JPH11138833A - Ink cartridge and ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent ink from flying in the circumference when a tape-like sealing material is to be peeled. SOLUTION: An opening/closing member 25 which is usually urged to be closed and is opened by a flow of ink is provided at an adapter 23 loaded to an ink supplying hole 9a of an ink cartridge 9, then the ink supplying hole 9a is closed by the opening/closing member 25. The opening/closing member 25 is made of an elastic film material and has cutting lines 25a which are formed to be extended radially from a center. The cutting lines 25a are opened by the flow of the ink along with the ejection of the ink on a print head. It is possible to prevent the ink from flying in the circumference by the opening/ closing member 25, when a seal material attached at the packaging is to be peeled.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in an ink jet recording apparatus for recording ink on a recording medium such as recording paper by causing ink droplets to fly through nozzle holes of a print head, an ink cartridge for supplying ink to a print head is replaceable. Are known. Further, as an ink cartridge used in such an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink storage member in which ink is stored in the cartridge main body is housed, and an ink supply pipe portion on the print head side is inserted into and connected to the ink supply port of the cartridge main body. There is known an ink jet printer in which the ink can be supplied.

In such an ink cartridge, in order to maintain the internal space at atmospheric pressure and to smoothly supply ink from the ink occluding member to the print head through the ink supply port, the ink supply port is separately provided. An atmosphere communication hole is provided.

[0004] By the way, such an ink cartridge is designed to prevent the ink from leaking or evaporating at the time of packing or the like, and to be easily opened to make the ink cartridge usable when used. An ink supply port and an air communication hole of an ink cartridge are sealed with a tape-shaped sealing material.

[0005]

However, when the ink supply port and the air communication hole of the ink cartridge are sealed with a seal material as described above, when the ink cartridge is used, first, the seal material on the air communication hole side is used. When the ink is peeled off and then the sealant on the ink supply port side is peeled off, the ink may scatter around.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording apparatus using the ink cartridge, which can prevent ink from scattering around when a sealing material is peeled off. The purpose is to do.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in an ink cartridge for storing ink therein and supplying the ink through an ink supply port, the ink supply port is always urged in a closing direction. It is closed by an opening / closing member that opens with the flow of ink.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the ink supply port is closed by the opening / closing member constantly urged in the closing direction, the seal material attached to the ink supply port is peeled off. In such a case, it is possible to prevent the ink from scattering around. When the ink flow occurs, the opening / closing member is opened by the ink flow, and the ink is supplied through the ink supply port.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ink cartridge of the first aspect, the opening / closing member is made of an elastic film material, the film material has a cut, and the cut is opened by the flow of ink. is there.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the opening / closing member is made of an elastic film material, and the film member has a cut, and the cut is opened by the flow of the ink. Flows smoothly through cuts in the film member.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ink cartridge of the second aspect, the film material is formed with a cut radially from a center.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the cut is formed radially from the center of the film material, the cut is opened according to the flow of the ink, and the film material obstructs the flow of the ink. There is no.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the ink cartridge according to any one of the first to third aspects, the opening / closing member is bonded to an adapter mounted on the ink supply port.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the opening / closing member is adhered to the adapter, and the adapter is attached to the ink supply port, so that the opening / closing member is provided at the ink supply port without difficulty.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the ink cartridge according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a seal member for closing the ink supply port is provided on the outer periphery of the opening and closing member so as to be peelable.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the seal member can be peeled regardless of the opening / closing member, and the scattering of the ink is avoided.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, an ink cartridge storing ink is detachably connected to a print head, and the ink in the ink cartridge is supplied to the print head through an ink supply port of the ink cartridge by ejecting ink from the print head. In the ink jet recording apparatus, the ink supply port is provided with an opening / closing member which is always urged in a closing direction and opens with the flow of ink accompanying the ink ejection of the print head.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the ink supply port is closed by the opening / closing member constantly biased in the closing direction, the ink supply port is attached to the ink supply port for attachment and detachment to and from the print head. When the sealing material is peeled off, it is possible to prevent the ink from scattering around. When an ink flow is generated due to the ink ejection, the opening / closing member is opened by the flow of the ink, and the ink in the ink cartridge is supplied to the print head through the ink supply port.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, in an ink jet recording apparatus 1, a carriage 3 on which a print head 2 (printing means) is mounted is movably supported by a guide rod 4 and a guide bar 5. A timing belt 8 is rotatably wound between a pair of pulleys 6 and 7, and a carriage 3 is attached and fixed to the timing belt 8 at an attachment portion 3a. When the timing belt 8 is rotated by a drive motor (not shown), the carriage 3 (print head 2) reciprocates in a print area where printing is performed on a recording medium.

In the carriage 3, ink cartridges 9, 10, 11, and 12 are removably mounted as a plurality of ink storage sections for storing a plurality of color inks, and the ink stored in the ink cartridges 9 to 12 is provided. Are printed on the recording medium by the respective heads of the print head 2 for printing. In the present embodiment, three primary color inks of cyan, magenta and yellow and black ink are used.

A linear encoder 13 provided along the running direction of the carriage 3 and having black vertical stripes formed on a transparent PET film, and a position of the carriage 3 provided for each carriage 3 based on the linear encoder 13 A position detecting means is constituted by a photo sensor 14 (for example, a transmission type photo interrupter) for detecting the position, and the scanning amount of the carriage 3 is determined by counting the vertical stripes of the linear encoder 13 by the photo sensor 14. A control unit such as a microcomputer receives a signal from the position detection unit, and a print timing is generated based on the signal.
The driving of each head unit and the carriage 3 is controlled.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing the vicinity of the connection between the print head and the ink cartridge of the ink jet recording apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1, a connection portion between the head portion of the print head 2 and an ink cartridge (for example, ink cartridge 9) is connected to a cartridge mounting portion 3b of the carriage 3 via a manifold member 21. The rear end portion of the manifold member 21 penetrates the vertical wall portion 3c of the cartridge mounting portion 3b and is connected to the ink supply port 9a of the ink cartridge 9 via the joint member 22.

The ink supply port 9a of the ink cartridge 9 is provided with an annular adapter 23 linked to a joint member 22, and the ink supply port 9a of the adapter 23 is provided.
a between the ink cartridge 9 and the ink cartridge 9 so as to prevent dust and the like from moving to the print head 2 side.
Is provided. On the opposite side of the adapter 23 from the ink supply port 9a, an opening / closing member 25 that is always urged in the closing direction and opens with the flow of ink is provided by bonding.
The ink supply port 9a is opened and closed by the opening and closing member 25. Further, also on the print head 2 side,
Between the manifold member 23 and the joint member 22,
Another filter member 26 is provided. The upper and lower sides of the print head 2 are an upper cover 27 and a lower cover 28, respectively.
It is covered with.

More specifically, the opening / closing member 25 includes:
A plurality of cuts 25a made of an elastic film material and extending radially from the center of the film material are formed (see FIG. 3), and the cuts 25a are opened by the flow of ink. That is, the plurality of cuts 25a form a plurality of triangular pieces 25b having sharpened distal ends, and their base ends are connected to the inner peripheral edge of an annular welded portion 25c welded to the adapter 23. Section 25b due to the ink flow accompanying the ink ejection by the print head.
Is bent so as to be turned up from the center side (see the chain line in FIG. 3), so that the cut 25a is opened.
The opening / closing member 25 can sufficiently resist the impact due to the scattering of the ink when the sealing member 29 described later is peeled off, and the cut 25a is opened by the flow of the ink accompanying the ink ejection of the print head 2. That is, it is formed of an elastic material such as rubber having a strength that does not hinder the flow of ink, and is configured to exhibit a check valve function.

When the ink cartridge 9 is packed, the ink supply port 9a is closed on the outside of the opening / closing member 25 by a tape-shaped sealing material 29. The sealing material 29 is detachably attached to the front surface of the adapter 23 or the ink cartridge 9 by welding or bonding. A sealing material is also attached to an atmosphere communication hole (not shown).

With the above configuration, when a new ink cartridge is used, it is necessary to peel off the sealing material 29 closing the air communication hole and the ink supply port of the ink cartridge. First, the sealing material on the air communication hole side is peeled off, and then the ink supply port 9 is removed.
Although the sealing material 29 on the a side is peeled off, the sealing material 29 can be peeled off without being affected by the opening / closing member 25 because the sealing material 29 is detachably welded or bonded to the outer periphery of the opening / closing member 25. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the gap 25a of the opening / closing member 25 is always closed, and the communication between the print head 2 and the ink cartridge is cut off. By the impact of peeling off the sealing material 29 from the opening 9a, the ink which is splattering around through the ink supply opening 9a is regulated by the opening / closing member 25 in which the cut 25a is closed.
Splashing of ink around is avoided. This allows
The user's hands and the surroundings are not stained.

When the ink flow is caused by the ejection of the print head 2, as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), the ink flow is turned so that each piece 25b of the opening / closing member 25 is turned from the center side. The ink is bent into a cantilever shape to open the cut 25a, so that the ink flows smoothly through the cut 25a. When the flow rate of the ink is large, the section 25 of the opening / closing member 25 is further bent to increase the opening amount of the cut 25a, so that the ink flows from the ink cartridge side to the print head 2 side without difficulty. Therefore, since the opening / closing member 25 opens according to the flow of the ink, the resistance to the flow of the ink does not occur regardless of the amount of the flow of the ink.

In the above embodiment, the opening / closing member which is always urged in the closing direction and opened by the flow of ink is described by forming a cut radially from the center, but the present invention is not limited to this. The cut does not have to be radial from the center, and a part of the cut is fixed to one side of the ink supply port to close the ink supply port. It can also be opened by the flow of ink.

As the opening / closing member, resin, rubber, and other various materials can be used.

[0032]

The present invention is embodied in the form described above, and has the following effects.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the ink supply port is closed by the opening / closing member which is always urged in the closing direction, the ink supply port is removed when the sealing material closing the ink supply port is peeled off. It is possible to prevent the ink from splashing to the surroundings through the supply port, and to prevent the user's clothes and surroundings from being stained by the splashed ink. Also,
The opening / closing member is opened by the flow of the ink when the flow of the ink occurs, so that the opening / closing member does not obstruct the flow of the ink to the print head side through the ink supply port. Therefore, it is possible to secure the same ink flowability as in the related art, and to prevent inadvertent scattering of the ink around.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the opening / closing member is made of an elastic film material, the film member has a cut, and the cut is opened by the flow of ink. The opening and closing member can be easily opened.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the film member has a cut radially from the center, the film member can be opened according to the flow of ink, and the film member can be opened according to the amount of ink flow. Is changed, so that the flow of ink, which is the same as in the related art, is not hindered.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the opening / closing member is bonded to the adapter attached to the ink supply port, the opening / closing member is easily provided at the ink supply port by attaching the adapter to the ink supply port. be able to.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, since the seal member for closing the ink supply port is provided on the outer periphery of the opening and closing member so as to be peelable, the seal member can be peeled regardless of the opening and closing member. Can be prevented from scattering.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, since the ink supply port of the ink cartridge is closed by an opening / closing member which is always urged in the closing direction, the ink supply port is attached and detached from the print head. It is possible to prevent ink from splashing around when peeling off the sealing material welded to the opening, and when ink flow occurs due to ink ejection, the opening / closing member is opened by the ink flow. Therefore, the ink in the ink cartridge can be easily supplied to the print head through the ink supply port.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing the vicinity of a connection portion between a print head and an ink cartridge of the ink jet recording apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the vicinity of an ink supply port of the ink cartridge.

4A and 4B show a state before the opening and closing member is opened. FIG. 4A is a detailed view near the ink supply port, and FIG. 4B is a front view of the opening and closing member.

5A and 5B show an open state of the opening and closing member, wherein FIG. 5A is a detailed view of the vicinity of the ink supply port, and FIG. 5B is a front view of the opening and closing member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Print head 9 Ink cartridge 9a Ink supply port 10 Ink cartridge 11 Ink cartridge 12 Ink cartridge 23 Adapter 25 Opening / closing member 25a Cut

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An ink cartridge that stores ink therein and supplies the ink through an ink supply port, wherein the ink supply port is closed by an opening / closing member that is always urged in a closing direction and opens with the flow of ink. An ink cartridge comprising: 2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing member is made of an elastic film material, the film material has a cut, and the cut is opened by a flow of ink. 3. The ink cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the film material has a cut formed radially from the center. 4. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said opening / closing member is adhered to an adapter attached to an ink supply port. 5. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a seal member that closes an ink supply port is provided on an outer periphery of the opening and closing member so as to be peelable. 6. An ink jet recording apparatus for detachably connecting an ink cartridge storing ink to a print head and supplying ink in the ink cartridge to the print head through an ink supply port of the ink cartridge by ejecting the ink from the print head. An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein an opening / closing member which is always urged in a closing direction and is opened by a flow of ink accompanying ink ejection of the print head is provided in the ink supply port.