JPH04142944A - Inkjet recording device and its ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device that performs recording by depositing ink onto a recording material, and an ink cartridge that can be installed in the recording device.

[Background Art] In recent years, the inkjet method has attracted attention as one of the methods for recording on a recording material, and various recording devices have been developed. In this inkjet recording, a desired recorded image is obtained by ejecting or protruding ink from a recording means and depositing it on a recording material.The ink is configured to contain ink and is detachably attached to the apparatus. In many cases, the ink cartridge is attached to a recording apparatus and supplied to the recording means in the form of an ink cartridge or the like.

Ink supply using this type of ink cartridge is performed by communicating an ink supply needle provided on the ink cartridge mounting portion side of the recording apparatus with an ink supply passage port on the ink cartridge side.

By the way, with such a recording device, if you accidentally insert your hand into the ink cartridge installation part when replacing the ink cartridge or when the cartridge is not installed, your fingertips may touch the ink supply needle and cause injury. A protective member is provided to prevent this from happening.

As an example of such a protection member, a configuration shown in FIG. 5 has been proposed. That is, ink cartridge I
This configuration includes a protection plate provided with an opening/closing lock mechanism that blocks the mounting path in the middle of the mounting portion of C. Here, 751 is a protection plate that is swingable about the support shaft 752, and 753 is a locking member that restricts the swinging of the protection plate 751 by inserting it from both sides. According to this configuration, when the ink cartridge IC is inserted from the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure, the lock release members 754 provided on both sides of the cartridge side are released.
can release the restriction of the lock member 753 by pushing the lock member 753 open to both sides in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and when the ink cartridge IC is further inserted in the released state, the protection plate 751 is placed on the front side of the cartridge. It is pushed upward in the direction of arrow B in the figure, and the mounting path is released, allowing the cartridge IC to be mounted. In addition, the ink cartridge IC is pulled out (thereby, the lock member 753 that was released is rotated again in the direction of arrow C in the figure).
The protection plate 751 is engaged with the protective plate 751 to form a locked state, thereby forming a state in which the mounting path is shielded.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] On the other hand, recently, an apparatus that performs color recording by inkjet recording has been proposed. To perform color recording, it is necessary to install a plurality of recording means and a plurality of ink cartridges containing a plurality of different colors of ink to supply ink to the apparatus.

As described above, the mechanism of the ink cartridge mounting portion in a printing apparatus compatible with such color printing also needs to be configured to prevent insertion of a hand or the like. However, when the above-mentioned structure is applied, either the structure in which the ink cartridges are stacked upwardly or the structure in which they are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction requires a large-scale mechanism, or the ink cartridges are provided with a lock release member. This is undesirable because it leads to an increase in the size of the device.

In addition, there are cases where multiple ink cartridges are installed at once, and even if an ink cartridge of a given color is installed in the ink cartridge installation section of a different color by mistake, the above-described configuration will not cause any problem. This may cause mixing of the inks, making it impossible to obtain the desired recording.

Furthermore, when the ink cartridge is installed in the device, it is necessary to ensure communication between the ink supply needle and the ink supply outlet, and if the ink cartridge is not installed securely, ink supply may be disrupted. This may result in you not being able to achieve a sufficient record.

In addition, the applicant has proposed a configuration in which information such as differences in recording characteristics between inks is added to the cartridge, and this information is read by the recording apparatus itself to perform predetermined optimal recording. It is necessary to ensure the connection state with the media that has been read, and the reading position must be appropriately defined. If this connection is not suitable,
There is a risk that information may become unreadable or misjudgment may occur.

The present invention effectively prevents incorrect installation of ink cartridges, which is particularly important when performing such color recording, and also ensures safety in handling the device with a simple and compact configuration, and ensures reliable cartridge installation. Another object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording device that can ensure a reliable connection state of ink supply parts, and an ink cartridge used therein.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been proposed to achieve the above-mentioned object, and is provided to a recording means used for recording by depositing ink on a recording medium. In an inkjet recording device, the inkjet recording device includes a mounting section into which an ink cartridge containing ink stored therein is removably mounted, an opening/closing plate held in a freely openable/closing manner in the middle of the ink cartridge mounting path of the mounting section, and the opening/closing plate. A regulating member for regulating the opening operation of the opening/closing plate is provided, and the regulating member is configured to restrict the opening operation by sandwiching the opening/closing plate, and is arranged at a predetermined angle above the opening/closing plate so as to be substantially vertical. A pair of fulcrums are provided in a square shape, and come into contact with a part of the front surface of the ink cartridge when the ink cartridge is inserted, and are installed on a part of the regulating member as the ink cartridge is inserted. It is characterized in that the pair of regulating members are configured to rotate outward substantially simultaneously to release the regulation of the opening/closing plate.

Further, the present invention provides a plurality of ink cartridges each containing ink to be removably attached to a plurality of recording means used for performing color recording by attaching different inks to a recording medium. In an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with a plurality of mounting sections, the ink supply section and the ink supply are engaged with cutouts unique to the cartridges for different colors formed in a part of the front surface of the ink cartridge. an ink supply connection that is connected to and communicates with an ink supply section provided in the ink cartridge for supplying the ink contained in the ink cartridge; and a reading means for reading the information from an information presentation member provided in the ink cartridge for presenting the information regarding the ink cartridge, the engagement start position with the erroneous installation prevention member, the ink cartridge. A communication start position between the supply connecting means and the ink and a contact start position with the reading means are arranged in this order in the mounting direction of the ink cartridge.

Furthermore, the present invention provides an ink cartridge containing ink to be supplied to a recording means used for recording by depositing ink on a recording medium, which is provided in an ink cartridge mounting portion of a recording apparatus main body. a notch that engages with an erroneous attachment prevention member for preventing erroneous attachment; and an ink that connects with an ink supply connecting means provided in the recording apparatus main body to supply ink contained in the ink cartridge. and an information presentation member for contacting a reading member provided on the recording apparatus main body to read information related to the ink cartridge itself and presenting the information, the information presentation member being connected to the erroneous installation prevention member. The cutout portion and the ink are arranged so that the engagement, the communication between the ink supply connecting means and the ink, and the contact with the reading means are performed in this order as the ink cartridge is installed. It is characterized in that a supply section and the information presentation section are arranged.

According to claim 1 of the present invention, the locking member of the opening/closing plate can be easily released using the front part of the cartridge without providing any special structure to the ink cartridge, and the structure can be made smaller.

Further, according to claim 6 or claim 9, for each of the notch portion of the ink cartridge, the ink supply portion, and the information presentation portion, an erroneous installation prevention member, an ink supply connecting means, and a reading means on the apparatus main body side are provided. Since the respective contact or connection start positions are arranged in a predetermined relationship, it is possible to reliably install the ink cartridge.

In addition, the notch provided in the ink cartridge is different for each color of ink, and the position of the corresponding incorrect installation prevention member on the main body of the device is provided differently for each color of ink. This reliably prevents incorrect installation of ink cartridges when performing

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied can be a monochrome or color printer, but it is particularly effective for a color printer that performs recording using a plurality of different inks.

FIG. 3(A) shows an ink cartridge to which the present invention is applied, which is used in such a color printer.

Shown in (B) and (C). As shown in the figure, the ink cartridge IC has a vertical dimension of 10 gmm and a horizontal dimension of 75 mm.
The housing 711 has an external shape with a height of 022 mm. A flexible ink bag containing ink is housed in the housing 711, and a rubber stopper 712 is provided as an ink supply part to lead out ink from the ink bag. ing. When the ink cartridge IC is installed in the ink cartridge mounting portion of the apparatus, the ink supply needle 714 of the apparatus pierces the rubber stopper 712, and the ink inside the ink bag is supplied to the recording head via the supply path of the apparatus. Ru. The rubber stopper 712 is placed facing the outer surface of the housing 711 as shown in FIG. 3(C), and has a height d of 12.4 mm and a center located at a distance of 637 mm from the side surface. are doing. Note that in this example, the rubber plug 712 is attached to the ink cartridge IC.
It is set back about 3 mm from the front of the. This is to prevent ink from adhering to fingers or the like even if ink adheres to the surface of the rubber stopper 712.

Further, on the upper surface of the ink cartridge IC, a resistor 715 having a predetermined resistance value is provided on the upper surface 901c of the ink cartridge IC on the ink supply section side, as shown in FIG. 3(A). Distance from side tip surface f 6mm
, length h12mm at a distance g6mm from the side,
A pair of contacts having a width i of 6 mm and a pitch j of 7 mm are arranged so that part of the corner thereof is located.

The resistor 715 is determined to be conductive, non-conductive, or the contact point 715 is determined by a resistor reading means 718 provided on the device side.
The resistance value between a and 715b is read, and ink information (ink color, ink concentration, ink composition, etc. )
is granted.

As shown in FIG. 3(B), a cutout portion 716 having a predetermined shape is provided on the bottom side of the ink cartridge IC in a region opposing the resistor 715. As shown in FIG. This cutout part 716 is a unique part cut out for each different ink cartridge IC used when performing color recording, and is a part of the cutout part 716 that is unique to each different ink cartridge IC used when performing color recording.
By matching the engagement with 9, only the ink cartridge IC containing a predetermined ink can be installed, thereby preventing incorrect installation. This notch 716 is
Length k 9mm from the side of the cartridge Ink supply section 7
It is formed between the area near the 14 side and the area in front of the ink supply section 7120, and in this example, the width is 13.5 m.
m, depth n 9mm notches at intervals m 2mm 4
It is possible to form one.

For example, a black ink cartridge IC (901B
K) is a cyan ink ink cartridge IC (901G) with a notch 716 located at the position closest to the side.
Next to it is the magenta ink cartridge I.
C (901M) is a notch 716 showing cyan ink.
Next to it, there is also a yellow ink cartridge I.
C (901Y) has a notch 71 closest to the ink supply side.
6 can be formed, and by forming, for example, a protrusion that serves as a corresponding erroneous attachment prevention member 719 on the apparatus side, it is possible to prevent attachment of ink cartridges other than the predetermined ink cartridge IC.

In addition, this ink cartridge IC is installed on the bottom of the housing to facilitate installation into the installation part of the device, and also to form a gap between it and the bottom of the installation part, so that even if ink accidentally leaks, the ink cartridge can be easily installed. Two guide parts 71 have the effect of suppressing the spread of dirt on the bottom of the device.
7.

Furthermore, a portion of the ink cartridge IC adjacent to the ink supply section 712 is provided with a waste ink collection lower 20 for collecting waste ink that has not been used for recording, and is provided below the ink bag inside the ink cartridge. The structure is such that the waste ink is guided to the waste ink absorber. A thin brush-like sheet member is placed between the waste ink absorber and the bottom of the ink cartridge, and the collected waste ink is caused to generate capillary action in the gap formed between the sheet member and the ink cartridge. The ink can be absorbed into the entire absorber not only from the vicinity of the collection lower 20 but also from around the inside of the ink cartridge.

On the other hand, the ink cartridge mounting section on the recording device side
The structure is as shown in Figures (Al, (B), (C)).

That is, in the middle of the ink cartridge mounting path of the mounting section, there are provided an opening/closing plate 721 that has an area approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of the ink cartridge and is held openable and closable, and a regulating member 722 that restricts the opening operation of the opening/closing plate. There is. This opening/closing plate 721 prevents the ink supply needle 714 from accidentally inserting the operator's hand into the mounting part when no ink cartridge IC is installed or when replacing multiple ink cartridge ICs at once. It functions as a protective member to protect the tip from injury. When the opening/closing plate 721 has no ink cartridge installed, a notch 723 formed in the regulating member 722 engages with a part of the opening/closing plate 721, as shown in FIG. 4(A). It is configured to restrict the opening operation.

Here, the opening/closing plate 721 is a rectangular plate-like member that is rotatable around a fulcrum 724, and other members such as an ink supply needle 714 and a resistance detection reading member 718 are located within the rotation radius. It is installed in a position where it will not come into contact with other objects. Alternatively, a predetermined portion is cut out so as not to come into contact with these members. By cutting out a predetermined portion in this manner, the position of the fulcrum 724 and the positions of the ink supply needle 714 and the resistance detection reading member 718 can be configured to be close to each other, thereby contributing to miniaturization of the apparatus. In this example, as shown in FIG. 4(B), notches 725 and 726 are provided so as not to come into contact with the ink supply needle 714 and the resistance detection reading member 718. Two regulating members 722 for regulating the opening operation of the opening/closing plate 721 are provided at the upper part of the opening/closing plate 721, and the regulating members 722 are provided at the upper part of the opening/closing plate 721.
The fulcrum 727 of the regulating portion 722 comes into contact with the upper side portion 901b of the ink cartridge IC as the ink cartridge IC is inserted.
It has a shape with a sloped portion 728 so as to be able to rotate outward around , and is attached at an angle of about 45 degrees θ1 with respect to the vertical direction. The above-mentioned slope 728 is formed at an angle of about θ2 of about 30@ with respect to the intrusion direction. These angles of the regulating member 722 with respect to the insertion direction of the ink cartridge IC are important in achieving good insertion of the ink cartridge IC. That is, θ1 is necessary in order to transfer the force pushed by the ink cartridge IC to a component pushing the regulating member 722 outward as indicated by the arrow E direction in the figure, and is a vector component pushing the regulating member 722 outward. Any number of angles is acceptable as long as the angle increases, but more preferably an angle of about 45 degrees or more allows the regulating member 722 to be pushed outward reliably and favorably with a small force for inserting the ink cartridge IC.

On the other hand, the angle θ2 of the slope portion 728 of the regulating member 722 is synergistic with the angle 01 described above to transfer the force caused by the insertion of the ink cartridge IC to the force that pushes the regulating member 722 outward. However, it is sufficient if the objective can be achieved in relation to θI, and a practical range is 45° or less, and a preferable angle is around 30°.

In this example, the angle θ1 of the regulating member 722 is adjusted by using a stopper 729 as shown in FIG. 4(B). Further, the regulating member 722 is an ink cartridge IC.
It is pressed from above by a leaf spring 730 so as to properly restrict the opening/closing plate 721 when the opening/closing plate 721 is pulled out.

When the ink cartridge IC is inserted, the pair of regulating members 722, which are provided in a substantially V-shape at the above-mentioned angles, close the part 90 of the front surface 901a of the ink cartridge IC.
1b, and as the ink cartridge IC is inserted, the pair of regulating members 722 rotate outward almost simultaneously about the fulcrum 727 of the regulating member 722, thereby releasing the regulation of the opening/closing plate 721.

Note that the regulating member 722 is preferably provided at a position where it does not come into sliding contact with the resistor 715 provided on the upper surface 901c of the ink cartridge IC to be inserted.

Furthermore, the lengths of the notch 723 provided in the regulating member 722 are approximately equal. As shown in FIG. 4(A), the front side 722a of the regulating member 722 comes into contact with the upper side 901b of the ink cartridge at a position indicated by a black square, and the regulating member 722 is gradually pushed up and moved forward. It is preferable that the rear side 722b releases the restriction of the opening/closing plate 721 when the restriction member 722 is in the position (■) where it is completely pushed up. After the regulating member 722 is completely released, insert the ink cartridge I in the position of ■.
The front surface 901a of C comes into contact with the opening/closing plate 721 and the opening/closing plate 7
By satisfying the positional relationship in which the opening/closing plate 721 is pushed open, the regulation of the opening/closing plate 721 can be properly released. It is sufficient that the position (2) and the position (2) are slightly shifted (p), and in this example, they are formed with a shift of about 2 to 3 mm, but the present invention is not limited to this.

The opening/closing plate 721 is attached to the front surface 901a of the ink cartridge IC.
By releasing the ink cartridge IC and inserting the ink cartridge IC with the entry path secured, the ink supply section 712 of the ink cartridge IC and the ink supply means 7 on the apparatus side are
14, thereby making it possible to supply ink to the recording head.

The surroundings of the ink supply means 714 of the recording apparatus are shown in FIG.
), as shown in (C), the ink cartridge IC
A convex portion 719 that engages with a notch 716 provided on the ink cartridge side to prevent incorrect insertion of the ink cartridge, and a reading means for reading a resistor used to determine the presence or absence of an ink cartridge IC. 718 is provided.

These erroneous insertion prevention member 719, ink supply connecting means 714, and reading means 718 provided on the device side are connected to the notch 716, ink supply section 712, and resistor section 715 of the ink cartridge IC, respectively. It is preferable that they be arranged in such a relationship.

That is, the engagement start position (2) between the notch portion 716 and the erroneous attachment prevention member 716, the communication start position (2) between the ink supply section 712 and the ink supply connecting means 714, and the contact start position between the resistor 715 and the reading means 718. It is preferable that the arrangement positions and dimensions of (2) are determined so that the ink cartridges are arranged in this order in the mounting direction of the ink cartridge.

With this arrangement, when an operator inserts an ink cartridge IC, the operator first inserts the ink cartridge IC into the notch 716 that is unique to each color cartridge and is formed in a part of the front surface 901a of the ink cartridge. Prevention member 7
19 start abutting or engaging with each other at the position (■) shown in FIG. 4(A).

This determines whether the inserted ink cartridge IC is inserted into the correct insertion location. That is, the notch 71 is located at a position corresponding to the notch 716 provided in the ink cartridge IC to be installed.
By simply forming a convex portion 719 that engages with the convex portion 719, an ink cartridge IC having a notch at a different position cannot be inserted beyond the convex portion 719. Therefore, only those with matching engagement relationships can be installed. This is a particularly effective means when performing color printing like the printing apparatus of this example. In other words, in color printing, it is necessary to eject only a predetermined ink from a predetermined print head, so it is necessary to check whether the ink cartridge IC is installed in the correct position before the ink supply unit 712 is connected. Ink cartridge I
By making a judgment based on whether or not C can be inserted, mixing of inks can be prevented in advance.

When the incorrect attachment prevention member 719 and the notch 71G are engaged, the ink supply connecting means 714 on the apparatus side and the ink cartridge provided in the ink cartridge are connected to each other in order to subsequently supply the ink contained in the ink cartridge IC. The connection with the ink supply unit 7] 2 starts at the position (■). After this connection is made, further insertion of the ink cartridge brings the ink supply needle 712 into communication with the ink within the ink cartridge. Note that in this example, the ink supply needle 7
12 is provided to protrude by about 12 mm, and the erroneous attachment prevention member 719 is formed in a convex shape up to a position of about 10 mm. However, the ink supply section of the ink cartridge IC is retracted approximately 3 mm from the front surface 901a of the cartridge (
q), even if the ink supply needle 712 is longer than the erroneous attachment prevention member 719, the relationship of the contact positions is maintained.

Note that if the relationship between the contact position between the ink supply needle 714 and the ink supply unit 712 and the contact position between the notch portion 716 and the erroneous installation prevention member 719 is like this, erroneous installation of the ink cartridge can be reliably prevented. The ink supply needle 714 and the ink supply unit 712 are connected to each other as long as the ink supply needle 714 is not in communication with the ink in the ink cartridge, although the ink does not mix. But it's okay. Therefore, the ink supply needle 7
14 may be placed next to the abutment position (2) between the cutout portion 716 and the erroneous attachment prevention member 719.

After this ink communication is made, the ink cartridge IC
Cartridge I
A connection is made to a contact point, which is a reading means 718 for determining whether C is attached or not, at a position marked with ■. When the connection with the contact point is established, the ink supply connecting means 714 on the apparatus side is in communication with the ink in the ink cartridge, as described above. It should be noted that from the time when the connection with the reading means 718 is established, the ink cartridge is further inserted and the ink cartridge installation is completed when the wall 731 of the ink cartridge mounting portion of the apparatus comes into contact with the front surface 901a of the ink cartridge. Also, the positional relationship may be such that the point where this contact is made becomes the connection position indicated by It is preferable to have a positional relationship in which a rubbing state is formed.

By having such a positional relationship between the ink cartridge IC and the ink cartridge mounting portion of the recording apparatus, it is possible to prevent incorrect mounting of the ink cartridge IC and to achieve reliable ink supply.

For example, if these positional relationships are not satisfied, the specified ink cannot be supplied to the specified recording head, or the ink supply section is not connected securely and a stable and reliable ink supply is not possible. This may lead to inconveniences such as cases where it is not possible to do so.

An inkjet recording apparatus using an ink cartridge having the above-described structure and having an ink cartridge mounting portion having the above-described structure has a structure as shown in FIGS. 1, 2(A) and 2(B).

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 2001 is a main case that forms part of the device case, and is fixed to a part of the frame of an inkjet recording device, which will be described later in FIG. Cover the area except for the area corresponding to the width of the conveyance path.

A home position of the recording head is defined in one of the two end portions, and the recording head in this position when not recording and the ejection recovery unit that caps the ejection orifice surface of the recording head at this position are located in the main case. Covered by 2001. Thereby, when a part of the device case is opened and maintenance and inspection of the device is performed, it is possible to prevent the recording head and the ejection recovery unit from being accidentally touched and causing their position to shift.

Reference numeral 2003 denotes a middle case that similarly forms part of the device case, and mainly covers the part where the recording head moves during recording.

The middle case 2003 is provided so that it can be easily attached and detached, and a part of the middle case 2003 is equipped with a spur that corresponds to a paper ejection roller, which will be described later. Press it against the paper ejection roller. Reference numeral 2005 denotes a paper feed lid that forms part of the device case and is provided so as to be openable and closable. The paper feed lid 2005 is pivoted at both ends of the near side in the figure in its approximately rectangular shape.
It is provided so as to be pulled upwardly in the figure using this as a rotation axis and held at a predetermined angle. When the paper feed lid 2005 is held at this angle, it forms a substantially straight line with a paper feed tray, which will be described later, so that recording paper can be placed thereon. 2007
is an ink lid that is provided on the front side of the device and constitutes a part of the device case. The ink lid 2007 is rotatably supported by a shaft provided at the lower part of the front side of the apparatus, and the lid 2007 can be opened toward the front side as necessary. This makes it possible to attach or detach the ink cartridge housed inside.

Reference numeral 2009 is a paper discharge tray that is detachably attached to the apparatus. A paper discharge tray 2009 is mounted at a predetermined angle at the rear of the apparatus, and can sequentially stack recording papers that have been recorded. Reference numeral 2011 denotes an operation unit, which is provided on one side of the main case 2001 on the front side of the device. Operation unit 201
1 includes a display section 2011B for displaying the status of the device, etc., and keys 2011A for inputting various commands to the device.

FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B) are a side sectional view and a top view showing an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention with the apparatus cover shown in FIG. 1 removed. In addition, the second
Figure (B) shows a state in which the recording head, the carriage on which it is placed and moved, and the drive system for moving these are omitted.

In FIGS. 2(A) and (B), 601 is a paper feed tray, and the paper feed lid 2005 shown in FIG. 1 is opened (not shown in FIGS. 2(A) and (B)). Together with this, the paper feed section is configured. The paper feed tray 601 has a rotating shaft 601A provided at the rear end in the paper feed direction.
The paper feed tray 601 is rotatably supported by a side plate 2017 forming a frame of the apparatus, and the front end of the paper feed tray 601 is biased by a spring 602 to an upward force in FIG. 2(A). With these configurations, the recording paper stacked on the paper feed tray 601 (not shown in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B)). In addition, in the following, the term "recording paper" broadly refers to a recording medium including plastic sheets, etc. .) Pick up the tip with roller 6
Pressed to 04. In addition, in the paper feeding mechanism described above,
601C shown in FIG. 2(B) is a guide plate for guiding paper feeding according to the size of the recording paper, and 601D
is a groove through which the guide plate 601C moves according to the size of recording paper.

The pickup roller 604 is a pair of half-moon rollers 604
A and thread interleaving paper roller 604B, half-moon roller 6
As shown in FIG. 2(A), the paper feed roller 604A has a cross section with a partially cut out circle, and the paper feed roller 604B has a cross section that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the circumferential portion of the half-moon roller 604A. It has a circular shape with a small diameter. Two pairs of pickup rollers 604 consisting of a pair of rollers are provided at a predetermined interval near the front end of the paper feed tray 601, and these two pairs of pickup rollers 604 extend in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which recording paper is fed. It is fixed to the existing pickup roller shaft 604C. One end of the pickup roller shaft 604G is rotatably supported by a part of the frame 2017, and the other end is connected to a clutch 619, whereby the driving force of a motor (not shown) is transmitted to the pickup roller shaft 604C via the clutch 619. The pickup roller 604 can be rotated.

The recording paper stacked on the paper feed tray 601 is pressed by the pickup roller 604 as described above, so when the pickup roller 604 rotates, the recording paper first aligns with the notch of the half-moon roller 604A and the circumference. The feed roller 604B
In cooperation with the separation plate 605, which will be described in detail in FIG. 12, the recording paper is sent out to the recording paper conveyance path.

Reference numeral 606 denotes a paper feed roller disposed on the downstream side of the pickup roller 604 on the recording paper conveyance path. As shown in FIG. 2(B), four paper feed rollers 606 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the recording paper being conveyed, and these four paper feed rollers are axis 606
A (not shown in FIG. 2(b)). As a result, the driving force of a paper feed motor (not shown) is transmitted to the paper feed reroller shaft 606A, and the paper feed motor 606 can be rotated.

A pinch roller 607 is provided corresponding to each of the paper feed motors 606, and is arranged so that its circumferential surface abuts the circumferential surface of the paper feed roller 606. A pinch roller holder 611 is provided corresponding to each of the pinch rollers 607, and one end of the pinch roller holder 611 rotatably supports the pinch roller 607. Reference numeral 613 denotes a carriage rail, which is provided so as to extend over the movement area of the carriage, which will be described later. The other end of the pinch roller holder 611 is pivotally supported by a carriage rail 613, and a spring 614 is held between the carriage rail 613 and the pinch roller holder 611.
is biased diagonally downward in FIG. 2(A).

As a result, the pinch roller 607 presses the recording paper conveyed between the pinch roller 607 and the paper feed roller 606, and the paper feed roller 606 can convey the recording paper by the frictional force generated by this pressing force. .

Reference numeral 608 denotes a platen for regulating the recording surface of the recording paper, and is disposed on the recording paper transport path at a position downstream of the paper feed motor 606 and the like, and facing a recording head to be described later. Furthermore, a paper discharge roller 609 is provided on the downstream side of the platen 608. The paper ejection roller 609 is shown in Fig. 2 (
As shown in B), nine rollers are arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the recording paper being conveyed, and these are connected to the paper ejection roller shaft 609.
Fixed at A. The paper ejection roller shaft 609A is rotated by a motor (not shown), and the main case 200 shown in FIG.
By cooperation with the spur held by 1, the recording paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 2009 shown in FIG.

In the recording paper transport path described above, the paper feed tray 601
The recording sheets stacked on top are separated one by one by a pick-up roller 604 and a separation plate 605 and fed to a conveyance path, and the fed recording sheets are guided by a paper guide 608A and passed through a paper feed roller 606. pinch roller 6
07 Transported between. During this conveyance, the recording paper comes into contact with one end of the paper edge detection sensor lever 615, and the operation of the other end of the lever 615 is caused by the paper edge photosensor 61.
By changing the state of 7, it is possible to detect the edge of the recording paper. Further, a reflective paper edge sensor 623 is provided at the bottom of the carriage, which will be described later, so that the width of the recording paper being conveyed can be determined by this sensor.

The paper feed roller 606 conveys the recording paper onto the platen 608 in accordance with the recording operation of the recording head, for example, one line at a time to be recorded by the recording head, thereby recording characters, images, etc. on the recording paper. At this time, the recording paper is urged toward the platen 608 by the paper presser plate spring 621, so that the recording area of the recording paper can be kept flat.

The recorded recording paper is discharged onto a paper discharge tray by a paper discharge roller 609.

As is clear from FIG. 2(A), the recording paper transport path from the paper feed tray 601 shown above to the paper ejection roller 609 and the paper ejection tray 2009 shown in FIG. 1 forms a gentle 7-shape. Therefore, the recording paper can be brought into close contact with the platen 608 by straining the recording paper, and thereby the recording area on the recording paper can be kept flat.

In FIG. 2(A), 1 is a recording head section, and a third
It is equipped with four recording RAD chips corresponding to each ink color detailed in the figure. These head chips are attached to the carriage body 201 of the carriage section 200 so that they can be easily attached and detached.

203 is a carriage cover, and 205 is a head cover. These covers cover the carriage body 2.
01, the electrical connection to the RAD chip and the positioning and fixing of the chip are performed. Further, 300 is a sub-ink tank attached to a part of the carriage main body 201, and the sub-ink tank 300 collects air bubbles in the ink supply system and buffers pressure fluctuations that occur in the ink supply system as the carriage moves. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the recording head from being affected by air bubbles and pressure fluctuations. The above-mentioned recording head unit 1 and other elements mounted on the carriage body 201 are arranged so that the carriage body 201 is connected to the guide shaft 213 (second
In figure (A) only the cross section of the layer is shown. ), and a belt connecting the carriage main body 201 and that part is driven by a carriage motor (not shown), thereby making it possible to move along the guide shaft 213. Further, in FIG. 2(A), reference numeral 211 is a position lever whose position can be changed manually by the operator, and one end of which can be freely rotated by a shaft 211C provided in a part of the carriage body 201. It is pivoted on. Further, a hemispherical convex portion 211B is provided at the other end of the position lever 211, and by engaging with concave portions formed at three locations on the side plate (not shown) of the carriage portion 200, the position lever 211 The position lever 211, which can be illustrated in three positions, is shown in FIG.
), the carriage body 201. Therefore, the three recording chips mounted thereon are displaced around the guide shaft 213 as a rotation axis according to each of these positions, and take a position according to the contact between the position lever 211 and the carriage rail 613, that is, , at position 2 of the position lever 211 shown in FIG.
The upper surface of 13 is slidably abutted on this surface. In this contact relationship, the recording head chip is located relatively close to the platen 608.

On the other hand, when the position lever 211 is in the position II, the holding member 211 provided integrally with the position lever 211 comes into contact with the upper surface of the carriage rail 613. As a result, the carriage main body 201 rotates upward in FIG. 2 (A) using this contact area as a point of action and the guide shaft 213 as a fulcrum, and the RAD chip is placed at a position relatively far away from the platen 608. Take.

In the configuration of the position lever shown above, for example, when using real recording paper with relatively ink absorption characteristics, by setting the lever 211 to position II, the RAD tip for recording is moved relatively far away from the platen 608. It is possible to prevent the recording paper from causing a phenomenon such as undulation due to the ink, and thereby, for example, from rubbing the recording paper against the ejection orifice surface of the recording head chip and damaging it. Furthermore, when recording paper having relatively excellent ink absorption characteristics is used, such consideration is not necessary, and the position lever 211 may be set to position I.

Further, position III of the position lever 211 is a position for preventing the carriage section 200 from moving to the right when the carriage section 200 is at the home position. That is, as shown in FIG. 2(B), the latching hole 613 provided near the left end of the carriage rail 613
A protrusion 211D provided at the tip of the position lever 211 is engaged with B, and the carriage portion 200 (FIG. 2(B)
(not shown) is prevented from moving to the right. Note that the position of the position lever 211 can also be notified by display or sound. In other words, as described above, the position lever 211 is manually changed by the operator of this device, and for example,
When recording is performed while forgetting that the position lever 211 is at position II+ when the carry/strip unit 200 is at the home position, a display indicating that the position lever 211 is released from the position lever is displayed. You can also do it.

Further, the current position of the position lever 211 may be displayed according to the three positions of the position lever 211.

Furthermore, when the device is subjected to more than a predetermined amount of vibration during transport, etc., this is detected, and at the same time, the position of the position lever is detected, and if this is position II+, that is, the position where the carriage part is not fixed, a message to that effect is detected. The notification may be made by a sound such as a buzzer.

According to this configuration for preventing carriage movement, it is possible to prevent accidents such as unnecessary movement of the carriage section 200 and recording head section 1 during transportation of the present recording apparatus and damage to these and other parts of the apparatus. can. In Figure 2 (A), 23
0 is a cover fixed to the apparatus frame, and protects the ink supply tube, flexible cable, etc. that follow the movement of the carriage section 200.

901BK901C in Figure 2 (A) and (B)
1901M and 901Y are ink cartridges installed in the ink supply unit described later, and are ink bags that store ink of black (BK), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), respectively. Also, a waste ink bag for storing ink discharged by ink suction or the like in the ejection recovery process is stored. An ink absorber 911 is provided at the bottom of the ink supply unit to which the ink cartridge is attached. The ink absorber 911 has a restoring force against external forces such as pressure, and is compressed and filled between the recess of the frame 913 forming the supply unit and the bottom plate 2015 forming the apparatus frame. Thereby, even if ink leaks from the ink cartridge 901, it can be absorbed by the absorber 911. Further, the drive accompanying the drive of the motor transmitted via the bottom plate 2015 and the like can be absorbed by the absorber 911, thereby reducing the drive generated as the device is driven.

Note that the absorber used for absorbing vibrations does not necessarily need to be disposed at the bottom of the ink supply unit as in the upper part, but can be disposed at a more effective location for reducing device noise.

The present invention brings about excellent effects particularly in a recording head and a recording apparatus of a bubble jet method using heat, which is proposed by Canon Co., Ltd. among ink jet recording methods. For typical configurations and principles thereof, see, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129 and US Pat.
Preferably, it is carried out using the basic principles disclosed in the '796 specification. This method can be applied to both so-called on-demand type and continuous type.
In particular, in the case of on-demand type, the sheet that holds the liquid (ink) or the electrothermal transducer placed corresponding to the liquid path corresponds to the recorded information, and the temperature rapidly exceeds the boiling temperature. By applying one drive signal to give a rise, the electrothermal transducer generates thermal energy and causes film boiling on the heat-active surface of the recording head, resulting in a one-to-one correspondence of this drive signal. This is effective because air bubbles can be formed in the liquid (ink).The growth and contraction of this gas causes the liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one liquid.

It is more preferable to use this drive signal in a pulse form, since the growth and contraction of bubbles can be carried out immediately and appropriately, making it possible to eject liquid (ink) with particularly excellent responsiveness. As this pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. No. 4,462,259 and US Pat. No. 4,345,262 are suitable. Furthermore, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 concerning the invention regarding the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, even more excellent recording can be performed. In addition to the configuration of the recording head that is a combination of ejection ports and liquid path electrothermal converters (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification, the heat acting part is bent. The present invention also includes configurations using the specifications of US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600 which disclose configurations in which the device is disposed in the area where the device is located. In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 123670 of 1981 discloses a configuration in which a slit common to a plurality of electrothermal converters is used as a discharge part of the electrothermal converter, and a discharge part is provided with an opening that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy. The effects of the present invention are also effective even with a structure based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 138461 of 1981, which discloses a structure corresponding to the above. Furthermore, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length can be increased by combining multiple recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. Either a configuration satisfying the above requirements or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally may be used, but the present invention can more effectively exhibit the above-mentioned effects. It is also preferable to add recovery means, preliminary auxiliary means, etc. for the recording head provided as a component of the recording apparatus to the present invention.

Specifically, capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing means or suction means for the recording head are effective for stable recording.

Furthermore, the recording mode of the recording device is not limited to a recording mode that only records mainstream colors such as black, but can also be configured by integrally configuring the recording head or by combining multiple heads, but it is also possible to record multiple colors of different colors or full color by mixing colors. The present invention is particularly effective for devices equipped with one or fewer.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the locking member of the opening/closing plate can be easily released using the front part of the cartridge without providing any special structure to the ink cartridge. Therefore, it is possible to provide an inkjet recording device that can be miniaturized.

In addition, the contact or connection start position of the erroneous installation prevention member, ink supply connecting means, and reading means on the apparatus main body side is set at a predetermined position for each of the notch part of the ink cartridge, the ink supply part, and the information presentation part. Since they are arranged in a relationship, it is possible to securely attach the ink cartridge 1-ridge, and it is possible to provide an ink cartridge and an inkjet recording apparatus that ensure reliable ink supply.

Furthermore, the notch provided in the ink cartridge is different for each color of ink, and the position of the corresponding incorrect installation prevention member on the main body of the device is provided differently for each color of ink, which makes color recording possible. It is possible to provide an inkjet recording device that can reliably prevent incorrect installation of ink cartridges when carrying out.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of an example of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B)
) is a schematic side view and a schematic top view partially cut away of the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. Top view, bottom view, front view, and Figures 4 (A) and (B) schematically showing an example.
, (C) is a side view, front view, and top view schematically showing the ink cartridge mounting portion of an inkjet recording device to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration of the ink cartridge mounting portion of a conventional recording device. FIG. IC, 901... Ink cartridge, 712...
Ink supply unit, 714... Ink supply connection means, 7
15... Information presentation member, 716... Notch part, 7
18... Reading means, 719... Erroneous installation prevention member, 721... Opening/closing plate, 722... Regulating member

Claims (10)

[Claims] (1) In an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with a mounting part into which an ink cartridge containing ink to be supplied to a recording means used for depositing ink on a recording medium and performing recording is removably mounted. , an opening/closing plate held so as to be freely openable and closable is provided in the middle of the ink cartridge mounting path of the mounting section, and a regulating member that regulates the opening operation of the opening/closing plate, and the regulating member controls the opening/closing plate. They are used to restrict the opening operation by being sandwiched, and a pair of them are provided above the opening/closing plate at a predetermined angle in an approximately V-shape.When the ink cartridge is inserted, the front surface of the ink cartridge is As the ink cartridge is inserted, the pair of regulating members rotate outward almost simultaneously around a fulcrum provided on a portion of the regulating member to release regulation of the opening/closing plate. An inkjet recording device characterized in that it is configured to. (2) The regulating member has a substantially triangular shape that expands at a predetermined angle with respect to the insertion direction of the ink cartridge, and a portion thereof is cut out so as to sandwich the opening/closing member. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: (3) The opening/closing plate contacts the front surface of the ink cartridge and rotates upward as the ink cartridge is inserted, after the regulating member contacts the ink cartridge and releases the regulation of the opening/closing plate. The inkjet recording device according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet recording device is openable. (4) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the regulating member is provided at an angle of 45 degrees or more with respect to the vertical direction. (5) The pivot point of the opening/closing plate is located outside the upper side of the insertion locus of the ink cartridge, and when the opening/closing plate is fully open, the ink is inserted into the ink supply port provided in the ink cartridge. 4. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is disposed in an area that does not come into contact with a supply needle that enables supply of the inkjet recording apparatus. (6) A plurality of removably installed ink cartridges each containing ink to be supplied to a plurality of recording means used to perform color recording by attaching different inks to a recording medium. In an inkjet recording device including a mounting section, the ink supply connecting means and the ink supply connection means engage with a notch unique to the cartridge for each different color formed in a part of the front surface of the ink cartridge. an ink supply connecting means that is connected to an ink supply section provided in the ink cartridge and communicates with the ink to supply the ink contained in the ink cartridge; a reading means for reading the information from an information presentation member provided in the ink cartridge for presenting information regarding the ink cartridge, the engagement start position with the erroneous installation prevention member and the ink supply connection; An inkjet recording apparatus characterized in that a communication start position between the means and the ink and a contact start position between the means and the reading means are arranged in this order in the mounting direction of the ink cartridge. (7) An opening/closing plate whose opening/closing is regulated is provided in the middle of the installation path of the ink cartridge, and when the opening/closing plate is opened by installing the ink cartridge, the opening/closing plate is closed to the ink. 7. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a cutout portion so as not to impede the functions of the supply connecting means and the reading means. (8) The recording means performs recording by ejecting the ink from the ejection port by causing a state change in the ink using thermal energy, and includes an electrothermal conversion element for generating the thermal energy. 7. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an inkjet recording apparatus. (9) In an ink cartridge containing ink to be supplied to a recording means used for recording by depositing ink on a recording medium, the ink cartridge is installed incorrectly in the ink cartridge mounting portion of the recording apparatus main body. a notch portion that engages with a member to prevent incorrect installation; and an ink supply portion that connects with an ink supply connecting means provided in the recording apparatus main body to supply ink contained in the ink cartridge. , an information presentation member for contacting a reading member provided on the recording apparatus main body to read information related to the ink cartridge itself and presenting the information, and starting engagement with the erroneous installation prevention member. , the notch portion, the ink supply portion, An ink cartridge characterized in that the information presentation section is arranged. (10) The ink cartridge according to claim 9, wherein the ink cartridge contains different inks for achieving color recording, and has a different cutout for each ink color. cartridge.