JP4255595B2 - Ink supply apparatus, recording apparatus, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an ink supply device, a recording device and an image forming apparatus, an ink supply device that teapot subjected ink from the sub-tank of the sub-tank unit to the head unit in particular mounted on the carriage.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, in an ink jet type printer, a facsimile machine, a copying machine or the like, ink is supplied to a head unit mounted on a carriage, and ink is used as droplets from the recording head while reciprocating the carriage along the carriage rod. 2. Description of the Related Art Many ink jet jet recording apparatuses that jet and print on recording paper or the like are used. In this recording apparatus, ink is supplied from a fixed ink supply unit to a sub tank mounted on a carriage by a tube, and further, ink is supplied from the sub tank to the recording head. In order to improve the accuracy, the head unit is set on the carriage with high positional accuracy. On the carriage, a pair of sub tank units and a head unit are mounted so as to be separable via a joint portion corresponding to each color. In such a configuration, it is desired to have a structure that can be easily performed when a user or a serviceman needs to replace the head unit. For this reason, for example, in an ink jet recording apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-318864, a head support portion that holds and connects an ink tank to a head unit having a recording head is provided, and the head unit and the ink tank are integrated into a carriage. The ink tank and the ink head can be exchanged in an integrated state. Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-115092, the head unit mounted on the carriage and the ink tank are connected by the ink supply tube, and only the ink tank is replaced without replacing the head unit. ing.
[0003]
Another problem is that of mixed air. As a method of solving this problem, an air trap area is provided as a function of the sub-tank unit, and air mixed in the ink during normal printing is trapped in the air trap area, which is then separately added at a fixed timing. There has been proposed a method in which the ink is sucked out at once by a provided ink suction mechanism and discharged from the nozzles of the head.
[0004]
FIG. 5 shows the structure of a sub tank unit in a conventional ink supply apparatus according to this method. As shown in the figure, ink from a main ink tank (not shown) is supplied to an ink tank 53 in the sub tank unit 51 via an external supply tube 52. When the ink introduction joint mechanism (not shown) of the head unit is attached to the hollow needle supply pipe 55 provided in the opening 56 constituted by the guide portion of the sub tank unit 51, the ink in the ink tank 53 is provided. Is supplied to the head unit through the ink flow path 54, the ink supply joint mechanism 59 of the sub tank unit 51, and the ink introduction joint mechanism of the head unit. At that time, the air in the sub tank unit 51 is trapped in the air trap region 58 via the air flow path 57. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the sub-tank unit and the head unit of such a form are joined and can be separated. In the figure, a head unit 61 is disposed by a head positioning member 62 provided on a carriage 60, and an ink introduction joint mechanism portion 63 of the head unit is connected to an ink supply joint mechanism portion 59 of the sub tank unit 51 from below in the drawing. ing.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the head unit and sub tank unit having the above-described conventional structure, when the operator replaces the head unit, the head unit must be removed after the sub tank unit is removed or moved once, and the operation process is very troublesome. . That is, as shown in FIG. 6, two operation steps are required to remove the sub tank unit in the direction of arrow A and then remove the head unit in the direction of arrow B by holding the knob 65.
[0006]
The present invention is intended to solve this problem, facilitates replacement of the sub tank unit or the head unit, and realizes replacement without affecting the nozzle position accuracy when the head unit should be secured. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink supply device, a recording device, and an image forming apparatus that can be miniaturized.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, an ink supply device according to the present invention is provided , in which a head unit and a sub tank unit are mounted on a carriage that reciprocates along a recording member, and ink of the sub tank in the sub tank unit is supplied to the head unit. According, the sub-tank unit and the head unit is configured to divide the sub-tank unit and the head unit is detachable from the carriage, one end is engaged with the sub-tank unit, by the other end to the head unit is engaged The sub-tank unit and the head unit are provided with an intermediate connecting portion that can be detachably connected to each other . Furthermore, the intermediate connection part is U-shaped, both ends of the intermediate connection part are arranged upward, and the intermediate part of the intermediate connection part is fixed to the carriage. Therefore, since the intermediate connection is U-shaped, the sub tank unit and the head unit can be attached and detached from the same top to bottom direction, so that maintenance can be easily performed.
[0008]
The intermediate connection portion has rubber seals at both ends. Further, the sub tank unit has an ink supply pipe which is provided with a needle at the tip and is inserted into a rubber seal provided at one end of the intermediate connection portion. The head unit also has an ink introduction tube that is provided with a needle at the tip and is inserted into a rubber seal provided at the other end of the intermediate connection portion. Accordingly, since the needles of the sub tank unit and the head unit are on the upper side and the rubber seal of the intermediate connection part is on the lower side, ink leakage is unlikely to occur between the head unit, the intermediate connection part, and the sub tank unit.
[0009]
Furthermore, by mounting this ink supply device on a recording device and an image forming device such as a printer, a facsimile machine, and a copying machine, it is possible to easily mount and replace the head unit and sub tank unit. Can be installed or replaced in a short time.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The sub-tank unit and the head unit in the ink supply device of the present invention is constructed by dividing the sub-tank unit and the head unit is detachable from the carriage. One end is engaged with the sub-tank unit, by the other end to the head unit is engaged, and an intermediate connecting portion capable detachably connected to each other sub-tank unit and a head unit. Furthermore, the intermediate connection part is U-shaped, both ends of the intermediate connection part are arranged upward, and the intermediate part of the intermediate connection part is fixed to the carriage.
[0011]
【Example】
Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view showing an ink supply mechanism in the ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 5 and 6 denote the same components. Differently, the intermediate connection portion 11 includes an ink communication channel 12, an engagement portion 13 a that communicates with one end of the ink communication channel 12 and engages with the opening 56 a of the sub tank unit 51, and an ink communication channel. 12, the engaging portion 13 b that communicates with the other end of the head unit 61 and engages with the opening 56 b of the head unit 61, and the openings 56 a and 56 b of the engaging portions 13 a and 13 b are sealed and the ink of the sub tank unit 51 is sealed. The rubber seals 14a and 14b into which the supply pipe 55a and the ink introduction pipe 55b of the head unit 61 are inserted, and the slide retaining member 15 fixed to the carriage 60 so as to be removable by screws or hooks, for example, are configured. Yes. The intermediate connection portion 11 is made of plastic. The intermediate connection portion 11 having such a configuration removably connects the sub tank unit 51 and the head unit 61 to each other. The ink in the ink tank 53 of the sub tank unit 51 passes through the ink flow path 54 and the ink supply pipe 55a, and further engages with the sub tank unit 51 of the intermediate connection portion 11 engaged with the opening 56a of the sub tank unit 51. Then, the ink flows through the ink communicating flow path 12 communicating with the engaging portion 13a and the engaging portion 13b of the head unit 61 engaged with the opening 56b of the head unit 61. Then, the ink is supplied from the ink introduction tube 55 b of the head unit 61 into the head unit 61. The head unit 61 can be moved in the direction of the arrow alone without removing the sub tank unit 51.
[0012]
Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view showing a state at the time of replacement of the ink supply mechanism in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1, 5, and 6 denote the same components. A sub tank unit 51 is mounted on the carriage 60, and the intermediate connection portion 11 is fixed by a slide retaining member 15. The ink supply joint mechanism 59 of the sub tank unit 51 and the ink introduction joint mechanism 63 of the head unit 61 are connected by the intermediate connection part 11. Further, the contact pressure rotating arm 18 having the electrical contact connecting portion 17 connected to the electrical contact of the head unit 61 is connected to the cord 16 from the control unit (not shown) and pivots. The pressure lever 19 is a lever for reliably connecting the electrical contact connecting portion 17 to the electrical contact of the head unit 61 by interlockingly pressing the contact pressurizing rotation arm 18. The head unit 61 is fixed to the carriage 60 with high positional accuracy by contacting the head positioning member 62. In the case of a full-color printing apparatus, the same configuration is arranged for the number of colors. Positioning and pressing are performed by the pressing force of the contact pressing and rotating arm 18 in the Z direction which is the upper and lower sides in the figure, and the X direction (left and right in the figure) is performed by the head positioning spring 20. The Y direction (front and back in the figure) is positioned by a spring similar to the Y direction (not shown). On the other hand, the head unit 61 is removed by releasing the electrical contact pressurizing lever 19 and opening the contact pressurizing / rotating arm 18 (indicated by a broken line in the figure) and then moving it in the direction of the arrow. At that time, the ink introduction joint mechanism portion 63 of the head unit 61 is removed from the intermediate connection portion 11. Since the head unit 61 moves slightly even when positioning, the intermediate connecting portion 11 allocates one part to each head unit 61 to reduce the influence of the load. Further, each is driven according to the position of the head unit 61. Further, the carriage 60 can be slid by the slide retaining member 15 and has a retaining structure that prevents the head unit 61 from being detached integrally when the head unit 61 is removed.
[0013]
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view illustrating an arrangement example of the sub tank units with respect to the head unit. The arrangement example shown in the figure is a case where the sub tank units 51 are arranged on a plane with respect to the head unit 61. This arrangement is a form in which the positions of the sub tanks 51 are alternately arranged by changing the lengths of the ink communication pipes 12 of the intermediate connection portion 11 in the longitudinal direction. With such an arrangement, the sub tank unit 51 can be disposed within the width in the longitudinal direction of the head unit 61, and the entire ink supply mechanism in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment can be reduced in size. The width of the head unit 61 can be reduced as much as possible, and the accuracy between nozzle positions can be improved. In addition, it is not necessary to restrict to the form which arranges the position of the sub tank 51 by turns like FIG.
[0014]
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another arrangement example of the sub tank units with respect to the head unit. In the arrangement example shown in the figure, when the sub tank units 51 are arranged on the basis of the pitch, the position of the sub tank unit is changed by changing the connection height of each intermediate connection portion 11, that is, the length in the longitudinal direction of the engaging portion 13a. Are three-dimensionally arranged. With such an arrangement, the sub tank unit can be arranged only by the width of the intermediate connection portion 11, and it is possible to cope with the miniaturization in the longitudinal direction of the head unit, and further, the accuracy between the nozzle positions is increased. This can be further improved.
[0015]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, It cannot be overemphasized that various deformation | transformation and substitution are possible if it is description in a claim.
[0016]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the ink supply device of the present invention, the head unit and the sub tank unit are mounted on the carriage that reciprocates along the recording member, and the ink of the sub tank in the sub tank unit is supplied to the head unit. the sub-tank unit and the head unit is configured to divide the sub-tank unit and the head unit is detachable from the carriage, one end is engaged with the sub-tank unit, by the other end to the head unit is engaged, the sub-tank unit And an intermediate connection portion that can be detachably coupled to the head unit . Furthermore, the intermediate connection part is U-shaped, both ends of the intermediate connection part are arranged upward, and the intermediate part of the intermediate connection part is fixed to the carriage. Accordingly, since the intermediate connection is U-shaped, the sub tank unit and the head unit can be attached and detached in the same direction from the top to the bottom, so that maintenance can be easily performed.
[0017]
The intermediate connection portion has rubber seals at both ends. Further, the sub tank unit has an ink supply pipe which is provided with a needle at the tip and is inserted into a rubber seal provided at one end of the intermediate connection portion. The head unit also has an ink introduction tube that is provided with a needle at the tip and is inserted into a rubber seal provided at the other end of the intermediate connection portion. Accordingly, since the needles of the sub tank unit and the head unit are on the upper side and the rubber seal of the intermediate connection part is on the lower side, ink leakage is unlikely to occur between the head unit, the intermediate connection part, and the sub tank unit.
[0018]
Furthermore, by mounting this ink supply device on a recording device and an image forming device such as a printer, a facsimile machine, and a copying machine, it is possible to easily mount and replace the head unit and sub tank unit. Can be installed or replaced in a short time.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an ink supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state when the ink supply device of this embodiment is replaced.
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view illustrating an arrangement example of sub tank units with respect to a head unit.
FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing another arrangement example of the sub tank units with respect to the head unit.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a sub tank unit in a conventional ink supply apparatus.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a conventional ink supply device.
[Explanation of symbols]
11: Intermediate connection part, 12: Ink communication pipe, 13a, 13b: Engagement part,
14a, 14b: rubber seal, 15: slide retaining member, 16: cord,
17: Electrical contact connection part, 18: Contact pressurizing rotation arm,
19: Pressure lever, 20: Head positioning spring, 51: Sub tank unit,
52: External supply tube, 53: Ink tank, 54: Ink flow path,
55, 55a: supply pipe, 55b: introduction pipe, 56, 56a, 56b: opening,
57: Air flow path, 58: Air trap area,
59, 63: ink supply joint mechanism,
60: carriage, 61: head unit, 62: head positioning member.

Claims (6)

The sub-tank unit and a head unit mounted on the carriage that reciprocates along a recording member, the ink Louis ink supply device to supply the head unit of the sub-tank in the sub-tank unit,
The sub-tank unit and the head unit is configured to divide,
The sub-tank unit and the head unit is detachably attached to the carriage,
The sub-tank unit one end engaged with the, by the other end is engaged to the head unit, with the sub-tank unit and mutually detachably connectable intermediate connecting portion said head unit,
The intermediate supply portion is U-shaped, both ends of the intermediate connection portion are disposed above, and the intermediate portion of the intermediate connection portion is fixed to the carriage . The intermediate connection portion has rubber seals at both ends,
The sub-tank unit has an ink supply pipe that is provided with a needle at a tip and is inserted into the rubber seal provided at one end of the intermediate connection portion.
2. The ink supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the head unit includes an ink introduction tube provided with a needle at a tip and inserted into the rubber seal provided at the other end of the intermediate connection portion . In a recording apparatus having an ink supply device that mounts a sub tank unit and a head unit on a carriage that reciprocates along a recording member, and supplies ink from the sub tank in the sub tank unit to the head unit.
The sub tank unit and the head unit are configured separately.
The sub tank unit and the head unit are detachable from the carriage,
An intermediate connection portion that can be detachably coupled to the sub tank unit and the head unit by engaging one end of the sub tank unit and engaging the other end of the head unit;
The intermediate connecting portion is U-shaped, both ends of the intermediate connecting portion are arranged above, and the intermediate portion of the intermediate connecting portion is fixed to the carriage . The intermediate connection portion has rubber seals at both ends,
The sub-tank unit has an ink supply pipe that is provided with a needle at a tip and is inserted into the rubber seal provided at one end of the intermediate connection portion.
The head unit, the needle is provided at the distal end, record apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises an ink inlet tube that is inserted into the rubber seal provided at the other end of the intermediate connection portion. In an image forming apparatus having an ink supply device that mounts a sub tank unit and a head unit on a carriage that reciprocates along a recording member, and supplies ink from the sub tank in the sub tank unit to the head unit.
The sub tank unit and the head unit are configured separately.
The sub tank unit and the head unit are detachable from the carriage,
An intermediate connection portion that can be detachably coupled to the sub tank unit and the head unit by engaging one end of the sub tank unit and engaging the other end of the head unit;
The intermediate connecting portion is U-shaped, both ends of the intermediate connecting portion are disposed above, and the intermediate portion of the intermediate connecting portion is fixed to the carriage . The intermediate connection portion has rubber seals at both ends,
The sub-tank unit has an ink supply pipe that is provided with a needle at a tip and is inserted into the rubber seal provided at one end of the intermediate connection portion.
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the head unit includes an ink introduction tube provided with a needle at a tip and inserted into the rubber seal provided at the other end of the intermediate connection portion .

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