JPH05254145A - Ink supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an ink supply device constituted so that the replenishment with ink can be detected by a sensor simultaneously with the replenishment with solid ink. CONSTITUTION:A molten ink is stored in an ink pot 10 and supplied to a printing part only from an ink supply part 22 at the time of printing and, therefore, only the liquid level of the molten ink in the ink supply part 22 falls and the replenishment with ink is urged by a sensor 14 detecting the residual amount of ink provided to the lower part of the inside surface of the ink supply part 22 and printing is stopped. Simultaneously with the replenishment of an ink replenishing part 20 with solid ink, the molten ink in the ink replenishing part 20 overflows to the ink supply part 22 and the sensor 14 detects that the ink replenishing part is replenished with ink to reopen printing and the solid ink 32 is melted by the heater 12 provided to the ink pot 10 to become molten ink.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink supply device used in a printing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a hot melt type ink jet printer using a solid ink that melts when heated has an ink supply device that melts the solid ink and sends it to an ejection head. This ink supply device
As shown in FIG. 5, an ink pot 50 for storing ink, a heating element 54 for melting the solid ink 52, a sensor 56 for detecting the remaining amount of ink, and an ejection head (not shown) for the melted ink via a tube 58. It is configured by a pump 60 and the like for sending to.

FIG. 5 shows such an ink supply device.
As shown in, when the liquid level of the molten ink becomes lower than the sensor 56, the sensor 56 detects that the amount of ink remaining in the ink fountain 50 is low, and based on this, the controller of the printer prints. At the same time as issuing the stop command, the user is informed that the ink is exhausted by a display means such as an LED (not shown), and the ink is replenished. After that, when the ink is replenished in the ink fountain 50 in the state of the solid ink 52 by the user, the solid ink 52 in the ink fountain 50 becomes
It is melted by the heating element 54 provided under the ink fountain 50 to become molten ink. At that time, when the solid ink 52 is melted and the liquid surface of the melted ink reaches the sensor 56 provided in the lower portion of the ink bottle 50, the control unit of the printer detects that the ink has been replenished. Then, the print stop command is canceled, and the pump 60 sends the melted ink to the ejection head (not shown) through the tube 58.

After that, when printing is repeated and the remaining amount of ink decreases and the liquid level of the molten ink falls below the sensor 56, the sensor 56 detects that the remaining amount of ink is low, and again. The above operation is repeated.

[0005]

However, as shown in FIG. 6, even if the solid ink 52 is replenished by the user, the remaining amount of the melted ink is very small. Therefore, the solid ink 52 submerged in the melted ink 52. Has a small volume. Therefore, the liquid level of the melted ink after the solid ink 52 is replenished is almost the same as that before the solid ink 52 is replenished, the liquid level of the ink in the ink fountain 50 cannot reach the sensor 56, and the sensor 56 replenishes the ink. Cannot be detected. Therefore, even though the solid ink 52 has been replenished, the sensor 56 does not detect that the ink has been replenished. Therefore, the control unit of the printer does not release the print stop command, and the solid ink 52 does not heat the heating element 54. There is a problem in that printing is impossible until the ink is melted and the ink surface reaches the sensor 56.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is an ink supply for a hot-melt ink jet printer capable of detecting that the solid ink is replenished and at the same time the ink is replenished. The purpose is to provide a device.

[0007]

In order to achieve this object, the invention according to claim 1 is an ink supply device for a hot melt type ink jet printer provided with an ink tank for melting solid ink and supplying it to a printing portion. And a first tank for containing the molten ink to be supplied to the printing unit and an opening for replenishing the ink, which is separated from the first tank by a partition wall, A second tank for storing the molten ink to be supplied to the tank, and an ink residual amount detecting means arranged in the first tank for detecting the residual amount of the molten ink in the first tank are provided. There is.

Further, in the invention according to claim 2, the solid ink is replenished in the second tank which is always filled with the ink so that the molten ink overflows from the second tank to the first tank to rise. The remaining ink amount detecting means is arranged at a position lower than the ink surface of the first tank.

[0009]

In the ink supply device of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the molten ink in the first tank is consumed by the printing by the printing section, the liquid level of the molten ink in the first tank is lowered, and When the remaining ink amount detecting means detects the state where the amount of molten ink in the first tank is low, it is separated from the first tank by the partition wall and solid ink is discharged from the opening of the second tank into the second tank filled with the molten ink. Will be replenished. Then, the melted ink stored in the second tank overflows and is supplied to the first tank, and the ink remaining amount detecting means detects that the ink has been replenished, and the melted ink in the first tank is printed by the printing unit. Is supplied to.

[0010]

[Embodiment] An embodiment embodying the present embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG.
~ It demonstrates with reference to FIG.

First, the structure of the ink supply apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The ink supply device of the present invention comprises an ink fountain 1
0, heating element 12, sensor 1 which is an ink remaining amount detecting means
4, the pump 16, the tube 18 and the like. Further, the ink fountain 10 is composed of a pump chamber 24 and an ink storage portion 26. An annular partition 28 is provided in the ink storage section 26, whereby an ink replenishment section 20 is formed inside the partition 28 and an ink supply section 22 is formed outside the partition 28. It
The height of the partition wall 28 is lower than the height from the lower surface to the upper portion of the ink fountain 10. Further, the casing portion above the ink replenishing section 20 has an opening 3 for replenishing ink.
0 is formed.

Further, the heating element 12 is provided below the ink fountain 10 below the ink replenishing section 20, whereby the solid ink replenished in the ink replenishing section 20 is melted to become molten ink. The pump 20 is provided inside the pump chamber 24, and the tube 18 is attached to the lower portion of the pump chamber 24. Then, the molten ink is supplied from the ink supply unit 22 through the pump chamber to the printing unit (not shown) by the tube 18. Further, the sensor 14 that detects the remaining amount of the melted ink is installed in the lower portion of the inner side surface of the ink supply unit 22.

Next, the operation of the ink supply device of this embodiment will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, with the molten ink filled in the ink fountain 10, the ink supply section 22 is
Then, the molten ink is sent from the pump chamber 24 to the ejection head (not shown) by the pump 16 through the tube 18, and printing is performed by the printing unit (not shown).

When printing is repeated, the remaining amount of the molten ink becomes small, and the liquid level of the ink becomes the same as the upper end of the partition wall 28, only the liquid level of the ink supply section 22 becomes low thereafter, as shown in FIG. It will become. In other words, as the printing is repeated, the remaining amount of the melted ink decreases, but since the ink is supplied only from the ink supply unit 22 to the ejection head (not shown), the liquid level of the melted ink in the ink replenishment unit 20 becomes It will not be lower than the height of the partition wall 28. When the printing is further repeated and the liquid level of the molten ink in the ink supply unit 22 becomes lower than that of the sensor 14 as shown in FIG. 2, the sensor 14 detects that the ink remaining amount in the ink supply unit 22 is small, At the same time as the control unit issues a print stop command, it informs the user that the remaining amount of ink is low, and prompts the solid ink 32 to be replenished.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, when the solid ink 32 is replenished by the user through the opening 30 to the ink replenishing section 20 filled with the molten ink, as shown in FIG.
As shown in, the molten ink remaining in the ink replenishing section 20 overflows into the ink supply section 22. Then, the liquid level of the ink supply unit 22 rapidly rises and reaches the sensor 14,
Since the sensor 14 detects that ink has been replenished,
The control unit releases the print stop command, and printing becomes possible.
As described above, in the ink supply device of the present embodiment, the solid ink 32 is replenished, and at the same time, the sensor 14 detects that the ink has been replenished and the print stop command is canceled. Can be printed on.

As a modified example, FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are used.
, The pump chamber 24, the ink supply unit 22,
An ink supply device in which the ink fountain 10 is configured side by side with the ink replenishing section 20 is conceivable. However, in this case, the partition wall 28 that separates the ink supply unit 22 and the ink replenishment unit 20 must be lower than the outer wall of the ink fountain 10.

As another modified example, as shown in FIGS. 4 (c) and 4 (d), the ink fountain 10 has the same structure as that of the above-described embodiment, but the ink supply section 22 and the ink replenishment section 20. It is conceivable that the partition wall 28, which has an annular shape and separates from the ink container 10, is higher than the outer wall of the ink bottle 10.

[0020]

As is apparent from the above description, in the ink supply device of the present invention, even if the ink is used up and the printing is stopped, the solid ink can be replenished and the printing can be started again.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of an ink supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the ink supply device of the present invention has a small amount of remaining ink.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where solid ink of the ink supply device of the present invention is replenished.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of a modified example of this embodiment. FIG. 4B is a top view of a modified example of this embodiment. FIG. 4C is a sectional view of another modification of this embodiment. Figure 4
(D) is a top view of another modification of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the ink remaining amount of the conventional ink supply device is small.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where ink is replenished in a conventional ink supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Inkwell 12 Heating Element 14 Sensor 16 Pump 18 Tube 20 Ink Replenishing Section 22 Ink Supply Section 24 Pump Room 26 Ink Storage Section 28 Partition Wall 30 Opening Section 32 Solid Ink

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display location B41J 2/125 9012-2C B41J 3/04 104 K

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An ink supply device for a hot-melt ink jet printer, comprising an ink tank for melting solid ink and supplying it to a printing section, wherein a first ink for accommodating the molten ink to be supplied to the printing section is provided. A tank and an opening for replenishing ink, separated from the first tank by a partition wall, and a second tank for containing solid ink and molten ink to be supplied to the first tank; An ink supply device, which is arranged in the first tank, for detecting a remaining amount of the molten ink in the first tank, and an ink supply device. 2. The first tank which rises due to molten ink overflowing from the second tank to the first tank when solid ink is replenished in the second tank which is always filled with ink. The ink supply device according to claim 1, wherein the ink remaining amount detecting means is arranged at a position lower than the ink liquid surface.