JP2011025477A - Ink supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink supply system capable of surely preventing ink leakage from an ink pack. <P>SOLUTION: This ink supply system includes an additional ink tank and an intermediate cartridge 40 that temporarily reserves ink and supplies it to a printer head 15b. The intermediate cartridge 40 has an intermediate ink pack 51 expandable and contractable in a thickness direction to reserve the ink, and a detection pawl section 56a for detecting the reserving state of ink in the intermediate ink pack 51 on the basis of the thickness change of the intermediate ink pack 51 due to expansion or contraction. The intermediate ink pack 51 has an upstream side joint 53f for allowing the ink to flow into the intermediate ink pack 51, a head side joint 53b for allowing the ink to flow out of the intermediate ink pack 51, an upstream side expansion restriction fitting 54f for restricting expansion of the intermediate ink pack 51 at a portion near the upstream side joint 53f in the right or left direction, and a head side expansion restriction fitting 54b for restricting expansion thereof at a portion near the head side joint 53b in the right or left direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink supply system that is mounted on a printer device and supplies ink to a printer head.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, printers having various configurations are known as printer apparatuses (inkjet printers) that print on a print medium by ejecting ink from a printer head. For example, a sheet-like print medium is supported on the platen, a printer head is provided at a position facing the print medium on the upper side of the platen, and an operation for reciprocating the printer head to the left and right and the print medium are provided for this. There is a printer apparatus that performs desired printing on the surface of a print medium by performing control of ejecting ink from a printer head while performing a combination of operations for relative movement in a vertical direction. Such a printer apparatus is generally equipped with an ink cartridge in which ink discharged from a printer head is stored.

  By the way, in recent years, there has been a demand for printing on a print medium having a wide left and right width, and in response to this demand, the size of a printer apparatus has been increased, and along with this, ink discharge in the printer head per unit time has been attempted. The amount (ink consumption) tends to increase. For this reason, for example, when printing is performed by a large printer device, the ink in the ink cartridge is consumed in a relatively short time, so it is necessary to frequently replace the ink cartridge in a short cycle, and the labor required for the replacement increases. The problem of being prone to occur is prominent. For this reason, the capacity of the ink cartridge is increased, or a large-capacity additional ink tank is provided separately from the ink cartridge, thereby extending the ink cartridge replacement cycle (reducing the replacement frequency) and saving labor. A configuration has been developed. For example, in the configuration disclosed in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1, by using the ink pack 27 having an increased capacity, the replacement frequency of the ink cartridge 23 is reduced, and for example, unattended operation at night is possible.

JP 2008-273027 A

  By the way, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, a sub-tank 34 (ink pack) made of a flexible film is filled with a predetermined amount of ink and expanded as shown in FIG. It is in a state. In this state, when ink is supplied from the sub tank 34 to the recording head 12 according to the consumption of ink in the recording head 12 and the ink in the sub tank 34 decreases, the ink contracts as shown in FIG. Become. That is, the ink storage state in the sub tank 34 can be detected by detecting the expansion and contraction of the sub tank 34, and if it is determined that the lower limit amount has been reached, ink is transferred from the ink pack 27 to the sub tank 34. Is supplied and the sub tank 34 expands again. In this way, the sub tank 34 repeats expansion and contraction, but the force concentrates on the connection portion between the sub tank 34 and the first ink supply tube 35 and the connection portion between the sub tank 34 and the second ink supply tube 45, particularly during expansion. Easy to act on. For this reason, in each of the above connection portions, the sub tank 34 made of a flexible film may not be able to withstand the force acting at the time of expansion and may crack, and there is a problem that ink leaks from the crack portion.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an ink supply system capable of reliably preventing ink leakage from a flexible ink pack while adding a simple configuration. And

  In order to achieve the above object, an ink supply system according to the present invention includes an upstream ink reservoir (for example, the additional ink tank 24 in the embodiment) in which ink is stored, and the ink supplied from the upstream ink reservoir. A downstream ink reservoir (for example, the intermediate cartridge 40 in the embodiment) that supplies the stored ink to a printer head that performs desired printing, and the downstream ink reservoir is flat. Based on an ink pack (for example, the intermediate ink pack 51 in the embodiment) that is formed in a bag shape and can be expanded and contracted in the thickness direction and can store ink, and the thickness of the ink pack due to expansion and contraction, the ink Storage state detection means for detecting the ink storage state in the pack (for example, the detection claw portion 56a in the embodiment). The ink pack is joined to the edge of the ink pack and connects the outside and inside of the ink pack so that ink can flow in and out, and in the vicinity of the connection member in the ink pack And an expansion regulating member that regulates expansion in the thickness direction in the vicinity of the connection member.

  The connecting member connects the upstream ink supply path (for example, the first supply tube 27 and the internal supply tube 59 in the embodiment) connected to the upstream ink storage section and the inside of the ink pack, An upstream connecting member (for example, an upstream joint 53f in the embodiment) that allows ink to flow from the upstream ink supply path to the ink pack, a head side ink supply path connected to the printer head, and the interior of the ink pack And a head-side connection member (for example, a head-side joint 53b in the embodiment) that causes ink to flow out from the ink pack to the head-side ink supply path, and the expansion regulating member is the upstream-side connection member An upstream expansion regulating member that clamps the vicinity in the thickness direction and regulates expansion in the thickness direction in the vicinity of the upstream connection member (example) For example, the upstream side expansion restricting metal fitting 54f in the embodiment and the head side expansion restricting member that restricts the expansion in the thickness direction near the head side connecting member by sandwiching the vicinity of the head side connecting member in the thickness direction. For example, the head-side expansion restricting fitting 54b in the embodiment is preferably used.

  Further, each of the upstream side expansion regulating member and the head side expansion regulating member has an opposing clamping portion (for example, a clamping plate 58b in the embodiment) opposed to each other with a predetermined gap in the thickness direction. preferable.

  In the ink supply system described above, the downstream ink storage section includes a case member (for example, the housing case 41 in the embodiment) that houses and holds the ink pack, and the upstream connection member and the ink pack in the ink pack It is preferable that the portion to which the upstream expansion regulating member is attached is displaceable in the case member, and one of the flat surfaces of the ink pack is fixed to the case member.

  The ink supply system according to the present invention includes an expansion regulating member that regulates expansion by sandwiching the vicinity of the connection member in the ink pack in the thickness direction. Therefore, when the ink pack is filled with ink and expanded, the expansion of the ink pack located in the vicinity of the connecting member in the thickness direction is restricted. Therefore, since no force acts on the portion where the ink pack and the connecting member are joined, it is possible to reliably prevent the ink pack at this portion from cracking and causing ink leakage. In addition, since the expansion regulating member may be simply added to the conventional configuration, the above effect can be achieved easily without changing the design.

  The connecting member includes an upstream connecting member that allows ink to flow into the ink pack and a head side connecting member that causes ink to flow out from the ink pack, and the expansion regulating member holds the vicinity of the upstream connecting member in the thickness direction. A configuration including an upstream side expansion regulating member that regulates expansion and a head side expansion regulating member that regulates expansion by sandwiching the vicinity of the head side connecting member in the thickness direction is preferable. According to this configuration, even when the upstream connection member that allows ink to flow into the ink pack and the head side connection member that causes ink to flow out are joined to the ink pack, the vicinity of the upstream connection member and the head side Since the expansion of the ink pack in the vicinity of the connecting member can be restricted, it is possible to prevent the ink pack from cracking and causing ink leakage.

  Further, it is preferable that the upstream side expansion restriction member and the head side expansion restriction member have opposing sandwiching portions that face each other with a predetermined gap in the thickness direction. In such a configuration, for example, the upstream side expansion restricting member and the head side expansion restricting member can be formed by a simple method of bending a plate-like metal material, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the portion of the ink pack to which the upstream connection member and the upstream expansion regulating member are attached can be displaced in the case member. The ink pack is accommodated and fixed in the case member, and when ink is supplied and expands in the thickness direction, a force acts on the peripheral portion inward. Therefore, when the displacement is configured as described above, the force acting inward can be absorbed by displacing (moving) the peripheral portion, so that the force is concentrated on the upstream connection member located at the peripheral portion. Can be prevented from acting. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink pack near the upstream connection member from cracking and causing ink leakage.

1 is a front view of a printer apparatus to which an ink supply system according to the present invention is applied. It is sectional drawing of the II-II part (intermediate cartridge) in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the III-III part in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the IV-IV part in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the VV part in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view (partially omitted) of an intermediate cartridge according to another embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, an overall configuration of a printer apparatus 10 to which an ink supply system according to the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. For convenience of explanation, the front and rear, left and right, and up and down directions of the printer apparatus 10 are indicated by arrow directions in each drawing, and the description will be made using these directions.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer device 10 is provided on a left side of the support body 11 having left and right support legs 11 a and 11 b, a center body part 12 supported by the support legs 11, and the center body part 12. A left body portion 13, a right body portion 14 provided on the right side of the central body portion 12, an upper body portion 15 that connects the left and right body portions 13, 14, and is spaced parallel to the upper side of the central body portion 12. It is configured with. A flat platen 12 a extending left and right is exposed on the upper surface of the central body portion 12.

  On the front side of the left body portion 13, an operation portion 13 a composed of operation switches, display devices, and the like is provided. In addition, a controller 13b that performs operation control by outputting an operation signal to each component of the printer device 10 is provided inside the left body unit 13. A guide rail 15a extending to the left and right is provided on the inner front surface side of the upper body portion 15, and a carriage 15c on which a plurality of printer heads 15b for discharging ink downward is mounted with respect to the guide rail 15a. It is attached so that it can reciprocate left and right.

  The printer head 15b is configured to be stably supplied without interruption by the ink supply system 20 described below while the inside is maintained at a slight negative pressure. Now, the configuration of the ink supply system 20 will be described.

  The ink supply system 20 includes an additional ink tank 24 and an intermediate cartridge 40. The additional ink tank 24 includes an upstream ink pack 25 that can store, for example, about 2 liters of ink, and a holding case 26 that accommodates and holds the upstream ink pack 25, and is fixed to the upper portion of the mounting table 21. The holding frame 23 is detachably mounted. Therefore, when the ink in the upstream ink pack 25 is consumed and emptied, the additional ink tank 24 is removed from the holding frame 23, the holding case 26 is opened, and the empty upstream ink pack 25 is moved to a new upstream side. Replacing the ink pack 25 completes ink replenishment. A first supply tube 27 that connects the upstream ink pack 25 and the intermediate cartridge 40 is disposed below the additional ink tank 24. The mounting table 21 and the right body part 14 are connected by a connecting member 22 so that the mounting table 21 is prevented from falling.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate cartridge 40 includes a box-shaped housing case 41 and an ink pack assembly 50 housed and held in the housing case 41, and is fixed to the upper portion of the right body portion 14. The cartridge receiving portion 16 having a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional view is inserted and held in the front-rear direction. The intermediate cartridge 40 has a water head difference of, for example, about 20 to 50 cm with respect to the printer head 15b while being held in the cartridge receiving portion 16. The water head difference is wide in this way because the water head difference changes according to the ink storage state in the upstream ink pack 25, and is about 50 cm when the ink is stored in the upstream ink pack 25 almost full. When the ink is hardly stored, the length is about 20 cm. As will be described later, the intermediate cartridge 40 is stored in the additional ink tank 24 by temporarily storing the ink supplied from the additional ink tank 24 via the first supply tube 27 due to a water head difference. It has a function of detecting the presence or absence of ink.

  The housing case 41 is formed in a box shape opened toward the right side, and an IC chip 42 in which the type of ink stored in the ink pack assembly 50 (intermediate ink pack 51 described later) is stored is front and rear. Has been inserted. An introduction joint 43 is fixed to the upper front surface of the housing case 41, and one end of the first supply tube 27 is connected to the introduction joint 43. Further, a detection opening 41a penetrating left and right is formed at a position corresponding to the detection claw portion 56a on the left bottom surface (a surface facing a detection claw portion 56a described later) of the housing case 41 (FIG. 5). reference). In addition, a light emitting element and a light receiving element (not shown) are attached to the housing case 41, and it is possible to optically detect whether the detection claw portion 56a protrudes outward from the housing case 41. .

  The ink pack assembly 50 includes an intermediate ink pack 51, an upstream side joint 53f, a head side joint 53b, an upstream side expansion restriction fitting 54f, a head side expansion restriction fitting 54b, an end detection plate 56, and an internal supply tube 59.

  The intermediate ink pack 51 is formed, for example, by stacking two flexible thin film pack films 52 laminated with nylon, aluminum, polyethylene, etc., and heat-sealing the periphery to form a flat bag shape. Is done. The intermediate ink pack 51 has a substantially rectangular shape when no ink is stored therein, and expands or contracts left and right in accordance with the amount of ink stored therein. In FIG. 2, the heat-welded part of the intermediate ink pack 51 is double-hatched.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the upstream side joint 53 f is attached to, for example, the upper and lower center portion of the front end portion of the intermediate ink pack 51. More specifically, the upstream side joint 53f is formed in a substantially diamond shape in cross section, and is sandwiched and welded between the two pack films 52. An internal supply tube 59 is connected to the front portion of the upstream side joint 53f. The internal supply tube 59 is connected to the introduction joint 43 and the upstream-side joint 53f in a state with a sufficient margin so that a ring can be formed in the housing case 41.

  The head-side joint 53 b is attached to, for example, the upper and lower center portion of the rear end portion of the intermediate ink pack 51. Further, the head side joint 53b is formed in a substantially diamond shape in cross section in the same manner as the upstream side joint 53f, and is sandwiched and welded between the two pack films 52, while the rear part projects rearward, 41 is fixed. When the intermediate cartridge 40 is inserted rearward with respect to the cartridge receiving portion 16, the protruding ink supply terminal 17 provided in the cartridge receiving portion 16 is inserted into the head side joint 53b from the rear. As a result, the ink stored in the intermediate ink pack 51 is supplied from the ink supply terminal 17 to the printer head 15b via a second supply tube (not shown).

  Since the upstream side expansion restriction fitting 54f and the head side expansion restriction fitting 54b have the same configuration, the head side expansion restriction fitting 54b will be described as an example with reference to FIG. The head side expansion restricting metal fitting 54b is formed, for example, by bending a metal plate material into a U-shape (bifurcated shape) in cross section, and as shown in FIG. 4, the interval between the sandwiching plates 58b facing left and right is, for example, about 2 mm. It is formed to become. A protective tape 55b is wound around the intermediate ink pack 51 located inside the head side expansion restricting metal fitting 54b. In a state where the intermediate ink pack 51 is filled with ink, the intermediate ink pack 51 is formed with a gap of about 1.2 mm (gap where ink can flow) on the left and right.

  The end detection plate 56 is formed by using a plate-like member having rigidity capable of withstanding deformation accompanying expansion or contraction of the intermediate ink pack 51, and the left surface thereof is a substantially central portion of the intermediate ink pack 51 (specifically, (A region between the protective tape 55f and the protective tape 55b) (see FIG. 2). Further, a detection claw portion 56a extending leftward is formed in the lower rear portion of the end detection plate 56 (see FIG. 5).

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the end detection plate 56 is formed with a protrusion 56 c that protrudes vertically. The protrusions 56 c are used for positioning when the end detection plate 56 is attached to the intermediate ink pack 51. For example, the end detection plate 56 is attached to a predetermined position of the intermediate ink pack 51 using a jig (not shown) formed in accordance with the shape of the protrusion 56c. The end detection plate 56 affixed in this manner has a configuration that does not contact the inner wall of the housing 41 with a gap. Therefore, when the end detection plate 56 moves to the left and right according to the expansion and contraction of the intermediate ink pack 51, the protrusion 56c and the inner wall of the housing 41 are not in contact with each other, and a near-end state to be described later is highly accurate. It can be detected.

  The additional ink tank 24 and the intermediate cartridge 40 configured in this way are configured from, for example, a plurality of colors of magenta, yellow, cyan, and black. The corresponding additional ink tank 24 and the intermediate cartridge 40 are connected by the first supply tube 27.

  So far, the overall configuration of the printer apparatus 10 has been described. Hereinafter, an assembly configuration of the intermediate cartridge 40 in the ink supply system 20 according to the present invention will be described.

  First, the mounting configuration of the head side expansion restricting metal fitting 54b to the intermediate ink pack 51 will be described. In the vicinity of the rear end of the intermediate ink pack 51, a protective tape 55b having a slightly wider front and rear width than the head side expansion restricting metal fitting 54b is wound in a band shape. Then, the portion around which the protective tape 55b is wound is inserted into the gap between the clamping plates 58b, and the vicinity of the rear end portion of the intermediate ink pack 51 is clamped to the left and right by the head-side expansion regulating bracket 54b. Here, by wrapping the protective tape 55b around the intermediate ink pack 51, even if burrs and burrs generated during the processing of the head side expansion restricting metal fitting 54b remain without being removed, the intermediate ink pack is caused by the burrs and the like. It can prevent 51 from being damaged. On the other hand, the upstream side expansion restriction fitting 54f is attached so as to cover the protective tape 55f wound around the front end portion of the intermediate ink pack 51 in the same manner as the head side expansion restriction fitting 54b described above. The vicinity of the front end is sandwiched left and right.

  Next, a configuration for mounting the ink pack assembly 50 to the housing case 41 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the ink pack assembly 50 is accommodated in the accommodating housing 41 with the end detection plate 56 positioned on the right side, and the protective tape 55 f is removed from the rear end portion of the ink pack assembly 50. A range (range indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 2) reaching the rear end portion is attached to the left bottom surface of the housing 41 and fixed. On the other hand, in the ink pack assembly 50, the range from the front end portion to the rear end portion of the protective tape 55f (the range indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 2) can be deformed back and forth without being attached to the left bottom surface of the housing case 41. Keep it free.

  In this way, the right side surface of the intermediate cartridge 40 configured by attaching the ink pack assembly 50 to the housing case 41 is covered with a plate-like lid member (not shown). For example, a sponge-like cushion member (not shown) is attached to the right surfaces of the upstream side expansion restriction fitting 54f and the head side expansion restriction fitting 54b. Therefore, even if the intermediate cartridge 40 is shaken by vibration or the like during conveyance, for example, it is possible to prevent the upstream-side expansion restriction fitting 54f attached free and the lid member from coming into direct contact with each other. Can be prevented.

  So far, the assembly configuration of the intermediate cartridge 40 has been described. In the following, with respect to the operation of the ink supply system 20 according to the present invention, when the ink is stored in the additional ink tank 24 (upstream ink pack 25), and when all the ink is supplied and becomes empty. Separately described.

  First, a case where ink is stored in the additional ink tank 24 will be described. In this case, the ink in the additional ink tank 24 is automatically supplied to the intermediate ink pack 51 from the upstream joint 53f via the first supply tube 27 and the internal supply tube 59 due to the water head difference. In this state, when printing is performed by ejecting ink from the printer head 15b toward the print medium M, for example, the ink filled in the intermediate ink pack 51 is supplied from the head-side joint 53b according to the ejection amount. 2 The ink is supplied to the printer head 15b via the supply tube. When the upstream ink pack 25 is filled with full (for example, 2 liters) of ink, a pressure due to a water head difference of about 5 kPa is applied inside the intermediate ink pack 51.

  As described above, when ink is stored in the additional ink tank 24, ink is supplied to the intermediate ink pack 51 and expands to the right. At this time, a portion of the intermediate ink pack 51 that is sandwiched by the upstream side expansion restricting metal fitting 54f and a portion that is positioned forward of the upstream side expansion restricting metal fitting 54f is left and right by the upstream side expansion restricting metal fitting 54f. Expansion is restricted (see FIG. 3), and a portion of the intermediate ink pack 51 that is sandwiched between the head side expansion restriction fittings 54b and a portion located behind the head side expansion restriction fittings 54b is the head. Expansion to the left and right is regulated by the side expansion regulating bracket 54b (see FIG. 4).

  Therefore, in the state in which the intermediate ink pack 51 is filled with ink, the upstream joint 53f (head side joint 53b joint), the pack film 52, and the upstream joint 53f (head side joint 53b) are provided in the conventional manner. It is possible to prevent the force that peels off the heat welding from acting intensively, and to surely prevent the pack film 52 from cracking. By mounting the large-capacity additional ink tank 24 as in the present embodiment, the replacement cycle of the upstream ink pack 25 becomes longer, and even when the intermediate ink pack 51 is in an expanded state over a long period of time, Since the expansion of the upstream side joint 53f and the head side joint 53b is restricted, it is possible to reliably prevent ink leakage.

  Thus, when the intermediate ink pack 51 is filled with ink, the portion where the end detection plate 56 is attached expands to the right, and the end detection plate 56 is moved to the right accordingly. The tip of the portion 56a is positioned inside the housing 41 (see FIG. 5). Therefore, at this time, it is detected in the light receiving portion that the detection claw portion 56a does not protrude leftward from the housing case 41, and it is determined that sufficient ink is stored in the additional ink tank 24, and a warning or the like is given. Printing will continue.

  By the way, when the intermediate ink pack 51 expands to the right, a force pulled backward acts on the upstream joint 53f and the upstream expansion restricting fitting 54f. At this time, as described above, in the ink pack assembly 50, the range from the front end portion to the rear end portion of the protective tape 55f (the range indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 2) can be deformed (moved) back and forth. Yes. Therefore, when the above-described pulling force is applied, the range indicated by the arrow B can move backward to absorb the force. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the intermediate ink pack 51 from being damaged by the above-described force, and it is possible to more effectively prevent ink leakage. Further, since the internal supply tube 59 is connected to the introduction joint 43 and the upstream side joint 53f with a sufficient length, the connection portion between the internal supply tube 59 and the introduction joint 43, and the internal An unreasonable force for releasing the connection does not act on the connection portion between the supply tube 59 and the upstream joint 53f.

  Next, a case where all the ink in the additional ink tank 24 is supplied and becomes empty will be described.

  As described above, when the ink supply from the intermediate ink pack 51 to the printer head 15b and the ink supply from the upstream ink pack 25 to the intermediate ink pack 51 are repeatedly performed according to the ejection of ink from the printer head 15b. At some point, the ink in the upstream ink pack 25 becomes empty. Then, since ink is supplied from the intermediate ink pack 51 to the printer head 15b without supplying ink from the upstream ink pack 25 to the intermediate ink pack 51, the ink stored in the intermediate ink pack 51 decreases. I will do it. Accordingly, the expanded intermediate ink pack 51 contracts to the left, and the end detection plate 56 fixed to the intermediate ink pack 51 gradually moves to the left.

  Here, when the ink stored in the intermediate ink pack 51 is reduced to, for example, about 9 g (near-end state), as shown in FIG. 5, the detection claw portion 56a protrudes leftward from the housing case 41. (Detection claw portion 56b indicated by a two-dot chain line). Therefore, by optically detecting the protruding detection claw portion 56b with the light receiving element, it is detected that the intermediate ink pack 51 is in the near-end state, that is, the upstream ink pack 25 is empty. At this time, the controller 13b displays a warning such as “Replace the ink pack” on the operation unit 13a. Based on this display, the operator replaces the upstream ink pack 25. This replacement operation can be performed while about 9 g of ink stored in the intermediate ink pack 51 is consumed. Therefore, the operator can perform the replacement work of the upstream ink pack 25 without temporarily stopping the operation of the printer device 10.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration example in which the intermediate ink pack 51 is mounted on the printer device 10 in the direction in which the intermediate ink pack 51 expands or contracts to the left or right according to the ink storage amount has been described. However, the configuration is not limited to this configuration. . For example, the intermediate ink pack 51 may be mounted on the printer device 10 in such a direction that the ink storage amount increases and expands upward, and conversely decreases and contracts downward.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration divided into the upstream side expansion restriction metal fitting 54f and the head side expansion restriction metal fitting 54b has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this structure. For example, it is also possible to connect the lower ends of the upstream side expansion restriction fitting 54f and the head side expansion restriction fitting 54b according to the longitudinal dimension of the intermediate ink pack 51 to form a single expansion restriction fitting. In such a case, there are effects such as cost reduction due to a reduction in the number of parts and easy position adjustment in the front-rear direction when the intermediate ink pack 51 is mounted.

  In the above-described embodiment, the upstream side expansion restriction metal fitting 54f (head side expansion restriction metal fitting 54b) that extends straight up and down has been described as an example, but the shape is not limited thereto. Any shape that surrounds the upstream side joint 53f (head side joint 53b) when attached to the intermediate ink pack 51 is acceptable. For example, as shown in FIG. You may form in a substantially "F" shape.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the upstream side joint 53f and the head side joint 53b are welded to the intermediate ink pack 51 has been shown and described. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, when one of the upstream side joint 53f and the head side joint 53b is formed integrally with the intermediate ink pack 51 and there is no possibility of cracking in this part, only the vicinity of the other of the upstream side joint 53f and the head side joint 53b is used. It is recommended to attach an expansion regulating bracket to the.

  In the above-described embodiment, the upstream side expansion restricting metal fitting 54f and the head side expansion restricting metal fitting 54b formed in a U shape in a sectional view are illustrated, but the shape is not limited thereto. For example, it may be formed in a square shape in cross section.

  In the above-described embodiment, the internal supply tube 59 is provided with a sufficient length so that a ring can be formed in the housing 41. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a configuration in which the introduction joint 43 and the upstream joint 53f are connected with a slight margin in length without forming a ring in the housing 41 is also possible.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration example using the straight internal supply tube 59 has been described. However, instead of this, for example, a coil (spiral tube) that can be wound and expanded in a coil shape may be used.

  Further, the above-described intermediate cartridge 40 can be configured as an intermediate cartridge 70 shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b). In the intermediate cartridge 70, a long hole 41b extending in the front-rear direction is formed in the housing case 41, and the introduction joint 43 is attached to the long hole 41b so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. Further, instead of the internal supply tube 59, for example, a metal internal supply pipe 71 bent in an L shape is used, and connected to the introduction joint 43 and the upstream side joint 53f. With this configuration, when the intermediate ink pack 51 is expanded (see FIG. 6A), the upstream joint 53f moves rearward, but the introduction joint 43, the internal supply pipe 71, and the upstream joint 53f are integrated. Move backwards. On the contrary, when the intermediate ink pack 51 contracts (see FIG. 6B), the upstream joint 53f moves forward, but the introduction joint 43, the internal supply pipe 71, and the upstream joint 53f are integrated. To move forward. Therefore, an unreasonable force for releasing the connection does not act on the connection portion between the internal supply pipe 71 and the introduction joint 43 and the connection portion between the internal supply pipe 71 and the upstream side joint 53f.

  In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the printer apparatus to which the present invention is applied, the configuration example applied to the printer apparatus 10 of the uniaxial printing medium movement type and the uniaxial printer head movement type has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Not applicable. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a biaxial printer head moving type printer apparatus and a biaxial printing medium moving type printer apparatus. Also, the ink to be used can be applied to a printer apparatus using various inks such as ultraviolet curable ink and water-based ink.

15b Printer head 20 Ink supply system 24 Additional ink tank (upstream ink reservoir)
27 First supply tube (upstream ink supply path)
40 Intermediate cartridge (downstream ink reservoir)
41 Housing (Case member)
51 Intermediate ink pack (ink pack)
53b Head side joint (connecting member, head side connecting member)
53f Upstream joint (connecting member, upstream connecting member)
54b Head side expansion regulating bracket (Expansion regulating member, head side expansion regulating member)
54f Upstream expansion restriction fitting (expansion restriction member, upstream expansion restriction member)
56a detection claw part (storage state detection means)
58b Clamping plate (opposing clamping part)
59 Internal supply tube (upstream ink supply path)

Claims (4)

An upstream ink storage section in which ink is stored;
An ink supply system that temporarily stores ink supplied from the upstream ink storage unit and has a downstream ink storage unit that supplies the stored ink to a printer head that performs desired printing;
The downstream ink reservoir is
An ink pack that is formed in a flat bag shape, can be expanded and contracted in the thickness direction, and can store ink;
A storage state detection means for detecting a storage state of ink in the ink pack based on the thickness due to expansion and contraction of the ink pack;
The ink pack is
A connecting member that is joined to the edge of the ink pack and connects the outside and the inside of the ink pack so that ink can flow in and out;
An ink supply system comprising: an expansion regulating member that sandwiches the vicinity of the connection member in the ink pack in the thickness direction and regulates expansion in the thickness direction near the connection member. The connecting member is
An upstream connection member that connects the upstream ink supply path connected to the upstream ink reservoir and the inside of the ink pack, and allows ink to flow from the upstream ink supply path to the ink pack;
A head-side connection member that connects a head-side ink supply path connected to the printer head and the inside of the ink pack, and that causes ink to flow out from the ink pack to the head-side ink supply path;
The expansion regulating member is
An upstream expansion regulating member that sandwiches the vicinity of the upstream connecting member in the thickness direction and regulates expansion in the thickness direction near the upstream connecting member;
2. The ink according to claim 1, further comprising: a head side expansion regulating member that sandwiches the vicinity of the head side connecting member in the thickness direction and regulates expansion in the thickness direction near the head side connecting member. Supply system. 3. The ink supply system according to claim 2, wherein each of the upstream-side expansion restriction member and the head-side expansion restriction member is formed with opposing sandwiching portions that are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap in the thickness direction. . The downstream ink reservoir includes a case member for storing and holding the ink pack;
A portion of the ink pack to which the upstream connection member and the upstream expansion regulating member are attached can be displaced in the case member, and one of the flat surfaces of the ink pack is fixed to the case member. The ink supply system according to claim 2, wherein the ink supply system is an ink supply system.

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