JPH0781077A - Ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an ink jet recording apparatus facilitating the detachment of a replaceable ink cartridge from a recording head by a simple mechanism, capable of certainly keeping the connected state of the ink cartridge and the recording head and capable of developing the function of the replaceable ink cartridge without bringing about the scaling-up of the apparatus. CONSTITUTION:In an ink jet recording apparatus constituted so that an ink cartridge 4 is made freely detachable with respect to a recording head 2 by the insertion/pulling-out operation of the ink cartridge 4 with respect to the housing 3 holding the recording head 2 at a specific position, the engagement of the ink cartridge 4 with the engaging means 16A provided to the housing 3 is released by the erecting operation of the handle means 18A provided to the ink cartridge 4 and the mounting state of the ink cartridge 4 to the recording head 2 is made releasable by the pulling-out operation of the ink cartridge.

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, and more particularly to an ink jet recording apparatus in which recording ink is supplied to a recording head from a removable ink cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an ink jet recording apparatus of this type, a thin ink supply pipe protruding from the recording head side is generally pushed into an ink supply port formed of an elastic material such as rubber on the ink cartridge side. The recording head and the ink cartridge are configured so that they can be connected to each other so that ink can be supplied. Therefore, when joining, a considerable pushing force is required, and when replacing the ink cartridge when the ink is exhausted, a considerable force is also required to pull out the ink supply pipe from the ink supply port. In addition, various considerations have been made to keep the bonded state stable.

There is also a system in which the ink supply pipes are not press-fitted into the ink supply ports on the ink cartridge side as described above, but the respective ink supply passages are brought into pressure contact with each other, but in order to maintain the connected state. The mechanical lock mechanism becomes large.

[0004]

As described above, in the ink jet recording apparatus of the type in which the conventional ink cartridge is detachably attached to the recording head, a considerable force is required for its attachment and detachment, and its combined state. Various considerations are required for the mechanism for maintaining the. Therefore, up to now, the support mechanism of the recording head and the ink cartridge is often increased in size, and the ink capacity is often reduced. Further, as a support mechanism thereof, there is a possibility that the recording apparatus may loosen or come out due to vibration during movement of the recording apparatus.

An object of the present invention is to pay attention to such a conventional problem and to attach / detach it from / to a recording head with a simple mechanism, and moreover, to surely maintain the connected state, which leads to an increase in size of the apparatus. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording device that can fully exhibit the function of a replaceable ink cartridge.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ink jet recording in which an ink cartridge is detachably attached to the recording head by inserting / removing the recording head into / from a housing for holding the recording head at a predetermined position. In the apparatus, the ink cartridge is provided with a gripping means which can be tilted up and down, and the housing is provided with a locking means for keeping the ink cartridge mounted on the recording head, and the locking means is pulled up by the gripping means. The engagement of the ink cartridge with the casing by the above is released, and the mounting state of the ink cartridge with respect to the recording head can be released by the pulling-out operation of the grip means.

[0007]

According to the present invention, by inserting the ink cartridge into the housing, the ink cartridge can be attached to the recording head held in the housing, and the ink cartridge is held by the locking means provided in the housing. The ink cartridge can be kept attached, and when the ink cartridge is pulled out from the recording head and taken out from the housing, the locking state of the ink cartridge by the locking means is released by the raising operation of the tiltable gripping means. The state of attachment to the recording head can be released by the pulling operation of the handle means.

[0008]

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

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, an ink jet recording head and an ink cartridge for individually accommodating a plurality of colors of ink are mounted on a carriage, and a serial ink jet is used for recording while moving. An example of a recording device is shown.

Here, 1 is a carriage, 2 is an ink jet recording head which has an ink ejecting function, and ejects a plurality of colors of ink individually, 3 is a cartridge guide mounted on the carriage 1 together with the recording head 2, and 4 and 5 are The ink cartridge is detachably held by the cartridge guide 3. In the case of this example, one ink cartridge 4 is filled with black ink in its tank, and the other ink cartridge 5 is filled with three color inks of yellow, magenta, and cyan in individual tanks. Ink of different colors is supplied from each ink tank to the corresponding ink ejection portion of the recording head 2.

6A and 6B are guide shafts of the carriage 1,
Reference numeral 7 denotes a sheet retainer for holding the recording sheet S at the recording position, 8 denotes a feeding roller for guiding the recording sheet S to the recording position, and 9
Is a sheet feed roller that is capable of feeding the recording sheet S by that amount each time one line is printed, and 10 is a mounting frame. Reference numeral 11 is a feeding table for feeding the recording sheet S, 12 is a discharge roller for discharging the recording sheet S recorded by the recording head 2, and 13 is for preventing clogging of the recording head 2. The cap member covers the ink ejection surface of the recording head 2 outside the recording area.

Next, the relationship between the recording head 2 mounted on the carriage 1 and the cartridges 4 and 5 which are removably mounted on the recording head 2 via the cartridge guide 3 is shown in FIG.
Follow the instructions below.

In FIG. 2, the ink cartridge 5 is filled with the inks of the three colors separately as described above, and the individual ink tanks 5Y, 5M and 5 are provided.
The ink supply ports 14Y and 1Y formed of an elastic body such as rubber are provided in C in order to keep the liquid-tight state in the state before being combined.
4M and 14C are provided. 15Y, 15M, and 15C are provided on the recording head 2 side, and are connected to the ink cartridge 5 at the ink supply ports 14Y and 1Y, respectively.
The ink supply pipes are inserted into 4M and 14C, and the ink cartridge 4 housed in the black ink tank is also provided with an ink supply port (not shown).
An ink supply pipe (not shown) corresponding to the black ink supply port is provided on the recording head 2 side. Thus, when the ink in the ink tank is used up, the recording head 2 can be replaced for each of the cartridges 4 and 5.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the combined state of the recording head 2 (see FIG. 4) and the ink cartridges 4 and 5 according to the present invention and the operation at the time of taking them out. As shown in these figures, the ink cartridges 4 and 5 are mounted on the carriage 1.
Insertion port 3A of the cartridge guide 3 formed integrally with
And 3B, respectively, toward the ink supply pipe of the recording head 2. FIG. 4 shows the ink cartridge 4
Only the mounting state on the side of is shown, and 15BK is a black ink supply tube of the recording head 2. The ink cartridge 5 is also not shown, but the ink supply ports 14Y and 14Y of the ink cartridge 5 are similar to this.
Ink supply pipe 15 corresponding to the recording head 2 for M and 14C
Y, 15M, and 15C are configured to be inserted.

In these figures, 16A and 16B
Is a locking arm formed on the side surface related to the insertion openings 3A and 3B of the cartridge guide 3 through a slit, and the locking claws 1 are respectively provided on the upper ends of the locking arms 16A and 16B.
7A and 17B are formed. Further, 18A and 18B are sheet members whose upper surface portions are peelably adhered by an adhesive or the like from the upper surfaces of the ink cartridges 4 and 5 to the facing surfaces of the locking arms 16A and 16B (hereinafter, a tripping sheet). The end portions (hereinafter referred to as knob portions) 19A and 19B of the trip sheets 18A and 18B along the upper surface of the cartridge are formed so as to be easily grasped by being floated from the upper surface of the cartridge.

Therefore, when the ink cartridges 4 and 5 are connected to the recording head 2 as shown in FIG.
When the ink is used up and the cartridges 4 and / or 5 need to be replaced, the trip sheet 18A of the individual cartridges 4 and 5 is manually operated by the knob portion 19A as shown in FIG. Arrow A
Ink cartridge 4
While peeling off the portion of the sheet 18A that was adhered to the upper surface of the
Can be bent outward to release the locking claw 17A from the engagement state with the upper surface of the cartridge. Therefore, thereafter, the ink cartridge 4 together with the trip sheet 18A is pulled upward by the hand 20 as shown by the arrow A, and the ink supply port 14BK on the cartridge 4 side is tripped from the ink supply pipe 15BK of the recording head 2. The cartridge 4 can be taken out from the ink insertion port 3A.

It should be noted that the trip sheets 18A and 18B may be printed with a trademark, model number, cautionary note or the like to be shared with the label sheet.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show an example of the construction of an ink cartridge according to another embodiment of the present invention and the operation at the time of taking it out. In these figures, the ink cartridge 4,
Although the configuration of one of the cartridges 5, for example, the cartridge 4 is shown, it goes without saying that the other cartridge 5 has the same configuration. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 41 is a claw member provided upright from both side walls of the ink cartridge 4, reference numeral 42 is a thin hinge portion having flexibility to endure repeated bending, and reference numeral 43 is a cartridge main body together with the thin hinge portion 42. The handle piece 43 has a pull-up portion 43A into which a human finger can be inserted.

The ink cartridge 4 thus constructed
In the above, the recording head 2 can be mounted via the cartridge guide 3 in the same manner as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. At the time of replacement, as shown in FIG. 6, first, the claw member 41 that keeps the handle piece 43 folded on the upper surface of the ink cartridge 4 is disengaged manually, and then the handle piece 43 is removed. The raising portion 43A is raised in the direction of arrow C by hand or the like. Then, such a thin hinge portion 42 of the handle piece 43
By the rotating operation around, the locking arm 16A of the cartridge guide 3 can be bent at the base of the handle piece 43 to release the locked state to the ink cartridge 4. Therefore, after that, the ink cartridge 4 can be removed from the recording head 2 by pinching the vicinity of the raising portion 43A with a finger and pulling it up.

According to the present embodiment, since the handle piece 43 is formed so as to be foldable in the ink cartridge 4, it can be repeatedly attached to and detached from the recording head 2, so that the ink can be refilled. Suitable for cartridges.

In the above-described embodiment, two ink cartridges, that is, the black ink (black) ink cartridge 4 and the color ink cartridge 5, are detachably attached to the recording head 2. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and when two or more ink cartridges and one recording head or a corresponding number of recording heads are configured to be detachable from each other. Needless to say, is also applicable.

(Others) The present invention is provided with a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating heat energy as energy used for ejecting ink, particularly in the ink jet recording system. The present invention brings about excellent effects in a recording head and a recording apparatus of the type in which the state of ink is changed by the heat energy. This is because such a system can achieve high density recording and high definition recording.

Regarding the typical structure and principle thereof, see, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129 and US Pat. No. 4,740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
It can be applied to any of the continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recording information and giving a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter, and film boiling is caused on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal in a one-to-one correspondence
It is effective because bubbles can be formed inside. Due to the growth and contraction of the bubbles, the liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal into a pulse shape, because the bubble growth and contraction are immediately and appropriately performed, so that the ejection of the liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise on the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

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

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

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

Further, as the constitution of the recording apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to add an ejection recovery means of the recording head, a preliminary auxiliary means and the like because the effect of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, heating is performed by using a capping unit, a cleaning unit, a pressure or suction unit for the recording head, an electrothermal converter or a heating element other than this, or a combination thereof. Examples thereof include a preliminary heating unit for performing the discharge and a preliminary discharge unit for performing discharge different from the recording.

Regarding the type and number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, only one is provided corresponding to a single color ink, or a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities are supported. A plurality of pieces may be provided. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but it may be either the recording head is integrally formed or a plurality of combinations may be used. The present invention is also extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of full-color recording modes by color mixing.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the ink is described as a liquid, but an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used. Or, in the inkjet system, it is common to control the temperature of the ink itself within the range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is within the stable ejection range. Sometimes, a liquid ink may be used. In addition, the temperature rise due to thermal energy is positively prevented by using it as the energy of the state change of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or in order to prevent the evaporation of the ink, it is solidified and heated in the standing state. You may use the ink liquefied by. In any case, by applying thermal energy such as ink that is liquefied by applying thermal energy according to the recording signal and liquid ink is ejected, or that begins to solidify when it reaches the recording medium. The present invention can be applied to the case where an ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time is used. In this case, the ink is
JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-7
As described in Japanese Patent No. 1260, it may be configured to face the electrothermal converter in a state of being held as a liquid or a solid in the concave portion or the through hole of the porous sheet. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as the form of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, besides the one used as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile apparatus having a transmission / reception function It may be a form or the like.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus in which the ink cartridge can be attached to and detached from the recording head by inserting / removing the recording head into / from the housing for holding the recording head at a predetermined position, The ink cartridge is provided with a tiltable gripping means, the housing is provided with a locking means for keeping the ink cartridge mounted on the recording head, and the ink by the locking means is raised by the lifting operation of the gripping means. Since the lock state of the cartridge to the housing is released and the mounting state of the ink cartridge to the recording head can be released by the pulling-out operation of the handle means, the removable ink can be configured with a minimum number of parts. The cartridge can be easily held and removed, and the cartridge can be mounted with high reliability. It is possible to maintain.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a configuration according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing separately the configurations of the recording head and the ink cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an ink cartridge mounting state according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an ink cartridge replacement operation according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an ink cartridge replacement operation according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Carriage 2 (inkjet) recording head 3 Cartridge guide 3A, 3B insertion port 4,5 Ink cartridge 5Y, 5M, 5C Ink tank S Recording sheet 14Y, 14M, 14C, 14Bk Ink supply port 15Y, 15M, 15C, 15Bk Ink supply Pipe 16A, 16B Locking arm 17A, 17B Locking claw 18A, 18B Sheet member (tripping sheet) 19A, 19B End (knob) 20 Human hand 41 Claw member 42 Thin hinge part 43 Tripping handle 43A Pulling up Shibe

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording apparatus in which an ink cartridge is attachable to and detachable from the recording head by being inserted into and pulled out from a housing that holds the recording head at a predetermined position, and the ink cartridge is provided with a tiltable handle means. The housing is provided with locking means for keeping the ink cartridge mounted on the recording head, and the locking operation of the ink cartridge to the housing is released by the raising operation of the gripping means. An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the attached state of the ink cartridge to the recording head can be released by pulling out the handle means.