JPH03290262A - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To alleviate the variation of the liquid level of ink in an ink tank so as to improve printing grade and also make the replacement of an ink cartridge easy by connecting an ink tank and ink cartridge through a junction joint and a tube. CONSTITUTION:By moving an ink cartridge 15 sealed by a seal 41 to the righthand side and inserting the tip of a cap 37 in a seal holder 33, the cap 37 and seal holder 33 are triply communicated. By inserting the cap 37 further, a rubber 40 covering a valve shaft 39 comes into contact with the tip of a shaft 33b of the seal holder 33. In addition, the ink cartridge 15 is moved to the righthand side while resisting spring force of a valve spring 42. The seal 41 is removed from the cap 37, i.e., the valve is opened, and the ink cartridge 15 and cap 37 are communicated. Since ink which is led to an ink tank 14 from the ink cartridge 15 with a large capacity flows into the ink tank at a low speed due to line resistance of a tube 17, the variation of the liquid level of the ink in the ink tank 14 is alleviated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with a recording head for performing recording by ejecting ink.

[Prior Art] Non-impact recording methods have recently attracted attention because the noise generated during recording is so small that it can be ignored. Among these, the inkjet recording method is an extremely powerful recording method that has the possibility of high-speed recording.

A recording head applied to an inkjet recording device generally includes a fine liquid ejection opening, a liquid flow path, an energy application section provided in a part of the liquid flow path, and a droplet forming device that acts on the liquid in the energy application section. It is equipped with an energy generation means for generating energy.

Energy generating means for generating such energy include recording methods using electromechanical transducers such as piezo elements, irradiating electromagnetic waves such as lasers, absorbing them into the liquid and generating heat, and the effect of the heat generated. There are recording methods that use energy generating means to eject and fly droplets, or recording methods that use energy generating means that heats the liquid with an electrothermal converter and ejects the liquid.

Among these, the recording head used in the inkjet recording method that uses thermal energy to eject liquid has a high density arrangement of liquid ejection ports to eject recording droplets and form flying droplets. This makes it possible to record with high resolution. Among these, a recording head that uses an electrothermal converter as an energy generating means is easy to downsize as a whole as a recording head, and is based on the IC technology and microelectronic technology, which has made remarkable advances in technology and reliability in the semiconductor field in recent years. It can take full advantage of the advantages of processing technology, and it is easy to make it long and planar (two-dimensional), so it is easy to use multi-nozzles and high-density packaging, and it can be produced in large quantities with good productivity. , it is possible to provide an inkjet recording head with low manufacturing cost. As described above, an inkjet recording head manufactured through a semiconductor manufacturing process using an electrothermal converter as an energy generating means generally has a liquid flow path corresponding to each liquid ejection port.
An electrothermal transducer is provided for each liquid flow path as a means for applying thermal energy to the liquid filling the liquid flow path and ejecting the liquid from the corresponding liquid ejection port to form flying droplets, Each liquid flow path is configured to be supplied with liquid from a common liquid chamber communicating with each liquid flow path.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a conventional ink circulation system equipped with the above-described recording head.

A recording head 6° having an ink ejection surface 60a and an ink tank 62 that stores ink 61 to be supplied to the recording head 60 include an upper tube 63a and a lower tube 6.
3b. A pump 64 operated by a motor (not shown) is provided in the lower tube 63b. The ink cartridge 65 is for replenishing ink to the ink tank 62, and is connected to the connecting portion 6.
5a. The connecting portion 65a has a part of a relay joint (not shown) provided with a valve. When this ink cartridge 65 is installed in the main body (not shown) of an ink jet recording apparatus, the ink cartridge 65 and the ink tank 62 are connected by the relay joint, and the valve is opened, and the ink cartridge 65 is connected to the ink tank 62 by the relay joint.
and the ink tank 62 communicate with each other. However, the liquid level 61a of the ink 61 in the ink tank 62 is caused by the vibration of the main body.
If there is even a slight change in the recording head 6 due to capillary action,
Ink leaks out from the 0 nozzle, making ink ejection unstable. Therefore, in view of this problem, by positioning the liquid level 61a in the ink tank 62 below the recording head 60, the recording head 60 can be exposed to several tens of amH.
zO negative pressure ink is supplied.

In the above-described ink circulation system, when the amount of ink in the ink tank 62 decreases as recording progresses, ink drops from the ink cartridge 65 into the ink tank 62 according to the chicken feed principle and is replenished. That is, a gap is provided at the fitting portion of the ink tank 62 and the ink cartridge 65, and the gap allows the ink tank 6
2 is in communication with the atmosphere, so when ink falls from the ink cartridge 65 into the ink tank 62, a volume of air corresponding to the amount of the dropped ink enters the ink cartridge 65 from the ink tank 62. .

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The above-described conventional inkjet recording apparatus has a structure in which the ink cartridge is communicated with the ink tank only through the relay joint, so there are problems as described below.

When performing high-speed printing or printing using a plurality of full-line type printing heads, a large amount of ink is consumed per unit time, so it is necessary to use a large-capacity ink cartridge. In this case, since the weight of the ink in the ink cartridge increases, the falling velocity (flow velocity) of the ink from the ink cartridge to the ink tank becomes high, and the liquid level of the ink in the ink tank fluctuates in a wave-like manner. As a result, the negative pressure in the nozzles of the recording head also fluctuates due to capillary action, resulting in a decrease in print quality.

Also, depending on where the ink tank is installed,
Work such as replacing ink cartridges may become difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems with the conventional technology, and even when recording is performed using a large-capacity ink cartridge, fluctuations in the ink level in the ink tank are alleviated. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording device in which the print quality is improved and work such as replacing an ink cartridge can be easily performed.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a recording head for ejecting ink, an ink tank for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head, and an ink tank for storing ink. In an inkjet recording device including an ink cartridge connected to an ink tank for replenishing ink, the ink tank and the ink cartridge are connected to each other,
It is characterized by being connected by a relay joint and a tube.

Additionally, a relay joint is provided between the ink cartridge and the tube.

Furthermore, in order to apply negative pressure to the nozzles of the print head, the liquid level of the ink in the ink tank is positioned below the ink ejection surface of the print head.

The recording head may be a full-line type recording head in which ink ejection ports are formed over the recording width of the recording material, or the recording head may be one that ejects ink using thermal energy. It may include an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy.

[Function] When ink guided from a large-capacity ink cartridge to an ink tank passes through a tube, its flow rate is slowed down by the pipe line resistance of the tube and flows into the ink tank at a low speed. Fluctuations in the ink level are alleviated.

Additionally, since the ink cartridge is connected to the ink tank via a tube, the ink cartridge can be installed at a location separated by the length of the tube from the ink tank, increasing flexibility in where the ink cartridge can be installed. It turns out.

[Example] Next, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a copying machine equipped with an embodiment of the inkjet recording device of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a reader that reads a document 2 to be copied and converts it into an electrical signal, and the signal is sent to the printer. The signal is given to the recording head section 4 of the section 3 as a drive signal. The paper feed cassette 5 stores recording paper as the recording material at that time, and the recording paper is used when necessary.
The conveying means 6 sends out the sheets one by one toward the conveying belt means 7. When this recording paper passes through the conveyor belt means 7, a printed image is recorded by the recording head section 4, and the sheet is sent out to the tray 10 by the ejection means 9 via the fixing paper ejection section 8. Further, reference numeral 11 denotes a recovery cap section, which has a function to maintain the recording head section 4 in a state where printing is possible at all times.

Note that 12 in the figure indicates a figure number reading means. The recording head section 4 described above has four recording heads,
Each recording head is equipped with an ink circulation system.

Next, one of the four recording heads and its ink circulation system will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a so-called full-line type recording head in which ink ejection ports are provided over a recording area of a recording material (not shown). 14 is an ink tank (sub tank) that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head 13; 15;
is an ink cartridge for replenishing the ink tank 14 with ink. This ink cartridge 15 is connected to a relay joint 16, which will be described later. Tube 17 and fitting 1
It is connected to the ink tank 14 via 8. The tube 17 is supported by the main body of the inkjet recording apparatus. Further, it is possible to supply ink from the ink tank 14 to the recording head 13 through the supply pipe 16a, and to replenish the ink tank 14 with ink from the ink cartridge 15 by applying the principle of chicken feed. Further, 19 is a pump used during a recovery operation to recover the ejection function of the recording head 13. This pump 19 is operated by a motor 20 and communicates with the recording head 13 through a circulation pipe 16''b. The nozzle of the recording head 13 is in a negative pressure state of HmmH20 by being located below by H (mm). This H (mm) is 30 to 100
A range of is preferred.

Here, an example of the recording head 13 will be explained with reference to FIG. 3.

The recording head 13 is composed of an electrothermal transducer 22, an electrode 23, a nozzle wall 24, and a top plate 25, which are formed on a substrate 21 through semiconductor manufacturing process steps such as etching, vapor deposition, and sputtering. Recording liquid (ink) 26
is supplied into the common liquid chamber 28 of the recording head 13 from the ink tank (see FIG. 2) through the supply pipe 16a. In the figure, 29 is a connector for the supply pipe 16a. Common liquid chamber 2
The recording liquid 26 supplied into the nozzle 8 is supplied into the nozzle 31 by capillary action, and the ink ejection surface 13a at the tip of the nozzle is
It is stably maintained by forming a meniscus.

By energizing the electrothermal converter 22, thermal energy is generated and the liquid on the 1 2 electrothermal converter 22 is heated. As a result, a bubbling phenomenon occurs, and the energy of the bubbling causes droplets to be ejected from the ink ejection ports of the ink ejection surface 13a.

In the recording head 13 and its ink circulation system configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 2, during recording, ink is transferred from the ink tank 14 to the common liquid chamber 28 (
(see FIG. 3), and is guided from the common liquid chamber 28 to the ink discharge port via a liquid path (not shown). At this time, when the ink guided from the ink cartridge 15 to the ink tank 14 passes through the tube 17, its flow rate is reduced by the line resistance of the tube 17 and flows into the ink tank 14 at a low speed. On the other hand, during a recovery operation performed to remove air bubbles remaining in the common liquid chamber 28 and the supply system and to cool the recording head 13, the pump 19 is activated to send ink to the common liquid chamber 28 through the circulation pipe 16b. , the ink can be returned and circulated from the common liquid chamber 28 to the ink tank 14 through the supply pipe 16a. Further, during initial filling of the liquid path, etc., the pump 19 can force-feed the ink to the common liquid chamber 28 through the circulation pipe 16b, and discharge the ink from the ink discharge port while discharging air bubbles.

Next, the details of the two examples of the above-mentioned relay joints are shown in FIGS. 4(A), (B), (C) and 5.
This will be explained with reference to Figures (A), (B), and (C), respectively.

First, in FIGS. 4(A), 4(B), and 4(C), a male threaded portion is formed on the outer periphery of the connecting portion of the ink cartridge 15, and a spring holder 36 is formed in the connecting portion.
is inserted. The spring holder 36 has a through hole at one end and a flange 36a at the other end, and the flange 36a is locked at the tip of the connecting portion. The cap 37 is screwed onto the connection part,
The outer peripheral surface of the tip is tapered. An annular seal 3 is provided between this cap 37 and the tip of the connection part.
8 is clamped, the ink cartridge 15. The cap 37 and the spring holder 36
The connection is sealed.

The valve shaft 39 is inserted into the spring holder 36 and the cap 37, and a rubber 4 is attached to the lower end of the valve shaft 39.
0 is covered, and the other end protrudes from the through hole of the spring holder 36. This valve shaft 39 is integrally provided with a two-stage annular collar 39a at its central portion, and a seal (valve) 41 having a U-shaped cross section is covered on the outer periphery of the collar 39a. . Said seal 41
is made of ink-resistant rubber such as fluororubber or chlorinated butyl rubber. The valve spring 42 is
It is provided between the tip of the spring holder 36 and the collar 39a, and is wound around the valve shaft 39.

The valve spring 42 urges the valve shaft 39 rightward in the figure through the collar 39a, thereby pressing the seal 41 against the cap 37. As a result, the spring holder 36 and the cap 37 are separated by the seal 41, and the ink cartridge 15 is hermetically sealed.

A connector 32 is connected to one end of the tube 17, and the connector 32 has a flange 32a. The seal holder 33 has a disk 33a at one end and a male thread at the other end, and the disk 3.3a is fixed to the flange 32a of the connector 32. A shaft 33b projects from the center of the disk 33a of the seal holder 33, and the shaft 33b is supported and reinforced by four ribs 33c integrally provided on the disk 33a. Moreover, the seal holder 33 and the connector 32 are
The four lips 33c of the disc 33a are communicated with each other through through holes (not shown) provided between them. The seal cap 34 is screwed onto the male threaded portion of the seal holder 33, and an annular seal 35 is sandwiched between the seal cap 34 and the seal holder 33. Thereby, the connection portion between the seal cap 34 and the seal holder 33 is sealed.

Next, the operation of connecting the ink cartridge 15 and tube 17 using the above-mentioned relay joint will be described.

When the ink cartridge 15 sealed by the seal 41 is moved to the right in the figure and the tip of the cap 37 is inserted into the seal holder 33 (see FIG. 4 (AJ)), the cap 3
7 and the seal holder 33 are in communication. When the valve shaft 39 is further inserted, the rubber 40 coated on the valve shaft 39 comes into contact with the tip of the shaft 33b of the seal holder 33 (see FIG. 4(B)). Furthermore, the ink cartridge 15 is moved to the right in the figure against the spring force of the valve spring 42,
While the valve shaft 39 is attached to the main body (not shown) of the inkjet recording apparatus (see FIG. 4(C)), the valve shaft 39 is attached to the shaft 33.
Since the seal 41 is held in the position shown in FIG. 4B by the seal 41b, the seal 41 is separated from the cap 37, that is, the valve is opened, and the ink cartridge 15 and the cap 37 are communicated with each other. On the other hand, to disconnect the ink cartridge 15 and tube 17, the above-described operation is reversed.

Next, the examples shown in FIGS. 5(A), CB), and (C) will be explained.

Ink cartridge 15. The spring holder 36 and seal 38 are shown in FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B).

Since it is the same as that shown in (C), the explanation thereof will be omitted, and the different parts will be explained below.

A cap 50 is screwed onto the connection portion of the ink cartridge 15. Spring holder 36 and cap 5
The valve shaft 51 inserted into the
It is integrally provided with a stepped annular collar 51a, and this collar 5
On the outer periphery of 1a, there is a seal (valve) 52 having a U-shaped cross section.
is covered. The valve spring 53 is provided between the tip of the spring holder 36 and the collar 51a, and is wound around the valve shaft 51. The valve spring 53 moves the valve shaft 51 to the right in the figure via the collar 51a. Due to the bias, the seal 52 is pressed against the cap 50, and the ink cartridge 1 is
5 is sealed.

A connector 43 is connected to one end of the tube 17, and the connector 43 is integrally provided with a cylindrical portion 43a inside thereof. A shaft 43b projects from the center of the tip of the cylindrical portion 43a, and the shaft 43b is supported and reinforced by four ribs 4.3c integrally provided at the tip. Further, the seal holder 44 and the connector 43 are communicated through a through hole (not shown) provided between the four ribs 43c at the tip. The seal holder 44 is inserted into the connector 43, and an O-ring 45 is fixed to its tip. The seal holder 44 is attached to an O-ring retainer 47 by a seal spring 46.
However, since it is locked by a pair of pins 49a and 49b fixed to the connector 43, it will not come off from the connector 43. 4 in the diagram
8 indicates an O-ring.

The ink cartridge 15 is connected by the above-mentioned relay joint.
To connect the ink cartridge 15 to the tube 17, move the ink cartridge 15 to the right in the figure and insert the tip of the cap 50 into the connector 43 (see FIG. 5(A)), and the cap 50 and the connector 43 will communicate with each other. . If you insert more,
The seal holder 44 is moved to the right in the figure by the cap 50 against the spring force of the seal spring 46, and the flange 5
1a comes into contact with the shaft 43b of the connector 43 (Fig. 5(B)
)reference). Further, the seal 52 is removed from the cap 50 while the ink cartridge 15 is moved to the right in the figure against the spring force of the seal spring 46 and installed in the main body of the inkjet recording apparatus (see FIG. 5(C)). The valve is opened, and the ink cartridge 15 and tube 17 are communicated with each other.

The above-mentioned relay joint is provided between the ink cartridge 15 and the inlet side of the tube 17, but is not limited to this, and although not shown, connects the tube to the outlet pipe of the ink cartridge, and connects the tube to the ink tank of the tube. Connection can be made by providing a relay joint between the side end and the ink tank or in the middle of the tube.

In the above embodiments, the present invention is applied to a line-type inkjet recording device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to a serial-type inkjet recording device. In addition, as a recording head, a recording head using an electrothermal converter as an energy generating means has been described in detail.
The present invention can also be applied to an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element or a recording head that uses electromagnetic waves such as a laser.

The present invention particularly applies to a valve jet recording head proposed by Canon ■ among inkjet recording systems.
This provides excellent effects in recording devices.

As for typical configurations and principles thereof, it is preferable to use the basic principles disclosed in, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129 and US Pat. No. 4,740,796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, the liquid (ink) is placed in correspondence with the sheet or wave path holding the liquid (ink). By applying at least one drive signal that corresponds to recorded information and causes a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling to the electrothermal transducer in the recording head, the electrothermal transducer generates thermal energy, and the recording head is heated. This is effective because it causes film boiling on the heat acting surface, resulting in the formation of bubbles in the liquid (ink) in one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal. The growth and contraction of the bubble causes liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one drop. It is more preferable to use this drive signal in a pulse form, since the growth and contraction of bubbles can be carried out immediately and appropriately, so that ejection of liquid (ink) with particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As this pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. No. 4,463,359 and US Pat. No. 4,345,262 are suitable. Incidentally, U.S. Patent No. 43 of the invention regarding the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface
If the conditions described in the specification of No. 13124 are adopted, even more excellent recording can be performed.

The configuration of the recording head includes, in addition to the combined configuration of ejection ports, liquid paths, and electrothermal converters (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, a heat acting section. US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600 disclose a configuration in which the
The structure described in the specification may be used. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1983 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part of a plurality of electrothermal converters.
No. 23670 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1, 1982, which discloses a configuration in which a discharge portion is provided with an opening that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy.
The present invention is also effective with a configuration based on Publication No. 38461.

Furthermore, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length can be increased by combining multiple recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. Either a configuration that satisfies the above requirements or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally may be used, but the present invention can more effectively exhibit the above-mentioned effects.

In addition, a replaceable chip-type recording head that is attached to the device body enables electrical connection to the device body and ink supply from the device body, or a chip-type recording head that is installed integrally with the recording head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge type recording head is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means, preliminary auxiliary means, etc. for the recording head, which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, these include capping means, cleaning means, pressure or suction means, preheating means for the recording head using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element, or a combination thereof. It is also effective to perform a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection is performed separately from printing in order to perform stable printing.

Furthermore, the recording mode of the recording device is not limited to a recording mode in which only the mainstream color such as black is used; the recording head may be configured integrally or in combination with a plurality of recording heads; The present invention is also extremely effective for devices equipped with at least one full color image.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is explained as a liquid, but it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower, and is softened or liquid at room temperature, or in the above-mentioned inkjet, the ink itself is heated at 30°C or higher and 70°C. Generally, the temperature is controlled within a range of 0.degree. C. or less so that the viscosity of the ink is within a stable ejection range, so it is sufficient that the ink is in a liquid state when the recording signal is applied. In addition, the temperature increase due to thermal energy can be actively prevented by using it as unchanging energy to change the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or ink that solidifies when left unused is used to prevent ink evaporation. By using
In any case, the property of liquefying only by thermal energy, such as ink that is liquefied by application of thermal energy in accordance with a recording signal and ejected as liquid ink, or that has already begun to solidify by the time it reaches the recording medium. The use of ink is also applicable to the present invention. In such a case, the ink is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 454-56847 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6071260.
As described in the above publication, the material may be held in a porous sheet recess or through hole as a liquid or a solid material, and may face an electrothermal converter. In the present invention, the most effective method for each of the above-mentioned inks is to implement the above-mentioned film boiling method.

f. Effects of the Invention] Since the present invention is configured as described above, it produces effects as described below.

Even when recording is performed using a large-capacity ink cartridge, ink from the ink cartridge flows into the ink tank at a low speed, so fluctuations in the ink level in the ink tank are alleviated. As a result, fluctuations in the negative pressure of the nozzles of the recording head are also reduced, and printing quality is improved.

In addition, the degree of freedom in installing the ink cartridge increases,
Work such as replacing ink cartridges can also be easily performed.

Furthermore, if a relay joint is provided between the ink cartridge and the tube, the degree of freedom in the position of the relay joint increases, and the workability of the above-mentioned replacement etc. is further improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a copying machine equipped with an embodiment of the inkjet recording device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the main parts of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a diagram of the recording head shown in FIG. 2. Detailed perspective view,
Figures 4 (A), (B), and (C) are front views showing most of the steps of the relay joint in this example, and Figures 5 (A), (B), and (C) are front views of the main body. FIG. 6 is a front view showing most of the steps of another relay joint in the embodiment in cross section, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a main part of a conventional inkjet recording apparatus. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Reader 2... Document, 3... Printer section, 4... Recording head section, 5... Paper feed cassette, 6... Conveying means, 7... Conveying belt means, 8 . . . Fixing paper ejection unit, 9 . . . Ejection means,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Tray, 11... Recovery cap part, 12... Drawing number reading means, 13... Recording head, 13a... Ink discharge surface, 14... Ink tank, 15... Ink Cartridge, 16... Relay joint, 17... Tube, 18
...Joint, 16a...Supply pipe, 16b
...Circulation pipe, 19...Pump, 20...
Motor, 21... Substrate, 22... Electrothermal converter, 23... Electrode, 24... Nozzle wall,
25... Top plate, 26... Recording liquid, 28... Common liquid chamber, 31... Nozzle, 32a... Flange, 33a... Disc, 33c... Rib, 35... ...Seal, 36a...Flange, 38...Seal, 39a...Brim, 41...Seal (valve), 29...Connector, 32...Connector, 33...Seal holder, 33b...Shaft, 34...Seal cap, 36...Spring holder, 37...Cap, 39...Valve shaft, 40...Rubber, 42...Valve spring, 7 8 43. ... Connector, 43 a-... Cylindrical part,
43b...shaft, 436...rib, 44.
...Seal holder, 45...○Ring, 46...
・Seal spring, 47...0 ring retainer, 48...○ ring, 4
9a; 49b...bottle, 5o...cap, 51
...Valve shaft, 51a...Brim, 52...
Seal, 53...Valve spring.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A recording head for ejecting ink, and an ink tank for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head;
An inkjet recording device comprising an ink cartridge connected to the ink tank for replenishing ink to the ink tank, characterized in that the ink tank and the ink cartridge are connected by a relay joint and a tube. Inkjet recording device. 2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a relay joint is provided between the ink cartridge and the tube. 3. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink level of the ink tank is positioned below the ink ejection surface of the recording head in order to apply negative pressure to the nozzles of the recording head. 4. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is a full-line type recording head in which ink ejection ports are formed over the recording width of the recording material. 5. The inkjet recording according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the recording head discharges ink using thermal energy, and includes an electrothermal converter for generating the thermal energy. Device.