JP5466875B2 - Printer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer apparatus including an ink supply device that supplies ink to a printer head that performs printing by discharging ink.

  In the printer apparatus, the printer head is generally mounted on a carriage that is moved relative to the print medium, and ejects ink from ejection nozzles formed on the lower surface while being moved relative to the print medium. It is configured to perform printing by adhering to a print medium in a predetermined pattern. In the printer apparatus configured as described above, when the internal pressure of the printer head becomes higher than the atmospheric pressure, the ink is pushed out from the discharge nozzle and dropped onto the print medium, causing a problem of so-called “dropping”. As a method for solving this problem, a configuration in which a subtank in which a small-capacity ink chamber is formed is provided. During printing, by adjusting the internal pressure of the sub tank to a slightly negative pressure slightly lower than the atmospheric pressure, ink is supplied from the sub tank to the printer head, thereby forming a meniscus on the discharge nozzle and preventing dripping. It is like that.

  For example, ink supply means for supplying ink from an ink cartridge (main tank) to the sub tank and pressure adjusting means for adjusting the internal pressure of the ink chamber are connected to the sub tank. The ink supply device is mainly composed of the sub tank, the ink supply means and the pressure adjusting means. For example, FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which an ink supply tube 4 and an exhaust tube 6 are connected to a sub tank 3 connected to a recording head 1. With this configuration, ink is supplied from the main tank 5 via the ink supply tube 4, and the exhaust pump 11 is driven to apply a negative pressure to the sub tank 3.

  Recently, for the purpose of shortening the printing time, a configuration has been developed in which printer heads that eject the same ink are mounted adjacent to each other on a carriage and printing is performed using these printer heads. FIG. 7 shows a conventional printing unit 500 in which two printer heads 540a and 540b that discharge the same ink are mounted on a carriage (not shown) so as to be adjacent to the left and right. Sub tanks 530a and 530b are connected to the printer heads 540a and 540b, respectively. The ink stored in the ink cartridge 510 is supplied to the sub tanks 530a and 530b by the supply pump 520. The sub tanks 530a and 530b are connected to a pressure regulating pump 560 via internal pressure control valves 550a and 550b, respectively.

  With such a configuration, at the time of printing, while maintaining the internal pressure of the sub tanks 530a and 530b at a slight negative pressure by the pressure adjusting pump 560, the sub tanks 530a and 530a, Ink is supplied to 530b. Specifically, when it is detected that one of the printing sub-tanks 530a and 530b has reached the lower limit of the ink storage amount, the supply pump 520 is driven for a predetermined time and is substantially the same as each of the sub-tanks 530a and 530b. A quantity (including the same quantity) of ink is supplied. In addition, the description of “substantially the same amount” in the following includes both the case of substantially the same amount and the same amount, and the description of “substantially the same”, “substantially the same height position”, and the like.

JP 2002-240310 A

  By the way, it is not always the case that printing is performed by always ejecting ink from the printer heads 540a and 540b in the same manner. For example, the printer head 540b may have a larger ink discharge amount per unit time than the printer head 540a. In this case, it is detected in the sub tank 530b that the ink storage amount has reached the lower limit, and ink is supplied to each of the sub tanks 530a and 530b. At this time, ink is supplied to the sub tank 530a even though a sufficient amount of ink is stored, and ink exceeding the capacity of the sub tank 530a may be supplied. Then, there is a problem that ink overflowing from the sub tank 530a flows into the internal pressure control valve 550a and it is difficult to adjust the internal pressure of the sub tank 530a (printer head 540a).

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an ink supply device that can stably supply ink to a printer head by preventing ink from flowing into an internal pressure control valve while having a relatively simple configuration. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer apparatus provided.

  In order to achieve the above object, a printer device according to the present invention includes an ink supply device that supplies liquid ink to a printer head that performs printing by discharging liquid ink in a state of being opposed to a print medium. The apparatus is connected to the printer head to form an ink chamber for temporarily storing the liquid ink supplied from a main tank (for example, the ink cartridge 60 in the embodiment) in which the liquid ink is stored. A sub tank for supplying the liquid ink stored in the printer head to the printer head, an ink supply means for supplying the liquid ink from the main tank to the ink chamber (for example, the supply pump 61 in the embodiment), and the ink chamber. Liquid level detecting means (for example, the liquid level in the embodiment) Detection boards 72a, 72b) and control means (for example, controller 43 in the embodiment) for controlling the drive of the ink supply means in accordance with the detection result detected by the liquid level detection means, and the main tank The liquid ink stored in the tank is branched and supplied to the plurality of sub-tanks, and the printer head is connected to each of the plurality of sub-tanks, and the ink chambers in the plurality of sub-tanks are liquid ink. Are connected by a storage amount adjusting flow path (for example, a liquid level adjusting tube 63 in the embodiment) that can move.

  The printer head is mounted on a carriage that is moved relative to a print medium, and a plurality of the printer heads that eject the same liquid ink that is branched from the main tank and supplied to the carriage is attached to the carriage. It is preferable that they are mounted adjacent to each other.

  In the printer apparatus, it is preferable that the storage amount adjustment flow path is connected to substantially the same height position with respect to each of the ink chambers in the plurality of sub tanks.

  Further, in the printer apparatus, each of the ink chambers is configured by a confluence control valve that can be opened and closed (for example, the internal pressure adjusting valve 59a in the embodiment) and a pressure adjusting branch channel (for example, the branch tubes 64a and 64b in the embodiment). The confluence control valve is connected and pressure adjusting means (for example, the pressure adjusting pump 66 in the embodiment) for adjusting the internal pressure of each ink chamber and the pressure adjusting main flow path (for example, the pressure adjusting tube 65 in the embodiment). It is preferable that the control means controls the drive of the pressure adjusting means and the opening / closing control of the merging control valve to adjust the internal pressure of each ink chamber.

  In the printer device according to the present invention, the ink chambers in the plurality of sub tanks are connected to each other by a storage amount adjusting flow path through which liquid ink can flow. With this configuration, for example, even in a case where a plurality of sub-tanks have different ink storage amounts (ink liquid levels) (a head difference occurs), the sub-tank having a large storage amount via the storage amount adjustment flow path. Thus, ink is automatically supplied from the storage tank to the sub-tank with a small storage amount so as to cancel the water head difference. For this reason, the ink storage amount in the plurality of subtanks can always be maintained substantially the same while the simple configuration is such that the plurality of subtanks are connected by the storage amount adjustment flow path. Therefore, when ink is supplied to the sub tank, all the sub tanks are similarly at the lower limit amount, and the ink is supplied even though a sufficient amount of ink is stored as in the conventional case. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation of flowing into

  In addition, a configuration in which a plurality of printer heads that discharge the same liquid ink branched and supplied from the main tank are mounted on the carriage so as to be adjacent to each other is preferable. For example, when printing is performed by ejecting the same ink by controlling ejection of each of two printer heads mounted adjacent to each other, the printing time is shorter than when printing is performed using one printer head. Can be halved. Therefore, it is possible to improve work efficiency as a whole.

  In the printer apparatus described above, it is preferable that the storage amount adjusting flow path is connected to substantially the same height position with respect to each of the ink chambers in the plurality of sub tanks. When configured in this way, substantially the same water pressure (ink pressure) can be applied to the portion where the storage amount adjustment flow path in each ink chamber is connected, and the ink storage amount in the plurality of sub tanks can be more accurately determined. It becomes possible to maintain substantially the same.

  In addition, a configuration in which each of the ink chambers is connected by a confluence control valve that can be opened and closed and a branch passage for regulating pressure is preferable. If comprised in this way, the number of merge control valves can be reduced compared with the case where a some merge control valve is provided corresponding to each sub tank, for example. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, the weight of the carriage can be reduced, and the configuration of the device mounted on the carriage can be simplified. Further, by controlling the opening / closing of one merging control valve, the internal pressures of a plurality of sub tanks can be adjusted simultaneously, so that highly accurate internal pressure adjustment can be performed without causing a time lag.

1 is a perspective view of a printer apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is the perspective view which showed the printing unit periphery of the said printer apparatus. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an ink supply path to a printer head. It is sectional drawing of the IV-IV part in FIG. FIG. 3 is a control system diagram of the printer apparatus. It is the figure which showed the ink supply path | route which concerns on another Example. It is a figure showing a conventional ink supply path.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the arrow directions shown in the drawings are defined as front and rear, left and right, and up and down.

  First, the configuration of the printer device 10 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the printer device 10 configured to print on the plate-like print medium B using ultraviolet curable ink that is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer device 10 mainly includes a support portion 2 provided at a lower portion and a printing portion 3 attached to the support portion 2 so as to be movable back and forth. The support portion 2 is mainly composed of a plurality of support legs 11, a table 12 supported horizontally by the support legs 11, and front and rear moving mechanisms 20 and 30 provided at the left and right ends of the table 12 and extending in the front-rear direction. . A decompression chamber (not shown) is formed on the lower side (back side) of the table 12, and the surface of the table 12 and the decompression chamber communicate with each other by a plurality of supply / discharge holes (not shown) penetrating vertically. Has been. A supply / discharge blower (not shown) can suck air in the decompression chamber or send air into the decompression chamber. For example, by sucking air in the decompression chamber, air is sucked from the supply / discharge hole to the decompression chamber, and the print medium B placed on the surface of the table 12 can be adsorbed to the table 12 and fixed.

  The front and rear moving mechanisms 20 and 30 are configured to move the printing unit 3 straight back and forth with respect to the table 12 by operating each of them in synchronization. Note that various well-known techniques can be used as the back-and-forth movement mechanisms 20 and 30, and description thereof is omitted in this specification.

  The printing unit 3 mainly includes a main body unit 40 that extends over the table 12 and extends to the left and right, and a printing unit 50. The printing unit 50 is attached to a guide rail 42 that extends in the left and right directions inside the main body 40. An operation unit 41 including operation switches and display devices is provided on the left front side of the main body 40. In addition, a controller 43 is mounted inside the main body 40 on the left end side, and the controller 43 is electrically connected to the operation unit 41 and each component described later. The controller 43 receives an operation signal from the operation unit 41 and outputs an operation signal to each constituent member to perform operation control.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the controller 43 receives detection results detected on liquid level detection substrates 72 a, 72 b, which will be described later, and includes a printer head 52, a right ultraviolet irradiation device 54 </ b> R, and a left ultraviolet irradiation device. 54L, internal pressure control valves 55a, 55b, etc., supply pump 61, pressure adjusting pump 66, forward / backward moving mechanisms 20, 30, and left / right moving mechanism 44 for reciprocating the printing unit 50 to the left and right, and so on. It is configured.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printing unit 50 mainly includes a carriage 51, a plurality of (for example, eight) printer heads 52, a plurality of (for example, eight) sub tanks 53, a right ultraviolet irradiation device 54R, and a left ultraviolet irradiation device 54L. Composed. The printing unit 50 is moved left and right along the guide rail 42 by the left and right moving mechanism 44. Note that various well-known techniques can be used as the left-right moving mechanism 44, and description thereof is omitted in this specification.

  The carriage 51 is attached to the guide rail 42 so as to be movable left and right. The carriage 51 is a mounting base for the printer head 52, the sub tank 53, the right ultraviolet irradiation device 54R, and the left ultraviolet irradiation device 54L. The printer head 52 is formed with a plurality of ejection nozzles (not shown) for ejecting ink downward on the lower surface. In addition, two printer heads 52 that discharge ink of the same color are mounted on the carriage 51 so as to be adjacent to the left and right. FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration in which two printer heads 52 that eject magenta (M), yellow (Y), cyan (C), and black (K) inks are mounted in order from the right side. doing. Each of the printer heads 52 is configured to be able to print at a resolution of 150 dpi, for example. In this embodiment, the configuration using the printer heads 52 for four colors is illustrated, but a configuration using multicolor printer heads 52 of six colors or more may be used in addition to this configuration.

  The sub tank 53 is provided so as to correspond to each of the printer heads 52 and is mounted above the printer head 52. The sub tank 53 is configured to temporarily store ink therein and to supply the stored ink to the printer head 52 according to the amount of ink discharged from the printer head 52. The detailed structure of the sub tank 53 will be described later. In the following description, the configuration of the printer heads 52a and 52b that discharge magenta (M) ink and the sub tanks 53a and 53b connected to the printer heads 52a and 52b will be mainly described. Note that the printer head 52 and the sub tank 53 that eject ink of other colors have the same configuration as the printer heads 52a and 52b and the sub tanks 53a and 53b described below.

  Each of the right ultraviolet ray irradiation device 54R and the left ultraviolet ray irradiation device 54L has a built-in light source (for example, LED) capable of emitting ultraviolet rays, and the ultraviolet rays from the light source are emitted downward. . In addition, it is also possible to use a metal halide lamp etc. instead of said LED as a light source which irradiates an ultraviolet-ray.

  FIG. 3 shows the printer heads 52a and 52b and the sub tanks 53a and 53b extracted from the printing unit 50 shown in FIG. As can be seen from FIG. 3, a supply tube 62 is connected to the upper front side of each of the sub tanks 53 a and 53 b (near the height position of a full detection sensor 73 </ b> F described later). The supply tube 62 is mounted on the lower side of the table 12, for example, and is connected to an ink cartridge 60 in which magenta ink is stored. A supply pump 61 is disposed in the supply tube 62. Each of the printer heads 52 a and 52 b is independently controlled by the controller 43 to eject ink.

  By driving the supply pump 61, magenta ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 60 to each of the sub tanks 53a and 53b. The pressure regulating tube 65 connected to the pressure regulating pump 66 is provided with internal pressure control valves 55a and 55b made up of, for example, two-way solenoid valves, corresponding to the sub tanks 53a and 53b. The upper part of the sub tank 53a and the internal pressure control valve 55a are connected by the branch tube 64a, and the upper part of the sub tank 53b and the internal pressure control valve 55b are connected by the branch tube 64b. A part of the pressure adjusting tube 65 and the internal pressure control valves 55 a and 55 b are mounted on the carriage 51.

  By the way, when the insides of the printer heads 52a and 52b are in a positive pressure state, the ink is pushed out from the ejection nozzles, causing a problem of “dropping off”. Therefore, in order to avoid this problem, control is performed to drive the pressure adjusting pump 66 and open the internal pressure control valves 55a and 55b during printing. By doing so, a negative pressure is applied to the inside of the sub tanks 53a and 53b, and a meniscus can be formed in the discharge nozzles of the printer heads 52a and 52b.

  FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the sub tanks 53a and 53b. The sub tank 53a and the sub tank 53b have the same configuration. Here, the configuration of the sub tank 53a will be described with reference to FIG. The sub tank 53a is mainly configured by a tank body 70, a guide wall 71, a liquid level detection substrate 72a, and a float 74. The tank body 70 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped using, for example, a black resin material, and an ink chamber 79 for storing ink is formed therein. By forming the black resin material in this way, it is possible to reduce the entry of light (ultraviolet light) into the tank body 70 and to prevent the ink stored in the ink chamber 79 from being cured. A liquid level detection substrate 72b is mounted on the sub tank 53b.

  The guide wall 71 is formed to extend vertically so as to divide the ink chamber 79. The liquid level detection board 72a is configured by mounting a full detection sensor 73F on the top, a middle detection sensor 73M on the middle, and a lower limit detection sensor 73L on the bottom. The float 74 floats on the ink and is always positioned on the liquid surface, and a magnet (not shown) is fixed to the float 74. The float 74 moves up and down substantially straight while being guided by the guide wall 71 according to the amount of ink (liquid level) stored in the ink chamber 79.

  For example, when the float 74 falls to the position of the lower limit detection sensor 73L, the magnetic force of the magnet is detected by the lower limit detection sensor 73L, and it is detected that the ink stored in the ink chamber 79 has decreased to the lower limit amount. Similarly, when the magnetic force is detected by the full detection sensor 73F, the ink chamber 79 is full of ink, and when the magnetic force is detected by the middle detection sensor 73M, about half of the ink is in the ink chamber 79. It is detected that it is stored. This detection result is output to the controller 43 via the liquid level detection board 72a.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the sub tanks 53 a and 53 b are connected to the liquid level adjusting tube 63 so as to connect the ink chambers 79 to each other. The liquid level adjustment tube 63 is connected to a height position substantially the same as the height position of the lower limit detection sensor 73L. Note that the connection position of the liquid level adjustment tube 63 to the sub tanks 53a and 53b only needs to be below the full detection sensor 73F, and may be, for example, near the middle detection sensor 73M or below the lower limit detection sensor 73L.

  The configuration of the printer device 10 has been described above. Hereinafter, the operation of the printer apparatus 10 when printing on the print medium B will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, the printing medium B is placed on the table 12 and the air in the decompression chamber is sucked so that the printing medium B is attracted to the table 12 and fixed. Then, the printing unit 3 is moved forward with respect to the table 12 by the front and rear moving mechanisms 20 and 30 so that the printing unit 50 and the printing medium B are opposed to each other. In this state, while the printing unit 50 is moved left and right by the left and right moving mechanism 44, ink is ejected from the printer head 52 and ultraviolet rays are emitted from the right ultraviolet ray irradiation device 54R and the left ultraviolet ray irradiation device 54L. By doing so, the ink can be adhered to the printing medium B in a desired pattern, and the adhered ink can be cured to perform printing.

  When ink is ejected from the printer head 52, for example, magenta ink with a resolution of 150 dpi is ejected from each of the printer heads 52a and 52b. As a result, printing with a resolution of 300 dpi is performed in a short time (for example, one printer Compared with the case where printing with a resolution of 300 dpi is performed using the head 52a, the printing can be performed in about half the time).

  While performing the above operation, the printing unit 50 is reciprocated left and right along the guide rail 42 a predetermined number of times, and then the printing unit 3 is moved forward by a predetermined distance by the front and rear moving mechanisms 20 and 30. Then, while the printing unit 50 is reciprocated left and right a predetermined number of times, ink ejection and ultraviolet irradiation are performed. By repeating such an operation, desired printing can be performed on the entire print medium B.

  When printing is performed as described above, for example, ink stored in the sub tank 53a is supplied to the printer head 52a in accordance with the amount of ink discharged from the printer head 52a. In this way, when ink is supplied from the sub tank 53a to the printer head 52a, the ink stored in the sub tank 53a decreases. At a certain point in time, it is detected that the float 74 in the sub tank 53a has dropped to the position of the lower limit detection sensor 73L and has reached the lower limit amount.

  Then, the controller 43 drives the supply pump 61 for a certain period of time, and supplies substantially the same amount of ink from the ink cartridge 60 to each of the sub tanks 53a and 53b. When the magnetic force is not detected by the lower limit detection sensor 73L after the supply pump 61 is driven for a certain time (when the float 74 is located between the middle detection sensor 73M and the lower limit detection sensor 73L), the ink supply is finished. To do. The controller 43 drives the supply pump 61 for a certain period of time as described above when it is detected that either the sub tank 53a or the sub tank 53b has reached the lower limit amount.

  On the other hand, after the supply pump 61 is driven for a certain time, when the magnetic force is still detected by the lower limit detection sensor 73L, the supply pump 61 is again driven for a certain time. Thus, the supply pump 61 is repeatedly driven until the float 74 is positioned between the middle detection sensor 73M and the lower limit detection sensor 73L. If the float 74 is not positioned between the middle detection sensor 73M and the lower limit detection sensor 73L (the position of the lower limit detection sensor 73L does not change) no matter how many times the supply pump 61 is driven, the controller 43 It is determined that the ink cartridge 60 is empty. In this case, the controller 43 outputs a signal to the operation unit 41 to display, for example, “cartridge replacement” and prompt the operator to replace the ink cartridge 60.

  By the way, when printing is performed as described above, each of the printer heads 52a and 52b is independently controlled to discharge in accordance with the image shape or the like to be printed, and the unit time of the printer head 52a and the printer head 52b. The per-ink discharge amount may be different. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in the state where the liquid level heights of the sub-tanks 53a and 53b are substantially the same, the printer head 52a is controlled to discharge ink continuously, while the printer head 52b is almost free of ink. A case is assumed in which control is performed without discharging. In this case, the ink in the sub tank 53b does not decrease, but the ink in the sub tank 53a gradually decreases and the liquid level (float 74) drops, and a situation may occur in which the liquid levels of the sub tanks 53a and 53b are different. .

  At this time, since the ink chambers 79 of the sub tank 53a and the sub tank 53b are connected to each other by the liquid level adjusting tube 63 which is one of the characteristic configurations of the present invention, when the liquid level of the sub tank 53a falls, Ink is automatically supplied from the sub tank 53b to the sub tank 53a via the adjustment tube 63 so as to cancel out the water head difference. When the liquid levels of the sub tank 53a and the sub tank 53b become substantially the same, the supply of ink through the liquid level adjustment tube 63 is automatically stopped.

  In this way, even when the ink discharge amounts per unit time are different between the printer head 52a and the printer head 52b, the ink supply (discharge) is performed so that the storage amounts are substantially the same through the liquid level adjustment tube 63. Is done automatically. Therefore, the float 74 descends to the position of the lower limit detection sensor 73L at the same timing as the sub tank 53a and the sub tank 53b. At this time, the supply pump 61 is driven for a certain period of time, so that approximately the same amount of ink is supplied to each of the sub tanks 53a and 53b, and approximately the same amount of ink can be stored.

  As described above, it is possible to always maintain the ink storage amounts of the sub tank 53a and the sub tank 53b through the liquid level adjustment tube 63 so as to be substantially the same. Therefore, a sufficient amount of ink is stored, ink is supplied to the sub tank that does not need to be supplied with ink, and the ink flows into the internal pressure control valve or the like, making it difficult to adjust the internal pressure of the sub tank. Can be reliably prevented. Therefore, it is possible to stably supply ink from the sub tanks 53a and 53b to the printer heads 52a and 52b. For example, in the printer heads 52a and 52b, it is effective to cause a drop in ink or a discharge failure in which ink is not normally discharged. Can be prevented.

  Instead of the above-described configuration, as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to connect the branch tubes 64a and 64b connected to the upper portions of the sub tanks 53a and 53b to one internal pressure control valve 59a. As described above, since the ink storage amounts of the sub tank 53a and the sub tank 53b can always be maintained substantially the same by the liquid level adjustment tube 63, the sub tank 53a and the sub tank 53b are controlled by opening / closing the internal pressure control valve 59a. Even if the internal pressure is adjusted simultaneously, no particular problem occurs. When configured in this way, the number of internal pressure control valves can be reduced as compared with the configuration of FIG. 3, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the load on the left and right drive mechanism can be reduced by reducing the weight of the carriage. It becomes. In FIG. 3, since the internal pressure control valves 55a and 55b are individually controlled to open and close, it is difficult to open and close each of the internal pressure control valves 55a and 55b at the same timing. On the other hand, by configuring as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to adjust the internal pressure of the sub tank at the same timing without the time lag.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration is illustrated in which two printer heads 52 (for example, the printer heads 52a and 52b) that discharge the same ink are adjacent to each other. However, the present invention is limited to this configuration. It is not something. For example, the present invention can be similarly applied to a configuration in which three or more printer heads 52 that discharge the same ink are adjacent to each other.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration example in which the present invention is applied to the two-axis printer head moving type printer device 10 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the printer device having such a configuration. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a printer device of a uniaxial printing medium movement type, a uniaxial printer head movement type, and a biaxial printing medium movement type printer device. Further, the ink to be used is not limited to the ultraviolet curable ink, and the present invention can be applied to a printer apparatus using another type of ink such as water-based ink.

B Print medium 10 Printer device 43 Controller (control means)
51 Carriage 52 Printer head 53 Sub tank 59a Internal pressure control valve (joining control valve)
60 Ink cartridge (main tank)
61 Supply pump (ink supply means)
63 Liquid level adjustment tube (reservoir volume adjustment flow path)
64a Branch tube (Branch flow path for pressure control)
64b Branch tube (Branch flow path for pressure regulation)
65 Pressure regulating tube (main flow path for pressure regulation)
66 Pressure regulating pump (pressure regulating means)
72a Liquid level detection substrate (liquid level detection means)
72b Liquid level detection substrate (Liquid level detection means)
79 Ink chamber

Claims (5)

A printer device including an ink supply device that supplies liquid ink to a printer head that performs printing by discharging liquid ink in a state of facing a print medium,
The ink supply device comprises:
An ink chamber that is connected to the printer head and temporarily stores liquid ink supplied from a main tank in which liquid ink is stored is formed, and liquid ink stored in the ink chamber is supplied to the printer head. A sub-tank,
Ink supply means for supplying liquid ink from the main tank to the ink chamber;
A liquid level detection means for detecting a liquid level height position of the liquid ink stored in the ink chamber;
Control means for performing drive control of the ink supply means according to the detection result detected by the liquid level detection means when performing printing ;
Pressure adjusting means that continues to adjust the internal pressure of the ink chamber when printing is performed ,
The liquid ink stored in the main tank is branched and supplied to the plurality of sub tanks, and the printer head is connected to each of the plurality of sub tanks.
The pressure adjusting means communicates with each of the ink chambers in the plurality of sub tanks via a flow path,
The printer apparatus, wherein the ink chambers in the plurality of sub-tanks are connected by a storage amount adjusting flow path that allows liquid ink to flow and move.   The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sub tank is mounted above the printer head.   The printer head is mounted on a carriage that is moved relative to a print medium,
  3. The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the printer heads that discharge the same liquid ink that is branched and supplied from the main tank are mounted adjacent to the carriage.   The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage amount adjusting flow path is connected to substantially the same height position with respect to each of the ink chambers in the plurality of sub tanks. .   Each of the ink chambers is connected by a merging control valve that can be opened and closed and a branch passage for pressure regulation,
  The confluence control valve is connected to the pressure adjusting means for adjusting the internal pressure of each of the ink chambers by a pressure adjusting main flow path;
  2. The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means performs drive control of the pressure adjusting means and open / close control of the merging control valve to adjust the internal pressure of each of the ink chambers.

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