JP2001234875A - Tube pump and ink jet type recording device using it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tube pump capable of reducing only pump load without impairing pump performance such as the suction negative pressure or suction flow velocity of ink liquid and having excellent durability without causing any inconvenience such as a lowering of flow velocity even under long-term repeated use, sticking of a tube and the generation of noise, and to provide an ink jet type recording device equipped with the tube pump. SOLUTION: This tube pump is provided with a flexible tube 51, a pump frame 42 with a tube support face 52 for regulating the outline of the flexible tube 51, and rollers 43a, 43b rotatably fitted to pressure-deform the flexible tube 51; and generates pressure by pressure-deforming the flexible tube 51 by the rollers 43a, 43b. In this case, a tube formed of an addition reaction vulcanized rubber material with a hardness of 34 to 46 is used as the flexible tube 51.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tube pump and an ink jet recording apparatus using the same, and more particularly, to a tube which presses a flexible tube with a roller and generates pressure by utilizing deformation of the tube. The present invention relates to a pump and an ink jet type recording apparatus equipped with the tube pump and provided with a means for restoring ink discharge ability for discharging ink from a recording head using a negative pressure generated by the tube pump.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ink-jet recording apparatuses have been used in many printings, mainly color printing, in recent years, since noise at the time of printing is relatively small and small dots can be formed at a high density. Such an ink jet recording apparatus includes an ink jet recording head that receives supply of ink from an ink cartridge, and a paper feeding unit that moves recording paper relative to the recording head, and the recording head responds to a print signal. Recording is performed by ejecting ink droplets on recording paper while moving the recording paper to form dots. Ink-jet recording devices handle ink liquid in this way, and in order to prevent the clogging of the nozzle openings due to the filling of the recording head with ink and the volatilization of the ink solvent, the ink is forcibly ejected from the recording head. A recovery process of the ink discharge capability for suction and discharge is executed. Such a forced ink discharge process performed to eliminate clogging of the print head or in the case where air bubbles remain in the print head is called a cleaning operation. This is executed when printing is restarted after a pause, or when the user recognizes a print quality defect such as blurred print and operates the cleaning switch.

In this cleaning operation, the recording head is sealed by a capping means and a negative pressure is applied to discharge ink from the nozzle openings of the recording head and to apply a negative pressure to the ink discharged into the capping means. And send it to the waste ink tank, and then use a cleaning member made of an elastic plate such as rubber.
A sequence for wiping the nozzle plate of the recording head is executed.

As means for applying a negative pressure to the capping means, the structure is relatively simple and the size can be easily reduced.
In addition, a so-called tube pump that does not cause contamination in a mechanism for sucking and discharging ink is used. This tube pump is configured, for example, as shown in FIG.

That is, in the tube pump 100, the tubes 103 and 104 are pressed against the pump frame 105 by the rollers 102 supported on the pump wheel 101. The roller 102 is connected to the tube 1
03 and 104 are crushed and rotated, thereby generating pressure in the tubes 103 and 104 to apply a negative pressure to the capping means 106. Then, the ink is forcibly discharged from the recording head by the negative pressure, and the ink discharged into the capping unit 106 is further sucked and sent to the waste ink tank.

Normally, one tube having one flow path is used as the tube in the tube pump 100. However, in order to reduce the size of the tube pump,
Alternatively, in order to increase the ink suction amount (delivery amount), two tubes 103 and 104 each having a single flow path may be used as shown in FIG.

[0007] The tube is made of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, thermoplastic resin which is flexible, has excellent repetitive rebound resilience and can be easily formed into a tube having a desired outer diameter and thickness. It is selected from rubber materials such as elastomers. Among these, silicon rubber tubes most frequently used are those which are somewhat strong in strength, have small permanent compression set, and are excellent in various properties such as heat resistance, cold resistance, weather resistance, ozone resistance and solvent resistance. In general, a vulcanized product crosslinked with a peroxide is used as a silicon rubber for manufacturing a molded product such as a tube. Conventionally, the tubing used for the tube pump usually has a hardness of 60 degrees (JIS-A
Hardness). This is because it is considered that a material having the above hardness has a good restoring force after the tube is crushed, and has a high certainty of achieving a predetermined liquid flow velocity.

[0008]

Incidentally, recent ink jet recording apparatuses are required to be further reduced in size and weight and to save energy, and are also required to operate at high speed and to improve reliability. . For this reason, there is a strong demand for a tube pump mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus to reduce the pump load. As a measure to reduce the pump load without reducing the suction negative pressure and the suction flow rate of the ink liquid, it is conceivable to lower the hardness of the tube material. However, when a low-hardness tube made of a conventional tube material (a vulcanized product crosslinked with a peroxide) is used, a roller crushes the tube due to, for example, a power outlet being disconnected during rotation of the pump. If left unattended, there is a technical problem that the inner walls of the tubes stick together within a few days and do not return (recover), leading to a failure of the tube pump.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and to reduce only the pump load without impairing the pump performance such as the suction negative pressure of the ink liquid and the suction flow rate.
An object of the present invention is to provide a tube pump which is excellent in durability without causing inconvenience such as a decrease in flow velocity even when used repeatedly for a long period of time, and which is free from inconvenience such as sticking of a tube and generation of abnormal noise. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with the above tube pump.

[0010]

According to the present invention, a flexible tube, a pump frame having a tube support surface for regulating the outer shape of the flexible tube, and a rotating mechanism for pressurizing and deforming the flexible tube are provided. And a roller mounted so as to be capable of being pressurized and deformed by the roller to generate a pressure, wherein the flexible tube has an additional reaction vulcanized rubber material having a hardness of 34 to 46 degrees. A tube pump characterized by using a tube comprising:

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a tube pump wherein the rubber material constituting the flexible tube is an addition reaction vulcanized silicon rubber. Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a tube pump, wherein the flexible tube is colorless and transparent. Further, according to the present invention, the tube support surface provided on the pump frame has an arc shape, and a period in which the flexible tube is pressed against the arc tube support surface by the roller is represented by an angle. When provided, the tube pump is characterized in that the angle is in the range of 171 to 177 degrees.

Further, according to the present invention, a plurality of flow paths are formed in the flexible tube, and pipe walls constituting the flow paths are connected and integrated by a connecting portion. A tube pump is provided. Further, according to the present invention, an ink jet recording head that discharges ink droplets corresponding to print data, and a nozzle forming surface of the recording head is sealed, and ink is received from the recording head by receiving a negative pressure from a pump unit. And a capping unit for sucking the ink. The ink jet recording apparatus is provided with any one of the tube pumps as the pump unit.

The tube pump according to the present invention is characterized in that the flexible tube used is a low-hardness tube made of a rubber-like elastic body vulcanized by an addition reaction. A conventionally used flexible tube, for example, a silicon rubber tube, is generally a peroxide vulcanized product having a hardness (JIS-A hardness) of about 60 degrees, which is crushed. It was generally thought that the later tube restoring force was good and it was easy to obtain a specified flow rate. Conventionally, when a low-hardness product having a hardness of about 40 degrees is used, if the roller is left in a state where the tube is crushed due to, for example, disconnection of the power supply outlet during the rotation of the pump, the tube may take a few days. It has been known that the inner walls of the pipes are stuck to each other, cannot return, and cannot function as a tube pump.

In the present invention, the above-mentioned disadvantages are avoided by using a tube made of an addition-reaction crosslinked (vulcanized) low-hardness rubbery polymer material, for example, silicon rubber, and the pump load is reduced to the conventional high hardness. It succeeded in lowering it by 35% or more compared to the case of using a product (about 60 degrees). It has been known that the physical properties of vulcanized rubber, especially the properties such as residual strain resistance and creep resistance, vary considerably depending on the chemical structure of the crosslinking points, even if the crosslinking density is the same,
As can be seen from the examples and comparative examples described later, the vulcanized rubber subjected to the addition reaction vulcanization (crosslinking) used in the present invention has a low hardness, but its rebound resilience almost changes over time. Excellent resilience endurance.

On the other hand, recently, in a piping system such as a tube pump for an ink jet recording apparatus, a so-called valve-less system eliminates the need for an empty suction step, and it is possible to reduce the number of times the tube is crushed by a roller as compared with the related art. And that the crushing angle (indicating the arc distance at which the tube is pressed against the support surface by the roller by the angle) is reduced to near a semicircular arc, and two crushing (two parts of the tube are performed by two rollers) Crush at the same time)
Since it is configured so as not to produce a tube, high durability like a conventional tube is no longer required.

The low-hardness tube according to the present invention does not have the high durability of the conventional high-hardness tube, but has sufficient durability in actual use. (Approximately 60 degrees) can be reduced by 35% or more compared to the case of use. Further, in addition to the effect of reducing the pump load, the speed at which the roller separates from the tube is reduced due to the reduced rebound resilience of the tube, so that abnormal noise when the roller collides with the pump wheel can be reduced.

Further, the rubber material of the addition reaction vulcanization has less adhesiveness than that of the peroxide vulcanization, and the inner wall of the tube sticks to each other if the tube is left in a crushed state. There is also an advantage that the disadvantage of can be avoided. Further, in the case where a plurality of flow paths are formed in the flexible tube and the pipe walls constituting the flow path are connected and integrated by a connecting portion, the pipe wall has a normal wall thickness. If the thickness of the tube is equivalent to that of the tube, the cross-sectional area excluding the flow path becomes larger than the cross-sectional area of the conventional one, so that the roller rotates while crushing the flexible tube. However, the flexible tube is difficult to be stretched and loose.

As described above, since the flexible tube is unlikely to be loosened, the flexible tube does not float up from the pump frame and does not come into contact with and rub against the pump wheel. Having. In addition, since a plurality of flow paths are formed, assembling can be performed more easily than when a plurality of ordinary tubes are assembled. Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus using the tube pump of the present invention, the required power is reduced, and the failure of the tube pump caused by the flexible tube can be prevented as much as possible.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an ink jet recording apparatus using a tube pump according to the present invention will be described based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a carriage. The carriage 1 is configured to be reciprocated in the axial direction of a platen 5 while being guided by a guide member 4 via a timing belt 3 driven by a carriage motor 2. . An ink jet recording head (not shown) is mounted on the side of the carriage 1 facing the recording paper 6, and a black ink cartridge 7 for supplying ink to the recording head and a color ink cartridge 8 is removably mounted.

In the drawing, reference numeral 9 denotes a capping means disposed in a non-printing area (home position), which rises when the recording head mounted on the carriage 1 moves right above, and changes the nozzle forming surface of the recording head. It is configured to be able to be sealed. And below the capping means 9,
A tube pump 10 described later as a pump unit for applying a negative pressure to the internal space of the capping means 9 is arranged. The capping means 9 functions as a lid for preventing the nozzle openings of the recording head from drying during the idle period of the recording apparatus, and also applies a drive signal unrelated to printing to the recording head to cause the recording head to discharge ink droplets. It functions as an ink receiver at the time of flushing operation, and also has a function as a cleaning means for sucking ink by applying a negative pressure from the tube pump 10 to the recording head.

In the vicinity of the printing area side of the capping means 9, a wiping means 11 having an elastic plate such as rubber is arranged so as to be able to advance and retreat in the horizontal direction. When reciprocating to the side, the wiping member can advance on the moving path of the recording head.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a recording paper supply / discharge mechanism and a driving force transmission mechanism for a tube pump provided in the above-described recording apparatus. Reference numeral 21 denotes a paper feed roller. A gear 22 is disposed at one end of the paper feed roller 21 so that the gear 22 is driven from a pinion 24 disposed on the axis of a paper feed motor 23 via an idler 25. It is configured. A gear 27 is disposed at one end of the feed roller driving shaft 26, and is engaged with the gear 22 via a moving gear 28 constituting a clutch mechanism to transmit power to a cut sheet feeder (not shown), thereby forming a recording sheet. Is configured to perform sheet feeding (loading). The moving gear 28 constituting the clutch mechanism always keeps a position away from the two gears 22 and 27 by a spring (not shown) as shown in FIG. It is configured so that it is pressed and moves in the axial direction, and the meshing of both gears is connected via the gears 22 and 27.

On the other hand, the tube pump 10 is driven by the idler 2 from the pinion 24 disposed on the paper feed motor 23.
9 and the discharge roller 3 via the discharge roller gear 30.
It is driven by a gear 32 mounted on the other end of the first. The drive shaft 33 of the tube pump 10 is provided with a gear 35 that meshes with a gear 32 mounted on the other end of the paper discharge roller 31 via an idler 34. A shaft 33 on which the gear 35 is mounted has a cleaner cam 3 having an arm 37 that is frictionally rotated by being pressed by a spring 36 disposed on the rear surface thereof.
Numeral 8 is attached so as to freely rotate, and the wiping member 39 formed of an elastic member such as rubber can be moved in the horizontal direction by rotation of the arm 37.
Thus, the rotation of the motor 23 in one direction causes the wiping member 39 to advance to the movement trajectory of the recording head so that its nozzle forming surface can be wiped, and the rotation of the motor 23 in the other direction causes wiping. The member 39 acts so as to be retracted from the movement locus of the recording head.

The drive shaft 33 of the tube pump 10 has a ratchet wheel 40, an intermediate transmission wheel 41,
And the pump wheel 42 are stacked and mounted.
A projection 40a is formed on a surface of the ratchet wheel 40 facing the intermediate transmission wheel 41, and projections 41a and 41b are formed on both surfaces of the intermediate transmission wheel 41, respectively.
Are formed on the pump wheel 42, and a projection 42a is formed on a surface of the pump wheel 42 facing the intermediate transmission wheel 41. Thereby, the ratchet wheel 40 rotates,
When the projection 40a contacts the projection 41a of the intermediate transmission wheel 41, the rotational force is transmitted to the intermediate transmission wheel 41, and the projection 41b of the intermediate transmission wheel 41 contacts the projection 42c of the pump wheel 42. The rotational force is transmitted to the pump wheel 42. Therefore, when the rotation direction of the paper feed motor 23 switches, the ratchet wheel 41 and the pump wheel 4
A rotation delay mechanism that generates a delay in rotation transmission near two rotations at the maximum is configured between the first and second rotation transmission mechanisms.

The pump wheel 42 is provided with a pair of roller support grooves formed with a gradient in the radial direction between the axial direction of the pump wheel and the outer peripheral direction. With the rotation of, the rollers 43a and 43b supported by these shaft holes are deflected in the outer peripheral direction and pressurize the tube between the tube support surface formed on the pump frame 44 to generate a suction action. The rotation of the pump wheel 42 in the other direction is switched between a release operation in which the rollers 43a and 43b are biased in the axial direction of the wheel 42 and do not press the tube. When the recording paper is loaded from the cut sheet feeder, the rotation delay mechanism formed between the ratchet wheel 40, the intermediate transmission wheel 41, and the pump wheel 42 performs positioning of the leading end of the paper and removal of backlash. In order to execute the operation, the paper feed motor 23 needs to be driven forward and backward to some extent.
Zero acts to prevent transmission of power.

The tube pump will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The tube pump includes a pump frame 44 having a tube support surface 52 for regulating the outer shape of a flexible tube 51 into an arc shape. A pump wheel 42 that is rotated by, for example, power from a paper feed motor as driving means, and a pair of roller support grooves formed with a radial gradient between the axial direction and the outer peripheral direction of the pump wheel 42. 42a, 42b, the support grooves 42a,
Rollers 43a and 43b are provided so as to be movable and rotatable in the longitudinal direction of 42b.

In such a tube pump, the rollers 43a and 43b are rotated by rotating the pump wheel 42 in the forward direction (the direction of arrow A) as shown in FIG.
Moves in the outer peripheral direction of the roller support grooves 42a and 42b,
The tube 51 is rotated while being sequentially crushed, thereby generating a pressure in the tube and applying a negative pressure to the capping means. Then, the ink is forcibly discharged from the recording head by the negative pressure, and the ink discharged into the capping means is further suctioned and sent to the waste ink tank.

The pump wheel 4 is located at a position facing the tube support surface 52 formed on the pump frame 44.
A pair of guide members 53a and 53b made of an elastic material protruding in the axial direction of the second shaft are disposed. That is, L-shaped locking grooves 44a and 44b are formed in the pump frame 44,
A guide member 53 is provided in each of the locking grooves 44a and 44b.
a, 53b are implanted. According to this configuration, the pair of guide members 53a and 53b act to guide the respective rollers in the retreating direction of the support grooves as the pump wheel rotates. When the wheel 42 is driven to rotate forward as shown in FIG. 3, the rollers 43a, 43b
Are pushed back by the guide members 53a, 53b made of a flexible material, whereby the rollers 43a,
43b moves in the outer peripheral direction of the roller support grooves 42a, 42b, and crushes the tube 51 sequentially.
Thereby, the reliability of the driving action of the pump can be improved.

Also, as shown in FIG.
When the roller 2 is rotated in the reverse direction (the direction of arrow B), the rollers 43a and 43b move in the inner circumferential direction of the roller support grooves 42a and 42b. The configuration is such that a failure such as adhesion can be prevented from occurring.

In the present invention, the flexible tube for flowing the ink liquid used in the tube pump 10 configured as described above has a hardness (JIS-A hardness) of 34 to 46 degrees, more preferably 37 to 46 degrees. A tube made of an addition reaction vulcanized rubber is used. The vulcanized rubber substance that can be used as a tube material in the present invention has a hardness in the above range, and can be formed into a tube shape and size for a tube pump of an ink jet recording apparatus, and the ink liquid used is Any vulcanized rubber substance having resistance can be used without particular limitation. Examples of such rubber materials include vulcanized rubber materials made of natural rubber, isoprene rubber, nitrile rubber, butyl rubber, chloroprene rubber, epichlorohydrin / ethylene oxide rubber, silicone rubber (silicon rubber), fluorine rubber, urethane rubber, and the like. be able to.

Among them, silicon rubber (silicone rubber) which is excellent in heat resistance and cold resistance and weather resistance and has low compression set.
Is preferred. More specifically, those obtained by addition reaction vulcanization of methyl vinyl silicon, methyl phenyl silicon, fluorosilicone, and the like are preferable. As a method of forming the addition reaction vulcanization, a cross-linking monomer such as a vinyl compound or a divinyl compound is used, and this is subjected to additional bonding with the aid of heat or heat and a catalyst, or cross-linked by irradiation with light, radiation, or the like. A method for forming a bond can be exemplified.

Among the physical properties of the vulcanized rubber, the endurance characteristics such as residual strain resistance, creep resistance, and the like are as follows.
It is known that they vary considerably depending on the chemical structure of the crosslinking points. However, as can be seen from the following Examples and Comparative Examples, the addition reaction vulcanized (crosslinked) rubber used in the present invention, despite its low hardness, has little change in rebound resilience over time and has a long restoring force. Excellent in nature.

In the tube pump of the present invention, a flexible tube having a relatively low hardness is used. Therefore, the piping system is formed in a valveless manner, and the crush angle (the tube is pressed against the supporting surface by a roller). The number of times the tube is crushed by the roller by taking a supplementary measure such as lengthening the arc distance represented by the angle in an angle) near a semi-arc (about 173 degrees), and forming such that two pieces are not formed. Is preferably set to 150,000 times or less from the viewpoint of long-term sustainability of the restoring force of the tube.
In the tube pump configured as described above, when a tube having a rubber material hardness of 40 degrees is used, a pump load reduction of about 35% can be achieved as compared with a conventional tube having a hardness of approximately 60 degrees. it can.

The flexible tube of the present invention is formed in a normal circular tube shape and can effectively exhibit its function without any problem. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of flow paths 51a are provided in the tube. And the pipe wall 51b constituting the flow path 51a can be formed in an integrated shape by being connected by a connecting portion 51c. In this case, the connecting portion 51c connecting the pipe walls 51b is connected to the connecting pipe wall 5
It is preferably formed on the center line connecting the centers of 1b. That is, it can be said that the above-described flexible tube 51 is provided with a connecting portion on a center line connecting the centers of the tube walls of the flexible tubes, which is conventionally two tubes, and is integrated by the connecting portion. Moreover, as shown in FIG.
When crushed by the rollers 43a and 43b, the connecting portion 51c does not become an obstacle, and can be crushed by the rollers 43a and 43b.

The flexible tube 51 thus formed
Is formed with a plurality of flow paths 51a,
Since the tube wall 51b constituting 1a is connected and integrated by the connecting portion 51c, the above-mentioned condition is possible if the wall thickness of the tube wall 51b is equal to the thickness of the flexible tube used in the conventional tube pump. The cross-sectional area of the flexible tube 51 excluding the flow path becomes larger than the conventional cross-sectional area of the connecting portion 51c.

As a result, even if the rollers 43a and 43b rotate while squeezing the flexible tube 51, the flexible tube 51 is not easily stretched and is not easily slackened. Further, the flexible tube 51 is lifted from the tube support surface 52 against which the flexible tube 51 is pressed, comes into contact with the pump wheel 42, and can be prevented from being damaged due to rubbing. Further, since a plurality of flow paths 51a are formed in the flexible tube 51, the plurality of flow paths 51a can be formed only by assembling the flexible tube 51, and the work is easy. .

Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus using the tube pump described above, the assembling work can be easily performed, and the failure of the tube pump caused by the flexible tube is prevented as much as possible. Can be.

[0038]

[Examples] Each hardness (JIS-A hardness) shown in Table 1
A tube (inner diameter 2 mm, wall thickness 1 mm) made of an addition-cured and peroxide-cured silicone rubber having
These were mounted on the tube pumps shown in FIGS. Further, an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with each of these tube pumps was prepared and operated simultaneously, and the performance of each apparatus was comparatively evaluated with respect to each item shown in Table 1. Table 1 shows the results.

[0039]

[Table 1]

In the above Table 1, durability: は is about twice as large as. Load: は is about 1.2 times as much as △, Δ is about 1.5 times as much as. Is 4 times or more of 、, ○ is 2 times or more of △, and × is easily adhered. Abnormal sound: ○ means no abnormal sound, and △ means abnormal sound.

[0041]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, not only the pump load is significantly reduced, but also the durability is excellent without causing a decrease in the flow velocity even when used for a long period of time, and It is possible to obtain a tube pump which does not cause inconvenience such as sticking of the tube and generation of abnormal noise. In addition, the ink jet recording apparatus using this can reduce the power consumption and can prevent the failure of the tube pump caused by the flexible tube as much as possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a driving force transmission mechanism provided in the recording apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the tube pump of the embodiment according to the present invention is driven to rotate forward to perform a pumping action.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a case where the tube pump shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of a flexible tube used in the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the flexible tube shown in FIG. 5 is crushed.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a conventional tube pump.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Carriage 2 Carriage motor 6 Recording paper 7, 8 Ink cartridge 9 Capping means 10 Pump unit (tube pump) 11 Wiping means 21 Paper feed roller 23 Paper feed motor 26 Paper feed roller drive shaft 31 Paper discharge roller 42 Pump wheel 42a, 42b Roller support groove 43a, 43b Roller 44 Pump frame 44a, 44b Lock groove 51 Flexible tube 51a Flow path 51b Tube wall 51c Connecting portion 52 Tube support surface 53a, 53b Guide member

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) F04B 43/12 F term (Reference) 2C056 EA21 FA10 HA56 JA13 JC08 JC20 JC23 3H077 AA06 BB10 CC04 CC10 DD02 EE22 EE23 FF08

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A flexible frame comprising: a flexible tube; a pump frame having a tube support surface for regulating an outer shape of the flexible tube; and a rotatably mounted roller for pressurizing and deforming the flexible tube; In a tube pump for generating pressure by deforming a flexible tube under pressure by the roller, a tube made of an addition reaction vulcanized rubber material having a hardness of 34 to 46 degrees is used as the flexible tube. Tube pump to do. 2. The tube pump according to claim 1, wherein the rubber material forming the flexible tube is an addition reaction vulcanized silicon rubber. 3. The tube pump according to claim 1, wherein the flexible tube is colorless and transparent. 4. When a tube support surface provided on the pump frame has an arc shape, and a period in which the flexible tube is pressed against the arc tube support surface by the roller is represented by an angle. The tube pump according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the angle is in a range of 171 to 177 degrees. 5. The flexible tube according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of flow paths are formed in the flexible tube, and a pipe wall constituting the flow path is connected and integrated by a connecting portion. The tube pump according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. An ink jet recording head which discharges ink droplets in accordance with print data, a nozzle forming surface of the recording head is sealed, and ink is sucked from the recording head by receiving a negative pressure from a pump unit. An ink-jet recording apparatus comprising: a tube pump according to any one of claims 1 to 5 as a pump unit.