KR102345431B1 - Multi Ink Supply System and Printer having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

In an ink multi-supply system for supplying ink to a nozzle, the present invention provides an accommodating space to store ink, and has a reservoir having an inlet through which ink is introduced and an outlet through which ink is supplied to the nozzle. a channel block; an excess ink storage unit separated by the reservoir and the partition wall in the receiving space to store the ink overflowing from the reservoir; a sensor unit including a level sensor for detecting the amount of ink stored in the reservoir, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure of the accommodating space, and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the reservoir; Including a; a supply pump for supplying ink to the reservoir and a control unit for interlocking with the sensor unit to intermittently supply ink to the reservoir and to supply ink to the nozzle; It is characterized in that it is coupled to the block.
Accordingly, according to the present invention, according to the present invention, the configuration including hardware and software related to the ink supplied to the nozzle can be modularized so that all of the configuration including hardware and software related to the ink supplied to the nozzle can be arranged in the channel block adjacent to the nozzle, and each channel block is independent It is possible to provide a multi-ink supply system capable of controlling the ink according to the characteristics of the ink and a printer having the same.

Description

Multi Ink Supply System and Printer having the same}

The present invention relates to a multi-ink supply system and a printer having the same, and more particularly, to a multi-ink supply system capable of stably supplying ink to a nozzle by simplifying the structure by gathering components that have been previously dispersed in several places in one place. .

Human beings communicate their opinions in various ways while living in society. One of the communication methods is printing, and texts, drawings, and photos are transferred to the surface of paper or other objects in a certain way to make multiple copies.

In other words, it refers to the reproduction technology and action for making printed matter. Since the original function of print is a visual communication medium, printing is one of communication means, and recently it is also used as a means of decoration for the purpose of sensory and emotional response. To produce prints, typography, that is, the technique of reproduction to produce prints, is used. In typography, ink is applied to a certain plate surface, and the ink is transferred to another material (paper is mainly used, but cellophane, polyethylene, vinyl, wood, glass, ceramics, aluminum, tin plate, etc.) It is a multi-copy technique. Its purpose is to typeset texts with type or photo typesetting, and to reproduce drawings and photos with halftone plates, primary color plates, multicolor offset plates, etc., and reproduce as much as possible the same as the manuscript using embossed plate printing or offset plate.

The range of printing is very wide, from imitation plate printing to high-speed web printing. In addition, with the progress of consumer civilization, printing that reproduces not only paper but also metal plates as well as transparent materials such as cellophane is popular. This has advanced As a printing method, the conventional three types of convex plate [凸版], flat plate (平版), and intaglio plate (凹版) are used, and the use of stencil printing is increasing, and also electrostatic printing, which prints without pressing force. A method has been invented and is being actively put into practice.

A printer is a computer output device that makes hard copies (copies, usually text or graphics printed on paper) of data stored on a computer to which it is connected. In the past, transfer printers and dot matrix printers were used, but now inkjet printers and toner-based laser printers are widely used. On the other hand, in a broad sense, a virtual printer emulator that outputs electronic document output rather than paper print output such as a PDF printer is also included in the definition of printer.

The most important thing about inkjet technology is that it can use the head of an inkjet printer and a print cartridge containing ink.

In particular, for color printing, various types of ink are supplied to a head including a nozzle, and the amount of ink is adjusted in the process of supplying such ink to the head, and control is performed to supply an appropriate amount of ink. It goes through a complicated process, such as heating the ink, until the ink is ejected from the head to the paper being printed.

It would be desirable to individually control each ink in consideration of the viscosity of the ink for each type of ink, while simplifying and simplifying such control or the process of supplying ink to the nozzles.

[references]

Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1004095 (2010.12.27. Announcement)

Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1337773 (2013.12.06. Announcement)

It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-ink supply system and a printer having the same, which can be modularized so that a configuration including hardware and software related to ink supplied to a nozzle can be all arranged in a channel block adjacent to a nozzle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-ink supply system capable of independently controlling each channel block to match the characteristics of the ink, and a printer having the same.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-ink supply system and a printer having the same, in which repair, replacement, expansion, etc. can be performed simply and conveniently by integrating the components related to the ink supply.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to position the sensor unit for sensing the pressure, temperature, etc. of the ink supplied to the nozzle in the channel block disposed adjacent to the nozzle, so that the distance for sensing the pressure, temperature, etc. of the ink supplied to the nozzle is located. An object of the present invention is to provide a multi-ink supply system capable of improving print quality by supplying ink in the most optimized state to the nozzle to the nozzle by minimizing the error, and a printer having the same.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-ink supply system capable of minimizing the space by arranging a configuration including hardware and software related to ink supplied to a nozzle in a channel block adjacent to a nozzle, and a printer having the same. will provide

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-ink supply system capable of compact structure while arranging a configuration including hardware and software related to ink supplied to a nozzle in a channel block adjacent to a nozzle, and a printer having the same is to provide

An object of the present invention is to provide an ink multi-supply system for supplying ink to nozzles by forming an accommodating space to store ink, and a reservoir having an inlet through which ink is introduced and an outlet through which ink is supplied to the nozzle. a channel block having an excess ink storage unit separated by the reservoir and the partition wall to store the ink overflowing from the reservoir in the receiving space; a sensor unit including a level sensor for detecting the amount of ink stored in the reservoir, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure of the accommodating space, and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the reservoir; Including a supply pump for supplying ink to the reservoir and a control unit that interlocks with the sensor unit to intermittently supply ink to the reservoir and control the supply of ink to the nozzle; It is achieved by a multi-feeding system, characterized in that coupled to the block.

In addition, the sensor unit further includes a pressure control valve in communication with the reservoir to maintain the reservoir in a vacuum state, atmospheric pressure state, and a pressurized state that is a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, wherein the pressure control valve is controlled by the controller it is preferable

In addition, it is preferable that the channel block is provided in plurality, and the control unit is provided in correspondence to the channel block to control the sensor unit in the control unit in response to the characteristics including the viscosity of the ink accommodated in the channel block.

In addition, it is preferable that the controller controls the pressure control valve so that the reservoir maintains a vacuum state in a state in which ink is supplied to the nozzle.

On the other hand, another object of the present invention is also achieved by a printer comprising a multi-supply system.

Accordingly, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a multi-ink supply system and a printer having the same, which can be modularized so that a configuration including hardware and software related to ink supplied to a nozzle can be all arranged in a channel block adjacent to a nozzle. have.

In addition, it is possible to provide a multi-ink supply system and a printer having the same, which can be controlled independently for each channel block to match the characteristics of the ink.

In addition, it is possible to provide a multi-ink supply system and a printer having the same in which repair, replacement, expansion, etc. can be performed simply and conveniently by integrating components related to ink supply.

In addition, the sensor that detects the pressure, temperature, etc. of the ink supplied to the nozzle is located in the channel block disposed adjacent to the nozzle to minimize the error according to the distance to detect the pressure and temperature of the ink supplied to the nozzle, thereby providing the best fit for the nozzle. It is possible to provide a multi-ink supply system capable of improving print quality by supplying ink in an optimized state to a nozzle, and a printer having the same.

In addition, it is possible to provide a multi-ink supply system capable of minimizing the space by disposing all components including hardware and software related to ink supplied to a nozzle in a channel block adjacent to the nozzle, and a printer having the same.

In addition, it is possible to provide a multi-ink supply system and a printer having the same in which the structure can be compact while arranging all the components including hardware and software related to ink supplied to the nozzles in the channel block adjacent to the nozzles.

1 is a perspective view of an ink supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a front view of Figure 1;
3 is an example in which the ink supply system of FIG. 1 is arranged in a plurality of printers;
4A and 4B are flowcharts for explaining an operation process of an ink supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 4b with respect to a multi-ink supply system (200, hereinafter referred to as 'ink supply system') and a printer (100, hereinafter referred to as 'printer') having the same according to an embodiment of the present invention Specifically, it is as follows.

1 is a perspective view of an ink supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an example in which the ink supply system of FIG. 1 is arranged in a plurality of printers, and FIGS. 4A and 4B is a flowchart for explaining an operation process of the ink supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The printer 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a printer body (not shown), a nozzle 110 coupled to the printer body, and is disposed adjacent to the nozzle 110 to supply ink to the nozzle 110 . It includes an ink supply system 200 and includes known parts such as a device for supplying an object to be printed, such as paper.

Hereinafter, the nozzle 110 also refers to a head to which a plurality of nozzles are coupled.

The channel block 210 functions as a frame constituting the skeleton of the ink supply system 200 according to the present invention. The channel block 210 may be provided in various shapes, but is provided as a rectangular parallelepiped as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to form an accommodating space therein and partition the accommodating space with partition walls.

An inlet 253 and an outlet 255 are formed in the channel block 210 , and a sensor unit 230 , a pressure control valve 237 , a heater 235a and a control unit 260 are coupled thereto.

The inlet 253 supplies ink to the reservoir 215 , and the ink supply line 273 supplied from the ink supply pump 270 is in communication with the ink supply line 273 to the ink supply line 273 as necessary. ), the ink supply valve (273a) for opening and closing is coupled as necessary.

The outlet 255 is communicated with the reservoir 215 to supply the ink supplied to the reservoir 215 to the adjacent nozzle 110 .

The ink supplied to the reservoir 215 is adjusted and controlled within a range in which the level of the ink stored in the reservoir 215 is set by the level sensor 233a of the level sensor 233, but in some cases, the reservoir 215 overflows. When there is ink, the overflowed ink may be stored in the excess ink storage unit 217 separated by the partition wall 213 through a communication hole (not shown) provided on the partition wall 213 .

In this way, the excess ink flowing into the excess ink storage unit 217 is detected by the overflow sensor 233b, and as a result, the control unit 260 can display it as an alarm sound or light as well as the plate surface of the control unit 260. An overflow condition may be displayed (not shown).

Accordingly, the user can visually check the water level on the side surface of the excess ink storage unit 217 and, if necessary, discharge the ink stored in the excess ink storage unit 217 through the excess ink drain valve 217a.

The sensor unit 230 includes a pressure sensor 231 for detecting the pressure of the reservoir 215 , a temperature sensor 235 for detecting a temperature, and a level sensor 233 for detecting the level of ink.

The pressure sensor 231 senses the pressure inside the reservoir 215 , and the pressure of the reservoir 215 is the pressure acting on the ink existing in the nozzle 110 communicating with the outlet 255 of the reservoir 215 . same as

Typically, the reservoir 215 maintains a vacuum state in which a low vacuum pressure is generated. By this vacuum pressure, the shape of the droplet can be more stably maintained in the concave shape in the nozzle 110 .

That is, the pressure sensor 231 is in a pressurized state in which the pressure of the reservoir 215 is pressurized with air or the like (in this case, air pressurized from the outside by the pressurization pump 237a2 is introduced through the open pressurization valve 237a1 ) ), atmospheric pressure (in this case, the atmospheric pressure valve 237b is opened so that the atmospheric pressure and the pressure of the reservoir 215 become the same), a vacuum state (in this case, the vacuum valve 237c1 is opened and the vacuum pump 237c2 is By this, the air inside the reservoir 215 is discharged through the open vacuum valve 237c1 to maintain the set vacuum pressure), the pressure of the reservoir 215 is sensed and transferred to the controller 260 .

Here, for example, the pressure of the reservoir 215 is preferably set within a range of up to about -100 kPa during normal operation to be able to maintain an error range within ±0.05 kPa at the set pressure. That is, the controller 260 may control the pressure inside the reservoir 215 to be maintained within an error range of the set pressure by opening and closing the vacuum valve 237c1 based on the detected result of the pressure sensor 231 .

Based on the pressure sensed by the pressure sensor 231 , the control unit 260 controls the pressure control valve 237 to open or close.

The level sensor 233 detects the level of the ink received and stored in the reservoir 215 and/or the excess ink storage unit 217, and can detect the water level between the upper level and the lower level set in the reservoir 215 It includes a water level sensor 233a that is present, and an overflow sensor 233b that detects whether or not the ink flows into the excess ink storage unit 217 due to excess.

The water level sensor 233a is controlled by the controller 260 to interlock with the ink supply pump 270 so that the amount of ink supplied to the reservoir 215 may be within a set range. For example, when it is sensed that the water level in the reservoir 215 is a low level, the ink supply pump 270 is operated, the ink supply valve 273a is opened, and the ink is supplied to the reservoir 215 to be filled and supplied. When the value reaches the upper level of the water level sensor 233a, the control unit 260 stops the operation of the ink supply pump 270 and closes the ink supply valve 273a. Through this process, the ink supplied to the nozzle 110 can be stably supplied by maintaining the level of the ink in the reservoir 215 .

The temperature sensor 235 senses the temperature of the ink stored in the reservoir 215 , and the controller 260 controls whether the heater 235a is operated or not based on the detection result of the temperature sensor 235 .

An operation process of the ink supply system 200 in the printer 100 having such a configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4B as follows.

First, as shown in FIG. 4A , in order to supply ink to the reservoir 215 , the ink supply pump 270 is operated, the ink supply valve 273a is opened, and the atmospheric pressure valve 237b is opened to the reservoir 215 . ) the inside is at atmospheric pressure (refer to 'bold line' in FIG. 4A).

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, when ink is supplied to the nozzle 110, the operation of the ink supply pump 270 is stopped, the vacuum pump 237c2 is operated, the vacuum valve 237c1 is opened, and the reservoir ( 215) The operation of the vacuum pump 237c2 is stopped at the set vacuum pressure when the inside is in a vacuum state, and the vacuum valve 237c1 is closed (see 'bold line' in FIG. 4B).

Then, when the ink is supplied to the nozzle 110 and the ink level inside the reservoir 215 is lowered, the atmospheric pressure valve 237b is opened for a short moment because it becomes lower than the set vacuum pressure. When the set vacuum pressure is reached, the atmospheric pressure valve 237b again ) is closed and the inside of the reservoir 215 becomes the set vacuum pressure.

As such, when the inside of the reservoir 215 is in a vacuum state, the shape in which the central portion of the ink of the nozzle 110 rises concavely is maintained, thereby more effectively discharging the ink and preventing the ink from falling.

Accordingly, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a multi-ink supply system and a printer having the same, which can be modularized so that a configuration including hardware and software related to ink supplied to a nozzle can be all arranged in a channel block adjacent to a nozzle. have.

In addition, it is possible to provide a multi-ink supply system and a printer having the same, which can be controlled independently for each channel block to match the characteristics of the ink.

In addition, it is possible to provide a multi-ink supply system and a printer having the same in which repair, replacement, expansion, etc. can be performed simply and conveniently by integrating components related to ink supply.

In addition, the sensor that detects the pressure, temperature, etc. of the ink supplied to the nozzle is located in the channel block disposed adjacent to the nozzle to minimize the error according to the distance to detect the pressure and temperature of the ink supplied to the nozzle, thereby providing the best fit for the nozzle. It is possible to provide a multi-ink supply system capable of improving print quality by supplying ink in an optimized state to a nozzle, and a printer having the same.

In addition, it is possible to provide a multi-ink supply system capable of minimizing the space by disposing all components including hardware and software related to ink supplied to a nozzle in a channel block adjacent to the nozzle, and a printer having the same.

In addition, it is possible to provide a multi-ink supply system and a printer having the same in which the structure can be compact while arranging all the components including hardware and software related to ink supplied to the nozzles in the channel block adjacent to the nozzles.

Here, although an embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can understand that this embodiment can be modified without departing from the principle or spirit of the present invention. will be. The scope of the invention will be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

100: printer 110: nozzle
200: ink supply system 210: channel block
213: bulkhead 215: reservoir
217: excess ink storage unit 127a: excess ink drain valve
230: sensor unit 231: pressure sensor
233: level sensor 233a: water level sensor
233b: overflow sensor 235: temperature sensor
235a: heater 237: pressure control valve
237a1: pressurized valve 237a2: pressurized pump
237b: atmospheric pressure valve
237c1: vacuum valve 237c2: vacuum pump
253: inlet 255: outlet
260: control unit
270: ink supply pump 273: ink supply line
273a: ink supply valve 275: ink tank

Claims (5)

In the ink multi-supply system for supplying ink to a nozzle,
Forming a receiving space to store the ink to be provided, and the channel block having a reservoir having an outlet for supplying ink to the ink inlet and the nozzle inlet and;
an excess ink storage unit separated by the reservoir and the partition wall in the receiving space to store the ink overflowing from the reservoir;
a sensor unit including a level sensor for detecting the amount of ink stored in the reservoir, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure of the accommodating space, and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the reservoir;
A control unit for interlocking ink supplied to the reservoir and controlling the supply of ink to the nozzle in conjunction with a supply pump for supplying ink to the reservoir and the sensor unit;
The sensor unit and the control unit are coupled to the channel block,
The sensor unit includes an atmospheric pressure valve communicating with atmospheric pressure to maintain the atmospheric pressure of the reservoir, a vacuum valve communicating with a vacuum pump to maintain a vacuum of the reservoir, and pressurizing the reservoir to be higher than atmospheric pressure It includes; a pressure control valve consisting of a pressure valve in communication with the pump;
The control unit is a multi-supply system, characterized in that after the ink is supplied to the nozzle, it characterized in that the control to open the vacuum valve so as to maintain the inside of the reservoir in a vacuum state. delete According to claim 1,
The channel block is provided in plurality, and the control unit is provided in correspondence to the channel block, and the control unit controls the sensor unit in response to the characteristic including the viscosity of the ink accommodated in the channel block. . 4. The method of claim 3,
In a state in which ink is supplied to the nozzle, the reservoir maintains a vacuum state, wherein the controller controls the pressure control valve. A printer comprising the multi-feed system of claim 1 .

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