JP2004314642A - Ink cartridge, and ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink cartridge which can reuse a collected ink cartridge in a high quality, and to provide a recording device suitable for this. <P>SOLUTION: The ink cartridge which has a circuit board 30 with a region storing data related to the using history of the ink cartridge 10 rewritably, and is characterised by being possible to be subjected to regeneration treatment suitable for the cartridge by taking the using status of the ink cartridge 10 after handed over to the user into consideration. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that receives ink from a replaceable ink cartridge and discharges ink droplets from nozzle openings to print on a recording medium, an ink cartridge suitable for the recording apparatus, and an ink filling apparatus.

  For example, an ink jet recording apparatus supplies a driving signal corresponding to print data to a piezoelectric vibrator or a heating means, and pressurizes ink in a pressure generating chamber by energy generated by the piezoelectric vibrator or the heating means to form a nozzle. A recording head for discharging ink droplets from the opening and an ink cartridge for supplying ink to the recording head are provided.

  The print quality is determined by the resolution of the printhead and greatly depends on the viscosity of the ink, the degree of bleeding on the print medium, and the like. The driving signal supplied to the nozzles is improved, and further, the maintenance conditions such as the idle discharge cycle for preventing the nozzle openings from being clogged and the forced discharge in the capping state are improved.

  As described above, not only the characteristics of the ink but also the characteristics of the ink and the method of driving the recording head are integrated to improve the printing quality of the recording apparatus only. Even if the results of such technical development can be incorporated into newly manufactured ink jet recording apparatuses, application to recording apparatuses that are separated from the manufacturer requires that the recording apparatus be brought to the manufacturer and control data be recorded. This requires replacement of the means, which is almost impossible due to cost and labor.

For this reason, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the like, a storage unit is attached to the ink cartridge, and the storage unit stores the characteristics of the ink, the amount of ink, the driving conditions, and the like. It has also been proposed to adjust the driving conditions by adjusting the driving conditions.

JP 05-193127 A

  By the way, there is a growing need for manufacturers to collect ink cartridges that have been discarded as consumables or cartridges with integrated recording heads as much as possible and work to protect the environment. Filling the cartridge with ink and reusing it is also being studied.

  However, when the ink cartridge reaches the user's hand, the usage forms are various, and the quality of the collected ink cartridge varies greatly, and the reproduction process cannot be performed uniformly as in the case of manufacturing a virgin product.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge capable of reusing a collected ink cartridge with high quality and a recording apparatus suitable for the ink cartridge. It is to be.

  In order to solve such a problem, an ink cartridge according to the present invention includes a container having an ink chamber for storing ink, an ink supply port for discharging the ink in the ink chamber to a recording head, and data on the ink. In an ink cartridge comprising: a storage unit for storing the data; and a data transfer unit for enabling data transfer between the storage unit and an external device, the storage unit rewrites data relating to a use history of the ink cartridge. There is a storage area where possible.

  Since the usage status of the ink cartridge after reaching the hand of the user is stored in the storage unit, a reproduction process suitable for the ink cartridge is performed at the time of reproduction based on data in the storage unit.

  Therefore, the details of the present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiment.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the ink cartridges 10 and 20 suitable for the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention. The ink cartridges 11 and 21 contain ink, and the upper surfaces are sealed by lids 12 and 22. ing. The ink is contained in a state in which the containers 11 and 12 are filled with a porous body and impregnated therein.

  On the bottom surfaces of the containers 11 and 21, ink supply ports 13 and 23 are formed, which are airtightly engaged with the ink supply needles 44 and 45 when mounted on the carriage 42. 30 is fixed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), the circuit board 30 has contacts 31, 31,... For forming contacts with the recording device on the side which becomes the surface when the circuit board 30 is attached to the ink cartridge. The semiconductor storage means 32 is mounted on the back surface so as to be accessible.

The semiconductor storage means 32 stores, in addition to fixed data such as a manufacturing date, a durable year, and the number of reproducible times,
(1) the number of reproductions performed in the past for the ink cartridge,
(2) Maintenance status, such as the cleaning status of ink cartridges during regeneration and component replacement status
(3) Data such as the final use time of the ink cartridge, the final ink end time, the usage status of the ink cartridge usage environment, etc., or a character string having a unique relationship with these data can be rewritten to the specified area at any time. It is configured to be able to be stored in. In the case where various data are stored in the form of character strings, the decrypted data may be stored in the recording device, and the storage capacity of the storage unit 32 can be greatly reduced.

  FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the recording apparatus with respect to a printing mechanism section. A carriage 42 connected to a drive motor 41 via a timing belt 40 has a black ink cartridge containing black ink on its upper surface. 10 and a holder 43 for storing a color ink cartridge 20 containing color ink, and a recording head 46 receiving ink supply from the ink cartridges 10 and 20 via ink supply needles 44 and 45 on the lower surface. Is provided.

  FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional structure of the black ink cartridge 10 in a state in which the ink cartridge is mounted, and shows a circuit in a state in which the ink cartridge 10 is properly mounted on the ink supply needle 44. The contact 31 of the substrate 30 forms a contact with the contact 47 of the carriage 42, is connected to the control device 49 via the flexible cable 48, and becomes accessible from the control device 49.

  FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the control unit 49. The head driving unit 50 receives a command from a printing control unit 51 or a flushing control unit 52 for eliminating clogging based on a signal from the host. Ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 46 based on.

  When the drive conditions and the like are stored in the storage unit 32, the print control unit 51 reads out the drive conditions optimized for the ink cartridges 10 and 20 via the access unit 53 and executes print control. I do. As a result, even if the ink cartridge is reproduced as described later, it is possible to change and adjust the default driving condition and the driving signal to the recording head 46 so as to optimally eject the ink droplets.

  The read / write control unit 54 stores data relating to the use environment of the recording apparatus detected by the use environment detection unit 56, and data relating to the flushing operation by the flushing control unit 52 and the cleaning operation by the cleaning control unit 57. The data in the storage means 55 is written to the storage means 32 of the recording heads 10 and 20.

  Next, a usage pattern of the ink cartridge thus configured will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the ink cartridges 10 and 20 are loaded on the carriage 42, the print control unit 51 reads out the cartridge data stored in the semiconductor storage unit 32 of the ink cartridges 10 and 20 (step b), and specifies the mounting time. Is written in the semiconductor storage means 32 of the ink cartridges 10 and 20 (step c), and it is determined from the data of the number of times of reproduction stored in the semiconductor storage means 32 whether or not the cartridge is a refurbished product (step c). .

  If it is a virgin product, the recording head 46 is filled with the ink of the ink cartridges 10 and 20 under default conditions (step F), and the printing process is started (step S). On the other hand, if the product is a remanufactured product, the data in the data storage unit 55 is adjusted and updated based on the cartridge data stored in the semiconductor storage unit 32 of the ink cartridges 10 and 20, and ink filling is performed (step F). ). As a result, the recording head 5 is filled with the ink of the recycled product having a somewhat lower reliability than that of the virgin product, for example, by increasing the suction amount so as not to lower the print quality (step F). ).

  When the ink in the ink cartridges 10 and 20 is consumed by the printing operation and the prevention of clogging, and the ink end is detected (step), the print control means 51 sends data that can identify the time of ink end to the cartridge. The data is stored in the semiconductor storage means 32 of the ink cartridges 10 and 20 (step). Further, when the ink cartridge is mounted, it is determined whether or not the next reproduction is possible based on the number of reproductions (steps) based on the data regarding the ink cartridge read out and stored in the data storage means 55, and the useful life of the cartridge container. (Step e), whether the elapsed time since the ink end of the ink cartridge is detected is within a specified time (step w), and monitoring by the use environment detecting means 56. It is determined whether or not the used environment adversely affects the ink cartridge (step f).

  If all of these items are satisfied, the fact that reproduction is possible is displayed on the display of the recording device or the host (step Y), and the data in the data storage means 55 is stored in the semiconductor device of the ink cartridges 10 and 20. Writing to the storage means 32 (step). On the other hand, if even one of these judgment items is not satisfied, the cartridge is not reproducible and the discard of the cartridge is displayed on the display of the recording device or the host (step).

  In the above-described embodiment, the semiconductor storage means 32 stores fixed data such as the manufacturing date, the durability, and the number of reproducible times, the number of times the ink cartridge has been reproduced in the past, It stores the maintenance status such as the cleaning status at the time of regeneration, component replacement status, etc., the final usage time of the ink cartridge, the final ink end timing, the usage status of the ink cartridge usage environment, etc. By storing the minimum amount of ink to be maintained, that is, the minimum amount of ink in advance at the time of shipment from the factory and recording the remaining amount of ink when the recording device is mounted, it is possible to prevent damage to the recording head and the like. .

  FIG. 7 illustrates an operation suitable for an ink cartridge having the above-described configuration, for a recording apparatus equipped with two ink cartridges, that is, a black ink cartridge and a color ink cartridge.

  When the two ink cartridges 10 and 20 are mounted on the carriage 42 (step (a) in FIG. 7), the read / write unit 54 reads the current ink remaining amount from the semiconductor storage unit 32 of each ink cartridge 10 and 20 and the minimum ink amount. The amount is read out (step b in FIG. 7), and the two are compared (step c in FIG. 7).

  As a result of the comparison, when the remaining ink amount is smaller than the minimum ink amount, the ink end is displayed on the display of the recording apparatus or the host without performing the subsequent operations (step d in FIG. 7).

  On the other hand, when the remaining ink amount is larger than the minimum ink amount, the print control unit 51 starts the printing operation at the stage when the print command is input (Step E in FIG. 7). In order to count the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 46 by the printing operation and accumulate the amount of ink consumed by printing, and to prevent clogging of the nozzle opening every time a predetermined amount of printing or a predetermined time elapses, The ink consumption of the ink cartridges 10 and 20 is sequentially integrated by counting the number of ink droplets that are not related to printing executed by the flushing control means 52, that is, ink droplets associated with the so-called flushing operation (step F in FIG. 7). When the printing operation is temporarily interrupted, for example, each time printing of one page is completed, the remaining ink amount is calculated and stored in the semiconductor storage means 32 of each of the cartridges 10 and 20 (FIG. 7). ).

  When printing is performed continuously for a long time and a printing failure occurs, a cleaning command is issued by the user or a cleaning command is automatically issued from the control unit 52 (step S7 in FIG. 7). H) For example, by reading the remaining amount of ink stored in the semiconductor storage means 32 of the first ink cartridge 10 (step S in FIG. 7), the minimum ink stored in the semiconductor storage means 32 of the first ink cartridge is read. The sum of the amount of ink consumed and the amount of ink consumed during cleaning is compared with the remaining amount of ink (step n in FIG. 7).

  If the remaining amount of ink in the first ink cartridge 10 is sufficient, the remaining amount of ink stored in the semiconductor storage means 32 of the second ink cartridge 20 is subsequently read out (step 8 in FIG. 8). The sum of the minimum amount of ink stored in the semiconductor storage means 32 of the second ink cartridge and the amount of ink consumed for cleaning is compared with the ink remaining amount (step e in FIG. 8).

  When the ink remains sufficiently in both ink cartridges in this way, the cleaning control means 57 performs normal cleaning using a relatively large amount of ink (step w in FIG. 8), and ends the cleaning. Later, the process returns to step (a) of FIG.

  On the other hand, the remaining amount of ink in one of the ink cartridges 10 is smaller than the sum of the minimum amount of ink stored in the semiconductor storage unit 32 of each of the ink cartridges 10 and 20 and the amount of ink required for cleaning. In this case, the cleaning control unit 57 executes the simple cleaning that requires a smaller amount of ink than the normal cleaning (step Y in FIG. 7, step S in FIG. 8).

  Then, for the ink cartridge 10 having the smaller amount of remaining ink, the fact that the ink has run out is displayed, and a display urging replacement of the cartridge is displayed (steps in FIGS. 7 and 8). When the cartridge on the side specified based on this display, that is, the ink cartridge 10 in which the remaining amount of ink is almost the minimum ink amount, is replaced with a new cartridge (step S in FIG. 7 and step S in FIG. 8), the cartridge shown in FIG. Returning to step (i), the cleaning operation is restarted.

  In step (d) of FIG. 8 described above, the recording head in which the new ink cartridge is mounted needs an operation of filling the recording head with ink. Since the clogging or the like is somewhat reduced, the ink filling operation proceeds smoothly, and it is possible to fill the recording head with the ink more reliably than when the cleaning is performed without performing the simple cleaning.

  According to this embodiment, based on the minimum amount of ink stored in advance in the semiconductor storage means 32 of the ink cartridges 10 and 20 at the time of factory shipment, it is determined whether or not to execute cleaning. The minimum amount of ink can be set in accordance with the change in the evaporation rate of the ink solvent from the printhead, and the printhead may be damaged due to ink missing from the printhead 46, or may leave unnecessarily large amount of ink. The display of the ink end can be prevented.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the remaining amount of the ink is small, the simple cleaning is performed to effectively use the ink. However, the simple cleaning is not performed, that is, the step (Y) in FIG. 8, the subsequent operation may be stopped, the ink end may be displayed, and the replacement of the ink cartridge may be waited.

  FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of the reproducing apparatus. The reproducing control means 60 reads data from the semiconductor storage means 32 of the ink cartridges 10 ′ and 20 ′ collected by the access means 61, Based on the evaluation data stored in the storage unit 62, the ink discharge unit 63, the component replacement unit 64, the cleaning unit 65, and the ink filling unit 66 are controlled. It is stored in the semiconductor storage means 30.

  The operation of the playback device thus configured will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the ink cartridge 10 'is set on the work pallet 67 (Step A), the reproduction control means 60 reads the data in the semiconductor storage means 32 via the access means 61 (Step B), and the reproduction count of the ink cartridge is reduced. The specified number of times, for example, within 10 times (step c), the specified period from manufacture, for example, within 10 years (step d), the specified time from the latest ink end, for example, within 200 days (step e) ), It is determined whether the use condition of the ink cartridge is in the specified environment (step f), and when all the items are satisfied, it is indicated that the ink cartridge can be reproduced (step t). Enter the regeneration process (step). On the other hand, if even one of the requirements for reproducibility is lacking, a message indicating that reusing is not possible is displayed, and the discard of the ink cartridge is instructed.

  The cartridge that satisfies the requirements for reproducibility is transferred to the ink discharging means 63 by the pallet 67, and the ink remaining in the cartridge is discharged by suction or the like (step A in FIG. 11). The reproduction control means 60 considers the useful life of a component, for example, a packing fitted in the ink supply port, based on the data read from the ink cartridge (step B in FIG. 11), and is required by the component replacement means 64. Replace parts (step c in FIG. 11).

  Next, it is determined whether or not cleaning is necessary in consideration of the elapsed time from the latest ink end (Step d in FIG. 11). Further, the cleaning time in the cleaning means 65, that is, cleaning, is determined according to the length of the time. The degree is determined (FIG. 11, step hot).

  When the pre-processing necessary for the reproduction of the ink is completed, the reproduction control unit 60 determines whether the ink composition changes delicately affect the print quality, such as in a color ink cartridge, when the ink is filled. Since it is necessary to wash the ink cartridge together (Step 1 in FIG. 11), a large amount of ink is supplied to the ink filling means 66, a predetermined amount is discharged from the cartridge, and the cartridge is washed with ink of the same quality as the ink to be filled. Then, a prescribed amount of ink is filled (step 図 in FIG. 11), and if co-washing is not required, a prescribed amount of ink is supplied and filled (step ヌ).

At the stage where the ink filling is completed, the reproduction control means 60 sets the required information,
(1) Date and time of playback
(2) Total number of playbacks
(3) Replacement of parts and their names
(4) Further, if necessary, cartridge data such as a method of filling the recording head with ink by increasing the number of times of reproduction and data on the amount of ink suction is stored in the semiconductor storage means 32 of the reproduced ink cartridge (step in FIG. 10). Re).

  In this way, even if the ink cartridge is refilled with ink and reproduced, the history of the ink cartridge is clear, and the operation of the recording apparatus can be guaranteed by the data on the operation method based on the difference from the virgin product. It becomes possible.

(A), (b) is a figure which shows one Example of the ink cartridge of this invention. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating the front and back structures of a circuit board provided in the ink cartridge, respectively. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a recording apparatus using the ink cartridge, with respect to a printing mechanism. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the ink cartridge is mounted on a carriage. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a control device for controlling the operation of the above device. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of an energy saving device. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a main operation and a process for one of the ink cartridges in the cleaning operation of the recording apparatus according to the invention. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process for the other ink cartridge in a cleaning operation in the recording apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of an ink reproducing apparatus. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an overall operation of the ink reproducing device. 3 is a flowchart showing a filling process of the ink reproducing device.

Explanation of reference numerals

10, 20 Ink cartridge 13, 23 Ink supply port 30 Circuit board 31 Contact point 32 Semiconductor storage means 42 Carriage 44, 45 Ink supply needle 46 Recording head

Claims (21)

A container having an ink chamber for accommodating ink, an ink supply port for discharging ink in the ink chamber to a recording head, storage means for storing data relating to the ink, and communication between the storage means and an external device. An ink cartridge comprising: a data transfer unit that enables data transfer.
An ink cartridge, wherein the storage means includes an area for rewritably storing data relating to the usage history of the ink cartridge.   2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the data on the usage history is the number of times the ink cartridge has been reproduced.   The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the data on the usage history includes data on a maintenance process during reproduction of the ink cartridge.   The ink cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the data relating to the maintenance processing is a cleaning state.   4. The ink cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the data relating to the maintenance processing is a status of replacement of a component configuring the ink cartridge.   2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the data relating to the use history is the last use time of the ink cartridge.   2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the data relating to the usage history is the last ink end time of the ink cartridge.   2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the data regarding the use history includes data regarding a use environment of the ink cartridge.   2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores a manufacturing time of the ink cartridge.   2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores a durable period of the ink cartridge.   2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores the number of reproducible times of the ink cartridge. A recording head that receives supply of ink from an ink cartridge provided with a storage unit that stores information on the ink cartridge; and a control unit that can access the storage unit and controls the recording head based on external data. In an inkjet recording apparatus,
An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the control unit controls an operation of filling the recording head with ink based on data stored in the storage unit when the ink cartridge is mounted.   13. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit determines whether the mounted ink cartridge is a refurbished product based on data in the storage unit.   13. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control of the ink filling operation is an ink suction amount.   13. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit stores data relating to a use state of the ink cartridge in the storage unit when the ink cartridge is detached.   16. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the data on the use status is a time when the ink cartridge is out of ink.   16. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the data relating to the use situation is a maintenance situation of the recording head during a mounting period of the ink cartridge.   16. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the data on the use status is data on an environment during a mounting period of the ink cartridge.   13. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit determines whether the next reproduction is possible based on the data stored in the storage unit.   The control means determines whether or not the next reproduction is possible based on the data stored in the storage means, and if the reproduction is not possible, performs a display prompting to discard the ink cartridge. Item 13. An ink jet recording apparatus according to Item 12. 21. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the determination is performed based on the number of times of reproduction, the useful life, the elapsed time since the ink end is detected, and the use environment.

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