JPH09174875A - Ink supply device and printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To supply ink to a head mechanism by smoothly opening/closing a valve even when the ink stiffly adheres to the valve. SOLUTION: A valve accommodation chamber 32 is formed at a lower face of an ink tank. A first outflow port 33 is formed at a bottom face of the accommodation chamber 32, and a second outflow port 34 is formed at an upper face of the accommodation chamber 32. A bush 35 is formed in the periphery of the second outflow port 34. An upper end of a coil spring 36 is tightly kept in touch with the periphery of the bush 35. An outer circumferential face of a valve member 37 is held in tight contact with an inner circumferential face of a lower end of the coil spring 36. A supporting member 38 is formed at the valve member 37. When the supporting member 38 is pressed down, the ink flows out from the first outflow port 33 through a gap 36b of coils 36a.

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 that supplies ink to a head mechanism that prints with ink while scanning a print medium, and a printer including the ink supply device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as the above-mentioned printer, there is known a printer which ejects ink onto a printing medium to perform printing. As the type of the printer, a piezoelectric element is attached to the ink chamber in which the ink ejection nozzle is formed, and the piezoelectric effect of the piezoelectric element pressurizes the ink in the ink chamber to eject the ink from the ink ejection nozzle. In some cases, a heating element is provided in the ink chamber, the heating element is heated to generate bubbles in the ink, and ink is ejected by the pressure of the bubbles.

Each of the printers is provided with a recording head having the ink chamber formed therein, and an ink tank for supplying ink to the recording head is attached to the recording head. The ink tank is provided with a sensor that detects that the liquid level of the ink has dropped to a certain level, and an ink supply device that supplies ink to the ink tank is provided in the printer. The ink supply device is provided with an ink containing means for containing ink, and the ink containing means is provided with an outflow port for letting out the ink. A reed valve is provided at the outflow port, and the reed valve is opened and closed by a pressure change in the ink containing means.

When the sensor detects that the liquid level of the ink has dropped to a certain level, the recording head to which the ink tank is attached moves to the position where the ink supply device is provided, and the ink is ejected. The supply device is driven to supply the ink into the ink tank attached to the recording head.

[0005]

However, since the above-described conventional ink supply device is provided with the ink containing means for supplying the ink by opening and closing the reed valve, the ink adhering to the reed valve and the periphery of the reed valve is not removed. When it hardens, there is a problem that the movement of the reed valve becomes poor and the ink cannot be smoothly discharged. In particular, in a printer that uses hot melt ink that has been heated and melted, the above problems are likely to occur when the temperature of the hot melt ink decreases and the viscosity increases.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink supply which is not easily affected by ink adhesion and which allows smooth ink outflow. An object of the present invention is to provide a printer including the apparatus and the ink supply apparatus thereof.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ink according to claim 1, which supplies ink to a head mechanism that prints with ink while scanning on a print medium. In the supply device, the head mechanism is provided with an ink injection port for injecting the ink, and the ink containing means for containing ink to be supplied to the head mechanism and the ink containing means are provided in the ink containing means. And a coil constituting the coil spring, which is composed of an ink outlet through which the ink flows out to the ink inlet of the head mechanism, and a coil spring provided in the vicinity of the ink outlet and closed at one end. A first state in which they are in close contact with each other and block the ink outlet,
The coil means is separated from each other, and a valve mechanism capable of switching to a second state in which the ink is allowed to flow out from the ink outlet is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ink supply device according to the first aspect, the coil spring has a technical means for closing the ink outlet from the inside of the ink containing means. adopt.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in the ink supply device according to the second aspect, a valve accommodating chamber is provided at the ink outlet of the ink accommodating means, and the valve accommodating chamber has a valve accommodating chamber. A first outflow port capable of communicating the valve accommodating chamber with the outside and a second outflow port capable of communicating the inside of the ink accommodating means with the valve accommodating chamber are formed. Includes the valve mechanism, the open end of the coil spring is in close contact with the peripheral edge of the first or second outlet, and the first or second outlet is openably closed. Adopt the technical means of doing.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the ink supply device according to any one of the first to third aspects,
The coil spring employs a technical means in which the coils constituting the coil spring are always in close contact with each other and the coil spring is in a first state of closing the ink outlet.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the ink supply device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects,
In the valve mechanism, by moving the coil spring forward and backward with respect to the ink outlet, the first state and the second state can be obtained.
The technical means that a valve member that enables switching to the above state is provided is adopted.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in the ink supply device according to the fifth aspect, one end of the valve member is attached to the coil spring and the other end penetrates the ink outlet. The technical means that a rod-shaped supporting member is formed is adopted.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the ink supply device according to the fifth aspect, one end of the valve member is attached to the coil spring, and the other end of the valve member is the ink containing means. A technical means is adopted in which a rod-shaped support member is formed that penetrates a wall surface facing the ink outlet.

According to an eighth aspect of the invention, in the ink supply device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects,
A technical means is adopted in which the ink containing means is filled with a hot melt ink which is solid at room temperature, and a heating means for heating the hot melt ink so as to be meltable is provided.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the ink supply device according to the eighth aspect, the coil spring constitutes a heat generating element of the heating means.

According to a tenth aspect of the invention, there is provided the ink supply device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects,
It is fixed near the moving path of the head mechanism, and the head mechanism is provided with an ink amount detection sensor for detecting the amount of ink in the head mechanism. Based on the detection result of the ink amount detection sensor. Moving means for moving the head mechanism to a fixed position of the ink supply device, and the valve when the head mechanism is moved to the fixed position of the ink supply device by the moving means. And a valve mechanism opening means for advancing and retracting the mechanism to and from the second state in which the ink outlet is opened.

According to the eleventh aspect, in the tenth aspect,
In the printer described in (1), the head mechanism employs a technical means that is an inkjet head that performs print recording by ejecting ink droplets.

[0018]

According to the invention described in claims 1 to 9, a valve mechanism composed of a coil spring having one end closed is provided in the vicinity of the ink outlet of the ink containing means, and a coil constituting the coil spring is provided. The ink outlets can be closed by bringing them into close contact with each other (first state). Further, by separating the coils from each other (second state), it is possible to cause the ink to flow out from the ink outlet. In other words, unlike the conventional reed valve that opens and closes due to the pressure change in the ink containing means, the spring force of the coil spring opens and closes the ink outlet, making it less susceptible to ink adhesion and allowing smooth ink outflow. Can be made.

Particularly, in the invention according to claim 2 or 3, the coil spring can close the ink outlet so as to be opened from the inside of the ink containing means. That is, when the ink outlet is closed so as to be openable from the outside of the ink containing means, the ink flowing out from the ink outlet spreads outwardly between the coils and flows out. Since the diameter of the ink is larger than the diameter of the ink outlet, the diameter of the ink inlet of the head mechanism must be increased accordingly, but the ink outlet can be opened from the inside of the ink containing means. By closing the ink, the ink flowing out from between the coils is finally converged at the ink outlet, so that it is not necessary to increase the diameter of the ink inlet.

Further, in the invention as set forth in claim 4, the coil spring is always provided in a first state in which the coils constituting the coil spring are in close contact with each other and the ink outlet is closed. Since it has a force, it is possible to prevent ink from leaking from the ink outlet when ink is not supplied.

Further, in the invention according to claim 5, the valve mechanism can be switched between the first state and the second state by advancing and retracting the coil spring with respect to the ink outlet. Since the valve member for
By advancing and retracting the valve member, the ink outlet can be closed and the ink can flow out from the ink outlet.

In the invention of claim 6 or claim 7, the valve member for advancing and retracting the coil spring with respect to the ink outlet can be switched between the first state and the second state. Since a rod-shaped support member having one end attached to the coil spring and the other end penetrating the ink outlet is formed, the valve member can be moved by moving the support member forward and backward. It is possible to advance and retreat to switch between the first state and the second state. Further, as in the invention described in claim 7, by penetrating the supporting member from the wall surface facing the ink outlet, the supporting member is operated outside the ink containing means to open and close the ink outlet. It can be performed. That is, in the invention according to claim 6 or claim 7, the ink outlet can be forcibly opened and closed by operating the support member, so that the valve is changed by a pressure change in the ink containing means. There is less risk of malfunction due to the influence of ink adhesion than that of opening and closing.

In the invention described in claim 8, since the ink containing means is filled with the hot melt ink which is solid at room temperature, and the heating means for heating the hot melt ink so as to be meltable is provided. The hot melt ink can be melted and supplied by the heating means. Therefore, the preparation time for printing can be shortened as compared with the case of supplying the ink in the solid state.

In the invention according to claim 9, since the coil spring constitutes one heating element of the heating means, by heating the coil spring, the coil spring adheres to the coil spring and hardens. The ink can be melted. Therefore, the movement of the coil spring can be smoothed, and the ink can be more smoothly discharged.

According to a tenth aspect of the invention, the head mechanism is moved to a fixed position of the ink supply device based on the detection result of the ink amount detection sensor for detecting the amount of ink in the head mechanism. The valve mechanism opening means can move the valve mechanism forward and backward to the second state to open the ink outlet.

According to the invention described in claim 11, claim 10 is provided.
The invention described in (1) can be applied to a printer including an inkjet head that performs print recording by ejecting ink droplets.

[0027]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment,
An ink supply device used in a hot-melt type color printer (hereinafter abbreviated as a printer) will be described as a representative. First, an outline of the structure of the printer will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the structure of the printer as viewed from above, and FIG. 2 is an ink tank as an ink storage means provided in the printer shown in FIG. 1, a valve drive device as a valve mechanism opening means, and a head. It is an external perspective view showing a mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 is provided with a platen 12 into which printing paper as a printing medium is loaded, and the platen 12 is rotated by an LF (line feed) motor 14. . Platen 12
The head mechanism 2 mounted on the carriage 17 is provided near
0 is provided, and the head mechanism 20 reciprocates on a guide shaft 16 provided along the platen 12 by driving a CR (carriage) motor 18. Further, hot melt ink (hereinafter, abbreviated as ink) heated and melted to the head mechanism 20 is supplied to a side portion (left side in FIG. 1) near the movement path of the head mechanism 20 in the printer 10. The ink supply device 30 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the head mechanism 20 comprises a recording head 22 for ejecting ink onto the printing paper and an ink supply body 24 for supplying ink to the recording head 22. The recording head 22 includes a yellow head 22a that ejects yellow ink, a magenta head 22b that ejects magenta ink, a cyan head 22c that ejects cyan ink, and a black head 22d that ejects black ink. .

Although not shown, each head has a plurality of ink chambers filled with ink and provided with ink discharge nozzles. Each ink chamber has a volume of ink chamber. Is provided for changing the piezoelectric element. Inside the ink supply body 24, four ink supply chambers for accommodating the ink to be supplied to each head are formed (see FIG. 3), and an ink injection chamber for injecting ink is formed on the upper surface of each ink supply chamber. An entrance 24a is provided.

The ink supply device 30 is provided with an ink tank 31 for accommodating the ink to be injected into each of the ink injection ports. Inside the ink tank 31, although not shown, the inks of the respective colors are colored. Four separate tanks are formed. Here, the structure of the tank will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the main structures of the ink tank 31 and the ink supply body 24. FIG. 4 shows the ink tank 3 shown in FIG.
2A is an explanatory view of the valve mechanism provided in FIG. 1, and FIG.
The closed state (first state) of the valve is shown in FIG.
The closed state (2nd state) of a valve is shown. Since each ink tank and head mechanism have the same structure, the tank and head for yellow ink will be described as a representative example.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a tapered cylindrical valve accommodating chamber 32 is formed on the lower surface of the ink tank 31 so as to project therefrom. A first outlet 33 is formed on the bottom surface of the valve accommodating chamber 32 so that the valve accommodating chamber 32 and the outside can communicate with each other. A second outlet 34 is formed that can communicate with the chamber 32.

A cylindrical bush 35 is formed around the lower surface of the second outlet 34.
On the peripheral surface of 5, the upper end (open end) of the coil spring 36
Is adhered. The outer peripheral surface of a disc-shaped valve member 37 conforming to the shape of the inner peripheral surface is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the lower end of the coil spring 36, and a rod-shaped valve member 37 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the valve member 37. A support member 38 is formed.
That is, the lower end of the coil spring 36 is closed by the valve member 37.

The upper portion of the support member 38 penetrates the second outlet 34 of the ink tank 31 and the wall surface 31a facing the second outlet 34, and the head of the cam described later is provided at the upper end thereof. A disk-shaped contact member 39 that contacts is formed (see FIG. 2). A gap (first gap) for allowing the ink in the ink tank 31 to flow into the valve accommodating chamber 32 is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the support member 38 and the second outlet port 34. There is. A gap (second gap) for allowing the ink in the coil spring 36 to flow outside through the first outlet 33 is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the coil spring 36 and the inner peripheral surface of the valve accommodating chamber 32. A gap) is formed.

A plate-shaped heater 40 for heating and melting the ink in the ink tank 31 is attached to the bottom surface of the ink tank 31.
A heat insulating layer (not shown) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the. Next, the configuration of the device for driving the cam will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a cam mounting shaft 41 is rotatably mounted on the upper surface of the ink tank 31, and four cams 42 are fixed to the cam mounting shaft 41.

Each cam 42 has an ink tank 31.
It is fixed so as to be positioned on the four contact members 39 protruding from the upper surface of the contact member 39, and when the cam 42 rotates, the contact member 39 is pushed down by the head of the cam. A gear 43 is fixed to one end of the cam attachment shaft 41. The gear 43 is connected to the motor 14 via a gear 44.
It is rotated by the rotation of the gear 45 fixed to the rotating shaft of the. The gear 43 can be brought into contact with or separated from the gear 44 by a switching operation of a switching mechanism 58 described later (see FIG. 5).

Next, the operation of the valve mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A, the support member 3
When 8 is not pushed down, the coil spring 36 is contracted, and the coils 36a forming the coil spring 36 are in close contact with each other. As a result, the ink that has flowed out of the ink tank 31 into the valve accommodating chamber 32 via the second outlet 34 is blocked by the coil spring 36 and the valve member 37.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the head of the cam is brought into contact with the contact member 39 and the support member 38 is pushed down, the other end (lower end) of the coil spring 36 is moved to the valve member 37. Each coil 3 because it is pulled downward by
A gap 36b (third gap) is formed between 6a. As a result, the ink inside the coil spring 36 is
As shown by the arrow in the figure, the ink flows out from the gap 36b, and the ink outlet 24 shown in FIG.
injected into a.

When the head of the cam separates from the contact member 39, the coil spring 36 contracts to the state shown in FIG. 4A due to the restoring force of the spring. As described above, according to the valve mechanism, the gap can be formed between the coils forming the coil spring 36 to allow the ink to flow out. Moreover, since the support member 38 is pushed down to force the ink to flow out, like a conventional reed valve that opens and closes the valve by the pressure change in the ink tank,
It is less likely that ink will adhere to the valve and the valve will not move smoothly. Therefore, according to the above valve mechanism, it is highly durable,
Moreover, it is possible to realize an ink supply device capable of smoothly flowing out the ink.

Next, the structure of the head 22a will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the ink supply body 2
A main chamber 71 for storing the heated and melted ink to be circulated in the head 22a and a sub chamber 72 for storing the ink in the head 22a are formed in the nozzle 4. At the bottom of the sub chamber 72, an inflow port 73 through which the ink circulated in the head 22a flows into the sub chamber 72, and the ink in the sub chamber 72 is transferred to the main chamber 71
An outflow port 74 is formed so as to flow out to the inflow port 74, and the outflow port 74 communicates with an inflow port 75 formed at the bottom of the main chamber 71 by a communication passage 76.

A plate-like valve 80 for opening and closing the inflow port 73 and the outflow port 74 is attached to the bottom of the sub chamber 72. A substantially central portion of the bottom surface of the valve 80 is supported by a supporting portion 77 formed to project from the bottom portion of the sub chamber 72, and one end 8 thereof is provided.
1 is biased by a leaf spring 90 fixed to the upper surface of the sub chamber 72 in a direction of closing the inflow port 73. A lever 92 is attached to the other end 82 of the valve 80, and the lever 92 projects from a groove 94 formed in the upper surface of the sub chamber 72.

That is, when the lever 92 is pushed downward, the inflow port 73 is opened and the outflow port 74 is closed. A temperature sensor 53 that detects the temperature of the ink in the main chamber 71 is embedded in the bottom of the main chamber 71, and the side wall of the main chamber 71 has reached the level at which the ink should be replenished. An ink amount detection sensor 54 is provided to detect that the ink has become a tongue. Further, a heater 96 that heats and melts the ink in the main chamber 71 and the sub-chamber 72 and holds the melted state is attached to the bottom surface of the ink supply body 24.

The heater 96 includes a plate-shaped base material 96a made of an insulating material, an AC heating element 96b formed in a film shape on the lower surface of the base material 96a, and a base material 96a.
Has a double structure including a DC heating element 96c formed in a film shape on the upper surface thereof. The AC heating element 96b is connected to an AC power supply 97 supplied to the printer, and D
The C heating element 96c is connected to the DC power source 98 converted based on the AC power source 97.

Further, an AC power source 97 and a DC power source 98
Is connected to the switch circuit 99 (see FIG. 5),
When the ink is in a solid state, the AC power source 97b is supplied to the AC heating element 96b to melt the ink in a short time with a large amount of heat generation, and after the ink reaches a printable temperature, the DC heating element 96c. A DC power source 98 is supplied to maintain the ink temperature with a small amount of heat generation. A protective layer made of an insulating material is formed on each of the surfaces of the AC heating element 96b and the DC heating element 96c.

Further, the hot melt type ink has a property that its volume decreases when it is solidified from a molten state,
Due to the decrease in the volume, bubbles may be generated inside the head, and the bubbles may clog the nozzle. Therefore, in the printer 1, the following maintenance operation for removing the air bubbles is performed when the printer is started up or at regular intervals. First, the printer 1 is provided with a cam (lever operating means) rotated by a purging motor, and the head 22a moves to the position where the cam is provided. The lever 92 is pushed down by the rotation of the cam, and the one end 81 of the valve 80 is moved to the leaf spring 9
While being raised against the spring force of 0, the inflow port 73 is opened.

At this time, a hose connected to a pump used for purging to collect the defective ink on a regular basis is connected to an air supply port (not shown), and the pump is reversely driven so that air is supplied into the main chamber 71. Is sent to (air supply means). As a result, the ink in the main chamber 71 is pressurized, circulates through the head 22a, and is sent into the sub chamber 72. Then, when a preset time elapses, the driving of the pump is stopped and the cam rotates to the original position. As a result, the inflow port 73 is closed and the outflow port 74 is
Is opened, and the ink in the sub chamber 72 flows into the main chamber 71 from the inflow port 75 through the communication passage 76. Then, when the main chamber 71 is opened to the atmosphere, the bubbles in the ink rise to the liquid surface of the ink and disappear into the atmosphere.

Next, the structure for controlling the ink supply device 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the control system of the printer 10, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the calculation contents of the CPU for controlling the ink supply device 30. The printer 10 has a C for performing various calculation processes described later.
The PU 50 is provided. The CPU 50 has an interface 52 for converting a signal output from the host computer 51 into a signal used for arithmetic processing in the CPU 50, a temperature sensor 53 for detecting the temperature of ink in the ink supply chamber 70, and an ink in the ink supply chamber 70. Ink amount detection sensor 54 for detecting the amount, ROM 55 and RAM 56 in which programs used for the above arithmetic processing are stored
Are connected respectively.

The CPU 50 is the host computer 5
The print data output from interface 1 via the interface 52 is input, the print data is loaded into the print program read from the ROM 55, and the LF motor 1
4. Calculate data for driving the CR motor 18 and the head 22a. Then, of the calculated data, the LF motor drive data for driving the LF motor 14 is input to the LF drive circuit 57, and the LF motor drive data is output according to the LF motor drive signal output from the LF drive circuit 57.
The F motor 14 is driven.

This LF motor 14 has a switching mechanism 58.
The switching mechanism 58 is connected to the purging mechanism 59 for purging, the paper feeding mechanism 60, and the ink supply device 30 in a switchable manner. Further, the purging mechanism 59 is provided with an HP sensor 61 for detecting that the carriage 17 on which the head mechanism 20 is mounted is present at a purging position (home position), and the paper feeding mechanism 60 is provided with a printing sensor. A PE sensor 62 for detecting the absence of paper (paper empty) is provided.

Of the calculated data, CR
The CR motor drive data for driving the motor 18 is
The CR motor 1 is input to the CR drive circuit 63 and according to the CR motor drive signal output from the CR drive circuit 63.
8 is driven. That is, by driving the CR motor 24, the carriage 17 reciprocates along the guide shaft 16. Further, a timing slit (not shown) is provided along the guide shaft 16, and the carriage 17 reads the number of the timing slit C.
An R position sensor 64 is attached.

The CPU 50 receives a pulse signal output from the CR position sensor 64 and counts the number of pulses, and the CR position counter 65, the LF motor 14 and the paper feeding mechanism 60 feed the printing paper. An LF position counter 66 that counts the warmth and a purge position counter 67 that detects the rotational position of the purging cam that drives the purge mechanism 59 are connected. CP
The U50 calculates the position of the recording head 22 and the rotational position of the purging cam based on the data counted by these counters.

Of the calculated data, the print head drive data for driving the print head 22 is input to the head drive circuit 68, and printing is performed according to the print head drive signal output from the head drive circuit 68. The head 22 is driven. That is, when the head drive signal is input to the recording head 22, a voltage is applied to a piezoelectric element (not shown) that constitutes each element of the recording head 22, and a cavity (not shown) in which the piezoelectric element is provided is applied. The vibrating plate is displaced, and the ink in the cavity is pressurized and ejected from the nozzle.

Next, the control of the ink supply device 30 by the CPU 50 will be described with reference to FIG. First,
When the ink amount detection sensor 54 provided in the main chamber 71 in the ink supply body 24 detects that the ink amount has dropped to a level to be replenished (step 100), the head mechanism 20 is moved to the ink supply device 30. A command is issued to move to the provided position (step 110). Subsequently, the distance moved by the head mechanism 20 is counted by the CR position counter 65, and it is determined whether or not the count value has reached the count value required to reach the position where the ink supply device 30 is provided. (Step 12
0).

Subsequently, if an affirmative decision is made in step 120, an LF motor drive command is issued to the LF motor drive circuit 57 (step 130), and the LF motor 14 is rotated. As a result, the cam 42 is rotated and the contact member 39 protruding from the upper surface of the ink tank 31 is pushed down (see FIG. 2). Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the ink flows out from the gap 36b formed between the coils 36a of the coil spring 36 through the first outflow port 33 and is injected from the ink injection port 24a shown in FIG. To be done.

Thereafter, when the liquid level of the ink in the main chamber 71 rises and the ink amount detecting sensor 54 detects a full state (step 140), the driving of the LF motor 14 is stopped (step 150). , Supply of ink is completed. As described above, when the ink in the ink supply body 24 is low, the head mechanism 20 is automatically moved to the position where the ink supply device 30 is provided, and the ink supply device 30 is driven to replenish the ink. can do. The coil spring 36 may be connected to the power source of the heater 40 to melt the ink solidified at the periphery of the coil spring 36.
According to this configuration, the movement of the coil spring 36 can be made smooth, so that the ink can be discharged even more smoothly.

In the above embodiment, the lower end of the coil spring 36 is pulled downward to allow the ink to flow out. However, the bush 35 is formed on the peripheral edge of the first outlet 33, and The inner peripheral surface of the lower end of the coil spring 36 is closely fixed to the outer peripheral surface, the valve member 37 is fixed to the upper end of the coil spring 36, and the support member 38 is pulled upward, whereby the coil spring 36 is extended and ink is ejected. It can also be configured to drain. In the case of this configuration, the cam 42 is arranged on the lower surface of the contact member 39, and the head of the cam 42 causes the contact member 39 to move.
To be able to lift. It should be noted that the cams 42 may be individually driven so that ink can be individually supplied from the ink tanks of the colors in which the remaining ink amount is low, depending on the driving status of each recording head 22.

Next, FIG. 7 shows the second embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described with reference to FIG. The ink supply device of the present embodiment is
A feature is that a rod-shaped support member 38 is attached to the lower surface of the valve member 37. 7A shows a state where the ink outlet 33 is closed, and FIG. 7B shows a state where the ink outlet 33 is opened. As shown in the figure, the lower end of the coil spring 36 is closely fixed to the peripheral edge of the ink outlet 33 of the valve accommodating chamber 32, and the upper end is closed by the valve member 37. A rod-shaped support member 38 is attached to the center of the lower surface of the valve member 37, and the ink supply member 24
The stage 21 is provided below the ink injection port 24a therein. Further, the ink tank 31 can be moved up and down by a driving unit (not shown).

Then, when the head mechanism 20 reaches the position where the ink tank 31 is provided as shown in FIG. 7A, the ink tank 31 is lowered and supported as shown in FIG. 7B. The tip of the member 38 contacts the upper surface of the stage 21. Then, when the ink tank 31 is further lowered, the valve member 37 is lifted upward, the coil 36a is separated, and the ink flows out from the gap 36b. In addition,
The head mechanism 20 may be configured to move up to lift the valve member 37.

In each of the above embodiments, the case where the ink supply device of the present invention is applied to a printer of the type that ejects ink by the piezoelectric effect of the piezoelectric element has been described. However, the ink supply device of the present invention is provided in the ink chamber. It can also be applied to a type of printer in which bubbles are generated by the generated heating element and ink is ejected by the pressure. It can also be applied to a printer using a liquid ink other than the hot melt ink. Further, the steps 100 to 150 are performed by the moving means according to the present invention.
F motor 14, cam mounting shaft 41, cam 42 and gear 4
3 to 45 correspond to the valve mechanism opening means, respectively.

[0060]

According to the invention described in claims 1 to 9, since the ink outlet is opened and closed by the spring force of the coil spring, the ink is not easily affected by the adhesion of the ink and the ink can be smoothly discharged. Therefore, it is possible to realize an ink supply device that can supply ink smoothly.

Particularly, in the invention described in claim 2 or 3, since the ink flowing out from between the coils can be converged at the ink outlet, it is not necessary to increase the diameter of the ink inlet.

Further, in the invention as set forth in claim 4, the coil spring is always provided in such a state that the coils constituting the coil spring are in close contact with each other and the ink outlet is closed. Since it has a force, it is possible to prevent ink from leaking from the ink outlet when ink is not supplied.

Further, in the invention described in claim 5, by advancing and retracting the valve member provided in the valve mechanism, the ink outlet can be closed and the ink can be discharged from the ink outlet.

According to the sixth or seventh aspect of the invention, the ink outlet can be forcibly opened and closed by operating the support member attached to the valve member. There is less risk of malfunction due to the influence of ink adhesion, compared with the case where the valve is opened and closed by the pressure change.

According to the eighth aspect of the invention, since the hot-melt ink can be melted and supplied in advance by the heating means provided in the ink containing means, the preparation for printing is more preferable than the one supplied in the solid state. The time can be shortened.

In the ninth aspect of the invention, by heating the coil spring, the ink solidified in the vicinity of the coil spring can be melted and the movement of the coil spring can be smoothed. Can be drained.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, the head mechanism is moved to the fixed position of the ink supply device based on the detection result of the ink amount detection sensor for detecting the amount of ink in the head mechanism, and the valve mechanism is moved. The opening mechanism can advance and retract the valve mechanism to the second state to open the ink outlet.

In the invention described in claim 11, claim 10 is provided.
The invention described in (1) can be applied to a printer including an inkjet head that performs print recording by ejecting ink droplets.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a main structure of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective explanatory diagram showing an ink tank as an ink accommodating means, a valve drive device as a valve mechanism opening means, and a head mechanism provided in the printer shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing main structures of an ink tank 31 and an ink supply body 24.

4A and 4B are explanatory views of a valve mechanism provided in the ink tank 31 shown in FIG. 3, in which FIG. 4A shows a closed state of the valve, and FIG. 4B shows an opened state of the valve. Indicates.

5 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a control system of the printer 10. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the contents of calculation of a CPU for controlling the ink supply device 30.

7A and 7B are explanatory views of a valve mechanism of an ink supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7A shows a valve closed state, and FIG. 7B shows a valve opened. Indicates the status.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Printer 22 Recording Head 24 Ink Supply 24a Ink Inlet 30 Ink Supply Device 31 Ink Tank 32 Valve Housing 33 First Outlet 34 Second Outlet 36 Coil Spring 37 Valve Member 38 Support Member 96 Heater

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An ink supply device for supplying ink to a head mechanism that prints with ink while scanning a print medium, wherein the head mechanism is provided with an ink injection port for injecting the ink. An ink containing means for containing ink to be supplied to the head mechanism; an ink outlet provided in the ink containing means for discharging the ink to an ink inlet of the head mechanism; The coil spring is provided in the vicinity of the outflow port and is composed of a coil spring whose one end is closed. The coils forming the coil spring are in close contact with each other, and the coil is separated from the first state in which the ink outflow port is closed. A valve mechanism capable of switching to a second state in which the ink is allowed to flow out from the ink outlet. Ink supply device. 2. The ink supply device according to claim 1, wherein the coil spring closes the ink outlet so that the ink outlet can be opened from the inside of the ink containing unit. 3. A valve accommodating chamber is provided at the ink outlet of the ink accommodating means, and the valve accommodating chamber has a first outlet that allows the valve accommodating chamber to communicate with the outside. A second outflow port is formed that can communicate the inside of the ink containing unit with the valve containing chamber, the valve mechanism is housed in the valve containing chamber, and the open end of the coil spring is 3. The first or second outlet is in close contact with the periphery of the first or second outlet, and the first or second outlet is openably closed.
The ink supply device printer described in 1. 4. The coil spring is always biased so that the coils forming the coil spring are in close contact with each other to close the ink outlet. The ink supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The valve mechanism is provided with a valve member that can be switched between the first state and the second state by advancing and retracting the coil spring with respect to the ink outlet. The ink supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: 6. The valve member has a rod-shaped support member having one end attached to the coil spring and the other end penetrating the ink outlet. Item 5. The ink supply device according to item 5. 7. The valve member is formed with a rod-shaped support member having one end attached to the coil spring and the other end penetrating a wall surface of the ink storage unit facing the ink outlet. The ink supply device according to claim 5, wherein the ink supply device is provided. 8. The ink containing means is filled with a hot melt ink which is solid at room temperature, and a heating means for heating the hot melt ink so that it can be melted is provided. 8. The ink supply device according to any one of items 1 to 7. 9. The ink supply device according to claim 8, wherein the coil spring constitutes one heating element of the heating means. 10. The ink supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the ink supply device is fixed near a moving path of the head mechanism, and the ink in the head mechanism is fixed to the head mechanism. An ink amount detection sensor for detecting the amount is provided, and moving means for moving the head mechanism to a position where the ink supply device is fixed based on the detection result of the ink amount detection sensor, and this moving means. A valve mechanism opening means for moving the valve mechanism into and out of the second state in which the ink outlet is opened when the head mechanism is moved to a position where the ink supply device is fixed. A printer characterized by the following. 11. The printer according to claim 10, wherein the head mechanism is an inkjet head that performs print recording by ejecting ink droplets.