JPH05218B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an ink supply system to a recording element in a recording apparatus such as an inkjet printer.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a printing apparatus, printing is performed by scanning a carriage on which a printing element is mounted over a printing paper. In this case, a flexible ink supply tube is connected to the recording element so that ink can be supplied to the recording element as the carriage travels, and ink is passed through the ink supply tube from an ink reservoir in a fixed position. A method has been adopted to supply

FIG. 1 shows an example of an inkjet printer that supplies ink using this method.
1 is a recording paper, 2 is a paper feed roller that feeds the recording paper 1 in the arrow Y direction (sub-scanning direction), and 3 is a paper feed roller 2
4 is a paper guide roller, and 5 is a paper guide roller that forms a recording plane. Reference numeral 6 denotes a multi-nozzle ink jet head that is arranged opposite to the recording paper 1 and moves parallel to the recording paper 1. 7 is a carriage on which this inkjet head is mounted and moves back and forth in the directions of arrows L and R; 8 is a pulse motor for driving the carriage that moves the carriage 7 via a timing belt 9; 10 is a sliding shaft that guides the carriage 7. ,1
1 and 12 are carriage position sensors, and 13 is a flexible wiring board that supplies a drive signal to the head 6. 14 is a flexible ink supply tube that supplies ink to the ink jet head 6;
15 is an ink tank, which is communicated with the head 6 via a tube 14.

In the inkjet printer having such a configuration, the inkjet head 6 mounted on the carriage 7 is moved back and forth over the recording paper 1 by the pulse motor 8. In synchronization with this movement, ink droplets are ejected from each nozzle of the head 6 onto the recording paper according to a drive signal supplied via the flexible wiring board 13.
A recorded image is formed on the recording paper 1. Incidentally, ink is always supplied from the ink tank 15 to the head 6 via the tube 14.

Here, ink tank 1 is removed using this method.
In order to supply ink from the cartridge 5 to the head 6, it is necessary to secure a space for the tube 14 to move as the carriage 7 moves so as not to interfere with the movement of the tube. However, since the tube is flexible, its movement trajectory is not fixed, and a large movement space is required, which is an obstacle to miniaturization of the device. Furthermore, the carriage 7
Due to the movement of the tube 14 due to the movement of
The running load of the carriage 7 and the ink supply pressure to the head 6 are likely to fluctuate, resulting in changes in the air being drawn in from each nozzle of the head 6 and the flight trajectory of ink droplets ejected from the nozzles. This situation may occur, and the quality of the image on the recording paper 1 may deteriorate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording device with stable image quality by requiring only a small space and supplying ink to a recording element with a stable supply pressure. It's about doing.

To this end, in the present invention, an ink tank that stores ink replenished from an ink supply section when replenishing ink and a recording head that performs recording using ink from the ink tank are integrally held and recorded. In the recording apparatus, the ink tank is configured to be able to discharge ink in an amount equal to or greater than a predetermined capacity, and the ink tank is configured to be able to discharge ink equal to or greater than a predetermined capacity, and the ink tank is configured to be able to discharge ink equal to or greater than the predetermined capacity. The ink supply section has an ink discharge section that is in pressure contact with the ink supply section and the ink discharge section of the ink tank from an extended state, and the ink supply section is in close contact with the ink supply section and the ink discharge section of the ink tank with compressive elastic deformation. It is characterized by having a supply path and an ink discharge path.

According to the present invention, when replenishing ink from the ink supply section to the ink tank, the ink supply section and the ink tank are joined, and the ink is replenished through this joint. At the time of this joining, the ink supply path and the ink discharge path of the ink supply section come into pressure contact with the ink supply section and the ink discharge section of the ink tank, respectively, from an extended state, and are closely joined together with compressive elastic deformation.

As a result, a close contact is formed, and highly reliable ink replenishment and discharge without ink leakage etc. can be performed. Along with this, after replenishing ink,
When the ink tank and the ink supply section are separated from each other, when the deformed ink supply path of the ink supply section returns to its original state, negative pressure is created in the ink supply path and the ink tank side joint is Ink adhering to the bonding surface etc. can be sucked, and adhesion can be improved when bonding is performed again.

The present invention will be explained in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show an embodiment of the present invention, in which the present invention is applied to the inkjet printer shown in FIG. The overall configuration of the inkjet printer is the same as the example shown in the first figure, and only the ink supply system, which is the essential part of the present invention, is shown in the figure.

In FIG. 2, 21 is a multi-nozzle inkjet head fixed to the head board 7A of the carriage 7, and 22 is a sub-tank also mounted on the carriage 7. Reference numeral 23 denotes an ink supply section disposed at a fixed position near the end of the travel path of the carriage 7, and supplies ink to the sub-tank 22 at a predetermined time, as will be described later.

The configuration of each of these parts will be explained based on FIG. 3.
As shown in the figure, a liquid chamber 211 communicating with each nozzle of the head 21 is connected to an ink storage part 2 in a sub tank 22.
Connects to 21. The sub-tank 22 is provided with an ink storage section 221 and an overflow tank 223 separated by a partition wall 222. By setting the partition wall 222 at a predetermined height, the ink liquid level in the ink storage section 221 is maintained at a predetermined height, and ink overflowing from the ink storage section 221 is collected into the overflow tank 223. Reference numeral 224 designates an ink replenishment path for replenishing ink to the ink storage portion 221; one end communicates with the ink storage portion 221, and the other end is formed in the side wall 225, and includes a substantially conical concave portion 226 serving as an ink replenishment port. communicate with the atmosphere through. In addition, overflow tank 223
An ink recovery path 227 for recovering the ink remaining in the tank 223 is provided on the side wall of the tank 223, and the other end is formed in the same side wall 225 as the ink replenishment port 226. It communicates with the atmosphere via 228.

On the other hand, in the ink supply section 23, 231 is a main tank storing ink, 232 is a pump,
233 is a nozzle forming section. Nozzle forming part 23
3, 234 is a support block, which has an ink supply passage 235 and an ink recovery passage 236. An ink replenishment tube 238 having an ink replenishment nozzle 237 formed in a substantially conical shape at its tip is slidably fitted into the ink replenishment passage 235 . Furthermore, a spring 239 is inserted between the nozzle 237 and the support block 234 as shown. Passage 23
The other end of 5 is connected to the pump 23 via a supply pipe 240.
It communicates with the discharge port side of No.2. The suction port side of the pump 232 is communicated with the inside of the ink tank 231 via a suction pipe 241, and the pump 232 is driven to transfer ink from the ink tank 231 to the suction pipe 2.
41 and discharged toward the nozzle 237 through the supply pipe 240. Next, an ink recovery tube 243 having an ink recovery nozzle 242 formed in a substantially conical shape at its tip is slidably fitted into the ink recovery passage 236 of the support block 234.
A spring 244 is interposed between the nozzle 242 and the support block 234. Further, the other end side of the passage 236 communicates with the ink tank 231 via an ink recovery pipe 245. Note that 246 is a vent provided in the ink tank 231.

Here, the nozzles 237 and 242 are configured to fit into recesses 226 and 228 formed in the side wall of the sub-tank 22, respectively, during ink replenishment, as will be described later. Furthermore, the carriage 7 is guided by the sliding shaft 10 and moves to the end of the travel path, and the nozzles 237, 24 of the ink supply section 23, which are in fixed positions, are inserted into the recesses 225, 228 of the sub-tank side wall 225.
After the nozzles 237, 242 are fitted with the springs 239, 242 due to further movement of the carriage 7,
The spring force of 244 presses the concave portions 225 and 228 into close contact with each other, and as shown in the fourth figure, the ink tank 231, the nozzle 237, and the ink supply port 22
6 to the sub-tank 22 and the ink recovery port 228 from the overflow tank 223 to the ink tank 23 via the nozzle 242.
1 so that an ink recovery path is formed. For this purpose, a sensor 25 is disposed at the position of the carriage 7 when it is in such a close contact state, and the sensor 25 is
The carriage position is controlled by the detection output of 5. In this example, the sensor 25 is composed of a photocoupler consisting of a light emitting diode and a phototransistor, and a thin light plate 26 is disposed on the bottom 7B of the carriage 7, and when the sensor 25 detects this thin light plate 26, the carriage 7 is moved. stop. Also,
Based on the detection output of this sensor 25, the pump 23
2 to start the ink replenishment operation.

In this embodiment configured in this manner, when an ink replenishment command is received from an operation unit (not shown), the carriage 7 moves toward the ink supply unit 23 disposed near the end of the travel path. When the sensor 25 detects the light plate 26 disposed on the bottom 7B of the carriage 7, the movement of the carriage 7 is stopped based on the detection output. FIG. 4 shows such a state, and as described above, the nozzle 237 is pressed against the ink supply port 226 by the spring force of the spring 239 and is in a close contact state. Similarly, nozzle 24
2. Due to the spring force of the spring 244, the ink collection port 22
8 and are in close contact. That is, the ink storage section 22 in the sub-tank is supplied from the ink tank 231 through the nozzle 237 and the ink supply port 226.
1 is formed, and an ink supply path from the overflow tank 223 to the ink collection port 22 is formed.
8. An ink recovery path leading to the inside of the ink tank 231 via the nozzle 242 is formed. Here, the pump 232 is energized by the detection output of the sensor 25. Therefore, at the same time that the ink supply path and the ink recovery path are formed, the pump 232 starts replenishing ink from the ink tank 231 into the ink storage section 221 in the sub-tank, and at the same time, the ink in the overflow tank 223 is Ink is collected again into the ink tank 231.

After performing such ink replenishment and collection operations for a predetermined period of time, the ink replenishment command is canceled, the carriage 7 is guided by the sliding shaft 10, returns to the predetermined printing position, and performs subsequent printing operations. . In this printing operation, ink replenished to the ink storage section 221 in the sub-tank is supplied to each nozzle via the liquid chamber 211 of the head 21. Also,
Ink overflowing from the partition wall 222 of the ink storage section 221 due to speed changes such as movement or stopping of the carriage 7 during printing operation is stored in an overflow tank 223.

Thereafter, when an ink replenishment command is issued again, the above-described operations are repeated to perform ink replenishment and collection operations.

As described above, in this embodiment, the sub-tank 22 that directly supplies ink to the ink jet head 21 mounted on the carriage 7 is also mounted on the carriage 7, and this sub-tank 22 is also mounted on the carriage 7, and this is supplied from the main tank 231 disposed at a fixed position. Ink replenishment to the sub-tank 22 is performed by communicating the main tank 231 and the sub-tank 22 at a predetermined time. Therefore, the head 21 does not always move while dragging the ink supply tube as in the conventional case. As a result, there is no need to provide a space for moving the ink supply tube, and the device can be made smaller accordingly, and the layout of each component can be made easier. Furthermore, the problem that would occur if the running load of the carriage 7 on which the head 21 is mounted varies due to the ink supply tube does not occur, and the ink supply pressure to the head 21 does not vary, so printing quality can be maintained at a constant level. can be held. Furthermore, since the sub-tank 22 is replenished with ink from the main tank 231, the capacity of the sub-tank can be reduced, the running load on the carriage 7 can be kept low, and the precision of its running control can be increased. Furthermore, the capacity of the sub-tank can be determined as appropriate, taking into account the frequency of ink replenishment and the like.

Further, in this embodiment, an overflow tank 223 is provided in the sub-tank 22, and the ink overflowing from the ink storage section 221 in the sub-tank is temporarily stored in this tank 223, and the ink in this tank 223 is stored during an ink replenishment operation. Since the ink is collected into the main tank 231, such ink collection work can be easily performed.

As explained above, according to this embodiment, the sub-tank is mounted on the carriage and supplies ink directly to the recording element, and ink is supplied from the main tank at a fixed position to the recording element on the moving carriage. The main tank and the sub-tank are configured to communicate with each other at a predetermined time, and ink is supplied from the main tank to the sub-tank only when the ink supply path is configured, so the space required is small. The ink can be supplied to the recording element at a stable supply pressure, thereby realizing a recording device with stable image quality.

In the above example, the ink supply unit was placed at the end of the carriage path, and the sensor was placed to replenish ink when the carriage came to the end of the path. This example is not limited to this example, and includes any type of intermittent replenishment period in which ink replenishment is not performed continuously. For example, a sensor is provided to detect the remaining amount of ink, and the sensor is Alternatively, the ink supply may be instructed when the carriage reaches the end of the travel path a predetermined number of times.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional recording device;
Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an ink supply system showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view showing an enlarged view of the ink supply system shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a block diagram of the ink supply system shown in Fig. 2. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view showing the state during ink replenishment and collection operations between the main tank and the sub tank in FIG. 1...Recording paper, 2...Paper feed roller, 3...Paper feed pulse motor, 4, 5...Paper guide roller,
6... Ink jet head, 7... Carriage, 8... Pulse motor, 9... Timing belt, 10... Sliding shaft, 11, 12... Position sensor, 13... Flexible wiring board, 14... Ink Supply tube, 15... Ink tank, 21...
...Inkjet head, 22...Sub tank,
23... Ink supply unit, 25... Sensor, 26...
. . . Light plate, 211 . . . Liquid chamber, 221 . . . Ink reservoir, 222 .
... Side wall, 226 ... Recessed part (ink supply port), 2
27... Ink recovery path, 228... Recessed portion (ink recovery port), 231... Main tank, 232...
...Pump, 233... Nozzle forming section, 234...
Support block, 235... Ink supply passage, 23
6... Ink recovery passage, 237... Ink supply nozzle, 238... Ink supply pipe, 239, 244
... Spring, 240 ... Supply pipe, 241 ... Suction pipe, 242 ... Ink collection nozzle, 243, 24
5...Ink collection pipe, 246...Vent hole.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An ink tank that stores ink supplied from an ink supply unit when replenishing ink and a recording head that performs recording using the ink from the ink tank are integrally held to perform recording. In the recording apparatus, the ink tank is configured to be able to discharge a predetermined capacity or more of ink, and the ink tank is configured to be capable of discharging ink exceeding a predetermined capacity, and includes an ink replenishing section for replenishing ink when replenishing the ink, and an ink tank for discharging ink exceeding the predetermined capacity. and an ink discharge section, the ink supply section is in pressure contact with the ink supply section and the ink discharge section of the ink tank from an extended state, and the ink supply section is in close contact with the ink supply section and the ink discharge section with compressive elastic deformation. A recording device comprising an ink discharge path and an ink discharge path. 2. Claim 1, wherein the recording head is an inkjet recording head that performs recording by receiving ink from the ink tank.
Recording device as described in section. 3. The recording device applies a pumping action to the ink replenishment path after the ink replenishment path and the ink discharge path are connected to the ink replenishment portion and the ink discharge portion of the ink tank to form the ink replenishment path and the ink discharge path. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink is supplied from the ink supply section to the ink tank by adding the ink to the ink tank.