JPH0531917A - Ink storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent molten ink from overflowing out of an ink storage device when a supplied ink block melts by making it impossible physically to supply ink blocks into an ink storage device all at once. CONSTITUTION:The size of a supply aperture 26 is slightly larger than the horizontal cross-section of an ink block, and the height from the bottom of an ink tank 18 which supports the ink block to the top of the supply aperture 26 is slightly longer than the height of the ink block. In addition, the volume of a container part is larger than the sum of the volume of a molten ink block and the volume of the container part 14 below the position where a thermister 36 is installed. Therefore, the molten ink supplied to the ink tank 18 no longer overflows out of the container part 14.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink storage device used in a hot-melt ink jet printer and supplied with solid ink having a predetermined size.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a solid ink at room temperature has been supplied to a hot-melt ink jet printer which ejects droplets of a heated and melted ink onto a recording medium for recording. Since this ink is solid at room temperature, it is more convenient to handle than the liquid ink at room temperature.
In particular, the block-shaped ink at room temperature (hereinafter referred to as an ink block) is formed in a size and shape that can be easily handled, and the handling is very convenient.

An ink storage device of a hot melt type ink jet printer to which such an ink block is supplied has a heating device for heating and melting the ink in an ink tank for storing the supplied ink, and an ink in the ink tank. And a detection device for detecting that the remaining amount of is less than or equal to a predetermined amount. Further, this ink tank had a size of the supply port into which the above-mentioned ink block can be easily inserted, and a volume capable of storing the plurality of ink blocks even when supplied. Further, the remaining amount of ink by the detection device is only for determining the supply timing of a new ink block, and has no relation to the number of ink blocks (ink amount) newly supplied. Therefore, a plurality of ink blocks are supplied to the ink storage device at one time.

[0004]

However, since it is unclear in the prior art how many ink blocks can be supplied to the ink tank at one time, the user must enter as much as possible in order to delay the next supply time. The ink block of was being supplied to the ink tank. In that case, when the supplied ink block is melted, the amount of the melted ink in the ink tank becomes larger than the capacity of the ink tank that can store the liquid ink, and the increased ink overflows from the ink tank. Due to the overflowed ink, there are problems that the inside of the hot-melt ink jet printer provided with the ink storage device is contaminated and the electronic parts are broken.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and for an ink block formed for the ink storage device of the present invention, only one ink block is supplied at a time. The hot melt has the shape of a tank and prevents the melted ink stored in the ink tank from overflowing the ink tank when the supplied ink block is melted. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink storage device that does not stain the ink jet printer and does not cause a malfunction.

[0006]

To achieve this object, the ink storage device of the present invention is a block-shaped solid having a specific cross section and a specific height at room temperature, and melts when heated. Liquid ink is supplied to the block, and a block-shaped ink is provided in the upper part thereof so that only one of the block-shaped ink can be inserted into the block, and the horizontal cross-sectional area is larger than the area of the supply port. Ink tank having a height substantially the same as the height of the ink droplets, a melting unit for heating and melting the block-shaped ink supplied into the ink tank, and the ink tank disposed at a predetermined height from the bottom of the ink tank. , Detecting means for detecting that the remaining amount of the ink melted inside is below a predetermined amount.

[0007]

The melting means of the present invention having the above construction heats and melts the block-shaped ink supplied into the ink tank. The detection means is arranged at a position of a predetermined height from the bottom of the ink tank, and detects that the remaining amount of the ink melted inside is below a predetermined amount. Then, the ink tank can store an amount of ink that is equal to or greater than the sum of the predetermined amount detected by the detection unit and the amount when one block-shaped ink having a specific size is melted. Therefore, the melted ink does not overflow from the ink tank.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an ink storage device 10 used in a hot-melt type ink jet printer and an ink block 12 supplied to the ink storage device. Two similar ink storage devices 10 are provided on the left side not shown. It is arranged. In a color record of a hot-melt type ink jet printer, generally, three primary colors of cyan (blue), magenta (red), and yellow, and a total of four types of ink including black are used. An ink storage device 10 for storing ink is provided respectively.

Here, in this embodiment, the ink storage device 10 is used.
4 types of ink block 1 supplied to each of the
2 has a columnar shape with a horizontal cross-sectional area (area of a hatched portion in FIG. 2) S1 and a vertical height H1.

In each of the ink storage devices 10 to which these four types of ink blocks 12 are supplied, as shown in FIG. 1, a heating device 20 is provided in an ink tank 18 in which a container portion 14 for storing ink is covered with a case portion 16. And the detection device 22 are attached.

A container portion 14 which constitutes the ink tank 18.
Has a bottomed cylindrical shape with an internal space having a horizontal cross-sectional area of S2 and a vertical height of H2. This container part 1
4 stores ink in the cylinder. A discharge port 24 is provided at the bottom corner of the container portion 14. The discharge port 24 is an opening provided to discharge the ink melted in the ink tank 18 from the container portion 14 to a print head (not shown) of the hot melt inkjet printer. A well-known delivery pipe 25 for guiding the melted ink from the inside of the container portion 14 to the print head is connected to the discharge port 24.

The case portion 16 which constitutes the ink tank 18 has a bottomless box shape in which the supply port 26 of the ink block 12 and the lid portion 28 thereof are formed on the upper portion. The case portion 16 is arranged at a position that covers the side portion of the container portion 14 and that covers the upper portion of the container portion 14 so as to be openable and closable by the supply port 26 and the lid portion 28. The height in the vertical direction from the bottom surface inside the container portion 14 to the upper portion of the supply port 26 is H3. The supply port 26 is a circular opening having an area S3 in the horizontal direction. The lid portion 28 is provided rotatably around a support shaft 30 provided on the upper rear side of the upper portion of the case portion 16, and opens and closes the supply port 26. The ink block 12 can be inserted into the container portion 14 from the supply port 26 by opening the lid portion 28, and the container portion 1 can be closed by closing the lid portion 28.
The upper opening (supply port 26) of 4 is closed. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a warning lamp 3 to be described later is provided in front of the case portion 16 (the upper portion of the case portion 16 and the opposite side of the support shaft 30).
2 are arranged.

As shown in FIG. 1, the heating device 20 is a well-known device that causes the heating portion control device 33 to cause the heating portion 34 to generate heat. The heat generating portion 34 is the container portion 1 of the ink tank 18.
It is provided below 4. Then, the heat generated from the heat generating portion 34 is transferred to the ink in the container portion 14 via the container portion 14 to melt the ink. Further, the heat generating unit control device 33 operates in conjunction with the power switch 35 of the hot melt inkjet printer. Then, the heat generation unit control device 33 controls the heat generation amount of the heat generation unit 34 and holds the melted ink in an appropriate temperature state.

The detection device 22 is an application of a well-known temperature discriminating device 37 using a thermistor 36. In this detection device 22, the thermistor 36 is attached to the side wall inside the container portion 14, and the vertical height from the bottom surface of the container portion 14 to the lower portion of the thermistor 36 is H4.
Ink is usually sufficiently supplied to the container portion 14, and the thermistor 36 is in the liquid of the melted ink and is in contact with the ink. However, as printing is performed by the hot melt ink jet printer, the amount of melted ink in the container portion 14 decreases, and the liquid level of the ink is higher than the bottom surface of the container portion 14 by H.
When the temperature is reduced to 4 or less, the thermistor 36 is exposed from the liquid of the ink and comes into contact with air. Then, the detection device 22 is in a state in which the thermistor 36 mounted in the container portion 14 is in contact with air due to the difference in the temperature of the melted ink with which the thermistor 36 in the container portion 14 is in contact and the amount of heat lost in the air. To detect that. In other words, when the above state is detected by the detection device 22, the melted ink exists only at a position lower than the position where the thermistor 36 is attached, and the residual ink melted in the container portion 14 remains. It can be seen that the amount is less than or equal to the predetermined amount.
The detection device 22 operates in conjunction with the power switch 35 of the hot melt inkjet printer.

Further, the detection device 22 includes a warning lamp 32.
And an alarm device 38 are connected. And the detection device 2
When it is detected that the melted ink in the container portion 14 is reduced by 2 and the thermistor 36 mounted in the container portion 14 is in contact with air, the warning lamp 32 is turned on or blinks, and an alarm is issued. A warning sound is generated from the device 38.

Next, the relationship between the sizes of the ink storage device 10 and the ink block 12 will be described.

First, the relationship between the size S3 of the supply port 26 of the ink tank 18 and the size S1 of the cross section of the ink block 12 is that S3 is slightly larger than S1. Therefore, only one ink block 12 is vertically inserted from the supply port 26 at the same time.

Further, the relationship between the vertical height H3 from the bottom of the ink container 18 inside the container portion 14 to the upper portion of the supply port 26 and the vertical height H1 of the ink block 12 is H.
3 is slightly higher than H1. Therefore, when the ink block 12 is inserted into the ink tank 18, the supply port 26 is blocked by the upper surface portion 40 of the ink block 12, so that two or more ink blocks 12 are not continuously inserted.

Further, here, the volume of the ink block 12 is S1 * H1, the volume when this amount of ink block 12 is melted by the heating device 20 to an appropriate temperature is V1, and the volume of the container portion 14 is S2 *. H2 is V2, and the volume below the position where the thermistor 36 of the container portion 14 is attached is S2 * H4. If this is determined to be V4, these respective relationships are such that V2 is V1 and V4. Is more than the sum of. As a result, when the warning lamp 32 is lit or blinking, or when the warning sound is generated from the warning device 38 (the amount V of the ink remaining in the container portion 14 is V4 or less), the ink block 12 is generated. When the ink is supplied into the container portion 14, the ink does not overflow from the container portion 14.

The operation of the ink storage device 10 having the above structure will be described below.

First, as an initial state, the ink storage device 1
No ink is supplied to 0.

The heating device 20 of the ink storage device 10 is the power switch 3 of the hot melt type ink jet printer.
When 5 is turned ON, the operation is started and the heat generating portion 34 is caused to generate heat. Then, after the predetermined preheating time has elapsed, the detection device 22 checks whether or not the thermistor 36 is in contact with the air. In the initial state, since there is no ink in the container portion 14, the detection device 22 detects that the thermistor 36 is in contact with air. By this detection, the warning lamp 32 is turned on or blinks, and a warning sound is generated from the warning device 38 to notify the user that the amount of ink to be supplied to the ink tank 18 is insufficient.

The user can turn on or off the warning lamp 32 or the warning sound of the alarm device 38 to give a warning to the ink tank 1.
Knowing that the ink in 8 is insufficient, the ink block 12 is supplied to the ink tank 18.

The ink block 12 includes an ink tank 18
Open the lid 28 of the ink tank 18 from the supply port 26
It is inserted inside. The ink block 12 can be supplied to the ink tank 18 by physically providing only one ink block 12 because the relationship between the size of the ink block 12 and the size of the ink tank 18 is as described above.

After supplying the ink block 12, the user closes the lid portion 28 of the ink tank 18 and
Prevents dust and dirt from getting inside and keeps the ink quality good.

The ink block 12 supplied into the ink tank 18 is heated by the heating device 20 and melted. When the liquid level of the melted ink reaches the height of H4 from the bottom surface of the container portion 14, the thermistor 36 comes into contact with the melted ink, so that the warning lamp 32 that has been lit or blinking is The light is turned off and the warning sound generated from the alarm device 38 is stopped. Further, the volume V2 of the container portion 14 is the volume V1 when the ink block 12 is melted.
Since the melted ink is sufficiently larger,
Does not overflow. The ink melted in the ink tank 18 is gradually delivered to the print head in accordance with the printing operation of the hot melt inkjet printer.

When the melted ink is gradually sent out and the liquid level of the melted ink in the ink tank 18 becomes below the height of H4 from the bottom surface of the container portion 14, the thermistor 36 becomes the melted ink. Since the contact state is changed to the state of being in contact with the air, the warning lamp 32 is turned on or blinks again, and a warning sound is generated from the warning device 38, so that the user is short of ink in the ink tank 18. Let us know.

As in the initial state, the user supplies only one ink block 12 into the ink tank 18. In this case, the supplied ink block 1
In addition to No. 2, the ink already melted in the ink tank 18 remains, but its volume V is smaller than V4,
Moreover, as described above, the volume V2 of the container portion 14 and the volume V1 when the ink block 12 is melted and the thermistor 3 are
Volume V4 of the container portion 14 below the position where 6 is attached
Therefore, the melted ink supplied to the ink tank 18 does not overflow from the container portion 14.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in detail above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, although the ink used in this embodiment is all cylindrical, the ink tank 18 in which the column-shaped ink block 12 having a cross section other than a circular shape is used has the supply port 26 of the ink block 12. It only needs to have a shape corresponding to the cross section and have a size that allows only one ink block 12 to be inserted.

The size of the ink tank 18 is the volume V2 of the container portion 14, the volume V4 of the container portion 14 below the position where the thermistor 36 is attached, and the ink tank 18 that supports the ink block 12. The height H3 from the bottom surface to the upper portion of the supply port 26 is limited, and the shape thereof is not limited. For example, in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, there is a shape in which the horizontal cross section of the container portion 14 below the position where the thermistor 36 is attached is narrower than that of the above-described embodiment. In this case, the volume of the container portion 14 is equal to the volume V2 of the container portion 14 of the above embodiment, the volume of the container portion 14 below the position where the thermistor 36 is attached is equal to V4, and The height from the bottom surface to the upper portion of the supply port 26 may be equal to H3. When such an ink tank 18 is used, when the ink block 12 is inserted, the liquid level of the melted ink remaining in the container portion 14 quickly rises when the cross section of the container portion 14 is narrow. The melted ink easily reaches the thermistor 36, the warning lamp 32 can be turned off quickly, and the warning sound generated from the warning device 38 can be stopped early.

[0033]

As is apparent from the above description, the ink storage device of the present invention does not physically supply a plurality of ink blocks to the ink tank at one time. Further, there is an effect that the melted ink in the ink tank does not overflow to the outside of the ink tank when the ink block is supplied and melted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an ink tank of the present invention and a diagram showing various devices arranged therein.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ink storage device of the present invention and an ink block supplied thereto.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state immediately after an ink block is inserted into the ink tank of FIG.

FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an ink storage device in which the cross section of the container portion below the position where the thermistor is arranged is narrower than that of the present embodiment. Figure 4 (b)
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Ink Storage Device 12 Ink Block 14 Container Section 16 Case Section 18 Ink Tank 20 Heating Device 22 Detecting Device 26 Supply Port 33 Heating Unit Control Device 34 Heating Unit 36 Thermistor 37 Temperature Discriminating Device

Claims (1)

Claim: What is claimed is: 1. A block-shaped solid, which has a cross section of a specific shape and a specific height at room temperature, and which is supplied with an ink that melts to become a liquid when heated. In an ink storage device for storing, a supply port into which only one block-shaped ink can be inserted is provided at an upper portion, the horizontal cross-sectional area is larger than the supply port area, and the height is substantially the same as the block-shaped ink height. An ink tank having a depth, a melting unit that heats and melts the block-shaped ink supplied into the ink tank, and is arranged at a predetermined height from the bottom of the ink tank and melted inside And a detection unit that detects that the remaining amount of ink is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, and the detection unit detects the capacity of the ink tank that can store the melted ink. A predetermined amount to the ink storing unit and greater than or equal to the sum and the sum of the amounts of one when the block-like ink is melted.