JP2007185836A - Ink tank - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out displaying at a position easy to see by a user while obviating the need of an electric wire capable of degrading visibility or operability of the user in a structure that a notice relating to a condition of an ink tank is issued by a light emission section such as an LED, and to facilitate the manufacturing process of the ink tank. <P>SOLUTION: The light emission section and a display section are separated with each other and a light introduction section for optically coupling them to each other is provided therebetween. The light introduction section is integrally formed with the housing of the ink tank. As a result of the above structure, the display section is disposed on an optimum position without wiring the electric wires on the ink tank and it is possible to obtain a quantity of light capable of improving the visibility for a user and suitable for the operational stability of a light receptive section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink tank, and more particularly to an ink tank used in a configuration in which the state of the ink tank is detected by light emitting means such as an LED.

  In recent years, with the spread of digital cameras, there is an increasing use (non-PC recording) in which printing is performed by directly connecting a digital camera and a printer as a recording apparatus without using a PC. In addition, a form (non-PC recording) in which a card type information storage medium, which is an information storage medium of a digital camera, is directly attached to a printer to perform data transfer and printing is increasing. In general, there is known a method for checking the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank of the printer on a monitor via a PC. However, even when performing the non-PC recording, the ink in the ink tank is not via the PC. There was an increasing demand to know the remaining amount. In other words, if the user knows that the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank is small, for example, a situation where the recording is substantially impossible because the ink is replaced with a new ink tank in advance before starting the recording and the ink amount is insufficient during the recording. Can be prevented.

  Conventionally, a configuration using a display element such as an LED is known as a configuration for notifying the user of the state of such an ink tank. Patent Document 1 describes that two LEDs are provided in an ink tank integrated with a recording head, and these LEDs are lit according to the remaining ink level in two stages. Similarly, Patent Document 2 describes that an ink tank is provided with a lamp that is turned on in accordance with the remaining amount of ink. This document also discloses that the above-described lamp is provided in each of four ink tanks used in the recording apparatus.

  On the other hand, due to the demand for higher image quality, light inks such as light magenta and light cyan, which are lighter in density, are being used in the conventional four colors (black, yellow, magenta, cyan), and further, red, blue So-called special color inks such as ink have also been developed. In such a case, 7 to 8 ink tanks are individually mounted on the ink jet printer. At that time, a mechanism for preventing the ink tank from being mounted at the wrong mounting position is required. In Patent Document 3, when the ink tank is mounted on the carriage, the shape of the engagement between the carriage mounting portion and the ink tank is different for each ink tank, so that the ink tank is mounted at an incorrect position. A configuration that prevents this is disclosed.

  Even when a lamp is provided in the ink tank as described in Patent Document 2, if the main body side control unit identifies an ink tank that is recognized as having a low ink remaining amount, It is necessary to specify an ink tank to which a signal is sent for lighting of a lamp based on such recognition. For example, when the ink tank is mounted at the wrong position, there is a possibility that the ink tank in which the ink has not run out is erroneously displayed as no ink remaining. Therefore, in the light emission control of a light emitting element such as a lamp, it is necessary to specify the mounting position of the mounted ink tank.

  Therefore, light emission control of a light emitting element (for example, LED) is performed on the mounting positions of a plurality of ink tanks, and the ink tank is determined by the output of the light receiver fixed in the ink jet printer and the position of the ink tank at that time. It can be configured to specify the position where it is mounted.

  In such a configuration, the LED of the ink tank has two functions: a function of notifying the user of the state, and light emission to the light receiver for specifying the mounting position of the ink tank. The LED has electrical contacts for receiving power and control signals from the main body.

By guiding light from the LED to the display unit on the end face of the light guide unit using the light guide member, it is possible to obtain a degree of freedom in arranging the display unit and the electrical contacts.
JP-A-4-275156 JP 2002-301829 A JP 2001-253087 A

  The light emitted from the display unit on the end face of the light guide member in this way has two functions, that is, the function of notifying the user of the state as described above and the light emission to the light receiver for specifying the mounting position of the ink tank. It has a function. Here, it is desirable for the user to be able to specify the color that has been reliably notified. Therefore, when the amount of light is large, depending on the viewing direction of the user, there is a possibility that an ink tank of a color to be notified to the user may be misidentified as an adjacent usable ink tank.

  In addition, the light receiver disposed in the printer reads the light emitted from the display section of the ink tank, which is fixed in the printer. Otherwise, the light in the adjacent tank may be mistaken. If the amount of emitted light is reduced to solve this problem, it is difficult to recognize the user even if the printer body can recognize it.

  Thus, contradictory problems arise when two functions are shared by the same light guide member and the same display unit.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the ink tank is detachable from the ink jet recording apparatus, has a display unit for displaying the state of the ink tank, has an ink storage unit for storing ink, and a light emitting element and the light emission. And a light guide unit that guides light emitted from the element to the display unit, and the light guide unit is integral with the ink tank housing.

  According to the above configuration, the display part on the end face of the light guide member can share the part that informs the user of the state and the part that emits light to the light receiver, and can stably satisfy each function. The ink tank can be easily manufactured.

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

  FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, and FIG. 1C are a side view, a front view, and a bottom view, respectively, of an ink tank that is a liquid storage container according to an embodiment of the premise configuration of the present invention. . In the following description, the front surface of the ink tank refers to a surface that enables operations (such as attachment / detachment operations) and provision of information to the user (emission of light from a display unit described later) by facing the user. .

  In FIG. 1, an ink tank 1 of the present embodiment has a support member 3 supported at the lower part on the front side. The support member 3 is formed of a resin integrally with the exterior of the ink tank 1 and is configured to be displaceable around the supported portion when performing a mounting operation to a tank holder, which will be described later. On the back side and the front side of the ink tank 1, a first engaging portion 5 and a second engaging portion 6 (in this example, integrated with the support member 3) that can engage with a locking portion on the tank holder side, respectively. These are engaged, and the mounting state of the ink tank 1 to the tank holder is ensured. The operation at the time of mounting will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (c).

  An ink supply port 7 is provided on the bottom surface of the ink tank 1 to supply ink in combination with an ink introduction port of a recording head, which will be described later, when the ink tank 1 is attached to the tank holder. A base is provided on the bottom surface side of the support portion of the support member 3 at a portion where the bottom surface and the front surface intersect. Although the shape of the substrate may be a chip shape or a plate shape, the substrate 100 will be described below.

  A configuration and functions of main parts according to the embodiment of the premise configuration of the present invention will be described. Here, FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B are schematic side views for explaining the outline of functions of the light guide unit and the like arranged in the ink tank according to the embodiment of the premise configuration of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part, and FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2A, an ink tank is provided to the first locking portion 155 and the second locking portion 156 of the holder 150 integrated with the recording head unit 105 including the recording head 105 ′. When the first engaging portion 5 and the second engaging portion 6 are engaged, the ink tank 1 is mounted on the holder 150 and fixed. At this time, a contact (hereinafter referred to as a connector) 152 provided in the holder 150 and an electrode pad 102 (FIG. 2 (FIG. 2) as a contact provided on the surface of the ink tank located toward the outside of the substrate 100. b)) are in contact with each other and electrical connection becomes possible.

  The interior of the ink tank 1 is divided into an ink storage chamber 11 located on the front side and a negative pressure generating member storage chamber (not shown) located on the back side and communicating with the ink supply port 7. It is connected. While the ink I is stored in the ink storage chamber 11 as it is, the negative pressure generating member storage chamber has an ink absorber such as a sponge or a fiber assembly impregnated and held therein (hereinafter referred to as a porous member for convenience). ) Is provided. This porous member is sufficient to balance the holding force of the meniscus formed in the ink discharge nozzle portion of the print head and prevent ink leakage from the ink discharge portion, and enables the ink discharge operation of the print head. This is for generating an appropriate negative pressure within a certain range.

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

  A light emitting unit 101 that generates visible light, such as an LED, and a control element 103 that controls the light emitting unit are provided on the surface of the substrate 100 positioned toward the inside of the ink tank 1. The control element 103 controls the light emission of the light emitting unit 101 by an electrical signal supplied via the light source. FIG. 2B shows a state in which the control element 103 is mounted on the substrate 100 and then covered with a protective sealant. Also, when a memory element that stores information such as the color of ink stored in the ink tank and the ink remaining amount is mounted, it can be mounted at the same position and covered with a sealant. .

  As shown in FIGS. 2 (a), 2 (b), and 3, the light guide unit 450 for guiding light is spaced from the front side wall surface of the ink tank exterior from the portion facing the light emitting unit 101. The front portion near the tip is a display portion 455 that is preferably provided for the user's eyes. Here, in order to suppress the attenuation of the amount of light when the light emitted from the light emitting unit 101 is projected onto the light guide unit 450, the substrate 100 faces the light emitting unit 101 in the vicinity of the light incident surface 123 of the light guide unit 450. (FIG. 2B).

  In this way, by separating the light emitting unit and the display unit and providing the ink tank 101 with the light guide unit 450 that performs optical connection between the two, the power supply unit and the signal transmission / reception unit that impair visibility and operability are provided. A configuration in which the light emitting unit 142 and the display unit 455 are individually arranged at optimal positions without requiring wiring or the like can be obtained at low cost. Thereby, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the display unit 455 at a position where the user visibility is good can be secured, and the user can easily recognize the light emission state to recognize the predetermined information related to the ink tank 1. It becomes possible to do. Further, if the light guide unit 450 is formed integrally with the exterior of the ink tank 1, the manufacturing cost is not significantly increased.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the light guide unit 450 is disposed such that an air layer is interposed between the front wall of the ink tank exterior forming the ink storage chamber 11. Although it is conceivable to integrate the light guide part with the front wall of the ink tank exterior, that is, the front wall of the ink tank exterior may also be used as the light guide part. Thus, light can be efficiently guided to the display portion 455. This point will be described.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the light guide 450 is integral with the exterior of the ink storage chamber 106, but is independent from the front wall. That is, in the configuration of the present embodiment, an air layer exists between the light guide unit 450 and the ink storage chamber 11. It should be noted that both the exteriors of the ink tank are made of polypropylene. Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, if the light guide 450 is integrally formed with the exterior of the ink storage chamber 106, the material is also polypropylene.

  In the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 101 enters the light guide unit 450 from the light incident surface 123 that is the end surface of the light guide unit 450 and passes through the light guide unit 450. The display unit 455 is displayed for displaying light to the user. Since the light emitting unit 101 employs visible light as described above and is diffused light, it has a plurality of light beams as indicated by arrows A1 to A3.

Here, regarding the light guide unit 450 of the embodiment, it is assumed that the refractive index of polypropylene is 1.49 (= n1). Also, since the refractive index of air is 1.00 (= n2), the critical refraction angle from polypropylene to air in this example is Snell's law. N1 · sin θ1 = n2 · sin θ2
Therefore, it becomes about 43 °.

  Therefore, a light beam having an incident angle θ of 43 ° or more at point (i) in FIG. 3 is totally reflected at the interface between polypropylene (light guide portion 450) and air, and is guided as shown by arrows A1 and A3. While repeating total reflection in the portion 450, the light reaches the inclined surface 452 formed at the upper end portion, and is reflected here to reach the display portion 455. The position of the inclined surface 452 is on the back surface side of the support member 3 and extends to a position higher than the operation unit 3M. And the front side is high, and it inclines so that the part (back side) which opposes the front of the ink storage chamber 11 may become low.

  Therefore, when the light emitting unit 101 emits light, the light is guided from the bottom surface side end surface of the light guide unit 450 to the inclined surface 452 at the upper end, and reflected by the inclined surface 452 to reach the display unit 455. Here, in order for the light reflected by the inclined surface 452 to smoothly reach the display unit 455, it is desirable to set the inclination angle θ of the inclined surface 452 with respect to the optical axis 456 to be equal to or greater than the critical angle. That is, in this example, as shown in FIG. 2B, the inclination angle (= incident angle) θ with respect to the optical axis may be set to 43 ° or more. In this example, the inclination angle is set to 45 ° and the total reflection condition is set. To meet. Thereby, the light guided by the light guide unit 450 is totally reflected by the inclined surface 452 and reaches the display unit 455, so that the visibility of the user is improved.

  The predetermined information of the ink tank (liquid storage container) 1 is determined in advance according to whether or not the ink tank 1 is mounted (that is, whether or not the mounting is complete) and whether or not the mounting position is appropriate (corresponding to the ink color). Whether or not it is properly mounted at the mounting position on the holder, and whether or not there is a remaining amount of ink (whether or not a sufficient amount of ink remains). Such information can be presented.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a recording head unit in which the ink tank according to the above embodiment is detachable. FIGS. 5A to 5C are views when the ink tank is mounted on the recording head unit. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement. Note that the mounting portion described here can also be applied to each embodiment or modification described below.

  The recording head unit 105 generally includes a holder 150 that detachably holds a plurality (four in the figure) of ink tanks, and a recording head 105 ′ (not shown in FIG. 4) disposed on the bottom side. . By mounting the ink tank on the holder 150, the ink introduction port 107 on the recording head side located at the bottom of the holder and the ink supply port 7 on the ink tank side are coupled to form an ink communication path therebetween.

  As the recording head 105 ′, an electrothermal conversion element is provided in a liquid path constituting a nozzle, and thermal energy is applied to the ink by applying an electric pulse serving as a recording signal to the ink, and the phase change of the ink at that time What uses the pressure at the time of the foaming (boiling) produced for ink discharge can be used. Then, contact is made between an electrical contact portion (not shown) for signal transmission provided on a carriage 205, which will be described later, and an electrical contact portion 157 on the recording head unit 105 side, and the recording head 105 ′ is connected via the wiring portion 158. The recording signal is transmitted to the electrothermal transducer driving circuit. A wiring part 159 extending from the electrical contact part 157 to the connector 152 is also extended.

  When the ink tank 1 is mounted on the recording head unit 105, the ink tank 1 is handled above the holder 150 (FIG. 5A), and the protruding first engaging portion 5 provided on the back side of the ink tank. Is placed on the bottom surface of the holder in a state of being inserted through a through-hole-shaped first locking portion 155 provided on the back side of the holder (FIG. 5B). In this state, when the upper end on the front side of the ink tank 1 is pushed down as indicated by an arrow P, the ink tank 1 moves in the direction of the arrow R with the engaging portions of the first engaging portion 5 and the first locking portion 155 as pivot points. It turns and the front side of the ink tank is displaced downward. In this process, while the side surface of the second engagement portion 5 provided on the support member 3 on the front side of the ink tank is pressed by the second locking portion 156 provided on the front side of the holder, the support member 3 also moves in the direction of the arrow Q. It will be displaced to.

  When the upper surface of the second engaging portion 5 reaches below the second engaging portion 156, the support member 3 is displaced in the Q ′ direction by its own elastic force, and the second engaging portion 5 becomes the second engaging portion. Locked by 156. In this state (FIG. 5C), the second locking portion 155 elastically biases the ink tank 1 in the horizontal direction via the support member 3, and the back surface of the ink tank 1 contacts the back surface of the holder 150. Touch. Further, the upward displacement of the ink tank 1 is suppressed by the first locking portion 155 engaged with the first engaging portion 5 and the second locking portion 156 engaged with the second engaging portion 6. This is a state where the ink tank 1 is completely installed, and at this time, the ink supply port 7 and the ink introduction port 107, the pad 102, and the connector 152 are joined.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing an appearance of the ink jet printer 200 that performs recording by mounting the ink tank described above, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the main body cover 201 shown in FIG. 6 is opened. Note that the recording apparatus described here can also be applied to each embodiment or modification described below.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the printer 200 according to the present embodiment includes a main body cover 201 and other parts of the printer, such as a mechanism in which a carriage mounted with a recording head and an ink tank moves for scanning. A printer main body covered with a case portion, a paper discharge tray 203 provided on the front and back sides of the printer main body, and an automatic paper feeder (ASF) 202 are provided. An operation unit 213 including a display for displaying the status of the printer in both the closed state and the open state of the main body cover, a power switch, and a reset switch is provided.

  In the state in which the main body cover 201 is opened, as shown in FIG. 7, the user displays the recording head unit 105 and the ink tanks 1K, 1Y, 1M, and 1C (hereinafter, these ink tanks are denoted by the same reference numeral “1”). It is possible to see the range of movement of the carriage 205 on which the carriage 205 is mounted and its surroundings. Actually, when the main body cover 201 is opened, a sequence in which the carriage 205 automatically moves to a substantially central position (hereinafter also referred to as “tank replacement position”) shown in FIG. Each ink tank can be exchanged.

  In the printer of this embodiment, the recording head unit 105 is provided with a recording head (not shown) in the form of a chip corresponding to each color ink. Scanning is performed, and recording is performed by ejecting ink onto the recording medium during this scanning. That is, the carriage 205 is slidably engaged with the guide shaft 207 extending in the moving direction, and can be moved as described above by the carriage motor and its transmission mechanism. In each of the recording heads corresponding to K, Y, M, and C inks, ink is ejected based on ejection data sent from the control circuit on the main body side via the flexible cable 206. Further, a paper feed mechanism such as a paper feed roller and a paper discharge roller is provided, and a recording medium (not shown) fed from the automatic paper feeder 202 can be conveyed to the paper discharge tray 203. The carriage 205 is detachably mounted with a recording head unit 105 integrally provided with an ink tank holder, and each ink tank 1 is detachably mounted on the recording head unit 105.

  During the recording operation, the recording head is scanned by the above movement, and ink is ejected from the respective recording heads to the recording medium during that time to correspond to the ejection port array range (direction orthogonal to the recording head main scanning direction) in the recording head. In addition to recording in the effective width area, recording is performed sequentially on the recording medium by feeding a predetermined amount of paper of the width or less by the paper feed mechanism between this scan and the next scan. Go. Further, at the end of the moving range of the recording head by the carriage movement described above, a discharge recovery unit such as a cap that covers the surface of each recording head on which the discharge port is provided is provided. As a result, the recording head moves to a position where the recovery unit is provided at predetermined time intervals, and performs recovery processing such as preliminary ejection.

  As described above, the recording head unit 105 having the tank holder portion of each ink tank 1 is provided with a connector corresponding to each ink tank, and each connector is provided in the ink tank 1 to which the ink tank 1 is attached. In contact with the pad on the substrate. Thereby, it is possible to control lighting or blinking of each light emitting unit 101 according to a predetermined sequence executed by the recording apparatus. This makes it possible to notify information related to the state of the ink tank.

  Specifically, at the tank replacement position described above, when the remaining amount of ink for each ink tank 1 is low, the light emitting unit 101 of the corresponding ink tank 1 is turned on or blinked, and the light guide unit 450 and It can be used for visual inspection by the user via the display unit 452. Further, as another example of control such as lighting of the light emitting unit, when the ink tank 1 is correctly mounted at the correct position at the tank replacement position, the light emitting unit 101 of the tank is turned on, thereby the light guide unit 450 and the display unit 452 can be used for visual observation by the user. These controls are executed by sending control data (control signals) from the control circuit on the main body side to the respective ink tanks via the flexible cable 206 in the same manner as the control of ink ejection of the recording head.

  Further, in the carriage movement range, a light receiving unit 210 having a light receiving element can be provided in the vicinity of the end opposite to the position where the recovery unit is provided. Accordingly, when the display unit 452 of each ink tank 1 passes through the light receiving unit as the carriage 205 moves, the light emitting unit 101 emits light, and the light is received through the light guide unit 450 and the display unit 452. The light can be received by the part. Based on the position of the carriage 205 when the light is received, it is possible to detect whether each ink tank 1 in the carriage 205 is mounted, whether it is mounted at the correct position, and the like. That is, the display unit 452 can be used not only for visual observation by the user, but also for detection operation and control executed by the recording apparatus. A more preferable configuration for achieving both of these will be described in the next embodiment.

  FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a light emitting member mounting portion of an example devised to reduce leakage of light emission from the vicinity of the light emitting member. On the surface of the substrate 100, an LED 101 that generates visible light and a control element 103 that controls the light emitting unit are provided. The LED 101 is attached to the opening provided in the ink tank 1 in the direction toward the light guide portion 121 inside the ink tank 1. At this time, the substrate 100 and the ink tank 1 excluding the light guide unit 121 are made of members that reduce the amount of light emitted from the LED 101. The ink tank 1 is made of colored polypropylene, and the light guide unit 121 is made of polypropylene with improved transparency. By adopting such a configuration, leakage light from the vicinity of the LED as the light emitting member can be reduced, and clarification of the difference between the emitted light of the display unit and the surrounding light amount can be achieved.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an ink tank in which the light guide unit 121 and the ink tank lid 2 are integrated.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the lid of the ink tank is arranged on the side surface side, and the lid and the light guide rib are integrated so that the emitted light limiting member 21 and the ink tank 1 can emit the emitted light amount as described above. The light guide unit 121 and the ink tank lid 2 can be made of the same material with excellent light guiding properties, and only the same material can be molded, thereby reducing the mold investment. I can do it.

(A), (b), and (c) are respectively a side view, a front view, and a bottom view of an ink tank according to an embodiment having a configuration premised on the present invention. (A) And (b) is a typical side view and the principal part enlarged view for demonstrating the outline of functions, such as a light guide part arrange | positioned at the ink tank of FIG. 1 of this invention. It is a typical side view which expands and shows a part of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a recording head unit configured so that the ink tank of FIG. 1 can be attached and detached. (A)-(c) is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement at the time of mounting | wearing a recording head unit with an ink tank. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an ink jet printer that mounts an ink tank and performs recording. FIG. It is a perspective view which removes the main body cover and shows the recording device of FIG. It is a perspective view explaining the characteristic structure of this invention. It is a perspective view of the ink tank concerning an embodiment of the invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1K, 1C, 1M, 1Y, 501 Ink tank 2 Lid member 3 Support member 3M Support member operation part 5 1st engaging part 6 2nd engaging part 7 Ink supply port 21 Emission light limiting member 21A, 29 Opening 100 Substrate 101 Light emitting part (LED)
102 Pad (Contact terminal)
103 Control element (control unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 105 Recording head unit 105 'Recording head 107 Ink inlet 121, 580 Light guide part 455, 585 Display part 150 Holder 152 Connector 155 1st locking part 156 2nd locking part 157 Electric contact part 158, 159 Wiring part 201 Main body Cover 206 Flexible cable 209 Encoder scale 210 Light receiving part 452, 582 Inclined surface

Claims (1)

An ink tank that is detachable from an ink jet recording apparatus,
It has a display that displays the status of the ink tank,
While having an ink storage part for storing ink,
A light-emitting element and a light guide part that guides light emitted from the light-emitting element to the display part,
An ink tank, wherein the light guide is integral with an ink tank casing.

Images