Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Masatake Sato

Akinari Ishibe

Yuma Tanabe

Masahiro Hayashi

Akihito Kobayashi

Hiroaki Takahashi

Tsuyoshi Ito

Keisuke Wakakusa

Shohei Ichikawa

Yoshimitsu Taniguchi

Yoshinori Osakabe

Hiroshi Taira

For an image forming apparatus including first and second storage chambers, an inequality expression of 'R2>A×R1' is met. R1 is a sum of a passage resistance value obtained by flowing air through a first air communication portion and a passage resistance value obtained by flowing liquid through a supply portion. R2 is a passage resistance value obtained by flowing air through a second air communication portion. A is a cross-sectional area ratio obtained by dividing a first average cross-sectional area of a first space of the first storage chamber taken along a plurality of horizontal planes by a second average cross-sectional area of a second space of the second storage chamber taken along the plurality of horizontal planes. The first space contains at least a portion adjacent to the supply portion and accumulating the liquid. The second space contains at least a portion accumulating the liquid.

Image forming apparatus including cartridge having first storage chamber, cartridge attachment portion having second storage chamber, and recording portion

An image-recording apparatus includes: a first tank defining a first storage chamber; a second tank defining a second storage chamber; a conveying mechanism for conveying sheets along a conveying path extending in a depthwise direction and a widthwise direction perpendicular to a vertical direction and the depthwise direction; and a recording head including a nozzle. Liquid in the first storage chamber is supplied through a communication port to the second storage chamber and then to the recording head through a liquid outlet port. The second storage chamber is positioned further in a first depthwise direction relative to the nozzle and further in a first widthwise direction relative to the conveying path. A volume of a prescribed space above a liquid level equal to a height of the communication port in the second storage chamber is greater than that of a liquid channel between the liquid outlet port and the nozzle.

Image-recording apparatus including first tank, second tank connectable to first tank, and head for ejecting liquid supplied from second tank

An image recording apparatus including: a recording unit; an accommodation part configured to accommodate therein a plurality of recording media including first and second recording medium and having a support surface on which the plurality of the recording media is supported; a conveying path; a feeder roller contacting the recording medium in the accommodation part from above; a reversing path; a recording medium detection unit located above the support surface and between the feeder roller and a downstream end of the support surface in the conveying direction; and a controller configured to control the feeder roller so as to feed the second recording medium in a manner that a front end portion of the second recording medium overlaps a rear end portion of the first recording medium, when the recording medium detection unit detects the rear end portion of the first recording medium fed by the feeder roller.

Image recording apparatus

An image recording apparatus is configured to perform a conveying process of a recording medium using a conveying roller and a discharging roller, a recoding process of recording an image on the printing sheet when the conveying process is not performed, and an adjusting process. In the adjusting process, among a plurality of conveying processes performed within a period from the start of the conveying process for an n-th printing sheet until the timing which is after the start of the conveying process for an (n+1)-th printing sheet, the conveying amount of the printing sheet subject to at least one conveying process is adjusted such that a timing when the trailing end of the n-th printing sheet passes through the discharging roller is within one of the acceleration period and the deceleration period of the conveying process for the printing sheet.

A controller determines whether, in a case where feeding of a subsequent sheet is performed in a first feed condition, a subsequent sheet contacts conveyance rollers during recording on a preceding sheet, the first feed condition being that feeding of the subsequent sheet is started at a first timing before recording on the preceding sheet ends and that the subsequent sheet is fed at a first velocity, and in response to determining that the subsequent sheet contacts the conveyance rollers during recording on the preceding sheet, controls the feed roller to perform feeding of the subsequent sheet in a second feed condition or a third feed condition, the second feed condition being that the feeding of the subsequent sheet is started at a second timing later than the first timing, the third feed condition being that the subsequent sheet is fed at a second velocity lower than the first velocity.

An image recording apparatus includes a roller pair for transporting a sheet, a recording head, and a controller. The controller determines a linefeed amount by which the sheet is transported by the roller pair between corresponding two adjacent passes of the recording head. The controller executes image recording on the sheet by alternately repeating a linefeed operation for rotating the roller pair by the determined linefeed amount to transport the sheet in a transport direction, and a pass recording operation in which the controller causes the roller pair to stop and the recording head to perform a pass and to record part of an image on the sheet. Upon determining that a linefeed operation would cause the sheet to travel past the roller pair while the roller pair is decelerating, replace for the linefeed operation a determined linefeed amount by an adjusted linefeed amount.

Image recording apparatus and printer driver

An inkjet recording apparatus includes a tank, a pivot member and a first surface. The tank has a storage chamber configured to store a liquid therein. The pivot member is disposed in the storage chamber. The pivot member is configured to pivotally move about an axis extending in an axial direction in a case where a level of a liquid surface of the liquid becomes equal to a predetermined liquid level. The pivot member includes a float and a first protrusion. The float has a specific gravity smaller than that of the liquid. The first protrusion protrudes toward the first surface. The first protrusion and the first surface provide a gap therebetween. The first protrusion is at a position in contact with the liquid in a state where the level of the liquid surface of the liquid is at the predetermined liquid level.

Inkjet recording apparatus including pivot member provided in storage chamber of tank and having first protrusion and second protrusion

An image-recording apparatus includes a cartridge including a first storage chamber, a tank including a second storage chamber, a recording portion, a detected portion, a detector, and a wall portion. Liquid supplied from the first storage chamber to the second storage chamber through an inlet port is supplied from the second storage chamber to the recording portion through an outlet port. The wall portion partitions an internal space of the second storage chamber into a first region including the liquid inlet port and a second region including the detected portion. The wall portion extends upward than the liquid inlet port and the detected portion and downward than the liquid inlet port and the detected portion. Communication between the first region and the second region is allowed through upper and lower communication portions. The upper communication portion is positioned upward than the liquid inlet port and the detected portion.

Image-recording apparatus including wall portion provided in storage chamber of tank connectable to liquid cartridge

For an image forming apparatus including first and second storage chambers, an inequality expression of 'R2&#x3e;A&#xd7;R1' is met. R1 is a sum of a passage resistance value obtained by flowing air through a first air communication portion and a passage resistance value obtained by flowing liquid through a supply portion. R2 is a passage resistance value obtained by flowing air through a second air communication portion. A is a cross-sectional area ratio obtained by dividing a first average cross-sectional area of a first space of the first storage chamber taken along a plurality of horizontal planes by a second average cross-sectional area of a second space of the second storage chamber taken along the plurality of horizontal planes. The first space contains at least a portion adjacent to the supply portion and accumulating the liquid. The second space contains at least a portion accumulating the liquid.

An image-recording apparatus includes: a cartridge including a first storage chamber and a supply port; a tank including a second storage chamber and an inlet port; a connecting portion including a liquid channel providing communication between the supply port and the inlet port; and a detector for detecting whether a liquid level in the second storage chamber is at a prescribed position. The first storage chamber includes an upper space and a lower space partitioned by a wall formed with a communication opening. An inequality of Pm&#x3c;&#x3c1;&#xb7;Hs&#xb7;g&#x2212;Ic&#xb7;Rn is satisfied, where: Pm: withstand pressure of meniscus formed at the communication opening; P: density of liquid; Hs: vertical length between the prescribed position and the communication opening; g: gravitational acceleration; Ic: flow rate of liquid from the first storage chamber to the second storage chamber; and Rn: passage resistance at the liquid channel.

Image-recording apparatus including cartridge, tank, and detector for detecting residual amount of liquid

In an image forming apparatus, a cartridge includes: a first storage chamber; and a supply portion. A cartridge attachment portion includes: a connecting portion; and a second storage chamber. The connecting portion is disposed at a first height and connectable to the supply portion. A detecting portion is configured to detect one of a level of a liquid stored in the first storage chamber and at a position adjacent to the supply portion and a level of the liquid stored in the second storage chamber and at a position adjacent to the connecting portion. The first storage chamber has a first cross-sectional area taken along a horizontal plane at a predetermined height between the first height and a second height above the first height. The second storage chamber has a second cross-sectional area taken along the horizontal plane. The second cross-sectional area is greater than the first cross-sectional area.

Image forming apparatus including cartridge having first storage chamber and cartridge attachment portion having second storage chamber

An image-recording apparatus includes a cartridge including a first storage chamber, a tank including a second storage chamber, a head, and a detection component for detecting a residual amount of liquid in the second chamber. The cartridge is connectable to the tank. The first storage chamber and second storage chamber are both allowed to communicate with an atmosphere. The tank includes a first base portion and a first protruding portion protruding from a lower end portion of the first base portion in a first direction perpendicular to a vertical direction. Internal spaces of the first base portion and the first protruding portion communicate each other to constitute part of the second storage chamber. The detection component is positioned: above the first protruding portion; to overlap with the first base portion as viewed in the first direction; and to overlap with the first protruding portion as viewed in the vertical direction.

Image-recording apparatus including cartridge, tank connectable to the cartridge and detection component

An image-recording apparatus includes a cartridge including a first storage chamber, a tank including a second storage chamber, a recording portion for ejecting liquid stored in the second storage chamber, a detected portion, and a detector. The first and second storage chambers can communicate with an atmosphere. The tank includes a liquid inlet port and a liquid outlet port positioned lower than the liquid inlet port. Liquid in the first storage chamber is supplied to the second storage chamber through the liquid inlet port, and from the second storage chamber to the recording portion through the liquid outlet port. The detected portion can change in state when a level of the liquid stored in the second storage chamber becomes equal to a vertical position of the liquid inlet port. The detector is configured to detect the change in state of the detected portion.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Masatake Sato