JP2008094076A - Ink tank and inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink tank which is not affected by an influence of a pigment particle density, etc. of an ink held in an ink supply unit and which can be used for a recording head different in a flow rate of the ink. <P>SOLUTION: Non-ink conduction regions SB1 and SB2 are provided in a pressure contact unit T06 to match the size of a filter H01 of a recording head H00. Thereby, the movement of sunk ink retained in the pressure contact unit T06 to the recording head H00 is stopped, and the common use of the ink tank to the recording head different in the flow rate of the ink is realized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink tank and an ink jet recording apparatus, and more particularly, to a configuration relating to connection between an ink supply port of an ink tank and an ink introducing portion on a recording head side.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an ink jet recording apparatus typified by an ink jet printer has been widely provided with advantages such as a high quality recorded image and low noise. In particular, since it can be manufactured as a relatively small printer, many have been developed for individuals. In such a small printer for personal use, the user himself / herself replaces the ink jet cartridge integrated with the ink tank and the recording head to replenish the ink. In particular, the configuration in which only the ink tank is replaced can reduce the running cost as compared with the configuration in which the recording head is replaced together.

  In such an exchange type ink tank, as one configuration for preventing user's safety when the ink tank is attached / detached and air contamination, etc., as described in Patent Document 1, a pressure contact body ( Some are provided with a capillary member. This pressure contact body is composed of an absorber that holds ink drawn from the inside of the ink tank and causes the held ink to flow out to the supply path in accordance with a change in negative pressure caused by discharge on the recording head side. It is.

  Further, as ink stored in the ink tank, dye ink using a dye as a coloring material has been mainly used. On the other hand, a pigment ink using a pigment as a coloring material has been put into practical use as improving the light resistance and weather resistance of the recorded matter and satisfying the performance required in applications such as outdoor posted printed matter. .

  However, since pigment is a dispersion color material, pigment particles cause sedimentation of pigment particles in the ink tank. For example, when the ink tank is left in the ink jet printer for a long time, the pigment particles in the ink gradually settle in the ink tank. Therefore, in the ink tank, the concentration gradient of the pigment particles occurs from the bottom to the top. As a result, the ink at the bottom of the ink tank has a high pigment particle concentration and forms an excessively dark layer, while the ink at the top of the ink tank has a low pigment particle concentration and an excessively thin layer. Will form.

  When the ink in the ink tank is led out and supplied from the bottom of the ink tank, first, ink with a high pigment particle concentration is supplied, and an image having an excessively dark color is recorded. That is, there is a possibility that a difference in recording density may occur between the recorded image in the initial use of the ink tank and the recorded image in the later stage of use. Such a phenomenon becomes particularly prominent in color recording in which a color image is recorded based on color shading.

  In order to solve this problem, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, there is one in which an agitator that is movable by the inertial force of the reciprocating movement of a carriage is arranged inside an ink tank. As a result, the stirrer is operated by the reciprocating motion of the carriage to stir the ink inside, so that the concentration gradient of the pigment particles does not occur.

Japanese Patent No. 3171105 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-216761

  However, the stirring configuration described in Patent Document 2 is effective only in the sedimentation inside the ink tank. In the case of an ink tank including the pressure contact body as described in Patent Document 1, it already exists inside the pressure contact body. For example, it is not possible to eliminate a high pigment particle concentration of the ink. In the case of using this pressure contact body, the ink density in the pressure contact body is generally made uniform by removing the high density ink in the pressure contact body by a suction operation.

  By the way, the ink tank is designed to be able to supply an amount of ink corresponding to the recording speed of the recording head to be mounted. In this case, for example, the size of the supply port of the ink tank corresponds to the supply amount or the ink flow rate. As described above, when a recording head having a high flow rate is newly developed, it is necessary to develop a new ink tank having a supply port that enables a flow rate corresponding to the recording head. As a result, due to the remarkable evolution of ink and recording speed in recent years, the types of ink tanks have increased year by year, and huge expenses have been spent on the development of new ink tanks, and capital investment for multi-model production has become necessary. ing.

  Therefore, in order to efficiently reduce costs and provide low-priced products, we will develop ink tanks that will support future recording speeds, prevent the increase in product models, and reduce the cost of developing new ink tanks. It is desirable. As one measure for this, a common ink tank that can cope with an increase in flow rate can be realized by designing the opening area of the ink supply port in the ink tank to be large in advance.

  However, in an ink tank having a pressure contact body at the ink supply port as in Patent Document 1, the pressure contact body is also made large for this common use. When this ink tank is mounted on a recording head having a relatively small flow rate, all of the ink held by the pressure contact member may not be removed by the suction operation. That is, the area of the supply path opening on the recording head side that is in contact with the press contact body is smaller than the area of the press contact body. Therefore, in the suction operation, ink may not be sucked from the press contact body corresponding to the outside of the supply path opening. . The high-density ink that cannot be removed by the suction operation and remains in the press contact body gradually diffuses in the press contact body after the suction operation, and may eventually flow out to the recording head side. As a result, the recording head may discharge the high-density ink, resulting in uneven density in the recorded matter.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an ink tank that can be used for a recording head that is not affected by the pigment particle concentration of the ink held by the pressure contact body and that has a different flow rate, and an ink jet recording apparatus that uses this ink tank. is there.

  Therefore, in the present invention, an ink tank provided with a supply port for storing ink and supplying the stored ink to the recording head is a pressure contact body that is connected to the ink introduction portion on the recording head side at the supply port. And a press contact body having a plurality of conductive regions in which the ink can move and a non-conductive region which forms a boundary between the plurality of conductive regions and does not conduct ink in the inside. To do.

  Preferably, the pressure contact body has a plurality of conductive regions and a non-conductive region having a smaller area than the conductive region, which forms a boundary between the plurality of conductive regions, on a surface in contact with the ink introduction portion. .

  In addition, in an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording using a recording head that discharges ink, the ink tank is detachably mounted with a supply port for storing ink and supplying the stored ink to the recording head And a suction means for sucking ink through the recording head in a state where the supply port of the ink tank and the ink introduction part on the recording head side are connected, and the ink tank is connected to the recording head side at the supply port. A pressure contact body connected to the ink introduction portion, and a plurality of conductive regions in which the ink can move and a non-conduction that forms a boundary between the plurality of conductive regions in which the ink does not conduct. A pressure contact body having a region, and the suction means can suck all of the ink contained in each of the conduction regions with which the ink introduction portion abuts. And butterflies.

  According to the above configuration, when ink in one conductive region is sucked through the recording head connected by the suction operation, ink remaining without being sucked into the other conductive region is sucked by the non-conductive region. The movement to the conducting area is prevented. As a result, it is possible to prevent the recording result from being influenced by the ink remaining in the other conductive area flowing out toward the recording head.

  In addition, the contact area of the ink introduction part on the recording head side with the pressure contact body increases due to changes in the print head specifications, and even when there are a plurality of conductive areas in contact with the ink introduction part, the total amount of ink in each ink introduction part is increased. Can suck. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably remove the ink contained in the pressure contact body and prevent the ink remaining in the pressure contact body from diffusing into other conduction regions.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an ink tank according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink tank of the first embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view along the line AA in FIG.

  The ink tank T00 is a container that stores the ink T05, and as shown in FIG. 2, the container body T01 and the lid member T02 form a casing. In addition, an ink supply unit (supply port) T03 for supplying ink T05 to the recording head is provided on the bottom surface of the ink tank T00 in the gravity direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ink tank T00 includes an ink storage chamber T04 for storing ink T05. The ink storage chamber T04 is constituted by a part of the casing of the tank and a flexible sheet member (not shown). A coil spring (not shown) is provided inside, and the spring presses the sheet member to expand the storage chamber, thereby generating a negative pressure for holding ink. In addition, a stirring mechanism (not shown) is provided inside the ink storage chamber T04 to make the concentration uniform when the ink T05 in the ink storage chamber T04 settles and a concentration gradient occurs. This agitation mechanism includes a plate-like agitation member that operates by movement of a carriage on which the ink tank is mounted.

  An ink supply portion T03 is provided on the bottom surface of the ink storage chamber T04, which is below the gravitational direction. This ink supply portion T03 is in contact with the supply path to the recording head and becomes a flow path communicating with the recording head. As shown in FIG. 1, the ink supply unit T03 includes a meniscus forming member T07 and a pressure contact body T06. The meniscus forming member T07 is a member for forming a meniscus by the ink T05 so that air bubbles from the outside are not drawn into the ink storage chamber in this case, although the negative pressure is maintained in the ink storage chamber. That is, a member that can generate a meniscus holding pressure stronger than the maximum negative pressure generated in the ink storage chamber is selected. The pressure contact body T06 is made of a material that is flexible to some extent so that it can absorb the displacement in the contact direction when connected to the ink supply path to the recording head, and becomes a flow path for the ink T05 when connected. It is a member having such a capillary force. In this embodiment, for example, it is an aggregate (fiber body) of polypropylene resin fibers. Also, the opening of the ink supply unit T03 has a relatively large opening area that can cope with an increase in the ink flow rate, as will be described later.

  FIGS. 3A and 3B are views for explaining the shape of the press contact body T06. FIG. 3A is a side view in the longitudinal direction, and FIG. 3B is a bottom view. In the figure, reference numerals SA1 to SA3 denote ink conduction areas that are areas where ink can move in the press contact body, and reference numerals SB1 and SB2 denote non-ink conduction areas (non-conduction areas that are areas where ink cannot enter). Area). In addition, the symbol SF in FIG. 3B represents the size and position of the filter area of the recording head to be mounted. That is, it shows the size of the area of the filter portion that contacts the pressure contact body and the position with respect to the pressure contact body in the ink supply path to the recording head.

  As described above, the ink conduction regions SA1 to SA3 are regions that serve as flow paths for the ink T05 to move toward the recording head when connected to the recording head. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3B, the ink conduction areas SA1 to SA3 are arranged with non-ink conduction areas SB1 or SB2 in which ink cannot move at the boundary, thereby allowing mutual areas. The ink cannot be moved to

  The non-ink conduction regions SB1 and SB2 are formed by being sandwiched between flat plate-like press contact bodies T06 by a processing horn, heated and melted while being compressed, and then cooled and solidified. That is, it is a region where the space in which ink can move is removed from the material constituting the press contact body. In this embodiment, an impulse heater capable of rapid heating and rapid cooling is used as a means for melting the pressure contact body. However, the melting means is not limited to this, and may be melting by frictional heat such as ultrasonic waves.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the non-ink conduction areas SB1 and SB2 limit the ink conduction area SA2 that is in contact with the filter SF of the recording head side supply path to an appropriate area. The appropriate area referred to here is a suction operation of a printer that is used with the ink tank attached to the ink held in the area (in this case, the ink conduction area SA2) that draws ink through the filter of the recording head. This is the area that can be removed entirely.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a mounting state when the ink tank of the present embodiment is mounted on a printer using a recording head having a relatively small ink flow rate, and is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the connection portion as viewed from the side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the ink tank T00, the ink supply unit T03 communicates with the ink introduction unit H02 above the recording head H00 in such a direction that the ink supply unit T03 is positioned below the ink storage chamber T04 in the gravity direction. To be connected. The ink introduction part H02 is formed at the end of the ink flow path H03 and includes a filter H01. The ink introduction part H02 and the ink flow path H03 constitute an ink supply path for the recording head. In other words, ink communication between the ink tank T00 and the recording head H00 is performed by bringing the bottom surface of the press contact body T06 into contact with the filter H01 of the recording head H00.

  In the case shown in FIG. 4, the area of the filter H01 is small and abuts only on the ink conduction region SA2. Thereby, only the ink conduction area SA2 becomes a flow path capable of supplying ink to the recording head H00. That is, the ink T05 held in the areas SA1 and SA3 not in contact with the filter H01 on both sides of the ink conduction area SA2 enters the ink flow path H03 via the filter H01 by the non-ink conduction areas SB1 and SB2. It is impossible.

Next, the operation of the ink tank of this embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described.
FIGS. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views showing the behavior of the ink whose concentration is increased by the precipitated particles when the pigment settles in the ink tank according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 9A to 9C are cross-sectional views showing the same ink behavior in an ink tank provided with a conventional press contact body. Hereinafter, the operation of the ink tank according to the first embodiment will be described while comparing the ink behaviors of the ink tank according to the first embodiment of the present invention and the conventional ink tank.

  FIG. 5A and FIG. 9A show the sedimentation state of the ink pigment particles in the ink tank after the stirring operation in the printer of this embodiment. In this state, both settled inks are in the same state. When the ink tank T00 in which the precipitation of the pigment component has progressed in this way is moved by the carriage and the ink T05 inside thereof is stirred, the density of the ink becomes uniform (thin portions in these drawings). However, the ink held by the pressure contact body T06 is not affected by stirring and the density thereof is not made uniform (the dark portion in these drawings). For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5A and FIG. 9A, the ink T08 on which the pigment has settled remains stagnant in the pressure contact body.

  FIG. 5B and FIG. 9B show the sedimentation state of the ink in the ink tank immediately after the suction operation is performed by the printer. In the case of the ink tank of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5B, the sedimented ink T08 in the ink conduction area SA2 with which the filter H01 is in contact is removed by the suction operation. Thereby, the ink T05 is replaced with the ink T05 having a uniform density in the ink storage chamber T04 (the thin portion in FIG. 5B). In addition, in the ink conduction areas SA1 and SA3 where the filter H01 is not in contact, the precipitated ink T08 remains without being removed (the dark portion in FIG. 5B).

  On the other hand, in the ink tank provided with the conventional press contact body, as shown in FIG. 9B, the precipitated ink T08 is removed in the region where the ink flow is generated in the direction of the arrow B by the suction operation. As a result, the density of the ink storage chamber T04 is replaced with the uniformized ink T05 (the thin portion in FIG. 9B). However, in the other region, the ink T05 is not replaced and remains in the press contact body T06 (the dark portion in FIG. 9B).

  FIG. 5C and FIG. 9C are diagrams showing the ink settling state in the ink tank when the ink tank is left for several hours from the state shown in FIG. 5B and FIG. 9B, respectively. is there. That is, it represents the sedimentation state of the ink in the ink tank when left for several hours after the suction operation.

  As shown in FIG. 9C, in the ink tank provided with the conventional pressure contact body, if left for several hours after the suction operation, the settled ink T08 that could not be removed by the suction operation gradually diffuses in the directions of arrows C1 and C2. To do. As a result, the ink in which the pigment particles have settled is supplied to the recording head H00 via the ink flow path H03, and the ink is ejected to affect the recording quality such as density unevenness.

  On the other hand, in the ink tank T00 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5C, the settled ink T08 remaining in the ink conduction areas SA1 and SA3 is transferred to the recording head H00 by the non-ink conduction areas SB1 and SB2. The flow path is blocked. As a result, it is possible to prevent ink having a non-uniform color material density such as a high density from being supplied to the recording head H00.

  As described above, in order to avoid the influence on the recording quality of the ink with the non-uniform color material density, the ink conduction area SA2 with which the filter H01 abuts all the ink held by the suction operation. It is desirable that the size be removable. Therefore, an example of an experiment for obtaining the optimum positions of the non-ink conduction regions SB1 and SB2 that define the size of the ink conduction region SA2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  6 (a) and 6 (b) are bottom views of the pressure contact body T06 used in the experiment. FIG. 6A shows a pressure contact body in which the ink conduction area SA2 is set so that the area ratio of the contact area SF and the non-contact area SH of the filter H01 is “SF: SH = 1: 1.3”. Show. FIG. 6B shows a pressure contact body in which the ink conduction area SA2 is set so that the area ratio of the contact area SF and the non-contact area SH of the filter H01 is “SF: SH = 1: 2.” Show.

  Each of the two types of pressure contact members T06 is incorporated into an ink tank T00 filled with ink having a viscosity corresponding to the ink in which the pigment has proceeded to settle. Then, these ink tanks are mounted on a printer on which the recording head H00 having the contact area SF of the filter H01 is mounted, and agitation and suction operations are performed, respectively.

  Recorded matter recorded after agitation and suction operations, and recorded matter recorded after leaving the respective ink tanks for a certain period of time after agitation and suction operations, recorded with fresh ink with uniform pigment concentration The density unevenness was determined by comparing with the above. The determination result is shown in Table 1.

  As a result of the experiment as described above, it has been confirmed that when the area ratio is below a certain area ratio, there is no deterioration in the recording quality with respect to the density unevenness even after being left standing. In the ink tank of this embodiment, as shown in Table 1, the area ratio of the contact area SF of the filter H01 and the non-contact area SH with respect to the ink conduction region SA2 is SF: SH = 1: 1.3 or less. It was found that good recording was possible. Of course, as described above, the experimental results differ depending on various settings such as the ink viscosity and the suction performance of the printer, so of course not all of them are applied.

  FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing a connection state when the ink tank of the present embodiment is connected to a recording head having a maximum flow rate assumed. That is, the ink tank according to this embodiment is used by being connected to a recording head having a larger amount of ink supply than the recording head shown in FIG. FIG. 7A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the connecting portion, and FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a region distribution of the contact surface between the press contact body and the filter when the recording head is connected.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the filter H01 of the recording head H00 is in contact with each of the ink conduction regions SA1 to SA3 across the non-ink conduction regions SB1 and SB2 of the press contact body T06. The region distribution of the pressure contact body T06 at that time is as shown in FIG.

  The contact area SF of the filter H01 is divided by the non-ink conduction areas SB1 and SB2. The contact area of the ink conduction area SA1 is SF1, the contact area of the ink conduction area SA2 is SF2, and the contact area of the ink conduction area SA3 is SF3. And each non-contact area | region becomes SH1-SH3. In this case, the above experimental results are applied, and the pressure contact body T06 and the filter H01 are set so that “contact area SFn: non-contact area SHn = 1: 1.3 or less” of each of the ink conduction areas SA1 to SA3. Try to determine the size. As a result, the ink tank of this embodiment can be shared even if the recording head that abuts changes. Note that portions of the filter H01 that correspond to the non-ink conduction regions SB1 and SB2 are invalid regions, and therefore it is necessary to design the filter H01 based on that portion.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams for a recording head having a flow rate intermediate between the maximum flow rate recording head (FIG. 7) and the low flow rate recording head (FIG. 4) assumed by the ink tank of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the connection state in the case of connecting the ink tank of embodiment. FIG. 8A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the connecting portion, and FIG. 8B is a region distribution diagram of the pressure contact filter contact surface when the recording head is connected.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the filter H01 of the recording head H00 is in contact with the ink conduction regions SA2 and SA3 across the non-ink conduction region SB2 of the press contact body T06. The region distribution of the pressure contact body T06 at that time is as shown in FIG.

  The filter contact area SF is divided by the non-ink conduction area SB2. The contact area of the ink conduction area SA2 is SF2, and the contact area of the ink conduction area SA3 is SF3. And each non-contact area | region becomes SH2 and SH3.

  Also in this case, the above-described experimental results are applied, and the pressure contact body T06 and the filter H01 are set so that the “contact area SFn: non-contact area SHn = 1: 1.3 or less” of each of the ink conduction areas SA2 and SA3. To determine the size of the. As a result, the ink tank of this embodiment can be shared even if the recording head that abuts changes. Since the portion corresponding to the non-ink conduction region SB2 of the filter H01 is an invalid region, the filter H01 needs to be designed based on this portion as described above.

(Other embodiments)
The shape of the non-ink conduction area SBn of this embodiment is formed in a straight line so as to prevent the ineffective area of the filter H01 from being generated as much as possible when a large flow rate recording head is connected. However, it is needless to say that the shape is not limited.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10A, the non-ink conduction region SB1 may be closed. Further, as shown in FIG. 10B, the non-ink conduction regions SB1 and SB2 may be arcuate.

  The number of non-ink conduction areas SBn is two in this embodiment because it is intended to share the above three types of recording heads, but is not limited thereto. As shown in FIG. 10C, by increasing the number of non-ink conduction regions SBn, it is possible to share with more recording heads.

  Furthermore, although embodiment described above is based on the ink tank which accommodates pigment ink, the form of this invention is not restricted to this. Even in the case of an ink tank that stores ink using a dye as a coloring material, for example, thickened ink may adversely affect the recording result. That is, as described with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9C, when all of the dye ink on the press contact cannot be sucked by suction, for example, the dye ink remaining on the press contact is thickened, It may flow out to the recording head side and cause density unevenness in the recorded image. As described above, it is preferable to use the pressure contact body to which the present invention is applied not only in the pigment ink but also in an ink tank for storing general ink.

(Still another embodiment)
Still another embodiment of the present invention relates to the state of ink in the ink conduction areas SA1, SA2, and SA3 before the ink tanks of the above-described embodiments are mounted on the printer. In particular, the present invention relates to the state of ink in the ink conduction areas SA1, SA2, and SA3 in the distribution of ink tanks.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating ink injection into the ink tank according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention.

  As a specific method of injecting ink, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, the ink injection jig J01 is brought into pressure contact with the ink supply portion of the ink tank. The ink injection jig is provided with a seal portion J03 made of an elastic material. The seal portion J03 abuts against the flat portion T09 of the ink tank to maintain a hermetic seal when ink is injected. The ink injection jig J01 is further provided with injection ports J02 at positions facing the ink conduction areas SA1, SA2, and SA3 of the press contact body. Then, each ink conduction region is filled with ink through each inlet J02. In the present embodiment, the injection port is provided corresponding to each ink conduction region, but the injection port J02 is not necessarily provided for each ink conduction region. For example, it may be one injection port having an opening that extends across the three non-ink conducting regions SB1 and SB2 and extends to the three ink conducting regions SA1, SA2, and SA3. In short, any configuration may be used as long as ink can be filled in all ink conduction regions.

  FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a physical distribution cap attached to the ink tank according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a perspective view seen from below for explaining a state in which the cap is attached to the ink tank. Further, FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB shown in FIG.

  As shown in these drawings, the distribution cap C20 is sealed so that ink does not leak from the ink supply unit during distribution of the ink tank T00, and as shown in FIG. 13, the ink supply unit of the ink tank T00. It is attached to. As shown in FIG. 12, a seal member C21 is provided inside the cap at a position facing the plane T09 of the ink supply part of the ink tank. The cap is mounted by engaging the claw C23 with the ink tank in a state where the seal member C21 is pressed against the flat surface portion T09.

  As shown in FIG. 14, at the time of the distribution of the ink tank, the cap C20 is attached to the ink supply unit in a state where the ink is held in all the ink conduction areas SA1, SA2, and SA3 of the press contact body. That is, in the ink injection described with reference to FIG. 11, the ink injection is performed so that the ink conduction regions SA1, SA2, and SA3 are all filled with ink.

  When the distribution cap is attached to the ink tank, the entrance of the ink supply unit becomes a sealed space. And the air which exists in the sealed space K01 expand | swells or shrinks by the temperature change at the time of physical distribution, etc. Generally, when air expands, the meniscus formed on the meniscus forming member T07 may be broken and the air may enter the ink storage chamber T04. As a result, the negative pressure in the ink containing portion decreases due to the intrusion of air, and there is a risk of ink dripping when the cap is opened.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, as described above, all the ink conduction regions SA1, SA2, and SA3 of the press contact body are filled with ink. As a result, the amount of air interposed between the ink supply unit (meniscus forming member T07) and the cap can be reduced, and the intrusion of air into the ink tank due to temperature fluctuations during distribution can be reduced. it can.

  As a result, ink dripping when the ink tank is opened can be prevented, and a highly reliable ink tank can be provided.

  Note that the amount of ink filled in the ink conduction regions SA1, SA2, and SA3 is not limited to the amount that the ink spreads over the entire region as in the above embodiment. For example, all of the ink conduction areas SA1, SA2, and SA3 are filled with ink. However, in each area, for example, the amount may be such that only a part of the ink permeates and is retained. That is, such a filling amount may be any as long as it can reduce the intrusion of air into the ink tank due to temperature fluctuations during physical distribution, and has a certain effect on preventing ink dripping. Any configuration in which ink is filled in any of the three regions may be used.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of an ink jet recording apparatus in which the above-described ink tank and recording head can be used.

  The ink jet recording apparatus of this example includes an apparatus main body, a feeding unit, a discharge tray, and the like. The apparatus main body includes a chassis M3019 and a recording operation mechanism. The recording operation mechanism includes a carriage M4001 that can reciprocate in the main scanning direction indicated by an arrow A. The carriage M4001 is mounted with an ink tank of the present embodiment that stores ink, and an ink jet recording head that can discharge ink supplied from the ink tank from a plurality of ink discharge ports. The ink tank is configured to be separable from the recording head, and is configured to be detachable so that it can be replaced with a new ink tank when the amount of ink stored in the ink tank decreases. The recording head can eject ink using, for example, an electrothermal transducer (heater), a piezoelectric element, or the like. When the electrothermal converter is used, the ink can be foamed by the heat generation, and the ink can be ejected from the ink ejection port using the foaming energy. A recording sheet (recording medium) fed from the feeding unit is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction indicated by an arrow B that intersects the main scanning direction.

  When the image is recorded on the recording sheet, the recording operation and the conveying operation are repeated. In the recording operation, the recording head ejects ink from the ink ejection port while moving in the main scanning direction together with the carriage 4001 and the ink tank. In the transport operation, the recording sheet is transported by a predetermined amount in the sub-scanning direction. By repeating such a recording operation and a conveying operation, images are sequentially recorded on the recording sheet.

  A recovery unit is provided at one end of the movement path of the carriage M4001, and performs wiping, preliminary discharge, and suction operations on the recording head. Thereby, the discharge performance of the recording head can be maintained satisfactorily. As described above, the suction amount of this suction operation is designed so that all the ink held in the ink conduction region can be removed in relation to the area of the ink conduction region in the press contact body T06. Of course.

  As described above, the ink tank according to the present embodiment is a density generated by enlarging the pressure contact body in order to share the recording head with a different flow rate in the ink tank having the pressure contact body in the ink supply unit. The problem of unevenness can be solved with a simple configuration of the pressure contact body. Therefore, for example, every time a new recording head is developed with respect to the ink flow rate (supply amount), it is possible to omit development of an ink tank correspondingly, and development costs and capital investment can be suppressed. As a result, the cost of the ink tank can be reduced, and an inexpensive ink tank can be provided.

It is sectional drawing of the ink tank by one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the ink tank shown in FIG. 1. (A) And (b) is a figure explaining the shape of the press-contact body provided in the ink tank of FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a connection state with a small flow rate recording head in the ink tank shown in FIG. (A), (b) and (c) are principal part expanded sectional views for demonstrating the effect | action at the time of pigment sedimentation in the ink tank shown in FIG. (A) And (b) is the area | region distribution map of the press contact body filter contact surface used for the experiment which determines the position of the non-ink conduction | electrical_connection area | region of the press contact body in the ink tank shown in FIG. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a connection state when a large flow rate recording head is connected to the ink tank of FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 2A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a connection portion, and FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a connection state when a medium flow rate recording head is connected to the ink tank of FIG. 1, (a) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a connection portion, and (b) is a filter contact surface of a pressure contact body. FIG. (A), (b) and (c) are principal part expanded sectional views explaining the behavior of the sedimentation ink at the time of pigment sedimentation in the conventional ink tank. (A), (b) and (c) is a figure which shows other embodiment of the shape of a press-contacting body. It is a figure explaining the ink injection | pouring to the ink tank of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view explaining the cap with which the ink tank of the 1st Embodiment of this invention is mounted | worn. It is the perspective view seen from the bottom explaining the state where the cap was installed in the ink tank of the 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is BB sectional drawing shown in FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

H00 Recording head H01 Filter H02 Ink introduction part H03 Ink flow path T00 Ink tank T01 Container body T03 Ink supply part T04 Ink storage chamber T05 Ink T06 Pressure contact body T07 Meniscus forming member T08 Precipitation ink T09 Flat part J01 Ink injection jig J02 Inlet J03 Seal part C20 Logistics cap C21 Seal member C23 Claw K01 Space

Claims (8)

In an ink tank having a supply port for storing ink and supplying the stored ink to a recording head,
A pressure contact member connected to the ink introduction portion on the recording head side at the supply port, wherein a plurality of conduction regions in which ink can move and a boundary between the plurality of conduction regions are formed; An ink tank comprising a pressure contact body having a non-conduction region that is not conductive.   2. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the pressure contact body includes the plurality of conductive regions and the non-conductive region having an area smaller than the conductive region on a surface in contact with the ink introduction unit.   The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the press contact body is a fiber body formed of resin fibers.   The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the non-conduction region is formed by being melted by heat.   The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the ink is a pigment ink.   6. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein all of the plurality of conductive regions are filled with ink. In an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording using a recording head that ejects ink,
Mounting means for storing ink, and detachably mounting an ink tank having a supply port for supplying the stored ink to the recording head;
A suction means for sucking ink through the recording head in a state where the supply port of the ink tank and the ink introduction part on the recording head side are connected;
With
The ink tank is a press-contact member that is connected to the ink introduction portion on the recording head side at the supply port, and includes a plurality of conduction regions in which ink can move and a region in which ink does not conduct. A pressure contact body having a non-conduction region that forms a boundary between the plurality of conduction regions, and the suction means can suck all of the ink contained in each of the conduction regions with which the ink introduction portion abuts. An ink jet recording apparatus characterized by the above.   The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein all of the plurality of conductive regions are filled with ink.

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