JP2020203399A - Liquid cartridge and liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an ink cartridge that is configured to secure application of an inclination at the time when remaining ink is reduced, using a detachment/attachment preventing mechanism that prevents detachment and attachment when supplying ink in the ink cartridge, and improve visibility of a state of the inclination.SOLUTION: A liquid cartridge includes a liquid storage member that stores liquid and an enclosure having a space for storing the liquid storage member, and is attached to and detached from a cartridge holder. The enclosure comprises an opening hole through which a detachment/attachment restriction member that restricts detachment and attachment of the liquid cartridge attached to the cartridge holder, where when the detachment/attachment restriction member is inserted through the opening hole, at least a portion of the liquid storage member is pushed up.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid cartridge and a liquid discharge device.

As a kind of liquid discharge device that executes a predetermined process by discharging a liquid, an image forming device that forms an image on a recording medium by discharging the liquid toward a recording medium is known. Such an image forming apparatus is a so-called "inverter printer". In an inkjet printer, as a method of supplying a recording liquid (liquid ink) to a liquid discharge head that discharges liquid to a recording medium, a liquid cartridge (ink cartridge) in which a liquid discharge head and a liquid storage portion are integrated can be exchanged. The method to be installed in is known. We also know a method in which a small-capacity sub-tank is mounted on the carriage together with a liquid discharge head, a large-capacity main tank that supplies liquid ink is replaceably mounted on the device body side, and liquid is replenished and supplied from the main tank to the sub tank. Has been done.

The liquid cartridge used as the main tank is composed of a bag-shaped member (ink bag) that stores liquid ink in a storage space in which the periphery of a substantially rectangular film-shaped member is bonded together, and a container that stores the ink bag. Things are known. The ink bag is provided with a liquid supply unit that supplies the liquid ink to the outside, and the liquid supply unit is arranged so as to be exposed from the container. This liquid cartridge is held in a cartridge holder installed in the main body of the apparatus, and supplies liquid ink to the liquid ejection head. The cartridge holder is provided with a liquid supply needle that is inserted into and removed from the ink bag supply port.

When the liquid cartridge is held in the cartridge holder, the liquid supply needle enters the ink bag from the liquid supply unit, and the liquid is supplied from the ink bag to the liquid discharge head by driving a pump or the like. Then, if the liquid in the liquid cartridge is taken out until the liquid cannot be taken out from the liquid supply needle, it is determined that the ink has run out (ink end). Therefore, the entire liquid cartridge or only the ink bag is replaced. However, even when it is determined that the ink is finished, not all the liquid ink is derived from the ink bag, and some liquid ink remains at a position where the liquid supply needle cannot reach.

In order to reduce the amount of residual liquid ink at the ink end, a configuration is disclosed having a tilting member that tilts a support member including a liquid storage member downward toward a liquid supply unit (for example, a patent). Document 1).

What is disclosed in Patent Document 1 is that the ink cartridge is tilted by the tilting member to lower the liquid supply port side and raise the end on the opposite side of the liquid supply port. As described above, if the ink cartridge is installed in the inkjet printer in an inclined state, there is a problem that the operability related to insertion and removal deteriorates when the ink cartridge is replaced at the ink end.

In addition, in order to reduce the remaining amount of ink, it is better to reduce the resistance at the time of liquid supply by using the head difference, but this is because it is necessary to supply the ink cartridge at a position higher than the liquid ejection head. It is preferable to arrange it in. In that case, if the ink cartridge must be tilted, the time and effort required for replacement becomes larger, and the operability related to insertion / removal becomes worse.

In addition, the cost of providing the tilting member for tilting the ink cartridge also increases. Then, when the installation position of the ink cartridge is higher than the line of sight of the user, there is a problem that it cannot be visually recognized whether or not the inclination is surely applied. Further, if the ink cartridge is arranged at a high position and is inclined, there is also a problem that the ease of replacement of the ink cartridge is impaired.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge having a structure in which the manufacturing cost is lower and the remaining amount of ink at the time of replacement is smaller.

In order to solve the above technical problem, one aspect of the present invention includes a liquid storage member for storing a liquid and a container having a space for storing the liquid storage member, and the container can be attached to and detached from the container. The cartridge holder to be held is provided with an opening hole through which a detachment limiting member for restricting attachment / detachment of the container from the cartridge holder can be inserted.

According to the present invention, the manufacturing cost is lower and the ink remaining amount at the time of replacement is smaller.

A perspective perspective view schematically showing a configuration of an embodiment of a liquid discharge device according to the present invention. The schematic diagram which shows the inkjet recording apparatus which concerns on this embodiment from the side direction. The plan view which shows the schematic structure of the inkjet recording apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows generally the structure of embodiment of the liquid cartridge which concerns on this invention. The figure which shows the operation example of the ink cartridge which concerns on the said embodiment. The figure which shows the operation example of the ink cartridge which concerns on the said embodiment. The figure which shows roughly another structure of embodiment of the liquid cartridge which concerns on this invention. The figure which shows another operation example of the ink cartridge which concerns on the said embodiment. The figure which shows another operation example of the ink cartridge which concerns on the said embodiment. The figure explaining the example of the characteristic of the liquid ink accommodated in the ink cartridge which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows another example of embodiment of the liquid cartridge which concerns on this invention. The block diagram which illustrates the functional structure of the inkjet recording apparatus which concerns on this embodiment.

[Embodiment of Liquid Discharge Device According to the Present Invention]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components will be designated by the same reference numerals on the drawings, and duplicate description will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet recording device 100, which is an embodiment of an image forming apparatus including a liquid ejection device according to the present invention, partially viewed from diagonally upward. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the inkjet recording device 100 from the side direction. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a part of the main part of the image forming unit 104 included in the inkjet recording device 100 as a perspective view.

Here, the features of the inkjet recording device 100 will be outlined. The inkjet recording device 100 can also be used as an inclination imparting member that imparts an inclination to the ink bag in the liquid cartridge by making the attachment / detachment restriction member that restricts the attachment / detachment of the liquid cartridge a plug-in type. To be equipped with. With this configuration, it is not necessary to newly provide a tilting member for reducing the amount of liquid remaining at the ink end, and the cost can be reduced. Further, depending on the state of the detachable / detachable restricting member, it can be easily visually recognized that the ink bag is surely tilted, and the operability of the user is also improved.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet recording device 100 includes a device main body 101, a feeding device 102, and a winding device 103. The object to be transported, which is a medium, is in the form of a sheet that can be wound in a roll shape, is supplied from the feeding device 102, and is configured to be collected by the winding device 103. Therefore, the transport unit of the inkjet recording device 100 includes a feeding device 102 and a winding device 103.

Applicable materials to this transported object include, for example, paper, coated paper, cardboard, OHP, plastic film, prepreg, silver foil and the like. In the present embodiment, the roll paper 120, which is a roll of paper, is used as an example.

The feeding device 102 holds a roll body 112 in which paper is wound around the hollow shaft portion 115. The winding device 103 is provided with a hollow shaft portion 114 for winding the paper, and the roll body 112 is wound around the hollow shaft portion 114. The feeding device 102 and the winding device 103 may be integrally configured with the device main body 101 instead of being separate.

The feeding device 102 supplies the roll paper 120 to the inside of the device main body 101. Inside the apparatus main body 101, an image forming unit 104 that forms an image on the roll paper 120 supplied in the transport direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 1 is arranged.

In the image forming portion 104, a guide rod 1 and a guide stay 2 which are guide members are hung on both side plates, and a carriage 5 is mainly indicated on the guide rod 1 and the guide stay 2 in the direction A of the arrow in FIG. It is supported so as to be movable in the scanning direction. The winding device 103 winds the roll paper 120 on which the image is formed.

A main scanning motor 8 which is a drive source for reciprocating the carriage 5 is arranged on one side in the main scanning direction. A timing belt 11 is hung between the drive pulley 9 rotationally driven by the main scanning motor 8 and the driven pulley 10 arranged on the other side in the main scanning direction. The belt holding portion of the carriage 5 is fixed to the timing belt 11, and the carriage 5 is reciprocated in the main scanning direction by driving the main scanning motor 8.

The carriage 5 is equipped with a plurality of recording heads 6 (6a to 6d) in which a liquid discharge head and a sub tank that supplies liquid to the head are integrated. Further, the carriage 5 is equipped with a media detection sensor 6s that detects whether or not there is a recording medium such as a roll paper 120 at a position where the liquid is discharged from the recording head 6. In the present embodiment, four recording heads 6 are mounted on the carriage 5, but the number of recording heads 6 is not limited to this. The configuration including the carriage 5 and the recording head 6 corresponds to the liquid discharge unit.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the inkjet recording device 100 sets the mounting positions of the recording heads 6a and the recording heads 6b to 6d on the carriage 5 for one head in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction (one nozzle row). Minutes) It is mounted at a different position. The recording heads 6 (6a to 6d) are mounted with nozzle rows composed of a plurality of nozzles for discharging liquid arranged in the sub-scanning direction and with the droplet discharging direction facing downward.

Further, each of the recording heads 6 has a plurality of nozzle rows (for example, two rows). Then, for the recording heads 6a and 6b, a black liquid of the same color is discharged from any nozzle row. The recording head 6c discharges a cyan liquid from one nozzle row, and the other nozzle row is an unused nozzle row. Further, the recording head 6d discharges the yellow liquid from one nozzle row and the magenta liquid from the other nozzle row.

As a result, for monochrome images, recording heads 6a and 6b can be used to form an image with a width of two heads in the main scanning direction of one scan, and for color images, for example, recording heads 6b to 6d are used. Image formation can be performed. The head configuration is not limited to this, and a plurality of recording heads may be arranged side by side in the main scanning direction.

Further, the encoder sheet 12 is arranged along the moving direction of the carriage 5, and the carriage 5 is provided with an encoder sensor 13 for reading the encoder sheet 12. The linear encoder 14 is composed of the encoder sheet 12 and the encoder sensor 13, and the position and speed of the carriage 5 are detected from the output of the linear encoder 14.

In the recording area of the main scanning area of the carriage 5, the roll paper 120 is fed from the feeding device 102. After that, the roll paper 120 is intermittently conveyed by the conveying means 21 in the sub-scanning direction (paper conveying direction) orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the carriage 5.

On one side of the carriage 5 in the main scanning direction, a maintenance / recovery mechanism 80 for maintaining / recovering the recording head 6 is arranged on the side of the transport guide member 25 (see FIG. 1).

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the inkjet recording device 100, a cartridge holder 160 for holding an ink cartridge 150, which is an embodiment of a liquid cartridge, is installed above and in front of the housing thereof. Each color of ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 150 held in the cartridge holder 160 to the sub tanks of the recording heads 6 (6a to 6d) mounted on the carriage 5 via the supply tube by the operation of the liquid pump 170.

Further, in the inkjet recording device 100, the transport means 21 includes a transport roller 23 for transporting the roll paper 120 to be fed from the feed device 102, a pressurizing roller 24 arranged to face the roll paper 120, and a roll paper 120. It has a sub-scanning sensor 21a (see FIG. 12) including an encoder and the like for detecting the amount of the conveyed paper, and a sub-scanning motor 21b (see FIG. 12) for rotating the transport roller 23.

The transfer roller 23 and the pressure roller 24 form a transfer control means. A transfer guide member 25 having a plurality of suction holes formed on the downstream side of the transfer roller 23, and a suction fan 26 as a suction means for sucking from the suction holes of the transfer guide member 25 are provided. Further, on the downstream side of the transport means 21, a cutter as a cutting means for cutting the roll paper 120 image-formed by the liquid discharged from the recording head 6 to a predetermined length is arranged.

The roll body 112 of the feeding device 102 is formed by winding a long sheet-shaped roll paper 120 around a hollow shaft portion 115 such as a paper tube which is a core member. The roll body 112 here is one in which the end of the roll paper 120 is fixed to the hollow shaft portion 115 by adhesion such as gluing, or the end of the roll paper 120 is not fixed to the hollow shaft portion 115. Can also be installed.

The feeding device 102 includes a feeding sensor 102a and a feeding roller 102b for detecting the feeding amount of the roll paper 120 by the feeding device 102, and the feeding roller 102b is a feeding motor 102c (see FIG. 6). It rotates by driving. The take-up device 103 includes a take-up sensor 103a and a take-up roller 103b for detecting the take-up amount of the roll paper 120 by the take-up device 103, and the take-up roller 103b is a take-up motor 103c (see FIG. 12). It rotates by driving.

Therefore, the roll paper 120 sent out from the feeding device 102 is conveyed directly under the image forming unit 104 by the conveying means 21, an image is formed, and the roll paper 120 is taken up by the winding device 103.

The control unit 200 (see FIG. 12), which will be described later, controls the transport of the roll paper 120 so that a constant tension is applied to the roll paper 120 by driving and controlling the feed motor 102c and the take-up motor 103c. At this time, since a constant torque is applied to the roll paper 120 being conveyed, the roll paper 120 can be conveyed without slack. The feeding roller 102b and the winding roller 103b rotate in the directions of the arcuate arrows in FIG. 2, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the device main body 101 side, a guide member 130 for guiding the roll paper 120 pulled out from the roll body 112 of the feeding device 102 and a roll paper 120 after suction downstream of the transport guide member 25 are provided. A paper ejection guide member 131 for guiding is arranged. The winding device 103 has a hollow shaft portion 114 such as a paper tube which is a core member. The tip of the roll paper 120 is adhered to the hollow shaft portion 114 with tape or the like.

The inkjet recording device 100 moves the carriage 5 in the main scanning direction at the time of image formation, and intermittently conveys the roll paper 120 that is pulled out from the roll body 112 of the feeding device 102 and guided along the guide member 130 by the conveying means 21. Transport to.

Then, the recording heads 6 (6a to 6d) are driven according to the image information (printing information) to discharge the liquid, so that a required image is formed on the roll paper 120. The image-formed roll paper 120 is guided by the paper discharge guide member 131 and wound around the hollow shaft portion 114 in the winding device 103. The roll paper 120 on the transfer roller 23 is conveyed while tension is applied from each of the feeding device 102 side and the winding device 103 side.

In the above description, an inkjet recording device 100 including a feeding device 102 that holds a roll body 112 is an embodiment of the present invention. The liquid discharge device according to the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be an image forming apparatus including a feeding device 102 that holds the roll body 112.

The liquid discharge device according to the present invention is a device including a liquid discharge head or a liquid discharge unit, which drives the liquid discharge head to discharge the liquid. The device for discharging the liquid includes not only a device capable of discharging the liquid to a device to which the liquid can adhere, but also a device for discharging the liquid into the air or the liquid.

In addition, the liquid discharge device according to the present invention may include means for feeding, transporting, and discharging paper to which a liquid can adhere, as well as a pretreatment device, a posttreatment device, and the like. Examples of the liquid ejection device include an image forming apparatus that ejects ink to form an image on paper, and a powder in which powder is formed in layers in order to form a three-dimensional model (three-dimensional model). There is a three-dimensional modeling device (three-dimensional modeling device) that discharges the modeling liquid to the body layer.

Further, the liquid discharge device according to the present invention is not limited to the one in which significant images such as characters and figures are visualized by the discharged liquid. For example, those that form patterns that have no meaning in themselves and those that form a three-dimensional image are also included.

The thing to which the liquid can adhere means the thing which the liquid can adhere at least temporarily, and the thing which adheres and sticks, the thing which adheres and permeates and the like. Specific examples include media such as paper, recording paper, recording paper, film, cloth and other recording media, electronic substrates, electronic components such as piezoelectric elements, powder layers (powder layers), organ models, and inspection cells. Yes, including anything to which the liquid adheres, unless otherwise specified.

The materials to which the above-mentioned liquid can adhere are paper, thread, fiber, cloth, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics, building materials such as wallpaper and flooring, and even if liquid such as textiles for clothing is temporary. It suffices if it can be attached. The liquid also includes an ink, a treatment liquid, a DNA sample, a resist, a pattern material, a binder, a modeling liquid, a solution containing amino acids, proteins, and calcium, and a dispersion liquid.

Further, the liquid discharge device according to the present invention includes, but is not limited to, a device in which the liquid discharge head and the device to which the liquid can adhere move relatively. Specific examples include a serial type device that moves the liquid discharge head, a line type device that does not move the liquid discharge head, and the like.

Further, as the liquid discharge device according to the present invention, there is also a treatment liquid coating device that discharges the treatment liquid to the paper in order to apply the treatment liquid to the surface of the paper for the purpose of modifying the surface of the paper. .. In addition, there is also an injection granulator which ejects a composition liquid in which a raw material is dispersed in a solution through a nozzle to granulate fine particles of the raw material.

The liquid discharge unit described above is a liquid discharge head integrated with functional parts and a mechanism, and is an assembly of parts related to liquid discharge. For example, the liquid discharge unit includes a head tank, a carriage, a supply mechanism, a maintenance / recovery mechanism, a main scanning movement mechanism in which at least one of the configurations is combined with a liquid discharge head, and the like.

Here, the integration includes, for example, a liquid discharge head, a functional component, a mechanism fixed to each other by fastening, bonding, engaging, or the like, and one in which one is movably held with respect to the other. Further, the liquid discharge head, functional parts, and mechanism may be configured to be detachable from each other.

For example, as a liquid discharge unit, there is one in which a liquid discharge head and a head tank are integrated. Further, there is a case in which the liquid discharge head and the head tank are integrated by being connected to each other by a tube or the like.

Here, a unit including a filter can be added between the head tank of these liquid discharge units and the liquid discharge head. Further, as a liquid discharge unit, there is a liquid discharge head in which a liquid discharge head and a carriage are integrated.

Further, there is a liquid discharge unit in which the liquid discharge head and the scanning movement mechanism are integrated by holding the liquid discharge head movably by a guide member forming a part of the scanning movement mechanism. Further, as a liquid discharge unit, there is a liquid discharge head, a carriage, and a main scanning movement mechanism integrated. Incidentally, the main scanning movement mechanism shall include the guide member alone.

In addition, some liquid discharge units have a cap member, which is a part of the maintenance / recovery mechanism, fixed to a carriage to which a liquid discharge head is attached, and the liquid discharge head, the carriage, and the maintenance / recovery mechanism are integrated. ..

In addition, as a liquid discharge unit, there is a liquid discharge unit in which a tube is connected to a head tank or a liquid discharge head to which a flow path component is attached, and the liquid discharge head and a supply mechanism are integrated. Incidentally, the supply mechanism includes a tube unit and a loading unit unit.

Further, the pressure generating means used for the liquid discharge head is not limited. For example, a piezoelectric actuator (laminated piezoelectric element) may be used. In addition to this, a thermal actuator using an electric heat conversion element such as a heat generating resistor, an electrostatic actuator composed of a diaphragm and a counter electrode, or the like may be used. In addition, image formation, recording, printing, printing, printing, modeling, etc. in the terms in the specification are all synonymous.

[First Embodiment of Liquid Cartridge]
Next, the details of the ink cartridge 150, which is an embodiment of the liquid cartridge, will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. 4 to 6 are schematic views illustrating an embodiment in which the ink cartridge 150 is held by the cartridge holder 160 and used.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the cartridge holder 160 has a structure in which the ink cartridge 150 can be attached and detached. The cartridge holder 160 includes a lock member 161 for restricting the attachment / detachment of the ink cartridge 150 while holding the ink cartridge 150. Further, the cartridge holder 160 is provided with a liquid supply needle 162 that is inserted and removed from the liquid supply port of the ink bag 152 that houses the ink cartridge 150.

A liquid pump 170 (see FIGS. 2 and 12) is connected to the liquid supply needle 162 via a liquid supply tube, and the operation of the liquid pump 170 is controlled by the control unit 200 to control the liquid from the ink bag 152. Ink is derived. The liquid ink drawn out from the ink bag 152 is supplied to the sub tank included in the recording head 6.

The ink cartridge 150 is composed of a container 151 and an ink bag 152 which is a liquid storage member. The ink bag 152 is housed in the container 151. The container 151 may have a structure for accommodating the ink bag 152 in a replaceable manner. The container 151 is formed with an opening hole 153 through which the lock member 161 of the cartridge holder 160 can be inserted. When the lock member 161 is fixed in the opening hole 153 with the lock member 161 inserted, the container 151 is restricted from being attached to and detached from the cartridge holder 160.

The ink bag 152 is a bag-shaped member formed by laminating the periphery of a substantially rectangular film-shaped member, and is configured so that a liquid can be accommodated in the internal space thereof. A liquid supply port portion through which the liquid supply needle 162 is inserted is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the ink bag 152.

When the ink cartridge 150 is housed in the cartridge holder 160, the ink cartridge 150 is slid horizontally from the opening of the cartridge holder 160 to move to the housed position. After that, the lock member 161 is slid and inserted into the opening hole 153 formed in the container 151 of the ink cartridge 150, and the lock member 161 is fixed in that state.

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA'of FIG. 4A. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB'of FIG. 4A. The same applies to FIGS. 5 and 6 below. FIG. 4 illustrates a state in which the ink cartridge 150 filled with liquid ink is housed in the cartridge holder 160.

FIG. 5 illustrates a state in which the ink cartridge 150 is housed in the cartridge holder 160 and the liquid ink contained in the ink bag 152 is taken out. As shown in FIG. 5A, when the lock member 161 is slid with respect to the opening hole 153 and the tip portion thereof enters the inside of the container 151, the ink cartridge 150 is locked when trying to attach / detach it from the cartridge holder 160. The member 161 and the opening hole 153 collide with each other, and the movement is restricted. In this state, the bottom portion of the ink bag 152 is pushed up by the tip portion of the lock member 161.

That is, when the lock member 161 restricts the attachment / detachment of the ink cartridge 150 from the cartridge holder 160, the ink bag 152 is inclined inside the ink cartridge 150. Since the inclination at this time is a downward inclination toward the liquid supply unit, even if the liquid ink is derived from the ink bag 152 and the remaining amount of ink in the ink bag is low, the ink remaining on the liquid supply unit side remains. To be aggregated.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, in the ink cartridge 150 in the non-detachable state, the liquid supply unit side provided in the ink bag 152 is relatively downward, and the liquid supply unit side is provided. The opposite side is relatively upward. Then, the ink cartridge 150 can be held and fixed to the cartridge holder 160 in a non-removable state, and the ink cartridge 150 can be reliably tilted.

The ink cartridge 150 in the illustrated state of FIG. 5 is in a state in which at least a part of the ink bag 152 can be easily visually recognized from the outside. That is, even when the position of the lock member 161 is compared with FIG. 4 (the state immediately after the replacement of the ink cartridge 150), it can be easily visually recognized that the position is the pushed-up position. As a result, it can be visually recognized from the outside that a part of the ink bag 152 held inside the ink cartridge 150 is also pushed up to ensure that the ink bag 152 is tilted. Further, when the lock member 161 is in the pushed-up position as shown in FIG. 5, it can be easily visually recognized that the ink cartridge 150 cannot be attached to or detached from the cartridge holder 160. When the liquid ink is taken out from the ink bag 152 in this state, it becomes as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the liquid ink cannot be derived from the ink bag 152 (ink end), the amount of liquid ink remaining in the ink bag 152 is small. In this way, the ink bag 152 can be inclined by using the lock member 161 so as to reduce the remaining amount of the liquid ink.

As described above, the ink cartridge 150 according to the present embodiment has an opening hole 153 in a part of the container 151, and has a configuration in which the lock member 161 provided in the cartridge holder 160 can be inserted through the opening hole 153. As a result, the inclination can be reliably applied to the ink bag 152. Furthermore, it can be easily visually recognized that it cannot be attached or detached. Further, if the lock member 161 is controlled so as to be inoperable when the recording head 6 is operated and the liquid ink is drawn out from the ink bag 152, the user can use the cartridge holder 160 at an inappropriate timing. It is also possible to prevent the ink cartridge 150 from being attached and detached.

The lock member 161 inserted into the ink cartridge 150 is a detachable limiting member for preventing the ink cartridge 150 from being detached from the cartridge holder 160. The lock member 161 also functions as an inclination imparting member that imparts an inclination to the ink bag 152 in the ink cartridge 150. By providing the opening hole 153 provided in the container 151 of the ink cartridge 150 at a position where the lock member 161 can be inserted, the lock member 161 can function as a detachable limiting member and an inclination imparting member.

The ink bag 152 illustrated in the above embodiment may have a configuration in which a flexible member such as a resin part or a mylar is attached to the side in contact with the lock member 161 (the portion pushed by the lock member 161). Good. As a result, when the ink bag 152 is pushed up by the lock member 161, the ink bag 152 can be prevented from being damaged, and the vicinity of the portion of the ink bag 152 pushed by the lock member 161 can be easily deformed so as to be pushed up widely.

Further, according to the present embodiment, for the purpose of reducing the amount of residual ink at the ink end, it is not necessary to newly install the tilting member, so that the cost can be reduced. Further, by visually recognizing the position (setting state) of the lock member 161 it is possible to easily recognize that the ink bag is surely inclined.

[Second Embodiment of Liquid Cartridge]
Next, the ink cartridge 150a, which is another embodiment of the liquid cartridge according to the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. The difference between the ink cartridge 150a and the ink cartridge 150 already described is that the container 151 is provided with the ink bag support member 154. Hereinafter, this part will be described in detail, and detailed description of the common configuration will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the ink cartridge 150a according to the present embodiment, the ink bag support member 154 is installed inside the container 151. The ink bag support member 154 is a long member having a length similar to the length of the container 151 in the long direction, one end of which is rotatably fixed by a rotation shaft, and the other end. It is a bottom push-up member whose portion is a free end. The ink bag support member 154 may be made of a resin or the like.

FIG. 8 illustrates a state in which the ink cartridge 150a is housed in the cartridge holder 160 and the liquid ink contained in the ink bag 152 is taken out. As shown in FIG. 8A, the lock member 161 is slid with respect to the opening hole 153 so that the tip portion thereof enters the inside of the container 151. As a result, the lock member 161 is inserted into the opening hole 153, and the ink cartridge 150 becomes non-detachable from the cartridge holder 160. Further, the lock member 161 is inserted into the opening hole 153, and the tip portion thereof pushes up the ink bag support member 154, so that the entire bottom portion of the ink bag 152 is pushed up.

In this state, the side opposite to the side where the liquid supply unit is provided faces upward with respect to the side where the liquid supply unit is provided in the ink bag 152. Then, the ink cartridge 150 is held in a state where it cannot be detached from the cartridge holder 160. When the liquid ink is taken out from the ink bag 152 in this state, it becomes as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the liquid ink cannot be derived from the ink bag 152 (ink end), the amount of liquid ink remaining in the ink bag 152 is small. In this way, the ink bag 152 can be inclined by using the lock member 161 so as to reduce the remaining amount of the liquid ink.

Then, the ink bag support member 154 reliably lifts the vicinity of the end portion of the ink bag 152, and more reliably imparts an inclination to the ink bag 152. That is, the ink cartridge 150 according to the present embodiment is provided with the opening hole 153 at a position where the lock member 161 can be inserted, so that the lock member 161 can be used as both a detachable limiting member and an inclination imparting member. Further, the ink bag support member 154 can push up the entire bottom surface while avoiding partial deformation of the ink bag 152.

[Third Embodiment of Liquid Cartridge]
Next, yet another embodiment of the liquid cartridge according to the present invention will be described. First, a phenomenon caused by the type of liquid ink contained in the ink cartridge 150b according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The liquid ink contained in the ink bag 152 contains a large amount of pigment components having a large specific gravity among the types of liquid inks, such as “white ink” illustrated in FIG. 10A. When the liquid ink does not move, the pigment component contained in the liquid ink precipitates as illustrated in FIG. 10 (b). Before attaching the ink cartridge 150 to the cartridge holder 160, when the liquid ink is agitated inside the ink bag 152 by shaking the ink cartridge 150 or the like, the pigment component is dispersed in the liquid as shown in FIG. 10A. It will be in the state of After the ink cartridge 150 is attached to the cartridge holder 160, the pigment component gradually precipitates over time, and as illustrated in FIG. 10B, precipitates, accumulates, and hardens on the bottom of the ink bag 152. ..

Once the pigment component is solidified (solidified), it becomes difficult to redisperse even if it is tried to be stirred thereafter. Therefore, it is difficult for the liquid ink once solidified to recover to the state shown in FIG. 10A even if it is stirred. This phenomenon is generally called caking. As a countermeasure for the casing, for example, the user may take out the ink cartridge 150 from the cartridge holder 160 every day, shake it, stir it, and return it.

The present embodiment is provided with a structure that can save the user time and effort for such casing countermeasures.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a structure according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the lock member 161a provided on the cartridge holder 160a is connected to the lock member sliding portion 163.

The lock member sliding portion 163 is, for example, a solenoid whose operation is controlled by the control unit 200 (see FIG. 12), and the lock member 161a is illustrated in FIG. 11 based on a control signal from the control unit 200. Slide to. When the control unit 200 detects that the operation of the recording head 6 has stopped or that the ink cartridge 150 has run out of ink (ink end), the lock member 161a is operated. At this time, the lock member 161a slides so as to make the ink cartridge 150 removable.

The ink cartridge 150 according to the present embodiment has a structure in which the ink bag 152 is pushed up by the lock member 161a when the ink cartridge 150 is locked to the cartridge holder 160 by the lock member 161a. Therefore, by periodically sliding the lock member 161a so that the control unit 200 alternates between the "locked state" and the "released state", the liquid ink contained in the ink bag 152 can be agitated. As a result, it is possible to omit the casing measures by the user.

When the control unit 200 detects the start of operation of the recording head 6, the lock member 161a is operated to slide the ink cartridge 150 so as to make it non-detachable. Then, the lock member 161a is fixed so as not to move in the state where the opening hole 153 is inserted. In this way, it is possible to control the operation of the lock member 161a and prevent the user from inadvertently detaching the ink cartridge 150 from the cartridge holder 160.

Further, when the control unit 200 calculates the remaining amount of ink in the ink bag 152 based on the operating amount of the liquid pump 170 or the like, the control unit 200 controls the degree of insertion of the lock member 161 into the opening hole 153 based on the remaining amount. You may. For example, the insertion position of the lock member 161 with respect to the opening hole 153 may be deepened according to the degree to which the remaining amount is decreasing.

[Control Mechanism of Inkjet Recording Device 100]
Next, the control mechanism of the inkjet recording device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The configurations described above will be shown with the same reference numerals in FIG. 12, and duplicate description will be omitted.

The inkjet recording device 100 is controlled by a control unit 200 that realizes a calculation function, a liquid discharge control function, a sensor signal detection function, and a motor drive control function. The control unit 200 includes a CPU 210, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) 220, and a motor driver 230.

The calculation function, the liquid discharge control function, the sensor signal detection function, and the motor drive control function implemented in the inkjet recording device 100 are realized by the cooperation of the CPU 210 and the FPGA 220. Further, the CPU 210 controls the operation of each motor mounted on the inkjet recording device 100 by using a motor driver 230 corresponding to each motor.

The output values of the linear encoder 14 and the media detection sensor 6s are input to the control unit 200, and the control unit 200 detects the position and speed of the carriage 5 based on these values. Then, the control unit 200 controls the main scanning motor 8 based on the detected position and speed of the carriage 5.

Further, the transfer amount of the roll paper 120 detected by the sub-scanning sensor 21a is input to the control unit 200. The control unit 200 controls the sub-scanning motor 21b based on the input amount of the roll paper 120 conveyed.

Further, the winding amount of the roll paper 120 detected by the winding sensor 103a is input to the control unit 200. The control unit 200 controls the take-up motor 103c based on the input take-up amount of the roll paper 120.

Further, the feed amount of the roll paper 120 detected by the feed sensor 102a is input to the control unit 200. The control unit 200 controls the feed motor 102c based on the input feed amount of the roll paper 120.

The control unit 200 controls the operation of the liquid pump 170, and detects when the liquid ink contained in the ink cartridge 150 cannot be taken out (ink end). Then, when the control unit 200 detects the ink end, the lock member 161 described later is released from the fixed state so that the ink cartridge 150 can be detached from the cartridge holder by an operation by the user.

Further, the control unit 200 periodically operates the lock member sliding portion 163 described later to continuously slide the lock member 161a for a certain period of time to collect the liquid ink contained in the ink bag 152 described later. Control the agitation operation.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the technical gist thereof, and the technical concept included in the claims is included in the technical concept. All of the matters are the subject of the present invention. Although the above embodiment shows a suitable example, those skilled in the art can realize various modified examples from the disclosed contents. Such modifications are also included in the technical scope described in the claims.

1: Guide rod 2: Guide stay 5: Carriage 6: Recording head 8: Main scanning motor 9: Drive pulley 10: Driven pulley 11: Timing belt 12: Encoder sheet 13: Encoder sensor 14: Linear encoder 21: Conveying means 23: Conveying roller 24: Pressurizing roller 25: Conveying guide member 26: Suction fan 80: Maintenance / recovery mechanism 100: Ink cartridge recording device 101: Device main body 102: Feeding device 103: Winding device 104: Image forming unit 112: Roll body 114 : Hollow shaft portion 115: Hollow shaft portion 120: Roll paper 130: Guide member 131: Paper discharge guide member 150: Ink cartridge 151: Container 152: Ink bag 153: Open hole 154: Ink bag support member 160: Cartridge holder 161: Lock member 162: Liquid supply needle 163: Lock member sliding part 170: Liquid pump 200: Control unit 210: CPU
220: FPGA
230: Motor driver

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-058088

Claims (9)

A liquid cartridge that includes a liquid accommodating member for accommodating a liquid and a housing having a space for accommodating the liquid accommodating member, and is attached to and detached from a cartridge holder.
The housing is provided with an opening hole through which a detachment limiting member for restricting attachment / detachment of the liquid cartridge mounted on the cartridge holder can be inserted.
A liquid cartridge, characterized in that at least a part of the liquid containing member is pushed up when the detachable limiting member is inserted into the opening hole. The housing includes a bottom pushing member that pushes up the bottom of the liquid containing member by the detachable restricting member that inserts the opening hole from the outside of the housing toward the space.
The liquid cartridge according to claim 1. The bottom push-up member is a long member having one end as a rotation shaft and the other end rotating, and the other end is pushed up by the detachable limiting member through which the opening hole is inserted. Rotate and push up the liquid containing member,
The liquid cartridge according to claim 2. A liquid discharge unit that discharges the liquid contained in the liquid storage member,
A control unit that controls the operation of the liquid discharge unit and calculates the remaining amount of the liquid.
A cartridge holder that detachably holds a liquid cartridge including the liquid storage member and a housing having a space for storing the liquid storage member, and
With
The cartridge holder includes a detachable restricting member that can be inserted into an opening hole provided on the bottom surface of the housing.
A liquid discharge device characterized by this. The control unit controls the degree of insertion of the attachment / detachment limiting member into the housing based on the remaining amount of the liquid.
The liquid discharge device according to claim 4. The control unit controls the insertion position of the detachment limiting member with respect to the housing based on the degree to which the remaining amount of the liquid decreases.
The liquid discharge device according to claim 5. The control unit
While the liquid discharge portion is in operation, the detachment limiting member is controlled to be fixed in a state of being inserted into the opening hole.
While the liquid discharge portion is stopped, the detachment limiting member is controlled so as to be slidable with respect to the opening hole.
The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 4 to 6. When the operation of the liquid discharge unit is stopped, the control unit releases the detachable limiting member from the fixed state inserted through the opening hole.
The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 4 to 7. The control unit slides the detachable limiting member with respect to the housing each time a predetermined time elapses.
The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 4 to 8.