KR100995377B1 - Ink supply apparatus for printer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ink supply device for a printer that can improve the print quality by detecting the presence of ink to continuously supply ink to the printer. Receiving a detection signal when the contact means is in contact with the suspand on whether or not the contact plate is turned on, the printer temporarily stops driving or displays a warning to replace the ink reservoir and the ink filled in the receiving space. It is characterized in that the buoyancy force of the to the first through the second port to maintain the ink charge level in the receiving space is constant.

Printer ink supply device, ink reservoir, ink cartridge, float, reverse injection prevention, ink presence detection zone, susball, air inlet needle, ink discharge needle, conductor.

Description

Ink supply device for printers {INK SUPPLY APPARATUS FOR PRINTER}

The present invention relates to an ink supply device for a printer, and more particularly, to improve the printing quality while allowing the ink to be stably supplied to the printer stably while maintaining the ink level of the ink cartridge by detecting the presence or absence of ink. The ink supply apparatus for a printer made it possible to make it possible.

A printer is a printing apparatus which receives ink from an ink cartridge and uses it to perform printing. Since the ink cartridge used in the printer is made for one time use, the ink cartridge is replaced with a new ink cartridge when it is used.

Since the ink cartridge is expensive replacement cost, in order to solve this problem, the ink cartridge for refilling (refilling) the ink cartridge or the ink supply device for the printer that can continuously supply the ink is used. An ink supply device for a printer is a device for continuously supplying ink to a printer having an ink reservoir.

However, the device that does not control the ink level of the ink supply device has a problem that it is difficult to adjust the ink charge level, such as when the ink is low or rather overcharged because the ink is injected manually. In addition, the ink supply device capable of adjusting the ink level is inconvenient not to know that the ink in the ink container is empty when the printer operator is doing other work.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink supply apparatus for a printer which can improve the print quality while allowing the ink to be stably supplied to the printer stably in a state of maintaining a constant water level by detecting the presence of ink. have.

The purpose is to transfer the buoyancy of the ink to the first portion through the second port which is connected to the ink reservoir and the ink reservoir for storing the ink for supply to the printer is raised and lowered by the filling level of the ink ink transfer needle The ink cartridge which temporarily fills the ink supplied from the ink reservoir and supplies it to the printer while being opened and closed, is connected to the ink cartridge by being watertightly coupled with the ink at the ink outlet side of the ink reservoir. Ink detection means for detecting the ink amount fluctuation of the ink reservoir due to the consumption of ink in the ink cartridge and indicating ink presence and ink information stored in the smart chip disposed on the ink reservoir side to the printer Is achieved by an ink supply apparatus for a printer including ink information transferring means.

The ink cartridge is provided at a position adjacent to the first sub-portion, buoyant portion having a plurality of buoyancy space divided by the partition wall inside and down by the buoyancy of the ink, and fixed to one side of the buoyancy portion And a second buckle support formed in a cross-sectional structure bent in a 'b' shape, and supporting the second buckle support while being able to transfer the buoyancy of the buoyancy portion to the first buckle by a lever principle. It may be composed of a second groove having a two-piece support piece and a guide groove formed along the inner circumference of the ink cartridge to guide the electric wire.

The ink presence detecting means is provided on the discharge port side from which the ink is discharged from the ink reservoir and has a reverse injection prevention device having a plurality of support protrusions formed to protrude radially therein, and is provided receivable inside the reverse injection prevention port and is provided on the lower side. An ink presence detection zone having a conductive sustain plate attached thereto, a suspension ball mounted on an upper side of the ink presence detection zone so as to be located inside the reverse injection prevention opening, and a ink ball to prevent reverse injection of ink; A blocking film provided to be in close contact with the lower side of the mouth and preventing contact of ink, a rubber stopper installed adjacent to the blocking film to improve the sealing property of the ink storage container, and a fixed cap that is fitted to be in close contact with the lower side of the reverse injection prevention port. And an air inlet hole which is turned on and off with the suspan and air is introduced into a predetermined position on the upper side. An air discharge needle disposed at a position adjacent to the air inflow needle and the air inlet needle are on and off with the suspand, and ink is discharged at a position downward from the air inlet hole. It may be made of an ink discharge needle having a.

The ink information transferring means includes a smart chip storing ink information on the ink storage cylinder side, an adapter provided on the ink cartridge side and reading ink information stored in the smart chip, and ink information provided on the ink cartridge side. It may be made of a dummy chip for transmitting to the printer side.

Therefore, according to the ink supply apparatus for a printer according to the present invention, it is possible to create an effect of improving the print quality while allowing the ink to be continuously supplied to the printer stably while maintaining the constant water level by detecting the presence of ink. .

Another effect according to the present invention is that the first and second subspheres can more accurately maintain a certain level of ink.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail with respect to the present invention.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing the connection relationship between the ink reservoir and the ink cartridge having the ink presence detection means according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge according to the present invention, Figure 3 is "A of FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the ink presence detecting means according to the present invention.

The ink supply apparatus 100 for a printer according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, temporarily fills the ink storage container 110 in which the ink is stored, and the ink supplied from the ink storage container 110 to print the printer P. FIG. The ink cartridge 120 to be supplied to the ink cartridge 120 and the ink discharge port side of the ink reservoir 110 to contact the ON / OFF contact of the suspan 133b and the air inlet needle 138 or the ink discharge needle 139; ink presence detecting means 130 for detecting off).

The ink storage container 110 is formed in various cylinder shapes forming a storage space 111 having a predetermined width in which ink supplied to the printer P is stored. A predetermined amount of ink supplied to the ink cartridge 120 is stored in the ink storage container 110. The ink reservoir 110 may be formed of various materials, such as a transparent plastic inside. Thereby, the amount of ink filled in the ink reservoir 110 can be visually confirmed. The outer surface of the ink reservoir 110 may be marked with a tick to more accurately check the amount of ink charged. One side of the ink reservoir 110 is provided with an outlet 112 for transferring the ink to the ink cartridge 120 side. The ink may be filled through the outlet 112, and in this case, the ink may be stored by blocking the outlet with a predetermined prevention film while the ink reservoir 110 is filled with ink.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ink cartridge 120 is connected to the ink reservoir 110 by the ink transfer pipe 113 to temporarily charge the ink supplied from the ink reservoir 110 so that the printer P ) To serve.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ink cartridge 120 is provided with a case 120a having a closed structure on all sides. Ink cartridge 120 may be provided with a variety of materials, such as plastic that can be seen inside.

As shown in FIG. 1 or 2, the ink cartridge 120 has an accommodation space 122 filled with ink supplied from the ink reservoir 110 so that ink can be continuously supplied to the printer P. As shown in FIG. Prepared.

The accommodation space 122 is divided into a plurality of partitions 122a through the partition walls 122a. An incision 122c is formed at one end of the partition wall 122a to allow the divided and partitioned accommodation spaces 122 to contact each other so that ink can flow. The partition wall 122a minimizes the rumble of the ink contained in the ink cartridge 120.

The filter 123 is provided at a predetermined position of the accommodation space 122 where the partition wall 122a is formed. The filter 123 is installed at a position adjacent to the discharge groove 124. The filter 123 cleans the ink flowing through the discharge groove 124 from the accommodation space 122. Thereby, the print quality of the printer P can be improved.

In one side of the accommodation space 122 of the ink cartridge 120, as shown in FIG. 1, an injection hole 121 provided in contact with the accommodation space 122 is formed.

At a position adjacent to the injection hole 121, a first ink transfer needle 129f for transferring the ink transferred to the ink transfer pipe 113 to the accommodation space 122 of the ink cartridge 120 is provided. The first ink transfer needle 129f is opened and closed by the first sub-hole 128 to supply or stop supplying ink.

One side of the receiving space 122 is formed with a discharge passage 124b in communication with the receiving space 122. A stopper 125 made of a rubber material for supporting the second ink transfer needle 129g installed in the printer P is inserted into the discharge passage 124b. The stopper 125 may be coupled to prevent the departure by the stopper prevention plate 125a of the plate shape.

A discharge groove 124 having a predetermined size is formed at one side of the accommodation space 122, and an inclined flow path 124a formed to be inclined to be connected to the discharge groove 124 is provided at one side thereof. The ink moved to the discharge groove 124 in the process of supplying ink to the printer P side moves along the inclined flow path 124a.

As shown in FIG. 1, a thin resin film 122b of elastic material is provided on one surface of the accommodation space 122. The resin film 122b seals the accommodating space 122 and alleviates the ink rumble.

One side of the accommodation space 122 (for example, the position adjacent to the ink reservoir) is provided with a guide tube 127 for the first ink transfer needle 129f and in contact with the ink reservoir.

Inside the guide tube 127, as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the 1st opening 128 which opens and closes the 1st ink transfer needle 129f while raising / lowering by buoyancy of ink is provided. As the ink filled in the receiving space 122 of the ink cartridge 120 disappears, the first mouth 128 descends in the guide tube 127 to open the first ink transfer needle 129f. In the process of filling the ink, when the first float 128 rises and falls inside the guide tube 127 by the filling level of the ink and reaches a certain level, the process of opening and closing the first ink transfer needle 129f is repeated. The ink filled in the accommodation space 122 achieves a constant level. Thereby, the flow velocity and pressure of the ink supplied to the printer P can be kept constant, and print quality can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the first accessory 128 may be formed of a first accessory support 128b supporting the first accessory support 128a and the first accessory support 128a.

The first buckle 128 may be provided in a shape corresponding to the guide tube 127. The first buoy 128 is raised and lowered in the guide tube 127 by buoyancy of ink.

As shown in FIG. 2, at one side of the first buckle 128, the buoyancy force to the second buckle 129 is received by the first buckle support piece 128b so as to be transmitted to the first buckle 128. Supported first sub-support 128a may be further provided.

The first buckle support 128a is provided to be fixed to one side of the first buckle 128. The first sub-support 128a is formed to be bent into a "b" shape. The first sub-support 128a may be formed in various ways such as a bar shape.

The first subsphere support piece 128b is fixedly installed at a predetermined position of the accommodation space 122. The first part support member 128b receives the buoyancy force of the second part 129 by the lever principle while supporting the first part support member 128a to lift the first part 128 in the guide tube 127. Let it descend.

One end of the second buckle 129 is freely connected to the first buckle 128 to transfer the buoyancy of the ink filled in the accommodation space 122 to the first buoy 128 to move up and down within the guide tube 127. While opening and closing the first ink transfer needle 129f more accurately.

As shown in FIG. 1 or 2, the second buckle 129 has a buoyancy portion 129a having a plurality of buoyancy spaces 129a-1 and a second buckle support fixed to the buoyancy portion 129a. 129b and a second sub-support 129d for supporting the second sub-support 129b.

The buoyancy portion 129a is preferably installed so as to be located in the accommodation space 122 adjacent to the first buckle 128. The buoyancy portion 129a is raised and lowered by the buoyancy force of the ink filled in the accommodation space 122. Inside the buoyancy portion 129a, a plurality of buoyancy spaces 129a-1 divided by the partition wall 129c are formed. As a result, when an abnormality such as breakage of one of the buoyancy spaces 129a-1 occurs, the buoyancy of the ink filled in the accommodation space 122 is removed through the other buoyancy space 129a-1. It can be delivered to the first part 128.

The second buckle support 129b is provided to be fixed to one side of the buoyancy portion 129a. The second sub-support 129b is formed to have a cross-sectional structure bent in a 'b' shape. One end of the second part support 129b is provided to form a structure connected freely with one end of the first part support (128a). The second sub-support 129b may be formed in various ways such as a bar shape.

The second sub-support piece 129d is fixedly installed at a predetermined position of the accommodation space 122. The second buckle support 129d supports the second buckle support 129b and transmits the buoyancy of the buoyancy portion 129a to the first buckle 128 provided in the guide tube 127 by the lever principle. .

Although not shown, a plurality of protrusions are formed in the accommodation space 122 in which the second accessory 129 is positioned, thereby preventing the second accessory 129 from sticking to the inner wall of the case 120a. You could do it.

The ink presence detecting means 130 is in contact with or separated from the suspense plate 133b provided on one side of the ink presence detecting portion 133 so that the ink charge level can be kept constant. It plays a role.

The ink presence detection unit 130, as shown in Figure 4, the reverse injection prevention port 132 provided on the discharge port 112 side of the ink reservoir 110, the ink is attached to the suspan 133b on one side The presence / absence detection part 133, the susball 133a which prevents reverse injection of ink, the blocking film 135 which blocks the contact of ink and the rubber stopper 136, and the rubber stopper which improves the sealing property of the ink container 110. 136, the air inlet is provided with a fixed cap 137 for fixing the rubber stopper 136 to be fitted in close contact with the reverse injection prevention 132, the air inlet hole 138a through which air is introduced The ink discharge needle 139 may be formed with an ink discharge hole 139a through which ink is discharged at a downward position based on the needle 138 and the air inlet hole 138a.

The upper and lower sides of the reverse injection prevention opening 132 form an opening to be connected to each other in communication with the transfer channel in the ink reservoir 110 and the ink transfer pipe 113. A plurality of support protrusions 132a formed to radially protrude are provided inside the reverse injection prevention hole 132. Reverse injection prevention device 132 is provided in a tubular shape of the upper side is narrowed. The reverse injection prevention hole 132 may be made of various materials such as synthetic resin.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the ink presence detection unit 133 is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to be raised and lowered in accordance with the level of ink level inside the reverse injection prevention port 132. The ink presence detection unit 133 may be provided with various materials such as a material capable of descending in one direction of the air inlet needle 138 and the ink discharge needle 139 when the ink is dissipated.

A conductive suspan 133b is attached to the lower side of the ink presence detection portion 133. The suspan 133b is in contact with or separated from one end of the air inlet needle 138 and the ink discharge needle 139 to adjust the ink level while being turned on and off. When the ink is dissipated in the ink storage container 110, the ink presence detection sphere 133 is lowered to the lower side of the ink storage container 110 side. At this time, one end of the suspan plate 133b and the air inlet needle 138 or the ink discharge needle 139 provided on one side of the ink presence detection unit 133 are in contact with each other to form a contact on state. As such, when the contact on state is detected, the detection signal is transmitted to the controller 150 to temporarily stop the printer P or display a warning through a warning unit (not shown). When the printer P is electrically connected, the printer P may be temporarily stopped and the operator may be warned to replace the ink reservoir 110. If not, the operator may only warn the operator of the ink reservoir 110 replacement. have.

The susball 133a plays a role of preventing ink from being reversely injected. As shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the susbol 133a is provided in the form of being accommodated inside the reverse injection prevention hole 132 and placed on the upper side of the ink presence detection unit 133. The susball 133a can stably support the ink presence / absence detection part 133. The susbol 133a also serves to hold the center of the ink presence / absorption section 133.

The blocking film 135 blocks the contact of the ink. The blocking film 135 may be formed of a thin film of a thin film type.

Rubber stopper 136 is fitted in a form that is in close contact with the lower side of the reverse injection prevention 132. Thereby, the sealing property of the ink container 110 can be improved.

Fixing cap 137 is provided in a cover type to be wrapped around the reverse injection prevention hole 132 is coupled. The fixing cap 137 may be provided with various materials such as aluminum material harmless to the human body.

As shown in FIG. 5, the air inlet needle 138 is electrically connected to the control unit 150, and when one end thereof is in contact with the suspan 133b, the contact point is turned on. The detection signal is transmitted to the controller 150. An air inlet hole 138a through which air is introduced is provided at a predetermined position t1 above the air inlet needle 138. As a result, the ejectability of the ink ejected through the ink ejection needle 139 can be improved.

The ink discharge needle 139 is disposed at a position adjacent to the air inlet needle 138, as shown in FIG. When the ink discharge needle 139 is electrically connected to the controller 150 and one end thereof is in contact with the suspan 133b, the ink discharge needle 139 transmits a detection signal for contact on to the controller. An ink discharge hole 139a through which ink is discharged is formed at a predetermined position of the ink discharge needle 139, for example, at a position t2 that is downward from the air inlet hole 138a.

The controller 150 receives the detection signal for the contact on state to temporarily stop the driving of the printer P so that no further printing operation is performed. One side of the control unit 150 may include a warning unit electrically connected to the control unit 150, and may notify the user of no ink by a signal such as a warning light (light) or a warning buzzer (sound) from the warning unit. As a result, the printing quality can be improved by maintaining a constant ink level by performing an operation such as replacing with another ink storage container 110.

The ink information delivery means 140 serves to deliver the ink information stored in the ink reservoir 110 to the printer (P) side. The ink information delivery means 140 includes a smart chip 142 in which ink information of the ink storage container 110 is stored, an adapter 144 for reading ink information, and a dummy for transferring ink information to the printer P side. It may be made of a chip 146. The adapter 144 is provided at the ink reservoir 110 and reads ink information stored in the smart chip 142. The dummy chip 146 transfers the ink information read from the adapter 144 to the printer P side. The smart chip 142, the adapter 144, and the dummy chip 146 are electrically connected to each other through the wire 147 guided by the guide groove 126 formed at the periphery of the accommodation space 122.

Although the present invention has been described with a focus on detecting the disappearance of ink, it will be found that the present invention can be applied to detecting the disappearance of various liquids such as beverages, bottled water, saline, and Ringer's solution.

While the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described above by way of example, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and those skilled in the art are appropriate within the scope described in the claims of the present invention. It will be possible to change.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a connection relationship between an ink cartridge and an ink cartridge provided with an ink presence detecting means according to the present invention;

2 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge according to the present invention;

3 is an enlarged view of a portion “A” of FIG. 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the ink presence detection means according to the present invention.

** Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawing **

100: ink supply device, 110: ink reservoir,

111: storage space, 112: outlet,

113: ink transfer pipe, 120: ink cartridge,

120a: case, 121: injection hole,

122: receiving space, 122a: bulkhead,

122b: resin film, 123: filter,

124: discharge groove, 124a: inclined flow path,

124b: discharge passage, 125: stopper,

125a: stopper stopper, 126: wire guide groove,

127: guide tube, 128: first division,

128a: first side support, 128c: first side support,

129: second section, 129a: buoyancy,

129a-1: buoyancy space, 129c: partition wall,

129b: second secondary support, 129d: second secondary support,

129f: first ink transfer needle, 129g: second ink transfer needle,

30: ink presence detection means, 132: reverse injection prevention,

132a: support protrusion, 133: ink presence detection zone,

133a: susbol, 133b: suspan,

135: blocking film, 136: rubber stopper,

137: fixed cap, 138: air inlet needle,

138a: air inlet hole, 139: ink discharge needle,

139a: ink discharge hole, 140: ink information transmission means,

142: smart chip, 144: adapter,

146: dummy chip, P: printer,

150: control unit.

Claims (4)

While the ink for supplying the printer is connected to the ink reservoir is stored in contact with each other, the buoyancy of the ink is transmitted to the first portion through the second portion that rises and falls by the filling level of the ink to open and close the ink transfer needle An ink cartridge for temporarily charging ink supplied from an ink reservoir and supplying the ink to the printer; The ink discharge port side of the ink reservoir is watertightly coupled to the ink is connected to the ink cartridge and connected to each other, and detects the presence or absence of ink by detecting the variation of the ink amount of the ink reservoir due to the ink consumption in the ink cartridge Ink presence detection means for informing; And And ink information transfer means for transferring the ink information stored in the smart chip disposed on the ink storage side to the printer side. The method of claim 1, wherein the ink cartridge, A buoyancy part installed at a position adjacent to the first buoy and lifted and lowered by buoyancy of ink and having a plurality of buoyancy spaces divided by partition walls therein, and fixed to one side of the buoyancy part; And a second buckle support that is formed in a cross-sectional structure bent in a 'shape, and a second buckle support piece supporting the buoyancy of the buoyancy portion by the principle of lever while supporting the second buckle support. And a second groove having a second groove and a guide groove formed along an inner circumference of the ink cartridge to guide the electric wire. According to claim 1, wherein the ink presence detection means, A reverse injection prevention device provided on the discharge port side through which ink is discharged from the ink reservoir and having a plurality of support protrusions radially projected therein; An ink presence detection zone provided receptably inside the reverse injection prevention port and having a conductive suspan attached to a lower side thereof; A susbol provided to be placed on an upper side of the ink presence detection unit so as to be located inside the reverse injection prevention hole, and to prevent reverse injection of ink; A blocking film provided to be in close contact with the ink presence or absence detection part and blocking contact of ink; A rubber stopper installed adjacent to the blocking film to improve the sealability of the ink reservoir, A fixed cap fitted to be in close contact with the lower side of the reverse injection prevention hole, An air inlet needle on and off of the suspand and provided with an air inlet hole through which air is introduced into an upper predetermined position; An ink discharge needle having an ink discharge hole disposed at a position adjacent to the air inlet needle to be on and off with the suspan and discharged at a position downward from the air inlet hole; Ink supply device for a printer, characterized in that made. The ink information transferring means of claim 1, A smart chip in which the ink information of the ink storage container side is stored, an adapter provided in the ink cartridge side and reading ink information stored in the smart chip, and a dummy chip provided in the ink cartridge side and transferring ink information to the printer side. Ink supply device for a printer, characterized in that consisting of.

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