JP2000177116A - Pen type liquid ejector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent staining due to scattering of liquid through a simple arrangement. SOLUTION: A pen type ink ejector comprises a head 1 for ejecting liquid utilizing electric energy, a liquid ejection controller 10, a liquid holding tank 2, a battery 3 for supplying driving energy, and switches 11, 12, 13 as input units. The pen type ink ejector further comprises a cap 50 covering the ejection opening face of the head 1, and a wiping means 51 for cleaning the ejection opening face disposed in the cap.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pen-type liquid ejecting apparatus suitable for use as an electronic pen used mainly for drawing characters and pictures on a recording medium, and more particularly, to a liquid ejecting head of the apparatus. The invention relates to wiping means for cleaning the outlet surface.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Pens used by people for daily recording include a fountain pen, a ball-point pen and a felt-tip pen.
These pens have different colors of ink or different thicknesses of drawn lines, depending on the purpose of use. By the way, when drawing with these pens,
It is necessary to prepare multiple pens with different colors. Further, when drawing a picture using paints or the like, it is necessary to mix the colors in order to produce a desired color, but it may be difficult to obtain the desired color.

[0003] Further, there is a case where even a color that has been prepared with difficulty is quickly lost and must be prepared again. Furthermore, it is necessary to use different pens, such as using a thin pen for drawing a fine part and a thick pen for painting a wide part, and thus many pens have to be prepared. Therefore, an electronic pen (pen-type liquid ejecting device) using an ink-jet head capable of easily drawing a plurality of colors or drawing lines of various thicknesses with a single pen has been devised. .

[0004]

When a picture or a character is drawn using an electronic pen, a situation may occur in which liquid is not ejected (non-ejection). At that time, it is common practice to recover the normal ejection state by sucking the liquid (ink) from the ejection port of the head. However, if only recovery by suction is performed, the discharge port surface (head face surface)
It is difficult to remove dust and the like adhering to the paper, and the probability of non-ejection occurring again increases. Therefore, foreign substances such as paper dust and dirt adhered to the discharge port surface are removed by wiping means. However, in the conventional wiping means, when wiping (cleaning) the discharge port surface, the liquid (ink) adhering to the discharge port surface may be scattered, and the clothes and the like may be stained.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pen-type liquid ejecting apparatus capable of preventing the occurrence of dirt due to the splash of liquid with a simple configuration. It is to provide.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a liquid discharge head for discharging liquid using electric energy, a control device for controlling liquid discharge, and a liquid tank for holding liquid. In a pen-type liquid ejecting apparatus incorporating a battery for supplying driving energy and a switch as an input device, a cap for covering the ejection port surface of the liquid ejection head is provided, and the ejection port surface is provided inside the cap. A wiping unit for cleaning is provided. When implementing the present invention, a configuration that covers the cap and provides a deformable pump cap for generating a negative pressure inside the cap, a configuration that provides an absorber capable of absorbing and holding a liquid inside the cap, Alternatively, it is preferable that the liquid is ejected by the pressure of bubbles generated in the liquid by applying thermal energy to the liquid.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts. FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of a first embodiment of a pen-type liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a partial vertical sectional view showing details of a portion, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. The pen-type liquid ejection device (electronic pen) according to the present invention has a structure that can be easily handled by a human like a pen.

In FIG. 1, a liquid discharge head (ink jet head) 1 for discharging a liquid (ink) is provided at the tip of a pen (pen type liquid discharge device), and a cap 50 is provided so as to cover the liquid discharge head 1. Is provided. An opening is formed in the top surface of the cap 50, and a bellows-shaped flexible pump cap 53 is fitted to the cap 50 so as to cover the opening. A liquid tank 2 is provided next to the liquid ejection head 1, and a liquid (ink) is supplied from the tank 2 to the liquid ejection head 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid tank 2
Each tank is filled (filled) with four kinds of inks of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. As shown in FIG. 3, projections 20a, 20b and 20c are integrally formed on the inner surface of the case 20, and the positioning of the liquid tank 2 is performed by these projections. In the illustrated structure, the protrusion 20c is formed in a shape larger than the protrusions 20a and 20b,
Incorrect insertion in the rotation direction when inserting the liquid tank 2 is prevented.

Next to the liquid tank 2, there is a liquid discharge head 1
And a battery 3 for driving the color liquid crystal display device 4. Liquid ejection head 1
Are electrically connected to a connector 8a for receiving an electric signal from a control board (printed board) 9. Also,
The battery 3 is also electrically connected to the connector 8a for supplying electricity to the control board 9. Further, the liquid ejection head 1, the liquid tank 2, the battery 3, and the connector 8a are integrally formed, and the connector 8a is connected to a connector 8b provided on a control board (printed board) 9.

The liquid tank 2 has a contact 1 as shown in FIG.
8 and 19 are provided and each is electrically connected to the connector 8a. Reference numeral 17 denotes a contact making member formed of a flexible conductive rubber. The contact making member 17 is fixed to the inner surface of the case 20 at both ends. The button 16 is fitted and inserted into the case 20 so as to be freely slidable in the thrust direction. When the button 16 is pressed in the direction of arrow B, the conductive rubber 17 is deformed.
It is configured to conduct between 19. Therefore,
This portion functions as the switch 11 of the input means.

FIG. 4 shows a discharge port of the liquid discharge head 1 (usually,
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the arrangement of a nozzle tip opening). In FIG. 4, the discharge port spacing P in the horizontal direction (P = 0.
0353 mm), and 128 rows of discharge ports are formed in the vertical direction at a discharge port interval V (V = 0.0353 mm in this embodiment). Black, cyan, magenta, A yellow liquid (ink) is ejected. In FIG. 1, the control board 9 includes an MPU 10, a display device 4 of a color LCD, and switches 12 and 13 of input devices.
The control board 9 is fixed to a cylindrical case 21. The case 21 has buttons 14 and 1
5 are inserted so as to be freely slidable in the thrust direction. By pressing these buttons 14 and 15 in the direction of arrow C, the switches 12 and 13 are turned ON and OF.
F operation can be performed.

The pen-type liquid ejecting apparatus shown in FIG. 1 uses an ink as a liquid, and uses an electronic pen when ejecting ink from a liquid ejecting head (inkjet head) 1 onto a recording material such as recording paper to perform recording. (Pen-type ink ejection device). The liquid ejection head 1 in that case is an ink jet recording head that selectively ejects ink from a plurality of ejection ports to perform recording by applying energy according to a recording signal. The recording head 1 is an ink jet recording means for discharging ink using thermal energy, and includes an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy. Further, the recording head 1 is capable of growing bubbles due to film boiling caused by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal transducer,
The ink is ejected from the ejection port by utilizing the pressure change caused by the contraction, and recording is performed. The electrothermal transducer is provided corresponding to each of the ejection ports, and discharges ink from the corresponding ejection port by applying a pulse voltage to the corresponding electrothermal transducer in accordance with a recording signal.

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of an ink ejection section (one ejection port array) of the recording head 1. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 10, a plurality of ejection openings 81 facing a recording medium (a recording material such as recording paper) at a predetermined pitch (for example, about 0.3 to 2.0 mm) are provided at a predetermined pitch. Discharge port 82 is formed, and an electrothermal converter (heat generating resistor or the like) for generating energy for ink discharge along the wall surface of each liquid path 84 communicating the common liquid chamber 83 and each discharge port 82. 85 are provided. Thus, the corresponding electrothermal transducer 85 based on the image signal or the ejection signal
Is driven (pulse voltage is applied) to cause the ink in the liquid passage 84 to film boil, and the pressure generated at that time causes the ejection port 8 to discharge.
A liquid ejection head (recording head) 1 for ejecting ink droplets from an ink droplet 2 is configured.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit of the pen-type liquid ejection device. In FIG. 5, the MPU 10 executes data processing for the entire apparatus. The control unit has a gate array 25 that regulates the processing procedure of the MPU 10 in addition to the MPU 10, and includes a processing procedure of the MPU 10, a work area for data processing, various circuits related to the processing of the MPU 10, and the like. ing. In addition, the battery 3
Power is supplied to the control board 9, and the MPU 10
Control of liquid ejection, liquid crystal display, and the like is performed based on input information of 1, 12, and 13.

Next, the operation of the pen type ink discharging apparatus having the above-described configuration will be described in detail. By pressing buttons 14, 15, and 16 simultaneously for 3 seconds or more, power ON, OF
Switching of F is performed. Button 14 with power on
And 15 are simultaneously pressed for 3 seconds or longer to enter a setting mode for changing the color and printing thickness, and the display device 4 in FIG.
Flashes the left end Y (yellow) and the two digits below it. When the button 14 is pressed once in this state, the number increases by one, and when the button 14 is continuously pressed for one second or longer, the number increases every 0.1 second thereafter, and when it reaches 99, it becomes 00 next.

FIG. 6 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the pump cap is removed from the pen type liquid discharging apparatus of FIG. 1 as viewed from the direction of arrow F in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a pen type liquid discharging apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is an end view showing a state where a pump cap is removed in the apparatus, as viewed from a direction of an arrow E in FIG. 1. FIG.
In FIG. 7 and FIG. 7, the cap 50 is fitted and attached to the tip of the case 20, and a groove (opening) 50a is formed in the center. A lever 52 has an arrow G in this groove 50a.
It is fitted and slidable in the direction. A wiper (wiping member) 51 of a flexible member (for example, a rubber material such as HNBR) 51 is fixed to the inner end of the lever 52 by press-fitting or the like.

The operation of the above configuration (first embodiment) described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 is as follows. Button 14,
By simultaneously pressing 15 and 16 for 3 seconds or more, the power is turned on and off. By simultaneously pressing the buttons 14 and 15 for 3 seconds or more in the power-on state, a setting mode for changing the color of the ejected liquid and changing the print thickness on the recording material (recording medium such as recording paper) is established. Flashes the left end Y (yellow) and the two digits below it. When the button 14 is pressed once in this state, the number increases by one, and when the button 14 is continuously pressed for more than one second, the number is increased thereafter by 0.1.
The number increases by one every second, and when it reaches 99, it becomes 00 next. The number here indicates the amount of liquid (ink) discharged from one discharge port per unit time.

When the number is 00, no liquid is ejected.
When the number is 99, for example, the setting is such that 10,000 droplets (ink droplets) are ejected per second. When the number below Y on the display device 4 has reached the set value, the button 15 is pressed to determine the number below Y, and the discharge amount per unit time is determined. At the same time, M (magenta) and the number below M start blinking. By performing the same operation as in the case of Y described above, M
Is determined, and the ejection amount is determined. Further, C
The ejection amounts of (cyan) and B (black) are also determined by the same operation.

W (thickness of printing) is set in the same manner. The number below W in the display device 4 indicates how many ejection openings of each color perform the ejection operation (the number of ejection openings performing the ejection operation). ). 00 indicates that only one discharge port performs a discharge operation, and 99 indicates that all of the 128 discharge ports discharge. In other words, the larger the number below W here, the thicker the line becomes at the time of printing. The hatched portion 25 at the upper right of the display device 4 is a portion for displaying the color of the liquid set in the ejection state, and as described above, Y, M,
When the numbers below C and B are changed, the display color automatically changes accordingly.

When the number below W is determined by pressing the button 15, the lower right alphabetical character of the display section 4 starts blinking, and by pressing the button 14, the A, Are changed to B, C,... And when the desired character is reached, the button 15 is pressed to determine the character. Next, the right two digits of the alphabet flash,
A two-digit number is determined by selecting a number by the same operation and pressing the button 15. Thus, all the settings are completed. Here, the letters of the alphabet and the two digits to the right thereof are character strings for storing the setting states of Y, M, C, and B.

In this embodiment, black is maximum and thickness is 1
The state of 0 was stored as A001. Next, by directing the ejection port of the head 1 toward a print medium (a recording material such as recording paper) and pressing a button 16, black liquid (ink) is ejected in a previously set state and printing is started. When the liquid in the liquid tank 2 runs out or the power of the battery 3 runs out, the case 20 and the case 21 are separated from each other, and the head 1, the liquid tank 2, the battery 3 and the like inserted in the case 20 are integrated. Replace the old unit.

Next, a configuration and an operation for executing a recovery operation when an ejection failure (including non-ejection) occurs in the liquid ejection head 1 will be described. In FIG. 1, the pump cap 53 is formed in a bellows shape with a rubber-like elastic material. When the discharge port of the liquid discharge head 1 is clogged, the cap 50 is fitted to the tip of the case 20 to cover the discharge port surface, and the pump cap 53 is fitted to the cap 50 with its bellows crushed. Installing. Then, when the bellows attempts to return to the original shape, the air in the cap 50 is passed through an opening in the top surface of the cap 50 (for example, a gap between the groove 50a (FIG. 6) and the lever 52). The suction is performed, and a negative pressure is generated inside the cap 50. The liquid (ink) is sucked from the ejection port by the negative pressure. Part of the sucked liquid adheres to the discharge port surface.

The liquid adhering to the discharge port surface can be cleaned (cleaned and removed) by a wiping operation using the wiper (wiping member) 51. That is, by removing the pump cap 53 from the cap 50 and reciprocating the lever 52 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 in the direction of arrow G (FIG. 7), the liquid ejection head 1 is fixed by the wiper 51 fixed to the lever 52. Is wiped on the discharge port surface (head face surface) to remove foreign matter such as liquid (ink) and paper dust adhering to the discharge port surface.
At this time, the wiped liquid collects in the cap 50 and hardly scatters outside.

In the above embodiment, the pump cap 53 generates a negative pressure in the cap 50 to suck the liquid. However, the pump cap 53 is not used and the electronic pen ( The same operation and effect as the above-mentioned suction can be obtained even if the pen is shaken. Therefore, in this case, the pump cap 53 can be omitted.

In the above-described embodiment, a negative pressure is generated in the cap 50 by using the bellows-like pump cap 53. However, the structure of the cap is such that when the external pressure is applied, the cap is deformed to remove the external pressure. Any shape may be used as long as it has the original shape and a negative pressure is generated in the cap 50 during that time.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of a second embodiment of a pen-type liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In this embodiment, the lever 52 holding the wiper 51 is
Are pivotally supported in the direction of arrow H about the center.
According to such wiping means, the opening 50a formed on the top surface of the cap 50 can be made smaller than in the sliding wiper shown in FIGS. The second embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is different from the first embodiment shown in FIGS.
The difference from the first embodiment of FIG. 7 is that the other parts have substantially the same configuration.

FIG. 9 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of a main part of a third embodiment of a pen-type liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
In this embodiment, a liquid (ink) is provided inside the cap 50.
An absorber 54 for absorbing and holding is provided. In the illustrated example, the absorber 54 having a predetermined thickness is attached over a desired range on the inner surface of the cap 50. The third embodiment shown in FIG. 9 differs from the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 in that the absorber 54 is provided, and the other parts have substantially the same configuration. According to the third embodiment, the possibility that the liquid (ink) scattered in the cap 50 leaks to the outside can be further reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where liquids of four colors are incorporated has been described, but the number of colors may be one or more. In the above-described embodiment, the liquid ejection heads 1,
Although the case where the liquid tank 2 and the battery 3 are integrated has been described, the liquid discharge head and the liquid tank may be provided separately.

Ink is usually used as the liquid, but this liquid may be another liquid such as a processing liquid for fixing the ink on a print medium (recording paper).
For example, a two-part adhesive may be placed in each of two tanks as a liquid, and the adhesive may be discharged from the discharge port at an optimal ratio for curing. Furthermore, if the ink and the two-component adhesive are put in one pen-type liquid ejection device, it can be used as a pen with an adhesive.

In addition, various applications can be considered depending on the type of the liquid to be put into the liquid tank 2. For example, at home, if a plurality of types of liquid chemical seasonings are added and the blending amount is preset according to various dishes, the seasoning of each dish can be easily performed. When used in coffee shops, etc., instead of seasonings, put liquid milk, liquid sugar (gum syrup), liquid sugar for diet, etc., and if you preset several types of discharge amounts, customers can use one-touch sugar Or milk in coffee, tea, etc. Also, in a hospital, if a plurality of types of liquid medicines are put in, and the compounding amount is preset according to the disease, symptom and age, it is possible to easily mix the medicines.

[0032]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a liquid discharge head for discharging liquid using electric energy, a control device for controlling liquid discharge, and a liquid holding head are provided. In a pen-type liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid tank, a battery for supplying driving energy, and a switch as an input device, a cap for covering a discharge port surface of a liquid discharging head is provided, and a discharge port is provided inside the cap. Since the wiping means for cleaning the outlet surface is provided, a pen-type liquid ejecting apparatus is provided which has a simple structure and can prevent generation of dirt due to splashing of liquid.

According to the second to fourth aspects, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a configuration is provided in which a deformable pump cap for covering the cap and generating a negative pressure inside the cap is provided. A structure in which an absorber capable of absorbing and holding the liquid is provided therein, or a structure in which the liquid is ejected by the pressure of bubbles generated in the liquid by applying thermal energy to the liquid, so that the structure is simple and more efficient. Further, there is provided a pen-type liquid ejection device capable of preventing generation of dirt due to splashing of liquid.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of a first embodiment of a pen-type liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing details of a portion A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view exemplifying an arrangement state of discharge ports formed on a discharge port surface of the liquid discharge head in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of the pen-type liquid ejection device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure when viewed from the direction of arrow F in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an end view seen from the direction of arrow E in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of a second embodiment of a pen-type liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 9 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a main part structure of a third embodiment of a pen-type liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view schematically showing a structure of an ink ejection unit of the liquid ejection head in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid discharge head 2 Liquid tank 3 Battery 4 Display device 9 Control board 10 MPU 11, 12, 13 Switch 20, 21 Case 25 Gate array 50 Cap 50a Groove 51 Wiper (wiping means) 52 Lever 53 Pump cap 54 Absorber 55 Shaft 81 Discharge port surface 82 Discharge port 85 Electrothermal converter

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B41J 3/04 102N

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A liquid discharge head that discharges a liquid using electric energy, a control device that controls the liquid discharge, a liquid tank that holds the liquid, a battery that supplies driving energy, and an input device. Wherein the pen is provided with a cap for covering the ejection port surface of the liquid ejection head, and a wiping means for cleaning the ejection port surface is provided inside the cap. Liquid ejection device. 2. The pen-type liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a deformable pump cap that covers the cap and generates a negative pressure inside the cap. 3. The cap according to claim 1, wherein an absorber capable of absorbing and holding a liquid is provided inside the cap.
4. The pen-type liquid ejection device according to 1. 4. The pen-type liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid is ejected by applying pressure of bubbles generated in the liquid by applying thermal energy to the liquid.