JP2001322293A - Ink jet printer and head cartridge thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide an ink jet printer and a head cartridge thereof that prevent each type of head cartridge from being loaded at an incorrect loading position. SOLUTION: An inkjet type head 120 is provided.
A head cartridge 120a including a plurality of ink holding containers containing ink ejected from the head, wherein each of the ink holding containers 122 is connected to one head chip having a plurality of nozzles. Are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction, and are alternately arranged in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction for each of the head chips in the middle thereof with an overlap 120d at an end thereof. Based on this, a space 122e is formed by causing a shift in the accommodation space of the ink holding container at the longitudinal end, and the space is formed in a different shape corresponding to the type of the 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 printer for recording characters, images, and the like by discharging ink droplets, and more particularly to a line head having a printing paper width.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet printer is a system in which ink droplets are ejected from a fine ink ejection section provided in a print head and landed on a recording medium, for example, paper, to record characters or images formed of dots. The printer has the characteristics of high recording speed, low recording cost, easy colorization, low noise, and relatively easy downsizing. ing.

[0003] Inkjet printers are often used in office environments or homes because of their simplicity and versatility. For this reason, since the amount of ink used is small, the ink is generally held in an ink tank installed in the printer. The ink tank and the ink jet head, which is an ink jetting unit, may be connected by a flexible tube or the like, but are often integrally formed.

In the case where the ink tank and the head have an integral structure, the ink tank and the head are configured to be separable as an ink replenishing method when ink cannot be discharged, that is, when the amount of ink is insufficient. It is possible to replace only the ink tank with the reduced ink amount with the ink tank filled with ink, or the ink tank and the head are configured as an integrated head cartridge. If you run out,
There is a type in which the entire cartridge is replaced to refill ink.

[0005]

When the above-described integrated head cartridge is used, in a color printer for performing full-color printing, for example, a total of four color cartridges of four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are used. The head cartridge is provided. In such a color printer, four-color head cartridges are arranged and loaded,
The loading position of the head cartridge is determined for each color. However, since the head cartridges of the respective colors have the same shape, if the mounting positions of the head cartridges of the respective colors are mixed, correct color printing cannot be performed. Also, recently, a head cartridge case is provided with a plurality of electrical contacts so as to make an electrical connection for driving the head, etc., but the head cartridge is erroneously oriented in the longitudinal direction at the loading position. , There is a problem that a correct electrical connection is not made and the head cartridge does not operate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet printer and a head cartridge thereof, which prevent each type of head cartridge from being loaded at an incorrect loading position.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a head cartridge including an ink jet type head and a plurality of ink holding containers containing ink ejected from the head. Each ink holding container is connected to one head chip having a plurality of nozzles, and a plurality of head chips are arranged in the longitudinal direction, and the head chips are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction for each head chip in the middle. The space is formed in the direction perpendicular to the edge of the ink holding container at an end portion in the longitudinal direction based on the overlap. Wherein the space is formed in a different shape in accordance with the type of the cartridge. Tsu is achieved by di.

According to the structure of the first aspect, the space formed at the longitudinal end due to the displacement of the accommodation space of each ink holding container is formed in a different shape for each type of head cartridge. It is possible to identify each type by the shape of the space of the head cartridge, and it is possible to prevent a wrong type of head cartridge from being erroneously loaded at the loading position of each type of head cartridge in the printer. it can.

A second aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the configuration of the first aspect, the space is formed in a different shape for each color.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the space formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction due to the displacement of each ink holding container is formed in a different shape for each head cartridge of each color. It is possible to identify each color according to the shape of the printer, and it is possible to prevent a head cartridge of a different color from being erroneously loaded at a mounting position of a head cartridge of each color in the printer.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the second aspect, a head integrally connected to the ink holding container is arranged in a longitudinal direction.

According to the configuration of the third aspect, even when the line head is constituted by a plurality of heads arranged in the longitudinal direction, similarly, the mounting position of the head cartridge for each color does not become erroneous.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet printer including a line head for discharging ink droplets and recording on a recording medium. A cartridge is a head cartridge including an ink jet type head and a plurality of ink holding containers containing ink ejected from the head, wherein each ink holding container is connected to one head chip having a plurality of nozzles. The head chips are arranged in plural along the longitudinal direction,
On the way, the head chips are arranged alternately in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction with an overlap at the ends thereof, and are accommodated in the ink holding containers at the longitudinal ends based on the overlap. This is achieved by an inkjet printer in which a space is formed by causing a displacement in the space, and the space is formed in a different shape corresponding to the type of the cartridge.

[0014]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are preferred specific examples of the present invention, and therefore, various technically preferable limitations are added. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following description in the following description. It is not limited to these forms unless otherwise stated.

(Overall Configuration of Printer) FIG. 1 is a partially sectional perspective view showing the overall configuration of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional side view thereof. This ink jet printer 100 has a heating element (not shown) as a driving element for ejecting ink droplets, has a recording range of approximately the width of the paper P, and modulates the diameter of a dot with the number of ink droplets. PNM (Pulse Number M
and a line head 120 having a modulation function of the modulation method.

The ink jet printer 100 has a housing 1
10, a line head 120, a paper feed unit 130, a paper feed unit 140, a paper tray 150, an electric circuit unit 160, and the like are arranged. The housing 110 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a discharge port 111 for the paper P on one side surface.
The tray entrance 112 of the paper tray 150 is provided on the other side surface. Line head 120
Is provided with four head cartridges (head units) corresponding to four colors of CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black). It is arranged above the end.

The paper feed unit 130 includes a paper feed guide 131,
Paper feed rollers 132 and 133, a paper feed motor 134, pulleys 135 and 136, and belts 137 and 138 are provided. The paper feed guide 131 is formed in a flat plate shape, and is disposed below the line head 120 at a predetermined interval. Each of the paper feed rollers 132 and 133 is a pair of rollers in contact with each other, and is disposed on both sides of the paper feed guide 131, that is, on the tray entrance 112 side and the paper discharge port 111 side. The paper feed motor 134 is disposed below the paper feed guide 131, and is connected to the pulleys 135 and 136 and the belt 13.
7, 138 are connected to the respective paper feed rollers 132, 133.

The paper feed unit 140 includes a paper feed roller 141, a paper feed motor 142, and a gear 143.
0 is disposed on the tray entrance 112 side. The paper feed roller 141 is formed in a substantially semi-cylindrical shape, and is disposed near the paper feed roller 132 on the tray entrance 112 side. The paper feed motor 142 is disposed above the paper feed roller 141 and is connected to the paper feed roller 141 via a gear 143.

The paper tray 150 is formed in a box shape capable of storing a plurality of sheets of, for example, A4 size paper P, and a paper support 152 locked by a spring 151 is provided at one end of the bottom surface.
Are provided from the lower side of the paper feeding unit 140 to the tray entrance 112. Electric circuit section 160
Is a part for controlling the driving of each part.
It is arranged above 50.

An operation example of such a configuration will be described. After turning on the power of the inkjet printer 100, the user places the paper tray 150 in the tray entrance 11
2, a predetermined number of sheets P are stored and pushed into the paper tray 150. Then, the paper support 152 lifts one end of the paper P by the action of the spring 151 and presses the paper P against the paper feed roller 141. Then, the feed motor 142
The paper feed roller 141 is rotated by the driving of the
From the paper tray 150 to the paper feed roller 132.

Subsequently, the respective paper feed rollers 132 and 133 are rotated by the driving of the paper feed motor 134, and the paper feed roller 132 feeds the fed paper P to the paper feed guide 131.
Send to Then, the line head 120 operates at a predetermined timing to discharge ink droplets from the nozzles and land them on the paper P, thereby recording dots of characters and images. Then, the paper feed roller 133 discharges the fed paper P from the paper discharge port 111. The above operation is repeated until the recording is completed.

FIGS. 3 to 6 show a specific configuration of a head cartridge for one color of the line head 120 in the ink jet printer 100 of FIG. The head cartridge 120a of the line head 120 is configured as an integrated head cartridge, and as shown in FIG. 3, a long rectangular parallelepiped housing 120b and a head frame mounted on one side opening of the housing 120b. 12
Contains one.

The head frame 121 is formed integrally with an ink tank 122 which will be described later, and has a slit-shaped ink supply hole 123 (see FIG. 5) formed on the surface thereof. On both sides, as shown in FIG. 4, they are alternately displaced from each other in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction along the longitudinal direction (hereinafter, referred to as staggered).
The head chip 124 is bonded.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view in which a part of the housing 120b of the head cartridge 120a is cut away, and one head chip 124 is formed by grouping a plurality of nozzles arranged in the longitudinal direction into one. Together, they have the shape of an elongated rectangular parallelepiped shown in FIG. These head chips 124 are composed of a Si substrate, and as shown in FIG. 4, are provided with a heater 124a, a heater driving switching circuit and a logic circuit (not shown), and a connection terminal 124b on the chip. . The heater 124a is provided on one side of the head chip 124. As shown in FIG. 5, ink from the ink tank 122 is supplied from an end of the head chip via an ink supply hole 123, and the inside of the head chip 124 Is supplied to the nozzle through the flow path 124c. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of head chips 124 are arranged inside the head frame 121 along the longitudinal direction. Are arranged in a staggered manner as shown in FIG.

Here, the head frame 121 is formed of, for example, resin, and has a nozzle plate 125 on its surface so as to cover the head chip 124. The nozzle plate 125 is made of, for example, nickel, stainless steel, or the like, and the nozzles 125 respectively match the flow paths 124 c of the head chip 124.
a (see FIGS. 3 and 5).

Further, the connection terminal 1 of the head chip 124
Reference numeral 24b is drawn around the side surfaces of the head frame 121 and the ink tank 122 by an electric wiring 126 formed of a flexible printed circuit board, and is connected to a connection terminal 126a provided on the surface of the electric wiring 126. Accordingly, when a driving voltage is applied to the heater 122a via the electric wiring 126, bubbles are generated on the heater surface, and the ink is supplied from the ink supply hole 123 to the corresponding nozzle 125a via the flow path 124c. It is designed to be ejected.

Here, each of the ink supply holes 123 is elongated along the center of the surface of the head frame 121 so as to correspond to each of the head chips 124.
Each ink tank 122 is partitioned by an inner wall 122a as a section 122b for each head chip 124,
Each section 122b is connected via a filter 128,
It is connected to the corresponding ink supply hole 123 of the head chip 124. Here, the filter 128 is configured to remove dust from the ink tank 122, aggregates of ink components, and the like.
It is configured to prevent mixing on the 25a side.

In each section 122b, the ink tank 1
Reference numeral 22 designates an outer casing comprising an outer wall and an inner wall 122a forming a section 122b, respectively, and a bag 12 disposed inside the outer casing.
2c form a double structure. This bag 122
c is made of, for example, a flexible sheet having a laminated structure of aluminum and polyolefin.

Further, the bag 122c, the outer casing and the bag 122
As shown in FIG. 5, a spring member 129 is disposed between the spring member 129 and c. The spring member 129 is made of, for example, stainless steel and acts to expand the bag 122c outward. As a result, the spring members 12 are respectively provided in the bags 122c in the respective sections 122b of the ink tank 122.
Negative pressure acts on 9.

Here, the bag 122c by the spring member 129 is used.
The absolute value of the ink pressure of the nozzle 125a in all head postures is set so that the ink pressure of the nozzle 125a does not leak even if the ink pressure of the nozzle 125a fluctuates due to the posture of the head cartridge 120a or an external acceleration. The ink pressure is selected so as to be smaller than the capillary force of the nozzle 125a, and to be smaller than the negative pressure and the capillary force of the nozzle 125a during printing.

In this way, as shown in FIG. 6, for each color, the head cartridge 120a moves the head chip 124, the ink supply hole 123, the filter 126, and the ink tank 122 in a staggered manner with respect to the head frame 121. By disposing the section 122b, it is configured as a head cartridge. Then, the head unit 120
a, that is, when the head cartridge is loaded at a predetermined loading position in the printer main body, the connection terminal 126a
It comes into contact with a connection terminal (not shown) provided in the printer body and is connected to a drive circuit in the printer body.

Further, the head cartridge 120a includes:
Since the sections 122b are arranged in a staggered manner as described above, a space due to the displacement of the sections 122b at both ends, for example, a dead space 122e is formed as shown in FIGS. This dead space 12
2e has a concave portion 122f provided in a different shape for each color, that is, at a position different from each other. In the illustrated case, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the concave portion 122f of the head cartridge 120a for each color is sequentially shifted to the right end in the longitudinal direction by the concave portion 122f on the right side of each of the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black head cartridges 120a. like,
Further, the left end recesses 122f are formed to be shifted from each other in a different order.

On the other hand, the ink jet printer 1
00, the head cartridge 1 in the line head 120 in the illustrated case.
The loading position 120a for each color is provided on the loading member 120b of 20a.
As shown in FIG. 11, convex portions 120 d are formed in 0 c corresponding to the positions of the concave portions 122 f of the head cartridge 120 a for each color.

Further, each dead space 122e has a step 122g on the nozzle plate 125 side adjacent to the recess 122f. Correspondingly, the loading member 120b has a stepped portion 120e. Thus, when the head cartridge 120a is loaded at the loading position 120c of the loading member 120b, the step 122g
Abuts on the stepped portion 120e so that each head cartridge 120a does not drop off from the loading member 120b.

The ink jet printer 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, and operates as follows when performing printing. First, each head cartridge, that is, the head cartridge 120a is
As shown in FIG.
The loading is performed at the loading position 120c corresponding to each of b.
Here, the head cartridges 120a of the respective colors are provided with the concave portions 122 shifted from each other in dead spaces 122e at both ends thereof.
f, the loading position 1 for each corresponding color
By aligning with the projection 120d provided on the 20c, the corresponding loading position 120c is reliably loaded. At this time, even if the head cartridges 120a of the respective colors are to be loaded into the loading positions 120c of different colors, the recesses 122
Since f does not match with the projection 120d of the loading position 120c, loading cannot be performed, and loading of the head cartridge 120a at an incorrect loading position 120c is prevented.

Each of the head cartridges 120a includes:
The recess 12 in the dead space 122e at the left end and the right end
Since the positions of 2f are different from each other, even if an attempt is made to load the loading position 120c in the reverse direction in the longitudinal direction, the loading cannot be performed because the concave portion 122f is not aligned with the projection 120d at the loading position. Is prevented from being loaded in the head cartridge 120a. Thus, as shown in FIG. 12, the head cartridges 120a of the respective colors are placed in the loading positions 1 of the corresponding colors.
Each of the head cartridges 120a is fixed to the corresponding loading position 120c by the head holding spring 120e by being loaded into the corresponding loading portion 120c, and each step 122g is fitted to the corresponding stepped portion 120e of the loading member 120b. The contact prevents the head cartridge 120a from dropping from the loading member 120b,
Further, the connection terminal 126a of the electric wiring 126 is pressed against a connection terminal (not shown) provided on the loading portion 120b of the line head 120, and is electrically connected.

When the ink jet printer 100 is not used, each bag 1 of the ink tank 122 in the head cartridge 120a of each color of the line head 120 is used.
Since a negative pressure acts on each of the nozzles 22c by the spring member 129, even if the head attitude of the line head 120 is changed, the ink stored in the bag 122c is changed by the pressure difference of the nozzle 125a due to the attitude change. Since there is no leakage from the nozzle 123 to the outside via the nozzle 125a, and the negative pressure by the spring member 129 is selected to be smaller than the pressure due to the capillary force of the nozzle 125a, ink is drawn in from the nozzle 125a. There is nothing.

When printing is started from this state, the heater 124 of the head chip 124 is
A drive voltage is applied to a. Thereby, the heater 124
By the generation of bubbles on the surface a, ink is ejected from the flow path 124c through the ink supply holes 123 and the nozzles 125a, and the printing operation of the inkjet printer 100 is performed.

According to the ink jet printer 100 having such a configuration, the bag 122c acting as an individual ink tank connected to each head chip 124 is
Since negative pressure is applied by the respective spring members 129, even if the attitude of the printer 100 and the line head 120 changes, and the longitudinal direction of the head cartridge 120a becomes up and down, for example, as one actual ink tank Since the height difference between the nozzles 125a corresponding to both ends in the longitudinal direction of each head chip 124 connected to the bag 122c of each section 122b that acts is small, the pressure difference generated in the nozzles 125a corresponding to both ends in the longitudinal direction of each head chip 124 is also small. small.

Further, when an acceleration such as an impact is applied from the outside to the printer 100, the line head 120, or the head cartridge, the dynamics of the ink pressure of each nozzle 125a corresponding to one head chip 124 are obtained. The change is small. Therefore, even if there is a pressure fluctuation due to such a height difference or acceleration, the negative pressure in the bag 122c by the above-described spring member 129 suppresses ink leakage from the nozzle 125a against these pressure fluctuations. You.

Further, the head cartridge for each color, that is, the head cartridge 120a, is provided with a concave portion 122f at a position deviated from each other for each color in the dead spaces 122e at both ends, and the loading of the line head 120 correspondingly. The member 120b has a protrusion 1 at a position corresponding to the recess 122f of the head cartridge 120a for each color.
20d, the head cartridge 120a for each color is placed in the loading position 1 of a different color of the loading member 120b.
20c is reliably prevented from being loaded at the corresponding loading position 120c, as well as being prevented from being loaded in the opposite direction.

In the above-described embodiment, the dead space 1 of the head frame 121 and the ink tank 122
22e is a concave portion 122 which is shifted longitudinally from each other for each color.
f, and the loading member 120b of the line head 120 is provided with a convex portion 120d correspondingly.
However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is apparent that the configuration may be different from one another for each color by appropriately changing the arrangement of the plurality of engagement pins.

[0043]

As described above, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to identify each type by the shape of the space of the head cartridge, and different types of head cartridges are set at the loading positions of each type of head cartridge in the printer. It is possible to prevent the head cartridge from being erroneously loaded. Therefore, it is possible to provide an ink jet printer and its head cartridge which prevent each type of head cartridge from being loaded at an incorrect loading position.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, showing the entire configuration of an ink jet printer having one embodiment of a head cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the inkjet printer of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the head cartridge in the inkjet printer of FIG. 1 as viewed from above.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the internal structure of the head cartridge shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the head cartridge of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the head cartridge of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a partially broken perspective view showing the shapes of dead spaces at both ends of a yellow head cartridge.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the shapes of dead spaces at both ends of a magenta head cartridge.

FIG. 9 is a partially broken perspective view showing the shapes of dead spaces at both ends of a cyan head cartridge.

FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the shapes of dead spaces at both ends of a black head cartridge.

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which head cartridges of each color are loaded on a loading member.

FIG. 12A is a plan view and FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the head cartridges of the respective colors are loaded into the loading member of the printer.
It is a line sectional view.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 ... inkjet printer, 110 ...
..Housing, 111: paper discharge port, 112: tray entrance, 120: line head, 120a: head cartridge, 120b: loading member, 120c
..Loading position, 120d: convex portion, 121: head frame, 122: ink tank, 122b
-Section, 122c-bag, 122e-dead space, 122f-recess, 123-ink supply hole, 124-head chip, 125-nozzle plate, 125a-nozzle 126 ... electric wiring, 126a ... connection terminal, 128 ... filter,
129: spring member, 130: paper feeder, 131
... Paper feed guides, 132, 133 ... Paper feed rollers, 134 ... Paper feed motors, 135, 136 ...
Pulleys, 137, 138: belt, 140: paper feed unit, 141: paper feed roller, 142: paper feed motor, 143: gear, 150: paper tray, 1
51: spring, 152: paper support, 160: electric circuit

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shigeyoshi Hirashima 6-35 Kita Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo F-term within Sony Corporation (reference) 2C056 EA23 EA26 FA13 KC06

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A head cartridge comprising an ink jet type head and a plurality of ink holding containers containing ink ejected from the head, wherein each ink holding container has one head chip provided with a plurality of nozzles. A plurality of the head chips are arranged along the longitudinal direction, and are alternately arranged in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction for each of the head chips with an overlap at the ends thereof in the middle. Based on this overlap, a shift occurs in the accommodation space of the ink holding container at the longitudinal end,
A head cartridge for an ink jet printer, wherein a space is formed, and the space is formed in a different shape corresponding to a type of the cartridge. 2. The ink jet printer head cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the space is formed in a different shape for each color. 3. The head cartridge for an ink jet printer according to claim 2, wherein heads integrated with and connected to the ink holding container are arranged in parallel. 4. An ink jet printer comprising a line head for discharging ink droplets and recording on a recording medium, wherein the head cartridge of the line head comprises: an ink jet type head; A plurality of ink holding containers each containing ink to be prepared, wherein each of the ink holding containers is connected to one head chip having a plurality of nozzles, and the head chips are arranged along the longitudinal direction. A plurality of head chips are arranged side by side, and are alternately arranged in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction for each of the head chips with an overlap at the ends with an overlap, and the longitudinal end is determined based on the overlap. By causing a shift in the accommodation space of the ink holding container at
An ink jet printer, wherein a space is formed, and the space is formed in a different shape corresponding to the type of the cartridge. 5. The ink jet printer according to claim 4, wherein the space is formed in a different shape for each color. 6. The ink jet printer according to claim 5, wherein heads integrally connected to the ink holding container are arranged in parallel for each color.