EP0736387B1 - Dispositif de remise en état de l'opération de buses d'imprimantes à jet d'encre - Google Patents

Dispositif de remise en état de l'opération de buses d'imprimantes à jet d'encre Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0736387B1
EP0736387B1 EP19950500043 EP95500043A EP0736387B1 EP 0736387 B1 EP0736387 B1 EP 0736387B1 EP 19950500043 EP19950500043 EP 19950500043 EP 95500043 A EP95500043 A EP 95500043A EP 0736387 B1 EP0736387 B1 EP 0736387B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
printheads
ink
pipes
printhead
vacuum
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19950500043
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German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0736387A1 (fr
Inventor
David Claramunt
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
HP Inc
Original Assignee
Hewlett Packard Co
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Hewlett Packard Co filed Critical Hewlett Packard Co
Priority to ES95500043T priority Critical patent/ES2126861T3/es
Priority to DE1995607011 priority patent/DE69507011T2/de
Priority to EP19950500043 priority patent/EP0736387B1/fr
Publication of EP0736387A1 publication Critical patent/EP0736387A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0736387B1 publication Critical patent/EP0736387B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/165—Prevention or detection of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles
    • B41J2/16517—Cleaning of print head nozzles
    • B41J2/1652—Cleaning of print head nozzles by driving a fluid through the nozzles to the outside thereof, e.g. by applying pressure to the inside or vacuum at the outside of the print head
    • B41J2/16523—Waste ink transport from caps or spittoons, e.g. by suction

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a new device for recovering the operation of the printheads of devices for ink-jet injection printing.
  • Ink-jet injection devices have printheads through which droplets of ink are projected at high speed forming the so-called “ink jets" which are intended to fall on the printing substrate, normally paper, in order to effect the expected trace.
  • One of the problems of the said ink-jet printing devices consists of loss of functionality of the printheads, particularly owing to blockage thereof which usually takes place as a result of partial drying of the residual ink in the printheads.
  • many known ink-jet printing devices have systems for hermetically sealing the printheads once they have stopped working, which decreases the chance of evaporation of the ink and the formation of sediments which give rise to blockage.
  • blockages of some printheads appear, preventing correct operation thereof. This phenomenon may occur mainly in multi-coloured ink-jet printing devices and, in particular, for the colours which are used less frequently.
  • EP 0 622 200 assigned to the applicants of the present application refers to a thermal ink-jet printer which has a manually actuated vacuum source for conveying priming vacuum to the cap for sealing the nozzle array of the printhead, such that the printhead cartridge is primed without removal thereof from the cartridge.
  • said document does not disclose means for keeping various communication pipes closed for normal operation and permitting optional opening thereof for recovery cycles.
  • EP 0 622 201 assigned to the same applicant of the present patent application refers to a priming apparatus for thermal ink-jet printhead cartridges, having a plurality of vacuum conveying elements associated with the caps for the printheads.
  • said document does not disclose that the communication pipes are closed for normal operation, opening the same at the moment when it is necessary for the recovery cycle by means of gripping devices which may be individually released.
  • the main disadvantage of the currently-known devices for recovering printheads consists of their mechanical complexity, their weight and their high cost which constitutes a disadvantage in the development of cheap devices for multi-coloured ink-jet printing.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide a device which has appreciable features of novelty and inventive step, enabling the operation of the printheads for the injection of ink to be recovered effectively and at the same time by simple and cheap means.
  • the present invention comprises a device for recovering the operation of printheads according to claim 1.
  • the mechanical device for generating a vacuum comprises a resilient bellows element which tends to remain in a slackened position owing to the action of a return spring and which can be compressed by the operation of a manual control which, for greater convenience, is provided with a simple push-button and an intermediate rocker arm which acts on the bellows and compresses it.
  • the automatic release of the compression of the bellows will cause rapid expansion of the spring and therefore a suction effect in the pipe connected to the printhead to be restored.
  • the various pipes can preferably be closed by a key system with individual mechanisms for gripping and closing the various pipes and for interlocking the various controls in its normal position which corresponds to the closure of the flexible pipes.
  • the device is so generally arranged that the level of underpressure transmitted to the pen is independent of the manual handling of the device by the user, given the fact that the rapid expansion of the spring and the stroke of the member which creates the underpressure do not directly receive the action from the user who activates the pusher.
  • the present invention also extends to the method of recovering the operation of the printheads of an ink-jet printing device according to claim 10.
  • FIGS 1, 2 and 3 show the main mechanisms of the device of the present invention.
  • the said figures show the movable unit 1 which is intended to close the various printheads of the ink-jet printing device which comprises ink cartridges, indicated 2 and shown in broken outline, for each of the colours required.
  • the movable closure device 1 blocks the outlet 3 of the cartridge and therefore the corresponding printhead, by means of its base plate 76, in the rest position of the head of the ink-jet printing device, generally indicated 4, the guide for the longitudinal displacement of which is indicated 5.
  • the detailed construction of the movable closure unit 1 will be described below.
  • Each of the outlets 3 is connected, by means of a bout or nipple formed in the plate 76, to a flexible pipe 6 which communicates with the manually-operated means 7 for generating vacuum cycles in a manner such that each cycle for the recovery of a printhead will involve the operation of the means 7 and its communication with the obstructed printhead through the corresponding duct 6.
  • the device will have as many pipes 6 as the ink-jet printing device has injection printheads, which is normally four for colour printing.
  • the vacuum generating means 7 will comprise a bellows device with a return spring 8 and an operating push-button 9 which can preferably be disposed vertically to facilitate the exertion of the compression effort in the most ergonomic position for the arm.
  • the said push-button is acted on by a return spring 10 ( Figure 7) and has a projecting stub 11 which is intended to bear on the intermediate rocker arm 12 which has an arm 13 and bears on a thrust element 14 incorporated in the end of the manually operated means for generating vacuum cycles 7.
  • the said rocker arm 12 is pivotable about a transverse axis 77 in the body 15 supporting the vacuum unit and also has a resilient abuttment 16 which, in combination with a fixed abuttment 17 of the support 18, actuates the devices for gripping the various pipes.
  • the recovery effect is brought about automatically when, during its downstroke, the push-button 9 reaches a point at which the rocker arm 12 is released from the actuating stub 11, causing the rocker arm to rise again and the bellows 7 to return to an extended position in which a vacuum effect will be exerted in the internal chamber thereof and in the pipe for the recovery of a printhead, through the distributor 19.
  • the underpressure obtained by means of the device does not depend on the action exerted by the user on the push button -9- given the fact that the driving action on the bellows -7- takes place by the action of the spring -8- and the compression stroke is determined by the rocker arm -12- independently of the manual action exerted by the user.
  • connection pipes between the suction-cycle generating unit and the printhead outlets 3 are constituted by two pipe portions 6 and 26, of which one portion 26 is connected between the end distributor 19 of the vacuum-cycle generator and a fixed intermediate distributor body 21 which has as many individual chambers 22, 23, 24 and 25 as there are flexible pipes, the second pipe portion 6 being connected at one end to a corresponding outlet of one of the said individual chambers and at the other end being connected to the movable plate 76 carrying the seals for closing the outlets of the injection printheads.
  • the intermediate distributor body 21 has, as indicated, a series of individual chambers 22 to 25 in which the ink which will be discharged from the corresponding printhead under the action of the vacuum at the outlet 3 of each of the cartridges 2 can be deposited.
  • the present invention provides for a key system having individual keys for gripping the various pipes.
  • the said key system is shown, in particular, in Figures 3, 5 and 6 in which can be noted the various keys 27, 28, 29 and 30, the bodies of which have large lower windows, for example, the window indicated 31 for the key 28, the lower edge 32 of which will grip the corresponding pipe which extends through the said window 31 and which is not shown for greater clarity, trapping it against the upper edge 33 of the fixed body 18 carrying the said key.
  • Lower return springs such as the spring 34 for the key 28, act on each key and restore the position of the key once it is released, as will be explained below.
  • the present device comprises a transversely movable slider 35 which receives the returning action of its own spring 36 and which, for each of the keys, has a projection 37 the upper edge 38 of which is inclined downwardly and which defines, by means of a chamfer 39, a lower flat region 40.
  • a projection 41 of the key 28 is disposed in a position perpendicular to the said projection 37 in a manner such that, when the key is displaced vertically, the said projection pushes the transverse slider 35, acting on the inclined plane 38 until, upon passing over the projection 37, the slider 35 will return to the original position, retaining the projection 41 beneath the flat region 40, this position being shown in Figure 6.
  • the corresponding pipe which extends through the window 31 is not gripped, that is, it is subject to the effect of the vacuum which will be produced by the expansion of the bellows element after the compression thereof.
  • the ink which comes out of the said printhead will be deposited in a tank 42 in the bottom of the corresponding chamber of the body 21.
  • the said tanks will have different dimensions, according to the maximum or peak underpressure which is desired for the different pens being variable, specially taking into colour pens and black pens.
  • one of the printheads may have a tank 43 with much larger dimensions than the others.
  • Each chamber of the body 21 which includes the tank 42 and the corresponding projection of those indicated 22 to 25 will also have a small opening, indicated 44, by means of which, after the recovery cycle of the vacuum generating means, it can return to atmospheric pressure after a certain time as atmospheric air is drawn through the said opening 44.
  • the dimensions of said venting openings will be used for the adjustment of the descending part of the underpressure curve created in the corresponding chamber, which will vary according to the entrance of ambient air.
  • the vertical push-button 9 has a laterally expanded portion 45 with an inverted U-shaped slot 46 and projecting teeth in its central region 47 in which is inserted an end tooth 48 of a resilient arm 49 fixed to the base 50 of the fixed body carrying the vacuum generating unit.
  • the assembly 4 which forms part of the movable carriage, carries various housings such as those indicated 51, 52, 53 and 54, for the various ink cartridges, which will supply the corresponding injection printheads, the said body being coupled to the unit 1 which carries the means for closing the outlets of the printheads on one side by means of a lateral fin 55 carrying straight lateral flanges 56 and 57 which are coupled with respective straight housings 58 and 59 of a lateral projecting rib 60 which is present on the body 4 and can guide the latter during entry and exit relative to the unit 1 and to the lateral fin 55.
  • the assembly 4 fits onto lateral projections 61, Figure 1, which form part of the unit 1 carrying the means for closing the printhead outlets.
  • the said projections 61 can also be seen in Figure 10 in which it is also possible to see the lower springs 62 and 63 which lift the unit 1 which, laterally, has respective pairs of inclined profiles 64 and 65 which, in combination with downwardly-projecting abuttments which form respective pairs of projections, one of which 66 and 67 is shown in Figure 12, forming part of the fixed body on which the unit 1 is guided, and cooperating with the springs 62 and 63 to convert the longitudinal displacement of the carriage which entrains the body 4 carrying the cartridges 2 into an upward movement of the unit 1 when the carriage reaches the home or rest position, in order to bring about the closure of the printheads, and into a downward movement of the said unit 1 when the carriage departs again towards the working positions.
  • the plate 1 In order close the printheads, the plate 1 carries a series of suitable seals, indicated 68, 69, 70 and 71 in Figure 13, the number of seals being equal to the number of printheads to be controlled, the seals having complementary profiles for fitting the outlets of the cartridges 2 carrying the printheads as indicated in broken outline in Figure 1, with respective surrounding sealing lips as indicated 72 in Figure 14. Intermediate walls, indicated 73 and 74, between each of the successive closures, are made, like the seals and the lips 72, from synthetic rubber to permit easy deformation thereof when the lateral displacements of the carriage take place.
  • the unit 1 has lower fixed bouts or nipples 75 in which the lower flexible pipes indicated 6 in Figure 1 are coupled.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Ink Jet (AREA)

Claims (10)

  1. Dispositif pour la remise en état de marche des têtes d'impression des dispositifs d'imprimantes à jet d'encre, du type comprenant des moyens actionnés manuellement pour l'application d'un cycle de vide, différentes têtes d'impression d'un disposif d'imprimante à jet d'encre pour la remise en état de marche, caractérisé en ce que les moyens actionnés manuellement (7) pour produire des cycles de vide, sont raccordés à chacune des tête d'impression par injection d'encre (3), au moyen de jeux individuels de tuyaux flexibles (6, 26) qui sont habituellement maintenus fermés par des dispositifs de serrage, qui sont individuellement libérables pour transmettre un cycle de vide à la tête d'impression, dans laquelle il s'agit d'exécuter un cycle de remise en état par aspiration.
  2. Dispositif selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que chaque jeu de tuyaux raccordant les moyens de production de cycle de vide à la tête d'impression correspondante (3), est constitué par deux portions de tuyaux (6 et 26), dont une portion (26) est raccordée au distributeur d'extrémité (19) des moyens pour produire des cycles de vide et un corps intermédiaire fixe (21) qui comporte autant de chambres individuelles (22, 23, 24 et 25) qu'il y a des tuyaux flexibles, la seconde portion de tuyau (6) étant raccordée à une extrémité, à une sortie correspondante de l'une des chambres individuelles, et de l'autre côté, raccordée à la plaque mobile (76) portant les joints d'étanchéité pour la fermeture des têtes d'impression.
  3. Dispositif selon les revendications 1 et 2, caractérisé en ce que les moyens pour produire les cycles de vide reçoivent l'impulsion de compression manuelle par le biais d'un bouton-poussoir vertical (9) agissant sur un bras culbuteur (12), qui transmet le mouvement aux moyens de détection des cycles de vide, lequel bras culbuteur(12) est constitué par une structure capable d'osciller sur une portion fixe du corps du dispositif, et qui comporte deux bras (13) recevant l'action d'un bout d'arbre (11), du bouton- poussoir vertical et l'autre (13') agissant sur un élément de butée (14), accouplé à l'extrémité d'un soufflet (7).
  4. Dispositif selon la revendication 3, caractérisé en ce que l'arc décrit par l'extrémité du levier à genouillère basculant (12) coupe le circuit vertical du bout d' arbre d'actionnement (11) du bouton-poussoir manuel (9), permettant ainsi son débranchement automatique dès que la totalité de la course de descente du bouton-poussoir (9) a été effectuée, permettant au soufflet de se dilater à nouveau sous l'effet du ressort (8).
  5. Dispositif selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que les moyens pour saisir les tuyaux flexibles (26) transversalement, sont constitués par les tiges mobiles d'un système à touches avec un nombre de touches d'étranglement (27, 28, 29 et 30) égales au nombre de tuyaux, et de têtes d'impression à commander.
  6. Dispositif selon la revendication 5, caractérisé en ce que les tuyaux flexibles (26) traversent par des fenêtres respectives (31) dans les tiges mobiles des touches de serrage qui peuvent maintenir les tuyaux fermement sous l'action de ressort de rappel (34), qui agissent dans chacune des touches et qui compriment les tuyaux respectifs contre les portions de butées du corps fixe (18) portant le système de touches.
  7. Dispositif selon les revendications 3 et 5, caractérisé en ce que le corps (18) portant le système de touches supporte, accouplé à celui-ci, une glissière transversale (35), destinée à retenir les touches, avec un ressort de rappel (36) ainsi que des plans inclinés respectifs (38) avec lesquels les saillies respectives (41) des tiges mobiles des touches établissent un contact, les plans inclinés (38) aboutissant sur leurs extrémités inférieures dans les logements (40) pour retenir les extrémités en saillie (41) des tiges mobiles, dans des positions correspondant à la libération des tuyaux flexibles correspondant.
  8. Dispositif selon la revendication 2, caractérisé en ce que le volume des chambres individuelles (22, 23, 24, et 25) est dimensionné avec précision pour obtenir une sous pression de pointe prédéterminée, en fonction de la nature de l'encre de la tête d'impression correspondante.
  9. Dispositif selon les revendications 2 et 8, caractérisé en ce que chacune des chambres individuelles (22, 23, 24, et 25), qui reçoivent les tuyaux flexibles, comportent un petit trou (44) pour communiquer avec l'atmosphère et permettre au dispositif à soufflet de récupérer après un cycle de vide, à la suite de l'entrée de l'air ambiant, lequel diamètre est ajusté pour faire varier la forme de la courbe descendante, pour la sous pression créée à l'intérieur de la chambre correspondante.
  10. Procédé pour la remise en état de marche des têtes d'impression de dispositif d'imprimantes à jet d'encre, avec l'utilisation du dispositif, qui fait l'objet des revendications 1 à 9, caractérisé en ce qu'il comprend les étapes consistant à :
    a) fermer tous les tuyaux raccordant les moyens pour produire des cycles de vie à chacune des têtes d'impression,
    b) sélectionner la communication entre les moyens pour produire les cycles de vide et la tête d'impression à remettre en état avant de générer le cycle de vide,
    c) produire un cycle de vide individuel dans les moyens pour la production des cycles de vide,
    d) application du cycle de vide généré individuellement à la tête d'impression sélectionnée à remettre en état.
EP19950500043 1995-04-05 1995-04-05 Dispositif de remise en état de l'opération de buses d'imprimantes à jet d'encre Expired - Lifetime EP0736387B1 (fr)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ES95500043T ES2126861T3 (es) 1995-04-05 1995-04-05 Dispositivo para la recuperacion funcional de las toberas de inyeccion de aparatos de impresion por chorros de tinta.
DE1995607011 DE69507011T2 (de) 1995-04-05 1995-04-05 Vorrichtung zum Wiederherstellen der Wirkung der Austrittsdüsen von Tintenstrahldruckgeräten
EP19950500043 EP0736387B1 (fr) 1995-04-05 1995-04-05 Dispositif de remise en état de l'opération de buses d'imprimantes à jet d'encre

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP19950500043 EP0736387B1 (fr) 1995-04-05 1995-04-05 Dispositif de remise en état de l'opération de buses d'imprimantes à jet d'encre

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0736387A1 EP0736387A1 (fr) 1996-10-09
EP0736387B1 true EP0736387B1 (fr) 1998-12-30

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19950500043 Expired - Lifetime EP0736387B1 (fr) 1995-04-05 1995-04-05 Dispositif de remise en état de l'opération de buses d'imprimantes à jet d'encre

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0736387B1 (fr)
DE (1) DE69507011T2 (fr)
ES (1) ES2126861T3 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11584128B2 (en) 2018-01-19 2023-02-21 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Printhead priming and venting

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2908360B2 (ja) * 1996-11-20 1999-06-21 新潟日本電気株式会社 切り替え弁
US6189995B1 (en) * 1997-03-04 2001-02-20 Hewlett-Packard Company Manually replaceable printhead servicing module for each different inkjet printhead

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3333626A1 (de) * 1983-09-17 1985-04-18 Olympia Werke Ag, 2940 Wilhelmshaven Vorrichtung zum entfernen von schmutz- oder luftteilchen aus einem tintendruckkopf eines schreibwerkes
US5420619A (en) * 1992-05-04 1995-05-30 Hewlett-Packard Company On-line/off-line primer for ink jet cartridge
US5432538A (en) * 1992-11-12 1995-07-11 Xerox Corporation Valve for an ink jet printer maintenance system
US5450105A (en) * 1993-04-30 1995-09-12 Hewlett-Packard Company Manual pen selection for clearing nozzles without removal from pen carriage

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11584128B2 (en) 2018-01-19 2023-02-21 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Printhead priming and venting

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69507011T2 (de) 1999-07-15
DE69507011D1 (de) 1999-02-11
EP0736387A1 (fr) 1996-10-09
ES2126861T3 (es) 1999-04-01

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