JP2013123905A - Ink tank - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink tank capable of mitigating an impact applied to an ink supply port portion when the ink tank is dropped accidentally.SOLUTION: A protective member 33 is connected to an ink container rid 52 so as to be located around the ink supply port 51 portion.

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink tank that can be attached to and detached from a recording apparatus.

  In recent years, an ink jet recording apparatus (ink jet recording apparatus) has been used in various fields, and accordingly, the form of a recording head and an ink tank for storing ink has been diversified. For example, a printing apparatus that is connected to a personal computer or the like is strongly required to be downsized, and the printing head and ink tank are also downsized. Further, in a printing apparatus mainly used in business, there is a demand for an ink tank having a large capacity in response to the high usage frequency and the large number of recorded sheets. Typical types of ink tanks include an integrated type integrated with the recording head, a built-in type that is detachable from the holder where the recording head is provided, or a tube from a position away from the recording head. There is a separation type that supplies ink.

  Some recording apparatuses use a serial scanning method in which an image is recorded by applying ink to a recording medium by ejecting ink from the recording head while moving the recording head at a position facing the recording medium. In such a recording apparatus, if the ink tank is a separation type, it is not necessary to move it together with the recording head as in the integrated type or the built-in type. Further, since the separation type ink tank is located away from the recording head, it can be relatively freely arranged at a position in the recording apparatus. In addition, such a separate ink tank has an advantage that the ink tank size can be set relatively freely. In addition, the separation type ink tank can be widely applied to recording apparatuses in various fields of use, and the use of the separation type ink tank increases the degree of freedom in designing the recording apparatus itself. Moreover, since the separation type ink tank is separated from the recording head with a complicated structure, it can be easily disassembled after use, and its recyclability is improved by unifying the materials of the components of the ink tank. It can also be made.

  As described above, printing apparatuses mainly used in business have a high use frequency and a large number of printed sheets. Therefore, the amount of ink used increases proportionally. In such a recording apparatus, it is not necessary to frequently replace the ink tank, to reduce the running cost, and to reduce the number of ink tanks that are discarded by using up the ink, thereby addressing environmental problems. Therefore, an increase in the capacity of the ink tank is required. On the other hand, downsizing of the recording apparatus main body is also demanded.

  A small-capacity ink tank has a small total weight. Therefore, when a user accidentally drops the ink tank and an impact is applied to the ink tank, there is little problem with the ink tank. On the other hand, a large-capacity ink tank as described in Patent Document 1 has a large impact when the ink tank is dropped because the weight of the ink tank increases.

JP 2001-277531 A

  However, the large-capacity ink tank described in Patent Document 1 may be damaged when the ink supply port portion receives an impact directly when the ink supply port portion is dropped with the ink supply port portion facing downward. The ink supply port portion has a function of sealing the inside of the ink tank when the ink tank is detached from the recording apparatus. Therefore, when the ink supply port portion is damaged, not only the ink holding function, which is the main function of the ink tank, is impaired, but also there is a risk of causing leakage of ink stored inside.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an ink tank that can alleviate the impact applied to the ink supply port when the ink tank is accidentally dropped.

  The ink tank of the present invention is an ink tank that can be attached to and detached from the recording apparatus and can supply ink in a tank case to the recording apparatus from an ink supply port when the ink tank is attached to the recording apparatus. Connecting means for communicating the ink supply port with the recording device when an ink tank is attached to the recording device, and closing the ink supply port when the ink tank is detached from the recording device; And a protective member coupled to the tank case so as to be positioned around the means.

  According to the present invention, when the user accidentally drops the ink tank, the protective member absorbs a large impact applied by the dropping, and the ink supply port portion can be protected. Further, by weakening the bonding strength of the protective member to the tank case, the impact can be more reliably mitigated with the breakage of the protective member.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a recording apparatus to which an ink tank of the present invention can be applied. It is a perspective view of the ink tank in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ink tank of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the ink tank of FIG. 2. (A) is the perspective view which looked at the ink container lid in FIG. 3 from the outside, (b) is the perspective view which looked at the ink container lid from the inside. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an ink tank with different ink storage amounts. It is a disassembled perspective view of the ink tank in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the ink tank of FIG. 7.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an ink jet recording apparatus (ink jet recording apparatus) 10 to which the ink tank of the present invention can be applied.

  The recording device 10 is connected to a host PC (host device) 12 and ejects ink from four head units 13 (13K, 13C, 13M, 13Y) based on recording information transmitted from the host PC 12. The image is recorded on the roll paper (recording medium) P. The head units 13K, 13C, 13M, and 13Y are arranged so as to be shifted in the transport direction (arrow A direction) of the roll paper P. The black ink discharge head unit 13K, the cyan ink discharge head unit 13C, the magenta ink discharge head unit 13M, and the yellow ink discharge head unit 13Y are shifted in the order in which the roll paper P is conveyed. Has been deployed. These head units 13 are so-called line heads, which extend long in the entire width direction (direction perpendicular to the transport direction) in the recording area of the roll paper P, and are arranged in parallel. When recording an image, ink is ejected from these head units while continuously transporting the roll paper P without moving those head units 13. Each head unit 13 ejects ink from the nozzles using an ejection energy generating element such as an electrothermal conversion element (heater) or a piezo element. When the electrothermal conversion element is used, the ink is foamed by the heat generation, and the ink can be ejected from the ejection port at the tip of the nozzle using the foaming energy. A plurality of such nozzles are formed, and a nozzle row is formed along a direction intersecting (in the present example, orthogonal) with the conveyance direction A.

  In each head unit 13, when foreign matter such as dust or ink droplets adheres to the surface (discharge port surface) 13Ks, 13Cs, 13Ms, 13Ys on which the discharge port is formed, the ink discharge state changes and the image changes. May affect the recording of Therefore, in order to maintain a good ink discharge state in each head unit 13, a recovery unit 11 for cleaning those discharge port surfaces is incorporated in the recording apparatus 10. The recovery unit 11 includes a cap unit 16 for removing ink from the ejection port surfaces 22Ks, 22Cs, 22Ms, and 22Ys of each head unit 13 during the cleaning operation. The cap unit 16 is provided independently for each head unit 13 and incorporates a blade, an ink removing member, a blade holding member, a cap, and the like.

  The roll paper P is supplied from the supply unit 14 and is conveyed in the direction of arrow A by a conveyance mechanism 15 incorporated in the recording apparatus 10. The transport mechanism 15 includes a transport belt 15a for placing and transporting the roll paper P, a transport motor 15b for rotating the transport belt 15a, and a roller 15c for applying tension to the transport belt 15a.

  When recording an image, when reaching below the head unit 13K of the roll paper P being conveyed, black ink is ejected from the head unit 13K based on the recording information sent from the host PC 12. Similarly, cyan, magenta, and yellow ink are ejected in the order of the head unit 13C, the head unit 13M, and the head unit 13Y, and a color image is recorded on the roll paper P.

  In the recording apparatus 10, ink tanks 30 (ink tanks 30K, 30C, 30M, and 30Y) that store ink to be supplied to the respective head units 13 are detachably mounted.

  2 is a perspective view of the ink tank 30 of the present embodiment, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ink tank 30, FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the ink tank 30, and FIGS. 3 is a perspective view of an ink container lid provided in the ink tank 30. FIG.

  The ink tank case in the ink tank 30 of the present embodiment is configured by combining an ink container 31, an ink container lid 32, and a protection member 33, and ink in the ink tank case can be supplied to the recording apparatus. An elastic body 34, a fixing member 35, an ink absorber 36, and a storage medium (EEPROM) 37 are assembled in the ink tank case. The ink storage chamber 41 in which ink is stored is formed by joining the ink container 31 and the ink container lid 32 by ultrasonic welding. As shown in FIG. 5B, the ink container lid 32 is formed with a rib portion 42, and the rib portion 42 is ultrasonically welded together with the opening of the ink container 31. Further, the ink container lid 32 is formed with a fitting cylinder part 43 as shown in FIG. 5A, and the fitting cylinder part 43 is coupled to the protection member 33 by heat caulking. The method for connecting the ink container lid 32 and the protection member 33 is not limited to thermal caulking. For example, you may ultrasonically weld the rib formed in those joint parts. However, the welding area between the ink container lid 32 and the protection member 33 is made smaller than the welding area between the ink container 31 and the ink container lid 32. Thereby, the welded portion between the ink container lid 32 and the protection member 33 is set to have a lower peeling strength than the welded portion between the ink container 31 and the ink container lid 32. That is, the bonding strength between the ink container lid 32 and the protection member 33 is smaller than the bonding strength between the ink container 31 and the ink container lid 32.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, an ink supply channel 52, an air channel 54, and an ink remaining amount detection unit 55 are integrally formed on the ink container lid 32 by resin injection molding. ing. The ink supply channel 52 is formed on the inner surface of the ink container lid 32 located on the ink storage chamber 41 side, and one end communicates with the housing-shaped ink supply port 51 and the other end in FIG. Open downward. Accordingly, the ink supply channel 52 has a pipe shape extending from the ink supply port 51 downward in FIG. 5B. An air flow path 54 is also formed on the inner surface of the ink container lid 32, with one end communicating with the housing-shaped air communication port 53 and the other end opening upward in FIG. Therefore, the atmospheric flow path 54 has a pipe shape extending from the atmospheric communication port 53 upward in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the ink tank 30 of this example is mounted on the recording apparatus so that the ink supply port 51 is positioned on the lower side and the air communication port 53 is positioned on the upper side. In such a mounted state of the ink tank 30, the ink in the ink storage chamber 41 is supplied to the recording apparatus through the ink supply port 51 and the ink supply channel 52. Further, the atmosphere is introduced into the ink storage chamber 41 through the predetermined air communication port 53 and the atmospheric flow path 54 so as to maintain the inside of the ink storage chamber 41 at a predetermined pressure. In addition, the ink tank 30 of this example has a rectangular shape extending long along the mounting direction with respect to the recording apparatus. When the ink tank 30 is detached from the recording apparatus, the ink tank lid 32 is directed downward by the user. The handle portion of the ink container 31 is gripped. In such a posture, if the user inadvertently drops the ink tank 30 onto the floor, the ink container lid 32 in which the ink supply port 51 and the air communication port 53 are formed is first subjected to an impact. It will be.

  The ink remaining amount detection unit 55 is for detecting the presence or absence of ink in the ink tank 30. In other words, the ink remaining amount detection unit 55 has a prism shape, and light is emitted from the light emitting unit of the optical sensor provided outside the ink tank 30. When there is no ink in the ink tank 30, the optical sensor emits light. The reflected light is refracted and reflected. The absence of ink is detected by detecting the light by the optical reflection by the light reflecting portion of the optical sensor. In order to form such an ink remaining amount detecting portion 55 in the ink container lid 32 by integral molding, the resin material formed by the ink container lid 32 is preferably a transparent material.

  When the ink tank 30 is accidentally dropped, the protective member 33 coupled to the ink container lid 32 is directly attached to the ink supply port 51, the atmosphere communication port 53, and the welded portion between the ink container 31 and the ink container lid 32. In order to prevent the occurrence of breakage due to impact. For this purpose, the protection member 33 is coupled to the ink container lid 32 so as to be positioned around an ink supply port connection mechanism and an atmosphere communication port connection mechanism which will be described later. Further, the end of the protective member 33 opposite to the end where the ink container lid 32 is welded is shown in FIG. 4 by an ink supply port connection mechanism and an atmosphere communication port connection mechanism in the mounting direction. Is also configured to protrude.

  The protection member 33 is provided with a plurality of erroneous insertion prevention grooves (incorrect insertion prevention recesses) 38 as erroneous insertion prevention means for preventing erroneous insertion of the ink tank 30 into the recording apparatus. As the mis-insertion preventing groove 38 on the ink tank 30 side, a groove whose end is closed and a groove whose end is not closed are combined, and a rail matching the combination of these grooves is provided on the recording apparatus side. Provided. Then, the relationship between the groove combination of the erroneous insertion preventing groove 38 and the rail on the recording apparatus side is made different depending on the type of ink tank, so that it is originally inserted into the ink tank mounting position (insertion position). The insertion of ink tanks of types that should not be prohibited is prohibited.

  In the ink tank case in which the ink container 31, the ink container lid 32, and the protection member 33 are combined as described above, the dome-shaped elastic body 34 is assembled inside the housing shape portion of the ink supply port 51 and the atmosphere communication port 53. Further, the fixing member 35 is assembled so as to cover those housing-shaped portions. When the ink tank 30 is attached to the recording apparatus, the hollow connecting needles 61 and 62 (see FIG. 2) on the recording apparatus side are inserted into the ink supply port 51 and the atmosphere communication port 53. An ink absorber 36 is attached to the ink tank 30 for absorbing ink dripping from the connection needles 61 and 62 when the ink tank 30 is attached to and detached from the recording apparatus. When the ink tank 30 is mounted in a mounting unit (not shown) of the recording apparatus, the elastic body 34 located in the ink supply port 51 and the atmosphere communication port 53 allows the connection needles 61 and 62 to penetrate to store the ink. The chamber 41 is communicated with the hollow portions of the connection needles 61 and 62. As a result, the ink storage chamber 41 is substantially unsealed, the ink in the ink storage chamber 41 is supplied to an ink path (not shown) on the recording apparatus side through the connection needle 61, and the ink storage chamber 41 is not connected through the connection needle 62. Air is introduced into the ink storage chamber 41 from the illustrated air passage. When the ink tank 30 is not attached to the recording apparatus, the elastic body 34 located at the ink supply port 51 and the atmosphere communication port 53 substantially seals the ink storage chamber 41.

  Therefore, the elastic body 34, the fixing member 35, and the ink absorber 36 provided in the ink supply port 51 constitute an ink supply port connection mechanism (connection means) that connects the ink supply port 51 and the recording apparatus. The connection mechanism for the ink supply port connects the ink supply port 51 and the ink path on the recording device side through the connection needle 61 when the ink tank 30 is attached to the recording device, and the ink tank 30 is detached from the recording device. When this is done, the ink supply port 51 is closed. Further, the elastic body 34, the fixing member 35, and the ink absorber 36 provided in the atmosphere communication port 53 constitute an atmosphere communication port connection mechanism (atmosphere communication port connection means) that connects the atmosphere communication port 53 and the recording apparatus. To do. The connection mechanism for the atmosphere communication port connects the atmosphere communication port 53 and the atmosphere path on the recording apparatus side through the connection needle 62 when the ink tank 30 is attached to the recording apparatus, and the ink tank 30 is detached from the recording apparatus. When this is done, the atmosphere communication port 53 is closed.

  The protection member 33 protects these connection mechanisms by being positioned around the ink supply port connection mechanism and the atmosphere communication port connection mechanism. In the case of this example, a wall 33a is formed on the protection member 33 so as to surround the connection mechanism. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the height H1 of the protective member 33 from the surface of the ink container lid 32 (one side surface of the tank case) is determined by the connection mechanism for the ink supply port and the atmosphere communication port from the surface of the ink container lid 32. It is set to be larger than the height H2 of the connection mechanism for use. With such a configuration, those connection mechanisms can be more reliably protected. In particular, as in this example, when these connection mechanisms protrude from the surface of the ink container lid 32, the protection member 33 can be suitably employed to protect these connection mechanisms. The wall 33a of the protection member 33 does not need to surround the entire circumference of these mechanisms, and may be formed to be scattered around the periphery. In addition, in an ink tank that does not include an atmosphere communication port connection mechanism, the protection member 33 may be provided so as to be positioned around the ink supply port connection mechanism. For example, when a flexible bag is provided in the tank case and ink is stored in the bag, there is no need for an air communication port connection mechanism.

  The storage medium (EEPROM) 37 can be attached to a space formed after the protection member 33 of the ink tank case and the ink container lid 32 are combined. The storage medium 37 can store monitoring information, control information, identification information, information on the manufacturer, information on the ink amount of the ink tank 30, and the like of the recording device and the ink tank 30. Thus, the storage medium 37 can store various information that can be exchanged with the recording device.

  When the ink storage capacity of the ink tank 30 is changed in accordance with the specifications of the recording apparatus, it is only necessary to replace the ink container 31 as shown in FIG. Therefore, various types of ink tanks 30 can be configured with common parts without increasing the number of parts of the ink tanks 30.

  When the ink tank 30 of the present embodiment is accidentally dropped on the floor or the like, in many cases, the fitting cylinder portion 43 of the ink container lid 32 that is caulked by the protective member 33 is damaged by the first large impact. To do. The reason is that the welding area between the ink container lid 32 and the protection member 33 is set smaller than the welding area between the ink container 31 and the ink container lid 32, and the welding between the ink container lid 32 and the protection member 33 is performed. This is because the portion is easily peeled off. In this way, the impact is mitigated by damaging the fitting cylinder portion 43 due to the first large impact, and the large impact is directly applied to the ink supply port connection mechanism, the atmosphere communication port connection mechanism, and the ink container 31 and the ink container. It is possible to avoid a situation where the welded portion with the lid 32 is added. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of ink leakage due to breakage of the welded portion between the ink container 31 and the ink container lid 32.

  Further, when the fitting cylinder portion 43 is damaged by the impact and the protective member 33 is detached from the ink container lid 32, the protective member 33 does not reach a position where the attachment of the ink tank 30 to the recording apparatus is hindered. It is desirable that the protective member 33 and the ink container lid 32 be connected. For example, a product management tape or the like may be pasted over the protection member 33 and the ink container lid 32.

  In addition, as a material for forming the ink tank 30, it is required to use a material that can be easily recycled and a material recycled from waste. However, it is difficult to keep the material component constant for materials recycled from waste products. When the ink is touched, part of the material component dissolves into the ink, changing the physical properties of the ink and degrading the quality of the recorded image. There is a fear. Therefore, the ink tank 30 uses a recycled material as a molding material for parts that do not come into contact with ink. In addition, an adhesive component such as a label attached to the ink tank 30, for example, an ink color identification label, may change the physical properties of the ink. Therefore, the ink container 31, the ink container lid 32, and the protection member 33 are formed of the same material, and a material obtained by recycling the ink container 31 and the ink container lid 32 is used as a forming material of the protection member 33 that does not come into direct contact with ink. Is desirable. Alternatively, the ink container 31, the ink container lid 32, and the protection member 33 may be formed of the same material, and a material obtained by recycling other parts may be used as the formation material of the protection member 33.

(Second Embodiment)
7 and 8 are explanatory diagrams of the ink tank according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The basic configuration of the ink tank 30 of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above. The ink tank 30 of this embodiment is provided with an identification member 56 for identifying the ink color stored therein so as to be removable. As shown in FIG. 7, the identification member 56 can be attached to the attachment position set in the ink container 31 by inserting the identification member 56 from the arrow direction. The attached identification member 56 can be pulled out in the direction opposite to the arrow direction. A color label corresponding to the ink in the ink tank 30 is affixed to the identification member 56. Alternatively, the material of the identification member 56 has a color corresponding to the ink in the ink tank 30.

When an identification label corresponding to the color of the ink in the ink container 31 is attached to the ink container 31 or the like, the adhesive component of the identification label may change the physical properties of the ink when the forming material of the ink container 31 is recycled. There is. Moreover, there exists a possibility of causing deterioration of dismantling efficiency for the peeling operation | work of an identification label, and the operation | work which cut | disconnects the part to which the identification label was affixed. In the present embodiment, the identification member 56 can be attached to and detached from the ink tank 30 with one touch.
The recyclability of the ink tank 30 can be improved. That is, by removing the identification member 56, it is possible to eliminate the mixing of adhesive components into the recycled material of the ink container 31 after disassembly, and to improve the recycling efficiency of the ink container 31 without increasing the number of dismantling steps. it can. Further, the identification member 56 can be recycled as it is.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the so-called full-line type recording apparatus as described above, and is applicable to various types of recording apparatuses such as a so-called serial scan system that records an image with scanning of a recording head and conveyance of a recording medium. Can be widely applied. Further, the recording apparatus is not limited to the ink jet recording type, and any recording apparatus may be used as long as an image can be recorded using ink supplied from an ink tank.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Recording apparatus 30 Ink tank 31 Ink container 32 Ink container cover 33 Protection member 41 Ink storage chamber 43 Fitting cylinder part 51 Ink supply port 53 Atmospheric communication port

Claims (9)

An ink tank that is detachable from the recording apparatus and capable of supplying ink in a tank case to the recording apparatus from an ink supply port when the recording apparatus is mounted;
Connecting means for communicating the ink supply port with the recording device when the ink tank is attached to the recording device, and closing the ink supply port when the ink tank is detached from the recording device;
A protective member coupled to the tank case so as to be located around the connection means;
An ink tank comprising: The connecting means is located on one side of the tank case,
The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein a height of the protection member from the one side surface is greater than a height of the connection means from the one side surface. The tank case is configured by combining an ink container and an ink container lid,
3. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein a bonding strength of the protection member to the tank case is smaller than a bonding strength between the ink container and the ink container lid. The ink tank has an air communication port communicating with the inside of the tank case;
An air communication port connection that connects the air communication port and the recording device when the ink tank is attached to the recording device, and closes the air communication port when the ink tank is detached from the recording device. Means,
With
The ink tank according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protective member is also located in the vicinity of the connection means for the atmosphere communication port.   5. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the protection member has a shape that matches a mounting portion of the recording apparatus to which the ink tank is to be mounted.   The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the protection member includes a storage unit that stores information that can be exchanged with the recording apparatus.   The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the tank case and the protection member are made of the same material.   The ink tank according to claim 1, further comprising an identification member that is detachable from the tank case and has information about the ink tank.   The ink tank according to claim 8, wherein the identification member is made of the same material as the tank case and the protection member.

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