JPH0255228B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an ink supply device for supplying ink to an ink droplet generating device of an inkjet recording device.

Among the various recording methods currently known, this non-impact recording method generates almost no noise during recording, is capable of high-speed recording, and can record on plain paper without requiring any special fixing process. The so-called inkjet recording method that can be used is an extremely useful method for realizing printing devices such as various printers and word processors. Various methods have been proposed for this inkjet recording method, some have been improved and commercialized, and others are still being worked on to put them into practical use. .

The inkjet recording method uses various working principles to fly small droplets of recording liquid (referred to as ink in the following explanation), and makes recordings by adhering them to a recording material such as paper. It is something. An ink droplet generating device, that is, an inkjet device, used in such an inkjet recording system generally consists of an inkjet head for forming ink droplets and an ink supply system for supplying the ink to the inkjet head.

By the way, the first form of the ink jet head is generally called a single type or semi-multi type, which has about 1 to 10 ink ejection ports. The supply system is (because there are few ink ejection ports and ink consumption is low)
It can be constructed relatively easily by using a cartridge type tank or a single ink supply pipe.

However, the ink supply system for another type of head, generally called a full-line multi-type, which is used for printing one line of paper almost simultaneously, has an extremely large number of ink ejection ports, The amount of ink consumed is also incomparably greater than in the case described above, so a large number of ink supply pipes and large capacity tanks are required, making the structure complex and large. This had the inconvenience of becoming a nuisance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art described above. In other words, an object of the present invention is to eliminate the inconvenience caused by the configuration of the ink supply system in a multi-type inkjet recording device having a large number of ink ejection ports, and to produce ink droplets faithful to the input from all ink ejection ports. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink supply device which allows almost complete formation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink supply device that can stably supply ink to multiple types of ink jet heads over a long period of time.

In the ink supply device capable of supplying ink to the first and second ink jet heads as well as to eject ink from the ejection opening of the ink jet head as the pressure pump operates, the pressure pump a first ink chamber to which is connected a second ink chamber that supplies ink to the first ink chamber; and a second ink chamber that blocks ink supply from the first ink chamber to the second ink chamber. a check valve, which independently communicates the first ink chamber and the second ink chamber with respect to each of the first and second ink jet heads; an independent supply path for supplying ink from the first ink chamber and the second ink chamber, respectively; and an independent supply path between the first ink jet head and the first ink chamber. A first valve that can be opened and closed individually provided, a second valve that can be opened and closed individually that is provided in an independent supply path between the second ink jet head and the first ink chamber, and the first ink jet. A third valve that can be opened and closed individually is provided in an independent supply path between the head and the second ink chamber; and a third valve is provided in an independent supply path between the second ink jet head and the second ink chamber. and a fourth valve that can be opened and closed individually, so that ink can be supplied to the first and second ink jet heads individually.

According to the present invention, ink can be supplied to a plurality of ink jet heads individually, and ink can be efficiently and reliably discharged from the discharge port by the pressure pump. Therefore,
The present invention can provide a compact and excellent ink supply device without requiring a large pump for simultaneously discharging ink from multiple heads.

Moreover, in the present invention, unlike the conventional ink supply in which ink is supplied to each head from the first ink chamber and the second ink chamber, the liquid level of the plurality of ink chambers becomes unstable, each ink chamber A stable and reliable ink supply state can be achieved without any ink supply failure from the printer, and recording and recovery operations can be performed satisfactorily. Furthermore, in the present invention, each ink communication section is provided with a valve that can be opened and closed individually, so each head can be made independent and ink supply and recovery operations can be performed individually. Ink can be supplied immediately and efficiently.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram outlining an embodiment of the invention.

In this FIG. 1, 101 is a pressure pump, 10
2,108 is an ink tank, 103,103',
107 and 107' are ink pipes as independent supply paths, 109 is an ink pipe that connects the ink tanks 102 and 108, and 112 is the ink tank 1.
Ink pipes 105 and 105' supply ink from an ink tank 108 independently from 02, multi-nozzle ink jet heads 104 and 10
4', 106, 106', 110 are valves, 111
is an ink refill tank.

Initial supply of ink to the ink jet head 105 is performed as follows. That is, valve 1
04 and 106 open, valves 110 and 10
Pressure pump 10 with 4' or 106' closed.
By pressurizing the first ink tank 102 at step 1, ink is supplied from the first ink tank 102 to the ink jet head 105 through the ink pipe 103.

The ink tank 102 is pressurized by the ink jet head 105 and the ink pipes 107, 112.
Exhaust the air from the first ink tank 102 to the ink pipe 103 and ink jet head 1.
05, the second through the ink pipes 107 and 112
This process is continued until the ink flow path leading to the ink tank 108 is communicated with ink.

Similarly, the other inkjet head 1
When filling ink into 05', please fill in the valve 10.
4' and 106' open and valves 110 and 10
Pressure pump 101 with 4 or 106 closed
By pressurizing the first ink tank 102, the ink passes from the first ink tank 102 through the ink pipe 103' to the ink jet head 1.
05'.

The ink tank 102 is pressurized by the ink jet head 105' and the ink pipes 107' and 112.
Until the air in the ink tank 102 is exhausted and the ink flow path from the first ink tank 102 to the second ink tank 108 via the ink pipe 103', ink jet head 105', ink pipes 107' and 112 is communicated with ink. conduct. The ink jet heads 105 and 105' can be filled with ink individually as described above, but apart from these operations, the valves 104, 104', 106,
106' is opened and the first ink tank 102 is pumped by the pressurizing pump 101 with the valve 110 closed.
By pressurizing the inkjet head 1
05 and 105' can be filled with ink almost simultaneously.

When the pressurization is stopped and the valve 110 is opened while the ink flow path is in communication with the ink, the first ink tank 102 and the second ink tank 108
communicate through an ink pipe 109, and the ink levels in the first ink tank 102 and the second ink tank 108 become equal.

When the ink jet heads 105 and 105' are discharging ink, ink can be supplied by opening the valves 104 and 104'.
5' by capillary force through ink pipes 103 and 103', respectively.

Further, valves 104, 104', 107, 10
By opening the ink pipes 7', 110, the ink pipes 103, 103', 112, 107,
It is also possible to supply ink by capillary force through two ink pipes to one ink jet head through 107'.

If the ink jet head 105 is contaminated with air bubbles, dust, etc. and a stable ejection condition cannot be obtained, close the valves 104', 106', and 110, and turn off the pressure pump 1 with the valves 104 and 106 open.
The first ink tank 102 is pressurized by the ink jet head 105 from the first ink tank 102 to the second ink tank 1 via the ink jet head 105.
By circulating the ink in the ink flow path leading to 08, air bubbles, dust, etc. can be easily removed. Also, if the nozzle tip of the ink jet head 105 is clogged, the valves 106, 104', 11
It is also possible to unclog the nozzle tip by pressurizing the first ink tank 102 with the pressurizing pump 101 with the valve 104 closed and the valve 104 open.

Similarly to these, the other inkjet head 1
If a stable discharge condition cannot be obtained due to air bubbles or dust getting into the valve 05', the valves 104, 106,
110 is closed and the valves 104' and 106' are open, the first ink tank 102 is pressurized by the pressure pump 101, and ink is injected from the first ink tank 102 through the ink jet head 105'. By circulating the ink in the ink flow path leading to the second ink tank 108, air bubbles, dust, etc. can be easily removed. In addition, if the nozzle tip of the ink jet head 105' is clogged, valves 106', 104, and 110 are closed.
With 04' open, pressurize pump 101 to
It is also possible to unclog the nozzle tip by pressurizing the ink tank 102.

As mentioned above, it is possible to remove air bubbles, dirt, etc. that have entered the ink jet head 105 or 105', and to clear the clogging of the nozzle tip independently for each head, but by operating the valve, it can be done for all heads. They can also be done almost simultaneously. Note that the ink tanks 102 and 108 can be refilled by refilling ink from the ink replenishing tank 111 to the ink tank 108 at a constant level with the valve 110 open.
and 108 can be refilled with ink at the same level.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view illustrating the ink supply device of the present invention as an applied example of the embodiment shown in FIG.

In FIG. 2, 201 is an ink tank main body, and two ink chambers 202 and 203 are separated by a partition wall 238.
It is divided into Ink chambers 202 and 203
are connected to each other by a communication pipe 204 having an opening at the bottom of the ink chamber, and a valve 205 is connected to the communication pipe 204.
is attached.

The ink tank body 201 also has ink conduction holes 210 and 210' provided with openings 208 and 208' in the lower part of the ink chamber 202, and ink conduction holes 210 and 210' provided with openings 209 and 209' in the lower part of the ink chamber 203. Holes 211 and 211' are provided, and ink conducting holes 210, 210', 21
1 and 211' have valves 212 and 21, respectively.
2', 213, 213' are attached.

The ink chamber 202 is provided with an opening 240 at the top, to which a pressure pump 207 can be connected via a pressure pump joint 206 . 21
5 is a grooved plate with ink conduction grooves 218, 218',
219, 219' and ink refill opening 237
are provided, and ink conduction grooves 218, 218',
219, 219' have ink passage holes 210, 210', 21 provided in the ink tank body 201.
Through holes 216 and 2 are located at positions corresponding to holes 1 and 211'.
16', 217, and 217' are provided, respectively. 214 is the ink tank body 201 and the grooved plate 2
This is a packing for making the ink passage holes 2 and 15 stick together, and is provided in the ink tank body 201.
Through holes (not shown) are provided at positions corresponding to 10, 210', 211, and 211', respectively.
An opening (not shown) is provided at a position corresponding to 37.

221 is the upper lid of the ink tank main body 201, and the ink conduction grooves 218 and 2 provided in the grooved plate 215 are
Through holes 222, 222', 2 are provided at positions corresponding to the left ends of 18', 219, 219' in the drawing, respectively.
23, 223' are provided, and an ink refill opening 236 is also provided. Reference numeral 220 denotes a packing for tightly fitting the grooved plate 215 and the upper lid 221, and this includes through holes and openings ( (both not shown) are provided.

224 is an ink relay device, and the ink relay chamber 22
7, 227', 228, 228', and through holes 222, 222' provided in the upper lid 221,
223, 223' and ink conducting holes 225, 22
5', 226, and 226', respectively.

Ink tank body 201, packing 214,
The grooved plate 215, the packing 220, the upper lid 221, and the ink relay 224 are each crimped and integrated by screwing or the like. Further, the ink tank main body 201, the grooved plate 215, and the top cover 221 can be integrated by joining, and in this case, the packings 214 and 220 are not necessarily required. 2
33 and 233' are multi-nozzle ink jet heads with ink pipes 231 and 232, respectively.
and 231', 232' joints 229, 23
0 and 229', 230' communicate with ink relay chambers 227, 228 and 227', 228'.

234 is an ink replenishment tank, and the upper lid 22
1 and grooved plate 237, packing 214, 22
The ink chamber 203 is provided with an ink injection device 235 for replenishing ink at a constant level into the ink chamber 203 through ink replenishment holes 236 and 237 of 0.0. The replenishment tank 234 is detachable from the ink tank main body 201 and can be replaced as necessary.

When filling ink into the match nozzle ink jet head 233, the valves 212 and 2
The valve 20 attached to the communication pipe 204 is opened by opening the valve 13 and closing the valve 212' or 213' to pressurize the ink chamber 202 with the pressure pump 207.
5 is closed, and the ink flows through the ink passage holes 210, through holes 216, and ink passage grooves 2 as independent supply paths.
18, through hole 222, ink passage hole 225, ink relay chamber 227, joint 229, and ink pipe 231, and then filled into multi-nozzle ink jet head 233.

After filling the multi-nozzle ink jet head 233, the ink passes through the ink pipe 232 as an independent supply path, the joint 230, the ink relay chamber 228, the ink conduction hole 226, the through hole 223, the ink conduction groove 219, the through hole 217, and the ink conduction. The ink flows into the ink chamber 203 through the hole 211 and flows from the ink chamber 202 to the multi-nozzle ink jet head 2.
Pressure is applied until the ink flow path leading to the ink chamber 203 via the ink chamber 33 is filled with ink.

Similarly, when filling the other multi-nozzle ink jet head 233' with ink,
Open valves 212' and 213' and open valve 2.
12 or 213 and pressurizes the ink chamber 202 with the pressure pump 207, the communication pipe 204
The valve 205 attached to the ink is closed, and the ink flows through the ink passage hole 210', the through hole 216', the ink passage groove 218', and the through hole 22 as independent supply paths.
2', ink passage hole 225', ink relay chamber 22
7', joint 229', ink pipe 231'
Multi-nozzle inkjet head 23
3' is filled.

After filling the multi-nozzle ink jet head 233', ink flows through the ink pipe 232' as an independent supply path, the joint 230', the ink relay chamber 228', the ink passage hole 226', and the through hole 22'.
3', an ink flow path that flows into the ink chamber 203 through the ink conduction groove 219', the through hole 217', and the ink conduction hole 211', and reaches the ink chamber 203 from the ink chamber 202 via the multi-nozzle ink jet head 233'. Apply pressure until it is filled with ink.

As mentioned above, the ink jet heads 233 and 233' can be filled with ink individually, but the valves 212, 212',
Pressure pump 2 with 213, 213' open
By pressurizing the ink chamber 202 at step 07, the ink jet heads 233 and 233' can be simultaneously filled with ink.

After the ink jet heads 233 and 233' are filled with ink under pressure, when the pressure is stopped, the valve 205 attached to the communication pipe 204 is opened, and the ink chambers 202 and 203 are communicated with each other. The ink levels of 203 become equal.

When the ink jet heads 233 and 233' are discharging ink, ink can be supplied by opening the valves 212 and 212'.
Ink flows from the ink chamber 202 to the ink conduction groove 21
Ink is supplied by capillary force through independent supply paths extending through ink jet heads 233 and 233' through ink relay chambers 227 and 227', ink pipes 231 and 231', respectively. Furthermore, by opening the valves 213 and 213', in addition to the above-mentioned flow path, the ink passage grooves 219 and 219' are opened from the ink chamber 203.
Ink relay chamber 288, 288', ink pipe 2
32, 232', and inkjet head 2.
33 and 233' via independent feed paths.
Ink can also be supplied to the ink jet heads by capillary forces with two channels for each ink jet head.

If bubbles, dust, etc. are mixed into the ink jet heads 233, 233' and stable ejection cannot be achieved, circulate the ink using the same method as described above when filling ink into the ink jet heads. This allows air bubbles, dust, etc. to be easily removed.

Furthermore, if the tip of the ink jet nozzle becomes clogged, it is possible to release the blockage by closing the valves 213, 213' and pressurizing the ink chamber 202.

These operations are performed on the inkjet head 23.
As in the case of filling ink to the 3, 233', each head can be filled individually or almost simultaneously by operating each valve.

As is clear from the above embodiments, firstly, in the present invention, it is possible to stably supply ink to a multi-type inkjet device.

Furthermore, since the ink supply source for a large number of inkjet nozzles is unified, it is possible to easily replace ink tanks and replenish ink without causing ink leakage.
The entire device becomes compact. Various effects such as this can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the ink supply device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded view illustrating an application example of the embodiment of FIG. In the figure, 101, 207...pressure pump, 10
2,108...Ink tank, 103,103',
107, 107', 109, 112, 231, 2
31', 232, 232'...Ink pipe, 10
4,104',106,106',110,20
5,212,212',213,213'...Valve, 105,105',233,233'...Ink jet head, 111,234...Ink replenishment tank, 201...Ink tank body, 202,2
03... Ink chamber, 204... Communication pipe, 206... Pressure pump joint, 208, 208', 209,
209', 240...Open hole, 210, 210', 21
1,211',225,225',226,22
6'... Ink conduction hole, 214, 220... Packing, 215... Grooved plate, 216, 216', 217,
217', 222, 222', 223, 223'...
Through hole, 218, 218', 219, 219'... Ink conduction groove, 224... Ink relay, 227, 2
27', 228, 228'...Ink relay chamber, 22
9,229',230,230'...Joint, 2
35... Ink injection device, 236, 237... Ink replenishment opening, 238... Partition wall.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An ink supply capable of supplying ink to the first and second ink jet heads and for ejecting ink from the ejection opening of the ink jet head in conjunction with the operation of the pressure pump. In the apparatus, a first ink chamber to which the pressure pump is connected, a second ink chamber that supplies ink to the first ink chamber, and a flow from the first ink chamber to the second ink chamber. a check valve for blocking ink supply to the inkjet head; and a check valve for independently communicating the first ink chamber and the second ink chamber to each of the first and second ink jet heads, and an independent supply path for supplying ink from the first ink chamber and the second ink chamber to each of the second ink jet heads; and the first ink jet head and the first ink chamber. a first valve that can be opened and closed individually and provided in an independent supply path between the second ink jet head and the first ink chamber; A third valve, which can be opened and closed individually, is provided in an independent supply path between the valve, the first ink jet head, and the second ink chamber, and the second ink jet head and the second ink chamber are connected to each other. An ink supply device comprising: a fourth valve that can be opened and closed individually and provided in an independent supply path between the two ink jet heads, and capable of supplying ink to the first and second ink jet heads individually.