JPH045549B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device equipped with an ink cassette.

[Prior Art] Cartridge-type ink cassettes are often used in inkjet recording devices, especially inkjet type printers, etc. because of the ease of replenishing ink. When using this cartridge-type ink cassette, the advantages include being able to refill ink simply by replacing the ink cassette, not having to judge the amount to refill, and almost no ink contamination occurring during refilling. There is.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, when this cartridge-type ink cassette is used, it must be connected to a supply path for supplying the ink in the ink cassette to the inkjet recording head (generally, (using a stylus), but ink may leak from the joints, especially when the entire recording device is carried, the recording device is accidentally knocked over, or when the joints are uncoupled. There was a problem that there was.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been made by reconsidering the entire inkjet recording device, taking into account the ease of handling the ink cassette, as well as solving the problems of the conventional inkjet recording device. be. The main object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with a so-called cartridge-type ink cassette that allows ink to be safely and reliably supplied to an inkjet recording head and has improved handling.

The inkjet recording device of the present invention that achieves the above object includes: an inkjet recording head that ejects ink; a flat container for storing ink to be supplied to the inkjet recording head; an upper housing member and a lower housing member. a housing configured by combining the flat container with the flat container therein and having a part of the flat container joined and fixed to the wall surface of the lower housing member; the upper housing member and the lower housing member; an opening provided in a wall of the casing formed by combining with a body member; and a sealing elastic coupling member fixed to the opening, the sealing elastic coupling member a large-diameter portion provided with a space, a small-diameter portion provided with a small hole extending to the end surface so that an ink discharge tube for directing ink in the flat container to the outside communicates with the void space, and an outer end portion. It has a stepped cylindrical shape with
1° C./22 hours) or less, and the outer end thereof is fixed so as to protrude from the opening; a supply pipe for leading out ink to be supplied to the head from the cavity; and support means for fixedly supporting the supply pipe, the ink cassette being moved so as to come into contact with the support means and supplying the ink. A pipe opening of the conduit is located within the cavity.

[Function] The present invention has a simple structure in which a flat container for storing ink to be supplied to an inkjet recording head is housed inside a casing formed by combining an upper casing member and a lower casing member. Since it uses an ink cassette, it is easy to handle when carrying it around or when attaching and detaching it for replacement. Furthermore, this ink cassette can be easily miniaturized, which greatly contributes to the miniaturization of inkjet recording apparatuses.

In this ink cassette, an opening provided in the wall of the casing formed by combining the upper casing member and the lower casing member includes a large diameter portion, a small diameter portion, and an outer end. Since the sealing elastic coupling member having a stepped cylindrical shape is fixed, even if external pressure is applied to the sealing elastic coupling member, it will not fall off from the opening of the casing. Furthermore, since a portion of the flat container is joined and fixed to the wall surface of the lower housing member, there is no risk of the flat container moving within the housing and causing ink leakage while the ink cassette is being handled.

Further, since the flat container of the ink cassette included in the inkjet recording device of the present invention is sealed with an elastic coupling member having a small compression set, the sealing elastic coupling member protrudes from the opening and is fixed. The part where the supply pipe is inserted into the outer end of the ink cassette has good sealability, and contamination due to ink leakage does not occur even when replacing the ink cassette. Therefore, the operation of inserting the supply conduit into the outer end of the sealing elastic coupling member can be performed easily and reliably.

In addition, since the ink cassette moves and comes into contact with the support means that fixedly supports the supply pipe, and the mouth of the supply pipe is located within the cavity of the sealing elastic coupling member, the mouth of the supply pipeline is located within the cavity. be placed accurately and easily at the appropriate location. This further improves the ease of handling the ink cassette and the accuracy of mounting.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with a small ink cassette that is extremely easy to handle overall and is highly reliable without ink leakage.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

1a and 1b, a flat ink container and the like, which are component parts constituting an ink cassette included in the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention, will be explained. FIG. 1a is a plan view including the flat container, and FIG. 1b is a partially cutaway side view thereof. Here, the reference numeral 10 is a two-layer polymer film, for example, one film formed by coating nylon on a polyethylene film, folded and stacked, and the three surrounding sides (10x, 10y, 10z) are heated. It is a bag-like flat container formed by joining by welding or the like. 3
An ink discharge tube 11 for guiding the ink inside the flat container 10 to the outside is inserted into the joint surface of one side 10x among the joint surfaces of the sides. Reference numeral 12 denotes a stepped cylindrical sealing elastic coupling member made of a molded product of an elastic body such as rubber. A cavity 14 is provided in the large diameter part 15 of the member, and the end face of the small diameter part 13 is formed from this cavity 14. Drill a small hole 16 leading to. Insert one end of the ink outlet tube 11 inserted into the flat container 10 into the space 1 through the small hole 16.
4 and secure it. Then, the ink inside the flat container 10 is sealed by the outer end 17 of the sealing elastic coupling member 12.

In this example, a metal rigid ring 18 is provided around the outer end 17 so that the elastic portion 19 is slightly compressed by the ring 18.

By the way, as mentioned above, the sealing elastic coupling member 12 is a molded product made of an elastic body such as rubber, but in the present invention, it is determined by its compression set [JIS,
K6301-1975] is 10% (70±
1℃/22 hours) or less. Rubbers that can be applied here include silicone rubber, urethane rubber, chlorinated polyethylene, epichlorohydrin rubber, nitrile rubber (NBR), isoprene rubber,
Examples include butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber, and fluorine rubber. Among these, silicone rubber is the most suitable material because it has a rich elastic restoring force, has excellent sealing properties for puncture holes made by needles, etc., which will be explained in detail later, and has excellent sealing properties for punch holes, as well as excellent resistance to ink solvents. It is something.

In an embodiment of the invention, Toray silicone
The best results were obtained using SH841U (trade name: silicone rubber).

FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing how the flat ink container constructed as described above is installed in an inkjet recording apparatus. Here, 20 is an inkjet recording head that discharges ink, and is fixed on a carriage 21. Carriage 21 is movably mounted along shaft 22 and moves reciprocally therealong under the control of a carriage drive motor (not shown). One end of a flexible ink supply path 23 is connected to the opposite end of the recording head 20 from the nozzle 20A. The other end of the flexible ink supply path 23 is inserted into one end of a joint 25, which is a support means fixed to the base 24 of the inkjet recording apparatus. A needle-like supply pipe 26 is inserted into the other end of the joint 25 and fixedly supported, and both pipes 23 and 26 are communicated through a passage 27 provided inside the joint 25.

Here, the bag-like flat container shown in FIG. 1a and FIG.
The needle-like supply conduit 26 is pushed through the sealing elastic coupling member 12, thereby mounting the flat container 10 in the inkjet recording apparatus. When ink is ejected from the nozzle 20A of the recording head 20 onto printing paper (not shown) to print numbers, characters, etc.
Ink is supplied from the flat container 10 to the recording head 20 via the supply path 23 due to the surface tension of the nozzle 20A of the recording head 20.

In the present invention, since the container 10 is formed into a flat shape, even if the ink in the container 10 decreases, there is little change in the ink level, and the ink supply capacity to the recording head 20 is almost constant, so that the ink can be stably supplied from beginning to end. It becomes possible to supply Therefore, printing defects such as unnecessary ink leakage and splash from the nozzles do not occur. Incidentally, it is preferable that the flat container be arranged parallel to the bottom surface of the inkjet recording device. In this case, even if the ink in the flat container decreases, unlike conventional vertical containers, the ink supply capacity does not change, so there is no need for a special pump or pressure regulating valve, and the device can be made more compact. This is a major contribution.

Furthermore, in the present invention, when the flat container 10 is attached to the inkjet recording apparatus, it is only necessary to insert the needle-shaped supply pipe 26 into the sealing elastic coupling member 12 made of an elastic body, so that the container replacement work is simplified. Not only is it easier, but the ink won't contaminate the surrounding area.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an example of an ink cassette 33 in which the bag-like flat container 10 shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b is housed inside a casing 31 to further facilitate its handling. It is a diagram. FIG. 4 shows a cross section taken along line A-A in FIG. 3. In these figures, the ink outlet tube 11 of the flat container 10
The sealing elastic coupling member 12 connected to the
Divided upper housing member 31A and lower housing member 3
It is clamped and fixed in an opening 31P provided in the wall of the casing 31 formed by combining with 1B. The outer end 17 of the sealing elastic coupling member 12 is
It protrudes from the outer wall of the housing 31 and is fixed to the opening 31P. Here, reference numeral 32 is a vent hole for constantly communicating the inside of the casing 31 with the atmosphere. The ink cassette 33 constructed in this manner can be installed in an inkjet recording apparatus substantially similar to that shown in FIG.

In this ink cassette 33, as shown in FIG.
5 is fitted and fixed in the annular recess 31R of the casing 31, so even if external pressure is applied to the sealing elastic coupling member 12, it will not fall off from the outer wall of the casing 31. In this case, connection operation with a needle-like supply pipe (not shown) can be easily performed.

Furthermore, a part 10a of the bag-like flat container 10 is connected to the housing 3.
Since the flat container 10 is joined and fixed to the wall surface of the lower casing member 31B of 1, the flat container 10 moves inside the casing 31 while the ink cassette 33 is being handled, and falls off from the ink outlet tube 11, thereby preventing ink leakage. There is no risk of it happening.

In this way, in this example, the bag-like flat container 10 made of a flexible material is accommodated in the rigid housing 31 to constitute the ink cassette 33, thereby making it easier to install the container 10 into the inkjet recording apparatus. There is no need to directly touch the flexible bag-like flat container 10, and the loading operation can be carried out by holding the rigid ink cassette 33, making handling even easier.

FIGS. 5a and 5b show details of the connecting portion when the ink cassette 33 is attached to the inkjet recording apparatus. Here, 34 is a joint serving as a supporting means fixed to the base of the inkjet recording apparatus, and a needle-like supply pipe 35 is inserted through the center of the joint to be fixedly supported. A supply path 36 for supplying recording liquid to the recording head is connected to one end (the right end in FIG. 5) of the needle-shaped supply conduit 35. Then, when the ink cassette is moved and the sealing elastic coupling member 12 is brought into pressure contact with the side end surface of the joint 34, the pipe opening of the needle-shaped supply conduit 35 is pierced and penetrated into the sealing elastic coupling member 12. and is located within the empty space 14. As a result, the flat container in the ink cassette and the supply path 36 communicate with each other via the outlet pipe 11, and ink can be supplied from the flat container to the recording head.

At this time, since the sealing elastic coupling member 12 is constructed using an elastic body such as rubber having a compression set of 10% or less as described above,
The ring 18 shown in the figure does not necessarily have to be encased. However, when this ring 18 is used in combination, the needle-shaped supply conduit 35 penetrating the sealing elastic coupling member 12 is subjected to tightening force and is completely brought into close contact with the sealing elastic coupling member 12, so there may be some Even if vibrations are applied, the ink will not leak or fall off, and even after the needle-shaped conduit 35 is removed, the piercing hole remaining in the sealing elastic coupling member 12 is immediately closed, so ink leaks out. This eliminates all of this, making it even more effective.

Here, FIGS. 6 and 7 show modified examples of the sealing elastic coupling member 12 in the ink cassette installed in the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.
In FIGS. 6 and 7, the side surface 18x of the ring 18 encircled at the outer end 17 of the coupling member 12 made of an elastic body also serves as a needle receiver guide, and is positioned using the opening 18p at the bottom of the ring 18. It is designed to allow penetration of the needle-like conduit 35. By configuring the sealing elastic coupling member 12 in this manner, it is possible to prevent the needle-like conduit 35 from being diagonally stuck and causing problems in communication with the ink container.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, in the present invention, a flat container for storing ink to be supplied to an inkjet recording head is provided inside a casing formed by combining an upper casing member and a lower casing member. Since it uses an ink cassette with a simple structure of accommodating the ink, it is easy to handle when carrying it or attaching and detaching it for replacement. Furthermore, this ink cassette can be easily miniaturized, which greatly contributes to the miniaturization of inkjet recording apparatuses.

In this ink cassette, an opening provided in the wall of the casing formed by combining the upper casing member and the lower casing member includes a large diameter portion, a small diameter portion, and an outer end. Since the sealing elastic coupling member having a stepped cylindrical shape is fixed, even if external pressure is applied to the sealing elastic coupling member, it will not fall off from the opening of the casing. Furthermore, since a portion of the flat container is joined and fixed to the wall surface of the lower housing member, there is no risk of the flat container moving within the housing and causing ink leakage while the ink cassette is being handled.

Further, since the flat container of the ink cassette included in the inkjet recording device of the present invention is sealed with an elastic coupling member having a small compression set, the sealing elastic coupling member protrudes from the opening and is fixed. The part where the supply pipe is inserted into the outer end of the ink cassette has good sealability, and contamination due to ink leakage does not occur even when replacing the ink cassette. Therefore, the operation of inserting the supply conduit into the outer end of the sealing elastic coupling member can be performed easily and reliably.

In addition, since the ink cassette moves and comes into contact with the support means that fixedly supports the supply pipe, and the mouth of the supply pipe is located within the cavity of the sealing elastic coupling member, the mouth of the supply pipeline is located within the cavity. be placed accurately and easily at the appropriate location. This further improves the ease of handling the ink cassette and the accuracy of mounting.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an inkjet recording device equipped with a small ink cassette that is extremely easy to handle overall and has a high reliability without ink leakage.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1a is a plan view showing an example of an ink flat container etc. which is an elemental part constituting an ink cassette included in an inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 1b is a partially cutaway side view thereof. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view for explaining how the flat ink container shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b is attached to an inkjet recording apparatus. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view of an ink cassette containing the flat container shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line A--A in FIG. 3. FIGS. 5a and 5b are explanatory diagrams showing an example of an elastic coupling member for sealing an ink cassette included in the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention. 6 and 7 are explanatory diagrams showing modified examples of the elastic coupling member for sealing the ink cassette included in the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, 10 is a bag-like flat container, 11 is an ink outlet tube, 12 is an elastic coupling member for sealing, 13 is a small diameter portion, 14 is a cavity, 15 is a large diameter portion, 16 is a small hole,
17 is an outer end, 18 is a ring, 19 is an elastic body portion, 20 is a recording head, 20A is a nozzle, 21 is a carriage, 22 is a shaft, 23 and 36 are supply pipes, 24 is a base, and 25 and 34 are joint (supporting means), 26 and 35 are needle-shaped supply pipes, 27 is a passage;
31 is a housing, 31A is an upper housing member, 31B is a lower housing member, 32 is a ventilation hole, 33 is an ink cassette, 18x is a side surface, 18p is an opening, 31p is an opening, and 31R is an annular recess.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An inkjet recording head that discharges ink: a flat container for storing ink to be supplied to the inkjet recording head; and an upper housing member and a lower housing member that are combined. A casing that accommodates the flat container inside and a part of the flat container is joined and fixed to the wall surface of the lower casing member, and the upper casing member and the lower casing member are combined. an opening provided in the wall of the casing formed by the a stepped portion, a small diameter portion having a small hole extending to the end surface so that an ink outlet pipe for guiding the ink in the flat container to the outside communicates with the cavity, and an outer end portion. It has a cylindrical shape and has a compression set [test method: JIS, K6301-1975] of 10% (70±
1° C./22 hours) or less, and the outer end thereof is fixed so as to protrude from the opening; a supply pipe for leading out ink to be supplied to the head from the cavity; and support means for fixedly supporting the supply pipe, the ink cassette being moved so as to come into contact with the support means and supplying the ink. An inkjet recording device characterized in that a pipe opening of the conduit is located within the cavity.