JP2007260910A - Inkjet image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely prevent an ink cartridge 62 from separating from a mounting position at the time of pressure applying operation to the ink cartridge 62 in an inkjet image forming apparatus in which the ink of the ink cartridge 62 is guided out to an ink supplying passage 51 to an ink head H by applying the pressure to the ink cartridge 62 mounted at the mounting position of an ink cartridge mounting part 3. <P>SOLUTION: Interlocking with the pressure applying operation to the ink cartridge 62 mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting part 3, the ink cartridge 62 is held so as not to separate from the mounting position. In other words, a piston 82 is slid by supplying to a cylinder 81 a part of pressurized air supplied to the ink cartridge 62, thereby moving a holding member 80 coupled with the piston 82 to an approach position and holding the ink cartridge 62. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet image forming apparatus in which pressure is applied to an ink cartridge mounted on an ink cartridge mounting portion so that ink in the ink cartridge is led out to an ink supply path to an ink head. Belongs.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, ink jet image forming apparatuses that form an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink from the ink head that moves relative to the recording medium such as recording paper to the recording medium are well known. This ink jet image forming apparatus usually has an ink cartridge mounting portion configured such that an ink cartridge for storing ink is detachably mounted at a predetermined mounting position. This ink cartridge mounting portion is often provided on an ink head in an image forming apparatus for home use. However, an ink cartridge is relatively large in a business use that uses a large amount of ink. When attached to the ink head, the weight of the ink head increases, making it difficult to move the ink head at high speed. Therefore, the ink head is provided at a location different from the ink head. That is, an ink cartridge mounting portion including a recess into which the ink cartridge is inserted is provided on the outer surface of the housing of the image forming apparatus, and the ink cartridge is slid into the recess to be inserted into the mounting position. It can be installed. Normally, when the operator pushes the ink cartridge until the front surface in the recess insertion direction comes into contact with the bottom surface of the recess, the ink cartridge is automatically mounted at the mounting position.

When the ink cartridge mounting portion is provided at a location different from the ink head as described above, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the ink of the ink cartridge mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting portion is used as the ink head. An ink supply path for supplying the ink cartridge is provided, and pressurized air is supplied to the ink cartridge mounted at the mounting position so that the ink in the ink cartridge is led out to the ink supply path. According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, a sub tank (relay tank) that temporarily stores the ink supplied from the ink cartridge and supplies it to the ink head is disposed in the ink supply path. Thus, the ink can be supplied to the ink head at a stable pressure.
JP 2001-212971 A

  By the way, when the ink cartridge mounting portion is provided at a location different from the ink head as described above, the ink cartridge mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting portion is usually a resin case whose inside is sealed. And a bag-like ink containing member which is disposed in the case member and contains ink and has flexibility, and supplies pressurized air around the ink containing member in the case member. As a result, the ink in the ink containing member is led out to the ink supply path.

  However, in the ink cartridge configured as described above, since the rigidity of the case member is relatively low, the case member is deformed so as to expand outward when pressurized air is supplied into the case member. As a result, the ink cartridge mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting section may move in the direction of coming out of the recess and be detached from the mounting position.

  Therefore, a holding member for holding the ink cartridge so as not to be detached from the mounting position is provided, and the operator operates the holding member from a position where there is no problem in mounting the ink cartridge to the ink cartridge mounting portion. It is conceivable to move the ink cartridge to a position where it can be held. In this way, the operator can hold the ink cartridge by operating the holding member after installing the ink cartridge in the ink cartridge mounting portion, and remove the ink cartridge from the ink cartridge mounting portion. When replacing with a new one, the holding member is operated again so that the ink cartridge can be brought into a non-holding state so as not to obstruct the removal or mounting of the ink cartridge.

  However, the method of causing the operator to operate the holding member as described above gives a feeling of trouble to the operator, and there is a possibility that the ink cartridge may not be reliably held due to forgetting the operation, and there is room for improvement. .

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and the object of the present invention is to apply pressure to the ink cartridge mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting portion, as described above. Ink jet image forming apparatus in which the ink in the ink cartridge is led out to the ink supply path to the ink head, by devising the configuration, the ink cartridge is removed from the mounting position during the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge. It is to try to prevent the withdrawal.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, the ink cartridge is held so as not to be detached from the mounting position in conjunction with the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting portion. A holding means is provided.

  Specifically, in the first aspect of the present invention, an ink cartridge mounting portion configured to detachably mount an ink head for ejecting ink onto a recording medium and an ink cartridge for storing the ink at a predetermined mounting position. And applying pressure to the ink supply path for supplying ink of the ink cartridge mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting portion to the ink head, and applying pressure to the ink cartridge mounted at the mounting position, An ink jet image forming apparatus including an ink cartridge pressurizing unit that guides ink of an ink cartridge to the ink supply path is an object.

  In addition, in association with the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge by the ink cartridge pressurizing unit, a holding unit that holds the ink cartridge so as not to be detached from the mounting position is provided.

  With the above-described configuration, the ink cartridge is automatically held in conjunction with the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge by the ink cartridge pressurizing means, and therefore it is necessary for the operator to perform an operation for holding the ink cartridge. Absent. Moreover, since it is necessary to hold the ink cartridge during the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge, the ink cartridge is held at an appropriate timing by holding the ink cartridge in conjunction with this pressure application operation. It can be securely held so as not to leave. Further, the ink cartridge can be held using the pressure applied to the ink cartridge, and there is no need to provide a separate power source for holding the ink cartridge.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the holding means brings the ink cartridge into a non-holding state in conjunction with the stop of the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge by the ink cartridge pressurizing means. It is assumed that

  As a result, the ink cartridge can be automatically brought into a non-holding state, and no operator operation is required when the ink cartridge is removed from the ink cartridge mounting portion.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, the ink cartridge mounting portion includes a concave portion into which the ink cartridge is inserted, and the ink cartridge is slid into the concave portion to be in the mounting position. An entry position where the holding means has entered the ink cartridge attached to the attachment position of the ink cartridge attachment portion so as to face the rear surface in the recess insertion direction; A holding member configured to be movable between the entering position and a retracted position that is retracted in a direction substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction of the recessed portion of the ink cartridge, and the holding member pressurizes the ink cartridge; In conjunction with the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge by the means, the ink moves from the retracted position to the entry position, and the ink By contacting the rear surface of the cartridge in the recess insertion direction, the ink cartridge is held so as not to be detached from the mounting position to the rear side of the recess insertion direction, and the ink cartridge pressurizing unit applies the ink cartridge to the ink cartridge. Assume that the ink cartridge is configured to be in a non-holding state by moving from the entry position to the retreat position in conjunction with the stop of the pressure application operation.

  According to the present invention, the ink cartridge can be held or not held by the holding member of the holding means in conjunction with the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge and its stop with a simple configuration.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the holding member of the holding means is constituted by a pin member extending in the moving direction of the holding member, and the end portion of the pin member on the entry position side is It is assumed that the taper is formed.

  This ensures that the ink cartridge is securely held by the holding member even if the position of the back surface in the recess insertion direction of the ink cartridge mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge varies due to a dimensional error of the ink cartridge. can do.

  As described above, according to the inkjet image forming apparatus of the present invention, the ink cartridge is not detached from the mounting position in conjunction with the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting portion. By providing the holding means for holding the ink cartridge, it is possible to reliably prevent the ink cartridge from being detached from the mounting position during the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge, and to specially hold the ink cartridge. There is no need to provide a separate power source, and the cost can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the present invention, its application, or its use.

  FIG. 1 shows the appearance of an ink jet printer A as an ink jet image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 7 show the internal configuration of the printer A. FIG. This printer A is used in a photo print system. For example, image data transmitted through a communication cable from a reception block that obtains image data and order information and performs necessary correction processing, etc. Based on the order information, printing (printing) is performed on the print paper P (corresponding to a recording medium).

  The printer A is provided in a casing 6 and a lower portion (inside the door member 12 shown in FIG. 1) in the casing 6, and is a long print paper wound in a roll shape with the print surface outside. A paper storage unit 1 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) in which P is stored, and a print provided on the upper part (upper side of the paper storage unit 1) in the housing 6 and drawn out from the paper storage unit 1 as described later. A print unit 2 (see FIGS. 2 and 7) for recording and printing image data (that is, image formation) on the print surface of the paper P, and on both sides of the paper storage unit 1 in the lower part of the housing 6 An ink cartridge mounting portion 3 (see FIGS. 1 and 4, etc.) that is positioned and configured to detachably mount an ink cartridge 62 that contains ink to be supplied to the print unit 2 at a predetermined mounting position. It has. Further, on the downstream side (right side in FIG. 7) in the transport direction in which the print paper P is transported with respect to the print unit 2 in the upper part of the housing 6 as described later, the back surface (print surface) of the print paper P is disposed. A back side printing unit 4 for printing a serial number and the like on the opposite side) and a discharge roller 46 for conveying the print paper P printed by the printing unit 2 further downstream and discharging it. It is installed. On the downstream side of the paper discharge direction of the discharge roller 46, a tray 5 is provided so as to protrude to the outside of the housing 6 and for receiving the print paper P discharged by the discharge roller 46.

  In this embodiment, the side of the tray 5 (the discharge side shown in FIG. 3) in the case 6 is called the front side of the case, and the side opposite to the tray 5 (the supply side shown in FIG. 3) is called the back side of the case. The left side when viewed from the front side of the casing is referred to as the left side of the casing, and the right side is referred to as the right side of the casing. Therefore, the left-right direction in FIG. 7 is the front-rear direction of the casing, and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. The left-right direction of the casing coincides with the width direction of the printed paper P that is stored in the paper storage unit 1 and conveyed.

  The paper storage unit 1 is located almost directly below the printing unit 2 and extends a long print paper P wound in a roll shape in the left-right direction of the housing as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. It is configured to be accommodated while being held by the core roller 21. Here, the paper storage portion 1 is formed in a sealed manner inside the housing 6. A part of the wall (the wall on the rear side of the housing) that defines the paper storage unit 1 is configured by an openable / closable door member 12 (see FIGS. 1 and 7), and the door member 12 is closed. In addition, the inside of the paper storage unit 1 is sealed. The door member 12 also constitutes a part of the housing 6, and the outer surface of the door member 12 is an external surface of the printer A. The door member 12 is configured to rotate around a hinge shaft (not shown) extending in the vertical direction at an end portion on the left side of the housing (right end portion in FIG. 1). can do. An operator hooks a finger to pull the end toward the rear side of the casing when the operator opens the door member 12 at the right end of the casing on the outer surface of the door member 12 (left end in FIG. 1). The handle portion 12a is formed. Then, the operator performs the replacement operation of the print paper P by opening the door member 12. In the present embodiment, only one print paper P is stored in the paper storage unit 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and two or more print papers P (for example, those having different width sizes) are stored. You may comprise so that it can do.

  The printing unit 2 includes an ink head H (see FIGS. 2 to 4 and 7) that forms an image by ejecting ink to the print paper P. The ink head H is configured to be movable along a guide rail 30 that extends in the main scanning direction X (see FIG. 3) that coincides with the width direction of the print paper P (the lateral direction of the casing). That is, the ink head H is attached to a drive belt 31 that is wound around two pulleys and driven by an electric motor 32, and is guided in the main scanning direction X while being guided by the guide rail 30 by the drive belt 31. It is designed to reciprocate. The ink head H has two head units 38 (see FIG. 7) arranged in the sub-scanning direction Y (see FIG. 3) that is perpendicular to the main scanning direction X and coincides with the moving direction (front-rear direction of the casing) of the print paper P. And by discharging ink from ink discharge nozzles (not shown) provided in these head units 38, a predetermined image, characters, etc. can be printed on the print paper P. It has become.

  The ink cartridge mounting portion 3 is composed of a recess into which the ink cartridge 62 is inserted. That is, openings 6 a (see FIG. 1) are formed on both sides of the case 6 in the left-right direction of the door member 12, and these openings 6 a correspond to the recessed openings of the ink cartridge mounting portion 3. In the housing 6 corresponding to each opening 6a, a mounting portion constituting member 61 (see FIG. 2, FIG. 4, FIG. 6, etc.) having a U-shaped cross section is disposed. 61 is formed in a cylindrical shape together with the base 75 by being fixed to the base 75 constituting the bottom wall portion of the housing 6. The side opposite to the opening 6a (front side of the casing) of the cylindrical portion is closed by a cartridge receiving member 65 (see FIGS. 4 and 9) extending in the vertical direction, while the side of the opening 6a (rear side of the casing). Is open. Accordingly, the mounting portion constituting member 61 and the base 75 correspond to the peripheral wall portion of the concave portion, and the cartridge receiving member 65 corresponds to the bottom wall portion (the back wall portion facing the opening 6a) of the concave portion. .

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the ink cartridge 62 is disposed in a substantially rectangular box-shaped resin case member 62a having a sealed inside, and the case member 62a. And it is comprised with the bag-shaped ink accommodating member 62b which has a softness | flexibility. One end of the case member 62a in the longitudinal direction is connected to the ink containing member 62b and leads out to lead the ink in the ink containing member 62b to the outside of the case member 62a, and the case member 62a as described later. An inlet 62d for introducing pressurized air therein and an IC chip 62e that stores information such as the type of ink contained in the ink cartridge 62 are provided. On the other hand, at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the case member 62a, a pulling portion 62f for an operator to pull the ink cartridge 62 forward by hooking a finger when taking out the ink cartridge 62 from the recess of the ink cartridge mounting portion 3 is provided. (See FIGS. 6 and 9 (not shown in FIG. 8)).

  The operator puts the ink cartridge 62 into the recess from the opening 6a in a state where the one end in the longitudinal direction of the case member 62a (the end provided with the outlet port 62c) is directed to the front side of the housing. Slide (that is, the front side of the housing) and insert. The position where the front surface of the case member 62a in the recess insertion direction (the surface on the one end in the longitudinal direction) is in contact with the cartridge receiving member 65 is the mounting position, and the ink cartridge 62 cannot be pushed further. If pushed in, it can be automatically mounted at the mounting position.

  When the ink cartridge 62 is mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting portion 3, the outlet 62c is connected to an ink supply line 51 (see FIGS. 5, 8, and 9) described later, and the introduction The port 62d is connected to an air supply path 55 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) described later. Further, the terminals provided on the IC chip 62e are brought into contact with the contacts 65a provided on the cartridge receiving member 65, whereby the information stored in the IC chip 62e is stored in the controller 100 (see FIG. 10). As a result, it is possible to know whether or not the ink cartridge 62 is mounted at the mounting position. In the present embodiment, when the terminal of the IC chip 62e and the contact 65a are in contact with each other, even if the front surface of the ink cartridge 62 in the recess insertion direction is not in contact with the cartridge receiving member 65, It is assumed that the ink cartridge 62 is in a mounted state at the mounting position. Even in such a state, the outlet 62c and the inlet 62d are connected to the ink supply pipe 51 and the air supply path 55, respectively. When the terminal of the IC chip 62e and the contact 65a are not in contact with each other, a display for urging the worker to install the ink cartridge 62 is performed on a display (not shown).

  On the other hand, when the used or used ink cartridge 62 is replaced with a new one, a finger is hooked on the handle portion 62f of the case member 62a to move the ink cartridge 62 from the recess of the ink cartridge mounting portion 3 to the rear of the recess insertion direction. Pull it out to the side (that is, the rear side of the housing).

  In the present embodiment, a total of seven ink cartridges 62 are mounted on the ink cartridge mounting portion 3 so as to be aligned in the left-right direction of the casing (three ink cartridges 62 are mounted on the ink cartridge mounting section 3 on the left side of the casing). The four ink cartridges 62 are respectively mounted on the ink cartridge mounting portion 3 on the right side of the casing). In the ink containing members 62b of these seven ink cartridges 62, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), black (K), red (R), violet (V) and clear (CL), respectively. : Transparent) ink is stored.

  In addition, the ink supplied from the ink cartridge 62 by the ink supply conduit 51 is placed at the upper position of the ink cartridge mounting unit 3 on the left side of the casing and the lower position of the print unit 2 in the casing 6. A sub tank 52 for temporarily storing and supplying the ink head H of the print unit 2 is provided. These sub-tanks 52 are connected to the ink head H (pressure chamber) by a flexible pipe 53, and the sub-tank 52 has a negative pressure when ink is ejected from the ink ejection nozzles of the head unit 38 in the ink head H. The ink is supplied to the ink head H through the flexible pipe 53. Thus, the ink supply line 51 and the flexible line 53 constitute an ink supply path for supplying ink of the ink cartridge 62 mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting unit 3 to the ink head H, and the sub tank 52 constitutes a relay tank disposed in the ink supply path.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the printer A is provided with a paper transport mechanism that pulls out the print paper P from the paper storage unit 1 and transports it along a predetermined transport path. This paper transport mechanism includes a supply unit U1, a print unit U2, a cutter unit U3, and a discharge unit U4 in order from the paper storage unit 1 so as to form the transport path, and a print unit disposed in the print unit 2 Image data is printed on the print surface of the print paper P located on the transport path of U2. In the present embodiment, in addition to supplying the print paper P from the paper storage unit 1 to the print unit U2, a manual feed unit configured to be able to supply single-sheet print paper from the manual feed tray 61. Although U5 is also provided, the following embodiment demonstrates the case where the print paper P is mainly supplied from the paper storage part 1. FIG.

  When printing on a roll-shaped print paper P, the paper transport mechanism pulls out the print paper P stored in the paper storage unit 1 from the paper storage unit 1 by the supply unit U1, and transports and supplies it to the print unit U2. Then, image data is printed by the ink head H while the supplied print paper P is conveyed by the print unit U2, and then the printed print paper P is conveyed to the cutter unit U3 and a predetermined print is performed by the cutter unit U3. After cutting into sizes, the curling due to the curl of the roll of the print paper P is removed by the discharge unit U4 and sent to the tray 5. In the following description, the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction when the print paper P is transported during the printing are simply referred to as the upstream side and the downstream side, respectively.

  More specifically, the supply unit U1 includes a core roller 21 for storing the print paper P in a roll shape in the paper storage unit 1, and the width of the print paper P drawn from the core roller 21. A width regulating roller 22 for positioning in the direction, a closing roller 23 to be described later, a conveyance driving roller 24 that is rotationally driven to convey the print paper P by an electric motor (not shown), and the conveyance driving roller 24 There are two pressure-bonding rollers 25 that are arranged to face each other and are pressure-bonded to the transport driving roller 24 so as to sandwich the print paper P between them. The supply unit U <b> 1 is configured to pull out the print paper P from the paper storage unit 1 and convey it to the print unit 2 side by the rotational drive of the conveyance drive roller 24. In this embodiment, the width restricting roller 21 is provided, but a width restricting guide may be provided instead.

  The closing roller 23 is provided to ensure the airtightness of the paper storage unit 1 so that the inside of the paper storage unit 1 is not in a low humidity state. That is, a paper lead-out opening 9 for leading out the print paper P to the outside of the paper storage section 1 inside the housing 6 (that is, the print section 2 side) is formed in a part of the wall that defines the paper storage section 1. Need to form. If the paper lead-out opening 9 is left open, the air tightness of the paper storage unit 1 cannot be ensured. Therefore, the paper outlet opening 9 is provided with a closing roller 23 that closes the paper outlet opening 9 so that the print paper P can pass therethrough. The closing roller 23 is formed of an elastically deformable material such as a foam material such as a sponge material or a rubber material at least at the outer peripheral portion, and is against the printed paper P passing through the paper outlet opening 9. Thus, it is configured to contact and rotate in a radially elastically deformed state (the closing roller 23 may be actively driven). At this time, the print paper P is pressed against the guide member 10 provided on the side opposite to the closing roller 23 (this pressing force is considerably small). Accordingly, the print paper P can pass through the paper lead-out opening 9 with almost no resistance from the closing roller 23 while ensuring the airtightness of the paper container 1. On the other hand, when the print paper P is not present in the paper lead-out opening 9, the closing roller 23 is in contact with the guide member 10, and at this time, the air tightness of the paper container 1 is ensured. In this way, in the paper accommodating portion 1 in which airtightness is ensured, a container 13 that accommodates water therein and is opened at the top is installed, and the water in the container 13 is vaporized into water vapor, whereby the paper accommodating portion 1. The inside is efficiently humidified, so that even when the printer A itself is left under low humidity for a long time, the inside of the paper storage unit 1 is maintained at a moderate humidity (relative humidity 30 to 75%). Further, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of curling such that the central portion in the width direction of the print paper P protrudes toward the print surface with respect to both end portions in the width direction.

  The transport driving roller 24 is rotated in the forward direction in which the print paper P is pulled out of the paper storage unit 1 and transported to the print unit 2 side by an electric motor (not shown), and the reverse operation for returning the print paper P into the magazine storage unit 1. It is configured to be able to rotate in the direction. As a result, the printed part of the printed paper P is cut into a predetermined size by the cutter unit U3 on the downstream side of the printing unit 2, and then the long printed paper P after the cutting is returned to the upstream side to return the printed paper P Printing is performed from the top of the paper, or the long printed paper P after cutting is returned to the paper storage unit 1, and the sheet feeding unit U5 supplies the single-sheet print paper to the printing unit 2 for printing. To be able to. In addition, when replacing the long print paper P with a new one, the long print paper P drawn outside the paper storage unit 1 can be returned to the paper storage unit 1.

  The print unit U2 includes a paper holding unit D (see FIGS. 3 and 7) that holds the print paper P at a position where printing can be performed by the ink head H, and a downstream side of the paper holding unit D. And a press-fitting type print transport roller 33 provided. Note that the conveyance drive roller 24 and the pressure roller 25 of the supply unit U1 are also used as the print unit U2, and serve to convey the print paper P in the print unit U2.

  The paper holding part D is configured to suck a platen 34 having a suction hole 34a (see FIG. 3) opened on the surface (upper surface) and a print paper P supplied onto the platen 34 by the supply unit U1. A fan 35 (see FIG. 7) is provided as a suction unit that sucks and holds the surface of the platen 34 by sucking through the platen 34a. The platen 34 is formed of a plate-like member, and a case body 36 that forms a space with the platen 34 is disposed on the back surface (lower surface) side of the platen 34, and the fan is disposed below the case body 36. 35 is disposed. The suction hole 34 a penetrates in the thickness direction of the platen 34 and communicates with a space in the case body 36, and this space communicates with the suction opening of the fan 35 through an opening provided in the lower portion of the case body 36. When the fan 35 is operated, a negative pressure is generated on the surface side of the platen 34 through the suction hole 34a, whereby the print paper P is sucked and held on the surface of the platen 34.

  The platen 34 has a flushing portion 37 (see FIG. 3) for receiving a small amount of ink ejected from the ink ejection nozzles of the head unit 38 in the ink head H in order to prevent ink thickening during printing, and non-printing. And a cap portion (not shown) configured to cover the ink discharge nozzles of the head unit 38 in the ink head H to be provided at the standby position of the ink head H at the time to prevent ink thickening. ing.

  The flushing portion 37 is provided with an opening 37a (see FIG. 3) formed in the platen 34 and a lower side of the flushing portion 37 in the platen 34 to form a space communicating with the opening 37a. And the case body communicates with a waste liquid tank 7 (see FIGS. 2 and 7) provided in the lower part of the front side of the housing of the printer A. In addition, a sponge-like ink absorbing material 37b capable of absorbing ink is disposed in the opening 37a, and the ink soaked into the ink absorbing material 37b is also located below the flushing portion 37. It is designed to accumulate in the space inside the body. As a result, the ink ejected toward the opening 37a of the flushing portion 37 is guided to the waste liquid tank 7 after accumulating in the space inside the case body.

  The cap portion is not particularly shown, but when the cap portion covers the lower surface of the ink head H, a space is formed in which the inside is negative pressure, and a minute amount is formed in the space from the ink discharge nozzle. It is configured to suck out the ink. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the ink from becoming difficult to be ejected due to the increase in the viscosity of the ink by the ink ejection nozzle.

  As described above, the head unit 38 provided with a large number of ink discharge nozzles is arranged in two stages in the sub-scanning direction Y on the bottom surface (the surface facing the platen 34) of the ink head H. However, the head unit 38 does not have to be two stages, and may be one stage or three stages or more.

  Both the head units 38 have the same configuration, and are each composed of seven nozzle arrays arranged in the main scanning direction X for ejecting the inks of the respective colors. In each nozzle array, the ink discharge nozzles are arranged in a row in the sub-scanning direction Y. Accordingly, each head unit 38 is configured to be able to form a color image by itself. The print paper P is transported intermittently (stepwise) in the sub-scanning direction Y by a constant unit transport amount by the transport drive roller 24, and at each stop of the print paper P during the intermittent transport, the ink head H is scanned once in the main scanning direction X (one-way operation or one-time operation), and at this time, ink is ejected from the ink discharge nozzles of each color of each head unit 38 at each position in the main scanning direction X. Are simultaneously ejected onto the print surface. That is, after one scan of the ink head H, the print paper P is transported by the unit transport amount, and then the ink head H is scanned once again, and this operation is repeated to print a desired image. . Here, as a configuration for ink discharge of the ink head H in the present embodiment, ink is discharged from an ink discharge nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber by changing the volume of the pressure chamber filled with ink by a piezo element. The general piezo type is used.

  The cutter unit U3 includes a rotary blade 41. The cutter unit U3 is moved in the width direction at a predetermined position in the length direction of the print paper P while rotating the rotary blade 41, so that the print paper P has a predetermined size ( (Length). Below the rotary blade 41, a cutter waste collection box 70 for collecting chips of the print paper P by cutting is disposed. The cutter waste collection box 70 can be taken out of the housing 6 by the operator holding the handle 71 and sliding it to the front side of the housing. The waste can be discarded. In addition, the front side surface of the casing of the cutter waste collection box 70 is formed of a transparent plastic material so that the accommodation state of the chips can be visually confirmed.

  Further, the cutter unit U3 is configured to convey the print paper P to the discharge unit U4 by means of a pressure-bonding type conveyance roller 43. A back surface printing unit 4 is disposed between the cutter unit U3 and the discharge unit U4. In the back surface printing unit 4, a rear surface number (lower surface) of the print paper P passing through this portion is assigned a serial number or the like. Is printed.

  The discharge unit U4 is provided between the two sets of pressure-type discharge rollers 46 for conveying the print paper P and discharging it to the tray 5, and the roll of the print paper P. And a decurling portion 45 for correcting and removing curling due to the curl (that is, curling in which the central portion in the length direction of the printed paper P protrudes toward the printing surface with respect to both ends). The decurling unit 45 includes a decurling roller 49 that winds the print paper P so as to bend on the side opposite to the curl due to the roll curl, and guide members 47 and 48 for guiding the printing paper P to the decurling roller 49. It has become. With this configuration, it is possible to discharge the paper P with little curling on the tray 5. In the present embodiment, all the print paper P printed by the print unit 2 passes through the decurling unit 45. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a single-sheet print paper from the manual feed tray 61 is used. May be configured so that the printed print paper is discharged to the tray 5 without passing through the decurling unit 45.

  Next, the ink supply system of the printer A will be described. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the ink cartridge 62 is mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting portion 3, one end of the ink supply conduit 51 is connected to the outlet 62 c of the ink cartridge 62. The ink supply pipe 51 is provided with an electromagnetic valve 50, and the other end of the ink supply pipe 51 is connected to the sub tank 52. The ink in the ink containing member 62 b of the ink cartridge 62 is supplied to the sub tank 52 through the electromagnetic valve 50 and the ink supply pipe 51, and the ink in the sub tank 52 is supplied to the ink head H ( It is configured to send out to the pressure chamber. From the ink cartridge 62 to the sub tank 52, ink is sent out by pressurized air supplied to the ink cartridge 62 by an air pressurizing unit 56 described later, while from the sub tank 52 to the ink head H, the ink head H When ink is ejected from the ink ejection nozzle of each head unit 38, the ink flows due to the negative pressure generated in the pressure chamber by the piezo element. The sub tank 52 is attached to the ink head H at a predetermined height position so that ink is supplied at an appropriate pressure.

  By configuring the ink supply system as described above, the ink in the ink cartridge 62 is temporarily stored in the sub tank 52 and is supplied from the sub tank 52 to the ink head H. Therefore, the sub tank 52 serves as a pressure damper. As a result, it is possible to prevent the pressure fluctuation generated in the ink cartridge 62 from being directly transmitted to the ink head H, and an excessive pressure acts on the ink head H to cause ink leakage or the like. Can be prevented. In FIG. 8, only one ink supply system is shown, but in reality, seven ink supply systems are formed corresponding to seven types of inks having different hues. However, there is only one air pressurizing unit 56 and pressure regulating valve 57 described below.

  An air supply path 55 is connected to the introduction port 62 d of the ink cartridge 62 mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting unit 3. The air supply path 55 is connected to an air pressurization unit 56 including a pressurization pump that operates in response to a control signal from the controller 100, and ink is supplied from the air pressurization unit 56 through the air supply path 55. Pressurized air is supplied into the case member 62 a of the cartridge 62. The air supply path 55 is provided with a pressure regulating valve 57 (pressure reducing valve) that receives a control signal from the controller 10 and adjusts the air pressure supplied into the case member 62a. The air pressurizing unit 56 and the pressure regulating valve 57 make the inside of the case member 62 a have a predetermined pressure, whereby ink is led out from the ink containing member 62 b to the ink supply pipe 51 and supplied to the sub tank 52. Thus, the air pressurization unit 56 and the pressure regulating valve 57 constitute an ink cartridge pressurizing unit that applies pressure to the ink cartridge 62 to lead out the ink of the ink cartridge 62 to the ink supply conduit 51.

  The sub tank 52 is formed in a bag shape using a flexible material such as a resin sheet, and the internal space is divided into two tank chambers 52b. The two tank chambers 52b are provided with supply pipes 52c and 52d connected to the ink supply pipe 51 and the flexible pipe 53, respectively. However, different inks can be temporarily stored.

  The sub tank 52 is erected in a storage portion 54 (see FIGS. 4, 5, and 8) provided on the left side of the casing of the printer A (in FIG. 8, one sub tank 52 is arranged). Is schematically shown), in the vicinity of the sub tank 52 (in the present embodiment, above the side surface of the sub tank 52) is disposed in the storage portion 54, and the two tank chambers 52b of the sub tank 52 are arranged. Two sub-tank sensors S are provided for outputting detection signals to the controller 100 in accordance with the amount of expansion in each thickness direction.

  Here, in the storage portion 54, the subtank 52 extends in the vertical direction at a position corresponding to the belly portions (the portion that expands most in the thickness direction) of the two tank chambers 52 b on one surface of the subtank 52. Two plate members 54 a configured to be able to swing in the thickness direction of 52 are disposed. A supply pipe 52c provided in a wall portion facing each other in the longitudinal direction of the storage portion 54 (the longitudinal direction of the casing) is provided to communicate with each tank chamber 52b of the sub tank 52 in a state where the sub tank 52 is stored. , 52d are cut out so as to avoid them.

  The sub tank sensor S is disposed so as to contact the upper portion of the plate member 54a. When the side surface of the sub tank 52 is displaced in the thickness direction as the tank chamber 52b expands or contracts, the sub tank sensor S responds to the displacement. The tilt of the plate member 54a is detected.

  Specifically, when the remaining amount of ink in the tank chamber 52b of the sub tank 52 becomes a predetermined amount (for example, 9 ml) or less, the tank sensor S is not in contact with the plate member 54a and hardly tilted. The controller 100 is configured to operate the electromagnetic valve 50 to be in an open state and supply ink into the tank chamber 52b of the sub tank 52 so that the remaining amount of ink becomes an appropriate amount (for example, 10 ml). On the other hand, when an appropriate amount of ink is filled in the tank chamber 52b of the sub tank 52, the tank sensor S tilts in contact with the plate member 54a. Is closed to stop the supply of ink to the tank chamber 52b of the sub tank 52.

  Next, the holding structure of the ink cartridge 62 mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting unit 3 will be described.

  Since the case member 62a of the ink cartridge 62 is made of resin and has a relatively low rigidity, when pressurized air is supplied into the case member 62a, the case member 62a expands and deforms outward. There is a possibility that the ink cartridge 62 mounted at the mounting position of the section 3 moves in the direction of coming out of the recess of the ink cartridge mounting section 3 and is detached from the mounting position. Therefore, in the present invention, the ink cartridge 62 is held so as not to be detached from the mounting position in conjunction with the pressure application operation to the case member 62a of the ink cartridge 62 by the air pressurizing unit 56 and the pressure regulating valve 57. I have to.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1, 8, and 9, a base 75 in the vicinity of the opening 6 a that becomes the recessed opening of the ink cartridge mounting portion 3 in the housing 6 enters or retracts into the recessed portion. Seven holding members 80 are provided. That is, these holding members 80 are provided so as to correspond to all of the ink cartridges 62 mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting portion 3, respectively, and the rear side of each ink cartridge 62 in the recess insertion direction (chassis). An approach position (state indicated by a solid line in FIG. 9) that has entered so as to face the surface on the rear side of the body, and a retreat that has retreated from the entry position in a direction (downward) substantially perpendicular to the recess insertion direction of the ink cartridge 62 It is configured to be movable between positions (state indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 9).

  More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, each holding member 80 is connected to a piston 82 that is slidably fitted in a cylinder 81 in the vertical direction. A branch path 83 branched from the path 55 is connected. As a result, a part of the pressurized air supplied to the ink cartridge 62 by the air pressurizing unit 56 and the pressure regulating valve 57 is supplied to the lower space of the piston 82 in the cylinder 81, whereby the piston 82 slides. It slides to the moving direction one side (upper side), and thereby the holding member 80 moves from the retracted position to the entering position. On the other hand, when the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge 62 by the air pressurizing unit 56 and the pressure regulating valve 57 is stopped, the pressurized air is not supplied to the ink cartridge 62 and is also not supplied to the inside of the cylinder 81. As a result, the piston 82 is slid to the other side (lower side) in the sliding direction by the compression spring 84 provided between the upper surface of the cylinder 81 and the piston 82, whereby the holding member 80 is moved. Move from the entry position to the retreat position.

  When the holding member 80 moves to the entry position, the holding member 80 abuts the surface of the ink cartridge 62 mounted at the mounting position on the rear side in the recess insertion direction, thereby moving the ink cartridge 62 from the mounting position to the rear in the recess insertion direction. Hold it so that it does not move away. At this time, since the front surface of the ink cartridge 62 in the recess insertion direction is in contact with the cartridge receiving member 65, the ink cartridge 62 cannot move forward in the recess insertion direction. Here, the holding member 80 is configured by a pin member extending in the moving direction (vertical direction) of the holding member 80, and an end portion (upper end portion) of the pin member on the entry position side is formed in a tapered shape. ing. Therefore, even if the position of the rear surface of the ink cartridge 62 mounted at the mounting position varies due to a dimensional error of the ink cartridge 62, the ink cartridge 62 can be securely held by the holding member 80. it can. When the terminal of the IC chip 62e of the ink cartridge 62 and the contact 65a are in contact with each other, but the front surface of the ink cartridge 62 in the recess insertion direction is not in contact with the cartridge receiving member 65, the holding member 80 is used. When the ink cartridge 62 is moved to the entry position, the ink cartridge 62 is moved by the tapered portion to the front side in the recess insertion direction so that the front surface in the recess insertion direction is in contact with the cartridge receiving member 65, so that the mounting is ensured. can do.

  On the other hand, when the holding member 80 moves to the retracted position, the ink cartridge 62 is brought into a non-holding state. That is, the ink cartridge 62 is brought into a non-holding state in conjunction with the stop of the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge 62 by the air pressurizing unit 56 and the pressure regulating valve 57. As a result, the ink cartridge 62 can be moved rearward in the recess insertion direction, and the operator can remove the ink cartridge 62 from the recess of the ink cartridge mounting portion 3 and insert a new ink cartridge 62. Thus, it can be mounted at the mounting position.

  With the above configuration, the holding member 80, the cylinder 81, and the piston 82 hold the ink cartridge 62 so as not to be detached from the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting portion 3 in conjunction with the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge 62. That is, the holding means is configured.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the controller 100 includes a microprocessor 101 (hereinafter referred to as a CPU), a transport control unit 102, a head control unit 103, a print control unit 104, and a semiconductor connected to the CPU 101 via a data bus. A memory RAM / ROM 105, a communication interface 106, a pressurized air supply control unit 107, an ink supply control unit 108, and a signal input unit 110 are provided.

  The transport control unit 102 controls the operation of each of the units U1 to U5. The head controller 103 controls the operation of the ink head 67 by controlling the driving of the electric motor 32. The communication interface 106 is for transmitting and receiving information to and from the reception block. The print control unit 104 controls the piezo element to realize printing of image data on the print paper P based on the image data received from the reception block via the communication interface 106. The pressurized air supply control unit 107 is for controlling the operation of the air pressurizing unit 56 and the pressure regulating valve 57. The ink supply control unit 108 is for controlling the electromagnetic valve 50 when supplying ink from the ink cartridge 62 to the sub tank S based on the detection signal from the sub tank sensor S. The signal input unit 110 is for inputting information from various sensors including the sub tank sensor S and the contact 65a.

  Next, the operation of the printer A will be described.

  First, the operator opens the door member 12 and sets the roll-shaped print paper P on the core roller 21. Then, after the front end portion of the print paper P is pulled out and the print paper P is wound around the width regulating roller 22, the front end portion is passed between the closing roller 23 and the guide member 10, and the conveyance drive roller 24 and the pressure roller 25. Hold between.

  Thereafter, when the operator closes the door member 12, the supply unit U1 pulls out the print paper P stored in the paper storage unit 1 from the paper storage unit 1 and supplies it to the platen 34. The ink head H is moved in the main scanning direction X while being intermittently conveyed by the unit conveyance amount by the conveyance drive roller 24, and printing on the platen 34 is performed from the ink discharge nozzles of the head units 38 of the ink head H. Printing is performed by ejecting ink to the paper P. During printing, the print paper P is sucked and held on the platen 34 by the operation of the fan 35 of the paper holding unit D, and the flatness of the print paper P is ensured. Further, when a negative pressure is generated in the pressure chamber of each head unit 38 of the ink head H during the ink ejection, the ink in the sub tank 52 is supplied to the ink head H via the flexible conduit 53. At this time, pressurized air is supplied into the case member 62 a of the ink cartridge 62 mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting unit 3 by the air pressurizing unit 56 and the pressure regulating valve 57. When the remaining amount of ink exceeds a predetermined amount and the solenoid valve 50 is in the closed state, the ink in the ink containing member 62b of the ink cartridge 62 is not supplied to the sub tank 52, while the remaining amount of ink in the sub tank 52 is the predetermined amount. In the following, the electromagnetic valve 50 is opened, and the ink in the ink containing member 62 b is supplied to the sub tank 52 via the ink supply conduit 51.

  The printed print paper P is cut to a predetermined length by the cutter unit U3, and then discharged to the tray 5 by the discharge unit U4 in a state where curling due to roll curl is corrected.

  Here, the case where the ink cartridge 62 mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting unit 3 is replaced with a new one will be described.

  This replacement work is performed when the printer A is not performing the printing operation. At this time, the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge 62 by the air pressurizing unit 56 and the pressure regulating valve 57 is stopped, and the pressurized air is not supplied to the ink cartridge 62. For this reason, pressurized air is not supplied also into the cylinder 81, and as a result, the piston 82 is lowered by the compression spring 84, and the holding member 80 is located at the retracted position. That is, the upper end of the holding member 80 is located below the upper surface of the base 75 and does not protrude into the recess of the ink cartridge mounting portion 3. Therefore, the operator can remove the ink cartridge 62 from the recess of the ink cartridge mounting portion 3 without being obstructed by the holding member 80, and can insert a new ink cartridge 62 and mount it at the mounting position. .

  If the ink cartridge 62 is mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting unit 3, pressurized air is supplied to the ink cartridge 62 by the air pressurizing unit 56 and the pressure regulating valve 57, and the pressurized air Is supplied into the cylinder 81. As a result, the piston 82 slides upward against the compression spring 84, and as a result, the holding member 80 moves from the retracted position to the entry position. By this movement, the holding member 80 comes into contact with the rear surface of the ink cartridge 62 mounted at the mounting position in the recess insertion direction, so that the ink cartridge 62 is not detached from the mounting position rearward in the recess insertion direction. Retained.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, in conjunction with the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge 62 mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting portion 3, the ink cartridge 62 is held so as not to be detached from the mounting position. Since the ink cartridge 62 is brought into the non-holding state in conjunction with the stop of the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge 62, the operator performs an operation for holding the ink cartridge 62 or an operation for putting the ink cartridge 62 into the non-holding state. There is no need to do anything. In addition, since it is necessary to hold the ink cartridge 62 during the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge 62, the ink cartridge 62 is held in conjunction with the pressure application operation and linked to the stop of the pressure application operation. By setting the non-holding state, the ink cartridge 62 can be reliably held so as not to be detached from the mounting position during an appropriate period. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably prevent the ink cartridge 62 from being detached from the mounting position during the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge 62 without forcing the operator to operate at all. Further, since the pressurized air supplied to the ink cartridge 62 is used to hold the ink cartridge 62, it is not necessary to provide a separate power source for holding, and the cost can be reduced.

  In addition, the structure of this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Various structures other than that are included. That is, in the above-described embodiment, the holding member 80 is made to abut against the surface of the ink cartridge 62 mounted at the mounting position so as to face the rear surface in the recess insertion direction. The upper surface of the holding member 80 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the formed ink cartridge 62 to press the ink cartridge 62 upward, and the upper surface of the ink cartridge 62 is brought into contact with the upper wall portion of the mounting member constituting member 61 by this pressing force. It may be. Further, the ink cartridge 62 may be sandwiched from both sides of the housing in the left-right direction. Furthermore, any configuration of the holding means may be used in conjunction with the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge 62, and it may be appropriately configured according to the configuration and shape of the ink cartridge mounting portion 3.

  In the above embodiment, both the holding and non-holding of the ink cartridge 62 are automatically performed, but only the holding may be automatically performed. Even in this case, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the ink cartridge is not held due to the operator forgetting to operate. As a configuration in this case, for example, the compression spring 84 may be eliminated in the configuration of the embodiment. When the operator takes out the ink cartridge 62 from the recess of the ink cartridge mounting portion 3, the operator can easily move it to the retracted position by simply pushing the upper end of the holding member 80 downward (holding without any operation). The member 80 may have moved to the retracted position by its own weight).

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful for an ink jet image forming apparatus in which pressure is applied to an ink cartridge mounted on an ink cartridge mounting portion so that ink in the ink cartridge is led to an ink supply path to an ink head. .

1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of an inkjet printer as an inkjet image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure inside the housing | casing of an inkjet printer. It is a top view which shows the structure inside the housing | casing of an inkjet printer. It is a front view which shows the structure inside the housing | casing of an inkjet printer. It is a left view which shows the structure inside the housing | casing of an inkjet printer. It is a rear view which shows the structure inside the housing | casing of an inkjet printer. It is the schematic seen from the housing | casing left side which shows the conveyance path | route of a print paper. It is a schematic perspective view which shows an ink supply system. FIG. 6 is a view seen from the left side of the casing, showing a holding configuration of the ink cartridge mounted at the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting unit. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a controller.

Explanation of symbols

3 Ink cartridge mounting portion 51 Ink supply pipe (ink supply path)
52 Sub tank (relay tank)
53 Flexible pipeline (ink supply channel)
56 Air pressurizing part (ink cartridge pressurizing means)
57 Pressure regulating valve (ink cartridge pressurizing means)
62 Ink cartridge 80 Holding member 81 Cylinder 82 Piston A Inkjet printer (inkjet image forming apparatus)
H Ink head P Print paper (recording medium)

Claims (4)

An ink head that ejects ink onto a recording medium, an ink cartridge mounting portion configured to be detachably mounted at a predetermined mounting position, and an ink cartridge mounting portion configured to be mounted on the mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting portion By applying pressure to the ink supply path for supplying the ink of the ink cartridge to the ink head and the ink cartridge mounted at the mounting position, the ink of the ink cartridge is led to the ink supply path. An ink jet image forming apparatus comprising an ink cartridge pressurizing means,
An ink jet image forming apparatus comprising: holding means for holding the ink cartridge so as not to be detached from the mounting position in conjunction with a pressure application operation to the ink cartridge by the ink cartridge pressurizing means. . The inkjet image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
The ink-jet image forming apparatus, wherein the holding unit is configured to bring the ink cartridge into a non-holding state in conjunction with the stop of the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge by the ink cartridge pressurizing unit. . The inkjet image forming apparatus according to claim 2.
The ink cartridge mounting portion is composed of a recess into which the ink cartridge is inserted, and the ink cartridge is inserted into the recess by sliding to be mounted at the mounting position.
The holding means includes an entry position that has entered the ink cartridge mounted at a mounting position of the ink cartridge mounting section so as to face a rear surface in the recess insertion direction, and a recess insertion direction of the ink cartridge from the entry position. A holding member configured to be movable relative to a retracted position retracted in a substantially vertical direction, and the holding member is configured to apply pressure to the ink cartridge by the ink cartridge pressurizing unit. In conjunction with this, the ink cartridge is moved from the retracted position to the entry position and contacts the rear surface of the ink cartridge in the recess insertion direction so that the ink cartridge is not detached from the mounting position to the rear in the recess insertion direction. And stopping the pressure application operation to the ink cartridge by the ink cartridge pressurizing means. Conjunction with, by moving from the approach position to the retracted position, the inkjet image forming apparatus characterized by being configured to the ink cartridge in a non-holding state. The inkjet image forming apparatus according to claim 3.
The holding member of the holding means is composed of a pin member extending in the moving direction of the holding member,
An inkjet image forming apparatus, wherein an end of the pin member on the entry position side is formed in a tapered shape.

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