JP4069934B2 - Recording head unit shipping structure and sealing member - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording head unit shipping structure and a sealing member used in the recording head unit shipping structure.

  In general, an inkjet printer is known as an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording such as printing by ejecting ink onto a recording medium such as paper. In this ink jet printer, a recording head for ejecting ink is incorporated in a recording head unit, and the recording head unit is mounted on a carriage. An ink cartridge (hereinafter simply referred to as a cartridge) that contains ink is provided to be replaceable with respect to the recording head unit, and ink is supplied from the replaced cartridge to the recording head.

  In the ink jet printer having the structure described above, as shown in FIG. 4, in order to smoothly perform initial introduction of ink at the start of use at the time of shipment from the factory and storage, as shown in FIG. A storage liquid having characteristics similar to those of ink except for ink dyes and pigments is filled in P1, that is, in a channel (not shown), which is an ink flow path in the ejection nozzle P2, and in a manifold P3.

  For the purpose of preventing leakage of the preserving liquid and protecting the nozzle surface P4 of the injection nozzle P2, a seal has been conventionally attached to the nozzle surface. Instead, the nozzle surface P4 has a predetermined gap. It is considered to use a cap P5 that covers and keeps. On the other hand, an ink supply path sealing member P6 is detachably attached to the recording head unit P7 on the ink supply side of the recording head P1, that is, the cartridge mounting side.

  The ink supply path sealing member P6 is for closing the ink supply path P8 to the recording head P1, and when using an ink jet printer, the ink supply path sealing member P6 is removed by the user and attached to the ink supply path sealing member P6. Instead, a cartridge is mounted.

  However, if the ink supply path sealing member P6 is used, the ink supply path P8 can be completely sealed to prevent the storage liquid from leaking out from the ink supply side. Due to the change, the storage liquid may leak from the nozzle surface P4 on the side opposite to the ink supply path P8.

  If the storage solution leaks, the storage solution may be attached to the entire nozzle surface P4, or the storage solution may accumulate in the cap P5, causing problems such as recording unevenness during subsequent recording. This is not preferable. In addition, the recording paper or the like is wetted during recording, or the apparatus may be damaged, which is not preferable.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a recording head unit structure at the time of shipment and a sealing member in which no storage liquid leaks from the nozzle surface even when a sealing member for sealing an ink supply path is used.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is provided with a recording head which has a plurality of ink supply paths corresponding to the inks of the respective colors, and performs recording by ejecting each ink to a recording medium, and supplies ink when in use. A recording head unit having an ink cartridge connected to the path, a storage liquid filled in the recording head unit, and an attachment member having a storage cap that is detachably attached to the recording head unit and covers the ejection side of the recording head in a sealed state A plurality of sealing portions that are detachably attached to the recording head unit and seal each ink supply path in place of the ink cartridge, and each ink supply path communicates with the atmosphere in each sealing portion. The recording head unit is provided with a sealing member formed with each air communication port.

  In other words, in the shipping structure of the recording head unit of the present invention, since the atmosphere communication port is provided in the sealing member, the ink supply path communicating with the recording head side is provided even when the sealing member is attached to the recording head unit. There is no complete blockage. Therefore, even when vibration, atmospheric pressure, or temperature during transportation changes, the storage liquid filled in the recording head does not leak from the ejection side (nozzle surface side). That is, for example, when the temperature changes, conventionally, the ink supply path side is completely blocked, and thus the expanded storage liquid is subjected to a pressure that leaks out to the nozzle surface. In this case, the storage liquid expands to the atmosphere communication port side and reduces its pressure, so that the nozzle surface can be prevented from getting wet.

  In particular, when the inner diameter of the air communication port is larger than the inner diameter of each channel, which is the ink flow path provided in the recording head, the storage liquid tends to leak from the air communication port. The effect of prevention becomes more remarkable.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the sealing member has a passage corresponding to each ink supply passage that extends to the atmosphere side and becomes a state in which the vapor of the preserving solution is thick, and each atmosphere communication port is independent of each passage. Connected.

  Therefore, even when there is a change in vibration, atmospheric pressure or temperature during transportation, the storage liquid filled in the recording head only leaks slightly into the cylindrical passage, so that the nozzle surface does not get wet. . In this cylindrical passage, the vapor of the preservation solution becomes thick and the preservation solution is difficult to dry. Therefore, even if the temperature is high, the preservative liquid is not easily solidified in the passage, and the state in which the preservation liquid is easily leaked from the air communication port is maintained, so that the effect of preventing wetting of the nozzle surface is maintained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, each passage is formed in each cylindrical portion protruding from each sealing portion in a direction opposite to each ink supply passage, and the inner diameter of each passage is formed larger than the inner diameter of each air communication port. Has been.
In the invention of claim 4, the inner diameter of each air communication port is set smaller than the inner diameter of each corresponding ink supply path.

  As a result, a large amount of the preservative solution is prevented from leaking from the air communication port. It is preferable that the inner diameter of the air communication port is smaller than the inner diameter of the ink supply path because it is possible to prevent the storage liquid from leaking from the nozzle surface and to prevent excessive storage liquid from leaking from the air communication port. is there.

  The invention of claim 5 includes a recording head that has a plurality of ink supply paths corresponding to the inks of each color, and performs recording by ejecting each ink to a recording medium, and an ink cartridge is connected to the ink supply path during use. A sealing member having a sealing portion for sealing an ink supply path in place of an ink cartridge, which is used in a structure at the time of shipment of the recording head unit in which the recording head unit is filled with a storage liquid. The sealing member is characterized in that a plurality of sealing portions are provided corresponding to each ink supply path, and an atmosphere communication port for communicating each ink supply path with the atmosphere is formed in each sealing portion.

By using the sealing member of the present invention for the structure at the time of shipment of the recording head unit, the same effect as described in the first aspect can be obtained.
The invention according to claim 6 further includes a plurality of passages extending to the atmosphere side where the vapor of the preserving liquid is concentrated corresponding to each ink supply passage, and each atmosphere communication port is independent of each passage. Connected.

By using the sealing member of the present invention for the structure at the time of shipment of the recording head unit, the same effect as described in the second aspect can be obtained.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, each passage is formed in each cylindrical portion protruding from each sealing portion in a direction opposite to each ink supply passage, and the inner diameter of each passage is formed larger than the inner diameter of each air communication port. Has been.

By using the sealing member of the present invention in the structure at the time of shipment of the recording head unit, the same effect as described in the third aspect can be obtained.
In the invention of claim 8, the inner diameter of each air communication port is set smaller than the inner diameter of each corresponding ink supply path.

  By using the sealing member of the present invention in the structure at the time of shipment of the recording head unit, the same effect as described in the fourth aspect can be obtained.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the recording head unit and the sealing member according to the present invention (embodiments) will be described below with reference to the drawings.
An ink supply path sealing member (hereinafter simply referred to as a sealing member) used in the ink jet printer of this embodiment is mounted on the recording head unit to prevent the storage liquid from leaking when shipped from the factory. It is removed at the time of use, and an ink cartridge is mounted instead.

  First, the structure at the time of shipment of the sealing member of a present Example is demonstrated based on FIGS. 1 shows a state in which the sealing member 40 is attached to the recording head unit 17, FIG. 2 shows an appearance of the sealing member 40, and FIG. 3 shows the sealing member 40 in the recording head unit 17. The external appearance of the mounted state is shown. Moreover, in FIG. 1, the principal part is expanded and shown.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the recording head unit 17 ejects ink droplets of a plurality of colors (four colors) of ink (cyan c, magenta m, yellow y, black b) onto a recording sheet as a recording medium. In order to eject ink of each color, the four ejection nozzles 21 (one ejection nozzle in FIG. 1 are provided on the recording head 18 provided on the recording side). Show). In use, a plurality (four) of cartridges (not shown) that supply ink of each color are detachably mounted on the ejection nozzles 21 at the rear of the recording head unit 17.

The ejection nozzle 21 is an actuator formed by cutting a material that is a piezoelectric element, and a plurality of ink passages called channels 41 are formed therein.
All of the channels 41 communicate with the manifold 42 on the ink inflow side (the right side in FIG. 1), and a filter 43 for removing dust and the like is provided on the ink inflow side of the manifold 42. A connection member 44 made of an elastic material such as rubber used for connecting the cartridge and the sealing member 40 is provided on the outer edge of the filter 43. An ink supply path 48 having an inner diameter of 2.5 mm is formed in the center of the connection member 44 (so as to have a predetermined inner diameter ratio described later).

  At the time of shipment, the channel 41 and the manifold 42 are filled with a storage solution, and the injection side is sealed with a storage cap 30 for transportation made of an elastic material such as rubber and the cartridge mounting side (see FIG. 1). The right side) is sealed by the sealing member 40 and shipped in that state.

  Since the recording head unit 17 is not attached to the carriage at the time of shipment, the recording head unit 17 itself is removed after the conveyance storage cap 30 and the sealing member 40 are removed from the recording head unit 17 at the start of use. Mounted on the carriage.

  The storage cap 30 for transporting airtightly covers the nozzle surface 23 at a predetermined interval so that the storage solution does not leak from the injection hole 24 at the time of shipment. It is in close contact with.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, four storage caps 30 for transportation are arranged side by side on a substantially U-shaped mounting member 51 made of hard plastic so as to correspond to each injection nozzle 21. The mounting member 51 is structured to be detachably attached to the recording head unit 17.

  On the other hand, the sealing member 40 is detachably attached to the recording head unit 17, and in order to seal the ink supply passage 48 corresponding to each ejection nozzle 21 at a time, FIGS. 3 is configured. In other words, the main body 40a having a shape in which the plate material is bent in a substantially Z shape is provided, and the sealing portion 40b having the tip branched into four so as to seal each ink supply path 48 on the recording head 18 side of the main body 40a. Is formed.

  The sealing portion 40b is provided with a protruding portion 40c protruding toward the recording head 18 so as to be fitted to the connection member 44 of each recording head 18, and each ink is provided at the center of each protruding portion 40c. An air communication port 40d having an inner diameter of 1.0 mm communicating with the supply path 48 is provided.

  In addition, a cylindrical body 40e having a length of 12 mm is erected on the rear portion (right side in FIG. 1) of the sealing portion 40g, and the cylindrical body 40e has an upright position corresponding to each protrusion 40c. An atmospheric communication passage 40f having an inner diameter of 2.0 mm is formed which communicates with the atmospheric communication port 40d and opens rearward. Each cylindrical body 40e is connected to a side member by a plate-like member 40g as shown in FIG. 3 (b) in order to prevent the folding.

  When the sealing member 40 having the above-described structure is attached to the recording head unit 17, the sealing member 40 is moved from the rear portion of the recording head unit 17 so that each protrusion 40 c is fitted to each connection member 44. Press fit. By this press-fitting, the locking portion 40 h provided at the upper portion of the main body 40 a and the locking portion 40 i provided at the lower portion are respectively locked above and below the recording head unit 17, and the sealing member 40 is moved to the recording head unit 17. Fixed against.

In a state where the sealing member 40 is fixed to the recording head unit 17, the ink supply path 48 and the atmosphere side communicate with each other via the atmosphere communication port 40d and the atmosphere communication path 40f.
Therefore, if the sealing member 40 of the present embodiment is used, the preservation solution is unlikely to leak from the injection hole 24 even if there is a change in vibration, atmospheric pressure or temperature during transportation. That is, since the nozzle surface 23 side is sealed in an airtight state by the transport storage cap 30, even if the storage liquid expands due to an increase in temperature, for example, the storage liquid is supplied to the ink supply path on the side opposite to the nozzle surface 23. Only the air leaks into the atmosphere communication passage 40f through the air communication port 48d and the atmosphere communication port 40d, so that the nozzle surface 23 does not get wet.

  Further, since the sealing member 40 of the present embodiment is provided with a cylindrical body 40e communicating with the atmosphere communication port 40d at the rear portion thereof, even if the preservation liquid leaks into the atmosphere communication passage 40f from the atmosphere communication port 40d. Even in this case, the atmosphere in the atmosphere communication path 40f is in a state where the vapor of the storage liquid is thick, and therefore the storage liquid is hard to solidify. Therefore, as described above, for example, when the storage liquid is leaked from the atmosphere communication port 40d when the temperature rises, the effect of preventing the storage liquid from leaking from the injection hole 24 of the nozzle surface 23 can be obtained over a long period of time. Can be maintained.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ratio of the diameter of the atmosphere communication port 40d and the diameter of the ink supply path 48 is 1: 2.5, and the diameter of the atmosphere communication port 40d is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the ink supply path 48. Therefore, there is an advantage that the preservation solution does not leak excessively from the atmosphere communication port 40d.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, Of course, it can implement in various aspects within the range which does not deviate from the summary of this Example.
(1) For example, in the above-described embodiment, the ink jet printer has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to other types of recording apparatuses such as a fax machine.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the conveyance storage cap is used as a member for sealing the ejection side. However, instead of using the conveyance storage cap, the carriage is moved to the home position and provided on the apparatus main body side. You may ship in the state which covered the nozzle surface with the normal storage cap.

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the recording head unit is fixed to the carriage at the time of use is described as an example. However, the recording head unit may be mounted on the carriage even during conveyance. In this case, when the storage cap for conveyance is used, the carriage is arranged at a location different from the home position.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a sealing member is mounted on a recording head unit, broken away. It is a perspective view which shows a sealing member. FIG. 2 shows a state in which a sealing member is mounted on the recording head unit, where (a) is a plan view thereof, (b) is a rear view thereof, and (c) is a side view thereof. It is explanatory drawing which shows a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

17 ... Recording head unit 18 ... Recording head 21 ... Ejecting nozzle 30 ... Conveying storage cap 40 ... Ink supply path sealing member (sealing member)
40d ... Air communication port 40e ... Cylindrical body 40f ... Air communication passage 42 ... Manifold 48 ... Ink supply passage

Claims (8)

A recording head unit having a plurality of ink supply paths corresponding to the inks of the respective colors, including a recording head that performs recording by ejecting each ink onto a recording medium, and an ink cartridge is connected to the ink supply path when in use; ,
A storage solution filled in the recording head unit;
An attachment member detachably attached to the recording head unit, and having a storage cap that covers the ejection side of the recording head in a sealed state;
The recording head unit is detachably attached and has a plurality of sealing portions for sealing the ink supply paths instead of the ink cartridge, and the ink supply paths communicate with the atmosphere in the sealing portions. Sealing members each formed with an air communication port for
A structure at the time of shipment of the recording head unit, comprising:   The sealing member has a passage that extends to the atmosphere side and is in a state in which the vapor of the preservative liquid is concentrated, corresponding to each ink supply passage, and each atmosphere communication port is connected to each passage independently. The structure at the time of shipment of the recording head unit according to claim 1, wherein:   Each passage is formed in each cylindrical portion protruding from each sealing portion in a direction opposite to each ink supply passage, and the inner diameter of each passage is formed larger than the inner diameter of each air communication port. The structure at the time of shipment of the recording head unit according to claim 2, wherein:   2. The structure at the time of shipment of the recording head unit according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of each air communication port is set smaller than an inner diameter of each corresponding ink supply path. A recording head unit having a plurality of ink supply paths corresponding to the inks of each color, including a recording head that performs recording by ejecting each ink onto a recording medium, and an ink cartridge is connected to the ink supply path when in use. , Used for shipping structure of recording head unit filled with storage liquid,
A sealing member having a sealing portion for sealing the ink supply path instead of the ink cartridge,
A plurality of the sealing portions of the sealing member are provided corresponding to the ink supply paths, and air communication ports for communicating the ink supply paths with the atmosphere are formed in the sealing portions, respectively. A sealing member.   In addition, a plurality of passages extending to the atmosphere side where the vapor of the storage solution is concentrated are provided corresponding to the ink supply passages, and the atmosphere communication ports are connected to the passages independently. The sealing member according to claim 5.   Each passage is formed in each cylindrical portion protruding from each sealing portion in a direction opposite to each ink supply passage, and the inner diameter of each passage is formed larger than the inner diameter of each air communication port. The sealing member according to claim 6. The sealing member according to claim 5, wherein an inner diameter of each atmosphere communication port is set smaller than an inner diameter of each corresponding ink supply path.

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