JP3162997B2 - Recording apparatus and facsimile apparatus using the apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus such as a facsimile, a printer, a copying machine, etc., having a photointerrupter sensor type ink remaining amount detecting means, and a facsimile apparatus using the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various recording apparatuses for recording on recording media such as paper and OHP sheets have been proposed.
Among these, a recording apparatus that performs recording in accordance with an ink jet system is one that discharges ink directly from a recording head onto recording paper, and has advantages such as low running cost and quiet recording operation, and is therefore widely used.

In such a recording apparatus, as a method of detecting the remaining amount of ink, a mark for determining the presence or absence of ink is conventionally recorded on a recording medium, and the mark is recorded by a reflection type photo sensor provided in the apparatus. There is a method of determining whether or not. However, this method is not user-friendly because a mark that is not originally required for detecting the presence or absence of ink is recorded on a recording medium.

[0004] In addition, a method of ejecting ink between a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element of a photo-interrupter and judging the presence or absence of ink from a change in output when the ink crosses the optical axis is a method in which an unnecessary mark is printed on a recording medium. It is user-friendly because it is not recorded. However, in this method, it is necessary to increase the light-shielding rate of the optical axis by ink in order to increase the accuracy. Therefore, in order to reliably shield the optical axis, the ink ejection position must be managed with high accuracy.

[0005]

However, in the detection of the remaining amount of ink using the photointerrupter method, the dimensional tolerance of the components of the apparatus, the dimensional tolerance due to the assembling of the apparatus, the dimensional change due to the environment in which the apparatus is used, and the individual difference of the recording head. In order to absorb deviations and variations in the ink ejection position caused by the above, the ink must be ejected over the entire range of deviations and variations so as to always shield the optical axis of the ink remaining amount detection sensor. There is a problem that a large amount of ink is consumed in addition to the actual printing operation, and the running cost is increased.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional example, and suppresses the amount of ink consumption in detecting the remaining amount of ink.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus capable of accurately detecting the remaining amount of ink and a facsimile apparatus using the apparatus.

[0007]

To achieve the above object, a recording apparatus according to the present invention has the following arrangement. That is, a recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging ink from a recording head to a recording medium, comprising: an exchangeable ink tank for storing the ink; scanning means for reciprocally scanning the recording head; a light emitting element and a light receiving element Detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of ink ejected from the recording head, and moving the recording head to an area including the vicinity of the detecting means by the scanning means; Control means for controlling the recording head to eject ink and perform detection by the detection means at each of the positions; and detecting the detection based on a detection result obtained from the detection means at each of the plurality of positions. And a correcting means for correcting the position detected by the means.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a facsimile apparatus using the recording apparatus having the above configuration.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With the above arrangement, the present invention provides a method for ejecting ink from a recording head on a trial basis every time the ink tank for storing ink or the recording head is replaced, thereby reducing the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank. The print head is moved to an area including the vicinity of the detecting means to be detected, and control is performed such that the ink is ejected by the print head and detected by the detecting means at each of a plurality of positions near the detecting means. Each of them operates to correct the position detected by the detecting means based on the detection result obtained from the detecting means.

In this correction, a plurality of detection results obtained from the detection means are compared with each other, and based on the comparison result, one of the plurality of positions is determined as a detection position for detecting the remaining amount of ink. Done in Then, information on the determined detection position is stored in a storage unit such as an EEPROM, for example. The detecting means is provided at an end of the recording head in the scanning direction opposite to the home position of the recording head. Then, a photo-interrupter type sensor is used for this detection means. The sensor includes a light-emitting element such as an LED that emits light and a light-receiving element such as a phototransistor that receives the light, and blocks light from the recording head between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element. Is configured to detect the presence / absence of ink ejected from the recording head based on the output from the light receiving element.

Further, the detecting means detects the presence or absence of ink ejected from the recording head from the result of comparing the output from the light receiving element with a predetermined threshold. Further, when a carriage on which a recording head is detachably mounted is provided, and the recording head mounted on the carriage is a recording head that performs color recording by discharging ink of a plurality of colors, the recording head The position at which the ink is ejected from and the conditions for the ink ejection may be set separately for each of a plurality of colors.

Further, the plurality of positions in the vicinity of the detecting means may include dimensional tolerances of apparatus components, dimensional tolerances due to assembling of the apparatus, dimensional changes due to an environment in which the apparatus is used, and characteristics of each manufactured recording head. It is determined based on at least one. Furthermore, the recording head may be an ink jet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink, or a recording head that discharges ink using thermal energy, and generates thermal energy to be applied to the ink. May be provided with a heat energy converter for the purpose.

Further, the detection means causes the recording head to perform ink discharge in a predetermined range extremely near the corrected detection position, and detects the presence or absence of ink discharge.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of a facsimile apparatus having a recording unit for performing recording by a recording head according to an ink jet system, which is a typical embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, facsimile apparatus 100
Will be described. In FIG. 1, A is a recording unit that performs recording in accordance with the ink jet system, B is a reading unit that optically reads a document, and C is a recording unit that separates recording media such as recording paper 12 loaded on a paper cassette one by one. This is a sheet feeding unit to be supplied to the unit A. First, the flow of the recording paper 12 will be described. The transport path of the recording paper 12 is as shown by the arrow G. The recording paper 12 used here is A4, B4
And a plurality of sheets are stored in the sheet cassette 1 in a stacked manner. The paper cassette 1 is detachable from the facsimile apparatus 100, and here, a universal cassette capable of storing fixed-size recording paper of various sizes is used as the paper cassette 1.

Recording paper 1 stored and loaded in paper feed cassette 1
2 is picked up by a paper feed roller 151 and a separation claw 152, and is nipped and transported by a transport roller 153 and a roller 154 arranged opposite to the transport roller 153. Reference numeral 155 denotes a reversing guide for reversing the recording paper 12 upside down and conveying it U-turn. In the recording section A, recording is performed by the recording head 5, and a discharge roller 6, which is located downstream of the recording head 5 and conveys the recorded recording paper 12 further downstream, with respect to a transport direction of the recording paper 12, And a spur 23 made of a material to which ink is not transferred even when it comes into contact with the recording surface of the recording paper 12. Fifteen
Reference numeral 6 denotes a paper guide formed by forming a plurality of ribs.
The transport of the recording paper 12 on which recording is performed and discharged by the recording head 5 is regulated to form a transport path.

Reference numeral 118 denotes a spur made of the same material as the spur 23. The spur 118 also serves as a discharge roller 119 and a discharge rib 121 and a discharge tray provided in the facsimile apparatus 100 together with the discharge roller 119. This serves as an aid for discharging and stacking on the cassette lid 122 which is in operation. Reference numeral 123 denotes a cover which can be opened and closed. When the cover is opened, the space required for replacing the recording head 5 is opened, and the space above the paper guide 56 is also opened.

Next, the flow of an image document (hereinafter referred to as a document) will be described. The transport path of the document is as shown by arrow F. When one or a plurality of documents are set on the document stacking tray 130, the presence of the document is detected by a sensor (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the document. Next, when a start button (not shown) of each operation is pressed by the apparatus user both at the time of transmission and at the time of copying, the preliminary transport roller 131 and the preliminary transport pressing plate 132 rotated by a stepping motor (not shown). The document is pinched, and the leading end is separated.

Thereafter, the original is separated by a separation roller 1 rotated by a stepping motor by a preliminary conveyance roller 131.
The paper feed roller 1 is conveyed to a separation unit constituted by the roller 33 and the friction piece unit 134, and is separated one by one in the case of a plurality of originals and rotated by a stepping motor.
The document is nipped and conveyed by a paper feed roller 136 disposed opposite to the document 35, and the leading end of the document is detected by a sensor (not shown) for detecting the leading and trailing edges of the document.

Further, while the image of the document is read by a reading sensor 48 as a document reading device, the trailing edge of the document is detected by the sensor. Then, the paper discharge roller 138 rotated by the stepping motor is rotated by a predetermined amount in accordance with an output from a sensor for detecting the leading and trailing ends of the document, and the document is nipped and conveyed by a paper discharge roller 139 arranged to face the paper discharge roller 138, Cover 12 also serves as document output tray
3. Load on top.

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the recording section A. As shown in FIG. 2, the recording head 5 is a cartridge-type recording head that has a built-in ink tank and can be replaced with a new one when the ink runs out. Here, the principle of ink ejection from the recording head will be described. The recording head section generally includes a fine liquid ejection port (orifice), a liquid path, an energy action section provided in a part of the liquid path, and an energy for generating droplet forming energy to act on the liquid in the action section. And a generator.

As the energy generating portion, one using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element, irradiating an electromagnetic wave such as a laser, absorbing the liquid therein to generate heat, and generating a droplet by the action of the generated heat. There is a type that discharges and flies, and a type that discharges the liquid by heating the liquid with an electrothermal converter. Among them, a recording head using a method of discharging liquid by thermal energy can arrange liquid discharge ports (orifices) for discharging recording liquid droplets to form flying liquid droplets at high density. Therefore, recording can be performed at a high resolution.

Further, a recording head using an electrothermal transducer as an energy generating portion can be easily miniaturized as a whole, and has recently achieved a remarkable advance in technology in the field of semiconductors and a remarkable improvement in reliability. The advantages of processing technology can be fully utilized, and it is easy to increase the length and form the surface (two-dimensional). In addition, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

A recording head manufactured through a semiconductor manufacturing process using an electrothermal converter for the energy generating section as described above generally has a liquid path corresponding to each ink ejection port, and a liquid path for each liquid path. An electrothermal converter is provided as a means for applying thermal energy to the liquid satisfying the above, and discharging the liquid from the corresponding ink discharge port to form a flying liquid droplet. The structure is such that the liquid is supplied from the communicating common liquid chamber.

Next, the configuration of the recording section A will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the carriage 15 reciprocates in a direction (main scanning direction, arrow H direction) orthogonal to the transport direction of the recording paper 12 (sub scanning direction, arrow G direction) while holding the recording head 5 with high accuracy. . The carriage 15 is slidably held by a guide rod 16 and an abutting portion 15a. The reciprocating movement of the carriage 15 is performed by a pulley 17 and a timing belt 18 driven by a carriage motor 30 (not shown). At this time, a recording signal and electric power given to the recording head 5 are transmitted to a main body of the apparatus by a flexible cable 19. Supplied from the circuit. The recording head 5 and the flexible cable 19 are connected by press-contacting their respective contacts.

A cap 20 is provided at the home position of the carriage 15 of the recording section A, and functions as ink receiving means. The cap 20 moves up and down as needed,
When ascending, it is in close contact with the recording head 5 and covers its nozzle to prevent evaporation of ink and adhesion of dust. In this apparatus, in order to position the recording head 5 and the cap 20 so as to be relatively opposed to each other, a carriage home sensor 21 provided on the apparatus main body and a light shielding plate 15b provided on the carriage 15 are provided. Used. As the carriage home sensor 21, a transmission type photo interrupter is used. When the carriage 15 moves to the standby position, light emitted from a part of the carriage home sensor 21 is blocked by the light shielding plate 15b. Is used to detect that the recording head 5 and the cap 20 are relatively opposed to each other.

The recording paper 12 is fed from the right side in the drawing, and is separated by a predetermined length by the feed roller 2 and a bearing member (not shown), and is pressed by the pressing roller 6a opposed to the transport roller 5 by a pressing roller 6a.
The sheet is conveyed in the direction of arrow G (sub-scanning direction). Feed roller 2
The paper discharge roller 6 is driven by a recording motor (not shown), and conveys the recording paper 12 in the sub-scanning direction with high precision in conjunction with the reciprocation of the carriage 15 as necessary. Further, a spur 23 which is made of a highly water-repellent material in the sub-scanning direction and comes into contact with the recording paper 12 only at its blade-shaped circumferential portion is provided. The spurs 23 are arranged at a plurality of locations facing the paper discharge roller 6 at predetermined intervals in the main scanning direction by a bearing member 23a. Paper 1 without affecting
2 is guided and transported. Reference numeral 13 denotes a photo sensor that detects a jam of the recording paper 12.

Now, as shown in FIG.
The ink remaining amount detection sensor 44, which identifies the presence or absence of ink by the ink ejected across the optical axis between the light emitting element 44a and the light receiving element 44b of the transmission type photo interrupter sensor, is separated from the cap 20 in the main scanning direction H. It is located on the opposite side of. By arranging the ink remaining amount detection sensor 44 at such a position, the ink remaining amount detection sensor 44 is prevented from being stained due to the scattering of ink when the recording head 5 is capped.

The recording head 5 discharges the ink from the discharge port at the tip of the nozzle by the pressure of the film boiling generated in the ink by the heat generated by the electrothermal transducer provided in the nozzle. In this embodiment, as the recording head 5, a monochrome recording head having 128 nozzles and having a configuration capable of performing monochrome recording with black ink at a resolution of 360 DPI, or 64 for ejecting black ink.
Two types of color print heads, each of which has a total of 136 nozzles, each with 24 nozzles for discharging yellow, magenta, and cyan inks and capable of performing color printing at a resolution of 360 DPI, are used. it can. By selectively using these two types of print heads, two types of high-speed monochrome printing and high-definition full-color printing can be achieved.
You can make any kind of recording.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the internal structure of the recording head 5. The recording head 5 is a hardened active energy ray curable material layer 210 having an electrothermal transducer 103, an electrode 104, and a liquid path 110 formed on a substrate 102 through a semiconductor manufacturing process such as etching deposition and sputtering. , And a top plate 106. Then, the ink is supplied from an ink tank (not shown) to the common liquid chamber 108 of the recording head unit 5 through a liquid supply pipe 107. Reference numeral 109 denotes a liquid supply pipe connector.

The ink supplied to the common liquid chamber 108 is supplied into the liquid path 110 by capillary action, and is stably held by forming a meniscus at the ink discharge port 111 at the front end of the liquid path. In such a state, the electrothermal converter 103
When the current is supplied to the ink, the ink on the electrothermal transducer 103 is heated, a bubbling phenomenon occurs due to film boiling, and droplets are ejected from the ink ejection port 111 due to the growth of the bubbles.

In the above-described configuration, the number of ink ejection ports is three.
If the recording head is manufactured so as to be provided at 60 pieces / inch, recording can be performed at a high density of 360 DPI. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 24 denotes a control unit for controlling the entire apparatus.
U25, a ROM 26 storing a control program and various data executed by the CPU 25, and a work area used by the CPU 25 to execute various processes,
It has a RAM 27 and the like for temporarily storing various data. Further, a part of the ROM 26 is configured by an EEPROM for storing information on an ink ejection position in an ink remaining amount detection operation described later.

As shown in FIG. 4, the recording head 5 is connected to a control unit 24 via a flexible cable 19, and the flexible cable 19 is connected to the control unit 24 by the recording head 5.
, A control signal line and an image signal line. The output of the ink remaining amount detection sensor 44 is configured to be digitized by the A / D conversion circuit 28 and analyzed by the CPU 25. The carriage motor 30 is a motor drive circuit 3
The motor is rotatable by the number of pulse steps according to 3. Further, the control unit 24 controls the carriage motor 30 via the motor drive circuit 33, the transport motor 31 via the motor drive circuit 32, the read motor 52 via the motor drive circuit 53, and outputs the output from the carriage home sensor 21. You are typing.

Further, the control unit 24 controls the reading sensor 4
8. Image data input devices such as a printer interface 54 for receiving recording commands and recording data from an external computer 56 and a line control circuit 55 for receiving data received from a public telephone line 57 are connected to perform facsimile transmission / reception and copying. It can operate as a printer of an external computer. Further, the control unit 24 is provided with an operation panel 58 on which the device user performs various operations and instructions.
Are connected. The operation panel 58 is provided with an LCD 59 for displaying a message.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the ink remaining amount detecting sensor 44. In FIG. 5, 44a
Is an infrared LED which is a light emitting element, 44b is a phototransistor which is a light receiving element for receiving the infrared light, 83 is a comparator which receives an output of the phototransistor 44b and compares it with a predetermined reference voltage (Vref), 84 is a comparator It is a pulse width counting unit that counts the duration (pulse width) of the pulse output from 83. The pulse width counting unit 84 uses the pulse width of the input clock (reference clock) as a reference pulse width, counts how many cycles of the reference clock the duration of the pulse output from the comparator 83 is, and counts the number. The value is output to an internal register of the pulse width counting unit 84.

When no ink is ejected from the recording head 5, the infrared LED 44a serving as a light emitting element is used.
Comparator 8 does not block infrared light from
3, a high (H) level signal is input from the phototransistor 44b as a light receiving element. On the other hand, when ink is ejected from the recording head 5, the ejected ink blocks the infrared light from the infrared LED 44a, so that the output level from the phototransistor 44b gradually decreases. When the output level falls below the reference voltage (Vref) input to the comparator 83,
The output from the comparator 83 to the pulse width counting unit 84 is inverted. Thereafter, when the ejection of the ink from the recording head 5 is completed, the output from the phototransistor 44b goes to the high (H) level again, and exceeds the reference voltage (Vref) input to the comparator 83. , The output to the pulse width counting section 84 is inverted again.

In this manner, a pulse having a pulse width corresponding to the time during which the remaining amount of ink is detected by the ink remaining amount detection sensor 44 is input to the pulse width counting section 84.
As described above, this pulse width is measured using the reference clock and stored in the internal register of the pulse width counting unit 84. This count value is stored in the control unit 24 after the end of ink ejection.
And is used to determine the presence or absence of ink. The pulse width is stored in the RAM of the control unit 24.
27 and stored in the CPU 2 after the end of ink ejection.
5 may be read.

The clock frequency of the reference clock used in this embodiment is about 56.5 [1 / msec], and the threshold value for determining whether or not ink has been ejected is 80.
It is a pulse. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the ink remaining amount detection sensor 44. As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, a slit 45 is provided on the light emitting element 44a side and the light receiving element 44b side to increase the detection accuracy in order to increase the light blocking rate of the optical axis by the ejected ink.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an installation position of the ink remaining amount detecting sensor 44. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 91 denotes a movable range of the recording head 5. In the facsimile apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the width of the B4 size recording paper is set as the maximum recording width, and the acceleration / deceleration area of the recording head 5 is provided in addition to the maximum width. 371.9m
m. Reference numeral 92 denotes the position of the recording head 5 when the remaining ink amount is detected, and reference numeral 93 denotes the ink ejection direction. FIG.
In this case, the recording paper 12 is conveyed to the front side from the back side in the figure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the ink ejection position for detecting the remaining amount of ink shown in FIG. FIG. 8 shows a total of three ejection start positions, L point, C point, and R point, with respect to the optical axis design position of the ink remaining amount detection sensor 44. Now, the optical axis position of the ink remaining amount detection sensor 44 is set to the carriage home sensor 21 side or to the opposite side due to the dimensional tolerance of the device component, the dimensional tolerance due to the assembly of the device, and the dimensional change due to the use environment of the device. May shift. Empirically, due to such a change in dimensions, the optical axis position is
It is known that the carriage home sensor 21 may be shifted by 1.31 mm and the opposite side by 1.41 mm. Therefore, in the conventional ink remaining amount detection, taking the width (2.72 mm) into consideration, the recording head 5 is moved by 2.72 mm so as to sandwich the designed optical axis position.
During that time, it was necessary to eject ink.

As described above, when the recording density of the recording head 5 is 360 DPI, it is necessary to eject about 62 times of ink from each nozzle at an interval of 2.72 mm.
Conventionally, the remaining amount of ink is detected each time a recording operation on one sheet of recording paper is completed, and one ink cartridge used in this embodiment averages 14 sheets of recording paper.
Since recording of 00 sheets is possible, the ink consumption amount (CI: number of ejections) required for detecting the remaining ink amount for one ink cartridge is determined by using a recording head having 128 nozzles for monochrome recording. , As follows.

CI = 62 × 128 × 1400 = 111110400 On the other hand, in this embodiment, three points L, C, and R are sandwiched between the optical axis positions designed as shown in FIG.
At the time of replacing the ink cartridge at one of the places, first, the remaining ink amount is detected. The positions of these three points are assumed to be 672, 669, and 666 steps in terms of the number of drive pulses of the carriage motor (stepping motor) 30 from the carriage home sensor 21. And L point, C point, R
Ink is ejected so that each of the three points becomes a discharge start position for remaining amount detection in three times of remaining ink amount detection.

Here, if the ink ejection width of each of the three ink remaining amount detections is about 1.76 mm and the recording density of the recording head 5 is 360 DPI, about 40 ink ejections are required. The moving speed of the carriage 15 is about 2
It is 77 mm / sec. Then, in the three ink remaining amount detection operations performed when the ink cartridge is replaced, the position where the output level from the phototransistor 44b drops most (the position where the output (D) of the ink remaining amount sensor 44 becomes maximum) That is, the position where the ink most effectively blocks the light) is set as the remaining ink amount detection position in the actual printing operation thereafter, and the number of ink ejections at that time is the same as the preliminary ink remaining amount detection performed during ink cartridge replacement. The same number is used.

By doing so, the ink cartridge 1
Ink consumption (C
I) is as follows when a recording head having 128 nozzles for monochrome recording is used. CI = 40 × 128 × 3 + 40 × 128 × 1400 = 7
183360 When this is compared with the conventional example, the amount of ink consumed for detecting the remaining amount of ink is reduced to about 65%. In addition, in the detection of the remaining amount of ink at the time of ink cartridge replacement, since ink is ejected over a wider range than in the past, it is possible to cope with unexpected misalignment of the optical axis.

Next, the process of adjusting the ink discharge position for the ink remaining amount detecting operation using the apparatus having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is executed when the ink cartridge is replaced. First, in step S10, the ink ejection position (P) for detecting the remaining amount of ink is provisionally set to point C shown in FIG. 8 (P = C). Next, in step S15, the ink remaining amount detection sensor 44 is turned "ON", and the light emitting element 44a emits light. In step S20, recording is performed near a predetermined position (temporary position or moved position). The head 5 is moved in the above-described range and the ink is ejected the number of times described above (for example, 25 times). And
In step S25, the output (D) of the remaining ink amount detection sensor 44 is transferred to and stored in the RAM 27 of the control unit 24.
Thereafter, in step S30, the ink remaining amount detection sensor 44 is turned "OFF", and the light emitting element 44a stops emitting light.

Now, in step S35, the processing is
It is checked whether or not the ink remaining amount detection processing at the point (L, C, R) has been completed. Here, if it is determined that the process has been completed, the process proceeds to step S45, but if it is determined that the process has not been completed, the process proceeds to step S40, where the position of the recording head 5 is moved and ink ejection is performed. After the position (P) is set to the L point or the R point, the process returns to step S15. In this way, the remaining ink amount is detected at three points.

When the detection of the remaining amount of ink at three points is completed, the output (D (L)) of the ink remaining amount detection sensor 44 obtained by detecting the remaining amount of ink at the point L is stored in the RAM 27.
And the output (D (C)) of the remaining ink amount detection sensor 44 obtained by detecting the remaining ink amount at point C, and the remaining ink amount detection sensor 44 obtained by detecting the remaining ink amount at point R.
(D (R)) is stored.

Hereinafter, step S is performed using these data.
The processing after 45 is executed. In step S45, D
(L) and D (C) are compared. Here, D (L)> D
If (C), the process proceeds to step S50, where D
(L) and D (R) are compared. And D (L)> D
If (R), the process proceeds to step S55, in which point L is set as an ink ejection position (P) for detecting the remaining amount of ink,
The process ends.

On the other hand, in step S45, D (L) ≦ D
If (C), the process proceeds to step S60, where D
(R) and D (C) are compared. Here, D (R)> D
If (C), the process proceeds to step S65, in which point R is set as an ink ejection position (P) for detecting the remaining amount of ink,
The process ends. On the other hand, if D (R) ≦ D (C), the tentatively determined point C becomes the ink ejection position (P) for detecting the remaining amount of ink, and the process is terminated as it is. .

The ink discharge position thus determined for detecting the remaining amount of ink remains valid until the next replacement of the ink cartridge. Then, information on the determined ink ejection position (P) is stored in the EEPROM.
Therefore, according to the embodiment described above, the dimensional tolerance of the device components, the dimensional tolerance due to the assembly of the device, the dimensional change due to the environment in which the device is used, the ink ejection for detecting the remaining amount of ink caused by the individual difference of the print head, and the like. Correct the misalignment when the ink cartridge is replaced,
The position where the light from the ink remaining amount detection sensor is most effectively blocked can be determined as the position for detecting the remaining amount of ink, whereby more accurate detection of the remaining amount of ink can be performed.

Also, once the position is determined,
Since the ink ejection amount in the remaining ink amount detection performed after the end of the actual printing operation is reduced, the amount of ink consumption accompanying the remaining ink amount detection can be reduced, and can be used for the actual printing operation. There is also an advantage.
In the above description, the number of ink ejections at the time of the remaining ink amount detection operation is set to 25. However, other values may be used as long as the accuracy of the remaining ink amount detection is not affected. The number of times of ink ejection may be changed for each position. Also,
In this embodiment, a predetermined value is used as a threshold for determining whether or not ink remains, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be set so that the output from the sensor for detecting the remaining amount of ink at the time of detecting the remaining amount of ink performed when the ink cartridge is replaced is set to a fixed ratio.

Further, in this embodiment, three candidate positions for determining the remaining ink amount detection position at the time of replacing the ink cartridge are set, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, another value may be used, and the value does not need to be always constant, but may be variable. In addition, when the remaining ink amount detecting means is provided for each of the monochrome recording head and the color recording head, the ink ejection amount, the ejection frequency, the ejection speed, and the like change according to each ink. The number of times of ink ejection, the ink ejection position, the amount of shift from the sensor optical axis design value, and the like may be set separately for each color ink.

The above-described embodiment is particularly provided with a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for performing ink ejection even in an ink jet recording system. By using a method in which a change in the state of the ink is caused by energy, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording. For a representative configuration and principle, see, for example, US Pat.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in 723129 and 4740796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path holding the liquid (ink). Electrothermal transducers
By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding the film boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, thereby causing film boiling on the heat acting surface of the recording head. As a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis can be formed, which is effective. By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed. 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 the 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 a configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of the ejection 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, a heat acting surface A configuration using U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which a is bent, is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 5 discloses a configuration in which a common slot is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-123670 discloses a configuration in which an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy corresponds to a discharge portion.
A configuration based on JP-A-9-138461 may be adopted.

Further, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length is determined by combining a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification. This may be either a configuration satisfying the above requirements or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally. In addition, not only the recording head of the cartridge type in which the ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself described in the above-described embodiment, but also the electrical connection with the main body of the apparatus by being attached to the main body of the apparatus. A replaceable chip-type recording head that can supply ink from the apparatus body may be used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the print head, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like to the configuration of the printing apparatus described above, since the printing operation can be further stabilized. If these are specifically mentioned, capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressure or suction means,
There is a preliminary heating means using an electrothermal converter, another heating element or a combination thereof. It is also effective to provide a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection that is different from printing, in order to perform stable printing.

In the above-described embodiment, the description has been made on the assumption that the ink is a liquid. However, even if the ink solidifies at room temperature or lower, the ink that softens or liquefies at room temperature is used. Or, in the ink jet method, generally, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled 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.
It is sufficient that the ink is in a liquid state when the use recording signal is applied.

In addition, in order to positively prevent the temperature rise due to thermal energy as energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, the temperature is positively prevented.
Alternatively, in order to prevent evaporation of the ink, an ink which solidifies in a standing state and liquefies by heating may be used. In any case, the application of heat energy causes the ink to be liquefied by the application of the heat energy recording signal and the liquid ink to be ejected, or by the time the ink reaches the recording medium, the solidification of the ink already begun. 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, as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260, the ink is held in a liquid state or a solid state in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet. It is good also as a form which opposes an electrothermal transducer. 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, as a form of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, there is a form of a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like in addition to a unit provided integrally or separately as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer. It may be something. Further, the present invention may be applied to a system including a plurality of devices, or may be applied to an apparatus including a single device. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to a case where the present invention is implemented by supplying a program to a system or an apparatus. In this case, the storage medium storing the program according to the present invention constitutes the present invention. Then, by reading the program from the storage medium to a system or an apparatus, the system or the apparatus operates in a predetermined manner.

[0059]

As described above, according to the present invention, every time the ink tank for storing ink or the recording head is replaced, ink is ejected from the recording head on a trial basis, and the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank is measured. The recording head is moved to an area including the vicinity of the detecting means for detecting the ink, and at each of a plurality of positions near the detecting means, control is performed so that the ink is ejected by the recording head and the detection is performed by the detecting means. At each position, based on the detection result obtained from the detection unit, the detection position by the detection unit is corrected, so that, for example, an optimal detection position in consideration of various characteristics of the device and product variations is selected, There is an effect that accurate detection of the remaining amount of ink can be performed.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention,
After the correction, the ink discharge operation for detecting the presence or absence of ink discharge is performed in a predetermined range extremely near the corrected position, so that there is also an effect that the amount of ink consumed for detecting the remaining amount of ink can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of a facsimile apparatus including a recording unit that performs recording by a recording head according to an ink jet system, which is a typical embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional perspective view showing a detailed configuration of a recording unit A of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a configuration of a recording head.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of an ink remaining amount detection sensor 44.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of an ink remaining amount detection sensor 44.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an installation position of an ink remaining amount detection sensor 44;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between an ink ejection position for detecting the remaining amount of ink and an optical axis of the remaining ink amount detection sensor 44.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an ink discharge position adjustment process for an ink remaining amount detection operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A reading unit B recording unit C paper feed unit 1 paper feed cassette 5 recording head 15 carriage 20 cap 21 carriage home sensor 24 control unit 25 CPU 26 ROM 27 RAM 44 ink remaining amount detection sensor 44a light emitting element (infrared LED) 44b light receiving element (Phototransistor) 58 Operation panel 59 LCD 83 Comparator 84 Pulse width counting unit

Claims (12)

(57) [Claims] 1. A recording apparatus for recording by discharging ink onto a recording medium from a recording head, and replaceable ink tank for reserving the ink, a scanning means for reciprocally scanning said recording head, the light emitting element And a light receiving element.
Detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of ink to be ejected; and the scanning means moving the recording head close to the detecting means .
Rutotomoni is moved to the region including the near, at a plurality of positions each of said detecting means near, ejection of ink by the recording head
Said control means for so that control to perform the detection by the detection means and exits, in the plurality of positions each, based on the detection results obtained from said detecting means, and correcting means for correcting the position detected by said detecting means A recording device comprising: 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: comparing means for comparing a plurality of detection results obtained from said detecting means with each other , wherein said correcting means determines one of said plurality of positions based on a comparison result by said comparing means. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of them is determined as a detection position for detecting the remaining amount of ink. 3. A recording apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a storage means for storing information relating to the determined detection position. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said storage means includes an EEPROM. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is provided at an end of the recording head opposite to a home position in a scanning direction of the recording head. Wherein said detecting means includes a light emitting element which emits light
An LED is a light receiving element for receiving the light follower
Photo interrupter type sensor with
The ink ejected from the recording head based on the output of the light receiving element when ink is ejected from the recording head so as to block between the light emitting element and the light receiving element .
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein presence / absence is detected . 7. The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit compares the output from the light receiving element with a predetermined threshold value.
7. The recording apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the presence or absence of the ink ejected from a head is detected . 8. The recording head is detachably mounted.
Collar for further have a carriage, performs color recording said recording head mounted on the carriage by ejecting a plurality of colors of ink
The recording head,
A position where ink is ejected from the
The discharge causes conditions, to correspond to the color of the ink to eject
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting is performed separately. 9. A plurality of positions in the vicinity of the detecting means are at least one of a dimensional tolerance of an apparatus component, a dimensional tolerance due to assembling of the apparatus, a dimensional change due to an environment in which the apparatus is used, and a characteristic of each manufactured print head. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus is determined based on the following . 10. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the recording head ejects ink by using thermal energy, and includes a thermal energy converter for generating thermal energy to be applied to the ink. Item 2. The recording device according to Item 1. 11. The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects the recording position within a predetermined range extremely near the detection position corrected by the correcting unit.
Tsu line Align the ejection of the ink by de, ejection of the ink
Claim and detecting the presence or absence 1 to 10 Neu
A recording device according to any of the preceding claims. 12. The facsimile apparatus using the recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11.