JPH11286121A - Ink tank, ink jet print head using the same, print head cartridge, and ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve using efficiency of ink, to effectively prevent mixing or fixing of inks when erroneously loading an ink tank and to increase flexibility of positioning of the tank to a head whereby the ink in the ink tank is pressurized so that a supplying direction of the ink is not limited to the direction of the gravity. SOLUTION: At a side of an ink tank 11, a containing section 2 is pressurized by a spring 4 or the like to maintain the ink at the pressurized condition and only a quantity of the ink which is consumed in a head 12 is supplied by providing a valve 5 at an ink supplying section. An ink receiving section at the side of the head 12 is positioned to be separated from the ink supplying section with a space therebetween. The ink flies in the space to be supplied thereto. A section for reserving the received ink and a member for absorbing the shock of the ink are provided at the ink receiving section.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink tank used in a printing apparatus for printing characters and images by discharging a liquid such as ink, a print head cartridge using the ink tank, and a printing apparatus using the cartridge. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, as a storage portion of ink in an ink tank or a print head cartridge used in this type of printing apparatus, a "water head difference" caused by a height difference with respect to an ink using portion (ink ejection head).
Is known. In this case, since a special condition is not required for the ink storage unit, usually, a bag-shaped ink storage member is often used.

On the other hand, in order to reduce the size of the apparatus by minimizing or eliminating the height difference of the ink supply path, an ink tank which applies a negative pressure to the ink discharge head has been proposed and implemented. Have been. One of the easiest methods for generating a negative pressure is a method utilizing the capillary force of a porous body. In this method, the ink tank is housed in the entire inside of the ink tank for the purpose of storing the ink, preferably a porous body such as a sponge which is housed in a compressed state, and air is supplied to the ink housing section for smooth ink supply during the printing operation. It has a configuration including an air communication port that can be taken in.

On the other hand, in recent inkjet printing apparatuses, demands for high-quality and high-definition recording are increasing, such as a demand for photographic-quality image quality. Therefore, an ink jet printing apparatus is often configured to be able to mount a plurality of ink tanks. In this case, in order to prevent erroneous mounting of ink tanks containing different types of ink, it is known to provide the ink tank with an erroneous mounting prevention mechanism such as a projection that engages with a mounting portion of the tank.

[0005]

By the way, the above-mentioned printing apparatus is required to be further reduced in size and higher in image quality. Therefore, the installed ink tank also
In order to make effective use of the limited space, use efficiency higher than that of the conventional negative pressure generating type ink tank is required.

[0006] On the other hand, the conventional erroneous mounting prevention mechanism using a projection or the like is easily damaged when dropped. In addition, if the mounting of a different type of ink tank is permitted, the ink tank and the ink supply path of the main body of the printing apparatus are connected at the same time as the mounting, so that there is a possibility that the ink may be mixed in color.

In particular, when a processing liquid or the like for improving the fixability of the ink to the print medium is stored in the ink tank, the processing liquid is mounted on the mounting portion of the tank storing the ink reactive with the processing liquid. If the tank is mistakenly mounted, the ink and the processing liquid may come into contact with each other and cause a reaction.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problem from a completely different viewpoint from the conventional art.
An ink tank for storing ink to be supplied to an ink jet print head and detachable from the ink jet print head, a storage section for the ink, and an ink passage opening and closing means for opening and closing ink supply to the ink jet print head With, an ink supply unit for supplying the ink of the storage unit to the outside, and a control unit that controls the opening and closing unit,
Pressurizing means for holding the ink in the ink storage unit in a state where the ink is pressurized to the outside;

The present invention also relates to an ink jet print head which is detachable from the above-mentioned ink tank, wherein the ink receiving section is spatially separated from an ink feeding section of the ink tank when the ink jet head is mounted. And an ejection mechanism for performing recording using the ink.

According to the above-described structure, the ink jet printer includes the ink flow path switch (open / close valve or open / close valve) and the ink flow path switch control electric circuit for controlling the ink flow path switch. By appropriately supplying ink corresponding to the amount of ink consumed, the amount of ink derived from the ink tank can be made constant, and the ink pressure applied to the inkjet print head can be made constant.

Further, by maintaining the inside of the tank in a pressurized state (a state where the gauge pressure becomes a positive pressure) with respect to the outside,
The ink supply / reception units can be spatially separated. This makes it possible to adopt a configuration in which the pressure propagation path is not continuous, so that the influence of the pressure fluctuation on the ink tank side to the print head side can be more effectively suppressed. Furthermore, even if you accidentally install the ink tank,
Since connection with the ink flow path is not performed, the risk of color mixing of ink can be reduced.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a print head cartridge having the ink tank and the ink jet print head which can be separated from each other.

The present invention is also an ink jet printing apparatus using the above ink tank and ink jet print head, wherein the means for mounting the ink jet print head, and the means for relatively scanning the mounting means and the print medium are provided. And characterized in that:

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided an ink-jet printing apparatus in which the above-mentioned ink tank is removably mountable, a discharge mechanism for discharging ink, and a second mechanism for holding ink in a negative pressure state in a normal use state. A print head unit having a first ink storage unit, and a tubular liquid supply path for connecting the second ink storage unit and the ink tank, wherein the second ink storage unit includes It is characterized by having a one-way valve for discharging the gas inside to the outside, and a supply path opening / closing valve capable of opening / closing the liquid supply path.

In the present specification, "print" and "recording" are used not only when meaningful information such as characters and figures are formed, but also when images, patterns and patterns are widely formed on a medium (printing). If you do. Also,
The term “print medium” refers to not only paper used in general recording devices but also ink, processing agents, and other printing agents (such as cloth, plastic films, and metal plates) ejected by a head. Are also referred to as ink).

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective perspective view for explaining a schematic structure of a pressurized ink tank and an ink jet print head which can be separated from each other according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a print head cartridge in which is integrated. It should be noted that not all of the illustrated constituent members are essential to the present embodiment, and the present invention can be applied to some embodiments described below by appropriately selecting the constituent members.

The interior of the ink tank housing 1 in FIG.
An ink 3 sealed in a bag 2 such as an aluminum foil composite film is stored. The bag 2 made of the aluminum foil composite film is compressed by the pressure spring 4 and the internal pressure of the ink is maintained at a predetermined pressure (positive pressure) or more by the gauge pressure in order to maintain the degree of freedom of the position of the discharge port of the head. doing. The value of this predetermined pressure is 0.0
It is desirable that the pressure be 6 atm or more. One end of the ink bag 2 is an ink supply unit 6 connected to the ink flow path switch 5.

An ink pressure detector 7 is arranged between the ink bag 2 and the ink flow path switch 5. The ink flow path switch 5 and the ink pressure detector 7 are electrically connected to an ink flow path switch control electric circuit 9 by an electric wiring 8. These components are fixed to the housing 1 by screws or fixed by bonding. The ink flow path switch 5 of this example uses an ultra-compact electromagnetic valve in consideration of mounting on an ink jet print head, and electromagnetically operates an actuator (core rod) by a solenoid method. In this method, the flow path is opened and closed.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the structure. One end of a core rod 27 that opens and closes the flow path is connected to a compression spring 28 and is constantly urged in a fixed direction (a direction that closes the flow path). Core rod 27
A permanent magnet 29 is disposed at the other end of the ink passage switch 5, and a highly permeable iron core 30 is fixed to the housing of the ink flow path switch 5 in contact with the permanent magnet 29. A coil 31 is wound around the iron core 30.

A through hole 32 having a diameter of about 1 mm is formed at the center of the core rod 27. This through hole 32 is formed as shown in FIG.
As shown in (A), when the coil 31 is not energized, the positions are different from those of the ink inlet 33 and the outlet path.
In this state, the ink flow path switch 5 is in a state where the ink 3 does not flow (closed state).

On the other hand, when the coil 31 is energized by the ink flow path switch control electric circuit 9, the iron core 31 instantaneously reverses its magnetic pole, and the core rod 27 integrated with the permanent magnet 29 Move to the left in the figure against the urging force. Then, the through-hole 32 arranged on the core rod 27 coincides with the ink inlet 33 and the lead-out path, and the ink 3 flows by the pressure of the bag 2 and jumps out of the outlet of the ink supply unit 6. FIG. 3B is a schematic view of a state in which the ink 3 flows (open state). When stopping the supply of the ink, the current flowing through the coil may be stopped. Instead of using the repulsive force of the magnetic force, an attractive force may be used.

When an attractive force is used, the permanent magnet 29 is made of a high-permeability material (for example, permalloy) having no residual magnetic field.
And the core rod 27 and the iron core 30 are also formed of the same material.
The channel may be opened by being attracted to the iron core 30.

The ink supply section 6 of the ink flow path switch 5 includes:
It has a hole with an inner diameter of less than 1 mm along the ink supply direction. The surface around the hole is formed of a liquid-repellent material 10, thereby preventing ink from remaining as droplets in the feeding section.

On the other hand, the ink jet print head 12
The ink receiving portion 13 on the side is a hollow cylindrical pipe body 15 having a sharp head with an ink receiving port 14 having an inner diameter of 1.0 mm or less formed therein. The rear part of the pipe body 15 has an enlarged cross-sectional area as shown in FIG. 4, and a spiral body 16 for damping vibration caused by ink intrusion is arranged here.

Here, the size of the ink receiving port 14 is 1 m.
m is effective to reduce the possibility of intrusion of droplets when the ink attached to the feeding unit or the like falls as droplets (having a diameter of about 1 mm to 2 mm). The color mixing prevention effect is further enhanced. Also,
It is necessary to take measures such as forming the ink receiving port with a liquid-repellent material, cutting the ink receiving port diagonally, or making the tip sharpened. It is preferable because it can be prevented from adhering. The size of the ink supply unit is smaller than the size of the above-described ink receiving port, so that the liquid supplied by flying is reliably supplied.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the spiral body 16. The spiral body 16 has a spiral (spiral) form as the name implies, and even if the ink jumps in and enters, the ink does not directly jump into the ink storage unit 17 and the impact is generated by the spiral body 16. Be relaxed.
As a result, pressure fluctuations of the head due to the liquid supply operation can be suppressed.

An ink storage section 17 is provided further ahead of the spiral body 16, and an ink presence / absence detector 18 for detecting the presence / absence of ink is provided in the storage section 17. The ink 3 stored here is directly guided to the ink discharge mechanism 19 of the ink jet print head, and the ink is discharged from the ink discharge port 20 toward a print medium such as paper.

The ink storage section 17 and the ink discharge mechanism section 19
The filter 21 is disposed between the filter and the filter for the purpose of removing foreign matter in the ink. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of this portion. As is clear from this figure, the cross section of the back of the ink receiving port 14 is enlarged, and the ink receiving port once located at the tip of the pipe body 15 is shown. The ink that has passed through 14 can proceed toward the spiral body 16 without staying in the pipe body 15. As described above, by expanding the cross-sectional area along the traveling direction of the ink, it is possible to prevent the ink from stopping and staying on the way.

The same applies to the ink supply unit 6 side of the pressurized ink tank. The cross-sectional area from the outlet of the opening / closing hole of the ink flow path switch 5 to the outlet of the ink supply unit 6 increases. With such a shape, the ink does not stop staying on the way and can be supplied smoothly. Further, if the opening / closing hole of the ink flow path switch 5 and the inner surface of the hole of the ink supply unit 6 are formed of the lyophobic material 10, it is possible to more effectively prevent the ink from remaining halfway. it can.

With such an arrangement, the ink 3
Is supplied from the ink tank 2 at any time according to the ink consumption of the ink jet print head 12 or the ink discharge mechanism 19, and the ink discharge can be stabilized by stabilizing the level of the ink reservoir 17 Becomes Also, even if the wrong ink tank is installed when replacing with a new ink tank, or if a different type of ink drops from the new ink tank, the ink in the ink receiving unit on the inkjet print head side Mixing and sticking can be prevented.

In particular, in this embodiment, the opening cross-sectional area of the ink receiving port 14 on the side of the ink jet print head is made smaller than the estimated cross-sectional area of the ink droplet which can be dropped. Or by forming the whole from a liquid-repellent material or having a shape in which ink droplets do not easily enter, thereby preventing entry of the different kinds of ink into the ink receiving port 14 due to dripping. When a liquid-repellent material is used, the pressure difference from the atmosphere (the atmospheric pressure of the environment) is 0.02.
At about atmospheric pressure, ink supply may not be performed well, but if there is a difference of 0.06 atm, smooth supply becomes possible.

The structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be manufactured as follows.

The pressurized ink tank housing 1 for holding the components required for the pressurized ink tank was formed by injection molding polypropylene, and the bottom and side surfaces excluding the ceiling were manufactured. The ink reservoir (ink bag 2) into which the ink 3 was injected was put therein, and was pressed by the leaf spring 4, whereby the ink 3 was pressurized.

In the ink bag 2, an ink flow path switch 5 for discharging and supplying ink to the bottom portion and a pressure detector 7 for detecting the pressure of the ink 3 are fixedly joined. The ink outlet of the ink flow path switch 5 is formed so as to be fitted in a hole of the ink supply section 6. Therefore, if the ink flow path switch 5 is pushed in so as to match the ink supply section 6, an arrangement between the outlet of the ink flow path switch 5 and the outlet of the ink supply section 6 can be obtained. I have.

Then, after the ink flow path switch control section 9 was electrically connected using a connector of electric wiring, the ink flow path open / close control section 9 was fixed to the housing 1 with screws. Next, the electrical contact portion 22 and the ink flow path switch controller 9 are electrically connected by a connector.
2 was fixed to the housing 1 by heat caulking.

The electric contact portion 22 is formed by wiring an electric circuit on a plastic film such as polyamide or polyimide by plating or the like, and performing gold plating on the electrode portion. Accordingly, the electric contact portion 22 is formed in a single thin sheet shape, and several holes are formed in a part of the sheet portion, and this portion is 0.5 mm from the housing 1 portion.
The sheet-shaped electric contact portion can be easily fixed by hanging the cylindrical portion protruding to a certain extent and melting and crushing the cylindrical portion by heat. In addition, it can also be fixed using an adhesive or an adhesive sheet.

Thereafter, the ceiling portion of the casing 1 was injection-molded with the same material plastic, and this was joined to the casing 1 by ultrasonic welding. Ultrasonic welding is a method that applies ultrasonic vibration to objects to be joined to generate frictional heat on a joint surface to fix the objects together, and is widely used in general.

The bag of the ink tank used was an aluminum foil composite film in which an aluminum foil film was compositely laminated. The outermost layer is made of nylon, and the inside is an aluminum foil, nylon, and a film with a polypropylene-based adhesive layer.It is formed into a bag shape by heat sealing.
Here, an ink discharge joint 26 made of a molded article of polypropylene was attached by thermal bonding. The ink discharge joint 26 is provided with the ink flow path switch 5 and the ink pressure detector 7. In this embodiment, the ink pressure detector 7 uses a piezoelectric pressure sensor that converts a displacement in a dimensional direction due to a change in pressure into electricity. This sensor was coated with an adhesive in the hole of the ink discharge joint 26, and the insertion port side was fixed by heat caulking.

Next, the ink flow path switch 5 was similarly inserted into the opening of the ink discharge joint 26, and fixed using an adhesive and heat caulking.

It should be noted that whether or not there is ink in the pressurized tank is detected based on the pressure of the ink. However, the pressure sensor is changed to an optical sensor to adjust the sensor sensitivity to match the color tone of the ink. Even if it is carried out, the presence or absence of ink can be detected without any problem, and if it is desired to detect the presence or absence of ink for each color according to the configuration (for example, if the ink bag for each color can be replaced), It is valid. However, the pressure of the ink cannot be detected, and if the pressure decreases, the amount of ink that does not enter the ink receiving port may increase. Therefore, in this case, the pressure sensor may be used together.

Further, the casing 1 of the pressurized ink tank may be made of metal, or may be of a drawn can shape in which an iron plate is deeply squeezed. In particular, when the space for the pressurized ink tank cannot be made large, it is more convenient to use metal that can maintain the structure even when the thickness of the housing is small.

On the other hand, the housing 1 'of the ink jet print head was also manufactured by injection molding of polypropylene. This housing 1 'is provided with a fitting hole 24 for a positioning pin 23 for the purpose of aligning and fitting with the housing 1 of the pressurized ink tank. The shapes, dimensions and arrangement positions of the positioning pins 23 and the fitting holes 24 on the side of the inkjet print head 12 are appropriately determined so as to make it possible.

In the ink jet print head 12,
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an electric contact portion 22 'is arranged, and an electric signal is transmitted through this contact to discharge ink from the ink discharge mechanism 19 of the ink jet print head to discharge paper or the like. Printing is performed on a print medium. The electrical contact 22 ′ has a contact for transmitting a signal of a detector 18 for detecting the presence or absence of ink in the ink storage unit 17 of the ink jet print head 12, and is transmitted from the printer main body control unit via the print head 12. Electrical wiring is also provided to send a signal to the ink flow path switch controller 9 on the pressurized ink tank 1 side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the portion 40 of the ink jet print head 12 facing the ink tank has a recessed shape except for the protruding portion of the ink receiving port 13. The ink that could not enter is temporarily stored. In addition, a discharge hole 25 is provided in a part of the wall forming the receiving tray to discharge the ink that cannot enter the ink receiving port 13 to the outside when a certain amount or more is accumulated. This discharge hole 25 is provided when the ink jet print head 12 is attached to the printer body and is at the home position.
By performing suction or the like at regular intervals, it can be used to discharge the different kinds of ink accumulated here and the ink that has not entered the ink receiving port 13.

The ink jet print head 12
The ink receiving port 13 is made of a plastic pipe body 15 having a surface having an inner diameter of less than 1 mm and made of a liquid-repellent material 10.
(The whole or a part including the surface may be made of a liquid-repellent material) is inserted into a receiving plate-shaped plate 40 made of polypropylene or the like. As shown by, the periphery of the insertion portion is slightly depressed so that the ink that has not been able to enter the ink receiving port 13 is temporarily stored, and is discharged to the outside when a predetermined amount or more is stored. A discharge groove or hole 41 is provided for discharging the ink by the same operation.

Next, the spiral body 16 was manufactured by injection molding from polyethylene which is relatively easy to form a desired shape because of its complicated shape. The spiral body 16 was also fixed to the housing of the ink jet print head formed of polypropylene by inserting and fitting.

The lower part of the spiral body 16 is connected to an ink reservoir 17, and an optical sensor 18 for detecting the presence or absence of ink in the reservoir is arranged in the ink reservoir 17. This optical sensor is a reflection-type optical sensor, and has a light-emitting body that emits light having a wavelength that is absorbed by the ink or a filter of that type interposed in the optical path. This is to detect the presence or absence of ink by receiving the irregular reflection of the light. Further, as a transmission type optical sensor in which the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are separately arranged in the storage unit, the ink is present between them,
When the ink runs out, an optical path is formed to detect the presence or absence of the ink.

Further, a filter 21 is arranged between the ink storing section 17 and the ink jet discharge mechanism 19 to collect foreign matter in the ink. The filter 21 used in this example is a felt made of polypropylene, which is obtained by compressing and firing a polypropylene fiber. The position of the optical sensor 18 is a felt 21 made of polypropylene.
And a height at which the filter 21 does not absorb all the ink.

Inkjet printhead ejection mechanism 1
The part 9 used was a head mechanism of BC-20 manufactured by Canon Inc., which is generally widely used for an ink jet print head.

The head mechanism generates heat by causing the ink to generate heat and foams the ink, thereby obtaining a propulsive force and an ejecting force of the ink based on the instantaneous expansion force, and is generally called a bubble jet. Mechanism. This head mechanism has 128 ink ejection nozzles 20 formed by irradiating polysulfone resin with excimer laser light, and each nozzle has a size of about φ3.
The diameter is about 0 μm.

A heating element is incorporated at an appropriate position facing the liquid path constituting the nozzle, and 128 heating elements are arranged corresponding to each nozzle. This 128
The current is passed through the heating elements, and the ink 3 is ejected from the ejection holes 20 only at the moment when the heating elements generate heat, and printing is performed on a print medium such as paper. Sending the ink at a constant supply pressure to the heating element portion leads to stabilization of print quality.

Therefore, in the case of an ink jet print head having an ink ejection mechanism, by using a method as in this embodiment for introducing ink up to immediately before the ink ejection mechanism, it is possible to prevent mixing of ink other than the target ink. In addition, it is possible to remarkably reduce fluctuations in the ink supply pressure (increase in the negative pressure of the ink according to the negative pressure type ink supply system). Of course, it is needless to say that ink can be satisfactorily ejected similarly even with a head using an electromechanical energy conversion element such as a piezo element or an electrostatic head for an ink ejection mechanism. Nor.

(Second Embodiment) As a means for applying a pressure for supplying ink in the pressurized ink tank, in the first example, a method of compressing the ink bag 2 with the leaf spring 4 is employed. As long as a pressure higher than 0.06 atm is obtained at least in a state before the start of use and a pressure capable of maintaining smooth feeding is obtained, the pressurizing means is not limited to a leaf spring or the like.

As another method, as shown in FIG. 6, the ink storage container is in the form of a bellows 42 made of, for example, polyethylene, which can be pressed and compressed by a spring 4 'to 1.06. It is also possible to obtain a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure.

As another method, the ink bag 2 may be formed of a rubber bag, and the one into which ink is injected may be used to convert the compressive force into a pressing force. Further, a pressurizing pump may be mounted on the ink tank, and the pump may be operated to obtain a pressing force.

However, the ink jet print head 1
2, the size and the weight are 100 mm in height from the viewpoint of practicality.
mm, width 80 mm, width 80 mm or less, and its weight is desirably 400 g or less. When the present invention is applied to a printing apparatus for recording a photographic tone, 6
It is desirable that the above-mentioned dimensions and weight be satisfied even when an ink tank of about the same color and an ink jet print head mechanism of six colors are mounted. More desirably, half or less of the above dimensions and half or less of the above dimensions are desirable in realizing a small-sized ink jet printer. This point is also an important point of the present invention. is there. In the present invention, small components are used for all parts. In particular, an ultra-small solenoid valve used for a precision machine such as an electronic timepiece is used for an ink flow path switch.

As a result of studying by changing the pressure of the ink 3, the ink 3 did not fly satisfactorily at the external pressure plus 0.05 atm, and the tendency of the flight path to be slightly deviated was observed.
However, the ink could be satisfactorily supplied at the external pressure plus 0.06 atm. Preferably, the external pressure plus 0.
The pressure was 1 atm or more. In this case, it was possible to supply ink more favorably. The external pressure was 1.00 atm.

(Third Embodiment) Some inks used in ink jet print heads are fixed when inks are mixed.

On the other hand, in the pressurized ink tank of the present invention, since the ink supply port and the ink supply port are not in contact with each other when the ink tank is mounted, the problem of sticking and mixing can be avoided. However, if a tank containing different types of ink is incorrectly mounted, the ink jet print head 1
At the time when the ink flow path switch 5 is opened by the signal from 2, the problem of sticking or mixing occurs. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, a memory unit such as a 16-bit EPROM is provided in the ink flow path switch control electric circuit unit 9 so that the ink flow path switch 5 is operated only when a correct ink tank is mounted. Set to work. That is, the information (memory contents) of the ink tank is stored on the printer side.
And a signal of the type of the ink jet print head are calculated, and the ink flow path switch 5 is activated only when the condition is satisfied. By adopting such a system configuration, it is possible to prevent erroneous mounting of different types of ink tanks that may be performed by the operator.

Here, as the memory mounted on the tank, in consideration of the form in which the tank is sold alone, for example, a storage element such as an EPROM or a non-volatile RAM, which can store the stored content without supplying power, is used. preferable.
By incorporating a battery as a power supply unit in the ink tank, a dynamic RAM (DRAM) or the like can be used.

In particular, when a power supply is provided in the ink tank, the power can be used to open and close the valve.
Electrical wiring between the head and the tank can be simplified. This is desirable particularly when a large number of ink tanks are mounted in one recording apparatus. In addition, by changing the signal from a parallel transmission method of digital signals by electric wiring to a serial transmission method of digital signals using light emitting diodes or the like, required operations can be dealt with by transmitting and receiving one signal. Become. As a power source for opening and closing the valve, the power source for the above-mentioned memory may be used in common, or a solar cell may be mounted on the surface of the housing of the ink tank.

FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of a control system according to the present embodiment. This configuration can be applied to other embodiments described later by appropriately selecting or adding necessary configuration blocks.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 500 denotes a print control unit of the printer main body. 400 is an interface for transmitting and receiving print data and the like to and from a host device (not shown);
A ROM 402 stores a program and other fixed data corresponding to a control procedure executed by the MPU, and 403 denotes various data (a control signal for a print operation and a print head 20).
1 is a dynamic RAM (DRAM) for storing print data to be supplied to the printer 1.

A gate array 404 controls supply of print data to the ink ejection mechanism 19 of the print head 12.
01, data transfer control between the DRAMs 403 and the like are also performed. 4
Reference numeral 06 denotes a carriage motor serving as a drive source for moving (main scanning) a carriage on which a print head is mounted.
05 transports the paper in a direction different from the main scanning (sub scanning)
This is a paper feed motor serving as a driving source for performing the operation. Reference numerals 407 and 408 denote motor drivers for driving the carriage motor 406 and the paper feed motor 405, respectively.

Reference numeral 409 denotes a head drive unit for driving the ink ejection mechanism unit 19 of the print head 12, and further transmits a signal of the ink presence / absence detector 18 to the ink tank 11 side, and connects the ink tank 11 side to the MPU 401. And a circuit unit for transmitting and receiving a required signal between them.

On the other hand, in the ink tank 11, reference numeral 421 denotes a memory such as a DRAM, which stores necessary data as described above. Reference numeral 431 denotes a solar cell board configured on the ink tank housing 1, which is wired in parallel with the internal battery 433 for power supply to the ink flow path switch controller 9 and the like. Reference numeral 441 denotes a non-contact type signal transmission unit. In this example, an input / output signal to each unit such as the ink flow path switch control unit 9 is exchanged with the outside in the form of an optical signal (which may be visible light or infrared light). A set of photodiodes for transmission and reception (for transmission and reception). In addition, the ink flow path switch control unit 9 determines the flow path switch 5 according to the contents stored in the memory 421 and the detection state of the pressure detector 7 in relation to signals transmitted and received in the course of a control operation flow described later.
May be an electric circuit unit such as a logic circuit that determines whether or not to operate.

A similar photodiode set 411 is also provided on the ink jet print head 12 side, and signals are transmitted and received between them. Ink tank 1
A predetermined start-up signal of a specific frequency (for example, 1 MHz) is output from the inkjet print head 12 to the first side, and in response to this, the ink tank 11 is configured to emit a signal of the same 1 MHz predetermined pattern indicating the presence of the ink tank. . Thereafter, when the inkjet print head 12 transmits a confirmation signal of a predetermined pattern that confirms the presence of the ink tank 11, an 8-bit serial signal is transmitted from the ink tank 11 in the order described later.

The structure and the order of the signals transmitted and received between the ink tank 11 and the ink jet print head 12 include the type number of the ink tank including the shift signal (synchronization signal), the color signal of the ink tank, and the grade signal of the ink tank. , A production lot signal of the ink tank, an ink pressure signal of the ink tank, a state signal of the ink flow path switch 5, and a production number of the ink tank.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of signal transmission / reception between the ink jet print head and the ink tank, and FIG. 9 shows a schematic example of the form of signals transmitted by both.

As shown in the start clock signal of FIG.
There is a data signal 72 between the shift signal (synchronization signal) 71 sent from the inkjet print head 12, which is processed and transmitted as one block signal (processing SH1). Then, the start clock signal is received by the ink tank side, and a start start signal is returned (processes ST1 and ST3). When this is confirmed by the inkjet print head side and a confirmation signal is transmitted to the ink tank side (processing SH3, SH5), the ink tank side transmits various data signals in a form as shown in FIG. 9 (processing ST5, ST7). .

In this example, various data are composed of 18 block data signals. One example of the data is an ink type ("6A"), a color ("B"), and a grade ("F") as shown in FIG. ), Manufacturing lot (“F line on A / 27/1997”), ink pressure (level 5), ink flow path switch state 0 <OFF>, and serial number (“555555”). ing.

The ink jet print head receives this, and determines whether or not the ink tank is suitable for use (processing SH5, SH7). If they match, an ink presence / absence signal of the ink storage unit 17 is returned.
01 (NG), and sends out a bad (NG) signal to the H.01 (processing SH9, SH
11, SH13). By changing the form of the signal, it is possible to send a signal indicating what does not match. That is, a signal indicating whether the ink pressure in the ink tank is insufficient, whether the ink is old after the expiration date, or whether the grade of the ink is different, etc., which is notified to the operator by some processing in the printer body. It is also possible to notify or display to a host device (input device) such as a personal computer via the interface 400.

The ink tank receives the signal indicating the presence / absence of ink in the ink storage section 17, and if the signal indicates that there is no ink, opens the ink flow path switch 5 (outputs a signal). If the signal is a signal, the ink flow path switch 5 is not opened (steps ST9 and ST1).
1). Thereafter, a state signal of the ink flow path switch 5 is transmitted to the ink jet print head (process ST1).
3). The inkjet print head receives this, ends this series of processing, and then proceeds to processing of another color or type of ink tank (SH15, SH17).

If the ink jet print head side or the ink tank side sends out these signals and a certain period of time (such as 1 msec from the transmission of the confirmation signal) elapses, the corresponding processing or signal reception is not performed. , NG
The operation flow is such that a signal is issued or an initial standby state is returned.

If there are six color ink tanks, these processes are performed in order for each color. The transmission and reception of these signals with one type of ink tank is at most 2-3 msec.
It is a short time, and it takes only about 20 msec for six colors. In addition, the ink flow path opening / closing control electric circuit section 9 opens the ink flow path switch 5 for 0.6 seconds when confirming that the ink storage section 17 of the inkjet print head 12 is transmitting a signal indicating that there is no ink. Designed. This means that one signal exchange takes 2-3 ms.
This is because the operation of the mechanical flow path switch does not follow the speed of c.

The merit of using an optical signal is that if the signal is a wiring signal, the transmission of the signal is delayed due to the accompanying capacitance, and at the same time, a large amount of power is required. Even in this case, in the case of the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve a longer battery life. This signal is a signal transmitted and received between the inkjet print head and the pressurized ink tank, and is a carrier signal of about 10 MHz transmitted from the gate array 404 of the inkjet printer main body 500 for the printing operation of the inkjet print head. It is different from an image signal or the like on a clock.

In the case of this embodiment, for example, the ink jet print head has a memory indicating the model number of the ink jet print head and an operation unit for performing a logic operation (can be constituted as a part of the head drive circuit 409). When the print head is mounted on the ink jet printer main body 500, power is supplied via the contact portion 22 'to start the active state.

The signal indicating that there is no ink in the ink tank is not merely a signal for notifying the absence of ink but also means that ink cannot be supplied for some reason. In addition to the parallel 8-bit signal for the heat conversion element that ejects ink from the ejection port 20 of the inkjet head, an electrode for supplying power, and a common ground electrode, a signal that informs the inkjet printer body 500 of the presence or absence of ink in the ink tank. Contact (1
One) has been added.

It is to be noted that an OR circuit may be configured to transmit a signal indicating that there is no ink in the ink storage section 17 of the ink jet print head, or another signal contact section may be additionally provided. It is desirable to increase certainty.

In this embodiment, until the signal indicating that there is no ink is sent from the ink storage unit 17 of the ink jet print head 12, the ink flow path opening / closing control is performed for 0.6 seconds after the first reception of the signal indicating that there is no ink. The electric circuit section 9 moves the ink flow path switch 5 from the ink supply section 6 to the ink receiving port 1.
3, the supply was continued. However, it is needless to say that the supply time can be appropriately changed depending on the size of the ink storage unit 17 and the position and sensitivity of the ink presence / absence detection sensor 18.

Here, the ink jet print head of the present invention will be further described. One of the features of the present invention is that the transmission and reception of the signals of the ink tank are all performed via the inkjet print head 12. The active control right is given to the ink tank 11 side. This prevents erroneous opening and closing operations of the valve of the ink tank, and improves the degree of freedom in designing the printer body.

The transmission and reception of the signal to and from the ink tank is performed by a mechanical electric contact system in this embodiment. In the electric contact part 22,
An electrode for power supply and a common ground electrode were arranged. In addition, when the above-described memory is provided, an electrode for acquiring the type of ink jet print head, a production lot, a product number, a use-by date, and the like stored in the memory, an electrode for transmitting the pressure of the ink by an analog signal, an ink An electrical contact 22 including an electrode contact for receiving a signal indicating the presence or absence of ink in the storage unit 17 is disposed.

In this embodiment, when the ink tank 11 is mounted on the ink jet print head 12 and the electric contacts are electrically connected, the electric power (voltage) is supplied to the ink flow path opening / closing electric circuit section 9 via the electric power supply circuit. Is transmitted to Next, based on this voltage, the arithmetic logic unit starts to be active,
Perform the operation of reading the contents of the memory mounted on the inkjet print head, and confirm the compatibility with the inkjet print head. The system is configured so that the operation of operating the ink flow path switch 5 is performed only when the conditions are met.

(Fourth Embodiment) In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, in the third embodiment described above, power is supplied from the ink jet print head 12 to the ink tank side, and the internal battery 433, the solar battery 431, and the like are provided. A pressurized ink tank 11 having no self-power supply capability was also manufactured as a prototype. In this case, an EPROM having a capacity of 1K bit memory was used as the memory 421. In this case, the connection of the electric contact section 22 causes the memory section 42 of the EPROM to be connected.
When power is supplied to the ink flow path opening / closing control electric circuit section 9 including 1, the operation section starts logic operation and the photodiode unit 41 of the inkjet print head 12.
The photodiode unit 441 on the pressurized ink tank side receives the above-described signal transmitted from No. 1 and transmits and receives the above-described signal, thereby supplying and receiving ink.

Further, the photodiode unit employed in this embodiment inputs and outputs a signal having a wavelength near infrared light having a wavelength of 960 nm. However, as a communication means that can be employed, a means using a photodiode in the visible light region or the like may be used, or another wireless system may be used.

Also in this case, the ink jet print head was equipped with a logic operation unit and a memory unit including an EPROM. In addition, the ink jet printer body 5
The connection to 00 was made up of a power terminal for receiving power supply, a common ground electrode portion, and one serial signal terminal for print signal processing. In this case, the internal clock of the drive logic operates at 20 MHz, and the print signal is 10M.
Hz, and communication with the ink tank is performed at 1 MHz. The signal transmitted at 20 MHz is divided into a print signal portion, a signal portion transmitted to and received from the ink tank, a signal portion transmitted to and received from the sensor, and the like in a time series. Data processing was performed, and this was reduced to a signal on the low frequency side by pulse delay and used.

The print signal means an entire signal in which signals necessary for print processing by the ink jet print head, such as a timing signal, a synchronization signal, a data signal, and a memory release signal, are arranged in time series. In addition, the ejection mechanism 1 of the ink jet print head
When the driving voltage of the heat conversion element of No. 8 does not reach, a booster circuit may be arranged inside. The voltage of the signal used here is 1
2V.

As described above, if the logic operation processing unit is mounted on the ink jet print head 12, the operation signal of the active element (thermal conversion element or piezo element) for discharging the ink 3 from the ink discharge port 20 can be transmitted as a serial signal. .

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 10 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In order to prevent the ink from being sent / received by the natural dropping phenomenon, the ink is only allowed to fly obliquely upward to the ink receiving port. It has a structure that can be supplied. By using the means of flying and supplying ink in this way, it is possible to avoid mixing and sticking of the inks that come into contact with each other.

In the present embodiment, the ink receiving portion of the print head mounted on the ink jet printer is used as an ink receiving port having an inner diameter of 1.0 mm or less as in the first example. , The ink supply is not performed by natural fall. The arrangement relationship between the ink supply unit 6 'and the ink reception unit 14 where the ink cannot fly unless the internal pressure of the ink tank is higher than the external environment by 0.06 atm or more.

As shown in a schematic sectional view of FIG. 10, a height of 5 m is provided between the ink feeding portion 6 'and the ink receiving portion 14.
There is a wall 63 having a height of 60 m from the outlet of the ink supply section. That is, the ink cannot jump over the barrier 63 by natural ink dripping, but can jump over only when the atmospheric pressure is higher than 0.06 atm or more than the external environment.

When the elevation angle is set to 30 degrees, a barrier corresponding to the angle can be overcome under the condition that the internal pressure of the ink tank is 0.05 atm higher than the outside air. However, in order to prevent erroneous intrusion such as dropping ink droplets, it is desirable that the elevation angle is 60 degrees or more. Accordingly, the elevation angle and the ink pressure in this case can be appropriately determined according to the configuration. For example, the ink pressure may be equal to or less than the atmospheric pressure plus 0.06 atm.

Further, a shock absorber 61 for reducing the shock caused by the ink entering and flying is disposed at the end of the barrier. The shock absorber 61 is formed of the spiral body 16 described above.
Or a plurality of stainless steel metal filters may be stacked.

In this example, six stainless steel nets having a mesh of 200 mesh were used. Further, on the ejection mechanism 19 side, a metal filter 6 having a 5 μm mesh is provided.
2 was arranged.

The ink presence / absence detector 18 for detecting the presence / absence of ink is disposed between the filter 62 and the ink ejection mechanism 19 of the ink jet print head. FIG.
As is clear from FIG. 7, the space between the barrier 63 and the ink ejection mechanism 19 has the function of the ink storage unit 17. Further, a liquid-repellent material is applied to a portion facing the space where the ink 3 'flies, so that the ink does not adhere to the wall surface. Ink entry barrier 6
Before 3, an outlet 25 for discharging ink that could not enter and a storage unit for temporary storage were provided.

With such a configuration, the ink 3 flies from the ink supply port 6 ′, jumps over the barrier 63, reaches the ink supply port 14 by the operation of the ink flow path switch 5, and reaches the ink receiving head 14. The ink is sequentially supplied to the ink ejection mechanism 19 side.

In the ink jet print head thus configured, the fluctuation of the ink supply pressure was hardly detected, and the ink was successfully ejected onto the print medium. By configuring a control system similar to that of the fourth example, a signal indicating that the ink tank is empty is transmitted to the ink jet print head when the pressure detector 7 of the ink tank falls below the atmospheric pressure plus 0.06 atm. The ink jet print head transmits the signal to the ink jet printer main body 500, and the printer main body 500 receives the signal, displays that the ink tank is empty (substantially no ink remaining), and stops the operation of the printer. I did it. Therefore, it was possible to mount a new pressurized ink tank 11 and restart printing.

(Sixth Embodiment) This embodiment is characterized in that the opening / closing control of the ink flow path switch of the ink tank and the control for detecting the presence or absence of ink are performed by the printer main body.

In such a configuration, the printer body 500
When power is turned on, only when the ink jet print head 12 is mounted on the head mounting portion and the ink tank 11 is mounted at a proper position of the ink jet print head 12, the electric contacts 22, 22-
The analog output of the ink pressure detector 7 of the ink tank 11 is confirmed via B, 22-C and the like. At this time, if the detection result of the pressure by the ink pressure detector 7 exceeds 1.5 atm, it is determined that the ink is full and the green LED mounted on the printer main body 500 emits light. If the detected value is between 1.1 atm and 1.5 atm, the yellow LED is made to emit light, and if the detected value is less than 1.1 atm, the red LED is made to emit light. If the pressure is lower than 1.06 atm, the printing operation is refused, or if the printing is being performed, the printing operation is stopped and a notification such as generation of an alarm sound is issued. In this way, the operator can recognize the level of the ink in the ink tank 11.

Therefore, if the detected value of the pressure detector 7 of the ink tank is 1.06 atm or more, the printer main body 500
Starts the process of reading the signal of the ink presence / absence detector 18 in the inkjet print head 12. If the signal from the detector 18 is a signal indicating that there is ink, the printer body 500 shifts to print processing. That is, a print signal is sent to the ink ejection mechanism section 19 of the inkjet print head 12, and the ink ejection mechanism 19 starts operating. On the other hand, if the signal from the ink presence / absence detector 18 is a signal indicating that there is no ink, the printer body 500 sends the ink flow path switch 5 in the ink tank to the ink flow path switch 5 so as to perform the ink supply process. Electricity is applied to open the ink flow path switch 5, and the ink supply unit 6 supplies the ink 3 to the ink receiving unit 13. When the present embodiment is applied to FIG. 8, the ink 3 flies from the ink supply unit 6 and is supplied to the ink receiving port 14.

In the case of the present embodiment, the ink is supplied by keeping the ink flow path switch 5 open until the signal of the ink presence / absence detector 18 changes from “no” to “present”. . Then, after the signal of the ink presence / absence detector 18 is changed to the signal of “present”, the printer main body 50 is turned off.
0 indicates that the processing of the print signal is started.

In the case where the ink tank stores a plurality of types of ink and supplies the ink to the ink jet print head 12, these processes are performed for each color ink tank.

When printing is in progress, the ink flow path switch 5 is opened, and the signal of the ink presence / absence detector 18 becomes 1
Only when the signal does not change to “present” within 0 seconds, printing is temporarily stopped, and the process waits until the signal of the ink presence / absence detector 18 changes to “present”. In this state, the signal of the ink presence / absence detector 18 is "present" for 10 seconds.
, And if it still does not change, an abnormal signal is sent to the printer body 500.

(Seventh Embodiment) FIGS. 11 and 12 are explanatory views for explaining a seventh embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 11, the ink supply unit 6 provided in the ink flow path switch 5 of the ink tank 1 and one end (ink receiving end) 151 of the pipe 150 are connected via a connection mechanism 155 described later with reference to FIG. Connected, and the connection enables ink supply from the ink tank 1 to the pipe 150. The pipe 150 may be, for example, a member made of fluorocarbon resin having an inner diameter of about 1 mm, and the other end (ink sending end) 152 is connected to a secondary ink tank 170 provided in the inkjet head 190. In the secondary ink tank 170, a shielding valve 252 urged by a spring 153 in a direction to close the ink sending end 152 of the pipe 150 is disposed.

The ink-jet head 190 has a housing 191 (for example, one obtained by injection-molding polypropylene containing glass fibers) made of a dense and highly rigid material.
The size is 25m high with one color inkjet head
m, width 12 mm, and depth 30 mm. A one-way valve 251 is disposed on the upper surface of the one-way valve 251 that allows internal air to escape to the outside, but blocks the flow of gas from the outside to the inside. The one-way valve 251 has a thin rigid fluoro rubber valve member and is configured to open at a low internal positive pressure of about 0.0005 atm.

The ink ejection section of the ink jet head 190 is provided on the bottom of the housing 191 in such a manner that the ink can flow directly to the secondary ink tank 170.
20 are arranged. Further, a sensor unit 700 for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the secondary ink tank is disposed on the side surface of the housing 191, and its terminal is connected to the printer body or the ink flow path switch control unit 9 mounted on the ink tank 1. Have been.

A printing apparatus (printer) having an ink supply system using a pressurized ink tank having such a configuration.
Will be described.

When the printer is turned on, the printer body checks the signal of the ink remaining amount detection sensor 700,
If the remaining amount is not a problem, the printer performs a normal printing operation or waits for a print signal from a host device in the personal computer building. Or
A predetermined recovery operation by suction or the like may be performed.

When the ink in the secondary ink tank 170 is used in connection with such a printing operation or a suction recovery operation, the liquid level 300 is lowered, and accordingly, the secondary ink tank 170 is 191, since the one-way valve 251 and the shut-off valve 252 are hermetically closed, the inside thereof becomes a negative pressure state. When the ink 3 corresponding to the height of about 5 mm is consumed, the internal pressure becomes about the gauge pressure minus 0.0005 atm (0.0005 atm as negative pressure).

The sensor 700 is arranged at a position where it operates when the ink 3 has been consumed by the height of 10 mm, and the sensor 700 outputs a signal for instructing ink supply at a stage where the negative pressure is about 0.001 atm, and the ink is supplied. If the supply is made, the pressure in the secondary ink tank 170 becomes negative pressure 0.001.
It does not exceed atmospheric pressure. Further, if the liquid level rises slightly with the supply of the ink, the sensor 700 immediately determines that the ink is present and stops sending the signal indicating that the ink is not present. Since the section 9 shuts off the ink flow path switch 5, the ink level 300 in the secondary ink tank 170 is maintained substantially constant, and the negative pressure is also maintained at approximately 0.001 atm.

When the outside air temperature rises rapidly, the air in the secondary ink tank 170 expands, and if it is completely sealed, the negative pressure may change to the positive pressure. In the embodiment, since the one-way valve 251 is provided, the expanded air is released to the outside, and the pressure in the secondary ink tank 170 becomes a positive pressure at the minimum opening pressure level of the one-way valve 251. There is nothing more. If the minimum opening pressure level is 0.0005 atm or less, it is of course strictly a positive pressure, but it can be considered that it is substantially 0 atm.

Therefore, the printer 700 is turned off, the operation of the sensor 700 is stopped, the ink 3 is removed from the secondary ink tank 170 while the outside air is forcibly introduced, and the liquid level 300 is about 3 mm from the bottom. Height (usually 15
(Ink is stored so as to have a depth of about 20 mm). At this time, the pressure in the secondary ink tank 170 is at the atmospheric pressure level. When the printer in this state is
Although the printer was put in an environment of ° C., in the printer of the present embodiment, since the one-way valve 251 was disposed in the secondary ink tank 170, no ink leaked from the ink ejection portion of the inkjet head 190. The ink ejection portion of the inkjet head 190 has a diameter of 20 μm as an ejection port.
Since a large number of fine holes are arranged, it is possible to prevent ink leakage with a slight positive pressure as described above due to the capillary force.

Next, after the ink 3 was intentionally removed to a depth of 3 mm as described above, the printer was turned on.
Then, the ink is rapidly supplied from the ink tank 1 and the secondary ink tank 170 is in a positive pressure state. However, the internal pressure is released by the operation of the one-way valve 251 to release the positive pressure state, and the ink jet head is released. No ink leakage from the 190 ink ejection portions occurred. Then, the ink remaining amount detection sensor 700 determines that the ink is “present”, and a normal printing operation is enabled.

Also in the present embodiment, if a memory section is provided in the ink tank 1 and the matching of the type and other information of both the ink jet head 190 and the ink tank 1 is checked, the incompatible ink and processing liquid can be checked. The problem of erroneous mixing does not occur. In addition, the ink delivery section of the ink tank 1 is normally closed, and even if an erroneous mounting occurs, no ink is delivered in that state, so that erroneous mixing can be effectively prevented.

When an ink jet printing apparatus having the above-described ink supply mechanism was used to print an image by mounting four color inks and a corresponding four color ink jet print head, the remaining amount of each ink tank 1 was measured. It was possible to continue a favorable printing operation until the print disappeared. Note that the remaining amount of the ink tank 1 is detected within a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) after the ink remaining amount detection sensor 700 of the inkjet head 190 starts transmitting a signal indicating that there is no ink. When the signal does not indicate the state of “ink”, it is determined that there is no remaining ink in the ink tank 1.

As another form of the ink tank 1,
Similar results were obtained even when the mechanism was such that the ink 3 was stored in a bag-shaped container and a required pressurized state was established when the ink 3 was mounted on the printer body. Such a mechanism connects a flow path opening / closing means in the form of an electromagnetic valve to the tip of a bag-shaped ink tank, and obtains a pressurized state by placing a weight member or the like from above when mounting on a printer. Needless to say, the pressurizing means can use the urging force of a spring or the like.

Note that, in the above embodiment, the shutoff valve 25
No. 2 had an urging force enough to open at 0.03 atm. In this case, since the height of the secondary ink tank 170 is about 25 mm, the negative pressure does not exceed 0.03 atm and the inside of the pipe 150 can always be kept in a positive pressure state. Met. In order to prevent the inside of the pipe from being in a negative pressure state as described above, although it depends on the height of the secondary ink tank 170, in practice, the pressure of the outside air is 0.005 to 0.06 atm. What is necessary is just to arrange | position the shielding valve 252 opened by the pressure of less than. If the minimum pressurization level of the ink tank 1 is set to 0.1 atm instead of 0.06 atm, the shielding pressure of the shielding valve 252 can be increased. The penetration of air through the wall was prevented.

FIG. 12 shows a configuration example of the connection mechanism 155 between the ink tank 1 and the pipe 150. In FIG. 12, for the sake of simplicity, the outer shape of the ink tank 1 and the ink flow path switch 5 is schematically shown, and the other portions are shown in cross-section. The illustrated state is viewed from the side of the ink tank 1 where the dimensions of the ink tank 1 are small.

The connection mechanism 155 is provided with a hook 18 which can hook a latch 154 formed at the tip of the ink feeding section 6.
2 and a handle 1 capable of accepting a latch release operation by an operator
A hook mechanism 180 rotatably supported about a shaft 183 and having an ink receiving end 15 of the pipe 150;
1 and a supporting and fixing portion 185 having a rubber receiving base 184 for pressing the tip of the ink supply path 6 to close the ink flow path 149 to the pipe 150.

That is, the latch section 154 formed at the tip of the ink supply section 6 is connected to the hook section 182 of the connection mechanism 155.
Through the open portion of the
By pressing against, the cradle 184 bends,
Engagement between the latch portion 154 and the hook portion 182 is ensured by the repulsive force, and the connection of the ink tank 1 is performed.
Further, by opening the handle 181 outward to rotate the hook mechanism 180 about the shaft 183 and releasing the hook portion 182 to release the hooked state with the latch portion 154, the ink tank 1 Can be easily removed.

An appropriate pressure resistance at the time of connection is determined by the hardness and dimensions of the rubber receiving base 184. In this example, the inner pressure can withstand up to about 0.7 atm (gauge pressure).
Even if the ink supply pressure was set to 0.2 atm higher than 0.06 atm, no ink leakage from the connection mechanism 155 occurred. When the printer was operated, the ink was smoothly supplied from the ink tank 1 to the secondary ink tank 170 of the inkjet head via the connection mechanism 155 and the pipe 150 in accordance with the operation of the ink flow path switch 5. .

FIG. 12 shows an example of the connection mechanism 155. As long as the ink tank 1 and the pipe 150 can be satisfactorily connected and fixed, an appropriate structure can be adopted.

As described above, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, in addition to the above-described effects of the tank alone, even if the temperature rises rapidly or a large amount of ink is consumed in a short time,
By appropriately opening the one-way valve, an effect synergistically excellent in stabilizing the ink supply can be exhibited.

(Others) FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration example of a color ink jet printing apparatus as an example of an apparatus to which the present invention can be applied.

In FIG. 13, an ink jet print head cartridge IJC containing inks of yellow, magenta, cyan, black and the like is removably mounted on a carriage 82 which is movable in the axial direction of a guide shaft 811. The carriage 82 is connected to a timing belt 8023 stretched between pulleys 8022 in order to transmit the driving power from the DC motor M.
In response to the driving of the C motor 406, the carriage 82
Reciprocate in the direction.

On the other hand, the ink jet print head cartridge IJC has the above-described print head 12 having a discharge port for discharging ink onto a print medium.
In a state where the surface on which the discharge port is formed faces the print medium P. By driving the DC motor 406 to move the carriage 82 in the direction of arrow A, ink is ejected from the print head in accordance with an ejection signal given at a predetermined timing, thereby obtaining a printed image.

Reference numerals 815, 816 and 817, 818 denote conveying rollers extending parallel to the guide shaft 811 on the far side and near side in the drawing of the scanning area of the carriage 82, respectively.
These are driven by a sub-scanning motor 405 (not shown) to pinch and convey the print medium P. 8300
Is a cap unit provided corresponding to each of the print heads, and seals the ejection port forming surface of the print head when the apparatus is not in use or during a recovery operation. 840
Reference numerals 1 and 8402 denote wiping members for wiping the ejection port forming surface of the print head, 8403 a member for cleaning the wiping member 401, and 850, respectively.
Reference numeral 0 denotes a pump unit for sucking ink or the like from the discharge port of the print head and its vicinity via the cap unit 8300.

In the present embodiment, the print head is provided with an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy in response to energization in order to eject ink from a plurality of ejection openings provided in a row. The ones that are arranged are used. Then, by applying a drive signal, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer to cause film boiling, and bubbles are formed in a liquid path inside the discharge port, and ink grows from the discharge port due to the growth of the bubble. Discharged.

These print heads can be detachably integrated with the ink tank and can be attached to and detached from the carriage 82 at the same time, or only the ink tank can be attached and detached. Further, the print head itself may be fixed to the carriage and does not need to be attached or detached.

In addition, four ink jet print head cartridges IJC are provided in FIG.
For example, yellow, magenta, cyan and black 4
Although an apparatus that discharges color inks to perform full-color printing has been described, the number of ink colors and the number and form of cartridges are, of course, not limited thereto.

Further, as a configuration of a printing apparatus to which the present invention can be applied, various forms of ejection recovery means (including preliminary auxiliary means and the like) of the printing head may be used. Specifically, capping means for the recording head,
Cleaning means such as a blade, means for removing ink from the ejection port by pressurization of the ink supply system or suction as in the above example, using an electrothermal converter or another heating element or a combination thereof What is necessary is just to include a preliminary heating unit for performing heating and a preliminary ejection unit for performing ejection that is different from recording. In the case where ink adheres or remains on the discharge port surface after such recovery processing, the arrangement of the absorber in the cap as in this example is effective, and the arrangement of the absorber for keeping the blade clean. This is because ink can be prevented from dropping onto an undesired portion.

In addition, the form of the ink jet recording apparatus applicable to the present invention is not limited to those used as image output terminals of information processing equipment such as computers,
A copying machine combined with a reader or the like, or a facsimile machine having a transmission / reception function may be used.

[0134]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the use efficiency of ink and to effectively prevent color mixing or sticking when the ink tank is erroneously mounted when the ink tank is mounted. it can.

Further, since the ink in the ink tank is pressurized, the direction of ink supply is not limited to the direction of gravity, and the degree of freedom in the positional relationship between the tank and the head can be increased.

Other effects include confirmation of the presence or absence of the ink, confirmation of the expiration date of the ink, confirmation of the compatibility of the ink,
For example, many contacts are not used for exchanging information between the ink jet print head and the ink tank, and a small ink jet print system can be realized.

Further, from the standpoint of the producer, since various information can be stored as memory data in the ink tank and the ink jet print head, lot management and quality check of the ink tank and the ink jet print head can be performed. It is great to help.

As described above, the present invention not only secures the stability, safety and reliability of ink supply, but also reduces the size of an ink jet printing system, especially the size of a photographic printing system which uses a lot of various inks. It contributes to simplification and simplification.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a pressurized ink tank and an inkjet print head which can be separated from each other according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a cartridge in which the pressurized ink tank and the inkjet print head of FIG. 1 are integrated.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a configuration example and an operation of an ink flow path switch disposed on an ink tank side in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a main part of the inkjet print head of FIG. 1 in an enlarged manner.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration example of a spiral body which is an example of an ink rush impact buffer used in the ink jet print head of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing a configuration example of a pressurized ink tank according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a signal transfer operation between the ink jet print head and the ink tank according to the embodiment of FIG. 7;

9 is a signal waveform diagram illustrating a schematic example of a form of a signal transmitted and received between the ink jet print head and the ink tank of the embodiment of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged schematic sectional view of an ink receiving portion according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic explanatory view of still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a connection mechanism between the ink tank and the ink pipe shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration example of a color inkjet printing apparatus as an example of an apparatus to which the present invention can be applied.

[Description of Signs] 1 Ink tank housing 2 Ink storage bag 3 Ink 4 Pressurizing spring 5 Ink flow path switch 6 Ink feeding section 7 Pressure detector 8 Electric wiring 9 Ink flow path opening / closing control electric circuit (control section) Reference Signs List 10 liquid-repellent material 11 pressurized ink tank 12 inkjet printhead 13 ink receiving unit 18 ink presence / absence detector 19 ink discharge mechanism 20 ink discharge port (nozzle) 22 contact part 26 ink discharge joint 42 bellows part 46 hollow body (injection needle) Reference Signs List 61 Shock absorber 63 Barrier 64 Discharged ink storage section 71 Shift signal 72 Data signal 500 Inkjet printer main body IJC Inkjet printhead cartridge P Print medium

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. An ink tank for storing ink to be supplied to an inkjet printhead and detachable from the inkjet printhead, comprising: an ink storage unit; and an ink supply unit for opening and closing the ink supply to the inkjet printhead. An ink supply unit for supplying the ink in the storage unit to the outside, an ink supply unit for controlling the opening and closing unit, and an ink supply unit for applying the ink to the ink storage unit. An ink tank comprising: a pressurizing means for holding the pressurized state. 2. The pressurizing means maintains an internal pressure at least 0.06 atm higher than the pressure of the environment in which the ink tank is placed, at least before use. The ink tank according to claim 1. 3. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the ink supply section has a supply port for increasing a cross-sectional dimension along a traveling direction of the ink. 4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes an electric wiring unit that transmits a signal for causing the externally supplied ink supply path opening / closing unit to operate, and an electric circuit unit. 2. The ink tank according to 1. 5. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein said control means has means for determining whether or not to operate said ink flow path opening / closing means according to the presence or absence of ink in said storage section. 6. A storage device for storing information on the ink tank, wherein the control device determines whether or not the ink supply path opening / closing device can be operated according to the content stored in the storage device. The ink tank according to claim 1, comprising: 7. An ink jet print head which is detachable from the ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the ink receiving section is spatially separated from the ink feeding section of the ink tank when the ink tank is mounted. An ink jet print head comprising: an ejection mechanism for performing recording by using the selected ink. 8. The ink jet print head according to claim 7, wherein the ink receiving section has an ink receiving port having an inner diameter of less than 1.0 mm. 9. The ink jet print head according to claim 7, wherein the ink is supplied while flying in a space between the ink supply unit and the ink reception unit of the ink tank. 10. The ink-jet printhead according to claim 7, wherein the ink receiving section has a receiving port for enlarging a cross-sectional dimension along a traveling direction of the ink. 11. An ink passage opening / closing means for said ink tank, comprising: an ink presence / absence detection unit for detecting the presence / absence of ink in said ink receiving unit or said discharge mechanism unit. 8. The ink jet print head according to claim 7, further comprising means for transmitting a control signal for operating the ink tank to the ink tank. 12. The ink discharge mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the means for generating energy used for discharging the ink includes an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy in response to energization. 8. The inkjet printhead according to 7. 13. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the ink is ejected from the ejection port toward a print medium by utilizing film boiling generated in the ink by thermal energy applied from the electrothermal transducer. Inkjet print head. 14. A print head cartridge comprising the ink tank according to claim 1 and the ink jet print head according to claim 7 in a separable manner. 15. A non-contact type signal transmitting means for transmitting and receiving a required signal in the form of an optical signal using visible light or infrared light between the ink tank and the ink jet print head. 2. An ink jet print head comprising:
5. The print head cartridge according to 4. 16. An ink jet printing apparatus using the ink tank according to claim 1 and the ink jet print head according to claim 7, wherein the means for mounting the ink jet print head, the mounting means, and a print medium And a means for relatively scanning. 17. The ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the mounting means supports the ink jet print head in a detachable manner. 18. An ink jet printing apparatus in which the ink tank according to claim 1 is detachably mounted, wherein an ejection mechanism for ejecting the ink and a second mechanism for holding the ink in a negative pressure state in a normal use state. A print head unit having: a second ink storage unit; and a tubular liquid supply path for connecting the second ink storage unit and the ink tank. An ink jet printing apparatus, comprising: a one-way valve for discharging an internal gas to the outside; and a supply path opening / closing valve capable of opening / closing the liquid supply path. 19. The ink-jet printing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the supply path opening / closing valve and the one-way valve are respectively provided above the second ink storage unit. 20. The supply path opening / closing valve has a gauge pressure of 0.1.
19. The ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the ink jet printing apparatus is shielded by an urging means that can be opened at a pressure of 005 atm or more and less than 0.06 atm.