JP2002036585A - Printer, printing head and ink pack - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer, a printing head and an ink pack and to simply correspond to the consumption of ink by preventing a negative pressure mechanism from coming to nothing, especially in the adaptation to an ink jet printer. SOLUTION: An ink tank 40 is constituted so as to be cut off from negative pressure mechanisms 41, 42 and 47 to be made detachable.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer, a printer head and an ink pack, and more particularly, to an ink jet printer. According to the present invention, the ink tank can be detached separately from the negative pressure mechanism, thereby preventing waste of the negative pressure mechanism and easily coping with ink consumption.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in the field of image processing and the like, the need for hard copy colorization has been increasing.
For such needs, conventionally, sublimation type thermal transfer method,
Melt heat transfer method, inkjet method, electrophotographic method,
A color hard copy system such as a heat-developed silver salt system has been proposed.

In the sublimation type thermal transfer method among these methods, as shown in FIG. 15, an ink sheet or ink ribbon 4 is pressed by a thermal head 3 against a recording paper 2 moving on a platen 1. The ink of the ink sheet or the ink ribbon 4 is transferred to the recording paper 2 by locally heating the thermal head 3. Here, the recording paper 2 is formed, for example, with a dyeing resin layer 2A for receiving the transferred ink on the surface. The ink sheet or ink ribbon 4 is composed of a base film 4A and an ink layer 4B.
The ink layer 4B is formed by applying a suitable binder resin in which a high concentration transfer dye is dispersed to the base film 4A.

The sublimation type thermal transfer system is characterized in that maintenance and management are easy, and high quality printing results can be obtained with a relatively simple configuration. However, there is a disadvantage in that the consumption of the ink ribbon or the ink sheet is large, and the running cost is accordingly high. Similarly, the melt heat transfer method and the heat-developable silver salt method have the disadvantage that the amount of ink ribbon or ink sheet consumed is large, and the electrophotographic method has the disadvantage that the configuration of the apparatus becomes complicated. is there.

On the other hand, in the ink jet system, droplets of a recording liquid (ink droplets) are ejected from nozzles provided in a recording head and adhere to a recording target to form dots. This ink-jet method has a feature that a high-quality image can be printed with a simple configuration only by consuming ink.

In such an ink jet printer, a negative pressure mechanism such as a spring for applying a negative pressure to ink is integrated with an ink tank as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-67269. With such a configuration, it is possible to easily respond to ink consumption by exchanging the ink cartridge.

[0007]

By the way, in the ink jet type printer, although it is possible to cope with the consumption of ink by replacing only the ink cartridge, after all,
The negative pressure mechanism has a problem of being wasted.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and proposes a printer, a printer head, and an ink pack that can easily cope with ink consumption by preventing waste of a negative pressure mechanism. Things.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the invention of claim 1, claim 4 or claim 5,
When applied to a printer, a printer head, or an ink pack, the ink pack has a negative pressure mechanism for deforming the ink tank in a direction to increase the volume of the ink tank, and the ink tank is detachably detachable from the negative pressure mechanism. Hold.

According to the first, fourth, or fifth aspect of the present invention, the ink pack has a negative pressure mechanism for deforming the ink tank in a direction to increase the volume of the ink tank. By detachably holding the ink tank separately from the ink tank, it is possible to prevent waste of the negative pressure mechanism and easily cope with ink consumption.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(1) Configuration of Embodiment FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a line printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The line printer 11 is formed by being housed in a housing 12 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and by mounting a paper tray 13 housing paper 14 from a tray entrance formed in the front of the housing 12. Paper 14 can be fed.

When the paper tray 13 is mounted on the printer 11 from the tray entrance / exit, the paper 14 is pressed against the paper feed roller 16 by a predetermined mechanism. As shown,
The paper 14 is sent out from the paper tray 13 toward the rear side. In the line printer 11, a reversing roller 17 is disposed on the side of the sheet feeding, and the feeding direction of the sheet 14 is switched to the front direction by the rotation of the reversing roller 17 as shown by an arrow B.

The line printer 11 is conveyed by the spur roller 18 or the like so as to cross the sheet tray 13 in such a manner that the sheet feeding direction is switched, and is arranged on the front side as shown by an arrow C. It is discharged from the discharge outlet. In the line printer 11, a head cartridge 20 is replaceably arranged as shown by an arrow D between the spur roller 18 and the discharge port.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the head cartridge 20. In the head cartridge 20, an orifice plate 23 is formed by forming a nozzle or the like on a sheet material made of, for example, a metal or a carbon-based resin. In the head cartridge 20, head chips 25 are sequentially arranged on the orifice plate 23 via a dry film having a predetermined shape. Here, in the head chip 25, heaters for heating the ink are sequentially arranged, and a drive circuit for driving these heaters is further arranged.

The head cartridges 20 are arranged in four rows across the paper 14 so that the head chips 25 correspond to yellow, magenta, cyan, and black printing, respectively. The head cartridge 20 is then provided with a head frame 26 made of a ceramic or metal plate material having a predetermined shape.
Are connected to a flexible wiring board (not shown). In the head cartridge 20, an ink liquid chamber is formed by an orifice plate 23 and a dry film in each heater disposed on the head chip 25, and ink is guided to each of these ink liquid chambers by the head chip 25, the head frame 26, and the like. An ink flow path is formed. Further, nozzles of each ink liquid chamber are formed by nozzles formed on the orifice plate 23, and these constitute an ink jet printer head by a thermal head method.

The head cartridge 20 further includes a case 27 formed by injection molding a resin, and an ink pack containing yellow, magenta, cyan, and black inks in respective storage spaces formed in the case 27. After Y, M, C, and B are arranged, they are made tightly closed by the upper lid 28. The head cartridge 20 is formed so as to guide the ink of each of the ink packs Y, M, C, and B to the corresponding ink flow path on the line head side. As a result, the head cartridge 20 stores the ink packs Y, M,
The ink stored in C and B can be printed by the corresponding line head.

Further, as shown in a sectional view in FIG. 4, the head cartridge 20 has a cap 29 held on the orifice plate 23 side. Here, the cap 29 seals the orifice plate 23 with the rubber lip 31,
The nozzle of the orifice plate 23 is protected from exposure. This prevents the head cartridge 20 from clogging the nozzles due to drying of the ink. Further, the cap 29 has a water absorbing body 32 disposed inside the rubber lip 31 so as to face the nozzle. At the start of printing or the like, ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles toward the water absorbing body 32 so that so-called idle discharge can be performed. It has been made like that. In addition, the cap 29 is attached to the orifice plate 2 during printing by a mechanism such as a gear not shown.
3 and the paper 14 are removed, and at this time, the tip of the nozzle is cleaned by the water absorbing body 32. As shown partially enlarged by an arrow A, each head chip 25 has a built-in drive circuit via a flexible printed circuit board (FPC).
It is configured to be connected to a drive circuit of one main body.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an ink flow path in the head cartridge 20 having such a configuration. FIG. 5 shows the upper lid 28, the ink packs Y, M,
C and B have been removed. That is, in the head cartridge 20, four ink flow paths are formed in parallel so as to traverse the paper 14, and the inks of the ink packs Y, M, C, and B correspond to the head chips 25 by the respective ink flow paths.
It is made to be led to. Further, in the head cartridge 20, a needle 35 for guiding ink is arranged on the side of each of the ink packs Y, M, C, and B corresponding to each ink flow path.
6 are formed. The needle 35 is formed by forming a cylinder whose tip is obliquely cut like an injection needle so that the needle 35 can be easily inserted into a connection portion 43A of the ink packs Y and B described later. .

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the ink packs Y, M, C, and B arranged in the head cartridge 20. The ink packs Y, M, C, and B are stored in the ink tank 40.
Is set on the holder 41, and then the cover 42 is arranged.

The ink tank 40 is constructed by arranging plate members 44 and 45 above and below an ink tank body 43 as shown in a plan view and a partial cross-sectional view in FIG. Here, the ink tank main body 43 is formed by processing a film material into a bag shape and partially arranging a connection portion 43A for ink supply. Specifically, the ink tank main body 43 is manufactured by heat-welding or ultrasonic-welding two multilayer polyolefin films (provided with an aluminum vapor-deposited layer or the like as necessary). The reason why the polyolefin is used is that when the water-soluble ink is stored, the amount of eluted material is small, and the performance of the heater is prevented from deteriorating due to scorching of the eluted material.

The connecting portion 43A is formed of an elastic member such as rubber, and has a circular shape large enough to fit in the concave portion 36 (FIG. 5) in which the case 27 is formed. The connecting portion 43A has a concave portion for guiding the needle 35 formed in the center, and the needle 35 is inserted into the concave portion and pressed, so that the needle 35 pierces the concave portion and holds the ink held in the ink tank body 43 to the ink flow path. It is made to be able to guide.

The plate members 44 and 45 are arranged on the upper and lower sides of the ink tank main body 43 by bonding or the like. Thus, the ink tank 40 can apply a negative pressure to the held ink by widening the interval between the plate members 44 and 45.

The plate members 44 and 45 are formed in a rectangular shape using a metal plate material such as SUS, for example, and circular through holes B are formed at four corners. Thus, the ink tank 40 can apply a force to the ink tank body 43 through the through hole B so as to widen the interval between the plate members 44 and 45.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7 (see FIG. 1),
In the ink packs Y and B, substantially columnar projections 41A and 42A are formed at positions corresponding to the through holes B of the holder 41 and the cover 42, respectively. Each of the projections 41A and 42A is formed such that the diameter thereof is suddenly increased on the distal end side and then reduced by taper. As a result, the ink packs Y and B press the plate members 44 and 45 as shown in FIG.
The projections 41A and 42A are press-fitted into the projection, and after the press-fitting, the projections 41A and 42A are
With A, a force can be applied in the direction in which the plate members 44 and 45 are pushed and spread.

As described above, in the ink packs Y and B (FIG. 1), the holder 41 has a through hole 41B formed at a position corresponding to the connection portion 43A, thereby pressing the plate member 44 in this manner. The projection 41A can be pressed into the through-hole B, and the needle 35 can be guided to the connecting portion 43A.

The holder 41 is formed by bending a metal plate. The holder 41 has a pair of protrusions 41 on the longitudinal side and both side surfaces of the ink tank 40 that are substantially symmetrical with respect to the substantially center of the longitudinal side surface.
C is formed. Here, these projections 41C are formed so as to rise up along the side surfaces, respectively, and the upper cover 42 is formed with slits 42B into which the projections 41C are inserted. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the ink packs Y and B are assembled by inserting the projections 41C into the corresponding slits 42B, and by using the projections 41C as guides, the cover 42 is substantially parallel to the holder 41. The cover 42 can be moved up and down in accordance with the amount of ink liquid in the ink tank 40 while holding the ink tank 40.

The holder 41 further includes an ink tank 40
A protrusion 41D is formed at a position substantially at the center of the longitudinal side surface on each of the longitudinal side and both side surfaces so as to elongate along the side surface. After the negative pressure spring 47 is disposed on each of the projections 41D, the holder 41 holds the projection 41D so as to prevent the negative pressure spring 47 from dropping off.
Is created by bending the tip of.

As shown in FIG. 9, the negative pressure spring 47 is a pair of elongated leaf springs 47A curved by an arc shape.
And 47B, the pair of leaf springs 47A and 4B are used.
7B is arranged so as to be in contact at a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction, and is formed by welding at this central portion. In the negative pressure spring 47, a slit 47C for inserting the projection 41D is formed substantially at the center thereof, and the holder 41 is formed by inserting the projection 41D into the slit 47C and projecting the projection 41D.
Is bent so as to be bent.

As a result, the ink packs Y and B are
As shown in (2), the negative pressure springs 47 arranged on both side surfaces of the ink tank 40 push and spread the opposing portions of the ink tank 40 almost in parallel with the center of each side as a fulcrum.
A negative pressure is applied to the ink tank 40.
Thus, if the opposing portions of the ink tank 40 are spread substantially in parallel with the center of each side as a fulcrum, the upper and lower surfaces of the ink tank 40 can be spread as in the case of so-called cantilever expansion. Uneven deformation can be prevented. Therefore, the ink packs Y to B
Is designed so that the ink held in the ink tank 40 can be completely used up.

In the ink packs Y and B, the cover 42
Is a side surface on which such a negative pressure spring 47 is not disposed, and when disposed on the case 27, the side surface on the side aligned with the side surfaces of the other ink packs Y to B is outwardly formed by a substantially rectangular shape. A flange 4 formed so as to protrude and for applying static pressure
2C is formed. Thus, when the head cartridge 20 is detached from the line printer 11, the collar 42C is pressed by a predetermined pressing mechanism in the pressing direction of the negative pressure spring 47 to apply a static pressure to the ink tank 40. In addition, the liquid leakage of the ink is prevented.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show the ink pack Y
14A to 14B are cross-sectional views for explaining how to mount to the case 27. FIG. 11 shows a case where only the holder 41 and the cover 42 are attached for the sake of explanation.
Shows a case where the ink packs Y and B are mounted.

The case 27 has ink packs Y to Y respectively.
A spring 51 as a mechanism for holding the ink pack is disposed at a corner of the storage position of B. Here, the spring 51 is formed by bending a plate material into a predetermined shape, and when the ink packs Y to B are pressed from above in this figure, the spring 51 is displaced to the side and the tip is caught on the upper end surface of the holder 41. This prevents the ink packs Y and B from falling off.

FIG. 13 shows the ink pack Y
FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a case 27 that holds a case B. The case 27 is provided with a negative pressure increasing mechanism that increases the negative pressure of the ink packs Y and B when the case 27 is removed from the line printer 11. That is, the case 27 has the ink packs Y to B
A bar-shaped lever 52 is arranged so as to cross under a collar 42C formed on the cover 42 of the first embodiment. These levers 52
Is formed so that the tip protrudes from the case 27 and bends toward the upper lid 28 side, and as shown by an arrow C, the whole is arranged so as to be slidable in the extension direction. Further, the lever 52 has a projection 53 disposed at a position corresponding to the collar 42C, and a spring 55 is disposed at the tip of the projection 53.

The spring 55 is formed so as to be bent as a whole toward the collar 42C.
Abuts against the spring 55 by the slide of
Protrusions 55A for applying a force to the spring 55 are arranged so that the tips of 5 are farther from the collar 42C.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, when the lever 52 projects out of the case 27 as far as the case 27 shown in FIG. 42 is pressed upward to increase the negative pressure of the ink tank 40, and when partially inserted into the case 27, as partially indicated by reference numeral D, the cover 55 By stopping the pressing of 42, the increase of the negative pressure can be stopped.

In the case 27, the lever 52 is connected to the case 2
7 is urged by a spring (not shown) so as to be able to automatically apply a static pressure to each ink tank 40 when detached from the line printer 11. Also line printer 1
In the case where the ink cartridge 40 is attached to the line printer 1, the lever 52 is inserted into the case 27 when the bent portion 52 </ b> A that protrudes from the lever 52 and hits a predetermined member on the line printer 11 side. It has been made possible to cancel.

As described above, the spring 55 for pressing the ink packs Y and B is bent in such a manner as to protrude toward the projection 53, and the bending reliably increases the negative pressure even when the amount of ink liquid is small. It has been made possible to stop. That is, the cover 42 of the ink pack pressed by the spring 55 gradually approaches the holder 41 due to the decrease in the amount of ink in the ink tank 40. For this reason, when the amount of liquid in the ink tank 40 is extremely small, the ink pack Y
In spite of the fact that the negative pressure of ~ B has not been increased, the spring 55 will hit the cover 42.

However, if the spring 55 is formed to be bent so as to protrude toward the protrusion 55A, the tip of the spring 55 can be largely moved with respect to the sliding amount of the lever 52. , The increase in the negative pressure can be reliably stopped.

(2) Operation of Embodiment In the above configuration, the line printer 11 (FIG. 2) uses the reversing roller 17 after the paper 14 held in the paper tray 13 is pulled out by the paper feeding roller 16. The feeding direction is switched, and the sheet is fed toward the front outlet. When feeding the paper to the discharge port in this manner, the line printer 11 transfers the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black ink packs Y, M, C, and B held in the head cartridge 20 to the line heads of the heads 21 respectively. Corresponding ink is supplied, and the ink adheres to the paper 14 by droplets to print a desired image.

That is, in each line head of the head 21 (FIG. 4), the inks from the ink packs Y, M, C, and B are guided to the ink liquid chambers via the corresponding ink flow paths. Air bubbles generated by the heating of the heater arranged on the chip 25 fly out of the nozzle and adhere to the paper 14. Thus, the line printer 11 can print a desired image by driving the head chip 25 while feeding the paper in this manner.

In the line printer 11, these ink packs Y, M, C, and B are formed by processing a film material such as a multi-layer polyolefin film into a bag shape and partially arranging a connection portion 43A for ink supply. By arranging the plate members 44 and 45 above and below the ink tank body 43 (FIG. 6), an ink tank 40 for holding ink is formed. Further, these ink packs Y, M, C, and B are formed by press-fitting the projections 41A and 42A of the holder 41 and the cover 42 into the through holes B formed in the plate members 44 and 45, respectively (see FIGS. 1, 7, and 10). 8) The ink tank 40 is formed between the holder 41 and the cover 42. As a result, the ink packs Y, M, C, and B are arranged such that when the amount of the ink liquid decreases and the thickness of the ink tank 40 decreases, the distance between the holder 41 and the cover 42 decreases accordingly. When a force is applied so as to widen the interval between the ink tanks 40,
Is configured to be able to apply a negative pressure to the

As described above, the ink tank 40 is
1 and the cover 42, each of the ink packs Y, M, C, B
1C is inserted into the slit 42B of the cover 42, whereby the projection 41C is used as a guide for the holder 4B.
1 while holding the cover 42 substantially parallel to the ink container 40, the cover 42
Is configured to be able to move up and down.

A negative pressure spring 47 is arranged between the holder 41 and the cover 42, and a force is applied by the negative pressure spring 47 so as to open the space between the holder 41 and the cover 42. The liquid leakage from each nozzle in the case where it is left as it is, for example, is prevented. In this way, the ink tank 40
In each of the ink packs Y, M, C, and B holding
The projections 41D formed on the holder 41 are provided with a negative pressure spring 47.
(FIGS. 9 and 10), and the ink tank 4 is formed by the negative pressure spring 47, the holder 41, and the cover 42.
While the negative pressure mechanism is configured by deforming the ink tank 40 in a direction to increase the volume of 0, in the ink tank 40, by removing the plate members 44 and 45 from the holder 41 and the cover 42, respectively,
The ink tank is detachably held separately from these negative pressure mechanisms. In this way, in the line printer 11, when the ink runs out, only the ink tank 40 can be replaced, and waste of the negative pressure mechanism can be prevented to easily cope with ink consumption.

In the negative pressure mechanism constructed as described above, the negative pressure spring 47 has a substantially central portion held by the holder 41 by a projection 41D formed at a substantially central position on the longitudinal side of the holder 41. , Holder 41 and cover 4
2 are pressed against the longitudinal edges of the ink tank 4 respectively.
Apply a negative pressure to zero. Accordingly, the negative pressure mechanism is provided on both side surfaces of the ink tank, and applies a negative pressure by the negative pressure spring 47 that spreads the opposing portions of the ink tank substantially in parallel with the fulcrum at substantially the center of each side surface, The bias of the cover 42 with respect to the holder 41 and the like can be effectively avoided together with the guide by the projection 41C. Thereby, in the line printer 11, the ink packs Y,
M, C, and B inks can be used without waste.

With respect to the ink packs Y, M, C, and B formed as described above, in the head cartridge 20 (FIGS. 5 and 13),
The storage positions of M, C, and B are separated by a wall, and a needle 35 following a corresponding ink flow path is disposed in each storage location. A spring 51 as a mechanism is arranged (FIG. 11).
And FIG. 12).

Thus, each ink pack Y, M, C, B
In the above, after replacing the ink tank 40 as described above and assembling it again, the ink tank 40 is pressed by inserting the needle 35 into the concave portion of the connection portion 43A at the storage location of the corresponding ink pack. Can be supplied to the corresponding ink flow path. At this time, after the spring 51 is once deformed, the spring 51 is hooked on the upper end surface of the holder 41 so that the head cartridge 2
After assembly as 0, the ink pack is prevented from falling off. These also allow the line printer 11 to easily replace the ink pack.

Thus, in the line printer 11, a desired image or the like is printed by mounting the head cartridge 20 in which the ink packs Y, M, C, and B are arranged as described above. The head cartridge 20 is replaced, and the old head cartridge 20 that has been depleted of ink is submitted for ink pack replacement. Even in the case of a failure such as clogging of the nozzle, the nozzle is replaced similarly.

When the head cartridge 20 is replaced as described above (FIGS. 13 and 14), the lever 52 traversing the case 27 is urged by a spring when the head cartridge 20 is not attached to the line printer 11, and The spring 55 arranged on the lever 52 via the projection 53 presses the cover 42 of each of the ink packs Y to M, whereby the negative pressure applied to the ink tank 40 of each of the ink packs Y to M increases. When mounted on the line printer 11, the tip 52 A of the lever 52 that protrudes from the case 27 is pressed by a predetermined portion of the line printer 11, and the spring 55 abuts on the projection 55 A of the case 27 due to the sliding of the lever 52 due to this pressing. The pressing of the cover 42 by the tip of the spring 55 is stopped.

Accordingly, in the line printer 11, when the head cartridge 20 is not mounted on the line printer 11, the ink tank 4 is operated by the negative pressure increasing mechanism.
0, the negative pressure is increased, and the increase in the negative pressure by the negative pressure increasing mechanism is stopped by being mounted on the printer 11,
Ink leakage during maintenance such as head replacement can be effectively avoided.

In particular, in this embodiment, since the line printer 11 has nozzles arranged in a wide area so as to cross the sheet feeding direction, the negative pressure is increased by the negative pressure increasing mechanism as described above, and maintenance is performed. Also, even when the head cartridge 20 is tilted, it is possible to reliably prevent liquid leakage.

At this time, in the negative pressure increasing mechanism, since the spring 55 is bent so as to protrude toward the protrusion 55A, the movable amount of the tip of the spring 55 can be made larger than the sliding amount of the lever 52. This enables the line printer 11 to operate even when the ink liquid amount is reduced.
In the case where the ink pack is mounted on the printer, the increase in the negative pressure can be reliably stopped.

(3) Effects of the Embodiment According to the above configuration, the ink tank can be detached separately from the negative pressure mechanism, so that the negative pressure mechanism is prevented from being wasted and the ink is easily discharged. Can respond to consumption.

At this time, by holding the entire head cartridge, which is the printer head, in a detachable manner, various maintenance operations such as head failure, ink consumption, etc., can be uniformly processed. The simplification can be achieved, and this can easily cope with the consumption of ink.

Further, since the negative pressure mechanism is constituted by a spring which spreads the opposing portions of the ink tank substantially in parallel with the fulcrum substantially at the center of both sides of the ink tank, the ink can be used simply and without waste. be able to.

(4) Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the needle is inserted into the connection portion to guide the ink liquid to the ink flow path. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Various configurations can be widely applied to a configuration in which ink is guided from an ink tank, for example, when a valve is disposed on the tank side and the ink liquid is guided to the ink flow path by opening and closing the valve.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the negative pressure is applied by the leaf spring having the fulcrum at the center has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the displacement of the cover with respect to the holder can be practically sufficiently permitted. In such a case, the negative pressure may be applied by a so-called cantilever, or the negative pressure may be applied by a coil spring or the like, and various negative pressure mechanisms can be widely applied.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the ink tank is formed by attaching plate members to the upper and lower sides of the ink tank body has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
The present invention can be widely applied to a case where various members are arranged in the ink tank body instead of the plate material, and a case where a support member for the holder and the cover is integrally formed with the ink tank.

In the above embodiment, the case where the head cartridge is removed from the printer, the ink pack is removed from the head cartridge and the ink tank is replaced, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be widely applied to a case where the printer is detached from the printer and replaced by a single printer.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a color line printer has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a monochrome line printer,
Furthermore, it can be widely applied to various types of inkjet printers.

[0061]

As described above, according to the present invention, the ink tank can be detached separately from the negative pressure mechanism, thereby preventing waste of the negative pressure mechanism and easily coping with ink consumption. can do.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an ink pack applied to a line printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a line printer to which the ink pack of FIG. 1 is applied.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a head cartridge applied to the line printer of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the head cartridge of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the head cartridge of FIG. 3;

6 is a plan view and a side view showing an ink tank applied to the ink pack of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a side view for explaining the assembly of the ink pack of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the ink pack of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a negative pressure spring of the ink pack of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a side view for explaining the operation of the negative pressure spring in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view for explaining holding of the ink pack of FIG. 1;

12 is a cross-sectional view for explaining holding of the ink pack of FIG. 1 in a state including an ink tank.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a head cartridge.

FIG. 14 is a side view for explaining a negative pressure increasing mechanism of the head cartridge.

FIG. 15 is a side view for explaining the operation of the thermal head.

[Description of Signs] 11 ... line printer, 20 ... head cartridge, 25 ... head chip, 27 ... case, 35 ...
Needle, 40 ... Ink tank, 41 ... Holder,
42 cover 43 ink tank body 43A
... connecting parts, 44, 45 ... plate material, 47 ... negative pressure spring,
51, 55: spring, 52: lever, 53: projection,
C, B, M, Y ... Ink pack

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A printer for selectively ejecting ink droplets from a plurality of nozzles formed in a printer head, wherein the printer head includes a plurality of ink ejection mechanisms for selectively ejecting ink droplets from each of the nozzles. And an ink pack that holds ink in a built-in ink tank; and a holding mechanism that holds the ink ejection mechanism and the ink pack and guides the ink of the ink pack to the ink ejection mechanism. A printer comprising a negative pressure mechanism for deforming the ink tank in a direction to increase the volume of the ink tank, and detachably holding the ink tank separately from the negative pressure mechanism. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein said printer head is detachably held. 3. The negative pressure mechanism is a spring which is disposed on each of both side surfaces of the ink tank, and which spreads the opposing portions of the ink tank substantially in parallel with the center of each side as a fulcrum. The printer according to claim 1, wherein 4. A printer head detachably mounted on a printer and selectively ejecting ink droplets from sequentially arranged nozzles, wherein a plurality of ink ejections selectively ejecting ink droplets from each nozzle. A mechanism, an ink pack that holds ink in a built-in tank, and a holding mechanism that holds the ink ejection mechanism and the ink pack and guides the ink of the ink pack to the ink ejection mechanism. A printer head having a negative pressure mechanism for deforming the ink tank in a direction to increase the capacity of the ink tank, and detachably holding the ink tank separately from the negative pressure mechanism. 5. An ink pack connected to an ink supply path formed in a head mechanism of a printer and configured to supply ink held in an ink tank, wherein the ink pack is arranged so as to increase the volume of the ink tank body. An ink pack having a negative pressure mechanism for deforming a tank, wherein the ink pack is detachably held apart from the negative pressure mechanism.