JP2001322292A - Ink jet printer and its head cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet printer and its head cartridge in which reduction in the size of the printer is facilitated by enabling effective use of the space in the printer. SOLUTION: The head cartridge 120a comprises an ink jet head 120, and a plurality of ink holding containers 122c containing ink being ejected from the head wherein each ink holding container is connected with one head chip 124 having a plurality of nozzles. A plurality of head chips are arranged along the longitudinal direction while being shifted alternately, in the way, in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to have an overlap 124d at the end part. A space 122e is formed by shifting the space for containing the ink holding container at the end part in the longitudinal direction based on the overlap.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet printer for recording characters, images, and the like by discharging ink droplets, and more particularly to a line head having a printing paper width.

[0002]

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

[0003] Inkjet printers are often used in office environments or homes because of their simplicity and versatility. For this reason, since the amount of ink used is small, the ink is generally held in an ink tank installed in the printer. The ink tank and the ink jet head, which is an ink jetting unit, may be connected by a flexible tube or the like, but are often integrally formed. In the case where the ink tank and the head have an integral structure, the ink tank and the head are configured to be separable as an ink replenishment method when ink cannot be ejected, that is, when the ink amount is insufficient. Replacing only the ink tank with less ink with an ink tank filled with ink,
There is a type in which the ink tank and the head are configured as an integrated cartridge, and when the amount of ink is insufficient and ink cannot be ejected, the entire cartridge is replaced to replenish the ink.

[0004]

When the above-described integrated head cartridge is used, particularly in a color printer for performing full-color printing, for example, three colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan, and recently, black are used. It is configured to include an added four-color head cartridge. That is, in this case,
A plurality of head cartridges are prepared for each color. For this reason, with the demand for smaller printers,
A space for accommodating the head cartridge in the printer main body has become a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet printer and a head cartridge thereof, which make it possible to effectively use the space in the printer and to facilitate downsizing of the printer. I do.

[0006]

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

According to the first aspect of the invention, the space formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction due to the displacement of the housing space of the ink holding container is effectively used as a housing space for components such as a relay board. Since the parts such as the relay board to be housed in the main body are housed in the head cartridge, the inside of the printer main body requires a smaller space, and the whole printer is configured to be small.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, a head chip integrated with and connected to the ink holding container is arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a line printer can be easily and inexpensively constructed by arranging a plurality of head chips in the longitudinal direction.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first or second aspect, a circuit board having an ink ejection characteristic correction circuit of the head cartridge is accommodated in the space.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the discharge characteristics unique to each head cartridge are corrected by the ink discharge characteristic correction circuit formed on the circuit board housed in the space, so that the head cartridge can be used. Within the range, the ink ejection characteristics are corrected. Therefore,
By correcting the ink discharge characteristics in advance on the circuit board housed in the space of the head cartridge at the time of shipment, it is not necessary to correct the ink discharge characteristics at the start of use, so that the user can , The head cartridge can be easily replaced.

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

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the fourth or fifth aspect, a plurality of head cartridges are provided corresponding to the inks of each color, and among the head cartridges of each color, they are arranged in the sheet feeding direction. And the head cartridges adjacent to each other are configured so that the spaces are opposed to each other.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the heads adjacent to each other in the paper feeding direction face each other and cooperate to form one large space. Parts and the like can be accommodated, and the size of the printer can be further reduced.

[0015]

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

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

The ink jet printer 100 has a housing 1
10, a line head 120, a paper feed unit 130, a paper feed unit 140, a paper tray 150, an electric circuit unit 160, and the like are arranged. The housing 110 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a discharge port 111 for the paper P on one side surface.
The tray entrance 112 of the paper tray 150 is provided on the other side surface. Line head 120
Is provided with a total of four head cartridges for four colors of CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black), and is disposed above the end on the side of the paper discharge port 111 so that the nozzle (not shown) faces downward. Have been.

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

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

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

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

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

FIGS. 3 to 6 show a specific configuration of a head cartridge for one color of the line head 120 in the ink jet printer 100 of FIG. The head unit 120a of the line head 120 is configured as an integrated head cartridge, and as shown in FIG.
b includes a head frame 121 mounted on one side opening. The head frame 121 is integrally formed with an ink tank 122 described later, and has a surface
Slit-shaped ink supply holes 123 (see FIG. 5) are formed, and are alternately formed on both sides of each ink supply hole 123 along the longitudinal direction and in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG. (Hereinafter, referred to as a staggered shape), and the head chip 124 is bonded.

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

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

Further, the connection terminal 1 of the head chip 124
24b, the side surfaces of the head frame 121 and the ink tank 122 are routed by an electric wiring 126 formed of a flexible printed circuit board, and connected to a connection terminal 126a provided on one side surface of the ink tank 122. Is connected to a relay board 127 provided near the other end of the relay board.

Here, at both ends of the ink tank 122,
Space 1 due to displacement of staggered sections 122b
22e are formed, and the relay board 127 is accommodated in one of these spaces 122e. still,
The relay board 127 is, for example, a head cartridge 120a.
Although a correction circuit or the like for correcting the ink ejection characteristics of the present invention is configured, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, a circuit that records a usage history or the like may be configured, or another arbitrary circuit may be configured. You may. Accordingly, when a drive voltage is applied to the heater 122a via the electric wiring 126,
When air bubbles are generated on the surface of the heater, the corresponding nozzles 125 are supplied from the ink supply holes 123 through the flow paths 124c.
a, the ink is ejected at a
This corrects the ink ejection characteristics.

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

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

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

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

In this manner, as shown in FIG. 6, for each color, the head cartridge 120a divides the head frame 124, the ink supply holes 123, the filter 126, and the ink tank 122 into a staggered manner with respect to the head frame 121. The arrangement of the head 122b constitutes a head cartridge.

The ink jet printer 100 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, and operates as follows when performing printing. First, when the inkjet printer 100 is not used, the line head 120
Each bag 122c of the ink tank 122 in the head cartridge 120a of each color of
9, a negative pressure acts on the ink stored in the bag 122c, so that even if the head attitude of the line head 120 changes, the pressure difference between the nozzles 125a due to the change in the attitude causes the ink from the ink supply hole 123 to pass through the nozzle 125a. There is no leakage to the outside and the spring member 129
Is selected to be smaller than the pressure due to the capillary force of the nozzle 125a, so that the ink is not drawn inside from the nozzle 125a.

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

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

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

Further, the relay board 127 is housed at both ends of the ink tank 122 of the head cartridge, that is, the head cartridge 120a, by utilizing the space 122e formed by the displacement of the staggered sections 122b. The relay board 127 does not have to be provided in the housing 110 of the inkjet printer 100. Therefore, the entire inkjet printer 100 is configured to be small.

FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the line head of the ink jet printer according to the present invention. 7, only the head frame 121 and the ink tank 122 of the head cartridge 120b are shown. The head cartridge 120b is provided in each section 122.
b, a hollow portion 122d is provided between them, and the hollow portion 122d and the space 122e due to the displacement of the partitions 122b at both ends are integrally formed with the partition 122b adjacent on the opposite side across the ink supply hole 123. Only in that the head cartridge 120a shown in FIGS.
Therefore, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. In the compartments 122b at both ends, the bag 122c is formed corresponding to the internal shape of the compartment 122b, and the space 122
An absorber (not shown) for absorbing the leaked ink is accommodated in a region corresponding to e.

The head cartridge 12 configured as described above
According to FIG. 0b, the operation is similar to that of the head cartridge 120a of the ink jet printer 100 shown in FIGS.
As compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 6, it can be configured to be smaller, and the space 122e is effectively used.

FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment of the line head of the ink jet printer according to the present invention. 8, only the head frame 121 and the ink tank 122 of the head cartridge 120c are shown as in the case of FIG. Head cartridge 12
0c is formed as a section 122f in which each pair of sections 122b adjacent to each other is shifted to the opposite side with the ink supply hole 123 interposed therebetween, and the bag 122c corresponds to the internal shape of these connected sections 122f. Since other configurations are almost the same as those of the head cartridge 120a shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

The head cartridge 12 having such a configuration is used.
According to Oc, the operation is similar to that of the head cartridge 120a of the ink jet printer 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, and the bags 122c in each section 122f are provided for two head chips 124, respectively. As a result, the number of bags 122c is reduced by half, so that the consumption of ink in each bag 122c can be easily managed. Further, the relay board 127 is accommodated in the space 122e due to the displacement of the sections 122f at both ends of the ink tank 122. Thus, the space 122e is effectively used.

FIG. 9 shows a fourth embodiment of the line head of the ink jet printer according to the present invention. In FIG. 9, a total of four head cartridges 1 for four colors are provided.
20d shows a state in which only the outer shapes of the head frame 121 and the ink tank 122 are loaded on the loading member 122f of the inkjet printer 100. Head cartridge 120d as each head cartridge
The section 122 formed in each ink tank 122 between the head cartridge 120d adjacent to the head cartridge 120d in the paper feeding direction, that is, the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction in FIG.
The space 122e due to the displacement of b is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal direction so as to face each other, and the other configuration is almost the same as the head cartridge 120a shown in FIGS. The parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted.

The head cartridge 12 configured as described above
According to Od, the same operation as the head cartridge 120a of the ink jet printer 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 is performed, and the head cartridges 120a for four colors are mounted on the mounting members 122f in the housing 110 of the ink jet printer 100, respectively. 9A, the space 122e of each head cartridge 120a is
As shown in (1), by opposing each other, a space almost twice as large is formed. In this case, each of the head cartridges 120a includes the loading member 122.
The loading member 1 is pressed by the head pressing spring 122h against the positioning member 122g in the f.
22f is fixedly held. Therefore,
The space 122e due to the displacement of the sections 122f at both ends of each ink tank 122 can accommodate not only the relay board 127 but also any larger part accommodated in the housing 110 of the inkjet printer 100. Thus, the ink jet printer 100 is configured to be even smaller.

In the above-described embodiment, the space 122e of the head frame 121 and the ink tank 122 is provided.
Accommodates a relay board 127, but is not limited to this. For example, a circuit board constituting a circuit in which a usage history or the like is recorded may be housed, or may be housed in the housing 110 of the inkjet printer 100. Obviously, other components or the like may be accommodated in the space 122e.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, the space formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction due to the displacement of each ink holding container is effectively used as a housing space for components such as a relay board. Therefore, since the parts such as the relay board to be housed in the printer main body are housed in the head cartridge, the space inside the printer main body can be reduced, and the entire printer can be made compact. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

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

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

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

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

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

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a second embodiment of the head cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a third embodiment of the head cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 9A shows a state in which a fourth embodiment of the head cartridge according to the present invention is mounted on a mounting member of a printer.
It is a top view and (B) AA sectional drawing.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 ... inkjet printer, 110 ...
..Housing, 111 ... Paper discharge outlet, 112 ... Tray entrance, 120 ... Line head, 120a, 120
b, 120c ... head cartridge, 121 ...
Head frame, 122 ... Ink tank, 122b
... Section, 122c ... bag, 122e ... space, 122f ... loading member, 123 ... ink supply hole, 124 ... head chip, 125 ... nozzle plate, 125a ... Nozzle, 126 ... electric wiring, 127 ... relay board, 128 ... filter, 1
29: spring member, 130: paper feeder, 131
..Paper feed guides, 132, 133 ... paper feed rollers, 134 ... paper feed motors, 135, 136 ...
Pulleys, 137, 138: belt, 140: paper feed unit, 141: paper feed roller, 142: paper feed motor, 143: gear, 150: paper tray, 1
51: spring, 152: paper support, 160: electric circuit

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shigeyoshi Hirashima 6-7-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Masato Ando 6-35-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Sony (72) Inventor Shinichi Horii 6-7-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Hiroshi Tokunaga 6-35-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Sony Corporation F-term (reference) 2C056 EA23 FA13 KC04 KC30

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A head cartridge comprising an ink jet type head and a plurality of ink holding containers containing ink ejected from the head, wherein each ink holding container has one head chip provided with a plurality of nozzles. A plurality of the head chips are arranged along the longitudinal direction, and are alternately arranged in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction for each of the head chips with an overlap at the ends thereof in the middle. Based on this overlap, a shift occurs in the accommodation space of the ink holding container at the longitudinal end,
A head cartridge for an ink jet printer, wherein a space is formed. 2. A head cartridge for an ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the head chips integrated with and connected to the ink holding container are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction. 3. The head cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a circuit board in which an ink ejection characteristic correction circuit of the head cartridge is incorporated is accommodated in the space. 4. An ink jet printer comprising a line head for discharging ink droplets and recording on a recording medium, wherein the head cartridge of the line head comprises: an ink jet type head; A plurality of ink holding containers each containing ink to be prepared, wherein each of the ink holding containers is connected to one head chip having a plurality of nozzles, and the head chips are arranged along the longitudinal direction. A plurality of head chips are arranged side by side, and are alternately arranged in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction for each of the head chips with an overlap at the ends with an overlap, and the longitudinal end is determined based on the overlap. By causing a shift in the accommodation space of the ink holding container at
An ink jet printer, wherein a space is formed. 5. The ink jet printer according to claim 4, wherein the head chips integrated with and connected to the ink holding container are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction. 6. A plurality of head cartridges corresponding to inks of respective colors are provided, and among the head cartridges of each color, the head cartridges adjacent to each other in the paper feeding direction are opposed to each other. The inkjet printer according to claim 4, wherein the inkjet printer is configured as described above. 7. The ink jet printer according to claim 4, wherein a circuit board incorporating an ink discharge characteristic correction circuit of the head cartridge is accommodated in the space.