JP4714960B2 - Ink filling method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of filling ink into an ink cartridge such as an ink supply cartridge of an ink jet printer, and more specifically, ink having a porous body that has an ink filling port and an air communication port and absorbs and holds ink. The present invention relates to a method for filling ink not only in a new cartridge but also in a used second-hand cartridge in which ink remains.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Since ink for inkjet printers is liquid, cartridges that supply ink do not spill, are easy to handle, and do not stain hands or clothes when changing cartridges. . As a cartridge that satisfies these requirements, an ink cartridge incorporating a porous body that absorbs and holds ink has been proposed and used. These cartridges are generally provided with an ink supply port for supplying ink and an air communication port.
[0003]
In order to absorb ink into the porous body, it is necessary to replace the air and the ink held by the porous body. As such a method, for example, (1) the porous body is compressed in advance. , A method of absorbing ink when opened, (2) a method of pressurizing ink and injecting it into the cartridge, and (3) a method of injecting ink after removing air from the porous body in the cartridge under reduced pressure. Has been.
[0004]
As a method for filling the ink by depressurizing the cartridge, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-227656 discloses the method of sucking air in an ink cartridge having an ink absorbing member made of a foam, and then injecting the ink after evacuation. A filling method has been proposed. In this method, an ink injection device is used in which a pipe connected to a vacuum pump through a three-way switching valve is connected to a first connection port, and ink is supplied from an ink tank via a second pipe.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
This method has an advantage that the ink filling efficiency is high because the ink is injected after the air in the foam is removed. However, since the piping from the vacuum pump is directly connected to the cartridge, the used cartridge in which the ink remains in the cartridge is sucked into the vacuum system together with the air. Cannot be applied. Further, in this method, in order to increase the filling efficiency, it is necessary to completely remove the air in the foam before filling the ink.
[0006]
The problem to be solved by the present invention is that the ink is effectively absorbed and retained in the porous body not only when filling a new cartridge but also when refilling a used cartridge in which ink remains in the cartridge. Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink filling method that can be performed.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to fill ink under reduced pressure into a cartridge containing a porous body that absorbs and retains ink, it is necessary to replace the air held by the porous body with the ink. If ink is injected under a high vacuum condition, the replacement with air can be performed smoothly, but a filling device capable of realizing a high vacuum is required. Further, in order to fill only the inside of the cartridge with a vacuum, a cartridge having a strength capable of withstanding the pressure difference is required. Furthermore, in a used cartridge in which ink remains, it is inevitable that the ink boils or bubbles due to high vacuum.
[0008]
When the decompression condition is relaxed, the ink can be prevented from boiling and bubbling, but since the ink held by the porous body is not sufficiently replaced with the ink, the ink filling is incomplete. Since the porous body under reduced pressure absorbs the ink most when returning to normal pressure, the overflowed ink cannot be sufficiently absorbed and held under the reduced pressure condition by receiving the overflowed ink once in the overflow tank, The inventors have found a method of absorbing the porous body when returning to normal pressure, and have completed the present invention.
[0009]
That is, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides (I) a method of filling ink under reduced pressure into an ink cartridge having a porous body that has an ink filling port and an atmosphere communication port and absorbs and holds ink. Provides an ink filling method in which an ink overflow tank is installed at the atmosphere communication port.
[0010]
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides (II) the ink filling method according to (I), wherein the ink before filling is held in the same decompression condition as the ink cartridge and then filled into the cartridge.
[0011]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides (III) an ink filling method according to the above item (I) or (II) in which an ink cartridge and an overflow tank are placed under reduced pressure and ink is filled.
[0012]
Further, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention (IV) installs an ink cartridge and an overflow tank under normal pressure, and draws ink into the ink cartridge while reducing the pressure inside the ink cartridge by vacuum suction from the overflow tank. The ink filling method according to the above (I) or (II) is provided.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The overflow tank of the present invention is a tank connected to the atmosphere communication port, and in the case of a filling method in which the cartridge overflow tank is installed under reduced pressure, in the case of a filling method in which the inside of the cartridge is decompressed by suction from the overflow tank Has a closed structure.
[0014]
The capacity of the overflow tank may be about twice the ink filling amount when filling a new cartridge. In the case of filling a used cartridge, the remaining ink is likely to overflow due to foaming due to reduced pressure, and a capacity of 4 times or more the ink filling amount is preferable. Further, in the case of a filling method that sucks from the overflow tank and depressurizes the inside of the cartridge, the capacity of the overflow tank needs to be further increased, and a capacity that is 10 times or more the ink filling amount is preferable.
[0015]
The ink filling port and the air communication port of the present invention indicate a port connecting the outside and the inside of the cartridge, and the position and shape thereof are not particularly specified. Also, the number of the mouths may be two or more, and the mouths at positions that are easy to use structurally may be appropriately determined as the ink filling opening and the atmosphere communication opening. In this case, it is necessary to block the other mouth with a stopper or tape.
[0016]
When an ink cartridge and an overflow tank are installed under reduced pressure and ink is filled, the ink cartridge is installed in a reduced pressure container such as a vacuum chamber, and the reduced pressure container is connected to a vacuum pump via a three-way valve. The three-way valve is an open valve for returning the inside of the decompression vessel to atmospheric pressure. What is necessary is just to determine the pressure in a pressure reduction container suitably.
[0017]
A pipe from the ink filling port is led out of the decompression container and connected to the ink supply tank via a stop valve. In this filling method, the ink supply tank can employ either an open structure or a sealed structure.
[0018]
When the ink cartridge and overflow tank are installed under normal pressure and the ink cartridge is depressurized and filled with ink by suction from the overflow tank, air leakage does not occur at the ink filling port and the connection between the overflow tank and the cartridge. It must be structured like this. The overflow tank has a sealed structure with a suction port, and the suction port is connected to a vacuum pump via a three-way valve. The three-way valve is an air release valve for returning the inside of the cartridge to normal pressure. What is necessary is just to determine the pressure in a container suitably.
[0019]
The piping from the ink filling port is connected to the ink supply tank via the stop valve. Also in the filling method of the present invention, the structure of the ink supply tank can employ either an open structure or a sealed structure.
[0020]
When the ink supply tank has a sealed structure, the pressure in the ink supply tank can be made the same as that in the pressure reducing container by reducing the pressure in the pressure reducing container and opening the stop valve. Injecting ink from this state is preferable because the ink can be filled without foaming in the ink cartridge. When ink is injected into the cartridge at normal pressure, the ink bubbles up due to a pressure difference at the moment when the ink is injected into the ink cartridge under reduced pressure.
[0021]
As an ink supply tank having a sealed structure, for example, (1) a structure having a variable volume such as a cylinder, and a method of injecting ink while extruding, and (2) a structure having an air release valve if the volume is not variable, There is a method in which ink is injected by a pressure difference generated between the cartridge by gradually opening the opening valve. In the case of an ink supply tank having an open structure, in order to suppress boiling and bubbling, it is preferable that a stop valve between the ink cartridge is provided with a flow rate adjusting function or a flow rate adjusting function is added separately from the stop valve.
[0022]
In an ink supply tank having a sealed structure including an air release valve and an ink supply tank having an open structure, care must be taken so that air does not enter the cartridge after the ink is supplied. If air enters the cartridge after ink filling, ink may blow out from the cartridge. In the case of a variable volume structure such as a cylinder, it is preferable that air does not enter the cartridge after ink is supplied.
[0023]
【Example】
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the scope of these examples.
[0024]
Example 1
Using the filling device shown in FIG. 1, a commercially available ink cartridge “MJIC8” (manufactured by Seiko Epson Corporation) was filled with ink. The cartridge was a used cartridge that had been used up until the ink was empty, and the required amount of ink to be filled was extracted from the new cartridge.
[0025]
Seal the ink supply port to the printer on the lower surface of the cartridge, peel off the label on the upper surface, install the ink supply port on one of the two air communication ports, and install the overflow tank on the other side and install it in the decompression chamber. The capacity of the ink overflow tank was 60 ml, and the ink supply tank adopted a cylinder structure and was filled with 15 ml of ink.
[0026]
The pressure in the chamber was 265 hPa, the stop valve was opened and held for several seconds, and then the piston of the cylinder was moved to fill the ink. At this time, the ink overflowing from the ink cartridge was held in the overflow tank. When the three-way valve was opened and the inside of the chamber was returned to normal pressure, the entire amount of ink in the overflow tank was absorbed by the porous body in the cartridge.
[0027]
When the filled cartridge was mounted on an inkjet printer “MJ930C” (manufactured by Seiko Epson Corporation) and printing was performed, good printing was possible without missing dots.
[0028]
(Example 2)
Using the filling apparatus shown in FIG. 2, a commercially available ink cartridge “MJIC8” (manufactured by Seiko Epson Corporation) was filled with ink. The cartridge was a used cartridge that had been used up until the ink was empty, and the required amount of ink to be filled was extracted from the new cartridge.
[0029]
The ink supply port to the printer on the lower surface of the cartridge was sealed, the label on the upper surface was peeled off, the ink supply port was attached to one of the two air communication ports, and the overflow tank was attached to the other. The capacity of the ink overflow tank was 200 ml, and the ink supply tank adopted a cylinder structure and was filled with 15 ml of ink.
[0030]
The pressure in the ink cartridge was 265 hPa, the stop valve was opened and held for several seconds, and then the cylinder piston was moved to fill the ink. At this time, the ink overflowing from the ink cartridge was held in the overflow tank. When the three-way valve was opened and the inside of the ink cartridge was returned to normal pressure, all of the ink in the overflow tank was absorbed by the porous body in the cartridge.
[0031]
When the filled cartridge was mounted on an inkjet printer “MJ930C” (manufactured by Seiko Epson Corporation) and printing was performed, good printing was possible without missing dots.
[0032]
(Comparative Example 1)
In Example 1, ink filling was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that no ink overflow tank was installed. During the filling, the ink overflowed from the cartridge, and the entire amount of the prepared ink could not be filled.
[0033]
(Comparative Example 2)
In Example 2, ink was filled in the same manner as Example 2 except that the piping from the vacuum pump was directly connected to the cartridge without installing the ink overflow tank. The ink overflowed in the middle of filling, and the entire amount of prepared ink could not be filled. Moreover, the overflowed ink has contaminated the vacuum pump through the vacuum pipe.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
The ink filling method of the present invention effectively absorbs ink into the porous body in the cartridge not only when filling into a new cartridge but also when refilling a used cartridge in which ink remains in the cartridge. Can be retained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an apparatus used in Example 1 in which an ink cartridge and an ink overflow tank are installed under reduced pressure.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of an apparatus used in Example 2 in which an ink cartridge and an ink overflow tank are installed under normal pressure.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Ink cartridge 2 Ink overflow tank 3 Cylinder 4 Stop valve 5 Vacuum gauge 6 Vacuum pump 7 Three-way valve (atmospheric release system)
8 Vacuum chamber

Claims (4)

A method of filling ink into an ink cartridge having a porous body that absorbs and holds ink and having an ink filling port and an air communication port, and the ink filling port is provided with an ink supply tank having a sealed structure via a stop valve An ink overflow tank is installed at the air communication port. The overflow tank is a closed system, and after the pressure of the ink cartridge and the overflow tank is reduced by vacuum suction from the overflow tank through a three-way valve , the stop is stopped. After the valve is opened, the supply tank is held under the same decompression condition as the ink cartridge, and then the ink from the ink supply tank is filled into the ink cartridge through the ink filling port, and the ink overflowing from the ink cartridge is stored in the overflow tank. after holding, Inkukatori' open the three-way valve Ink filling wherein the filling the ink in the overflow tank to the ink cartridge by returning to normal pressure. A method of filling ink into an ink cartridge having a porous body that absorbs and holds ink and having an ink filling port and an air communication port, and the ink filling port is provided with an ink supply tank having a sealed structure via a stop valve By installing an ink overflow tank at the air communication port, the overflow tank is an open system, an ink cartridge and an overflow tank are installed in a decompression container, and the decompression container is decompressed by a vacuum pump through a three-way valve After depressurizing the ink cartridge and the overflow tank, after opening the stop valve , holding the supply tank under the same depressurization condition as the ink cartridge, and then filling the ink cartridge with ink from the ink supply port. , Overflow ink from the ink cartridge After holding in, ink by opening the three-way valve, to return the vacuum vessel to atmospheric pressure, the ink in the overflow tank, wherein the filling the ink cartridge by returning the ink cartridge to the atmospheric pressure Filling method. The ink supply tank has a sealed structure and a variable volume structure having a cylinder. After the ink before filling in the ink supply tank is held under the same decompression condition as the ink cartridge by opening the stop valve, the ink supply tank The ink filling method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cartridge is filled while pushing the cylinder. The ink supply tank has an air release valve, and the ink before filling in the ink supply tank is held under the same decompression condition as the ink cartridge by opening the stop valve, and then the atmosphere release valve is opened. The ink filling method according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the cartridge is filled.

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