JP2003341086A - Valve mechanism and recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive valve mechanism in an ink supply system capable of facilitating the operation and preventing ink from leaking, and a recorder having the valve mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: An ink receiving section 26 for receiving the ink adhered to a portion in the vicinity of the tip of an ink supply needle 21 is provided to an external peripheral section of an end face of a valve 24 in the valve mechanism. As the ink is prevented from dropping from the end face of the valve when an ink cartridge is taken out from an ink cartridge holder, it is possible to prevent staining in the recorder due to the ink. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a valve mechanism that opens and closes in response to attachment / detachment of an ink cartridge and a recording apparatus equipped with the valve mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a recording medium, for example, JIS standard A1
There is an ink jet printer which is one of large-sized recording devices capable of recording even a relatively large-sized recording sheet such as a standard size or JIS standard B1 size. This ink jet printer has a structure in which a paper feed unit, a recording unit, and a paper discharge unit are arranged in this order from the top. Inside the recording unit,
A recording head mounted on a carriage that reciprocates in the main scanning direction is provided.

An ink cartridge holder is provided on the front side of the recording section to insert and remove an ink cartridge for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head.
This ink cartridge holder is provided with a cover that can be opened and closed on the front side, and the cover is opened to insert and remove the ink cartridge. And
When inserting or removing the ink cartridge, an electromagnetic valve or the like arranged in the ink tube connecting the ink cartridge holder and the recording head is operated to close the ink tube.

In such a configuration, the recording head is moved in the main scanning direction while the recording sheet set in the paper feeding unit is intermittently fed in the sub-scanning direction by the set amount in the recording unit.
Ink droplets are ejected from the recording head onto recording paper. Then, after recording the predetermined information on the recording paper, the recording paper is ejected from the paper ejection unit.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned conventional ink jet printer, since it is necessary to operate the electromagnetic valve or the like to close the ink tube, not only is it troublesome, but the parts cost is also high. There is. On the other hand, there has been proposed a valve that is slidably fitted on a hollow needle having an ink introduction hole and has an opening / closing action with respect to the ink introduction hole when the ink cartridge is attached or detached (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-2001). 212971).

However, since such a valve is formed only of an elastic material, the diameter of the hole into which the ink supply needle is inserted may vary during molding. Therefore, if the hole diameter is smaller than the diameter of the ink supply needle, the slidability of the ink supply needle deteriorates due to friction or the like, and the valve may not open or close. On the other hand, if the hole diameter is large, there is a possibility that sealing failure may occur and ink may leak from the ink introduction hole.

The present invention has been made in view of the above various problems, and an object thereof is to provide a valve mechanism having a valve of an ink supply system which is easy to operate, inexpensive and does not leak ink, and a valve mechanism thereof. It is to provide a recording device provided.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, in the valve mechanism of the present invention, in the valve mechanism that opens and closes in response to the attachment and detachment of the ink cartridge, an ink supply needle having a supply port bored at the tip side portion. A valve that is fitted in the ink supply needle and is movable from the front end side to the rear end side to open and close the supply port; and a valve that is inserted in the rear end side of the ink supply needle and urges the valve. It is characterized in that it comprises an urging means and an ink receiving portion which is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the end face of the valve and receives the ink adhering to the vicinity of the tip of the ink supply needle. As a result, since the ink tube connecting the ink cartridge holder and the recording head can be closed at the same time when the ink cartridge is inserted into the ink cartridge holder, the operation becomes easy, and the conventional electromagnetic valve or the like can be used. Since it becomes unnecessary, the cost of parts can be reduced. Furthermore, when the ink cartridge is pulled out from the ink cartridge holder, for example, it is possible to prevent the ink from dripping from the end surface of the valve of the valve mechanism, and thus to prevent the contamination of the ink inside the apparatus.

Further, in the present invention, the ink receiving portion is
A notch is provided in at least an upper arc-shaped outer peripheral edge of the outer peripheral edge of the valve end face. As a result, when the ink receiving portion of the valve of the valve mechanism is brought into contact with the ink supply opening of the ink cartridge, the ink receiving portion is crushed by the notch even if the ink receiving portion is pressed against the ink supply opening due to component tolerance. Since it is easy, it is possible to prevent the ink supply port from being damaged.

Further, in the present invention, when the ink supply needle is inserted into the ink supply port of the ink cartridge,
An ink absorbing material that absorbs ink attached to the vicinity of the tip of the ink supply needle is disposed around the ink supply port. As a result, when the ink cartridge is once removed from the ink cartridge holder and then reinserted, the ink adhering to the tip of the ink supply needle of the valve mechanism is immediately absorbed by the absorbing material, so that the ink in the ink cartridge is contaminated. Can be prevented.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a valve which is slidably fitted on a hollow ink supply needle having a supply port and which opens and closes the supply port in response to attachment and detachment of the ink cartridge. In the valve mechanism, in the inner peripheral surface of the valve, a sealing region that seals the supply port is formed of an elastic member, and the other region is formed of a member that is harder than the elastic member. Is characterized by. As a result, since the portion inscribed in the ink supply needle is made of a hard member having a hardness higher than that of the elastic member, the slidability of the valve with respect to the ink supply needle can be improved.

Further, in the present invention, the valve is a cylinder made entirely of a member harder than the elastic member inside the first cylindrical body having a large-diameter portion with respect to the cylinder made entirely of an elastic member. A second cylindrical body having a large-diameter shaped portion is fitted into the first cylindrical body, and a protrusion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the first cylindrical body as the sealing region, and corresponds to the protrusion of the second cylindrical body. It is characterized in that a notch portion is formed at a position to be formed. Since the first cylindrical body at this time is an elastic member having JIS rubber hardness of 5 ° to 80 °, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer, the ink supply port is closely sealed by the protrusion of the first cylindrical body made of an elastic member. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent ink leakage.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the notch portion is formed by providing a groove in the axial direction of the second cylindrical body. Thereby, the protrusion of the first cylinder can be easily fitted into the notch of the second cylinder.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of an ink jet printer which is one of the recording apparatuses according to the embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an internal configuration example of the main part of the ink jet printer. FIG. The inkjet printer 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a large-sized printer capable of recording even a relatively large-sized recording sheet such as a JIS standard A1 size or a JIS standard B1 size. Unit 120, paper discharge unit 13
0 and the leg portion 140 are arranged in this order from the top. The recording unit 120 and the paper discharge unit 130 are integrated as a main body, and are configured to be separable from the paper feed unit 110 and the leg unit 140.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet feeding section 110 is provided so as to project to the upper rear of the main bodies 120 and 130. As shown in FIG. 2, a roll paper holder 111, in which one roll of recording paper (hereinafter referred to as roll paper) can be set, is provided inside the paper feed unit 110.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, on the front surface of the paper feeding unit 110,
A flip-up type openable and closable roll paper cover 112 is attached so as to cover the roll paper holder 111.

As shown in FIG. 2, the roll paper holder 111 is attached to the spindle 113 for holding the roll paper, the pair of flange-shaped roll paper retainers 114, and the inner surfaces of both side walls of the paper feed section 110, and the spindle 113 It is equipped with a pair of spindle receivers 115 that can be detached and suspended. Then, the spindle 113 is in a state where the roll paper is inserted in the center and is sandwiched by the roll paper presser 114,
Both ends are mounted on the spindle receiver 115, and are rotatably supported by a shaft. Roll paper cover 112
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the whole is rotatably supported, and is opened and closed by the user holding the lower part and lifting or lowering it.

As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit 120 includes a carriage 122 having a recording head 121 mounted thereon, a flexible flat cable (hereinafter referred to as a flexible flat cable) electrically connecting the recording head 121 and a control unit (not shown) for executing recording. ,
FFC) 123, an ink tube 124 that connects the recording head 121 and the ink cartridge 10 containing ink, a paper feed roller (not shown) that conveys the roll paper in the sub-scanning direction, and a paper suction means (not shown) that prevents the roll paper from floating. And so on. Then, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
25 and the front lid 126 are the recording head 121 and the carriage 1.
It is attached so as to cover 22 and the like.

The recording head 121 comprises a black ink recording head for ejecting black ink and a plurality of color ink recording heads for ejecting inks of respective colors such as light yellow, yellow, light cyan, cyan, light magenta and magenta. I have it. The recording head 121 is provided with a pressure generating chamber and a nozzle opening connected to the pressure generating chamber. By storing ink in the pressure generating chamber and pressurizing it with a predetermined pressure, a size controlled from the nozzle opening toward the roll paper is controlled. Ink droplets are ejected.

The carriage 122, as shown in FIG.
The carriage 127 is hung from a rail 127 provided in the main scanning direction via rollers and is connected to a carriage belt 128. When the carriage belt 128 is operated by a carriage driving device (not shown), the carriage belt 128 is operated.
And is guided by the rail 127 to reciprocate.

The FFC 123 has one end connected to the connector of the control unit and the other end connected to the connector of the recording head 121, and sends a recording signal from the control unit to the recording head 121. The ink tubes 124 are provided for the inks of the respective colors, one end of each of which is connected to the corresponding ink cartridge 10 of each color through an ink pressurizing supply unit (not shown), and the other end of each of the recording heads corresponds to the corresponding color. It is connected to 121. Then, the ink tube 124 supplies the ink of each color pressurized by the ink pressure supply means from the ink cartridge 10 to the recording head 1.
It will be sent to 21.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a lower portion of the front lid 126 is rotatably supported, and a user holds the upper portion to push down or push up to open and close the front lid 126. The user can greatly open the recording unit 120 by opening the front lid 126, and thus can easily perform maintenance work on the recording head 121, the carriage 122, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the paper discharge section 130 includes a paper discharge guide 131 which forms a part of a path for transporting the roll paper in the sub-scanning direction, and a transporting roll paper in the sub-scanning direction. Not equipped with a discharge roller. Paper ejection guide 131
Is formed as a flat inclined surface projecting to the front side, so that the roll paper conveyed from above can be smoothly guided downward.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the leg portion 140 has two support columns 142 having a roller 141 for movement.
And a reinforcing rod 143 hung between these support columns 142. The paper feed unit 110 and the main bodies 120 and 130 are placed on the upper portions of the support columns 142 and fixed by screws. By disposing the moving rollers 141 on the support columns 142, the heavy paper feeding unit 110 and the main bodies 120 and 130 can be smoothly moved to desired positions and installed. . In addition, between the support columns 142 of the leg 140,
A paper discharge receiving device that receives the roll paper discharged from the paper discharge unit 130 can be installed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a holder main body 151 for accommodating and holding the ink cartridge 10 of each color and a cover 152 for covering the front surface thereof are provided on the left side of the main bodies 120, 130 as viewed from the front side. An ink cartridge holder 150 is arranged. The ink cartridge holder 150 covers the holder body 151 with the cover 1
A lower portion of 52 is rotatably supported, and a user holds the upper portion to push down or push up to open or close.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an operation panel 160 for the user to operate recording control and the like is arranged on the upper right side when viewed from the front side of the main bodies 120 and 130. The operation panel 160 is provided with a liquid crystal screen and various buttons so that the user can operate the buttons while checking the liquid crystal screen.

When the ink jet printer 100 is used in such a structure, first, the paper feeding section 11 is used.
Spindle 11 constituting roll paper holder 111 from 0
3, the one roll paper holder 114 inserted in the spindle 113 is pulled out from one end of the spindle 113, as shown in FIG.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the spindle 1
One end of the roll paper R is inserted from one end of the shaft hole C of the roll paper R to penetrate the other end, and as shown in FIG. 5, one end of the shaft hole C of the roll paper R is inserted and fixed to the other end side of the spindle 113. The roll paper holder 114 is fitted into and brought into contact with the roll paper holder 114. Then, one roll paper holder 114 is inserted from one end of the spindle 113 and fitted into the other end of the shaft hole C of the roll paper R. This allows the roll paper R to rotate together with the spindle 113.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the paper feed unit 110 is held by holding both ends of the spindle 113 into which the roll paper R is inserted.
Lift up to. Here, as shown in FIG. 7, in the spindle receiver 115, a relatively shallow recess 115a for temporarily mounting the end portion of the spindle 113 and the end portion of the spindle 113 are rotatably supported. The relatively deep recesses 115b are arranged side by side in the front and rear. Front depression 115
a is a spindle 1 in which a heavy roll paper R is inserted
Since it is difficult to temporarily insert 13 into the regular recess 115b, it is provided for temporary placement.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, both ends of the spindle 113 into which the roll paper R has been inserted are temporarily placed in the temporary recess 115a of the spindle receiver 115, and thereafter,
As shown in FIG. 8, first, one end of the spindle 113 in which the roll paper R is inserted is attached to the corresponding spindle receiver 114.
Then, the other end of the spindle 113 into which the roll paper R is inserted is hooked on the corresponding regular recess 115b of the corresponding spindle receiver 115. As a result, the spindle 113 with the roll paper R inserted therein can be safely and easily set in the paper feed unit 110.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the leading end of the roll paper R is pulled out downward and passed through the conveyance path of the recording section 120.
Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the sheet is passed to the conveyance path of the sheet discharge unit 130. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the roll paper R is rotated in the winding direction to position the leading end of the roll paper R at the marker M formed on, for example, the paper discharge guide 131. After that, the ink jet printer 100 is activated to feed the roll paper R in the sub-scanning direction and the recording head 1
Ink droplets are ejected while moving 21 in the main scanning direction, predetermined information is recorded on the roll paper R, and the paper is ejected.

FIG. 12 shows the ink cartridge holder 15
It is a perspective view which shows the detail of 0. The ink cartridge holder 150 is a holder main body 151 attached to the front left side of the main body 120 of the inkjet printer 100.
And a cover 152 attached to the front side of the holder body 151. Inside the holder main body 151, a storage portion 153 for storing the ink cartridge 10 and a control lever 154 that is vertically movable are arranged in parallel. The lower portion of the cover 152 is rotatably supported by the lower portion of the holder body 151, and is swung downward to rotate the holder body 151.
The front surface of the holder main body 151 is closed by opening the front surface of the holder main body 151 and turning upward.

A storage portion 153 provided in the holder main body 151 has a total of seven color ink cartridges 10B including black, light yellow, yellow, light cyan, cyan, light magenta, and magenta from the left side in the drawing.
0LY, 10Y, 10LC, 10C, 10LM, 10M
Are separated so that they can be individually pulled out and pushed in.

Here, FIG. 13 shows the ink cartridge 1.
It is the perspective view which looked at 0 from the back surface side. The ink cartridge 10 includes an outer case 11 formed of, for example, a hard plastic material in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an ink tank, which is formed of, for example, a flexible material in a bag shape and is filled with ink, is sealed. On the front surface side of one side surface of the outer case 11, a concave grip portion 12 on which the user holds his or her hand when the ink cartridge 10 is pulled out from the storage portion 153 and pushed in is formed.

In the holder body of the conventional ink cartridge holder, for example, only ink cartridges of 6 colors are stored, and there is a relatively large space. Therefore, when the ink cartridge is pulled out from the storage portion and pushed in, The user was able to put his hands inside the holder body and work. However, in the present embodiment, the holder body 1 of the ink cartridge holder 150 having the same size as the conventional one is used.
Since it is necessary to arrange the storage portion 153 for storing the ink cartridges 10 of seven colors and the control lever 154 in the same space in 51, there is no room in space. Therefore, by forming the concave grip portion 12 in the ink cartridge 10, the work of pulling out and pushing in the ink cartridge 10 into the storage portion 153 can be easily performed.

An ink supply port 13 covered with a rubber packing connected to an internal ink tank is formed at the center of the rear surface of the outer case 11, and the ink cartridge 10 is accommodated in a storage part 153 on both upper and lower sides thereof. Positioning holes 14 are formed for positioning when pushing in. Further, the upper part of the rear surface of the outer case 11 has a recess 1
5 is formed, and the ink cartridge 1 is formed inside thereof.
IC 16 for reading and writing the ink information of 0, for example, the manufacturing number, the color and the remaining amount of the ink, is attached. further,
A locking protrusion 17 for locking the ink cartridge 10 when stored in the storage portion 153 is formed in the center of the upper surface of the outer case 11.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the storage portion 153 of the ink cartridge 10 for one color in the holder body 151. An ink supply needle 21 inserted into the ink supply port 13 of the ink cartridge 10 and a positioning needle 22 inserted into the positioning hole 14 of the ink cartridge 10 are pulled out of the ink cartridge 10 on the inner rear surface of the storage portion 153. , Is arranged so as to project in the pushing direction.

Here, FIG. 15A is a plan view showing the details of the valve mechanism that opens and closes in response to attachment and detachment of the ink cartridge 10. The hollow ink supply needle 21 has a supply port 21a bored on the side surface at the front end and a rear end connected to the ink tube 124. The ink supply needle 21
There is a cylindrical rubber valve 24 that is urged in the axial direction by a compression spring 23 inserted at the rear end side and closes a supply port 21a bored in the front end side surface of the ink supply needle 21. It is fitted. As a result, the ink supply system in the inkjet printer 100 can be maintained in the closed state.

With such a configuration, when the user pushes the ink cartridge 10 into the storage portion 153 as shown in FIG. 15 (A), as shown in FIG. 15 (B).
The ink supply needle 21 is inserted into the ink supply port 13, and the valve 24 is pushed by the rubber packing of the ink supply port 13 to be pushed toward the rear end side of the ink supply needle 21. As a result, the supply port 21 covered by the valve 24
Since a is exposed, the ink in the ink tank of the ink cartridge 10 is supplied from the ink supply port 13 to the ink tube 124 through the supply port 21a of the ink supply needle 21.

On the other hand, when the user pulls out the ink cartridge 10 from the storage portion 153, the ink supply needle 21 is also pulled out from the ink supply port 13, so that the ink supply port 13
The valve 24 pushed by the rubber packing is pushed to the tip side of the ink supply needle 21 by the restoring force of the compression spring 23. As a result, the exposed supply port 21a is covered with the valve 24 again.

As shown in FIG. 14, a connector 25 that is electrically connected to the IC 16 of the ink cartridge 10 is attached to the upper portion of the inner rear surface of the storage portion 153. This connector 25 is connected to the FFC 123,
The control unit of the inkjet printer 100 can read and write ink information with respect to the IC 16 of the ink cartridge 10. Further, a locking claw 153b that locks or unlocks the locking projection 17 of the ink cartridge 10 in conjunction with the cam 159 is formed at the center of the upper surface of the storage portion 153.

As shown in FIG. 12, the control lever 154 provided in the holder body 151 is
1 is provided so as to be vertically swingable along a guide groove 151a provided in the vertical direction. This control lever 154
Swings up and down, so that the ink cartridge 1
The writing of ink information to the IC 16 arranged at 0 is electrically controlled, and the loading / unloading of the ink cartridge 10 into / from the storage portion 153 is mechanically controlled.

That is, when the control lever 154 is positioned at the uppermost end, writing of ink information to the IC 16 arranged in the ink cartridge 10 is prohibited and the storage portion 153 of the ink cartridge 10 is stored. It can be taken in and out. On the other hand, when the control lever 154 is positioned at the lowermost end,
Writing of ink information to the IC 16 provided in the ink cartridge 10 is permitted, and
It is impossible to take the ink cartridge 10 in and out of the storage portion 153.

The control lever 154 having such a function
By providing the above, it becomes possible to use a large ink cartridge. That is, conventionally, the writing of ink information to the IC provided in the ink cartridge has been controlled by the opening / closing operation of the cover of the ink cartridge holder. However, when the large ink cartridge is set in the holder body, it protrudes to the front side and the cover cannot be closed, so that it is not possible to control the writing of ink information to the IC arranged in the ink cartridge. It was

On the other hand, the writing of ink information to the IC 16 arranged in the ink cartridge 10 of this embodiment is controlled by swinging the control lever 154 of the ink cartridge holder 150 as described above.
For this reason, a large ink cartridge is attached to the holder body 15
Even if the cover 152 cannot be closed by protruding to the front side when set to 1, it is possible to control writing of ink information to the IC arranged in the large ink cartridge.

As described above, the control lever 154 swings up and down to electrically control writing of ink information to the IC 16 arranged in the ink cartridge 10, and at the same time, the storage portion of the ink cartridge 10 is accommodated. Access to and removal from the 153 is mechanically controlled. This mechanism will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the mechanism of the control lever 154 in the holder body 151 and the accommodating portion 153 of the ink cartridge 10 for one color adjacent thereto. The control lever 154 is formed so that one end side thereof protrudes toward the front surface side of the holder body 151 as an operation end 154a, and the other end side is rotatably supported by a side surface 153a of the storage portion 153 by a shaft 154b. Further, on the other end side of the control lever 154, a guide surface 154c that is involved in writing ink information to the IC 16 arranged in the ink cartridge 10 is formed at the end portion, and the guide surface 154c that is related to the writing of ink information to the IC cartridge 10 is formed on the upper portion. Gear teeth involved in taking in and out 1
54d is formed, and a locking portion 154e involved in the swing of the control lever 154 itself is formed in the lower portion.

Then, the operating end 154 of the control lever 154
A stop member 154f for positioning the uppermost end and the lowermost end when a swings is disposed so as to project on the front surface side of the side surface 153a of the storage portion 153. Further, when the control lever 154 swings, the limit switch 155, which switches according to the guide surface 154c, switches to the storage section 15
The third side surface 153a is disposed on the rear surface side.

Furthermore, when the control lever 154 swings, a fan-shaped gear 156 that meshes with the gear teeth 154d and rotates.
Is the hexagonal shaft 15 disposed on the upper surface side of the storage portion 153.
It is fitted in 8. A torsion coil spring 157, which is biased when the operating end 154a is positioned at the uppermost end and the lowermost end, has one end locked to the locking portion 154e and the other end locked to the side surface 153a of the storage portion 153. .

The hexagonal shaft 158 is used for the storage portion 15 for all colors.
It is arranged from one end on the upper surface side of 3 to the other end,
A cam 159 is fitted in a position corresponding to the upper surface of each storage portion 153. The cam 159 is provided in the ink cartridge 10 formed on the upper surface of each storage portion 153.
It is formed so that the locking claw 153b for locking can be pushed down.

The operation of the mechanism of the control lever 154 thus constructed will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18. FIG. 17
When the control lever 154 is positioned at the uppermost end as shown in FIG.
It is turned off by 54c, and writing of ink information to the IC 16 arranged in the ink cartridge 10 is prohibited. Further, the cam 159 is locked by the gear teeth 154d by the rotation of the gear 156.
Since the locking claws 153b are separated from the locking protrusions 17 formed on the ink cartridge 10, the locking claws 153b can be taken in and out of the storage portion 153 of the ink cartridge 10.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 18, the control lever 1
When 54 is positioned at the lowermost end, the limit switch 155 is turned on by the guide surface 154c, and the IC mounted in the ink cartridge 10 is in the ON state.
Ink information writing to 16 is permitted.
Further, the cam 159 has a gear 156 formed by gear teeth 154d.
The locking claw 153b is pressed by the rotation of the
Since 53b is hooked on the locking projection 17 formed on the ink cartridge 10, it is impossible to take the ink cartridge 10 in and out of the storage portion 153.

Thus, the user cannot pull out the ink cartridge 10 from the ink cartridge holder 150 unless the user lifts the control lever 154 from the lowermost end to the uppermost end. Inkjet printer 10
The control unit of 0 enables the user to write ink information to the IC 16 arranged in the ink cartridge 10 while the user lifts the control lever 154 from the lowermost end to the uppermost end. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the malfunction of the inkjet printer 100 due to the inability to read and write the ink information as in the related art.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing another operation mode of the control lever 154. The operation mode of the control lever 154 described above is a mode in which the control lever 154 moves between the lowermost end and the uppermost end along the guide groove 151a formed in a straight line. However, when this operation mode is adopted, the control lever 154 is moved from the lowermost end to the uppermost end, and at the same time, the ink cartridge 10 is moved.
When the printer is pulled out from the storage portion 153, writing of ink information to the IC 16 arranged in the ink cartridge 10 is interrupted, which may lead to malfunction of the inkjet printer 1.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 19, when the operation form of the control lever 154 is moved from the lowermost end to the uppermost end, a step 151ba provided in the middle of the guide groove 151b is provided.
Thus, the horizontal movement is performed once, and the movement from the uppermost end to the lowermost end is performed at once. As described above, by forming the guide groove 151b having the action of moving the control lever 154 from the lowermost end to the uppermost end as two actions, the time required for the movement becomes longer, so that the IC 16 provided in the ink cartridge 10 is provided. It is possible to increase the time for writing the ink information for the ink jet printer 1 and to prevent the malfunction of the inkjet printer 1 more reliably. Since the movement of the control lever 154 from the uppermost end to the lowermost end is one action, the ink cartridge 1
The setting time of 0 can be shortened.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the control lever 154 is located at the lowermost end, ink information can be written in the IC 16 arranged in the ink cartridge 10, and the control lever 154 is moved from the lowermost end. Although the ink information is written to the IC 16 while the ink 16 is being moved to the uppermost end, it may be set as follows.

That is, when the control lever 154 is located at the lowermost end, it is possible to write ink information to the IC 16 provided in the ink cartridge 10, for example, before the printing operation by the recording head 121 or before the recording head 121. Ink information is written to the IC 16 at a predetermined time such as before the cleaning operation starts, after the printing operation ends, after the cleaning operation ends, or after a certain amount of ink is used. Then, when the control lever 154 is raised from the lowermost end, ink information is not written to the IC 16 at the same time. As a result, the ink cartridge 1
Since it is possible to increase the certainty of writing the ink information into the IC 16 arranged at 0, it is possible to more reliably prevent the malfunction of the inkjet printer 1.

By the way, when the user uses the ink cartridge 1
When 0 is pushed into the storage portion 153, the ink in the ink supply port 13 adheres to the entire ink supply needle 21 shown by the mesh line in the figure, as shown in FIG. When the user pulls out the ink cartridge 10 from the storage portion 153, the valve 24 is pushed toward the tip side of the ink supply needle 21 by the restoring force of the compression spring 23, as shown in FIG. The ink that has adhered to the entire 21 also adheres to the end surface of the valve 24 shown by the mesh line in the figure. As a result, the ink attached to the end surface of the valve 24 may drop due to gravity and contaminate the inside of the ink cartridge holder 150.

When the user pushes the ink cartridge 10 into the storage portion 153 in this state, the valve 24
Ink cartridge 1 by the ink attached to the end surface
No. 0 is contaminated on the outside, and as shown in FIG.
There is a risk that the inside of the ink cartridge 10 will be contaminated via the cap 13a shown by the mesh line in the figure due to the capillary phenomenon caused by the contact between the ink cartridge 4 and the cap 13a of the ink supply port 13.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 21, the valve 24
An ink receiving portion 26 for receiving ink is formed on the end surface of
The ink receiving portion 26 is formed as a thin edge projecting from the outer peripheral edge portion of the end surface of the valve 24, and ink is stored in a pocket formed by the thin edge and the end surface. As a result, as shown in FIG.
The ink cartridge 10 is attached to the ink cartridge holder 1
Since it is possible to prevent the ink from dripping from the end surface of the valve 24 when it is removed from the ink cartridge 50, it is possible to prevent the ink inside the ink cartridge holder 150 from being contaminated by the ink.

Further, the ink receiving portion 26 is provided with the valve 24.
It is formed about 2/3 round on the lower side with respect to the entire outer circumference of the end face, and the cutout portion 26a is provided on at least about 1/3 round on the upper side. As shown in FIG. 22 (B),
Although the ink receiving portion 26 of the valve 24 and the cap 13a of the ink supply port 13 are designed to come into contact with each other when the ink cartridge 10 is mounted, even if the ink receiving portion 26 is pressed against the cap 13a due to component tolerance. Since the ink receiving portion 26 is easily crushed by the cutout portion 26a, it is possible to prevent the cap 13a from being damaged.

An ink absorbing material 13b that absorbs ink is wound around the cap 13a of the ink supply port 13 of the ink cartridge 10. When the surface of the ink droplet attached to the rubber valve 24 comes into contact with the plastic cap 13a, the valve 24 and the cap 13
Due to the difference in water repellency of a, the ink droplets are transferred from the valve 24 to the cap 13a at a stroke due to a capillary phenomenon, and the cap 13a
It will be absorbed by the ink absorbing material 13b wound around.

As a result, as shown in FIG.
The ink cartridge 10 is attached to the ink cartridge holder 1
22B, the ink on the end surface of the valve 24 is absorbed by the ink absorbing material 13b when it is inserted again as shown in FIG. 22B. Therefore, the ink cartridge 10 due to the ink dripping from the end surface of the valve 24. It is possible to prevent contamination inside.

FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view showing another detail of the valve mechanism which opens and closes in response to the attachment / detachment of the ink cartridge 10, and FIGS. 24 to 27 are enlarged perspective views of respective components of the valve mechanism. It is a figure. As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the hollow ink supply needle 31 has a supply port 31 a bored on the side surface at the front end and a rear end connected to the ink tube 124.

As shown in FIG. 23, the ink supply needle 31 is provided with a supply port 31a which is axially biased by a compression spring 33 inserted at the rear end side thereof and is bored on the tip side surface of the ink supply needle 31. Valves 34 and 35 for closing the valve are fitted. Further, the ink supply needle 31 is fitted with a holder 32 that holds the compression spring 33 and the valves 34 and 35.

As shown in FIGS. 23 and 25, the hollow cylindrical holder 32 has a compression spring 33, a valve 34, and
A support surface 32a is formed to support 35 on both sides. The claw 32b formed on one side of the support surface 32a supports the compression spring 33 by being inserted into one end of the compression spring 33, and the claw 32c formed on the other side of the support surface 32a has a valve. The valves 34 and 35 are supported by locking the valves 34 and 35. In addition, the long hole 32 provided on the side surface of the holder 32
When the claw 31b provided on the ink supply needle 31 is locked at d, the holder 32 slides in the axial direction with respect to the ink supply needle 31.

The valves 34, 35 are entirely inside the first cylindrical body 34 with a flange made of an elastic member, and the first
Second flange with a harder member than the cylindrical body 34
It has a double structure in which the cylindrical body 35 is inserted. Then, on the inner peripheral surface of the first cylindrical body 34, the protrusion 3 extending in the axial direction is formed.
4a is formed as a sealing region for sealing the supply port 31a, and the protrusion 3 of the first cylindrical body 34 in the second cylindrical body 35 is formed.
A notch 35a is formed at a position corresponding to 4a. The notch portion 35a is formed by providing a groove in the axial direction of the second cylindrical body 35.

The first cylindrical body 34 has a JIS rubber hardness of 5 °.
It is formed of a material of -80 °, such as a thermoplastic elastomer. The second cylindrical body 35 is made of, for example, synthetic resin or metal. As a result, the second cylindrical body 35 formed of a hard member having a hardness higher than that of the elastic member comes in contact with the ink supply needle 31, so that the slidability of the valves 34 and 35 with respect to the ink supply needle can be improved. . In addition, the protrusion 34 of the first cylindrical body 34 made of an elastic member
Since “a” tightly seals the supply port 31a of the ink supply needle 31, ink leakage can be reliably prevented.

In such a structure, when the user pushes the ink cartridge 10 into the storage portion 153, the ink supply needle 31 is inserted into the ink supply port 13 and the valves 34 and 35 are connected to the ink supply port 13. It is pushed by the rubber packing and pushed into the rear end side of the ink supply needle 31. As a result, the supply port 31a covered with the protrusion 34a of the first cylindrical body 34 is exposed, so that the ink in the ink tank of the ink cartridge 10 flows from the ink supply port 13 to the supply port 31a of the ink supply needle 31. Then, the ink is supplied to the ink tube 124.

On the other hand, when the user pulls out the ink cartridge 10 from the storage portion 153, the ink supply needle 31 is also pulled out from the ink supply port 13, so that the ink supply port 13
The valves 34 and 35 pushed by the rubber packing are pushed toward the tip side of the ink supply needle 31 by the restoring force of the compression spring 33. As a result, the exposed supply port 31a
Is again covered with the protrusion 34a of the first cylindrical body 34. As a result, the ink supply system in the inkjet printer 100 can be maintained in the closed state.

By the way, as described above, the ink inside the ink cartridges 10 of the respective colors housed in the ink cartridge holder 150 is pressurized by the ink pressure supply means and sent to the recording head 121. There is. For this reason, in the case of an ink supply means that uses the head difference like a conventional inkjet printer, the ink cartridge holder needs to be arranged above the carriage.
Since the ink 50 can be supplied wherever it is arranged, the arrangement place can be freely set.

Although the present invention has been described above with respect to various embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and other embodiments within the scope of the invention described in the claims. Needless to say, also applies. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an ink jet printer is described as an example of the recording device, but the recording device is not limited to this, and a recording device using an ink cartridge may be, for example, a facsimile device or a copying device. However, it is applicable.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of an inkjet printer which is one of recording devices according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration example of a main part of the printer of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a first diagram showing a procedure of using the printer of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a second diagram showing a procedure for using the printer of FIG.

5 is a third diagram showing a procedure of using the printer of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a fourth diagram showing a procedure of using the printer of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a fifth diagram showing a procedure of using the printer of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a sixth diagram showing a procedure of using the printer of FIG.

9 is a seventh diagram showing a procedure of using the printer of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 10 is an eighth diagram showing a procedure of using the printer of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a ninth diagram illustrating a procedure of using the printer of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing details of an ink cartridge holder of the printer of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge loaded in the ink cartridge holder of FIG. 12, viewed from the rear surface side.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a storage unit for an ink cartridge for one color in the holder body of the ink cartridge holder of FIG.

15 is an exploded perspective view showing details of a valve mechanism that opens and closes in response to attachment and detachment of the ink cartridge of FIG.

16 is a perspective view showing a mechanism of a control lever in the holder main body of the ink cartridge holder shown in FIG. 12 and an accommodating portion for an ink cartridge for one color adjacent thereto.

FIG. 17 is a first diagram for explaining the operation of the lever mechanism of FIG.

FIG. 18 is a second diagram for explaining the operation of the lever mechanism of FIG.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing another operation mode of the control lever of FIG. 16.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a problem of the ink supply needle of the storage portion of the ink cartridge of FIG.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing the structure around the ink supply needle and the cap of the ink cartridge of the storage portion of the ink cartridge which solves the problem of FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a view showing the operation around the ink supply needle and the cap of FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view showing another detail of a valve mechanism that opens and closes in response to attachment and detachment of the ink cartridge of FIG.

FIG. 24 is an enlarged perspective view of the first component of the valve mechanism of FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is an enlarged perspective view of a second component of the valve mechanism of FIG. 23.

FIG. 26 is an enlarged perspective view of the third component of the valve mechanism of FIG. 23.

FIG. 27 is an enlarged perspective view of the fourth component of the valve mechanism of FIG. 23.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ink cartridge, 11 outer case, 12
Gripping part, 13 Ink supply port, 13a Cap, 13
b ink absorbing material, 14 positioning holes, 15 depressions, 16
IC, 17 locking protrusion, 21 ink supply needle, 21a
Supply port, 22 Positioning needle, 23 Compression spring, 24
Valve, 25 connector, 26 ink receiving portion, 26a
Notch, 31 ink supply needle, 31a supply port,
32 holder, 33 compression spring, 34 first cylindrical body (valve), 34a protrusion, 35 second cylindrical body (valve), 3
5a Cutout, 100 Inkjet printer, 110 Paper feeder, 111 Roll paper holder, 112
Roll paper cover, 113 spindle, 114 roll paper holder, 115 spindle receiver, 120 recording unit,
121 recording head, 122 carriage, 123 F
FC, 124 ink tube, 125 top lid, 126
Front lid, 127 rails, 128 carriage belt, 1
30 paper ejection unit, 131 paper ejection guide, 140 legs, 1
41 rollers, 142 support columns, 143 reinforcing rods, 150
Ink cartridge holder, 151 Holder body, 15
1a, 151b Guide groove, 152 cover, 153
Storage part, 153b locking claw, 154 control lever, 15
5 limit switches, 159 cams

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A valve mechanism that opens and closes in response to attachment / detachment of an ink cartridge, the ink supply needle having a supply port bored in a tip side portion, and the ink supply needle fitted in the ink supply needle and rearward from the tip side. A valve that is movable to the end side and that opens and closes the supply port; a biasing unit that is inserted at the rear end side of the ink supply needle and biases the valve; and a valve provided on the outer peripheral edge of the end face of the valve. And an ink receiving portion for receiving ink attached around the tip of the ink supply needle. 2. The ink receiving portion is provided with a cutout portion in at least an upper arc-shaped outer peripheral edge portion of an outer peripheral edge portion of the end surface of the valve.
The valve mechanism described in. 3. An ink absorbing material, which absorbs ink attached to the vicinity of the tip of the ink supply needle when the ink supply needle is inserted into the ink supply port of the ink cartridge, is arranged around the ink supply port. The valve mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the valve mechanism is provided. 4. A valve mechanism having a valve which is slidably fitted onto a hollow ink supply needle having a supply port and which opens and closes the supply port in response to attachment and detachment of an ink cartridge. The inner peripheral surface of the valve, the sealing region for sealing the supply port is formed of an elastic member, and the other region is formed of a member harder than the elastic member. Valve mechanism. 5. The valve is inside a first cylindrical body having a large-diameter portion with respect to a cylinder made entirely of an elastic member, and is larger than a cylinder made entirely of a member harder than the elastic member. A second cylindrical body having a radial shape portion is fitted and inserted, and a protrusion is formed as the sealing region on the inner peripheral surface of the first cylindrical body,
The valve mechanism according to claim 4, wherein a cutout portion is formed at a position corresponding to the protrusion on the second cylindrical body. 6. The valve mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the cutout portion is formed by providing a groove in the axial direction of the second cylindrical body. 7. The JIS rubber hardness of the first cylindrical body is 5
7. The valve mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the valve mechanism is in the range of 80 ° to 80 °. 8. The valve mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the elastic member is a thermoplastic elastomer. 9. A recording apparatus comprising the valve mechanism according to claim 1. Description: