JP7310420B2 - image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an inkjet printer is known that has a storage bag between an inkjet head and an ink cartridge (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-100003). The storage bag is formed by sealing with a flexible member, and is provided in an ink flow path from the ink cartridge to the inkjet head. In addition, the storage bag is provided in a so-called horizontal orientation.

JP-A-11-157093

However, when sedimentary ink is used, the ink tends to coagulate, and the coagulated ink settles and accumulates in the storage bag, sometimes hindering the ink flow. When the storage bag is placed horizontally, the ink sedimentation area is wider than when the storage bag is placed vertically. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to eliminate the sedimented ink due to the jet of ink from the ink flow path into the storage bag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that reduces sedimentation of ink inside a second reservoir provided between a first reservoir that stores ink and a head that ejects ink.

An image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first reservoir for reserving ink and an inlet for injecting the ink from the first reservoir at one end, and a flexible sheet is vertically oriented. a head for ejecting the ink supplied from the second reservoir, and the second reservoir in an inclined posture in which the one end faces obliquely upward The ink containing portion has a first inclined portion whose cross-sectional area decreases toward the other end, and the communication direction of the inlet is from the one end to the other end. It is characterized by being a direction.

In the image forming apparatus, since the ink containing portion is formed by facing the flexible sheet in the vertical direction, the ink containing portion extends in the lateral direction and the back pressure is stabilized. Therefore, the image forming apparatus can control the back pressure adjustment well. Since the supporting portion supports the second reservoir in an inclined posture, and the ink containing portion has the first inclined portion on the other end side, the cross-sectional area of the ink containing portion becomes smaller toward the other end, and the sedimentation area decreases. Since the communication direction of the inlet is the direction from one end to the other end, the sedimentation of the ink can be easily eliminated by the jet flow of ink flowing from the inlet.

The outer peripheral surface of the second reservoir is fixed to the inner surface of the sheet, and a spout having a plurality of plugs communicating between the inside and the outside of the ink containing portion is provided, and the spout is fixed to the support portion. good. If a spout having a plurality of spouts is fixed to the support section and the second reservoir is supported by the support section, wrinkles may occur in the ink reservoir compared to the case where the second reservoir is fixed at a plurality of locations. reduced. In addition, since the ink containing portion is not fixed at a plurality of locations, the possibility that the ink containing portion is pulled and tension is applied to the ink containing portion and the water head tends to rise is reduced.

The spout may be provided at the one end. Since the spout is provided at one end, that is, on the upper side of the second reservoir, air bubbles are easily discharged from the second reservoir.

One of the plurality of port plugs is a return port connected to a return path for returning the ink to the first reservoir, and the ink containing portion has a second inclination upward toward the return port. may have a part. In this case, the air bubbles tend to move toward the reflux port along the second inclined portion and are easily discharged from the reflux port.

The plurality of port plugs includes an outlet through which the ink supplied to the head flows out and the inlet, and a first tube extending toward the other end inside the ink containing section to the outlet. a second tube extending toward the other end inside the ink containing portion is provided at the injection port, and an end portion of the second tube on the other end side is connected to the first tube It may be closer to the other end than the end on the other end side. Since the end of the second tube is closer to the other end of the ink containing section than the other end of the first tube, the jet of ink from the end of the second tube dissolves the ink that has settled on the other end of the ink containing section. easy to do

The support portion includes a first plate and a second plate sandwiching the second storage portion, the first plate supporting the second storage portion from below the second storage portion, and the second plate may be provided above the second reservoir and cover at least the other end side of the ink reservoir. The expansion of the ink containing portion is restricted by the second plate. Therefore, the water head tends to be constant.

The second plate may include an opening and a remaining amount detection section that detects the amount of ink remaining in the ink containing section through the opening. In this case, the remaining amount of ink in the ink container can be detected through the opening.

The sheet on the upper side of the ink containing portion may be provided with a wrinkle prevention plate for preventing the sheet from wrinkling. Since the anti-wrinkle plate prevents the sheet from wrinkling, the wrinkles reduce the possibility that the wrinkles will change the pressure in the ink reservoir and change the ink head.

The anti-wrinkle plate may be provided in a detection area on the sheet where the remaining amount detection unit detects the amount of ink. In this case, the anti-wrinkle plate prevents wrinkling of the detection area, reducing the possibility of inaccurate detection of the remaining amount of ink.

The wrinkle prevention plate may be provided on the sheet on the one end side of the detection area. In this case, wrinkles formed on the upper side, which is one end side of the detection area of the second reservoir supported in the tilted posture, are reduced.

The wrinkle prevention plate may also be attached to the other end side of the sheet relative to the detection area. In this case, wrinkles formed on the lower side, which is the other end side of the detection area, are reduced.

A plurality of the plugs may be the outflow ports, and each of the plurality of outflow ports may be provided with a supply path for supplying the ink to the head. In this case, since a plurality of outlets are provided, ink can be supplied to the head through a plurality of supply paths. Therefore, the flow path resistance of the supply path is lower than in the case of one supply path.

1 is a perspective view of a printer 1; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of ink flow paths of the printer 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sub-pouch unit 40. FIG. 4 is a front view of a subpouch 8 supported by a support plate 41. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a subpouch 8 supported by a support plate 41. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the sub-pouch 8 supported by the support plate 41. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the sub-pouch unit 40. FIG.

A printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The upper, lower, lower left, upper right, lower right, and upper left sides of FIG. 1 are the upper, lower, front, rear, right, and left sides of the printer 1, respectively.

An overview of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 1 applies ink 68 (see FIG. 2) (five different types of ink (white (W), black (K), yellow (Y), cyan ( C), and magenta (M))) from nozzles (not shown) of a head unit 67 (see FIG. 2) to perform printing. In the following description, of the five types of ink 68, the white ink 68 will be referred to as white ink, and the four color inks 68 of black, cyan, yellow, and magenta will be collectively referred to as color inks. The white ink is an ink having a higher settling property than the color inks.

The printer 1 includes a housing 2, a platen drive mechanism 6, a pair of guide rails (not shown), a platen 5, a tray 4, a frame 10, a guide shaft 9, rails 7, a carriage 20, head units 100 and 200, drive A belt 101 and a drive motor 19 are provided. An operation unit (not shown) for operating the printer 1 is provided at the right front position of the housing 2 . The operation unit is operated when an operator inputs instructions regarding various operations of the printer 1 . The operation on the operation unit may be an operation on a terminal such as a PC connected to the printer 1. FIG.

The frame 10 has a rectangular frame shape in a plan view, and is installed on the upper portion of the housing 2 . The frame 10 supports the guide shaft 9 on the front side and the rail 7 on the rear side. The guide shaft 9 extends in the left-right direction inside the frame 10 . The rail 7 is arranged to face the guide shaft 9 and extends in the left-right direction.

The carriage 20 is supported so as to be transportable in the horizontal direction along the guide shaft 9 . The head units 100 and 200 are mounted on the carriage 20 side by side in the front-rear direction. Head unit 100 is located behind head unit 200 . Each of the head units 100 and 200 has a head section 67 (see FIG. 2) at its bottom. The head portion 67 of the head unit 100 ejects white ink. The head portion 67 of the head unit 200 ejects color ink. The head portion 67 has a surface having a plurality of fine nozzles (not shown) capable of ejecting the ink 68 downward.

The drive belt 101 is stretched across the inner side of the frame 10 along the left-right direction. The drive motor 19 is connected to the carriage 20 via a drive belt 101 . The drive motor 19 drives the drive belt 101 to reciprocate the carriage 20 along the guide shaft 9 in the horizontal direction.

The platen drive mechanism 6 has a pair of guide rails (not shown) and a platen support base (not shown). The pair of guide rails extends in the front-rear direction inside the platen drive mechanism 6 and supports the platen support movably in the front-rear direction. The platen support base supports the platen 5 at the top. A platen 5 supports a recording medium. A tray 4 is provided below the platen 5 . The platen drive mechanism 6 is driven by a sub-scan drive unit (not shown) to move the platen support and the platen 5 in the front-rear direction along a pair of guide rails. The platen 5 conveys the recording medium in the front-rear direction (sub-scanning direction), and ink 68 is ejected from the head section 67 that reciprocates in the left-right direction (main scanning direction), thereby causing the printer 1 to print onto the recording medium. is printed.

The configuration of the flow path for supplying the white ink 68 to the head unit 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 1 has a main tank 30 and an ink supply section 700 . The main tank 30 supplies the white ink 68 to the ink supply section 700 and stores the ink 68 returned from the ink supply section 700 . A replenishment port 31 and an opening 32 are provided in the upper portion of the main tank 30 . Ink 68 is refilled into the main tank 30 via the refill port 31 . A lid 311 is provided on the replenishment port 31 . One upstream end of a tank-side supply channel 26 described later and one downstream end of a return channel 28 described later are inserted into the opening 32 . The main tank 30 is open to the atmosphere through a replenishment port 31 .

The ink supply unit 700 includes the sub-pouch 8 , the tank side supply channel 26 , the head side supply channels 27 and 29 , the return channel 28 , the degassing unit 60 , the pump 711 , the decompression pump 601 , the electromagnetic valves 57 and 58 and the filter 93 . Prepare. The subpouches 8 are housed in a subpouch unit 40 having a support plate 41 (see FIG. 3). The support plate 41 supports the subpouch 8, and is held by a holding metal fitting (not shown) on the housing 2 (see FIG. 1) so as to be tilted upward. The specific structures of the sub-pouch 8 and the support plate 41 will be described later. The tank-side supply channel 26, the head-side supply channels 27 and 29, and the return channel 28 are formed of hollow tubes, for example. The tank-side supply channel 26 is connected to the main tank 30 and the second port plug 12 of the subpouch 8 and supplies ink 68 from the main tank 30 toward the subpouch 8 . The return path 28 is connected to the fourth port plug 14 of the subpouch 8 and the main tank 30 to return the ink 68 from the subpouch 8 to the main tank 30 .

One end of the head-side supply channel 27 is connected to the first port plug 11 of the subpouch 8 , and the other end is branched into head-side supply channels 27 A and 27 B and connected to the head 67 . The head-side supply channel 27A supplies the ink 68 from the sub-pouch 8 to the nozzle row W1 of the head 67. As shown in FIG. The head-side supply channel 27B supplies the ink 68 from the sub-pouch 8 to the nozzle row W2 of the head 67. As shown in FIG. The head-side supply channel 29 connects to the third port plug 13 of the subpouch 8 , and the other end branches into head-side supply channels 29 A and 29 B and connects to the head 67 . The head-side supply channel 29A supplies the ink 68 from the sub-pouch 8 to the nozzle row W3 of the head 67. As shown in FIG. The head-side supply channel 29B supplies the ink 68 from the sub-pouch 8 to the nozzle row W4 of the head 67. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, bypass channels, filters, electromagnetic valves, pumps, etc. that connect the head-side supply channels 27A and 27B and the head-side supply channels 29A and 29B are omitted.

The degassing section 60 is provided in the middle of the tank-side supply channel 26 . A decompression pump 601 is connected to the degassing section 60 . The degassing unit 60 reduces air mixed in the ink 68 by degassing the ink 68 flowing through the tank-side supply channel 26 with the decompression pump 601 . The pump 711 is provided on the upstream side of the degassing section 60 in the tank-side supply channel 26 and pumps the ink 68 contained in the main tank 30 toward the sub-pouch 8 .

The electromagnetic valve 57 is provided downstream of the deaerator 60 in the tank-side supply channel 26 and opens and closes the tank-side supply channel 26 . The electromagnetic valve 58 is provided in the middle of the return path 28 and opens and closes the return path 28 . The filter 93 is provided upstream of the pump 711 in the tank-side supply channel 26 . Filter 93 removes foreign matter contained in ink 68 .

The structure of the subpouch unit 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7. FIG. The support plate 41 supports the subpouch 8 while being inclined in the front-rear or left-right direction. 3 to 7, the direction in which the upper surface of the support plate 41 extends is defined as the front, rear, left, and right directions.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the subpouch unit 40 includes subpouches 8 , a support plate 41 , a cover member 42 , and a remaining amount detection section 43 . The remaining amount detection unit 43 detects the amount of ink remaining in the subpouch 8, and includes a first remaining amount sensor 44, a second remaining amount sensor 45, and the like. The support plate 41 has a rectangular shape elongated in the front-rear direction, and has through holes 412 and 413 and screw holes 414, 411, 414, and 415 in the outer peripheral portion.

The structure of the subpouch 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. The sub-pouch 8 is formed in a rectangular shape elongated in the front-rear direction. In the sub-pouch 8, for example, two flexible rectangular first and second sheets 81 and 82 face each other in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the sheets (vertical direction), and the front ends and the right end The parts are attached to each other, and the left ends are attached to each other. That is, the outer peripheral surface 87 of the subpouch 8 is fixed to the inner surfaces of the first sheet 81 and the second sheet 82 . Therefore, the subpouch 8 is formed like a bag. The fixation may be gluing or fusing, as an example. The first seat 81 is positioned on the upper side and the second seat 82 is positioned on the lower side (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Inside the sub-pouch 8, a bag-shaped ink containing portion 80 capable of containing the ink 68 is formed. The rear portion of the ink containing portion 80 has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and the front portion has first inclined portions 86A and 86B in which the cross-sectional area of the ink containing portion 80 decreases toward the end portion 86, forming an inverted trapezoid. be done.

On the upper surface side of the first sheet 81 of the sub-pouch 8, wrinkle prevention plates 83, 83, 85 are attached from the rear side to the front side at predetermined intervals. The wrinkle prevention plates 83 , 83 , 85 are rectangular thin plates elongated in the left-right direction and having a predetermined thickness, and are made of synthetic resin, for example. The wrinkle prevention plates 83 , 83 , 85 have a predetermined rigidity and make it difficult for the first sheet 81 to wrinkle. The wrinkle prevention plate 84 is attached substantially in the center of the first sheet 81 , the wrinkle prevention plate 83 is attached behind the wrinkle prevention plate 84 , and the wrinkle prevention plate 85 is attached in front of the wrinkle prevention plate 84 . The wrinkle prevention plate 84 is attached to the detection area 811 with which the remaining amount detection portion 445 (see FIG. 7) of the detection plate 441 of the first remaining amount sensor 44 abuts. Further, the wrinkle prevention plate 85 is attached to the detection area 812 with which the remaining amount detection portion 455 (see FIG. 7) of the detection plate 451 of the second remaining amount sensor 45 abuts. The anti-wrinkle plates 84 and 85 may be larger than the detection areas 811 and 812, respectively. The wrinkle prevention plate 83 is attached to the spout 90 side described later, which is behind the detection areas 811 and 812 .

A spout 90 is provided at the rear end portion 89 of the sub-pouch 8 . As an example, the spout 90 is made of a synthetic resin, is long in the left-right direction, and is thinly formed toward the left and right ends. A spout 90 seals the rear end 89 of the subpouch 8 . That is, the rear end portion 89 of the first sheet 81 is fixed to the upper side of the spout 90 , and the rear end portion 89 of the second sheet 82 is fixed to the rear side of the spout 90 . That is, a spout 90 is provided at the rear end portion 89 where the outer peripheral surface 87 of the subpouch 8 is fixed to the inner surfaces of the first sheet 81 and the second sheet 82 . The fixation may be adhesion or fusion. As shown in FIG. 4, the spout 90 has a second inclined portion 91 and a second inclined portion 92 on the rear side. The second inclined portion 91 located on the left side inclines diagonally rearward right, and the second inclined portion 92 located on the right side inclines diagonally rearward left. The second sloped portion 91 and the second sloped portion 92 join at a vertex 95 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , the rear end of the spout 90 has a spindle shape in plan view and is fixed to the fixture 46 . The fixing bracket 46 is L-shaped when viewed from the right side, and includes a bottom plate 461 and side plates 462 . The bottom plate 461 is a rectangular plate elongated in the left-right direction and fixed to the support plate 41 by screws 463 and 464 . The side plate 462 is a rectangular plate elongated in the left-right direction. The spout 90 is fixed to the side plate 462 by screws 465,466. Therefore, the spout 90 is fixed to the support plate 41 by the fixing metal fittings 46 .

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the spout 90 has a first plug 11, a second plug 12, a third plug 13, and a fourth plug 14 from the left. The first port plug 11 and the third port plug 13 are outlets through which the ink 68 flows out, and communicate with each other in the front-rear direction from the ink containing portion 80 toward the outside of the spout 90 . A head-side supply channel 27 is connected to the first port plug 11 (see FIG. 3). A head-side supply channel 29 is connected to the third port plug 13 (see FIG. 2). The second port plug 12 is an inlet through which the ink 68 is injected into the ink containing portion 80, and communicates from the outside of the spout 90 toward the ink containing portion 80 in the front-rear direction. A tank-side supply channel 26 (see FIG. 2) is connected to the second port plug 12 .

The fourth port plug 14 is provided at the vertex 95 of the second inclined portion 91 and the second inclined portion 92 of the spout 90 . The fourth port plug 14 is a return port for returning the ink 68 to the main tank 30 and communicates from the ink containing portion 80 to the outside of the spout 90 in the front-rear direction. A return path 28 is connected to the fourth port plug 14 (see FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 4 , a first tube 111 is provided at the front end of the first plug 11 and extends toward the end 86 inside the ink containing section 80 . A second tube 121 is provided at the front end of the second port plug 12 to extend toward the end 86 inside the ink containing portion 80 . A first tube 131 extending toward the end portion 86 in the ink containing portion 80 is provided at the front end portion of the third port plug 13 . As an example, the first tube 111 and the first tube 131 are the same length, and the second tube 121 is longer than the first tubes 111,131. That is, the front end portion 121A of the second tube 121 is closer to the end portion 86 of the ink containing portion 80 than the front end portion 111A of the first tube 111 and the front end portion 131A of the first tube 131 are. Therefore, the ink 68 that has flowed in from the second port plug 12 flows through the second tube 121 and flows out from the front end portion 121A toward the end portion 86 of the ink containing portion 80 as a jet. Therefore, the ink 68 that has settled on the end portion 86 side of the ink containing portion 80 can be easily removed by the jet of the ink 68 .

The structure of the cover member 42 will be described with reference to FIG. The cover member 42 is provided on the front side of the subpouch 8 and covers the ink containing portion 80 of the subpouch 8 . The cover member 42 is formed in a rectangular shape elongated in the front-rear direction, and is made of, for example, a metal plate. The cover member 42 includes an upper plate 421 , side plates 422 and 426 and flanges 423 and 427 . The upper plate 421 is a rectangular plate member elongated in the front-rear direction, and has openings 421A and 421B. The openings 421A and 421B are rectangular openings elongated in the left-right direction, and open at portions of the subpouch 8 facing the detection areas 811 and 812 . Remaining amount detectors 445 and 455 of detection plates 441 and 451, which will be described later, are inserted into the openings 421A and 421B, respectively. Further, the upper plate 421 is provided with a remaining amount detection portion 43 . The remaining amount detection unit 43 will be described later.

The side plate 422 is a rectangular plate member elongated in the front-rear direction of the upper plate 421 and has openings 421C and 421D. The side plate 426 is a rectangular plate member elongated in the front-rear direction of the upper plate 421 and has openings 421E and 421F. The flange 423 is an elongated rectangular plate extending rightward from the lower end of the side plate 422 . Through holes 424A, 424B, 425A and 425B are provided in the flange 423 adjacent to the openings 421C and 421D, respectively. The flange 427 is an elongated rectangular plate extending rightward from the lower end of the side plate 426 . The flange 427 is also provided with through holes (not shown) in portions adjacent to the openings 421E and 421F.

The support plate 41 and the cover member 42 are integrally fixed by screws 424C and 425C shown in FIG. 3, screws 427C shown in FIG. 8, and screws (not shown). The subpouch 8 is held between the support plate 41 and the cover member 42 .

The configuration of the remaining amount detection unit 43 will be described with reference to FIG. The remaining amount detection unit 43 includes a support plate 431 . The support plate 431 is fixed to the cover member 42 with screws 434 . The support plate 431 includes a bottom plate 431A, side plates 431B, and an upper plate 431C. The bottom plate 431A is a rectangular plate material. The side plate 431B is a rectangular plate member that vertically rises from the right end of the bottom plate 431A. The upper plate 431C is a plate member extending rightward from the upper end of the side plate 431B. The side plate 431B has a first remaining amount sensor 44 and a second remaining amount sensor 45 . As shown in FIG. 7, the first remaining amount sensor 44 includes a light emitting portion 44A and a light receiving portion 44B. The first remaining amount sensor 44 is an optical sensor capable of receiving infrared rays emitted from the light emitting section 44A with the light receiving section 44B. Similarly, the second remaining amount sensor 45 is also an optical sensor having a light emitting portion 45A and a light receiving portion 45B.

As shown in FIG. 3, the detection plate 441 is rotatably supported by the shaft portion 442 of the support portion 443 . Similarly, the detection plate 451 is rotatably supported by the shaft portion 452 of the support portion 453 . As shown in FIG. 8 , the detection plate 451 is a plate material extending in the left-right direction, and includes a stopper portion 454 , a remaining amount detection portion 455 , a light shielding portion 456 and a contact portion 457 . The stopper portion 454 protrudes in the direction toward the cover member 42 and restricts the rotation of the detection plate 441 toward the subpouch 8 when the stopper portion 454 comes into contact with the upper plate 421 of the cover member 42 . The remaining amount detection part 455 protrudes toward the subpouch 8 , enters the opening 421 B, and abuts on the wrinkle prevention plate 85 attached to the subpouch 8 . The light blocking portion 456 protrudes leftward and can enter between the light emitting portion 45A and the light receiving portion 45B of the second remaining amount sensor 45 . The contact portion 457 protrudes toward the upper plate 431C of the support plate 431, and when it contacts the upper plate 431C, it restricts the rotation of the detection plate 451 toward the upper plate 431C. The detection plate 451 is biased toward the subpouch 8 by a torsion spring (not shown). The detection plate 441 also has a structure similar to that of the detection plate 451 .

The installation angle of the sub-pouch unit 40 will be described with reference to FIG. The sub-pouch unit 40 is supported, for example, by a support frame (not shown) provided on the right side of the housing 2 (see FIG. 1). At this time, the support frame supports the subpouch unit 40 while being inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane so that the spout 90 side of the subpouch unit 40 is higher than the lower end portion side. An example of the tilt angle is 30 degrees.

A method for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the sub-pouch 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 7 and 8. FIG. Since the subpouches 8 are supported by the support plate 41 , the first sheet 81 rises according to the expansion of the subpouches 8 . When the ink 68 flows from the main tank 30 and the first sheet 81 comes into contact with the upper plate 421 of the cover member 42, the expansion of the sub-pouch 8 is suppressed and the sub-pouch 8 contains more than a predetermined amount of ink 68. . When the ink 68 begins to flow into the subpouch 8, the wrinkle prevention plate 85 attached to the subpouch 8 first pushes up the remaining amount detection portion 455 of the detection plate 451, as shown in FIG. The light shielding portion 456 of the second remaining amount sensor 45 shields the space between the light emitting portion 45A and the light receiving portion 45B of the second remaining amount sensor 45 . Next, the wrinkle prevention plate 84 attached to the sub-pouch 8 pushes up the remaining amount detection portion 445 of the detection plate 441 . A light shielding plate 446 of the detection plate 441 shields between the light emitting portion 44A and the light receiving portion 44B of the first remaining amount sensor 44 . Accordingly, the CPU (not shown) of the printer 1 detects that the sub-pouch 8 contains more than a predetermined amount of ink 68 .

Next, when the ink 68 flows out from the sub-pouch 8 and the remaining amount of ink decreases, the first sheet 81 moves toward the second sheet 82 . Accordingly, the detection plate 441 and the detection plate 451 rotate toward the second seat 82 . When the remaining amount of ink 68 in the sub-pouch 8 becomes equal to or less than a certain amount, the light blocking plate 446 of the detection plate 441 no longer blocks the space between the light emitting portion 44A and the light receiving portion 44B of the first remaining amount sensor 44. Further, the light shielding portion 456 of the second remaining amount sensor 45 does not block the space between the light emitting portion 45A and the light receiving portion 45B of the second remaining amount sensor 45 . Therefore, the CPU (not shown) detects the remaining amount of ink 68 in the sub pouch 8 according to the outputs of the first remaining amount sensor 44 and the second remaining amount sensor 45 .

<Effects of Embodiment>
In the printer 1 of the above-described embodiment, the ink containing portion 80 of the subpouch 8 is formed by the flexible first sheet 81 and the second sheet 82 facing each other in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the sheets (vertical direction). Therefore, the ink containing portion 80 extends laterally, and the back pressure is stabilized. Therefore, the printer 1 can control the back pressure adjustment well. Since the support plate 41 supports the subpouch 8 in an inclined posture, and the ink containing portion 80 has the first inclined portions 86A and 86B at the end portion 86, the cross-sectional area of the ink containing portion 80 becomes smaller toward the end portion 86. . Therefore, the sedimentation area where the ink settles can be reduced. Since the communication direction of the second plug 12, which is the inlet, is the direction from the rear end portion 89 to the end portion 86, the ink 68 is easily prevented from sedimentation by the jet flow of the ink 68 flowing from the second plug 12.

If the spout 90 having a plurality of spouts 11 to 12 is fixed to the support plate 41 and the subpouch 8 is supported by the support plate 41, the ink containing portion 80 is more likely to be attached to the subpouch 8 than the case where the subpouch 8 is fixed at a plurality of locations. It can reduce the possibility of wrinkles. In addition, since the subpouch 8 is not fixed at a plurality of locations, the possibility that the subpouch 8 is pulled and tension is applied to the subpouch 8 and the water head tends to rise is reduced.

Further, since the spout 90 is provided on the upper side of the subpouch 8, air bubbles are easily discharged from the subpouch 8.

In addition, since the sub-pouch 8 has the second inclined portions 91 and 92 inclined upward toward the fourth port plug 14 which is a reflux port, air bubbles flow along the second inclined portions 91 and 92 to the fourth direction. Facing the mouth plug 14, it is easily discharged from the fourth mouth plug 14. - 特許庁

Since the front end portion 121A of the second tube 121 is closer to the end portion 86 of the ink containing portion 80 than the front end portions 111A and 131A of the first tubes 111 and 131, the jet of ink from the front end portion 121A of the second tube 121 is ejected from the ink. It is easy to dissolve the ink 68 that has settled on the end portion 86 of the containing portion 80 .

In addition, the cover member 42 restricts the swelling of the ink containing portion 80 to a constant level. Therefore, the water head tends to be constant.

Also, the remaining amount of the ink 68 in the ink containing portion 80 can be detected through the openings 421A and 421B of the cover member 42 .

In addition, since the wrinkle prevention plates 83, 84, and 85 prevent the first sheet 81 from wrinkling, the possibility that wrinkles change the pressure in the ink containing portion 80 and change the head of the ink 68 is reduced.

In addition, since the wrinkle prevention plates 84 and 85 are provided in the detection areas 811 and 812 on the first sheet 81, wrinkles in the detection areas 811 and 812 are prevented, and the remaining amount of the ink 68 is not accurately detected. less likely to become

In addition, since the wrinkle prevention plate 83 is also provided on the rear end side of the detection areas 811 and 812 on the first sheet 81, the rear ends of the detection areas 811 and 812 of the sub-pouches 8 supported in an inclined posture are also provided. Reduces side wrinkles.

Moreover, since the first plug 11 and the third plug 13, which are outlets, are provided, a plurality of outlets are provided. Thus, multiple supply channels supply ink 68 to head 67 . Therefore, the flow path resistance of the supply path is lower than in the case of one supply path.

In the above embodiment, the printer 1 is an example of the "image forming apparatus" of the invention. The main tank 30 is an example of the "first reservoir" of the present invention. The first sheet 81 and the second sheet 82 are examples of the "sheet" of the present invention. The sub-pouch 8 is an example of the "second reservoir" of the present invention. The support plate 41 is an example of the "support part" of the present invention. The ink containing portion 80 is an example of the "ink containing portion" of the present invention. End 86 is an example of the "other end" of the present invention. The rear end portion 89 is an example of "one end" in the present invention. The first inclined portions 86A and 86B are an example of the "first inclined portion" of the present invention. The outer peripheral surface 87 is an example of the "peripheral surface" of the present invention. The first plug 11, the second plug 12, the third plug 13, and the fourth plug 14 are examples of the "plug" of the present invention. The fourth port plug 14 is an example of the "reflux port" of the present invention. The second inclined portion 91 and the second inclined portion 92 are examples of the "second inclined portion" of the present invention. The first plug 11 and the third plug 13 are examples of the "outlet" of the present invention. The second port plug 12 is an example of the "injection port" of the present invention. The support plate 41 is an example of the "first plate" of the present invention. The cover member 42 is an example of the "second plate" of the present invention.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , the wrinkle prevention plate 88 may also be attached to the first sheet 81 on the side of the end portion 86 , which is the front end side of the detection areas 811 and 812 . In this case, wrinkles on the front side of the detection areas 811 and 812 are reduced. Also, the number of wrinkle prevention plates is not limited to four, and may be any number such as one, two, or five. The wrinkle prevention plate may be provided at a portion of the subpouch 8 where wrinkles are likely to occur. Also, the number of detection areas of the subpouch is not limited to two. Any number such as 1 or 3 may be used. Also, the number of spouts is not limited to four. There may be a plurality of inlets or a single outlet as required. Also, a plurality of reflux ports may be provided. Also, the first reservoir is not limited to the main tank 30, and may be an ink cartridge. Further, the number of remaining ink sensors is not limited to two, and may be one.

1 printer 8 sub-pouch 11 first plug 12 second plug 13 third plug 14 fourth plug 28 circulation path 30 main tank 41 support plate 42 cover member 43 remaining amount detection unit 80 ink storage unit 81 first sheet 82 Second sheet 83, 84, 85, 88 Wrinkle prevention plate 86 Ends 86A, 86B First inclined part 87 Peripheral surface 89 Rear end 90 Spouts 91, 92 Second inclined parts 111, 131 First tube 121 Second tube 421A , 421B openings 445, 455 remaining amount detectors 811, 812 detection regions

Claims (14)

a first reservoir for storing ink;
a second reservoir having an ink reservoir at one end, through which the ink from the first reservoir is injected, and an ink reservoir formed of flexible sheets facing each other in the vertical direction;
a head that ejects the ink supplied from the second reservoir;
a support part that supports the second storage part in an inclined posture with the one end facing obliquely upward,
The ink containing portion has a first inclined portion whose cross-sectional area decreases toward the other end,
the communication direction of the injection port is the direction from the one end to the other end ;
An image forming apparatus , wherein a return port connected to a return path for returning the ink to the first reservoir is provided at the one end . a first reservoir for storing ink;
a second reservoir having an ink reservoir at one end, through which the ink from the first reservoir is injected, and an ink reservoir formed of flexible sheets facing each other in the vertical direction;
a head that ejects the ink supplied from the second reservoir;
a support part that supports the second storage part in an inclined posture with the one end facing obliquely upward,
The ink containing portion has a first inclined portion whose cross-sectional area decreases toward the other end,
the communication direction of the injection port is the direction from the one end to the other end ;
An outflow port through which the ink supplied to the head flows out is provided at the one end.
An image forming apparatus characterized by: The support portion includes a first plate and a second plate sandwiching the second storage portion,
The first plate supports the second reservoir from below the second reservoir,
The second plate is provided above the second reservoir and covers at least the other end side of the ink reservoir.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by: The second plate is
an opening;
a remaining amount detection unit that detects the remaining amount of the ink in the ink storage unit through the opening;
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, comprising: a first reservoir for storing ink;
a second reservoir having an ink reservoir at one end, through which the ink from the first reservoir is injected, and an ink reservoir formed of flexible sheets facing each other in the vertical direction;
a head that ejects the ink supplied from the second reservoir;
a support part that supports the second storage part in an inclined posture with the one end facing obliquely upward,
The ink containing portion has a first inclined portion whose cross-sectional area decreases toward the other end,
the communication direction of the injection port is the direction from the one end to the other end ;
The support portion includes a first plate and a second plate sandwiching the second storage portion,
The first plate supports the second reservoir from below the second reservoir,
the second plate is provided above the second reservoir and covers at least the other end side of the ink reservoir;
The second plate is
an opening;
a remaining amount detection unit that detects the remaining amount of the ink in the ink storage unit through the opening;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a spout having a plurality of plugs for communicating between the inside and the outside of the ink containing portion, the outer peripheral surface of the second storing portion being fixed to the inner surface of the sheet;
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said spout is fixed to said support. 7. An image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said spout is provided at said one end. one of the plurality of port plugs is a return port connected to a return path for returning the ink to the first reservoir;
8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the ink containing portion has a second inclined portion inclined upward toward the return port. the plurality of port plugs including an outlet through which the ink supplied to the head flows out and the inlet;
A first tube extending toward the other end inside the ink containing portion is provided at the outflow port,
A second tube extending toward the other end inside the ink containing portion is provided at the injection port,
9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8 , wherein the end of the second tube on the other end side is closer to the other end than the end of the first tube on the other end side. image forming device. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet on the upper side of the ink containing portion is provided with a wrinkle preventing plate for preventing wrinkling of the sheet. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the wrinkle prevention plate is provided on the sheet in a detection area where a remaining amount detection unit detects the amount of the ink. 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the wrinkle prevention plate is provided on the sheet on the one end side of the detection area. 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the anti-wrinkle plate is also attached to the other end side of the sheet relative to the detection area. a plurality of the plugs are the outflow ports,
10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of outlets is provided with a supply path for supplying the ink to the head.

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