JP2011224864A - Liquid supply device, and liquid jetting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate changing of the number of types of liquid supplied by using a liquid supply device.SOLUTION: The liquid supply device includes: a liquid supply unit; and a pressure pump. A liquid chamber to which an inflow passage and an outflow passage are connected, and an air chamber in contact with the liquid chamber via a flexible partition plate are formed in the liquid supply unit. When a positive pressure or negative pressure is introduced in the air chamber by the pressure pump, the partition plate is deformed, and the volume of the liquid chamber changes consequently. Additional installation of a liquid supply unit is enabled by connecting an air chamber of the new liquid supply unit to the air chamber of the liquid supply unit. A suitable liquid supply device is made by simply connecting the same liquid supply units according to the number of routes for supplying the liquid, and the number of routes for supplying the liquid can be easily changed by using the liquid supply device.

Description

The present invention relates to a technology for supplying liquid by being mounted in a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid from an ejection nozzle.

As represented by so-called ink jet printers, liquid ejecting apparatuses that eject liquid from an ejecting head provided with fine ejecting nozzles are known. In this liquid ejecting apparatus,
A liquid such as ink to be ejected is stored in a dedicated container such as an ink cartridge, and the liquid is ejected by supplying the liquid from the dedicated container to the ejection head via the liquid passage.

In addition, a liquid supply device may be used to supply the liquid in the dedicated container to the ejection head. As such a liquid supply device, a device using a so-called diaphragm pump is known. A diaphragm pump is divided into a liquid chamber and an air chamber by a thin plate called a diaphragm formed of a flexible material. For example, in the case of a negative pressure type diaphragm pump, the negative pressure of a separately mounted decompression pump is used. By introducing into the air chamber, the diaphragm is deformed so as to be drawn into the air chamber, and the liquid in the dedicated container is sucked into the liquid chamber. afterwards,
When the negative pressure in the air chamber is released to the atmosphere, the diaphragm drawn into the air chamber side returns to its original shape, and the liquid in the liquid chamber is pumped toward the ejection head.

Furthermore, in a liquid ejecting apparatus that stores different types of liquids (for example, different color inks) in a plurality of dedicated containers and ejects a plurality of types of liquids from an ejection head provided with ejection nozzles for each type of liquid. A technique has been proposed in which a plurality of types of liquids are independently supplied to an ejection head using a liquid supply device in which a diaphragm pump (a liquid chamber and an air chamber partitioned by a diaphragm) is formed for each type of liquid. (Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-23423 A

However, the technique proposed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is necessary to manufacture a dedicated liquid supply device according to the number of types of liquid that can be ejected from the ejection head. For example, in an ink jet printer that prints in four colors, the liquid supply device may have four liquid chambers and air chambers, whereas in an ink jet printer that prints in six colors, six liquid chambers and air chambers are provided. It is necessary to provide it. Therefore, even when only the number of colors is changed with an ink jet printer having the same specifications, there is a problem in that the entire liquid supply device must be remade according to the number of colors.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique capable of easily changing the number of types of liquid supplied using a liquid supply apparatus.

In order to solve at least a part of the problems described above, the liquid supply apparatus of the present invention employs the following configuration. That is, a liquid supply apparatus for supplying a liquid, wherein the liquid chamber is connected to an inflow passage through which the liquid flows in and an outflow passage through which the liquid flows out, and a flexible partition plate. A liquid supply unit formed with an air chamber in contact with the pressure chamber, and a pressure pump that changes the volume of the liquid chamber by introducing a positive pressure or a negative pressure into the air chamber to deform the partition plate, The gist of the liquid supply unit is that the liquid supply unit can be added by connecting the air chamber of the new liquid supply unit to the air chamber of the liquid supply unit.

Such a liquid supply apparatus of the present invention includes a liquid supply unit and a pressure pump, and a liquid chamber and an air chamber that are in contact with each other through a flexible partition plate are formed in the liquid supply unit. ing. In addition, when positive pressure or negative pressure is introduced into the air chamber by the pressure pump,
The partition plate is deformed, and the volume of the liquid chamber is changed accordingly. Thereby, when the volume of the liquid chamber increases, the liquid flows into the liquid chamber from the inflow passage, and when the volume of the liquid chamber decreases, the liquid flows out from the liquid chamber to the outflow passage, thereby supplying the liquid. it can. The liquid supply unit can be added by connecting the air chamber of the new liquid supply unit to the air chamber of the liquid supply unit.

In such a liquid supply apparatus of the present invention, if one liquid supply unit is designed, it becomes an appropriate liquid supply apparatus by simply connecting the same liquid supply units according to the number of liquid supply paths. The liquid can be supplied simultaneously by the route. At this time, it is also possible to supply different types of liquid for each path. Therefore, it is not necessary to design or manufacture a dedicated liquid supply apparatus for each number of paths for supplying the liquid, and the number of paths for supplying the liquid using the liquid supply apparatus can be easily changed. .

Moreover, each liquid supply unit which comprises a liquid supply apparatus can transmit the positive pressure or negative pressure by a pressure pump, when air chambers are connected. Therefore, a pressure pump may be connected to the air chamber of any one liquid supply unit, and it is not necessary to connect the pressure pump and each air chamber individually. From this point of view, it is possible to easily cope with a change in the number of paths for supplying the liquid.

In the liquid supply apparatus of the present invention described above, the following may be performed. First, the liquid supply unit is provided with a projection portion in which a pressure passage communicating with the air chamber is formed, and an insertion hole communicating with the air chamber. And when adding a liquid supply unit, the air chamber of the new liquid supply unit can be connected to the air chamber of the liquid supply unit by inserting the protrusion of one liquid supply unit into the other insertion hole. Constitute.

According to such a configuration, in order to increase the number of paths for supplying the liquid using the liquid supply apparatus, when the liquid supply unit is added, the protrusion of the new liquid supply unit is connected to the existing liquid supply unit. It is only necessary to insert it into the insertion hole (or insert the protrusion of the existing liquid supply unit into the insertion hole of the new liquid supply unit), thereby easily connecting the air chambers to each other via the pressure passage. be able to. As a result, the number of paths for supplying the liquid can be easily changed.

The liquid supply apparatus of the present invention described above is particularly suitable for an application in which liquid in a container is supplied to an ejection head in a liquid ejection apparatus that ejects liquid contained in the container from an ejection head provided with an ejection nozzle. It can be suitably applied. Therefore, the present invention can be grasped in the form of the liquid ejecting apparatus that supplies the liquid in the container to the ejecting head using the liquid supplying apparatus of the present invention described above.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention grasped in such a manner, an appropriate liquid supplying apparatus is configured only by connecting the same liquid supplying unit according to the number of paths for supplying the liquid in the container to the ejecting head. The liquid supply device can be used to supply the liquid in the container to the ejection head simultaneously through a plurality of paths. Therefore, the number of paths for supplying the liquid in the container to the ejection head can be easily changed. Further, in a liquid ejecting apparatus that stores different types of liquids in a plurality of containers and supplies and ejects the liquids to the ejection head through different paths for each liquid type, the number of paths for supplying the liquid can be easily changed. Therefore, it is possible to flexibly cope with a change in the number of types of liquid ejected from the ejection head.

It is explanatory drawing which illustrated the inkjet printer carrying the ink supply apparatus of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of the carriage mounted in the inkjet printer of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which showed a mode that the ink cartridge was mounted | worn with an ink supply apparatus. It is sectional drawing which showed the structure of the diaphragm pump of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of the air pump unit of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which showed the operation | movement which the diaphragm pump of a present Example supplies the ink in an ink cartridge to a carriage. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing (ink supply control processing) executed to supply ink in an ink cartridge to a carriage. It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of the ink supply apparatus mounted in the inkjet printer of a present Example. It is the top view which showed one of the ink supply units which comprise the ink supply apparatus of a 1st modification. It is the top view which showed one of the ink supply units which comprise the ink supply apparatus of a 2nd modification.

Hereinafter, in order to clarify the contents of the present invention described above, examples will be described in the following order.
A. Device configuration:
B. Ink supply operation of this embodiment:
C. Variations:
C-1. First modification:
C-2. Second modification:

A. Device configuration :
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an inkjet printer 10 according to the present embodiment. The illustrated ink jet printer 10 has a substantially box-like appearance, and a front cover 11 is provided in the approximate center of the front surface, and a plurality of operation buttons 15 are provided next thereto. The front cover 11 is pivotally supported on the lower end side, and when the upper end side is tilted forward, an elongated discharge port 12 from which the printing paper 2 is discharged appears. In addition, a paper feed tray 1 is provided on the back side of the ink jet printer 10.
3 is provided. When the printing paper is set in the paper feeding tray 13 and the operation button 15 is operated, the printing paper 2 is sucked from the paper feeding tray 13 and an image is printed on the surface of the printing paper 2 inside, and then the paper discharge port 12. The printing paper 2 is discharged from the printer.

An upper surface cover 14 is provided on the upper surface side of the inkjet printer 10.
The upper surface cover 14 is pivotally supported on the back side, and when the upper surface cover 14 is opened by lifting the near side, the internal state of the ink jet printer 10 is checked or the ink jet printer 10 is repaired. Is possible.

Inside the inkjet printer 10, a carriage 20 that forms ink dots on the printing paper 2 while reciprocating in the main scanning direction, and a drive mechanism 3 that reciprocates the carriage 20.
0 etc. are installed. The carriage 20 is provided with an ejection head 22 in which a plurality of ejection nozzles that eject ink toward the printing paper 2 are formed, a sub tank that temporarily stores the ejected ink, and the like. The detailed configuration of the carriage 20 will be described later with reference to another drawing.

The ink ejected from the ejection nozzles formed on the ejection head 22 is the ink cartridge 4.
It is housed in a special container called 0. As will be described in detail later, the ink cartridge 40
Is mounted on an ink supply device 50 provided at a position different from the carriage 20, and ink in the ink cartridge 40 is supplied to the carriage 20 via the ink supply device 50 and the ink tube 60. Next to the ink supply device 50, an ink cartridge 40 is provided.
An air pump unit 70 is provided that is driven when the ink inside is supplied to the carriage 20.

The illustrated inkjet printer 10 can print a color image using four types of inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, and is mounted on the carriage 20 correspondingly. The ejection head 22 is provided with ejection nozzles for each type of ink. The ink in the corresponding ink cartridge 40 is supplied to each ejection nozzle via an ink tube 60 provided for each type of ink.

The drive mechanism 30 for reciprocating the carriage 20 includes a timing belt 32 having a plurality of tooth shapes formed therein, a drive motor 34 for driving the timing belt 32, and the like. A part of the timing belt 32 is fixed to the carriage 20. When the timing belt 32 is driven, the carriage 20 is reciprocated in the main scanning direction while being guided by a guide rail (not shown) extending in the main scanning direction. Is possible.

Further, an area called a home position is provided at a position outside the printing area where the carriage 20 is moved in the main scanning direction, and a maintenance mechanism for performing maintenance so that printing can be performed normally is installed at the home position. Has been. The maintenance mechanism is a surface (nozzle surface) on which the ejection nozzle is formed on the bottom surface side (side facing the printing paper 2) of the ejection head 22.
A cap member 90 that is pressed against and forms a closed space so as to surround the injection nozzle,
A lifting mechanism (not shown) for raising and lowering the cap member 90 to be pressed against the nozzle surface of the ejection head 22 and a closed space formed by pressing the cap member 90 against the nozzle surface of the ejection head 22 to make negative pressure. (Not shown) or the like.

Further, a paper feeding mechanism (not shown) for feeding the printing paper 2 and a control unit 92 for controlling the entire operation of the ink jet printer 10 are mounted inside the ink jet printer 10. The operation of reciprocating the carriage 20, the operation of feeding the printing paper 2, the operation of ejecting ink from the ejection nozzles, the operation of driving the maintenance mechanism so that printing can be normally performed, etc. are all performed by the control unit 92. It is controlled.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the carriage 20 mounted on the inkjet printer 10 of the present embodiment. As described above, the carriage 20 is provided with the ejection head 22, the sub tank 24, and the like. Ink cartridge 40 via ink tube 60
Is temporarily stored in the sub tank 24. The sub tank 24 and the ejection head 22 are connected via a self-sealing valve 26. The self-sealing valve 26 is a valve that is opened only when a predetermined negative pressure is applied to the ejection head 22 and is closed when a predetermined negative pressure is not applied to the ejection head 22. Therefore, the ejection head 22 is ejected by ejecting ink from the ejection nozzles 23 formed on the bottom surface of the ejection head 22.
When the inside becomes a predetermined negative pressure, the self-sealing valve 26 is opened and the ejection head 22 is ejected from the sub tank 24.
Ink flows into the tank. As described above, the inkjet printer 10 of the present embodiment uses four types of inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, and the ejection head 22, the sub tank 24, and the self-sealing valve 26 are Although provided for each type of ink, FIG. 2 shows only one type of ink.

A liquid level sensor 28 is provided inside the sub tank 24, and the sub tank 2
The amount of ink in 4 can be detected. The liquid level sensor 28 indicates an upper limit sensor 28a for detecting that the liquid level of the ink is above the upper limit position indicating that the sub tank 24 is filled with ink, and indicates that the ink in the sub tank 24 is low. The lower limit sensor 28b detects that the ink level is below the lower limit position.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the ink cartridge 40 is attached to the ink supply device 50. As shown in the drawing, an ink cartridge 4 is provided at the bottom of the ink supply device 50.
An ink intake needle 54 for taking ink from 0 is erected for each ink cartridge 40. In addition, an ink supply port (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the ink cartridge 40. When the ink cartridge 40 is attached to the ink supply device 50, the ink cartridge 40 is in a state where the ink supply port provided in the ink cartridge 40 is pressed against the ink intake needle 54 provided in the ink supply device 50. Press down to install. Then, the ink intake needle 54 is inserted from the ink supply port, and the ink in the ink cartridge 40 can be taken into the ink supply device 50.

As will be described in detail later, the ink supply device 50 of the present embodiment is configured by the same number of ink supply units 52 as the number of ink cartridges 40 to be mounted. It is provided in the supply unit 52. An ink passage 56 is formed inside the ink supply unit 52, and ink taken from the ink intake needle 54 is connected to the back side of the ink supply unit 52 through the ink passage 56. Led to. A diaphragm pump 58 is provided on such an ink passage 56, and the ink taken from the ink intake needle 54 is ejected from the ejection head 22.
The pressure is fed toward the carriage 20 provided with.

The diaphragm pump 58 roughly includes a pump unit 100 provided with a diaphragm and a check valve (upstream check valve 12) provided on the upstream side (ink intake needle 54 side) of the pump unit 100.
0) and a check valve (downstream check valve 130) provided on the downstream side (ink tube 60 side) of the pump unit 100. The detailed configuration of the diaphragm pump 58 will be described later. Further, in the present specification, in the ink passage 56, the upstream side of the pump unit 100 may be referred to as “upstream ink passage 56a” and the downstream side of the pump unit 100 may be referred to as “downstream ink passage 56b”. Shall.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the diaphragm pump 58 of this embodiment. As described above, the diaphragm pump 58 of the present embodiment includes the pump unit 100 and two check valves (the upstream check valve 120 and the downstream check valve 130). As shown in FIG. 4, the pump unit 100 is provided with a diaphragm 102 formed of a flexible material that does not allow a gas such as air or a liquid such as ink to pass therethrough. By partitioning the portion 100 vertically, an ink chamber 106 is formed above the diaphragm 102, and an air chamber 104 is formed below the diaphragm 102.

An upstream ink passage 56 a that communicates with the ink intake needle 54 and a downstream ink passage 56 b that communicates with the ink tube 60 are connected to the ink chamber 106 formed above the diaphragm 102. For this reason, the ink taken from the ink intake needle 54 is removed from the ink chamber 1.
06 is sent to the ink tube 60. Ink chamber 106
Inside, there is provided a spring 108 that pushes down the diaphragm 102 toward the lower air chamber 104.

On the other hand, the air chamber 104 formed below the diaphragm 102 is provided with the air pump unit 7.
0 (see FIG. 1). As will be described in detail later, air is introduced into the air chamber 104 by the operation of the air pump unit 70 to pressurize the air chamber 104.

An upstream check valve 120 is provided in the upstream ink passage 56a, and a downstream check valve 130 is provided in the downstream ink passage 56b. These two check valves are opened only when ink flows from the upstream side (ink intake needle 54 side) to the downstream side (ink tube 60 side). Therefore, when the ink tries to flow backward from the ink chamber 106 toward the ink intake needle 54, the upstream check valve 120 is closed, and when the ink attempts to flow backward from the ink tube 60 toward the ink chamber 106. The downstream check valve 130 is closed to prevent the back flow of ink.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the air pump unit 70 of the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, an air pump 72, a motor 74 for driving the air pump 72, and the like are provided inside the air pump unit 70. The air pump 72 of this embodiment is a so-called rotary pump, and an eccentric rotor inside is rotated by driving of a motor 74 to push out air toward the connection tube 76. The air pushed out from the air pump 72 is supplied to the air chamber 104 of the diaphragm pump 58 after the pressure is adjusted by the regulator 78.

A cam 84 is attached to a motor 74 that drives the air pump 72 via a reduction gear 82. When the motor 74 is driven, the cam 84 rotates at a constant cycle, and the air release lever 80 provided in the regulator 78 is pushed down, whereby the air chamber 10
4 is open to the atmosphere.

B. Ink supply operation of this embodiment:
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an operation in which the diaphragm pump 58 of the present embodiment supplies the ink in the ink cartridge 40 to the carriage 20. First, FIG. 6A shows a state where the ink in the ink cartridge 40 is sucked into the ink chamber 106. As described above, the spring 108 is provided in the ink chamber 106, and the spring 108 is attached in a compressed state from a free length. Therefore, the diaphragm 102 has a spring 108.
The capacity of the ink chamber 106 is increased by being deformed so as to be pushed into the air chamber 104 by the restoring force of the ink chamber 106.

As described above, the upstream ink passage 56 a and the downstream ink passage 56 are provided in the ink chamber 106.
When b is connected and the volume of the ink chamber 106 increases, the flow of ink that tends to flow into the ink chamber 106 is generated in these two ink passages. Among these, in the upstream ink passage 56 a, the upstream check valve 120 that allows the ink to flow into the ink chamber 106 is opened, and the ink taken from the ink intake needle 54 passes through the upstream check valve 120. Thus, the ink chamber 106 is sucked. On the other hand, in the downstream ink passage 56b, the downstream check valve 130 that blocks the inflow of ink into the ink chamber 106 is closed, so that the ink does not flow backward from the ink tube 60 toward the ink chamber 106. . In FIG. 6A, the ink taken from the ink intake needle 54 passes through the upstream check valve 120 to the ink chamber 1.
The state of flowing into 06 is indicated by a dashed arrow.

When air is introduced into the air chamber 104 by driving the air pump 72 in a state where the ink is sucked into the ink chamber 106 by the force of the spring 108 in this way, the pressure in the air chamber 104 increases. As shown in b), the diaphragm 102 is pushed back toward the ink chamber 106 against the force of the spring 108 to reduce the volume of the ink chamber 106. As a result, a flow of ink that tends to flow out from the ink chamber 106 to the upstream ink passage 56a and the downstream ink passage 56b is generated.

At this time, in the upstream ink passage 56a, the upstream check valve 120 that prevents the ink from flowing out from the ink chamber 106 is closed, so that the ink flows backward from the ink chamber 106 toward the ink intake needle 54 side. There is nothing. On the other hand, in the downstream ink passage 56b, the ink chamber 106 is provided.
The downstream check valve 130 that allows the ink to flow out from the ink chamber is opened, and the ink pushed out from the ink chamber 106 is pumped through the downstream check valve 130 toward the carriage 20 connected by the ink tube 60. Will be. In FIG. 6B, the ink pushed out from the ink chamber 106 is pumped to the carriage 20 via the downstream check valve 130.
It is indicated by a dashed arrow.

In addition, as described above, the cam 74 is attached to the motor 74 that drives the air pump 72 via the reduction gear 82 (see FIG. 5), and the cam 84 moves the atmosphere release lever 80 at a constant cycle. By pushing down, the air chamber 104 is opened to the atmosphere. When the pressure in the air chamber 104 returns to atmospheric pressure, the diaphragm 10 is restored by the restoring force of the spring 108.
2 is pushed into the air chamber 104 again, and the ink taken in from the ink intake needle 54 is sucked into the ink chamber 106 (see FIG. 6A). Thereafter, the air pump 72 is connected to the air chamber 1.
By pressurizing 04 and pushing the diaphragm 102 back to the ink chamber 106 side, the ink is pressure-fed from the ink chamber 106 toward the carriage 20 (see FIG. 6B). By repeating these operations, the ink in the ink cartridge 40 can be supplied to the carriage 20.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing (ink supply control processing) executed to supply the ink in the ink cartridge 40 to the carriage 20 by the inkjet printer 10 of the present embodiment. This process is executed by the control unit 92 mounted on the inkjet printer 10.

As shown in the drawing, in the ink supply control process, first, it is determined whether or not the ink level in the sub tank 24 is below the lower limit position (step S100). As described above with reference to FIG. 2, the sub tank 24 provided in the carriage 20 includes the sub tank 24.
A lower limit sensor 28b is provided for detecting that the ink level is below the lower limit position indicating that the remaining ink is low, and is connected to the control unit 92. In the inkjet printer 10 of the present embodiment, the sub tank 24 and the lower limit sensor 28 correspond to printing using four types of inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
b is provided for each type of ink.

In any of the four types of ink sub-tanks 24, if the ink level is at the lower limit position or higher (step S100: no), the process returns to the head of the ink supply control process, and step S100 is performed. This determination is repeated, and it is in a state of monitoring whether or not the ink level has fallen below the lower limit position.

In this way, when the determination in step S100 is repeated, even if one of the four types of ink drops the ink level in the sub tank 24 below the lower limit position (step S100: yes), the air pump The motor 74 that drives 72 is operated (step S).
102). As described above with reference to FIG. 6, when the motor 74 is driven, the operation of reducing the volume of the ink chamber 106 to pressure-feed ink from the ink chamber 106 toward the carriage 20 (liquid feeding operation), and Increasing the volume from the ink cartridge 40 to the ink chamber 1
By repeating the operation of sucking ink into 06 (liquid absorbing operation), the ink in the ink cartridge 40 is supplied to the carriage 20 and stored in the sub tank 24.

When the motor 74 of the air pump 72 is activated, it is subsequently determined whether or not the ink level in the sub tank 24 is above the upper limit position (step S104). As previously mentioned,
In the sub tank 24, an upper limit sensor 28a for detecting that the ink level is above the upper limit position indicating that the sub tank 24 is filled with ink is provided and connected to the control unit 92. Yes. If even one of the four types of ink has the liquid level of the ink in the sub tank 24 at the upper limit position or below it (step S104: no),
While the motor 74 of the air pump 72 is driven, the determination in step S104 is repeated,
With respect to all types of ink sub-tanks 24, it is monitored whether the ink level has risen above the upper limit position.

Here, as described above, the self-sealing valve 26 is provided between the sub tank 24 of the carriage 20 and the ejection head 22, and when the predetermined negative pressure is not applied to the ejection head 22, the self-sealing valve is provided. 26 is in a closed state. Therefore, the motor 74 of the air pump 72
When ink is supplied to the carriage 20 by this driving, the pressure in the sealed sub tank 24 gradually increases. In a state where the sub tank 24 is filled with ink (a state where the ink level exceeds the upper limit position), the pressure in the sub tank 24 is reduced to the diaphragm pump 58.
The liquid supply pressure (pressure applied to the air chamber 104 by the air pump 72) becomes larger than that, and ink cannot be supplied to the carriage 20 beyond that. Therefore, even if driving of the motor 74 of the air pump 72 is continued in a state where the ink level is already above the upper limit position in any of the sub tanks 24, the sub tank 24 will not burst.

Thus, as the determination in step S104 is repeated, the sub tanks 24 for all types of ink are used.
If the ink level exceeds the upper limit position (step S104: yes), the drive motor 34 of the air pump 72 is stopped (step S106). As a result, the supply of ink to the carriage 20 is also stopped. Thereafter, the process returns to the head of the ink supply control process, and it is determined again whether or not the ink level in the sub tank 24 has fallen below the lower limit position (step S100).

In the ink jet printer 10 of the present embodiment, the ink is independently carriage-carried from the ink cartridge 40 mounted for each ink type (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) by the ink supply operation as described above. 20 is supplied. Here, the types of ink used for printing by the ink jet printer are not limited to the above four colors, and inks of five or more colors may be used for printing. In this regard, as described above, the ink supply device 50 of the present embodiment is configured by the same number of ink supply units 52 as the number of ink cartridges 40 (number of types of ink) to be mounted, and thus is supplied to the carriage 20. The number of types of ink to be changed can be easily changed. In the following, the ink supply device 50 constituted by the ink supply unit 52 for each type of ink.
Will be described in more detail.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the ink supply device 50 mounted on the inkjet printer 10 of this embodiment. First, FIG. 8A shows a plan view of the ink supply unit 52 constituting the ink supply device 50 (viewed from the side where the ink cartridge 40 is mounted). As described above, the ink supply unit 52 is provided with the ink intake needle 54, the ink passage 56, the diaphragm pump 58, and the like. The diaphragm pump 58 is connected to the air chamber 104 and the ink chamber 106 by the diaphragm 102. The pump unit 100 is divided into an upstream check valve 120 and a downstream check valve 130. In the ink supply unit 52 of the present embodiment, the upstream ink passage 56 a provided with the upstream check valve 120 and the downstream ink passage 56 b provided with the downstream check valve 130 are symmetric with respect to the pump unit 100. The upstream ink passage 56a, the upstream check valve 120, the pump unit 100, the downstream check valve 130, and the downstream ink passage 56b are in a straight line.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8A, the ink supply unit 52 is provided with a nipple portion 110 protruding from one side surface. An air passage 112 is formed inside the nipple portion 110, one end of the air passage 112 is connected to the air chamber 104, and the other end is opened at the tip of the nipple portion 110. Further, the nipple portion 11 with respect to the air chamber 104 is used.
An insertion hole 114 into which the nipple portion 110 of another ink supply unit 52 having the same shape is inserted is provided on the side surface opposite to 0, and this insertion hole 114 is connected to the air chamber 104. In the ink supply unit 52 of this embodiment, the nipple portion 110, the air chamber 104, and the insertion hole 114 are provided in a straight line, and the straight line is orthogonal to the extending direction of the ink passage 56.

The ink supply device 50 of this embodiment prepares the same number of ink supply units 52 as the number of ink cartridges 40 mounted on the inkjet printer 10 (the number of types of ink supplied to the carriage 20). The nipple portion 110 is inserted into 114 and the ink supply units 52 are joined to each other.

FIG. 8B shows an ink supply device 50 configured by joining four ink supply units 52 having the same shape in order to supply four types of ink to the carriage 20. As shown in the drawing, by inserting the nipple portion 110 into the insertion hole 114, the air chambers 104 of the adjacent ink supply units 52 are connected by the air passage 112. The air chamber 104 communicates. The insertion hole 114 of the last (left end in the drawing) ink supply unit 52 is sealed by inserting the sealing plug 116, and the nipple portion of the first (right end in the drawing) ink supply unit 52 is sealed. 110 is connected to the air pump unit 70. Therefore, the air introduced into the air chamber 104 of the rightmost ink supply unit 52 by driving the air pump 72 is sequentially guided to the air chamber 104 of the adjacent ink supply unit 52 by the air passage 112, and the leftmost ink. It is also introduced into the air chamber 104 of the supply unit 52. On the other hand, when the cam 84 rotating at a constant cycle pushes down the air release lever 80, the air accumulated in each air chamber 104 becomes air passage 1.
12 is led to the nipple part 110 of the right end ink supply unit 52 and discharged.

In the ink supply device 50 having such a configuration, when the number of types of ink to be supplied to the carriage 20 is increased, new ink supply units 52 are prepared for the increased number of types of ink, and the nipple portion is formed in the insertion hole 114. By inserting 110, the air chamber 104 of the new ink supply unit 52 may be connected to the air chamber 104 of the existing ink supply unit 52, whereby the air chamber 104 of the new ink supply unit 52 is connected. Also air pump 7
Air from 2 is introduced and ink can be supplied. Conversely, when the number of ink types is reduced, the ink supply units 52 may be removed by the number of ink types to be reduced.

Here, in the ink supply device 50 of the present embodiment, the direction in which air (pressure) is transmitted to each air chamber 104 through the air passage 112 intersects with the direction in which ink flows through each ink passage 56. Thus, the nipple portion 110 and the insertion hole 114 of the ink supply unit 52 are provided. This is due to the following reason. That is, when the ink supply device 50 is configured by joining a plurality of the same ink supply units 52 so that the ink passages 56 (ink flow directions) of the ink supply units 52 are parallel to each other, The air chambers 104 are arranged in a direction crossing each ink flow. Therefore, it is preferable to form an air transmission path so as to cross these ink flows since the connection between the air chambers 104 becomes simple.

Further, as described above, in the ink supply device 50 of this embodiment, the ink supply unit 52 is used.
The nipple portion 110, the air chamber 104, and the insertion hole 114 are provided in a straight line, so that the air transmission path introduced by the air pump 72 can be minimized. Thus, when the air pump 72 is driven, the introduced air immediately reaches the air chamber 104 at the end, so that the ink can be quickly supplied to the carriage 20.

As described above, in the ink jet printer 10 of the present embodiment, the ink supply device 50 is configured by the same number of ink supply units 52 as the number of types of ink supplied to the carriage 20, and each ink supply unit 52 is configured by air. The chambers 104 are connected. In this manner, if one ink supply unit 52 is designed, the same ink supply unit 52 can be connected according to the number of types of inks, so that an appropriate ink supply device 50 can be obtained. Therefore, it is not necessary to design or manufacture a dedicated ink supply device 50 for each number of ink types, and it is possible to easily cope with a change in the number of ink types.

Further, in the ink supply device 50 of the present embodiment, the air chambers 104 of the ink supply unit 52 are connected by the air passage 112 by inserting the nipple portion 110 into the insertion hole 114. Therefore, the air pump 72 may be connected to any one of the air chambers 104, and it is not necessary to connect the air pump 72 and each air chamber 104 individually. From this point of view, the number of ink types can be easily changed.

C. Modified example:
There are several variations of the ink supply device 50 of the present embodiment described above.
Hereinafter, these modified examples will be briefly described. In the description of the modification, the same components as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the above-described embodiment, and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

C-1. First modification:
In the ink supply device 50 of the above-described embodiment, the nipple portion 11 of the ink supply unit 52 is used.
0, the air chamber 104, and the insertion hole 114 were provided on a straight line. However, the nipple part 11
0 and the insertion hole 114 may be arranged so as to be biased with respect to the air chamber 104.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing one of the ink supply units 52 constituting the ink supply device 50 of the first modification. The ink supply unit 52 of the first modified example also includes the above-described embodiment (FIG. 8).
Similarly to (a), the nipple portion 110 is projected and the nipple portion 110 is projected.
Is inserted, and the nipple portion 110 and the insertion hole 11 are inserted.
4 is provided in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the ink passage 56. But first
In the modified example, the nipple portion 110 and the insertion hole 114 are not provided on both sides of the air chamber 104, but are shifted to the upstream ink passage 56 a side (ink intake needle 54 side) with respect to the air chamber 104. Is provided. Further, an upstream air passage 112 a that connects the air chamber 104 and the tip of the nipple part 110 is formed inside the nipple part 110, and the insertion hole 11
4 and the air chamber 104 are connected by a downstream air passage 112b. The nipple portion 110 and the insertion hole 114 may be provided so as to be offset toward the downstream ink passage 56b with respect to the air chamber 104.

The ink supply device 5 of the first modified example constituted by such an ink supply unit 52.
Even at 0, as in the above-described embodiment, the same number of ink supply units 52 as the number of types of ink supplied to the carriage 20 are prepared, and the nipple portion 110 is inserted into the insertion hole 114 so that the air chamber of the ink supply unit 52 Appropriate ink supply device 5 simply by connecting 104 to each other
Since it becomes 0, it is possible to easily cope with a change in the number of types of ink.

Further, from the viewpoint of downsizing the ink supply device 50, the adjacent ink supply units 52 are arranged.
It is desirable to narrow the interval between the air chambers 104 of each other. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of preventing air leakage from the air chamber 104, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient depth for inserting the nipple portion 110 into the insertion hole 114. In this regard, if the nipple portion 110 and the insertion hole 114 are offset with respect to the air chamber 104 as in the first modification, the air chambers 10 of the adjacent ink supply units 52 are arranged.
It is possible to secure a sufficient depth to insert the nipple portion 110 into the insertion hole 114 while narrowing the interval 4. Therefore, the ink supply units 52 are securely connected to each other and the air chamber 10 is connected.
4 can be secured, and the ink supply device 50 as a whole can be downsized.

C-2. Second modification:
In the ink supply device 50 of the above-described embodiment and the first modification, the ink supply unit 52 is used.
The upstream ink passage 56 a and the downstream ink passage 56 b provided in the ink chamber 106 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the ink chamber 106. However, the ink passage 56 (the upstream ink passage 56 a and the downstream ink passage 56 b) may be folded back in the ink chamber 106.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing one of the ink supply units 52 constituting the ink supply device 50 of the second modified example. Also in the ink supply unit 52 of the second modified example, the upstream ink passage 56a provided with the upstream check valve 120 and the downstream check valve 130 are provided as in the above-described embodiment.
Is connected to the ink chamber 106. However, the positional relationship between the upstream ink passage 56 a and the downstream ink passage 56 b is formed not to be opposite to the ink chamber 106 but to be folded back in the ink chamber 106.

If the ink chamber 106 is disposed so as to be folded back in this way, the upstream ink passage 56a and the downstream ink passage 56b can be efficiently accommodated in the ink supply unit 52, so that the ink supply unit 52 can be made compact. As a result, the entire ink supply device 50 can be reduced in size.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the nipple portion 110 and the insertion hole 114 are shifted to one side with respect to the pump portion 100 (the air chamber 104 and the ink chamber 106), and the upstream ink passage 56a and the downstream ink are on the opposite side. If the passage 56b is folded back, the air passage 112 is provided.
And the ink passage 56 are not close to each other in the vertical direction, so that the ink supply unit 52 can be made thin.

Although various embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to all the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the spring 108 is attached in the ink chamber 106 in a compressed state from the free length, and the diaphragm 102 is attached to the air chamber 1 by the restoring force of the spring 108.
It was designed to be pushed down to the 04 side (see FIG. 6A). However, in the air chamber 104,
A spring extended from the free length may be attached, and the diaphragm 102 may be drawn toward the air chamber 104 by the restoring force of the spring.

In the above-described embodiment, air is introduced into the air chamber 104 and pressurized by driving the air pump 72. However, instead of the air pump 72, a decompression pump is mounted, and the negative pressure of the decompression pump is introduced into the air chamber 104, so that the diaphragm 102 is connected to the air chamber 1.
You may make it pull in to 04 side. In this case, a spring extended from the free length is attached in the ink chamber 106, or a spring compressed from the free length is attached to the air chamber 104, so that the air chamber When 104 is opened to the atmosphere, the diaphragm 102 can be returned to the ink chamber 106 side.

2 ... printing paper, 10 ... inkjet printer, 11 ... front cover,
12 ... paper discharge port, 13 ... paper feed tray, 14 ... top cover,
15 ... operation buttons, 20 ... carriage, 22 ... jet head,
23 ... Injection nozzle, 24 ... Sub tank, 26 ... Self-sealing valve,
30 ... Drive mechanism, 32 ... Timing belt, 34 ... Drive motor,
40 ... Ink cartridge, 50 ... Ink supply device,
52 ... Ink supply unit, 54 ... Ink intake needle, 56 ... Ink passage,
58 ... Diaphragm pump, 60 ... Ink tube,
70 ... Air pump unit, 72 ... Air pump, 74 ... Motor,
76 ... Connecting tube, 78 ... Regulator, 80 ... Air release lever,
82 ... Reduction gear, 84 ... Cam, 90 ... Cap member,
92 ... Control unit, 100 ... Pump unit, 102 ... Diaphragm,
104 ... Air chamber, 106 ... Ink chamber, 108 ... Spring,
110: Nipple part, 112 ... Air passage, 114 ... Insertion hole,
116: Seal plug 120: Upstream check valve 130: Downstream check valve

Claims (3)

A liquid supply device for supplying a liquid,
A liquid chamber in which an inflow passage through which the liquid flows in and an outflow passage through which the liquid flows out are connected, and a liquid supply unit in which an air chamber is formed in contact with the liquid chamber through a flexible partition plate;
A pressure pump that changes the volume of the liquid chamber by introducing positive pressure or negative pressure into the air chamber to deform the partition plate;
The liquid supply unit is configured such that the liquid supply unit can be added by connecting the air chamber of the new liquid supply unit to the air chamber of the liquid supply unit. The liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1,
The liquid supply unit includes:
A protrusion formed therein with a pressure passage communicating with the air chamber;
And an insertion hole communicating with the air chamber,
When the liquid supply unit is added, the protrusion of one of the liquid supply units is inserted into the insertion hole of the other liquid supply unit, so that the new supply of air to the air chamber of the liquid supply unit is performed. A liquid supply apparatus configured to be able to connect the air chambers of the unit. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid contained in a container from an ejection head provided with an ejection nozzle,
A liquid ejecting apparatus that supplies the liquid in the container to the ejecting head using the liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1.

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