JPS59164148A - Ink supply apparatus in ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to reduce running cost, by constituting the titled apparatus so that the constitution of an ink storage container is formed of only an outer shell while an ink pressurizing means and an ink residual amount detecting means are placed out of the ink storage container. CONSTITUTION:When an ink storage container 301 is inserted into a container receiver 304, a pipe needle 305 pierces a plug 303 to inject ink to a second ink storage container 307 hermetically closed by an elastic membrane 308 and supplies the same to an ink sump 105 through a filter 310 and a supply line 106. In mixing air bubbles in the nozzle of a recording head, when an air vent orifice 302 is closed by a finger and the container 301 is forcibly pushed down, the ink pressures in both containers are raised by the deformation of the elastic membrane 308 and air bubbles are expelled from the nozzle while adered dust is washed off. If addition, an ink liquid level detecting part 312 is provided to the second ink storage container 307. By this mechanism, the ink in the ink storage container can be used without wastefully leaving the same and running cost can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an on-demand inkjet printer, and more particularly to an ink supply device.

The print head used in a drop-on-demand inkjet printer is shown in Figure 1 (a cross-sectional view of ω and the same figure (b).
As shown in the front view of the nozzle hole 10 for ejecting ink strips
1 having a pressure chamber 104 between it and an ink reservoir 105
A thin flat flexible plate 102 made of a corrosion-resistant material such as glass ceramics or stainless steel is bonded to a channel substrate 100 consisting of one or more injection channel systems, and is made of zirconium titanate or barium titanate. The electromechanical transducer 103 is bonded to a position corresponding to the pressure chamber 104 on the disposable plastic sheet 102. This ink is supplied to the ink supply path 106 by driving the 'Deki Isoi & Kankeiko 103 in response to a recording signal output from an external signal source, such as a single-child computer or communication device. The ink supplied from the storage container to the ink reservoir 105 via the ink supply path 106 and filled in the pressure chamber 104 is given an impulse to generate a pressure wave in the ink, and the nozzle hole 101 area ink tone xo7 is ejected; The principle is that dots are formed on the recording paper on the Ar1 side of the nozzle hole 101 and recorded. However, in this recording head, the pressure chamber 10
If there are air or gas bubbles in the ink in 4, the compressibility of the bubbles is higher than that of the ink, so the φ and energy during the impulse are absorbed by the bubbles, and the pressure inside the pressure chamber is not transmitted normally. (Naruto, Ink Gang 1o7
becomes impossible to inject. In addition, the nozzle hole 101
Since the holes are also minute, debris generated from the recording paper may adhere to the nozzle surface 108 and clog the nozzle hole 101. If the above condition occurs, this recording head will be prevented from performing normally, and its function as a printer will be stopped.Therefore, a printer equipped with this recording head will not be able to handle the above-mentioned abnormal condition. If it occurs, remove it (
2) We have to wait for Noh. A simple and efficient method for this function is to increase the pressure of the ink in the ink storage container and direct the ink in the pressure chamber 104 to the nozzle hole 1.
It is to flush it out from 01. This is because the air bubbles generated in the pressure chamber 104 flow out together with the ink, and at the same time, the dust particles on the nozzle surface 108 are also washed away by the ink flowing out from the nozzle hole 101. Then, by wiping off the ink on the nozzle surface 108 with the cleaning means, the recording head can return to its normal state. FIG. 2 is an embodiment specifically showing the conventional method described above. As shown in the schematic diagram of the same figure, the inside of the replaceable ink storage container outer shell 201 is connected by an elastic membrane 202, and the inside thereof is The ink 200 is stored therein, and a pressure plate 203 is provided outside the elastic membrane 202 to apply pressure to the ink 200 in the ink storage container. When installing the ink storage container, the outer shell 201 is inserted into the container holder 204, and the rubber bladder 205 provided at the bottom of the ink storage container is inserted into the container holder (the pipe needle 206 provided in the holder 204). The ink 200 in the container passes through the pipe needle 206 and the filter 207 and enters the ink supply path 106.
is supplied to a recording node (not shown). Further, when the ink 200 is consumed, means for detecting the drop of the ink level by means of a gear pole 208 provided on the outer shell 201 of the container is also required. Now, when the above-mentioned spitting occurs, the suppression plate 203 is pressed to increase the pressure of the ink 200 in the container, thereby eliminating the obstruction. However, since the replaceable ink storage container is a disposable, so-called consumable item, manufacturing costs must be considered. In the conventional embodiment shown in FIG. 2, an elastic membrane, a suppression plate, a lid area, etc. must be provided, and this configuration has a problem in that it takes time and effort to inject ink. These cost factors often make the price of the ink storage container expensive, and therefore the running cost is also expensive.

The object of the present invention is to provide an ink supply system that solves these problems.
Our goal is to provide the following. That is, the ink storage container has only an outer shell, and the ink pressure means and remaining ink amount detection means are placed outside the ink storage container, thereby eliminating the above-mentioned drawbacks of the metal layer method. Ru.

According to the present invention, a second ink storage container is provided between the drop-on-demand type inkjet recording head and an ink storage container, and pressure chambers and nozzle holes in the recording head are located in the second ink storage container. a pump means for discharging air bubbles and dust adhering to the nozzle surface together with the ink, and a filter means for preventing particulates that may be present in the ink storage container from entering the inside of the recording head. An ink supply device for an inkjet printer is obtained.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Third
The figure is a cross-sectional view of an ink supply device of the present invention and an ink reservoir portion of a recording head. 100 to 10 in the figure
6 is the recording head explained in FIG. Reference numeral 301 is a replaceable ink storage container, which differs from conventional containers in that it does not have an elastic membrane, a suppression plate, a means for detecting remaining ink W'l, etc. Only the ink 200 is stored inside the outer shell of the container. (7 and 8) An air vent hole 302 is provided on the top plate of the container 301, and a plug 303 made of paulownia material such as rubber is attached to the bottom.Now, when the ink storage container 301 is inserted into the container holder 304, , pedestal 3
The pipe needle 305 installed in the plug 303 penetrates through the plug 303, and the elasticity formed from a material such as rubber at the end of the plug 303! Ink is injected into the second ink storage W vessel 307 sealed by W 308 . The ink supply path 10 provided in the base 309 is extended by the filter means 310 in the second ink storage container 3070.
6 to the ink reservoir 105 of the recording head.

Here, let us assume that a problem like the one described in the case of hanging the trunk occurs. In order to remove this obstacle, the ink storage container 301 is suddenly pushed down. Then, the panicle membrane 308 changes, the volume of the second ink storage container 307 decreases, and the ink 200 in the ink storage container 3 old circle and the second ink storage container 307 change.
The pressure of the ink 200' in the ink reservoir 307 increases. This special envoy vent hole 302 is sealed by rubbing it with your fingers or by creating a reverse valve. Now, the ink 2001200' whose pressure has increased flows into the recording head, expels all the bubbles existing in the pressure chamber 104 from the nozzle holes 101 shown in FIG.
Wash away the dust on the bamboo chips. Next, when returning to the normal state, when the depressed ink storage container 3 is released, the elastic membrane 308, the pedestal 306, and the ink storage container 301 are raised by the spring 311, and the second The volume within the ink reservoir 307 is restored to its normal state.

At this time, the ink 200' inside the second ink storage container 307, which has partially flowed out, is immediately filled by the amount of ink 200' that has flowed out through the refill needle 305 of the ink storage container 301L installed at the top.

Furthermore, when untying the 1-ink storage tVt container 301, the finger that was blocking the air vent hole 302 must be released immediately.
2 is automatically opened. Furthermore, if the recording head continues to operate, the ink will be consumed.

A little bit of the ink 200 in the ink storage M1 container 301 is consumed as dead money, but since the ink 200' in the second ink storage container 307 provided in the -F section remains, recording is possible. The head can continue to operate.

and set it at an appropriate position in the second ink storage container 307 (
Eli ink 200' is detected by the slipped ink level detection unit 312.
consumption is detected and an alarm is issued.

Note that the ink level detection unit 312 is provided with two ILs, for example, and detects the change in electrical resistance between the trough and the i pole using a total detection circuit to sense the ink level. By taking the ink, the ink in the ink storage container 301 can be used without leaving it in vain.

As explained above, the ink supply device of the present invention includes a replaceable ink storage container consisting only of an outer shell, a solid foot type second ink storage container, and a valley device. By concentrating the remaining ink amount means in the second ink storage container, an inexpensive replaceable ink storage container can be realized, and the running cost of the inkjet printer is also reduced, which is an advantage of the present invention. is extremely large.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an inkjet recording head, (a) is a side sectional view, (b) is a front view, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a conventional ink supply device, and Fig. 3 is a diagram of an uninvented ink supply device. FIG. In the figure, 101 is a nozzle hole, 104 is a pressure chamber, and 10
5 is an ink reservoir, 106 is an ink supply path, 301 is an ink storage container, 302 is an air vent hole, 303 is a plate (Fig. 1<b) Fig. 2? θ4

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) One or several ejection channel systems each having a nozzle hole and a pressure generating chamber are connected to one common ink reservoir, and the front Be Hijikata force is generated during recording. In a drop-on-demand inkjet recording head that ejects ink from the nozzle hole by deforming an electromechanical transducer provided at a position corresponding to the chamber, an ink storage container for supplying ink, an mJ recording head, and an ink storage container. The second ink storage A! Close the 8 vessels, 2nd
An ink supply device for an inkjet printer, characterized in that a pump means is provided in an ink storage container for discharging air bubbles and dust present in the nozzle hole M1 together with the ink. (21) An ink supply device for an inkjet printer according to claim (1), characterized in that a liquid level adjusting means for sensing the remaining amount of ink is provided in the ink storage container of ig2.