JP6292273B2 - Liquid cartridge, image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid cartridge and an image forming apparatus in which the liquid cartridge is mounted in a replaceable manner.

  As an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile, a copying machine, a plotter, or a complex machine of these, for example, a liquid discharge recording type image forming using a recording head composed of a liquid discharge head (droplet discharge head) that discharges ink droplets. As an apparatus, an ink jet recording apparatus or the like is known.

  In such an image forming apparatus, as a configuration in which the liquid cartridge (container) is replaceably attached to the cartridge holder (tank holder), a lock arm having an engaging claw that holds the ink cartridge attached to the cartridge holder so as not to be removed. And a biasing means made of a spring elastic body is engaged with the lock arm body. The biasing means biases the engaging claw of the lock arm body, and the engaging claw is attached to the cartridge holder. An ink cartridge that is engaged with an ink cartridge is known (Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-44236 A

  However, the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that cost cannot be reduced because the urging means made of a spring elastic body is engaged with the lock arm body.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to reduce the cost.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a liquid cartridge according to claim 1 of the present invention includes:
A liquid cartridge that is replaceably mounted on the cartridge holder,
On the outer wall surface of the liquid cartridge,
When the liquid cartridge is mounted, a hook portion that hooks on a hook portion provided on the inner wall surface of the cartridge holder;
A cartridge side guide portion that fits into a holder side guide portion provided on the inner wall surface of the cartridge holder,
The hook portion and the cartridge side guide portion are arranged on the same outer wall surface side of the liquid cartridge ,
The cartridge side guide portion is
A first cartridge side guide portion provided forward in the mounting direction of the liquid cartridge;
A second cartridge-side guide portion provided behind the first cartridge-side guide portion in the mounting direction of the liquid cartridge,
The hook portion is provided between the first cartridge side guide portion and the second cartridge side guide portion,
The length in the mounting direction of the liquid cartridge of the first cartridge side guide portion is shorter than the length of the second cartridge side guide portion,
The liquid cartridge is provided with a cartridge side identification rib for identifying the type of the liquid contained therein,
When mounting the liquid cartridge in the cartridge holder,
In a state where the hook portion is pressed against the first cartridge side guide portion,
The liquid cartridge identification rib fits into the identification rib on the cartridge holder side,
After the supply member on the cartridge holder side is inserted into the liquid cartridge,
The hook portion is engaged with the hook portion of the liquid cartridge .

  According to the present invention, cost reduction can be achieved.

1 is an external perspective view illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is an isometric view explanatory drawing which shows the mechanism part of the same apparatus. It is principal part plane explanatory drawing of the mechanism part. It is side surface explanatory drawing of a carriage part similarly. FIG. 6 is an explanatory perspective view illustrating a state before the ink cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holder. FIG. 6 is a perspective explanatory view of FIG. 5 as viewed from the opposite side. FIG. 6 is an explanatory perspective view illustrating a state before and after mounting an ink cartridge in a cartridge holder. FIG. 6 is an explanatory side sectional view of a cartridge holder. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional explanatory view illustrating a state in the process of mounting the ink cartridge to the cartridge holder. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional explanatory view illustrating a state where an ink cartridge is mounted on a cartridge holder. It is side surface explanatory drawing of the cartridge holder with which it uses for description of other embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which looked at FIG. 11 in the arrow Y direction. It is explanatory drawing which looked at FIG. 11 in the arrow Z direction.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. An example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mechanism portion of the image forming apparatus, FIG. 3 is a plan view of a principal portion of the mechanism section, and FIG. 4 is a carriage portion of the apparatus. FIG.

  This image forming apparatus is a serial type image forming apparatus, and a cover 101 is provided on the upper surface side of the apparatus main body 100 so as to be openable and closable. By opening the cover 101, an internal mechanism unit can be accessed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the mechanism unit supports the carriage 4 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction by a guide member 3 formed of a plate-like member that is a guide member spanned between the left and right side plates 1A and 1B. Then, the carriage 4 is moved and scanned in the main scanning direction via the timing belt 8 wound around the driving pulley 6 and the driven pulley 7 by the main scanning motor 5.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the guide member 3 that guides the movement of the carriage 4 is formed of a plate-like member, and a guide surface 301 and a guide surface 302 that serve as support surfaces for guiding the carriage 4 movably. 303.

  The carriage 4 has a height adjustment unit 401 that is movably supported on the guide surface 301 of the guide member 3, a contact unit 402 that is movably in contact with the guide surface 302, and a movably contact with the guide surface 303. A so-called rodless type guide mechanism having a contact portion 403 is provided.

  Also, the carriage 4 has recording heads 11a and 11b (comprising liquid ejection heads as image forming means for ejecting droplets of each color of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K). When not distinguished, it is referred to as “recording head 11” (hereinafter the same), and a nozzle row composed of a plurality of nozzles is arranged in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction and mounted with the droplet discharge direction facing downward. .

  Each of the recording heads 11 has two nozzle rows, and is assigned so that droplets of Y, M, C, and K colors are ejected to four nozzle rows, respectively.

  The recording heads 11a and 11b are integrally provided with head tanks 12a and 12b for supplying ink to the recording head 11. On the other hand, on the apparatus main body side, a liquid cartridge (main tank, hereinafter referred to as “ink cartridge”) 602 is detachably attached to the cartridge holder 601 and is exchanged from the ink cartridge 602 via a supply tube 604 by a liquid feed pump unit 603. Ink (liquid) is supplied to the head tank 12.

  An encoder scale 15 is arranged along the main scanning direction of the carriage 4, and an encoder sensor 16 composed of a transmissive photosensor that reads the scale (scale: position identification unit) of the encoder scale 15 is attached to the carriage 4 side. The encoder scale 15 and the encoder sensor 16 constitute a linear encoder as a position detection device.

  On the other hand, on the lower side of the carriage 4, a transport belt 21 is disposed as a transport unit that transports the paper 10 in the sub-scanning direction. The transport belt 21 is an endless belt, is wound around the transport roller 22 and the tension roller 23, and the transport roller 22 is rotationally driven by the sub-scanning motor 31 via the timing belt 32 and the timing pulley 33. Thus, it is moved around in the sub-scanning direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, paper guide members 51 and 52 are arranged at the entrance portion and the exit portion of the transport belt 21, respectively.

  Further, on one side of the carriage 4 in the main scanning direction, a maintenance / recovery mechanism (maintenance unit) 41 that performs maintenance / recovery of the recording head 11 is disposed on the side of the conveyance belt 21. The maintenance / recovery mechanism 41 includes, for example, a suction cap 42a and a moisturizing cap 42b for capping the nozzle surface (surface on which the nozzle is formed) of the recording head 11, a wiper member 43 for wiping the nozzle surface, and droplets that do not contribute to image formation. An empty discharge receiver 44 for discharging the liquid is formed. A suction pump 45 (see FIG. 4 described later) as a suction means is connected to the suction cap 42a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a sheet on which an image is formed by adhering liquid ejected from a recording head 11 serving as an image forming unit or a sheet feeding unit that feeds a sheet to the conveyance belt 21 is discharged. A paper supply / discharge tray 103 constituting paper discharge means and the like is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 100.

  In the image forming apparatus configured as described above, the fed paper is intermittently transported by the transport belt 21 and the recording head 11 is driven according to the image signal while moving the carriage 4 in the main scanning direction. In this manner, droplets are ejected onto the stopped paper to record one line, and after the paper is conveyed by a predetermined amount, the operation for recording the next line is repeated to form an image on the paper. The paper is ejected.

  Further, when performing the maintenance recovery of the nozzle state of the recording head 11, the carriage 4 is moved to a position facing the maintenance recovery mechanism 41 which is the home position, and the suction from the nozzle is performed by capping with the suction cap 42a. By performing a recovery operation such as nozzle suction and empty discharge for discharging droplets that do not contribute to image formation to the suction cap 42a or the empty discharge receiver 44, image formation by stable droplet discharge can be performed.

  Next, an ink cartridge mounting structure in the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 is a perspective explanatory view showing a state before the ink cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holder, FIG. 6 is a perspective explanatory view of FIG. 4 viewed from the opposite side, and FIG. 7 is a state before and after mounting the ink cartridge on the cartridge holder. FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional explanatory view of the cartridge holder, FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional explanatory view illustrating the state of the process of mounting the ink cartridge to the cartridge holder, and FIG. 10 is the ink cartridge mounted to the cartridge holder. It is side sectional explanatory drawing explaining a state.

  The ink cartridge 602 stores an ink storage bag that stores ink of a required color in a cartridge case 620. On the outer wall surface of the cartridge case 620, an identification rib 621 for identifying the type of ink cartridge 602 (the color of the stored liquid), a guide groove 622 when mounted on the cartridge holder 601, and a hook that is a hook portion. A recess 623 is provided.

  Here, the identification rib 621 is provided on a surface (referred to as “rear surface”) that faces the inner wall surface of the cartridge holder 601 when the cartridge case 620 is attached to the cartridge holder 601. The guide groove 622 is provided on a surface (this is referred to as “bottom surface”) and a surface (this is referred to as “top surface”) which are on the bottom side when the cartridge case 620 is mounted on the cartridge holder 601. ing. The hook hooking recess 623 is provided on the upper surface of the cartridge case 620.

  On the other hand, the cartridge holder 601 includes an identification rib 611 into which the identification rib 621 of the ink cartridge 602 is fitted, a guide rib 612 to be fitted into the guide groove 622 of the ink cartridge 602, and a hook portion 613 that is hooked into the hook recess 623 of the ink cartridge 602. Is provided.

  The identification rib 621 of the ink cartridge 602 and the identification rib 611 of the cartridge holder 601 are provided so as to be in a different fitting state corresponding to the ink cartridge 602 of each color, and the ink cartridge 602 of a predetermined color is correctly mounted. Sometimes, the identification rib 621 and the identification rib 611 are provided so as to fit with each other.

  The guide groove 622 of the ink cartridge 602 and the guide rib rib 612 of the cartridge holder 601 are provided along the attachment / detachment direction of the ink cartridge 602.

  The hook portion 613 of the cartridge holder 601 is provided integrally with the cartridge holder 601, and an elastically deformable elastically deformable portion 613 a in which one end portion (hereinafter referred to as “rear end portion”) is integrated with the inner wall surface of the cartridge holder 601. And a claw portion 613b that is integrally formed with the other end portion of the elastic deformation portion 613a (this is referred to as a “tip portion”) and is hooked on the hook recess 623 of the ink cartridge 602.

  Further, the claw portion 613b of the hook portion 613 of the cartridge holder 601 is formed with an inclined surface 911 on the side (front end side) facing the cartridge case 620 when the ink cartridge 602 is mounted. Similarly, the cartridge case 620 of the ink cartridge 602 is formed on the inclined surface 912 on the side (tip side) facing the inclined surface 911 of the hook portion 613 of the cartridge holder 601.

  In addition, the claw portion 613 b of the hook portion 613 of the cartridge holder 601 is also formed on the inclined surface 913 on the surface opposite to the inclined surface 911 in the attaching / detaching direction of the ink cartridge 602.

  Accordingly, when the ink cartridge 602 is extracted from the cartridge holder 601, the hook portion 613 can be lifted by pulling the ink cartridge 602 so that the ink cartridge 602 can be extracted, and the ink cartridge 602 is mounted on the cartridge holder 601. In some cases, the claw portion 613b of the hook portion 613 is securely fitted into the hook catching recess 623, so that the ink cartridge 602 can be prevented from loosening.

  Next, an operation when the ink cartridge 602 is attached to and detached from the cartridge holder 601 will be described.

  First, the ink cartridge 602 is inserted from the opening side of the cartridge holder 601 in the direction of arrow A in FIGS. At this time, first, the guide groove 622 of the ink cartridge 602 is fitted into the guide rib 612 of the cartridge holder 601, and the ink cartridge 602 is guided by the guide rib 612 when the ink cartridge 602 is inserted.

  In this way, when the ink cartridge 602 is inserted into the cartridge holder 601, the guide rib 612 and the guide groove 622 come into contact with each other and rub against each other, so that the contact portion on the ink cartridge 602 side may be damaged.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, since the ink cartridge 602 side is the guide groove 622 and the cartridge holder 601 side is the guide rib 612, the inside of the guide groove 622 of the ink cartridge 602 that cannot be easily seen by the user can only be scratched. As a result, scratches due to the insertion / removal of the ink cartridge 602 are not noticeable, and the reusability of the ink cartridge 602 can be prevented from being impaired.

  Next, when the ink cartridge 602 comes into contact with the hook portion 613 provided integrally with the cartridge holder 601, the tip side inclined surface 911 on the ink cartridge 602 side and the tip side inclined surface 912 of the hook portion 613 come into contact with each other as they are. When the ink cartridge 602 is pushed in, the elastic deformation portion 613a of the hook portion 613 is deformed, and the tip side claw portion 613b is lifted in the arrow B direction in FIG.

  When the ink cartridge 602 is pushed in with the hook portion 613 lifted in this way, the ink cartridge 602 is pushed from above with a momentum in a direction in which the hook portion 613 tries to return to the original state by the restoring force of the elastic deformation portion 613a. Therefore, the posture of the ink cartridge 602 being pushed in can be stabilized.

  Here, the leading end side of the ink cartridge 602 and the leading end side of the claw portion 613b of the hook portion 613 are both inclined surfaces 911 and 912 in order to reduce the setting force when the ink cartridge 602 is inserted. The shape for pushing the ink cartridge 602 with momentum by lifting the hook portion 613 is not limited to this.

  Further, when the ink cartridge 602 is inserted, it reaches the position of the identification rib 611 of the cartridge holder 601 that identifies the type of the ink cartridge 602. The identification rib 611 is formed by a plurality of ribs having a fixed pattern, and an identification rib 621 is also provided on the ink cartridge 602 side as a pattern that fits correspondingly.

  The rib patterns of these identification ribs 611 and 621 can pass (can be fitted) without interfering with each other when the correct type of ink cartridge 602 is inserted, but the wrong type of ink cartridge 602 is inserted. If the ink cartridge 602 is inserted, it is physically interfered to restrict further insertion of the ink cartridge 602. Here, the identification means is formed of ribs, but is not limited to this.

  Then, when a correct type of ink cartridge 602 is inserted, a supply member (not shown) such as a needle on the cartridge holder 601 side for forming a flow path capable of communicating with the ink stored in the ink cartridge 602 is provided. Stabbed.

  Finally, when the ink cartridge 602 is inserted to a predetermined position, the hook portion 613 of the cartridge holder 601 lifted as described above is lowered and fitted into the corresponding hook recess 623 of the ink cartridge 602. The ink cartridge 602 is prevented from coming off.

  In this embodiment, the ink cartridge 602 is guided by the guide rib 612 and the guide groove 622, the ink cartridge 602 is pressed by the hook portion 613, the cartridge type is identified by the incompatible ribs (identification ribs 611 and 612), and the ink cartridge 602 The supply member on the cartridge holder 601 side is inserted, and the ink cartridge 602 is prevented from coming off by the hook portion 613.

  That is, before the supply member on the cartridge holder 601 side is inserted into the ink cartridge 602, the hook portion 613 pushes the ink cartridge 602 with a momentum so that the supply member is inserted into the ink cartridge 602 at an appropriate position. It becomes possible.

  In addition, by identifying the incompatible rib before the supply member is inserted into the ink cartridge 602, a different type of ink cartridge 602 is accidentally inserted into the supply member, and the supply member or the ink cartridge 602 is different. The type of ink is not mixed.

  However, it does not limit to what functions in order of this embodiment.

  Thus, by providing the hook portion 613 integrally with the cartridge holder 601, the cost can be reduced.

  Here, in order to provide the hook portion 613 integrally with the cartridge holder 601, the hook portion 613 of the cartridge holder 601 can be insert-molded.

  For example, by insert-molding a member such as a SUS leaf spring into the cartridge holder, the durability of the hook portion can be improved, and the number of assembling steps can be reduced to reduce the cost.

  Further, in order to provide the hook portion 613 integrally with the cartridge holder 601, the cartridge holder 601 and the hook portion 613 can be integrally formed of resin. By integrally molding the resin, the cost can be reduced by reducing the number of parts and the number of assembly steps.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is an explanatory side view of the cartridge holder for explaining the embodiment, FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of FIG. 11 viewed in the arrow Y direction, and FIG. 13 is an explanatory view of FIG. 11 viewed in the arrow Z direction.

  In the present embodiment, the guide rib 612 of the cartridge holder 601 changes the width of the ink cartridge 602 in the arrangement direction in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 602. For example, the bottom rib 612 has a width Ya at the front end and a width Yb (Ya ≦ Yb) at the final set position, and the top rib 612 has a width Za at the front end and a width Zb (Za ≦ Y at the final set position). Zb).

  Here, at the set position, the guide groove 622 of the ink cartridge 602 is fitted, whereby the position of the ink cartridge 602 in the arrangement direction is defined.

  Accordingly, the ink cartridge 602 can be guided and positioned at the same time, and the shapes of the ink cartridge and the cartridge holder can be simplified.

  In the present application, the “paper” is not limited to paper, but includes OHP, cloth, glass, a substrate, etc., and means a material to which ink droplets or other liquids can be attached. , Recording media, recording paper, recording paper, and the like. In addition, image formation, recording, printing, printing, and printing are all synonymous.

  The “image forming apparatus” means an apparatus that forms an image by discharging liquid onto a medium such as paper, thread, fiber, fabric, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics, etc. “Formation” means not only giving an image having a meaning such as a character or a figure to a medium but also giving an image having no meaning such as a pattern to the medium (simply causing a droplet to land on the medium). ) Also means.

  The “ink” is not limited to an ink unless otherwise specified, but includes any liquid that can form an image, such as a recording liquid, a fixing processing liquid, or a liquid. Used generically, for example, includes DNA samples, resists, pattern materials, resins, and the like.

  In addition, the “image” is not limited to a planar image, and includes an image given to a three-dimensionally formed image and an image formed by three-dimensionally modeling a solid itself.

3 Guide members (guide members)
4 Carriage 11 Recording head 41 Maintenance / recovery mechanism (maintenance unit)
601 Cartridge holder 602 Ink cartridge 611 Identification rib 612 Guide rib 613 Hook portion 621 Identification rib 622 Guide groove 623 Hook recess

Claims (2)

A liquid cartridge that is replaceably mounted on the cartridge holder,
On the outer wall surface of the liquid cartridge,
When the liquid cartridge is mounted, a hook portion that hooks on a hook portion provided on the inner wall surface of the cartridge holder;
A cartridge side guide portion that fits into a holder side guide portion provided on the inner wall surface of the cartridge holder,
The hook portion and the cartridge side guide portion are arranged on the same outer wall surface side of the liquid cartridge ,
The cartridge side guide portion is
A first cartridge side guide portion provided forward in the mounting direction of the liquid cartridge;
A second cartridge-side guide portion provided behind the first cartridge-side guide portion in the mounting direction of the liquid cartridge,
The hook portion is provided between the first cartridge side guide portion and the second cartridge side guide portion,
The length in the mounting direction of the liquid cartridge of the first cartridge side guide portion is shorter than the length of the second cartridge side guide portion,
The liquid cartridge is provided with a cartridge side identification rib for identifying the type of the liquid contained therein,
When mounting the liquid cartridge in the cartridge holder,
In a state where the hook portion is pressed against the first cartridge side guide portion,
The liquid cartridge identification rib fits into the identification rib on the cartridge holder side,
After the supply member on the cartridge holder side is inserted into the liquid cartridge,
The liquid cartridge, wherein the hook portion engages with a hook portion of the liquid cartridge. A cartridge holder for removably mounting a liquid cartridge containing a liquid to be supplied to the head;
The cartridge holder inner wall surface is provided with a hook portion that is hooked to a hook portion provided on the outer wall surface of the liquid cartridge when the liquid cartridge is mounted,
On the inner wall surface of the cartridge holder, in the liquid cartridge mounting direction, a holder side guide portion that fits a cartridge side guide portion provided on the outer wall surface of the liquid cartridge is provided at least on the inlet side of the hook portion. ,
The hook part and the holder side guide part are arranged on the same inner wall surface side of the cartridge holder ,
In the cartridge side guide portion,
A first cartridge side guide portion provided forward in the mounting direction of the liquid cartridge;
A second cartridge side guide portion provided behind the first cartridge side guide portion in the mounting direction of the liquid cartridge,
The hook portion is provided between the first cartridge side guide portion and the second cartridge side guide portion,
The length in the mounting direction of the liquid cartridge of the first cartridge side guide portion is shorter than the length of the second cartridge side guide portion,
The liquid cartridge is provided with a cartridge side identification rib for identifying the type of the liquid contained therein,
The cartridge holder is provided with a holder-side identification rib into which the identification rib of the liquid cartridge is fitted,
When the liquid cartridge is attached to the cartridge holder,
In a state where the hook part is pressed against the first cartridge side guide part,
The cartridge-side identification rib is fitted into the holder-side identification rib,
After the supply member on the cartridge holder side is inserted into the liquid cartridge,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the hook portion engages with a hook portion of the liquid cartridge .

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