JP2003341085A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] When mounting an ink cartridge to an apparatus main body,
Provided is an image forming apparatus having a simple configuration capable of easily and reliably determining whether the ink cartridge is unused or used. SOLUTION: While a device main body is provided with a new article detecting means 60 composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, an ink cartridge 211 is provided with a reflecting member 53 on a surface facing a discharge section 14 at the time of mounting. When the light receiving element that has received the light output from the light emitting element and reflected by the reflection member 53 receives the amount of reflected light within a predetermined range when the ink cartridge 211 is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the mounted ink cartridge 211 is new. It detects that there is, and discharges ink from the discharge unit to the reflection member 53 to change the light reflectance of the reflection member 53.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet type image forming apparatus for ejecting ink to form an image on a recording sheet, and more particularly to a technique for detecting an ink cartridge detachably attached to the image forming apparatus. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A general ink jet type image forming apparatus is provided with a plurality of types of ink cartridges capable of exchanging black ink and color inks such as cyan, magenta, and yellow according to a printing purpose. The ink is supplied to the ink discharge portion on the carriage from the supply path through the supply path, and is discharged and consumed as an ink droplet on the recording paper.

A method of detecting the amount of ink remaining in an ink cartridge whose ink has been consumed by printing is to estimate the amount of ink used by counting the amount of change in the electrical resistance of the ink and the number of ejected ink drops. It is known how to do it. Then, when the remaining amount of ink reaches a predetermined amount, a display and a warning for urging the user to replace the ink cartridge are displayed to prevent printing from becoming impossible due to ink shortage. However, a method has been proposed in which the user is made to perform the operation of resetting the ejection counter when replacing the ink cartridge.

Further, when the ink cartridge is replaced, air bubbles may be mixed in the ink supply system, which may cause ejection failure. So, for example,
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 1-115637 discloses that an ink ejection unit is sucked in order to prevent ejection failure due to the inclusion of air bubbles when initial filling of ink is performed when the recording head is replaced or unpacked. A configuration is disclosed in which a recovery mode for filling ink in the ink supply path and eliminating bubbles is specified by an operation switch by performing a suction operation by covering with a cap connected to a pump.

However, in this case, since the user is required to perform the operation, he or she forgets to operate the switch, does not perform an appropriate recovery operation by mistake, or does not perform an appropriate recovery operation. The remaining ink level may not be displayed.

[0006]

Therefore, in order to prevent such a problem, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3127641.
The publication discloses a proposal of an ink jet recording apparatus provided with an attachment / detachment history detecting means for detecting a change in the state of an ink cartridge having a structure in which the state is changed by first mounting. However, in this case, there is a problem in that the number of parts additionally provided in the ink cartridge is large and the configuration is complicated, and it is difficult to make the device compact.

Alternatively, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-85146 discloses an ink in which a main body of the apparatus is provided with a marking mechanism for marking the outer surface of the cartridge and a sensor for detecting the marking made by the marking mechanism. Discharge devices have been proposed. Also in this case, the configuration becomes complicated and it becomes difficult to make the apparatus compact.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when the ink cartridge is attached to the apparatus main body, it is easy to determine whether the ink cartridge is an unused one or a used one. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus having a simple configuration that can be reliably performed.

[0009]

The present invention has means for solving the above-mentioned problems as follows.

(1) An ejection unit that can be mounted on a carriage that can reciprocate in a direction intersecting the recording medium conveyance direction and that ejects ink onto the recording medium and the ink that is supplied to the ejection unit. In an image forming apparatus of an ink ejection system having a mounting portion for removably mounting an ink cartridge, a new article detecting unit including a light emitting element and a light receiving element is provided in the main body of the apparatus, while the ink cartridge is mounted in the ink cartridge. At the time, a reflecting member is provided on the surface facing the ejection portion, and when the ink cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the light receiving element that receives the light output from the light emitting element and reflected by the reflecting member is within a predetermined range. When the amount of reflected light is received, it is detected that the installed ink cartridge is new and the ink cartridge is installed in the ink cartridge. With respect to the reflecting member, by ejecting the ink from the discharge portion, characterized in that changing the optical reflectance of said reflective member.

In this structure, when a new ink cartridge is mounted, the light receiving element detects the reflected light in a predetermined range from the reflecting member, thereby detecting that the new ink cartridge is ejected and ejecting the ink from the ejecting portion to the reflecting member. Since the amount of reflected light is changed, it is possible to detect the amount of reflected light of the reflecting member outside the predetermined range when the ink cartridge that has been mounted once is mounted again. Can be made easy and reliable.

Since the amount of light reflected by the reflecting member is changed by using the ink used for image formation with respect to the reflecting member, no complicated mechanism or parts are required, and the size of the apparatus main body is increased. Without this, it is possible to detect whether or not the ink cartridge is new with a simple configuration.

(2) When the amount of reflected light from the ink cartridge mounted on the mounting portion is out of the predetermined range, it is detected that the mounted ink cartridge is not new.

In this structure, when the amount of reflected light from the mounted ink cartridge is out of the predetermined range,
Since it detects that the ink cartridge is not new, for example, at the time of re-installation, by ejecting ink that changes the reflected light amount to the reflecting member to change the light reflectance and keep the reflected light amount outside the predetermined range. , Can be detected.

Therefore, by using the ink used for image formation as the ink ejected to the reflecting member, a complicated structure and a simple structure can be provided without providing a complicated mechanism or parts. It is possible to detect whether or not the ink cartridge is new.

(3) A plurality of the ink cartridges can be removably mounted in the mounting portion, and the new article detecting means is provided for each of the plurality of ink cartridges. To do.

With this configuration, the image forming apparatus in which a plurality of ink cartridges can be mounted has the new article detecting means corresponding to each ink cartridge,
It is possible to easily determine which ink cartridge is new, and it is possible to accurately perform necessary control such as recovery operation and count reset for each ink cartridge.

(4) The mounting portion can removably mount a plurality of ink cartridges, and at least one new article detecting means is provided in the carriage for the plurality of ink cartridges. It is characterized by

In this structure, by providing at least one new article detecting means on the carriage which is moved and scanned, it is possible to detect a plurality of ink cartridges.

(5) It is characterized by having a new article detecting means for identifying the ink cartridge which is detected as a new article from the moving distance from the home position of the carriage to the ink cartridge.

In this configuration, it is possible to easily determine which type of ink cartridge is new from the moving distance from the home position of the carriage to the detected portion, and necessary control such as recovery operation for the ink cartridge, count reset, etc. Can be performed accurately.

(6) Mounting detection means for detecting whether or not the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting portion,
Based on the detection result of the mounting detection unit, whether the ink cartridge is not mounted in the mounting portion, is mounted, is a change from the unmounted state to the mounted state, or A determination unit that determines whether the ink cartridge has changed to an unmounted state, and the determination unit determines that the ink cartridge has changed from the unmounted state to the mounted state. It is characterized by having a new article detecting means for detecting whether or not the cartridge is new.

In this configuration, since the state of the ink cartridge is specifically grasped, it is necessary to detect whether or not the attached ink cartridge is new, for example, when the state is changed from the unattached state to the attached state. It is possible to accurately perform necessary controls such as various recovery operations and count reset.

(7) When the new cartridge detecting unit detects that the installed ink cartridge is new, the discharge count from the discharging unit connected to the ink cartridge is reset.

In this configuration, when the ink remaining amount is detected by the discharge count, the counter is automatically reset by detecting a new product so that the remaining amount of ink is almost equal to the actual ink remaining amount for the user. Can be displayed.

(8) In the new article detecting means, the ink ejected onto the reflecting member is ejected from the ejecting section for ejecting black ink.

In this structure, since the amount of reflected light after coating can be effectively reduced by coating the reflecting member in black after detecting a new product, the difference in the amount of reflected light before and after coating becomes large, and the new product detecting means Can be detected easily and surely.

(9) When it is detected that the ink ejected from the ejecting portion to the reflecting member is black and the remaining amount of black ink is small, another color ink is reflected. It is characterized in that it is discharged onto a member to synthesize black.

In this configuration, when it is detected that the remaining amount of black is small, the black ink is not used and another color ink is used, for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, etc. Since it is used for detection, the remaining black ink can be used for printing.

(10) In the new article detecting means, the color tone of the ink ejected from the ejecting section to the reflecting member is
It is characterized in that the wavelength characteristic of the new article detecting means is a color tone outside the characteristic region.

In this configuration, for example, if the optical characteristic of the optical element is an element having a peak in red, the remaining amount of the remaining ink in the wavelength characteristic ink having the red absorption characteristic is compared with the remaining ink amount at the time of detection. By ejecting a large amount of ink, for example, cyan, it is possible to use ink with a small remaining amount for printing.

(11) In the new article detecting means, a predetermined first reference range for determining whether or not the ink cartridge installed in the installation section is new, and different from the first reference range, And a predetermined second reference range in which the light receiving element can receive light, and when the amount of light received by the light receiving element is in the first reference range, it is detected that the ink cartridge is new and The amount is the second
When the ink cartridge is in the reference range, it is detected that the ink cartridge is in the mounted state, and when the amount of received light is neither the first reference range nor the second reference range, the ink cartridge is not mounted in the mounting portion. Is detected.

In this configuration, by providing the reference range in two steps, for example, in the case of the reflection in which the ink is not applied which is the first reference range, it is detected as a new product, and the reflected light amount falls within the second reference range in the middle. In this case, if the ink cartridge is installed and the amount of reflected light is small, and if it is detected that the ink cartridge is not installed, there is no need to provide a separate detection means for detecting the installation status of the cartridge. Can also serve as a mounting state detecting means.

(12) The mounting portion of the ink cartridge is provided outside the printing area.

In this structure, by providing the mounting portion outside the printing area, it is possible to surely detect a new article regardless of whether the recording sheet is passed or the recording sheet is ejected by marginless printing.

(13) The reflection member provided in the ink cartridge is a paper member.

In this structure, since the reflecting member is a paper member, it can be procured inexpensively and the ejected ink can be reliably absorbed.

(14) In the ink cartridge, the surface facing the ejection portion is black except the reflecting member or has a color tone outside the wavelength characteristic region of the new article detecting means.

In this structure, the surface of the ink cartridge facing the ejection portion is black except the reflecting member or has a color tone outside the wavelength characteristic region of the new article detecting means, thereby eliminating optical noise such as irregular reflection. Therefore, the reflected light from the reflecting member can be reliably detected.

(15) The color tone of the mounting portion is black or a color tone outside the light receiving characteristic region of the light receiving element.

In this configuration, the color tone of the mounting portion is black or a color tone outside the light receiving characteristic region of the light receiving element, so that optical noise such as irregular reflection is eliminated and the reflected light from the reflecting member is reliably detected. You can

[0042]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the construction of an ink jet type image forming apparatus (ink jet printer). This printer has a printing section 81 for printing on a recording paper (recording medium).
A sheet feeding section 82 for feeding the recording sheet to the printer, a transport section 83 for transporting the recording sheet to the printing section 81, and an ink supply section 84 for feeding printing ink to the printing section 81.
And a discharge section 85 for discharging the printed recording paper.

The paper feeding section 82 has a paper feeding tray 103, a separating plate 105, and a pickup roller 104. The paper feed tray 103 accommodates and feeds recording paper to be printed, and a separation plate 105 and a pickup roller 104.
Separates the recording papers stored in the paper feed tray 103 one by one and supplies the recording papers to the transport unit 83.

The carrying section 83 has a guide plate 106, a carrying roller 107, and a carrying pressing roller 110. The guide plate 106 guides the recording paper fed from the pickup roller 104 to the printing unit, and the conveyance roller 107 and the conveyance pressing roller 110 convey the recording paper passing through the guide plate 106 to the print head 13.

The printing section 81 has a carriage 203, a carriage holding shaft 202, and a platen 102. The carriage 203 moves the mounted print head 13 along the carriage holding shaft 202, and the print head 13 is connected to the ink supply unit 84 via the ink supply tube 51.

The ink supply section 84 is composed of an ink cartridge 211, an ink cartridge mounting section 212 for holding the ink cartridge 211, and an ink supply tube 51, and stores (accumulates) ink and stores ink in the print head 13. Supply.

Further, this printer uses four color inks (yellow, magenta, cyan, black) of different colors and is provided with four ink cartridges 211 containing the respective inks. The print head 13 ejects the ink supplied from each cartridge 211 from the ejection port 14 to form an image on a recording sheet.

The carriage holding shaft 202 is a guide for guiding the carriage 203 carrying the print head 13 so as to be movable in the scanning direction. Here, the scanning direction is a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording paper.

The platen 102 serves as a table (printing table) on which a recording sheet is placed during printing (ink ejection), maintains flatness of the recording sheet, and the ejection port (ejection section) 14 and the recording sheet. Adjust the distance between and. Discharge part 85
Is the discharge rollers 108, 111 and the star wheel 11.
2. Has a discharge tray 109 and discharge rollers 108, 11
1. The star wheel 112 discharges the recording paper printed by the print head 13 to the discharge tray 109.

Next, the printing operation of the printer constructed as described above will be described. First, the user places the recording paper on the paper feed tray 103 of the printer. When the printer receives a print request from a computer or the like, the separation plate 105 and the pickup roller 104 are
The recording sheets are fed one by one to the transport unit 83. The fed recording paper is carried by the carrying roller 107 while being supported by the guide plate 106. Next, the print head 13
However, printing is performed by ejecting ink onto the conveyed recording paper.

This printing is carried out by moving the carriage 203 having the print head 13 along the carriage holding shaft 202 in the scanning direction. That is, at the time of printing, the carriage 203 is arranged at the start position provided at one end (near the end of the carriage holding shaft) in the scanning direction. And according to the print request,
It is moved along the scanning direction to a stop position provided at the other end.

At the time of this movement, the print head 13 ejects ink onto the recording paper in response to a print request, whereby an image for one line (line image) can be printed. The width of the line image corresponds to the vertical width of the ink head (width in the sheet conveyance direction).

After printing one line image,
The transport roller 107 transfers the recording paper on the platen 102
The line image is conveyed by the width of the line image (in the sub-scanning direction). During this conveyance, the carriage 203 returns to the start position. By ejecting ink from the print head 13 while repeatedly performing such print scanning, information according to a print request is printed on the recording paper.

Finally, the printed paper is discharged onto the discharge roller 10.
Paper ejection tray 1 through 8, 111 and star wheel 112
It is ejected in 09 and is provided to the user as a document (printed matter). In the present embodiment, the case of four ink cartridges has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the same printing operation is performed in the case of another plurality.

2 and 3 show a structure for detecting whether or not the installed ink cartridge 211 is a new one. As shown in these drawings, an ink cartridge mounting portion provided on the apparatus main body side. A new article detecting means 6 is provided above 212.
On the other hand, 0 is arranged, and a reflecting member 53 having a predetermined light reflectance is attached to each of the ink cartridges 211 to be detected, corresponding to the new article detecting means 60. It should be noted that the new article detecting means 60 includes a light emitting element 61 and a light receiving element 62, and for example, a photocoupler including a light emitting diode (LED) and a phototransistor can be used.

With this structure, when the ink cartridge 211 is mounted in the ink cartridge mounting portion 212, the light output from the light emitting element 61 is reflected by the reflecting member 53 and is received by the light receiving element 62 (see FIG. )), If the reflected light amount is within a predetermined range, it can be detected that the mounted ink cartridge 211 is new. Then, after detecting that the product is new, the discharge port (discharge unit) 14 is attached to the reflecting member 53.
Therefore, for example, black ink is ejected to change (decrease) the light reflectance of the reflecting member 53 (see FIG. 3B), and the amount of reflected light is detected outside the predetermined range. It should be noted that when black ink is ejected to the reflecting member 53, the amount of reflected light is significantly reduced, and as shown in FIG.
The light receiving element 62 cannot detect the amount of reflected light.

Therefore, when the once installed ink cartridge 211 is re-installed, the amount of light reflected by the reflecting member 53 is detected outside the predetermined range, so that it can be reliably detected that the re-installed product is not a new product. it can. In this way, since the light reflectance of the reflecting member 53 is changed by using the ink used for image formation with respect to the reflecting member 53, no complicated mechanism or parts are required, and the apparatus main body is not required. It is possible to detect whether or not the ink cartridge is new with a simple configuration without increasing the size of the ink cartridge.

In the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, (at least) one new article detecting means 60 is provided on the carriage 203 which is moved and scanned in the main scanning direction, and a plurality of ink cartridges 211 are constituted by a single new article detecting means 60. To be able to detect
It is designed to reduce the number of parts and save space on the device body side.

At the time of detection, the carriage 203 is moved to the ink cartridge mounting portion 212, and the light emitting element 61 is moved.
The light output from is reflected by the reflection member 53 and received by the light receiving element 62 (see FIG. 3A). If the reflected light amount is within a predetermined range, the mounted ink cartridge 21
It can be detected that 1 is new. And
After detecting that the product is new, for example, black ink is ejected from the ejection port 14 to the reflection member 53 to change (decrease) the light reflectance of the reflection member 53 (FIG. 3).
(See (b)), the amount of reflected light is detected outside the predetermined range (see FIG. 3).
(Including the case where the detection is impossible as shown in (c)).

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the new article detecting means 60 is provided in the carriage 203, and the ink cartridge 211 is detected from the moving distance from the carriage 203 at the home position to the ink cartridge 211 which is detected as a new article. I try to identify which is. That is, the new article detecting means 60 is also used for identifying the ink cartridge.

Since the moving distance of the carriage 203 from the home position to the detected position can be easily obtained from the timing fence 54 provided on the apparatus main body side, the moving distance is set at a predetermined position of the ink cartridge mounting portion 212. It is possible to easily identify which ink cartridge 211 is a new one by collating it with a known position of the ink cartridge 211, and to accurately perform necessary control such as recovery operation and count reset for each ink cartridge 211. You can do it.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the mounting detection means (mounting detection element) 5 for detecting whether or not the ink cartridge 211 is mounted in the ink cartridge mounting portion 212.
5 and the detection result of the mounting detection means 55, the ink cartridge 2 is attached to the ink cartridge mounting portion 212.
A determination unit 56 that determines whether 11 is the unattached state, the attached state, the change from the unattached state to the attached state, or the change from the attached state to the unattached state. When the discriminating means 56 discriminates that the ink cartridge 211 has changed from the non-mounted state to the mounted state, the carriage 203 is moved to the detected position of the ink cartridge 211 by a command from the control device of the apparatus main body. Then, the new article detecting means 60 provided on the carriage 203 detects whether or not the ink cartridge 211 is a new article.

The mounting detection means 55 described above may be, for example, a normal contact type switch or the like, which is provided in the ink cartridge mounting portion 212, and directly or indirectly abuts or contacts the ink cartridge 211 to contact the ink cartridge 211. Whether the 211 is attached or not is detected. Although not shown, the determination means 56 connected to the attachment detection means 55 is composed of a microcomputer having a CPU for performing various arithmetic processes and a ROM and RAM having a storage function, and according to a control program preset and stored, The mounting state of the ink cartridge 211 is determined.

When the discriminating means 56 discriminates that the ink cartridge 211 has changed from the non-mounted state to the mounted state, the control device of the apparatus main body moves the carriage 203 to the detected position of the ink cartridge 211. A control command for causing the carriage drive motor (not shown) is output, and a control command for starting a new product detection operation is output to the new product detection unit 60 provided on the carriage 203 to determine whether the ink cartridge 211 is new. Whether or not it is detected.

In this way, the state of the ink cartridge 211 can be grasped concretely by the discriminating means 56. Therefore, as described above, for example, the state of the ink cartridge mounting portion 212 changes from the unmounted state to the mounted state. When it changes to, it is possible to immediately detect whether or not the attached ink cartridge 211 is a new one, and it is possible to accurately perform necessary control such as necessary recovery operation and count reset.

In the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, when it is detected by the new-product detecting means 60 that the installed ink cartridge 211 is new, the ink cartridge 21 is controlled by the control device (not shown) provided in the main body of the device.
The discharge count from the discharge port (discharge unit) 14 connected to 1 is reset.

When the remaining ink amount is detected by the discharge count, the discharge amount is controlled by a control device (not shown) provided in the main body of the apparatus, whereby the counter is reset when a new product is detected. It is possible to automatically display the remaining ink amount, which is almost equal to the actual remaining ink amount, for the newly installed ink cartridge 211 to the user.

In STEP 3, the carriage movement distance from the home position for identifying the ink cartridge 211 is calculated by the timing fence 54 (see FIG. 6). Although the ink is ejected to the new ink cartridge 211 before the ejection count is reset, the ink may be ejected to the new ink cartridge 211 after the ejection count is reset.

FIG. 9 shows a case where black ink ejected from the ejection port 14bk is used as the ink ejected to the reflecting member 53 in the new article detecting means 60.
That is, as shown in FIG. 9A, after it is detected that the right end ink cartridge 211 is new,
As shown in (b), by coating the reflecting member 53 in black, the light reflectance after coating can be effectively reduced, so that the difference in the amount of reflected light before and after coating becomes large, and the new article detecting means. The detection by 60 becomes easy and reliable.

In the example shown in FIG. 10, the black ink cartridge 211 is detected by the ink remaining amount detecting means (not shown).
If it detects that the amount of ink in the
The ink ejected from the ejection port 14 to the reflecting member 53 includes
Instead of using black ink, cyan, magenta, and yellow inks are applied, and black is used in combination.

Specifically, when it is detected in FIG. 10A that the rightmost ink cartridge 211 is new, as shown in FIG. 10B, first, cyan ink is ejected from the ejection port 14c. 10 is ejected onto the reflection member 53, the carriage 203 is moved to eject magenta ink from the ejection port 14m onto the reflection member 53, and then the carriage 203 is moved to move as shown in FIG. Then, yellow ink is ejected from the ejection port 14y to the reflecting member 53, and as shown in FIG. 10D, the respective colors are combined on the reflecting member 53 to form black.

As described above, when the remaining amount of the black ink becomes small, the black ink is not used and the black is synthesized on the reflecting member 53 with the other color inks to be used for the new article detection. Black ink can be used for printing.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the sensitivity characteristic curve of the optical element of the new article detecting means 60. In this case, the wavelength is 500 nm
To about 700 nm, the sensitivity shows a very low value, and from 700 nm to 1000 nm, the sensitivity becomes very high. Therefore, by utilizing such optical characteristics, for example, if the optical characteristic of the optical element is an element having a peak in red, the ink having the wavelength characteristic having the red absorption characteristic is compared with the remaining ink amount at the time of detection. Among these, by ejecting ink with a large remaining amount, for example, cyan, the ink with a small remaining amount can be used for printing. That is, in the new article detecting means 60, the color tone ejected from the ejection port 14 to the reflecting member 53 is set to a tone outside the characteristic region of the wavelength characteristic of the new article detecting means 60, thereby obtaining the above-mentioned economic effect. To be

FIG. 12 shows a reference range of the amount of reflected light reflected by the reflecting member 53. In this case, the new article detecting means 60 determines, for example, a predetermined first reference range for determining whether or not the article is new. And a predetermined second reference range different from the first reference range and capable of receiving light by the light receiving element 62,
When the amount of light received by the light receiving element 62 is within the first reference range, it is detected that the installed ink cartridge 211 is new, and when the amount of received light is within the second reference range, the ink cartridge 211 is in the installed state. If it is detected that the amount of received light is neither in the first reference range nor in the second reference range, the ink cartridge 2 is placed in the ink cartridge mounting portion 212.
It can be detected that 11 is not attached.

As described above, by providing the two reference ranges, it is detected that the product is new in the case where the ink is not applied, which is the first reference range, and the reflected light amount is in the intermediate second reference range. Does not need to separately provide a detection means for detecting the mounting state of the ink cartridge 211 when the mounting state of the ink cartridge 211 is detected, and when the amount of reflected light is small and it is detected that the ink cartridge is not mounted. The new article detecting means 60 can easily serve as the wearing state detecting means.

In the example shown in FIG. 13, the mounting portion 212 of the ink cartridge 211 is provided at a position outside the printing area. In this way, by providing the mounting portion 212 outside the printing area, it is possible to reliably detect a new article regardless of whether the recording sheet passes or the ejection is performed on the recording sheet without border printing.

In the example shown in FIG. 14, a reflecting member made of white paper is used as the reflecting member 53. By thus using the reflecting member 53 as a paper member, it can be procured at low cost, and The ejected ink can be reliably absorbed.

FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of the ink cartridge 211. In this example, the ejection port 1 of the new article detecting means 60 is shown.
The surface facing 4 is black or has a color tone outside the wavelength characteristic region of the new article detecting means 60 except for the reflecting member 53. Accordingly, by making the portion excluding the reflecting member 53 black or the like, optical noise such as irregular reflection can be eliminated, and the reflected light from the reflecting member 53 can be reliably detected.

FIG. 16 shows a perspective view of the mounting portion 212 of the ink cartridge 211, and in this example, the mounting portion 2 thereof.
The 12 color tones are black or a color tone outside the light receiving characteristic region of the light receiving element 62 of the new article detecting means 60. This allows
When detecting a new article of the ink cartridge 211, it is possible to eliminate optical noise such as irregular reflection and reliably detect the reflected light from the reflecting member 53.

The present invention is not limited to the structure of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, but can be mounted on a carriage which can reciprocate at least in a direction intersecting the recording medium conveying direction. If the image forming apparatus of the ink ejection type has an ejection portion that ejects ink to the recording medium, and a mounting portion that detachably mounts the ink cartridge that contains the ink to be supplied to the ejection portion,
The present invention can be applied regardless of the configuration or the format.

[0082]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention has the following effects.

(1) The image forming apparatus is provided with a new article detecting means consisting of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, while the ink cartridge is provided with a reflecting member on the surface facing the ejection portion when the new cartridge is attached. At this time, the light receiving element detects light reflected in a predetermined range from the reflecting member to detect that the product is new, and ejects ink from the ejecting unit to the reflecting member to change the amount of reflected light. When the attached ink cartridge is reattached, the amount of light reflected by the reflecting member can be detected outside the predetermined range, so that reattachment can be detected easily and reliably. .

Further, since the ink used for image formation is used for the reflecting member to change the amount of light reflected by the reflecting member, no complicated mechanism or parts are required, and the main body of the apparatus is large. It is possible to detect whether or not the ink cartridge is a new one with a simple configuration without changing.

(2) When the amount of reflected light from the mounted ink cartridge is out of the predetermined range, it is detected that the ink cartridge is not new. For example, when remounted, the amount of reflected light is changed by the reflecting member. Detection is possible by ejecting ink to change the light reflectance and setting the reflected light amount outside the predetermined range.

Therefore, by using the ink used for image formation as the ink to be ejected to the reflecting member, it is possible to provide a simple structure without providing a complicated mechanism or parts, and without enlarging the apparatus main body. It is possible to detect whether or not the ink cartridge is new.

(3) In the image forming apparatus to which a plurality of ink cartridges can be attached, since the ink cartridge has a new article detecting unit corresponding to each ink cartridge, it is possible to easily discriminate which ink cartridge is a new one. Necessary control such as recovery operation, count reset, and the like can be accurately performed for each ink cartridge.

(4) In the image forming apparatus in which a plurality of ink cartridges can be mounted, at least one new article detecting means is provided on the carriage which is moved and scanned, so that a plurality of ink cartridges can be detected.

(5) Since it is possible to identify which type of ink cartridge is new from the movement distance from the home position of the carriage to the detected portion, it is possible to easily and accurately perform necessary control such as recovery operation and count reset for the ink cartridge. Can be done.

(6) By the mounting detection means and the discrimination means,
When the installed state of the ink cartridge is grasped specifically, and when the installed state changes from the unmounted state to the mounted state, it is detected whether or not the mounted ink cartridge is new, and necessary recovery operation, count reset, etc. The required control can be performed easily, quickly, and accurately.

(7) When the remaining ink amount is detected by the discharge count, the counter is automatically reset by detecting a new product, so that it is possible to display the remaining amount substantially equal to the actual remaining ink amount. .

(8) Since the reflecting member is coated in black after detecting a new product, the amount of reflected light after coating can be effectively reduced, and the difference in the amount of reflected light before and after coating becomes large.
The detection by the new article detection means becomes easy and reliable.

(9) When it is detected that the ink ejected to the reflecting member is black and the remaining amount of black ink is small, black is synthesized with another color ink.
The remaining black ink can be used for printing.

(10) Since the color tone of the ink ejected from the ejection portion to the reflecting member is a color tone outside the characteristic region with respect to the wavelength characteristic of the new article detecting means, for example, the optical characteristic of the optical element has a red peak. If it is an element, it is possible to use the ink with a small remaining amount for printing by ejecting the ink with a large remaining amount, for example, cyan among the ink with the wavelength characteristic having the red absorption characteristic, by comparing it with the remaining ink amount at the time of detection. it can.

(11) By providing two stages of reference ranges for judging whether or not the product is new, for example, in the case of reflection with no ink applied, which is the first reference range, it is detected as new and When the amount of light is in the middle second reference range, the state in which the ink cartridge is installed is detected, and when the amount of reflected light is small, it is detected to detect the state of installation of the cartridge if it is detected that it is not installed. It is not necessary to provide a separate means, and it is possible to simply serve as the wearing state detecting means.

(12) By providing the mounting portion of the ink cartridge outside the printing area, it is possible to surely detect a new article regardless of whether the recording sheet passes or is ejected by marginless printing.

(13) Since the reflecting member is a paper member, it can be procured at a low cost and the ejected ink can be reliably absorbed.

(14) Since the surface of the ink cartridge facing the ejection portion is black or has a color tone outside the wavelength characteristic range of the new detection means except for the reflecting member, optical noise such as irregular reflection is eliminated and the light is surely removed from the reflecting member. The reflected light can be detected.

(15) Since the color tone of the mounting portion of the ink cartridge is black or a color tone outside the light receiving characteristic region of the light receiving element of the new article detecting means, the optical noise such as irregular reflection is eliminated and the reflected light from the reflecting member is surely obtained. Can be detected.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration explanatory diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory view of the same new article detecting means.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the different image forming apparatus.

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view of the new article detecting means.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a moving state of a carriage for identifying the ink cartridge.

FIG. 7 is a main part configuration diagram of another image forming apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of resetting the ejection counter when the ink cartridge mounted in the same is new.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram in the case of ejecting black ink to the reflective member.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a case where inks of colors other than black are ejected to the reflective member to combine black.

FIG. 11 is a drawing showing a sensitivity characteristic curve of an optical element of the new article detecting means.

FIG. 12 is a view showing two reference ranges in the new article detecting means.

FIG. 13 is a front view when an ink cartridge mounting portion is provided outside the printing area.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge when a blank sheet is used for the reflecting member.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge in the case where the portion other than the reflecting member is black or has a color tone outside the wavelength characteristic region of the new-article detecting means.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the mounting portion when the color tone of the mounting portion of the ink cartridge is black or a color tone outside the light receiving characteristic region of the light receiving element of the new article detecting means.

[Explanation of symbols]

14-Discharge part 53-Reflecting member 55-Mounting detection means 56-Discrimination means 60-New article detection means 61-light emitting device 62-light receiving element 211-ink cartridge 212-Mounting part

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Murai             22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka             Inside the company (72) Inventor Tomo Tanaka             22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka             Inside the company F term (reference) 2C056 EA23 EB20 EB44 FA10 HA58                       KC01 KC04 KC22

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A discharge unit that can be mounted on a carriage that can reciprocate in a direction intersecting a recording medium conveyance direction and that stores an ink that is to be discharged to the recording medium and the ink that is to be supplied to the discharge unit. In an ink discharge type image forming apparatus having a mounting portion for detachably mounting an ink cartridge, a new article detecting unit including a light emitting element and a light receiving element is provided in the main body of the apparatus, while the ink cartridge is mounted at the time of mounting. A reflecting member is provided on the surface facing the ejection portion, and when the ink cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the light receiving element that receives the light output from the light emitting element and reflected by the reflecting member is within a predetermined range. When the amount of light is received, it is detected that the installed ink cartridge is new and the ink cartridge is installed. With respect to the reflecting member, by ejecting the ink from the discharge portion, the image forming apparatus characterized by changing the optical reflectance of said reflective member. 2. The image according to claim 1, wherein when the amount of reflected light from the ink cartridge mounted on the mounting portion is outside the predetermined range, the mounted ink cartridge is detected as not new. Forming equipment. 3. The mounting portion can detachably mount a plurality of the ink cartridges, and the new article detecting means is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of ink cartridges. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. 4. The mounting portion can detachably mount the plurality of ink cartridges, and at least one of the plurality of ink cartridges is mounted on the plurality of ink cartridges.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the new article detecting units is provided in the carriage. 5. The new article detecting means for identifying the new ink cartridge, which is detected to be a new article, from the moving distance from the home position of the carriage to the ink cartridge. Image forming apparatus. 6. A mounting detection unit that detects whether or not the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting unit, and a state in which the ink cartridge is not mounted in the mounting unit based on a detection result of the mounting detection unit. And a mounted state, a change from a non-mounted state to a mounted state, or a change from a mounted state to a non-mounted state, and 7. A new article detecting section for detecting whether or not the ink cartridge is a new article when it is determined by the identifying section that the ink cartridge has changed from a non-installed state to an attached state. 1. The image forming apparatus according to 1. 7. When it is detected that the ink cartridge mounted by the new article detecting unit is new,
2. The ejection count from the ejection unit connected to the ink cartridge is reset.
The image forming apparatus according to item 1. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the new article detecting unit, the ink ejected to the reflecting member is ejected from the ejecting unit that ejects black ink. 9. When it is detected that the ink ejected from the ejecting portion to the reflecting member is black and the remaining amount of black ink is small, another color ink is added to the reflecting member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus ejects black to synthesize black. 10. The color tone of the ink ejected from the ejection unit to the reflecting member in the new-article detection unit is outside the characteristic region with respect to the wavelength characteristic of the new-article detection unit. The image forming apparatus according to Item 1. 11. A predetermined first reference range for determining whether or not the ink cartridge mounted on the mounting portion is new in the new-article detection unit, and different from the first reference range, and A predetermined second reference range in which the light receiving element can receive light, and when the light receiving amount received by the light receiving element is the first reference range, it is detected that the ink cartridge is new, and the light receiving amount is Is in the second reference range, it is detected that the ink cartridge is in the mounted state, and when the amount of received light is neither the first reference range nor the second reference range, the ink is stored in the mounting section. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus detects that the cartridge is not mounted. 12. The mounting portion of the ink cartridge comprises:
The device is provided outside the printing area.
The image forming apparatus according to item 1. 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting member provided in the ink cartridge is a paper member. 14. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the ink cartridge facing the ejection portion is black or has a color tone outside the wavelength characteristic region of the new article detecting unit except for the reflecting member. Image forming apparatus. 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the color tone of the mounting portion is black or a color tone outside the light receiving characteristic region of the light receiving element.