CN114103472A

CN114103472A - Ink supply system

Info

Publication number: CN114103472A
Application number: CN202111508372.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 朱邦宁; 胡辉; 刘荣交; 应秋尧; 胡晓刚
Original assignee: Suzhou Samon Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Suzhou Samon Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-12-10
Filing date: 2021-12-10
Publication date: 2022-03-01

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of ink-jet printing, and discloses an ink supply system, wherein a nozzle of the ink supply system and a nozzle of an ink-jet printer are both arranged on a rack, the ink supply system comprises a first ink box, a second ink box, an ink supply pump and a box, the first ink box is communicated with the second ink box, the ink supply pump can enable ink in the first ink box to flow into the second ink box, the first ink box, the second ink box and the ink supply pump are all arranged on the box, and the second ink box is communicated with the nozzle positioned outside the box. According to the invention, the first ink box and the second ink box are communicated through the first pipeline, and the first ink box and the second ink box are integrated on the box so as to reduce the distance between the first ink box and the second ink box, thus reducing the distance between the pipelines for communicating the first ink box and the second ink box, reducing the waste amount of ink and further reducing the production cost.

Description

Ink supply system

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of ink-jet printing, in particular to an ink supply system.

Background

Ink jet printers rely primarily on ink to form text or images. The ink supply system of the ink-jet printer in the prior art usually comprises an ink feeding box arranged inside the ink-jet printer and an ink storage box arranged outside the ink-jet printer, wherein the ink feeding box and the ink storage box are communicated through an ink conveying pipe, but because the distance between the ink storage box and the ink feeding box in the prior art is far, a large amount of ink can be remained in the ink conveying pipe, because the ink conveying pipe is high in disassembly difficulty, the ink conveying pipe can be cleaned at long intervals, when the ink-jet printer is not used for a long time, the large amount of ink remained in the ink conveying pipe can be directly wasted, and for the ink-jet printer applied to the semiconductor industry, because the price of the high ink, the large amount of ink is wasted, and the production cost is increased.

Therefore, the above problems need to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide an ink supply system to solve the problem of increased production cost caused by ink waste.

In order to achieve the purpose, the invention adopts the following technical scheme:

an ink supply system comprising:

a first ink cartridge and a second ink cartridge, the first ink cartridge and the second ink cartridge being in communication;

an ink supply pump capable of causing the ink in the first ink cartridge to flow into the second ink cartridge; and

the first ink box, the second ink box and the ink supply pump are all installed on the box, and the second ink box is communicated with the spray head located outside the box.

Preferably, the air pressure in the first ink cartridge is equal to the atmospheric pressure, and the ink supply pump is configured to form a negative pressure environment in the second ink cartridge so that the ink in the first ink cartridge can flow into the second ink cartridge from a first pipe.

Preferably, the ink supply system further includes a solenoid valve configured to open or close the first pipe between the first ink tank and the second ink tank.

Preferably, the first ink cartridge is mounted outside the cartridge, and the first pipe passes through a cartridge wall of the cartridge and communicates with the first ink cartridge and the second ink cartridge, respectively.

Preferably, the first ink cartridge is disposed below the second ink cartridge, and a height difference between the first ink cartridge and the second ink cartridge is set to 200mm or more.

Preferably, the first ink cartridge, the second ink cartridge, and the ink supply pump are all disposed in the cartridge.

Preferably, the cassette is provided with a hinged door.

Preferably, the cartridge box is provided with a second pipeline, one end of the second pipeline is communicated with the first ink box, the other end of the second pipeline extends out of the cartridge box, and a port of the second pipeline, which is located outside the cartridge box, is an ink injection port.

Preferably, the cartridge is made of an aluminum alloy material and is subjected to an oxidation treatment.

Preferably, a liquid level sensor is disposed in each of the first ink cartridge and the second ink cartridge.

The invention has the beneficial effects that: according to the invention, the first ink box and the second ink box are communicated through the first pipeline, and the first ink box and the second ink box are integrated on the box so as to reduce the distance between the first ink box and the second ink box, thus reducing the distance between the pipelines for communicating the first ink box and the second ink box, reducing the waste amount of ink and further reducing the production cost.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an ink supply system, a nozzle, and a frame according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an internal structure of a cartridge of the ink supply system according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the ink supply system, the nozzle, and the frame according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an ink supply system, a nozzle, and a frame according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an ink supply system, a nozzle, and a frame according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the interior of a cartridge of an ink supply system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure:

100. a frame;

200. a spray head;

310. a first ink cartridge; 311. a first joint; 312. a second joint; 320. a second ink cartridge; 330. an ink supply pump; 340. a cassette; 341. a loose-leaf door; 342. a second conduit; 3421. an ink injection port; 350. an electromagnetic valve; 360. a first conduit.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not limiting of the invention. It should be further noted that, for the convenience of description, only some of the structures related to the present invention are shown in the drawings, not all of the structures.

In the description of the present invention, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the terms "connected," "connected," and "fixed" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning permanently connected, removably connected, or integral to one another; can be mechanically or electrically connected; either directly or indirectly through intervening media, either internally or in any other relationship. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in specific cases to those skilled in the art.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, "above" or "below" a first feature means that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact with each other via another feature therebetween. Also, the first feature being "on," "above" and "over" the second feature includes the first feature being directly on and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicating that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature includes the first feature being directly under and obliquely below the second feature, or simply meaning that the first feature is at a lesser elevation than the second feature.

In the description of the present embodiment, the terms "upper", "lower", "right", etc. are used in an orientation or positional relationship based on that shown in the drawings only for convenience of description and simplicity of operation, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used only for descriptive purposes and are not intended to have a special meaning.

Example one

The ink-jet printer in the prior art is provided with an ink supply system and a sprayer, wherein the ink supply system comprises an ink delivery box arranged inside the ink-jet printer and an ink storage box arranged outside the ink-jet printer, the ink delivery box and the ink storage box are communicated through an ink delivery pipe, the ink delivery box is communicated with the sprayer, and ink in the ink storage box can flow into the ink delivery box through the ink delivery pipe, so that characters or images are sprayed and formed through the sprayer. Since the length of the ink feed tube in the prior art is long, ink is wasted greatly, thereby increasing production cost. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the production cost by narrowing the distance between the ink tank and the ink feed tank of the ink supply system.

Therefore, referring to fig. 1 to 3, the ink supply system and the nozzle 200 are mounted on the rack 100, the ink supply system includes a first ink cartridge 310, a second ink cartridge 320, an ink supply pump 330 and a cartridge 340, the first ink cartridge 310 is communicated with the second ink cartridge 320, the ink supply pump 330 enables ink in the first ink cartridge 310 to flow into the second ink cartridge 320, the first ink cartridge 310, the second ink cartridge 320 and the ink supply pump 330 are mounted on the cartridge 340, and the second ink cartridge 320 is communicated with the nozzle 200 outside the cartridge 340.

It is understood that the first ink cartridge 310 of the ink supply system in the present embodiment is the ink tank described above, and the second ink cartridge 320 is the ink supply cartridge described above.

In the embodiment, the first ink cartridge 310 and the second ink cartridge 320 are communicated through the first pipe 360, and the first ink cartridge 310 and the second ink cartridge 320 are integrated on the cartridge 340 to reduce the distance between the first ink cartridge 310 and the second ink cartridge 320, so as to reduce the distance between the first pipe 360 for communicating the first ink cartridge 310 and the second ink cartridge 320, thereby reducing the waste amount of ink and further reducing the production cost.

Specifically, in the embodiment, the first ink cartridge 310, the ink supply pump 330 and the second ink cartridge 320 are sequentially communicated, the ink stored in the first ink cartridge 310 can enter the second ink cartridge 320 through the first pipeline 360 under the action of the ink supply pump 330, the second ink cartridge 320 is communicated with the nozzle 200 disposed outside the cartridge 340, and the ink in the second ink cartridge 320 can be ejected by the nozzle 200 to form characters or images. Because the first ink box 310 and the second ink box 320 are both arranged on the box 340, the distance between the first ink box 310 and the second ink box 320 is smaller, namely the length of the first pipeline 360 is smaller, and therefore after the inkjet printer stops working, only a small amount of ink remains in the first pipeline 360, so that the waste amount of the ink is reduced, and the production cost is further reduced.

Further, in the present embodiment, the air pressure in the first ink tank 310 is equal to the atmospheric pressure, the ink supply pump 330 is configured to form a negative pressure environment in the second ink tank 320, so that the ink in the first ink tank 310 can flow into the second ink tank 320 through the first pipeline 360, specifically, the ink supply pump 330 can perform a vacuum operation on the second ink tank 320, so that the negative pressure environment is formed in the second ink tank 320, as shown in fig. 2, the first ink tank 310 is provided with a first joint 311 and a second joint 312, the first joint 311 is communicated with the first pipeline 360, the second joint 312 is communicated with the outside through a third pipeline (not shown in the figure), so that the air pressure in the first ink tank 310 is equal to the atmospheric pressure.

Because the ink supply pump 330 in this embodiment can form a negative pressure environment in the second ink cartridge 320, when the inkjet printer stops working, that is, when the ink supply pump 330 stops working, the second ink cartridge 320 is still in the negative pressure environment, if the first pipeline 360 is still in an open state when the ink supply pump 330 stops working, the ink in the first ink cartridge 310 still flows to the second ink cartridge 320, and because the nozzle 200 does not eject ink after the inkjet printer stops working, the amount of ink in the second ink cartridge 320 will increase sharply after the inkjet printer stops working, when the second ink cartridge 320 is full of ink, the ink flowing from the first ink cartridge 310 to the second ink cartridge 320 can be filled into the vacuum interface of the ink supply pump 330, thereby affecting the service life of the ink supply pump 330, and possibly causing an abnormality during subsequent ink supply, thereby causing the inkjet printer to fail to work normally, to solve the above problem, referring to fig. 3, the ink supply system of the present embodiment further includes a solenoid valve 350, wherein the solenoid valve 350 is configured to open or close a first pipe 360 between the first ink tank 310 and the second ink tank 320, the solenoid valve 350 opens the first pipe 360 when the inkjet printer starts to operate, and the solenoid valve 350 closes the first pipe 360 when the inkjet printer stops operating.

Further, in the second ink cartridge 320 of this embodiment, a liquid level sensor (not shown) is provided, referring to fig. 2, the ink supply system of this embodiment further includes a control board, which can control the electromagnetic valve 350 to open or close the first pipeline 360 between the first ink cartridge 310 and the second ink cartridge 320 in addition to controlling the start or stop of the nozzle 200 or the flow rate of the ink ejected from the nozzle 200, that is, the liquid level sensor in the second ink cartridge 320 is electrically connected to the control board, when the liquid level sensor in the second ink cartridge 320 detects that the amount of ink in the second ink cartridge 320 exceeds the preset maximum value, the liquid level sensor in the second ink cartridge 320 sends a warning signal to the control board, the control board controls the solenoid valve 350 to close the first pipe 360, of course, the control board can also control the solenoid valve 350 to close the first pipe 360 when the spray head 200 stops operating.

As shown in fig. 2, the first ink cartridge 310, the second ink cartridge 320, the control board and the ink supply pump 330 are disposed in the cartridge 340 to prevent the outside air from corroding, so as to prolong the service life of the first ink cartridge 310, the second ink cartridge 320, the control board and the ink supply pump 330.

Since the first ink cartridge 310 is disposed in the cartridge 340, and the first ink cartridge 310 is used for storing ink, when all the ink in the first ink cartridge 310 is used, the cartridge 340 needs to be opened to replace the first ink cartridge 310, that is, the inkjet printer in this embodiment needs to open the cartridge 340 to replace the first ink cartridge 310 after operating for a period of time, for this reason, the cartridge 340 in this embodiment is provided with the hinge door 341, and a worker can replace the first ink cartridge 310 by opening the hinge door 341, and after completing the replacement, the worker closes the hinge door 341 to make the inside of the cartridge 340 in a sealed state again.

Further, the first ink cartridge 310 in this embodiment is also provided with a liquid level sensor to detect the amount of ink in the first ink cartridge 310, the liquid level sensor in the first ink cartridge 310 is also electrically connected to the control board, when the liquid level sensor in the first ink cartridge 310 detects that the amount of ink in the first ink cartridge 310 is insufficient, the liquid level sensor in the first ink cartridge 310 sends a warning signal to the control board, the control board controls the spray head 200 to stop working, and sends a prompt signal to remind a worker to replace the first ink cartridge 310.

The cartridge 340 in this embodiment is made of an aluminum alloy material and is oxidized to make the cartridge 340 black to prevent the curing of the ink by external light.

It is understood that the hinge door 341 in this embodiment is made of transparent acrylic material to facilitate the staff member to observe the working conditions of the first ink cartridge 310, the second ink cartridge 320, the control panel and the ink supply pump 330 in the cartridge 340, and meanwhile, the hinge door 341 is yellow to further prevent the external light from curing the ink.

Based on the above, in the embodiment, the first ink cartridge 310, the second ink cartridge 320, the control board and the ink supply pump 330 are all integrated on the cartridge 340, and the cartridge 340 is installed on the frame 100, so that the staff member can disassemble and repair the ink supply system.

Example two

Referring to fig. 4, compared to the first embodiment, the difference of the present embodiment is that the first ink cartridge 310 is installed outside the cartridge 340, and the first pipeline 360 passes through the cartridge wall of the cartridge 340 and is respectively communicated with the first ink cartridge 310 and the second ink cartridge 320, i.e. compared to the first embodiment, the first ink cartridge 310 can be replaced without providing the hinge door 341 in the present embodiment.

EXAMPLE III

Referring to fig. 5, compared to the first embodiment, the difference of the present embodiment is that the cartridge 340 is provided with the second pipe 342, one end of the second pipe 342 is communicated with the first ink cartridge 310, and the other end of the second pipe 342 extends out of the cartridge 340, and a port of the second pipe 342 located outside the cartridge 340 is the ink injection port 3421, when all the ink in the first ink cartridge 310 is used, the present embodiment can inject the ink into the first ink cartridge 310 through the ink injection port 3421, that is, the present embodiment does not need to provide the loose-leaf door 341.

Example four

Referring to fig. 6, compared to the first embodiment, the difference of the present embodiment is that the first ink cartridge 310 is disposed below the second ink cartridge 320, and the height difference between the first ink cartridge 310 and the second ink cartridge 320 is set to be more than 200mm, and because there is a height difference between the first ink cartridge 310 and the second ink cartridge 320, when the inkjet printer stops working, the ink in the first ink cartridge 310 will not flow to the second ink cartridge 320 under the action of gravity, that is, the present embodiment does not need to provide the electromagnetic valve 350 to open or close the first pipeline 360, thereby saving the manufacturing cost of the ink supply system.

It should be understood that the above-described embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. Numerous obvious variations, adaptations and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. And are neither required nor exhaustive of all embodiments. Any modification, equivalent replacement, and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ink supply system, comprising:

a first ink cartridge (310) and a second ink cartridge (320), the first ink cartridge (310) and the second ink cartridge (320) being in communication;

an ink supply pump (330) capable of causing the ink in the first ink cartridge (310) to flow into the second ink cartridge (320); and

a cartridge (340), the first ink cartridge (310), the second ink cartridge (320), and the ink supply pump (330) being mounted on the cartridge (340), the second ink cartridge (320) being in communication with a head (200) located outside the cartridge (340).

2. The ink supply system according to claim 1, wherein the air pressure in the first ink tank (310) is equal to the atmospheric pressure, and the ink supply pump (330) is configured to create a negative pressure environment in the second ink tank (320) to enable the ink in the first ink tank (310) to flow from the first pipe (360) into the second ink tank (320).

3. The ink supply system according to claim 2, further comprising a solenoid valve (350), the solenoid valve (350) being configured to open or close the first conduit (360) between the first ink tank (310) and the second ink tank (320).

4. The ink supply system according to claim 3, wherein the first ink cartridge (310) is mounted outside the cartridge (340), and the first pipe (360) passes through a cartridge wall of the cartridge (340) and communicates with the first ink cartridge (310) and the second ink cartridge (320), respectively.

5. The ink supply system according to claim 2, wherein the first ink tank (310) is disposed below the second ink tank (320), and a difference in height between the first ink tank (310) and the second ink tank (320) is set to 200mm or more.

6. The ink supply system of claim 1, wherein the first ink cartridge (310), the second ink cartridge (320), and the ink supply pump (330) are disposed in the cartridge (340).

7. Ink supply system according to claim 6, characterised in that the cassette (340) is provided with a loose-leaf door (341).

8. The ink supply system according to claim 6, wherein a second pipe (342) is disposed on the cartridge (340), one end of the second pipe (342) is connected to the first ink cartridge (310), and the other end of the second pipe extends out of the cartridge (340), and the port of the second pipe (342) outside the cartridge (340) is an ink filling port (3421).

9. Ink supply system according to claim 1, characterised in that the cartridge (340) is made of an aluminium alloy material and is subjected to an oxidation treatment.

10. The ink supply system of claim 1, wherein a liquid level sensor is disposed in each of the first ink tank (310) and the second ink tank (320).