JP3185910B2 - Waste ink container of inkjet recording device - 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 which performs recording while ejecting ink droplets from nozzles, and more particularly to a waste ink container for discharging waste ink sucked and removed from an ink jet recording head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main part of an ink jet recording apparatus of this kind. In the figure, an ink jet recording head (hereinafter, simply referred to as a head) 3 connected to an ink tank 1 via a flexible tube 2 is guided by guide shafts 4 and 5 and moves in a main scanning direction indicated by an arrow in a carriage 6. The recording is performed while ejecting ink droplets onto the paper 8 supplied on the plate 7. In this case, if air bubbles or foreign matters enter the inside of the head 3 or ink drying occurs in the nozzle portion, the printing becomes unstable, and sometimes printing becomes impossible. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, a cap device 9 that seals the nozzle portion of the head 3 and a pump device 10 that generates a negative pressure inside the cap device 9 are provided at the stroke end of the carriage 6, and when a recording failure occurs, Air bubbles, foreign matters, dry ink, and the like are sucked and removed from the head 3 into a waste ink container to recover the function.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the conventional waste ink container. In the figure, a waste ink container 12 for receiving waste ink sucked and removed by a pump device 10 through a discharge tube 11 is a resin formed of a flat box-shaped case 13 and a lid plate 14 which is heat-sealed and mounted on the case 13. The container has a built-in absorbing member 15 for absorbing and holding waste ink. A pulp sheet having good water retention is used for the absorbing member 15. Connection holes 14 a and 16 that are adapted to the outer diameter of the discharge tube 11 are provided through the tube connecting portion between the cover plate 14 and the absorbing member 15,
The distal end of the discharge tube 11 is inserted into the connection hole 16 through the connection hole 14a of the cover plate 14 to a position approximately half the depth. In addition, the discharge tube 11 whose end is inserted into the connection hole 16 is fixed to the cover plate 14 by a not-shown gripping metal member in front of the discharge tube 11. Such waste ink container 1
In 2, when the waste ink is discharged from the discharge tube 11, the waste ink flows into the lower half of the connection hole 16 and is absorbed by the absorbing member 15 through the inner peripheral wall surface.

[0004]

However, in the conventional waste ink container 12, the ink absorption speed is not sufficient for the inflow speed from the discharge tube 11, and the ink flows from the gap between the discharge tube 11 and the connection holes 14a and 16 so that the ink cannot be absorbed. There was a problem that splattered. The scattering of the ink is particularly severe when the ink is laminar than when it is laminar. The absorption speed of the absorbing member 15 is closely related to the density. When the density is low, the absorption speed increases, but on the other hand, when the water retention is deteriorated and the ink is inclined, problems such as dripping of the ink occur. for that reason,
There is a limit to reducing the density of the absorbing member 15. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a waste ink container of an ink jet recording apparatus in which the ink absorbing speed is higher than before even if the material of the absorbing member is the same, and the ink does not scatter.

[0005]

To achieve the above object of the Invention The, present invention is an ink jet recording apparatus having an ink jet recording head for recording while ejecting ink droplets to using et being from the nozzle, the ink jet recording head In a waste ink container of an ink jet recording apparatus for receiving waste ink sucked and removed by a pump device through a discharge tube and absorbing and holding the waste ink in a built-in sheet-like absorbing member, the discharge tube connection of the absorbing member is provided. in part, the small-diameter hole and the stepped-shaped connecting hole made therefrom than larger large-diameter hole diameter compatible diameter to the outer diameter <br/> of said discharge tube is provided, the small-diameter hole portion of the connecting hole Plug the discharge tube, to the large-diameter hole
While forming a space into which the waste ink flows,
The step of the connection hole forms the ceiling of the waste ink inflow space
Shall be so (claim 1).

[0006] In this case, the absorbing member has a two-ply or divided into upper and lower layers, the small-diameter hole of compatible diameter to the outer diameter of the exhaust <br/> out tube disposed in the absorbent member of the upper layer , it is the absorbent member of the lower layer providing a high large-diameter hole of it than the diameter to the small-diameter hole concentrically, suffices to form the connection hole of the stepped shape overlapped with the large-diameter hole and the small-diameter hole In this case, the processing of the absorbing member is facilitated (claim 2).

[0007]

According to the present invention, the discharge tube connection hole of the absorbing member is formed in a stepped shape including a small diameter hole having a diameter suitable for the outer diameter of the discharge tube and a large diameter hole having a diameter larger than the small hole.
The discharge tube is inserted into the small diameter hole of the connection hole. Thereby, scattering of ink is suppressed for the following reasons. (1) Since the lower half of the connection hole into which the ink discharged from the discharge tube flows is a large-diameter hole whose diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the discharge tube, the volume of the space for receiving the flowing ink is large. The portion functions as a damper to buffer the imbalance between the ink inflow speed and the ink absorption speed. (2) The step of the connection hole forms the ceiling of the space into which the ink flows, and the ink droplet that jumps up is rebounded by the ceiling, so that it is difficult for the ink droplet to jump out. (3) The ink inflow space formed by the large-diameter hole has a large area of the inner peripheral wall surface and the contact surface of the absorbing member with the ink is expanded, so that the absorbing speed is increased.

The connecting hole of the absorbing member can be formed in a stepped shape independently. However, a small-diameter hole and a large-diameter hole are provided in each layer of the absorbing member divided into upper and lower layers. If it is formed in a stepped shape, the holes in each layer can be formed by punching, so that the processing of the absorbing member becomes easy.

[0009]

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a waste ink container, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of an absorbing member. In the figure, case 1 of waste ink container 12
3 and the cover plate 14 are conventional, but the absorbing member 15 is constituted by stacking two upper and lower sheets 15a in this case, and the sheet 15a has a small-diameter hole 16a adapted to the outer diameter of the discharge tube 11 and A large diameter hole 16b having a larger diameter (almost three times) is punched and formed in pairs. here,
Both the small-diameter hole 16a and the large-diameter hole 16b of the sheet 15a are symmetrically formed at positions where they are concentrically overlapped with the connection holes 14a of the cover plate 14 when housed in the case 13.

Therefore, the two sheets 15a are alternately stacked, and housed in the case 13 so that the small hole 16a of the upper layer and the connection hole 14a of the cover plate 14 are continuous. Thus, a stepped connection hole 16 composed of an upper-layer small-diameter hole 16a and a lower-layer large-diameter hole 16b is formed in the absorbing member 15 concentrically with the connection hole 14a. The discharge tube 11 is inserted into the connection hole 16 of the absorbing member 15 up to the range of the small-diameter hole 16a, and is fixed as before.

According to the illustrated configuration, the ink inflow space formed by the large-diameter hole 16b is wider than that of the conventional configuration having the same diameter as the outer diameter of the discharge tube 11, and the ink inflow speed is reduced.
Even if a state exceeding the absorption speed occurs, a considerable amount of ink can be stored, so that the ink does not overflow. In addition, the step 16c of the connection hole 16 forms a ceiling of the ink inflow space, and the ink droplet that jumps up is rebounded by the ceiling 16c, so that it is difficult for the ink droplet to jump outside. Furthermore, the large-diameter hole 16
The ink inflow space made of b has a large inner peripheral wall area,
Since the contact surface of the absorbing member 15 with the ink is wide, the absorbing speed is higher than in the conventional configuration.

On the other hand, in the illustrated configuration, the absorbing member 15
Is formed by stacking two sheets 15a, and a small hole 16a in the upper layer and a large hole 16b in the lower layer are overlapped to form a stepped connection hole 16. Therefore, each of the holes 16a and 16b is punched by pressing. And can be easily processed.
Moreover, the small-diameter hole 16a and the large-diameter hole 16b are formed in the sheet 15a.
Are provided symmetrically in pairs, and these are alternately overlapped to form a stepped connection hole 16, so that the sheet 15a
Easy to manage. In the illustrated embodiment, two sheets 15a are stacked, but the number of stacked sheets may be increased by making the sheets 15a thinner.

[0013]

According to the present invention, since the discharge tube connecting hole of the absorbing member is stepped, the receiving capacity of the waste ink is increased while using the absorbing member of the same material as the conventional one, and the scattering of the ink is effectively eliminated. be able to. In that case,
If the upper and lower two-layer absorbing members provided with the small-diameter hole and the large-diameter hole, respectively, are overlapped to form a stepped connection hole, the holes in each layer absorbing member can be formed by punching, so that the absorbing member can be manufactured at low cost. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a waste ink container showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the absorbing member in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the ink jet recording apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the waste ink container in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink tank 2 Tube 3 Ink jet recording head 9 Cap device 10 Pump device 11 Discharge tube 12 Waste ink container 13 Case 14 Cover plate 14a Connection hole 15 Absorbing member 16 Connection hole 16a Small diameter hole 16b Large diameter hole

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A ink jet recording apparatus comprising an ink jet recording head for recording while ejecting ink droplets to using et being from the nozzle, accept pre SL waste ink sucked removed by the pump apparatus from the ink jet recording head through the discharge tube with, in the waste ink container of the ink jet recording apparatus for holding by absorbing into a sheet-like absorbing member which incorporates the waste ink, the discharge tube connecting portion of said absorbent member, the small-diameter compatible diameter to the outer diameter of said discharge tube the hole and the stepped-shaped connecting hole made therefrom than the diameter of large large-diameter hole and provided, insert the said discharge tube to said small-diameter hole portion of the connecting hole, the large
A space for the waste ink to flow into the hole is formed.
The step of the connection hole extends the ceiling of the waste ink inflow space.
Waste ink container of an ink jet recording apparatus is characterized in that in order to form. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said absorbing member comprises at least two sheets.
Divided into layers, the absorbent member of the upper layer provided with small diameter holes compatible diameter to the outer diameter of the discharge tube, the said absorbent member in the lower large large-diameter hole of it than the diameter to the small-diameter hole concentrically The large diameter hole and the small diameter hole are overlapped
Waste ink container of the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that so as to form the connection hole.