JP2007001066A - Ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink cartridge equipped with a semiconductor storage chip which can communicate with each of a communication means of only a wire system and a communication means of only a radio system also in an inkjet recorder corresponding to the communication means of only the wire system or the communication means of only the radio system. <P>SOLUTION: The ink cartridge comprises a communication module which can communicate with any of a wire communication means and a radio communication means by switching the communication means. The function of the semiconductor storage chip can be effectively used also to the inkjet recorder equipped with only the wire communication means or only the radio communication means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink cartridge that can be detachably mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording using a plurality of colors of ink is known in which a plurality of ink cartridges individually filled with each color of ink are detachably mounted. In this ink jet recording apparatus, since it is possible to replace only a specific ink cartridge according to the frequency of ink use, the ink can be used up for each color without waste, and it has the feature of being economical. ing.

  In such an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink supply path for guiding ink from the ink cartridge to the ink head is provided for each color individually. The ink cartridge has a predetermined mounting position for each color of ink, and by mounting the ink cartridge on the mounting portion, the ink of each color is supplied to the ink head via its own ink supply path. It is configured to be.

  Then, in a control unit or the like of the ink jet recording apparatus, color printing is realized by performing recording control such as ink ejection in each ink head for each color. Therefore, in order to perform appropriate printing, it is necessary to appropriately mount each ink cartridge at an ink cartridge mounting position determined for each color when replacing the ink cartridge.

  On the other hand, the recording quality in an ink jet recording apparatus is determined by the resolution of the recording head, and also greatly depends on the viscosity of the ink and the degree of bleeding on the recording medium, so the ink characteristics can be improved with the aim of improving the recording quality. It is illustrated.

  In addition, various attempts have been made to perform recording in a state suitable as an ink jet recording apparatus, and one of them is improvement of a drive signal supplied to the recording head. Furthermore, in order to prevent clogging of the nozzle tip opening, the period of preliminary ejection different from the ejection for recording, the timing for forcibly discharging ink by applying a suction force in the capping state of the recording head, etc. The maintenance conditions are also improved.

  As a means for further improvement, a semiconductor memory chip storing the remaining amount of ink, information on the ink stored in the ink cartridge, and the like is provided in the ink cartridge, and the recording device reads these data via the contacts of the semiconductor memory chip. Improvements have also been made to achieve suitable printing.

  Further, as a configuration of the semiconductor memory chip, a configuration is disclosed in which information communication between the ink cartridge and the printer main body is performed in a non-contact manner using radio waves (Patent Document 1). Since this communication method allows non-contact communication, communication can be performed even when the ink cartridge is in a packaged state. Applying this technology today, manufacturing information such as ink tank unique number and manufacturing lot number is stored in the semiconductor memory chip, and it has an anti-collision function that can read the information in a packaged state. An RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system or the like is used.

  Thus, providing the semiconductor memory chip storing information in the ink cartridge has an advantage that it can be used for various purposes such as merchandise management at the time of distribution in addition to the improvement of the recording quality described above.

  As described above, the ink jet recording apparatus obtains information from the semiconductor memory chip of the ink cartridge as a contact method (hereinafter also referred to as a wired method) through a contact point and a non-contact method (hereinafter referred to as a wired method). In particular, a number of recording devices adopting the priority method have been commercialized.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-320914

  However, an ink cartridge having a wireless semiconductor memory chip cannot use a semiconductor memory chip function in an ink jet recording apparatus that supports only wired communication, and conversely, an ink having a wired semiconductor memory chip. The cartridge has a problem that the function of the semiconductor memory chip cannot be used in an ink jet recording apparatus that supports only wireless communication.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can communicate with either communication means in an ink jet recording apparatus corresponding to a communication method using only a wired method or a communication method using only a wireless method. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge including a semiconductor memory chip.

  Therefore, the present invention includes a module capable of communicating information with an ink jet recording apparatus main body, and an ink cartridge that can be detachably mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the ink cartridge communicates with the apparatus main body in a wired manner; And a communication means for performing wireless communication with the recording apparatus main body.

  According to the present invention, with respect to an ink jet recording apparatus that supports communication using only a wired system, power is supplied from the contact member, so that wired communication is performed, and an ink jet recording apparatus that supports communication using only a wireless system is used. Therefore, since there is no power supply from the contact member, power supply and other information communication are performed by wireless communication. Therefore, the function of the semiconductor memory chip can be used regardless of which of the ink jet recording apparatuses of the ink jet recording apparatus corresponding to the communication of only the wired system or the communication of the wireless system.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a view showing an appearance of an ink jet recording apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view showing a state in which a main body cover 201 is opened.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet recording apparatus 200 according to this embodiment is a main mechanism portion of a printer, and includes a recording head mounted on a carriage 205 that performs recording, and black, cyan, magenta, yellow (hereinafter, “K”). , “C”, “M”, “Y”), four ink cartridges 1K, 1C, 1M, 1Y (hereinafter, these ink cartridges may be indicated by the same reference numeral “1”), etc. However, the printer main body 204 covered with the main body cover 201 and other case portions is accommodated. Further, an automatic paper feeder 202 and a paper discharge tray 203 are provided before and after the printer main body 204.

  An operation panel 213 including a display for displaying the status of the printer, a power switch, and a reset switch is provided in both the closed state and the open state of the main body cover.

  In a state where the main body cover 201 is opened, the user can see the range in which the carriage 205 on which the recording head and the ink cartridge are mounted and the vicinity thereof. When the main body cover 201 is opened, a sequence in which the carriage 205 automatically moves to a substantially central position (hereinafter also referred to as “ink cartridge replacement position”) shown in FIG. Each ink cartridge can be replaced.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the above-described ink jet recording apparatus, and mainly shows a control circuit 300 in the form of a PCB (recording wiring board) in the printer main body and a configuration controlled thereby.

  In FIG. 2, a control circuit 300 executes data processing and operation control relating to the printer. Specifically, the CPU 301 executes processing related to printing according to a program stored in the ROM 303. The RAM 302 is used as a work area when the CPU 301 executes processing.

  As schematically shown in FIG. 2, the recording head unit 405 mounted on the carriage 205 has a plurality of ejection openings for ejecting ink of “K”, “C”, “M”, and “Y”. The recording heads (not shown) are formed. Ink cartridges 1K, 1C, 1M, and 1Y are detachably mounted on the recording head unit 405 and the ink cartridge holder 220 in correspondence with these recording heads.

  A connector (not shown) provided on the carriage 205 and a control circuit 300 on the main body side are signal-connected via a flexible cable 206. Further, when the recording head unit 405 is mounted on the carriage 205, the connector of the carriage 205 and the connector of the recording head unit 405 are signal-connected. Similarly, the control of each ink ejection in the recording head is similarly performed on the main body side by the flexible cable 206, the connector of the carriage 205, the drive circuit provided in each recording head via the connector of the recording head unit, and the like. A signal connection is made to the circuit 300, whereby the control circuit 300 can control ink ejection and the like in each recording head.

  An encoder scale 209 is provided along the movement path of the carriage 205, and an encoder sensor 211 is provided on the carriage 205. The detection signal of this sensor is input to the control circuit 300 via the flexible cable 206, and thereby the movement position of the carriage 205 can be known. This position information is used for each print head ejection control. Further, a light emitting / receiving section (not shown) provided in the vicinity of a predetermined position in the movement range of the carriage 205 includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and the ink remaining of each ink cartridge 1 mounted on the carriage 205. A signal related to the quantity is output to the control circuit 300. The control circuit 300 can detect the remaining amount of ink based on this signal.

  In the printer of this embodiment, ink of each color is supplied to the recording head unit 405, and the recording head unit 405 scans a recording medium such as paper by moving the carriage 205, and the ink is applied to the recording medium during this scanning. Is recorded. That is, the carriage 205 is slidably engaged with the guide shaft 207 extending in the moving direction, and can be moved as described above by the carriage motor and its driving force transmission mechanism. In each of the recording heads corresponding to the inks “K”, “C”, “M”, and “Y”, ink ejection is performed based on ejection data sent from the control circuit 300 on the main body side via the flexible cable 206. Is done.

  Further, a paper feed mechanism such as a paper feed roller and a paper discharge roller is provided, and a recording medium (not shown) fed from the automatic paper feeder 202 can be conveyed to the paper discharge tray 203. The recording head is scanned by the above movement, and during that time, ink is ejected from the respective recording heads to the recording medium to perform recording in a region having a width corresponding to the ejection port in the recording head, and between this scanning and the next scanning. Recording is performed sequentially on the recording medium by feeding a predetermined amount of paper according to the width by the paper feeding mechanism.

  FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the ink cartridge 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The inside of the ink cartridge 1 is divided into an ink storage chamber 11 and a negative pressure generating member storage chamber 12 that communicates with the ink supply port 7, and both are connected via a communication port 13. While the ink 10 is stored as it is in the ink storage chamber 11, the negative pressure generating member storage chamber 12 is provided with an ink absorber 15 such as a sponge or fiber assembly that is impregnated and held with ink. The ink absorber 15 is sufficient to prevent ink leakage from the ink discharge portion in balance with the holding force of the meniscus formed in the ink discharge nozzle portion of the print head, and enables the ink discharge operation of the print head. This is for generating an appropriate negative pressure within a certain range. Ink 10 in the ink storage chamber 11 is supplied from the ink supply port 7 to the recording head via the negative pressure generating member storage chamber 12.

  At the bottom of the ink storage chamber 11, when the ink cartridge 1 is attached to the apparatus, the ink remaining amount detection unit 17 is disposed at a portion that can face an ink remaining amount detection sensor (described later) provided on the main body device side. Is provided. In the present embodiment, the remaining ink detection sensor is an optical sensor having a light emitting part and a light receiving part. Further, the remaining ink detection portion 17 is made of a transparent or translucent material, and can appropriately reflect light from the light emitting portion and return it to the light receiving portion (described later) when the ink is filled. In the empty state, it is a prism-like one having a slope portion whose shape, angle, etc. are determined so that light does not return to the light receiving portion.

  The support member 3 is formed of a resin that is integral with the exterior of the ink cartridge 1 and is configured to be displaceable around the supported portion when performing mounting operation to an ink cartridge holder, which will be described later. The left and right outer walls of the ink cartridge 1 are integrated with a first engagement portion 5 and a second engagement portion 6 (in this example, integrated with the support member 3) that can be engaged with an engagement portion of an ink cartridge holder described later. The ink cartridge 1 is mounted and held in the ink cartridge holder by these engagements.

  On the bottom surface of the ink cartridge in the vicinity of the support portion of the support member 3, an IC module 100 that is a main part of the present embodiment is provided. The electrode exposed surface of the IC module 100 is fixed so as to be positioned toward the outside of the ink cartridge 1.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the configuration of the IC module 100 included in the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the IC module, a circuit chip 130 and an antenna 140 formed of copper foil, aluminum foil, or the like are mounted on a base sheet 101 formed of a PET film, a PEN film, or the like. Four contacts are arranged in a line, and they are laminated with a cover sheet.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the circuit chip 130. The circuit chip 130 includes a storage circuit 134 including a power supply circuit 137, an input / output circuit 136A, a control circuit 135, a flash memory, and the like via an RF circuit 138 connected to the antenna 140.

  The RF circuit 138 is a circuit that detects and inputs an AC signal generated by electromagnetic induction to the antenna 140, supplies a power component extracted by detection to the power supply circuit 137, and supplies a clock signal (CLK1) and a data signal (Data1). Are output to the input / output circuit 136A. Also, it has a function of receiving a signal from the input / output circuit 136A, modulating it into an AC signal, and transmitting it to the printer body via the antenna 140.

  The output line (Vdd1) of the power supply circuit 137 is connected to the power supply control circuit 139 and the signal selection circuit 133. The input / output circuit 136 </ b> A transmits and receives predetermined information as radio waves, and the control circuit 135 performs internal operation control including read / write operations for the storage circuit 134.

  The storage circuit 134 stores identification data of the product type of the ink cartridge, identification data of the product type of the printer main body, unique ID data of the ink cartridge, manufacturing date and expiration date, ink remaining amount, and the like. (Not shown).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, an opening is provided on the cover sheet, and the electrodes 111, 112, 113, and 114 connected to the circuit chip 130 are formed to be exposed at the opening. As shown in FIG. 5, the electrode 111 to which the power supply line (Vdd2) is input is connected to the power supply control circuit 139 and the signal selection circuit 133, and the electrode 112 is a ground line (GND). The electrode 113 is a data signal line (Data2), the electrode 114 is a clock signal line (CLK2), and both electrodes are connected to the input / output circuit 136B.

  The power supply control circuit 139 receives power from the power supply Vdd1 or Vdd2 from the power supply circuit 137 and supplies power to the circuit chip 130. The signal selection circuit 133 switches the connection destination of the control circuit 135 to the input / output circuit 136A or 136B when either the power supply Vdd1 or Vdd2 is in a predetermined high potential state.

  FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the recording head unit 405 and the ink cartridge 1 are mounted on a carriage that performs communication in a wired manner. The first engaging portion 5 and the second engaging portion 6 of the ink cartridge 1 with respect to the first engaging portion 455 provided in the recording head unit 405 and the second engaging portion 256 provided in the ink cartridge holder 220. Are engaged with each other, the ink cartridge 1 is mounted and fixed to the head unit 405 and the ink cartridge holder 220.

  At this time, the contact member 222 provided in the ink cartridge holder 220 comes into contact with the electrodes (111 to 114) of the IC module 100 provided in the ink cartridge 1, thereby enabling power supply and signal communication. At the same time, the ink supply port 7 and the ink introduction port 407 are joined to complete the mounting operation.

  When performing communication with the IC module 100, the main body control circuit 300 first supplies power (Vdd2) to the electrode 111, that is, the power control circuit 139. The power control circuit 139 supplies power to the circuit chip 130, and the signal selection circuit 133 connects the input / output circuit B and the control circuit 135. On the other hand, the control circuit 135 receives power supply, transitions to a data input standby state from the input / output circuit 136B through a predetermined initialization operation, and performs a predetermined operation such as reading / writing of the storage circuit 134 according to the input data.

  FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the recording head unit 405 and the ink cartridge 1 are mounted on a carriage that performs wireless communication. A communication unit 215 that is a means for wireless communication with the IC module provided in the ink cartridge is mounted on the lower surface of the ink cartridge holder 220, and wireless communication can be satisfactorily performed when the ink cartridge is completely mounted. The communication unit 215 does not have to be configured integrally with the carriage, and may be configured to be fixed to a main body member or the like that will be located in the vicinity of the IC module at a carriage home position, a tank replacement position, or the like.

  The main body control circuit 300 communicates with the IC module 100 via the communication unit 215. When the radio wave is received, the power control circuit 139 receives power from the power circuit 137 and supplies power to the circuit chip 130, and the selection circuit 133 connects the input / output circuit A and the control circuit 135. On the other hand, the control circuit 135 receives power supply, passes through a predetermined initialization operation, shifts to a data input standby state from the input / output circuit 136A, and performs a predetermined operation such as reading / writing of the storage circuit 134 according to the input data.

  In the present embodiment, the ink cartridge 1 stores predetermined information in the storage circuit 134 in an updatable manner, and the printer main body 200 and the like read and write predetermined information from the storage circuit 134 of the ink cartridge 1. However, the information storage medium of the ink cartridge 1 is a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which predetermined information is fixedly stored, and the printer main body 200 and the wireless communication device 215 only read predetermined information from the ink cartridge 1. It is also possible.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the ink cartridge 1 is exemplified as having a flash memory as an information storage medium. However, this includes an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), an FeRAM (Ferroelectric RAM), and a RAM (RAM) to which a battery is connected. Random Access Memory), ROM, etc. are also possible.

  In the present embodiment, the ink cartridge 1 has the power generation means including the antenna 140, the RF circuit 138, and the power supply circuit 137, and generates power by electromagnetic induction. A method using electric field energy may be used, and when it is desired to widen a reading range of ID or the like in a packaged state, an active type in which a battery is mounted on the IC module 100 may be used.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a block diagram for explaining the internal configuration of the circuit chip 130 of the IC module 100 included in the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  The power supply control circuit 139 receives power from the power supply Vdd1 or Vdd2 from the power supply circuit 137 and supplies power to the circuit chip 130. In the signal selection circuit 133, the input / output circuit 136A is normally selected. When power is supplied from Vdd2, the input / output circuit 136B is selected regardless of the state of Vdd1, and when the supply of Vdd2 is stopped, the input / output circuit 136A is selected again.

  For example, even in a configuration in which a battery is mounted on the IC module 100, the wired communication can be performed because the input / output circuit B, which is a wired signal, is selected when a wired power supply is received.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a block diagram for explaining the internal configuration of the circuit chip 130 of the IC module 100 included in the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  The power supply control circuit 139 receives power from the power supply Vdd1 or Vdd2 from the power supply circuit 137 and supplies power to the circuit chip 130. The signal selection circuit 133 of the control circuit 135 selects one of the input / output circuits depending on the presence / absence of the clock signal (CLK1) from the input / output circuit 136A or the clock signal (CLK2) from the input / output circuit 136B. Thus, the input / output circuit 136A is selected for wireless input, and the input / output circuit 136B is selected for wired input.

  For example, in a main body that performs wireless communication, even if the main body is configured to supply power by wire, wireless communication is performed using a clock signal from the input / output circuit A that has received the wireless signal after receiving power supply by wire. It can be performed. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a communication device that can suppress communication radio wave output and hardly cause radio wave interference. It is also possible to mount an element with high power consumption on the IC module. As an example of such an element, a light emitting element such as an LED disposed in the ink cartridge in order to display predetermined information of the ink cartridge, for example, the presence or absence of the remaining amount of ink (whether or not a sufficient amount of ink remains) It can be. When such a light emitting element is disposed in an ink cartridge, even if a printer without a non-PC or display has a plurality of ink cartridges of the same shape or similar shape mounted in the recording apparatus, the information display section is Therefore, there is an advantage that the user can visually and intuitively understand the target ink tank.

  As described above, the ink cartridge is provided with a communication module capable of communicating with either the wired communication means or the wireless communication means by switching the communication means. Ink cartridges that can effectively use the function of the semiconductor memory chip can be realized by either the ink jet recording apparatus having only the means or only the wireless communication means.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the embodiment using four ink cartridges corresponding to the four colors Y, M, C, and K has been described. However, the number is not limited to this. It may be a number corresponding to less than 4 colors, or a number corresponding to 6 colors including light magenta (Lm) and light cyan (Lc) in addition to 4 colors. Also, some color inks may be packaged in a common housing.

  In addition, the internal configuration of the ink cartridge 1 is not limited to the form divided into the storage chamber for the ink absorber and the storage chamber for storing ink as they are. For example, the ink absorber may be filled in substantially the entire interior space of the ink cartridge. Also, instead of using an ink absorber as the negative pressure generating means, ink is filled as it is into a bag-shaped member formed of an elastic material such as rubber that generates tension in the direction of expanding the volume. A negative pressure may be applied to the ink inside by the generated tension. Furthermore, at least a part of the ink storage space is formed of a flexible member, and only ink is stored in the space, and a negative pressure is generated by applying a spring force to the flexible member. It may be a thing.

  Further, the contact point is not limited to the contact point disposed in the center of the IC module as in the above-described embodiment, and the IC may be located in a position that corresponds to the contact point on the recording apparatus side and can secure a good connection state. You may provide in any position on the same surface of a module.

1 is an external view of an inkjet printer 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view showing a state in which a main body cover 201 is opened. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of an inkjet recording device. 1 is a side sectional view of an ink cartridge 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining a configuration of an IC module 100 included in the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a circuit chip 130. FIG. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the recording head unit 405 and the ink cartridge 1 are mounted on a carriage that performs wired communication. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the recording head unit 405 and the ink cartridge 1 are mounted on a carriage that performs wireless communication. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the internal structure of the circuit chip 130 of the IC module 100 contained in the ink cartridge which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the internal structure of the circuit chip 130 of the IC module 100 contained in the ink cartridge which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink cartridge 100 IC module 130 Circuit chip 140 Antenna 200 Inkjet recording device 205 Carriage 300 Main body control circuit

Claims (6)

An ink cartridge comprising a module capable of communicating information with an ink jet recording apparatus main body, and detachably mountable on the ink jet recording apparatus.
Communication means for communicating with the recording apparatus main body in a wired manner;
A communication means for communicating with the recording apparatus main body in a wireless manner;
An ink cartridge comprising:   The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the module of the ink cartridge includes a switching unit between wired communication and wireless communication.   3. The ink cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the module switching unit performs switching according to presence / absence of signal supply from each communication unit.   The ink cartridge according to claim 2, wherein a communication unit by wireless communication is normally selected for the module, and the module is switched to a wired communication unit when a signal is supplied from the wired communication unit.   The ink cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the signal supply signal is a power supply signal. The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein ink is stored.

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