Ink jet recording apparatus and ink cartridge for the apparatus

Abstract: An ink cartridge interchangeably provided for an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a recording head for causing the discharge of ink to thereby effect the recording of an image, and containing the ink therein and effecting the supply of the ink in conformity with the discharge of the ink is characterized by the provision of a flag member capable of being protruded and contained, and an unlocking member projectedly provided at a predetermined position in the direction of insertion for protruding the flag member only when the ink cartridge is mounted on said mounting portion.

Description: The present invention relates to an ink cartridge according to the preamble of claim 1 as well as to an ink jet recording apparatus according to the preamble of claim 4. From the document JP-A-1 141 750 a generic ink cartridge and a generic ink jet recording apparatus is known. According to this document, the ink cartridge is mountable on a mounting portion along an insertion path of the ink jet recording apparatus. Basically the same applies to the document JP-A-62 255 151. If in an ink jet recording apparatus of an interchangeable ink cartridge type, the recording operation is performed with no ink cartridge mounted in the apparatus, recording will not be obtained because ink supply does not take place. Also, if the recovery operation is performed, waste ink discharged from the waste ink system side will not be contained in the ink cartridge but may be released into the apparatus to thereby contaminate the surroundings, or the released waste ink may contaminate electric circuits to thereby cause an accident such as fire. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide detecting means for informing the user of the mounting of an ink cartridge in the apparatus. An example of such detecting means is shown in Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings. As shown in Figure 4, a cartridge detecting flag 131 is comprised of a rotatable flag shaft 131B supported on the upper portion of an insertion port 121, a flag plate 131C mounted on one end of the shaft, and a cam portion 131A for rotating the flag shaft 131B, and on the other hand, a lever member 132 pivotally moved by the mounting of a cartridge 104 is provided inside the insertion port 121. Thus, when the ink cartridge 104 is inserted into the insertion port 121 and is surely mounted with a hollow needle 120 being inserted into a tank, not shown, in the cartridge 104, the projected portion 132A of the lever member 132 is pressed by the fore end of the cartridge 104, whereby the tip end portion 132B of the lever pivotally moves the flag plate 131C through the cam portion 131A and keeps it in a light intercepting positioh for a detecting sensor 124 as shown. Figure 5 shows the details of the detecting sensor 124 for detecting both of the home position and the cartridge. The detecting sensor 124 is of the transmission type and is provided with ah optical path 135 between a light emitting element 133 and a light receiving element 134, and is designed such that the optical path 135 is shielded from light by a home position detecting flag 130, the flag plate 131C of the ink cartridge detecting flag 131, etc. Accordingly, when the ink cartridge 104 is mounted, the detecting sensor 124 detects the flag plate 131C when a carriage 102 has been directed to a detecting position, whereby the mounting of the cartridge is confirmed. However, in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus as described above, the home position sensor is used also as the cartridge detecting sensor and the number of detecting means is correspondingly decreased, but the information the user wants to recognize about the ink cartridge 104 is not only the mounting thereof, but also the information regarding the color and characteristic of the ink contained in the ink cartridge 104 as described previously and the remaining amount of ink, and to enable all of such information to be obtained, the number of flags must be increased or the number of detecting means themselves must be increased, and this will result in complicated structure, which in turn will result in an increased cost. The object of the invention is to provide an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording apparatus in which a detecting means is used for informing the user of the mounting of an ink cartridge in the apparatus, which detecting means renders the cartridge easy to handle. The above-mentioned object is achieved by the combinations of features set forth in the independent claims 1 and 4. Preferred embodiments of the subject-matters of claims 1 and 4 are defined in the dependent claims. According to an aspect, a flag member capable of being protruded and contained which is provided on the ink cartridge is protruded from the cartridge toward the path along which the carriage is moved when the ink cartridge is mounted on a mounting portion of the ink jet recording apparatus and therefore, the mounting of the ink cartridge can be detected by a photosensor carried on a carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus, and by variously changing the form of the flag member and characterizing each ink cartridge, the information for a plurality of ink cartridges can be individually judged by a combination thereof with the moved position of the carriage. In the following, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures. Figures 1A and 1B illustrate the construction of the ink cartridge before and after the cartridge is mounted. Figures 2A - 2C are perspective views showing the three kinds of forms of the flag member in the ink cartridge. Figures 3A and 3B illustrate the operation of another embodiment of the ink cartridge in a state in which ink is present and a state in which ink is absent, respectively. Figure 4 shows the construction of an ink cartridge detecting device according to the prior art. Figure 5 illustrates a photosensor for the detecting device of Figure 4. Figures 1A and 1B show an embodiment of the ink cartridge according to the present invention. In these figures, the reference numeral 401 designates an ink cartridge having therein an ink containing portion, not shown, the reference numeral 402 denotes a shutter kept slidable along an opening 401A in the upper surface of the cartridge 401, the reference character 402A designates a shutter projection projected upwardly from the shutter 402, and the reference numeral 403 denotes a coil spring interposed between the shutter 402 and a spring receiving wall 401B. By this coil spring 403, the shutter 402 is biased leftwardly along the opening 401A and the shutter projection 402A is caused to bear against the end edge of the opening 401A to thereby keep the opening 401A closed. The reference numeral 404 designates a flag member pivotable about a support shaft 405 and formed, for example, of a material capable of intercepting infrared light. The support shaft 405 is journalled to the wall portion of the cartridge 401. The reference numeral 406 denotes a torsion coil spring provided around the support shaft 405 and having one end thereof restrained by the flag member 404 and the other end secured to the wall portion of the cartridge 401. The torsion coil spring 406 biases the flag member 404 clockwise about the shaft 405 to thereby bias the same toward the back side of the shutter 402. On the other hand, the reference character 422A designates a stopper portion projectedly provided from a cartridge guide 422 toward a cartridge insertion path 426. When the ink cartridge 401 is inserted from right to left as viewed in Figure 1A, the shutter projection 402A bears against the stopper portion 422A, and with a further inserting operation thereafter, it serves to open the shutter 402 against the spring force of the spring 403. The reference numeral 424 denotes a light detecting sensor of the transmission type endowed, for example, with the infrared light detecting function. The sensor 424 is carried on a carriage. When the ink cartridge 401 is inserted from the state of Figure 1A along the cartridge insertion path 426, the shutter 402 is opened by the stopper portion 422A as previously described, and in the completely mounted state of the ink cartridge 401 shown in Figure 1B, the shutter 402 is fully opened and at the same time, the flag member 404 is cocked up by the spring force of the torsion coil spring 406 and bears against the stopper portion 422A, and is kept in a posture for intercepting the optical path of the detecting sensor 424. The end portion 402B of the shutter 402 which is projectedly provided along the direction of the opening therein serves to suppress the cocking-up of the flag member 404 when the ink cartridge 401 does not assume its completely mounted position as shown in Figure 1B, but assumes an incompletely mounted position, and as long as the flag member 404 is not cocked up, said end portion 402B is not detected by the detecting sensor 424 and thus, the incomplete insertion of the ink cartridge 401 can be prevented. Accordingly, in this case, it is preferable to keep the gap between the flag member 404 and the shutter 402 as small as possible; and by doing so, the timing at which the flag member 404 is Cocked up, i.e., the timing at which the ink cartridge 401 is completely mounted, can be made more accurate. Also, when the ink cartridge 401 is to be removed from the recording apparatus, the ink cartridge 401 is drawn out rightwardly from the state' of Figure 1B, whereby the flag member 404 is pushed by the stopper portion 402A and is rotated counterclockwise and also the shutter 402 is moved by the spring force of the coil spring 403 in a direction to close the opening 401A, and in the completely drawn out state of the cartridge, the flag member 404 is housed under the shutter 402. In the ink cartridge thus constructed, the flag member for detecting the mounting of the cartridge which is provided in the cartridge itself is housed in the interior thereof before the cartridge is mounted and thus, does not spoil the external appearance of the cartridge and the cartridge is easy to handle, and on the other hand, it is only required on the recording apparatus side to dispose a hole for cocking up and down the flag member and a stopper portion provided in the cartridge guide and moreover, as will be described later, by a simple construction, various kinds of information regarding the ink cartridge can be provided to the user with high reliability. Such a construction enables the cartridge to be reliably mounted with respect to the apparatus and therefore, for example, in the case of a cartridge carrying an information medium thereon, the corresponding information is reliably transmitted. Figures 2A-2C show another embodiment of the ink cartridge according to the present invention.. In these figures, only a flange member 404 is shown, and the reference characters 404A, 404B and 404C designate the light intercepting portions thereof. By the light intercepting portions 404A, 404B and 404C being so changed in accordance with the direction along the support shaft 405 thereof, i.e., the direction of movement of the carriage, the detecting position by the detecting sensor shown in Figures 1A and 1B can be changed, and different information regarding the ink cartridge 401 (in the case of the present embodiment, three kinds of information) can be obtained due to the difference in the detecting position. This is an example of other form pf the afore-described information medium. Accordingly, the flange member 404 which differs in the position of the light intercepting portion as described above from cartridge to cartridge containing ink therein is used so as to show the kind, the characteristic or the like of the ink contained in the cartridge 401, and the number of the kinds of the information is not limited to three as described above. The amount of information which can be handled differs depending on the resolving power during the carriage scanning and the detection width of the detecting sensor, but where design is made such that detection of a width of 20 mm is done, for example, by scanning for 2 mm each, a flag member in which the light intercepting portion is changed in position at a unit of 2 mm is provided in each cartridge, whereby ten kinds of information can be obtained. If an attempt is made to obtain such information by the conventional system, ten independent flags will become necessary and moreover, such flags will have to be arranged at intervals of 2 mm on the recording apparatus side, and this will unavoidably lead to an increased number of parts as well as the complication, bulkiness and increased cost of the apparatus, whereas by constructing the cartridge as shown in the present embodiment, it becomes possible to save the space by a minimum number of parts and yet provide numerous kinds of information regarding the ink cartridge. Figures 3A and 3B show Still another embodiment of the present invention and a construction for transmitting information indicative of the presence or absence of ink. The present embodiment is one in which for an ink bag 430 in the cartridge 401, there is provided a flag for informing the user that the amount of ink remaining in the ink bag has become, for example, a predetermined amount or less. The reference numeral 440 designates that flag member, and in the present embodiment, in the end portion of that side of the flag member 440 on which a support shaft 405 is provided, there is formed a contact portion 440A protruded substantially in the form of a semicircle, and such a contact portion 440A may always keep contact with the surface of the ink bag 430 even in the completely mounted state of the ink cartridge 401 as shown in-Figures 3A and 3B and the state of the ink cartridge before mounted, although not shown. The reference numeral 441 denotes longitudinal slots formed in two wall portions of the ink cartridge 401 which are parallel to the plane of the drawing sheet, and the support shaft 405 of the flag member 440 is fitted in these slots 441 and supported for vertical movement and rotational movement. Also, in the case of the present embodiment, a torsion coil spring 406 mounted around the support shaft 405 has a spring force for biasing the flag member 440 clockwise and biasing the support shaft 405 itself downwardly along the slots 441, and biases the contact portion 440A of the flag member 440 toward the ink bag 430. According to the ink cartridge 401 thus constructed, before the cartridge 401 is mounted at a predetermined mounting position along an insertion path 426, the flag member 440 is housed under the shutter 402 in the same manner as described previously in connection with Figure 1A, but when the cartridge is surely mounted at the predetermined mounting position, the flag member 440 rises in the manner as shown in Figure 3A or 3B. Thus, simultaneously with the rising of the flag member, the contact portion 440A of the flag member 440 is biased toward the surface of the ink bag 430 by the spring force of the torsion coil spring 406. So, in the ink cartridge 401 thus provided-with the ink bag 430 as ink containing means, when ink is sufficiently stocked in the ink bag 430, the entire flag member 440 rises at a high position as shown in Figure 3A and thus, the light intercepting portion 440B thereof is kept at a height for intercepting the optical path 435 of a detecting sensor 424, and when the carriage has been directed to the position of the cartridge 440, the presence of ink is detected by the detecting sensor 424 carried on the carriage. Also, when the ink becomes exhausted, the flag member 440 is kept in a low position as shown in Figure 3B even if it rises, whereby the flag member 440 does not intercept the optical path 435 of the detecting sensor 424, and the ink is judged to be absent. Also, as has hitherto been described, according to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention and the ink cartridge therefor, a transmission type photosensor shielded from light by a flag member existing in the movement path of the carriage is provided on the carriage and a flag member adapted to protrude toward the movement path of the carriage only in the mounted state of the ink cartridge is provided on the ink cartridge, and the transmission type photosensor is shielded from light by the flag member provided on the ink cartirdge, whereby the mounting of the ink cartridge may be detected and therefore, not only the mounting of the ink cartridge is detected by a small number of parts and simple structure, but also the form of the flag member is made different for each ink cartridge, whereby many kinds of information such as the kind, characteristic, etc. of ink can be classificatorily recognized by the user and in addition, the quantity of remaining ink can be detected. The present invention brings about an excellent effect particularly in a recording head and a recording apparatus of the bubble jet type which has been put forward by Canon, Inc., among the ink jet recording systems. As regards the typical construction and principle of this system, a construction is preferable which uses the basic principle disclosed, for example, in US-A-4,723,129 and US-A-4,740,796. This system is applicable to both of the so-called on-demand type and the so-called continuous type, and particularly in the case of the on-demand type, the present invention is effective because at least one driving signal corresponding to recording information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nuclear boiling is applied to an electro-thermal converting member disposed correspondingly to a sheet or a liquid path in which liquid (ink) is retained, thereby causing the electro-thermal converting member to generate heat energy and causing film boiling on the heat-acting surface of a recording head with a result that a bubble in the liquid (ink) can be formed correspondingly at one to one to said driving signal. By the growth and contraction of the bubble, the liquid (ink) is discharged through a discharge port to thereby form at least one droplet. If this driving signal is made into a pulse shape, the growth and contraction of the bubble take place appropriately on the spot and therefore, discharge of the liquid (ink) which is particularly excellent in responsiveness can be accomplished, and this is more preferable. The driving signal of such pulse shape may suitably be one as described in US-A-4,463,359 and US-A-4,345,262. The adoption of the conditions described in US-A-4,313,124 which is an invention relating to the temperature rise rate of said heat-acting surface would lead to the possibility of accomplishing more excellent recording. As regards the construction of the recording head, besides the construction as disclosed in the aforementioned patents which comprises a combination of discharge ports, liquid paths and electro-thermal converting members (a straight liquid flow path or a perpendicular liquid flow path), the constructions using US-A-4,558,333 and US-A-4,459,600 which disclose constructions in which the heat-acting portion is disposed in a bent area are also covered by the present invention. In addition, the present invention is effective for a construction based on JP-A-59-123670 which discloses a construction in which a slit common to a plurality of electro-thermal converting members is the discharge portion of the electrothermal converting members, or a construction based on JP-A-59-138461 which discloses a construction in which an opening for absorbing the pressure wave of heat energy corresponds to the discharge portion. Further, the recording head of the full line type having a length corresponding to the width of the largest recording medium on which the recording apparatus can effect recording may be of a construction as disclosed in the above-mentioned publications wherein that length is satisfied by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or of a construction as a single recording head formed as a unit, and the present invention can display the above-described effect more effectively. In addition, the present invention is also effective in a case where use is made of a recording head of the interchangeable chip type which is adapted to be mounted on an apparatus body to thereby make the electrical connection to the apparatus body or the supply of ink from the apparatus body possible, or a recording head of the cartridge type provided integrally on the recording head itself. Also, the addition of recovery means, preliminary auxiliary means, etc. for the recording head provided as the construction of the recording apparatus of the present invention can more stabilize the effect of the present invention and is therefore preferable. Specifically mentioning these, they are capping means, cleaning means and pressurizing or suction means for the recording head, an electro-thermal converting member or a heating element discrete therefrom or pre-heating means comprising a combination of these, and it is also effective for accomplishing stable recording to carry out the preliminary discharge mode in which discharge not concerned in recording is effected. Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to a recording mode using only the main color such as black, but may use a recording head constructed as a unit or a combination of a plurality of recording heads, and the present invention is very effective for an apparatus provided with a plurality of different colors or at least one of full colors provided by mixed colors. The above embodiments of the present invention have been described as using liquid ink, but, the present invention also permits the use of ink which is in the solid phase at room temperature or ink which becomes softened at room temperature. In the above-described ink jet recording apparatus, it is popular to regulate the temperature of ink itself within a range from 30°C to 70°C and effect temperature control so that the viscosity of the ink may be within a stable discharge range and therefore, use can be made of ink which assumes the liquid phase when the recording signal used is imparted. In addition, the temperature rise by heat energy is positively used as the energy for the change of ink from its solid phase to its liquid phase to thereby prevent said temperature rise, or ink which solidifies when left as it is used for the purpose of preventing the evaporation of the ink, and at any rate, the use of ink having a nature that is liquefied only by heat energy, such as ink which is liquefied by the imparting of heat energy conforming to the recording signal and is discharged in the form of liquid or ink which already begins to solidify at a point of time whereat it reaches the recording medium is also applicable to the present invention. In such a case, the ink may assume the form as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260 wherein the ink is retained as liquid or solid in recesses or through-holes in a porous sheet and is opposed to an electro-thermal converting member. In the present invention, what is most effective for each ink mentioned above is what executes the above-described film boiling system.

Claims: An ink cartridge mountable on a mounting portion along an insertion path ( 332 ) of an ink jet recording apparatus, said ink cartridge containing therein ink to be supplied to a recording head of said ink jet recording apparatus, characterized by a flag member ( 404 ) capable of being protruded and contained; and an unlocking member ( 402A ) projectedly provided at a predetermined position in the direction of insertion for protruding said flag member only when said ink cartridge is mounted on said mounting portion. An ink cartridge according to Claim 1, characterized in that said flag member ( 404 ) is formed of a material capable of intercepting infrared light. An ink cartridge according to Claim 2, characterized by an ink bag ( 430 ) containing ink therein, wherein the level of protrusion of said flag member ( 404 ) varies in conformity with the quantity of the ink in said ink bag ( 430 ) to thereby detect the presence or absence of said ink. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a mounting portion on which an ink cartridge (401) is mountable along an insertion path (426) , said ink cartridge (401) containing therein ink to be supplied to a recording head for discharging the ink to thereby effect recording, characterized by a photosensor (424) provided on a carriage, said carriage being movable along a movement path only when said ink cartridge (401) is mounted on said mounting portion, wherein said photosensor (424) is shielded from light by a flag member (404) provided on said ink cartridge and adapted to be protruded toward said insertion path (426) when an unlocking member (402A) projectedly provided on said ink cartridge (401) at a predetermined position in the direction of insertion of said ink cartridge (401) is engaged with a locking member (422A) provided at said mounting portion. An ink jet recording apparatus according to Claim 4, characterized in that the position in which said flag member (404) shields said photosensor (424) from light is made different along the direction of movement of said carriage to thereby achieve different detecting positions of said flag member (404) by said photosensor (424) in order to obtain different information for each ink cartridge mounted.

Inventors: HASHIMOTO KENICHIRO, HIRAMATSU SOICHI, INOUE HIROYUKI, MATSUI SHINYA, MATSUMOTO HARUYUKI, MURAI KEIICHI, NOJIMA TAKASHI, SUZUKI TETSUO, UJITA TOSHIHIKO, YAMAGUCHI HIDEKI, HASHIMOTO, KENICHIRO, HIRAMATSU, SOICHI, INOUE, HIROYUKI, MATSUI, SHINYA, MATSUMOTO, HARUYUKI, MURAI, KEIICHI, NOJIMA, TAKASHI, SUZUKI, TETSUO, UJITA, TOSHIHIKO, YAMAGUCHI, HIDEKI
Applicants: CANON KK, CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B41J2
IPC codes: B41J25, G01D15, B41J2