JP2013091281A - Damper and inkjet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a damper capable of performing a constant valve opening and closing operation even in a different atmospheric pressure status, and to provide an inkjet recording apparatus using this damper.SOLUTION: The damper includes: an ink chamber 40 that has a partition wall 42 that regulates the negative pressure by an internal volume reduction along with the feeding of the ink to a recording head 32, while temporarily receiving the ink supplied from an ink tank 12 before supplied to the recording head 32; a communication part 44 that circulates the ink supplied from the ink tank 12 to an ink chamber 40; a valve 48 operating to open and close the communication part 44 directly or indirectly by the partition wall 42; and a pressure chamber 52 which is provided with the partition wall 42 inside at the external of the partition wall 42 and made pressure adjustable.

Description

  The present invention relates to a damper for adjusting ink supply pressure and an ink jet recording apparatus using the damper.

  In an ink jet recording apparatus that ejects ink from a recording head onto a medium, a plurality of minute openings are formed in the recording head, and ink is ejected from these openings. At this time, if the inside of the recording head is at the same pressure as the atmospheric pressure, there is a problem in that the ink gradually leaks from the opening of the recording head due to the pressure of the ink feeding to the recording head.

  Accordingly, a damper configured to prevent ink leakage from the recording head by adjusting the ink supply pressure to the recording head so that the inside of the recording head is set to a negative pressure that is weaker than the atmospheric pressure has been conventionally used. It has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

7A and 7B show the configuration of a conventional damper.
The damper 10 is connected between the recording head 20 and the ink tank 12 in order to send ink to the recording head 20.
The damper 10 includes a supply chamber 13 to which ink is supplied from the ink tank 12 and an ink chamber 14 that communicates with the supply chamber 13. An ink flow path 16 between the supply chamber 13 and the ink chamber 14 is provided so as to be opened and closed by a valve 18 having a larger diameter than the flow path 16.
A side wall of the ink chamber 14 facing the flow passage 16 is constituted by a flexible film member 19.

A valve 18 that opens and closes the flow passage 16 is disposed on the supply chamber 13 side and is normally biased in a direction to close the flow passage 16 by a compression spring 22 disposed between the supply chamber 13 and the side wall surface. Yes. A pressure receiving plate 24 that receives atmospheric pressure (indoor pressure) via a shaft 23 is provided at the tip of the valve 18. The pressure receiving plate 24 is in contact with the inner wall surface of the film member 19 on the side wall of the ink chamber 14, and can press the valve 18 as the film member 19 is deformed.
On the other hand, a discharge port 25 that communicates with the recording head 20 and flows ink into the recording head 20 is formed below the ink chamber 14, and the ink stored in the ink chamber 14 flows into the recording head 20.

The operation of such a conventional damper will be described.
FIG. 7A shows that the ink in the ink chamber 14 has flowed into the recording head 20 and the amount of ink in the ink chamber 14 has decreased.
When the amount of ink in the ink chamber 14 decreases, the pressure in the ink chamber 14 decreases. For this reason, the film member 19 is pressed by the atmospheric pressure so as to be recessed inside the ink chamber 14. The pressure receiving plate 24 presses the valve 18 toward the supply chamber 13 against the urging force of the compression spring 22 by the operation of the film member 19 to be recessed. When the valve 18 is pressed by the pressure receiving plate 24, the valve 18 that has closed the flow passage 16 moves to the supply chamber 13 side, and the flow passage 16 is opened.

FIG. 7B shows a state where the flow passage 16 is opened and ink is supplied from the supply chamber 13 to the ink chamber 14.
When ink is supplied from the supply chamber 13 to the ink chamber 14, the amount of ink in the ink chamber 14 increases and the negative pressure in the ink chamber 14 returns to the positive pressure side. For this reason, the difference between the negative pressure in the ink chamber 14 and the atmospheric pressure is reduced, the amount of dent of the film member is reduced, and the film expands outward. When the film member 19 bulges outward, the pressure receiving plate 24 also follows the film member 19 and moves to the position shown in FIG. Due to the movement of the pressure receiving plate 24, the valve 18 moves to the ink chamber 14 side, closes the flow passage 16, and stops the inflow of ink into the ink chamber 14. And it returns to the state of Fig.7 (a).

  According to such a conventional configuration, in order to supply the ink sent from the ink tank 12 to the recording head 20 with a certain weak pressure, the inside of the recording head 20 is brought into a weak negative pressure state within a certain range. Ink leakage from the recording head 20 can be prevented.

Japanese Patent No. 3606282

According to the conventional damper 10 described above, the opening and closing of the valve 18 is controlled by detecting the negative pressure in the ink chamber 14 based on the balance between the atmospheric pressure and the urging force of the compression spring 22.
However, in such a configuration, a difference occurs in the pressure at which the valve opens and closes under an environment where the atmospheric pressure is different. That is, in the conventional configuration, there is a problem that ink cannot be supplied at a constant pressure assumed in advance when the atmospheric pressure fluctuates.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a damper capable of performing a constant valve opening / closing operation even in a situation where atmospheric pressure differs, and ink jet recording using the same. To provide an apparatus.

According to the damper according to the present invention, in the damper disposed between the ink tank in which the ink is stored and the recording head that discharges the ink to the medium, the ink supplied from the ink tank is supplied to the recording head. An ink chamber having a partition that temporarily accommodates the ink before being supplied and adjusts a negative pressure due to an internal volume reduction accompanying the supply of ink to the recording head; and the ink supplied from the ink tank A communication portion that circulates to the valve, a valve that operates to open and close the communication portion directly or indirectly by the partition, and a pressure chamber that is provided outside the partition and has a partition capable of adjusting pressure. It is characterized by comprising.
By adopting this configuration, the outside of the partition that operates the valve is covered with the pressure chamber, and the partition does not operate due to fluctuations in atmospheric pressure. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the influence due to the fluctuation of the atmospheric pressure and realize a stable operation.

In the damper according to the present invention, it is preferable that the partition wall is formed of a flexible member, and the valve is directly driven by the flexible member.
According to this, the operation of the valve can be executed without providing another member separately.

In the damper according to the present invention, it is preferable that the valve is urged by the urging means so as to always close the communication portion.
According to this, the communication part can be reliably opened and closed. As a result, the pressure in the recording head can be reliably controlled so as to always be equal to or lower than the predetermined pressure.

In the damper according to the present invention, the pressure adjusting means capable of adjusting the pressure in the pressure chamber varies the pressure in the pressure chamber, thereby opening and closing the communication portion of the valve regardless of the pressure in the ink chamber. Preferably it is possible.
According to this, the valve can be opened and closed as necessary by adjusting the pressure in the pressure chamber.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, an ink tank in which ink is stored, a recording head that discharges ink to a medium, and the recording head are mounted on a carriage. And a pressure adjusting means capable of adjusting the pressure in the pressure chamber.
By adopting this configuration, it is possible to suppress the influence of fluctuations in atmospheric pressure and to supply ink stably.

The ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a second pressure adjusting unit capable of adjusting the pressure in the ink tank, and the pressure adjusting unit and the second pressure adjusting unit include the second pressure adjusting unit. It is preferable that the recording head can be filled with ink by adjusting the pressure and the pressure in the pressure chamber.
According to this configuration, ink can be introduced into the recording head with a pressure different from that during normal printing, such as in an initial state where the recording head is not yet filled with ink.

  According to the damper and the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, a constant valve opening / closing operation can be performed even in a situation where the atmospheric pressure is different.

1 is a schematic side view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. It is a block diagram of the damper in 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram regarding the connection structure of the damper in 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram regarding the connection structure of the damper in 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram of a damper in 4th Embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the damper shown in FIG. 5. It is a block diagram of the conventional damper.

(First embodiment)
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an ink jet recording apparatus.
The ink jet recording apparatus 30 is an apparatus that performs ink jet printing on a medium 31, and includes a recording head 32 that ejects ink onto the medium 31, an ink tank 12 that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head 32, and an ink tank. 12 and the recording head 32, a damper 34 that adjusts the supply pressure of ink to the recording head 32, a conveyance roller 33 that conveys the medium 31 in the conveyance direction, and a recording medium that is provided below the medium 31. A platen 36 that regulates the position between the head 32 and the head 32 is provided.

The recording head 32 and the damper 34 are mounted in a carriage 37 that operates in the scanning direction during printing.
The damper 34 and the ink tank 12 are connected by a tube-shaped ink supply pipe 35, and the ink in the ink tank 12 is supplied into the damper 34 via the ink supply pipe 35.

2A and 2B show the configuration of the damper according to the present embodiment.
The damper 34 includes a supply chamber 38 that temporarily stores ink supplied from the ink tank 12 via the ink supply pipe 35, and an ink chamber 40 that temporarily stores ink supplied to the recording head 32. . A discharge port 46 communicating with the recording head 32 and allowing ink to flow into the recording head 32 is formed below the ink chamber 40, and the ink stored in the ink chamber 40 flows into the recording head 32.
In the present invention, the ink supply pipe 35 from the ink tank 12 may be directly connected to the damper 34 without the supply chamber 38 being provided.

Between the supply chamber 38 and the ink chamber 40, there is a flow passage 44 formed to communicate between the supply chamber 38 and the ink chamber 40 so that ink can flow from the supply chamber 38 to the ink chamber 40. Is provided.
Further, the flow passage 44 is provided so as to be opened and closed by a valve 48 formed with a larger diameter than the flow passage 44. The valve 48 is provided so as to open and close the end of the flow passage 44 on the supply chamber 38 side. Further, the valve 48 is normally biased in a direction to close the flow passage 44 by a compression spring 41 disposed between the side wall surface of the supply chamber 38.

A partition wall facing the flow direction of the flow passage 44 of the ink chamber 40 is formed of a flexible member 42 such as a film. Hereinafter, the partition wall referred to in the claims will be referred to as a flexible member, but the partition wall may be a non-flexible member. For example, the partition wall may be formed of a shape memory elastic body, and the valve 48 may be constantly urged in the direction of closing the flow passage 44.
Due to such a configuration, the ink chamber 40 can generate a negative pressure due to an internal volume reduction as the ink is supplied to the recording head 32.

  In addition, as an example of the flexible member 42, it is necessary to use a material that does not allow liquid to pass therethrough. For example, polypropylene or the like can be used. Further, the flexible member 42 may be composed of a plurality of layers. For example, the inner side in contact with the ink may be made of a material such as polypropylene and the outer side may be made of a moisture-proof material such as vinylidene chloride.

  A pressure receiving plate 50 is provided on the front end side of the valve 48 via a shaft 49 that is disposed through the flow passage 44. The pressure receiving plate 50 is in contact with the inner wall surface of the flexible member 42 on the side wall of the ink chamber 40, and can press the valve 48 as the flexible member 42 is deformed.

A constant pressure is applied to the flexible member 42 outside the portion of the ink chamber 40 where the flexible member 42 is disposed as a side wall so that the flexible member 42 does not operate due to fluctuations in atmospheric pressure. A pressure chamber 52 is provided for maintenance.
The pressure chamber 52 is configured by a member that does not deform depending on the atmospheric pressure except for the flexible member 42 that is a boundary with the ink chamber 40 so that the pressure in the pressure chamber 52 is not affected by the atmospheric pressure. It is sealed.

Note that an air pump 54 is connected to the pressure chamber 52. By driving the air pump 54, the pressure in the pressure chamber 52 can be increased or decreased.
Thus, by driving the air pump 54 so that the pressure in the pressure chamber 52 can be appropriately adjusted, the valve 48 can be arbitrarily opened and closed by driving the air pump 54.

Next, the operation of the damper 34 of the present embodiment will be described based on FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b).
FIG. 2A shows that the ink in the ink chamber 40 flows into the recording head 32 and the amount of ink in the ink chamber 40 decreases.
When the amount of ink in the ink chamber 40 decreases, the pressure in the ink chamber 40 decreases. For this reason, the flexible member 42 is pressed by the pressure in the pressure chamber 52 so as to be recessed inside the ink chamber 40. The pressure receiving plate 50 presses the valve 48 toward the supply chamber 38 against the urging force of the compression spring 41 by the operation of denting the flexible member 42. When the valve 48 is pressed by the pressure receiving plate 50, the valve 48 that has closed the flow passage 44 moves to the supply chamber 38 side, and the flow passage 44 is opened.

FIG. 2B shows a state where the flow passage 44 is opened and ink is supplied from the supply chamber 38 to the ink chamber 40.
When ink is supplied from the supply chamber 38 to the ink chamber 40, the negative pressure in the ink chamber 40 returns to the positive pressure side. For this reason, the pressure difference between the pressure in the ink chamber 40 and the pressure chamber 52 becomes small, and the flexible member 42 tends to return to the pressure chamber 52 direction because the dent amount becomes small. When the flexible member 42 swells in the direction of the pressure chamber 52 (outward), the pressure receiving plate 50 also follows the flexible member 42 and returns to the position shown in FIG. Due to the movement of the pressure receiving plate 50, the valve 48 moves to the ink chamber 40 side, closes the flow passage 44, and the inflow of the ink into the ink chamber 40 is stopped. And it returns to the state of Fig.2 (a).

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the component same as embodiment mentioned above, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description may be abbreviate | omitted.
In the present embodiment, one air pump 54 controls both the introduction of air into the ink tank 12 and the introduction of air into the pressure chamber 52. The air supply pipe 56 connected to the discharge port of the air pump 54 is branched into two, and one air supply pipe 56 a is connected to the upper part of the ink tank 12 via the first air chamber 58. Of the branched air supply pipes 56, the other air supply pipe 56 b is connected to the pressure chamber 52 of the damper 34 via the second air chamber 60.

Speed controllers 61 and 62 are attached to the air chambers 58 and 60, respectively. By adjusting the opening degree of the speed controllers 61 and 62, the pressure of the air discharged from the air chambers 58 and 60 can be adjusted.
The pressure of the air discharged from the first air chamber 58 is added, the pressure for supplying ink from the ink tank 12 to the supply chamber 38 is P1, and the pressure of the air discharged from the second air chamber 60 is When P2 is set to P2, by setting the speed controllers 61 and 62 so that P1> P2, it is possible to reliably supply ink without disturbing the opening / closing operation of the valve 48 during normal ink ejection. .

(Third embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG. In addition, about the component same as each embodiment mentioned above, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description may be abbreviate | omitted.
In the present embodiment, the air chambers 58 and 60 described in the second embodiment can be switched in two stages.

  Two speed controllers 61 a and 61 b are selectably connected to the first air chamber 58 of the present embodiment via a three-way valve 64. Two speed controllers 62 a and 62 b are also selectably connected to the second air chamber 60 via a three-way valve 66.

  For example, one of the two speed controllers 61a and 61b can be output with the pressure P1 and the other can be output with the pressure P3 so that the pressure of the air discharged from the first air chamber 58 can be switched in two stages of P1 and P3. Adjust each so that you can output with. The air pressures P1 and P3 can be switched by switching the three-way valve 64.

  In addition, one of the two speed controllers 62a and 62b can be output at the pressure P2 and the other can be output at the pressure P4 so that the pressure of the air discharged from the second air chamber 60 can be switched in two stages of P2 and P4. Adjust each so that you can output with. The air pressures P2 and P4 can be switched by switching the three-way valve 66.

In normal ink discharge, if the pressure for supplying ink from the ink tank 12 to the supply chamber 38 is P6 by adding the pressure P1 of the air discharged from the first air chamber 58, P6> P2. Ink can be reliably supplied without obstructing the opening / closing operation of the valve 48.
It should be noted that there is no ink in the recording head 32 and the recording head 32 is filled with ink for the first time (when the product is used for the first time without being used until now), or the recording head 32 is supplied with normal ink. In the case where cleaning is performed by ejecting an amount larger than that at the time of printing, an ink supply pressure different from that at the time of normal printing is required. This pressure needs to be supplied to the recording head 32 at a pressure higher than the ink supply pressure during normal printing.

The case where the recording head 32 is newly filled with ink or cleaned as described above is hereinafter referred to as filling time. At the time of filling, the three-way valve 64 is switched to set the pressure of air discharged from the first air chamber 58 to P3, and the three-way valve 66 is switched to set the pressure of air discharged from the second air chamber 60 to P4.
At the time of charging, it is necessary to always open the valve 48 and supply ink at a constant pressure stronger than at the time of printing. Therefore, each speed controller 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b is set in advance so that the relationship of P4> P3 + P5 can be maintained. Keep it. P5 is a value obtained by converting the urging force when the valve 48 of the compression spring 41 is to be closed into air pressure.

  As described above, at the time of filling, the air pressure P3 to the ink tank 12, the air pressure P4 to the pressure chamber 52, and the urging force when closing the valve 48 of the compression spring 41 are converted to air pressure. By switching the pressure P5 so that P4> P3 + P5, ink filling and cleaning can be performed only by pressurization on the ink supply side. For this reason, it is not necessary to suck the inside of the head through the cap (not shown) to the ejection surface side of the recording head 32 during filling as in the prior art.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a damper having a structure different from the structures described in the first to third embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. Also in this embodiment, the same components as those of the above-described embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof may be omitted.

The damper 70 of this embodiment is provided with a supply port 72 connected to the ink tank 12 at the top, and a supply chamber 74 that is connected to the supply port 72 and temporarily stores ink. In addition, an ink chamber 76 that temporarily stores ink to be supplied to the recording head 32 is provided in communication with the supply chamber 74 via the flow passage 75.
A discharge port 78 that communicates with the recording head 32 and flows ink into the recording head 32 is formed below the ink chamber 76, and the ink stored in the ink chamber 76 flows into the recording head 32.

  The side wall located opposite to the ink inflow direction from the flow passage 75 of the ink chamber 76 is formed by a flexible member 42 such as a film. Therefore, the ink chamber 76 can generate a negative pressure due to a decrease in the internal volume as the ink is supplied to the recording head 32.

  In addition, as an example of the flexible member 42, it is necessary to use a material that does not allow liquid to pass through, as in the above-described embodiments. For example, polypropylene or the like can be used. Further, the flexible member 42 may be composed of a plurality of layers. For example, the inner side in contact with the ink may be made of a material such as polypropylene and the outer side may be made of a moisture-proof material such as vinylidene chloride.

  A pressure receiving plate 50 is provided on the inner wall surface of the flexible member 42. The pressure receiving plate 50 can press the other end 79 b of the link arm 79 described later with the deformation of the flexible member 42.

  In a flow passage 75 provided between the supply chamber 74 and the ink chamber 76 and through which the ink flows, a link arm 79 that can open and close the flow passage 75 is provided. The link arm 79 is formed in a U shape when viewed from the side (see FIG. 5), one end 79a of the U shape is attached to the valve 84 in the supply chamber 74, and the other end 79b of the U shape is the ink. A pressure receiving plate 50 in the chamber 76 is attached.

The valve 84 is disposed in the supply chamber 74 so that the space between the supply chamber 74 and the flow passage 75 can be closed. Further, the valve 84 is urged by the valve closing spring 80 so that the space between the flow passage 75 and the supply chamber 74 is normally closed.
The pressure receiving plate 50 of the ink chamber 76 is urged by the negative pressure holding spring 82 in the direction in which the volume in the ink chamber 76 expands (outward of the ink chamber 76).
These valve closing spring 80 and negative pressure holding spring 82 correspond to the urging means in the claims.

The link arm 79 is provided so as to be able to swing around the fulcrum 83 in a direction in which the one end 79a and the other end 79b of the U-shape project into the supply chamber 74 and into the ink chamber 76, respectively. ing.
The valve closing spring 80 presses the one end 79a of the link arm 79 in the direction of the flow passage 75 by its urging force.

  A constant pressure is applied to the flexible member 42 outside the portion of the ink chamber 76 where the flexible member 42 is disposed as a side wall so that the flexible member 42 does not operate due to changes in atmospheric pressure. A pressure chamber 86 is provided for maintenance. The pressure chamber 86 is configured by a member that is not deformed by atmospheric pressure except for the flexible member 42 that is a boundary with the ink chamber 76, and is sealed.

  Note that an air pump (not shown) is connected to the pressure chamber 86. By driving the air pump, the pressure in the pressure chamber 86 can be increased or decreased. Thus, by driving the air pump so that the pressure in the pressure chamber 86 can be appropriately adjusted, the pressure receiving plate 50 can be operated and the valve 84 can be opened and closed.

Hereinafter, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
As described above, when the ink stored in the ink chamber 76 is supplied to the recording head 32 in a state where the space between the supply chamber 74 and the flow passage 75 is closed, the amount of ink in the ink chamber 76 is reduced. The pressure in the ink chamber 76 decreases and the pressure in the ink chamber 76 decreases. For this reason, the flexible member 42 is pressed so as to be recessed inside the ink chamber 76 by the pressure in the pressure chamber 86. Due to the concave operation of the flexible member 42, the pressure receiving plate 50 presses the other end 79 b of the link arm 79 against the flow path 75 against the urging force of the negative pressure holding spring 82.

When the other end 79 b of the link arm 79 is pressed toward the flow passage 75, the one end 79 a of the link arm 79 acts against the biasing force of the valve closing spring 80 through the fulcrum 83 according to the lever principle. 84 is pushed into the supply chamber 74.
Therefore, the supply chamber 74 and the flow passage 75 communicate with each other, and ink is supplied from the supply chamber 74 to the ink chamber 76 via the flow passage 75.

  When ink is supplied from the supply chamber 74 to the ink chamber 76, the negative pressure in the ink chamber 76 returns to the positive pressure side. For this reason, the pressure difference between the pressure in the ink chamber 76 and the pressure chamber 52 is reduced, and the amount of the recess in the flexible member 42 is reduced, so that the flexible member 42 tends to return toward the pressure chamber 86. When the flexible member 42 swells in the direction of the pressure chamber 86 (outward), the pressure receiving plate 50 also follows the flexible member 42 and moves in the direction of expanding the volume of the ink chamber 76. As the pressure receiving plate 50 moves, the other end 79 b of the link arm 79 moves in the ink chamber 76. As a result, the link arm 79 moves to the flow passage 75 side through the fulcrum 83 according to the lever principle together with the urging force of the valve closing spring 80. When the one end 79a of the link arm 79 moves in the direction of the flow path 75, the valve 84 closes the space between the flow path 75 and the supply chamber 74, and no ink is supplied to the ink chamber 76. The inside of 76 becomes a negative pressure.

  Even in the damper configured according to the present embodiment, the air generated by the air pump 54 is supplied to the pressure chamber 86 and the ink tank, respectively, as in the second and third embodiments described above. Supply through the chambers 58 and 60 may control the opening and closing of the valve 84.

  In the dampers of the above-described embodiments, the valves 48 and 84 are configured to always close the supply chambers 38 and 74 and the flow passages 44 and 75 by the compression spring 41 and the valve closing spring 80. , 75 can be reliably opened and closed. Thereby, it is possible to reliably control the pressure applied to the recording head 32 so as to be always equal to or lower than the predetermined pressure.

  Further, in the above-described damper, the air pump 54, the air chamber 60, and the speed controller 62 as pressure adjusting means capable of adjusting the pressure in the pressure chambers 52, 86 change the pressure in the pressure chambers 52, 86, Regardless of the pressure in the ink chambers 40 and 76, the opening and closing operation of the communicating portions of the valves 48 and 84 is possible. According to this, the valves 48 and 84 can be opened and closed as necessary by adjusting the pressure in the pressure chambers 52 and 86.

  Further, the damper described above includes an air pump 54, an air chamber 58, and a speed controller 61 that can adjust the pressure in the ink tank 12, and the pressure in the ink tank 12 is controlled by the air chamber 60 and the speed controller 62. In addition, by adjusting the pressure in the pressure chambers 52 and 86 and filling the recording head 32 with ink, normal printing is performed in an initial state where the recording head 32 is not yet filled with ink. Ink can be introduced into the recording head 32 by different pressures.

12 Ink tank 30 Inkjet recording device 31 Media 32 Recording head 33 Transport roller 34 Damper 35 Ink supply pipe 36 Platen 37 Carriage 38 Supply chamber 40 Ink chamber 41 Compression spring 42 Flexible member 44 Flow path 46 Discharge port 48 Valve 49 Shaft 50 Pressure receiving plate 52 Pressure chamber 54 Air pump 56 Air supply pipe 58, 60 Air chamber 61, 62 Speed controller 64, 66 Three-way valve 70 Damper 72 Supply port 74 Supply chamber 75 Flow passage 76 Ink chamber 78 Discharge port 79 Link arm 79a One end 79b Other end 83 fulcrum 84 valve 86 pressure chamber

Claims (6)

In a damper disposed between an ink tank in which ink is stored and a recording head that discharges ink to a medium,
Ink having a partition that temporarily stores the ink supplied from the ink tank before supplying it to the recording head, and adjusts a negative pressure due to a decrease in internal volume accompanying the supply of ink to the recording head Room,
A communication part for circulating the ink supplied from the ink tank into the ink chamber;
A valve that operates to open or close the communication part directly or indirectly by the partition;
A damper having a pressure chamber in which the partition wall is provided and the pressure can be adjusted outside the partition wall. The partition is formed by a flexible member,
The damper according to claim 1, wherein the valve is directly driven by the flexible member.   The damper according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the valve is urged by an urging means so as to always close the communication portion.   The pressure adjusting means capable of adjusting the pressure in the pressure chamber can change the pressure in the pressure chamber so that the valve communication portion can be opened and closed regardless of the pressure in the ink chamber. The damper according to any one of claims 1 to 3. An ink tank in which ink is stored;
A recording head that ejects ink onto the media;
The damper according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, and 4 mounted on a carriage together with the recording head;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a pressure adjusting unit capable of adjusting a pressure in the pressure chamber. A second pressure adjusting means capable of adjusting the pressure in the ink tank;
6. The recording head can be filled with ink by adjusting the pressure in the ink tank and the pressure in the pressure chamber by the pressure adjusting means and the second pressure adjusting means. The ink jet recording apparatus described.

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