JPS60198256A - Ink storage apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to simply perform the replacement of an ink cartridge and a waste liquid tank, by providing an air introducing port, an air exhaust port, an ink inflow port and an ink lead-out port to a container receiving an ink receiving bag and a waste ink recovery tank. CONSTITUTION:An ink receiving bag 12 is received in the upper stage of the container main body 11 of an ink cartridge 10 and the lower stage of said main body 11 is used as a waste liquid tank chamber 14 and both of them are independently made air-tight. An ink lead-out member 15 is provided to the lower part of an ink chamber 13 so as to be connected to the ink receiving bag 12 and an air introducing port 16 is brought into communication with an air supply body 20. A waste liquid inflow port 18 for the inflow of waste ink and an air exhaust port 19 are provided to the waste liquid tank chamber 14 and the air exhaust port 19 is brought into communication with a suction pump 24.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device that records images such as characters and figures on a recording medium by ejecting recording ink as ink droplets from a nozzle. The present invention relates to an ink storage device equipped with a replaceable ink cartridge, and particularly relates to an ink storage device in which waste ink other than for image recording is stored in the ink cartridge.

[Prior art]

Inkjet recording devices generally have the advantage of being able to perform high-speed recording with extremely low noise, being able to use inexpensive plain paper, and not requiring complex processing such as development and fixing. Furthermore, the small-diameter dots and reduced dot spacing enable high-resolution image recording, and are also effective for recording kanji characters, figures, etc. Multicolor recording using color ink is also possible.

Regarding inkjet recording methods, conventional inkjet recording devices draw characters and figures by electrostatically deflecting charged ink droplets, and there are two types of inkjet recording methods: charge control type and electric field control type, depending on the ink droplet generation method and jet direction control. be. In either method, the ink that is not used to record dots on the recording paper after ejecting the ink may be collected, recycled, and reused, but generally it is collected in a waste liquid tank and disposed of outside.

Another inkjet recording method is Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-12138.
This is called the second demand method as shown in the above publication. This is an inkjet recording apparatus in which each time an electric pulse is applied to a recording head in response to an electric signal for recording, ink in a pressure chamber is brought to zero pressure by a piezoelectric element and ejected as ink droplets from a nozzle. The feature of this on-demand system is that ink is ejected only when necessary in response to image signals, so the amount of ink consumed is not small4, and there is no need to collect unnecessary ink.

In each of the above inkjet recording devices, in order to draw high-quality characters, figures, etc. on recording paper by ejecting and flying ink as small droplets from a narrow nozzle, ink of fine and equal diameter is required. Droplets must be ejected regularly.In order for these ink droplets to fly smoothly and to stably draw characters and figures on recording paper, the properties of the ink itself must be made uniform in terms of light intensity. It is necessary to make the ink cartridge stable and stable, but at the same time, it is also necessary to prevent air bubbles from entering the ink flow path from the ink tank to the recording head.

Drying of the ink inside the nozzle, dust, paper powder, etc. can cause solidified matter in the ink, which often causes jumps. This causes non-ejection or unstable ejection of the ink, and decreases in ejection efficiency, stability of ink droplet formation, responsiveness, and ejection accuracy, so it is necessary to remove these impurities as described above.

If air bubbles or foreign objects enter the nozzles or other ink flow paths in the recording head, pressurize the ink in the ink tank or ink supply system to increase the ink pressure for a certain period of time to remove air bubbles or foreign objects from the nozzles. A method has been adopted in which the ink is discharged (purged) together with the ink. The unnecessary ink discharged by purging is generally collected in the waste liquid tank.

The above-mentioned unnecessary ink other than recording and ink discharged from purging may be introduced into the waste liquid tank below through the groove or inside the pipe, but the ink is forced to flow in by reducing the pressure inside the sealed waste liquid tank using an intake pump, etc. You can force it.

Discard or replace part or all of the waste liquid tank before it overflows.

On the other hand, the ink tank that replenishes ink to the recording head is used to keep the ink in a stable state without exposing it to the outside air.

A sealed ink cartridge is used.

This ink cartridge has excellent ink resistance and is filled into a bag or container with low gas permeability to prevent air from entering. This ink cartridge is detachably attached to the cartridge receiver so that new ink can be replenished by replacing the ink cartridge.

μ snow? Inku 4+ -k II -,,・innaiin/
For example, when using a pressurized ink supply method or a method that pressurizes some of the ink when purging is required, high-pressure air is supplied from a wall air supply such as an air pump. A structure in which the ink is fed into an ink cartridge is used.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with a conventional ink cartridge and a waste liquid tank. In the figure, l is a recording head, 2 is an ink cartridge, 3 is an ink car, a trille connection device, 4 is an air supply body, 5 is a waste liquid tank, and 6 is a suction pump.

In this structure, since the ink cartridge and the waste liquid tank are separate, when replacing the ink cartridge 2, the connecting device 3 and the air supply body 4 are attached and detached separately, and the suction pump 6 of the waste liquid tank 5 is replaced. Also, the ink introduction tube must be connected separately, and the replacement operation is cumbersome and takes time, and there are problems such as ink leakage and unstable operation due to incorrect installation. The purpose of this invention is to provide an ink storage device in which an ink cartridge and a waste liquid tank can be easily and reliably replaced.

[Structure of the invention]

In the ink storage device of the present invention, an ink storage bag and a waste ink recovery tank are housed in a common container body, and air is formed in the container body on the wall surface of the container body in order to pressurize the ink in the ink storage bag. an air inlet for introducing a flow of waste ink, an inlet for allowing waste ink to flow into the waste ink recovery tank, an air outlet for letting air out of the waste ink recovery tank, and an air outlet for letting out the ink in the ink storage bag. It is characterized by being provided with an ink outlet.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of an ink side recording apparatus equipped with an ink storage device of the present invention. The ink storage device includes an ink cartridge and a coupling member connected thereto.

(ink car) The container body 11 of the IJ 1o has an upper and lower two-tiered structure, with the upper tier being an ink chamber 13 in which the ink storage bag 12 is stored, and the lower tier being a waste liquid tank chamber 14 that accommodates waste ink. Therefore, each room 13 and 14 is designed independently. Lower part of ink chamber 13 vc n
An ink lead-out member 15 is provided, one end of which is
It is connected to the ink storage bag 12. An air introduction port 16 for introducing an air flow into the ink chamber 13 is opened on the right wall surface of the ink chamber 13, and the air introduction port 16 communicates with an air supply body such as an air pump.

The waste liquid tank chamber 14 at the bottom of the ink cartridge has porous holes 5 that absorb waste ink! ! Spongy waste liquid absorbing member 17
For example, polymer foam, sponge, cellulose sponge, natural sponge, etc. are incorporated therein.

A side wall of the waste liquid tank chamber 14 is provided with a waste liquid inlet 18 through which waste ink flows, and an air outlet 19 through which air within the waste liquid tank chamber 14 is drawn out. Air outlet 19
I'i It communicates with the suction pump for air suction separately.

Ink storage bag 12Fi is made of a flexible film that airtightly encloses recording ink, and supplies ink while maintaining hydrostatic pressure. The ink outlet member 15 of the ink cartridge 10 is penetrated by a hollow needle 22 provided on the ink cartridge holder 21 of the inkjet recording apparatus main body, so that the recording ink in the ink storage bag 12 flows through the hollow needle 22. The ink supply tube is communicated with and led out through the ink supply tube. The extracted ink is supplied into the print head from the inlet passage of the print head after passing through the filter 5 since the previous ink supply, and is further connected to a plurality of nozzles 26 corresponding to the vertical pixels of the dot matrix character to be printed. It is branched into a plurality of pressure chambers l that communicate with each other. In this way, the nozzle is constantly filled with ink from the ink cartridge IO, and when not recording, an ink meniscus is formed by the hydrostatic pressure of the ink on the nozzle surface and the surface tension of the ink, and an equilibrium state is maintained. are doing.

In the inkjet recording device having the above configuration,
A piezoelectric transducer (not shown) provided on the outer wall surface of the pressure chamber 27 is activated by an electric signal from the pulse generator Akara.
The ink inside the pressure chamber 27 is suddenly bent inward, and the resulting rapid decrease in the volume of the pressure chamber 27 causes the ink inside to be ejected from the nozzle as ink droplets and to reach the recording paper P that is moving relative to the recording head. to record a dot image.

If bubbles or solidified matter are generated in the recording head, normal ejection recording will not be possible, so they are promptly purged using an automatic or manual switch. In response to these commands, the air supply side such as an air pump is operated, and the daily pressure is supplied to the air inlet 16 of the container body 11 of the ink cartridge IO.
The ink is introduced into the upper ink chamber 13 through the ink chamber 13, the outer periphery of the ink storage bag 12 is pressurized, and the ink inside is forced into the recording head through the hollow needle η and the ink supply pipe. At this time, air bubbles and foreign matter in the nozzle and the recording head circle are forcibly discharged from the nozzle together with overflowing ink, and the nozzle or other parts are cleaned and clogging is eliminated. The discharged ink is captured on the outer circumferential surface of the cleaning roller, and is collected in the waste liquid receiver (9) below it. Waste liquid receiver 30
is connected to the discharge tube, and then the ink cartridge 1
It is connected to the waste liquid tank chamber 14 via the waste liquid inlet 18 in the lower stage of 0. The waste liquid receiver 30 is removed by the above-mentioned purge operation.
The waste liquid ink collected in the waste liquid ink is sucked into the waste liquid tank chamber 14 through the air outlet 19, the waste liquid tank chamber 14, the inlet no. and is sucked and stored in the waste liquid absorbing member 17.

When the ink in the ink storage bag 12 is consumed by normal ink ejection, purging, etc., the remaining amount of ink is alerted or displayed by the detection means. The operator or service person should open the ink inlet port 16 of the ink cartridge 10. The coupling member 32 connected to the waste liquid inlet 18 and the air outlet 19 is removed, and the ink cartridge 10 is pulled upward to disconnect the ink outlet member 15 from the hollow needle 22 of the pedestal 21. The holder is removed from the pedestal 21. Remove the ink cartridge 10. In this way, the ink cartridge can be easily uncoupled from each connection part and removed to the outside, and at this time, the empty ink storage bag 12 next to the ink used and the waste liquid can be removed. The contained waste liquid absorbing member 17 is disposed of as waste liquid together with the container body kl. In this way, the waste liquid ink is replaced at the same time as the ink storage bag before it fills up in the waste liquid tank, so that there is no possibility that the waste liquid will overflow at the wrong time and stain the machine or cause an accident.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an ink storage device according to the present invention;
Figure 3 (cross-sectional view seen from the top of Alid, Figure 3<B) is a side cross-sectional view of A4-A2 A3 A4 mounting surface, Figure 3 (C)
is a front view of the ink cartridge.

The container body 11 of the ink cartridge IO is provided with a side gllA on the outer peripheral front side, a middle partition plate 11B that is integral with the side wall 11A and partitions the main body container into upper stages, and a side wall 11A and a middle partition plate 11B. It is composed of an upper lid that seals the upper part that has been formed, and a bottom lid LID that seals the lower chamber formed by the side wall 11A and the partition plate 11B. An ink storage bag 12 is stored in the upper chamber, and an air inlet 16 is opened on the right side of the side wall 11A. A Ktd ink outlet member 15 is fixedly attached to the lower part of the ink storage bag 120. The ink lead-out member 15 is composed of a housing 15A and an elastic septum 15B, and seals the ink. A waste liquid absorbing member 17 is built into the lower chamber, and above it, a waste liquid inlet 18 and an air outlet 19 are opened on the right side of the side wall 11A.

A connecting device 31 is detachably connected to the three openings of the ink cartridge 10, and holds three hollow plugs 32, 33, and 34, and each tube 32A.

Connect to 33A and 34A respectively.

In this connected state, the air supply unit is operated to supply pressurized air to the tube 32A, the hollow plug 32, and the air inlet 16.
When the ink is introduced into the ink chamber 13, which is an upper chamber in the ink cartridge 10, the pressure in the airtight ink chamber 13 increases, and the ink in the ink storage bag 12 is pressurized. This pressurized ink is discharged from the nozzle 9 through the ink guiding member 15 and the hollow needle 22.

At the same time, the suction pump operates 1, and the decompressed air passes through the tube holder cb9 plug (-■ Tsukudahi exit 19) and depressurizes the inside of the waste liquid tank chamber 14, which is the chamber below the ink cartridge IO. The waste ink inside the waste liquid receiver enters the waste liquid tank chamber 14 through the hollow plug of the tube 33A1 and the waste liquid inlet 18, and is absorbed by the waste liquid absorption member 17.

The waste liquid inlet 18 and the air outlet 19 of the waste liquid tank chamber 14 are provided above the partition plate 11B that separates the ink chamber 13 and the waste liquid tank chamber 14, and the two openings 18 and 19 are They are separated from each other at both ends via a central air inlet 16. Furthermore, since both openings 18 and 19 are partially partitioned by the partition walls 11E and IIF of the container body 11, the suction air flow from the suction pump is blocked by the partition walls 11E and IIF, creating a detour flow, and the air is Since the flow path length is also sufficiently long, the air outlet 19 is prevented from directly absorbing the waste liquid ink from the waste liquid inlet 18. Bulkhead 11E.

The installation position, length, height, etc. of 11 F depend on the suction power of the intake pump, the space volume of the waste liquid tank chamber 14, and the waste liquid inlet 18.
The distance between the air outlet 19 and the air outlet 19 is determined to achieve the best effect.

FIG. 4 also shows another embodiment of the ink storage device according to the present invention.
Figure 4 (Al is a cross-sectional view seen from the top surface, Figure 4 (Bl is B, -8, side cross-sectional view of the mounting surface, Figure 4 (C)
is a front view of the ink cartridge. In these figures, members having the same functions and structures as those in FIG. 3 are given the same reference numerals.

The ink storage device of this embodiment has the above-mentioned three openings of the ink cartridge, namely, the air inlet 16, the waste liquid inlet 18,
In addition to the air outlet 19, the ink outlet member 15 is also connected to the container body 4.
1, and the connecting devices are also arranged in one place correspondingly. A side force VC ink deriving member 4 is attached to an ink storage bag 42 housed in an ink chamber 13 which is an upper chamber of a container body 41.
5 is connected in a sealed state, and the ink guiding member 45 is attached to the outer peripheral front side MIIA of the container body 41. A nine-air inlet 16 exclusively for pressurizing ink is provided above the ink outlet member 45. The waste liquid inlet 18 and the air outlet 19 are arranged on the left and right sides of the ink guide member 45 on the side wall 41A. The connection device 51 has four entrances and exits 45 , 16 , and 16 for the ink cartridge 40 .
18. Corresponding to PJ, hollow needle z2, hollow plug 3; II! , 33, and 34 are provided 1, and are detachably attached to the ink cartridge 4o. In addition, since the connection device 51 is integrated with the ink cartridge receiver 852, the ink cartridge 40 can be connected to the receiver 52.
By sliding and installing the ink cartridge into the four ink cartridge openings 45, 1tj,
18', 19 and four connecting parts 22, 3 of the connecting device
2, 33, and 34, it is possible to complete a combined child.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, the ink storage S and device of the present invention simplify and simplify the operation of disposing of waste ink by housing the ink storage bag for ink supply and the waste ink collection tank in a common container body. It is possible to securely connect the ink supply and discharge port to the chamber for storing the ink storage bag of the ink cartridge and the waste ink collection tank, respectively, and the connection device at the same time. . This 7
This allows simultaneous connection of the pressure system inside the ink supply chamber and the waste liquid recovery system, making operation easier.

Furthermore, a waste liquid inlet and a sudden air discharge are provided on the same wall surface of the ink cartridge, and the two are located sufficiently apart from each other, and the effect of the partition wall prevents the air outlet from directly sucking in one shot of liquid ink. Therefore, accidents such as ink getting into the suction pump can be avoided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the ink supply and discharge state of the ink cartridge recording device made by Takumi; Fig. 2 is a deterioration diagram of an ink cartridge H self-recording machine equipped with the ink storage device of the present invention; Fig. 3 jA ), (B), and (C) are a sectional view, side sectional view, and front view of the ink storage device as seen from above, and FIG. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view, a side cross-sectional view, and a normal 101 view of an embodiment of the present invention. 2.1 (J, 40... ink cartridge, 3.31
．． 51... Connection device, 4%aJ... Sudden air supply body, 6.24... Intake phonf, 13... Ink chamber, 14... Waste liquid tank chamber, 15.45... Ink outlet Components, ■Also...Air inlet, 17...Waste liquid absorption member, 1
8... Waste liquid inlet, 19... Sudden air outlet, n...
・Hollow needle, 32, 33. 34...Hollow plug. Agent Patent Attorney No 1) View of Righteousness

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) An ink storage bag and a waste ink recovery tank are housed in a common container body, and an air inlet port for introducing an air flow into the container body to pressurize the ink in the ink storage bag, and an air inlet for introducing an air flow into the container body to pressurize the ink in the ink storage bag; An inlet for allowing waste ink to flow into the collection tank, an air discharge port for bringing out the air in the waste ink collection tank, and an ink outlet for discharging the ink storage bag in the ink storage bag are provided on the wall surface of the container body. Ink storage device fj! t. (2) The ink storage device according to claim 1, wherein the air inlet, the inlet, and the air outlet are provided on one side wall of the container body. (3) An ink storage device, wherein the air inlet, the inlet, the air outlet, and the ink outlet are provided on one side wall of the container body.