JP7260014B2 - Waste ink case and drawing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a waste ink case and a drawing device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an ink-jet drawing apparatus that draws a drawing on a drawing target by ejecting fine droplets of ink from an ink ejection surface.
In the case of such an inkjet type drawing apparatus, ink may adhere to the ink discharge surface of the drawing head or inside the nozzles, or the nozzles may become clogged due to the inclusion of air bubbles or foreign substances. Also, if the drawing operation is not performed for a long period of time, the ink inside the nozzles may dry out and become difficult to eject, or the ink adhered to the ink ejection surface may solidify and block the ink ejection ports. .
If the drawing operation is continued while this is left unattended, the ejection direction of the ink may be bent and the ink may not land in the correct position. It becomes difficult to perform

For this reason, in the ink-jet drawing apparatus, a purge process is performed to forcibly eject ink from the ink ejection surface to the waste ink case. By this purging process, air bubbles, foreign substances, and the like adhering to and flowing into the nozzles and the ink ejection openings are washed away by the ink, and ink ejection failures can be resolved (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-100001).

In a conventional waste ink case, an ink absorber is accommodated in a sealed container having an ink inlet opening, and ink is jetted from the opening toward the ink absorber. However, in this structure, since there is no place for the internal air to escape other than the opening, backflow of ink occurs from the opening.
Therefore, for example, in the waste ink case disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200001, an exhaust port for releasing the internal air is provided in addition to the opening for the ink inlet. As a result, the air inside the case is discharged from the exhaust port, so that backflow of ink from the opening can be prevented.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-021726 JP-A-11-198413

However, simply forming an air passage inside the container by providing an exhaust port may not allow the ink absorber to preferably absorb ink depending on the arrangement of the ink absorber in the air passage. If the ink absorber cannot adequately absorb the ink, ink mist may blow out from the exhaust port and stain surrounding parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and has the advantage of providing a waste ink case and a drawing apparatus having the same, in which ink can be favorably absorbed by an internal ink absorber. is.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a waste ink case for storing therein ink ejected from a drawing head, the ink introduction case for introducing ink falling from the drawing head in the gravitational direction. a container provided with an opening and an exhaust port for discharging internal air; an ink absorber provided along a ventilation path from the ink introduction port to the exhaust port and absorbing the ink; provided in the container so as to detour the air passage from the ink inlet to the outlet in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity by blocking a portion between the ink inlet and the outlet; and a partition wall .

According to the present invention, ink can be preferably absorbed by the internal ink absorber.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the nail printing apparatus in this embodiment. It is a principal part perspective view which shows the internal structure of the nail printing apparatus in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the base of the nail printing device according to this embodiment; 2 is a plan view of a waste ink case according to the embodiment; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a waste ink case according to the embodiment; FIG. (a) is a cross-sectional view of the waste ink case taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 4, and (b) is a plan view of the case body and the ink absorber of the waste ink case.

An embodiment of a waste ink case and a drawing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG.
Although various technically desirable limitations are attached to the embodiments described below for carrying out the present invention, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.
Further, in the following embodiments, the case where the drawing device is a nail printing device for drawing on fingernails as drawing objects will be described as an example. The object to be drawn is not limited to the nail, and may be, for example, the toe nail. Also, objects other than nails, such as nail tips and surfaces of various accessories, may be drawn.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a nail printing device 1 according to this embodiment.
As shown in this figure, the nail printing device 1 has a substantially box-shaped housing 11 .
An operation unit 12 is installed on the upper surface (top plate) of the housing 11 .
The operation unit 12 is an input unit through which a user performs various inputs.
The operation unit 12 includes, for example, a power switch button for turning on the power of the nail printing apparatus 1, a stop switch button for stopping the operation, a design selection button for selecting a design image to be drawn on the nail, and a drawing start button for instructing the start of drawing. Operation buttons are arranged for performing various inputs such as.

A display device 13 is installed on the upper surface (top plate) of the housing 11 .
The display device 13 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence display, or another flat display.
In the present embodiment, the display device 13 may display, for example, a nail image obtained by photographing a finger (a finger image including a nail image), an image such as a contour line of the nail included in the nail image, and an image of the nail. A design selection screen for selecting a design image to be drawn, a thumbnail image for design confirmation, an instruction screen for displaying various instructions, and the like are displayed as appropriate.
A touch panel for performing various inputs may be integrally formed on the surface of the display device 13 . In this case, the touch panel functions as the operation unit 12 .

In addition, inside the upper surface (top plate) of the housing 11 and above the window portion 33 of the finger fixing portion 3, which will be described later, there is provided a photographing device for obtaining a nail image by photographing the nail exposed through the window portion 33. A mechanism (not shown) is provided.

Furthermore, an opening 14 into which a finger corresponding to a nail to be drawn is inserted is formed in the front surface of the housing 11 and substantially in the center in the left-right direction.
A finger fixing portion 3 for fixing a nail (a finger including a nail) is arranged inside the opening 14, as will be described later.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of essential parts showing the internal configuration of the nail printing device 1 with the housing 11 removed from the nail printing device 1 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 11 is provided with a base 2 in which various internal structures are incorporated.
The upper surface of the base 2 is a substantially flat base upper surface 20 .

A finger fixing part 3 is arranged at a position corresponding to the opening part 14 of the housing 11, which is the front side (near side) part of the base upper surface 20 and which is substantially central in the left-right direction.
The finger fixing portion 3 is a box-shaped member having an opening 31 on the front surface, and a finger fixing member 32 for fixing a finger is arranged inside the finger fixing portion 3 .
The finger fixing member 32 pushes up and supports the finger from below, and is made of, for example, flexible resin or the like. In this embodiment, the finger fixing member 32 has a shape in which substantially the central portion in the width direction (horizontal direction) is recessed, and when the finger is placed on the finger fixing member 32, the pad of the finger is It is possible to prevent the finger from rattling in the left-right direction by receiving the fixing member 32 .

An open window 33 is provided on the rear side (back side) of the top surface of the finger fixing portion 3 . A nail of a finger inserted into the finger fixing portion 3 is exposed through the window portion 33 .
In this embodiment, the area provided with the window portion 33 is the drawing area 21 (see FIG. 3) where drawing is performed by a drawing mechanism, which will be described later.

Further, the front side of the top surface of the finger fixing portion 3 serves as a finger presser 34 that prevents the finger from floating and regulates the upward position of the finger. The finger and its nail are supported from below by the finger fixing member 32, and the upper side of the finger is pressed by the finger presser 34, so that the position in the height direction is positioned at a predetermined position.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a drawing mechanism 40 for drawing on a drawing target surface is provided inside the housing 11 . Here, the surface to be drawn is the surface to be drawn, which is the surface of the fingernail in this embodiment.
The drawing mechanism 40 includes a drawing head 41 as a drawing mechanism main body, a head carriage 42 for supporting the drawing head 41, an X-direction moving stage 45 for moving the drawing head 41 in the X direction along the horizontal direction, and an X-direction moving motor. (not shown), a Y-direction moving stage 47 for moving the drawing head 41 in the Y direction along the front-rear direction, a Y-direction moving motor (not shown), and the like.

The Y-direction moving stage 47 has support members 471 extending in the front-rear direction on both sides in the left-right direction of the base upper surface 20 .
Pulleys 477 are attached to both ends of the pair of support members 471 in the extending direction. Drive belts 474 extending in the front-rear direction are wound around the pulleys 477 on the left side and the right side of the device.
A pulley 477 provided on the rear side of the device is attached to both ends of a drive shaft portion 476 (see FIG. 3). A Y-direction movement motor (not shown) is connected to the drive shaft portion 476, and the Y-direction movement motor drives the drive shaft portion 476 and the pulley 477 attached thereto to rotate in forward and reverse directions as appropriate. do.
The rotation of the pulley 477 also rotates the drive belt 474 wound around the pulley 477, thereby allowing the X-direction moving stage 45 (and the drawing head 41 mounted on the X-direction moving stage 45) to move in the Y direction. It has become.
A guide shaft 475 extending in the front-rear direction is provided on the support member 471 in parallel with the drive belt 474 .

The X-direction moving stage 45 is formed in a rectangular box shape extending in the left-right direction, and is provided at the rear end portion of the base upper surface 20 .
Guide shafts 475 are inserted through the left and right end portions of the X-direction moving stage 45, respectively. A Y-direction driving motor (not shown) is driven to rotate the drive belt 474, thereby moving the X-direction moving stage 45 along the guide shafts. It is movable in the Y direction along 475 .

A pulley (not shown) is provided inside the X-direction moving stage 45, and a drive belt 454 extending in the left-right direction is wound around the pulley. Further, inside the X-direction moving stage 45, a guide shaft 455 extending in the left-right direction is provided substantially parallel to the driving belt 454. As shown in FIG.
A head carriage 42 that supports the drawing head 41 is mounted on the X-direction moving stage 45 .
A carriage support member (not shown) through which the guide shaft 455 is inserted is provided on the rear surface side of the head carriage 42 .
A guide shaft 455 is inserted through the head carriage 42 , and the drive belt 454 is rotated by driving the X-direction drive motor. It is possible.

The drawing head 41 of this embodiment is an inkjet head that performs drawing by an inkjet method.
The drawing head 41 includes, for example, ink cartridges (not shown) corresponding to yellow (Y; YELLOW), magenta (M; MAGENTA), and cyan (C; CYAN) inks, and a drawing target (nail surface) in each ink cartridge. It is an ink cartridge-integrated head in which an ink ejection surface 411 (see FIG. 6A) provided on the opposing surface (lower surface in this embodiment) is integrally formed. The ink ejection surface 411 is formed with rows of ejection openings (ink ejection openings, not shown) of a nozzle array composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting respective colors of ink. The drawing head 41 forms ink into fine droplets, and sprays the ink directly from the ink ejection surface 411 (ink ejection openings of the ink ejection surface 411) to the drawing target surface (that is, the surface of the nail) to perform drawing. conduct. Note that the drawing head 41 is not limited to one that ejects the three colors of ink described above. An ink cartridge for storing other ink and an ink ejection port may be provided.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration of the base upper surface 20 with the X-direction moving stage 45 of the drawing mechanism 40 and the drawing head 41 supported by the head carriage 42 removed.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the finger fixing portion 3 is arranged in the front portion of the base upper surface 20 and substantially in the center in the left-right direction as described above. A region corresponding to the window portion 33 of the finger fixing portion 3 is a drawing region 21 in which the drawing head 41 performs a drawing operation during drawing.
Further, the rear right side of the base upper surface 20 serves as a standby area 22 in which the drawing head 41 is arranged during non-drawing. The standby area 22 is arranged at a position different from the drawing area 21 .
A cap portion 221 that covers the ink ejection surface 411 is provided in the standby area 22 .
The cap portion 221 covers the ink ejection surface 411 to protect it from drying or the like when drawing is not performed, and is formed of, for example, a flexible resin or the like.

A maintenance area 23 in which maintenance of the drawing head 41 is performed is provided on the rear left side of the base upper surface 20 .
In the maintenance area 23, the ink is forcibly ejected from the ink ejection openings of the ink ejection surface 411, and a purge process is performed in which air, impurities, and highly viscous ink in the ink flow paths such as the nozzles are discharged to the outside together with the ink. and a wipe process for wiping the ink ejection surface 411 is performed.
In this maintenance area 23, a waste ink case 7 for storing ink forcedly ejected from the drawing head 41 is detachably embedded in the base 2 while its upper surface is exposed from the upper surface 20 of the base. .

4 and 5 are a plan view and an exploded perspective view of the waste ink case 7. FIG. 6(a) is a cross-sectional view of the waste ink case 7 taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6(b) shows a case body 71 and an ink absorber of the waste ink case 7, which will be described later. 73 is a plan view of 73. FIG. 4 to 6, illustration of a wiping member 75 and a scraping portion 76, which will be described later, is omitted.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the waste ink case 7 includes a case body 71 with an open top and a lid member 72 covering the top opening of the case body 71 as a container.

The case main body 71 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape elongated in the front-rear direction.
The front end portion of the case main body 71 has a tapered portion 711 that is raised to a middle height and slopes upward toward the front.
An exhaust port 714 is formed in the upper end portion of the rear portion of the right side wall of the case main body 71 to communicate the inside of the case main body 71 (an ink reservoir 71a described later) with the outside. The exhaust port 714 is an exhaust port for discharging the air inside the waste ink case 7 to the outside when ink is ejected into the waste ink case 7 . The exhaust port 714 preferably has an area equivalent (80 to 100% in this embodiment) to the area of the ink introduction port 721 of the cover member 72, which will be described later.
In addition, the ink that has not been completely absorbed by the ink absorber 73, which will be described later, is discharged from the exhaust port 714 in the form of mist, which may contaminate external parts.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, a screen plate 8 is erected on the right side of the waste ink case 7 so as to cover the exhaust port 714 with a predetermined gap between it and the exhaust port 714 (see FIG. 2). and FIG. 3). More specifically, the screen plate 8 is erected on the immediate right side of the waste ink case 7 along the front-rear direction over the entire length in the front-rear direction.
It should be noted that the position and orientation of the exhaust port 714 are preferably set so that parts that dislike dirt are not placed ahead of the exhaust port 714 regardless of the presence or absence of the screen plate 8 . For example, in this embodiment, a moving mechanism (Y-direction moving stage 47, Y-direction moving motor) for moving the head carriage 42 faces the left side of the case body 71 (waste ink case 7), and Similar moving mechanisms (X-direction moving stage 45, X-direction moving motor) face each other, and components (not shown) for moving the ink cartridge face each other on the upper surface. Therefore, an exhaust port 714 is formed in the right side wall of the case main body 71, which does not face these mechanisms and parts that dislike dirt.

The right half of the case body 71, which is slightly in front of the center in the front-rear direction, is separated from other spaces (described later) in the case body 71 by three partition walls 712 erected on the front, rear, and left sides thereof. is separated from the ink reservoir 71a).
The space surrounded by these three partition walls 712 and the right side wall of the case main body 71 is designed to block the space between an ink introduction port 721 (to be described later) provided on the right side of the front end of the waste ink case 7 in plan view and an exhaust port 714. is provided in An H-shaped columnar wipe support 713 is erected in this space. A wipe member 75 (see FIG. 3), which will be described later, is attached to the wipe support portion 713 .
The number and arrangement of the partition walls 712 are not particularly limited as long as the partition walls 712 are provided so as to block the ink introduction port 721 and the exhaust port 714 without completely isolating them. may be provided between the ink inlet 721 and the exhaust port 714 .

In the case main body 71, a substantially U-shaped portion opening to the right, excluding the space surrounded by the three partition walls 712 and the right side wall of the case main body 71, is a space capable of storing ink. is an ink reservoir 71a.
The ink reservoir 71a accommodates an ink absorber 73 that absorbs ink. The ink absorber 73 may be any material as long as it can absorb ink quickly.
The ink absorber 73 is formed in a substantially U shape in plan view corresponding to the shape of the ink reservoir 71a in plan view. More specifically, the ink absorber 73 is formed in a shape in which a front end portion 731 corresponding to the tapered portion 711 and a main portion 732 excluding the front end portion 731 are integrally formed.
Among them, the main portion 732 of the ink absorber 73 is formed in a substantially L shape with a left front end protruding in plan view, and is accommodated in a portion of the ink reservoir 71a excluding the portion corresponding to the tapered portion 711. ing. The main portion 732 is formed to have a height such that the top surface is slightly lower than the exhaust port 714 . However, the height of the main portion 732 may at least be such that it does not block the exhaust port 714 and ensures a predetermined ink absorption amount.
On the other hand, the front end portion 731 of the ink absorber 73 is formed in a flat plate shape that is inclined upward along the tapered portion 711 of the case main body 71 . The front end portion 731 is connected to the upper end portion of the front end portion of the main portion 732 while resting on the tapered portion 711 of the case main body 71 .

The lid member 72 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape corresponding to the case main body 71 in plan view.
An ink introduction port 721 for introducing ink ejected from the ink ejection surface 411 into the waste ink case 7 (inner space 7a described later) is formed in the right portion of the front end portion of the cover member 72 . . The ink introduction port 721 is elongated in the front-rear direction and is slightly larger in size than the ink ejection surface 411 . Around the ink introduction port 721, a scattering prevention wall 721a is erected to prevent ink from scattering.

An opening 722 is formed in the lid member 72 at a portion slightly forward of the center in the front-rear direction and slightly to the right of the center in the left-right direction. This opening 722 corresponds to a portion surrounded by the right side wall of the case body 71 and the three partitions 712 .
The wipe support portion 713 of the case body 71 is inserted through the opening 722 and exposed upward. is detachably attached.
The wiping member 75 has a plurality of wiping pieces 75a erected from the base end, and in this embodiment, has four wiping pieces 75a arranged in a staggered manner. However, the arrangement, size, number, etc. of the plurality of wipe pieces 75a are not particularly limited.
The wipe piece 75a is a cleaning blade that wipes off ink or the like adhering to the ink ejection surface 411, and is formed of an elastic material such as rubber. It is preferable that the wipe piece 75a is made of a corrosion-resistant material that does not easily corrode even if it repeatedly comes into contact with ink.
The wipe piece 75a is a plate-like member that is flat in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the drawing head 41 (horizontal direction in this embodiment). It is provided at a position and height where the tip (upper end) contacts the ink ejection surface 411 . The wipe piece 75a bends flexibly according to the degree of contact with the drawing head 41, and the tip portion of the wipe piece 75a is brought into sliding contact with the ink ejection surface 411, thereby removing ink and the like adhering to the ink ejection surface 411. ing.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a scraper 76 is detachably provided on the upper surface of the lid member 72 for removing ink adhering to the wipe piece 75a as the ink discharge surface 411 is wiped. .
The scraping part 76 is provided behind the ink introduction port 721 along two guide rails 723 provided on the upper surface of the lid member 72 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. A scraping member 761 is provided at the front end of the scraping portion 76 to scrape off ink adhering to the tip of the wipe piece 75a by slidingly contacting the wipe piece 75a.
A thin plate-like connecting spring 762 having a mountain-fold bent portion at the front end is provided on the upper surface of the scrape portion 76 . The bent portion of the front end of the connecting spring 762 is fitted into a concave portion (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the head carriage 42 , so that the scraping portion 76 is detachably connected to the head carriage 42 .
That is, by moving the head carriage 42 above the scrape portion 76 along the Y direction, the bent portion of the connecting spring 762 fits into the concave portion of the head carriage 42 to connect the scrape portion 76 and the head carriage 42 . . By moving the head carriage 42 in this connected state, the scraping portion 76 can be moved to a position where the wipe piece 75a can be scraped.
When the scrape portion 76 is passed over the wipe piece 75 a from behind, the scrape portion 76 hits the scattering prevention wall 721 a around the ink inlet 721 , and the bent portion of the connecting spring 762 falls out of the concave portion of the head carriage 42 . As a result, the connection between the scrape portion 76 and the head carriage 42 is released. The scrape portion 76 is urged rearward by an urging spring (not shown), and when the connection with the head carriage 42 is released, the urging force of the urging spring is applied to the initial position (in this embodiment, the upper surface of the lid member 72 is rear end position).

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the top opening of the case body 71 is closed by the lid member 72, so that the upper side of the ink reservoir 71a of the case body 71 is closed by the lid member 72. An internal space 7a of the waste ink case 7 is configured.
The internal space 7a of the waste ink case 7 is a space in which ink can be stored in the waste ink case 7, and only the ink introduction port 721 and the exhaust port 714 communicate with the outside.

In the internal space 7a of the waste ink case 7, an ink absorber 73 is accommodated on the lower side, and the space above the ink absorber 73 serves as the air passage 7b.
The air passage 7b is a passage for inflowing air blown from the drawing head 41 together with the ink. Specifically, the ventilation path 7b of the present embodiment extends from the ink introduction port 721 on the right front end of the waste ink case 7 in a plan view, as indicated by arrows in the figure, to the internal space 7a (ventilation path) by three partition walls 712. It is a route that bypasses the space isolated from the path 7b) to the left and reaches an exhaust port 714 at the rear end of the right wall.

When ink is ejected from the ink ejection surface 411 of the drawing head 41 into the internal space 7a, the ink travels backward from the ink introduction port 721 following the inclination of the front end portion 731 of the ink absorber 73. , and is absorbed by the ink absorber 73 while traveling leftward by the inflow air flow along the ventilation path 7b. Ink contained in the inflowing air is absorbed by the ink absorber 73 below the air passage 7b while flowing along the air passage 7b together with the air.
In this manner, in the internal space 7a, the ink absorber 73 is provided along the air passage 7b over the entire length of the air passage 7b. Therefore, the air containing the ink ejected from the drawing head 41 comes into contact with the ink absorber 73 over a longer distance than when the ink absorber is arranged only at a specific location inside the case. Ink is preferably absorbed by the absorber 73 .
In addition, since the ink contained in the air flowing through the ventilation path 7b is heavier than the air, it is preferably absorbed by the ink absorber 73 below the ventilation path 7b.

Here, the portion of the ventilation path 7b that has the smallest cross-sectional area substantially perpendicular to the ventilation direction (in this embodiment, the portion between the left side wall of the case main body 71 and the partition wall 712 in plan view) is the ink introduction port 721. (80 to 100% in this embodiment). Further, as described above, the area of the exhaust port 714 is also formed to be the same as the area of the ink introduction port 721 . Therefore, over the entire length of the ventilation path 7b including the exhaust port 714, there is no place where the pressure loss is particularly large, and the air can be preferably flowed through the ventilation path 7b.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the cross-sectional area of the ventilation path 7b is formed to a predetermined size or larger that is not too small for the amount of inflowing air. Thereby, the inflow air can be suitably decelerated.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the air passage 7b is formed as a smooth flow path that does not have sharp bends exceeding 90°. For example, in the present embodiment, the left front corner of the air passage 7b is chamfered and bent stepwise in plan view. As a result, the air in the ventilation path 7b can be properly flowed without staying.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the ink absorber 73 accommodated inside the waste ink case 7 has an ink inlet 721 for introducing ink to the exhaust port 714 for discharging the internal air. is provided along the ventilation path 7b.
As a result, the air containing the ink ejected from the drawing head 41 comes into contact with the ink absorber 73 over a longer distance than when the ink absorber is arranged only at a specific location in the container. Ink can be preferably absorbed by the ink absorber 73 .

Inside the waste ink case 7, a space surrounded by a partition wall 712 blocks the space between the ink introduction port 721 and the exhaust port 714, and the air passage 7b is surrounded by the partition wall 712 from the ink introduction port 721. It is a path leading to the exhaust port 714 by detouring the space surrounded by the air.
As a result, compared to the case where such a partition wall 712 is not provided, the path length of the air passage 7b can be ensured, and the inflow air at the time of ink ejection can be sufficiently decelerated and suitable for the ink absorber 73. can absorb ink.

In addition, the partition wall 712 defines a space isolated from the air passage 7b.In this space, a wipe member 75 (wipe piece 75a) for wiping the ink ejection surface 411 of the drawing head 41 is detachably supported. A support 713 is provided.
That is, since the wipe member 75 and the waste ink case 7, which require regular maintenance, are integrally constructed, maintenance of these can be performed simultaneously, and maintainability can be improved.
Furthermore, since the scraping portion 76 for removing the ink adhering to the wiping member 75 is detachably attached to the cover member 72, maintenance of the scraping portion 76 can be performed at the same time as the waste ink case 7, further improving maintainability. can be improved.

In addition, the cross-sectional area of the portion of the ventilation path 7 b that has the smallest cross-sectional area substantially perpendicular to the ventilation direction and the area of the exhaust port 714 are formed to be equal to the area of the ink introduction port 721 .
Therefore, over the entire length of the ventilation path 7b including the exhaust port 714, there is no place where the pressure loss is particularly large, and the air can be preferably flowed through the ventilation path 7b.

In addition, since the ventilation path 7b is formed so as not to have a bending angle exceeding 90°, the air in the ventilation path 7b can be preferably flowed without being stagnated.

Further, an ink absorber 73 is accommodated in the lower side of the internal space 7a of the waste ink case 7 capable of storing ink, and the air passage 7b is formed in the upper side of the ink absorber 73. As shown in FIG.
As a result, ink that is heavier than air can be favorably absorbed by the ink absorber 73 below the air passage 7b.

In addition, since the screen plate 8 is erected so as to cover the exhaust port 714 with a gap between it and the exhaust port 714, even if the ink mist is emitted from the exhaust port 714, it can be prevented from scattering. can be prevented.

A moving mechanism for moving the drawing head 41 is provided at a position facing the surface of the waste ink case 7 on which the exhaust port 714 is not formed (the left side surface and the rear surface in this embodiment).
As a result, it is possible to prevent these moving mechanisms from being soiled by the mist of ink discharged from the exhaust port 714, and furthermore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of malfunctions in the moving mechanisms.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, in the present embodiment, the ink absorber 73 is arranged in the lower part of the internal space 7a of the waste ink case 7, but the ink absorber 73 is provided along the ventilation path 7b. All you have to do is

In the present embodiment, the air passage 7b is a path from the ink introduction port 721 on the right front end of the waste ink case 7 to the exhaust port 714 on the rear end of the right wall. The path length and the like are not particularly limited, and the path may extend, for example, in a vertical plane or an inclined plane.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the wiping member 75 and the scraping portion 76 are provided in the waste ink case 7 is illustrated, but the wiping member 75 and the scraping portion 76 may not be provided in the waste ink case 7. However, another maintenance section may be provided.
As another maintenance part, for example, an absorbing member made of a highly absorbent material such as felt is pressed against the ink ejection surface 411 to absorb and adsorb and remove the ink adhering to the ink ejection surface 411 . things, etc.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalent ranges thereof. .
The invention described in the scope of claims originally attached to the application form of this application is additionally described below. The claim numbers in the appendix are as in the claims originally attached to the filing of this application.
[Appendix]
<Claim 1>
A waste ink case containing an ink absorber for absorbing ink in a container and storing therein ink ejected from a drawing head,
The container is provided with an ink introduction port for introducing ink from the drawing head into the interior and an exhaust port for discharging internal air,
A waste ink case, wherein the ink absorber is provided along a ventilation path from the ink introduction port to the exhaust port.
<Claim 2>
A partition is provided in the container to block between the ink introduction port and the exhaust port,
2. The waste ink case according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation path is a path from the ink introduction port to the exhaust port, bypassing the partition wall.
<Claim 3>
The partition defines a space isolated from the ventilation path,
3. A waste ink case according to claim 2, wherein said space is provided with a wipe supporting portion for detachably supporting a wipe member for wiping the ink ejection surface of said drawing head.
<Claim 4>
4. A waste ink case according to claim 3, wherein said container is detachably provided with a scraper for removing ink adhering to said wiping member.
<Claim 5>
4. A cross-sectional area of a portion of the air passage having a minimum cross-sectional area substantially orthogonal to the airflow direction and an area of the exhaust port are formed to be equal to an area of the ink introduction port. The waste ink case according to any one of .
<Claim 6>
6. The waste ink case according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the air passage does not have a bend angle exceeding 90 degrees.
<Claim 7>
7. A space capable of storing ink in the container contains an ink absorber on the lower side, and the air passage is formed on the upper side of the ink absorber. The waste ink case described in item 1.
<Claim 8>
a waste ink case according to any one of claims 1 to 7;
a screen plate erected so as to cover the exhaust port with a gap between it and the exhaust port;
A drawing device comprising a
<Claim 9>
the drawing head;
a moving mechanism for moving the drawing head;
with
9. The drawing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the moving mechanism is provided at a position facing a surface of the waste ink case on which the exhaust port is not formed.

1 Nail printing device 41 Drawing head 411 Ink discharge surface 42 Head carriage 45 X-direction moving stage 47 Y-direction moving stage 7 Waste ink case 7a Internal space 7b Air passage 71 Case body 71a Ink reservoir 711 Tapered portion 712 Partition wall 713 Wipe support portion 714 exhaust port 72 cover member 721 ink introduction port 722 opening 73 ink absorber 75 wiping member 76 scrape portion 8 screen plate

Claims (11)

A waste ink case for storing ink ejected from a drawing head,
a container provided with an ink inlet for introducing the ink falling from the drawing head in the gravitational direction and an exhaust port for discharging internal air;
an ink absorber that is provided along a ventilation path from the ink introduction port to the exhaust port and absorbs the ink;
provided in the container so as to detour the air passage from the ink inlet to the outlet in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity by blocking a portion between the ink inlet and the outlet; a partition wall;
waste ink case. 2. A waste ink case according to claim 1, wherein said ink absorber is provided so as to bypass said partition in a horizontal direction along said ventilation path. A detoured air passage from the ink introduction port to the exhaust port when the partition is provided, rather than a straight air passage from the ink introduction port to the exhaust port when the partition is not provided. is longer, and the air containing the ink ejected from the drawing head is in contact with the ink absorber over a longer distance than when the partition is not provided. 2. The waste ink case described in 2 above. 4. The waste ink case according to claim 3, wherein a longer path length of the air passage is ensured and inflow air during ink ejection is decelerated more than when the partition is not provided. The partition defines a space isolated from the ventilation path,
5. The waste ink case according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the space is provided with a member for maintenance of the drawing head. 6. A waste ink case according to claim 5 , wherein said space is provided with a wipe supporting portion for detachably supporting a wipe member for wiping the ink ejection surface of said drawing head. 7. A waste ink case according to claim 6 , wherein said container is detachably provided with a scraper for removing ink adhering to said wiping member. A cross-sectional area of a portion of the air passage having a minimum cross-sectional area substantially orthogonal to the airflow direction and an area of the exhaust port are formed to be equal to an area of the ink introduction port . The waste ink case according to any one of . 9. A space capable of storing ink in the container contains an ink absorber on the lower side thereof, and the air passage is formed on the upper side of the ink absorber. The waste ink case described in item 1. a waste ink case according to any one of claims 1 to 9 ;
a screen plate erected so as to cover the exhaust port with a gap between it and the exhaust port;
A drawing device comprising a the drawing head;
a moving mechanism for moving the drawing head;
with
11. The drawing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the moving mechanism is provided at a position facing a surface of the waste ink case on which the exhaust port is not formed.

Images