JP7031421B2 - Liquid sprayer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid injection device that injects a liquid onto a predetermined medium.

For example, in an inkjet printer, a liquid injection head that injects a small amount of ink (liquid) onto a printing target is used. Ink is supplied to the liquid injection head from an ink cartridge (liquid storage container) that stores ink through a predetermined supply path. In Patent Document 1, when ink is supplied from an ink cartridge to a liquid injection head due to a head difference, the supply unit (valve unit) having a pressure chamber having a negative pressure in the discharge hole of the liquid injection head is supplied. A liquid injection device arranged on the road is disclosed. Due to the intervention of the liquid supply unit that forms the negative pressure, unlimited dripping of ink from the ejection holes is suppressed even when the ink is supplied head-to-head.

In the technique described in Patent Document 1, a liquid injection head capable of injecting ink of a plurality of colors is mounted on a carriage, and an ink image is formed on a recording medium while the carriage is reciprocated. On the other hand, a plurality of ink cartridges accommodating inks of a plurality of colors are fixed to the end of the apparatus main body of the printer, and each ink cartridge and the liquid supply unit are communicated with each other by a tube. Then, when the air pressurizing pump attached to the ink cartridge is driven and air is introduced into the outer case of the ink cartridge, the ink pack in the ink cartridge is pressed and the ink stored inside is passed through the tube. Is supplied to the liquid supply unit.

International Publication No. 2003/041964

As described above, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a fixed air pressurizing pump and a liquid supply unit that can reciprocate together with a liquid injection head are communicated with each other by a tube. The tube needs to have a length corresponding to the moving region of the liquid injection head, and a gap is likely to occur between driving the air pressurizing pump and supplying ink to the liquid supply unit. In addition, there is a problem that air bubbles tend to accumulate in such a long tube, and it is difficult to discharge the air bubbles in a short time.

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid injection device capable of stably supplying a liquid to a liquid injection head.

The liquid injection device according to one aspect of the present invention holds the device main body, the liquid injection head that injects liquid into a predetermined medium, and the liquid injection head, and is in the device main body along a predetermined movement direction. A carriage that can be reciprocated, at least one liquid storage container that is fixed in the device body and stores the liquid, and a liquid storage container that is mounted on the carriage to receive the liquid from the liquid storage container and to the liquid injection head. It comprises at least one liquid supply unit for supplying the liquid, and the liquid supply unit is arranged in a first chamber communicating with the liquid storage container and a downstream side in the liquid supply direction with respect to the first chamber. A tank having a second chamber communicating with the liquid injection head, and a wall portion including a communication port for partitioning the first chamber and the second chamber and communicating the first chamber and the second chamber with each other. An opening / closing member arranged at the communication port and changing the posture between a closed posture for closing the communication port and an open posture for opening the communication port, and at least the liquid injection head injects the liquid into the medium. Negative pressure with the second chamber as a negative pressure so that the liquid is supplied from the first chamber to the second chamber through the communication port in response to the decrease of the liquid in the second chamber during the injection operation. It has a pump portion capable of performing a generation operation, and a tube connecting the tank portion and the pump portion in order to make the second chamber a negative pressure.

According to this configuration, the liquid injection device includes a device body, a liquid injection head, a carriage, at least one liquid storage container, and at least one liquid supply unit. Since the liquid supply unit is mounted on the carriage, the liquid can be quickly supplied to the liquid injection head also held by the carriage. Further, the liquid supply unit has a tank portion, an opening / closing member, a pump portion, and a tube. Since the liquid supply unit has a pump unit that executes a negative pressure generation operation with the second chamber as a negative pressure together with the tank unit, the liquid injection device has a pump unit as compared with the case where the pump unit is provided on the device main body side. The size can be reduced and the liquid can be quickly and stably supplied to the liquid injection head. Further, in this case, the length of the tube connecting the tank portion and the pump portion is also shortened, so that the air bubbles accumulated in the tube can be discharged in a short time.

In the above configuration, the liquid supply unit has a housing that integrally constitutes the tank portion and the pump portion, and the housing has a first side portion that defines the first chamber and the first side portion. The pump accommodating portion has a second side portion which is arranged on the opposite side of the side portion and defines the second chamber, and the pump accommodating portion accommodating the pump portion is the first side portion or the second side portion. It is desirable that it is arranged in the department.

According to this configuration, the first chamber, the second chamber and the pump portion of the tank portion can be arranged by utilizing the two side portions of the housing.

In the above configuration, the at least one liquid storage container includes a plurality of liquid storage containers containing the liquids having different colors from each other, and the at least one liquid supply unit communicates with the plurality of liquid storage containers, respectively. It is desirable that the liquid injection head includes a plurality of liquid supply units and is capable of injecting the liquids of a plurality of colors received from the plurality of liquid supply units.

According to this configuration, since a plurality of liquid supply units are arranged on the carriage, the size of the liquid injection device can be further reduced as compared with the case where the pump unit is provided on the device main body side.

In the above configuration, the pump unit bypasses the second chamber and supplies the liquid supplied from the liquid storage container to the first chamber to the liquid injection head at a time different from the time of the injection operation. It is desirable to be able to perform further purging operations.

According to this configuration, the purge operation can be executed by using the pump unit that executes the negative pressure generation operation.

In the above configuration, the carriage is further provided with a drive source that is arranged to face one end side of the movement path of the carriage in the main body of the apparatus and transmits a driving force to the pump portion, and the carriage is one end side of the movement path. It is desirable that the driving force is transmitted from the driving source to the pump unit, and the pump unit executes the negative pressure generation operation or the purging operation.

According to this configuration, since the drive source for driving the pump portion is not mounted on the carriage, the weight of the carriage is reduced and the movement is smoothly realized.

In the above configuration, the liquid supply unit includes a urging member that urges the opening / closing member in the direction toward the closed posture, a pressing member capable of pressing the opening / closing member in the direction toward the open posture, and the first. (2) A flexible film member that is displaced based on a negative pressure generated with a decrease in liquid in the chamber and transmits the displacement force to the pressing member is provided, and the pressing member has a rotation fulcrum and the above-mentioned. It has a pressure receiving portion that receives a displacement force from the flexible film member and a pressing portion that presses the opening / closing member against the urging force of the urging member, and when the pressure receiving portion receives the displacement force, the said It is desirable that the liquid flows from the first chamber to the second chamber through the communication port by rotating around the rotation fulcrum and the pressing portion pressing the opening / closing member by this rotation.

According to this configuration, since the pressing member has a rotation fulcrum, when the pressure receiving portion receives the displacement force of the flexible film member, it rotates around the rotation fulcrum. That is, the unstable moving force of displacement of the flexible film member can be converted into the stable moving force of rotation around the rotation fulcrum. Therefore, the displacement force of the flexible film member can be efficiently transmitted to the opening / closing member through the pressing portion. Therefore, the posture of the opening / closing member can be changed at a predetermined timing, and a stable liquid supply to the liquid injection head can be ensured.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a liquid injection device capable of stably supplying a liquid to a liquid injection head.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an inkjet printer to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view of the inkjet printer with the outer cover removed. FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view of the carriage mounted on the inkjet printer. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing one liquid supply unit and a head unit. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a liquid supply system according to the present embodiment, and is a diagram showing a state in which a print mode is executed. FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a state in which the pressure purge mode is being executed, and FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a state in which the pressure reduction mode is being executed. 8 (A) is a front view of the liquid supply unit, FIG. 8 (B) is a side view thereof, and FIG. 8 (C) is a top view thereof. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the liquid supply unit. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the liquid supply unit. 11 (A) is an exploded perspective view of the liquid supply unit, and FIG. 11 (B) is an exploded perspective view of the liquid supply unit having different perspective directions. 12 (A) is a perspective view of the pressing member, and FIG. 12 (B) is a perspective view of the pressing member having different perspective directions. 13 (A) is a perspective view of the on-off valve, and FIG. 13 (B) is an exploded perspective view of the on-off valve. 14 (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIV-XIV of FIG. 8, a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the on-off valve is in the closed posture, and FIG. 14 (B) is an enlarged view of the A1 portion of FIG. 14 (A). Is. 15 (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XV-XV of FIG. 8, a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the on-off valve is in the closed posture, and FIG. 15 (B) is an enlarged view of the A2 portion of FIG. Is. 16 (A) is a view corresponding to FIG. 14 (A), and FIG. 16 (B) is a sectional view showing a state in which the on-off valve is in an open posture, and FIG. 16 (B) is an enlarged view of A3 portion of FIG. 16 (A). Is. FIG. 17 is a view corresponding to FIG. 15 (B), and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the on-off valve is in the open posture. 18 (A) and 18 (B) are schematic views for explaining the operation of the pressing member using the lever ratio. 19 (A) is an exploded perspective view of the air bleeding mechanism portion of the liquid supply unit, and FIGS. 19 (B) and 19 (C) are perspective views of the lever member. 20 (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the lever member operates, and FIG. 20 (B) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which air bleeding is executed by the operation of the lever member. FIG. 21 is an enlarged view of the A4 portion of FIG. 20 (B). FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of the backflow prevention mechanism of the liquid supply unit. FIG. 23 (A) is a perspective view of the backflow prevention mechanism, showing a state in which the sphere has the valve pipeline open, and FIG. 23 (B) shows a state in which the sphere has the valve pipeline closed. FIG. 23 (C) is a perspective view of the branch head portion. FIG. 24 (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the backflow prevention mechanism in the print mode, and FIG. 24 (B) is an enlarged view of part A5 of FIG. 24 (A). 25 (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the backflow prevention mechanism in the pressurized purge mode, and FIG. 25 (B) is an enlarged view of part A6 of FIG. 25 (A). FIG. 26A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the umbrella valve seals the communication port, and FIG. 26B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the umbrella valve opens the communication port. FIG. 27 is a side view showing a state in which the liquid supply unit is mounted on the carriage.

<Overall configuration of printer>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, an inkjet printer to which the liquid supply unit or the liquid injection device according to the present invention is applied will be described. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the inkjet printer 1 according to the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a printer 1 with the outer cover 102 removed. It is a front view of. In addition, in FIGS. 1 to 3 and the later figures, the front-back, left-right, and up-down direction indications are attached, but this is for convenience of explanation and is not intended to limit any direction.

The printer 1 is a printer that performs printing processing such as printing and printing on various workpieces W such as paper sheets, resin sheets, and cloths of various sizes by an inkjet method, and particularly prints on large-sized and long workpieces. It is a printer suitable for processing. The printer 1 includes a base frame 101 with casters and an apparatus main body 11 mounted on the base frame 101 and executing the printing process.

The apparatus main body 11 includes a work transfer path 12, a transfer roller 13, a pinch roller unit 14, and a carriage 2. The work transfer path 12 is a transfer path extending in the front-rear direction for carrying the work W to be printed into the apparatus main body 11 from the rear side and carrying it out from the front side. The transport roller 13 is a roller that extends in the left-right direction and generates a driving force that intermittently feeds the work W of the work transport path 12. The pinch roller unit 14 is arranged so as to face the transfer roller 13 from above, and includes a pinch roller that forms a transfer nip with the transfer roller 13. A plurality of pinch roller units 14 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction.

The carriage 2 is a moving body on which a unit that performs printing processing on the work W is mounted and can reciprocate in the left-right direction on the base frame 101. On the rear side of the base frame 101, a carriage guide 15 provided with a guide rail for guiding the reciprocating movement of the carriage 2 is erected so as to extend in the left-right direction. A timing belt 16 is attached to the carriage guide 15 so as to be able to orbit in the left-right direction. The carriage 2 has a fixed portion with respect to the timing belt 16, and moves in the left-right direction while being guided by the guide rail as the timing belt 16 rotates in the forward or reverse direction.

The printing process is executed in such a manner that the transport roller 13 and the pinch roller unit 14 intermittently feed the work W, and the carriage 2 moves in the left-right direction while the work W is stopped to scan the work W for printing. In the work transport path 12, a platen 121 (FIG. 2) provided with a function of sucking the work W is arranged below the passage path of the carriage 2. At the time of the printing process, the carriage 2 executes the printing scan with the work W adsorbed on the platen 121.

The apparatus main body 11 is covered with an outer cover 102. A side station 103 is arranged in the area on the right side of the outer cover 102. Inside the side station 103, an immovable ink cartridge shelf 17 that holds ink cartridge ICs (FIGS. 5 and 6) for storing ink (predetermined liquid) for printing processing is housed.

The front portion of the side station 103 is a carriage evacuation area 104, which is an evacuation space for the carriage 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the left frame 105 and the right frame 106 are erected on the base frame 101 with an interval corresponding to the work transport path 12 in the left-right direction. The area between the left and right frames 105 and 106 is a print area where the print process can be executed. The carriage guide 15 has a left-right width longer than that of the print area, and the carriage 2 can move to the right outside of the print area. When the printing process is not executed, the carriage 2 is retracted to the carriage retracting area 104. Further, the pressure purge process described later is also executed in the carriage evacuation area 104.

On the rear side of the base frame 101, a feeding unit 107 for accommodating a feeding roll Wa, which is a winding body of the work W to be printed, is provided. Further, on the front side of the base frame 101, a winding portion 108 for accommodating a winding roll Wb, which is a winding body of the work W after the printing process, is provided. The take-up portion 108 includes a drive source (not shown) for rotationally driving the winding shaft of the take-up roll Wb, and winds the work W while applying a predetermined tension to the work W by the tension roller 109.

<Carriage configuration>
FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view of the carriage 2. The carriage 2 is equipped with a head unit 21 (liquid injection head) that ejects ink (liquid) to the work W, and a liquid supply unit 3 that supplies ink from the ink cartridge IC to the head unit 21. FIG. 4 shows an example in which two head units 21 and eight liquid supply units 3 are mounted on the carriage 2. That is, four liquid supply units 3 are equipped to supply cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks to one head unit 21. In addition, each liquid supply unit 3 may be filled with inks of different colors, and inks of up to eight colors may be ejected from the two head units 21.

The carriage 2 includes a head unit 21 and a carriage frame 20 that holds the head unit 21. The carriage frame 20 includes a lower frame 201 located at the lowest position, an upper frame 202 arranged at intervals above the lower frame 201, a rack 203 assembled on the upper surface of the upper frame 202, and an upper frame 202. Includes a rear frame 204 attached to the rear portion. The lower frame 201 and the upper frame 202 are connected by a connecting column 205 extending in the vertical direction. A ball screw mechanism (not shown) is mounted on the rear frame 204, and a nut portion driven by the ball screw is attached to the lower frame 201. Further, the rear frame 204 is provided with a guide column 206 extending in the vertical direction. By driving the ball screw mechanism, the connecting body of the lower frame 201 and the upper frame 202 can move in the vertical direction while being guided by the guide support column 206. That is, the main body portion of the carriage 2 can move in the vertical direction with respect to the rear frame 204.

The head unit 21 is mounted on the lower frame 201. Since the main body portion of the carriage 2 can be moved in the vertical direction as described above, the height position of the head unit 21 in the vertical direction with respect to the work W can be adjusted. The liquid supply unit 3 is mounted on the upper frame 202. The eight liquid supply units 3 are supported by the upper frame 202 in a manner arranged in the left-right direction in the rack 203. The rear frame 204 is provided with a guided portion guided by the guide rail of the carriage guide 15, a fixing portion to the timing belt 16, and the like.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing one liquid supply unit 3 and a head unit 21. The liquid supply unit 3 includes a main body 30 including a tank 31 and a pump 32, and an upstream pipe 33 (first supply path) arranged on the upstream side of the main body 30 in the ink supply direction (liquid supply direction). A downstream pipe 34 (second supply path) arranged on the downstream side of the main body 30 and a bypass pipe 35 are provided. The tank portion 31 is a region that forms a space for temporarily storing ink supplied to the head unit 21 under a negative pressure environment. The pump unit 32 provides a pump 9 (FIG. 6) that is operated during a depressurization process for forming the negative pressure environment and a pressure purge process for cleaning the head unit 21 (ink ejection unit 22). This is the area to be accommodated.

The upstream pipe 33 is a supply pipe that communicates the tank portion 31 and the ink cartridge IC (liquid storage container). The upstream end 331 of the upstream pipe 33 is connected to the end portion of a tube (not shown) extending from the ink cartridge IC, and the downstream end 332 is connected to the inlet portion of the tank portion 31. The downstream pipe 34 is a supply pipe that communicates the tank portion 31 and the head unit 21. The upstream end 341 of the downstream pipe 34 is connected to the outlet portion of the tank portion 31, and the downstream end 342 is connected to the head unit 21. The bypass pipe 35 is a pipe for sending ink to the downstream pipe 34 without passing through the negative pressure environment (second chamber 42 described later) of the tank portion 31.

The head unit 21 includes an ink ejection unit 22, a control unit unit 23, an end tube 24, and an ejection tube 25. The ink ejection unit 22 is a nozzle portion that ejects ink droplets toward the work W. As the ink droplet ejection method in the ink ejection unit 22, a piezo method using a piezo element, a thermal method using a heating element, or the like can be applied. The control unit unit 23 includes a control board for controlling the piezo element or the heating element included in the ink ejection unit 22, and controls the ejection operation of ink droplets from the ink ejection unit 22.

The end tube 24 is a tube that connects the downstream end 342 of the downstream pipe 34 and the ink ejection portion 22. The downstream end 342 is a cap type socket, and can be attached to the upper end fitting portion of the end tube 24 with one touch. The discharge tube 25 is a tube for discharging the preservative liquid enclosed in the liquid supply unit 3 at the time of initial use. At the time of initial use, the downstream end 342 of the downstream pipe 34 is attached to the upper end fitting portion of the end tube 24, and a separate tube is connected to the liquid supply unit 3 for the discharge tube 25 to open the storage space for the storage liquid. By doing so, the operation of discharging the storage liquid is executed.

<Overview of liquid supply system>
In the present embodiment, the ink cartridge IC is arranged above the head unit 21, and the ink is supplied to the head unit 21 by the head difference. When the ink is supplied by the head difference, if the ink is supplied at normal pressure, the ink is constantly ejected from the ink ejection unit 22 of the head unit 21. Therefore, it is necessary to interpose a negative pressure forming portion that creates a negative pressure environment in the ink supply path so that the ink ejection portion 22 has an appropriate negative pressure. The tank portion 31 of the liquid supply unit 3 functions as the above-mentioned negative pressure forming portion.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing a liquid supply system adopted in the carriage 2 of the present embodiment. The ink cartridge IC is arranged at a position higher than the ink ejection portion 22 by a height h. This height h becomes the head difference, and the ink of the ink cartridge IC is supplied to the head unit 21 by this head difference. The liquid supply unit 3 is incorporated in the middle of the ink supply path between the ink cartridge IC and the head unit 21. The tank portion 31 of the liquid supply unit 3 is arranged on the downstream side in the ink supply direction with respect to the first chamber 41 and the first chamber 41, which have a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure due to the head difference, and have a negative pressure. It is provided with a second room 42 to be set. The first room 41 is a room to which a negative pressure operation is not applied, and is a room in which a pressure P due to the head difference is applied in addition to the atmospheric pressure. This pressure P is expressed by P = ρgh [Pa] when the density of water (ink can be treated in the same manner as water in terms of density) is ρ, the gravitational acceleration is g, and the head difference is h. The first chamber 41 communicates with the ink cartridge IC via the upstream pipe 33. The second chamber 42 communicates with the ink ejection unit 22 via the downstream pipe 34.

An on-off valve 6 connected to the pressing member 5 is arranged on the wall surface separating the first chamber 41 and the second chamber 42. Further, a part of the wall portion that divides the second chamber 42 is made of an atmospheric pressure detection film 7 (flexible film member). When the inside of the second chamber 42 becomes a negative pressure exceeding a predetermined threshold value, the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 detects the atmospheric pressure and displaces it. This displacement force is applied to the pressing member 5, and the open / close valve 6 connected to the pressing member 5 changes its posture from the closed posture to the open posture, so that the first chamber 41 and the second chamber 42 are in a communicating state. The ink supply route in the normal printing process is a route that passes through the upstream pipe 33, the first chamber 41, the second chamber 42, and the downstream pipe 34. In addition to this, a bypass pipe 35 that short-circuits the first chamber 41 and the downstream pipe 34 without passing through the second chamber 42 is provided. A pump 9 capable of forward and reverse rotation is arranged in the bypass pipe 35.

FIG. 6 is also a diagram showing a state in which the print mode (during normal supply of liquid) in which the liquid supply system performs printing processing is being executed. In the printing mode, the first chamber 41 and the second chamber 42 are filled with a predetermined amount of ink, and the second chamber 42 has a predetermined negative pressure. As described above, the pressure in the first chamber 41 is atmospheric pressure + ρgh [Pa] due to the head difference, and ink can be supplied from the ink cartridge IC by the head difference at any time. As a basic setting of the print mode, the on-off valve 6 is in a closed posture, and the first chamber 41 and the second chamber 42 are separated from each other. The pump 9 is stopped. As will be described later, the pump 9 is a tube pump, and the bypass pipe 35 is closed when the pump 9 is stopped. Therefore, the downstream pipe 34 and the ink ejection portion 22 are also maintained at a negative pressure.

An air bleeding mechanism 37 is attached to the second chamber 42 in order to smoothly fill the second chamber 42 with ink. It is necessary to initially fill the second chamber 42 with a predetermined amount of ink when the initials are used or after maintenance. The air bleeding mechanism unit 37 temporarily communicates the second chamber 42 set in the negative pressure environment with the atmosphere (bleeds the air in the second chamber 42) to promote the initial filling. In addition, the ink contained in the second chamber 42 may generate bubbles due to high heat. The air bleeding mechanism portion 37 is also used when removing air based on the air bubbles from the second chamber 42.

When the head unit 21 operates and the ink ejection unit 22 ejects ink droplets, the ink in the second chamber 42 is consumed, and the degree of negative pressure in the second chamber 42 progresses accordingly. That is, the ink ejection unit 22 performs an operation of sucking ink from the second chamber 42, which is isolated from the atmosphere, every time an ink droplet is ejected, and increases the degree of negative pressure in the second chamber 42. Then, as the ink in the second chamber 42 decreases and the negative pressure in the second chamber 42 exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 detects the atmospheric pressure and displaces as described above. Due to this displacement force, the opening / closing valve 6 changes its posture from the closed posture to the open posture through the pressing member 5, and the first chamber 41 and the second chamber 42 are in a communicating state. Therefore, the ink flows from the first chamber 41 to the second chamber 42 due to the pressure difference between the two chambers.

With the inflow of ink into the second chamber 42, the degree of negative pressure in the second chamber 42 is gradually relaxed and approaches the atmospheric pressure. At the same time, the displacement force applied from the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 to the pressing member 5 gradually decreases. Then, when the second chamber 42 has a negative pressure below the predetermined threshold value, the on-off valve 6 returns to the closed posture, and the first chamber 41 and the second chamber 42 are isolated again. At this time, ink is replenished from the ink cartridge IC to the first chamber 41 by the amount of ink flowing from the first chamber 41 into the second chamber 42 due to the head difference. In the print mode, such an operation is repeated.

In addition to the above-mentioned printing mode, the liquid supply system of the present embodiment can execute a pressure purge mode and a pressure reduction mode. The pressure purge mode is a mode in which high-pressure ink is supplied to the ink ejection unit 22 and ejected in order to clear or prevent the ink clogging in the ink ejection unit 22. The decompression mode is a mode for setting the second chamber 42 in the normal pressure state to the predetermined negative pressure when the initials are used or after maintenance.

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a state in which the pressurized purge mode is being executed. In the pressurized purge mode, the pump 9 is driven in the forward direction. By the forward rotation drive of the pump 9, the ink bypasses the second chamber 42 and goes directly from the upstream pipe 33 to the downstream pipe 34 via the first chamber 41 and the bypass pipe 35. That is, the ink pressurized by the pump 9 is supplied to the ink ejection unit 22. As a result, ink is forcibly ejected from the ink ejection unit 22, and the ink ejection unit 22 is cleaned. It should be noted that the same operation as the pressurized purge mode is also executed when the preservative liquid enclosed in the liquid supply unit 3 is discharged at the time of initial use.

A backflow prevention mechanism 38 is provided to prevent the pressurized ink from flowing back to the second chamber 42 through the downstream pipe 34 when the pressurized purge mode is executed. The backflow prevention mechanism portion 38 is arranged in the downstream pipe 34 on the upstream side of the confluence portion a between the downstream pipe 34 and the downstream end of the bypass pipe 35. Since the backflow prevention mechanism portion 38 closes the upstream side of the downstream pipe 34 with respect to the confluence portion a, all the high-pressure ink generated in the bypass pipe 35 goes to the ink ejection portion 22. Therefore, the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 that partitions the second chamber 42 is prevented from being damaged.

FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a state in which the decompression mode is being executed. In the depressurization mode, the pump 9 is driven in reverse. When the pump 9 is reversely driven, the ink ejection unit 22 and the second chamber 42 are depressurized through the downstream pipe 34 and the bypass pipe 35. The ink ejection unit 22 and the second chamber 42 are set to a predetermined negative pressure by this depressurization mode, that is, a negative pressure at which ink droplets do not leak from the ink ejection unit 22 even when the head difference is supplied. .. If the ink ejection unit 22 has an excessive negative pressure, the ink ejection by driving the piezo element or the like in the ink ejection unit 22 may be hindered. Therefore, it is desirable that the ink ejection unit 22 and the second chamber 42 have a weak negative pressure of, for example, about −0.2 to −0.7 kPa.

<Overall structure of liquid supply unit>
Subsequently, the structure of the liquid supply unit 3 according to the present embodiment, which enables the execution of each mode of the liquid supply system described above, will be described in detail. 8 (A) is a front view of the liquid supply unit 3, FIG. 8 (B) is a side view thereof, and FIG. 8 (C) is a top view thereof. 9 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the liquid supply unit 3 on the first chamber 41 side, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the second chamber 42 side. 11 (A) is an exploded perspective view of the liquid supply unit 3 as seen from the second chamber 42 side and FIG. 11 (B) is a view from the first chamber 41 side.

As previously described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, the liquid supply unit 3 includes a main body portion 30 having a tank portion 31 and a pump portion 32, an upstream pipe 33, a downstream pipe 34, a bypass pipe 35, and an air bleeding mechanism portion 37. It includes a backflow prevention mechanism 38, a pressing member 5, an opening / closing valve 6, and an atmospheric pressure detection film 7. In addition, the liquid supply unit 3 partitions the monitor tube 36 for monitoring the ink liquid level of the second chamber 42, the communication pipe 32P for communicating the pump unit 32 and the first chamber 41, and the first chamber 41. It is provided with a sealing film 7A that forms a part of the wall surface.

The main body 30 includes a base base material 300 (see also FIGS. 9, 10, and 22) (housing) made of a flat plate extending in the front-rear direction. The base base material 300 is integrally molded by resin molding. The front side of the base base material 300 is the tank portion base plate 310 (wall portion) that serves as the substrate of the tank portion 31, and the rear side is the pump portion housing 320 that forms the housing structure in the pump portion 32. The first chamber 41 is arranged on the left side of the tank portion base plate 310, and the second chamber 42 is arranged on the right side. The tank portion base plate 310 is perforated with a communication port 43 for communicating the first chamber 41 and the second chamber 42. The above-mentioned opening / closing valve 6 is arranged at the communication port 43.

As shown in FIG. 9, the first chamber 41 has an L-shaped shape in a substantially side view. The first chamber 41 is partitioned by a first partition wall 411 projecting to the left from the tank portion base plate 310. The uppermost wall of the first compartment wall 411 is perforated with an ink inlet 412. An inflow port 417 (FIG. 22) made of a receiving plug is erected on the outer surface of the first partition wall 411 corresponding to the ink inflow port 412. The downstream end 332 of the upstream pipe 33 is inserted and connected to the inflow port 417. That is, the inflow port 412 is an opening that allows the ink cartridge IC and the first chamber 41 to communicate with each other, and ink flows into the first chamber 41 from the inflow port 412 due to the head difference.

The bottom wall portion 413 of the first partition wall 411 is located at the lower end of the tank portion base plate 310. A purge port 414 is provided on the rear side wall of the first partition wall 411 near the bottom wall portion 413. The upstream end of the connecting pipe 32P is connected to this purge port 414. A spring seat 415 formed of a cylindrical cavity is provided so as to project near the center of the first chamber 41 in the vertical direction. The spring seat 415 is a cavity for accommodating the urging spring 45 described later, and is open to the second chamber 42 side.

The communication port 43 is located above the spring seat 415 in the first chamber 41. As described above, the first chamber 41 is not subjected to decompression treatment or the like, and the first chamber 41 is a chamber in which the pressure P = ρgh due to the head difference is applied in addition to the atmospheric pressure. When ink flows in from the inflow port 412, ink begins to accumulate from the bottom wall portion 413. When the liquid level of the ink exceeds the communication port 43, the ink can be supplied to the second chamber 42 through the communication port 43. When the pump 9 is operated, the ink stored in the first chamber 41 is sucked through the purge port 414 and the connecting pipe 32P, and the high-pressure ink is sucked through the bypass pipe 35 and the downstream pipe 34 into the head unit 21. Is supplied to.

With reference to FIGS. 10 and 22, the second chamber 42 has a substantially circular shape in side view. The second chamber 42 is partitioned by a second partition wall 421 projecting to the right from the tank portion base plate 310. The second partition wall 421 has a cylindrical wall 422 having a cylindrical shape and an upper wall 423 formed of a rectangular portion projecting above the cylindrical wall 422. The above-mentioned spring seat 415 is recessed in the tank portion base plate 310 at the center position of the region surrounded by the cylindrical wall 422, that is, at a position concentric with the cylindrical wall 422. The communication port 43 is arranged on the spring seat 415 on a vertical line passing through the center point of the spring seat 415.

A contact room 44 is continuously provided at the lower end of the second room 42. The communication chamber 44 is a rectangular space elongated in the front-rear direction, and extends linearly forward from the lower end of the cylindrical wall 422. The communication room 44 is partitioned by a wall portion 441. At the lower end of the cylindrical wall 422, a lower passage 424 that connects the second chamber 42 and the communication chamber 44 is provided. The wall portion 441 is connected to the cylindrical wall 422 at the position of the lower passage 424. The communication room 44 is a space that connects the second room 42 and the downstream pipe 34 and is considered to have a negative pressure, and substantially constitutes a part of the second room 42.

In the area surrounded by the upper wall 423 of the second chamber 42, a pair of front and rear support plates 425 project to the right from the tank portion base plate 310. Each of the pair of support plates 425 includes a shaft support portion 426 that pivotally supports the pressing member 5, which will be described later. A boss portion 427 and a monitor port 428 are projected upward from the top wall 423A that constitutes the uppermost portion of the upper wall 423 (dividing the top wall of the second chamber 42). The boss portion 427 is internally provided with a boss hole 42A (FIG. 19) which is an opening for communicating the second chamber 42 with the atmosphere. The boss portion 427 constitutes a part of the air bleeding mechanism portion 37, and a lever member 46 and a return spring 47 (FIG. 19), which will be described later, are assembled.

In the top wall 423A, an upper monitor hole 42B (FIG. 19) is drilled on the front side of the boss hole 42A. Further, a lower monitor hole 444 is drilled in the top wall 442 of the wall portion 441 that divides the communication room 44. An upper monitor port 428 is erected on the top wall 423A corresponding to the upper monitor hole 42B. A lower monitor port 445 is erected on the top wall 442 corresponding to the lower monitor hole 444. The upper end of the monitor tube 36 is connected to the upper monitor port 428, and the lower end is connected to the lower monitor port 445. That is, the monitor tube 36 communicates with the upper end side and the lower end side of the second chamber 42, and the ink liquid level in the monitor tube 36 is linked to the ink liquid level in the second chamber 42.

In this embodiment, the monitor tube 36 is made of a transparent resin tube. Therefore, the user can know the ink liquid level in the second chamber 42 by visually recognizing the monitor tube 36. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of liquid supply units 3 are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction on the carriage 2. Therefore, even if a transparent film is used as the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 located on the right side surface, the ink liquid level in the second chamber 42 cannot be visually recognized except for the liquid supply unit 3 on the rightmost side. .. However, in the present embodiment, the monitor tube 36 is erected on the front side of the liquid supply unit 3. Therefore, the user can know the ink liquid level in each of the second chamber 42 by visually recognizing the monitor tube 36 of each liquid supply unit 3 from the front side of the carriage 2.

The backflow prevention mechanism 38 is installed on the top wall 442 near the front end of the communication chamber 44. A supply hole 443 is drilled in the top wall 442 corresponding to the backflow prevention mechanism portion 38. The upstream end 341 of the downstream pipe 34 is connected to the backflow prevention mechanism portion 38. The ink stored in the second chamber 42 is supplied to the downstream pipe 34 through the supply hole 443 and the backflow prevention mechanism unit 38 in a manner of being sucked into the ink ejection unit 22. The backflow prevention mechanism 38 will be described in detail later.

With reference to FIG. 11, the opening on the left side of the first chamber 41 is sealed by the resin sealing film 7A. The sealing film 7A has an outer shape that matches the wall shape of the first partition wall 411 when viewed from the left side. The peripheral edge of the sealing film 7A is welded or adhered to the end surface of the first partition wall 411, so that the sealing film 7A seals the opening of the first chamber 41.

The opening on the right side of the second chamber 42 is sealed by an atmospheric pressure detection film 7 made of a flexible resin film member. The atmospheric pressure detection film 7 has an outer shape that matches the wall shape in which the second partition wall 421 of the second chamber 42 and the wall portion 441 of the communication chamber 44 are integrated. That is, the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 has a main body portion 71 corresponding to the cylindrical wall 422 of the second chamber 42, an upper extension portion 72 corresponding to the rectangular upper wall 423, and a lower portion corresponding to the wall portion 441 of the communication chamber 44. It is provided with an extension portion 73. The peripheral edge of the main body 71 is welded or adhered to the end face of the cylindrical wall 422, the peripheral edge of the upper extension 72 to the end face of the upper wall 423, and the peripheral edge of the lower extension 73 to the end face of the wall 441. Then, the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 seals the openings of the second chamber 42 and the communication chamber 44. The atmospheric pressure detection film 7 is welded or adhered without any special tension being applied.

The pump portion 32 is arranged adjacent to the rear of the tank portion 31, and a pump cavity 321 for accommodating the pump 9 and a cam shaft 93 (FIG. 4) for pivotally supporting the eccentric cam 91 (FIG. 24) of the pump 9 are inserted. It is provided with a camshaft insertion hole 322 to be formed. The pump cavity 321 is a cylindrical cavity arranged at the center positions of the front, back, top and bottom of the pump portion housing 320. The camshaft insertion hole 322 is a boss hole provided at a position concentric with the pump cavity 321. The opening on the right side of the pump cavity 321 is sealed by the pump cover 323 (FIG. 11 (A)). As described above, in the present embodiment, the pump cavity 321 is provided integrally with the tank portion base plate 310 which is the substrate of the tank portion 31, and the liquid supply unit 3 itself is configured to mount the pump 9 for pressure purging. be. As a result, the device configuration of the carriage 2 can be made compact and simplified.

<Details of negative pressure supply mechanism>
Subsequently, the negative pressure supply mechanism in which the ink is supplied from the first chamber 41 to the second chamber 42 according to the decrease of the ink in the second chamber 42 will be described in detail. The negative pressure supply mechanism includes a pressing member 5, an on-off valve 6 and an atmospheric pressure detection film 7, whose operation is outlined above with reference to FIG. 6, and further includes an urging spring 45 (a urging member). The opening / closing valve 6 is arranged at the communication port 43, and changes the posture between the closed posture in which the communication port 43 is closed and the open posture in which the communication port 43 is opened. The urging spring 45 urges the open / close valve 6 in the direction toward the closed posture. The pressing member 5 can press the open / close valve 6 in the direction toward the open posture. The atmospheric pressure detection film 7 is displaced based on the negative pressure generated by the decrease of the ink in the second chamber 42, and the displacement force is transmitted to the pressing member 5.

<Pressing member>
12 (A) and 12 (B) are perspective views of the pressing members 5 having different perspective directions from each other. The pressing member 5 is a member rotatably arranged in the second chamber 42. The pressing member 5 includes a disk portion 51 (flat plate portion) made of a circular flat plate, a pair of arm portions 52 extending outward from the upper end side (one end side) of the disk portion 51, and each arm portion 52. It is provided with a fulcrum portion 53 (rotating fulcrum) provided at the extending tip portion of the above, and a pair of link bosses 54 (pressing portion). The pair of fulcrum portions 53 are pivotally supported by the shaft support portions 426 (FIGS. 10 and 22) of the pair of support plates 425 arranged in the second chamber 42. As a result, the disk portion 51 can rotate around the axis of the fulcrum portion 53.

The disk portion 51 is a disk having a diameter of about 1/2 with respect to the inner diameter of the cylindrical wall 422 that divides most of the second chamber 42. The arrangement relationship between the cylindrical wall 422 and the disk portion 51 in a state of being pivotally supported by the shaft support portion 426 is substantially concentric. The disk portion 51 includes a first surface 51A facing the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 and a second surface 51B facing the on-off valve 6. A spring fitting protrusion 511 is provided at the center of the disk portion 51 in the radial direction so as to project from the second surface 51B side. The right end portion of the urging spring 45 made of a coil spring is fitted to the spring fitting protrusion 511. On the first surface 51A side, the region of the spring fitting protrusion 511 is a cylindrical recess.

The disk portion 51 includes a pressure receiving portion 5A that receives a displacement force from the atmospheric pressure detection film 7, and an urging portion 5B that receives the urging force from the urging spring 45. The pressure receiving portion 5A is a region (predetermined position of the first surface) of the peripheral edge portion of the spring fitting projection 511 on the first surface 51A of the disk portion 51. The urged portion 5B is on the second surface 51B side and is a region of the spring fitting protrusion 511 into which the urging spring 45 is fitted. That is, the applied portion 5B is set at a position corresponding to the back side of the pressure receiving portion 5A.

When the pressure receiving portion 5A does not receive the displacement force from the atmospheric pressure detection film 7, the disk portion 51 is in a state close to natural hanging. However, the right end of the urging spring 45 is in contact with the urged portion 5B, and the first surface 51A is in contact with the inner surface of the atmospheric pressure detection film 7. On the other hand, when the pressure receiving portion 5A receives a displacement force equal to or greater than the urging force of the urging spring 45 from the atmospheric pressure detection film 7, the disk portion 51 rotates to the left around the axis of the fulcrum portion 53 and starts from the hanging state. It will be tilted to the left.

The lower end portions 521 of the pair of arm portions 52 are located on both side portions of the spring fitting projection 511, and the spring fitting projections 511 are sandwiched between the pair of lower end portions 521. The pair of arm portions 52 extend linearly upward from each lower end portion 521. Between the pair of arm portions 52, the disk portion 51 is provided with a notch portion 512 notched along the radial direction. The pair of arm portions 52 extend from the disk portion 51 in parallel with the notch portion 512 interposed therebetween.

A rectangular thick portion 522 is provided in the middle of each arm portion 52 in the vertical direction. The thick portion 522 is located near the upper end of the disk portion 51 and is arranged on the side portion of the notch portion 512. That is, a pair of thick-walled portions 522 face each other in the front-rear direction with the notch portion 512 interposed therebetween. A fulcrum portion 53 is projected in the front-rear direction from the tip portion 523, which is an extending end of each arm portion 52. Specifically, the fulcrum portion 53 is projected forward from the front side surface of the front end portion 523, the fulcrum portion 53 is projected rearward from the rear side surface of the rear tip portion 523, and so on. The fulcrum portion 53 is fitted into the shaft support portion 426 of the support plate 425. Providing the fulcrum portion 53 at the extension tip portion 523 of the arm portion 52 contributes to increasing the lever ratio described later.

The pair of fulcrum portions 53 are arranged on a rotation shaft 5AX (FIG. 12) extending in the front-rear direction. The front fulcrum portion 53 (one end on the rotation shaft) and the rear fulcrum portion 53 (the other end on the rotation shaft) are arranged at a predetermined distance D. That is, the pair of fulcrum portions 53 are arranged apart from each other with a portion corresponding to the central region in the plane direction of the disk portion 51 interposed therebetween. The interval D can be set to a size of, for example, about 40% to 80% of the diameter of the disk portion 51. As a result, the rotation fulcrum formed by the pair of fulcrums 53 becomes a wide rotation fulcrum separated to such an extent that the central region of the disk portion 51 is sandwiched. Therefore, the disk portion 51 that rotates around the rotation fulcrum is less likely to be twisted around an axis orthogonal to the rotation shaft 5AX. Therefore, the rotational operation of the disk portion 51 can be stabilized.

The pair of link bosses 54 project from the second surface 51B toward the left near the upper end of the disk portion 51. Specifically, a link boss 54 made of a rectangular flat plate is erected from each end edge facing the cutout portion 512 of the pair of thick-walled portions 522. Therefore, the pair of link bosses 54 are located inside the pair of fulcrum portions 53 and in the central region of the disk portion 51. Each link boss 54 includes a link hole 541. The link hole 541 is used for link coupling between the pressing member 5 and the on-off valve 6. By this link coupling, the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing valve 6 is interlocked with the rotation operation of the pressing member 5.

In other words, the link boss 54 is a pressing portion that presses the opening / closing valve 6 so as to move in the left-right direction in response to the rotational operation of the pressing member 5 that rotates around the axis of the fulcrum portion 53. In the relationship between the pressure receiving portion 5A (power point) and the fulcrum portion 53 (fulcrum), the link boss 54 (action point) is set between the pressure receiving portion 5A and the fulcrum portion 53. That is, the pressure receiving portion 5A, the fulcrum portion 53, and the link boss 54 are set so that the positional relationship of the second type lever is established. Therefore, the displacement force of the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 received by the pressure receiving unit 5A can be increased by the ratio of the lever ratio, and the pressing force can be applied from the link boss 54 to the opening / closing valve 6.

<Open / close valve>
Subsequently, the on-off valve 6 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the on-off valve 6 is arranged at a communication port 43 that communicates the first chamber 41 and the second chamber 42. Then, the opening / closing valve 6 opens / closes the communication port 43 by moving in the communication port 43 in the left-right direction in accordance with the rotational operation of the pressing member 5. The opening / closing valve 6 is link-coupled to the link boss 54 (pressing portion) of the disk portion 51 in order to follow the rotational operation.

13 (A) is a perspective view of the on-off valve 6, and FIG. 13 (B) is an exploded perspective view of the on-off valve 6. 14 (A) is a sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV of FIG. 8, and FIG. 14 (B) is an enlarged view of part A1 of FIG. 14 (A). 15 (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XV-XV of FIG. 8, and FIG. 15 (B) is an enlarged view of the A2 portion of FIG. 15 (A). The on-off valve 6 comprises an assembly of a valve holder 61 and an umbrella valve 66 held by the valve holder 61. The communication port 43 is an opening having a circular cross section, and has a large diameter portion 43A, a small diameter portion 43B having an inner diameter smaller than that of the large diameter portion 43A, and a step portion 43C based on the difference in diameter between the two. 14 (B)).

The valve holder 61 has a first end portion 611 located on the first chamber 41 side (left side) and a second end portion 612 located on the second chamber 42 side (right side) in a state of being assembled to the communication port 43. It is a semi-cylindrical member provided with. The valve holder 61 has a tubular portion 62 on the first end 611 side, a flat plate portion 63 on the second end 612 side, an intermediate portion 64 located between the tubular portion 62 and the flat plate portion 63, and a flat plate portion 63. Includes a link pin 65 disposed in. The umbrella valve 66 is held on the first end portion 611 side of the valve holder 61.

The tubular portion 62 is a tubular portion having the largest outer diameter in the valve holder 61. The tubular portion 62 has a guide surface 62S which is an outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 62, a flow path notch 621 in which a part of the tubular portion 62 is cut out in the circumferential direction, and an annular shape on the inner peripheral side of the tubular portion 62. Includes a recessed holding groove 622 and. The tubular portion 62 is housed in the large diameter portion 43A of the communication port 43, and when the opening / closing valve 6 moves in the left-right direction, the guide surface 62S is guided by the inner surface of the large diameter portion 43A. The flow path notch 621 is a flow path through which ink flows when the on-off valve 6 is in the open position. The holding groove 622 is a groove for locking the locking ball portion 663 of the umbrella valve 66.

The intermediate portion 64 is a tubular portion having an outer diameter smaller than that of the tubular portion 62. The intermediate portion 64 includes an opening portion 641 which is an opening portion connected to the flow path notch 621 and a pin accommodating portion 642 accommodating the pin portion 662 of the umbrella valve 66. The intermediate portion 64 is housed in the small diameter portion 43B of the communication port 43, and its outer peripheral surface is also guided by the inner surface of the small diameter portion 43B. At the boundary between the tubular portion 62 and the intermediate portion 64, there is an annular contact portion 62A formed by a step based on the difference in outer diameter between the two. The annular contact portion 62A faces and contacts the step portion 43C of the communication port 43.

The flat plate portion 63 is a portion that protrudes to the right from the communication port 43 in a state where the opening / closing valve 6 is assembled to the communication port 43. The flat plate portion 63 has a pair of front and back planes extending in the left-right direction. Each of the link pins 65 is provided so as to project in the direction perpendicular to the pair of planes. As shown in FIG. 15B, the link pin 65 is fitted into the link hole 541 provided in the link boss 54 of the pressing member 5. By this fitting, the pressing member 5 and the opening / closing valve 6 are linked and connected, and the rotational motion of the pressing member 5 can be converted into the linear motion of the opening / closing valve 6.

The umbrella valve 66 is a rubber article and includes an umbrella portion 661, a pin portion 662 extending to the right from the umbrella portion 661, and a locking ball portion 663 integrally provided on the pin portion 662. There is. The umbrella portion 661 has an umbrella diameter larger than the inner diameter of the large diameter portion 43A of the communication port 43. The peripheral edge of the inside (right side) of the umbrella portion 661 is a sealing surface 67. The sealing surface 67 can bring the communication port 43 into a sealed state by abutting on the sealing wall surface 416 which is the wall surface around the communication port 43 (closed posture). On the other hand, when the seal surface 67 is separated from the seal wall surface 416, the sealed state is released (open posture). When a predetermined pressure is applied to the right side of the umbrella portion 661, the shape of the umbrella portion is reversed (FIG. 26).

The pin portion 662 is a rod-shaped portion extending in the left-right direction, and is a portion serving as a support for the umbrella portion 661. The pin portion 662 enters the cylinder portion 62 of the valve holder 61 and the pin accommodating portion 642 of the intermediate portion 64. That is, the umbrella portion 661 abuts on the first end portion 611 of the valve holder 61, while the pin portion 662 can be fitted into the inner cylinder portion of the valve holder 61. The locking ball portion 663 is a portion in which a portion of the pin portion 662 near the left end is swelled in a spherical shape and is fitted into the holding groove 622. By fitting the locking ball portion 663 into the holding groove 622, the umbrella valve 66 is held in the valve holder 61 in a state where the movement in the left-right direction is restricted. That is, the umbrella valve 66 moves in the left-right direction integrally with the valve holder 61.

<Bending spring>
The urging spring 45 is a coil spring that is interposed between the second surface 51B of the disk portion 51 and the tank portion base plate 310 to support (urge) the second surface 51B. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14B, the right end side of the urging spring 45 is fitted into the spring fitting protrusion 511 of the disk portion 51, and the left end side is recessed in the tank portion base plate 310. It is housed in the spring seat 415. When the pressure receiving portion 5A of the disk portion 51 receives a leftward displacement force that opposes the rightward urging force of the urging spring 45, the disk portion 51 rotates to the left around the axis of the fulcrum portion 53. It will move. When the displacement force is not received, the disc portion 51 maintains a hanging posture due to the urging force.

<Operation of open / close valve>
Subsequently, the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing valve 6 will be described. 14 and 15 show a state in which the on-off valve 6 is in the closed posture. In this state, the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 does not generate a displacement force enough to rotate the pressing member 5 (disk portion 51), that is, the spring pressure (urging force) of the urging spring 45 and the second chamber. The total with the internal pressure of 42 is superior to the atmospheric pressure. Although the second chamber 42 has a negative pressure, the urging spring 45 urges the urged portion 5B of the disk portion 51 with an urging force that overcomes the displacement force of the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 due to the negative pressure. There is. Therefore, the disk portion 51 does not rotate around the axis of the fulcrum portion 53, and maintains the above-mentioned hanging posture.

In this case, the on-off valve 6 linked to the pressing member 5 in the link boss 54 takes a closed posture located on the far right side. That is, the valve holder 61 is pulled to the right via the link boss 54 by the urging force of the urging spring 45. Therefore, the annular contact portion 62A of the valve holder 61 abuts on the step portion 43C of the communication port 43, and the seal surface 67 of the umbrella valve 66 comes into contact with the seal wall surface 416. Therefore, the communication port 43 is sealed by the umbrella valve 66. It can be said that the urging spring 45 urges the disc portion 51 to the right and uses the force of a lever to urge the opening / closing valve 6 toward the closed posture.

16 (A) is a view corresponding to FIG. 14 (A), and FIG. 16 (B) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the on-off valve 6 is in an open posture, and FIG. 16 (B) is an enlargement of the A3 portion of FIG. 16 (A). It is a figure. FIG. 17 is a view corresponding to FIG. 15 (B), and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the on-off valve 6 is in an open posture. When the ink ejection unit 22 continues the ink ejection operation from the states of FIGS. 14 and 15, the negative pressure degree of the second chamber 42, which is a closed space, gradually increases as the ink decreases. go. Eventually, when the second chamber 42 becomes a negative pressure exceeding a predetermined threshold value, the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 applies a pressing force against the urging force of the urging spring 45 to the pressure receiving portion 5A of the disk portion 51. That is, the total of the spring pressure of the urging spring 45 and the internal pressure of the second chamber 42 is inferior to the atmospheric pressure.

In this case, the disk portion 51 rotates to the left around the axis of the fulcrum portion 53 against the urging force of the urging spring 45. Then, by this rotation, the link boss 54 generates a pressing force that directs the opening / closing valve 6 to the left, and causes the opening / closing valve 6 to change its posture to the open posture. That is, the pressing force is transmitted from the link hole 541 of the link boss 54 to the link pin 65 of the valve holder 61, and the valve holder 61 moves linearly to the left while the guide surface 62S is guided by the inner surface of the communication port 43. Along with this movement, the umbrella valve 66 also moves to the left, its sealing surface 67 is separated from the sealing wall surface 416, and a gap G (FIG. 17) is formed. Therefore, the sealing of the communication port 43 by the umbrella valve 66 is released.

When the on-off valve 6 is in the open position, as shown by an arrow F in FIG. 17, the pressure difference between the first chamber 41 with a pressure of atmospheric pressure + ρgh and the second chamber 42 with advanced negative pressure causes the first chamber 41. Ink flows into the second chamber 42 from. Specifically, the gap G between the seal surface 67 of the umbrella valve 66 and the seal wall surface 416, the flow path notch 621 prepared in the tubular portion 62 of the valve holder 61, and the open portion 641 prepared in the intermediate portion 64. The ink flows into the second chamber 42 through the flow path formed by.

As the inflow of ink into the second chamber 42 progresses, the degree of negative pressure in the second chamber 42 is gradually relaxed. Eventually, when the total of the spring pressure of the urging spring 45 and the internal pressure of the second chamber 42 becomes superior to the atmospheric pressure, the disc portion 51 is pushed back to the right by the urging force of the urging spring 45. That is, when the second chamber 42 has a negative pressure below a predetermined threshold value, the disk portion 51 is pressed by the urging force of the urging spring 45 and rotates to the right around the axis of the fulcrum portion 53. As a result, the on-off valve 6 is also pulled by the link boss 54 and moves linearly to the right. Eventually, the annular contact portion 62A of the valve holder 61 abuts on the step portion 43C of the communication port 43, and the seal surface 67 of the umbrella valve 66 abuts on the seal wall surface 416. Therefore, the on-off valve 6 returns to the closed posture.

<Action and effect of negative pressure supply mechanism>
The operation and effect of the negative pressure supply mechanism of the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to the schematic views of FIGS. 18 (A) and 18 (B). FIG. 18A shows a state in which the pressing member 5 (disk portion 51) is in a hanging posture and the opening / closing valve 6 is in a closed posture, and FIG. 18B is a tilted posture in which the pressing member 5 is rotated. Each of the open / close valves 6 shows the open posture.

First, the pressing member 5 has a rotating fulcrum called a fulcrum portion 53, and is pivotally supported by a support plate 425 arranged in the second chamber 42. Therefore, when the pressure receiving portion 5A receives the displacement force of the atmospheric pressure detection film 7, it rotates around the axis of the fulcrum portion 53. That is, the unstable moving force of displacement of the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 can be converted into a stable moving force of rotation around the axis of the fulcrum portion 53. Therefore, the displacement force of the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 can be efficiently transmitted to the opening / closing valve 6 through the link boss 54 (pressing portion). For example, when the pressing member of the on-off valve 6 is attached to the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 and the pressing member does not have a rotation fulcrum, its behavior becomes unstable and the pressing force transmission to the on-off valve 6 becomes unstable. It becomes. However, according to the present embodiment, since the pressing member 5 can generate a stable pressing force, the opening / closing valve 6 can be changed in posture between the closed posture and the open posture at a desired timing, and the head unit can be changed. It is possible to stably supply ink to 21.

Further, the pressing member 5 can generate a large pressing force on the link boss 54 by utilizing the force of the lever. Specifically, a link boss 54 that presses the on-off valve 6 is arranged between the pressure receiving portion 5A and the fulcrum portion 53. That is, the pressing member 5 realizes a pressing structure of the opening / closing valve 6 using the principle of leverage, with the shaft fulcrum of the fulcrum portion 53 as the fulcrum P1, the pressure receiving portion 5A as the force point P2, and the link boss 54 as the action point P3. .. Therefore, the pressing force applied to the pressure receiving portion 5A by the displacement force of the atmospheric pressure detecting film 7 can be increased by the ratio of the lever ratio and applied to the on-off valve 6 from the link boss 54. Therefore, the opening / closing valve 6 can be pressed against the link boss 54 with a large pressing force, and sufficient pressing force for moving the opening / closing valve 6 in a timely manner can be secured.

The pressing member 5 includes an arm portion 52 extending upward from the upper end side of the disk portion 51, and a fulcrum portion 53 serving as a rotation fulcrum is provided at the extending tip portion 523 of the arm portion 52. .. This configuration contributes to increasing the distance between the pressure receiving portion 5A (power point P2) and the link boss 54 (acting point P3) and increasing the lever ratio. Therefore, it is possible to further increase the pressing force generated by the pressing member 5.

Further, as an advantage of another viewpoint, the advantage of the opening / closing valve 6 being linked to the pressing member 5 can be mentioned. Specifically, a link connection is formed between the link pin 65 arranged near the right end (second end portion 612) of the on-off valve 6 and the link hole 541 of the link boss 54. Then, the urging spring 45 presses the urging portion 5B of the disk portion 51 to urge the opening / closing valve 6 in the direction toward the closed posture. Therefore, the disk portion 51 rotates around the axis of the fulcrum portion 53 and thus tilts, but the link coupling can prevent the opening / closing valve 6 from tilting following the tilting operation of the disk portion 51. Therefore, the on-off valve 6 can be linearly moved in the left-right direction in the communication port 43, and the on-off valve 6 can be stably operated between the closed posture and the open posture.

Here, as a modification embodiment, the urging member corresponding to the urging spring 45 may be configured to urge the open / close valve 6 directly to the right (direction toward the closed posture). However, in the present embodiment, the disc portion 51 is pressed against the urging spring 45 to indirectly urge the opening / closing valve 6 in the direction toward the closed posture. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the urging structure of the on-off valve 6 can be increased as compared with the case where the urging structure is provided in the vicinity of the communication port 43. Further, the urged portion 5B that receives the urging force from the urging spring 45 is set at a position corresponding to the pressure receiving portion 5A. Therefore, even when the opening / closing valve 6 is urged by the urging spring 45 via the disk portion 51, the principle of leverage is applied to realize an efficient urging structure.

<Air bleeding mechanism in the second room>
Next, the air bleeding mechanism portion 37 attached to the second chamber 42 will be described in detail. 19 (A) is a perspective view of the liquid supply unit 3 including the disassembled air bleeding mechanism portion 37, and FIGS. 19 (B) and 19 (C) are perspective views of the lever member 46. As described above, the air bleeding mechanism unit 37 is used for bleeding air at the time of initial filling of ink in the second chamber 42 at the time of initial use or after maintenance, and at the time of degassing air bubbles generated from the ink. Will be done.

The air bleeding mechanism portion 37 includes a lever member 46, a seal ring 46C, and a return spring 47 in addition to the above-mentioned boss portion 427 projecting from the second partition wall 421 that partitions the second chamber 42. The boss portion 427 projects from the top wall 423A that divides the uppermost surface of the second chamber 42, and has an opening that allows the second chamber 42 to communicate with the atmosphere, that is, a boss hole 42A that is an air vent hole. By providing the boss hole 42A in the top wall 423A at the uppermost position of the second chamber 42, the degassing of the second chamber 42 can be surely performed.

The lever member 46 has a shovel-shaped shape including a rod-shaped member 461 partially inserted into the boss hole 42A and a pressing piece 464 connected below the rod-shaped member 461. The lever member 46 is a kind of valve member whose posture is changed between a sealing posture for sealing the boss hole 42A and an open posture for opening the boss hole 42A. In the present embodiment, the posture changing operation of the lever member 46 and the posture changing operation of the opening / closing valve 6 are interlocked with each other via the pressing member 5. Specifically, when the lever member 46 is in the sealed posture, the open / close valve 6 is allowed to be in the closed posture, and when the lever member 46 is in the open posture, the open / close valve 6 is placed in the closed posture. To change the posture to the open posture.

The rod-shaped member 461 of the lever member 46 is a cylindrical body having an outer diameter smaller than the hole diameter of the boss hole 42A, and has an upper end portion 462 and a lower end portion 463. The upper end portion 462 is an input portion that receives an operation pressing force that presses the lever member 46 downward from the user. The lower end portion 463 is connected to the pressing piece 464. The pressing piece 464 functions as a transmission unit that transmits the operating pressing force applied to the upper end portion 462 to the pressing member 5 (receiving slope 55).

The upper surface of the pressing piece 464 to which the lower end portion 463 of the rod-shaped member 461 is connected is a flange surface 464F larger than the hole diameter of the boss hole 42A. The flange surface 464F is a rectangular plane orthogonal to the axis of the rod-shaped member 461, and faces the inner surface of the top wall 423A when the rod-shaped member 461 is inserted into the boss hole 42A. The pressing piece 464 has a trapezoidal shape in the front-rear direction and a substantially square shape in the left-right direction, and below the flange surface 464F, a pair of pressing slopes 465 inclined with respect to the axis of the rod-shaped member 461 and the lowermost end. Has a lower end edge 466 extending in the front-rear direction. The pair of pressing slopes 465 are slopes (slopes) extending upward from the front and rear ends of the lower end edge 466.

The pressing slope 465 and the lower end edge 466 are portions that interfere with the pressing member 5 when the lever member 46 receives the operating pressing force. With reference to FIG. 12, the pressing member 5 is provided with a pair of receiving slopes 55 on the first surface 51A which is below the fulcrum portion 53 and faces the atmospheric pressure detection film 7. The receiving slope 55 is arranged between the link boss 54 and the arm portion 52 at the upper end of the disk portion 51. The distance between the pair of receiving slopes 55 is set so as to match the distance between the pair of pressing slopes 465. The pressing slope 465 and the lower end edge 466 abut on the receiving slope 55 when the user applies the operating pressing force, and the operating pressing force is transmitted to the pressing member 5. As a result, the pressing member 5 rotates to the left around the axis of the fulcrum portion 53, and the opening / closing valve 6 is changed from the closed posture to the open posture.

An engaging groove 467 is formed in the vicinity of the upper end portion 462 of the rod-shaped member 461. A washer 47W that locks the upper end of the return spring 47 is fitted in the engagement groove 467. A seal groove 468 into which the seal ring 46C is fitted is formed on the flange surface 464F of the pressing piece 464. The return spring 47 is a coil spring having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the boss portion 427 and a spring length longer than the vertical length of the boss portion 427, and is externally fitted to the boss portion 427. The seal ring 46C is an O-ring having an inner diameter slightly larger than that of the rod-shaped member 461. The seal ring 46C is fitted from the upper end portion 462 of the rod-shaped member 461 and installed in the seal groove 468. The seal groove 468 may be omitted.

Subsequently, the operation of the lever member 46 will be described. 20 (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the lever member 46 operates, and FIG. 20 (B) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the air bleeding of the second chamber 42 is executed by the operation of the lever member 46. FIG. 21 is an enlarged view of the A4 portion of FIG. 20 (B). FIG. 20A shows a state in which the upper end portion 462 of the lever member 46 is not pressed, that is, a sealing posture in which the lever member 46 seals the boss hole 42A. On the other hand, FIG. 20B shows a state in which the upper end portion 462 is pressed downward and an operating pressing force is applied, that is, an open posture in which the lever member 46 opens the boss hole 42A.

The sealing posture is maintained by the urging force of the return spring 47. The return spring 47 generates a force for lifting the lever member 46 upward via the washer 47W. That is, the return spring 47 urges the lever member 46 toward the sealing posture. As a result, the seal ring 46C held on the flange surface 464F comes into contact with the top wall 423A on the peripheral edge of the boss hole 42A. Therefore, the boss hole 42A is in a sealed state. The state at this time is the same as the state shown in FIGS. 14 (A) and 14 (B) above. The pressing piece 464 (pressing slope 465 and lower end edge 466) of the lever member 46 is in a state of being separated from the receiving slope 55 of the pressing member 5, and no force is applied to the pressing member 5. Therefore, the on-off valve 6 maintains a closed posture.

On the other hand, when the lever member 46 descends in response to the operating pressing force and takes the open posture, the flange surface 464F also descends, and the seal ring 46C separates from the top wall 423A. Therefore, the boss hole 42A is in an open state. That is, the second chamber 42 and the outside air communicate with each other through the gap between the inner surface of the boss hole 42A and the outer peripheral surface of the rod-shaped member 461. Therefore, a state is formed in which the air staying in the second chamber 42 can be exhausted to the outside through the boss hole 42A.

Further, when the lever member 46 takes the open posture, the operating pressing force is transmitted to the pressing member 5. As shown in FIG. 21, the pressing slope 465 and the lower end edge 466 press the receiving slope 55. The receiving slope 55 is above the fulcrum portion 53 and is located on the right side (atmospheric pressure detection film 7 side). Therefore, when the receiving slope 55 is pressed, the pressing member 5 (disk portion 51) rotates to the left around the axis of the fulcrum portion 53. As described above, when the pressing member 5 rotates to the left, the opening / closing valve 6 is pressed to the left via the link boss 54, and the opening / closing valve 6 is changed from the closed posture to the open posture. As a result, the sealing of the communication port 43 is released, and the first chamber 41 and the second chamber 42 are in a communicating state.

In this way, when the lever member 46 takes the open posture, the fluid inlet (communication port 43) and the fluid outlet (boss hole 42A) with respect to the second chamber 42 are secured. Therefore, when the initials are used, the operation of filling the ink from the first chamber 41 to the second chamber 42 through the communication port 43 while removing the air from the second chamber 42 from the boss hole 42A is performed by using the head difference supply. It can be executed smoothly. Further, when the amount of air in the second chamber 42 increases due to the generation of air bubbles from the ink (the ink liquid level in the second chamber 42 decreases, which can be confirmed by the monitor tube 36), the lever member 46 is described above. By setting the open posture, the air in the second chamber 42 can be easily evacuated.

In the above embodiment, the pressing member 5 including the pressure receiving portion 5A that receives the displacement force from the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 and the link boss 54 that presses the opening / closing valve 6 by the displacement force received by the pressure receiving portion 5A is used. The opening / closing valve 6 is changed to the open posture in conjunction with the lever member 46 taking the open posture. That is, the structure is such that the inlet and outlet of the fluid for the second chamber 42 can be secured by one-touch operation of the lever member 46. Therefore, the user can easily perform the air bleeding operation of the second room 42. Further, since the air bleeding mechanism portion 37 is arranged on the upper surface of the tank portion 31, as shown in FIG. 4, the user can use the carriage 2 even when the plurality of liquid supply units 3 are still mounted on the carriage 2. It can be accessed from the front side to perform an air bleeding operation for each liquid supply unit 3.

<Backflow prevention mechanism>
Next, the configuration of the backflow prevention mechanism unit 38 that prevents the pressurized ink from flowing back to the second chamber 42 when the pressurized purge mode described with reference to FIG. 7A is executed will be described. FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the base base material 300 of the liquid supply unit 3, including an exploded perspective view of the backflow prevention mechanism portion 38. The backflow prevention mechanism portion 38 includes a valve pipeline 81, a branch head portion 82, a sphere 83, a seal member 84, a coil spring 85, and an O-ring 86. The valve line 81 is a member integrated with the top wall 442 of the communication chamber 44, and other parts are assembled to the valve line 81. 23 (A) and 23 (B) are perspective views of the backflow prevention mechanism portion 38 excluding the valve pipeline 81, and FIG. 23 (C) is a downward perspective view of the branch head portion 82.

The valve pipeline 81 is a pipeline extending in the vertical direction from the upper surface of the top wall 442. The valve pipeline 81 provides an ink flow path connecting the connecting chamber 44 and the downstream pipe 34, and constitutes a part of the ink supply path from the second chamber 42 to the ink ejection unit 22. In order to lock the branch head portion 82, a locking piece 811 is projected on the outer peripheral surface of the valve pipeline 81, and a fitting annular projection 812 is projected on the inner peripheral surface.

The branch head portion 82 is a member that forms the above-mentioned confluence portion a based on FIGS. 6 and 7. The branch head portion 82 includes a first inlet port 821, a second inlet port 822, an exit port 823, a body portion 824, a locking window 825, a notch portion 826, and a fitting claw 827. The first inlet port 821 is a port to which the downstream end of the second chamber 42 is connected, and in the present embodiment, the second chamber 42 communicates with the valve pipeline 81 and the communication chamber 44. The second inlet port 822 is a port to which the downstream end of the bypass pipe 35 is connected. The outlet port 823 is a port to which the upstream end 341 of the downstream pipe 34 is connected. In the print mode described above, ink is supplied to the downstream tube 34 through the first inlet port 821. On the other hand, in the pressurized purge mode, the water is supplied to the downstream pipe 34 through the second inlet port 822.

The body portion 824 is composed of a pair of arc pieces arranged so as to face each other on the outside of the first inlet port 821 facing downward. The valve line 81 enters the gap between the pair of fuselage 824s and the first inlet port 821. The locking window 825 is an opening provided in the pair of body portions 824, and is an opening to which the locking piece 811 of the valve pipeline 81 engages. The cutout portion 826 is a portion in which a part of the peripheral wall of the cylindrical first inlet port 821 is cut out, and is a portion for securing an ink flow path. The fitting claw 827 is a portion having a hook shape protruding downward from the lower end of the first inlet port 821, and engages with the fitting annular projection 812 of the valve pipeline 81. That is, the branch head portion 82 is a valve due to the engagement between the locking piece 811 and the locking window 825 on the inner circumference of the valve pipeline 81 and the engagement between the fitting annular protrusion 812 and the fitting claw 827 on the outer periphery. It is fixed to the pipeline 81.

The sphere 83 is movably housed in the valve pipe line 81 in the ink supply direction and acts as a valve. The outer diameter of the sphere 83 is smaller than the inner diameter of the valve pipeline 81, and further smaller than the inner diameter of the coil spring 85. Various materials can be used as the material for forming the sphere 83, but it is preferable to use a material having a specific density of 2 times or less with respect to the specific gravity of the ink. The sphere 83 is buried in the ink in the valve line 81. By bringing the specific gravity of the sphere 83 closer to the specific gravity of the ink, the operating pressure of the sphere 83 in the ink supply direction (here, the vertical direction) can be reduced.

Generally, the ink used in an inkjet printer is a water-soluble liquid and has a specific density of 1 or a specific density thereof. Therefore, it is desirable to select a material having a specific gravity <2 as the material of the sphere 83. Further, it is desirable that the material has chemical resistance and abrasion resistance that do not deteriorate even if it is in constant contact with ink. From these viewpoints, it is particularly preferable to use a polyacetal resin (specific gravity ≈1.5) as the material of the sphere 83.

The seal member 84 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 24 (B), a ring that is below the sphere 83 and is seated on a seat portion 813 on the bottom wall of the valve line 81 (upper surface of the top wall 442). It is a sealed part with a shape. The inner diameter (through hole) of the ring of the seal member 84 is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the sphere 83, while being set to a larger diameter than the supply hole 443 drilled in the top wall 442. As shown in FIG. 23 (A), when the sphere 83 is separated from the seal member 84, the valve pipeline 81 is opened. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 23B, when the sphere 83 comes into contact with the seal member 84, the valve pipeline 81 is closed.

The coil spring 85 is a compression spring built in the valve pipeline 81 so that its lower end abuts on the seal member 84 and its upper end abuts on the lower end edge 828 of the first inlet port 821 of the branch head portion 82. be. The coil spring 85 urges the seal member 84 toward the seat portion 813, whereby the seal member 84 is constantly pressed against the seat portion 813. Further, a sphere 83 is housed inside the coil spring 85, and the coil spring 85 also serves to guide the movement of the sphere 83 in the ink supply direction. Therefore, the idleness of the sphere 83 in the valve pipeline 81 is restricted, and the valve structure formed by the separation and attachment of the sphere 83 to the seal member 84 can be stabilized.

The O-ring 86 seals the abutting portion between the valve pipeline 81 and the branch head portion 82. The O-ring 86 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the first inlet port 821 and is in contact with the projecting base 829 of the first inlet port 821.

FIG. 24 (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the backflow prevention mechanism portion 38 in the print mode, and FIG. 24 (B) is an enlarged view of portion A5 of FIG. 24 (A). FIG. 24A shows the pump 9 housed in the pump unit 32. The pump 9 is a tube pump provided with an eccentric cam 91 and an ironing tube 92. A cam shaft 93 (FIG. 4), which is a rotation axis of the eccentric cam 91, is inserted into the shaft hole 91A of the eccentric cam 91. A rotational driving force is applied to the eccentric cam 91 from the driving gear shown in the figure. The ironing tube 92 is arranged on the peripheral surface of the eccentric cam 91 and is squeezed by the rotation of the eccentric cam 91 around the cam shaft 93 to send the liquid (ink) in the tube from one end side to the other end side.

As shown in FIG. 9, the pump 9 (ironing tube 92) is arranged in the ink supply path leading from the first chamber 41 to the bypass pipe 35. Specifically, one end side of the ironing tube 92 is connected to the connecting pipe 32P from the bottom wall portion 413 of the first chamber 41, and the other end side is connected to the upstream end of the bypass pipe 35. In this embodiment, the ironing tube 92, the connecting tube 32P, and the bypass tube 35 are integrally configured from one tube. As described above, the pump 9 is stopped in the print mode shown in FIG. In this case, since the eccentric cam 91 crushes the ironing tube 92 and stops, the ink supply path passing through the bypass tube 35 is closed. On the other hand, in the pressurized purge mode shown in FIG. 7A, the pump 9 is driven in the forward rotation. In FIG. 24A, the forward rotation direction of the eccentric cam 91 is a counterclockwise direction. By such a forward rotation drive of the pump 9, ink is sucked from the first chamber 41 through the connecting pipe 32P and directed from the bypass pipe 35 to the backflow prevention mechanism portion 38 which is the merging portion a. When the pump 9 is reversely driven, as shown in FIG. 7B, the communication chamber 44, the second chamber 42, and the downstream pipe 34 become negative pressure through the bypass pipe 35 and the branch head portion 82. ..

Subsequently, the operation of the backflow prevention mechanism unit 38 will be described. In the print mode, the ink is supplied from the second chamber 42 to the head unit 21 by a supply route passing through the communication chamber 44, the backflow prevention mechanism portion 38, and the downstream pipe 34. In such a printing mode, as shown in FIG. 24B, the sphere 83 is separated from the sealing member 84 and is in a state of being lifted upward. This is because the supply route from the second chamber 42 to the downstream pipe 34 is maintained at a negative pressure in the print mode. Each time the ink ejection unit 22 of the head unit 21 ejects ink droplets, the ink ejected in the supply route is sucked, and a force acting in the ink supply direction acts on the sphere 83. The sphere 83 floats from the sealing member 84 in the liquid ink.

Since the sphere 83 is separated from the seal member 84, the supply hole 443 of the communication chamber 44 is in an open state. On the other hand, the suction force of the ink ejection unit 22 may cause the sphere 83 to float until it comes into contact with the lower end edge 828 of the first inlet port 821. FIG. 23A shows a state in which the sphere 83 has risen to the highest position. Even in such a case, the peripheral wall of the first inlet port 821 is provided with a notch 826, so that the ink passage is secured. Therefore, the ink can pass from the communication chamber 44 to the branch head portion 82.

25 (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the backflow prevention mechanism portion 38 in the pressurized purge mode, and FIG. 25 (B) is an enlarged view of the A6 portion of FIG. 25 (A). In the pressurized purge mode, the ink pressurized through the bypass pipe 35 is supplied to the second inlet port 822 (merging portion a) of the branch head portion 82 by the forward rotation drive of the pump 9. Therefore, the bypass pipe 35 and the downstream pipe 34 located on the downstream side of the confluence portion a are pressurized by the pressurized ink. In this case, the ink is pressurized to a high pressure exceeding 100 kPa. If such a high pressure is applied to the second chamber 42, the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 that partitions a part of the second chamber 42 may burst or the attachment portion to the second compartment wall 421 may be peeled off. Sometimes.

However, in the present embodiment, the sphere 83 is pressed downward (upstream side in the ink supply direction) by the pressing force applied to the merging portion a, and the sphere 83 comes into contact with the seal member 84. 23 (B) and 25 (B) show a state in which the sphere 83 is fitted into the ring of the seal member 84 by the pressing. When the sphere 83 comes into contact with the seal member 84 pressed against the seat portion 813 by the coil spring 85, the supply hole 443 is closed. That is, of the ink supply paths in the print mode, the communication chamber 44 and the second chamber 42 located on the upstream side of the confluence portion a are cut off from the pressurization by the pressurized ink. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 from being damaged.

<Double protection mechanism with umbrella valve>
As described above, in the present embodiment, the backflow prevention mechanism portion 38 is provided to prevent the ink pressurized in the pressurized purge mode from flowing back to the second chamber 42. However, due to some malfunction of the backflow prevention mechanism 38, for example, due to a malfunction of the sphere 83, the pressing force may act on the second chamber 42. In view of this point, in the present embodiment, a double protection mechanism and a mechanism for releasing pressure to the on-off valve 6 are provided. That is, when the pressure relationship that the second chamber 42 is negative pressure and the first chamber 41 is atmospheric pressure + ρgh under normal conditions is reversed and the second chamber 42 becomes higher pressure than the first chamber 41, the second chamber is the second chamber. The on-off valve 6 is provided with a pressure release mechanism for releasing the pressure from the 42 to the first chamber 41.

The umbrella valve 66 of the on-off valve 6 is responsible for the pressure release mechanism. As described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 17, in the umbrella valve 66, when the second chamber 42 has a negative pressure below a predetermined threshold value, the sealing surface 67 abuts on the sealing wall surface 416 to form a communication port 43. Seal. As a result, the inflow of ink from the first chamber 41 to the second chamber 42 is prohibited. On the other hand, when the second chamber 42 has a negative pressure exceeding a predetermined threshold value, the umbrella valve 66 moves to the left together with the valve holder 61 linked to the pressing member 5, and the seal surface 67 is separated from the seal wall surface 416. The communication port 43 is opened (release of sealing). As a result, the inflow of ink from the first chamber 41 to the second chamber 42 is allowed.

In addition to this, in the umbrella valve 66, when the pressure relationship between the second chamber 42 and the first chamber 41 is reversed due to factors such as the pressure of the pressurized ink being applied to the second chamber 42 in the pressurized purge mode. In addition, the communication port 43 is opened by the umbrella valve 66 alone. That is, the umbrella valve 66 releases the sealing state of the communication port 43 and releases the pressure of the second chamber 42 to the first chamber 41 without receiving the pressing assist of the pressing member 5. That is, when a predetermined pressure is applied to the right surface side of the umbrella portion 661 (seal surface 67) of the umbrella valve 66, the shape of the umbrella portion is reversed.

FIG. 26A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the umbrella valve 66 seals the communication port 43, and FIG. 26B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the umbrella valve 66 opens the communication port 43. .. The state of FIG. 26 (A) is equivalent to the state of FIG. 14 (B) described above. The umbrella portion 661 has an umbrella shape that is convex toward the left. Further, the valve holder 61 is located on the far right side due to the urging force of the urging spring 45, and the annular contact portion 62A thereof is in contact with the step portion 43C at the communication port 43. Therefore, the seal surface 67 is in contact with the seal wall surface 416.

The state of FIG. 26B shows a state in which the umbrella shape of the umbrella portion 661 of the umbrella valve 66 is inverted by the pressure applied from the second chamber 42 side. That is, the umbrella portion 661 is deformed into a convex umbrella shape toward the right. This inverted state is formed when the pressure of the second chamber 42 is higher than that of the first chamber 41 by a predetermined value. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a high positive pressure due to the pressure purge is applied to the second chamber 42, and as a result, the second chamber 42 has a higher pressure than the first chamber 41 having an atmospheric pressure + ρgh. The predetermined value depends on the reversing pressure of the umbrella portion 661. This reversal pressure is set to a value lower than the burst strength of the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 or the attachment strength of the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 to the second partition wall 421.

When the second chamber 42 is pressurized, the pressing member 5 does not rotate to the left. That is, the pressing member 5 does not generate a pressing force that presses the opening / closing valve 6 to the left. This is because the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 is displaced to the side that swells to the right due to the increase in pressure of the second chamber 4, and does not exert a displacement force on the pressure receiving portion 5A. Therefore, the urging force of the urging spring 45 keeps the valve holder 61 in the rightmost position.

However, even if the valve holder 61 does not move, the shape of the umbrella of the umbrella portion 661 is reversed, so that the seal surface 67 is separated from the seal wall surface 416, and a gap g is generated between the two. Therefore, the communication port 43 is in an open state. As a result, the pressurized ink (pressure) in the second chamber 42 is released (released) to the first chamber 41 side through the communication port 43. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an excessive force from acting on the atmospheric pressure detection film 7 itself or the mounting portion thereof, and it is possible to prevent damage.

<Drive transmission to the pump section>
FIG. 27 is a side view showing a state in which the liquid supply unit 3 is mounted on the carriage 2. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of liquid supply units 3 corresponding to each color are mounted on the rack 203 of the carriage 2 from the front to the rear. As a result, a plurality of liquid supply units 3 are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. Inside the rack 203, a gear shaft 94 extending in the left-right direction is rotatably supported. A plurality of transmission gears 94G (FIG. 27) are fixed to the gear shaft 94 so as to face each of the plurality of liquid supply units 3. Therefore, when the liquid supply unit 3 is mounted on the rack 203 as described above, the transmission gear 94G engages with a gear tooth (not shown) formed on the outer peripheral portion of the eccentric cam 91. In FIG. 27, the eccentric cam 91 is also exposed on the back side of the paper surface of the pump portion 32, and the gear teeth are formed in the exposed portion.

On the other hand, when the carriage 2 moves to the above-mentioned carriage evacuation area 104 with reference to FIG. 2, the drive source M arranged so as to face the right end (one end) of the movement path of the carriage 2 is the gear shaft 94. Engage with the coupling 94P formed at the right end of the carriage. The drive source M includes a motor that can rotate in the forward and reverse directions. Therefore, when the drive source M is rotated forward and the eccentric cam 91 of the pump 9 is rotated normally via the gear shaft 94, the pressure purge mode (purge operation) shown in FIG. 7A is executed. On the other hand, when the drive source M is reversed and the eccentric cam 91 of the pump 9 is reversed via the gear shaft 94, the decompression mode (negative pressure generation operation) shown in FIG. 7B is executed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the printer 1 includes an apparatus main body 11, a head unit 21, a carriage 2, at least one ink cartridge IC, and at least one liquid supply unit 3. The head unit 21 injects ink (liquid) onto the work W (medium). Further, the carriage 2 holds the head unit 21 and reciprocates in the apparatus main body 11 along a predetermined moving direction. The ink cartridge IC is fixed to the ink cartridge shelf 17 in the apparatus main body 11 and stores ink. The liquid supply unit 3 is mounted on the carriage 2, receives ink from the ink cartridge IC, and supplies ink to the head unit 21. The liquid supply unit 3 has a tank portion 31, an on-off valve 6, a pump portion 32, and a bypass pipe 35. The tank portion 31 is a first chamber 41 that communicates with the ink cartridge IC, a second chamber 42 that is arranged downstream of the first chamber 41 in the ink supply direction and communicates with the head unit 21, and a first chamber 41. It has a tank portion base plate 310 that separates the second chamber 42 from the second chamber 42. The tank portion base plate 310 is formed with a communication port 43 for communicating the first chamber 41 and the second chamber 42 with each other. The opening / closing valve 6 is arranged at the communication port 43, and changes the posture between the closed posture in which the communication port 433 is closed and the open posture in which the communication port 43 is opened. Further, the pump unit 32 supplies ink from the first chamber 41 to the second chamber 42 through the communication port 43 in response to a decrease in ink in the second chamber 42 at least during the injection operation in which the head unit 21 injects ink into the work W. The negative pressure generation operation with the second chamber 42 as the negative pressure is executed so as to be performed. The bypass pipe 35 connects the tank portion 31 and the pump portion 32 in order to make the second chamber 42 have a negative pressure.

According to such a configuration, since the liquid supply unit 3 is mounted on the carriage 2, ink can be quickly supplied to the head unit 21 also held by the carriage 2. Further, since the liquid supply unit 3 has a pump unit 32 that executes a negative pressure generation operation with the second chamber 42 as a negative pressure together with the tank unit 31, the pump unit 32 is provided on the device main body 11 side. In comparison, the printer 1 can be downsized, and ink can be quickly and stably supplied to the head unit 21. Further, in this case, since the length of the bypass pipe 35 (tube) connecting the tank portion 31 and the pump portion 32 is also shortened, the bubbles accumulated in the bypass pipe 35 can be discharged in a short time.

Further, in the present embodiment, the liquid supply unit 3 has a base base material 300 that integrally constitutes the tank portion 31 and the pump portion 32. The base base material 300 has a first side portion (left side portion) defining the first chamber 41 and a second side portion (left side portion) arranged on the side opposite to the first side portion and defining the second chamber 42. Right side) and. Further, a pump cavity 321 (pump accommodating portion) accommodating the pump portion 32 is arranged on the second side portion of the base base material 300.

According to such a configuration, the first chamber 41, the second chamber 42, and the pump portion 32 of the tank portion 31 can be arranged by utilizing the two side portions of the base base material 300.

Further, in the present embodiment, the at least one ink cartridge IC includes a plurality of ink cartridge ICs accommodating inks of different colors, and the at least one liquid supply unit 3 is included in the plurality of ink cartridge ICs, respectively. A plurality of liquid supply units 3 to communicate with each other are included. The head unit 21 (liquid injection head) can inject ink of a plurality of colors received from the plurality of liquid supply units 3.

According to such a configuration, since a plurality of liquid supply units 3 are arranged on the carriage 2, the size of the printer 1 is further reduced as compared with the case where the pump unit 32 is provided on the apparatus main body 11 side. It will be realized.

Further, in the present embodiment, the pump unit 32 bypasses the second chamber 42 and supplies the ink supplied from the ink cartridge IC to the first chamber 41 to the head unit 21 at a time different from the injection operation. Perform further operations.

According to such a configuration, the purge operation can be executed by using the pump unit 32 that executes the negative pressure generation operation.

Further, in the present embodiment, the printer 1 is further provided with a drive source M which is arranged so as to face one end side of the movement path of the carriage 2 in the apparatus main body 11 and transmits a driving force to the pump unit 32. Then, when the carriage 2 moves to the one end side of the movement path, the driving force is transmitted from the drive source M to the pump unit 32, and the pump unit 32 can execute the negative pressure generation operation or the purge operation. ..

According to such a configuration, since the drive source M for driving the pump unit 32 is not mounted on the carriage 2, the weight of the carriage 2 is reduced and the movement thereof is smoothly realized.

In the present embodiment, the drive source M simultaneously transmits the driving force to the plurality of pump units 32 to execute the purging operation. According to such a configuration, when the carriage 2 moves to one end side of the moving path, the plurality of pump units 32 can simultaneously execute the purging operation. In another embodiment, the drive source M may transmit the driving force to the pump unit 32 of one of the plurality of pump units 32 to individually execute the purging operation. According to such a configuration, when the carriage 2 moves to one end side of the moving path, the predetermined pump unit 32 can execute the purging operation as needed. In this case, a plurality of drive sources M (motors) corresponding to each pump unit 32 may be arranged in the carriage evacuation area 104.

[Modification example]
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the following modified embodiment can be adopted.

(1) In the above embodiment, the pressing member 5 presses the opening / closing valve 6 using the principle of leverage, with the fulcrum portion 53 as the fulcrum P1, the pressure receiving portion 5A as the force point P2, and the link boss 54 as the action point P3. Shown (Fig. 18). In the present invention, there is no limitation on the set positions of the pressure receiving portion 5A and the link boss 54 as long as the pressing member 5 can rotate around the fulcrum portion 53. The positions of the pressure receiving portion 5A and the link boss 54 can be set according to the pressing force required to move the on-off valve 6. For example, the link boss 54 may be arranged on the back surface (second surface 51B) at the same position as the pressure receiving portion 5A in the disk portion 51.

(2) In the above embodiment, the pressing member 5 and the opening / closing valve 6 are linked to each other by the link boss 54 and the link pin 65, but both may not be linked. For example, a structure may be formed in which a part of the pressing member 5 and a part of the opening / closing valve 6 are in constant contact with each other by a spring or the like, and the pressing member 5 presses the opening / closing valve 6 through the contact portion.

(3) In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the pressing member 5 includes a pair of fulcrum portions 53 separated from each other in the rotation axis direction. Instead of this, one long shaft extending in the direction of the rotation axis may be used as the fulcrum portion 53. Alternatively, if the rotational twist of the pressing member 5 does not pose a problem, the one having a fulcrum formed at the tip of one arm is replaced with the pair of arm portions 52 and the pair of fulcrum portions 53 of the above embodiment. Is also good. Further, the arm portion 52 may be omitted, and the fulcrum portion 53 may be provided near the upper end of the disk portion 51.

1 Printer 11 Device body 2 Carriage 21 Head unit (liquid injection head)
22 Ink ejection unit 3 Liquid supply unit 300 Base base material (housing)
310 Tank part base plate (wall part)
32 Pump section 33 Upstream pipe (first supply path)
34 Downstream pipe (second supply path)
35 Bypass tube (tube)
41 Room 1 42 Room 2 43 Communication port 45 Bounce spring (tension member)
5 Pressing member 5A Pressure receiving part 5B Pressure applied part 51 Disk part (flat plate part)
51A, 51B 1st surface, 2nd surface 52 Arm part 53 Supporting point part (rotating fulcrum)
54 Link boss (pressing part)
541 Link hole (link connection)
6 Open / close valve (open / close member / valve body)
65 link pin (link connection)
7 Atmospheric pressure detection film (flexible film member)
IC ink cartridge (liquid storage container)
M drive source

Claims (6)

With the main body of the device
A liquid injection head that injects liquid into a predetermined medium,
A carriage that holds the liquid injection head and can reciprocate along a predetermined movement direction in the main body of the apparatus.
At least one liquid storage container fixed in the main body of the device and storing the liquid,
At least one liquid supply unit mounted on the carriage, receiving the liquid from the liquid storage container, and supplying the liquid to the liquid injection head.
Equipped with
The liquid supply unit is
A first chamber communicating with the liquid storage container, a second chamber arranged on the downstream side in the liquid supply direction with respect to the first chamber and communicating with the liquid injection head, and the first chamber and the second chamber. A tank portion having a wall portion including a communication port for partitioning the first chamber and communicating the second chamber with each other.
An opening / closing member arranged at the communication port and changing the posture between a closed posture in which the communication port is closed and an open posture in which the communication port is opened.
At least during the injection operation in which the liquid injection head injects the liquid into the medium, the liquid is supplied from the first chamber to the second chamber through the communication port in response to the decrease of the liquid in the second chamber. In addition, a pump unit capable of executing a negative pressure generation operation in which the second chamber is a negative pressure,
A tube connecting the tank portion and the pump portion so that the second chamber has a negative pressure,
With, a liquid injection device. The liquid supply unit has a housing that integrally constitutes the tank portion and the pump portion.
The housing has a first side portion defining the first chamber and a second side portion arranged on a side opposite to the first side portion and defining the second chamber.
The liquid injection device according to claim 1, wherein the pump accommodating portion accommodating the pump portion is arranged on the first side portion or the second side portion. The at least one liquid storage container includes a plurality of liquid storage containers each containing the liquids of different colors.
The at least one liquid supply unit includes a plurality of liquid supply units communicating with each of the plurality of liquid storage containers.
The liquid injection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the liquid injection head can inject the liquids of a plurality of colors received from the plurality of liquid supply units. The pump unit further executes a purging operation in which the liquid supplied from the liquid storage container to the first chamber is bypassed the second chamber and supplied to the liquid injection head at a time different from the injection operation. The liquid injection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the liquid injection device can be used. It is further provided with a drive source which is arranged so as to face one end side of the movement path of the carriage in the main body of the apparatus and transmits a driving force to the pump unit.
According to claim 4, when the carriage moves to the one end side of the movement path, the driving force is transmitted from the driving source to the pump unit, and the pump unit executes the negative pressure generation operation or the purging operation. The liquid injection device according to the description. The liquid supply unit is
An urging member that urges the opening / closing member in the direction toward the closed posture, and
A pressing member capable of pressing the opening / closing member in the direction toward the open posture, and a pressing member.
A flexible film member that is displaced based on the negative pressure generated with the decrease of the liquid in the second chamber and transmits the displacement force to the pressing member is provided.
The pressing member is
It has a rotation fulcrum, a pressure receiving portion that receives a displacement force from the flexible film member, and a pressing portion that presses the opening / closing member against the urging force of the urging member.
When the pressure receiving portion receives the displacement force, the pressure receiving portion rotates around the rotation fulcrum, and the pressing portion presses the opening / closing member by this rotation, whereby the first chamber to the second chamber through the communication port. The liquid injection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the liquid flows into the liquid injection device.

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