JP5315592B2 - Ink jet recording apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means which can simply and surely remove the air that enters a guide part for guiding ink out of an ink supply port of an ink cartridge, without discarding the ink in an inkjet recorder to which the ink cartridge is set removably. <P>SOLUTION: A complex machine 1 is equipped with the ink cartridge 40 which supplies the ink from an ink chamber 11, a cartridge mounting part 6 which removably holds the ink cartridge 40, a controlling part 64 which detects that the ink cartridge 40 is mounted in the cartridge mounting part 6, a scanning carriage 38 carrying an inkjet recording head 39, an ink tube 41 which enables the ink to circulate between the ink cartridge 40 and the scanning carriage 38, and a bidirectional pump 7 which can feed the ink that circulates in the ink tube 41 in two directions. When mounting of the ink cartridge 40 is detected, the bidirectional pump 7 is driven to feed the ink of a predetermined amount to the ink chamber 11 side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs image recording by ejecting ink supplied from an ink cartridge through an ink passage as ink droplets, and a method for controlling the ink jet recording apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a so-called inkjet type image recording apparatus that records an image on a recording sheet by ejecting ink droplets from a recording head and landing on the recording sheet is known. Such an ink jet recording apparatus employs a configuration in which ink is supplied from an ink chamber storing ink to a recording head through a predetermined ink passage. In addition, when the ink in the ink chamber is used up by image recording, the ink chamber is refilled with ink or replaced with an ink chamber filled with ink. Furthermore, in the latter case, there are a method of exchanging an empty ink chamber together with the recording head, and a method of separately configuring the ink chamber as an ink cartridge from the recording head and exchanging only the ink cartridge. In order to lower the level, it is advantageous to replace only the ink cartridge.

  The ink cartridge is provided with an ink supply port for supplying ink from the ink chamber, and the ink supply port is sealed with a seal member such as rubber. Then, when the ink cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion of the ink jet recording apparatus, the ink needle provided in the cartridge mounting penetrates the seal member so that the ink in the ink chamber can be guided to the ink passage through the ink needle. It has become.

  There is a problem that air enters the ink needle when the ink cartridge is replaced. Specifically, by removing the ink cartridge from the cartridge mounting portion, the tip portion of the ink needle is released to the atmosphere, so the liquid level in the ink needle varies due to various factors. Then, by installing a new ink cartridge in the cartridge mounting portion, the ink needle penetrates the seal member of the new ink cartridge and enters the ink chamber filled with ink. In this case, air that has entered the ink needle remains. The remaining air becomes a nucleus for growing bubbles in the ink passage, and the bubbles generated in the ink passage cause ink discharge failure of the recording head.

  Therefore, in order to remove the air remaining in the ink needle, there is a means for pushing out air from the ink needle to the ink chamber side, or a means for removing air bubbles in the ink passage by sucking ink in the ink passage from the recording head. It has been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP-A-7-89081 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-136502

  In Patent Document 1, an ink cartridge can be attached to and detached from a carriage on which a recording head is mounted, and when the ink cartridge is attached to the carriage, an elastic wall of a temporary ink reservoir provided in the ink flow path is deformed to make temporary ink. By pressurizing the ink in the reservoir, the ink is pushed out to the ink chamber side. However, since the pressure applied in the temporary ink reservoir acts in both directions of the ink cartridge and the recording head, a fluid control wall and pressure control means are provided in the ink flow path so that the ink flows toward the recording head. It is necessary to prevent. Further, the elastic wall of the temporary ink reservoir can be deformed only when the ink cartridge is mounted, and the ink cannot be pushed out to the ink chamber side after the ink cartridge is mounted. That is, it is possible to push the remaining air together with the ink only once when the ink cartridge is mounted.

  However, depending on the amount of air remaining in the ink needle or the shape of the ink needle, even if the ink is pushed back to the ink chamber side, the air remaining in the ink needle may not be completely removed. Then, there is a problem that air remaining without being removed grows as a nucleus and bubbles are generated in the ink passage.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, the nozzle forming surface of the recording head is capped and sucked with a negative pressure pump, whereby the air remaining on the ink needle is discharged. However, in the configuration in which the recording head and the cartridge mounting portion are independently arranged and connected by the ink tube, the air remaining in the ink needle is discharged through the ink tube and the recording head, and the air is discharged. There is a problem that the amount of waste ink increases.

  In addition, if a flexible resin made of synthetic resin or the like is used to make the ink tube follow the scan of the recording head, bubbles will grow in the ink tube if the synthetic resin has gas permeability. Cheap. Therefore, as described above, in order to prevent air remaining from being removed from the ink needle from entering the ink tube and forming bubbles, the air is frequently sucked and removed together with the ink. If such suction removal is frequently performed, the problem that the amount of waste ink is large occurs more remarkably.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and in an inkjet recording apparatus in which an ink cartridge is detachably provided and a control method thereof, air that has entered an ink needle that guides ink from an ink supply port of the ink cartridge is provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide means that can be removed easily and reliably without discarding ink.

  An ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention has an ink chamber in which ink is stored and an ink supply port formed in the ink chamber, and an ink cartridge that supplies ink from the ink chamber through the ink supply port; A cartridge mounting portion having an ink needle that detachably holds the ink cartridge, guides ink in the ink chamber from the ink supply port, and can pass through a seal member that seals the ink supply port of the ink cartridge; and Ink cartridge detection means for detecting that the operation of mounting the ink cartridge on the mounting portion has been performed, an image recording portion having an ink jet recording head for discharging ink supplied from the ink cartridge as ink droplets, and the ink needle And the image recording unit to connect the ink cart An ink passage that allows ink to flow between the ink chamber of the ink jet and the ink jet recording head of the image recording unit, a bidirectional pump that can bidirectionally feed ink flowing through the ink passage, and the ink When the cartridge detection means detects the mounting of the ink cartridge, the bidirectional pump is driven to feed a predetermined amount of ink to the ink chamber side, and then the bidirectional pump is driven in reverse to And a control means for feeding substantially the same predetermined amount to the ink jet recording head side.

  When the ink stored in the ink chamber of the ink cartridge is used up, the user removes the ink cartridge from the cartridge mounting portion and mounts a new ink cartridge. By removing the ink cartridge from the cartridge mounting portion, the ink needle inserted into the ink chamber is exposed to the atmosphere, and then the ink needle is inserted into the ink chamber of a new ink cartridge through a series of replacement operations. Air enters the ink needle. A new ink cartridge mounted on the cartridge mounting unit is detected by the ink cartridge detection means, and based on this detection, the control unit drives the bidirectional pump to transfer a predetermined amount of ink in the ink passage to the ink chamber side. Just feed. By the fed ink, the air that has entered the ink needle is pushed out into the ink cartridge.

  Further, after the ink feeding operation to the ink chamber side, the control means reversely drives the bidirectional pump to feed ink to the ink jet recording head side by substantially the same predetermined amount, The negative pressure in the ink passage caused by the ink feeding operation to the ink chamber can be quickly returned to the original state, and the influence on the ink in the ink jet recording head due to the negative pressure can be extremely reduced.

  The ink needle may be one in which a hole communicating with the hollow portion is formed in a side surface of a pointed tip portion.

  According to the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus, the image recording unit is arranged independently of the cartridge mounting unit and reciprocates in a predetermined direction, and the ink passage is reciprocated by the image recording unit. It is provided with a flexible tube that changes its posture following the above.

  By arranging the image recording unit and the cartridge mounting unit independently, there is an advantage that the image recording unit is reduced in weight and the like, but as compared with the case where the image recording unit and the cartridge mounting unit are integrally configured, The ink path from the cartridge mounting portion to the image recording portion becomes longer. If the air that has entered the ink needle is discharged to the image recording unit side, both the air and the ink in the ink passage are discharged from the ink jet recording head, so the amount of waste ink increases. By feeding the ink in the passage to the ink chamber side, air can be discharged from the ink needle without discharging ink from the ink jet recording head. Further, since air does not enter the ink tube constituting the ink passage, bubbles do not grow with the air as a nucleus.

  According to the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus, the ink cartridge is provided with a labyrinth-shaped air hole that opens the ink chamber to the atmosphere.

  By opening the ink chamber to the atmosphere, it becomes easy to feed ink to the ink chamber side by a bidirectional pump. Further, air discharged from the ink needle into the ink chamber is released to the outside through the labyrinth-shaped vent hole.

Further, in the above ink jet recording apparatus, the control means, after the ink cartridge is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion drives regularly the bidirectional pump, Tokoro into the ink chamber side A fixed amount of ink is fed , and substantially the same predetermined amount of ink is fed to the ink jet recording head side .

As described above, when the ink cartridge is mounted, even if the control unit drives the bidirectional pump to feed ink to the ink chamber side, the air in the ink needle may not be completely discharged. Therefore, after the ink cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit, the control unit periodically drives the bidirectional pump to feed a predetermined amount of ink to the ink chamber side and substantially the same to the ink jet recording head side. Even if the remaining air grows as bubbles by feeding a predetermined amount of ink , the grown bubbles are discharged from the ink needle to the ink chamber.

Further preferably, in the above-described ink jet recording apparatus, when the control device receives a print command, when the apparatus power is turned on, the control device drives the bidirectional pump triggered by at least one when a predetermined time has elapsed, A predetermined amount of ink is fed to the ink chamber side , and substantially the same predetermined amount of ink is fed to the ink jet recording head side .

  By appropriately feeding a predetermined amount of ink to the ink chamber side at such a timing, the bubble discharging operation is more reliably performed, and it is possible to always stably supply ink to the head. .

  The present invention also includes an ink chamber in which ink is stored and an ink supply port formed in the ink chamber, and a plurality of ink cartridges for supplying ink from the ink chamber through the ink supply port, A plurality of ink cartridges are detachably held, and each ink cartridge has an ink needle capable of leading ink from the ink supply port from the ink supply port and penetrating a seal member for sealing the ink supply port of the ink cartridge. Corresponding to each of the plurality of ink cartridges, an ink cartridge detecting means for detecting that an operation of mounting an ink cartridge on the cartridge mounting portion is performed, and ink supplied from the plurality of ink cartridges Having an inkjet recording head that ejects ink as ink droplets A plurality of ink passages that connect the recording unit, the ink needle and the image recording unit, and allow the ink to flow independently between the ink chamber of each ink cartridge and the inkjet recording head of the image recording unit; A bi-directional pump capable of independently feeding bi-directional ink flowing through each ink passage, and when the ink cartridge detecting means detects the mounting of the ink cartridge, the bi-directional pump is driven, Independently for each ink passage, after a predetermined amount of ink is fed to the ink chamber side, the bidirectional pump is driven in reverse to supply ink to the ink jet recording head side by substantially the same predetermined amount. Control means for sending.

  For example, in an ink jet recording apparatus capable of color printing, when a plurality of colors of ink are configured to be replaceable by independent ink cartridges, the control unit drives a bidirectional pump corresponding to the replaced ink cartridge. By doing so, air is surely discharged from the ink needle corresponding to the ink cartridge.

  Preferably, the control device supplies a predetermined amount of ink to the corresponding ink chamber only for the cartridge in which the attachment is detected.

  As described above, since the operation is performed only on the cartridge that may be mixed with air, the apparatus can be operated efficiently.

  The ink jet recording apparatus control method according to the present invention includes an ink chamber in which ink is stored and an ink supply port formed in the ink chamber, and the ink is supplied from the ink chamber through the ink supply port. A cartridge mounting portion having an ink needle capable of detachably holding the ink cartridge, leading ink in the ink chamber from the ink supply port, and penetrating a seal member for sealing the ink supply port of the ink cartridge; An image recording unit having an inkjet recording head that discharges ink supplied from the ink cartridge as ink droplets, the ink needle and the image recording unit are connected, and an ink chamber of the ink cartridge and an inkjet of the image recording unit An ink path that allows ink to flow between the print head and the front A method of controlling an ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a bi-directional pump capable of bi-directionally feeding ink flowing through an ink path, the step of detecting that an ink cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion; When mounting of an ink cartridge is detected, the bi-directional pump is driven to feed a predetermined amount of ink to the ink chamber side, and then the bi-directional pump is driven in the reverse direction so that ink is supplied to the ink jet recording head. A step of feeding substantially the same predetermined amount to the side.

  When the ink stored in the ink chamber of the ink cartridge is used up, the user removes the ink cartridge from the cartridge mounting portion and mounts a new ink cartridge. By removing the ink cartridge from the cartridge mounting portion, the ink needle inserted into the ink chamber is exposed to the atmosphere, and then the ink needle is inserted into the ink chamber of a new ink cartridge through a series of replacement operations. Air enters the ink needle. A new ink cartridge mounting operation to the cartridge mounting portion is detected, and based on this detection, the bidirectional pump is driven to feed a predetermined amount of ink in the ink passage to the ink chamber side. By the fed ink, the air that has entered the ink needle is pushed out into the ink cartridge.

  According to the ink jet recording apparatus and the control method thereof according to the present invention, the ink in the ink passage is supplied to the ink chamber by a predetermined amount by driving the bidirectional pump based on the detection of the ink cartridge mounting by the ink cartridge detecting means. Since the ink is sent, the air that has entered the ink needle is pushed into the ink cartridge together with the supplied ink by the replacement operation of the ink cartridge. Thus, the air that has entered the ink needle can be easily and reliably removed without discarding the ink in the ink passage.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
FIG. 1 shows an external configuration of a multifunction machine 1 (inkjet recording apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multifunction device 1 is a multi-function device (MFD) having a printer unit 2 at the bottom and a scanner unit 3 at the top, and has a printer function, a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. . The printer unit 2 of the multifunction machine 1 corresponds to the image recording apparatus according to the present invention, and functions other than the printer function are arbitrary. Accordingly, a single-function printer without the scanner unit 3 and having no scanner function or copy function may be used.

  Further, when the image recording apparatus according to the present invention is implemented as a multi-function apparatus, a plurality of paper feed cassettes and automatic document feeders can be used even if the image recording apparatus is a small one such as the multifunction machine 1 shown in this embodiment. (ADF: Auto Document Feeder) may be provided. The multifunction device 1 is mainly connected to a computer (external information device) (not shown), and records images and documents on recording paper based on print data including image data and document data transmitted from the computer. In addition, the image data output from the digital camera connected to an external device such as a digital camera can be recorded on a recording sheet, or various recording media such as a memory card can be loaded on the recording medium. It is also possible to record the recorded image data or the like on a recording sheet. In addition, the configuration of the multifunction machine 1 described below is an example of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention, and it is natural that the configuration can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction device 1 has a wide, thin, rectangular parallelepiped outer shape whose width and depth are larger than the height, and a lower portion of the multifunction device 1 is a printer unit 2. The printer unit 2 has an opening 2a formed in the front, and a paper feed tray 20 and a paper discharge tray 21 are provided in two upper and lower stages so that a part of the opening 2a is exposed. The paper feed tray 20 is for storing recording paper, which is a recording medium, and can accommodate recording paper of various sizes such as B5 size and postcard size equal to or smaller than A4 size. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the tray surface of the paper feed tray 20 is enlarged by pulling out the slide tray 20a as necessary. The recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 20 is fed into the printer unit 2 to record a desired image and discharged to the paper discharge tray 21.

  The upper part of the multifunction device 1 is a scanner unit 3, which is configured as a so-called flat bed scanner. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a platen glass 31 and an image sensor 32 are provided below a document cover 30 that can be opened and closed as a top plate of the multifunction machine 1. The platen glass 31 is used to place a document for image reading. Below the platen glass 31, an image sensor 32 whose main scanning direction is the depth direction of the multifunction device 1 is provided so as to be able to scan in the width direction of the multifunction device 1.

  An operation panel 4 for operating the printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 is provided in the upper front portion of the multifunction machine 1. The operation panel 4 includes various operation buttons and a liquid crystal display unit. The multi-function device 1 operates based on an operation instruction from the operation panel 4, and when connected to a computer, the multi-function device 1 is also based on an instruction transmitted from the computer via a printer driver or a scanner driver. Operate. In addition, a slot portion 5 in which various small memory cards as recording media can be loaded is provided in the upper left portion of the front surface of the multifunction device 1. The image data recorded on the small memory card loaded in the slot unit 5 is read, information about the image data is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit, and an input for recording an arbitrary image on the recording sheet by the printer unit 2 is provided. The operation panel 4 is used.

  Hereinafter, the internal configuration of the multifunction device 1, particularly the configuration of the printer unit 2, will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 11. As shown in FIG. 2, on the back side of the paper feed tray 20 provided on the bottom side of the multifunction machine 1, a separation inclined plate for separating and guiding the recording paper loaded on the paper feed tray 20 upward 22 is disposed. In addition, the transport path 23 is directed upward from the separation inclined plate 22, then bends to the front side, extends from the back side to the front side of the multifunction machine 1, passes through the image recording unit 24, and passes through the paper discharge tray 21. Leads to Accordingly, the recording paper accommodated in the paper feed tray 20 is guided by the conveyance path 23 so as to make a U-turn from the lower side to the upper side, reaches the image recording unit 24, and the image recording unit 24 performs the image recording. The paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21.

  As shown in FIG. 3, on the upper side of the paper feed tray 20, a paper feed roller 25 is provided for separating the recording papers stacked on the paper feed tray 20 one by one and feeding them to the transport path 23. . The paper feed roller 25 is pivotally supported at the front end of a paper feed arm 26 that moves up and down detachably with respect to the paper feed tray 20, and an LF motor 71 ( The drive shown in FIG. 11) is transmitted to rotate.

  The paper feed arm 26 is disposed so as to be swingable in the vertical direction with the base end side as an axis. In the standby state, the paper feed arm 26 is flipped upward as shown in the figure by a paper feed clutch, a spring, etc. (not shown), and swings downward when supplying recording paper. As the paper feeding arm 26 swings downward, the paper feeding roller 25 pivotally supported at the tip of the paper feeding arm 26 comes into pressure contact with the surface of the recording paper on the paper feeding tray 20. In this state, when the paper feed roller 25 rotates, the uppermost recording paper is sent out to the separation inclined plate 22 by the frictional force between the roller surface of the paper feeding roller 25 and the recording paper. The front end of the recording sheet comes into contact with the separation inclined plate 22 and is guided upward, and is sent to the conveyance path 23. Further, when the uppermost recording paper is sent out by the paper feeding roller 25, the recording paper immediately below the recording paper may be sent out together due to friction or static electricity. However, the recording paper comes into contact with the separation inclined plate 22. Be stopped by.

  The conveyance path 23 includes an outer guide surface and an inner guide surface that are opposed to each other at a predetermined interval except for a portion where the image recording unit 24 and the like are disposed. For example, the conveyance path 23 on the back side of the multifunction device 1 is configured such that the outer guide surface is formed integrally with the frame of the multifunction device 1 and the inner guide surface is fixed to the guide member 28 in the frame. In addition, in the conveyance path 23, particularly in a portion where the conveyance path 23 is bent, the width direction of the conveyance path 23 is set in the axial direction so that each conveyance roller 29 exposes the roller surface to the outer guide surface or the inner guide surface. It is provided as freely rotatable. Each of these transport rollers 29 facilitates transport of the recording paper that contacts the guide surface at a portion where the transport path 23 is bent.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an image recording unit 24 is provided in the conveyance path 23. The image recording unit 24 includes a scanning carriage 38 (image recording unit) that is mounted with an ink jet recording head 39 and reciprocates in the main scanning direction. The ink jet recording head 39 includes cyan (C) and magenta through an ink tube 41 (ink passage, flexible tube) from an ink cartridge 40 (see FIG. 6) disposed independently of the ink jet recording head 39 in the multifunction device 1. (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk) inks are supplied, and the inks are ejected as fine ink droplets. By scanning the scanning carriage 38 on which the ink jet recording head 39 is mounted, image recording is performed on the recording paper conveyed on the platen 42.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a pair of guide rails 43 a and 43 b are extended in the width direction of the conveyance path 23 at a predetermined interval in the conveyance direction of the recording paper on the upper side of the conveyance path 23. The scanning carriage 38 is slidably provided so as to straddle the guide rails 43a and 43b. The guide rail 43a disposed on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording paper is a flat plate whose length in the width direction of the conveyance path 23 is longer than the scanning width of the scanning carriage 38, and the upper surface of the guide rail 43a is The upstream end of the scanning carriage 38 is slidably supported.

  The guide rail 43b disposed on the downstream side in the recording sheet conveyance direction is a flat plate having a length in the width direction of the conveyance path 23 that is substantially the same as the guide rail 43a. An edge 43c that supports the downstream end is bent at a substantially right angle upward. The scanning carriage 38 is slidably supported on the upper surface of the guide rail 43b, and the edge 43c is held by a roller (not shown). Accordingly, the scanning carriage 38 is slidably supported on the guide rails 43a and 43b and reciprocates in the width direction of the transport path 23 with the edge 43c of the guide rail 43b as a reference. A sliding member for reducing friction is appropriately provided at a portion where the scanning carriage 38 contacts the upper surfaces of the guide rails 43a and 43b.

  Further, as shown in the figure, a belt driving mechanism 44 is disposed on the upper surface of the guide rail 43b. In the belt drive mechanism 44, an endless annular timing belt 47 with teeth provided inside is stretched between a driven pulley 45 and a drive pulley 46 provided near both ends in the width direction of the conveyance path 23. It will be. A driving force is input from the CR motor 73 (see FIG. 11) to the shaft of the driving pulley 46, and the timing belt 47 moves circumferentially by the rotation of the driving pulley 46. In addition to the endless annular belt, the timing belt 47 may be one in which both end portions of the endless belt are fixed to the scanning carriage 38.

  The scanning carriage 38 is fixed to the timing belt 47, and the scanning carriage 38 reciprocates on the guide rails 43a and 43b with the edge 43c as a reference by the circumferential movement of the timing belt 47. An ink jet recording head 39 is mounted on such a scanning carriage 38, and the ink jet recording head 39 can reciprocate with the width direction of the transport path 23 as the main scanning direction. An encoder strip 33 of a linear encoder 77 (see FIG. 11) is disposed along the edge 43c, and the linear encoder 77 detects the encoder strip 33 by a photo interrupter. This linear encoder Based on the detection signal 77, the reciprocation of the scanning carriage 38 is controlled.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a platen 42 is disposed below the conveyance path 23 so as to face the ink jet recording head 39. The platen 42 is disposed over the central portion of the reciprocating range of the scanning carriage 38 through which the recording paper passes. The width of the platen 42 is sufficiently larger than the maximum width of the recording paper that can be conveyed, and both ends of the recording paper always pass over the platen 42.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a maintenance unit such as a purge mechanism 48 and a waste ink tray (not shown) is disposed outside the range in which the recording paper does not pass, that is, outside the image recording range by the ink jet recording head 39. The purge mechanism 48 is for sucking and removing bubbles and foreign matters from the ink discharge ports 53 and the like of the ink jet recording head 39. The purge mechanism 48 includes a cap 49 that covers the ink discharge port 53 of the ink jet recording head 39, a pump mechanism (not shown) that is connected to the ink jet recording head 39 through the cap 49, and the cap 49 that is connected to the ink jet recording head 39. It comprises a moving mechanism (not shown) for making contact with and separating from the ink ejection port 53. When performing suction removal of bubbles or the like of the ink jet recording head 39, the scanning carriage 38 is moved so that the ink jet recording head 39 is positioned on the cap 49, and in this state, the cap 49 moves upward and the ink jet recording head is moved. An ink discharge port 53 (see FIG. 7) on the lower surface of 39 is in close contact with each other, and ink is sucked from the ink discharge port 53 of the ink jet recording head 39 by a pump connected to the cap 49.

  Although not shown in the drawing, a waste ink tray for receiving idle ink discharge from the ink jet recording head 39 called flushing is also provided within the reciprocating range of the scanning carriage 38 and outside the image recording range. . By these maintenance units, maintenance such as removal of air bubbles and mixed color ink in the ink jet recording head 39 is performed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the ink cartridge 40 is mounted on a cartridge mounting portion 6 provided in a housing on the front side of the printer unit 2 and on the left side (right side in the drawing). As shown in FIG. 4, the cartridge mounting unit 6 is disposed separately from the scanning carriage 38 on which the inkjet recording head 39 is mounted in the apparatus, and the ink mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 6 through the ink tube 41. Ink is supplied from the cartridge 40 to the scanning carriage 38.

  The ink cartridge 40 includes four ink cartridges 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 40K that store cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk) color inks. Each is loaded in a predetermined position in the cartridge mounting portion 6. Each of the ink cartridges 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 40K has the same configuration except that the stored ink colors are different. Therefore, the ink cartridge 40C will be described in detail as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the ink cartridge 40 </ b> C is a cartridge type in which cyan ink is filled in a case 10 made of synthetic resin having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is removable from above the cartridge mounting portion 6. The internal space of the housing 10 is an ink chamber 11, and cyan ink is stored in the ink chamber 11. Further, an ink supply port 12 for supplying cyan ink stored in the ink chamber 11 is formed at the bottom of the housing 10 so as to penetrate the bottom. The position where the ink supply port 12 is formed is not particularly limited, but if the ink supply port 12 is not forcibly supplied from the ink chamber using a pump or the like, the bottom of the ink chamber 11 or It is preferable to form it below.

  The ink supply port 12 is sealed with a seal member 13. Accordingly, cyan ink in the ink chamber 11 does not flow out from the ink supply port 12 when the ink cartridge 40C is not attached to the cartridge attachment portion 6. As will be described later, the seal member 13 is made of an elastic member that can be pierced with the ink needle 17 and can seal the piercing trace after the ink needle 17 is pulled out. Etc. are used.

  A labyrinth-shaped air hole 14 is formed in the upper part of the housing 10. The ink chamber 11 is opened to the atmosphere by the vent hole 14 without the cyan ink in the ink chamber 11 flowing out.

  Further, a translucent window 15 is provided in the vicinity of the lower end of the side portion of the housing 10. The presence or absence of cyan ink in the ink chamber 11 can be confirmed through the window 15. As will be described later, the amount of cyan ink in the ink chamber 11 is detected by the optical sensor through the window 15.

  Further, a handle 16 projects upward from the upper surface of the housing 10. The handle 16 serves as a handle when the ink cartridge 40C is attached to and detached from the cartridge mounting portion 6, and is particularly useful when the ink cartridge 40C is detached from the cartridge mounting portion 6 by pulling it upward. is there.

  FIG. 6 shows a state in which the ink cartridge 40 </ b> C is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 6. The cartridge mounting portion 6 can accommodate each of the ink cartridges 40 and is in a container shape having an opening in the upper portion. As shown in the drawing, the ink cartridge 40C is fitted into the cartridge mounting portion 6. Is contained. This state is a state in which the ink cartridge 40C is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 6. Then, when the ink cartridge 40C is pulled upward by holding the handle 16 from the mounting state shown in the figure, the ink cartridge 40C is detached from the cartridge mounting portion 6. In this way, the cartridge mounting unit 6 holds each ink cartridge 40 so as to be detachable.

  Further, an ink needle 17 (lead-out portion) is provided on the bottom surface of the inner surface of the cartridge mounting portion 6 so that the tip protrudes upward. The position where the ink needle 17 is provided corresponds to the seal member 13 that seals the ink supply port 12 of the ink cartridge 40C. Therefore, as shown in the drawing, when the ink cartridge 40 </ b> C is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 6, the ink needle 17 penetrates the seal member 13 and the tip thereof enters the ink chamber 11. The ink needle 17 is a hollow needle, and a hole communicating with the hollow is formed near the tip of the ink needle 17. Accordingly, the ink in the ink chamber 11 flows into the ink needle 17 from the hole. The proximal end of the ink needle 17 is connected to a flow path 18 formed in the horizontal direction at the bottom of the cartridge mounting portion 6. Although not shown in the drawing, the flow path 18 is connected to the ink tube 41. Yes. In this way, the ink in the ink chamber 11 is led out of the ink cartridge 40 through the ink needle 17.

  An ink sensor 19 is provided on the side wall of the cartridge mounting portion 6. The ink sensor 19 is located near the bottom surface of the ink chamber 11 at a position corresponding to the window 15 of the ink cartridge 40C. The ink sensor 19 is an optical sensor for detecting the presence or absence of ink in the ink chamber 11 from the difference in reflected light depending on the presence or absence of ink in the ink chamber 11. That is, when the ink level in the ink chamber 11 is above the detection position of the ink sensor 19, the ink sensor 19 receives the reflected light from the ink and outputs the reflected light intensity as an electrical signal. . On the other hand, when the liquid level of the ink in the ink chamber 11 is below the detection position of the ink sensor 19, the ink sensor 19 receives the reflected light in the empty ink chamber 11 and determines the reflected light intensity. Output as an electrical signal. Then, the presence or absence of ink in the ink chamber 11 is determined by the control unit 64 to be described later based on the difference between these reflected light intensities.

  In the present embodiment, the multifunction device 1 that performs image recording with four colors of ink is described. However, the number of ink colors in the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention is not particularly limited. Of course, in the case of recording an image with eight color inks, the number of ink cartridges 40 can be increased.

  As shown in FIG. 4, each color ink is supplied from the ink cartridges 40 </ b> C, 40 </ b> M, 40 </ b> Y, and 40 </ b> K mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 6 to the inkjet recording head 39 by an independent ink tube 41 for each color. . Each of the ink tubes 41C, 41M, 41Y, and 41K is a tube made of synthetic resin and has flexibility to bend according to the scanning of the scanning carriage 38.

  Each flow path 18 for each ink cartridge 40 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 described above is connected to one end of each ink tube 41C, 41M, 41Y, 41K. The ink tube 41C corresponds to the ink cartridge 40C and supplies cyan (C) ink. Similarly, the ink tubes 41M, 41Y, and 41K correspond to the ink cartridges 40M, 40Y, and 40K, respectively, and supply magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk) inks, respectively. It is.

  The ink tubes 41C, 41M, 41Y, 41K led out from the cartridge mounting portion 6 are pulled out to the vicinity of the center along the width direction of the apparatus, and are temporarily fixed to an appropriate member such as an apparatus frame. The portion from the fixed portion to the scanning carriage 38 is not fixed to the apparatus frame or the like, but changes its posture following the reciprocating movement of the scanning carriage 38. That is, as the scanning carriage 38 moves to one end (left side in the figure) in the reciprocating direction, each ink tube 41C, 41M, 41Y, 41K is scanned while being bent so that the bending radius of the U-shaped curved portion becomes smaller. The carriage 38 moves in the moving direction. On the other hand, as the scanning carriage 38 moves to the other end (the right side in the figure) in the reciprocating direction, each ink tube 41C, 41M, 41Y, 41K bends so that the bending radius of the curved portion increases, Move in the direction of movement.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the ink jet recording head 39 has ink discharge ports 53 arranged on the lower surface thereof in the recording paper transport direction for each color ink of CMYBk. In the figure, the vertical direction is the recording paper conveyance direction, and the horizontal direction is the main scanning direction of the scanning carriage 38. The ink discharge ports 53 of the CMYBk inks are arranged in the main scanning direction. Further, the pitch and number of the ink ejection ports 53 in the transport direction are appropriately set in consideration of the resolution of the recorded image. It is also possible to increase or decrease the number of columns of the ink ejection ports 53 according to the number of types of color ink.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a cavity 55 including a piezoelectric element 54 is formed on the upstream side of the ink discharge port 53 formed on the lower surface of the ink jet recording head 39. The piezoelectric element 54 is deformed by applying a predetermined voltage to reduce the volume of the cavity 55. Due to the change in the capacity of the cavity 55, the ink in the cavity 55 is ejected from the ink ejection port 53 as an ink droplet.

  Each cavity 55 is provided for each ink ejection port 53, and a manifold 56 is formed across a plurality of cavities 55 for each color ink. A buffer tank 57 is disposed on the upper side of the manifold 55. The buffer tank 57 is provided for each color ink of CMYBk. Each buffer tank 57 is supplied with ink from the ink supply port 58 through the ink tube 41 from the ink cartridge 40. Once the ink is stored in the buffer tank 57, bubbles generated in the ink are captured by the ink tube 41 and the like, and the bubbles are prevented from entering the cavity 55 and the manifold 56. Air bubbles trapped in the buffer tank 57 are sucked and removed from the air bubble outlet 59 by a pump mechanism (not shown). The ink supplied from the buffer tank 57 to the manifold 56 is distributed to each cavity 55 by the manifold 56.

  In this way, an ink passage is configured so that each color ink supplied from the ink cartridge 40 through the ink tube 41 flows to the cavity 55 via the buffer tank 57 and the manifold 56. CMYBk color inks supplied through such an ink path are ejected from the ink ejection port 53 as ink droplets onto a recording sheet.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a bidirectional pump 7 is provided near the cartridge mounting portion 6 of the ink tube 41. The bidirectional pump 7 is provided for each of the ink tubes 41C, 41M, 41Y, and 41K of each color, and each color ink flowing through each of the ink tubes 41C, 41M, 41Y, and 41K is bidirectionally, that is, the ink jet recording head 39. It can be fed to the ink cartridge 40 side.

  A known and arbitrary pump can be adopted as the bidirectional pump 7. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a drive shaft 88 is inserted in the axial direction of a hollow cylindrical casing 87 provided with a suction port 85 and a discharge port 86 and is rotatably supported. A so-called screw pump 90 provided with male screw-like screw blades 89 can be used. According to the screw pump 90, when the drive shaft 88 is rotated forward, the ink sucked from the suction port 85 is fed to the discharge port 86 side by the screw blade 89, and the ink is discharged from the discharge port 86. On the other hand, if the drive shaft 88 is reversed, ink can be fed in the reverse direction from the discharge port 86 to the suction port 85 side.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, a suction port 92 and a discharge port 93 are provided at opposite positions on the circumferential surface of the hollow cylindrical casing 91, respectively, and the shaft 94 is eccentric with respect to the axis of the casing 91. 95 is rotatably disposed in the casing 91, and two blades 96 that can be projected and retracted in the radial direction are provided in the rotor 95 at opposing positions, and each blade 96 is in contact with the inner surface of the casing 91. A so-called vane pump 97 urged radially outward can be used. When the shaft 94 is rotated in the forward direction, the rotor 95 rotates in the clockwise direction in the figure, and the two blades 96 rotate while contacting the inner surface of the casing 91 as the rotor 95 rotates. The ink in the space partitioned by the two blades 96 is also sent in the clockwise direction and fed from the suction port 92 to the discharge port 93. On the other hand, if the shaft 94 is reversed, the rotor 95 rotates counterclockwise and ink can be fed from the discharge port 93 to the suction port 92 side.

  By installing the bidirectional pump 7 such as the screw pump 90 and the vane pump 97 in each of the ink tubes 41C, 41M, 41Y, 41K, the ink tubes 41C, 41M can be controlled by forward / reverse driving input to the bidirectional pump 7. , 41Y, 41K can be fed bi-directionally. Note that the screw pump 90 and the vane pump 97 are examples of the bidirectional pump 7, and the bidirectional pump according to the present invention is naturally not limited to the screw pump or the vane pump.

  As shown in FIG. 3, on the upstream side of the image recording unit 24, there are a pair of conveying rollers 60 and a pressing roller 61 that sandwich the recording sheet conveyed through the conveying path 23 and convey it onto the platen 42. Is provided. On the other hand, on the downstream side of the image recording unit 24, a pair of paper discharge rollers 62 and a spur roller 63 are provided for nipping and transporting recorded recording paper. The conveying roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are intermittently driven with a predetermined line feed width when the driving force is transmitted from the LF motor 71. The rotation of the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 is synchronized, and a rotary encoder 76 (see FIG. 11) provided on the transport roller 60 detects an encoder disk that rotates together with the transport roller 60 with a photo interrupter. The rotation of the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 is controlled.

  On the other hand, the pressing roller 61 is urged so as to be pressed against the conveying roller 60 with a predetermined pressing force and is rotatably provided. When a recording sheet enters between the conveying roller 60 and the pressing roller 61, the pressing roller 61 retreats by the thickness of the recording sheet and holds the recording sheet together with the conveying roller 60. Thereby, the rotational force of the conveyance roller 60 is reliably transmitted to the recording paper. The spur roller 63 is also provided in the same manner as the paper discharge roller 62. However, since the spur roller 63 is in pressure contact with the recorded recording paper, the roller surface is uneven in a spur shape so as not to deteriorate the image recorded on the recording paper. It has become.

FIG. 11 shows the configuration of the control unit 64 of the multifunction machine 1. The control unit 64 controls the overall operation of the multi-function device 1 including not only the scanner unit 2 but also the printer unit 3, but the scanner unit 3 is not the main configuration of the present invention, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. . As shown in the figure, the control unit 64 is configured as a microcomputer mainly including a CPU 65, a ROM 66, a RAM 67, and an EEPROM 68, and is connected to an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 70 via a bus 69. The control unit 64 implements a control unit and a cartridge detection unit according to the present invention.

  The ROM 66 stores programs for controlling various operations of the multifunction machine 1. The RAM 67 is used as a storage area or a work area for temporarily recording various data used when the CPU 65 executes the program. The EEPROM 68 stores settings and flags that should be retained even after the power is turned off.

  The ASIC 70 generates a phase excitation signal and the like for energizing the LF (conveyance) motor 71 in accordance with a command from the CPU 65, applies the signal to the drive circuit 72 of the LF motor 71, and drives the drive signal via the drive circuit 72. The LF motor 71 is rotated by energizing the LF motor 71.

  The drive circuit 72 drives the LF motor 71 connected to the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 60, the paper discharge roller 62, and the purge mechanism 48, receives an output signal from the ASIC 70, and receives the LF motor 71. An electric signal for rotating the is formed. In response to the electrical signal, the LF motor 71 rotates, and the rotational force of the LF motor 71 is fed via a known drive mechanism including a gear, a drive shaft, and the like, through the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 60, the paper discharge roller 62, And is transmitted to the purge mechanism 48.

  Similarly, the ASIC 70 generates a phase excitation signal and the like for energizing a CR (carriage) motor 73 in accordance with a command from the CPU 65, applies the signal to the drive circuit 74 of the CR motor 73, and passes through the drive circuit 74. Thus, the rotation control of the CR motor 73 is performed by energizing the CR motor 73 with a drive signal.

  The drive circuit 74 drives the CR motor 73 connected to the scanning carriage 38 and receives an output signal from the ASIC 70 to form an electrical signal for rotating the CR motor 73. Upon receipt of the electrical signal, the CR motor 73 rotates, and the rotational force of the CR motor 73 is transmitted to the scanning carriage 38 via the belt drive mechanism 44, whereby the scanning carriage 38 is scanned.

  The drive circuit 75 selectively ejects ink from the inkjet recording head 39 to the recording paper at a predetermined timing, and receives an output signal generated by the ASIC 70 based on a drive control procedure output from the CPU 65. The inkjet recording head 39 is driven and controlled.

  In addition, an ink sensor 19 disposed in the cartridge mounting portion 6 is connected to the ASIC 70. As described above, the ink sensor 19 is for detecting the presence or absence of ink in the ink chamber 11 from the difference in reflected light depending on the presence or absence of ink in the ink chamber 11 of the ink cartridge 40. Is output to the ASIC 70, and based on the output, the CPU 65 determines the presence or absence of each color ink in the ink chamber 11 of each ink cartridge 40. If it is determined that there is no ink in any of the ink cartridges 40, a warning that the ink should be replaced is displayed on the operation panel 4 or the screen of a computer connected via the parallel I / F 78 or USB I / F 79. Display is performed.

  Further, the bidirectional pump 7 is connected to the ASIC 70, and the ASIC 70 outputs an output signal for driving the bidirectional pump 7 based on a control signal output from the CPU 65. Drive controlled. Such drive control is performed independently for each bidirectional pump 7 connected to each ink tube 41.

  The ASIC 70 is connected to a rotary encoder 76 for detecting the amount of rotation of the transport roller 60 and a linear encoder 77 for detecting the amount of movement of the scanning carriage 38.

  Also, the ASIC 70 has a scanner unit 3, an operation panel 4 for instructing operation of the multifunction device 1, a slot unit 5 into which various small memory cards are inserted, an external device such as a personal computer, and a parallel cable or a USB cable. A parallel interface 78 and a USB interface 79 for transmitting and receiving data are connected. Further, an NCU (Network Control Unit) 80 and MODEM 81 for realizing a facsimile function are also connected.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 64 includes a main substrate 82, and recording signals and the like are transmitted from the main substrate 82 to the inkjet recording head 39 through the flat cable 83. The flat cable 83 is a ribbon-shaped one in which a conductor for transmitting an electrical signal such as a recording signal is covered with a synthetic resin film such as a polyester film and insulated, and a control board (not shown) for the main board 82 and the inkjet recording head 39. And is electrically connected. Further, the flat cable 83 is led out from the scanning carriage 38 in the reciprocating direction, and is bent in a substantially U shape in the vertical direction. The substantially U-shaped portion is not fixed to other members, and is scanned. The posture changes following the reciprocation of the carriage 38.

Hereinafter, an image recording operation in the printer unit 2 will be described.
When print data is transmitted from the computer or the small memory card to the control unit 64, the printer unit 2 of the multifunction machine 1 starts feeding the recording paper held on the paper feed tray 20. That is, the LF motor 71 is driven and transmitted to the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62, and the recording paper is fed from the paper feed tray 20 to the transport path 23. The recording sheet is conveyed while being reversed so as to make a U-turn upward along the conveyance path 23.

  When the leading edge of the recording paper is conveyed directly below the ink jet recording head 39, the ink is ejected from the ink jet recording head 39 based on the print data and the edge information while moving the scanning carriage 38. Record images in the direction. Then, the recording paper is conveyed by a predetermined line feed width, and the ink is ejected from the ink jet recording head 39 while moving the scanning carriage 38 again, thereby recording an image in the width direction of the recording paper. By repeating this until the trailing edge of the recording sheet, image recording on the recording sheet is performed.

Next, the operation when the ink cartridge 40 is replaced will be described with reference to FIG.
When the control unit 64 determines that there is no ink in the ink chamber 11 of each of the ink cartridges 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 40K based on the output of the ink sensor 19 (S1), the liquid crystal display unit of the operation panel 4 Alternatively, if a computer is connected to the multifunction device 1, the ink exchange display is performed on the display of the computer (S2). In this ink replacement display, the control unit displays which of the ink cartridges 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 40K for each color of CMYBk can be identified. As a result, the user can grasp the color of the ink cartridge 40 to be replaced. The warning display may be output as an error display. For example, control may be performed so that the image recording operation cannot be executed until the ink cartridge replacement is completed.

  The user replaces the ink cartridge 40 that has run out of ink according to the warning display. More specifically, the emptied ink cartridge 40 is detached from the cartridge mounting portion 6 so as to be detached, and a new ink cartridge 40 is mounted. When the ink cartridge 40 is detached from the cartridge mounting portion 6, the tip of the ink needle 17 inserted into the ink chamber 11 is exposed to the atmosphere. When a new ink cartridge 40 is mounted, the ink needle 17 penetrates the seal member 13 and the tip of the ink needle 17 penetrates into the ink chamber 11 filled with ink. As a result, the ink in the ink chamber 11 is guided to the ink tube 41 by the ink needle 17.

  By the replacement operation of the ink cartridge 40, the air A enters the ink needle 17 as shown in FIG. The capacity of the air A is not necessarily constant in the replacement work of the ink cartridge 40. However, if the capacity of the air A is large, the ink passage in the ink needle 17 may be blocked, and the capacity of the air A is small. Both serve as nuclei for growing bubbles in the ink needle 17 and the ink tube 41, and cause ink ejection failure from the inkjet recording head 39.

  When a new ink cartridge 40 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 6, the control unit 64 determines that there is ink based on the output of the ink sensor 19 (S3). Thereby, it can be detected that the ink cartridge 40 has been replaced. Based on this detection, the control unit 64 deletes the warning display that prompts ink replacement, and also deletes the error display if an error display is being displayed.

Then, the control unit 64 drives the bidirectional pump 7 to feed the ink in the ink tube 41 in which the ink cartridge 40 has been exchanged by a predetermined amount to the ink chamber 11 side of the ink cartridge 40 (S4). The ink supply amount is set to be larger than the maximum capacity of air A expected to enter the ink needle 17. On the other hand, if the ink supply amount is made larger than the maximum air capacity of the air A, the negative pressure in the ink passage in the ink jet recording head 39 becomes excessive, the meniscus of the ink discharge port 53 collapses, or the ink discharge port 53 Since air may enter, an appropriate ink feeding amount is set in consideration of these.

  By feeding the ink in the ink tube 41 to the ink chamber 11 side by the bidirectional pump 7, the ink flows out from the ink needle 17 to the ink chamber 11 side. Along with the flow of ink, the air A in the ink needle 17 is also discharged so as to be pushed out to the ink chamber 11. The air A discharged to the ink chamber 11 rises in the ink chamber 11 and enters the air in the ink chamber 11 from the ink level. As shown in FIG. 5, since the ink chamber 11 is opened to the atmosphere by a labyrinth-shaped vent hole 14, the air in the ink chamber 11 corresponding to the amount of ink pushed out to the ink chamber 11 by the bidirectional pump 7 Released externally. Therefore, even if ink is fed to the ink chamber 11 side, there is no pressure change in the ink chamber 11. Similarly, the air in the ink chamber 11 corresponding to the air A discharged into the ink chamber 11 is also released to the outside.

  Subsequently, the control unit 64 drives the bidirectional pump 7 to feed the ink in the ink tube 41 by a predetermined amount to the inkjet recording head 39 side (S5). This ink feed amount is the same as the ink amount fed to the ink chamber 11 side. Thereby, the negative pressure in the ink passage of the inkjet recording head 39 is returned to the original state. Then, the control unit 64 stops the bidirectional pump 7 and enters a standby state (S6).

  As described above, when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted, the control unit 64 drives the bidirectional pump 7 to feed the ink in the ink tube 41 to the ink chamber 11 by a predetermined amount, whereby the ink cartridge. The air A that has entered the ink needle 17 by the exchanging operation 40 is discharged into the ink chamber 11 together with the fed ink. Thereby, the air A that has entered the ink needle 17 can be easily and reliably removed without discarding the ink in the ink tube 41.

  In particular, as in the present embodiment, the ink path is long in the configuration in which the ink jet recording head 39 and the cartridge mounting portion 6 are arranged independently and the cartridge mounting portion 6 and the ink jet recording head 39 are connected by the ink tube 41. Therefore, if the air A is discharged to the inkjet recording head 39 side by the purge mechanism 48, there is a problem that the amount of ink discharged together with the air A increases. However, as described above, the ink in the ink tube 41 is used as the ink. By feeding to the chamber 11 side, the air A in the ink needle 17 can be discharged without discarding the ink. Further, since the air A does not enter the ink tube 41, there is an advantage that bubbles do not grow in the ink tube 41 with the air A as a core.

  Note that when the ink cartridges 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 40K are provided for each color of CMYBk as in the present embodiment, the control unit 64 has the bidirectional pump 7 corresponding to the replaced ink cartridge. May be driven. Thereby, the air A is surely discharged from the ink needle 17 corresponding to the replaced ink cartridge.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 64 drives the bidirectional pump 7 to supply the ink in the ink tube 41 in which the ink cartridge 40 has been replaced to the ink chamber 11 side of the ink cartridge 40 by a predetermined amount. After feeding (S4), the bidirectional pump 7 is driven in the reverse direction to feed a predetermined amount of ink in the ink tube 41 to the inkjet recording head 39 side (S5). In other words, the negative pressure in the ink passage of the ink jet recording head 39 is restored to the original state without driving the bidirectional pump 7 in the reverse direction due to the difference in water head between these inks. When returning, a step of feeding a predetermined amount of ink in the ink tube 41 to the ink jet recording head 39 side S5) may be omitted.

  In this embodiment, the ink is led out from the ink chamber 11 of the ink cartridge 40 by the ink needle 17. However, the lead-out portion for leading the ink from the ink supply port 12 of the ink cartridge 40 is the ink needle 17. It is not limited to, For example, other well-known structures, such as a non-return valve, can be employ | adopted.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the control unit 64 determines whether or not the ink cartridge 40 is mounted by detecting the presence or absence of ink in the ink chamber 11 by the ink sensor 19, but the cartridge detection unit according to the present invention is as follows. For example, an ink sensor other than an optical sensor is used, or an electrical contact is provided in the ink cartridge 40, and an electrode that can be in contact with the electrical contact is provided in the cartridge mounting portion 6, and the electrode is electrically connected. Other known configurations that can detect the mounting of the ink cartridge, such as a configuration that determines the mounting of the ink cartridge 40 based on the state of conduction with the target contact, can be employed.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the above embodiment, the control unit 64 drives the bidirectional pump 7 when the ink cartridge 40 is replaced to feed the ink in the ink tube 41 to the ink chamber 11 side. In the embodiment, after the ink cartridge 40 is mounted, the control unit 64 periodically drives the bidirectional pump 7 to feed the ink in the ink tube 41 to the ink chamber 11 side. The configuration of the multifunction device 1 is the same as that of the above embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As in the above embodiment, even when the control unit 64 drives the bidirectional pump 7 and feeds ink to the ink chamber 11 side when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted, the air A in the ink needle 17 remains. It may not be completely discharged. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the tip portion of the ink needle 17 is pointed so that the seal member 13 can be easily pierced, and the hole 34 communicating with the hollow portion of the ink needle 17 is formed on the side surface of the pointed tip portion. It has been drilled. Such a shape is used for reasons of molding in, for example, synthetic resin ink needles, or in order to make it difficult for strips of the seal member to enter the ink needle when the ink needle is inserted into the seal member. Adopted. For example, it is assumed that the air A in the ink needle 17 remains without being completely discharged because of the shape of the ink needle 17.

  As described above, the air A remaining in the ink needle 17 causes bubbles to grow in the ink needle 17 and the ink passage in the ink tube 41 even if the volume of the air A is small, and the air A grows into a bubble. Become. Therefore, it is necessary to discharge bubbles that have grown with the remaining air A serving as a nucleus.

Hereinafter, periodic driving of the bidirectional pump 7 will be described with reference to FIG.
Upon receiving an image recording command input by the user to the operation panel 4 or the computer (S11), the control unit 64 drives the bidirectional pump 7 to place the ink in the ink tube 41 toward the ink chamber 11 side of the ink cartridge 40. Only a fixed amount is fed (S12). This ink feeding is performed in all the ink tubes 41 by driving all the bidirectional pumps 7 connected to the ink tubes 41 for each color of CMYBk. Further, the feeding amount of each color ink is set similarly to the above embodiment.

  As in the above embodiment, the ink in the ink tube 41 is fed to the ink chamber 11 side by the bidirectional pump 7 so that the ink flows out from the ink needle 17 to the ink chamber 11 side. At the same time, the remaining air A in the ink needle 17 or the bubbles grown using the air A as a nucleus is discharged so as to be pushed out to the ink chamber 11. Then, the air A or bubbles discharged to the ink chamber 11 are released to the outside through the vent hole 14.

  Subsequently, the control unit 64 drives the bidirectional pump 7 to feed the ink in the ink tube 41 by a predetermined amount to the inkjet recording head 39 side (S13). This ink feeding is also performed in all the ink tubes 41 by driving all the bidirectional pumps 7 connected to the ink tubes 41 for each color of CMYBk. The ink supply amount is the same as the ink amount supplied to the ink chamber 11 side. Thereby, the negative pressure in the ink passage of the inkjet recording head 39 is returned to the original state. Then, the control unit 64 stops the bidirectional pump 7 (S14). Then, image recording is performed on the recording paper by the image recording operation shown in the above embodiment (S15).

  Thereby, the air A remaining in the ink needle 17 without being discharged when the ink cartridge 40 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 6 or the bubbles grown using the air A as a nucleus is discharged from the ink needle 17 to the ink chamber. can do.

  In the present embodiment, the timing at which the control unit 64 periodically drives the bidirectional pump 7 has been described as an example of the image recording operation. However, the periodic bidirectional pump driving according to the present invention is described below. Of course, the image recording operation is not limited. Therefore, for example, the bidirectional pump 7 may be driven when the multifunction device 1 is turned on, or a timer may be provided to drive the bidirectional pump after a predetermined time has elapsed after the power is turned on or after the ink cartridge 40 is installed. Good.

  The bidirectional pump 7 described above is provided at an intermediate point of the ink tube 41 and directly supplies ink. However, the bidirectional pump 7 is not limited to such a configuration, and a valve is provided in the atmosphere communication hole 14 of the ink tank 40. A configuration such as an air pump that is connected via a cable may be used. In this form, the ink in the ink tank 40 is indirectly supplied by vacuuming the air in the ink tank 40, and conversely, the ink in the ink chamber is pressurized by sending air into the ink tank 40, Ink is fed in 39 directions to the ink jet recording head with the pressure. Further, in this case, since the pump does not handle ink directly, even if a plurality of pumps are not prepared for a plurality of cartridges, a single pump is used to switch by a valve or the like to apply a negative air pressure to a desired cartridge. A configuration in which pressurization is applied can also be adopted.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a multifunction machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal configuration of the multifunction machine 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 2. FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 2. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the ink cartridge 40C. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the cartridge mounting portion 6. FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the ink jet recording head 39. FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the inkjet recording head 39. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the screw pump 90. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the vane pump 97. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 64 of the multifunction machine 1. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the driving of the bidirectional pump 7 when the ink cartridge is replaced. FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which the air A has entered the ink needle 17. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an operation for driving the bidirectional pump 7 periodically. FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which the air A remains in the ink needle 17.

1 ... Multifunction machine (inkjet recording device)
6 ... cartridge mounting part 7 ... bi-directional pump 11 ... ink chamber 12 ... ink supply port 13 ... seal member 14 ... vent hole 17 ... ink needle (lead-out part)
38 ... Scanning carriage (image recording unit)
39: Inkjet recording head 40, 40C, 40M, 40Y, 40K ... Ink cartridge 41, 41C, 41M, 41Y, 41K ... Ink tube (ink passage, flexible tube)
64... Control unit (control means, ink cartridge detection means)

Claims (12)

An ink chamber having ink stored therein and an ink supply port formed in the ink chamber, and supplying ink from the ink chamber through the ink supply port;
A cartridge mounting portion having an ink needle that detachably holds the ink cartridge, guides ink in an ink chamber from the ink supply port, and can penetrate a seal member that seals the ink supply port of the ink cartridge;
An ink cartridge detecting means for detecting that an operation of mounting the ink cartridge on the cartridge mounting portion is performed;
An image recording unit having an inkjet recording head for discharging ink supplied from the ink cartridge as ink droplets;
An ink passage connecting the ink needle and the image recording unit, and allowing ink to flow between an ink chamber of the ink cartridge and an ink jet recording head of the image recording unit;
A bi-directional pump capable of bi-directionally feeding ink flowing through the ink passage;
When the ink cartridge detection means detects the mounting of the ink cartridge, the bidirectional pump is driven to feed a predetermined amount of ink to the ink chamber side, and then the bidirectional pump is driven in reverse. And an ink jet recording apparatus comprising: control means for feeding ink to the ink jet recording head side by substantially the same predetermined amount.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink needle is formed with a hole communicating with a hollow portion on a side surface of a pointed tip portion. The image recording unit is arranged independently of the cartridge mounting unit and reciprocates in a predetermined direction.
The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink passage includes a flexible tube that changes its posture following the reciprocation of the image recording unit.   4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink cartridge is provided with a labyrinth-shaped air hole that opens the ink chamber to the atmosphere. Said control means, after the ink cartridge is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion drives regularly the bidirectional pump to feed a predetermined amount of ink into the ink chamber side, and the ink jet recording The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein substantially the same predetermined amount of ink is fed to a head side . When receiving the print command, the control device drives the bi-directional pump when at least one of the predetermined time has elapsed when the apparatus power is turned on, and supplies a predetermined amount of ink to the ink chamber side. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the ink is fed and substantially the same predetermined amount of ink is fed to the ink jet recording head side . A plurality of ink cartridges having an ink chamber in which ink is stored and an ink supply port formed in the ink chamber, and supplying ink from the ink chamber through the ink supply port;
An ink needle that holds the plurality of ink cartridges in a detachable manner, guides ink in the ink chamber from the ink supply port for each ink cartridge, and penetrates a seal member that seals the ink supply port of the ink cartridge. A cartridge mounting portion having
Ink cartridge detection means for detecting that an operation of mounting an ink cartridge on the cartridge mounting portion is performed corresponding to each of the plurality of ink cartridges;
An image recording unit having an inkjet recording head that discharges ink supplied from the plurality of ink cartridges as ink droplets;
A plurality of ink passages that connect the ink needles and the image recording unit and allow ink to flow independently between the ink chamber of each ink cartridge and the ink jet recording head of the image recording unit;
A bi-directional pump capable of independently and bi-directionally feeding ink flowing through each ink passage;
When the ink cartridge detecting means detects the mounting of the ink cartridge, the bi-directional pump is driven to feed a predetermined amount of ink to the ink chamber side independently for each ink passage; An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a control unit that reversely drives the bidirectional pump to feed substantially the same predetermined amount of ink to the ink jet recording head side.   The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control device feeds a predetermined amount of ink to a corresponding ink chamber only for a cartridge in which mounting is detected. Said control means, after the ink cartridge is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion drives regularly the bidirectional pump to feed a predetermined amount of ink into the ink chamber side, and the ink jet recording The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein substantially the same predetermined amount of ink is fed to the head side . When receiving the print command, the control device drives the bi-directional pump when at least one of the predetermined time has elapsed when the apparatus power is turned on, and supplies a predetermined amount of ink to the ink chamber side. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the ink is fed and substantially the same predetermined amount of ink is fed to the ink jet recording head side . An ink chamber having ink stored therein and an ink supply port formed in the ink chamber, the ink cartridge supplying ink from the ink chamber through the ink supply port, and the ink cartridge being detachably held; A cartridge mounting portion having an ink needle that can lead out ink in the ink chamber from the ink supply port and pass through a seal member that seals the ink supply port of the ink cartridge; and an ink droplet supplied from the ink cartridge As a result, the ink recording head having the ink jet recording head that discharges the ink, and the ink needle and the image recording portion are connected to allow ink to flow between the ink chamber of the ink cartridge and the ink jet recording head of the image recording portion. The ink passage and the ink flowing through the ink passage can be fed in both directions. A control method for an ink jet recording apparatus comprising a direction pump, and
Detecting that an ink cartridge is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion;
When mounting of the ink cartridge is detected, the bi-directional pump is driven to feed a predetermined amount of ink to the ink chamber side, and then the bi-directional pump is driven in the reverse direction so that ink is recorded in the ink jet recording. And a step of feeding substantially the same predetermined amount to the head side. After the ink cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion,
Receiving the print command, insertion of the device power supply, in response to at least one of a predetermined time has elapsed, by driving regularly the bidirectional pump to feed a predetermined amount of ink into the ink chamber side, and the 12. The method of controlling an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a step of feeding substantially the same predetermined amount of ink to the ink jet recording head side .

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