Seiko Epson Corporation

Mimaki Engineering Company, Ltd.

Yukihiro Uchiyama

Masayuki Kumazaki

Naoto Yamaguchi

Hiroshi Ishida

Kazuhiko Yamaguchi

Tatsuya Seshimo

Kenjiro Murakami

Kazutaka Tamaki

Satoshi Shinada

Hitoshi Igarashi

Takahiro Naka

Nobuhito Takahashi

Kazuhiko Hara

Makoto Katase

Atsushi Tsuchiya

Masaki Kodaira

Hiroyoshi Takano

A fluid infuser includes an introduction needle having a projection on a peripheral surface, and an infusion tube configured to cover the introduction needle. The projection of the introduction needle is installed at a position where the introduction needle comes into contact with the infusion tube, and includes a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is arranged at a picking end side of the introduction needle with respect to the second surface, and an angle of inclination of the first surface is larger than an angle of inclination of the second surface. The fluid infuser is configured to guide an infusion tube to an object of insertion adequately, and allow the introduction needle to be pulled out easily from the infusion tube.

Fluid infuser

A control method is provided for an ink jet recording apparatusincluding a recording headfor ejecting ink to a medium, a heating meansfor heating the recording head, an ink storage partwhich reserves ink supplied to the recording head, and a negative pressure adjusting partwhich adjusts a pressure in an inside of the ink storage partto be a negative pressure. In the control method, when the ink jet recording apparatusis to be turned off, heating of the recording headby the heating partis turned off but the negative pressure adjusting partis left to be in an 'ON' state so that the negative pressure in the inside of the ink storage partis maintained and, after that, the negative pressure adjusting partis turned off.

Ink jet recording apparatus

An inkjet printer system includes a print head, a sub tank, and a sensor. The print head is configured to eject ink. The sub tank includes an ink supply chamber and an ink detection chamber. The ink supply chamber has an ink inlet hole and an ink outlet hole connected to the print head. Ink is supplied to the sub tank through the ink inlet hole. Ink is supplied to the print head from the sub tank through the ink outlet hole. The ink detection chamber communicates with the ink supply chamber. The sensor is configured to detect an amount of ink contained in the sub tank and includes a float member provided in the ink detection chamber to float in the ink.

Inkjet printer system and ink supply apparatus

An inkjet printer system includes a print head, a sub tank, a pressure controller, and a check valve. The print head is configured to eject ink. The sub tank is connected to the print head and has a pressure control hole. The pressure controller is connected to the pressure control hole to control an inner pressure of the sub tank. The check valve is provided at the pressure control hole to prevent ink in the sub tank from flowing into the pressure control hole from the sub tank.

In an ink jet recording apparatus comprising an ink jet recording headfor receiving supply of ink from an ink cartridgeprovided with a storage devicestoring data for determining compatibility to a recording apparatus, and a print controllerfor determining compatibility of ink based on the data in the storage deviceand executing the print operation, when an ink cartridgeis mounted, if compatibility to the ink cartridgecannot be confirmed, a caution is given and the recording apparatus awaits an input of a continuation instruction by a user to execute a subsequent operation. Even if a cartridge whose compatibility cannot be confirmed is mounted, printing is enabled as much as possible without incurring damage to the recording apparatus.

An ink jet recording apparatus comprises: at least one recording head having a face on which a plurality of nozzle orifices are formed, the recording head mounted on a carriage to be moved reciprocatively in the widthwise direction of a recording sheet; a capping device disposed in a non-print region of the recording head, the capping device including at least one cap unit for sealing the nozzle-formed surface of the recording head in cooperation with the movement of carriage; and a plurality of suction pumps for applying negative pressure in the interior space of the cap unit via suction tubes while the cap unit seals the nozzle-formed surface in cooperation with at least one drive source. The number of the suction pumps is at least equal to the number of the cap unit.

Ink jet recording apparatus and cleaning control method for the same

A printing apparatus arranged to perform printing while a monochrome printing head and a color printing head are moved in a direction in which the two heads are moved, the printing apparatus being arranged to print a plurality of patterns in which the relative quantity of deviation of printing timings of the two heads is changed in a stepped manner to cause a user to select a pattern having the smallest quantity of deviation among the plural patterns. Then, the selected pattern is used as a central value when a plurality of patterns in which the relative quantity of deviation of the printing timings of the two heads is changed in a stepped manner are furthermore printed to cause the user to select a pattern having a smallest quantity of deviation from the plural patterns. The above-mentioned process is repeated as necessary. As a result, the operation which is performed by the user to adjust the printing position can simply and easily be performed. Control is performed in such a manner as to change color to be printed by the color printing head whenever an adjustment mode in which the relative quantity of deviation of the printing timing is adjusted is started.

Method of adjusting printing position, printing apparatus using the same, and recording medium having program for the same

A sheet end detector comprising a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element for detecting changes in the amount of light associated with movement of a piece of a recording medium is provided. A standard value calculator detects the difference between the sheet end detector platen voltage Vp corresponding to light reflected only from said platen and said sheet end detector paper saturation voltage Vm corresponding to light reflected only from the recording medium. The amount necessary to feed the paper for platen voltage Vp to reach paper saturation voltage Vm is a constant value, irrespective of recording medium characteristics, which is when all of the light is reflected by the recording medium and the entire end portion of a piece of a recording medium has reached a predetermined position relative to the position of the sheet end detector. A standard value is calculated by multiplying this difference by a constant coefficient C and then adding back the lesser of Vp or Vm, C being a numerical value greater than 0 and less than 1 and being an indication of the desired position of the leading edge of the recording medium. A comparator compares the standard value and a signal from the sheet end detector and determines when the signal corresponds to the standard value, which is indicative that the presence of a leading edge or trailing edge of the recording medium has reached a predetermined position.

Method for detecting an end portion of a recording medium in a recording

A paper detection device for a printer, includes: a support member; a main lever pivotably mounted on the support member, wherein the main lever has a self-resetability to an upright position and is pivotable only in a sheet-feed-direction; an auxiliary lever pivotably mounted on the main lever, including a free end protruding into a sheet passage, wherein the auxiliary lever has a self-resetability and moves the main lever in the sheet-feed direction when the free end thereof is urged in the sheet-feed direction, but does not move the main lever in a reverse-sheet-feed direction when the free end of the auxiliary lever is urged in a reverse-sheet-feed direction.

Paper detection device for printer

A ribbon mask for use with a impact dot matrix printer is provided. The ribbon mask comprises a head confronting surface and a pair of opposed side plates each positioned on an opposite side of the head confronting surface. An obtuse angle is formed between said head confronting surface each of the opposed side plates. A pair of fitting tabs are also provided. Each fitting tab is positioned on one of the pair of opposed side plates. An acute angle is formed between each of the fitting tabs and a plane parallel to a plane in which the head confronting surface lies. As a result of this construction, when the ribbon mask comes in contact with a sheet of a recording medium, the ribbon mask is deformed so that a portion of the head confronting surface comes into contact with an end of a recording head, which in turn prevents the ribbon mask from interfering with the sheet of the recording medium.

Ribbon mask for impact dot matrix printed

A method of printing on a printing medium is provided, including providing a printing head for printing on a recording medium and conveying the recording medium in a first direction with a conveyer. A detector is positioned on the upstream side of the print head, the detector then detecting a trailing edge of the recording medium. The amount of recording medium conveyance by the conveyer upon the detection of said trailing edge is computed and it is determined whether the recording medium is of a standard size. Thereafter, a printing region on the recording medium is defined in accordance with the size of the recording medium if the recording medium is a standard size. A printer for printing on a printing medium which employs the above method is also provided wherein a detector is positioned upstream of the print head for detecting a trailing edge of the recording medium which is being conveyed. A computer computes the amount of the recording medium conveyance by the conveyer upon the detection of the trailing edge by the detector, and a size determiner determines whether the recording medium is of a standard size and defines a printing region on the recording medium in accordance with the size of the recording medium if the recording medium is of a standard size.

Paper size determining method and printer in which the method is used

A printing method of playing out piled sheets of paper one by one, feeding the played-out sheet of paper to the position of a platen, and printing the sheet of paper, the printing method includes the steps of: (a) feeding the sheet of paper played out from the piled position thereof at a first speed until the sheet of paper approaches a platen which is stopping; (b) feeding the sheet of paper at a second speed lower than the first speed until a required short time passes from a time when the sheet of paper is engaged with the stopping platen, for performing a sheet flexing and a sheet skew removing; and (c) driving the platen at the second speed to feed the sheet of paper to a printing position. And the printing apparatus performs the printing method.

Printing method and printing apparatus

An automatic platen gap adjusting apparatus is provided with (i) a stepping motor for moving a carriage provided with a recording head in the direction of a platen, (ii) a rotary encoder for producing a plurality of pulse signals proportional to the rotational speed of the motor, the rotary encoder being equipped with a detection mark on its circumference, (iii) a time difference integrating device for obtaining the integrated value of the time difference between the pulse signal from the rotary encoder and the driving pulse of the stepping motor, while moving the carrier from a reference position in the direction of the platen, and (iv) an abutment decision device for detecting whether the value thus obtained has reached a predetermined value. The thickness of the paper is calculated by a paper thickness calculation device according to the number of pulses produced up to the moment the signal is produced from the abutment decision device. The apparatus of the present invention can automatically adjust the relative gap between the platen and the recording head with precision while preventing press marks from appearing on the paper.

Automatic platen gap adjusting apparatus

A mechanism for switching a paper holding roller of an automatically feeding printer between a contact position for holding a paper against the platen and a separation position away from the platen utilizing the platen power source. A transmission mechanism includes a trigger which is moved selectively by an electro-magnetic member to engage a gear between the platen power source and a roller lever on which the paper holding roller is mounted to move the paper holding roller between the contact/separation positions. In one embodiment, two partial gears engage a gear portion of the lever to move the lever in both directions. In another embodiment, an epicyclic lever is selectively rotated in one of two directions to engage one of two oppositely rotating epicyclic gears to move the paper holding roller.

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Nagano, Japan

Yukihiro Uchiyama