accordance with the quantity of light brought about by reflection of light applied from a sensor which is located outside the ink tank and composed of a light-emitting element 321a and a light-receiving element 321b, which are provided in a device body.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to paper or OHP
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that discharges minute ink droplets toward a recording medium such as paper or cloth to record characters and images, and in particular, at least one of a recording head and an ink tank is detachably mounted on a carriage. The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus having a configuration.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging fine ink droplets. Compared to other devices, this device has advantages such as high-speed recording, easy colorization, recording on plain paper as well as cloth, low noise, and good recording quality. .

In general, the number of recording heads of an ink jet recording apparatus is about 1 to 200 or 1000 to 2000.
It has ejection openings for ejecting about the same number of inks, and scans the recording head relative to the recording medium to record the entire area. The main scanning for relative movement causes the carriage on which the recording head is mounted to scan in the forward and backward directions, and the sub-scanning causes the recording medium to scan the recording head in one direction with respect to the recording head. By the way, the recording head mounted on the carriage is configured to be detachable from the carriage, or an ink tank for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head (hereinafter, the ink tank is also referred to as an ink cartridge) is detachable from the recording head. Configuration.

[0004] In the former, when a recording head is defective, the recording head is replaced with a normal one and used. Or, in a recording head in which the recording head and the ink tank are integrated, when the ink is completed, the recording head is replaced with a new recording head. Because it can be used.

This is because the latter is a recording head having a structure in which only the ink tank can be replaced without changing the recording head, and can be used as it is by replacing it with a new ink tank when the ink is finished. By the way, because of the structure that can be attached to and detached from the carriage, it is necessary for the user to check whether the print head and the ink tank are correctly mounted during the printing operation or for the printing apparatus to automatically check. there were.

[0006] User checks are easy to make mistakes,
On the other hand, in order for the recording device to automatically check, the carriage is provided with a sensor that can be converted into an electric signal for confirming attachment to each of the recording head and ink tank, and a signal is sent to the recording device main body via a flexible cable. And the recording device determined.

[0007]

However, according to the above-mentioned prior art, the apparatus becomes large because a large space is required for a flexible cable, and a cable having good durability becomes expensive. It is preferable that there is no flexible cable for supplying an electric signal, and that the number thereof be as small as possible.

In addition, when a sensor is provided on the carriage,
The weight of the movable part is increased by the amount of the sensor, and it is necessary to increase the power of the motor that drives the carriage. Further, there is a problem that the time required for the carriage to reach a certain speed becomes longer, and as a result, not only does the printing speed decrease, but also the apparatus becomes larger in proportion to the longer travel distance of the carriage.

In addition, in such an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink cartridge serving as an ink supply source is made detachable from an apparatus main body or a carriage in order to facilitate ink replenishment accompanying ink consumption by recording, and this ink cartridge is used by an operator. There are known ones that can be replaced by hand and used.

Further, when such an ink cartridge is used, some ink cartridges have a function of detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge and prompting an operator to replace the ink cartridge.

However, in the above-described ink cartridge, it is technically difficult to accurately detect the remaining amount of the ink, and the cost is high. Therefore, there has been proposed an ink remaining amount detecting unit which counts the number of times of ink ejection from the ink jet head, stores the counted number in a main body memory, and issues a warning when a predetermined number of times of ejection is reached. However, even in such a method, it is necessary to reset the counter in the main unit memory each time the ink cartridge is replaced, and a switch for that and a detector for detecting the attachment or detachment of the ink cartridge must be prepared. Doing so not only increases the cost, but also causes the operator to depress the start key and the reset key during the ink cartridge replacement operation, which is too troublesome. In addition, just providing a detector causes a cost increase.

Furthermore, when the ink cartridge is replaced, there is a possibility that the ink may be interrupted in the ink jet head or the supply pipe. Therefore, it is necessary to perform suction from the ink discharge surface and fill the liquid path to the ink discharge port with the ink. is there.

As described above, in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, it is necessary to reset the counter or to perform the suction operation when replacing the ink cartridge. Before that, it is first determined whether or not the ink cartridge is securely mounted. Needed to be detected.

Conventionally, in a thermal transfer serial printer,
The identification unit provided on the carriage and the identification unit provided on the ink ribbon cassette and the window for detecting the end of the ink ribbon are detected by using the optical sensor at the home position. A configuration for detecting the end of a ribbon is known (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-60680).

However, in the thermal transfer printer, when the ink ribbon cassette is not mounted on the carriage, or when the ink ribbon in the ink ribbon cassette is used up and the printing is performed erroneously,
The thermal head was not damaged.

On the other hand, in the ink jet recording apparatus, the ink cartridge is not mounted or the ink in the ink cartridge is empty (when the head and the ink tank are integrated, the ink in the ink tank is empty). When the recording head is driven, air or bubbles are mixed into the fine ink ejection ports or the ink passages, which causes non-ejection of the recording head, and the recording head itself needs to be replaced. Further, in a recording head that ejects ink using thermal energy, the heater may be disconnected by heat. Therefore, in the ink jet recording apparatus, detection of whether or not the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage or whether or not there is a remaining amount of ink is an important technique relating to the life of the recording head. Inkjet recording in recent years, which has caused an increase in the number of replacements of the ink storage unit, especially the replacement of the ink storage unit with the extension of the life of the head itself or the adoption of a small capacity ink storage unit with the downsizing of the device itself. The above technology is an even more important technology in consideration of the technical trend of the device.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ink tank, an ink jet recording apparatus, and a detection method which can easily detect a decrease in the amount of remaining ink in an ink tank, which is an ink storage unit mounted on a carriage, or the presence or absence of ink. Is to provide.

[0018]

In order to achieve the above object, an ink tank according to the present invention is an ink tank for storing ink, wherein one of the walls constituting the ink tank is provided with an ink tank inside the ink tank. A member having an ink supply port for supplying the ink accommodated in the outside to the outside, and having two slopes, and being irradiated from outside the ink tank in a state where there is no ink on the slope and a state where there is no ink on the slope. A member having a different amount of reflected light reflected to the outside by the slope portion is provided inside the ink tank on a wall provided with the ink supply port. In addition, an inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention is an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording medium by discharging ink from a recording head, wherein the carriage for mounting the recording head includes an ink for supplying to the recording head. A carriage for detachably mounting an ink tank containing
A scanning unit that moves and scans the carriage, a sensor that is provided within a range of movement of the carriage by the scanning unit and includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and a member that has two inclined surfaces inside the ink tank. The light emitted from the light emitting element was applied to a member having a different amount of light reflected from the outside of the ink tank to the outside due to the slope in a state in which there is no ink on the slope and a state in which the ink is present on the slope. And an ink detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of ink in the ink tank based on a result of receiving the reflected light at this time by the light receiving element. Further, the detection method of the present invention is a detection method for detecting the presence or absence of the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank in an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink supplied from an ink tank containing ink from a recording head. A light-emitting element, comprising: a carriage on which the recording head is mounted, wherein the carriage removably mounts an ink tank containing ink to be supplied to the recording head, the carriage being provided within a movement range of the carriage. And a step of moving the ink tank with respect to a sensor comprising a light receiving element and a member having two slopes inside the ink tank, wherein the ink tank is in a state where there is no ink on the slope and a state where there is no ink on the slope. Light is radiated by the light emitting element to members having different amounts of light radiated from outside reflected to the outside by the slope portion. Was based on the reflected light of the result of the received by the light receiving element when, characterized the steps of detecting the presence or absence of ink in said ink tank, in that it consists of.

[0019]

According to the present invention, the amount of light reflected from the outside of the ink tank is reflected in the inside of the wall provided with the supply port of the ink tank for storing the ink, depending on whether or not there is ink on the slope. An ink tank provided with a member having two differently configured inclined surfaces can be obtained, and the presence or absence of ink in the ink tank can be easily detected by irradiating light and receiving reflected light with the attached device. Become.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, as a reference example of the present invention, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus. 2 and 3 are schematic sectional views of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG.

1 to 3, the same elements as those of FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 23 denotes a projection provided on the ink cartridge 18 so as to protrude therefrom. Reference numerals 20a and 20b denote holding members, which are arranged at both ends of the carriage 2 in the main scanning direction. Reference numeral 19 denotes a flag-like member which is rotatably held by a pair of holding members 20a and 20b, with a rotation shaft thereof being engaged with holes formed in the holding members 20a and 20b. When one end of the flag-like member 19 is pressed by the projection 23, the flag-like member 19 can be rotated upright by 90 degrees as shown by a dashed line in FIG.

The holding of the flag-like member 19 is performed by the holding member 20.
This is made possible by the frictional force between a and 20b and the rotating shaft of the flag member 19. Reference numeral 21 denotes a sensor for detecting the flag-like member 19 when the flag-like member 19 comes closer due to the movement of the carriage 2. Reference numeral 22 denotes a cam member for rotating the flag-like member 19 in accordance with the movement of the carriage 2 and tilting the flag-like member 19 in the horizontal direction.

In the above-described ink jet recording apparatus, when the ink cartridge 18 is replaced, for example, when the amount of ink inside the ink cartridge 18 is insufficient before recording, as described above, one end of the flag-like member 19 is It is pushed and turned 90 degrees, and is held in the state as shown in FIG.

Next, when the ink cartridge 18 newly filled with ink is mounted at a predetermined position of the carriage 2, the flag-like member 19 causes the protrusion 2
It is not pushed back to 3 and holds its position.

Further, by moving the carriage 2 in the direction of the recording medium 9, the sensor 21 detects that the flag member 19 has approached, and can know that the ink cartridge 18 has been replaced. And the cam member 2
As a result, the flag-like member 19 is rotated and falls down as shown in FIG. 2, and returns to the state before the replacement, and is ready for the next replacement of the ink cartridge 18. FIG. 3 shows this state.

When the flag member 19 stands upright and the sensor 21 detects that, the ink cartridge 18 has been replaced. In this case, air may be mixed into the ink as air bubbles from the tip of the ink tube 1t, which may hinder the supply of the ink and may disturb the image. To prevent this, the recording is started after the recording head 1 is covered with the cap 12 and suction recovery processing for removing bubbles is performed. In addition, the ink cartridge 18
Even when the power from the power source such as a power failure is cut off after the replacement of the ink cartridge, the fact that the ink cartridge 18 has been replaced can be known by the uprightness of the flag-like member 19.

After the ejection recovery processing, the cap 12 is separated from the recording head 1 by a driving unit (not shown). Thereafter, the power from the motor 4 is supplied to the pulley 4 and the driven pulley 6
Is transmitted to the carriage 2 by a wire 7 wound on the carriage 2.
As a result, the recording head 1 reciprocates in the direction of arrow 13, during which recording is performed by discharging ink droplets onto the recording medium 9. Each time the recording head 1 reciprocates as described above,
The recording medium 9 is transported by a predetermined length (for example, the arrangement width of the ejection ports). Recording is performed by repeating these operations.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus as another reference example.

Although the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has one recording head, an ink jet recording apparatus having two recording heads such as dark ink and light ink will be described.

In this embodiment, two recording heads 1a are used.
And two ink cartridges 18a corresponding to 1b
And 18b are provided, and the ink cartridges 18a and 18b are arranged on the carriage 2 in parallel in the main scanning direction. Projections 23a and 23
Since b and the holding members 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d have the same configuration and function as those in the first embodiment, detailed description is omitted. In addition, 12a and 12b are caps that cover the ejection opening surfaces of the recording heads 1a and 1b when the recording heads 1a and 1b are at the cap position.

When the used ink cartridge 18a or 18b is pulled out in the above-described ink jet recording apparatus, the flag-like member 19a or 19b is erected accordingly, and thereafter, the state is maintained even if a new ink cartridge is mounted. .

Next, when the carriage 2 moves,
The sensor 21 detects that the flag members have approached in the order of the flag members 19b and 19a, and can know that the ink cartridge has been replaced.

Further, when the carriage 2 moves, the cam member 22 relatively pushes the flag members 19b, 19b in this order, so that the flag members 19b, 19a rotate and fall, and the next state is reached. It is possible to prepare for replacement of the ink cartridge.

As described above, in the present embodiment, even if the ink jet recording apparatus has two recording heads 1a and 1b, it is possible to detect the replacement of the ink cartridge without adding the sensor 21 and the cam member 22. it can.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing still another reference example of the present invention.

In this embodiment, when the recording head 1 is at the cap position and is capped, that is, when the recording head 1 is stopped at the recording standby position, the carriage 2
The present invention relates to a configuration in which the flag-like member 19 is tilted down without moving, and the ink cartridge 18 is returned to a state where it has not been replaced.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 27 denotes an arm member for pushing down one end of the flag-like member 19 to fall the flag-like member 19, and reference numeral 27a denotes a rotation center shaft for supporting the arm member 27.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a solenoid, and an arm member 27
At the other end. By supplying a predetermined electric power to the solenoid 24, a driving force can be given to the arm member 27.

Reference numeral 25 denotes an arm member 2 provided by a solenoid 24.
7 indicates the direction of pull. A tension spring 26 pulls the arm member 27 when the solenoid 24 is not operated.

In the above ink jet recording apparatus,
When the ink cartridge 18 is replaced, the flag member 19 maintains an upright state as in the reference example described above with reference to FIG. Thereafter, when the carriage 2 moves, the sensor 21 detects that the flag-shaped member 19 has approached, and can know that the ink cartridge 18 has been replaced.

Thereafter, when the carriage 2 moves to the cap position, by supplying power to the solenoid 24, the arm member 27 can be rotated by overcoming the urging force of the tension spring 26. As a result, the flag-like member 19 rotates and falls down to a state before the ink cartridge is replaced, and can be prepared for the next replacement of the new ink cartridge.

As described above, according to the above-described reference example, the flag member is moved from one of two positions where the flag-like member can be held by the operation of removing the detachable ink cartridge from the carriage. Is changed to the position. Also, when a new ink cartridge is mounted in this state, the flag-shaped member can maintain its position. Then, the flag-shaped member at the other position is detected by the detecting means, whereby it is possible to know that the ink cartridge has been replaced.

As a result, it is possible to detect replacement of the cartridge without adding an electrode or the like to the ink cartridge. Accordingly, it is sufficient to perform the minimum necessary bubble removing operation, and the number of mounted ink cartridges is reduced. Even when there are a plurality of detection means, the number of detection means can be reduced to one.

Further, even when the power supply from the power supply is cut off after replacing the ink cartridge, the flag-like member can be mechanically detected without having an auxiliary power supply such as a battery or a storage means inside the printing apparatus. Does not cause any trouble.

The detection means described above can detect not only the attachment / detachment of the ink cartridge to / from the carriage, but also the attachment / detachment of the recording head and the reading head for reading an original to / from the carriage.

In the above-described reference example, a good print image can of course be obtained even if an ink jet recording head shown in FIG. 20 described later is used.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention.
In this reference example, an example of a serial ink jet recording apparatus in which an ink cartridge accommodating inks of a plurality of colors together with an ink jet recording head are mounted on a carriage and recording is performed during the movement thereof is shown.

Here, 101 is a carriage, 102 is an ink jet recording head which has an ink discharging function and individually discharges ink of a plurality of colors, and 103 is a recording head 102
In addition, cartridge guides 104 and 105 mounted on the carriage 101 are ink cartridges detachably held by the cartridge guide 103. In the case of this reference example, one of the ink cartridges 104
Is filled with black ink in its tank, and the other ink cartridge 105 is filled with three color inks of yellow, magenta and cyan in separate tanks. Different colors of ink are supplied to the corresponding ink ejection units.

106A and 106B are the carriages 10
1 is a guide shaft, 107 is a sheet presser for holding the recording sheet S at the recording position, 108 is a feed roller for guiding the recording sheet S to the recording position, and 109 is a recording sheet S every time one line of recording is performed. Is a sheet feed roller capable of feeding the sheet by that amount, and 110 is a frame of the apparatus. Reference numeral 111 denotes a U-shaped home position detecting sensor (position detecting means) attached to the frame,
When the carriage 1 moves to a home position (HP) outside the recording area along the guide shafts 106A and 106B, a fixed detection piece (hereinafter referred to as a fixed breaking member) 112 protruding from the carriage 101 to the sensor 111 side. Sensor 111
Is guided to the concave portion, and the light from the home position sensor composed of, for example, a transmissive photocoupler is blocked, whereby the home position is detected.

Reference numerals 113 and 114 denote ink cartridge insertion openings 103A, 1 of the cartridge guide 103.
FIG. 7B is a lever-type movable detection piece (hereinafter referred to as a “movable shut-off member”) provided at 03B.
The configuration of the movable blocking members 113 and 114 will be described. That is, these movable blocking members 113, 1
14 is an ink cartridge 104, as shown in FIG.
105 is configured to project toward the sensor 111 by being inserted into the cartridge guide 103.
Reference numerals 13A and 114A denote springs for keeping the members 113 and 114 in a downwardly sloping state as shown in FIG. 7 when the ink cartridge is not inserted, and 113B and 114B denote ink cartridge insertion ports from the members 113 and 114 as shown in FIG. Operating arms protruding from the 103A and 103B sides, 113
C and 114C are support shafts rotatably supporting the members 113 and 114.

On the other hand, the ink cartridges 104 and 1
In FIG. 5, the first groove 104A (105A) as shown in FIG.
And the second groove 104B (105B) are juxtaposed in the insertion direction. For example, when the ink cartridge 104 is inserted in the direction of arrow A from the ink cartridge insertion opening 103A of the cartridge guide 103, the operating arm 113B ( 8) is fitted into the first groove 104A, and the protrusion 113BB of the operating arm 113B is inserted into the first groove 104A.
By sliding along the tapered portion 104AA of A, the movable blocking member 113 is raised in the direction of the sensor 111 as shown in FIG. 9, and the member 113 is moved against the spring force of the spring 113A. At 8, the operation is performed in the direction of arrow B. The function of the second groove 104B will be described later in the description of the operation. The ink cartridge 10
The same operation as described above is performed for the insertion of No. 5.

Next, the operation of the carriage 101 with the cartridge guide 103 and the ink cartridges 104 and 105 mounted will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. In these figures, reference numeral 120 denotes a movable shut-off member 11 protruding from the cartridge guide 103.
A member (hereinafter, referred to as a reset member) that engages with an operation check to be performed every time the ink cartridges 104 and 105 are replaced by engaging with the ink cartridges 3 and 114. The reset member 120 is preferably provided outside the recording area on the opposite side to the position where the HP detection sensor 11 is provided, as shown in FIG. In FIGS. 9 and 10, the attached ink cartridges 104 and 105 are omitted for easy understanding of the configuration.

In these figures, reference numeral 114D denotes a tunnel provided on the projecting side of the movable blocking member 114;
Reference numerals 121 and 122 protrude upward from the reset member 120, and have tapered portions 121 on their recording area side.
A and 122A are formed on the engaging ribs 121 and 122.
It is formed so as to keep an interval equal to that between 3,114.

Then, after the ink cartridge 104 or 105 (see FIG. 6) is exchanged, and after the reset and recovery operations are performed in the HP, the cartridge guide 103 kept in the state shown in FIG. When the blocking members 113 and 114 are guided to the position of the reset member 120 as shown in FIG.
The movable breaking members 113 and 114 are simultaneously rotated in the direction of arrow D by the engagement ribs 121 and 122 of the reset member 120. Therefore, the projections 113BB and 114BB provided on the movable blocking members 113 and 114 are disengaged from the first grooves 104A and 105A shown in FIG.
A, 114A, the second grooves 104B, 105B
It is led to.

The second grooves 104B and 105B are provided in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, since the tapers 104C and 105C are formed at the ends of the ink cartridges 104 and 105 in the pulling direction, the ink cartridges 104 and 105 can be easily pulled out in the direction of arrow A ', respectively, anywhere.
The movable breaking members 113 and 114 can be brought into the state shown in FIG. This operation is performed for each of the ink cartridges 104 and 105. In addition, the ink cartridge 10
The presence or absence of 4, 105 is determined by the home position sensor 111, and its operation will be described in detail later. For example, as shown in FIG.
When the cartridge 105 is not mounted on the cartridge guide 103, the movable blocking member 113 and / or 114 is moved at a predetermined position after the fixed blocking member 112 is detected by the HP detection sensor 111 by the movement of the carriage 101 in the direction of arrow C. Is not detected.

Further, the ink cartridges 104,
When the camera 105 is mounted, as shown in FIG.
12 and the movable blocking members 113 and 114 are detected one after another, and it is determined that a cartridge is present.

The operation of detecting whether or not the ink cartridges 104 and 105 are mounted as described above will be described in detail again with reference to FIGS. (A) of FIG.
8 shows a state in which the ink cartridges 104 and 105 are not mounted on the cartridge guide 103 as shown in FIG. 8 earlier. In this state, if the carriage 101 moves in the direction of arrow C and is guided to the position of the HP detection sensor 111, Fixed blocking member 11 projecting from carriage 101
2 is only detected by the HP detection sensor 111,
The movable blocking members 113 and 114 are not detected because they do not protrude to the HP (home position) detection sensor 111 side, and thus it is determined that there is no ink cartridge, and for example, an error signal is output from the control unit.

FIG. 11B shows a detection operation immediately after the ink cartridges 104 and 105 are mounted. In this case, as described above, the projections 113BB and 114 of the movable blocking members 113 and 114 are used.
BB represent ink cartridges 104 and 105, respectively.
Are held in the first grooves 104A and 105A, and the members 113 and 114 are kept in a state of protruding toward the HP detection sensor 111 as shown in FIG. Here, L1 and L2 indicate the distance from the fixed blocking member 112 to the movable blocking members 113 and 114 in this state.
Immediately after the installation of the HP detection sensor 5, as described above,
11, after detecting the fixed blocking member 112, the distance L
Movable blocking members 113 and 11 that pass while keeping L1 and L2
4 is detected, both ink cartridges 10 are detected.
4, 105 is detected to be mounted. Here, when only one of the ink cartridges is mounted, although not shown, the state is determined by detecting the movable blocking member on one side after the detection of the fixed blocking member 112.

FIG. 11C shows the state in which the ink cartridges 104 and 105 are mounted and the carriage 101 is guided to the reset position as described above with reference to FIG. 122
Shows a state in which the movable blocking members 113 and 114 are transferred from the first grooves 104A and 105A of the ink cartridges 104 and 105 to the second grooves 104B and 105B.
FIG. 11D shows the state after the shift. Here, in L3 and L4, the positions of the movable blocking members 113 and 114 are moved because the carriage 101 and the cartridge guide 103 are engaged with the reset member 120. The distance between these and the fixed blocking member 112 after the above is shown.

FIG. 12 shows the configuration of a circuit related to the control of the reference example of FIG. Here, 130 is a central processing unit (CP
U) and 131, a ROM; 132, a RAM; and 133, a counter. The ROM 131 stores various programs related to a printing operation and a program related to a control operation procedure at the time of resetting an ink cartridge as described later. Also, the counter 133 indicates that the recording head 102
The number of ink ejections from the ink cartridge is counted for each type of ink. When the number of ink ejections reaches a predetermined value, for example, a message prompting replacement of the ink cartridge or the like is displayed by display means (not shown). 134 is the recording head 10
Recovery means related to the recovery operation 2, 135 is a sheet feeding and feeding motor, 136 is its driver, 137 is a carriage moving motor, 138 is its driver, and 139 is a driver for the recording head 102.

Next, the procedure of the control operation relating to the ink cartridge replacement will be described with reference to FIG.

When the power is turned on in step S1, the carriage 101 is moved to the recording area side in FIG. 6 once in step S2, and then moved to the HP side in step S3 (hereinafter, the movement in this direction is referred to as CR). ), Step S4
The fixed breaking member 112 provided on the carriage 101 is H
Upon detection by the P detection sensor 111, the process proceeds to step S5, where the HP position of the carriage 101 is stored. Then, in step S6, the carriage 101 is further advanced rightward in FIG. 6 (CR), and in step S7, it is determined whether or not the movable blocking member 113 has been detected by the HP sensor 111. If the determination is affirmative, the detection position is further changed to the above-described fixed blocking member 111 in step S8.
It is determined whether the distance is L3 or L1 from the detection position,
If it is determined that the distance is L3, it is determined that the recovery operation by the recovery means 134 and the reset of the counter 133 have already been performed in the HP after the black ink cartridge is mounted in step S9.

If it is determined in step S10 that the distance is L1, the recovery operation and the counter are determined based on the determination that the recovery operation and the counter reset are not performed immediately after the black ink cartridge is mounted in step S11. Remind the user to perform a reset. Similarly, following the movement in step S6, step S1 follows one after another.
2. In step S14, the detection by the HP detection sensor 111 is performed, and the movable shutoff member 114 shown in FIG.
(L4) or the position (L2) shown in FIG. 11B, and if the determination in step S12 is affirmative, the state in which the color ink cartridge 105 can be used in step S13. If the determination in step S14 is affirmative, it is determined in step S15 that the color ink cartridge has just been installed (the recovery operation and the counter reset have not been performed).

Thus, when it is determined in step S16 that the cartridge 101 has moved to a position outside the HP sensor 111 in FIG. 6 together with the cartridge guide 103, the flow advances to step S17, and the above-described steps S9 and S9 are performed.
The operation according to the routine corresponding to the combination of the states determined in S11, S13 and S15 is performed. That is, when the states of steps S9, S11, S13, and S15 are A, B, C, and D, respectively, if both A and C are used, both color and black may be used. The recording operation is permitted. In the case of the combination of A and D, the recovery operation and the counter reset are performed before only the color ink, and in the case of the combination of B and C, the recovery operation and the counter reset are performed only for the black ink. In the case of a combination of B and D, the recovery operation and the counter reset are performed before the ejection of both black and color inks.

If the determinations in steps S8, S10, S12, and S14 are all negative, the ink cartridges 104 and 105 are not mounted, and if only steps S8 and S10 are negative, black If the ink cartridge is not mounted, and only steps S12 and S14 are negative, it is determined that the color ink cartridge is not mounted, and the error is processed, for example.

FIG. 14 shows another reference example of the present invention. However, since the basic structure of the cartridge guide 103 is the same, the color side is omitted, and only the black ink cartridge 104 and the configuration of the cartridge detecting means will be described together with the mounting and detaching operation.

The carriage 101 has a fixed breaking member 1
12 and two insertion members 103A and 103B, respectively.
1 is provided. The cartridge presence / absence detection blocking member 140 linked by the groove 104D projects and retracts in conjunction with the attachment / detachment of the cartridge 104 (105). One reset detection blocking member 141 is, for example, a reset member as in the above-described reference example. Detects that the recovery operation has been completed by the HP, the second groove 104B (1
05B), but since the groove 104B (105B) is deep, the blocking member 41 is retracted without protruding to the HP side. Thus, when the cartridge is not mounted as shown in (A), only the fixed blocking member 112 is detected by the HP detection sensor.
Three movable blocking members 140 and 141 are added and three are detected. Further, after the reset recovery operation shown in (C), 141 of the movable shutoff members are retracted, and the remaining two are detected. According to this reference example, the above three states are determined based on the number of blocking members, and the component accuracy may be lower than in the example where the distance is detected. In particular, if there are a plurality of cartridges to be detected,
It suffices only to determine how many blocking members have been detected from 12.

FIG. 15 shows a case where the HP detection sensor 111 is a reflection type photo sensor, and the blocking members 112, 113, 1
Portions related to the fourteen sensors are formed on the reflector 150, respectively. In this case, even if the escape angle of the reflecting plate 150 is small as shown by the broken line, the light is not reflected, so that the blocking member does not need to be retracted close to 90 ° as in the aforementioned reference example. In particular, when the number of detections by the sensor is changed as in the reference example of FIG.
The depth of A, 104B, and 104C can be small.

FIG. 16 uses the leaf spring contact 111A for the HP detection sensor 111, so that the cost can be reduced.

FIG. 17 shows a case where the HP detection sensor 111 is a reed switch type.
The portion related to the detection of 13 and 114 is a magnet 160. In this case, instead of providing an engagement rib on the reset member 170, a magnet having an opposite pole at a position corresponding to the movable blocking members 113 and 114 is used as shown in FIG.

As described in detail above, according to the reference example described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 17, the position detecting means disposed in relation to the home position and detecting the moving position of the carriage, Are arranged along the moving direction of the ink cartridge, and interlock with the fixed detection piece detected by the position detection means and the individual mounting operation of the ink cartridge to the carriage. A movable detection piece displaceable to a detection position, wherein the fixed detection piece detects a moving position of the carriage to the home position, and the movable detection piece moves the ink cartridge to the carriage. The presence / absence of attachment is detected, so it is possible to count the presence / absence of ink cartridge installation and the number of ink ejections after installation with a small and simple configuration. Whether the reset operation and the recovery operation have been performed can be detected by the position detection means and the detected position of the movable detection piece on the carriage, so that the operator can perform extra key operation after replacing the ink cartridge. An easy-to-use ink jet recording apparatus that does not require time and effort can be provided at low cost.

The detecting means described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 17 can detect not only the attachment / detachment of the ink cartridge to / from the carriage but also the attachment / detachment of the reading head for reading the recording head and the original to / from the carriage. .

In the reference example described above, FIG.
It goes without saying that a good print image can be obtained by using the ink jet recording head shown in FIG.

Another reference example according to the present invention is shown in FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 18, during the recording operation of the recording apparatus 210, the recording medium 216 is fed in the direction of arrow A by the paper feed roller 217, and is further discharged.
Is discharged in the direction of arrow B. This movement is sub-scanning. During this time, the recording head 212 detachably mounted on the carriage 211 reciprocates along the guide shaft 215 by the movement of the lead screw 214 rotated by a carriage driving motor (not shown). This movement is the main scanning. During the main scanning operation, the sub-scanning operation is stopped. During the main scanning, ink droplets are ejected from the ejection openings of the recording head 212 only when necessary according to the input data. The flexible cable 209 is for inputting the data and the control signal to the recording head 212. The black ink tank 221 and the color ink tank 222 are for storing ink of each color to be supplied to the recording head 212. Each ink tank 2
2 and 222 are also detachable from the carriage 211.

As described above, the recording head 212 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the carriage 211. If a problem occurs in the recording head 212, the recording head 212 is replaced with a normal one. Each of the ink tanks 221 and 222 is also replaceable. When a predetermined amount of recording operation is performed and the ink ends, the ink tank is replaced with a new ink tank.

As shown in FIG. 19, the ink jet recording head 212 has a plurality of ejection ports 2 provided in a row.
In order to eject the recording liquid from 07, an electrothermal converter 204 that generates thermal energy when an applied voltage is supplied is provided for each liquid path. Then, by applying a drive signal, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer 204 to cause film boiling, thereby forming bubbles in the ink liquid path. The growth of the bubbles causes the discharge port 7
Ink droplets are ejected from.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged perspective view of the recording head and the carriage. The print head 212 is mounted on the carriage 211, and the black ink tank 221 and the color ink tank 222 are connected to the print head 212 via respective connection pipes 220. The inside of the color ink tank 222 is partitioned and divided for yellow, magenta, and cyan. There are a total of 136 ejection openings 207 for ejecting ink. In FIG. 20, from the top, there are 24 for yellow, 24 for magenta, 24 for cyan, and 64 for black.

Next, the features of this embodiment will be described. 21A is a side view of the sensor, and FIG. 21B is a front view.

As shown in FIGS. 18 to 21, the sensor 230 is fixed to the main body of the recording apparatus so as to be located within the movable range of the carriage 211 of the recording apparatus 210. The sensor 230 is an optical sensor, and the light emitting unit 23
The light coming back from the light reflected from the object 1 is reflected by the object.
Sense with 2. A slit 233 is provided in front of the light receiving section 232.
The directivity of reflected light detection is improved to improve the detection accuracy. The electric circuit of the sensor 230 is configured to output a high (H) level signal to an after-mentioned control unit if there is an object immediately before the sensor 230, and otherwise output a low (L) level signal. If the object is an object having good light absorbency, a low (L) level may be output even if the object exists. For this reason, it is desirable that the object to be sensed, that is, the surfaces of the carriage 211, the recording head 212, and the ink tanks 221 and 222 be made of a material in consideration of the light reflection characteristics.

As shown in FIG. 22, the sensor 230 is connected to the control unit 234 of the recording device 210 (see FIG. 18).
The display panel 2 determines whether the sensor 230 outputs a low (L) level signal or a high (H) level signal.
19 is displayed.

FIG. 23 shows a detection signal of the sensor 230.
(A) is a normal signal, and (B) is a signal when the color ink tank is not mounted. Carriage 211
Check the normal operation of the
Confirmation of normal mounting of each ink tank is performed as follows.

As shown in FIGS. 17 to 23, immediately before the printing operation, the control unit 234 monitors the signal from the sensor 230 and scans the carriage 211 at a speed lower than the moving speed of the carriage during the normal printing operation. For this, the carriage driving motor 235 is controlled. The reason why the speed is made slow is to reduce the malfunction of detection. The signal of the sensor 230 is sensed in synchronization with the movement of the carriage 211. At a position where the end of the carriage 211 should be located immediately before the sensor 230, S1 is sensed to check the normal operation of the carriage 211. if,
At this time, if the sense signal S1 is not obtained (L level), a carriage operation error occurs, and the control unit 234 displays a carriage operation error on the display panel 219.
Similarly, the signal S2 from the sensor 230 is sensed immediately before the color ink tank 222, and if a signal is obtained, it is determined that the signal S2 is normal, and if not, it is determined that the color ink tank 222 is not mounted. Panel 219
Displays the color ink tank error. The same applies to the check of the black ink tank 221. If an error is displayed, the recording operation is stopped.

In the reference examples described above with reference to FIGS. 18 to 23, an example is shown in which both the recording head and the ink tank can be replaced with respect to the carriage. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The above-described reference example is applicable even when only the tank can be replaced or when only the recording head can be replaced.

Although the case where the number of ink tanks is two has been described, the number of ink tanks is not limited to this, and the number of ink tanks may be, for example, one black.
There may be three of magenta and cyan, or four of yellow, magenta, cyan and black.

Further, an example has been shown in which an optical sensor is used as the sensor, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, a mechanical sensor may be used. FIG. 24A shows this example. When the carriage 211, the ink tanks 221 and 222, and the recording head 212 move relative to the recording apparatus main body in the direction of arrow C and hit the mechanical switch 241, the mechanical switch 241 outputs a signal shown in FIG. obtain. FIG. 24B shows a signal in a normal case.

The object to be sensed may be detected by a magnetic sensor using a metal or a magnetic material.

In addition to the above reference examples, it is possible to detect the remaining amount of ink of each color. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the recording head and the sensor as viewed from the rear, which is configured to also detect the remaining amount of ink. The position of the light receiving portion 232 of the sensor 230 is at a position corresponding to the lower part of the ink tanks 221 and 222. In FIG. 25, the color ink tank 2
22, the remaining amount of the magenta ink (M) is small, and an error of no magenta ink occurs. Each ink tank 221,
The left end of 222 is a reflector 237 for sensing the presence or absence of a tank. The material of the ink tank is made of a material having good light transmission, and directly senses the ink inside.

In the case of ink having good light transmission,
The floats 236, 238, 239, and 240 are put in the respective ink tanks 221 and 222, and
If the position of 8, 239, 240 is below the ink tank, it is detected that there is little or no ink. Also,
By providing a large number of light receiving parts 232 of the sensor 230 in the depth direction of each ink tank, the amount of ink in each ink tank can be detected.

Next, referring to FIG. 26, as an embodiment of the present invention, an ink tank (ink cartridge) having a function for detecting the remaining amount of ink, which is a characteristic configuration of the present invention, and ink inside the ink tank will be described. A mechanism for detecting the presence / absence will be described.

FIG. 26 is a sectional view of the ink cartridge 320. The embodiment of FIG.
Is unnecessary, and a detection configuration different from the configuration shown as the reference example in FIG. 25 is shown.

The ink remaining amount detecting sensor 321 detects the infrared light 3
A light emitting element 321a emitting light 10 and a light receiving element 321b capable of receiving light from the light emitting element 321a are provided.

The light reflecting prism 321c is formed integrally with the ink cartridge 320 from a material such as polypropylene that is nearly transparent, and reflects light from the light emitting element 321a when there is no ink on the slope of the head of the light reflecting prism 321c. When the ink is filled around the slope of the head of the light reflecting prism 321c, the amount of light reflected from the light receiving element 321a decreases and reaches the light receiving element 321b. , It is possible to detect the presence or absence of ink.

336 is an ink cartridge 329.
And an ink supply port for supplying ink to an unillustrated inkjet recording head.

The details will be described below with reference to FIG.

One slope 3 of the light reflecting prism 321c
The infrared light 310 from the light emitting element 321a that has reached the P position 41 is reflected by the inclined surface 341 when there is no ink in the ink cartridge 320 at the P position, and the other has an angle of 90 degrees with the inclined surface 341. It reaches the slope part 342. The slope portion 342 is formed by the infrared light 31 from the slope portion 341.
The surface is mirror-finished so that 0 is reflected to reach the light receiving element 321b. With this configuration, P
Since the presence or absence of ink (or other liquid) at the position can be known, the inclined portions 341 and 342 are attached to the ink cartridge 32.
In addition, the specific amount of the remaining amount of the ink in the ink cartridge 320 is detected by preliminarily determining the positional relationship between the amount of movement of the ink cartridge 320 in the R direction and the slope portion 341 while reaching the upper part of the ink cartridge 320. be able to.

When a plurality of the above-described ink cartridges 320 are mounted on the carriage, the presence / absence of the ink cartridges 320 and the residual The amount of ink to be used can be detected.

Instead of forming the above-described light reflecting prism 321c integrally with the ink cartridge 320, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9A, an approximately 90-degree chevron formed by the slopes 331 and 332 is formed by the ink cartridge 320.
You may make it protrude inside.

This chevron is provided in the ink cartridge 320 so that the infrared light 310 emitted from the light emitting element 321a is reflected by the slope 331, then reflected again by the slope 332, and returns to the light receiving element 321b. Have been.

Further, at least the remaining amount detection position (for example, the P position in FIG. 26) between the slopes 331 and 332 is
It is formed of a light transmissive substance having a refractive index equal to or very close to the refractive index of the liquid contained in the cartridge. Alternatively, one side of the slopes 331 and 332 may be configured to reflect infrared light by mirror finishing or the like.

The specific principle of detecting the remaining amount will be described below.

The refractive index of air is about 1, the refractive index of ink is about 1.4, and the refractive index of polypropylene, which is an example of the material at the remaining amount detection position of the slope 331 or the slope 332, is about 1.5. It is. Here, when the ink is present in the ink cartridge 320, since the refractive index of the ink is very close to the refractive index of the material at the remaining amount detection position, there is no reflection of the infrared light 310 on the slope portion, and Cartridge 320
When there is no ink inside, the infrared light 310 is reflected on the slope because the refractive index of air is different from the refractive index of the material at the remaining amount detection position. And the light receiving element 3 at this time
The difference in the amount of light reaching 21b can be converted into an electrical signal by a known optical-electrical conversion method to detect the presence or absence of ink in the ink cartridge 320.

Here, as shown in FIG. 27A, a plurality of ink cartridges are attached to the carriage 351 so as to be movable integrally with the recording head 350, and
The angled portion formed by the slope 31 and the slope portion 332 is positioned above the inside of the ink cartridge, and the slope portion is made of a material having a refractive index very close to the refractive index of the ink as described above. A specific liquid level position of the ink can be detected.

FIG. 27 (B) shows that the detector 321
Recording head 350 and plural ink cartridges 32
7 shows an example of an electric signal detected when the carriage 351 integrally attached with the “0” is moved.

The carriage 351 moves the sensor 32 at a constant speed.
Move to 1 Yellow tank: When transmitting through Y, the detection signal Vout becomes a low level of 0 V for a time TY. Since this signal is detected in synchronization with the operation of the carriage, it is confirmed that the signal is a signal of the yellow tank. Next, TM is detected for the magenta tank M. Similarly, TC for cyan, TBk for black
Is detected. The low-level time of the detected signal is a length corresponding to the remaining amount of ink. In this way, it is possible to detect not only the presence or absence of ink in each ink tank, but also the remaining amount of ink.

The detection mechanism described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 27 not only detects the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge, but also detects the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank in an integrated configuration of the recording head and the ink tank. Can also be done. Further, it is also possible to detect whether or not the recording head and the reading head are mounted on the carriage.

By providing a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of at least one of the carriage and the recording head in the recording apparatus main body, the need for a flexible cable is eliminated, and the presence or absence of a recording head and / or the presence of an ink tank can be detected. A small-sized carriage driving motor can be used, and a small-sized ink jet recording apparatus can be provided.

Further, whether or not the carriage is operating normally can be detected at the same time.

The present invention includes a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for discharging ink, particularly in an ink jet recording system. The present invention brings about an excellent effect in a print head and a printing apparatus of a type in which a change in the state of ink is caused by energy. This is because according to such a method, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.

The typical configuration and principle are described, for example, in US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
Although it can be applied to any type of continuous type, in particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to a sheet holding liquid (ink) or an electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and film boiling occurs on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis.
This is effective because air bubbles inside can be formed. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of a liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of the discharge port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (a linear liquid flow path or a right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 44,558 which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of Japanese Patent No. 59600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an aperture for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is provided. The effect of the present invention is effective even if the configuration is based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration corresponding to a discharge unit. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be reliably and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium on which a recording apparatus can record. Such a recording head may have a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as one integrally formed recording head.

In addition, even in the case of the serial type as described above, a recording head fixed to the apparatus main body or an electric connection with the apparatus main body or ink from the apparatus main body by being mounted on the apparatus main body. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be supplied or a cartridge-type recording head in which an ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself is used.

It is preferable to add a discharge recovery means for the print head, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like as the structure of the printing apparatus of the present invention since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If these are specifically mentioned, the recording head is heated using capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, an electrothermal transducer, another heating element or a combination thereof. Pre-heating means for performing the pre-heating and pre-discharging means for performing the discharging other than the recording can be used.

The type and number of recording heads to be mounted are not limited to those provided for only one color ink, for example, and for a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities. A plurality may be provided. That is, for example, the printing mode of the printing apparatus is not limited to a printing mode of only a mainstream color such as black, but may be any of integrally forming a printing head or a combination of a plurality of printing heads. The present invention is also very effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of the recording modes of full color by color mixture.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid. However, an ink which solidifies at room temperature or lower and which softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used. In general, the ink jet method generally controls the temperature of the ink itself within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. Sometimes, the ink may be in a liquid state. In addition, in order to positively prevent temperature rise due to thermal energy by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or to prevent evaporation of the ink, the ink is solidified in a standing state and heated. May be used. In any case, the application of heat energy causes the ink to be liquefied by the application of the heat energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink to be ejected, or to start solidifying when it reaches the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable to a case where an ink having a property of liquefying for the first time is used. In such a case, the ink
JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-7
As described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1260, it is also possible to adopt a form in which the sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter in a state where it is held as a liquid or solid substance in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, the form of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is not only used as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer, but also for a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile apparatus having a transmission / reception function. It may take a form.

[0120]

According to the present invention, an ink supply port for supplying the ink contained in the ink tank to the outside is provided on one of the walls constituting the ink tank for containing the ink. A member having two slopes on a wall provided, and the amount of light reflected from the outside of the ink tank reflected outside by the slopes differs depending on whether the slope has no ink or not. By providing the member, the presence or absence of ink can be detected by the amount of reflected light of light emitted from a sensor composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element provided in the apparatus main body, and the sensor is provided on the carriage. In comparison, it is not necessary to provide a signal cable for detection on the flexible cable, and the structure can be simplified, and the presence / absence of ink in the ink tank and a decrease in the remaining amount of ink can be accurately detected. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an inkjet recording apparatus according to a reference example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to another reference example of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of an inkjet recording apparatus according to still another reference example of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of another reference example of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic explanatory view of an attaching / detaching operation of the ink cartridge according to the reference example of FIG. 6;

8 is a schematic perspective view showing a state when the ink cartridge is not mounted according to the reference example of FIG. 6;

9 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a state when the ink cartridge is mounted according to the reference example of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing an engagement state with a reset member after the ink cartridge is mounted according to the reference example of FIG. 6;

FIGS. 11A to 11D are schematic explanatory diagrams showing processes of obtaining respective detection stages after ink cartridge replacement according to the reference example of FIG. 6;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a circuit.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of an ink cartridge detection operation according to the reference example of FIG. 6;

FIG. 14 is a schematic explanatory view showing a configuration around a cartridge guide according to still another reference example of the present invention, together with an ink cartridge mounting operation.

FIG. 15 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration around an ink cartridge according to still another reference example of the invention.

FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration around an ink cartridge according to still another reference example of the invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration around an ink cartridge according to still another reference example of the invention.

FIG. 18 is a schematic perspective view of another reference example of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a schematic perspective view of the inkjet recording head shown in FIG.

FIG. 20 is a schematic enlarged perspective view of an ink jet recording head and a carriage.

FIG. 21A is a schematic side view of an optical sensor,
(B) is a schematic front view of the optical sensor.

FIG. 22 is a control block diagram of a sensor and a control unit.

FIG. 23A is a diagram showing a detection signal in a normal state;
(B) is a diagram showing a detection signal at the time of abnormality.

FIG. 24A is a diagram when a mechanical switch is used as a sensor, and FIG. 24B is a diagram showing a detection signal in a normal state.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a recording head and a sensor having a configuration that also serves to detect the remaining amount of ink.

FIG. 26 is a schematic explanatory view of an embodiment of the present invention having a configuration also serving to detect the remaining amount of ink.

FIG. 27 (A) is a schematic explanatory view of still another embodiment of a configuration which also has a function of detecting the remaining amount of ink, and FIG. 27 (B) is a view showing an example of an electric signal detected at the time of movement. .

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 recording head 2 carriage 3 guide rail 4 motor 5 pulley 6 driven pulley 7 wire 9 recording medium 10 paper feed motor 12 cap 15 roller 16 pressing roller 17 empty discharge box 18 ink cartridge 19 flag member 20 holding member 21 sensor 22 cam Member 23 Projection 101 Carriage 102 Recording head 103 Cartridge guide 103A, 103B Insertion opening 104, 105 Ink cartridge 104A, 105A First groove 104B, 105B Second groove 104C, 105C Taper portion 111 Home position detection sensor (position detecting means) 112 Fixed breaking member 113, 114 Movable breaking member 113A, 114A Spring 113B, 114B Operating arm 113BB, 114BB Projection 113C, 114C Support shaft 120 reset Member 121, 122 Engagement rib 130 CPU 131 ROM 132 RAM 133 Counter 140 Cartridge presence / absence detection blocking member 141 Reset detection blocking member 150 Reflector 160 Magnet 170 Reset member 211 Carriage 212 Recording head 221, 222 Ink tank 230 Sensor 231 Light emission Unit 232 Light receiving unit 233 Slit 234 Control unit 241 Mechanical sensor 320 Ink cartridge 321 Ink remaining amount detection sensor 321a Light emitting element 321b Light receiving element 321c Light reflecting prism 331, 332 Slope section 341, 342 Slope section

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Isao Ebisawa, 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Nao Yaegashi 3-30-2, Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inside (72) Inventor Kenichiro Hashimoto 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Sugiyama 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. F Terms (reference) 2C056 EA29 EB11 EB20 EB36 EB44 EB52 FA03 FA05 FA13 HA37 KC02 KC10 KC22 KD06

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An ink tank for storing ink, comprising an ink supply port on one of the walls constituting the ink tank for supplying the ink contained in the ink tank to the outside, A member having two slopes, and a state in which there is no ink on the slopes,
An ink tank comprising: a member having a different amount of light reflected from the outside of the ink tank reflected by the slope portion to the outside inside the ink tank on a wall provided with the ink supply port. 2. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the member is formed integrally with the ink tank. 3. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the member is formed of a transparent material. 4. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the two slopes form an angle of 90 degrees. 5. The member having two slopes reflects reflected light parallel to light externally applied to one of the two slopes by the two slopes. 4. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein output is possible. 6. The slope portion reflects light emitted from the outside when there is no ink on the slope portion of the member due to a difference between the refractive index of ink and the refractive index of the member and the refractive index of air. The ink tank according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein 7. The ink tank according to claim 6, wherein the member is made of a material having a refractive index closer to that of ink than that of air. 8. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein one of the two slopes has a mirror-finished surface. 9. An ink jet recording apparatus for performing recording on a recording medium by discharging ink from a recording head, wherein the ink tank is a carriage on which the recording head is mounted, and stores ink to be supplied to the recording head. A carriage mounted removably, scanning means for moving and scanning the carriage, a sensor provided within a movement range of the carriage by the scanning means and comprising a light emitting element and a light receiving element; A member having two slopes, the amount of light reflected from the outside of the ink tank being reflected to the outside by the slope being different depending on whether the slope has no ink or not. The ink tank based on the result of the reflected light received by the light emitting element being received by the light receiving element. An ink jet recording apparatus, comprising an ink detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of ink in the click, the. 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said carriage is moved by said scanning means so that said carriage passes through a position where said sensor is provided, and presence or absence of ink in said ink tank is detected by said ink detection means. Item 10. An ink jet recording apparatus according to item 9. 11. The carriage according to claim 11, wherein one surface provided with a supply port for supplying ink to the recording head and the member having the two inclined surfaces is positioned vertically below. 11. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the light emitting element is mounted on the main body of the inkjet recording apparatus so that the light emitting element emits light upward and the light receiving element receives reflected light traveling downward from above. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1. 12. A detection method for detecting the presence or absence of the remaining amount of ink in an ink tank in an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink supplied from an ink tank containing ink from a recording head, A carriage on which the recording head is mounted, wherein the carriage on which an ink tank containing ink to be supplied to the recording head is removably mounted is provided within a moving range of the carriage, and a light emitting element and a light receiving element are provided. And a member having two slopes inside the ink tank, wherein the member has two slopes, and is irradiated from the outside of the ink tank in a state where there is no ink on the slopes. When light emitted from the light emitting element is applied to a member having a different amount of reflected light to the outside due to the slope, Detection methods based on a result of receiving light by the light receiving element, and wherein the step of detecting the presence or absence of ink in the ink tank, in that it consists of.