JP3219624B2 - Ink refilling device for ink tank for ink recording head - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink refill container for refilling an ink container with ink and a method for refilling the ink, and is detachable from a print head used integrally with the print head. The present invention relates to a refilling device for effectively refilling an ink container having a plurality of ink storage portions with ink.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in the field of ink-jet recording, from the viewpoint of miniaturization of the apparatus and maintenance-free,
2. Description of the Related Art A cartridge-type inkjet unit in which a recording head and an ink tank are integrated has been used.
The ink jet unit is detachable from a scanning carriage provided in the apparatus, and can be easily replaced by a user with a new ink jet unit when the ink in the ink tank ends.

On the other hand, in the field of ink jet recording, there is a high demand for color recording. As a configuration that satisfies the demand for colorization by the ink jet unit as described above, for example, for color printing by arranging the ink jet units in parallel on the carriage in the scanning direction for each color, or for color printing An ink tank containing yellow, magenta, and cyan inks used and a recording head that ejects these inks are arranged side by side in parallel, and a color ink jet unit and a black only ink jet unit are arranged on a carriage. A device that performs printing is employed as a configuration for performing color printing.

On the other hand, ink jet units have recently been
A proposal has been made to solve the problem that the recording head and the ink tank are detachable so that the recording head that is still usable at the time when the ink of the ink jet unit is completed is discarded.

Therefore, it has been proposed to refill the ink tank of such an ink jet unit with ink. Specifically, Graphic Utilities inserts a metal injection needle into a bellows-type ink container,
After a hole is formed in the ink tank portion, a needle is inserted into the hole, and the bellows-type ink container is gradually crushed by input to pressurize and refill the ink.
In some cases, the ink container is shaped like a syringe and the ink is pressurized and refilled.

[0006] The ink refilling method of such a form has the following problems. That is, first, the pressurized state of the operator is often excessive due to the manual operation, and the ink supply speed is too fast than the ink permeation speed to the absorber in the tank, so that the ink is transferred from the needle tip to the inside of the tank. Since the ink overflows without being filled or the amount to be filled is unknown, the ink can only be sufficiently filled by overflowing the ink from the hole formed in the ink tank. Second, when the inside of the operable needle is used for injecting ink, the human body may be erroneously injured. Third, in order to refill the ink without causing the ink to overflow, it is necessary to maintain the pressurization in a predetermined state, and the structure for that purpose becomes complicated. Fourth, since the pressurization for refilling the ink is performed by input, the constraint time for the user to refill the ink becomes long. Fifth, in a bellows type or injection type ink container, the ink leaks out of the needle with a slight impact because the resistance is low before the needle is inserted into the ink tank. Sixth, when the ink refill kit is discarded, it must be performed for each material.

[0007] It is conceivable to refill the ink into the replaceable ink tank of such an ink-jet unit by using an opening serving as a connection portion with a recording head. Even if the refill kit is applied, the above-mentioned problems remain. Particularly, the frontage of the ink tank which is connected to the recording head is much wider than the needle of the ink refilling device. Will be even closer. on the other hand,
EP 605183 discloses an ink tank and an ink tank.
A chamber for containing ink and filling the ink with a capillary element
Devices have been devised. However, with this device
Is different between the ink supply path and the ink
The sponge body and the capillary element to ensure filling.
It is necessary to press it near the print head and near the filling.
Different sponge body compression areas created and ink exhausted
Fill the ink cartridge (ink tank) with ink
Attempt to fill these different sponge body compression areas
Air may be trapped during printing, making printing impossible.
If the ink is not completely used, sponge
Pressing the body and capillary element squeezes the sponge body,
Ink could leak out. Further, in the above-described configuration,
Has a long capillary element and large flow resistance,
Chambers that contain ink as needed or filled
When the ink inside the chamber decreases, the pressure inside the chamber decreases.
Attempts to inhale the atmosphere, but where the air flows in
There is also a problem that filling is stopped because there is almost no filling.

[0008] The present inventors have found that the conventional ink refilling is predominantly performed by an external supply capacity,
Reconfirm that excessive external force or shortage has occurred, and when the ink tank is initially filled, the ink-absorbing porous member stored in the ink tank (at least partially compressed state or before storage) When the current situation of excessively filling the ink under reduced pressure in a state where the ink is stored twice or four times compressed is found, a new finding has been reached.

In other words, in the ink-absorbing porous member filled with ink, even though the inside of the ink tank is communicated with the atmosphere, a certain fine hole in the porous material is attracted by the suction force due to the minute negative pressure due to ink consumption. Come out. Utilizing this phenomenon for refilling the ink tanks has revealed that it is possible to perform reliable ink filling without ink overflow irrespective of the ratio of ink remaining in the ink tanks.

At this time, it is important to consider that the negative pressure generated due to the consumption of ink in the ink tank is caused by the ink absorbing portion (porous material) on the ink supply side of the ink tank when the ink tank is used alone. And a separate member connected to the ink tank), a meniscus is formed by the remaining ink, and all of the ink initially filled in the ink tank is not consumed by recording, and at least the remaining ink is not consumed. Is left in the ink tank.

Based on the above findings, the present inventors have already provided an epoch-making ink refilling method and apparatus which prevent ink overflow in conventional ink refilling. That is, an ink tank having an ink-absorbing portion in a coupling region of an ink recording head and having a porous member generating a negative pressure therein, wherein at least a part of the initially filled ink is the ink tank. In the method of refilling ink consumed in an ink tank through an absorbent portion, a step of destroying a meniscus of the ink in the ink absorbent portion of the ink tank, and communicating the ink absorbing portion with the filling ink. Refilling the filling ink into the ink tank by a negative pressure generated by the porous member while consuming the ink while maintaining the state. The main characteristic requirement is to use a negative pressure generated by consumption of ink held by the porous body in the ink tank to prevent at least ink overflow without excessive ink refilling in the ink tank. Then, it is surely replenished. It is particularly preferable that the ink tank replenishes the ink from the side where the ink is supplied to the recording head so that the ink in the ink tank can be reliably filled without running out of ink.

Furthermore, since the conventional ink refilling is performed using a simple filling device, the low operability that the operator must support both the ink tank and the filling device is improved, and the operability is improved. In addition, the present invention also provides an ink refilling apparatus which can improve the ink replenishment, does not overflow, and can optimally make the ink filling in the ink tank almost equal to the initial use of the ink tank.

That is, an ink which can be attached to an ink tank for an ink recording head, which has an ink absorbing member at a connection portion with the ink recording head and has an ink holding member which is a porous member for generating a negative pressure therein. A tank holder,
Ink deriving means for holding ink to be refilled into the ink tank and supplying ink to the ink absorbing member of the ink tank; and a meniscus of the ink absorbing member provided in the ink deriving means. After the ink of the ink absorbing member and the ink held by the ink deriving means are communicated by the meniscus breaking means, The ink is refilled by the negative pressure.

The ink meniscus destruction step (or means) according to the present invention means that at least a part of the meniscus formed by the negative pressure inside the ink remaining in the ink tank is at least partially destroyed, and the refill ink is destroyed. Includes all that can be in fluid communication, such as by pressurizing the refill ink or by suctioning the ink in the ink tank, and more preferably,
Bar-shaped body with a small cross-section facing each other at a fine interval (for example,
Destruction can be achieved by inserting the refilling ink, which has risen due to the capillary phenomenon due to the needle-like pair), together with the rod-shaped body into the ink absorbing member of the ink tank. Further, as the destruction step (or means), the ink absorbing member of the ink tank is immersed in the ink for refilling to apply an external vibration force, or the ink tank itself is repeatedly applied to the ink for refilling several times. And those that break the ink meniscus by contact and separation.

Further, in the above ink refilling method,
The ink absorbing portion of the ink tank is located below the ink absorbing portion in the direction of gravity, the porous member of the ink tank is located above the ink absorbing portion in the direction of gravity, and the filling ink is supplied from below to above. is there. The filled ink can be reliably filled from the supply side in the ink tank. Further, according to the present invention, in addition to the first object, a one-way fiber bundle member provided with a one-way fiber bundle member for improving a supply property from an ink tank to a recording head is provided by an ink tank or a filling side. , The refilling of the ink can be made more uniform. In particular, when these ink tanks are in a recording state and the ink supply from the ink tank to the head side is supplied downward (preferably immediately below), the ink remaining in the ink tank becomes uniform when refilling and the ink supply is performed. Since it concentrates on the side, it can function more effectively.

The ink tank has a plurality of partitioned ink storage chambers for storing a plurality of different inks, the ink storage chambers each including the porous member, and the plurality of ink storage chambers. The bonding area having each of the ink absorbing portions is provided on the same surface side, and the filling ink is a different ink corresponding to each of the ink storage chambers,
By being supplied to each of the ink-absorbing portions from the filling ink supply means divided from each other, refilling of ink into a plurality of different ink tanks can be performed at a desired filling ratio without being excessively filled. Refilling with a plurality of different inks can also be achieved without any color mixing and in a reliable manner with a simple operation.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention further improves the above-described method and apparatus for refilling ink to make it more inexpensive and versatile.

First, in the above-mentioned ink refilling apparatus, an ink holding member which is a porous member having an ink absorbing portion at a connecting portion with the ink storage head and generating a negative pressure therein is provided. The ink tank for the ink recording head is mounted on the ink tank holding section, and the ink deriving means for holding the ink to be refilled into the ink tank and supplying the ink to the ink absorbing portion of the ink tank is securely provided. Must be linked to Here, as described above, in particular, it has a plurality of divided ink storage chambers for storing a plurality of different inks, and the coupling area having the ink absorbing portions of each of the plurality of ink storage chambers is flush with the same area. When the ink tank provided on the side is refilled with a plurality of different inks, it is necessary to hold the ink tank in order to reliably connect the ink absorbing member to the ink supply means for supplying the ink. The structure of the part becomes important. That is, positioning means, fixing means, operability, stable quality, and the like.

Secondly, an ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording on a recording medium by discharging ink is used as an output terminal of an information processing system, for example, an output terminal of a copying machine, a facsimile, an electronic typewriter, a word processor, a workstation, or the like. It is used and commercialized as a printer or a handy or portable printer included in a personal computer, a host computer, an optical disk device, a video device, and the like, and in order to respond to them, many types of ink recording heads are commercialized. Have been. Among them, a printer as an output terminal uses an ink recording head and an ink tank having a relatively large ink capacity, while a handy or portable printer has a relatively small ink capacity in consideration of portability. An ink recording head and an ink tank are used. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare an ink refilling device corresponding to each ink, and the ink refilling amount is also required. A large number of ink refilling devices are required, and there are problems that the cost is increased and the management becomes complicated.

[0020]

[Means for solving the problems ] To solve the above-mentioned problems,
Mind of setting means, fixing means, operability, stable quality, etc.
Inexpensive and reliable ink refilling device
In order to achieve the purpose of providing
The filling device is a separate
Ink tank for the recording head
After the ink inside and the ink to be filled are communicated,
To the negative pressure generated by the ink tank consuming ink.
Therefore, an ink refilling device that refills ink under atmospheric communication
The ink tank is provided with the ink recording head.
Ink supply port for supplying ink to the
An ink holding member that is a porous member that generates pressure;
Between the ink holding member and the ink supply port,
Ink absorbing member kept in pressure contact with ink holding member
And ink recording with respect to the ink recording head.
Hold and position by head ink tank holding member
The ink filling device is equipped with the ink tank.
Possible ink tank holding part and the inside of the ink tank
Holds the ink to be refilled and
Ink supply hand that supplies ink to ink absorbing members
A step and the ink deriving means,
A means for breaking the meniscus of the absorbent member, the ink tank holder, said in the ink tank
The ink recording head for holding and positioning the ink tank with the ink supply port positioned below the gravity direction.
And a plurality of ink recording head ink tank holding members having different external shapes can be replaced.

Also, the type of the ink refilling device is reduced,
To provide an inexpensive and highly versatile ink refilling device
Another embodiment of the ink refilling device of the present invention is an ink refilling device.
Separable ink for recording head Ink for recording head
The tank is filled with ink in the ink tank.
After the ink tank communicates with the
Under atmospheric communication due to the negative pressure
An ink refilling device for refilling ink,
The ink tank supplies ink to the ink recording head.
Ink supply port and a porous part that generates negative pressure inside
An ink holding member which is a material;
Between the ink holding member and the ink supply port.
And an ink-absorbing member maintained in a state.
Ink tank for ink recording head
The ink is filled and held by a holding member.
The apparatus includes an ink tank storage to which the ink tank can be attached.
Holding section and ink to be refilled into the ink tank.
Holds the ink tank against the ink absorbing member
Ink deriving means for supplying ink by means of
A meniscus of said ink absorbing member
Means for destroying the ink tank,
Are a plurality of ink recording heads having different outer shapes.
An ink tank holding member.
The ink supply port of the head ink tank holding member is
The ink tank is positioned below with respect to the direction of gravity.
Are held and positioned.

In the present invention, the filling level of the refilling ink is slightly changed due to a change in the liquid level of the refilling ink at the time of refilling the ink. By holding the ink in a container that maintains a liquid level almost equal to the position where the ink absorbing portion receives the filling ink, refilling is more dominant due to the negative pressure caused by ink consumption in the ink tank. Thus, the ink refill state in the ink tank can be further uniformed.

Further features of the present invention can be understood from the following description of the embodiments.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 8 shows ink tank mounting sections 110 and 11 mounted on a carriage of an ink jet recording apparatus.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an example of an ink jet unit 101 including a printer 1;

As shown in FIGS. 8 (a), 8 (b) and 8 (c), a housing 10 having a pair of side plates of the ink jet unit 101 and a back plate connecting the pair of side plates.
3 and a housing 1 provided opposite the back plate of the housing 103.
03, which constitutes the storage space for the ink tank
13 and a middle plate 104 for dividing a space surrounded by these plates into two regions, and the divided spaces serve as a mounting portion 110 for the color ink tank and a mounting portion 111 for the black ink tank. . In addition, the front plate 113 is the housing 1
03, which is about 1/3 of the height of the top plate 1
The opening on the 13th side is an ink tank insertion portion from which the ink tank is attached and detached.

At the upper end on the back plate side constituting the housing 103, there is a cover portion 105 projecting toward the mounting portions 110 and 111. The cover portion 105 generates a sense of insertion resistance when the ink tank is inserted. A slanted part 10 that is slanted from the insertion side toward the mounting parts 110 and 111 side.
5a is provided. The cover portion 105 is provided at a position where it interferes with a corner of the ink tank on the side opposite to the ink supply port side of the ink tank at the insertion side of the ink tank mounted in the mounting portion, and is inserted by the inclination of the 105a. When the resistance at the time increases and the above-mentioned corner reaches the horizontal urging means 105b following the inclined portion 105a, the resistance is released and a click is generated. The urging means 10
5b generates a force for pressing the ink tank mounted in the mounting section from above to below.

At the bottom of the ink jet unit 101, an ink tank is inserted into the ink tank, and the ink in the ink tank is discharged from nozzles Bk, C, M, and Y (201Bk, 20B, respectively).
1C, 201M, 201Y)
1 (Y, M, C,
Bk; M and Bk are not shown), and have a predetermined length so that they can be inserted into the ink tank.
And 111 project inside.

As shown in FIG. 8, a filter 109 (Y, Y, Y) is provided in the opening inside the housing of the recording head side lead-out pipe 107 arranged on the side of the mounting section 110 where the color ink tank and the black ink tank are mounted. M, C, Bk; M,
Bk is not shown), and has a predetermined length so that it can be inserted into the ink supply port of the ink tank.
It protrudes inside 10 and 111.

FIG. 8 shows the flow from the outlet tube 107 to the recording head.
As shown in (d), the ink supply tubes 106 (Y, M,
C, Bk) are provided on the bottom surface of the recording head.

An elastic plate 108 (a, b) having a predetermined thickness is laid around the outlet pipe 107 on the surface of the mounting portion where the outlet pipe 107 is disposed. The elastic plate 108 (a,
As described later, b) is provided so that the rib provided at the ink supply port of the ink tank is pressed against and the ink does not leak into the ink jet unit.

As shown in FIG. 8C, the notch 11 is provided at a position facing the mounting portion 111 of the front plate 113.
2 are provided. This is such that a rib provided on a black ink tank containing black ink can be inserted, so that erroneous insertion between a color ink tank containing yellow, magenta, and cyan is prevented. .

An ink tank containing black ink is mounted on the mounting section 111 of the ink jet unit 101 having such a configuration, and a color ink tank storing yellow, magenta and cyan is mounted on the mounting section 110.

FIGS. 9 (a), 9 (b), 9 (c) and 9 (d)
1 shows a schematic configuration of an ink tank 1 containing black ink, and is a side view, a front view, a bottom view, and an upper cross-sectional view, each of which is partially cut away.

The ink tank 1 is a housing 2 for storing ink.
And a cover member 3 covering the housing 2 and having an air communication opening 5, and a buffer chamber attached to the upper portion of the cover member 3 so that ink leakage from the air communication opening 5 does not reach the outside. It has a space, and has, in a part thereof, an air opening port at a position different from the position of the air communication opening 5 and an upper member 4 having a knob 4a used when attaching and detaching to and from the ink jet unit 101. ing.

At the bottom of the ink tank, an ink supply opening 8 into which the outlet pipe 107 (Bk) of the ink jet unit 101 is inserted, and a rib 15 protruding therearound, the ink supply opening 8 and the rib 15 are provided with inclined portions 14a and 14b. A rib 12 is provided on a part of the side surface of the ink tank 1 on the side where the knob 4a is provided, and a notch 112 provided on the front plate 113 of the mounting portion 111 of the ink jet unit 101 is provided. Accordingly, erroneous mounting of the ink tank 1 is prevented. The rib 12 is also used as a guide for mounting the ink tank 1.

In the present invention, the structure in the tank is not limited. However, the present invention is particularly effective when an ink absorbing member is provided in an ink supply section containing an elastic body. The ink absorbing member is preferably made of, for example, a fiber bundle supply member (hereinafter, referred to as an ink lead-out member).

In the case of using the ink lead-out member for the fiber bundle, it is preferable to attach the fiber bundle to the supply pipe with the filter on the recording head in a stable pressed state when attaching and detaching the ink tank. The effect can be obtained in any of the mounting methods of the present invention.

The above-mentioned ink lead-out member is, for example, as shown in FIG.
It takes a form like 7 in (a). In the present invention,
As shown in this figure, the ink lead-out member 7 provided between the ink absorber 6 and the ink supply opening 8 is an ink absorber, and it is preferable that a fiber bundle is arranged at least on a surface facing the ink tank. However, it may be composed only of an ink absorber such as a sponge without a fiber bundle. A support portion 9 for supporting the ink lead-out member 7 in the tank is provided upright corresponding to the ink supply opening 8. A part of the inner surface of the support portion 9 is provided with a slit for communicating the inside and the outside of the ink tank.

The ink lead-out member referred to here is an ink supply member that guides ink in one direction. In this embodiment, the ink guide member guides ink from the ink absorber toward the ink supply opening 8.

In this embodiment, the ink holding member which is a porous member disposed in the ink storage portion of the ink tank is
An ink absorber compressed and stored is used. Examples of the ink absorber to be impregnated with the ink include a sponge and the like.

The ink lead-out member 7 is fixed to the holder of the ink jet unit and is kept in pressure contact with the compressed and stored ink absorber 6, so that the ink absorber at the contact portion is always deformed. Due to the deformation of the ink absorber, the capillary force can be increased and the ink can be concentrated near the ink lead-out member 7.

Thus, even when the recording head and the ink tank are separated, ink is always supplied to the ink lead-out member, and a meniscus is formed on the surface of the ink lead-out member on the ink supply opening side. It does not draw in air.

When the recording head and the ink tank are combined to form an ink flow path, it is necessary to promote the flow of the ink into the ink lead-out member and to prevent the ink from being cut off to reduce the residual amount of the ink. As a result, the use efficiency of the ink stored in the ink tank is improved.

When the ink absorber is housed in a compressed state, the ink absorber may be pressed against the ink absorber as shown in FIG. Therefore, the vicinity of the press contact portion is most deformed, and the ink can be concentrated near the press contact portion.

In the case of using an ink absorber having a low degree of compression at the time of compressing and storing the ink absorber or having a low elastic coefficient, the ink lead-out member is pressed into the ink absorber in order to surely deform the ink absorber. Therefore, a configuration in which the ink is always concentrated is preferable.

The term "press-fitting" as used herein means that the ink lead-out member is pushed into the ink absorber with a force stronger than the pressing force at the time of normal press-contact and pressed.

In general, in an ink jet recording apparatus, the head pressure at the discharge port of the recording head is properly maintained, and the print quality is deteriorated due to ink leakage from the discharge port of the recording head or defective ink supply to the discharge port. Prevent drop. In order to stabilize the performance of the ink jet recording apparatus, the pressure of the ink supplied to the ink jet recording head is made negative with respect to the atmospheric pressure (generally 0 mmAq or less -150 mm).
mmAq or more, desirably -30 mmAq or less-100 m
(mAq or more).

Incidentally, the negative pressure in the present invention is a back pressure in the ink supply direction from the ink tank to the recording head during recording, and is particularly used for maintaining the recording head at a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure. Back pressure is called negative pressure.

Due to the connection between the ink jet recording head and the ink tank, the filter of the ink jet recording head comes into close contact with the ink lead-out member with a predetermined pressing force.

The pressing force is determined by the amount of protrusion of the ink introduction portion on the recording head side and the distance from the outer surface of the ink tank attached to the recording head to the contact surface of the ink lead-out member that comes into contact with the ink introduction portion on the recording head side. It depends on the distance, that is, the depth of the ink supply opening.

By this coupling, an ink flow path is formed from the porous member in the ink tank to the ink introduction section on the recording head side via the ink lead-out member, and ink can be supplied to the recording head. .

Further, an O-ring is provided at the joint between the recording head and the ink tank, so that the ink flow path formed by the connection between the ink introduction portion and the ink supply opening can be kept in a sealed state. In addition, it is possible to prevent ink leakage from the connection portion and minimize evaporation of the ink.

The ink lead-out member 7 is usually made of a fiber bundle.
Suitable materials are mainly polyester, nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene, cellulose, polyurethane and the like, and those which are chemically stable to ink and have good wettability are desirable.

As a criterion for judging good wettability, a small contact angle of ink is generally cited. A material having a large contact angle such as a so-called Teflon-based material can be used by performing a hydrophilic treatment. However, from the viewpoint of an increase in the number of manufacturing steps for the hydrophilic treatment and an increase in product cost, it is desirable that the ink has a small contact angle.

Further, as a fiber material other than the above, a fiber such as metal, glass, carbon or the like may be used, or the above-mentioned respective fiber materials may be mixed.

Since the ink lead-out member forms a part of the ink flow path, the ink supply direction must be provided. Then, since it comes into pressure contact with the introduction portion of the recording head, it is necessary to have physical strength enough to maintain the shape. For this purpose, it is preferable that the fibers are bound to form a fiber bundle.

The condition for determining the upper limit of the thickness of the fibers forming the ink lead-out member is the adhesion between the filter provided in the ink introduction section and the ink lead-out member. In this respect, the thickness is desirably 0.05 mm or less. The lower limit of the fiber thickness is desirably 0.01 mm or more in order to facilitate the cost and the formation of the fiber bundle from the viewpoint of employing a configuration in which the ink lead-out member binds the fibers.

As a means for binding the aggregate of fibers, there is a method of curing the outer periphery of the fiber bundle with a resinous binder (binder). Thereby, a hardened region is formed near the outer peripheral portion of the ink lead-out member.

Here, as the resin to be impregnated from the outer periphery of the fiber bundle, polyurethane of polyester polyol,
If suitable for the purpose, for example, a melamine-based binder can be used.

As a means for forming a hardened region for binding the fibers, a method of welding by applying heat or pressure from the outer peripheral portion may be used in addition to the above-mentioned resin binder. Instead of forming the hardened region, the fiber bundle may be covered with another member. However, in the case of forming the above-described cured region, the binder can be impregnated at the same time as the molding, whereas when the fibers are covered and bound, the fibers must be covered in a bound state, Since the molding is performed so as to have a uniform strength, the manufacturing process may be complicated. Therefore, a configuration in which a hardened region is provided seems to be desirable.

Regarding the formation of the fiber bundle, the ink supply direction of the fiber can be maintained, and the fiber is deformed when pressed against the ink introduction portion on the recording head side so that the ink supply becomes impossible or non-uniform. The configuration and method are not limited to those described above.

As shown in FIG. 9D, a rib 13 is formed on the upper member 4 so as to form a predetermined space between the ink absorber 6 and the upper member 4, and the upper member 4 is provided on the front side of the lid member 3. Is provided with a band-shaped convex portion 3a.

The corner 2a of the ink tank engages with the above-mentioned inclined part 105a provided on the cover part 105 provided on the ink jet unit 101. At this time, when the ink tank is inserted, the insertion resistance gradually decreases. The size of the ink tank is taken into consideration so as to increase the positional relationship. Further, the urging means 10 provided on the cover 105
5b, the sense of insertion resistance is instantaneously released, and the user feels a click in his hand, and can reliably confirm insertion. Further, the urging means 105b applies a downward force to the ink tank 1 from above to stabilize the mounting state of the ink tank.

The belt-shaped convex portion 3a engages with a disengagement prevention portion 105c provided at a position different from the above-described inclined portion 105a provided on the cover portion 105 provided on the ink jet unit 101, and disengages when mounted. Produces a preventive action.

As in the present invention, the large effect that the user can surely confirm that the ink tank has been inserted in the direction in which the ink tank can be inserted in a space-saving manner is achieved by the shape of the inclined portion 105a of the cover 105 and the urging means 105b. And the arrangement thereof, and the vertical and horizontal dimensional relationships of the ink tank for achieving the stable and reliable operation, and the reliable prevention of disengagement when the ink tank is removed by the disengagement prevention portion.

Further, a plurality of vertically continuous ribs 13 are provided on the inner side surface of the ink tank, and a predetermined space portion is formed between the side surface of the ink tank and the ink absorber.

In this ink tank 1, the ink supply opening 8 is formed so as to be biased to one of the bottom surfaces of the ink tank as shown in FIG. 9C. Therefore, the ink absorber easily adheres to the other bottom surface of the ink tank without any gap. If the ink absorber adheres to the bottom surface of the ink tank without a gap, ink tends to accumulate in that portion. If the ink accumulates, the ink supply opening or the air communication may depend on the position of the ink tank. Ink may leak from the openings. A rib is provided on the bottom surface of the ink tank 1 in order to improve such inconvenience and prevent the ink absorber from adhering to the bottom of the ink tank without a gap.

As described above, the presence of the ribs inside the ink tank (and the presence of the slits in the support portion 9) allows the ink supply opening 8 and the atmosphere communication opening 5 to communicate with each other through the air layer. Become.

As described above, by communicating the inside of the ink tank with the outside by the air layer, first, when the sealant sealing the ink supply port is peeled off at the time of distribution of the ink tank, the ink from the ink supply port is removed. Secondly, even if the temperature around the ink tank rises during printing, the ink will not be pushed out, and thirdly, the ink will stay at the bottom of the ink tank. This has the effect of improving ink consumption efficiency.

In order to reduce the projected area of the ink tank 1 with respect to the recording head and to increase the amount of ink stored, the ink tank 1 has a smaller area at the bottom of the ink tank and a higher height of the ink tank. This is addressed by increasing the ratio. Moreover, the ink tank 1
Are configured so that the ink storage volume is increased by providing a step at a substantially intermediate portion of the ink tank 1. Further, when the ink tank is mounted on the housing 103 of the ink jet unit, the step has an effect of creating a sense of unity in design as the ink jet unit.

The outer dimensions of the ink tank 1, excluding the upper member 4, are approximately 51.4 mm in height and 38.4 in upper depth.
mm, bottom depth about 34.9 mm, rib 12 depth about 2.7 mm, top width about 16.9 mm, bottom width about 11.1
mm, height from the bottom to the step of the ink tank about 2
It is configured as 4.4 mm. That is, the ink tank is shaped so that the ink tank spreads slightly from the bottom toward the top. That is, the step between the upper and lower parts is almost at half.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 10 (a), (b), (c) and (d), color inks (in this example, yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M) The color ink tank 21 containing these inks is formed integrally with the ink tank containing these inks.

The color ink tank 21 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the inside of the ink storage casing 22 is partitioned by substantially T-shaped partition members 36 and 37. The storage amounts of the color inks stored in the respective ink tanks partitioned in this manner are substantially equal to each other. By partitioning the inside of the ink tank in this way, the arrangement of the ink supply ports is gathered near the areas adjacent to each other in the partitioned ink storage section as shown in FIG.

By partitioning the inside of the ink tank as described above, and by providing the ink supply ports in the vicinity of mutually adjacent areas of the ink storage section partitioned into a substantially T-shape, connection with the recording head section is achieved. The space can be extremely small, and the projected area of the ink tank can be reduced. Further, a large storage capacity of the ink in the ink tank can be maintained for the projected area or the connection space.

The dimensions of each part of the ink tank 21 having such a structure, except for the upper member 24, are about 56.
5mm, top depth about 38.4mm, bottom depth about 3
The height of the ink tank is about 1.5 mm (the depth of the middle part is about 34.5 mm), the upper width is about 19.3 mm, the bottom width is about 18.1 mm, and the height from the bottom to the step of the ink tank is about 29.5 mm. In other words, the upper and lower steps are almost 1
/ 2.

The structure of the other main ink tanks is almost the same as that of the ink tank 1 described above. The ink tank 21 covers the housing 22 for ink storage and the opening 22 for air communication (Y, M). , C; M and C are not shown), and is attached to an upper portion of the lid member 23;
In addition to having a space serving as a buffer chamber so that ink leakage from each air communication opening 25 does not reach the outside, one air opening port is provided in a part thereof at a position different from the position of each air communication opening 25, And an upper member 24 having a knob portion 24a used when attaching and detaching to and from the unit 101.

At the bottom of the ink tank, the outlet pipe 107 (Y, M, C) of the ink jet unit 101 is provided.
Are inserted into the ink supply openings 28 (Y, M, C) and ribs 35 (Y, M, C) protruding therearound,
The ink supply opening 28 (Y, M, C) and the rib 35 (Y,
M, C) with the inclined portion 34a (Y, M, C). Since the ink tank 21 is attached to the ink jet unit 101 by using a rotating operation as described later, the ink supply openings 28 (Y, M, C) abut against the leading end of the lead-out tube 107, so that the ink tank 21 is smoothly placed. The 34a (Y, M, C) side is formed as an inclined surface with a gentle angle so as not to hinder mounting. Particularly, the ink supply openings 28 (Y, Y, Y) of the yellow tank portion and the magenta tank portion where the lead-out portion 107 first enters the ink supply opening by the rotation mounting.
The inclination of M) corresponds to the ink supply opening 28 in the cyan tank portion.
The configuration is gentler than the inclination of C.

As described above, the ink supply opening 28 (Y, M, C) is connected to the outlet pipe 10 during the rotation operation by making the inclination of the upstream side of the rotation insertion scan of the ink tank gentle.
7 (Y, M, C) can be smoothly rotated and inserted in a space-saving manner. Further, as will be described later, the sliding operation of the ink tank toward the near side in the insertion direction at the bottom of the housing immediately before the end of insertion is also described. It will be done smoothly.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the inside of the ink tank 21 contains an ink absorber 26 (Y, M, C). An ink lead-out member 27 (Y, M, C) is provided between the ink supply opening 28 (Y, M, C). A slit for communicating the inside and the outside of the ink tank is formed in a part of the inner surface of the support portion 29 (Y, M, C) for supporting the ink lead-out member 27 (Y, M, C) in the tank. It is provided in.

The lid member 23 has an ink absorber 26
A rib 33 is provided so as to form a predetermined space between the cover member 23 and a belt-like convex portion 23a on the front side of the cover member 23. The belt-shaped convex portion 23a engages with the cover portion 105 provided on the ink jet unit 101 to apply a force to the ink tank 21 in a direction from the upper portion to the lower portion,
Stabilize the mounting state of the ink tank.

Further, a plurality of vertically continuous ribs 31 are provided on the inner side surface of the ink tank, and a predetermined space portion is formed between the side surface of the ink tank and the ink absorber.

In the ink tank 21, the ink supply openings 28 (Y, M, C) are formed so as to be biased to one of the bottom surfaces of the ink tank as shown in FIG. Therefore, the ink absorber easily adheres to the other bottom surface of the ink tank without any gap. If the ink absorber adheres to the bottom of the ink tank without gaps,
Ink is likely to accumulate in that portion, and if ink accumulates, ink may leak from the ink supply opening or the air communication opening depending on the position of the ink tank. In order to improve such inconvenience and prevent the ink absorber from adhering to the bottom of the ink tank without any gap, a rib 30 is provided on the bottom of the ink tank 21 in each ink storage section.

As described above, the rib 30 is provided inside the ink tank.
The presence of the ribs 31 and the presence of the slits (and the presence of the slits in the support portion 29) allow the ink supply opening 28 and the air communication opening 25 to communicate with each other through an air layer.

As described above, by communicating the inside of the ink tank with the outside by the air layer, first, when the sealing material sealing the ink supply port is peeled off at the time of distribution of the ink tank, the ink from the ink supply port is removed. Secondly, the ink can be prevented from being blown out and leaked. Secondly, even when the temperature around the ink tank rises during printing, the ink is not pushed out. There is an effect that ink does not stay at the bottom of the ink and the ink consumption efficiency is improved.

Further, if the ink tank is (Y, M, C)
Equipped with ink for three colors, and has an opening for inserting a connection part that can take out all three colors on the same surface (holder connection surface),
The three color inks are used as ink holding members (ink absorbers).
And an ink holding member of the ink tank in the case of a separation type housed in two members, an ink absorbing member (ink lead-out member) which is present between the holding member and the opening and has a larger capillary force than the holding member. According to the refilling method and apparatus of the present invention, even if the amount of ink that can be accommodated in the absorbent member is different, or the shape and size of the ink holding member or the amount of ink used are different, Can be made equal to the amount before starting use.

That is, even if the user has used up one color, the same amount of ink as that at the time of the initial purchase is always used, and the ink of all colors is used when refilling is completed without refilling other inks. Refilling is possible so that the holding amount becomes uniform.

Next, typical examples using the present invention will be given.
The configuration and effect will be described.

First, FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the ink tank mounted on the head holder. Where 26
(C, M) is an ink holding member which is a porous member, 27
(C, M) is a press-contact body which is an ink-absorbing member filled in a connection portion between the ink holding member and the opening.
These are, for example, an absorber using foamed polyurethane as the ink holding member 26 (Y, M, C),
Examples of 7 (Y, M, C) include polyester fibers sintered with a resin binder and appropriately cut.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section taken along the line AA in a state where the ink tank is connected to the head holder. Here, reference numeral 107 (Y, M, C) denotes a columnar structure protruding from the holder, and the end surface thereof is pressed into the press contact body 27 (Y, M, C) which is viewed from the opening surface of the ink tank. Ink path 106 which is a path through which ink can be conducted
(Y, M, C). Further, a filter 64 (Y, M, C) is provided on the press-contact body joining surface so as to enable more stable ink supply.

Normally, when ink is used, the ink is collected from the ink holding member 26 to the pressure contact body 27 having a higher capillary force, and the ink is stable via the ink path 106 as long as the ink is taken out from the end face. Supplied.

However, even before the ink supply amount reaches the initial ink injection amount, that is, even if the ink remains in the ink tank, the static negative pressure P generated in the ink holding member 26 and the pressure contact member 27 is reduced. If it becomes too large, air will be drawn from between the press contact body 27 and the holding member 26 or between the filter 64 and the press contact body 27, and ink will run out. FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the amount of ink used and the static negative pressure P at this time.
Shown in

In FIG. 3, the point B is the point at which the ink runs out. This position is determined by changing the contact state between the holding member 26 and the press contact body 27 and the contact state between the filter 64 and the press contact body 27 so as to take in air. It changes because the ease changes,
Usually, in the case of an ink tank using foamed polyurethane, it is around 100 to 150 mmAq.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of an ink tank refilling device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a refilling device equipped with an ink tank 21. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. The ink tank holder 100 (hereinafter, referred to as a holder) is the housing itself of the above-described ink jet unit 101 in FIG. FIG. 7 is a view as seen from the arrow B in FIG. 1 and 6, the holder 103 has a housing 103, a cover 105, and a front plate 11.
3. Ink lead-out unit 107 (Y in this case), elastic member 1
08, and a positioning portion and the like are provided so that the ink tank 21 can be attached and detached in the same manner as in the ink jet unit of FIG.

The mounting body 500 includes the ink chamber 50.
4. Ink outlet pipe 506, pressure bellows 50 as pressure means
2 are provided, and ink 510 is stored in the ink chamber. In this example, the case of yellow ink will be described, but the same applies to cyan (C) ink and magenta (M) ink.

The holder 100 is positioned on the filling device main body 500 by the positioning pins 116a and 116b, and is fixed by swaging (116a '). Thereby, the ink supply pipe cover 106k and the ink outlet pipe 506
End 506E is positioned. In this state, the ink supply pipe cover 106k and the end 5
06E is fixed with an adhesive 507. The adhesive used at this time is preferably a silicone sealant or a urethane-based adhesive in consideration of the passage of ink.

Although the ink tank 21 is mounted in FIG. 1, the rubber bellows 50
2c, a rubber cap (not shown) is also attached to the ink lead-out section 107Y to prevent ink leakage during transportation.

When the two caps are first removed, the ink surface 509 and the ink meniscus 506M in the ink outlet tube 506 are balanced by the atmospheric pressure and have the same height. Next, when the used ink tank 21 is mounted, the nick 510 is sucked up by the static negative pressure of the ink holding member 26 in the used ink tank 21. However, if the meniscus 506M is present in the ink outlet tube 506, the suction may be hindered. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
02 is pushed downward as indicated by an arrow T1, and the meniscus 50 is pushed.
6M is pushed up to come into contact with the ink lead-out member 27Y. Thus, the remaining ink (not shown) in the ink tank 21 and the ink 510 in the ink chamber 504 are connected.

Next, by releasing the finger 511 in the direction of the arrow T2, the opening to the atmosphere is instantaneously performed.

By the above operation, the ink 510 in the ink chamber 504 is removed from the ink holding member 26 in the ink tank 21.
It is surely sucked up by the static negative pressure. Finally, the ink surface 509 is set at a distance of E, for example, 20 mm from the lower surface of the ink lead-out member 27Y, due to the static / negative pressure characteristic that the ink holding member 26 should have.
Further, by repeating refilling of the ink, the ink chamber 50 is refilled.
Ink 4 decreases and the distance of E increases, but in order not to change the static / negative pressure characteristics largely, it is preferable that the height D of the ink in the ink chamber is about 10 mm.
Therefore, when putting a lot of ink into the ink chamber 504,
The ink chamber 504 is flat as shown in FIG.

Here, in FIG. 5, the holding member 26Y holding the yellow ink (Y) and the pressing member 27
When the static negative pressure generated at Y reaches point B in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, when the ink tank is mounted in the ink refilling unit and the ink in the ink refilling device and the residual ink in the ink tank communicate with each other via the pressure contact body 27, the ink is stored in the ink chamber 504. The held ink is applied to the holding member 2
The ink is sucked up into the ink tank by the static negative pressure PB (FIG. 3) generated in 6Y and the press contact body 27Y. At this time, the behavior of the static negative pressure on the tank end surface is the H direction opposite to the negative pressure behavior I direction when using the ink in FIG.

Here, the connecting columnar structure in the present apparatus has the filter 64 and the ink path 62 shown in FIG. 5, but by changing the diameter of the ink path, the static negative pressure is reduced. By adjusting the operating pressure of the PB, the ink refilling speed can be varied. However, if the diameter is too large, the action of the ink's own weight in the diameter becomes too large, and the ink will run out in the ink path without being refilled up to the initial ink injection amount. In order to prevent such a case, a preferable diameter is φ5 or less.

In the case of such a device, even if the ink use statuses of the three colors are different, the initial configuration is set to PY so that the above-mentioned head pressures in the ink filling devices of the respective colors become equal.
By setting = PM = PC, ink can always be supplied until the required static negative pressure PE is reached.

As shown in FIGS. 12 to 18, the ink tank 1 and the color ink tank 21 configured as described above respectively
3 is rotatably mounted on the upper portion 114 using a part of the housing as a guide portion.

Here, from the viewpoint of space saving, the direction of inserting the ink tank into the housing is such that the ink tank surface facing the guide portion of the housing and the opposite side of the housing surface where the guide portion is located. (See FIG. 12 described later)
Θ) of 5 ° to 45 °. At angles outside this range, there is no substantial difference in required space compared to conventional linear mounting from above or from the side.

FIGS. 12 to 18 show, in particular, how the color ink tank 21 is mounted in order.

That is, as shown in the state I of FIG. 12, the ink tank 21 is picked up from the ink tank insertion portion which is an opening between the housing 103 and the front plate 113 of the ink jet unit 101, and the vicinity of the picking portion is picked and inserted. . At this time, the upper side portion 114 of the front plate 113 is used as a guide portion, and a part of the ink tank is in contact with the upper portion 114 (P1).
The lower corner of the ink tank abuts against the side surface of (P2). Then, the lower corner portion gradually rotates downward while rotating about P1 to reach the state II shown in FIG. Further, the lower corner of the ink tank slides downward to reach the state III (FIG. 14).

At this time, it is extremely important to make the user's hand feel smooth with respect to the movement of the ink tank during rotation insertion.
By providing an R shape (about R3) at the corner of the ink tank which abuts the side surface (inside of the back) of the housing 103 shown in FIG. When the ink tank moves downward due to the sliding of the ink tank at P1 after the (P1) is almost rotationally inserted while moving, the P
2 can smoothly move in relation to the movement of P1, and the user feels good.

At the time of state III, the lower corner of the ink tank reaches the inner bottom of the casing 103 (P3),
An inclined portion provided in the lower corner portion on the opposite side of the ink tank so as to be continuous with the R shape is in contact with the inner wall of the housing 103. In FIG. 14, at the time of the state III, the ink outlet pipe 107Y starts to be inserted into the ink supply opening of the ink tank (note that the ink supply opening of the magenta ink tank adjacent to the yellow ink tank also The ink outlet tube 107M starts to be inserted.) However, if the ink outlet tube 107 is provided with an ink outlet member having the fiber bundle, the fiber bundle may be damaged by friction between the fiber bundle and the ink supply opening. It is desirable to adjust the dimensions of the housing and the ink tank so that the ink outlet tube and the ink supply opening of the ink tank do not come into contact with each other from state III to state IV described below.

At this time, the tip of the ink lead-out tube 107 comes into contact with the ink supply opening, but in order to improve the mounting, the opening is formed as a slope as shown in FIG.

It should be noted that, since the mounting is performed by the rotation operation, the order of contact with the ink outlet pipe is shifted depending on the position of the ink supply opening, and therefore, the slope of the slope becomes gentler as the opening comes into contact first. In other words, yellow and magenta have almost the same slope, and the slope of the cyan opening has the steepest angle.

As described above, the slope is provided in the ink supply opening, the slope on the upstream side in the direction of insertion into the housing is made gentle, and the opposite side is made tight, so that the ink can be rotated and inserted into the housing. Outlet pipe 107 connected to the tank
Can rotate without interfering with the opening just before the opening of the ink tank, and can be designed without expanding the ink supply opening more than necessary.

When the insertion is further continued, the position of P3 at which the lower part of the ink tank contacts the inside of the casing moves so that the position of P3 is shifted toward the insertion side, and the inclined rib 115 inside the 114 provided on the casing 103 is inclined. Tilt along the part.

At this time, the corner on the downstream side in the upper insertion direction of the ink tank coincides with the position of the tip of the inclined portion 105a provided on the cover portion 105 (P5), and a feeling of insertion resistance starts to occur (FIG. 1).
5 state IV).

FIG. 19 shows the relationship between the position of P5 and the insertion resistance in the insertion operation. As shown in this figure, in the above-mentioned states I to III, there is no contact with the housing of P5, so that the insertion resistance is zero, and after the state IV, the resistance increases.

The state V (FIG. 16) shows a state in which the insertion is further advanced, and is located at a position where the resistance (resistance) has increased from the state IV (see FIG. 19B). At this time, the ink tank is pressed downward by the shape effect of the inclined portion 105a.

State VI (FIG. 17) shows a state where the angle of the ink tank approaches the end point of the (P5) inclination. At this time, as apparent from FIG. 19B, the insertion resistance peaks.

Then, the state is changed to the state VII (FIG. 18), and the mounting is completed. That is, the moment the ink tank passes the inclined portion 105a, the angle of the ink tank enters the urging means 105b,
Since b is horizontal, as shown in FIG. 19B, the sense of resistance that has occurred so far is instantaneously released and transmitted to the user's hand as a feeling of wearing.

At this time, the projections 16 and 216 provided on the ink tank collide with the inner wall of the housing due to acceleration at the time of release, and a click sound is generated. That is, a certain click feeling is generated for the user. At this time, the ink tank is pressed down by the urging means of the horizontal portion, and is securely mounted.

Next, the detachment prevention portion 200 of the cover 105 will be described with reference to FIG.

The cover 105 is a part that is ultrasonically welded to the housing 103 and is integrated with the housing 103.
(A), (b), (c), (d) and (e) show the state before welding. These figures respectively show the cover 10
5 is a side view, a front view, a bottom view, a top view, and a rear view of FIG.

FIGS. 20 (f) and 20 (g) show the above-described inclined portion 105a of the cover portion 105 and the urging means 1 respectively.
FIG. 5B is a view showing a part No. 05b, and a view showing a detachment prevention part 200. The inclined portion 105a and the urging means 105b shown in FIG. 20 (f) are arranged below the area A in FIG.
The disengagement prevention portion 200 shown in FIG.
It was arranged in the area B of (d). That is, the inclined portion / biasing means and the disengagement prevention portion are separately provided in different regions A and B.

When the projections 3 and 23 arranged on the upper side of the ink tank and on the downstream side in the insertion direction are in the state V from the state V shown in FIGS.
During the rotation operation in which the tip of the arm portion reaches the tip of the arm portion (FIG. 20 (g)) and the ink tank is pushed in while the corner of the ink tank is in contact with the inclined portion, the protrusions 3 and 23 become It moves from the gentle inclination provided at the tip to the steep inclination, and the insertion of the ink tank ends.

The shape of the arm portion is such that when the ink tank is pulled out, the steeply inclined portion becomes a shape that produces a sense of resistance, giving the user a feeling that the user can surely remove the ink tank. This is to prevent the tank from coming off.

As described above, since the click portion and the positioning portion at the time of insertion and the portion for preventing click and detachment at the time of removal are provided in separate areas, they are integrated as in the prior art. These objects can be achieved with extremely small structures as compared with those of the objects.

The height to the upper side 114 of the front plate 113 is about 22 mm, and when the ink tank is mounted, it comes into contact with a part of the ink tank. The mounting operation becomes difficult, and if it is lower than that, the function as a support member that supports the ink tank after the ink tank is mounted cannot be sufficiently exhibited.

Next, FIG. 11 shows a connection state between the ink supply opening of the ink tank and the ink outlet of the ink jet unit. FIG. 11 shows the connection of the color ink tank 21 as a representative, but the same applies to the case of the black ink tank.

As shown in FIG. 11, the ink lead-out tube 107Y of the ink jet unit 101 is inserted into the ink supply opening 28Y of the ink tank 21 and is brought into contact with the ink lead-out member 27Y while being pressed. Become. The ink leading-out member 27 is formed of a one-way fiber bundle for favorably leading out the ink in the absorber 26 of the ink tank to the outside.
When the density of the ink lead-out member 27 in contact with the ink 7 is changed, the flow of the ink in the absorber toward the ink lead-out tube is further improved, and the ink supply property can be improved. The ink outlet portions 107M and 107C are in contact with the ink outlet member 27 in a similar state.

As described above, since the ink tank and the ink jet unit are mounted, a simple and reliable mounting state can be achieved. In addition, using the rotation operation,
The mounting space can be minimized, the projected area of the ink tank itself can be reduced, and the device can be downsized without reducing the ink capacity.

Further, the rib provided around the ink supply opening of the ink tank receives a pressing force by the cover portion 105, and comes into pressure contact with the elastic member 108 provided on the bottom surface of the ink jet unit to enter a state. As a result, leakage of the ink from the portion to the outside is suppressed.

FIG. 21 is a schematic perspective view of an example of an ink jet recording apparatus on which the ink jet unit of the present invention can be mounted.
The recording is performed by applying ink to No. 2. 22 and 23 are diagrams showing replacement of an ink tank taking a color ink tank as an example in the recording apparatus.
01 is an inkjet unit, 1502 is a color ink tank, and 1503 is a black ink tank.

FIG. 22 is a view showing removal of the color ink tank. First, as shown in FIG. 22A, the user puts his finger on the knob of the ink tank and pulls it forward to remove the ink tank from the ink jet unit.
Pull up and remove as shown in (b).

On the other hand, in the case of mounting, the color ink tank 1502 is inserted obliquely to the ink jet unit 1501 as shown in FIG.
Push and attach as shown in (b).

The ink jet unit mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention releases the fixing lever 1704 as shown in FIG.
As shown by 1701 in (b), the whole unit can be replaced and can be replaced.

FIGS. 25 to 38 show a modified embodiment of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 25 shows a chicken feed type for maintaining the ink level on the ink refilling device side of FIGS. 1 and 2 substantially constant. It is explanatory drawing of an Example. The method and apparatus for refilling the ink in FIG. 25 are the same as those in FIGS. 1 and 2, and thus the description of the common parts will be omitted, and the description will focus on the different parts.

The ink chamber 504 in FIG. 25 is provided with a replenishing in-tank portion so that the supply pipe end of the chicken feed type replenishing ink tank portion contacts the ink surface 509 of the held ink. The replenishment ink tank portion has an opening at the top which is opened at the time of ink filling, and the opening is
At the time of refilling the ink, the ink is sealed by the cap 114C. When the ink in the ink chamber 504 is consumed at the time of refilling the ink, the ink surface 509 slightly lowers and separates from the supply tube end of the ink tank unit. At this time, the end of the supply pipe comes into contact with the outside air, so that the outside air is taken into the ink tank portion, and the ink inside the replenishment ink tank portion flows out by the reaction, thereby raising the ink surface 509. When the ink surface 509 comes into contact with the end of the supply pipe due to this rise, the intrusion of outside air into the supply pipe is prevented, so that the liquid level of the ink surface 509 can be maintained substantially constant. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to more reliably provide a water head difference at the end of ink refilling, and furthermore, it is possible to make the water head difference with respect to the refilled ink tank 21 in the ink chamber during ink refilling constant. In addition, the conditions for refilling ink can be made substantially constant. That is,
An ink refill amount corresponding to the negative pressure generated by the ink consumption of the ink tank 21 can be obtained more reliably.

FIGS. 26 to 38 are modified examples of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, FIGS. 26 to 28 are schematic explanatory diagrams of the embodiment, and FIG. 26 is a conceptual explanatory diagram thereof.

In the example of the apparatus of the embodiment shown in FIGS.
However, in the embodiment of FIG. 26, the holder 100A is detachable.

The holder 100A is provided with a positioning portion and the like so that the ink tank 21 can be attached and detached similarly to the apparatus of the embodiment shown in FIGS.

Further, the apparatus main body 500AB is provided with an ink chamber 504, an ink lead-out tube 506, and a pressure bellows 502 serving as a pressurizing means. This is the same as the example of the device of the second embodiment.

The holder 100A is a positioning guide 100
A and 100A 'are positioned on the filling device main body 500AB, and are further fixed by locks 500L and 500L'. This positions the ink supply pipe 107Y and the end 506E of the ink outlet pipe 506. In this state, a gap between the ink supply pipe 107 </ b> Y and the end 506 </ b> E of the ink outlet pipe 506 is attached in advance to the sealing member 50.
Seal with 7G. Thereby, the configuration is the same as that of the example of the apparatus of the embodiment of FIG. 1 or FIG.

The operation before and after the mounting of the ink tank 21 is the same as that of the embodiment of the apparatus shown in FIGS.

By the above operation, the ink 510 in the ink chamber 504 is removed from the ink holding member 26 in the ink tank 21.
It is surely sucked up by the static negative pressure. Finally, due to the static negative pressure characteristic that the ink holding member 26 should have, in the example of the apparatus of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink surface 509 is a distance E from the lower surface of the ink lead-out member 27Y. In the present embodiment, the distance E 'from the upper surface of the seal member 507G is set to 10 mm, as in the case of 20 mm.

Next, the holder 1 which is a feature of this embodiment is described.
Utilizing that 00A is detachable, a color holder 160B for a thin recording device is attached. Color holder 16
OB is easily attached because the positioning method with respect to the apparatus main body 500AB and the arrangement of the ink supply pipe 160d are the same as those of the holder 100A. Color holder 160
The operation before and after mounting the color ink tank 140 on B is almost the same as the example of the apparatus of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, and therefore the description here is omitted, and in the following specific example,
The mounting method will be described. In addition, holder 1
Since 00A is detachable, various ink tanks can be refilled with a single refilling device, and production costs and user investment can be kept low. At this time, the ink surface 50 in the ink chamber 504 is moved from the upper surface of the seal member 507G.
Needless to say, it is necessary to set the distance E 'to 9 in accordance with these various ink tanks.

FIGS. 27 to 37 are specific examples of the embodiment of FIG.

FIGS. 27 to 28 are explanatory views of the embodiment, similar to FIG. 2, and are sectional views taken along the line AA of FIG. 1A. The configuration of the apparatus main body 500 'is similar to that of the apparatus of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which an ink chamber 504, an ink outlet pipe 506, and a pressure bellows 502 (not shown) serving as a pressure means are provided. The chamber contains ink 510.

In FIG. 27, the holder 100 is positioned on the filling device main body 500 ′ by positioning pins 116 a and 116 b, and is fixed by a holder lock lever 520 urged by a spring 521. Thus, the ink supply pipe cover 100k and the end 506 of the ink outlet pipe 506 are formed.
E is positioned. In this state, the ink supply tube cover 106k and the end 506E of the ink outlet tube 506 are positioned. In this state, a gap between the ink supply pipe 107Y and the end 506E of the ink outlet pipe 506 is sealed with a seal member 507G attached in advance. Thereby, the configuration is the same as that of the example of the apparatus of the embodiment of FIG. 1 or FIG.

The operation before and after the mounting of the ink tank 21 is the same as that of the embodiment of the apparatus shown in FIGS.

By the above operation, the ink 510 in the ink chamber 504 is removed from the ink holding member 26 in the ink tank 21.
Is reliably sucked up by the static negative pressure. Finally, due to the static negative pressure characteristic that the ink holding member 26 should have, in the example of the apparatus of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink surface 509 is a distance E from the lower surface of the ink lead-out member 27Y. In the present embodiment, the distance E 'from the upper surface of the seal member 507G is set to 10 mm, as in the case of 20 mm.

Next, the holder 1 which is a feature of this embodiment is described.
Utilizing the fact that 00 is detachable, a color holder 160 for a thin recording device is attached (FIG. 28). The color holder 160 has a common head (2
01, 150) so that the apparatus body 500 'can be used.
And the arrangement of the ink supply pipe 160d (below the line KK 'in FIG. 7) is the same.
The operation before and after the attachment of the color ink tank 140 to the color holder 160 is almost the same as the example of the apparatus of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, and thus the description is omitted here.
A method of mounting the color ink tank 140 on the color holder 160 will be described.

FIG. 29 is a perspective view showing a state where a thin ink jet recording apparatus is housed in a housing. As shown in FIG. 29, an outer case is constituted by a lower case 18 and an upper case 17, and an ink jet recording apparatus is housed therein.

At the back of the upper case 17, the upper case 17
Is provided so as to be openable and closable.
The upper case 17 has an opening at a position corresponding to the pressure plate 8, and the top cover 19 is opened to open the top cover 19.
Is a tray for setting the recording medium P on the pressure plate 8. Further, the upper case 17 has an opening from the center to the front, and through this opening, the thin color recording head cartridge 101S or the black ink tank 130 or the color ink tank 140 can be attached and detached. Therefore, the color recording head cartridge 1
When the 01S or the black ink tank 130 or the color ink tank 140 is replaced, the carriage 2 is moved to the center of the movement range by a predetermined operation. A head cover 20 that covers a part of the upper surface and the front surface of the opening is provided on the front side of the replacement opening of the recording head cartridge 101S or the black ink tank 130 or the color ink tank 140 so as to be openable and closable.
When the color recording head cartridge 101S or the black ink tank 130 or the color ink tank 140 is not replaced, the head cover 20 is closed to protect the color recording head cartridge 101S.

FIG. 30 is a perspective view showing a color recording head cartridge mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 29, together with two ink tanks mounted thereon. This color recording head cartridge 1
01S has a structure in which a black ink tank 130 containing black ink and a color ink tank 140 containing three color inks of yellow, magenta and cyan are detachable, and ejects four color inks. It is. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 31, the nozzle unit 150 is also provided with a black ejection port group 150B corresponding to each color ink.
And a discharge port group 150Y for yellow, a discharge port group 159M for magenta, and a discharge port group 150C for cyan. In addition, the respective ink tanks 130, 14
Color holder 16 in order to define the area in which
A partition plate 165 is integrally provided on the bottom wall of the zero.

The color recording head cartridge 101S and the ink tanks 130 and 140 will be described below.

FIG. 34 is a sectional view showing the thin color recording head cartridge 101S in a state where the color ink tank 140 of the two ink tanks is mounted.

As shown in FIG. 32, the black ink tank 130 and the color ink tank 140 are mounted on the color holder 160 adjacent to each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 33, the black ink tank 130 has a container 132 for holding black ink, and a lid member 131 which covers and seals the container 132 and has an air communication port 131b formed therein.

The color holder 16 is provided at the bottom of the container 132.
An ink supply port 132b into which an ink intake pipe 160d for black ink of 0 is inserted is formed, and a cylindrical support portion 132c stands upright around the ink supply port 132b. Before the black ink tank 130 is mounted on the color holder 160, the ink supply port 132b is sealed with a sealing material (not shown) to prevent ink leakage.

In the container 132, an ink absorber 133 is provided.
Is stored, and the black ink is absorbed and held by the ink absorber 133. Support 132c
Includes an ink supply member 135 formed of a unidirectional fiber bundle.
Are inserted and supported, and the ink absorber 133 is in close contact with the upper end surface of the ink supply member 135. The ink absorbed by the ink absorber 133 is guided to the ink supply port 132b via the ink supply member 135.
When the black ink tank 130 is mounted on the color holder 160, the color holder 160 is inserted into the ink supply port 132b.
Of the nozzle portion 150B (see FIG. 31) is supplied through the ink flow path formed by the color holder 160 and the liquid path cover 166. (Fig. 33
In the figure, a route to the nozzle unit 150 is not shown due to a cut surface relationship.) At this time, the ink supply port 13
A seal ring 161 provided around 2b is in close contact with the outer edge of the ink supply port 132b, and ink leakage is suppressed.

In order to prevent the ink from being blown out or exposed from the ink supply port 132b when peeling off the sealing material sealing the ink supply port 132b, the ink supply port 132b and the air communication port 131b are connected to the air. In order to communicate with each other through the layer, a rib 134 (in FIG. 33, the cover member 13 is provided) at a predetermined position inside the container 132 and inside the cover member 131.
(Only one rib 134 is shown) to form a predetermined space between the ink absorber 133 and the container 132 or the lid member 131, and a part of the inner surface of the support portion 132c is provided with the container 132. A slit (not shown) for communicating the inside with the outside is provided.

On the other hand, as a structure for attaching and detaching the black ink tank 130 to and from the color holder 160, the container 132
When the black ink tank 130 is mounted on the color holder 160, the base plate 151 of the color holder 160
A stopper claw 132d is integrally provided on a surface that comes into contact with the inner wall on the side. The retaining claw 132d fits into a tank retaining hole 160i formed in the color holder 160, and serves as a guide when the black ink tank 130 is mounted on the color holder 160, and the black ink tank 130 When mounted on the holder 160, the black ink tank 130 is held. A latch lever 132a having a lower end portion elastically supported is integrally provided on the outer wall opposite to the retaining claw 132d.

According to the position of the latch lever 132a,
A latch lever guide groove 167 for the black ink tank 130 is formed in the color holder 160. When the black ink tank 130 is mounted on the color holder 160, the latch lever 132a is inserted along the latch lever guide groove 167. I will do it. When the black ink tank 130 is mounted on the color holder 160, the latch lever 132a is pressed by the latch lever guide groove 167 and flexes inward, and the latch lever 132a is bent.
The latch pawl 132c formed on the latch lever guide groove 167 is engaged with the latch pawl engaging hole 167a formed on the latch lever guide groove 167.

Further, an inclined surface 160k is formed also in a region of the color holder 160 where the black ink tank 130 is mounted, and an inclined surface 132g corresponding to the inclined surface 160k is also formed in the black ink tank 130. .

As for the lid member 131, the lid member 13 is provided on the upper end thereof on the side where the retaining claw 132d is formed.
A step portion 131a which is one step lower than the upper surface of No. 1 is formed. Correspondingly, the color holder 160 also
An overhang 160f is formed.

When the black ink tank 130 is attached to and detached from the color holder 160, when the black ink tank 130 is mounted, the black ink tank 130 is firstly removed from the side where the claw 132d is formed. 130 is obliquely inserted into a portion where the color holder 130 is to be mounted, and the stepped portion 131a is
0 overhang 160 on the side of black ink tank 130
f (refer to FIG. 32), and the retaining claw 132d is hooked into the tank retaining hole 160i of the color holder 160. Thereafter, the black ink tank 130 is pushed downward and rotated about the side where the retaining claws 132d are formed, and the latch lever 132 is rotated.
The latch claw 132e of FIG. 7a is engaged with the latch claw engagement hole 167a of the latch lever guide groove 167. When removing the black ink tank 130, the latch lever 1
32a may be pushed inward to release the engagement between the latch claw 132e and the latch claw engagement hole 167a.

The color ink tank 140 has basically the same structure as that of the black ink tank 130. As shown in FIG. 34, a container 142 for accommodating three colors of ink and a lid member 141 for covering the container 142 are provided. And
Also, when mounting on the color holder 160, the cover member 14
1, a step portion 141a formed at the same position as the black ink tank 130 is inserted obliquely so as to extend under the overhang 160f (see FIG. 32) on the color ink tank 140 side.

The interior of the container 142 contains two partition plates 14 arranged in parallel with each other to accommodate three color inks.
By 2f, the space is partitioned into three spaces having substantially the same capacity. These three spaces are arranged along the direction in which the color ink tank 140 is inserted when the color ink tank 140 is mounted on the color recording head cartridge 101S. In each of these spaces, an ink absorber 143Y that absorbs and holds yellow ink, and an ink absorber 143 that absorbs and holds magenta ink, respectively.
An ink absorber 143C that absorbs and holds the M and cyan inks is housed. Then, as shown in the bottom view of FIG. 35, the ink supply port 1 opening to each space.
42bY, 142bM, and 142bC are also formed along the insertion direction of the color ink tank 140.

The ink supply ports 142bY and 142b
bM, 142bC, the color holder 16
0 is provided with three ink intake tubes 160d '(in FIG. 34, an ink intake tube for magenta ink is not shown due to a cut surface relationship). Each of the ink intake pipes 160 d ′ is connected to the nozzle section 15 via an ink flow path formed by the liquid path cover 166.
0 and a predetermined group of discharge ports 150Y, 150M, 150C (see FIG. 31). In FIG. 34, only the path for the yellow ink is shown as the path to the nozzle section 150 of each ink flow path due to the cut surface. In addition, the seal ring 161 ′ is
Although provided for each 0d ', the one for magenta ink is not shown in FIG.

On the other hand, as with the black ink tank 130, the structure for attaching and detaching the color ink tank 140 to and from the color holder 160, as shown in the side view of FIG.
In addition to the above-mentioned step portion 141a, the latch lever 142
a and a retaining claw 142d. Latch lever 1
42a is a color holder 160 as shown in FIG.
The latch claw 142e formed on the latch lever 142a is engaged with the latch lever guide groove 167 when the color ink tank 140 is mounted on the color holder 160. ′ Are engaged with the latch engagement holes 167a ′. The retaining claw 142d shown in FIG. 36 is formed at the lower end of the surface opposite to the surface on which the latch lever 142a is provided. A tank retaining hole (not shown) into which the retaining claw 142d is fitted is formed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 34, a slope 160k 'is also formed in the area of the color holder 160 where the color ink tank 140 is mounted, and the slope 160k' is also formed in the color ink tank 140. A corresponding inclined surface 142g is formed.

In the same manner as the operation for attaching and detaching the color ink tank 140 to and from the color holder 160, the side on which the retaining claws 143 d are formed is inserted into the color holder 160, and the portion is centered. The latch lever 142a is pushed inward and removed. Here, when the color ink tank 140 is mounted on the color holder 160, each of the ink supply ports 142bY, 142bM,
Since 2bC is formed along the direction of insertion of the color ink tank 140, the ink supply ports 142bY, 142bM,
42bC is sequentially connected to the ink intake tube 160 'from the side where the retaining claws 142d are formed.
A stable connection between the color ink tank 140 and the color recording head cartridge 101S can be obtained.

FIG. 37 is a perspective view showing a state where the black ink tank 130 and the color ink tank 140 are mounted on the color recording head cartridge 101S, and the recording head cartridge 101S is mounted on the carriage 2. As is clear from FIG. 37, since the ink tanks 130 and 140 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage 2, a latch lever 132a serving as an operation unit when the black ink tank 130 is attached and detached, and a color A latch lever 142a serving as an operation unit when the ink tank 140 is attached / detached, and the color recording head cartridge 10
Head attachment / detachment operation unit 160 serving as an operation unit when attaching / detaching 1S
“c” is arranged on the same side with respect to the moving direction of the carriage 2. Thereby, each ink tank 13
0, 140 and color recording head cartridge 101
The operability of attaching and detaching is improved, and the design becomes very cohesive. In addition, since the positions of the heads of the latch levers 132a and 142a are arranged on the same straight line, the space is effectively used, and the compact color recording head cartridge 101 can be obtained. Further, each of the latch levers 132a, 142a and the head attaching / detaching operation unit 1
As with the recording head cartridge 1 for monocolor, the arrangement of the latch levers 132a, 132a,
42a and the head attachment / detachment operation unit 160c are arranged stepwise, and it is easy to recognize the difference in the function.

The inclined surfaces 132g and 142g of the black ink tank 130 and the color ink tank 140
Of the color holder 160, the inclined surfaces 160k and 160k ′ of the color holder 160 are also different from each other.
If the angle and the shape are adjusted to the inclined surfaces 132g and 142g, the erroneous mounting of the black ink tank 130 and the color ink tank 140 can be prevented.

FIG. 38 is a modified embodiment of the embodiment of FIG. 26. In the embodiment of FIG. 26, the holder 100A and the color holder 160B are detachable, whereas in FIG. I have. As a result, ink can be refilled even in an ink tank having a different holder without replacing the holder. However, at the time of refilling, in order to destroy the meniscus of the ink absorbing member, it is necessary to raise the ink in the ink outlet pipes 506A and 506B to the ink absorbing member side. If the ink tank is not installed, the ink overflows. Therefore, the refilling operation requires that all the ink tanks be installed.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in each of the above embodiments. The ink tank to be refilled with ink may be of a single color or multicolor, and the ink tank may be of a single color. There may be more than one.

[0175]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is not necessary to use hazardous members such as needles for ink injection, without causing ink leakage and without restraining the user for a long time. The ink can be easily refilled.

Further, the ink filling state can be reduced by making the ink tank holding member provided on the side of the ink jet recording apparatus on which the ink tank is mounted, the ink tank holding portion of the ink refilling device, or the same shape.
It can be closest to the form used for recording,
As a result, an optimum ink distribution state can be obtained. Further, the ink flow path can be easily formed after the ink is filled.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing one example of an ink refilling method of the present invention, and is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which an ink tank is assembled to an ink refilling device.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing a relationship between an amount of ink used in an ink tank and a negative static pressure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a head holder on which an ink tank is mounted.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of a head holder to which no ink tank is attached.

FIG. 7 is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 6;

8A and 8B are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet unit to which a detachable ink tank is mounted, wherein FIG. 8A is a side view, FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view in which the side view is broken, FIG. (d) is a bottom view and (e) is a top view.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ink tank containing black ink, wherein FIG.
(B) is a partially cutaway front view, (c) is a bottom view,
(D) is a side sectional view in which the upper part is broken.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an ink tank storing color inks (yellow, cyan, and magenta);
(A) is a partially sectional side view, (b) is a partially broken front view, (c) is a bottom view, and (d) is a partially cutaway side sectional view.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a connection state between an ink supply opening of an ink tank and an ink outlet of an ink jet unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state I in a process of mounting the color ink tank on the inkjet unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state II in a process of mounting the color ink tank on the inkjet unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state III in a process of mounting the color ink tank on the inkjet unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state IV in a process of attaching the color ink tank to the inkjet unit in the example.

FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state V in a process of attaching the color ink tank to the ink jet unit in the example.

FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state VI in a process of attaching the color ink tank to the inkjet unit in the example.

FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state VII in a process of attaching the color ink tank to the inkjet unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the relationship between the position of P5 and the insertion resistance in the color ink tank insertion operation of the embodiment;
(A) is a diagram showing the position of P5 in states I to VII,
(B) is a graph showing the relationship between the position of P5 and the insertion resistance.

20A and 20B are diagrams illustrating a cover in the housing of the inkjet unit, wherein FIG. 20A is a side view of the cover, FIG. 20B is a front view of the cover, FIG. 20C is a bottom view of the cover, and FIG. () Is a top view of the covering portion, (e) is a rear view of the covering portion, (f) is a side view of the inclined portion and the biasing means, and (g) is a side view of a detachment prevention portion.

FIG. 21 is a schematic perspective view of an example of an ink jet recording apparatus.

22A and 22B are diagrams illustrating an operation of removing a color ink tank in the inkjet recording apparatus, wherein FIG. 22A illustrates an operation of pulling the ink tank forward, and FIG. 22B illustrates an operation of pulling the ink tank upward.

23A and 23B are diagrams illustrating an operation of mounting a color ink tank in the inkjet recording apparatus, wherein FIG. 23A illustrates an operation of inserting the ink tank, and FIG. 23B illustrates an operation of pressing the ink tank.

24A and 24B are diagrams illustrating detachment of the inkjet unit in the inkjet recording apparatus in a form that can be replaced by the entire inkjet unit. FIG. 24A illustrates an operation of releasing a fixing lever, and FIG. 24B illustrates an operation of removing the inkjet unit. FIG.

FIG. 25 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the ink refilling method of the present invention, showing a chicken feed type.

FIG. 26 is a schematic sectional view showing still another embodiment of the ink refilling device of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a sectional view of a main part of a further specific example of the ink refilling device of FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is a sectional view of a main part of still another specific example of the ink refilling device of FIG. 26;

FIG. 29 is a perspective view showing a state where the ink jet recording apparatus used in FIG. 28 is housed in a housing.

30 is a perspective view showing a color recording head cartridge mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 29, together with two ink tanks welded to the color recording head cartridge.

FIG. 31 is a bottom view of the color recording head cartridge shown in FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is a plan view of the color recording head cartridge shown in FIG. 30, showing a state in which two ink tanks are mounted.

FIG. 33 is a sectional view taken along line DD shown in FIG. 32;

34 is a sectional view taken along line EE shown in FIG. 32.

35 is a bottom view of the color ink tank shown in FIG.

FIG. 36 is a side view of the color ink tank shown in FIG. 30.

FIG. 37 is a perspective view showing a state where the color recording head cartridge shown in FIG. 22 is mounted on the carriage shown in FIG. 29;

FIG. 38 is a cross-sectional view of a principal part in still another embodiment of the ink refilling method of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Ink tank (black) 2 Housing for ink storage 2 a Square 2 S carriage 3 Lid member 3 a Belt-like projection 4 Upper member 4 a Knob 5 Opening for air communication 6 Ink absorber 7 Ink lead-out member 8 Ink supply opening 8 S pressure plate 9 Support Part 12, 13 Rib 14a, 14b Inclined part 15 Rib 17 Upper case 18 Lower case 19 Top cover 21 Color ink tank 22 Ink storage housing 23 Cover member 23a Band-shaped convex part 24 Upper member 24a Knob part 25 Opening for air communication 26 Ink Absorber 27 Ink lead-out member 28 Ink supply opening 29 Support portion 31 Rib 33 Rib 34a Inclined portion 35 Rib 36, 37 Partition member 51 Ink holding member 52 Press-contact body 61 Columnar structure 62 Ink path 64 Filter 101S Color recording head cartridge 101 ink Jet unit 103 Housing 104 Middle plate 105 Covering portion 105a Inclined portion 105b Urging means 105c Detachment prevention portion 106 Ink supply tube 107 Ink outlet tube 108 Elastic plate 109 Filter 110 Color ink tank mounting portion 111 Black ink tank mounting portion 112 Notch 113 top plate 114 top plate upper side portion 114c cap 115 rib 130 black ink tank 131, 141 lid member 131a, 141a step portion 132, 142 container 132a, 142a latch lever 132b, 142bY, 142bM, 142bC ink supply port 132c support portion 132d, 142d Retaining claw 132e, 142e Latch claw 132g, 142g Inclined surface 133, 143Y, 143M, 143C Ink absorber 134 Rib 135 Supply member 140 Color ink tank 142f Partition plate 150 Nozzle part 150Y, 150M, 150C, 150B Discharge port group 151 Base plate 153 Head terminal part 160 Color holder 160d, 160d 'Ink intake pipe 160f Overhanging part 160i Tank retaining hole 160k, 160k ′ Inclined surface 161, 161 ′ Seal ring 165 Partition plate 166 Liquid path cover 167, 167 ′ Latch lever guide groove 167 a, 167 a ′ Latch claw engagement hole 200 Detachment prevention part 201 Recording head unit 201 Bk, 201 C, 201 M, 201 Y nozzle 501 Holder 502 Pressurizing means (pressurized bellows) 502 Cap 503 Housing 504 Ink chamber 505 Cover 506 Ink outlet tube 506M Meniscus 507 Ink outlet 508 bullet Member 509 ink surface 510 ink 511 fingers 1401 inkjet recording apparatus 1402 the recording medium 1501 ink jet unit 1502 color ink container 1503 black ink container 1701 ink jet unit (replaceable type) 1702 color ink container 1703 black ink container 1704 fixing lever

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-5-104735 (JP, A) JP-A-63-154355 (JP, A) JP-A-59-176543 (JP, U) JP-A-5-176543 (JP, U) 26389 (JP, U) European Patent 605183 (EP, B1) European Patent Application Publication 567308 (EP, A2) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/175

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] An ink recording head which is separable from an ink recording head;
Ink print tank ink tank
After the ink in the ink and the ink to be filled are communicated,
Negative pressure generated by ink tank consumption
Refill ink to refill ink under atmospheric communication
An ink tank for supplying ink to the ink recording head;
Supply port and ink holding member which is a porous member that generates a negative pressure inside
And, interposed between the ink holding member and the ink supply port,
Ink absorbency maintained in pressure contact with the ink holding member
A recording head for the ink recording head.
Is held and positioned by the ink tank holding member for
The ink filling device holds an ink tank holding section to which the ink tank can be attached and ink to be refilled into the ink tank.
Together with the ink absorbing member of the ink tank.
Ink deriving means for supplying ink, and the ink absorbing means provided in the ink deriving means.
A means for breaking the meniscus of the member, the ink tank holder, said Yi of the ink tank
The ink recording head for holding and positioning the ink tank with the ink supply port positioned below with respect to the direction of gravity.
An ink refilling apparatus, wherein an ink tank holding member for a recording head is used and a plurality of ink tank holding members for ink recording heads having different external shapes are replaceable. 2. The ink tank holding section is provided at a common position.
Determining means, at least partly common ink supply pipe,
The ink refilling device according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. An ink recording head which can be separated from an ink recording head.
Ink print tank ink tank
After the ink in the ink and the ink to be filled are communicated,
Negative pressure generated by ink tank consumption
Refill ink to refill ink under atmospheric communication
An ink tank for supplying ink to the ink recording head;
Supply port and ink holding member which is a porous member that generates a negative pressure inside
And, interposed between the ink holding member and the ink supply port,
Ink absorbency maintained in pressure contact with the ink holding member
A recording head for the ink recording head.
Is held and positioned by the ink tank holding member for
The ink filling device holds an ink tank holding section to which the ink tank can be attached and ink to be refilled into the ink tank.
Together with the ink absorbing member of the ink tank.
Ink deriving means for supplying ink, and the ink absorbing means provided in the ink deriving means.
Means for destroying a meniscus of the member, wherein the ink tank holding portion has a plurality of external shapes different from each other.
Equipped with an ink tank holding member for the ink recording head
And an ink tank holding member for the ink recording head.
Indicates that the ink supply port is located below the gravity direction.
Holding and positioning the ink tank in the
An ink refilling device, characterized in that: 4. The ink tank holding section is capable of mounting at least one or more ink tanks using a plurality of different inks, and the ink deriving means holds the plurality of different inks, and The ink refilling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ink is refilled by the negative pressure in the ink tank in which the same ink as the ink in the tank is mounted.