JP3347563B2 - Ink tank - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an ink tank for supplying ink to an ink jet head for performing ink recording in an ink jet recording apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an ink supply system used in an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink absorber is loaded in an ink tank for storing ink to be supplied to an ink jet head, and the ink is previously impregnated with the ink. A configuration that is held is known.

[0003] In the ink tank of this type, a foaming material such as urethane foam or melamine foam having a porous structure having a single porosity and excellent in ink holding capacity has been conventionally foamed. The ink absorber thus formed is generally used because it is easy to manufacture.

[0004] However, urethane foam as a porous material may not be suitable for storage depending on the properties of the ink, and the type of ink contained is limited.

In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems, recently, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 6-255121, an ink absorber using a fiber material suitable for ink preservation in a felt shape has been proposed. Have been.

[0006]

However, the process for making the fiber material into a felt shape is very long and complicated, and the uniform felt (fiber density, fiber In order to stably obtain the variation in the direction and the uniformity of the entanglement between the fibers, there are technical problems such as many management factors. In addition, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost increases as the felting process increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to provide an ink tank which is inexpensive and which can stably supply ink to an ink jet head.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, there is provided an ink absorbing member for holding ink to be supplied to an ink jet head, and a housing for accommodating the ink absorbing member and the ink. A tank section having an ink supply port for supplying the ink held by the absorber to the inkjet head, wherein the ink absorber has a plurality of fibers arranged in the vicinity of the ink supply port. A first fiber aggregate configured by aligning the first fiber aggregate, and a second fiber aggregate configured by aligning a plurality of fibers disposed adjacent to the first fiber aggregate,
Wherein the alignment direction of the fibers of the first fiber assembly and the alignment direction of the fibers of the second fiber assembly are different from each other.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ink tank according to the first aspect, the tank portion includes a first ink chamber containing the ink absorber and having the ink supply port. And a second ink chamber that communicates with the first ink chamber via a communication portion and that stores only the ink.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ink tank according to the first aspect, the alignment direction of the fibers of the first fiber assembly is substantially parallel to the ink supply direction at the ink supply port. It is characterized by.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the ink tank according to the first aspect, the alignment direction of the fibers of the first fiber assembly is substantially orthogonal to the ink supply direction at the ink supply port. It is characterized by having.

[0012] The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claims 1 to 4.
3. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein an alignment direction of the fibers of the first fiber assembly and an alignment direction of the fibers of the second fiber assembly are orthogonal to each other.

[0013]

[0014]

[0015]

[0016]

[0017]

[0018]

[0019]

[0020]

[0021]

[0022]

In the present invention, the battery is housed in the tank.
A plurality of ink absorbers arranged near the ink supply port.
A first fiber aggregate constituted by aligning the fibers of
A plurality of fibers arranged adjacent to the first fiber assembly are arranged.
And a second fiber aggregate configured in a row.
By doing so, it is possible to obtain a uniform aggregate of fibers (uniform fiber density, variation in fiber direction , uniformity of entanglement between fibers, etc.) without felting, so that the ink required as an ink absorber as a whole is obtained. The ability to supply ink and the ability to hold ink can be exhibited.

Further, the alignment of the fibers of the first fiber assembly
Direction and the alignment direction of the fibers of the second fiber assembly,
By taking a configuration different from each other , for example, the length direction of the fiber in the aggregate of fibers arranged in the vicinity of the ink supply port is the same direction as the ink supply direction of the ink supply port, and in the aggregate of other fibers By setting the length direction of the fiber to be substantially perpendicular to the ink supply direction of the ink supply port, the flow resistance at the time of ink supply is reduced in the aggregate near the ink supply port. The body can secure the ink holding capacity, and the adjustment of the ink supply capacity and the ink holding capacity as the ink absorber can be easily performed.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0026] (First Example) FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an ink tank according to the present invention
A first reference example for a perspective view schematically showing Fig. 2
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a connection state with an inkjet head in a partially broken section.

The ink tanks shown in these figures are in the form of a cartridge, that is, in a form that can be attached to and detached from the ink jet apparatus and can be replaced. In FIG. 1, an ink chamber 1a inside the ink cartridge 1 has an atmosphere communication hole 7 for communicating the internal space with the atmosphere and an ink supply port 8 for receiving the ink supply pipe of the inkjet head shown in FIG. have. Such an ink cartridge 1 is filled with aggregates 4a to 4d formed by aligning a plurality of fibers as a negative pressure generating member.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ink cartridge 1
Is connected to an ink jet head 12 via a carriage (not shown) of the ink jet apparatus and an ink supply pipe 14 thereof. That is, the ink supply pipe 14 is inserted into the ink supply port 8 of the ink cartridge 1, and the tip of the ink supply pipe 14 presses the aggregate 4 a as an ink absorber in the ink cartridge 1.

When suctioning (supplying ink to an ink jet head) ink from an aggregate of fibers impregnated with ink, suctioning is performed in the length direction of the fiber, and suctioning is performed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the length direction of the fiber. In this case, the flow resistance of the ink is lower in the former case and higher in the latter case.

In this embodiment , a plurality of aggregates 4a to 4d in which fibers are aligned are filled in the housing 11 such that the length direction of the fibers is substantially orthogonal to the ink supply port 8. As a result, when ink having a low viscosity is used, for example, as described above, it is difficult for the ink to flow in a direction substantially perpendicular to the length direction of the fiber, so that leakage of the ink from the ink supply port 8 is reliably prevented. effective.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a state of an aggregate of fibers before filling the ink cartridge 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, before filling, the plurality of aggregates 4a to 4d
Then, before filling the ink cartridge 1, the compression is sufficiently repeated from a plurality of directions to bring the respective assemblies into close contact with each other, and then the groups of the assemblies are filled into the ink cartridge 1.

Here, the aggregate of fibers that can be suitably used in the present invention will be described in detail.

The fibers constituting the aggregate may be either discontinuous fibers or continuous fibers. A continuous fiber is particularly preferable because a process from a fiber spinning process (not shown) to a process of filling the group of aggregates into the ink cartridge 1 can be performed in an integrated line.

In this example , the aggregates 4a to 4d are formed by continuously winding a bundle of 68 fibers having the same fiber diameter (Φ50 microns) around a core of a predetermined size, and extracting the bundle from the core. It was formed and weighed 1 g each, for a total of 4 g. Here, what should be noted when forming the aggregate is to make the pitch of the fibers in the direction substantially perpendicular to the length direction of the fibers of the aggregate (the direction in which the fibers are aligned) as uniform as possible. If the uniformity is significantly lacking, after the aggregate is filled in the ink cartridge 1, a density gradient of the fibers occurs in the direction in which the fibers in the aggregate are aligned, which causes a reduction in the performance as an ink tank. It is desirable that the volume of the aggregate before filling the ink cartridge 1 is slightly larger than the internal volume of the ink cartridge 1. As described above, this is achieved by stacking a plurality of aggregates before filling and sufficiently compressing the aggregates from a plurality of directions to sufficiently adhere the aggregates to each other, and to reduce the density gradient of the fibers generated in the fiber alignment direction. This is because it can be alleviated to some extent, and a uniform aggregate of fibers can be obtained for the entire ink tank. In this example ,
As described above, an aggregate of fibers of 50 μm / 4 g (1 g)
× 4) was made to have a bulk of about 350 cm ³ , which was compressed several times from a plurality of directions and inserted into a cartridge having an internal volume of about 12 cm ³ . In this example , four fiber aggregates were used. However, the number is not limited to four. A larger number of aggregates can provide a more uniform ink absorber without felting as a whole. it can.

In order to obtain a stable negative pressure characteristic as an ink absorber, it is particularly important to make the fiber density uniform. Initially, fibers were inserted into the ink tank such that the direction of the continuous fibers was random, but it was very difficult to make the fiber density uniform, and stable negative pressure characteristics could not be obtained.

Therefore, as described above, in the present embodiment , a plurality of aggregates in which fibers are aligned are laminated and inserted, whereby the fiber density can be easily made uniform and stable negative pressure characteristics can be obtained. In this case, the directionality of the fibers in the aggregate of fibers is defined as the length direction of the fibers when the number of fibers that intersect the substantially orthogonal plane with respect to the length direction of the fibers in the aggregate is 100 per unit area. On the other hand, it was found that the above object can be easily achieved if the fiber has a directionality such that the number of fibers intersecting an arbitrary surface is about 40 per unit area.

Specifically, an adhesive having good fluidity was poured into the ink tank to solidify the aggregate of fibers, and thereafter, the aggregate was cut and the number of fibers per unit area was counted. Book
In the example , the number of fibers that intersect the substantially orthogonal plane with respect to the length direction of the fibers in the aggregate is theoretically 1 per 1 mm ² assuming that all the fibers have the same direction.
The number of fibers intersecting with 1 mm ^{2 of an} arbitrary surface in the length direction of the fibers in the aggregate by the above method was examined at several places, and found to be all 60 or less. At this time, the ink having desired negative pressure characteristics was an ink having a viscosity of 1.9 cps and a surface tension of 30 dyn / cm. In addition, of some study examples, another ink (viscosity 2.6 cps, surface tension 43
dyn / cm), the desired number of fibers per 1 mm ^{2 of the} theoretical surface is 120, and the number of fibers intersecting with 1 mm ^{2 of the} arbitrary surface is 48 or less, so that the desired negative pressure characteristic is stabilized. Obtained.

As described above, when the number of fibers that intersect with the unit area of the substantially orthogonal plane with respect to the alignment direction of the fibers in the aggregate is 100, the unit area of the arbitrary plane intersects with the fiber direction. If the number of fibers to be formed is larger than 40, the uniformity of the fiber density of the aggregate of fibers having a somewhat uniform fiber density before the compression filling is broken, and a density gradient occurs and a stable negative pressure characteristic cannot be obtained. I understood. It has also been found that such a phenomenon occurs when the bulk of the aggregate of fibers before filling the ink cartridge 1 is extremely larger than the internal volume of the ink cartridge 1 and the direction of alignment of the fibers is lost during compression. .

( Second Reference Example ) FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment according to the ink tank of the present invention.
Is a perspective view showing the second reference example of order.

The plurality of aggregates 4a to 4d are filled so that the length direction of the fibers is substantially parallel to the ink supply port 8. With such a configuration, for example, when using a high-viscosity ink, the flow resistance at the time of supplying the ink can be suppressed low as described above. Other configurations are the same as in the first reference example.

[0041] (first embodiment) FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing another configuration example of an ink cartridge using fibers according to the first embodiment of the ink tank according to the present invention as the negative pressure generating member It is.

As shown in FIG. 5, the ink cartridge 1 of this embodiment is provided with an ink supply port 8 for connecting to an ink jet head 12, and a negative pressure accommodating a plurality of assemblies 4a to 4g as negative pressure generating members. Pressure generating member housing 53
And an ink container 56 which is adjacent to the negative pressure generating member container 53 via a rib 54 and stores ink communicated with a communication portion 57 of the ink cartridge bottom 55.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 7 denotes an atmosphere communication port for communicating the inside of the negative pressure generating member accommodating section 53 with the atmosphere, 59 denotes a rib for improving the strength of the ink accommodating section 56, and 60 denotes a rib.
Is an opening for filling the ink in the ink cartridge 1 and 61 is a sealing material for sealing the opening. The rib 54 is formed with a groove 54 </ b> A for performing gas-liquid exchange between the ink in the ink storage unit 56 and the air introduced into the negative pressure generating member storage unit 53 through the air communication port 7. As a result, first, the ink in the negative pressure generating member accommodating section 53 is consumed, and when the liquid level of the accommodating section 53 reaches the groove 54A,
By the gas-liquid exchange, the ink in the position storage unit 56 is
7 and is supplied to the storage unit 53 side and is consumed.

In this embodiment, a plurality of aggregates 4e to 4g are provided from the vicinity of the ink supply port 8 to the communication portion 57.
Are filled so that the length direction of the fiber in the above becomes substantially parallel to the ink supply port 8, and the fiber length direction of the plurality of aggregates 4a to 4d It is filled so as to be orthogonal. By adopting such a configuration, for example, when using a high-viscosity ink, the plurality of aggregates 4e to 4g can suppress the flow resistance at the time of supplying the ink, and the plurality of aggregates 4a
4d can be supplied smoothly, and desired characteristics as a tank can be easily secured.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a state of a plurality of aggregates 4a to 4g before filling the ink cartridge 1 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, before filling, a plurality of aggregates 4 a to 4 g are laminated while changing the length direction of the fibers,
Before the ink cartridge 1 is filled, compression is repeated sufficiently from a plurality of directions so that the respective assemblies are brought into close contact with each other, and then a group of the assemblies is filled into the ink cartridge 1 to obtain an ink tank as shown in FIG. ing. In the ink tank of this configuration, the capillary force is improved and the ink supply force is increased with the increase in the fiber density in the joint portion near the ink supply port 8, and the inner wall of the ink cartridge 1 is functionally connected to the fiber. Sufficient adhesion of the aggregate is required, but this is achieved by compressively inserting the aggregate of fibers as described above.

[0046] (Second Embodiment) FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view showing a second embodiment of an ink tank according to the present invention. The ink tank according to the present embodiment is an ink tank having a configuration similar to that of FIG. 5, and the length direction of the fibers in a plurality of aggregates 4 e to 4 g in which the fibers are aligned from the vicinity of the ink supply port 8 to the communication portion 57. It is filled so as to be substantially orthogonal to the ink supply port 8, and the upper portion thereof is filled so that the length direction of the fibers in the plurality of aggregates 4a to 4c is substantially parallel to the ink supply port 8. ing.

With such a configuration, for example, when ink having a low viscosity is used, the plurality of aggregates 4e to 4g secure the ink holding power and prevent the ink from leaking from the supply port. A desired holding force as an ink tank can be secured by the bodies 4a to 4d.

The method of inserting the aggregate of fibers is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, and the description is omitted. As described above, at least one of the plurality of aggregates is different from the other aggregates in the length direction of the fiber, so that the characteristics of the ink supply ability and the holding ability as the ink absorber can be adjusted. Can be easily performed.

In this embodiment, the plurality of aggregates 4a
As described above, a fiber bundle of 68 fibers was continuously wound around a core of a predetermined size to form 4 g, but this is not limited to 68 fibers. The present invention is not limited to the fiber, and for example, the same object can be achieved even with a short fiber having a length substantially equal to the length direction of the fiber aggregates 4a to 4g.

Further, in this embodiment, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the ink cartridge of the above-described embodiment, but is applicable to all ink cartridges having an ink absorber.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a printer as an ink jet recording apparatus which can use the ink cartridges shown in FIGS. 5 and 7.

In FIG. 8, reference numeral 101 denotes a printer.
Reference numeral 102 denotes an operation panel unit provided at the front of the upper surface of the housing of the printer 101; 103, a paper feed cassette which is mounted through an opening on the front surface of the housing;
Is the paper (recording medium) supplied from the paper feed cassette 103
Reference numeral 105 denotes a paper discharge tray for holding paper discharged through a paper conveyance path in the printer 101. 10
Reference numeral 6 denotes a body cover having an L-shaped cross section. The main body cover 106 covers an opening 107 formed in the front right portion of the housing, and is rotatably attached to an inner end of the opening 107 by a hinge 108. A carriage 110 supported by a guide or the like (not shown) is provided inside the housing.
The carriage 110 is provided so as to be able to reciprocate along the width direction of the paper passing through the paper transport path, that is, the longitudinal direction of the guide 9 and the like.

The carriage 110 in the present embodiment.
Is a stage 110 held horizontally by a guide or the like.
a, an opening (not shown) formed on the stage 110a near the guide for mounting an ink jet head, and the ink cartridges 1Y, 1M, and 1M mounted on the stage 110a in front of the opening. Cartridge garage 110 for containing 1C and 1Bk
b and a cartridge holder 110c for preventing the cartridge housed in the garage 110b from being detached.

The stage 110a is slidably supported at its rear end by the guide, and the lower side of its front end is mounted on a guide plate (not shown). The guide plate may function as a paper holding member for preventing the paper conveyed along the above-described paper conveyance path from rising, and the stage may be cantilevered relative to the guide according to the thickness of the paper. It may have a function of lifting up to a height.

An ink jet head (not shown) is mounted on the opening of the stage 110a with its ink discharge port directed downward.

The cartridge garage 110b has a 4
A through-hole is formed in the front-rear direction for accommodating the ink cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk at the same time, and an engagement concave portion is formed on an outer side portion with an engagement claw of the cartridge holder 110c. I have.

The cartridge holder 110c is rotatably attached to the front end of the stage 110a by a hinge 116. The dimension from the front end surface of the garage 110b to the hinge 116 is determined in consideration of the size of the cartridge 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1Bk projecting from the front end of the garage 110b when the cartridge 1Y is accommodated in the garage 110b. . The above cartridge holder 1
10c is a substantially rectangular plate shape. Cartridge holder 1
10c, projecting in the direction perpendicular to the plate surface on both sides of the upper part away from the lower part fixed by the hinge 116,
When the holder 110c is closed, the garage 1
A pair of engaging claws 11 engaging with the engaging recess 110d of 10b
0e is provided. The holder 110c has a plate portion on which the cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk are attached.
A fitting hole 120 is formed for fitting the handle portion. These fitting holes 120 are located at positions corresponding to the handle,
It has a shape and a size.

[0058]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the ink absorbing member accommodated in the tank portion can be replaced with the ink absorbing member.
Multiple fibers arranged near the ink supply port.
A first fiber assembly formed, and a first fiber assembly adjacent to the first fiber assembly.
A plurality of fibers arranged in contact with each other
By providing the two fiber aggregates, it is possible to obtain uniform fiber aggregates (uniform fiber density, variation in fiber direction, uniform entanglement between fibers, etc.) without felting. Therefore, the ink supply capacity, ink holding capacity, and the like required as the ink absorber as a whole can be exhibited.

In addition, the alignment of the fibers of the first fiber assembly
Direction and the alignment direction of the fibers of the second fiber assembly,
By taking a configuration different from each other , for example, the length direction of the fiber in the aggregate of fibers arranged in the vicinity of the ink supply port is the same direction as the ink supply direction of the ink supply port, and in the aggregate of other fibers By setting the length direction of the fiber to be substantially perpendicular to the ink supply direction of the ink supply port, the flow resistance at the time of ink supply is reduced in the aggregate near the ink supply port. The body can secure the ink holding capacity, and the adjustment of the ink supply capacity and the ink holding capacity as the ink absorber can be easily performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

It describes an embodiment of an ink tank according to the invention, FIG
It is a perspective view illustrating a first reference example of order.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a connection relation between the ink cartridge and the inkjet head shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a state of an aggregate of fibers before filling the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 2;

It describes an embodiment of an ink tank according to the present invention; FIG
Is a perspective view showing the second reference example of order.

The ink cartridge arrangement of a first embodiment of an ink tank according to the present invention; FIG is a cross-sectional view schematically showing.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a state of an aggregate of fibers before filling the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 5;

[7] The ink cartridge arrangement according to a second embodiment of an ink tank according to the present invention is a cross-sectional view schematically showing.

8 is a perspective view showing an example of an ink jet recording apparatus using the ink cartridge shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink cartridge 4 4a-4g Fiber assembly 7 Air communication hole 8 Ink supply port 8A Filter 11 Housing 12 Inkjet head 14 Ink supply pipe

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hajime Yamamoto 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (56) References JP-A-6-91889 (JP, A) JP-A-6 -79882 (JP, A) JP-A-64-56107 (JP, A) JP-A-4-202837 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/175

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] An ink absorber for holding ink to be supplied to an ink jet head, and an ink supply port for containing the ink absorber and supplying the ink held by the ink absorber to the ink jet head. An ink tank comprising: a first fiber assembly formed by aligning a plurality of fibers arranged in the vicinity of the ink supply port; and the first fiber A second fiber aggregate formed by aligning a plurality of fibers arranged adjacent to the aggregate, wherein the alignment direction of the fibers of the first fiber aggregate and the second fiber aggregate An ink tank, wherein the alignment directions of the body fibers are different from each other. A first ink chamber containing the ink absorber and having the ink supply port;
2. The ink tank according to claim 1, further comprising a second ink chamber which communicates with the first ink chamber via a communication portion and stores only the ink. 3. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the alignment direction of the fibers of the first fiber assembly is substantially parallel to the ink supply direction at the ink supply port. 4. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the alignment direction of the fibers of the first fiber assembly is substantially orthogonal to the ink supply direction at the ink supply port. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein an alignment direction of the fibers of the first fiber assembly and an alignment direction of the fibers of the second fiber assembly are orthogonal to each other. The ink tank according to any one of the above.