JP2880334B2 - Recording head unit for inkjet recording apparatus and inkjet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus, and more particularly to an ink jet recording apparatus used as an information recording apparatus such as an electronic typewriter, a word processor, a facsimile, and a copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recording apparatuses for recording on a recording medium (hereinafter, also referred to as recording paper or simply paper) such as paper and OHP sheets have been proposed in the form of mounting a recording head by various recording methods. . These recording methods include a wire dot method, a thermal method, a thermal transfer method, and an ink jet method.

[0003] Among them, the ink jet system is particularly
The method directly ejects ink onto a recording sheet, and is attracting attention as a recording method having advantages such as low running cost and quiet recording operation.

Further, in recent ink jet recording apparatuses, especially recording heads, the production thereof is performed by a film forming technique or a micro-machining technique in a semiconductor device, thereby realizing a smaller and less expensive recording head. Is being done. A printing apparatus that performs color printing or halftone printing using a plurality of such printing heads is also being realized. Along with this, the configuration of the device itself is required to be small and simple.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to improve the recording quality of an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a plurality of recording heads.

Another object of the present invention is to ensure protection of a recording head.

Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to securely mount or position a plurality of recording heads with a simple structure.

Still another object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily and surely connect an electric connection portion to a plurality of recording heads that are correctly positioned for improving the recording quality, and to have a misalignment in positional accuracy. Is to prevent the occurrence of

[0009]

[0010]

[0011]

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An ink jet recording head unit according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of recording heads corresponding to inks having different colors or densities, and for positioning and holding the plurality of recording heads. Holding member, a cover member provided on the holding member for protecting the recording head by covering the recording head when the recording head is mounted, and a cover member provided on the cover member corresponding to each of the electrical connection members of the plurality of recording heads. An electrical connection member coupled to an electrical connection member of the recording head in response to the operation of the cover member covering the recording head, wherein the electrical connection of the recording head positioned and held on the holding member is performed. An electrical connection member attached to the cover member so as to be displaceable corresponding to the electrical connection member.

[0013] Further, the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention comprises:
The recording head unit and a means for causing the holding member to scan the recording medium in a predetermined direction are provided.

In these, the plurality of electrical connection members provided corresponding to the plurality of recording heads are integrally provided on a substrate, and the plurality of electrical connection members are attached to the cover member with play. The displacement of the connecting member can be made possible.

Further, the holding member is configured to releasably retain the plurality of recording heads having a portion serving as the respective positioning reference of the plurality of recording heads while the holding, by the holding member A second cover member provided to protect the plurality of recording heads by covering the plurality of recording heads at the time of mounting, and to urge the portion serving as the positioning reference .

A plurality of positioning reference portions are provided corresponding to three-dimensional directions, and the second cover member includes at least one spring for pressing the recording head against the plurality of positioning reference portions. Can be provided.

In the above, the recording head is
The element that generates energy used for discharging the ink may include an electrothermal converter that generates heat energy that causes film boiling of the ink.

In the embodiments of the present invention to be described later, the ink jet recording head unit is a part assembled around a carriage serving as a holding member. The holding member or unit may be built in the apparatus in advance or may be removable.

[0019]

According to the present invention, the positioning of all the recording heads can be ensured simply by operating the cover member for protecting the heads.

According to another aspect of the present invention, even if the electrical connection member on the recording head side and the electrical connection member on the cover member are slightly displaced from each other, the connection between the cover member and the electrical connection member may be slightly different. The electric connection member is displaced while allowing the displacement, so that reliable and easy connection is performed. Also,
No excessive force is exerted on the recording head side, so that the positional accuracy does not change.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic external perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a main case 2001 forms a part of an apparatus case. That is, the main case 2001 is fixed to a part of a frame of an ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter, also simply referred to as an apparatus) in FIG. 2 and FIG.
That is, both end portions except for the portion corresponding to the transport path on which the recording paper is transported are covered. A home position of the print head is defined in one of the two end portions. The print head is positioned in a portion where the home position is defined, for example, during non-printing, and is used to perform a print head ejection recovery process. An ejection recovery unit is provided. This prevents the print head and the ejection recovery unit from being inadvertently touched and causing misalignment or damage to them, such as when part of the device case is opened and maintenance or inspection of the device is performed. can do.

The central case 2003 similarly forms a part of the apparatus case, and mainly covers a portion where the recording head moves. The central case 2003 is provided so that it can be easily attached to and detached from the apparatus, and a spur provided corresponding to a paper discharge roller described later is attached to a part thereof. By attaching the central case 2003 to the apparatus, the spur can press the paper ejection roller with an appropriate pressing force. Paper feed lid 20
05 is a part of the device case and is provided to be freely opened and closed.
The paper feeding lid 2005 is provided so that both ends of the near side in the drawing in the substantially rectangular shape are pivotally supported, and is used as a rotation axis to be opened upward in the drawing and held at a predetermined angle. Then, the paper feeding lid 2005 becomes substantially linear with a paper feeding tray described later in a state where the paper feeding lid 2005 is held at this angle, so that the recording paper can be placed thereon. The ink lid 2007 is provided on the front side of the apparatus, and forms a part of the apparatus case. The ink lid 2007 is rotatably supported by a shaft provided at a lower portion on the front side of the apparatus. As a result, the lid 2007 can be opened toward the user as needed. As a result, it is possible to perform an attaching / detaching operation such as attachment / detachment of the ink cartridge housed inside the apparatus.

The discharge tray 2009 is detachably mounted on the apparatus. That is, the paper discharge tray 2009 is mounted at a predetermined angle at the rear of the apparatus, so that the recording papers on which recording has been completed can be sequentially stacked. Operation unit 2011
Is provided on one side of the main case 2001 in front of the device.
The operation unit 2011 is a display unit 2011 that displays information such as the state of the device.
2011A key for inputting various commands for B and equipment
And

FIGS. 2 and 3 are views showing an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, excluding the apparatus cover shown in FIG. 1, and are a cross-sectional view and a top view as viewed from the side, respectively. . In FIG. 3, a recording head, a carriage for mounting and moving the recording head, and a driving system for these movements are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG.
In a state in which the sheet feeding cover 2005 shown in FIG. 1 is opened (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3), the sheet feeding unit is constituted together with the sheet feeding cover 2005. The paper feed tray 601 has a rotating shaft 601A provided at the rear end in the paper feeding direction rotatably supported by a side plate 2017 forming a frame of the apparatus. 2 is biased upward in FIG. With these configurations, recording paper stacked on the paper feed tray 601 (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In the following, the recording paper includes a plastic sheet or the like, and broadly means a recording medium). The tip is pressed by the pickup roller 604. In the above-described paper feeding mechanism, 601C shown in FIG. 3 is a guide plate for guiding paper feeding according to the size of the recording paper.
Is a groove for the guide plate 601C to move according to the size of the recording paper.

The pickup roller 604 is a half-moon roller 60
4A and a pair of idler rollers 604B.
As shown in FIG. 2, the half-moon roller 604A has a shape in which a cross section has a shape in which a part of a circle is notched.
Has a circular cross section whose diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the circumferential portion of the semicircular roller 604A. Pickup roller
Two pickups 604 are provided at predetermined intervals near the front end of the paper feed tray 601, and these pickup rollers 604 are fixed to a pickup roller shaft 604C extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording paper is fed. Is done. Pickup roller shaft
One end of 604C is rotatably supported by a part of frame 2017, and the other end is connected to clutch 619. Thus, the driving force of the motor (not shown) is transmitted to the pickup roller shaft 604C via the clutch 619, and the pickup roller 604 can be rotated.

The recording paper stacked on the paper feed tray 601 is
As described above, it is pressed by the pickup roller 604. For this reason, when the pickup roller 604 rotates, the recording paper is first pushed out by a shoulder portion which is a connecting portion between the notch portion and the circumferential portion of the half-moon roller 604A, and further, the pickup roller 604 and FIG. The sheet is fed to a recording paper conveyance path in cooperation with a separation plate 605 described in detail.

The paper feed roller 606 is disposed on the recording paper conveyance path on the downstream side of the pickup roller 604. As shown in FIG. 3, four paper feed rollers 606 are provided at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the recording paper being conveyed, and these four paper feed rollers 606 are paper feed roller shafts 606A. (Not shown in FIG. 3). This allows
The driving force of a paper feed motor (not shown) is transmitted to the paper feed roller shaft 606A, and the paper feed motor 606 can be rotated.

The pinch rollers 607 are provided corresponding to each of the paper feed rollers 606, and the circumferential surface thereof is
606 so as to be in contact with the circumferential surface. The pinch roller holders 611 are provided corresponding to the pinch rollers 607, respectively, and rotatably support the pinch rollers 607 at one end thereof. The carriage rail 613 is provided so as to extend over a movement area of a carriage described later. The other end of the pinch roller holder 611 is pivotally supported by a carriage rail 613, and is urged obliquely downward in FIG. 2 by a spring 614 held between the carriage rail 613 and the pinch roller holder 611. I have.
As a result, the pinch roller 607 presses the recording paper conveyed between it and the paper feed roller 606 against the paper feed roller 606, and the paper feed roller 606 generates a frictional force between the paper and the recording paper caused by the pressing force. Thus, the recording paper can be transported.

Platen for regulating recording surface of recording paper
Reference numeral 608 denotes a downstream side of the paper feed roller 606 and the like on the recording paper conveyance path, which is disposed at a portion which can face a recording head described later. Further, on the downstream side of the platen 608, a paper discharge roller 609 is provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the discharge rollers 609 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the recording paper being conveyed.
And these are fixed to the paper discharge roller shaft 609A.
The discharge roller shaft 609A is rotated by a motor (not shown) to rotate the discharge roller 609. Thereby, the discharge rollers 609
The recording paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 2009 shown in FIG. 1 in cooperation with the spurs held by the central case 2003 shown in FIG.

In the recording paper transport path described above, the recording paper stacked on the paper feed tray 601 is separated one by one by a pickup roller 604 and a separation plate 605 and fed to the transport path. The paper to be recorded is a paper guide 608A
The paper is conveyed between the paper feed roller 606 and the pinch roller 607 while being guided by the roller. During this conveyance, the recording paper contacts one end of the paper edge detection sensor lever 615. The operation of the other end of the lever 615 by this contact changes the detection state of the paper end photosensor 617, and the end of the recording paper can be detected by the change in the detection state. A reflection type paper width sensor 62 is provided below the carriage.
3 is provided so that the width of the conveyed recording paper can be detected.

The paper feed roller 606 conveys, for example, a recording paper by the length of one line of the recording by the recording head in accordance with the recording operation by the recording head, thereby recording characters, images, and the like on the recording paper. Going done. At this time, the recording paper is urged toward the platen 608 by the paper pressing leaf spring 621, and the recording area of the recording paper can be kept flat. The recording sheet on which recording has been performed is discharged onto a discharge tray by a discharge roller 609.

From the paper feed tray 601 described above, a paper discharge roller
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording paper transport path leading to the discharge tray 2009 shown in FIG. 1 has a gentle V-shape.
8 so that the recording area of the recording paper can be kept flat.

In FIG. 2, the print head unit 1 includes four print head chips corresponding to each ink color described in detail in FIG. These head chips are mounted on the carriage body 201 of the carriage section 200 so that they can be easily attached and detached. 203 is a carriage cover, and 205 is a head cover. These covers are the carriage body 201
By being mounted on the recording head chip, electrical connection to the recording head chip and positioning and fixing of the chip are performed. The sub-ink tank 300 attached to a part of the carriage main body 201 collects bubbles in the ink supply system and buffers pressure fluctuations generated in the ink supply system due to the movement of the carriage. The effect of the pressure fluctuation can be prevented from affecting the recording head. The carriage body 201 is slidably engaged with a guide shaft 213 (only a cross section of which is shown in FIG. 2A), and a belt partially connected to the carriage body 201 is not shown. Driven by a carriage motor. As a result, the carriage body 201 and the components mounted on the carriage body 201 below the above-described recording head unit 1 are:
Movement along the guide shaft 213 is enabled.

In FIG. 2, the position lever 21
1 is rotatably supported at one end by a shaft 211C provided on a part of the carriage body 201, so that the operator can change the position manually. A hemispherical convex portion 211B is provided at the other end of the position lever 211, and engages with concave portions formed at three places on a side plate (not shown) of the carriage portion 200, whereby the position lever 211 is provided. Can be fixed in three positions. When the position lever 211 is at the positions I and II shown in FIG. 2, the carriage main body 201, and therefore the recording head chip mounted thereon, uses the guide shaft 213 as a rotation axis according to each of these positions. It is displaced, and a position corresponding to the contact between the position lever 211 and the carriage rail 613 can be taken. That is, FIG.
In the position I of the position lever 211 shown in FIG. 7, as shown in detail in FIG. 3, a part of the carriage main body 201 abuts on the upper surface of the carriage rail 613 so as to be slidable thereon. In this contact relationship, the recording head chip is located relatively close to the platen 608. On the other hand, when the position lever 211 is at the position II, the pressing member 211A provided integrally with the position lever 211 comes into contact with the upper surface of the carriage rail 613. As a result, the carriage body 201 rotates upward in FIG. 2 with the contact portion as an action point and the guide shaft 213 as a fulcrum, so that the recording head chip is relatively far away from the platen 608.

In the configuration of the position lever described above, for example, when a recording sheet having relatively poor ink absorption characteristics is used, the recording head chip is relatively far away from the platen 608 by setting the lever 211 to the position II. This is because, when a recording paper having poor ink absorbency is used, a phenomenon such as a wrinkling of the recording paper due to the recording ink occurs, and this causes, for example, a problem that the recording paper rubs the ejection opening surface of the recording head chip and damages it. This can be prevented by setting the lever 211 to the position II. When a recording sheet having relatively excellent ink absorption characteristics is used, such consideration is not required, and the position lever 211 may be set to the position I.

The position III of the position lever 211
Is a position for preventing the carriage unit 200 from moving rightward when the carriage unit 200 is at the home position. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a projection 211D provided at the tip of the position lever 211 engages with a locking hole 613B provided near the left end of the carriage rail 613, and the carriage 200 (shown in FIG. 3). ) Is prevented from moving to the right.

It is also possible to give a notice on the position of the position lever 211 by means of a display or a sound.
That is, the position lever 211 is, as described above,
The operator changes the position manually. Therefore, for example, if the carriage unit 200 is at the home position and recording is attempted while forgetting that the position lever 211 is at the position III, a message indicating that the lock by the position lever is released is displayed. The operator can be prompted to change the position.

The current position of the position lever 211 may be displayed according to the three positions of the position lever 211.

Further, when the apparatus is subjected to a vibration exceeding a predetermined level, for example, when the apparatus is carried, the position of the position lever is detected at the same time as detecting the vibration.
If not, that is, if it is not at the position where the carriage unit is fixed, that effect may be notified by a sound such as a buzzer.

According to the structure for preventing carriage movement,
It is possible to prevent the carriage unit 200 and the recording head unit 1 from moving unnecessarily during transportation of the present recording apparatus, and to prevent accidents such as damage to these parts and other parts of the apparatus.

In FIG. 2, a cover 230 is fixed to the apparatus frame, and protects an ink supply tube, a flexible cable, and the like that follow the carriage unit 200 as it moves.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, the ink cartridges 901BK, 901C, 901M, and 901Y are mounted in an ink supply unit described later. These ink cartridges are used to store black (BK), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) ink colors, respectively, and to store waste ink discharged by the ejection recovery process. Equipped with waste ink bag. An ink absorber 911 is provided below the ink supply unit in which the ink cartridge is mounted. The ink absorber 911 has a restoring force against an external force such as pressing, and is inserted in a compressed state between the concave portion of the frame 913 forming the supply unit and the bottom plate 2015 forming the apparatus frame. Thus, even if ink leaks from the ink cartridge 901, it can be absorbed by the absorber 911. Further, the vibration transmitted through the bottom plate 2015 or the like accompanying the driving of the motor can be absorbed by the absorber 911, whereby the noise generated due to the driving of the device can be reduced.

The absorber used for absorbing vibration need not necessarily be provided below the ink supply unit, as in the above example, but may be provided at a more effective site for reducing apparatus noise. Can be.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the details of the recording head unit 1 mounted on the carriage main body 201 and the carriage unit 200 and the head unit 1 as viewed from the side.

In FIG. 4, head chips 10 are provided corresponding to the four color inks, respectively, and are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing.
Are provided. For this reason, only one is shown in the sectional view of FIG. The head chip 10 is configured as follows. The connection is made in such a manner that a substrate made of Si is laminated on a base made of Al having a plate shape and having the shape shown in FIG.
Furthermore, on the Si substrate, an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy used for ejection and electrode wiring for supplying power thereto, and further for driving the electrothermal converter according to a recording signal Is formed. Further, a top plate having a concave portion for forming a discharge port, an ink path communicating with the discharge port, and a common liquid chamber for supplying ink to the ink path is joined to the substrate with the concave portion inside. Thus, the recording head chip 10 is configured. The recording head chip of this example has 64 ejection ports on the ejection port arrangement surface formed at the tip thereof. A front plate 11 having an opening corresponding to the area where these discharge ports are provided is provided on the leading end side of the print head chip 10. The electrothermal converter is disposed in each of the ink paths communicating with each of the discharge ports. The electrothermal converter generates heat in response to application of an electric pulse to cause film boiling in the ink. Then, ink is ejected from the ejection port based on the generation of bubbles by the film boiling.

On the carriage cover 203 constituting one of the members for mounting the recording head chip 10, a connector 207 for making an electrical connection with the electric wiring terminals of the recording head chip 10 is provided on the recording head chip 10. Accordingly, when the cover 203 is attached, that is, when the cover 203 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. In the meantime, the connectors 207 are connected to the respective recording head chips 10. This connection is made by inserting the terminals of the recording head chip 10 into the recesses of the connector 207.

At this time, the four recording head chips 10 are mounted in a predetermined position on the carriage main body 201 in a state of being accurately positioned, and the connector 207 is connected along the positions. For this reason, in the concave portion of the connector 207, an insertion opening of the concave portion is formed in an R shape so that the terminal can be smoothly inserted.

The operation of the carriage cover 203 is performed by engaging a long hole 223 formed in a part of the carriage cover 203 with a shaft 221 provided on the carriage body 201 as shown in FIG. The operation is guided.
With the carriage cover 203, the recording head chip and its terminal portion can be particularly protected.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are views for explaining how to mount the recording head chip 10, and FIG. 5A is a front view of the carriage body 201 and the recording head 10, and FIG. Figure (B)
2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the carriage body 201 as viewed from the side, and FIG. 2C is a perspective view of the recording head chip 10.

In these figures, a guide groove 15 is formed in the recording head chip 10, and when the head chip 10 is mounted, a guide 21 provided in the head mounting portion of the carriage body 201.
Engage with 5. The ink supply tube 13 for supplying ink to the common liquid chamber in the recording head chip 10
With this mounting operation, the carriage is inserted into a supply port 219 provided in the carriage body 201. With this configuration, ink is supplied from the sub ink tank 300 to the common liquid chamber of the head chip 10 via the supply tube 311, the supply port 219, and the supply pipe 13.

The carriage body 201 of the recording head chip 10
The attachment to the camera will be described with reference to FIG. When mounting the head chip 10, first, the guide groove 15 of the head chip 10 is engaged with the guide 215 on the carriage side. In accordance with this engagement, the head chip 10 is moved downward, and the supply pipe 13
Is inserted into the supply port 219 on the carriage side. This supply pipe
13 can be smoothly inserted into the supply port 219 by the guide of the guide groove 15. This movement is stopped when a part of the bottom of the head chip 10 abuts a part of the bottom of the head mounting part on the carriage side.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, a part of the head chip 10 is inserted into a concave portion formed in the carriage main body 201, and the recording head 10 is positioned in the ejection direction.
After that, the head cover 205 described in detail in FIGS.
The position of each recording head chip and the pitch between these chips are determined by the mounting.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are views showing details of the head cover 205. FIG. 6A is a front view of the head cover 205 viewed from the back side, and FIG. FIG. 3C is a partial cross-sectional view of the head cover 205 as viewed from above.

The positioning of the head chip 10 by the head cover 205 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5A and 6A-6.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

As described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C, the head cover 205 is attached to the carriage main body 201, and the head cover 205 is attached to the recording head chip as shown in FIG. It is mounted on the carriage body 201 so as to cover the side of the carriage 10. 3 and FIGS. 6 (A) to 6 (A) to 6
The leaf springs 221 and 223 of the head cover 205 shown in FIG.
Presses the head chip 10 toward the reference surface 217 and the reference surface 218 provided on the bottom surface of the head chip mounting portion, as shown in FIG. Thereby, the recording head chip 10 is arranged in the arrangement direction (the horizontal direction in FIG. 5A) and the arrangement direction of the ejection ports (the vertical direction in FIG. 5A).
Is determined. At this time, since the positional relationship between the four reference surfaces 217 and 218 shown in FIG. 5A is accurately determined, the pitch between the ejection port rows of each head chip and The positional relationship in the vertical direction is accurately determined.

The attachment of the head cover 205, the accompanying positioning of the head chip 10, the attachment of the carriage cover 203, the connection of the connector 207 to the head chip 10, and the like will be described with reference to FIGS. I do. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a connector board having the carriage body 201, the head chip 10, the head cover 205, and the connector 207, FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of mounting the carriage cover 205 on the carriage, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view (a view as seen from a discharge port forming surface side) for explaining the above.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the head cover 205 has hooks 251 and latches 253 on both sides. Carriage body 201 has hook 251 and latch 25
3 boss 261 and latch hole 263
Is provided. Move the head cover 205 to the carriage body
When attaching to the 201, the hook 251 is hooked on the projection 261 and the hook 251 is rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. 8 with the latch 253 engaged with the latch hole 263 to obtain the state shown in FIG. I just need. In this state, as described above, the springs 221 and 223 provided on the head cover 205 press the head chip 10 mainly toward the reference surfaces 217 and 218, respectively. Positioning is performed in the middle Y direction and the arrangement direction of the ejection ports, that is, the Z direction in FIGS. 7 and 8.
Further, the head cover 205 is provided with a spring 224 corresponding to each head chip 10 as shown in FIG. The spring 224 is attached to the head chip 10 via the portion 10X of the head chip 10 on the Al base when the head cover 205 is mounted.
7 and 8, mainly in the X direction, and the surface 10P ′ on the projection 10P is moved to the reference surface in the concave portion 231.
Press 231 '. The spring 224 generates a reaction force at the time of joining the cap, which will be described later, and also participates in returning the head chip to the reference surface 231 'after the cap is detached.

As described above, with the mounting of the head cover 205, the plurality of head chips 10 are reliably positioned on the carriage body 201 in three dimensions of X, Y, and Z.

The positioning of the head chip 10 will be further described with reference to FIG. The head chip 10A is attached to the carriage body 2
01 are pressed against the reference surfaces 217A and 218 by springs 221 and 223, respectively. The other three heads 10B to 10D are similarly pressed against the reference surfaces 218 and 217B to 217D. On the other hand, the head cover 205 is provided with reference surfaces 205A to 205D. Reference plane 20
5A is the head chip 10A and carriage 201 together with the spring 221.
The reference surface 201A is held therebetween. Therefore, accuracy can be ensured without directly applying a bending moment to the reference surface 201A.

The reference surfaces 205B to 205D are also the head chips 10B to 10D.
The end face of D is held between the spring 221 and the end face.

Therefore, for the carriage 201, the pitch tolerance between the reference surfaces 217A and 201A, between 217A and 217B, between 217A and 217C, and between 217A and 217D is secured, and the head cover 20
Regarding 5, if the pitch tolerances between the reference planes 205A-205B, 205A-205C, and 205A-205D are equally secured, the inclination between the head chips 10A-10D is maintained within the required accuracy.

The height L ₁ of the front surface of the head chip 10
Taking sufficiently large with respect to the discharge port array range dimension L ₂ of,
The inclination of the head chip portion involved in recording can be further reduced with respect to the entire inclination, and the recording quality is improved.

Next, the attachment of the carriage cover 203 and the associated engagement between the head chip side connector 10T and the carriage cover side connector 207 will be described mainly with reference to FIG.

A rail is provided on the side of the carriage cover 203.
The carriage cover 203 is linearly guided in the X direction in FIG. 8 so as to engage with the guide portions 263 and the projections 267 provided at the corresponding portions of the carriage body 201, respectively. Mounted on 201.
During the installation process, the connector 10T
7 is received by the receiving portion 207T, and the two are coupled.

Here, as described above, the receiving portion 207T of the connector 207 is rounded or tapered along the edge of its opening, so that the connector 10T can be smoothly introduced into the receiving portion 207T. It is possible. Further, since the head chip 10 is already positioned with the mounting of the head cover 205 as described above, the connector 207 can be displaced with respect to the carriage cover 203, and
This prevents an undesired force from acting on the head chip 10 due to a shift or the like between the two at the time of coupling with the 10T. connector
In order to make the connector 207 displaceable with respect to the carriage cover 203, a connector made of a relatively flexible material should be selected as the connector 207, or a loose or elastic adhesive should be applied to the connector board 270. Although it is conceivable to attach the connector 207 by using a connector, in this example, the connector board 270 itself is supported with a certain amount of play in a plane by a support portion 275 provided on the carriage cover 270.

According to the above configuration, even if the connector 10T, which is the electrical connection member on the head chip 10, and the connector 207, which is the electrical connection member on the carriage cover side, are slightly displaced from each other, they can be connected. At this time, the electric connection member on the carriage cover side is displaced while permitting the displacement, so that reliable and easy connection is performed. Further, no excessive force is exerted on the recording head side, so that the positional accuracy does not change.

The number of springs for pressing the head chip 10 against a reference plane for positioning the head chip 10 in the three-dimensional direction is set to three in this example. By appropriately determining the shape, inclination, and strength of the spring of the ten parts, the spring can be used in all two or three directions, and two or one spring can be used. An example will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 10 is a view showing another embodiment of the positioning by the head cover, and is a cross-sectional view of the recording head chip and the carriage main body viewed from the side.

As shown in FIG. 10, the leaf springs 221 and 223 shown in FIGS.
Instead of 4, a leaf spring 225 having an appropriately determined spring strength is provided for each recording head chip. Leaf spring 225
Is attached to the end of the head cover 205, and presses the chamfered portion 10X of the head chip 10 by attaching the cover 205. As a result, the pressing force generates a component force in the ejection direction of the head chip 10 and the ejection port arrangement direction, and the head chip 10 can be positioned in each direction.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are perspective views showing the details of the sub tank 300 shown in FIG. 2 and the like. FIG. 11 shows a surface on the mounting side to the carriage body 201, and FIG. 12 shows a surface on the opposite side. Is shown. FIG. 13 is a partial perspective view showing the sub tank in an exploded manner.

As shown in these figures, the sub tank 300 has three parts. That is, the sub-tank 300 includes a tank member 331 for forming an ink chamber and an air chamber, a middle plate 333 having a connection hole, and a connection plate 335 having a connection groove and a connection pipe. These members can be obtained, for example, by molding a resin material, and the members can be joined by ultrasonic welding.

The tank member 331 has four chambers 331BK, 331C, 331M, and 331Y corresponding to each color ink.

As shown in detail in FIG. 13, the middle plate 333 has connection holes for connecting the chambers of the tank member 331 and the connection grooves of the connection plate 335. Of these connection holes, The connection holes 341Y, 341M, 341C, 341Bk (341Y, 341Bk are not shown) are respectively connected pipes 321Y, 321M, 321C, 321 shown in FIG.
Bk and a part of the flow path of each ink supplied from the above-mentioned ink cartridge 901. In addition, connecting hole 34
3Y, 343M, 343C, 343Bk (343Y, 343Bk not shown) are connected to the connection pipes 323Y, 323M, 323C, 323Bk shown in FIG. It constitutes a part of a flow path of the air sucked from the chamber. Also, although not shown in FIG. 13, the middle plate 333 has an ink supply path from each chamber to the head chip 10 corresponding to the position of the connection pipes 325Y.325M, 325C, and 325Bk shown in FIG. A connection hole forming a portion is formed.

As shown in FIG. 11, the connection plate 335 has
The three types of connection pipes described above are formed. That is, the above-described ink supply tube from the ink cartridge 901 is connected to the connection pipes 321Y, 321M, 321C, and 321Bk.
Tubes to the suction pump of the discharge recovery unit are connected to 3Y, 323M, 323C, 323Bk, and connection tubes 325Y, 325M, 325C, 325Bk
Is connected to an ink supply tube to the recording head chip 10.

Further, the arrangement of the connection pipes is determined as follows. For example, as is clear from FIGS. 5A and 5B, first, the sub-tank 300 is attached to the carriage main body 201 such that the longitudinal direction thereof is along the arrangement direction of the recording heads. At this time, connection pipe 32
Each of the 5Y.325M, 325C, 325Bk is connected to the connection plate 335Y, 325M, 325C, 325 so as to be located below the corresponding recording head chip 10.
Located in Bk. With this, each connection pipe
As shown in FIG. 5B, the four ink supply tubes 311 connecting the 325 and each recording head chip 10 can be smoothly supplied only by bending in the plane of FIG.
Further, since the bending direction of the tube 311 is limited to the plane, the influence of the carriage movement on the ink supply can be reduced. In the connection pipe arrangement position conditions described above, considering the minimization of the path from each chamber of the tank member 331 to each connection pipe and the effect of carriage movement, the connection pipe 325Y, 325M, 325C, 325Bk Are positions arranged in the longitudinal direction of the sub tank 300 as shown in FIG.
For this reason, as described above, the connection pipes 325Y, 3
Connection holes (not shown) are provided at positions corresponding to 25M, 325C, and 325Bk.

The arrangement of the respective connection pipes (hereinafter, only the reference numerals 321 and 323) indicated by the reference numerals with the numerals 321 and 323 are determined as follows.

First, the tubes connected to these connection tubes are connected along the longitudinal direction of the sub-ink tank 300, that is, along the moving direction of the carriage portion indicated by arrow A in FIGS. The position of the tube is determined. Second 4
The arrangement of the connection tubes is determined so that the tubes corresponding to the respective inks of the colors are integrally connected to the connection tubes. From the above first and second arrangement conditions, the arrangement of the connection pipes 321 and 323 is determined so as to be arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage.

[0079] Figure 15 (A) is a top view of a tube unit for connecting to the connecting pipe 321 and 323, FIG. 15 (B) Fig.
FIG. 15 (A) is a sectional view of the BB. The FIG. 15 (A), the connecting pipe 321
Joints 351 and 35 to connect to
3 is shown. In response to the movement of the carriage 200 in the direction indicated by arrow C in FIG.
The carriage 200 follows the carriage 200, and the tube can be extended in a certain direction (carriage moving direction) by the arrangement of the connection pipes described above. Tube35
5 and 357 only bend in a predetermined direction when following. This can reduce the influence of the carriage movement on ink supply and the like.

According to the arrangement of the connection pipes 321 and 323 described above, the connection plate 335 has grooves 337Y and 337 as shown in FIG.
M, 337C, 337Bk (337Y, 337Bk not shown) and 339Y, 339M,
339C and 339Bk (339Y and 339Bk are not shown) are formed, and each of these connection pipes is connected to each tank chamber 331 (BK, C, M, Y).

FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the sub ink tank 300. As shown in the figure, a groove 333D for connecting each tank chamber to the connection pipe can be formed in the middle plate 333.

The structure of the sub ink tank is effective for an ink storage member that temporarily stores ink in the middle of some kind of air or ink flow path of the ink jet recording apparatus. Further, with the use of the above structure, when attached to an operating unit such as a carriage, the ink passage member such as a tube can be simplified. Therefore, the structure of the sub ink tank can be applied to, for example, an ink storage member used for a flow path for discharging waste ink.

FIGS. 16 and 17 are sectional views showing details of the paper feed mechanism shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively.
Shows a case where thin paper is conveyed, and FIG. 17 shows a case where thick paper is conveyed.

In these figures, a pinch roller 607 is rotatably supported by a pinch roller holder 611, and the pinch roller holder 611 is rotatably engaged with a carriage rail 613 at its end 611B. A spring 614 is interposed between the pinch roller holder 611 and the carriage rail 613, and the carriage rail 613 is provided by springs 631 hooked on hooks 613A (FIG. 3) at both ends in the longitudinal direction of FIG. 17 are urged downward in FIG. 17 to abut against a part of the device frame (not shown). As a result, the pinch roller 607 can press the paper feed roller 606 via the recording paper by the elastic force of the spring 614.

In the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 16, when a relatively thin recording paper is conveyed, a pinch roller
The displacement of the pinch roller 607 caused by the thickness of the recording paper between the pinch roller holder 607 and the paper feed roller 606
611 is absorbed by being displaced counterclockwise in FIG. 16 about its end 611B.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 17, when a relatively thick recording sheet is conveyed, the displacement of the pinch roller 607 due to the sheet thickness is absorbed by the displacement of the pinch roller holder 611 due to the rotation. As a result, the pinch roller holder 611 is further displaced in accordance with the displacement of the pinch roller 607, and its end 611A abuts against the carriage rail 613. As a result, the pinch holder 611 pushes up the carriage lever 613 against the elastic force of the spring 631. That is, a pinch roller when a relatively thick recording paper is conveyed.
The displacement of 607 is absorbed by the displacement of the pinch roller holder 611 and the subsequent displacement of the carriage rail 613.

At this time, since the carriage rail 613 is in contact with the carriage body 201 or the holding member 211A according to the position of the position lever 211, the carriage section 200, that is, the recording head is changed according to the displacement of the carriage rail 613. The part 1 is displaced.

According to the paper feeding mechanism described above, when the recording paper to be used is relatively thin, the pinch roller holder 611 is displaced, and the pinch roller 607 is pressed through the recording paper with an appropriate pressing force according to the paper thickness. Can act on the paper feed roller 606.

When the recording paper is relatively thick, the pinch roller 607 and the carriage rail 613 are displaced, so that the pinch roller 607 exerts an appropriate pressing force on the paper feed roller 606 according to the paper thickness. In addition, the distance between the recording paper and the recording head can be made appropriate according to the paper thickness. Regardless of the position (I or II) of the position lever 211 described above, it goes without saying that the above-described paper feed mechanism operates effectively.

With reference to FIGS. 18 and 19, the structure and operation of the sheet supply unit according to this embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 18 shows the behavior of the separation plate 605 when the recording paper is a thin sheet 610A, and FIG. 19 shows the behavior of the separation plate 605 when the recording paper is a thick sheet 610B. In these figures, the groove
Reference numeral 651 is provided on a support member 603 which forms a part of the apparatus frame, and holds the separation plate 605 with play. The groove 651 is provided such that the direction of the opening is substantially directed to the center of the axis of the pickup roller 604.

The separating plate 605 has a groove 605A for holding the spring and a groove.
651 has a spring 612 that is held between it and the bottom. Further, a part of the separation plate 605 is formed by a hook-shaped claw 605B which forms a spring holding groove 605A. By fitting these claws 605B into engagement holes 651A provided at the bottom of the groove 651, the separation plate 605 is prevented from falling out of the groove 651. With the above configuration, the separation plate 605 can swing in the groove 651 and move in the vertical direction while being supported by the spring 612. The spring 612 is selected from those having an appropriate spring constant according to the range of the assumed stiffness of the recording paper used for recording.

In the paper feed unit configured as described above, it is assumed that a plurality of thin sheets 610A having relatively weak stiffness are stored in the paper feed tray 601 as recording paper, as shown in FIG. In this state, when the pickup roller 604 is driven in accordance with the sheet feed signal, the uppermost sheet 610A is fed. Then, the leading end of the sheet 610A first contacts the separation plate 605. Accordingly, the separation plate
605 is displaced to a position corresponding to the stiffness of the seat 610A and the spring force of the spring 612 supporting the separation plate 605,
The entry angle of the 610A with respect to the separation plate 605 (the angle between the sheet entry direction and the plane of the separation plate) can be set to an optimum angle, and the conveyance force (frictional force) generated between the half-moon roller 604A and the recording sheet can be reduced. It can be good.

As shown in FIG. 19, the case where a thick sheet 610B having a relatively strong waist is stored in the paper feed tray 601 and fed is as follows. Similarly, when the sheet 610B is guided between the pickup roller 604 and the separation plate 605,
The separation plate 605 is pushed down by the stiffness of the sheet 610B, and its shoulder 605C hits the bottom of the groove 651. As a result, the separation plate 605 rotates about the shoulder 605C as a rotation fulcrum. As a result, the approach angle formed between the recording sheet 610B and the separation plate 605 is smaller than that shown in FIG. 18, and the conveying force (frictional force) generated between the half-moon roller 604A and the recording paper. Can be prevented from becoming excessively large, and defective paper feeding when the recording paper is thick can be avoided.

FIG. 20 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a recovery unit 400 according to this embodiment.

Here, the unit housing 401 constituting the unit main body holds the following components. The motor 403 is a driving source for operation of each part in the unit, and its motor output shaft 405
The driving force is transmitted to a worm wheel shaft 411 via a worm 407 attached to the worm wheel and a worm wheel 409 meshing with the worm 407.

The cap 420 can contact the ejection port forming surface 1A of the recording head chip 10 to cover the periphery of the ejection port, and at least the contact portion with the ejection port forming surface is formed of an elastic member such as rubber. . The cap pressing / equalizing unit 430 presses the cap 420 against the discharge port forming surface 1A, and secures a close contact state in accordance with the pressure. The pump 440 exerts a suction force on the suction tube 442 connected to the cap 420 and the suction tube 444 connected to the sub-tank 300 described above. As a result, the ink sucked toward the waste ink absorber (not shown) in the ink tank via the waste ink tube 446 is discharged. The pump 440 is driven by a pump drive cam 450 provided on a shaft 411 and a pump drive lever 452 engaged with the cam.

In this example, the cap 420 and the pump 440
Is bent upward in the vertical direction from the communication hole 442A in the cap to which the tube 442 is connected, and then bent and connected to the pump 440 below. In this way, if the ink is sucked from the ejection port through the cap 420 and then the suction processing (idle suction) in the non-cap state is not performed or is not performed sufficiently, a small amount of ink is stored in the tube 442. Remains. That is, the ink does not entirely flow into the pump due to the presence of the bent portion. By utilizing this, for example, when the recording is interrupted or when the recording is stopped, the ejection port forming surface 1A is kept in a humid atmosphere in the cap state, and the ejection ports can be protected from drying to prevent clogging. Therefore, the suction process at the time of resuming the recording can be made unnecessary or small. It should be noted that sufficient idle suction is performed during a long period of rest or when the power is turned off, so that ink does not remain in the tube, and sticking in the tube can be prevented.

In this embodiment, when the unit 400 is attached to the apparatus, the pump 440 is arranged so that the discharge side is located vertically below and the discharge flow path is directed downward. Thus, the ink is smoothly discharged from the pump 440 under the action of gravity.

FIG. 21A is a side sectional view of the recovery unit 400. Here, the access lever 461 can make the cap 420 face the discharge port forming surface 1A by the leading end 461A entering the concave portion 205H provided in the recording head cover 205. At least the tip of the access lever 461 can be displaced or deformed in the recording head scanning direction (the direction perpendicular to the drawing). The access lever drive arm 465 is
It is connected to the access lever 461. Also this arm
465 is rotatable about a shaft 465A near one end thereof. The cam 467 is provided on the shaft 411 and has a pin
468 is engaged. The spring 469 regulates the movement of the arm 465 by causing the pin 468 to follow the contour of the cam 467, and
And a projection 463 provided on the access lever 461 to apply an urging force for rotating the arm 465 to the cam 467 side.

The cap holder 471 holds the cap 420. The holder guide lever 473 is provided integrally with the cap holder 471, and the tip 475 protrudes out of the unit 400 through a hole provided in the housing 401. The cap holder 471 is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat while holding the cap 420, and the cap 420 is brought into contact with the discharge port forming surface 1A in accordance with the advance, and is released in accordance with the retraction. Further, the cap 420 or the cap holder 471 can be slightly displaced in the recording head scanning direction.
The spring 477 is provided at the tip end portion 475 of the holder guide lever, and urges a holder side engaging portion which engages with a cam (not shown) for restricting the advance / retreat of the cap holder 471 in the direction of the cam. Make the joint follow the cam.

The cap 420 is provided with an atmosphere communication hole described later, and this communication hole is also opened and closed via a cam (not shown) and a drive lever (not shown) also described later. The mechanism for moving the cap forward and backward, the mechanism for moving the access lever, and the like, including the mechanism for opening and closing the atmosphere communication hole, will be described later with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 21A, a lock section 481 is provided to obtain a locked state between the recovery unit 400 and the carriage section 200 during a recovery process or the like.

In the present example, the pump 440 is provided with a holder 48 as shown in FIG.
It is held at 3. The holder 483 has a substantially C shape and holds the pump 440 by its elastic deformation and restoring force. Reference numerals 491 and 493 denote locking portions on the housing side and the pump side, respectively, which are used for positioning the pump 440 and holding the mounting position.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the recovery unit centered on the opening / closing mechanism of the air communication hole of the cap, and FIG. 23 is a side sectional view of the recovery unit centered on the opening / closing mechanism, the cap advancing / retracting mechanism, and the access lever advancing / retracting mechanism. It is.

First, the air communication mechanism will be described.

In these figures, the opening / closing lever 503 has an arm 503A provided with a pad 505 for closing the atmosphere communication hole 501, and an arm 503B engaged with the operating lever 511. It is movably supported. Spring
Reference numeral 509 denotes a spring for applying a turning force to the opening / closing lever 503 in a direction to close the air communication hole.

The operating lever 511 is provided with a communication hole opening / closing cam 513.
And a portion 511B which engages with the arm 503B of the opening / closing lever 503, and is rotatable around a shaft 515. The spring 517 applies a turning force to the operating lever 511 in a direction in which the portion 511A comes into contact with the cam 513. As a result, the space inside the cap portion 420 is communicated / blocked with the atmosphere with the displacement of the cam 513.

Next, the mechanism for moving the cap 420 forward and backward will be described.

In FIG. 23, the cap holder 471 and the holder guide lever 473 are shown by two-dot chain lines. The roller 521 is provided on the holder guide lever 473, and is engaged with the cap advance / retreat cam 523.

The elongated hole 531 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the access lever 461, and a pin 533 protruding from the cap holder 471 is fitted into this. Therefore, in the case of this example, the cap 420
Is guided to the elongated hole 531 during the forward / backward movement.
Further, the cap 20 is interlocked with the access lever 461 in the recording head scanning direction. Spring 535
In cooperation with the spring 477 shown in FIG. 21 (A), the cap 420 is urged in the backward direction. Further, a concave portion 205H provided in the recording head cover 205 receives the entry of the access lever 461.

In FIG. 23, the access lever drive arm 465 is shown at a position different from that in FIG. 21 (A) for simplification of the drawing.

Next, the access lever 461 and the cap
The forward / backward movement of the 420 will be described.

In general, it is difficult to accurately stop the carriage at a position where the ejection port forming surface of the recording head faces the cap. Therefore, for example, a member that can protrude to the recovery unit side and a member that can receive it on the recording head side are provided, and the carriage is set at a position where the recording head side faces the cap forcibly by pushing the former into the latter. It is possible to do. However, the carriage as in this example has four recording heads mounted thereon, and its weight is relatively large. Forcibly displacing the carriage on which these are mounted as described above not only requires a large force, but also causes an excessive load on the protruding member, the cap, and the like.

Accordingly, in this embodiment, a configuration is employed in which the cap 420 is displaced so as to face the recording head discharge port forming surface.

This will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 (A) to 24 (C).

First, the arrangement range H of the four recording heads to be covered by the caps and the arrangement range C of the four caps separately covering the ejection port forming surfaces of the recording heads are shown in FIG.
It is assumed that the carriage is stopped by being shifted by Δ as shown in FIG.

When the access lever 461 is protruded from this state, the tapered portion 461T of the tip 461A is engaged with the recess 205H of the head cover 205. Here, if the access lever 461 is supported so as to be displaceable in the scanning direction S of the carriage, as shown in FIG. 24B, the access lever 461 moves into the concave direction while moving to the left in the drawing. Become. In addition, the leftward movement involves displacement of the cap holder 471 or the cap 420 in the same direction because the pin 533 and the elongated hole 531 are engaged.

Thus, the recess 20 of the access lever tip 461A
In the state of FIG. 24 (C) in which the rush to 5H has been completed, there is no deviation between the range H and the range C, that is, the recording head and the cap 42
Since 0 is directly opposed, if the cap section 420 is advanced, accurate capping is performed.

In this embodiment, the strict accuracy is not required for the control of the stop position of the carriage, and the access lever can enter the concave portion if a certain degree of accuracy is secured. Conversely, the shape and size of the tip of the access lever and the shape and size of the concave portion are selected according to the accuracy of the carriage stop position.

In order for the tip of the access lever to enter smoothly, the entire access lever must be attached to the housing so as to be capable of being translated in the scanning direction S, as described above. It may be mounted on the housing so as to be capable of swinging about a swing fulcrum, or at least the tip 461A can be elastically deformed to some extent, or any combination thereof.
In any case, the slot 531 is
3 through the cap into place (exact cap position)
Any structure may be used as long as it constitutes a route for guiding the 420. For example, when the access lever 461 can swing about the rear fulcrum, unlike FIG. 24C, the access lever 461 is inclined when the rush is completed, and when the cap is not capped, the ranges H and C face each other. do not do. However, in this case, the slot 531
Is also tilted according to the tilt of the access lever.
If 3 moves forward along this, eventually cap 420
Can accurately cover the recording head ejection port forming surface.

The cap side does not restrict and can follow the displacement or deformation of the access lever 461 or the elongated hole 531 due to such intrusion, and follows the elongated or displaced or deformed elongated hole. In order to be able to advance and retreat, it is preferable that the cap side itself be attached to the housing with some play.

Note that in FIGS. 24A to 24C, 540
Is a blade, and a recovery unit 400
In a state in which the cam can be advanced and retracted by a cam provided therein, and is in a protruding state, it is engaged with a recording head ejection port forming surface in accordance with scanning of a carriage to clean the ejection surface.

FIGS. 25A to 25C show the structure of the pump 440 used in this embodiment.

The pump 440 has a cylinder body 551, cylinder heads 553 and 555, a piston 557, and a valve unit 559. The valve unit 559 is mounted on one of the cylinder heads 553 and the cylinder head 55
3 has a portion 563 that is snap-fastened (so-called patching) to a projection 561 on the cylinder body 551, so that the valve unit 559 and the cylinder head 553 can be easily formed.
Can be mounted.

The valve unit 559 has a valve body 565 that can open and close the ink introduction ports from the cap side and the sub tank side, and a spring 567 that urges this in the closing direction.

The piston 557 includes a piston shaft 557A partially forming a flow path 556, and a valve 57 provided on the piston shaft 557A.
1 and flange 573 and valve 57 with loose fit on shaft 557A
1 and flange 573, and has an ink passage inside.
And a top 570 formed with 570A. The cylinder head 555 has a sealing portion 555A for sealing, and is attached to the cylinder body 551 in the same manner as the cylinder head 553.

In such a configuration, as shown in FIG.
When the piston 557 is displaced downward in the figure, the negative pressure generated in the upper chamber causes the valve 565 to open the ink introduction port against the urging force of the spring 567. Thereby, ink suction is performed from the cap side and the sub tank side. At this time, since the valve 571 closes the flow path 570A, the sucked ink is discharged through the pipe 575 without causing a backflow in the lower chamber. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 25C, when the piston 557 is displaced upward, the valve 571 opens the flow path 570A. Accordingly, the ink stored in the upper chamber is introduced into the lower chamber via the flow paths 570A and 556. At this time, since the valve 565 closes the ink inlet, the ink does not flow backward to the cap side and the sub tank side.

A pump having the above configuration and operation
Reference numeral 440 is attached to the recovery unit housing 401 with a holder as shown in FIG. In this example, the piston 44
0 is provided for one cap, that is, one for one recording head chip, that is, four in total. This has the following advantages.

In the case of this example, four recording heads are provided corresponding to inks of different colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black). However, the amount of ink to be sucked during the recovery process varies depending on the use frequency, ink composition, and the like of each recording head chip. Therefore, if the pumps are also used, assuming that substantially the same negative pressure acts on each head, it is necessary to adopt a pump whose capacity is determined in accordance with the amount of ink suction from the recording head that requires the most ink consumption. Then, not only will the pump become larger,
Unnecessary ink suction is also performed from a recording head that requires a small amount of consumption during the recovery process. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, each pump capacity can be determined in accordance with the required ink suction amount of each recording head, and the inconvenience of using the same pump can be avoided.

FIG. 26 is a conceptual diagram of a drive system of four pumps according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, in this example, two pumps 440 are provided as a pair, and in each group, a cam 45 mounted on a shaft 471 is provided.
0 and driven by lever 452. In this example, the cam phases of each set are made equal, that is, the four pumps 440 are driven in the same phase. Therefore, the assembling work becomes easy.

However, the phase may be different for each group.
Alternatively, a cam and a lever can be prepared for each pump and driven at different phases. This is preferable from the viewpoint of arranging or driving the loads in a well-balanced manner.

The operation timings of the respective cams of the recovery unit and the respective components driven by the cams can be determined as shown in FIG. 27, for example. In the drawings, the “sensor” may be a sensor that detects a cap open state. In the “small recovery” mode and the “main recovery” mode, for example, it is possible to make the ink suction amount different, to add so-called preliminary ejection, or the like. After the recovery process, it is preferable to clean the discharge port forming surface by projecting the blade.

Further, in this example, the access lever is projected before the capping, and the capping is released before the access lever is retracted. This is because the cap 420 moves back and forth along the above-described elongated hole 531 of the access lever. At the time of performing capping and releasing the capping, the air communication hole of the cap 420 is opened at other appropriate timing. This is effective in preventing undesired pressure fluctuation in the space inside the cap when the cap is joined to / removed from the recording head chip, thereby preventing air from being taken into the ink ejection ports of the recording head chip and ink leakage. is there.

FIG. 28 is a plan view of the ink tank accommodating section according to the present embodiment.

Here, reference numeral 701 (701BK, 701C, 701M, 701Y) denotes an ink tank in the form of a cartridge having an ink storage section serving as an ink supply source and a waste ink storage section serving as a waste ink reservoir. It is possible. Ink supply tube 70
3 (703BK, 703C, 703M, 703Y) are connected to corresponding ink storage sections in the ink tank 701, respectively. The waste ink tubes 707 (707BK, 707C, 707M, 707Y) communicate the pump 440 with the corresponding waste ink storage units in the respective ink tanks.

Regarding the arrangement of the ink tanks and the like, the following points were particularly considered in this embodiment.

[0137] Due to the composition of the ink, the susceptibility to thickening and sticking differs for each color. For example, black (BK), cyan
(C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) tend to thicken and stick in that order. Thus, the ink may be thickened and fixed even in the ink supply pipe which is a closed system. In other words, in the case of this example, the supply pipe was formed using a polyerylene tube, but no matter what the material of the supply pipe, a small amount of air invaded through the pipe wall or evaporation of the ink solvent occurred. is there. Therefore, the longer the supply pipe is, the larger the amount of air entering or the amount of evaporation of the ink solvent is.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the supply pipes are all laid in the same direction (the left side in the figure in the present embodiment), and the ink tanks containing the inks which are likely to be thickened and fixed in the order from the supply side are arranged. did. That is, the length of the supply pipe becomes shorter as the ink tends to be thickened and fixed (in the figure, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow in order from the left). As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of invading air or the amount of solvent evaporated as viscosity increases and sticks are more likely to occur. Incidentally, the above is also applied to the ink discharge system reaching the waste ink storage unit.

In the figure, reference numeral 800 denotes an ink remaining amount detecting device described below, which is arranged between the ink storage section in the ink tank 701 and the ink supply pipe 703. Also,
Reference numeral 707 denotes a cable in which wiring related to the remaining ink amount detection unit 800 and wiring related to a sensor for detecting whether or not the ink tank is installed are shown.

FIG. 29A is a plan view of the ink pressure detecting unit, and FIG. 29B is a longitudinal sectional view of the unit.

The flow path member 801 has an ink flow path 803 therein and includes a pair of upper and lower members 801A and 801B. Upper member 801A has a circular opening 805. The periphery of the ring-shaped diaphragm 807 is the upper member 801A.
And the holding member 809, and covers the periphery of the opening 805. At the upper four corners of the upper member 801A, upstanding stopper members 811 are provided. Also, the holding member 80
9, through-holes 813 are formed vertically at four corners, and a step 813A is formed outside the upper part of the through-hole 813. The stopper member 811 has elasticity, and a locking claw 811A is formed on the outer side of the distal end. The upper surface of the locking claw 811A is inclined.

Each stop member 811 is located in each through hole 813 of the holding member 809, and the locking claw 811A of the stop member 811 is
By being locked to 3A, the holding member 809 is
801A, and the diaphragm 807 is attached to the upper member 801A.
And the holding member 809. A protruding portion 881 is formed around the upper surface of the upper member 801A, and a notch 883 is formed around the lower surface of the corresponding pressing member 809. By fitting the two, the pressing member 809 is positioned on the upper member 801A. Is fixed.

A support member 815 is attached to the central portion of the diaphragm 807 so as to close the inner opening.
Top protrusion on center of 815 (centered on opening 805)
The base end of the locking member 817 fits into the 815A
815 (eg, screwed). The locking member 817 has two upright locking pieces 819 having elasticity, and a locking claw 819A is formed on the outside of the tip of each locking piece 819. The upper surface of the locking claw 819A is inclined. The two locking pieces 819 are arranged at symmetrical positions from the center of the opening 805.

[0144] A through hole 821 is formed vertically in the center of the pressing member 809, and two locking pieces 819 are located in the through hole 821. Coiled spring inside through hole 821
823 and a spring retaining ring 825 are located.
Outside the two locking pieces 819, the lower end is supported by an annular projection (spring receiver) 821A below the through hole 821. The spring retaining ring 825 has a locking claw 81 with a locking piece 819 inside.
At 9A, the upper end of the spring 823 is pushed down. The spring 823 is compressed by both (annular projection 821A and spring retaining ring 825). Therefore, the spring
The diaphragm 807 and the support member 815 are pulled upward by the repulsive force of the 823 so that the upper peripheral portion of the support member 815 contacts the lower surface of the annular projection 821A (ignoring the pressure of the ink in the ink flow path 803). Can be

A notch 827 is formed on one side surface of the holding member 809, and an intermediate portion between a pair of contact members (conductive) 829 and 831 is fixed to the bottom of the notch 827. The front ends of the pair of contact members 829 and 831 are in contact with the lower surface of the annular projection 821A through a hole 827A formed at the bottom of the notch 827, and the rear end has a connector (for detecting the remaining amount of ink). Lead 835 from 833, for connection to an electrical circuit
837 is connected. The lower surfaces of the tip portions of the pair of contact members 829 and 831 are pressed against the peripheral portion (which has conductivity) of the upper surface of the support member 815 by the repulsive force of the spring 823, and the portions are electrically connected to each other.

The ink pressure detecting unit having the above configuration can be assembled very simply as follows.

First, the diaphragm 807 is placed on the opening 805 of the upper member 801A, and the holding member 809 is inserted into the through holes 813 at the four corners.
The flow member 801 is lowered from above so that the stopper member 811 is located inside. Accordingly, the slope of the upper surface of the locking claw 811A of the stopper member 811 hits the inner edge of the through hole 813 of the pressing member 809. As a result, the stop member 811 is pushed by the inner edge, and the stop member 811 tilts inward, and enters the inside of the through hole 813 (that is, the press member 809 descends). Then, in a state where the pressing member 809 presses the diaphragm 807 from above, the locking claw 811A of the stopper member 811 is elastically moved (returned to the original position) and locked by the step 813A above the through hole 813 by elasticity. 809 is positioned and fixed to the upper member 801A.

Next, the spring 823 is put into the through hole 821,
Place the lower end on the annular protrusion 821A, and
5 is placed on the two locking pieces 819 and pressed down. As a result, the inclined surfaces on the upper surfaces of the locking claws 819A of the two locking pieces 819 engage with the inner edges of the spring retaining ring 825 and are pressed against the inner edges. As a result, the two locking pieces 819 are tilted inward by elasticity, and the spring stopper ring 825 is lowered. When the inclined surface of the locking claw 819A has finished engaging with the link 825, the two locking pieces 819 are again elastically elastic.
Are tilted outward from each other, and two locking claws 819A are locked on the inner upper surface of the spring retaining ring 825. In this way, the spring retaining ring 825 is prevented from coming off by the two locking pieces 819, and the spring 823 is composed of the spring retaining ring 825 and the annular projection 82.
Compressed by 1A. In addition, a pair of contact members 829,831
Are attached to the holding member 809 in advance.

According to the above configuration, the distance between the spring retaining ring 825 and the annular protrusion 821A is constant, and the compressive force (repulsive force) of the spring 823 falls within a predetermined range. Thus, the diaphragm 807 responds to the negative pressure of the ink in the ink flow path 803 within a predetermined range, and the support member 815 opens the pair of contact members 829,831.

Therefore, according to the ink pressure detection unit of the present invention, the pressure to be detected falls within the range in which the remaining amount of ink is stable, for example, as shown by arrow A in FIG. 31, without adjustment.

Normally, the pressure of the ink in the ink flow path is detected by the ink sensor when the carriage is stopped or while the carriage is running (ie, except when the carriage returns). This is because, as shown in FIGS. 30A and 30B, when the carriage 851 returns to the left and right sides, inertia acts on the ink in the ink flow path 853 as indicated by arrows in the figure, and Due to the influence, extra negative pressure is applied when returning to the left and extra pressure is applied to the ink in the ink flow path when returning to the right, and the ink sensor 855 cannot detect the true remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge. It is.

For reference, FIG. 32 (A) and FIG.
(B) shows a plan view and a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional ink pressure detecting unit (ink sensor). 859 is a flow path member having an ink flow path 861 inside, and 863 is a pressing member. A diaphragm 865 is sandwiched by these members 859 and 863, and a supporting member attached to the center of the diaphragm 865.
867A at the center of 867 is the through hole 869 at the center of the holding member 863.
A ring-shaped adjuster 871 is screwed into the upper portion of the central portion 867A. This adjuster
The spring 873 is compressed by the 871 and the annular projecting portion 869A at the bottom of the through hole 869, and the diaphragm 865 and the supporting member are formed by the repulsive force of the spring 873 in a state where the ink in the ink flow path 861 is higher than a predetermined negative pressure. 867 is raised.
As a result, the tips of the pair of contact members 875 and 877 located on the lower surface of the annular projecting portion 869A are pressed by the upper surface of the peripheral portion of the support member 867 to conduct each other.

According to such a conventional configuration, when the ink in the ink flow path 861 falls below a predetermined negative pressure, the diaphragm 865 responds and the support member 867 descends. As a result, the support member is separated from the distal ends of the pair of contact members 875 and 877, and a predetermined negative pressure is detected in this manner. Therefore, the negative pressure detected by the pair of contact members 875,877 is
3 corresponds to the repulsion.

However, in the above-described conventional ink pressure detecting unit, extremely troublesome adjustment must be performed in order to set the negative pressure detected at the time of assembly or the like to a predetermined value. In other words, simply by rotating the adjuster 871 appropriately and compressing the spring 873, the negative pressure value to be detected varies, and for example, FIG. 31 shows the remaining amount of ink (g) in the ink cartridge and the ink flow path. As shown in the figure that shows the relationship with the negative pressure of the ink inside, the value of the detected negative pressure is 65 ± 5 mma.
q Adjust the spring 87 with the adjuster 871
The pressure in step 3 must be fine-tuned, which is very cumbersome.

FIGS. 33 (A) and 33 (B) are plan views partially showing the configuration of the ink supply pipe connecting portion of the apparatus of this embodiment. FIG. 33 (A) shows a state where the supply pipes 301 (Y, M, C, Bk) are not connected, and FIG. 33 (B) shows a state where they are connected.

Here, the joint 901 is connected to the main body frame 90.
Mounted on 0, formed for example by rubber. The ink supply pipes 703BK to 703Y from the ink tanks 701BK to 701Y are fitted to the joint 901. Also, joint 90
1 has a receiving portion 903 for receiving the communication tube portions 925BK to 925Y described below. In the receiving section 903, there is a communication pipe section.
A valve 905 is provided for narrowing the ink flow path so as not to cause blockage or ink leakage in the non-mounting state of 925BK to 925Y, and opening the ink flow path in the mounting state.

Reference numeral 921 denotes a joint 90 on the body frame 900 side.
1 and a communication pipe portion 925BK having a tip portion inserted into the receiving portion 903 of the joint 901 and a pipe portion extending rearward. 925Y, a latch portion 927 which is engaged with a locking portion 907 provided on the main body frame 900, and the latch portion 92
An operation portion 929 for releasing the engaged state by opening the cover 7 outward, a projection 931 described later with reference to FIG. 35, and a frame portion 923 for holding the same are integrally formed by, for example, molding a resin or the like. It is configured. That is, the joint member 915 is held on the frame portion 923, and is formed of, for example, rubber. Four flow paths are formed inside the joint member 915. The rearwardly extending portions of the communication pipe portions 925BK to 925Y are inserted into one end of these flow paths, and the supply pipes 301BK to 301Y reaching the recording head are inserted into the other end. Reference numeral 917 denotes characters “B”, “C”, “M”, and “Y” provided near the connecting portion of the joint member 915 to the supply pipe 301 by printing or sticking a seal. , Cyan, magenta, and yellow supply pipes 301BK, 301C, 301M, and 301Y to prevent erroneous connection.

When the joint 921 is coupled to the joint 901, the joint 921 is advanced in the direction of the arrow from the state shown in FIG. 33A, and the surface portion 927 T including the tapered portion of the latch portion 927 is locked. The latch portion 927 is pushed outward in accordance with the mounting operation. When the surface portion 927T gets over the locking portion 907, the latch portion 927 is restored by the spring property, and the joint 921 is locked as shown in FIG. 33 (B). Also, in this state, the communication pipe portion 925 enters the receiving portion 903 with the valve 905 being pushed and expanded,
Accordingly, ink communication between the two joints, that is, ink communication between the ink tank side and the recording head side is performed.

By the way, in this mounting operation, the operator performs an erroneous operation, that is, FIGS. 33 (A) and 33 (B).
It is conceivable to perform an incorrect mounting operation in which the joint 921 shown in FIG. In order to reliably prevent this with a simple configuration, the present embodiment employs the following configuration.

FIG. 34 is a side sectional view of the ink supply pipe connection portion. In this example, the operation unit 929 and the projection 931 are
921 is arranged on one side, and an operation unit 929 is provided with a portion 943 for preventing erroneous mounting. On the other hand, the frame 900 of the apparatus main body is provided with a locking portion 941 that does not interfere with the portion 943 during normal mounting as shown in the drawing, and that is turned upside down to engage with the portion 943 to prevent the mounting operation during incorrect mounting. . This prevents erroneous mounting of the joint 921 with the front and back surfaces reversed, and prevents inconveniences such as the introduction of different colors of ink into the recording heads provided for each color and the occurrence of color mixing. Can be prevented.

A part 943 for preventing erroneous mounting.
May be formed on the frame portion 900, or may be formed by extending the protrusion 931 inwardly of the frame portion and standing up from the extending portion.

According to this example, the ink supply pipe can be connected by a simple operation without causing erroneous mounting.
By operating the operating section 929 from the state shown in FIG. 33 (B), the engagement between the latch section 927 and the locking section 907 can be released, so that the joint 921 can be easily removed. Such ease of removal leads to an improvement in maintenance workability. This removal also causes valve 905 to
Since the state returns to the state shown in (A), no ink leakage occurs.

Considering further improvement in the workability of maintenance involving the removal of the joint 921, it is strongly unlikely that the operator will be required to pay attention to the place of the removed joint 921 and the like. desirable.

Therefore, in this example, as shown in FIG. 35A, a receiving portion 2021 having a hole 2023 for receiving the projection 931 is provided on the apparatus side plate 2017. This receiving part 2021 has a protrusion 931
May be provided as one set, but may also be provided corresponding to any two pieces that can maintain balance. Further, the disposition portion may be provided at any predetermined position on the side plate 2017, or may be provided at various locations.

FIG. 35B shows a cross section taken along line AA of FIG. 35A with the joint 921 mounted thereon. Thus, the protrusion
931 is received in the hole 2023, and the lower end surface of the frame portion 923 is placed on the upper surface of the receiving portion 2021, so that the joint 921 is stably held. Further, in this state, the tip of the communication pipe portion 925 faces upward, so that ink does not leak.

It should be noted that various configurations for holding the joint 921 can be selected. For example, the operation unit
It is also possible to use a gap that appears on the side view between the 929 and the projection 931 and hook it on the edge of the bar-shaped member or the side plate provided on the side plate 2017 or the like. In this case, tube 30
35B is held upside down due to the presence of 1. However, in order to effectively and easily prevent falling or dropping, the operating section 929 may be extended, for example. This is because, even if a fall occurs, the extended portion is engaged with the side plate 2017 or the like, so that further fall can be prevented.

In the above description, with respect to the ink supply system, a joint having a valve on the upstream side in the ink supply direction is provided and a joint for opening the valve in accordance with the insertion is provided on the downstream side. Is also good.

Further, such a connection portion can be employed not only in the ink supply system but also in the ink discharge system leading to the waste ink storage portion (provided in the ink tank in this example). .

It is needless to say that appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the above example, a recording head, an ink tank, an ink supply system, an ink discharge system, an ink communication member, and the like are provided for inks of different colors. Alternatively, the respective units may be provided corresponding to inks having widely different color tones such as dark and light inks.

(Others) It should be noted that the present invention includes a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for discharging ink, particularly in an ink jet recording system. An excellent effect is obtained in a recording head and a recording apparatus of a type in which the state of ink is changed by the thermal energy. This is because according to such a method, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.

The typical configuration and principle are described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
Although it can be applied to any type of continuous type, in particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to a sheet holding liquid (ink) or an electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and giving a rapid temperature rise exceeding the nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and film boiling occurs on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis.
This is effective because air bubbles inside can be formed. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of a liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination (straight liquid flow path or right-angle liquid flow path) of the combination of the discharge port, liquid path, and electrothermal converter as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat.
A configuration using the specification of Japanese Patent No. 59600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an aperture for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is provided. The effect of the present invention is effective even if the configuration is based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration corresponding to a discharge unit. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be reliably and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

In addition, in a serial type printer as in the above example, a recording head fixed to the apparatus main body, or an electric connection with the apparatus main body or a connection from the apparatus main body by being attached to the apparatus main body. The present invention can be effectively applied to a case where a replaceable chip-type printhead capable of supplying ink or a cartridge-type printhead in which an ink tank is provided integrally with the printhead itself is used. is there.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like provided as a configuration of the printing apparatus in the present invention since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. . If these are specifically mentioned, capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof, Performing a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection is performed separately from printing is also effective for performing stable printing.

The types and the number of recording heads to be mounted are not limited to those provided only for one color ink, for example, and for a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities. A plurality may be provided. That is, for example, the printing mode of the printing apparatus is not limited to the printing mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but may be any of integrally forming the printing head or a combination of a plurality of printing heads. The present invention is also extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of full colors by color mixture.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid. However, an ink which solidifies at or below room temperature and which softens or liquefies at room temperature, or an ink jet system In general, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. Anything can be used. In addition, the temperature rise due to thermal energy can be positively prevented by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or ink that solidifies in a standing state to prevent evaporation of the ink can be used. In any case, the ink is liquefied by the application of the thermal energy according to the recording signal, and the ink is liquefied, and the liquid ink is discharged. The present invention is also applicable to a case where an ink that liquefies for the first time by energy is used. In such a case, the ink is disclosed in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60
As described in JP-A-71260, a configuration may be adopted in which a liquid or solid substance is held in a concave portion or through hole of a porous sheet and opposed to an electrothermal converter. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, a recording apparatus provided with a recording mechanism using a recording head according to the present invention can be used as an image output terminal of information processing equipment such as a workstation, a personal or host computer, a word processor, and the like. It may be used as an information output unit of an optical disk device in addition to a copying device combined with a reader or the like, or a facsimile device having a transmission / reception function.

FIG. 36 is a conceptual diagram of a utilization apparatus provided with an ink jet recording apparatus as shown in FIG. 2 or the like according to the present invention as information output means.

In FIG. 36, reference numeral 10000 denotes a utilization device, which can be, for example, a workstation, a personal or host computer, a word processor, a copying machine, a facsimile, or an optical disk device. Reference numeral 11000 denotes the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. The recording device 11000 receives processing information from the utilization device 10000 based on the control of the utilization device 10000 and performs recording and output in a hard copy form.

FIG. 37 is a schematic block diagram showing another embodiment of the portable printer according to the present invention. This can be combined with a utilization device such as a workstation, a personal computer, a host computer, a word processor, a copying device, a facsimile device or an optical disk device.

In FIG. 36, what is indicated by reference numeral 10001 is such a utilization device. Reference numeral 12
Reference numeral 000 denotes a portable printer schematically shown, and an ink jet recording apparatus (IJRA) 11 shown in FIG.
000 and the interface circuit 1300
0 and 14000. These interface circuits receive information processed by the utilization device 11001 and various control data for controlling the inkjet recording device 11000. The control data includes a handshake control signal and an interrupt control signal from the use device. Such control signals are those implemented in conventional printer control technology.

[0183]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By simply operating the cover member (head cover), positioning with respect to a plurality of recording heads can be performed simply and reliably.

Further, according to the present invention, even if the electrical connection member on the recording head side and the electrical connection member on the cover member (carriage cover) side are slightly displaced from each other, the electrical connection member on the carriage cover side may be connected when both are connected. The electric connection member is displaced while allowing the displacement, so that reliable and easy connection is performed. Also, it does not exert excessive force on the recording head side,
Therefore, the positional accuracy does not change.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing an ink jet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention except for an apparatus cover in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a recording head unit is mounted on a carriage.

FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C are explanatory diagrams for explaining a mode of mounting a recording head chip.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are explanatory diagrams for explaining details of a head cover according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a carriage body, a head chip, a head cover, and a connector board having a connector in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view for attaching a carriage cover to the carriage.

FIG. 9 is a schematic front view for explaining positioning of a head chip.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an aspect of recording head positioning by a head cover according to another embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a sub tank shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the same seen from a different direction.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view thereof.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view for explaining another embodiment of the sub tank.

FIGS. 15A and 15B are a top view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, showing a configuration example of a connection tube and a tube unit used in an ink supply system.

FIG. 16 is a side cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the paper feeding mechanism according to the present example when thin paper and thick paper are conveyed.

FIG. 17 is a side sectional view for explaining the operation of the same mechanism when conveying thick paper.

FIG. 18 is a side cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the paper feeding mechanism according to the present example when thin paper is conveyed.

FIG. 19 is a side sectional view for explaining the operation of the same mechanism when conveying thick paper.

FIG. 20 is a schematic side sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a recovery unit according to the present example.

FIGS. 21 (A) and 21 (B) are a detailed side sectional view of the recovery unit and a front view of the pump holding portion.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a recovery unit mainly illustrating an opening / closing mechanism of an atmosphere communication hole of a cap unit.

FIG. 23 is a side cross-sectional view of the recovery unit centered on the opening / closing mechanism and the like.

FIGS. 24 (A) to 24 (C) are explanatory views of the operation of the cap portion advance / retreat mechanism and the like according to the present embodiment.

FIGS. 25 (A) to 25 (C) are explanatory diagrams for explaining the configuration and operation of the pump used in this example.

FIG. 26 is a schematic view showing an example of the pump drive system.

FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the timing of operation of each unit of the recovery unit according to the present example.

FIG. 28 is a plan view of an ink tank storage section for explaining an ink tank arrangement according to the present example.

FIGS. 29A and 29B are a plan view and a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of an ink pressure detecting device used in this example.

FIGS. 30 (A) and 30 (B) are explanatory diagrams for explaining ink pressure fluctuation due to carriage operation.

FIG. 31 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the remaining amount of ink and the negative pressure in the ink flow path.

FIGS. 32 (A) and 32 (B) are a plan view and a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional ink pressure detecting device shown for comparison with the ink pressure detecting device of this example.

FIGS. 33 (A) and 33 (B) are top views for explaining a configuration example and operation of an ink supply pipe connection portion according to the present example.

FIG. 34 is a side sectional view thereof.

FIGS. 35 (A) and 35 (B) are a perspective view and a sectional side view showing an example of a configuration for holding one joint forming a connection portion on a side plate wall surface.

FIG. 36 is a block diagram of an apparatus that uses the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention as information output means.

FIG. 37 is a block diagram of a portable printer constituted by using the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention and an apparatus using the portable printer as information output means.

[Description of Signs] 10 Recording head chip 11 Front plate 13 Supply tube 15 Guide groove 201 Carriage body 203 Carriage cover 205 Head cover 207 Connector 211 Position lever 213 Guide shaft 215 Guide 217,218,231 'Reference surface 221,223,224 Leaf spring 270 Connector board 300 Subtank 311 Tube 321BK (C, M, Y), 323BK (C, M, Y), 325BK (C, M, Y) Connection pipe 331 Tank member 331BK (C, M, Y) Storage room 333 Middle plate 335 Connection plate 337C (M ), 339C (M) Connecting groove 341C (M), 343C (M) Connecting hole 400 Recovery unit 401 Unit housing 403 Motor 407 Warm 409 Worm wheel 420 Cap unit 440 Pump 450 Cam 452 Lever 461 Access lever 471 Cap holder 501 Atmosphere Communication hole 601 Paper feed tray 602 Spring 604 Pickup roller 605 Separator plate 606 Paper feed roller 607 Pinch roller 608 Platen 609 Paper discharge roller 611 Pinch roller holder 613 Carriage rail 614 Spring 7 01BK (C, M, Y) Ink tank 703BK (C, M, Y) Ink supply pipe 707BK (C, M, Y) Waste ink pipe 801 Flow path member 803 Ink flow path 807 Diaphragm 809 Holding member 819 Hook 823 Spring 825 Spring retaining ring 901,921 Joint 905 Valve 925 Communication pipe

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Katsuyuki Yokoi, Inventor 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Tetsuji Kurata 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon (72) Inventor Kazuhiko Shinoda 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Koichiro Kawaguchi 3-30-2, Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. ( 56) References JP-A-58-194542 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B41J 2/01

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] A plurality of recording heads provided corresponding to inks having different colors or densities; a holding member for positioning and holding the plurality of recording heads; and a holding member provided on the holding member; A cover member for protecting the recording head by covering the recording head when the recording head is mounted; and a cover member provided on the cover member corresponding to each of the electrical connection members of the plurality of recording heads.
An electrical connection member coupled to an electrical connection member of the recording head in response to an operation of covering the recording head;
A recording head for an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: an electric connection member attached to the cover member so as to be displaceable in accordance with an electric connection member of the recording head positioned and held on the member. unit. 2. A plurality of electrical connection members provided corresponding to the plurality of recording heads are integrally provided on a substrate, and the plurality of electrical connection members are provided by loosely attaching the substrate to the cover member. The recording head unit for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the member can be displaced. 3. The holding member detachably holds the plurality of recording heads, and has a portion serving as a positioning reference for each of the plurality of recording heads in the held state. provided, performs protection by covering the plurality of recording heads during mounting, the position
An ink jet recording apparatus for recording head unit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that further comprises a second cover member for urging against the portion to be the-decided Me reference. 4. A portion serving as the positioning reference is provided in a plurality corresponding to the three-dimensional direction, wherein the cover member has at least one spring for pressing the recording head against the portion serving as the plurality of positioning reference Characterized by
A recording head unit for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3 . 5. The recording head according to claim 1, further comprising an electrothermal transducer for generating heat energy for causing film boiling of the ink, as an element for generating energy used for discharging the ink. The recording head unit for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 6. A plurality of recording heads corresponding to inks having different colors or densities, a holding member for positioning and holding the plurality of recording heads, and provided on the holding member, A cover member for protecting the recording head by covering the recording head when the recording head is mounted; and a cover member provided on the cover member corresponding to each of the electrical connection members of the plurality of recording heads.
An electrical connection member coupled to an electrical connection member of the recording head in response to an operation of covering the recording head;
Electrically connecting member attached to the cover member displaceably in response to an electrical connection member of the recording head held in position on the member, the scanning in a predetermined direction relative to the recording medium holding member An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: 7. The plurality of electrical connection members provided corresponding to the plurality of recording heads are provided integrally with a substrate, and the plurality of electrical connection members are provided by loosely attaching the substrate to the cover member. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the member can be displaced. 8. The holding member detachably holds the plurality of recording heads, and has a portion serving as a positioning reference for each of the plurality of recording heads in the held state. provided, performs protection by covering the plurality of recording heads during mounting, the position
An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that further comprises a second cover member for urging against the portion to be the-decided Me reference. 9. A portion serving as the positioning reference is provided in a plurality corresponding to the three-dimensional direction, wherein the cover member has at least one spring for pressing the recording head against the portion serving as the plurality of positioning reference Characterized by
An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8 . 10. The recording head as an element for generating energy used for discharging the ink,
7. An electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy that causes film boiling of the ink.
10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 9.