JPH10272784A - Ink supply passage blocking member for ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recording apparatus with an ink supply passage blocking member that can prevent preservative liquid from leaking out of the nozzle faces even though the ink supply passage blocking member is used. SOLUTION: A blocking member 40 is separably mounted to a recording head unit 17 and blocks en masse ink supply passages 48 corresponding respectively to jetting nozzles 21. Namely, the blocking part 40b is formed at the side of a recording head 18 of a main body formed by bending of a plate member in a Z shape. A projecting part 40c projecting toward the recording head 18 side is provided at the blocking part 40b, and an air vent 40d communicating with each of ink supply passages 48 is provided at the center of each of the projecting parts 40c. Cylindrical bodies 40e are erected, corresponding respectively to each of the projecting parts 40c, at the rear part of the blocking part, and an air passage 40f communicating with the air vent 40d and opening toward the rear side is formed at the inside of the cylindrical body 40e.

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, for example, an ink supply path sealing member of an ink jet recording apparatus in which an ink cartridge mounted on a carriage is replaceable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, an ink jet printer is known as an ink jet recording apparatus for performing recording such as printing by ejecting ink onto a recording medium such as paper. In this ink jet printer, a recording head for ejecting ink is incorporated in a recording head unit, and the recording head unit is mounted on a carriage. Then, an ink cartridge (hereinafter, simply referred to as a cartridge) containing ink is provided so as to be replaceable with respect to the recording head unit, and the ink is supplied to the recording head from the replaced cartridge.

[0003] In the ink jet printer having the above-described structure, at the time of shipment from a factory or at the time of storage, in order to smoothly introduce the ink at the beginning of use without generating bubbles, as shown in FIG. The inside of the recording head P1, that is, a channel (not shown), which is an ink flow path in the ejection nozzle P2, and the manifold P3 are filled with a storage liquid having the same characteristics as the ink except for the ink dye and pigment. ing.

Conventionally, a seal has been attached to the nozzle surface for the purpose of preventing the leakage of the storage solution and protecting the nozzle surface P4 of the injection nozzle P2.
It has been considered to use a cap P5 that covers the nozzle surface P4 while maintaining a predetermined gap. On the other hand, the recording head P1
The ink supply path sealing member P6 is detachably attached to the recording head unit P7 on the ink supply side, i.e., the cartridge mounting side.

The ink supply path sealing member P6 is for closing the ink supply path P8 to the recording head P1, and is detached by a user when using an ink jet printer, and is used to seal the ink supply path. A cartridge is mounted in place of the member P6.

[0006]

However, when the ink supply path sealing member P6 is used, the ink supply path P8 can be completely sealed to prevent leakage of the preservation liquid from the ink supply side. Due to vibration during transportation, changes in air pressure and temperature, there is a possibility that the preservation liquid leaks from the nozzle surface P4 opposite to the ink supply path P8.

If this storage liquid leaks, the storage liquid will adhere to the entire nozzle surface P4, or the storage liquid will accumulate in the cap P5, causing problems such as uneven recording at the time of subsequent recording. It is not preferable because it may cause In addition, the recording paper or the like becomes wet during recording or causes a failure of the apparatus, which is not preferable in that respect.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink supply path sealing member for an ink jet recording apparatus in which a preservation liquid does not leak from a nozzle surface even when an ink supply path sealing member is used.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus for supplying ink from an ink cartridge to a recording head for ejecting ink to a recording medium for recording. An ink supply path sealing member that is detachably attached to a recording head unit having a recording head to seal the ink supply path, and an ink supply path of the ink supply path sealing member. An ink supply path sealing member for an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein an air communication port is provided on the side in contact with the ink supply path.

That is, since the ink supply path sealing member of the present invention is provided with the atmosphere communication port, even when the ink supply path sealing member is attached to the recording head unit, the ink supply path communicating with the recording head side is provided. The road is not completely blocked. Therefore, even when the vibration, the atmospheric pressure, and the temperature change during transportation, the storage liquid filled in the recording head does not leak from the nozzle surface side. That is, for example, if the temperature changes,
Conventionally, since the ink supply path side is completely closed, the expanded storage liquid receives a pressure that leaks to the nozzle surface.In the present invention, when such pressure is received, the storage liquid is supplied to the atmosphere communication port. Since the pressure expands to the side and reduces the pressure, it is possible to prevent the nozzle surface from getting wet.

In particular, when the inside diameter of the air communication port is larger than the inside diameter of each channel which is the ink flow path provided in the recording head, the storage liquid easily leaks from the air communication port. The effect of preventing surface wetting becomes even more pronounced. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the atmosphere communication port provided in the ink supply path sealing member has a cylindrical passage extending to the atmosphere side.

Therefore, even if the vibration, pressure, or temperature changes during transportation, the preservation liquid filled in the recording head only leaks slightly into the cylindrical passage extending from the air communication port. The nozzle surface does not get wet. In this cylindrical passage, the vapor of the preservation liquid is in a dense state, and the preservation liquid is not easily dried. Therefore, even when the temperature is high, the preservation liquid is hardly coagulated in the passage and easily leaks from the air communication port, so that the effect of preventing the nozzle surface from being wet is maintained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the inside diameter of the atmosphere communication port provided in the ink supply path sealing member is set smaller than the inside diameter of the ink supply path. Therefore, it is possible to prevent many preservation liquids from leaking from the air communication port. Incidentally, it is preferable that the inside diameter of the air communication port is smaller than the inside diameter of the ink supply path, because it is possible to prevent the leakage of the preservation liquid from the nozzle surface and to prevent the excessive leakage of the preservation liquid from the air communication port. is there.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments (embodiments) of an ink supply path sealing member of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described.
Will be described with reference to the drawings. The ink supply path sealing member (hereinafter simply referred to as a sealing member) used in the ink jet printer of the present embodiment is attached to a recording head unit in order to prevent leakage of a preservation liquid when shipped from a factory. In use, it is removed and an ink cartridge is mounted instead.

First, the configuration of the sealing member of this embodiment at the time of shipment will be described with reference to FIGS. still,
1 shows a state in which the sealing member 40 is mounted on the recording head unit 17 in a cut-away manner. FIG. 2 shows an appearance of the sealing member 40. FIG. 3 shows the appearance in a folded state. Also, in FIG.
The main part is shown enlarged.

As shown in FIG. 1, the recording head unit 17
Are inks of multiple colors (four colors) (cyan c, magenta m,
An ink jet type in which yellow y and black b) are ejected onto recording paper as a recording medium by ejecting ink droplets to perform a recording operation such as printing, and a recording head 18 provided on the recording side has a recording head 18 of each color. Four ejection nozzles 21 (one ejection nozzle is shown in FIG. 1) for ejecting each ink
It has. In use, the recording head unit 1
A plurality (four) of cartridges (not shown) for supplying ink of each color are detachably mounted on each of the ejection nozzles 21 at the rear of the nozzle 7.

The ejection nozzle 21 is an actuator formed by shaving a material which is a piezoelectric element, and has a plurality of ink passages called channels 41 formed therein. All of the channels 41 communicate with the manifold 42 on the ink inflow side (the right side in FIG. 1), and the ink inflow side of the manifold 42 is provided with a filter 43 for removing dust and the like. A connection member 44 made of an elastic material such as rubber used for connecting the cartridge and the sealing member 40 is provided on an outer edge of the filter 43. In the center of this connecting member 44,
An ink supply path 48 having an inner diameter of 0.5 mm is formed.

At the time of shipment, the channel 41 and the manifold 42 are filled with a preservation liquid, the ejection side is sealed with a conveyance preservation cap 30 made of an elastic material such as rubber, and the cartridge mounting side ( (Right side of Fig. 1)
Is sealed by the sealing member 40 and shipped in that state.

At the time of shipment, the recording head unit 17
Is not mounted on the carriage, so that the recording head unit 17 transfers the transport storage cap 3
After the O and the sealing member 40 are removed, the recording head unit 17 itself is mounted on the carriage.

The transport storage cap 30 is provided to keep the nozzle surface 23 airtight at predetermined intervals so as to prevent the preservation liquid from leaking from the injection holes 24 at the time of shipment. It is in close contact with the nozzle surface 23. As shown in FIG. 3A, the transport storage cap 30 is mounted on a substantially U-shaped mounting member 51 made of hard plastic.
Four of them are arranged side by side corresponding to each of the jet nozzles 21, and the mounting member 51 is configured to be detachably mounted to the recording head unit 17.

On the other hand, the sealing member 40 is detachably mounted to the recording head unit 17.
In order to seal the ink supply paths 48 corresponding to the respective ejection nozzles 21 at a time, they are configured as shown in FIGS. That is, the main body 40a has a shape in which the plate material is bent in a substantially Z shape.
A sealing portion 40b having a tip branched into four is formed on the recording head 18 side of the main body 40a so as to seal each ink supply path 48.

Each recording head 18 is provided in the sealing portion 40b.
A protrusion 40 c protruding toward the recording head 18 is provided so as to be fitted to the connection member 44.
Has an inner diameter of 1.0 in communication with each ink supply path 48.
Each of the air communication ports 40d is provided. Also,
At the rear (right side in FIG. 1) of the sealing portion 40g, each projection 40
Each of the cylindrical bodies 40e having a length of 12 mm is erected corresponding to each of the air communication ports 4c.
An atmosphere communication passage 40f having an inner diameter of 2.0 mm communicating with Od and opening backward is formed. In addition, each cylindrical body 40e is
In order to prevent the breaking, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), it is connected to a side member by a plate-like member 40g.

When the sealing member 40 having the above structure is mounted on the recording head unit 17, each of the projections 4
The sealing member 40 is press-fitted from the rear part of the recording head unit 17 so that 0c fits into each connection member 44. By this press-fitting, the locking portion 40h provided on the upper portion of the main body 40a and the locking portion 40i provided on the lower portion are locked on the upper and lower sides of the recording head unit 17, respectively, so that the sealing member 40 is Fixed against.

The sealing member 40 serves as the recording head unit 1
7, the ink supply path 48 communicates with the atmosphere via the atmosphere communication port 40d and the atmosphere communication path 40f. Therefore, if the sealing member 40 of this embodiment is used, even if there is a change in the pressure, the pressure, and the vibration during transportation,
The preservation liquid does not easily leak from the injection holes 24. In other words, since the nozzle surface 23 is hermetically sealed by the transfer storage cap 30, even if the storage liquid expands due to, for example, a rise in temperature, the storage liquid is supplied to the ink supply path on the opposite side of the nozzle surface 23. 48 and the atmosphere communication path 4d through the atmosphere communication port 40d.
It only leaks into 0f, so that the nozzle surface 23 does not get wet.

Further, since the sealing member 40 of this embodiment is provided at its rear portion with a cylindrical body 40e which communicates with the air communication port 40d, even if the preservation liquid flows from the air communication port 40d through the air communication path 40f. Even if it leaks into the
In the atmosphere in f, the vapor of the preservation liquid is in a dense state, so that the preservation liquid is hard to solidify. Therefore, as described above, for example, by causing the storage liquid to leak from the air communication port 40d when the temperature rises, the effect of preventing the leakage of the storage liquid from the injection holes 24 of the nozzle surface 23 can be improved for a long time. Can be maintained.

Further, in this embodiment, the ratio of the diameter of the air communication port 40d to the diameter of the ink supply path 48 is 1: 2.5, and the diameter of the air communication port 40d is smaller than the diameter of the ink supply path 48. Since the preservation liquid is sufficiently small, there is an advantage that the preservation liquid does not leak excessively from the air communication port 40d.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist of the present embodiment. (1) For example, in the above-described embodiment, an ink jet printer has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to other various recording devices such as a facsimile.

(2) In the above embodiment, the transport storage cap was used as a member for sealing the ejection side. However, instead of using the transport storage cap, the carriage was moved to the home position and moved to the apparatus body side. You may ship it in the state which covered the nozzle surface with the provided normal storage cap.

(3) In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the recording head unit is fixed to the carriage during use has been described as an example. However, the recording head unit may be mounted on the carriage during transport. If the storage cap is to be used at that time, the carriage is placed in a location different from the home position.

[0030]

As described above in detail, in the first aspect of the present invention, the ink supply path sealing member is provided with the air communication port, so that the ink supply path sealing member is attached to the recording head unit. Even in this case, the ink supply path communicating with the recording head side is not completely closed. Therefore, even when the vibration, the atmospheric pressure, or the temperature changes during transportation, the storage liquid filled in the recording head can be prevented from leaking from the nozzle surface side.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the air communication port provided in the ink supply path sealing member has a cylindrical passage extending to the atmosphere side. The vapor becomes dense and the preservation liquid is hard to dry. Therefore,
Even when the temperature is high, the preservation liquid is hardly coagulated in the passage and easily leaks from the air communication port, so that the effect of preventing the nozzle surface from being wet is maintained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the inside diameter of the air communication port provided in the ink supply path sealing member is set smaller than the inside diameter of the ink supply path, a large amount of storage liquid leaks from the air communication port. It is prevented from being issued.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a sealing member is mounted on a recording head unit in a cutaway manner.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a sealing member.

3A and 3B show a state in which a sealing member is mounted on the recording head unit, FIG. 3A is a plan view, FIG. 3B is a rear view, and FIG. 3C is a side view.

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

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 17 ... Recording head unit 18 ... Recording head 21 ... Injection nozzle 30 ... Conveying storage cap 40 ... Ink supply path sealing member (sealing member) 40d ... Atmospheric communication port 40e ... Cylindrical body 40f ... Atmospheric communication path 42 ... Manifold 48 ... Ink supply path

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] August 11, 1997

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0017

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

The ejection nozzle 21 is an actuator formed by shaving a material which is a piezoelectric element, and has a plurality of ink passages called channels 41 formed therein. All of the channels 41 communicate with the manifold 42 on the ink inflow side (the right side in FIG. 1), and the ink inflow side of the manifold 42 is provided with a filter 43 for removing dust and the like. A connection member 44 made of an elastic material such as rubber used for connecting the cartridge and the sealing member 40 is provided on an outer edge of the filter 43. In the center of this connecting member 44,
1. inner diameter (so as to have a predetermined inner diameter ratio described later) A 5 mm ink supply path 48 is formed.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording apparatus for supplying ink from an ink cartridge to a recording head for performing recording by ejecting ink to a recording medium, wherein the recording head is used to seal a supply path of the ink. An ink supply path sealing member detachably attached to a recording head unit comprising: an air communication port provided on a side of the ink supply path sealing member that is in contact with the ink supply path. An ink supply path sealing member for an ink jet recording apparatus. 2. The ink supply path sealing member for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said atmosphere communication port has a cylindrical passage extending toward the atmosphere. 3. The ink supply path sealing member according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the air communication port is set to be smaller than an inner diameter of the ink supply path.