JP2005343145A - Inkjet recording head, ink tank and inkjet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent abrasion and deterioration of a sealing part in the constitution equipped with both an ink supply pipe which is inserted inside an ink tank at ink tank attachment and has an ink introduction port at a part positioned inside the tank, and a sealing member such as a rubber which slides along the supply pipe between a position where the introduction port is sealed and a position where the introduction port is opened, and moves to the open position from the seal position along with the tank attachment action. <P>SOLUTION: Projections are set in the outer periphery of a holding member which holds the sealing part, and at the same time a rotary guide member is provided which has a cam face of a predetermined shape to which the projections are fitted. The cam face turns the sealing part and the holding member when the sealing part and the holding member move at tank attachment and detachment. Moreover, the cam face guides these to turn every predetermined amount in the same direction for each reciprocation of the movement. A sliding position of the sealing part is thus changed, preventing only a specific position from sliding and contacting. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention is used in an inkjet recording apparatus that performs a recording operation by discharging a liquid such as ink, and an ink communication mechanism in which an ink tank containing ink or the like is detachably mounted, an inkjet recording head using the mechanism, and The present invention relates to a recording apparatus.

  There are various methods for supplying ink to a recording head applied to an ink jet recording apparatus. In particular, in a relatively small recording apparatus for personal use or office use, an ink tank is detachably attached to a composition recording head integrally including an ink communication device, and ink is directly supplied from the ink tank to the recording head. Such a configuration is often adopted.

  In such a system, an ink tank that supplies ink directly to the print head is used to prevent ink leakage from the ink discharge portion in equilibrium with the holding force of the meniscus formed in the ink discharge portion of the print head. A mechanism for generating an appropriate negative pressure that is sufficient and within a range in which the ink ejection operation of the recording head is possible is provided. Conventionally, as a negative pressure generating mechanism, an absorber such as a sponge for impregnating and holding ink is housed in an ink tank, and an appropriate negative pressure is generated by the ink holding force. Recently, however, an absorber has been used in consideration of an increase in ink capacity corresponding to the demand for high-speed recording, an improvement in ink storage efficiency, or the use of pigment ink corresponding to the demand for improved robustness of recorded images. First, an ink tank is formed using a material such as rubber that generates tension in the direction of expanding the volume, or a movable portion that is biased in the direction of expanding the volume of the storage space by a spring or the like in a part of the ink storage space. In many cases, a configuration in which an ink tank is formed using a member while ink is stored in the ink tank as it is is being adopted.

  At the same time, the ink tank coupling portion of the ink communication mechanism has an ink inlet port on the side surface of the front end portion that is inserted into the ink tank through a seal member such as a rubber stopper disposed at the connection port of the ink tank. The form provided with the hollow needle-like ink supply pipe | tube which has this has been employ | adopted.

  In the case of using such a hollow needle-like ink supply pipe, if the ink inlet of the ink supply pipe is open to the atmosphere when the ink tank is not installed, the ink supply pipe is present inside the communication mechanism. There is a possibility that ink leaks from the ink ejection port due to a water head difference between the liquid level of the ink and the ink ejection port of the recording head, and the inside of the recording head is damaged.

  Therefore, conventionally, an introduction port closing member that can be moved up and down while sliding with respect to the ink supply pipe is provided, and this is urged to a raised position by a spring or the like. The ink inlet is sealed (for example, Patent Document 1). The closing member descends as the ink tank is mounted, thereby permitting insertion of the ink supply pipe into the ink tank while opening the ink introduction port. Here, the closing member is a pair of semicircular cross sections arranged on the inner surface contacting the outer peripheral surface of the ink supply pipe so as to be positioned at a contact surface capable of sealing the ink introduction port or a portion sandwiching the ink introduction port. It is composed of a sealing member made of rubber or the like provided with a ring-shaped protrusion and a holding member that holds the sealing member. When the ink tank is installed, the holding member slides along the outer peripheral surface of the ink supply pipe by the bottom surface of the ink tank. However, it is configured to be pushed downward in the vertical direction.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-174876

  However, in the above conventional example, in order to ensure sealing, the inner surface of the sealing member is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ink supply tube, and the sealing member supplies ink each time the ink tank is attached or detached. It slides on the outer peripheral surface of the tube. Therefore, it is highly expected that the sealing member will be worn or deteriorated before the life of a general ink jet recording head is reached. Here, since the ink supply pipe is inserted into the ink tank, it is considered that ink adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the ink supply pipe and the sliding resistance of the sealing member is reduced. Since it is not guaranteed that the ink uniformly adheres to the entire outer peripheral surface of the sealing member, wear or deterioration of the sealing member proceeds at a site where there is no or little ink.

  In addition, when the ink supply pipe is manufactured by metal injection using a metal material such as SUS in consideration of ink resistance, there are parting lines and burrs on the outer peripheral surface, and the surface state is It may be rough. In that case, if the ink supply pipe and the sealing member repeatedly slide in the same positional relationship, sudden wear or deterioration occurs at the inner surface of the sealing member that slides in contact with a position where the surface condition of the ink supply pipe is poor. May also occur. Further, in a configuration in which a protrusion having a tip portion that partially contacts the ink supply pipe is provided, such as a configuration in which a pair of semicircular ring-shaped protrusions are disposed so as to be positioned at positions where the ink introduction port is sandwiched, When sliding upward or downward, a relative downward or upward force acting as a reaction force to the external force applied in connection with the attachment / detachment operation acts on the tip of the ring-shaped protrusion as it is, so the protrusion turns up. As a result, the sealing performance may be lowered.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve these problems.

Therefore, the present invention is an ink communication mechanism in which an ink tank is detachable,
An ink supply pipe that is inserted into the ink tank when the ink tank is mounted and has an ink introduction port at a portion located inside the ink tank;
The ink inlet can be moved between a sealing position and an opening position, and is urged to the sealing position and moved from the sealing position to the opening position in accordance with the mounting operation of the ink tank. An occluding member that,
A rotating means for rotating the closing member around the ink supply pipe in the course of movement of the closing member;
It is characterized by comprising.

  Here, the closing member includes a sealing member having an inner surface in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ink supply pipe, and a holding member that integrally holds the sealing member, and the rotating means includes the holding member. A projection provided on an outer surface of the member, and a guide member provided so as to surround a space in which the closing member moves and having a cam surface that engages with the projection and guides the rotation. can do. The cam surface may guide the closing member so that the closing member rotates by a predetermined amount in the same direction for each reciprocation between the sealing position and the opening position.

  The present invention also provides an ink jet recording head that integrally includes the ink communication mechanism and an ejection unit that ejects ink, and further uses the ink communication mechanism or an ink jet recording head that integrally includes the ink recording mechanism to perform recording. In the inkjet recording apparatus to be performed.

  According to the present invention, the closing member that can move to the position for sealing the ink inlet of the ink supply pipe and the position for opening the ink supply pipe while sliding in contact with the ink supply pipe also rotates simultaneously during the movement. Therefore, the reaction force of the external force applied with the attaching / detaching operation does not act on the closing member as it is in the moving direction, and the wear or deterioration of the closing member slidingly contacting the ink supply pipe can be alleviated. In particular, if the sliding position is changed for each reciprocating movement, even if there is a local burr on the outer periphery of the supply pipe, only a specific position on the inner surface of the closing member will not be in sliding contact with this. The deterioration can be made uniform, and as a result, the life of the closing member can be extended. In addition, when the blocking member rotates along with the movement along the ink supply pipe, the ink in the ink tank wraps around the entire outer peripheral surface of the ink supply pipe, and the sliding resistance during sliding is reduced. . Further, a configuration in which a protrusion having a tip portion that partially contacts the ink supply pipe is provided, such as a configuration in which a pair of semi-circular ring-shaped protrusions disposed so as to be positioned at a portion sandwiching the ink introduction port is provided. Even when it is adopted, the present invention also performs a rotating operation to disperse the external force applied along with the attaching / detaching operation, thereby reducing the force acting relatively downward or upward on the tip of the ring-shaped protrusion. As a result, the protrusions are less likely to be turned over.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  In this specification, “record” is not only formed when significant information such as characters and figures is formed, but also manifested so that human beings can perceive it visually. Regardless of whether or not the image, pattern, pattern, or the like is widely formed on the recording medium, or the recording medium is processed.

  The term “ink” should be broadly interpreted in the same way as the definition of “recording”, and is applied to a recording medium to form an image, a pattern, a pattern, or the like, Used for ink or recording medium processing (for example, improvement of fixing property by solidification or insolubilization of coloring material in ink applied to the recording medium, improvement of recording quality or color development, improvement of image durability, etc.) Say liquid.

(Basic configuration)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the exterior is removed.

  In FIG. 1, the outer body of the apparatus main body M1000 includes an outer member including a lower case M1001, an upper case M1002, an access cover M1003, a recording paper feeding unit M3022, and a recording paper discharge tray M1004, and a chassis housed in the outer member. M3019. In the present embodiment, the ink jet recording head (see FIG. 3) is detachably accommodated in a carriage M4001 in a chassis M3019, and is fixed to the carriage M4001 by a clamp lever M4007.

  3 is a perspective view of the recording head viewed from the bottom surface (mounting surface to the carriage M4001), FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the recording head similarly viewed from the top surface with the ink tank mounted, and FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the recording head including the ink tank. It is a perspective view.

  The recording head H1000 of this example is configured by integrating an ink communication mechanism with the ink tank T1000 and an ink tank holder H1100 that detachably holds the ink tank T1000 that stores ink.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the recording head H1000 includes a discharge portion H1301 and a black portion each having discharge ports for discharging color ink, for example, yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) ink. (K) an ejection portion H1302 in which ejection ports for ejecting ink are arranged, a plate H1200 for fixing these, a supply pipe H1700 that is inserted into the ink tank T1000 and supplies ink, and the ink for each of the above colors A tank holder H1100, which forms the main part of the structure for holding the tank T1000 and has an ink flow path to the discharge parts H1301 and H1302, and a lid for the function of holding the ink supply pipe H1700 and the flow path structure to the discharge part A channel lid H that forms a member and functions as a support for supporting the bottom surface of the ink tank 800, a sealing portion H1500 that seals the supply port of the supply pipe H1700, a holding member H1400 that can be moved up and down by holding the sealing portion H1500, and a holding member H1400 when the ink tank is not attached And a spring H1600 biasing the position.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the recording head cartridge with the ink tank T1000 removed. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the XX cross section in FIG. 6, and shows a state immediately before the ink tank T1000 is mounted. In FIG. 7, an arrow A4 indicates the insertion direction of the ink tank T1000.

  In addition, the ink tank coupling portion Y surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 7 is an ink communication mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a characteristic portion thereof will be described later in the section of “characteristic configuration”. The basic configuration and operation of the ink supply pipe H1700, the sealing portion H1500, and the holding member H1400 will be described.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are explanatory diagrams of the ink tank T1000 when not installed and when the ink tank T1000 is not installed, respectively, and in order to explain the basic configuration and operation, the characteristic configuration is omitted in these drawings. doing.

  When the ink tank T1000 is not attached, the sealing portion H1500 and the holding member H1400 are pushed up by the biasing force acting in the extending direction of the spring H1600, as shown in FIG. 8A, and the sealing portion H1500 is connected to the supply pipe H1700. It is in the uppermost position for sealing the ink inlet opening to the side of the tip. Since the sealing portion H1500 thus seals the inlet of the supply pipe H1700, the space above the filter H1900 of the flow path H1150 formed in the tank holder H1100 and reaching the discharge portions H1301 and H1302 is sealed. Ink leakage from the ejection portions H1301 and H1302 is prevented.

  When the ink tank T1000 is mounted (FIG. 8B), the sealing portion H1500 and the holding member H1400 are pushed down with the mounting operation of the ink tank T1000, and the spring H1600 contracts. The supply pipe H1700 is inserted into the ink tank T1000, the introduction port H1701 is positioned in the ink tank, the ink tank T1000 communicates with the supply pipe H1700, and the ink I1000 in the ink tank T1000 passes through the flow path H1150. Supply to the discharge units H1301 and H1302 is possible.

  Here, the ink tank T1000 includes an ink storage portion T1100 that stores ink as an ink tank main body, and a sealing portion that is provided on the bottom surface in a posture during use (when mounted on the ink tank holder H1100). It has T1200.

  The ink container T1100 can store the ink as it is without impregnating the absorber or the like, and has means for applying an appropriate negative pressure to the ejection units H1301 and H1302. For example, a material such as rubber that generates tension in the direction of expanding the volume is used for the ink tank, or a part of the ink storage space is biased in the direction of expanding the volume of the storage space by a spring or the like. The ink tank may be configured using a movable member.

  The sealing portion T1200 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and is in close contact with the periphery of the ink supply pipe H1700 of the recording head H1000 to prevent ink leakage from the ink tank H1000. Further, in order to facilitate the insertion of the ink supply pipe H1700, a slit or the like may be formed in the sealing portion H1200 in advance at the insertion position. When the supply pipe H1700 is not inserted, ink leakage can be prevented by closing the slit by the elastic force of the sealing portion T1200 itself.

  When the ink I1000 in the ink tank T1000 is used up, the ink tank T1000 is removed from the recording head H1000 or the tank holder H1100. At this time, the sealing portion H1500 and the holding member H1400 are returned to the state of FIG. 8A by the biasing force of the spring H1600.

  Since the state when the ink tank T1000 is not mounted (FIG. 8A) and the state when the ink tank T1000 is mounted (FIG. 8B) are repeated, the slidability along the outer peripheral surface of the supply pipe H1700, and the supply A configuration that achieves both airtightness of the inlet of tube H1700 is employed. The illustrated sealing member H1500 has a pair of semicircular ring-shaped protrusions arranged on the inner surface so as to be positioned at a portion sandwiching the introduction port H1701, and these protrusions are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the supply pipe H1700. On the other hand, by making the line contact, reduction of sliding resistance and securing of sealing properties are both achieved.

(Feature configuration)
As described above, also in this embodiment, basically, the closing member including the sealing portion H1500 and the holding member H1400 moves between the lowered position and the raised position in accordance with the attachment / detachment of the ink tank T1000. The ink communication state when the ink tank is mounted and the flow path sealed state when the ink tank is not mounted can be taken. However, according to the present embodiment, the closing member does not simply move up and down, but achieves the intended purpose by rotating in the process.

  A characteristic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A, 9B, 10 and 11. FIG. Here, FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic cross-sectional views showing states of the sealing portion H1500 and the holding member H1400 in the ink communication mechanism Y when the ink tank T1000 is not attached and during the attachment process, respectively. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration and operation of a mechanism that raises and lowers a closing member including a sealing portion H1500 and a holding member H1400 with rotation. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a part of the constituent member (rotation guide H2000) in order to make the internal structure of the ink communication mechanism Y easy to understand, and a WW cross section thereof is shown in FIG. This corresponds to (b).

  As shown in these drawings, a cylindrical protrusion H1451 is provided on the side surface of the holding member H1400 according to this example. In the drawing, the protrusion H1541 is single, but a plurality of protrusions may be provided. Further, a rotation guide H2000 is provided surrounding a space in which the holding member 1400 moves up and down, and the holding member H1400 protrudes from the upper end surface of the rotation guide H2000 when in the raised position. A groove H2001 that forms a cam surface that engages with the protrusion H1451 and guides the holding member H1400 or the sealing portion H1500 in the rotating direction is formed on the inner surface of the rotation guide H2000. Yes.

  The sealing portion H1500 and the holding member H1400 are in the state shown in FIG. 9A when the ink tank T1000 is not attached, and are in a position to seal the ink introduction port H1701 on the outer peripheral surface of the ink supply pipe H1700. At this time, a force urging in the upward direction by the spring H1600 is applied from below, and the holding member H1400 or the sealing portion H1500 is restricted to stay at a predetermined upward position by a stopper structure (not shown).

  On the other hand, with the mounting operation of the ink tank T1000, the sealing portion H1500 and the holding member H1400 are pushed down by the bottom of the ink tank T1000 or the tank sealing portion T1200. FIG. 9B shows a state halfway to the lowest position. During this lowering operation, the columnar protrusion H1451 protruding from the side surface of the holding member H1400 engages with the groove H2001 forming the cam surface inside the rotation guide H2000, and the operation (rotation) regulated by the cam surface. I do. Also, when the ink tank T1000 is removed, the holding member H1400 or the sealing portion H1500 moves upward while engaging with and rotating in the groove H2001 by the urging force of the spring H1600.

  This operation will be described with reference to FIG. The cam groove H2001 is formed so that a cylindrical protrusion H1451 provided on the side surface of the holding member H1400 is fitted, and rotates in a predetermined direction at a predetermined angle when the sealing portion H1500 and the holding member H1400 are lowered. . When the ink tank T1000 is not attached, the sealing portion 1500 and the holding member H1400 are in the raised position shown in the drawing, and the protrusion H1451 is in the position i.

  Next, when the ink tank T1000 is attached, the sealing portion H1500 and the holding member H1400 are lowered by the bottom surface of the ink tank T1000 while being pushed by the ink tank T1000. At this time, the columnar protrusion H1451 on the side surface of the holding member H1400 is lowered vertically from the position A to the position B.

  Further, the sealing portion H1500 and the holding member H1400 continue to descend, and the protrusion H1451 is restricted by the cam surfaces of the portion P and the portion Q of the cam groove H2001, and passes through the position c to reach the position d. That is, the protrusion H1451 is configured to always move along the cam groove H2001 due to the inclination of the portion P of the cam groove H2001 when the protrusion H1451 is lowered by the ink tank T1000 mounting operation. In a state where the protrusion H1451 is in the position D, the sealing portion H1500 and the holding member H1400 are in the lowest lowered position.

  Next, when removing the ink tank T1000, the sealing portion H1500 and the holding member H1400 are raised following the ink tank T1000 by the upward biasing force of the spring H1600. Also at this time, the protrusion H1451 first rises vertically along the portion R of the cam groove H2001, and then slightly rotates along the portion S in the same direction as when lowered, from the position e to the position. It reaches. Then, the holding member H1400 is detached from the upper end surface of the rotation guide H2000 and set to the highest position again. At this time, the protrusion H1451 is at the position G.

  In other words, the sealing portion H1500 and the holding member H1400 reciprocate up and down once by mounting and removing the ink tank T1000, and rotate by a predetermined amount indicated by an arrow A3 from position A to position G. It will be.

  As apparent from FIG. 10, when the holding member H1400 is lowered and returned to the raised position again, the cam surface or groove H2001 is formed so as to take a position rotated by a predetermined amount from the initial raised position. That is, since the sealing portion H1500 changes the sliding position for each reciprocation, even if there is a local burr on the outer periphery of the supply pipe, only a specific position on the inner side surface of the sealing portion does not slide. In this respect, it is preferable to form the cam surface or groove so as to return to the same position.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, one or more columnar protrusions are protruded from the outer periphery of the holding member H1400, and the protrusions are fitted, and the sealing portion H1500 and the holding member are attached when the ink tank is attached or detached. A rotation guide member H2000 provided with a groove H2001 having a cam surface that allows the closing member to be rotated about the ink supply pipe H1700 in the plane direction orthogonal to the direction in which the closing member including H1400 moves up and down is provided. . As a result, the sealing portion H1500 made of a flexible member such as rubber also rotates at the same time when sliding up and down the outer peripheral surface of the ink supply tube H1700. It is done.

  1) Abrupt wear or deterioration of a specific portion of the inner surface of the sealing portion H1500 can be prevented. In particular, since the sliding position changes with every reciprocation of the lift, even if there is a local burr on the outer periphery of the supply pipe, only a specific position on the inner side surface of the sealing portion will not be brought into sliding contact with it. Can be made uniform, and as a result, the lifetime of the sealing portion can be extended.

  2) By rotating the sealing portion H1500 along with the raising and lowering along the ink supply pipe H1700, the ink in the ink tank wraps around the entire outer peripheral surface of the ink supply pipe, and the sliding when the sealing portion slides Dynamic resistance is reduced.

  3) It is possible to prevent the ring-shaped protrusions inside the sealing portion from being turned up and down as the sealing portion H1500 is moved up and down, and to prevent the sealing performance from being impaired. That is, a configuration in which a protrusion having a tip portion that partially contacts the ink supply pipe is provided, such as a configuration in which a pair of semicircular ring-shaped protrusions are disposed so as to be positioned at a portion sandwiching the ink introduction port. Even when it is adopted, in this embodiment, by rotating also when sliding upward or downward, the external force applied with the attaching / detaching operation is dispersed, and as a result, relative to the tip of the ring-shaped protrusion Since the force acting downward or upward can be reduced, the protrusions are hardly turned over.

  Further, in the above-described configuration, it is not necessary to provide an electric drive source or a control mechanism in the mechanism for rotating the closing member, so that an ink communication mechanism or an ink jet recording head including the same is used. There is no increase in the size or cost of the device.

(Other)
In the above embodiment, the description has been given of the configuration in which the ink communication mechanism is provided in the recording head in which the ink discharge unit and the ink tank holder are integrated, and the ink tank is attached thereto. As long as the ink communication state is obtained and ink can be supplied to the recording head, the ink communication member may be configured separately from the recording head.

  Further, the number of ink tanks or recording heads and the ink storage mode are not limited to those described above. For example, the color tone of the ink used may be a single color or a plurality of colors. Furthermore, in addition to ink as a color material, an ink tank that stores a treatment liquid for improving the fixing property, coloring property, durability and the like on a recording medium may be used.

  Furthermore, as a configuration of the ink supply pipe, the number of ink inlets located in the ink tank can be set to an appropriate number. In the above example, the ink flow path formed in the ink supply pipe is single, but a plurality of flow paths are provided in the supply pipe for smooth gas-liquid exchange between the ink tank side and the recording head side. It may be provided. Further, such a plurality of flow paths may be configured in separate supply pipes.

  In addition, as described above, the mechanism for rotating the closing member, that is, the protrusion of the holding member and the cam surface on the rotation guide member side can achieve the intended purpose of the present invention. Of course, the present invention is not limited to those shown in FIGS.

  In addition, the present invention is a general printing apparatus connected to an image data supply source such as a personal computer, a digital camera, and a scanner to form an information output terminal, as well as an apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile having a communication system, and a word processor. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to a printing apparatus integrated with the printer or an industrial recording apparatus (printing apparatus, printing apparatus, etc.) combined with various processing apparatuses.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applicable. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the exterior of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a recording head cartridge mounted on the apparatus of FIG. 1 viewed from the bottom side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a recording head cartridge mounted on the apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a recording head cartridge including an ink tank. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a recording head cartridge with an ink tank removed. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an XX cross section in FIG. 6 and illustrates a state immediately before an ink tank is mounted. (A) And (b) is typical sectional drawing for demonstrating the fundamental structure and operation | movement of the ink communication mechanism which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention when an ink tank is not mounted | worn with and the mounting | wearing, respectively. . (A) And (b) is typical sectional drawing for demonstrating the characteristic structure and operation | movement of the ink communication mechanism which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention in the time of the mounting | wearing process of the ink tank not being mounted, respectively. . FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration and an operation of a mechanism that performs a characteristic operation of the ink communication mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an ink communication mechanism by cutting a part of the constituent members.

Explanation of symbols

M1000 device main body M4001 carriage H1000 recording head H1100 tank holder H1301, H1302 discharge unit H1400 holding member H1451 cylindrical projection H1500 sealing unit H1510 ring-shaped projection H1600 spring H1700 ink supply pipe H1701 ink inlet H2000 rotation guide H2001 cam groove T1000 ink tank T1100 Tank container T1200 Tank sealing part I1000 Ink

Claims (5)

An ink communication mechanism in which an ink tank is detachable,
An ink supply pipe that is inserted into the ink tank when the ink tank is mounted and has an ink introduction port at a portion located inside the ink tank;
The ink inlet can be moved between a sealing position and an opening position, and is urged to the sealing position and moved from the sealing position to the opening position in accordance with the mounting operation of the ink tank. An occluding member that,
A rotating means for rotating the closing member around the ink supply pipe in the course of movement of the closing member;
An ink communication mechanism characterized by comprising:   The closing member includes a sealing member made of an elastic body having an inner surface in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ink supply tube, and a holding member that integrally holds the sealing member, A protrusion provided on an outer surface of the holding member; and a guide member provided to surround the space in which the closing member moves and having a cam surface that engages with the protrusion and guides the rotation. The ink communication mechanism according to claim 1.   3. The guide according to claim 2, wherein the cam surface guides the closing member to rotate by a predetermined amount in the same direction for each reciprocation between the sealing position and the opening position. The ink communication mechanism described.   An ink jet recording head comprising the ink communication mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and a discharge unit for discharging ink. An ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording using the ink communication mechanism according to claim 1 or the ink jet recording head according to claim 4.

Images