JPH1034961A - Ink feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an ink feeder in which the ink pellet supply timing can be predicted and determined easily while confirming the containing state of ink pellet easily by providing means for covering an ink case having transparency allowing visual confirmation of the ink pellet containing state at a containing groove part from the outside. SOLUTION: A cover member 22 is made of a material having transparency and formed such that the containing state of an ink pellet 20 at a containing groove part 23 can be confirmed visually from the outside. Graduations 22a indicative of the number of contained ink pellets 20 are provided on the surface of the cover member 22 so that an operator can grasp the residual quantity of ink pellet 20 visually from the outside. Alternatively, the graduations 22a may be provided on an ink case 21. Transparency may be provided by making a window in the cover member 22 continuously from the upper surface to the lower surface along the containing member 23, in which case a transparent material is not required for the cover member 22.

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 for discharging ink pellets made of hot melt ink from a predetermined position and supplying the ink pellets to an ink melting section.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an ink-jet recording apparatus using hot-melt ink, a hot-melt ink is heated and melted in an ink melting section provided with a heater, and a recording head having a large number of nozzles is scanned in a main scanning direction. By ejecting ink droplets and spraying them on paper, characters and figures are printed on the paper.

[0003] At this time, the supply of the hot melt ink to the ink melting portion is usually processed and stored in the form of ink pellets having a predetermined shape because the hot melt ink becomes a solid state at room temperature, and the ink runs out. Is satisfied, the ink is supplied to the ink melting section in pellet units. In recent years, an ink supply device that stores and supplies ink pellets is mounted on the inkjet recording device so that such storage and supply of the ink pellets is performed in the inkjet recording device.

Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 16, the above-mentioned ink supply device has a cylindrical housing 75 provided so that a discharge port 75a is located above an ink melting portion 72, and is provided horizontally in the housing 75. It has a drive shaft 73 having a thread and a motor 74 for rotating the drive shaft 73. Accordingly, the ink supply device can store and store the plurality of ink pellets 71 in the housing 75, and is driven by the motor 74 when the ink melting portion 72 runs out of ink. While rotating the shaft 73, the ink pellet 71
Is moved in the direction of the discharge port 75a, and the ink pellet 71 is dropped from the discharge port 75a to the ink melting section 71 to be supplied (Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-7198).
No. 8).

[0005]

However, in the configuration in which the ink pellets 71 are housed in the housing 75 as in the above-described conventional case, when the housing state of the ink pellets 71 is to be checked, the inside of the housing 75 must be viewed from the outside. Therefore, it is necessary to open the opening at one end of the housing 75, and there is a problem that it is difficult to predict and determine the timing of refilling the housing 75 with the ink pellets 71. Therefore, in the conventional configuration, for example, the replenishment timing of the ink pellets 71 is known only when the ink-melting portion 72 continues to run out of ink even when the ink supply device is operated. The operation is suspended once and the ink pellet 71
Inconvenience that the user has to go to the store to purchase is caused.

Accordingly, the present invention is to provide an ink supply apparatus capable of easily predicting and determining the replenishment timing of the ink pellets 71 by enabling the storage state of the ink pellets 71 to be easily confirmed. It is.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink supply apparatus for discharging ink pellets made of hot melt ink from a predetermined position in pellet units and supplying the pellets to an ink melting section. An ink case means provided with a housing groove capable of accommodating a plurality of the ink pellets movably in the predetermined position direction, an urging means for urging the ink pellets in the housing groove section in the predetermined position direction, And a cover means for covering the case means and having transparency so that the storage state of the ink pellets in the storage groove can be visually recognized from the outside. Accordingly, the storage state of the ink pellets in the storage groove can be visually recognized from the outside via the cover means, so that the storage state can be easily checked, and the supply timing of the ink pellets can be easily predicted and determined. be able to.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the ink supply apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein at least one of the cover means and the ink case means is provided with a scale indicating the number of the ink pellets accommodated. It is characterized by: This makes it possible to grasp the remaining amount of the ink pellets by confirming the number of ink pellets to be stored on the scale, and to prepare for the purchase of the ink pellets in advance.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ink supply device according to the first or second aspect, a plurality of the accommodating groove portions are provided corresponding to the number of colors of the ink pellets. At least one of the ink case means is formed with a color display indicating the ink color of the ink pellet to be accommodated in each accommodation groove. Thus, by confirming the ink color of the ink pellet to be accommodated in each accommodation groove by color display, when a new ink pellet is set in the accommodation groove in which the ink pellet has been consumed, the ink having a different ink color is used. An operation error of setting the pellet can be prevented.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The ink supply device according to the present embodiment is provided so as to constitute a part of the upper cover 4 of the inkjet recording device 1 as shown in FIG. The ink jet recording apparatus 1 has a lower cover 3 and an upper cover 4 as a housing, and a paper feed mechanism 6 capable of stacking and storing a large number of sheets 5 is provided on the rear side of the upper cover 4. ing. As shown in FIG. 3, a paper feed roller 7 is disposed near the lower end of the paper feed mechanism 6, and the paper feed roller 7 feeds the paper 5 stored in the paper feed mechanism 6 to the transport path 11. To be sent out.

The above-described transport path 11 includes a first transport roller 8
And a second discharge roller section 9, a discharge tray section 10, and a discharge port 3a in this order from the paper feed mechanism 6 side. The first and second transfer rollers 8.9 move the sheet 5 in the arrow direction ( While moving quantitatively or continuously in the sub-scanning direction), the paper 5 is discharged from the paper discharge port 3a to the outside of the apparatus.

On the upper cover 4 side of the transport path 11,
A recording head mechanism 12 is provided. The recording head mechanism 12 includes a head unit 1 disposed so as to face the sheet 5.
5, a tank section 16 (ink melting section) for storing hot melt ink supplied to the head section 15, and a tank section 1
6 has a heater section (ink melting section) (not shown) for heating and melting the hot melt ink contained in 6. The head section 15 has a number of nozzles arranged in the sub-scanning direction, and ejects ink droplets made of liquid hot melt ink from these nozzles.

The recording head mechanism 12 includes a carriage 13 for supporting the head 15 and the tank 16 and the like.
A guide member 14 for movably supporting the carriage 13 in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction, and a traveling mechanism (not shown) for reciprocating the carriage 13 in the main scanning direction along the guide member 14. have. Thus, the recording head mechanism 12 performs printing for one band by spraying ink droplets on the paper 5 at a predetermined printing timing from the head unit 15 that moves together with the carriage 13 while moving the carriage 13 in the main scanning direction. It has become.

The above-mentioned hot melt ink is a general term for ink which solidifies at room temperature and liquefies by heating. For example, the ink has a softening point of 40 to 140 ° C. and a melting point of 50 to 140.
150 ° C., the ink viscosity when ejected from the ink is 3 to
It has a property of 50 cps, preferably 30 to
90% wax, 5 to 70% resin, 0.1 to 1
0% colorant and other additives (thickeners and surfactants,
Dissolving agent, etc.).

Above the recording head mechanism 12 having the above-described configuration, the ink pellets 20 made of solid hot melt ink are discharged from the supply section A (predetermined position) on the front side and supplied to the tank section 16. An ink supply device 2 is provided. The ink supply device 2 has an ink case 21 (ink case means) for accommodating the ink pellets 20 and a cover member 22 rotatably supported at one end of the ink case 21. Cover the ink case 21 so as to be openable.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ink case 21 is changed to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), which are the ink colors of the color ink jet recording apparatus. The storage grooves 23 are arranged correspondingly in parallel. Each accommodating groove portion 23 includes a discharge portion 23a for discharging and supplying the ink pellets 20 to the tank portion 16 of FIG.
a pellet support groove 23b movably supporting in the a direction,
A setting portion 23c for setting the ink pellet 20 in the pellet support groove 23b is provided in this order from the supply portion A side.

The discharge section 23 disposed on the supply section A side
a is open from the upper surface to the lower surface, as also shown in FIGS. A pellet supporting piece 35 having one end fixed to the bottom surface of the pellet supporting groove 23b is provided on the lower surface side of the discharge portion 23a.
Is held in contact with the lower surface of the ink pellet 20 to support the ink pellet 2.
0 is held.

As shown in FIG. 7, the ink pellets 20 held in the discharge section 23a are pressed downward by a discharge mechanism 36 and discharged. The discharge mechanism 36 is provided corresponding to each of the storage grooves 23, and has a first rotating member 37 that presses the upper surface of the ink pellet 20 downward when rotating. First rotating member 3
7 can be connected to the second rotating member 40 via the rotation control mechanism 41, and the second rotating member 40
Further, the LF motor (not shown) that rotationally drives the second transport rollers 8 and 9 is rotated in the up and down (arrow) directions.

The rotation control mechanism 41 includes a first connection member 38 having one end rotatably connected to the first rotation member 37.
And an engagement member 39 provided on the free end side of the first connection member 38, and a key member 42 engageable with the engagement member 39. The key member 42 has a free end formed in a key shape so as to engage with the engagement member 39, and the tip of the key shape is formed on the engagement member 39 only by moving the key member 42 in the vertical direction. It is set not to abut.

On the other hand, a pinion member 44 is rotatably provided on the fixed end side of the key member 42. The pinion member 44 pivotally supports the free end side of the key member 42 to be laterally rotatable. It has become. And the pinion member 44 is
Meshed with a rack member 45 vertically provided on the inner wall surface,
The pinion member 44 and the rack member 45
Is restricted in the vertical direction. A second connecting member 46 is also connected to the fixed end side of the key member 42, and the second connecting member 46 is rotatably connected to the free end side of the above-described second rotating member 40. I have.

The key member 42 is provided so as to be in contact with the supply selecting member 43. The supply selection member 43 is fixed to the side surface of the tank portion 16 and moves the key member 42 to the side when it comes into contact with the key member 42. Thereby, the rotation control mechanism 4 having the above configuration
When the key member 42 does not come into contact with the supply selecting member 43 when the second rotating member 40 rotates and moves the key member 42 downward, the key member 1 moves only the key member 42 downward. By doing so, the engagement between the key member 42 and the engagement member 39 is prohibited, and the first rotation member 37 is not rotated. On the other hand, when the key member 42 comes into contact with the supply selection member 43, the key member 42 is moved downward while rotating laterally, thereby allowing the engagement between the key member 42 and the engagement member 39. The first rotating member 37 is rotated.

The above-mentioned supply selection members 43 are provided corresponding to the tank portions 16 of each color. The arrangement pitch of these supply selection members 43 is determined by a specific supply selection member 4.
When the key 3 of the discharge mechanism 36 comes into contact with the key member 42 of the discharge mechanism 36, a pitch different from the arrangement pitch of the discharge mechanism 36 so that the other supply selection member 43 does not come into contact with the key member 42 of the discharge mechanism 36. And the tank 16 to be supplied
The ink pellet 2 only in the accommodation groove 23 corresponding to
0 is discharged.

As shown in FIG. 8, the ink pellets 20 discharged by the discharging mechanism 36 are made of solid hot melt ink and have an ink amount capable of printing one or more pages. In addition, it is set so that the residence time in the tank section 16 under normal use conditions is such that the ink amount does not cause ink deterioration. As shown in FIG. 9, the ink pellet 20 has an upper surface contact portion 20a having a width L1 slightly larger than the groove width L2 of the pellet support groove 23b, and both sides of the lower surface of the upper surface contact portion 20a. And a pellet main body 20b formed so as to generate the step portions 20c. The step portions 20c and 20c are supported by being in contact with the upper surface of the pellet support groove 23b. .

When the above-mentioned pellet body 20b is supported by the above-mentioned steps 20c, 20, the pellet body 20b
Is formed so as to have a smaller width than the groove width L2 of the pellet support groove 23b and a height smaller than the groove depth of the pellet support groove 23b so as not to contact the pellet support groove 23b. In addition, the pellet body 20b
The side surfaces 20d are inclined symmetrically so that the lateral width becomes narrower from the upper surface to the lower surface. Even if the ink pellets 20 move slightly when the ink pellets 20 move, the side surfaces 20d of the pellet main body 20b support the pellets. The contact with the side wall surface of the groove 23b does not increase the frictional resistance. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the pellet main body 20b is formed in a rectangular cross section, and the diagonal distance L3 of the cross section is set in the accommodated state by the corner portion contacting the side wall surface of the pellet support groove 23b. Is set larger than the groove width L2 of the pellet support groove 23b so as not to change the posture of the pellet support groove 23b significantly.

It is desirable that the diagonal distance L3 of the cross section of the pellet body 20b is larger than the groove width L2 of the pellet support groove 23b by 0.5 mm or more. Further, it is desirable that the lateral width L1 of the ink pellet 20 is set such that the side surface of the ink pellet 20 is separated from the side wall surface of the pellet support groove 23b by 1 mm or more. The reason is that, even when the ink pellet 20 is slightly deformed, it is possible to reduce frequent contact of the side surface or the corner portion of the ink pellet 20 with the side wall surface of the pellet support groove 23b during the movement of the ink pellet 20. Accordingly, rotation of the ink pellet 20 due to loss or wear can be prevented, and frictional force due to contact can be reduced to facilitate movement. Further, it is desirable that the ink pellet 20 is formed such that the center of gravity exists on the side of the pellet main body 20b in order to prevent the ink pellet 20 from tilting during movement.

As shown in FIG. 11, the ink pellets 20 are placed in the ink holder 2 so as not to touch the operator.
5 is detachably stored. The ink holder 25 is
It has a holder main body 29 having one side (lower surface in the drawing) opened so that the ink pellets 20 are inserted therein, and a holding mechanism for holding a plurality of ink pellets 20 inserted in the holder main body 29 in units. I have. On the other surface (upper surface in the figure) of the holder main body 29, a pressing concave portion 29a is formed at the center, and the pressing concave portion 29a applies a pressing force evenly to the ink holder 25 to form the ink pellet 20a. Is used as a mark when moving.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, the holding mechanism has a plurality of holding portions 26 arranged in series along the accommodation groove 23 in FIG. Each of these holding portions 26
Are stepped portions 20 c formed on both sides of the ink pellet 20.
9c has a pair of claw members 27 which engage with the upper surface contact portion 20a of the ink pellet 20 in the ink holder 25 as shown in FIG. When pressed, the ink pellets 20 are held by engaging with the steps 20c.

The above-mentioned ink holder 25 is set in the set portion 23c of the accommodation groove 23 in FIG. The claw member 2 of the ink holder 25 is provided in the set portion 23c.
The engagement release member 23d is provided so as to protrude upward corresponding to the position 7. The disengagement member 23d is connected to the ink holder 25.
Is installed, the pawl members 27 are pushed open to release the engagement, and the ink pellets 20 are moved from the ink holder 25 to the pellet support grooves 23b by natural fall. A key unit (not shown) is attached to the ink holder 25 and the setting unit 23c corresponding to the ink holder 25 so that the ink holder 25 for the ink of a predetermined color can be installed only in the setting unit 23c of the corresponding accommodation groove 23. It is desirable that the key groove portion is formed for each color.

The holding section 26 of the ink holder 25 is
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a plate-shaped guide member 28 is provided between the adjacent holding portions 26. The guide member 28 is formed so as to come into contact with the side surface of the ink pellet 20, and when the ink pellet 20 moves to the pellet support groove 23 b, the guide member 28 comes into contact with the side surface of the upper surface contact portion 20 a to form the ink pellet 20. The posture is maintained.

As shown in FIG. 13, the ink pellet 20 moved to the pellet support groove 23b is applied in the direction of the discharge portion 23a by an urging mechanism provided with a pellet pressing member 30 and an urging member 31, as shown in FIG. It is getting energized. This urging mechanism is provided in each of the accommodating groove portions 23, and the pellet pressing member 30 is configured to contact the side surface of the ink pellet 20 with the pellet supporting groove 23b.
Is provided so as to be movable along. Further, the urging member 3
Numeral 1 is composed of a spiral spring so as to generate a stable biasing force. The winding center is fixed to the pellet pressing member 30 and the tip is fixed to the discharge portion 23 a of the accommodation groove 23. Note that the biasing member 31 may be a spring.

On the upper surface of the pellet pressing member 30,
A protruding member 32 is provided. The free end side of a link member 33 is in contact with the protruding member 32. As shown in FIG. 14, the link member 33 is a protruding member of the entire accommodation groove 23 set for each color. The width of the ink case 21 is set to be slightly smaller than the width between both side walls so as to abut the ink case 32. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the fitting protrusions 3 are provided on both side surfaces on the free end side of the link member 33.
3a are formed, and the fitting protrusions 33a are movably engaged with guide recesses 21a formed on both side walls of the ink case 21.

As shown in FIG. 1, the guide recess 21a is formed between the discharge portion 23a of the accommodation groove 23 and the setting portion 23.
c, and is connected to the upwardly bent locking recess 21b at the position of the set portion 23c. On the other hand, the fixed end side of the link member 33 is rotatably supported at a substantially center position of the cover member 22. Accordingly, when the cover member 22 is rotated to open, the link member 33 moves in the direction of the set portion 23c along the guide recess 21a as the fixed end is lifted up. Abuts against all the protruding members 32,
These projecting members 32 are moved in the direction of the set portion 23c together with the pellet pressing member 30. When the link member 33 is completely opened, the fitting protrusion 33a is pulled up by the locking recess 21b and the link member 33 is fixed, so that the pellet pressing is performed while maintaining the open state of the cover member 22. The member 30 is held.

On the upper surface of the link member 33, a color display ("Y",
“M”, “C”, “K”) are provided corresponding to the respective accommodation grooves 23. These color indications (“Y”, “M”,
“C”, “K”) are also applied to a portion that can be seen from the outside of the accommodation groove 23 so as to prevent an operation error when the ink pellets 20 are supplied to the accommodation groove 23. The color display may be provided on the cover member 22.

As shown in FIG. 15, the cover member 22 is made of a material having transparency, and is formed so that the storage state of the ink pellets 20 in the storage groove 23 can be visually recognized from the outside. . On the surface of the cover member 22,
A scale 22a indicating the number of ink pellets 20 to be stored is provided, and the scale 22a allows an operator to visually recognize the remaining amount of the ink pellets from outside. The scale 22a may be formed on the ink case 21. Further, the cover member 22 may be formed so as to have an open window communicating from the upper surface to the lower surface along the accommodation groove portion 23 so as to obtain a see-through property. It is not necessary to use a material having a property.

In the above configuration, the operation of the ink supply device 2 will be described. First, the molten hot melt ink of each ink color is solidified using a predetermined mold to form an ink pellet 20 having a shape shown in FIG. Thereafter, the ink pellet 20 is inserted into the ink holder 25 as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 in order to prevent dirt and sebum from adhering to the ink pellet 20 due to the operator directly touching the ink pellet 20. . When the ink pellet 20 is inserted into the ink holder 25, the claw member 27 of the ink holder 25 is moved to the stepped portion 20c of the ink holder 25.
, The ink pellet 20 is held by the ink holder 25, and the ink holder 25
It does not fall off even if the posture is changed or a shock is given during handling. Then, the three ink pellets 20 thus inserted are stored in a state of being held in series in the ink holder 25, and are supplied to the operator as replenishing ink.

Next, as shown in FIG.
2 has transparency, the inside of the ink case 21 can be seen through the cover member 22 and the ink pellet 2 can be seen.
0 is confirmed. And ink pellet 2
The number of stored 0s is grasped by the scale 22a. If the number is equal to or less than the predetermined number, it is determined that it is the replenishing time, and after the ink color is confirmed by the color display, the refilling of the ink pellets 20 of this ink color is performed. become.

That is, as shown in FIG.
2 is rotated so as to be opened. Cover member 2
When the link 2 is rotated, the fixed end side of the link member 33 is pulled up, and the fitting projection 33a on the free end side moves in the direction of the set portion 23c along the guide recess 21a. When the fitting protrusion 33a moves in the direction of the set portion 23c, the free end side of the link member 33 comes into contact with all the protruding members 32, so that the pellet pressing member 30 is opposite to the urging direction of the urging member 31. It moves in the direction of the set part 23c. When the link member 33 is completely opened,
The fitting protrusion 33a of the link member 33 is pulled up to the locking recess 21b, and the link member 33 is fixed, so that the open state of the cover member 22 is maintained and the pellet pressing member 30 is fixed at the moved position. Will be done. Thereby, when the cover member 22 is opened,
Since the exposure of the accommodating groove 23 and the release of the urging by the movement of the pellet pressing member 30 are performed simultaneously, the cover member 22
The operation for setting the ink pellets 20 in the accommodating groove 23 is completed by a single operation of releasing the ink.

When the cover member 22 is opened as described above, as shown in FIG. 1, while paying attention to the color display provided on the cover member 22 and the link member 33, the above-described ink holder 25 is moved into the accommodation groove portion. 23 is set in the setting section 23c. When pressed in the direction of the set portion 23c, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the claw member 27 engaged with the step portion 20c of the ink pellet 20 is pushed open by the disengagement member 23d to disengage the ink pellet 2.
0 is moved from the ink holder 25 to the pellet support groove 23b by natural fall. At this time, even if the ink pellet 20 tries to rotate at the time of movement, the side surface of the ink pellet 20 comes into contact with the guide member 28, so that the ink holder 25
While supporting the pellet holding groove 23
reaches b. Therefore, the step 20 of the ink pellet 20
c is securely contacted with and supported on the upper surface of the pellet support groove 23b.
The setting mistake of the ink pellets 20 in b is extremely reduced. Thus, there is almost no setting error, and three ink pellets 20 are simultaneously set in one setting operation, so that the setting operation is completed in a short time.

The ink pellet 2 is inserted into the pellet support groove 23b.
When 0 is set, as shown in FIG. 13, the cover member 22 is rotated so as to cover the ink case 21, so that the free end side of the link member 33 is discharged to the discharge portion 23a.
Moved in the direction. Thereby, as shown in FIG.
When the pellet pressing member 30 held by the contact between the link member 33 and the protruding member 32 is moved by the urging member 31 in the direction of the discharge portion 23a, each of the accommodation groove portions 23 is moved.
Are moved in the direction of the discharge unit 23a.

At this time, the pellet body 20b of the ink pellet 20 is, as shown in FIGS.
c, the groove width L of the pellet support groove 23b
2 and the pellet support grooves 23
It is formed to have a height smaller than the groove depth b. The pellet body 20b has a rectangular cross section, and the diagonal distance L3 of the cross section is equal to the pellet support groove 2.
3b is formed to be larger than the groove width L2. Furthermore, both side surfaces 20d and 20d of the pellet body 20b
d is inclined so that the lateral width decreases from the upper surface to the lower surface. Accordingly, even if the ink pellet 20 slightly shakes while moving, the pellet body 20b
Does not increase the frictional force by contacting the pellet supporting groove 23b, and does not significantly change the posture by the corner portion contacting the side wall surface of the pellet supporting groove 23b. Will be reached.

Next, as described above, the ink pellet 2
When the replenishment of 0 is completed, as shown in FIG. 3, the ink jet recording apparatus 1 is operated to start printing. When the hot melt ink in the tank 16 is consumed and the ink remaining amount sensor (not shown) detects that the ink has run out, the ink pellet 20 is moved to the tank 16 where the ink has run out, as shown in FIG. The tank 16 of the recording head mechanism 12 is moved to the supply position so as to supply the ink. Then, when the supply selecting member 43 of the tank 16 where the ink has run out reaches below the key member 42 of the discharge mechanism 36 corresponding to the tank 16, the movement of the tank 16 is stopped. Thereafter, the second rotating member 40 is rotated in the arrow direction by an LF motor (not shown).
When the second rotation member 40 is rotated, the key member 42 is moved downward by moving the pinion member 44 downward via the second connecting member 46.

At this time, in the discharge mechanism 36 selected so that the supply selecting member 43 is located below the key member 42, the rotation permitting member 42 comes into contact with the supply selecting member 43.
Then, the key member 42 moves downward while rotating laterally and engages with the engagement member 39, and moves the engagement member 39 and the first connection member 38 downward. As a result, the first rotating member 37 is rotated via the first connecting member 38, and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the upper surface of the ink pellet 20 supported by the pellet supporting piece 35 of the discharge portion 23a is pressed downward, so that the ink pellet 20 falls from the discharge portion 23a to the lower tank portion 16 and is charged. Will be done.

On the other hand, in the ejection mechanism 36 that is not selected, since the rotation permitting member 42 does not contact the supply selecting member 43, the key member 42 moves only downward and engages with the engaging member 39. Nothing. Accordingly, the first rotating member 37 connected to the engaging member 39 via the first connecting member 38 does not rotate, so that the ink pellet 20 is not discharged. Thus, the ink pellet 20 is discharged only to the storage groove 23 corresponding to the tank 16 to be supplied by the supply selection member 43 and the discharge mechanism 36, so that unnecessary supply mistakes of the ink pellet 20 are prevented. Will be prevented.

As described above, the ink supply device of the present embodiment discharges the ink pellets 20 made of hot melt ink from the supply section A (predetermined position) in pellet units and supplies the ink pellets 20 to the tank section 16 serving as the ink melting section. An ink case 21 (ink case means) having a housing groove 23 capable of accommodating a plurality of ink pellets 20 movably in the supply section A direction, and attaching the ink pellet 20 of the storage groove section 23 in the supply section A direction. A cover member that covers the pressurizing pellet pressing member 30 and the urging member 31 (the urging means) and the ink case 21 so that the ink case 21 can be opened, and allows the housing state of the ink pellet 20 in the housing groove 23 to be visually recognized from the outside. 22
(Cover means). Accordingly, the storage state of the ink pellets 20 in the storage groove portion 23 can be visually recognized from the outside via the cover member 22, so that the storage state can be easily checked, and the time for refilling the ink pellets 20 can be easily determined. It can be predicted and determined.

[0045]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in an ink supply device for discharging ink pellets made of hot melt ink from a predetermined position in pellet units and supplying the ink pellets to an ink melting section, the ink pellets are moved in the direction of the predetermined position. An ink case means having a storage groove capable of freely storing a plurality of ink grooves, an urging means for urging the ink pellets of the storage groove part in the direction of the predetermined position, and an ink pellet of the storage groove part covering the ink case means And a cover means having a see-through property for allowing the housing state to be visually recognized from the outside. Accordingly, the storage state of the ink pellets in the storage groove can be visually recognized from the outside via the cover means, so that the storage state can be easily checked, and the supply timing of the ink pellets can be easily predicted and determined. It has the effect that it can be done.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the ink supply device according to the first aspect, wherein at least one of the cover means and the ink case means has a scale indicating the number of the ink pellets accommodated therein. Configuration. This makes it possible to grasp the remaining amount of the ink pellets by checking the number of accommodated ink pellets on the scale, thereby providing an effect that preparations such as purchase of the ink pellets can be made in advance.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ink supply device according to the first or second aspect, a plurality of the accommodating groove portions are provided corresponding to the number of colors of the ink pellets. At least one of the ink case means has a configuration in which a color display indicating the ink color of the ink pellet to be accommodated in each accommodation groove is formed. Thus, by confirming the ink color of the ink pellet to be accommodated in each accommodation groove by color display, when a new ink pellet is set in the accommodation groove in which the ink pellet has been consumed, the ink having a different ink color is used. This has the effect of preventing a work error of setting the pellet.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink supply device.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink jet recording apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an internal arrangement of the inkjet recording apparatus.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which ink pellets are moved to a discharge unit.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where ink pellets are held in a discharge unit.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where ink pellets are discharged to a discharge unit.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where ink pellets are discharged by a discharge mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an ink pellet.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the ink pellets are moved from the ink holder to the setting unit.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between an ink pellet and a storage groove.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which ink pellets are stored in an ink holder.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where ink pellets are stored in an ink holder.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the cover member is rotated.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where ink pellets are stored in each storage groove.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a cover member.

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of a conventional ink supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink jet recording apparatus 2 Ink supply apparatus 12 Recording head mechanism 16 Tank part 20 Ink pellet 20a Top contact part 20b Pellet main body 20c Step part 20d Side surface 21 Ink case 21a Guide concave part 21b Lock concave part 22 Cover member 23 Receiving groove part 23a Discharge part 23b Pellet support groove 23c Set part 23d Disengagement member 25 Ink holder 26 Holding part 27 Claw member 28 Guide member 29 Holder body 30 Pellet pressing member 31 Urging member 32 Projecting member 33 Link member 33a Fitting convex part 35 Pellet support Piece 36 discharging mechanism 37 first rotating member 38 first connecting member 39 engaging member 40 second rotating member 41 rotation control mechanism 42 key member 43 supply selecting member 44 pinion member 45 rack member 46 second connecting member

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An ink supply device for discharging ink pellets made of hot melt ink from a predetermined position in pellet units and supplying the ink pellets to an ink melting section, wherein a plurality of ink pellets are movably accommodated in the predetermined position direction. An ink case having a groove; an urging means for urging the ink pellets in the storage groove toward the predetermined position; and covering the ink case and visually confirming a storage state of the ink pellets in the storage groove from outside. And a cover means having transparency. 2. The ink supply device according to claim 1, wherein a scale indicating the number of the ink pellets is formed on at least one of the cover unit and the ink case unit. 3. A plurality of the accommodating grooves are provided corresponding to the number of colors of the ink pellets. At least one of the cover means and the ink case means includes an ink pellet to be accommodated in each accommodating groove. 3. The ink supply device according to claim 1, wherein a color display indicating an ink color is formed.