JPH05169671A - Ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make an ink supply tube for an ink supply device employing the ink supply tube not responsible for increasing the width of the title apparatus, and to decrease pressure fluctuation in the ink supply tube without the need for installing a device for damping the pressure fluctuation. CONSTITUTION:The title apparatus is equipped with an ink jet head 6, an ink cartridge 2 mounted to the recording apparatus main body and an ink supply tube 4 for connecting the ink cartridge 2 and the ink jet head 6. The ink supply tube 4 is arranged in the state of being lifted up so that the tube does not interfere with other members of the apparatus in the direction intersecting the traveling direction of a carriage 5.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus, and more particularly to an ink supply apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an ink supply device of a conventional ink jet recording apparatus, as shown in FIG. 4, an ink jet head 31 is mounted on a carriage 30 which serially conveys the recording paper in the digit direction, and an ink cartridge 32 for supplying ink is The ink-jet head 31 and the ink cartridge 32 are installed in the recording apparatus main body 33, and the ink is supplied to the ink-jet head 31 by connecting the ink-supply tube 34 made of a flexible material that can be bent. The ink supply tube 34 is arranged parallel to the carriage transport direction, and a sufficiently large bent portion is secured so that the ink supply tube 34 does not bend due to the ink supply tube 34 being stretched even when the carriage 30 moves in the area of all print digits. Was there. The ink supply tube 3 is used when the carriage 30 is accelerated and decelerated.
In order to cancel the irregular pressure fluctuations caused by the inertia of the ink in the No. 4, the damper device 35 and JP-A-53-60826.
The buffer device for the pressure fluctuation in the ink supply passage such as the sub tank as disclosed in 1) is mounted on the carriage 30 between the ink supply tube 34 and the inkjet head 31. The ink supply tube 34 is connected to the recording device main body 33.
Is also guided by the bottom surface of the carriage 30, and the above-mentioned pressure fluctuation buffering device also copes with fluctuations in the ink supply pressure due to the impact that occurs when the bent portion comes into contact with the bottom surface of the recording apparatus main body 33 during transport of the carriage 30. Was.

[0003]

However, in the ink supply device having the above structure, when the carriage moves to the end, the bent portion of the ink supply tube projects from the moving region of the carriage, and as a result, the lateral width of the recording device. Is causing the increase. Conventional inkjet recording devices are often used for printing documents, and since large-sized recording paper is used and the recording device itself is large, this increase in width was not a major problem. In a small recording device such as a calculator or a cash register, the protrusion of the bent portion of the ink supply tube causes a problem that the recording device becomes large. Further, by mounting a sub tank, a damper device, or the like on the carriage, not only the size of the carriage is increased but also the weight is increased, and a high torque carriage drive motor is required.

Further, the sub tank mounted on the carriage cancels the fluctuation of the pressure in the ink supply tube by communicating the ink with the atmosphere, and it is necessary to provide the sub tank with a vent hole. That is, there is a drawback that the ink leaks from the ventilation hole when the recording device is turned upside down. This problem is a problem particularly in a small handy type ink jet recording apparatus.

Further, in the case of the damper device, the fluctuation of the pressure is absorbed by the deformation of the ink chamber and the thin film attached to the ink chamber. However, since the gas permeability is generally inversely proportional to the thickness of the material, The gas inside the damper penetrates through the thin film, and the degassing of the ink cannot be maintained.Therefore, in the case of an inkjet head that requires degassed ink, there is a drawback that cavitation may cause defective ejection of the ink. ..

The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and the purpose thereof is to move the carriage by moving the carriage of the ink supply tube connecting the ink jet head and the ink cartridge in a small ink jet recording apparatus such as a calculator and a cash register. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink supply device for a small-sized inkjet recording device that has a narrow width and does not project from any direction. Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to eliminate the pressure fluctuation buffering device from the carriage and use a lightweight carriage, thereby making it possible to employ a small-sized, low-output carriage drive motor. Another object of the present invention is to prevent ink leakage and defective printing due to the provision of a pressure fluctuation buffering device.

[0007]

In an ink jet recording apparatus for ejecting ink onto a recording medium by using an ink jet head mounted on a carriage for serial transportation, an ink jet head mounted on the carriage and a recording device An ink cartridge installed in the main body of the apparatus, and an ink supply tube connecting the ink cartridge and the inkjet head are provided.
With the connection side of the ink supply tube to the ink cartridge as the center of rotation, the ink supply tube is moved in a direction intersecting the carriage direction so as to swing the connection side to the inkjet head mounted on the carriage. It is characterized in that the movable portion of the ink supply tube between the ink jet head and the recording apparatus main body has a floating structure that does not come into contact with other members.

Further, the movable part of the ink supply tube is covered with a tube guide.

[0009]

The ink supply tube for connecting the ink jet head mounted on the carriage for serial transfer and the ink cartridge installed in the main body of the recording apparatus is rotated about the connection side of the ink cartridge and the connection side of the ink jet head is shaken. By installing so as to move so as to intersect the carriage transport direction, the ink cartridge can be connected to the ink jet head without the bent portion of the ink supply tube protruding beyond the carriage movement region. Even if the fixing member is horizontally installed inside the bent portion of the ink tube along the carriage movement direction, this does not cause any trouble. Further, since the carriage direction and the ink supply tube are not arranged in parallel, there is no inertial force acting on the ink in the ink supply tube when the carriage is accelerated and decelerated. Further, the ink supply tube does not have a fixing member for guiding its movable part, so that no shocking load acting on the outside of the ink supply tube is generated. Therefore, a pressure fluctuation buffering device such as a sub tank or a damper is not required on the carriage at the connecting portion between the ink supply tube and the inkjet head.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the whole of this embodiment, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are explanatory views of the operation. 1 is a recording device main body, 2
Is an ink cartridge, 3 is an ink supply needle, 4 is an ink supply tube, 5 is a carriage, 6 is an inkjet head, 7 is a carriage drive motor, 8 is a timing belt, 9 is a platen, and 10 is recording paper. Reference numeral 11 is a cartridge holder, 12 is a tube guide, and 13 is a tube fixing member.

The ink cartridge 2 is detachably held in a cartridge holder 11 installed in the recording apparatus main body 1. The ink supply tube 4 is connected to the end of the ink supply needle 3 provided on the cartridge holder 11. Further, the ink supply tube 4 is the main body 1 of the recording apparatus.
The fixing portion 4-b is fixed by the tube fixing member 13. The ink supply tube 4 draws an inverted U-shape upward of the recording apparatus main body 1 with the fixing portion 4-b by the fixing member 13 as a boundary, and the ink supply port 6- of the inkjet head 6 mounted on the carriage 5. It is connected to a.
(Hereinafter, the U-shaped portion of the ink supply tube 4 opposite to the bent portion 4-
Call a. The fixing portion 4-b for fixing the ink supply tube 4 to the main body 1 of the recording apparatus is provided substantially at the center of the moving area of the carriage 5. The bent portion 4-a of the ink supply tube 4 is adjusted to have a sufficient length so as not to be stretched even when the carriage 5 moves to the rightmost side and the leftmost side. The movable portion of the ink supply tube 4 from the inkjet head 6 to the fixed portion 4-b of the recording apparatus main body 1 is floated so as not to contact other members. The outside of the ink supply tube 4 is covered with a tube guide 12 that facilitates formation of the bent portion 4-a. The ink supply tube 4 is made of a material that can withstand repeated bending, and a tube having a two-layer structure of polyethylene or polyethylene and nylon is generally used. Rubber such as butyl rubber may be used as long as it is flexible and can suppress evaporation of ink from the wall surface. Further, the tube guide 12 uses a contact coil spring or the like to form a bent portion 4-a having a well-balanced and well-balanced radius of curvature, and uses a tube having a structure in which the bent portion changes smoothly.

The carriage 5 is serially conveyed by a carriage drive motor 7 via a timing belt 8.
The ink ejected from the inkjet head 6 driven by a predetermined control by a control circuit (not shown) adheres to the recording paper 10 held by the platen 9 arranged with an appropriate gap from the inkjet head 6. , Form images and letters. The recording paper 10 is formed by arranging two roll papers having a maximum width of 70 mm in parallel. That is, the horizontal width of the moving area of the carriage 5 is about 150 mm, which is twice the width of the recording paper 10 plus the acceleration and deceleration distances of the carriage 5.

Next, the case where the carriage 5 is operated will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 shows the case where the carriage 5 is located at the leftmost side in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 shows the case where the carriage 5 is located at the center of FIG. The carriage 5
When is located on the rightmost side, it is similar to the case where it is located on the leftmost side, and therefore its explanation is omitted.

In FIG. 2, the carriage 5 is stopped at the leftmost side of the recording apparatus main body 1. In this state, a bent portion 4-a is formed by drawing an inverted U-shape from the fixed portion 4-b of the ink supply tube 4 to the recording apparatus body 1. In FIG. 1, when the carriage 5 is conveyed rightward (toward the front side in FIG. 2) toward the recording apparatus body 1 by the carriage drive motor 7, the ink supply tube 4 reaches the fixing portion 4-b of the recording apparatus body 1. While the carriage 5 is moving, the ink supply tube 4 changes the curvature of the bent portion 4-a to a small value and moves its position upward. Since the distance between the fixed portion 4-b of the recording apparatus main body 1 and the inkjet head 6 changes due to the movement of the carriage 5, the ink supply tube 4 has an excessive length and the curvature of the bent portion 4-a and the vertical position. Absorb by changing. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, at the position where the carriage 5 is closest to the fixing portion 4-b of the recording apparatus main body 1 of the ink supply tube 4, the bent portion 4-a has the minimum curvature, and the position reaches the uppermost portion. Moving. When the carriage 5 is further moved to the right in FIG. 1 (toward this side in FIG. 3), the bent portion 4-a of the ink supply tube 4 is lowered in height while increasing its curvature. In the case of the recording apparatus of the present embodiment in which the width of the moving region of the carriage 5 is about 150 mm, even if the ink supply tube 4 is arranged so as to intersect the carriage 5 transport direction,
The surplus length is absorbed by the change in the curvature of the bent portion 4-a, the change in the height of the bent portion 4-a is small, and it is not necessary to increase the height of the recording apparatus main body 1. Ink supply tube 4
Are not arranged in the carrying direction of the carriage 5, the ink inside the ink supply tube 4 is not affected by the inertia due to the acceleration during the acceleration and deceleration of the carriage 5, and the connection portion between the ink supply tube 4 and the inkjet head 6 is Does not require a pressure fluctuation buffer. In addition, since the movable portion of the ink supply tube 4 is arranged in a floating state and there is no member that forcibly guides the ink supply tube 4 from the outside during movement, shocking vibration does not act on the ink supply tube and internal Since there is no pressure fluctuation in the above ink, there is no need for a buffer device for the ink pressure fluctuation.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the bent portion 4-a of the ink supply tube 4 does not laterally project from the moving area of the carriage 5, and the width of the recording apparatus main body 1 can be narrowed. Further, since the ink pressure does not fluctuate inside the ink supply tube 4, a pressure fluctuation buffering device is not required. Therefore, the weight of the carriage 5 can be reduced and a small carriage drive motor 7 can be selected. Further, since there is no pressure fluctuation buffering device, there is no ink leakage or gas ingress into the ink, and stable printing is possible.

[0016]

According to the present invention, the ink jet head mounted on the carriage for serial transfer and the ink supply tube for connecting the ink cartridge installed in the main body of the recording apparatus have the connection side with the ink cartridge as the center of rotation. By installing the ink cartridge so that the connecting side of the ink jet head intersects with the carriage transport direction, the bent portion of the ink supply tube does not protrude from the carriage movement direction, and the ink cartridge and the ink jet head are separated from each other. Can be connected. Therefore, there is an effect that a recording device having a narrow width can be provided.

Further, since the carriage direction and the ink supply tube are not arranged in parallel, there is no inertial force acting on the ink in the ink supply tube when the carriage is accelerated and decelerated, and there is no fluctuation in the ink supply pressure. Further, since the ink supply tube does not have a member for guiding its movable portion, the shocking force acting from the outside of the ink supply tube to the inside of the ink supply tube does not act. Therefore, there is an effect that a pressure fluctuation buffering device such as a sub-tank or a damper is not required at the connecting portion between the ink supply tube and the inkjet head.

Further, there is an effect that a lightweight carriage unit can be realized and a small size and low output carriage drive motor can be selected. Further, since there is no pressure fluctuation buffering device, there is no vent hole required in the pressure fluctuation buffering device such as a sub tank in the ink supply path, and there is an effect that ink leakage does not occur even when the recording device is turned upside down.

Furthermore, the thin film necessary for the damper device does not exist in the ink supply path, the gas in the atmosphere does not enter the ink supply path, and even if it is an inkjet head that needs degassed ink, This has the effect of extremely reducing the frequency of occurrence of ejection defects.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Recording Device Main Body 2 Ink Cartridge 3 Ink Supply Needle 4 Ink Supply Tube 5 Carriage 6 Inkjet Head 7 Carriage Drive Motor 8 Timing Belt 9 Platen 10 Recording Paper 11 Cartridge Holder 12 Tube Guide 13 Tube Fixing Member

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. In an inkjet recording apparatus for printing information by ejecting ink onto a recording medium using an inkjet head, an ink connecting the inkjet head mounted on a carriage and an ink cartridge installed on the recording apparatus main body side. Equipped with a supply tube,
The connection side of the ink supply tube to the ink cartridge is the center of rotation, the connection side of the ink jet head is swingable, and the ink supply tube is arranged in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the carriage. And an inkjet recording device. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a movable portion of the ink supply tube between the ink jet head and the recording apparatus main body has a floating structure that does not come into contact with another fixed member. .. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable portion of the ink supply tube is covered with a tube guide.