JP2008030388A - Inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet printer which discharges no wasteful ink when the printer discharges gas in an ink chamber arranged in an ink flow path from an ink supply source to a recording head. <P>SOLUTION: A floating magnetic body 35 is arranged in the ink chamber 23, has a substantially disk shape with the outer diameter larger than that of the opening at the lower end of a cylindrical body 33 functioning as a part of a gas discharging path 31, and also has a magnetic member 35a having a magnetism and a floating member 35b constituted to be floatable on the ink. A permanent magnet 41 is arranged as a part of the cylindrical body 33 and coaxially with the cylindrical body 33 around the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33. When a distance from the upper surface of the floating magnetic body 35 floating on the ink to the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 is equal to a predetermined distance, the permanent magnet 41 draws up and attracts the floating magnetic body 35, and closes the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33, so that the ink is not discharged wastefully. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet printer that forms an image on a recording medium by ejecting minute ink droplets from an ejection nozzle of the recording head onto a recording medium such as recording paper, and more particularly to an ink flow path from an ink supply source to the recording head. The present invention relates to a technique for discharging a gas in an ink chamber provided on the way.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various ink jet printers that have been devised for discharging gas in an ink chamber provided in the middle of an ink flow path from an ink supply source to a recording head are known.
For example, there is an ink jet printer configured so that a gas discharge path branches off from an ink chamber provided in the middle of an ink flow path from an ink supply source to a recording head (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this ink jet printer, when discharging the gas in the ink chamber, such as when supplying ink to an unused ink jet printer for the first time, the ink is supplied from the ink supply source to the ink chamber, and the gas in the ink chamber is discharged together with the ink. It is designed to discharge to the road.
Japanese Patent No. 2005-169839 (pages 3 and 4)

  However, in the ink jet printer as described above, the ink in the ink chamber is discharged when the gas in the ink chamber is discharged, for example, when ink is first supplied to an unused ink jet printer, except when an image is formed on a recording medium. Is discharged to the gas discharge path together with the gas, and there is a problem that ink is discharged wastefully.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to discharge the gas in the ink chamber provided in the middle of the ink flow path from the ink supply source to the recording head. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet printer that does not waste ink.

  Inkjet printer of the present invention (3: In this column, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the components described in the “Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention” column are shown in parentheses as necessary. However, this description does not mean that the scope of the claims is limited.) The ink chamber (23) provided in the middle of the ink flow path from the ink supply source (15) to the recording head (21). ), A gas discharge path (31) provided for discharging the gas that flows into the ink chamber together with the ink and accumulates in the ink chamber to the outside of the ink chamber, and an ink chamber for discharging the gas through the gas discharge path And pump means (67) for applying a positive pressure to the side or applying a negative pressure to the gas discharge path side.

  The ink jet printer is arranged in the ink chamber, at least a part of which is magnetic, can float on the ink stored in the ink chamber, and comes into contact with the inlet from the ink chamber to the gas discharge path. A floating magnetic body (35) capable of closing the inlet, and when the floating magnetic body abuts on the inlet, the floating magnetic body is held by the magnetic force to close the inlet, or the floating magnetic body Holding / releasing means (40) capable of releasing the state of holding the body at the inlet.

  As described above, according to the ink jet printer of the present invention, the following operational effects can be obtained. That is, the floating magnetic body is disposed in the ink chamber, at least a part of which is magnetic, can float on the ink stored in the ink chamber, and is in contact with the inlet from the ink chamber to the gas discharge path. Sometimes the entrance can be closed. The holding / releasing means closes the inlet by holding the floating magnetic body by the magnetic force when the floating magnetic body abuts on the inlet, or holds the floating magnetic body at the inlet. It is possible to release the state. For example, when the gas is discharged from the ink chamber to the gas discharge path by the pump means, for example, the floating magnetic body floating in the ink stored in the ink chamber is supplied from the ink supply source. The holding / releasing means holds the floating magnetic body by its magnetic force when the gas is raised by the gas and contacts the inlet to the gas discharge path, thereby closing the inlet to the gas discharge path. Further, for example, a permanent magnet such as a ferrite magnet closes the inlet to the gas discharge path by holding the floating magnetic body by a magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet and the floating magnetic body. When the inlet to the gas discharge path is closed, for example, no gas is discharged from the ink chamber to the gas discharge path even if the pump means is operated. Further, in a state where the inlet to the gas discharge path is closed, as illustrated in FIG. 4F, the gas is in a space having a distance D from the ink level in the ink chamber to the inlet to the gas discharge path. Remains. Therefore, when the gas is discharged from the ink chamber to the gas discharge path by the pump means, the ink level does not contact the inlet to the gas discharge path until the inlet to the gas discharge path is closed. Ink in the ink chamber is difficult to be discharged into the gas discharge path together with the gas. For example, when the pump means is operated, as a preparation, the state in which the holding / releasing means holds the floating magnetic body at the inlet to the gas discharge path is released. That is, in order to discharge the gas accumulated in the ink chamber to the outside of the ink chamber through the gas discharge path, as a preparation, the state in which the holding / release means holds the floating magnetic body at the inlet to the gas discharge path is released. Then, the inlet to the gas discharge path is opened.

  Therefore, according to the ink jet printer of the present invention, except when forming an image on a recording medium, for example, when supplying ink to an unused ink jet printer for the first time, in the middle of the ink flow path from the ink supply source to the recording head. When discharging the gas in the ink chamber provided in the ink, ink is not discharged wastefully.

  The holding / releasing means described above includes a permanent magnet that generates a magnetic force between the floating magnetic body, a movable member that can move the floating magnetic body in a retained state from the permanent magnet, and moves the movable member. It is good to have a drive part which can be made to do. Specifically, as described in claim 2, the holding / releasing means is provided in the vicinity of the inlet of the gas discharge path, and generates a magnetic force between the floating magnetic body and the ink. A movable member (43) capable of moving along the direction in which the liquid level of the ink stored in the chamber changes, and capable of separating the floating magnetic body in the retained state from the permanent magnet, and the movable member as floating magnetic The floating magnetic body is moved away from the permanent magnet by moving toward the body, or the drive unit can move the movable member in a direction away from the floating magnetic body.

According to the ink jet printer configured as described above, the following operational effects can be obtained. That is, the permanent magnet of the holding / releasing means is provided in the vicinity of the inlet of the gas discharge path, and generates a magnetic force with the floating magnetic body. For example, when a permanent magnet is disposed around the inlet of the gas discharge path as a part of the gas discharge path, and the floating magnetic body comes into contact with the inlet to the gas discharge path, the permanent magnet For example, the floating magnetic body is held by the magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet and the floating magnetic body to close the inlet to the gas discharge path. Therefore, in order to generate a magnetic force between the floating magnetic body and the gas discharge path, an electromagnet configured by, for example, winding a copper wire around a bobbin made of an insulating material in a coil shape is used. The structure of the discharge path can be simplified. Further, the movable member included in the holding / releasing means is movable along the direction in which the liquid level of the ink stored in the ink chamber changes, and the held floating magnetic body can be separated from the permanent magnet. It is. The drive unit of the holding / releasing means moves the movable member toward the floating magnetic body to move the floating magnetic body away from the permanent magnet, or moves the movable member in a direction away from the floating magnetic body. It is possible. As an example, for example, the movable member has a base part that can be inserted through the inlet to the gas discharge path, and the drive part moves the base part of the movable member from the upper side to the lower side of the ink liquid surface. For example, the base of the member depresses the upper surface side of the floating magnetic body to separate the floating magnetic body from the permanent magnet. Therefore, in order to separate the floating magnetic body from the permanent magnet, for example, the structure in the ink chamber can be simplified as compared with a case where a structure for pulling down the floating magnetic body is provided in the ink chamber.

  The holding / releasing means described above may include an electromagnet that generates a magnetic force during excitation to hold the floating magnetic body, and a control unit that controls the excitation state of the electromagnet. Specifically, as described in claim 3, the holding / releasing means is provided in the vicinity of the inlet of the gas discharge path, and generates a magnetic force when excited to hold the floating magnetic body that contacts the inlet. An electromagnet and a control unit that controls the excitation state of the electromagnet.

  According to the ink jet printer configured as described above, the following operational effects can be obtained. That is, the electromagnet included in the holding / releasing means is provided in the vicinity of the inlet of the gas discharge path, generates a magnetic force when excited, and holds the floating magnetic body that contacts the inlet. And the control part which a holding / release means has controls the excitation state of an electromagnet. For example, when an electromagnet is disposed around the inlet of the gas discharge path and the control unit excites the electromagnet, the electromagnet is moved to the electromagnet when the floating magnetic body comes into contact with the inlet of the gas discharge path. For example, the inlet to the gas discharge path is closed by holding the floating magnetic body by the magnetic force generated between the gas and the floating magnetic body. When the controller stops exciting the electromagnet, no magnetic force is generated between the electromagnet and the floating magnetic body, so that the state of holding the floating magnetic body is released and the inlet to the gas discharge path is opened. Therefore, the structure of the holding / releasing means can be simplified and the accommodation volume can be reduced as compared with the case where a structure for releasing the state of holding the floating magnetic body is provided to open the inlet to the gas discharge path. .

  The above-mentioned floating magnetic body has a magnetic member disposed on the upper side thereof and a floating member that can float on the ink disposed on the lower side thereof. It is good to provide the guide member which guides so that movement is possible in the attitude | position close | similar to an entrance rather than a floating member. Specifically, as described in claim 4, the floating magnetic body is disposed on the upper side of the floating magnetic body, the magnetic member (35a) having magnetism, and the lower side of the magnetic member, A floating member (35b) that is formed integrally with the magnetic member and floats on the ink stored in the ink chamber. Further, the floating magnetic body is guided so as to be movable along the direction in which the liquid level of the ink stored in the ink chamber changes in a posture in which the magnetic member is closer to the inlet to the gas discharge path than the floating member. A guide member (36) may be provided.

  According to the ink jet printer configured as described above, the following operational effects can be obtained. That is, the magnetic member included in the floating magnetic body is disposed on the upper side of the floating magnetic body and has magnetism, and the floating member included in the floating magnetic body is disposed on the lower side of the magnetic member and is integrated with the magnetic member. And can float on the ink stored in the ink chamber. For example, for example, the magnetic member is made of a magnetic material such as an iron plate, the floating member is formed of a hollow resin molded product, and the floating member includes a plurality of openable / closable claws for fixing the magnetic member. And the magnetic member is fixed to the floating member by the plurality of claws. Therefore, the floating magnetic body can be easily configured by fixing the magnetic member to the floating member without using a special magnetic material that can float in the ink.

  When the floating magnetic body configured in this way is turned upside down, for example, the floating member is interposed between the holding / release means and the magnetic member, and the floating magnetic body is connected to the gas discharge path. When contacting the inlet, the holding / release means may not hold the floating magnetic body due to the magnetic force generated between the holding / release means and the magnetic member and may not close the inlet to the gas discharge path.

  Therefore, the guide member moves the floating magnetic body along the direction in which the liquid level of the ink stored in the ink chamber changes in a posture in which the magnetic member is closer to the inlet to the gas discharge path than the floating member. Guide you as possible. That is, the guide member guides the floating magnetic body so that the floating member does not become closer to the inlet to the gas discharge path than the magnetic member by, for example, upside down the floating magnetic body. For example, when the floating magnetic body has a substantially disk shape, for example, the guide member is made of a highly rigid material such as a metal plate, and is larger than the outer diameter of the floating magnetic body. It has a substantially cylindrical shape with a large inner diameter. The floating magnetic material that moves along the direction in which the liquid level of the ink stored in the ink chamber changes can be returned to the original position even if it is tilted from the original position with respect to the ink liquid level. For example, the outer diameter and thickness of the body and the inner diameter of the guide member are set. By providing such a guide member, when the floating magnetic body comes into contact with the inlet to the gas discharge path, the holding / release means is caused by the magnetic force generated between the holding / release means and the magnetic member. By holding, the inlet to the gas discharge path can be closed.

  The holding / releasing means may include a seal member that is provided on the outer periphery in the vicinity of the inlet of the gas discharge path and prevents gas leakage from the ink chamber to the gas discharge path. Specifically, as described in claim 5, the holding / releasing means is provided on the outer periphery in the vicinity of the inlet of the gas discharge path, and discharges gas from the ink chamber when the floating magnetic body comes into contact with the inlet. A seal member (80) for preventing gas leakage to the passage is provided.

  According to the ink jet printer configured as described above, the following operational effects can be obtained. That is, the seal member of the holding / releasing means is provided on the outer periphery in the vicinity of the inlet of the gas discharge path, and prevents leakage of gas from the ink chamber to the gas discharge path when the floating magnetic body contacts the inlet. To do. For example, when the floating magnetic body comes into contact with the inlet to the gas discharge path, for example, an elastic O-ring is provided between the contact surface on the floating magnetic body side and the contact surface on the gas discharge path side. This seal member is deformed in accordance with the surface roughness of each contact surface, thereby preventing gas leakage from the ink chamber to the gas discharge path. Therefore, compared with the case where no seal member is provided, the surface roughness accuracy between the contact surface on the floating magnetic body side and the contact surface on the gas discharge path side can be reduced. The number of processing steps is reduced, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

  The floating magnetic body may have a seal member that is provided on the floating magnetic body so as to face the outer periphery in the vicinity of the inlet of the gas discharge path and prevent gas leakage from the ink chamber to the gas discharge path. Specifically, as described in claim 6, the floating magnetic body is provided on the floating magnetic body so as to face the outer periphery in the vicinity of the inlet of the gas discharge path, and when the floating magnetic body abuts on the inlet. And a seal member for preventing gas leakage from the ink chamber to the gas discharge path.

  According to the ink jet printer configured as described above, the following operational effects can be obtained. In other words, the sealing member of the floating magnetic body is provided on the floating magnetic body so as to face the outer periphery in the vicinity of the inlet of the gas discharge path, and when the floating magnetic body abuts on the inlet, the ink chamber moves to the gas discharge path. Prevent gas leakage. For example, when the floating magnetic body comes into contact with the inlet to the gas discharge path, for example, an elastic O-ring is provided between the contact surface on the floating magnetic body side and the contact surface on the gas discharge path side. This seal member is deformed in accordance with the surface roughness of each contact surface, thereby preventing gas leakage from the ink chamber to the gas discharge path. Therefore, compared with the case where no seal member is provided, the surface roughness accuracy between the contact surface on the floating magnetic body side and the contact surface on the gas discharge path side can be reduced. The number of processing steps is reduced, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

Next, an embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the following embodiments, the present invention is applied to an inkjet printer that constitutes a multi-function peripheral having a printer function, a scanner function, a copying function, a facsimile function, and the like.

[Description of MFP configuration]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a multi-function machine 1 equipped with an ink jet printer 3.
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 1 includes a flat bed type image reading unit 2 at an upper portion thereof and an ink jet printer 3 at a lower portion thereof. In addition, an operation panel 5 is disposed at the upper front end of the multifunction device 1, and a paper feed cassette 7 including a paper discharge tray 6 is mounted in a removable state at a lower opening on the front side. .

[Description of Configuration of Inkjet Printer 3]
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the ink jet printer 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the carriage 11 and the maintenance unit 13 of the inkjet printer 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the inkjet printer 3 is provided with a carriage 11 configured to reciprocate in the left-right direction, and a maintenance unit 13 is provided at the rightmost end of the movable range of the carriage 11. Hereinafter, the rightmost end of the movable range of the carriage 11 is also referred to as a maintenance position. Further, in front of the maintenance unit 13, four ink cartridges 15 serving as supply sources of four colors of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow are disposed. An ink tube 17 is provided between each ink cartridge 15 and the carriage 11, and ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 15 side toward the carriage 11 side through the ink tube 17. . Next, the carriage 11 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an ink jet recording head 21 is mounted on the carriage 11, and ink supplied from the ink tube 17 side is supplied to the recording head 21 through an ink flow path having an ink chamber 23. It is like that. Next, the ink chamber 23 will be described.

  In the ink chamber 23, a filter 25 that divides the ink chamber 23 up and down is provided to prevent bubbles mixed in the ink from reaching the recording head 21. The ink supplied from the ink tube 17 side and flowing into the upper portion of the ink chamber 23 is separated into ink and bubbles when passing through the filter 25, and only the ink passes through the filter 25. Remains on top of the. The remaining bubbles gradually accumulate in the upper part of the ink chamber 23.

  In FIG. 3, only one set of ink flow paths from the ink tube 17 side to the recording head 21 is shown, but the actual multifunction machine 1 corresponds to each of the above-described four color inks. Four sets of ink flow paths are provided.

[Description of Configuration for Exhausting Gas in Ink Chamber 23]
Next, a configuration for exhausting the gas in the ink chamber 23 will be described. The configuration for exhausting the gas in the ink chamber 23 described below is used for exhausting the gas accumulated in the upper portion of the ink chamber 23 described above.

  The gas exhaust path 31, the cylindrical body 33, the floating magnetic body 35, the guide member 36, the holding / release unit 40, the valve case 59, and the maintenance unit 13 are configured to exhaust the gas in the ink chamber 23. And a pump 67. Hereinafter, the gas discharge path 31, the cylindrical body 33, the floating magnetic body 35, the guide member 36, the holding / release unit 40, the valve case 59, the maintenance unit 13, and the pump 67 will be described in this order.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the gas discharge path 31 is provided in the carriage 11 corresponding to each of the four sets of ink flow paths described above. Each of these gas discharge paths 31 communicates with the ink chamber 23 provided in each of the above-described four sets of ink flow paths at the upstream end portion in the gas discharge direction.

  FIG. 3 shows the structure of the portion communicating with the ink chamber 23 only (one structure near the upstream end portion in the gas discharge direction) for only one set of gas discharge paths 31 drawn on the left side in the drawing. The remaining three sets of gas discharge paths 31 are not shown in the drawing for the structure of the portion communicating with the ink chamber 23. However, these four sets of gas discharge paths 31 have the same structure.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cylindrical body 33 has a substantially cylindrical shape, has a substantially circular opening at the lower end and side surface thereof, and is provided in the vicinity of the upstream end of the gas discharge path 31 in the gas discharge direction. It has been. The cylindrical body 33 is a member whose lumen functions as a part of the gas discharge path 31. Further, a through-hole through which a base portion 43a of a rod 43 described later can be inserted into the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical body 33 is formed in the ceiling portion of the cylindrical body 33 that faces the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33. . Further, in a state where a base portion 43 a of the rod 43 described later is inserted through the through hole of the cylindrical body 33, the sealing material 46 is provided in the through hole of the cylindrical body 33 in order to ensure airtightness between the inside and outside of the cylindrical body 33. It is arranged around.

  The floating magnetic body 35 is disposed in the ink chamber 23 and has a substantially disk shape having an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33, and is disposed on the upper side thereof. The magnetic member 35a is arranged on the lower side of the magnetic member 35a, and the floating member 35b is integrated with the magnetic member 35a. The magnetic member 35a is made of a magnetic material such as an iron plate, and the floating member 35b is made of, for example, a hollow resin molded product. The buoyancy of the floating member 35b is set so that the floating magnetic body 35 can float on the ink. The floating member 35b has a plurality of claws (not shown) that can be opened and closed for fixing the magnetic member 35a, for example. The magnetic member 35a is fixed to the floating member 35b by the plurality of claws.

  The guide member 36 is made of a highly rigid material such as a metal plate, and has a substantially cylindrical shape having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the floating magnetic body 35 having a substantially disk shape. The ink chamber 23 is arranged coaxially with the cylindrical body 33 and is configured to partition the ink chamber 23. The guide member 36 is formed with a plurality of through holes in the cylindrical side portion of the guide member 36 so that ink can enter and exit between the inside and outside of the guide member 36. Therefore, the heights of the ink liquid levels inside and outside the guide member 36 in the ink chamber 23 are always equal. A floating magnetic body 35 is accommodated in the guide member 36. Further, the outer diameter dimension of the floating magnetic body 35 and the thickness dimension that is the distance from the upper surface to the lower surface thereof and the inner diameter dimension of the guide member 36 are the directions in which the liquid level of the ink stored in the ink chamber 23 changes. Is set so that the floating magnetic body 35 that moves along the axis can be returned to the original position even if it is tilted from the original position with respect to the ink surface. Specifically, the outer diameter and thickness of the floating magnetic body 35 and the inner diameter of the guide member 36 are such that when the floating magnetic body 35 is tilted, the upper edge and the lower edge thereof. Are in contact with the substantially cylindrical inner peripheral surface of the guide member 36 so that the inclination of the floating magnetic body 35 is regulated. That is, the floating magnetic body 35 is inclined until the upper edge and the lower edge thereof are in contact with the substantially cylindrical inner peripheral surface of the guide member 36, and the floating magnetic body 35 is not inclined more than the inclination angle. It is possible to return to the position. In addition, the floating magnetic body 35 can move in the direction of the ink level within the gap between the side portion of the floating magnetic body 35 and the inner peripheral surface of the guide member 36. It has an external dimension capable of closing the opening at the lower end of 33. Therefore, when the floating magnetic body 35 is in contact with the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33, the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 is closed when the floating magnetic body 35 is held.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of the holding / releasing unit 40.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the holding / releasing unit 40 includes a permanent magnet 41 disposed around the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33, and a gap between the permanent magnet 41 and the floating magnetic body 35. And a release mechanism 42 that separates the floating magnetic body 35 held by the generated magnetic force from the permanent magnet 41. Hereinafter, the permanent magnet 41 and the release mechanism 42 will be described in this order.

  The permanent magnet 41 is made of, for example, a permanent magnet material such as a ferrite magnet, has a substantially disc shape having an opening at a substantially central portion thereof, and an opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 as a part of the cylindrical body 33. Is arranged coaxially with the cylindrical body 33. The magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet 41 and the floating magnetic body 35 is set as follows. That is, ink flows into the ink chamber 23 from the ink tube 17 side, and as shown in FIG. 4E, the liquid level of the ink in the ink chamber 23 rises, and the floating magnetic body floating in this ink When the distance B from the upper surface of 35 to the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 is equal to a predetermined distance, the permanent magnet 41 is moved into the ink chamber by the magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet 41 and the floating magnetic body 35. The floating magnetic body 35 floating on the ink in the ink 23 is pulled up and adsorbed. Further, the magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet 41 and the floating magnetic body 35 is such that the floating magnetic body 35 floating in the ink contacts the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 and then the permanent magnet 41 and the floating magnetic body 35. The permanent magnet 41 may be set to attract the floating magnetic body 35 by the magnetic force generated between the body 35 and the body 35. The permanent magnet 41 holds the floating magnetic body 35 by the magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet 41 and the floating magnetic body 35 when the floating magnetic body 35 contacts the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33. Thus, the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 is closed.

  The release mechanism 42 includes a rod 43, a compression spring 44 that returns the rod 43 to its original position, and a solenoid 45 that moves the rod 43. Hereinafter, the rod 43, the compression spring 44, and the solenoid 45 will be described in this order.

  The rod 43 is made of a highly rigid material such as a metal bar, and has an outer diameter that is constant in the axial direction from one end (hereinafter also referred to as a tip). It has a base 43a smaller than the inner diameter, and a flange 43b continuous with the base 43a. And the outer diameter dimension of the flange part 43b is formed larger than the outer diameter dimension of the base part 43a.

  The compression spring 44 is made of, for example, a linear metal spring material and has a shape wound in a substantially coil shape. The inner diameter of the coil of the compression spring 44 is larger than the outer diameter of the base 43 a of the rod 43 and smaller than the outer diameter of the flange 43 b of the rod 43. Further, when the base 43a of the rod 43 is inserted through the inner peripheral side of the coil of the compression spring 44, the rod 43 is inserted from the upper end side of the through hole of the cylindrical body 33 to the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical body 33. The both ends of the compression spring 44 are disposed so as to abut against the end of the flange 43 b on the side continuous with the base 43 a of the rod 43 and the periphery on the upper end side of the through hole of the cylindrical body 33. In addition, between the compression spring 44 and the peripheral part of the upper end side of the through-hole of the cylindrical body 33 which this compression spring 44 contacts, the upper end side of the through-hole of the cylindrical body 33 by the edge part of the compression spring 44 A washer 47 is disposed so that the peripheral portion of the housing is not damaged.

  The solenoid 45 is an electromagnetic solenoid having a rod-like plunger 45a that protrudes in the axial direction when energized, for example. In the state where the energization to the solenoid 45 is stopped, the plunger 45a of the solenoid 45 is connected to a stop portion (not shown) provided inside the main body of the solenoid 45 at one end of the plunger 45a (not shown). It is accommodated in the main body of the solenoid 45 until it is in contact with the rear end. The solenoid 45 is fixed to the carriage 11 (not shown) so that the other end (hereinafter also referred to as a tip) of the plunger 45a of the solenoid 45 can come into contact with the upper surface of the flange 43b of the rod 43. It is fixed by.

  Further, the rod 43 provided in the release mechanism 42, the compression spring 44, and the solenoid 45 are set in the following positional relationship. First, the base 43a of the rod 43 is inserted from the upper end side of the through hole of the cylindrical body 33 to the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical body 33 in a state where the inner peripheral side of the coil of the compression spring 44 is inserted. The distal end portion of the 45 plunger 45 a can be brought into contact with the upper surface side of the flange portion 43 b of the rod 43. When the energization of the solenoid 45 is stopped, the rod 43 is urged upward by the compression spring 44 via the flange portion 43b of the rod 43 as shown in FIG. When the plunger 45a of the solenoid 45 that contacts the upper surface side of the flange portion 43b is accommodated in the main body of the solenoid 45 and the rear end portion of the plunger 45a contacts the stop portion, the tip of the base portion 43a of the rod 43 is cylindrical. It is set so as to be positioned above the lower end of the body 33. In the state where the solenoid 45 is energized, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the tip of the plunger 45a of the solenoid 45 abuts on the upper surface side of the flange portion 43b of the rod 43 and moves downward, the rod 43 The tip of the base portion 43a is in contact with the upper surface side of the floating magnetic body 35, and the floating magnetic body 35 is lowered until the distance from the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 to the upper surface of the floating magnetic body 35 is a distance R. Move to. This distance R is a distance that is set assuming a sufficient distance required for the magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet 41 and the floating magnetic body 35 to be smaller than the weight of the floating magnetic body 35. Therefore, in a state where the solenoid 45 is energized, the floating magnetic body 35 falls by being released from the holding state by the permanent magnet 41 and floats on the ink as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the valve case 59 is provided near the downstream end of each gas discharge path 31 in the gas discharge direction, and includes a valve body 53, a spring 55, and a seal material 57. The valve body 53 is urged downward by a spring 55, and when the valve body 53 receiving this urging force comes into close contact with the sealing material 57, the outlet of the gas discharge path 31 is closed.

  The maintenance unit 13 includes an exhaust cap 61, an opening / closing member 63, and an exhaust pipe 65. When the carriage 11 is moved to the above-described maintenance position, the upper end of the opening / closing member 63 and the lower end of the valve body 53 are positioned to face each other. Hereinafter, the exhaust cap 61, the opening / closing member 63, and the exhaust pipe 65 will be described in this order.

  The exhaust cap 61 is configured to be movable up and down. When the exhaust cap 61 is raised when the carriage 11 moves to the above-described maintenance position, the exhaust cap 61 comes into close contact with the lower surface of the valve case 59 and the lower surface of the valve case 59 and the exhaust cap 61. An airtight space surrounded by the inner surface is formed.

  The opening / closing member 63 is configured to be movable up and down. When the opening / closing member 63 is raised when the carriage 11 moves to the above-described maintenance position, the lower end of the valve body 53 is pushed up by the upper end of the opening / closing member 63, thereby The valve body 53 rises against the urging force of 55 and the outlet of the gas discharge path 31 is opened.

The exhaust pipe 65 has an inlet side opened inside the exhaust cap 61, and an outlet side connected to the pump 67.
The pump 67 is connected to the outlet side of the exhaust pipe 65 as described above. Then, the exhaust cap 61 is raised to form an airtight space surrounded by the lower surface of the valve case 59 and the inner surface of the exhaust cap 61, and the opening / closing member 63 is raised to open the outlet of the gas discharge path 31. When opened and the pump 67 is operated in this state, the gas in the gas discharge path 31 is discharged through the exhaust pipe 65, and a negative pressure can be applied in the gas discharge path 31.

  In this embodiment, of the four open / close members 63, at least three open / close members 63 can be operated only simultaneously, and one open / close member 63 can be operated independently of the other three open / close members 63. Of these, the three open / close members 63 that operate simultaneously correspond to the ink flow paths provided for the color inks of cyan, magenta, and yellow, and the three open / close members 63 that can be operated independently are This corresponds to the ink flow path provided for the black ink.

  By adopting such a configuration, an ink flow path for color ink and an ink flow path for black ink are selected in any combination, and only in the gas discharge path 31 corresponding to the selected ink flow path, Negative pressure can be applied.

  In the present embodiment, the ink cartridge 15 corresponds to “ink supply source”, the pump 67 corresponds to “pump means”, the holding / release unit 40 corresponds to “hold / release means”, and the release mechanism. 42 corresponds to the “movable member” and “driving unit”, the rod 43 corresponds to the “movable member”, and the solenoid 45 corresponds to the “driving unit”.

[Explanation of gas exhaust treatment]
Below, the process sequence of the gas discharge process performed by the control part (not shown) of the inkjet printer 3 is demonstrated based on the flowchart of FIG. This gas exhausting process is executed as part of a maintenance process that is executed each time the inkjet printer 3 records an image on a predetermined number of recording media. When performing the maintenance process, the control unit of the inkjet printer 3 moves the carriage 11 to the above-described maintenance position, and in that state, executes the gas exhaust process described below.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of “gas exhausting process” executed by the control unit of the inkjet printer 3.
First, when the gas exhaust process is started, the rod 43 is lowered (S110). Specifically, when the solenoid 45 is energized and the tip of the plunger 45a of the solenoid 45 abuts on the upper surface side of the flange 43b of the rod 43 and moves downward as shown in FIG. The tip of the base 43a of the rod 43 is in contact with the upper surface side of the floating magnetic body 35, and the distance from the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 to the upper surface of the floating magnetic body 35 is the distance R. Move down to Then, as shown in FIG. 4C, the floating magnetic body 35 falls by being released from the holding state by the permanent magnet 41 and floats on the ink. When the processing of S110 ends, the process proceeds to S120.

  In the process of S120, the rod 43 is raised. Specifically, by stopping energization to the solenoid 45, the rod 43 is urged upward by the compression spring 44 via the flange portion 43b of the rod 43 as shown in FIG. When the plunger 45a of the solenoid 45 abutting on the upper surface side of the flange portion 43b of the 43 is accommodated in the main body of the solenoid 45 and the rear end portion of the plunger 45a abuts against the stop portion, the tip of the base portion 43a of the rod 43 is Ascending to a position above the lower end of the cylindrical body 33. When the process of S120 ends, the process proceeds to S130.

  In the process of S130, the valve body 53 is opened. Specifically, the exhaust cap 61 (see FIG. 3) is raised and brought into close contact with the lower surface of the valve case 59, thereby forming an airtight space surrounded by the lower surface of the valve case 59 and the inner surface of the exhaust cap 61. Further, the opening / closing member 63 is raised, the lower end of the valve body 53 is pushed up by the upper end of the opening / closing member 63, and the valve body 53 is raised to open the valve body 53. When the process of S130 is completed, the process proceeds to S140.

  In the process of S140, the pump 67 is operated. Specifically, by operating the pump 67 (see FIG. 3), the gas in the gas discharge path 31 is discharged through the exhaust pipe 65, and a negative pressure is applied in the gas discharge path 31. When the process of S140 is completed, the process proceeds to S150.

  In the process of S150, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed after the operation of the pump 67. If it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed (S150: NO), the process waits until the predetermined time elapses. If it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed (S150: NO), the process of S160 is performed. Migrate to

  Specifically, after the pump 67 is operated, the pump 67 continues to operate until a predetermined time elapses. When the pump 67 continues to operate, gas is discharged from the ink chamber 23 to the cylindrical body 33 and the gas discharge path 31. Furthermore, since the inside of the ink chamber 23 is depressurized as the gas is discharged, the ink flows into the ink chamber 23 from the ink tube 17 side, and as shown in FIG. The liquid level rises. When the distance B from the upper surface of the floating magnetic body 35 floating in the ink to the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 becomes equal to a predetermined distance, the magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet 41 and the floating magnetic body 35 is generated. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4F, the permanent magnet 41 pulls up and attracts the floating magnetic body 35 floating in the ink in the ink chamber 23. In the process of S120 described above, the tip of the base 43a of the rod 43 has risen to a position above the lower end of the cylindrical body 33. Therefore, when the permanent magnet 41 pulls up and attracts the floating magnetic body 35. The rod 43 does not interfere. Therefore, the permanent magnet 41 holds the floating magnetic body 35 by the magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet 41 and the floating magnetic body 35 when the floating magnetic body 35 contacts the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33. Thus, the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 is closed. When the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 is closed, even when a negative pressure is applied to the gas discharge path 31 by the operation of the pump 67, the inside of the ink chamber 23 is transferred to the cylindrical body 33 and the gas discharge path 31. Gas is no longer exhausted.

  Further, when the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 is closed, as shown in FIG. 4 (f), there is a distance D from the ink level in the ink chamber 23 to the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33. Gas remains in the space. The distance D is determined by the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 from the ink liquid level in the ink chamber 23 when the above-described permanent magnet 41 pulls up and attracts the floating magnetic body 35 floating in the ink in the ink chamber 23. Is larger than the distance A to the opening (see FIG. 4E). The reason is that as the permanent magnet 41 pulls up and attracts the floating magnetic body 35 floating in the ink in the ink chamber 23, the ink in the ink chamber 23 is moved to the ink area that the floating magnetic body 35 has displaced. This is because the liquid level of the entire ink in the ink chamber 23 is lowered because the ink flows. Note that the above-described predetermined distance refers to the case where, for example, the ink in the ink chamber 23 is not discharged together with the gas to the cylindrical body 33 and the gas discharge path 31 when a negative pressure is applied to the gas discharge path 31 by the operation of the pump 67. In addition, the distance is appropriately set so that the volume of the gas remaining in the ink chamber 23 is reduced. The predetermined time is set on the assumption of a sufficient time required for the permanent magnet 41 to lift and attract the floating magnetic body 35 floating on the ink in the ink chamber 23 after the pump 67 is operated, for example. Time.

  In the process of S160, the pump 67 is stopped. Specifically, the operation of the pump 67 (see FIG. 3) is stopped, and the exhaust cap 61 is also lowered and separated from the lower surface of the valve case 59. When the process of S160 ends, the process proceeds to S170.

  In the process of S170, the valve body 53 is closed. Specifically, by lowering the opening / closing member 63 (see FIG. 3), the valve body 53 is pushed down by the biasing force of the spring 55, and the valve body 53 is closed. At this time, the exhaust cap 61 is also lowered and separated from the lower surface of the valve case 59. When the process of S170 ends, this process ends.

[Description of effects]
According to the inkjet printer 3 of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. That is, in a conventional ink jet printer, when the gas in the ink chamber is discharged, for example, when an image is formed on a recording medium, for example, when ink is first supplied to an unused ink jet printer, the ink in the ink chamber is discharged. Since the ink is discharged into the gas discharge path together with the gas, there is a problem in that the ink is discharged wastefully.

  On the other hand, according to the ink jet printer 3 of the present embodiment, the floating magnetic body 35 is disposed in the ink chamber 23 and is located outside the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 that functions as a part of the gas discharge path 31. A substantially disk-like shape having an outer diameter larger than the diameter is formed, and a magnetic member 35a disposed on the upper side thereof and a lower side of the magnetic member 35a are disposed integrally with the magnetic member 35a. And a floating member 35b. The buoyancy of the floating member 35b is set so that the floating magnetic body 35 can float on the ink. The permanent magnet 41 is disposed coaxially with the cylindrical body 33 around the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 as a part of the cylindrical body 33. The magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet 41 and the floating magnetic body 35 is such that the liquid level of the ink in the ink chamber 23 rises, and the cylindrical body 33 extends from the upper surface of the floating magnetic body 35 floating in the ink. When the distance B to the opening at the lower end of the magnet becomes equal to a predetermined distance, the permanent magnet 41 floats on the ink in the ink chamber 23 by the magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet 41 and the floating magnetic body 35. The floating magnetic body 35 is set to be lifted and attracted. With this configuration, when the gas is discharged from the ink chamber 23 to the cylindrical body 33 and the gas discharge path 31 by the pump 67, the ink flows into the ink chamber 23 from the ink tube 17 side. The liquid level of the ink in the chamber 23 rises, and a distance B (see FIG. 4E) from the upper surface of the floating magnetic body 35 floating in the ink to the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 is a predetermined distance. If equal, the magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet 41 disposed around the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 and the floating magnetic body 35 causes the permanent magnet 41 to float on the ink in the ink chamber 23. By pulling up and attracting the magnetic body 35, the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 is closed. Then, gas remains in a space having a distance D (see FIG. 4F) from the ink liquid level in the ink chamber 23 to the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33. Therefore, the ink liquid level does not contact the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 until the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 is closed, so that the ink in the ink chamber 23 and the cylindrical body 33 and the gas together with the gas. It is difficult to be discharged to the discharge path 31. Therefore, according to the ink jet printer 3 of the present invention, the ink is discharged when the gas in the ink chamber is discharged, for example, when an image is formed on a recording medium, for example, when ink is first supplied to an unused ink jet printer. Don't waste it.

  Further, according to the ink jet printer 3 of the present embodiment, since the permanent magnet 41 is arranged around the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33, for example, a copper wire is wound around a bobbin made of an insulating material in a coil shape. Compared with the case where the constructed electromagnet is arranged around the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33, the structure of the cylindrical body 33 can be simplified.

  Further, according to the inkjet printer 3 of the present embodiment, the rod 43 has a base portion 43a whose outer diameter dimension is constant in the axial direction from the tip, and whose outer diameter dimension is smaller than the inner diameter dimension of the cylindrical body 33, and the base portion. And a flange portion 43b continuous to 43a. The rod 43 and the floating magnetic body 35 are set in a positional relationship such that the tip of the base 43 a of the rod 43 abuts on the upper surface side of the floating magnetic body 35. For example, when energized, the solenoid 45 is an electromagnetic solenoid having a rod-like plunger 45 a that protrudes in the axial direction, and the tip of the plunger 45 a of the solenoid 45 abuts on the upper surface side of the flange 43 b of the rod 43. In order to be able to do so, it is fixed to the carriage 11 with a fixing bracket. Since the floating magnetic body 35 attracted by the permanent magnet 41 is separated from the permanent magnet 41, the distal end portion of the plunger 45 a of the solenoid 45 is connected to the rod 43 by energizing the solenoid 45. When the flange 43b contacts the upper surface of the flange 43b and moves downward, the tip of the base 43a of the rod 43 contacts the upper surface of the floating magnetic body 35, and the floating magnetic body 35 is opened at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33. It is only necessary to move downward until the distance from the top surface of the floating magnetic body 35 to the distance R becomes the distance R. Therefore, in order to separate the floating magnetic body 35 from the permanent magnet 41, for example, the structure in the ink chamber 23 is simplified as compared with the case where a structure for lowering the floating magnetic body 35 is provided in the ink chamber 23. it can.

  Further, according to the ink jet printer 3 of the present embodiment, the floating magnetic body 35 includes the magnetic member 35a made of a magnetic material such as an iron plate disposed on the upper side thereof, and the lower side of the magnetic member 35a. And a floating member 35b made of, for example, a hollow resin molded product. Therefore, the floating magnetic body can be easily configured by fixing the magnetic member 35a to the floating member 35b without using a special magnetic material that can float in the ink.

[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It is possible to implement in the following various aspects.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the permanent magnet 41 is configured to pull up and attract the floating magnetic body 35 floating in the ink in the ink chamber 23, but the present invention is not limited to this. The electromagnet may be configured to lift and attract the floating magnetic body 35 floating on the ink in the ink chamber 23.

  Since the difference between the configuration of the above embodiment and the present embodiment is the holding / release portion and the cylindrical body, only this difference will be described in detail, and detailed description of the same configuration as the above embodiment will be omitted. . In addition, configurations that are considered functionally equivalent to the above embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals as those used in the above embodiments.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the carriage 11 and the maintenance unit 13 of the inkjet printer 3 of the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of the holding / releasing unit 70.

First, the configuration of the holding / releasing unit 70 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 7A, the holding / releasing unit 70 includes an electromagnet 71 disposed around the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 73 and a control unit (not shown) that controls the excitation state of the electromagnet 71. )). Hereinafter, the electromagnet 71 and the control unit will be described in this order.

  The electromagnet 71 is configured by, for example, winding a copper wire 71b around a bobbin 71a made of an insulating material having an opening at a substantially central portion thereof in a coil shape, and opening the lower end of the cylindrical body 73 as a part of the cylindrical body 73. Is arranged coaxially with the cylindrical body 73.

The control unit is a part of the control unit of the inkjet printer 3 described above, and is configured to control the excitation state of the electromagnet 71.
And when the control part excites the electromagnet 71, the magnetic force generated between the electromagnet 71 and the floating magnetic body 35 is set as follows. That is, in the electromagnet 71, the ink flows into the ink chamber 23 from the ink tube 17 side, and as shown in FIG. 7B, the liquid level of the ink in the ink chamber 23 rises and floats on this ink. When the distance B ′ from the upper surface of the floating magnetic body 35 to the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 73 becomes equal to a predetermined distance, the magnetic force generated between the electromagnet 71 and the floating magnetic body 35 is caused by FIG. As shown in (c), the electromagnet 71 pulls up and attracts the floating magnetic body 35 floating in the ink in the ink chamber 23. Further, when the control unit excites the electromagnet 71, the magnetic force generated between the electromagnet 71 and the floating magnetic body 35 causes the floating magnetic body 35 floating in the ink to contact the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 73. After that, the electromagnet 71 may be set to attract the floating magnetic body 35 by the magnetic force generated between the electromagnet 71 and the floating magnetic body 35. Note that the above-described predetermined distance refers to the case where, for example, the ink in the ink chamber 23 is not discharged together with the gas into the cylindrical body 73 and the gas discharge path 31 when a negative pressure is applied to the gas discharge path 31 by the operation of the pump 67. In addition, the distance is appropriately set so that the volume of the gas remaining in the ink chamber 23 is reduced. The electromagnet 71 holds the floating magnetic body 35 by the magnetic force generated between the electromagnet 71 and the floating magnetic body 35 when the floating magnetic body 35 contacts the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 73. The opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 73 is closed.

  Further, when the control unit stops exciting the electromagnet 71, no magnetic force is generated between the electromagnet 71 and the floating magnetic body 35. Therefore, as shown in FIG. When released from the holding state, it falls and floats on the ink.

Next, the configuration of the cylindrical body 73 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 6, the cylindrical body 73 has a substantially cylindrical shape, has a substantially circular opening at its lower end and side surface, and is provided in the vicinity of the upstream end portion of the gas discharge path 31 in the gas discharge direction. It has been. The cylindrical body 73 is a member whose lumen functions as a part of the gas discharge path 31.

In the present embodiment, the holding / releasing unit 70 corresponds to “holding / releasing means”.
In the present embodiment configured as described above, the holding / releasing is compared with the case where a structure for releasing the state of holding the floating magnetic body 35 is provided to open the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 73. The structure of the part 70 can be simplified and the accommodation volume can be reduced.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the permanent magnet 41 is floated by the magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet 41 and the floating magnetic body 35 when the floating magnetic body 35 comes into contact with the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33. By holding the magnetic body 35, the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33 is closed, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 8, when the floating magnetic body 35 comes into contact with the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33, gas leakage from the ink chamber 23 to the cylindrical body 33 and the gas discharge path 31 is prevented. A sealing material 80 such as an elastic O-ring may be provided on the outer periphery in the vicinity of the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33. Further, a sealing material 80 may be provided on the floating magnetic body 35 so as to face the outer periphery in the vicinity of the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33.

  In this embodiment configured as described above, when the floating magnetic body 35 contacts the opening at the lower end of the cylindrical body 33, the contact surface on the floating magnetic body 35 side and the contact on the cylindrical body 33 side are in contact with each other. The elastic sealing material 80 between the contact surfaces is deformed according to the surface roughness of each contact surface, so that gas leaks from the ink chamber 23 to the cylindrical body 33 and the gas discharge path 31. To prevent. Therefore, compared with the case where the seal member 80 is not provided, the surface roughness accuracy between the contact surface on the floating magnetic body 35 side and the contact surface on the cylindrical body 33 side can be reduced. The number of processing steps for each contact surface is reduced, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a multifunction machine 1 including an inkjet printer 3. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an internal structure of the inkjet printer 3. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of main parts of a carriage 11 and a maintenance unit 13 of the inkjet printer 3. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of the holding / releasing unit 40. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of “gas discharge processing” of the inkjet printer 3. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the principal part of the carriage 11 and the maintenance unit 13 of the inkjet printer 3 of other embodiment (1). 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of a holding / releasing unit 70. FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the principal part of the carriage 11 and the maintenance unit 13 of the inkjet printer 3 of other embodiment (2).

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... MFP, 2 ... Image reading part, 3 ... Inkjet printer, 5 ... Operation panel, 6 ... Paper discharge tray, 7 ... Paper feed cassette, 11 ... Carriage, 13 ... Maintenance unit, 15 ... Ink cartridge, 17 ... Ink Tube, 21 ... Recording head, 23 ... Ink chamber, 25 ... Filter, 31 ... Gas discharge path, 33 ... Cylindrical body, 35 ... Floating magnetic body, 35a ... Magnetic member, 35b ... Floating member, 36 ... Guide member, 40 ...... Holding / Release part, 41 ... Permanent magnet, 42 ... Release mechanism, 43 ... Rod, 43a ... Base part, 43b ... Flange part, 44 ... Compression spring, 45 ... Solenoid, 45a ... Plunger, 46 ... Sealing material, 47 ... Washer 53 ... Valve body, 55 ... Spring, 57 ... Sealing material, 59 ... Valve case, 61 ... Exhaust cap, 63 ... Opening / closing member, 65 ... Exhaust pipe, 67 ... Pump, 70 ... Maintenance And canceling unit, 71 ... electromagnet, 71a ... bobbins, 71b ... copper wire, 73 ... tubular member, 80 ... sealing material.

Claims (6)

An ink chamber provided in the middle of the ink flow path from the ink supply source to the recording head, and a gas provided to discharge the gas that flows into the ink chamber together with the ink and accumulates in the ink chamber to the outside of the ink chamber An inkjet printer comprising: a discharge path; and a pump unit that applies a positive pressure to the ink chamber side or discharges a negative pressure to the gas discharge path side to discharge gas through the gas discharge path,
Arranged in the ink chamber, at least a part of which is magnetic, floats on the ink stored in the ink chamber, and is in contact with the inlet to the gas discharge path from the ink chamber. A floating magnetic body capable of closing the inlet;
When the floating magnetic body comes into contact with the inlet, the floating magnetic body is held by the magnetic force to close the inlet, or the state in which the floating magnetic body is held at the inlet is released. Holding / releasing means capable of
An ink jet printer comprising: The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein
The holding / releasing means is
A permanent magnet that is provided near the inlet of the gas discharge path and generates a magnetic force with the floating magnetic body;
A movable member capable of moving along a direction in which the liquid level of the ink stored in the ink chamber changes, and capable of separating the floating magnetic body in the held state from the permanent magnet;
A drive unit capable of moving the movable member toward the floating magnetic body to move the floating magnetic body away from the permanent magnet, or to move the movable member in a direction away from the floating magnetic body. When,
An inkjet printer characterized by comprising: The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein
The holding / releasing means is
An electromagnet provided in the vicinity of the inlet of the gas discharge path and holding the floating magnetic body that generates a magnetic force at the time of excitation and contacts the inlet;
A control unit for controlling the excitation state of the electromagnet;
An inkjet printer characterized by comprising: In the ink jet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The floating magnetic body is
A magnetic member disposed on an upper side of the floating magnetic body and having magnetism;
A floating member disposed on the lower side of the magnetic member, integrally formed with the magnetic member, and capable of floating in the ink stored in the ink chamber;
Have
Further, the floating magnetic body is guided so as to be movable along a direction in which the liquid level of the ink stored in the ink chamber changes in a posture in which the magnetic member is closer to the inlet than the floating member. An ink jet printer comprising a guide member. In the ink jet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The holding / releasing means is provided on the outer periphery in the vicinity of the inlet of the gas discharge path, and prevents leakage of gas from the ink chamber to the gas discharge path when the floating magnetic body comes into contact with the inlet. An ink jet printer comprising a seal member. In the ink jet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The floating magnetic body is provided on the floating magnetic body so as to face an outer periphery in the vicinity of the inlet of the gas discharge path, and when the floating magnetic body abuts on the inlet, the ink chamber passes through the gas discharge path. An ink jet printer comprising a seal member for preventing gas leakage.

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