JP2012116102A - Liquid container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink cartridge capable of changing an ink-housing bag without removing from an inkjet recording apparatus, and inkjet recording apparatus having the ink cartridge.SOLUTION: A liquid container 1 is loaded to a loading part 2 of the image forming apparatus 101 so as to enable to slide. The liquid container 1 is provided with a locking protrusion 9 with which the container is locked to the loading part 2, and an opening 14 for housing a liquid-housing bag 40 loaded with a liquid ejected from a recording head 132. The opening 14 is always open. The liquid-housing bag 40 is provided with a fixture 30 which is detachably attached to the opening 14.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid container that holds a liquid storage bag filled with a liquid such as ink, and an image forming apparatus having the liquid container.

  For example, an ink jet recording apparatus is known as an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, or a multifunction machine of these. An ink jet recording apparatus forms an image by ejecting ink from a print head onto a recording medium such as paper or an OHP sheet.

  Ink jet recording apparatuses include a serial head type ink jet recording apparatus having a print head on a reciprocating carriage and a line type head type ink jet recording apparatus having a fixed print head.

  A serial head type ink jet recording apparatus ejects ink droplets from a print head that reciprocates on a recording medium to form an image on the recording medium. The line-type head type ink jet recording apparatus ejects ink droplets from a print head formed in the width of a recording medium, and forms an image all at once on the conveyed recording medium.

  Since the line-type head type print head is formed in the width of the recording medium, it is large and expensive to manufacture. Serial type head type print heads are relatively small and inexpensive to manufacture. For this reason, a small-sized and inexpensive serial head type ink jet recording apparatus is widely used.

  The serial head type ink jet recording apparatus has an on-carriage system that supplies ink to the print head from the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage, and supplies ink to the print head from the ink cartridge mounted on the apparatus body via a pump and a tube. And an off-carriage method.

  In the on-carriage method, since the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage, the carriage becomes large and weight increases. For this reason, if the print head is moved at a high speed in order to increase the image forming speed, the blur of the print head increases.

  In the off-carriage method, ink is supplied to the print head via a pump and a tube, so that the carriage is small and light. For this reason, it is possible to increase the image forming speed by moving the print head at a high speed. Further, the amount of image formation can be easily increased by increasing the capacity of the ink cartridge attached to the apparatus main body or the like. For this reason, off-carriage ink jet recording apparatuses are used for business purposes and the like for forming images in large quantities and at high speed.

  Various types of off-carriage ink jet recording apparatuses have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since an ink containing bag is replaceably accommodated in an ink cartridge attached to the apparatus main body, the ink can be exchanged by exchanging the ink containing bag.

  However, since the ink storage bag cannot be replaced without removing the ink cartridge from the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the removed ink cartridge is placed on a desk or work table. In the state, the ink containing bag is replaced. For this reason, the ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1 requires a space such as a desk or a work table in order to replace the ink containing bag.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge capable of replacing an ink containing bag without being removed from the ink jet recording apparatus, and an ink jet recording apparatus having the ink cartridge.

  In order to solve the problems and achieve the object, the invention described in claim 1 is a recording head that discharges a liquid in response to an image forming signal, and a discharge head provided below the recording head. A liquid container in an image forming apparatus having a transport unit that moves a recording medium on which an image is formed by the liquid thus formed; (a) the liquid container is slidably loaded in the loading unit of the image forming apparatus; (B) The liquid container is provided with a locking projection for locking to the loading unit and an opening for storing a liquid storage bag filled with a liquid discharged from the recording head. The liquid container is characterized in that the opening is always open, and (d) the liquid storage bag is provided with a fitting that is detachably attached to the opening.

  The invention described in claim 2 is the liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the liquid storage bag is attached and detached in a normal direction of a substantially flat surface of the liquid storage bag.

  The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the liquid container is provided with a leaf spring whose one end engages with the fixture and the other end engages with the loading portion. The liquid container according to claim 1 or claim 2.

  The invention described in claim 4 is the liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the liquid is ink.

  The invention described in claim 5 is the liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the liquid is a cleaning agent.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording head that ejects liquid in response to an image forming signal, a transport unit that moves a recording medium on which an image is formed by the liquid ejected from the recording head, and An image forming apparatus, comprising: the liquid container according to claim 1; and a loading unit that slidably loads the liquid container.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the fixture is attached to and detached from the liquid container in a state where the liquid container is not removed from the loading portion. For this reason, the liquid containing bag can be replaced without removing the liquid container from the mounting portion.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, since the liquid storage bag is attached and detached in the normal direction of the liquid storage bag, the replacement operation of the liquid storage bag can be easily performed.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, since the member that engages with the fixture and the mounting portion is formed only from the leaf spring, the number of parts is reduced.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, the liquid container is applied to an ink jet recording apparatus that ejects ink droplets from a recording head.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, the liquid container is used for cleaning the image forming apparatus.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, in the image forming apparatus, the attachment tool is detached from the liquid container in a state where the liquid container is not removed from the loading section. For this reason, the image forming apparatus does not require a space for replacing the ink cartridge storage bag.

1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the structure of the inkjet recording device shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the inkjet recording device shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the cartridge holder and ink cartridge of the inkjet recording device shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a side view of the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an adapter and an ink containing bag that are attached to the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 5. It is a rear view of the adapter shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a side view of the ink containing bag shown in FIG. 7. It is a perspective view explaining the exchange operation of an ink containing bag.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a serial head type ink jet recording apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet recording apparatus 101 forms (prints) an image by the apparatus main body 102, a paper feed tray 111 that feeds paper 140 as a recording medium to the apparatus main body 102, and the apparatus main body 102. A paper discharge tray 127 for stocking the formed paper 140, an ink cartridge 1 as a liquid container for supplying ink to the apparatus main body 102, a cartridge holder 2 in which the ink cartridge 1 is detachably loaded, and the cartridge holder 2, an operation portion 163 provided on the upper portion of 2, and a front cover 166 of the cartridge holder 2.

  2 and 3, the apparatus main body 102 includes an image forming unit 103 that forms an image with ink droplets on a sheet 140, a sheet feeding unit 104 that supplies the sheet 140 to the image forming unit 103, A sub-scanning conveying unit 105 that conveys the paper 140 under the image forming unit 103, a paper discharge unit 106 that discharges the paper 140 on which an image is formed by the image forming unit 103, and ink to the image forming unit 103. An ink supply unit 107 to supply and a maintenance / recovery processing unit 108 for maintaining and recovering the performance of the image forming unit 103 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming unit 103 includes guide rods 133 and 134 that are horizontally mounted on the right side plate 161 and the left side plate 162 that constitute the frame of the apparatus main body 102, and slides on the guide rods 133 and 134. A carriage 130 that is movably held, and a main scanning device that reciprocates the carriage 130 in the main scanning direction (arrow A direction) are provided.

  The carriage 130 includes a print head 132 as a recording head that discharges ink droplets that are liquid onto the paper 140, a sub tank 131 that supplies ink to the print head 132, and the position and movement of the carriage 130 in the main scanning direction. And a linear encoder 135 for detecting the quantity.

  The print head 132 is provided with ink discharge nozzles (hereinafter referred to as nozzles) arranged in a direction crossing the main scanning direction, and the ink droplet discharge direction is directed downward. The print head 132 includes a print head 132d that discharges yellow (Y) ink droplets, a print head 132b that discharges cyan (C) ink droplets, and a print head that discharges magenta (M) ink droplets. 132c and a print head 132a that discharges black (Bk) ink droplets.

  The print head 132 is a piezoelectric print head that ejects ink pressurized by an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element from a nozzle. The print head 132 may be an electrostatic type that pressurizes ink by displacing the diaphragm by electrostatic force, or a thermal type that pressurizes the ink by generating bubbles in the ink by heating a heater.

  During image formation, the print head 132 ejects ink onto the stopped paper 140 to form an image for one line, and after the paper 140 is conveyed by a predetermined amount by a sub-scanning conveyance unit 105 described later, the next line is printed. The image is formed. At the end of image formation, the image formation operation is completed by receiving an image formation end signal or a signal that the trailing edge of the paper 140 has reached the image formation area.

  The sub tank 131 is formed to have a capacity capable of holding an amount of ink that can form an image as long as the time required for replacing the ink in the ink cartridge 1 is about. The sub tank 131d for yellow (Y) ink is provided integrally with a print head 132d that ejects yellow (Y) ink droplets. The cyan (C) ink sub-tank 131 b is provided integrally with the print head 132 b that discharges cyan (C) ink droplets. The sub-tank 131c for magenta (M) ink is provided integrally with a print head 132c that ejects magenta (M) ink droplets. The black (Bk) ink sub-tank 131a is provided integrally with a print head 132a that discharges black (Bk) ink droplets.

  The linear encoder 135 includes a scale 136 horizontally mounted on a right side plate 161 and a left side plate 162 constituting a frame of the inkjet recording apparatus 101, and a sensor 137 provided on the carriage 130. The linear encoder 135 uses a transmissive photoelectric scale. The linear encoder 135 can be a reflective photoelectric scale, a laser holoscale, an electromagnetic induction scale, or the like.

  A main scanning device (not shown) includes a driving roller, a driven roller, and a timing belt that is hung between the driving roller and the driven roller. The driving roller is driven by a main scanning motor. The main scanning device reciprocates the carriage 130 connected to the timing belt in the main scanning direction by forward and reverse rotation of the main scanning motor.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the maintenance / recovery processing unit 108 includes a maintenance / recovery device 170 provided at a position outside the image forming area on the right end side in the movement direction of the carriage 130, and an image on the left end side in the movement direction of the carriage 130. And an empty discharge receiver 174 provided at a position outside the formation region.

  The maintenance / recovery device 170 caps the nozzle surface of the print head 132 to keep it moist and prevents ink discharge failure due to ink drying, and ink that is not related to image formation before image formation starts or during image formation. And a wiper blade 173 that wipes and removes ink and dust adhering to the nozzle surface, suction means for sealing the nozzle surface with the cap 171 and sucking out bubbles and the like from the nozzle with ink. , Is provided.

  The cap 171 is provided corresponding to the print head 132 that ejects ink droplets of each color. The cap 171d caps the nozzle surface of the print head 132d that discharges yellow (Y) ink droplets. The cap 171b caps the nozzle surface of the print head 132b that discharges cyan (C) ink droplets. The cap 171c caps the nozzle surface of the print head 132c that ejects magenta (M) ink droplets. The cap 171a caps the nozzle surface of the print head 132a that discharges black (Bk) ink droplets.

  The empty discharge receiver 174 is provided with an opening 175 for discharging ink not related to image formation before the start of image formation or during image formation. The empty ejection receiver 174 is provided with an opening 175 corresponding to the print head 132 that ejects ink droplets of each color. The opening 175d accepts ink ejected idle from the nozzles of the print head 132d that ejects yellow (Y) ink droplets. The opening 175b receives the ink ejected idle from the nozzles of the print head 132b that ejects cyan (C) ink droplets. The opening 175c receives the ink ejected from the nozzles of the print head 132c that ejects magenta (M) ink droplets. The opening 175a receives the ink ejected from the nozzles of the print head 132a that ejects black (Bk) ink droplets.

  By ejecting ink from all the nozzles of the print head 132 to the idle ejection receptacles 172 and 174, the ink viscosity in all the nozzles of the print head 132 becomes constant, and stable ink ejection performance is maintained. The ink ejected or sucked is sent to a waste ink reservoir installed in the lower part of the apparatus main body 102 and absorbed and held by an ink absorber in the waste ink reservoir.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed unit 104 is fed by a paper feed tray 111 having a bottom plate 112, a paper feed cam 113 that feeds the paper 140 placed on the bottom plate 112, and the paper feed cam 113. A friction pad 114 that prevents the second and subsequent sheets 140 from moving forward, a guide member 115 that guides the first sheet 140 fed out by the sheet feeding cam 113 upward, and guidance by the guide member 115. Counter roller 117 that presses the paper 140 that has been pressed against a transport belt 121 of a sub-scanning transport unit 105, which will be described later, and the paper 140 that is pressed against the transport belt 121 by the counter roller 117, and the sub-scan transport unit 105 and image forming unit 103. And a conveyance guide member 118 to be sent between the two.

  The paper feed unit 104 has a duplex unit 110 that reverses the front and back of the paper 140. The duplex unit 110 is detachably attached to the back surface of the apparatus main body 102. The duplex unit 110 takes in the paper 140 returned by the reverse rotation of the transport belt 121 and reverses the front and back, and feeds the paper 140 with the front and back reversed between the counter roller 117 and the transport belt 121. The duplex unit 110 has a manual feed tray 110a.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sub-scanning conveyance unit 105 is hung between the conveyance roller 122, the tension roller 123, and the conveyance roller 122 and the tension roller 123, and moves the paper 140 in the sub-scanning direction ( A conveying belt 121 that conveys in the direction indicated by arrow B), a pressing member 119 provided with a pressure roller 120 that presses the sheet 140 fed from the sheet feeding unit 104 against the conveying belt 121, and the conveying belt 121. And a charging roller 116 for charging the surface.

  A positive output and a negative output are alternately and repeatedly applied to the charging roller 116 by a high voltage power source controlled by a control circuit.

  The conveyor belt 121 is an endless belt. The conveyance belt 121 is suspended between a conveyance roller 122 driven by a sub-scanning motor and a tension roller 123 as a driven roller, and is circulated in the sub-scanning direction by the rotational driving force of the conveyance roller 122. . The conveyor belt 121 is alternately charged positively and negatively in a belt shape with a predetermined width in the sub-scanning direction by the charging roller 116. The conveyance belt 121 conveys the sheet 140 in a state where the sheet 140 is adsorbed by an electrostatic force charged alternately between plus and minus.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the paper discharge unit 106 separates the paper 140 attracted by the electrostatic force from the transport belt 121, and the paper 140 separated from the transport belt 121 by the separation claw 124. A paper discharge roller 125 that discharges, a spur 126 that contacts and follows the paper discharge roller 125, and a paper discharge tray that stocks the paper 140 that is nipped and discharged by the paper discharge roller 125 and the spur 126. 127 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ink supply unit 107 includes an ink cartridge 1 as a liquid container, a cartridge holder 2 as a loading unit for mounting the ink cartridge 1 on the apparatus main body 102, and ink in the ink cartridge 1. And a liquid supply tube 152 for supplying ink supplied from the liquid supply pump 151 to the sub-tank 131. The liquid feeding tube 152 is provided for each color ink.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cartridge holder 2 includes a yellow (Y) ink cartridge 1d, a cyan (C) ink cartridge 1b, and a magenta (M) ink cartridge 1c. A black (Bk) ink cartridge 1a is slidably loaded. In addition, a total of eight colors of ink cartridges such as light yellow, light cyan, light magenta, and photo black, and the four color ink cartridges may be loaded simultaneously.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the cartridge holder 2 slides and guides a locking projection 9 provided on the ink cartridge 1 on the upper surface of the cartridge holder 2, and the one end 3a (shown in FIG. 10) A guide groove 3 that engages with the locking projection 9 is formed. The guide groove 3 is formed with an engaging portion 4 that engages with an engaging portion 22b of a leaf spring 22 as an engaging member provided in the ink cartridge 1 at a substantially intermediate position. The cartridge holder 2 is provided with a hollow needle for sucking out ink from an ink containing bag 40 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the ink cartridge 1 includes a cartridge main body 7, an adapter 30 as a fixture that is detachably attached to the cartridge main body 7, and a liquid ink that is attached to the adapter and filled with ink. And an ink containing bag 40 as a containing bag.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 6, the cartridge body 7 is formed in a box shape in which an opening 14 is provided on one side surface and a side plate 21 is provided on the other side surface. On the upper surface of the cartridge body 7, a locking projection 9 is formed which slides on the guide groove 3 of the cartridge holder 2 and engages with one end 3 a of the guide groove 3. The cartridge body 7 is provided with a leaf spring 22 as an engaging member that engages with the adapter 30 and the locking portion 4 of the cartridge holder 2 on the upper surface. The cartridge main body 7 is formed with a knob portion 8 at the top where the cartridge 7 is picked by fingers. The cartridge body 7 is movable within the longitudinal range of the guide groove 3 formed in the cartridge holder 2.

  The opening 14 is formed with an adapter mounting portion 11 and an ink containing bag holding portion 10. The opening 14 is always open. The adapter mounting portion 11 includes an L-shaped portion 12, a series of ridges 16, 17, and 18, and support pieces 19 and 20 that are extended from the side plate 21. The ridges 16, 17, and 18 are formed in a series and have a substantially U-shaped cross section.

  The adapter mounting portion 11 is provided with a hole 26 through which the engaging portion 22a of the leaf spring 22 protrudes downward. The L-shaped portion 12 is provided with a notch portion 13 that receives a grip portion 32 (shown in FIG. 7) of the adapter 30. The adapter attachment portion 11 is provided with a support portion 15 including the L-shaped portion 12 and the support piece 20.

  In the ink containing bag holding portion 10, a space for holding the ink containing bag 40 is formed by the protrusions 16, 17, and 18 of the adapter mounting portion 11 and the side plate 21.

  The locking projection 9 is formed integrally with the cartridge main body 7 on the upper surface of the cartridge main body 7 and on the adapter mounting portion 11. The locking protrusion 9 has a substantially trapezoidal cross section. For this reason, when the ink cartridge 1 is slid and pulled out, the locking projection 9 engages with the cartridge holder 2 at a position where the adapter 30 can be replaced from the opening 14.

  The leaf spring 22 is fixed to the upper surface of the cartridge body 7 by a fastening portion 27 obtained by melting a thermoplastic synthetic resin pin with heat. The leaf spring 22 is provided with an engaging portion 22a that engages with the adapter 30 on one end side, and an engaging portion 22b that engages with the locking portion 4 of the cartridge holder 2 on the other end side. The engaging portion 22a is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section that protrudes downward. The engaging portion 22 b is formed in a substantially triangular shape that protrudes upward, and the end portion is formed away from the upper surface of the cartridge body 7. The plate spring 22 uses a cold-rolled steel strip for springs and is formed by pressing or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 8, the adapter 30 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape accommodated in the adapter mounting portion 11. The adapter 30 includes an engagement groove 35 that engages with the engagement portion 22 a of the leaf spring 22, a step portion 36 that is supported by the support piece 19 of the adapter attachment portion 11, and the support piece 20 of the adapter attachment portion 11. The stepped portion 37 supported, the stepped portion 38 supported at the lower part of the L-shaped portion 12 of the adapter attaching portion 11, the ID chip attaching portion 34 to which the ID chip 50 is attached, and the fingers 61 and 62 are held. Gripping portions 32 and 33, an opening portion 53 in which the ink supply port 43 of the ink containing bag 40 is disposed, and a mounting portion 39 to which the ink containing bag 40 is attached are provided.

  The adapter 30 is supported at the lower part of the adapter 30 by a support part 15 formed on the adapter mounting part 11 of the ink cartridge 1, and the upper part of the adapter 30 is engaged with the engaging part 22 a of the leaf spring 22. Is done. For this reason, the lower part of the adapter 30 serves as a fulcrum, and the gripping portions 32 and 33 provided on the upper part of the adapter 30 serve as power points, so that attachment and removal operations are performed with a light force.

  The adapter 30 attaches and detaches the ink containing bag 40 in the normal direction 70 of the substantially flat surface of the bag body 41 of the ink containing bag 40 as shown in FIG. For this reason, the replacement work of the ink containing bag 40 is easily performed.

  The grip portions 32 and 33 are formed in a protrusion shape that is integrally formed with the adapter 30. Further, the gripping portions 32 and 33 may be formed in a concave shape, or may be formed in a protruding shape and a concave shape.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the mounting portion 39 includes an opening 39c communicating with the opening 33, and fitting portions 39a and 39b for fitting the supply port member 42 (shown in FIG. 9) of the ink containing bag 40. , Is provided. The fitting portions 39a and 39b are provided with locking claws for locking with the supply port member.

  The ID chip 50 incorporates a readable / writable storage medium such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM). The ID chip 50 stores information related to the ink filled in the ink containing bag 40.

  Information related to ink includes information for the apparatus main body 102 to specify ink and information for the apparatus main body 102 to manage ink. The information for specifying the ink is, for example, information such as ink color, type, manufacturer, date of manufacture. The information for managing ink is information such as the remaining amount of ink written as a record by the apparatus main body 102. When the ink cartridge 1 is loaded in the cartridge holder 2, the apparatus main body 102 reads the information of the ID chip 50, determines whether or not the ink is correct, and issues a warning if the ink is not correct. It has a function to prevent wearing.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the ink containing bag 40 includes a bag body 41 having a substantially square shape (here, rectangular shape) and a supply port member 42 welded to the bag body 41. The bag body 41 is made of a flexible aluminum laminate film in which an aluminum film is used as a base material, a polyethylene film is laminated on the inside, and a nylon film or a polyethylene film is laminated on the outside. The bag body 41 is formed in a bag shape by thermally welding the peripheral edge portion between the two aluminum laminate films and the supply port member 42.

  The supply port member 42 is provided in the ink supply port 43 for supplying ink to the apparatus main body 102 side, the ink filling port 44 for filling the bag main body 41 with ink, and the fitting portions 39a and 39b of the adapter 30. Engagement portions 46a and 46b that engage with the formed locking claws, a flange portion 47 provided with the engagement portions 46a and 46b, and a connection portion 45 that is thermally welded to the bag body 41 are provided. It has been. Both ends of the connecting portion 45 are formed in a substantially diamond shape in cross section. For this reason, the connection part 45 and the bag main body 41 are reliably welded without a gap. The supply port member 42 may be welded or bonded to the fitting portions 39a and 39b of the adapter 30.

  The ink replenishing port 44 is formed with an ink replenishing hole that passes through the ink replenishing port 44, the flange portion 47, and the connecting portion 45. The ink replenishing hole is sealed by thermally welding a part of the ink replenishing port 44 after the ink is filled into the bag body 41 from the ink replenishing hole.

  The ink supply port 43 is formed with an ink supply hole that penetrates the ink supply port 43, the flange portion 47, and the connecting portion 45. The ink supply hole is sealed by an elastic member fitted at the tip of the ink supply port 43. The elastic member is made of a rubber material such as silicon rubber, fluorine rubber, or butyl rubber.

  The elastic member allows the ink to be supplied to the apparatus main body 102 side in a state of being kept sealed when the hollow needle for sucking out ink provided in the cartridge holder 2 is inserted, and the hollow needle is removed. At that time, the sealing state is maintained by restoring by elastic restoring force.

  The ink filled in the ink containing bag 40 is a water-based ink, and includes water, a pigment as a colorant for forming an image, a water-soluble organic solvent in which the pigment is dispersed, a wetting agent, and a surfactant. And an emulsion, an antiseptic / antifungal agent, and a pH adjuster.

  Examples of the black and white pigment include carbon black (CI pigment black 7) such as furnace black, lamp black, acetylene black, and channel black, copper, iron (CI pigment black 11), titanium oxide, and the like. Metals, pigments such as aniline black (CI Pigment Black 1) are used.

  Examples of color pigments include C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 1 (Fast Yellow G), 3, 12 (Disazo Yellow AAA), 13, 14, 17, 24, 34, 35, 37, 42 (Yellow Iron Oxide), 53, 55, 81, 83 (Disazo Yellow HR) ), 95, 97, 98, 100, 101, 104, 108, 109, 110, 117, 120, 138, 153, C.I. I. Pigment orange 5, 13, 16, 17, 36, 43, 51, C.I. I. Pigment Red 1, 2, 3, 5, 17, 22 (Brilliant First Scarlet), 23, 31, 38, 48: 2 [Permanent Red B (Ba)], 48: 2 [Permanent Red 2B (Ca)], 48 : 3 [permanent red 2B (Sr)], 48: 4 [permanent red 2B (Mn)], 49: 1, 52: 2, 53: 1, 57: 1 (brilliant carmine 6B), 60: 1, 63: 1, 63: 2, 64: 1, 81 (Rhodamine 6G rake), 83, 88, 101 (Bengara), 104, 105, 106, 108 (Cadmium red), 112, 114, 122 (Quinacridone magenta), 123, 146, 149, 166, 168, 170, 172, 177, 178, 179, 185, 190, 193, 209, 219, CI. Pigment violet 1 (rhodamine lake), 3, 5: 1, 16, 19 (quinacridone red), 23, 38, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 1, 2, 15 (phthalocyanine blue R), 15: 1, 15: 2, 15: 3 (phthalocyanine blue G), 15: 4, 15: 6 (phthalocyanine blue E), 16, 17: 127 (bitumen ), 28 (cobalt blue), 29 (ultraviolet), 56, 60, 63, C.I. I. Pigment Green 1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 17, 18, 36, etc. are used.

  The pigment is not limited to the above. A pigment may be used individually by 1 type, or may use 2 or more types together. The pigment may be an inorganic pigment or an organic pigment. The ink may be dye ink, oil-based ink, UV curable ink, or the like.

  The ink containing bag 40 can be filled with a cleaning agent in addition to the ink. The cleaning agent is used for cleaning the nozzles of the print head 132, the sub-tank 131, a liquid supply means including a liquid supply pump and a liquid supply tube. The cleaning agent is, for example, a liquid obtained by removing the pigment from the ink, a liquid composed of polyhydric alcohols and water, a liquid composed of a lower alcohol, an anionic surfactant and water.

  Next, ink replacement of the ink jet recording apparatus 101 configured as described above will be described. When the ink jet recording apparatus 101 detects that the ink cartridge 1 has run out of ink, the ink jet recording apparatus 101 displays a warning prompting the user to replace the ink cartridge 1 that has run out of ink on the operation unit 163 or the like. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the ink cartridge 1 is loaded in the cartridge holder 2, and the locking projection 9 slides into the guide groove 3 formed in the upper part of the cartridge holder 2. An engaging portion 22 b of the leaf spring 22 protrudes from the portion 4.

  When the knob 8 of the ink cartridge 1 that has run out of ink is picked with fingers 61 and 62 and pulled forward with a predetermined force, the engagement portion 22b is bent and the engagement state with the locking portion 4 is released. As shown in FIG. 4, the ink cartridge 1 is pulled out.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the pulled out ink cartridge 1 is engaged with the one end 3 a of the guide groove 3 of the cartridge holder 2 by the locking protrusion 9 of the ink cartridge 1. For this reason, the ink cartridge 1 is prevented from being removed from the cartridge holder 2 by the engagement of the locking projection 9 and the one end 3a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the adapter 30 protrudes from the front surface of the cartridge holder 2 of the ink cartridge 1 that is prevented from being removed. When the gripping portions 32 and 33 of the adapter 30 are picked by the fingers 61 and 62 and operated so as to pull down the adapter 30 as shown in FIG. 10, the engaging portion 22a of the leaf spring 22 and the engaging groove of the adapter 30 The engagement state with the cartridge 35 is released, and the ink containing bag 40 is removed from the cartridge body 7 together with the adapter 30.

  Separately from the removed adapter 30, the gripping portions 32 and 33 of the adapter 30 in which the ink containing bag 40 filled with new ink is provided in advance is gripped by the fingers 61 and 62, and the adapter mounting portion of the ink cartridge 1. 11 is attached. Further, the gripping portions 32 and 33 of the adapter 30 are pressed against the cartridge main body 7 while gripping with the fingers 61 and 62, and the engaging portion 22 a of the leaf spring 22 and the engaging groove 35 are engaged.

  The ink cartridge 1 is loaded into the cartridge holder 2 by pushing the knob 8 of the ink cartridge 1 into the cartridge holder 2 while picking it with the fingers 61 and 62. At this time, the engaging portion 22b of the leaf spring 22 protrudes from the locking portion 4, and the ink cartridge 1 is stably held in the cartridge holder 2. The hollow needle provided in the cartridge holder 2 is inserted into the ink supply port 43 of the ink containing bag 40, and ink is supplied to the apparatus main body 102.

  As described above, the ink cartridge 1 of the ink jet recording apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment includes the cartridge main body 7 formed in a box shape, the ink containing bag 40 filled with the liquid ejected from the print head 132, An adapter 30 for mounting the liquid ink containing bag 40 in the cartridge main body 7. The cartridge main body 7 holds the mounting portion 11 to which the adapter 30 is detachably attached, and the ink containing bag 40 held therein. The holding part 10 and the opening part 14 communicating with the attachment part 11 and the holding part 10 are formed.

  The mounting portion 11 is provided with a support portion 15 that supports the lower portion of the adapter 30 and an engaging portion 22a that engages with the upper portion of the adapter 30. A locking projection 9 is provided for preventing the cartridge body 7 from sliding when pulled out from the cartridge holder 2 to a position where it can be attached and detached.

  For this reason, in a state where the cartridge main body 7 is not detached from the cartridge holder 2, the adapter 30 in which the ink containing bag 40 is continuously provided from the cartridge main body 7 can be attached and detached. Therefore, the ink containing bag 40 can be replaced without removing the cartridge body 7 from the cartridge holder 2. Therefore, the ink jet recording apparatus does not require a space for replacing the ink containing bag.

  The adapter 30 is supported at the lower part of the adapter 30 and is engaged at the upper part of the adapter 30, and grips 32 and 33 are provided at the upper part of the adapter 30. Therefore, the lower part of the adapter 30 serves as a fulcrum, the upper part of the adapter 30 serves as a power point, the fulcrum and the power point are separated, and the adapter 30 can be attached and detached with a light force.

  In the present embodiment, the ink jet head is of the serial head type, but the ink jet head may be of a line head type.

  In addition, embodiment mentioned above only showed the typical form of this invention, and this invention is not limited to embodiment. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 Ink cartridge (liquid container)
2 Cartridge holder (loading section)
3 Guide Groove 7 Cartridge Body 9 Locking Projection 10 Ink Storage Bag Holding Portion 11 Adapter Mounting Portion 14 Opening Portion 15 Supporting Portion 22 Leaf Spring 22a Engaging Portion 30 Adapter (Mounting Tool)
40 Ink storage bag (liquid storage bag)
70 Normal direction 101 Inkjet recording apparatus (image forming apparatus)
132 Print head (recording head)

JP 2009-279876 A

Claims (6)

Image forming comprising: a recording head that discharges liquid in response to an image forming signal; and a transport unit that is provided below the recording head and moves a recording medium on which an image is formed by the liquid discharged from the recording head In the liquid container in the device,
(A) The liquid container is slidably loaded in the loading portion of the image forming apparatus,
(B) The liquid container is provided with a locking projection for locking to the loading portion and an opening for storing a liquid storage bag filled with liquid discharged from the recording head,
(C) the opening is always open, and
(D) The liquid container is provided with a fitting that is detachably attached to the opening.   The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the liquid storage bag is attached and detached in a normal direction of a substantially plane of the liquid storage bag.   3. The liquid according to claim 1, wherein the liquid container is provided with a leaf spring having one end engaged with the fixture and the other end engaged with the loading portion. container.   The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the liquid is ink.   The liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the liquid is a cleaning agent.   6. A recording head that ejects liquid in response to an image forming signal, a transport unit that moves a recording medium on which an image is formed by the liquid ejected from the recording head, and any one of claims 1 to 5. An image forming apparatus comprising: the liquid container according to 1); and a loading unit that slidably loads the liquid container.

Images