JP2007319797A - Filter device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a filter device which can be given sufficient cleaning effect in cleaning with running water. <P>SOLUTION: The filter device 16 is equipped with a filter body 21, a primary side holder 22, and a secondary side holder 23. The secondary side holder 23 has a secondary side filter chamber 31, a discharge flow passage 32, a discharge opening 33, and a rib piece 34. The discharge opening 33 causes the secondary side filter chamber 31 to communicate with the discharge flow passage 32 at a position eccentric to a center of the secondary side filter chamber 31. The rib piece 34 is extended toward an outer circumferential part 35 of the secondary side filter chamber 31 from the discharge opening 33 and divides the inside of the secondary side filter chamber 31 into a plurality of flow passages 42. The rib piece 34 sets a flow passage diameter smaller for a flow passage having a longer total length among the plurality of flow passages 42 to increase a flow speed of cleaning liquid, and sets a diameter large for a flow passage having a shorter total length to suppress the flow speed of the cleaning liquid. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a filter device that can remove dust and the like from a liquid to be filtered.

  For example, an ink jet recording apparatus that includes a filter device for removing dust in ink is known. This filter device has a flow path that communicates with an ink supply source, a filter chamber that communicates with the flow path and has a cross-sectional area larger than the flow path, and a filter body that is provided so as to cross the filter chamber diagonally. is doing.

  In this filter device, the filter body is inclined with respect to the filter chamber, and the area of the filter is made larger than the cross-sectional area of the filter chamber. Thereby, the area through which the ink passes through the filter main body is increased to improve the removal efficiency of dust and bubbles (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). In such a filter device, it is necessary to clean the filter main body in advance by washing with running water or ultrasonic cleaning before being mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus.

  In addition to the conventional example, there is a conventional filter device shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, in the filter device 101, a filter body 102, a primary holder 103 that holds the filter body 102 on the upstream side, a secondary holder 104 that holds the filter body 102 on the downstream side, It has.

Similarly, in the case of this filter device 101, prior to mounting in the ink jet recording apparatus, for example, washing with running water is performed so that no dust remains in the filter device 101. In FIG. 9, in this conventional filter device 101, the flow velocity in the secondary holder 104 at the time of running water cleaning is indicated by the dot density. In the figure, the higher the dot density, the faster the flow velocity. The conventional filter device 101 has a medium speed at a position close to the discharge opening 105, but the flow velocity is low in other parts.
JP 9-216375 A

  Among the conventional examples, in the former filter device, the cross-sectional area of the filter chamber is larger than that of the flow path. The cleaning effect may not be obtained. Nevertheless, in the former conventional example, there is no idea to prevent a decrease in flow velocity during running water washing, and no suggestion is made.

  In the latter conventional example, the flow velocity is slow at a location far from the discharge opening 105 of the filter main body 102 during cleaning with running water, so that there is a possibility that the filter main portion 102 has not been sufficiently cleaned.

  The objective of this invention is providing the filter apparatus which can acquire sufficient washing | cleaning effect at the time of washing | cleaning of a filter main body.

  The filter device of the present invention includes a filter main body, a primary holder that holds the filter main body on the upstream side, and can supply a cleaning liquid to the filter main body when the filter main body is cleaned, and the filter main body on the downstream side. And a secondary side holder that can collect the cleaning liquid from the filter body at the time of cleaning the filter body, and the secondary side holder covers the downstream side of the filter body. A discharge passage extending further downstream from the secondary filter chamber, and the secondary filter chamber and the discharge passage communicate with each other at a position eccentric with respect to the center of the secondary filter chamber. The discharge openings formed in the secondary filter chamber and the plurality of flow paths extending from the outer periphery of the secondary filter chamber to the discharge openings in the secondary filter chamber A rib piece for partitioning, and the rib piece has a short total length while prescribing a smaller flow path diameter to increase the flow rate of the cleaning liquid as the longer total length among the plurality of flow paths. The flow path diameter of the cleaning liquid is suppressed by increasing the flow path diameter.

  Generally, the flow rate of the cleaning liquid is high because the cleaning liquid easily flows at a position near the discharge opening of the secondary filter chamber, and the flow speed of the cleaning liquid is low because the cleaning liquid hardly flows at a position far from the discharge opening of the secondary filter chamber. Tend to be.

  According to the present invention, a long-length channel is formed at a location far from the discharge opening of the secondary filter chamber, but the channel diameter of the long-length channel is defined small. On the other hand, a channel having a large channel diameter is disposed at a location near the discharge opening. For this reason, at the location far from the discharge opening in the secondary filter chamber, the flow rate of the cleaning liquid flowing through this location can be increased, and at the location close to the discharge opening, the flow rate of the cleaning liquid can be suppressed and the atmosphere can be refreshed. Thereby, while obtaining sufficient washing | cleaning effect in each part of a filter main body, the filter apparatus with little variation in washing | cleaning effect in each part of a filter main body can be provided.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The filter device according to the first embodiment is mounted on, for example, an ink jet printer and is used for removing dust mixed in ink by filtration.

  FIG. 1 shows an inkjet printer 11 which is an example of a printing apparatus to which a filter device is applied. The ink jet printer 11 includes an ink jet head 13 having a plurality of nozzles 12, an ink tank 14 that is an ink supply source, an ink supply path 15 that connects the ink jet head 13 and the ink tank 14, and an intermediate part of the ink supply path 15. The filter device 16 provided is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the filter device 16 includes a plate-shaped filter body 21, a primary holder 22 that holds the filter body 21 on the upstream side, and a secondary that holds the filter body 21 on the downstream side. A side holder 23 is provided. The filter device 16 further includes a rubber packing 24 provided between the filter body 21 and the secondary holder 23. The filter body 21 is a filter medium and has a thickness of, for example, several tens of μm.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the primary holder 22 is made of, for example, resin. The primary side holder 22 includes a primary side casing 25, a primary side filter chamber 26 that covers the upstream side of the filter body 21, a supply passage 27 that extends further upstream from the primary side filter chamber 26, and a primary side And a supply opening 28 formed in the side filter chamber 26. The supply channel 27 is connected to the upstream ink tank 14 via the ink supply channel 15. The supply opening 28 is formed in the primary filter chamber 26 so as to communicate the primary filter chamber 26 and the supply flow path 27. The primary filter chamber 26 has a larger diameter than the supply flow path 27. One surface of the primary filter chamber 26 is configured by a surface 21 </ b> A on the upstream side of the filter body 21.

  The secondary holder 23 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The secondary side holder 23 is made of, for example, resin. The secondary holder 23 includes a secondary casing 30, a secondary filter chamber 31 that covers the downstream side of the filter body 21, a discharge passage 32 that extends further downstream from the secondary filter chamber 31, and a secondary A discharge opening 33 formed in the side filter chamber 31 and a rib piece 34 provided in the secondary filter chamber 31 are provided.

  The discharge channel 32 is connected to the inkjet head 13 via the ink supply channel 15. The discharge opening 33 is formed in the secondary filter chamber 31 so as to communicate the secondary filter chamber 31 and the discharge flow path 32. The discharge opening 33 is arranged at a position eccentric with respect to the center of the secondary filter chamber 31. Specifically, the discharge opening 33 is provided at a position close to one surface of the edge 36 of the secondary filter chamber 31.

  One surface of the secondary filter chamber 31 is configured with a downstream surface 21 </ b> B of the filter body 21. The secondary side filter chamber 31 has a frustum shape with the downstream surface 21 </ b> B of the filter body 21 as the bottom. That is, the edge 36 of the surface facing the filter main body 21 of the secondary filter chamber 31 has a tapered shape that approaches the filter main body 21. The height of the frustum shape formed by the secondary-side filter chamber 31 is small and has a thin shape. The secondary filter chamber 31 further has a connecting portion 37 in which a portion communicating with the discharge opening 33 is tapered.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the rib piece 34 protrudes toward the filter body 21 from the surface of the secondary filter chamber 31 that faces the filter body 21. A gap 41 is provided between the top portion 38 of the rib piece 34 and the filter main body 21. The gap 41 is formed with a size of 1 mm or less, for example.

  Although a gap 41 is provided between the rib piece 34 and the filter main body 21, the rib piece 34 functions as a back support for the filter main body 21 when the filter main body 21 warps, for example, during washing with running water. For this reason, in the secondary holder 23, the rib piece 34 also serves as a support mechanism for the filter body 21.

  The rib piece 34 includes a first rib piece 34A and a second rib piece 34B. The first rib piece 34 </ b> A extends linearly from the discharge opening 33 toward a position far from the discharge opening 33 in the secondary filter chamber 31. Both end portions of the first rib piece 34A are formed in a semicircular shape.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the second rib piece 34 </ b> B extends linearly from the discharge opening 33 toward a medium distance in the secondary filter chamber 31. The overall length of the second rib piece 34B is smaller than the overall length of the first rib piece 34A. Both end portions of the second rib piece 34B are formed in a semicircular shape.

  Both rib pieces 34 </ b> A and 34 </ b> B partition the inside of the secondary filter chamber 31 as a plurality of flow paths 42 extending from the outer peripheral portion 35 of the secondary filter chamber 31 to the discharge opening 33. In FIG. 5, the outer shape of the supply opening 28 of the primary filter chamber 26 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. As shown in FIG. 5, the first rib piece 34 </ b> A and the second rib piece 34 </ b> B are arranged at positions that are out of the position 43 corresponding to the supply opening of the primary side holder 22.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of flow paths 42 formed in the secondary filter chamber 31 by both rib pieces 34 are, on average, the first flow path 42A having the longest overall length and the average There are a second channel 42B having a short overall length and a third channel 42C having an average overall length. The first flow path 42 </ b> A is formed between the first rib piece 34 </ b> A and the edge 36 of the secondary filter chamber 31. The second flow path 42 </ b> B is formed between the second rib piece 34 </ b> B and the edge 36 of the secondary filter chamber 31. The third flow path 42C is formed between the first rib piece 34A and the second rib piece 34B.

  The first channel 42A is formed with the smallest channel diameter among the three channels 42A, 42B, and 42C in total. The second channel 42B is formed so that the channel diameter is larger than that of the first channel 42A. In the present embodiment, the rib piece 34 defines a channel diameter smaller as the longer total length of the plurality of channels 42, for example, the first channel 42A, and the second channel 42B, for example. The shorter the overall length, the larger the channel diameter.

  In general, in an incompressible fluid such as a liquid, the phenomenon that the flow velocity of the liquid passing through the pipe increases as the flow path diameter, that is, the inner diameter of the pipe, is known as “continuous law”. The filter device 16 of the present embodiment pays attention to this “continuity law”, and is provided with a rib piece 34 at a location where liquid does not flow easily so as to increase the flow rate of pure water during cleaning. According to the law of continuity, as the flow path diameter increases, the flow rate of the liquid passing through the flow path decreases.

  By the way, the third flow path 42 </ b> C is disposed at a position 43 corresponding to the supply opening of the primary side holder 22. On the other hand, the first flow path 42A and the second flow path 42B are provided adjacent to the third flow path 42C at a position deviated from the position 43 corresponding to the supply opening. For this reason, due to the structure of the filter device 16, the liquid can flow most easily into the third flow path 42C. Therefore, in this embodiment, the rib piece 34 prescribes | regulates the flow path diameter of the 3rd flow path 42C large, and prescribes | regulates the flow path diameter of the 1st flow path 42A and the 2nd flow path 42B which adjoin this small. In addition, the flow rate of pure water flowing through the third flow path 42C during running water cleaning is suppressed.

  Here, the ink discharge operation of the ink jet printer 11 will be described with reference to FIG. In the ink jet printer 11, prior to ink discharge, for example, suction of the nozzles 12 of the ink jet head 13 is performed to perform initial filling. By the initial filling, the ink supplied from the ink tank 14 is filled in the filter device 16 and the inside of the inkjet head 13. In this state, the inkjet head 13 is in a dischargeable state. When ink is used in the inkjet head 13, ink is appropriately supplied from the ink tank 14. At that time, ink is supplied via the ink supply path 15. The minute dust and minute bubbles mixed in the ink are trapped by the filter main body 21 when passing through the filter device 16.

  Next, a process of washing with running water for washing the inside of the filter device 16 prior to mounting the filter device 16 on the inkjet printer 11 will be described. In this step, cleaning liquid is passed through the filter device 16 to remove dust and the like from the filter device 16. In this embodiment, for example, pure water is used as the cleaning liquid used in the cleaning process. The cleaning liquid is not limited to this, and may be ethanol, for example.

  In the cleaning process, for example, pure water of the cleaning liquid is passed from the supply flow path 27 of the primary side holder 22 of the filter device 16 to the discharge flow path 32 of the secondary side holder 23. In this case, the primary holder 22 can supply the cleaning liquid to the filter body 21. Further, the secondary holder 23 can recover the cleaning liquid from the filter body 21. In running water cleaning, running water flows through the filter device 16 at a predetermined flow rate, and the filter body 21 is washed with water molecules.

  FIG. 6 shows the flow rate of pure water by the dot density in the cleaning process. In this case, the higher the dot density, the faster the pure water flow rate.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, in the cleaning process, for example, pure water flows at a maximum speed of 1.863 m / sec at point A of the first flow path 42A. This is a 32% improvement in flow rate compared to the prior art of 1.296 m / sec. Further, for example, at the point B of the second flow path 42B, pure water flows at a maximum speed of 1.524 m / sec. This is a 22% improvement in flow velocity compared to 1.194 m / sec of the prior art. Further, in the vicinity of the edge 36 of the secondary filter chamber 31, pure water flows at a speed of 0.031 m / sec. This is a 29% improvement in flow velocity compared to the conventional 0.022 m / sec. Thus, in the filter device 16 of the present embodiment, the flow rate of the liquid that flows during cleaning is improved in the entire secondary filter chamber 31.

  The above is the embodiment of the inkjet printer 11 to which the filter device 16 of the present invention is applied. According to the present embodiment, since the impurities and dust in the ink are removed by the filter device 16, it is possible to prevent dust and the like from being mixed into the inkjet head 13 and cause problems such as non-ejection of the nozzle 12. Can be prevented. In addition, the filter device 16 has a rib piece 34 that partitions the secondary filter chamber 31 into a plurality of flow paths 42, and the rib piece 34 has a flow path diameter that has a longer overall length among the plurality of flow paths 42. The channel diameter is specified to be larger as the length is shorter.

  As a result, a flow path having a small flow path diameter can be arranged at a point far from the discharge opening 33 where the flow speed is likely to decrease during running water cleaning, and the flow speed of this portion can be increased. If the flow rate of the portion is increased, the cleaning liquid does not stay at the time of washing with running water, and the filter main body 21 corresponding to this portion can be reliably washed. On the other hand, since the flow velocity is maintained relatively fast at a point close to the discharge opening 33, a flow passage having a large flow passage diameter is disposed in this portion to prevent the flow velocity from becoming too fast. .

  Accordingly, it is possible to provide the filter device 16 that obtains a sufficient cleaning effect in each part of the filter main body 21 and has little variation in the cleaning effect in each part of the filter main body 21. If the flow rate of the liquid flowing through the secondary filter chamber 31 is increased, the time required for cleaning the filter body 21 can be shortened, and the production efficiency can be improved and the cost required for cleaning can be reduced.

  The rib piece 34 largely defines the flow path diameter of the third flow path 42 </ b> C at a position corresponding to the supply opening 28 of the primary holder 22, and the first flow deviated from the position corresponding to the supply opening 28. The channel diameters of the channel 42A and the second channel 42B are defined to be small. Normally, the liquid flows more easily into the third flow path 42C at the position corresponding to the supply opening 28 than the first flow path 42A and the second flow path 42B, and the flow rate of the third flow path 42C. However, if the flow path diameter of the third flow path 42C is increased as in the present embodiment, the flow speed of the third flow path 42C is suppressed and the second flow path 42B and the second flow path 42C are reduced. The cleaning effect with the three flow paths 42C can be balanced.

  The secondary filter chamber 31 has a frustum shape with the filter body 21 as the bottom. For this reason, the volume of the edge part 36 of the secondary side filter chamber 31 can be made small. Thereby, the flow path diameter of each flow path 42 can be made thin in the edge part 36 of the secondary side filter chamber 31, and the flow velocity of the said part can be improved. Further, since the secondary filter chamber 31 has a frustum shape, the flow of the cleaning liquid becomes smooth and the flow rate of the cleaning liquid can be improved. Furthermore, since the secondary filter chamber 31 is thin, the volume of the secondary filter chamber 31 can be reduced. Also by this, the channel diameter of each channel 42 can be reduced, and the flow rate of the liquid during running water cleaning can be improved.

  The rib piece 34 is formed with a gap between it and the filter body 21. For this reason, when the primary side holder 22 and the secondary side holder 23 are ultrasonically welded, it can prevent that the rib piece 34 and the filter main body 21 will weld. Further, if the filter main body 21 and the rib piece 34 are in contact with each other, a minute dust is generated by rubbing between the filter main body 21 and the rib piece 34 during the ultrasonic welding, but the filter main body 21 as in the present embodiment. If a gap 41 is provided between the rib piece 34 and the rib piece 34, it is possible to prevent dust from being generated from that portion. Further, if the filter main body 21 and the rib piece 34 are not in contact with each other, dust does not accumulate in these contact portions. Thereby, the malfunction of the non-discharge of the nozzle 12 resulting from the staying garbage can be prevented.

  The rib piece 34 also serves as a support mechanism for supporting the filter body 21 on the downstream side. Thereby, it can prevent that the filter main body 21 will be poured in the downstream in the case of a washing | cleaning process. In the present embodiment, since the rib piece 34 has the function of the support mechanism, it is not necessary to provide a separate support mechanism, and the use efficiency of the space can be improved.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. For example, the number of rib pieces 34 is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more. Further, the rib piece 34 may have any shape and arrangement as long as it has a structure that increases the flow velocity in the secondary filter chamber 31. A plurality of rib pieces 34 provided in the secondary filter chamber 31 of the present embodiment may be arranged in the primary filter chamber 26 of the primary holder 22. Further, the primary filter chamber 26 of the primary holder 22 may have a frustum shape in order to make the liquid flow smoother. In this embodiment, the filter main body 21 is mainly cleaned by running water cleaning, but in addition to this, ultrasonic cleaning may be performed. Of course, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet printer according to an embodiment. The perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the filter apparatus shown by FIG. The perspective view which shows the secondary side holder of the filter apparatus shown by FIG. Sectional drawing which cuts and shows the filter apparatus shown by FIG. 1 in the vertical direction. Sectional drawing which shows the secondary side holder shown by FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state which wash | cleans running water the filter apparatus shown by FIG. The table | surface which shows the flow rate of the state which wash | cleans running water the filter apparatus shown by FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the filter apparatus of a prior art. Sectional drawing which shows the state which wash | cleans running water of the filter apparatus of a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16 ... Filter apparatus, 21 ... Filter main body, 22 ... Primary side holder, 23 ... Secondary side holder, 26 ... Primary side filter chamber, 27 ... Supply flow path, 28 ... Supply opening, 31 ... Secondary side filter chamber 32 ... Discharge flow path, 33 ... Discharge opening, 34 ... Rib piece, 34A ... 1st rib piece, 34B ... 2nd rib piece, 35 ... Outer peripheral part, 41 ... Gap, 42 ... Multiple flow path, 42A ... 1st flow path, 42B ... 2nd flow path, 42C ... 3rd flow path, 43 ... Position corresponding to supply opening

Claims (5)

A filter body;
While holding the filter body on the upstream side, a primary side holder capable of supplying a cleaning liquid to the filter body when cleaning the filter body;
Holding the filter body on the downstream side, and a secondary holder capable of recovering the cleaning liquid from the filter body at the time of cleaning the filter body;
Comprising
The secondary holder is
A secondary filter chamber covering the downstream side of the filter body;
A discharge passage extending further downstream from the secondary filter chamber;
A discharge opening formed in the secondary filter chamber so as to communicate the secondary filter chamber and the discharge flow path at a position eccentric with respect to the center of the secondary filter chamber;
A rib piece that partitions the inside of the secondary filter chamber as the plurality of flow paths from the outer peripheral portion of the secondary filter chamber to the discharge opening;
Have
Among the plurality of flow paths, the rib piece defines a flow path diameter smaller to increase the flow velocity of the cleaning liquid, and has a shorter total length to increase the flow path diameter and defines the flow diameter of the cleaning liquid. A filter device characterized by suppressing a flow rate. The primary holder is
A primary filter chamber covering the upstream side of the filter body;
A supply channel extending further upstream from the primary filter chamber;
A supply opening formed in the primary filter chamber so as to communicate the primary filter chamber and the supply flow path;
Have
The rib piece defines a large flow path diameter of the plurality of flow paths at a position corresponding to the supply opening of the primary holder, thereby suppressing the flow rate of the cleaning liquid and corresponding to the supply opening. 2. The filter device according to claim 1, wherein a flow path diameter of the one at a position deviated from the position to be moved is regulated to increase a flow rate of the cleaning liquid.   The filter device according to claim 1, wherein the secondary filter chamber has a frustum shape with the filter body as a bottom.   The filter device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rib piece is formed with a gap between the rib piece and the filter body.   The filter device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rib piece also serves as a support mechanism for the filter main body.

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