KR20080067267A - Apparatus for regulating viscosity of ink - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for regulating viscosity of ink is provided to be installed on a flow path of ink to be always capable of measuring and regulating viscosity of ink. An apparatus for regulating viscosity of ink comprises a housing(210), a receiving body(230), a rotational shaft(240), a sensed bracket(260), a sensor(270) and an ink flow rate converting unit. The housing is installed on a flow path of ink, and provided with an inflow hole(201) and a discharge hole(202) for inflow and discharge of ink. The receiving body has an inflow path(231a) connected to the inflow hole of the housing, and is installed inside the housing so as to form ink flow space between an outside surface thereof and an inside surface of the housing. The rotational shaft is installed to the receiving body, and coupled to at least one rotating blade(250) or more rotated according to ink flow. The sensed bracket includes a sensed body(262) in one part and, and is rotated together by being coupled to the rotational shaft. The sensor senses the sensed body. The ink flow rate converting unit varies ink flow speed according to viscosity of the ink flowed into the receiving body and discharged from the receiving body.

Description

Ink viscosity regulating device {Apparatus for regulating viscosity of ink}

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings, but these drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the drawings and should not be interpreted.

1 is a view for explaining an example of the ink viscosity measurement method according to the prior art.

2 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a printing apparatus employing an ink viscosity adjusting device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the ink viscosity control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a bottom perspective view showing a housing of the ink viscosity control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the housing and the rotating assembly provided in the ink viscosity control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a plan sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the rotary blade provided in the ink viscosity control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 7a and 7b is a perspective view of the guide support provided in the ink viscosity control device according to an embodiment of the present invention from the bottom and top, respectively.

8 is an exploded perspective view of the first disk member provided in the ink viscosity control device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention as viewed from below.

9 is an exploded perspective view showing the second disk member and the blocking film provided in the ink viscosity control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10 is an exploded perspective view showing the push bracket and the elastic member provided in the ink viscosity control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a cover provided in the ink viscosity control device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

12 is a cross-sectional view showing a cleaning process in the ink viscosity control device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention relates to an ink viscosity adjusting device, and more particularly, to an ink viscosity adjusting device for adjusting the viscosity of an ink used in a printing apparatus in a predetermined range.

In a printing apparatus for printing a large amount of printed matter, the viscosity of the ink is very important. Since the ink itself contains a volatile solvent, its concentration tends to gradually increase over time. When the viscosity of the ink is changed in this way, not only the improvement of the printing quality can be expected, but also the flow path in the printing apparatus is blocked by the ink, which may cause the failure of the machine. Therefore, most printing apparatuses require a means for properly maintaining the viscosity of the ink within a predetermined range.

One of the conventional methods for measuring ink viscosity has been largely dependent on manual labor as shown in FIG. That is, after filling the container 1 with the hole 2 of a predetermined size at the bottom filled with ink, the viscosity of the ink was calculated by measuring the time that the ink escapes through the hole 2. This method was difficult to precisely measure because the measurement time was too long and the last drop of ink had to be measured. First of all, since the operator measures the ink viscosity discontinuously and adjusts it, there is a disadvantage that uniform viscosity maintenance is not guaranteed.

In addition, a method of measuring the viscosity of ink by installing a mechanical measuring device in the flow path of ink has been proposed, but the ink flow path of the measuring device is frequently blocked by ink having a relatively high viscosity. In this case, it was not easy to separate and wash the measuring device. Therefore, it is very economically disadvantageous to periodically change new measuring devices.

In view of the above, the present inventor has proposed an ink viscosity adjusting device installed in the flow path of ink in Korea Patent No. 0603892 to adjust the viscosity of the ink in real time. However, in the ink viscosity adjusting device, since a sensing object made of a magnet is always immersed in a flowing ink, foreign matters such as iron contained in the ink are adsorbed, and all the parts inside the housing are still cleaned for internal cleaning. It still had a limit to be removed and cleaned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an ink viscosity adjusting device which is installed on a flow path of ink and can adjust it by always measuring the viscosity of ink.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an ink viscosity control device which prevents foreign substances contained in the ink from adsorbing by preventing the sensing object made of a magnet from being immersed in the flowing ink.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an ink viscosity control device having an improved structure so that the cleaning effect can be exerted by the ink flow force even if all the parts inside the housing are not taken out.

In order to achieve the above object, the ink viscosity adjusting device according to the present invention comprises: a housing formed on a flow path and having an inlet and an outlet through which ink is introduced and discharged; An accommodation body having an inflow passage connected to an inlet of the housing and installed inside the housing to form a space in which ink flows between an outer surface of the housing and an inner surface of the housing; A rotating shaft rotatably installed on the housing and having at least one rotary blade coupled to the ink flow; A sensing bracket having a sensing body on one side and coupled to the rotating shaft to rotate together; A sensor for sensing the sensing object; And ink flow rate converting means for changing the flow rate of the ink according to the viscosity of the ink flowing into the container and discharged, wherein the ink flow rate converting means is spaced apart from each other by the ink flow gap. And first and second disk members through which ink passes therebetween, wherein the second disk members are configured to be spaced apart relative to the first disk member.

Preferably, the present invention further comprises an actuator for moving the second disk member apart. More preferably, the actuator is a solenoid or air cylinder.

In addition, the present invention push bracket coupled to the second disk member; And an elastic member coupled to the push bracket to selectively open / close a discharge hole through which ink flowing through the space formed between the outer surface of the housing and the inner surface of the housing is discharged according to the discharge pressure of the ink. It may further include.

Furthermore, the present invention may further include a spring biasing the push bracket so that the second disk member is spaced apart from the first disk member.

According to the present invention, an opening through which ink discharged from the housing passes is formed at the center of the first disk member, and ink can pass through the circular groove and the groove at the edge of the second disk member. A plurality of ink through holes may be formed so that the ink passes through the ink holes.

Preferably, the second disk member includes an inner first upper surface and an outer second upper surface on the basis of the groove, wherein the height of the first upper surface is lower than the height of the second upper surface, and the second upper surface is the first upper surface. The first upper surface is configured to be spaced apart from the lower surface of the first disk member by an ink flow gap, while in contact with the lower surface of the first disk member.

Preferably, a blocking film made of a flexible material or a deformable material is coupled to the second disk member so that ink inside the housing does not flow out.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an ink viscosity adjusting device installed on the flow path of the ink in the printing apparatus to adjust the viscosity of the ink, which is installed on the flow path, the inlet and outlet for the ink flows in and out Formed housing; An accommodation body having an inflow passage connected to an inlet of the housing and installed inside the housing to form a space in which ink flows between an outer surface of the housing and an inner surface of the housing; A rotating shaft rotatably installed on the housing and having at least one rotary blade coupled to the ink flow; A sensing bracket having a sensing body on one side and coupled to the rotating shaft to rotate together; And a sensor for sensing the sensing object, wherein the sensing bracket is provided in an ink viscosity adjusting device which is located in a sealed space CS where ink does not flow into the housing.

Preferably, the sealed space CS is formed between the upper end of the housing and the inner surface of the housing.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms or words used in the specification and claims should not be construed as having a conventional or dictionary meaning, and the inventors should properly explain the concept of terms in order to best explain their own invention. Based on the principle that can be defined, it should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, various modifications that can be replaced at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

2 schematically shows a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus employing an ink viscosity adjusting device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The ink contained in the storage tank 10 is sent to the printing container 13 through the supply passage 12 by the driving force of the driving pump 18. On the printing container 13, a printing roller 14 and a pressure roller 16 which rotates in contact with the printing roller 14 are provided.

The fabric to be printed 100 passes between the printing roller 14 and the pressure roller 16, and the printing roller 14 wets the ink contained in the printing container 13 to print. The ink of the printing container 13 is circulated by returning to the storage tank 10 through the recovery passage 20 again. Unexplained reference numeral 17 is an agitator for stirring the ink in the storage tank 10.

Ink viscosity control device 200 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is installed on the flow path of the ink, preferably the inlet 201 of the ink viscosity control device 200 is a supply passage extending from the storage tank 10 Ink is introduced in connection with the 12, while the discharge port 202 is connected with the supply passage 12 toward the printing container 13 to discharge the ink.

According to this embodiment, the driving pump 18 is provided on the supply passage 12 downstream of the ink viscosity adjusting device 200, so that ink flows by the driving force of the driving pump 18.

The ink viscosity adjusting device 200 measures the viscosity of the ink so that, if the viscosity of the ink exceeds the reference value, a solvent is additionally added to dilute the ink. To this end, the container 22 containing the solvent 23 is connected to the supply passage 12 which is the flow path of the ink, and preferably, the solvent 23 contained in the container 22 by opening and closing the solvent supply valve 21. Is injected onto the flow path of the ink. The solvent includes, but is not particularly limited to, a conventional kind of solvent known in the art.

Figure 3 is a schematic configuration of the ink viscosity control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in cross-sectional view.

Referring to the drawings, the ink viscosity adjusting device of the present invention includes a housing 210 formed with an inlet 201 and an outlet 202 connected to the supply passage 12.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the housing 210 has a cylindrical shape so that the introduced ink flows. Preferably, the housing 210 is opened to allow assembly and disassembly of internal components. Specifically, a bottom cover (see 220 in FIG. 11) is coupled to the open lower end. Although shown in this embodiment is fixed by the fastening bolt 221, but not limited to this, for example, one end of the lower cover 220 is hinged to the housing 210 and the other end is provided with a latch Various methods may be employed, such as being selectively fixed to the housing.

In addition, the upper end of the housing 210 is provided with a top cover 222 is coupled by a fastening bolt 223. Preferably, the top cover 222 may also be detachably coupled like the bottom cover, of course.

Preferably, the housing 210 is composed of a cylindrical small diameter portion 211 having a relatively small diameter, and a cylindrical large diameter portion 212 extending from the small diameter portion 211 and having a relatively large diameter. An interior of the housing 210 is provided with an accommodating body 230 for accommodating a rotating shaft 240 that rotates according to the flow of ink flowing as described below.

Referring to FIG. 5, the housing 230 may include a cylindrical portion 231 accommodated in the small diameter portion 211 of the housing 210. Here, the cylindrical portion 231, the outer peripheral surface is installed so as to be spaced apart from the inner peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 211 of the housing 210 by a predetermined interval, the ink flows between the housing 210 and the housing 230. The space that can be formed is formed. This space acts as a passage for adjusting the inflow pressure of the ink as described later.

The cylindrical portion 231 has a plurality of inflow passages (231a) connected to the inlet (201). In addition, a groove 231b is formed in a portion where the inflow passage 231a is formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 231 to serve as a space in which ink temporarily stays.

In addition, a closed space CS is formed between the housing 210 and the top cover 222 in the upper portion of the housing 230. The sealed space CS is a place where the sensing bracket is located, as will be described later.

The lower end of the cylindrical portion 231 is configured to be coupled to the seating groove (see 282b of FIG. 8) of the guide support 280 as described below.

In addition, a plurality of ink passage members 235, 236, 237 and 238 are formed in the cylindrical portion 231 of the housing 230 in which a plurality of flow passages 233 are perforated side by side. . The ink passage members 235, 236, 237 and 238 serve to provide a path such that the flow of ink flowing inside the housing 230 is in a straight line, that is, laminar flow. The ink passage members 235, 236, 237 and 238 are provided at predetermined intervals, and are alternately provided between the rotary blades coupled to the rotary shaft 240 as described below. A center through hole 239 is formed at the center of the ink passage members 235, 236, 237 and 238 so that the rotating shaft 240 is inserted therein to be rotatably supported. Preferably, at least one inner end of the at least one central through hole 239 is sharpened to minimize frictional resistance with the rotating shaft 240 in contact.

In addition, a side hole 235a is formed at a side of the ink passage member 235 positioned at the top thereof so as to communicate with the inflow passage 231a of the cylindrical portion 231.

A shaft support member 234 is provided below the ink passage members 235 to 238. A plurality of flow passages 234a through which ink flows is also formed in the shaft support member 234, and through-holes are not formed in the center thereof, so that the shaft support member 234 contacts the end of the rotating shaft 240 accommodated in the housing 230. To support it.

Although a specific configuration for guiding and supporting the rotating shaft is illustrated in the present embodiment, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to this and that various existing configurations for supporting the rotating shaft can be employed.

According to the present invention, the rotary assembly is accommodated in the housing 230, which includes the rotary shaft 240 and at least one rotary blade 250 coupled to the rotary shaft 240.

The rotating shaft 240 is rotatably coupled to the housing 230 by passing through the center through hole 239 of the ink passage members 235 to 238 and having one end thereof in contact with the shaft supporting member 234. Preferably, one end of the rotating shaft 240 in contact with the shaft support member 234 is pointed to minimize the frictional resistance.

At least one rotary blade 250 is coupled to the rotating shaft 240 as shown in FIG. 6. The configuration, size and number of the rotary blades 250 may be appropriately set in consideration of the viscosity and the measurement range of the ink.

According to the present invention, preferably the rotary blade 250 is installed between the ink passage member (235 ~ 238) in the housing (230). In other words, the rotary blade 250 and the ink passage member (235 ~ 238) are provided alternately. In this configuration, even though the flow is distorted or turbulent flow is generated as the ink passes through the rotary vane 250, the ink can be changed back to a uniform laminar flow while passing through the ink passage members 235 to 238, thereby providing stable stability. The viscosity of the ink with flow can be measured.

In addition, the other end of the rotating shaft 240 is coupled to the sensing bracket 260 is configured to rotate with the rotating shaft 240. The sensing object 262 is coupled to the sensing bracket 260 to measure the rotation speed of the rotating shaft. The sensing object 262 may be a magnet, iron, or the like, preferably a magnet. Alternatively, the sensing object 260 may be manufactured integrally with the sensing bracket 260 as a magnetic plastic magnet.

According to the present invention, the sensing bracket 260 is installed to be located in the aforementioned sealed space CS. Since the sealed space CS is not filled with ink, the sensing bracket 260 has no frictional force with the ink during rotation, and impurities such as iron contained in the ink are not attached to the magnet 262. Do not.

Further, a sensor 270 for sensing the sensing object 262 installed in the sensing bracket 260 is installed outside the housing 210. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the sensing bracket 260 rotates, the sensor 270 detects the sensing object 262 to measure the rotation speed of the rotating shaft. When the sensing object 262 is a magnet, the magnetic field change will be detected.

The ink viscosity adjusting device 200 according to the present invention includes ink flow rate converting means for changing the speed of the ink flowing into and out of the housing 230 according to the viscosity. Specifically, the ink flow rate converting means includes a guide support 280, a first disk member 290, and a second disk member 300.

Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, the guide support 280 includes a conduit portion 281 formed with a hollow 281a through which ink discharged from the inside of the housing 230 flows, and an upper end of the conduit portion 281. It includes the disk portion 282 extending laterally in the. The guide support 280 is coupled to the lower end of the housing 230 to support the assembly of the ink passage members 235 to 238 and the shaft support member 234 described above. The disc 282 extends and contacts the inner surface of the large diameter portion 212 of the housing 210, and is preferably coupled by the fastening bolt 283. Therefore, the ink flowing into the housing 230 and passing through the rotary assembly is discharged through the hollow 281a of the conduit portion 281 of the guide support 280.

A seating groove 282b is formed on an upper surface of the guide support 280, and the lower end of the cylindrical portion 231 is seated and coupled thereto.

The first disk member 290 is coupled to the lower end of the guide support 280. As shown in FIG. 8, an opening 290a is formed at the center of the first disk member 290. The first disk member 290 is coupled to the guide support 280 by a fastening bolt 291 so that the opening 290a is connected to the hollow 281a of the conduit portion 281.

In addition, the second disk member 300 is coupled to the lower portion of the first disk member 290, where the second disk member 300 is a predetermined 'ink flow gap' with respect to the first disk member 290. Are spaced apart. In the present specification and claims, the 'ink flow gap' corresponds to a gap between the first disk member 290 and the second disk member 300 through which ink flows, and according to the viscosity of the flowing ink, its flow rate To change. That is, if the viscosity of the ink flowing through the constant ink flow gap is high, the flow rate will be relatively slow, while if the ink viscosity is low, the flow rate will be relatively fast. The ink flow gap is not fixed to a specific value and may be appropriately set according to the kind or viscosity of the ink used, the capacity of the printing apparatus, and the like. Therefore, even if the ink flow gap is not designated as a specific value, those of ordinary skill in the art may fully understand and apply the same meaning as above, and thus it may not be interpreted as an unclear term.

Referring to FIG. 9, a plurality of ink through holes 300a are formed at edges of the second disk member 300 to allow ink to pass therethrough. Preferably, a circular groove 301 is formed on an upper surface of the second disk member 300, and a plurality of ink through holes 300a are formed in the groove 301. The groove 301 is a buffer space in which ink passing through the ink flow gap is temporarily stayed.

In addition, an upper surface of the second disk member 300 is divided into an inner first upper surface 302 and an outer second upper surface 303 with respect to the groove 301, and the height of the first upper surface 302 is It is lower than the height of the second upper surface 303. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the second upper surface 303 of the second disk member 300 is in contact with the lower surface of the first disk member 290, while the first upper surface ( 302 is spaced apart from the lower surface of the first disk member 290 by the ink flow gap.

An extension shaft 304 extends downward on a lower surface of the second disk member 300, and preferably, the extension shaft 304 is formed through a hole (220a in FIG. 11) formed in the lower cover 220 of the housing. It extends to the outside.

According to the present invention, the second disk member 300 is configured to be spaced apart from the first disk member 290. To this end, the second disk member 300 is interlocked with the actuator 310. The actuator 310 is coupled to the extension shaft 304 to move or move the second disk member 300 with respect to the first disk member 290, preferably an air cylinder actuated by a solenoid or a valve. Can be

The cylindrical push bracket 330 shown in FIG. 10 is coupled to the upper surface of the outer circumferential portion of the second disk member 300. An insertion hole 331 into which the conduit portion 281 of the guide support 280 is inserted is formed at the center of the push bracket 330. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower end of the outer circumference of the push bracket 330 is fastened to the second disk by the fastening bolt 339 while the conduit portion 281 of the guide support 280 is inserted into the insertion hole 331. It is fixed to the upper surface of the outer circumference of the member 300.

In addition, a plurality of guide holes 330a are formed in the push bracket 330 in a vertical direction, and a guide shaft 284 having one end thereof coupled to the bottom surface of the guide support 280 of FIG. 7A is inserted therein. . The guide shaft 284 guides the separation movement of the push bracket 330. In addition, the guide shaft 284 is installed to surround the spring 285 is interposed between the guide support 280 and the push bracket 330. Therefore, the push bracket 330 is pushed downward by the elastic force of the spring 285, thereby the second disk member 300 is biased downward. Since the second disk member 300 is biased downward by the spring 285, the actuator 310 moves in a direction of approaching the second disk member 300 to the first disk member 290, that is, upward. It is preferably configured to move.

Further, the blocking film 320 is installed to prevent the ink inside the housing 210 from leaking out through the hole 220a of the lower cover 220. As shown in FIG. 9, the blocking film 320 has a circular shape, and a center thereof is sealed to the extension shaft 304 of the second disk member 300, and an outer circumferential portion of the housing 210 is illustrated in FIG. 3. And the bottom cover 220 may be coupled to the sealing. The blocking film 320 is made of a flexible material such as synthetic resin or a material that can be deformed in a predetermined range so as not to interfere with the separation movement of the second disk member 300. More preferably, the annular pleats 320a may be employed to improve the flexibility or deformability of the blocking film 320.

The ink viscosity adjusting device 200 according to the present invention is an ink hydraulic pressure to maintain the difference in the pressure of the ink by bypassing when the difference in the pressure of the ink before and after passing through the ink flow gap exceeds a certain range Control means.

The ink hydraulic pressure control means, as shown in Figure 3 and 10, a plurality of discharge holes through which the ink flowing through the space between the inner surface of the housing 210 and the outer surface of the housing 230 is discharged It is installed in the (282a) and includes an elastic member 340 to selectively open and close the discharge hole (282a) by the elastic force. Preferably, the guide support 280 is formed with a plurality of discharge holes (282a) connected to the space between the inner surface of the housing 210 and the outer surface of the housing 230.

In addition, the rim portion 332 formed around the insertion hole 331 of the push bracket 330 of FIG. 10, for example, the elastic member 340 formed by integrally connecting the leaf spring piece 340a is fixed to the ring 333. ) Is coupled by a fastening bolt 334. In this case, the leaf spring piece 340a is positioned to open and close the outlet of the discharge hole 282a.

Therefore, when the hydraulic pressure of the ink flowing out through the discharge hole 282a is small before and after the leaf spring piece 340a, only a small amount of ink may flow out through the gap between the elastic member 340 and the discharge hole. will be. On the other hand, when the hydraulic pressure of the ink is large before and after the leaf spring piece 340a, the elastic member 340 is bent to expand the outflow space of the ink to allow more ink to flow out. As a result, the hydraulic pressure of the ink may be appropriately adjusted by the elastic resistance of the elastic member 340.

Further, the ink hydraulic pressure control means is not limited by this embodiment, and the ink exiting through the discharge hole is closed before and after the leaf spring piece (340a) when the hydraulic pressure difference is less than the reference value to close the discharge hole. In addition, when the difference in the pressure of the ink is larger than the reference value, check valve means having various configurations for opening the discharge hole may be employed.

More preferably, additional discharge holes 335 and 336 may be further formed on the upper surface of the push bracket 330 and the lower portion of the outer circumferential portion of the push bracket 330 to allow the ink to be discharged more smoothly.

Then, the operation of the ink viscosity control device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention having the configuration as described above will be described.

During operation of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the ink viscosity adjusting device 200 of the present invention measures the viscosity of ink in real time. Specifically, the ink flowing by the driving of the driving pump 18 is introduced into the housing 210 of the ink viscosity control device 200 through the supply passage 12. According to this embodiment, since the driving pump 18 is provided downstream of the ink viscosity adjusting device 200, the pressure downstream of the upstream of the discharge hole 282a is set lower.

The ink flowing into the housing 210 flows into the housing 230 as shown by the arrow shown in FIG. 3, and at the same time, a part of the ink flows between the inner circumferential surface of the housing 210 and the outer circumferential surface of the housing 230. It flows along the formed space.

At this time, when the pressure of the ink flowing in the pressure difference of the discharge hole 282a is out of a predetermined range, as described above, the hydraulic pressure of the ink is reduced by the operation of the elastic member 340 provided in the discharge hole 282a. Adjusted.

On the other hand, the ink flowing into the cylindrical portion 231 of the housing 230 reaches the rotary blade 250, and thus the rotary blade 250 is rotated about the rotary shaft 240.

The ink passing through the rotary blade 240 passes through the flow passage 233 of the ink passage members 235 to 238, and the flow is straightened, and the ink exiting the flow passage 233 again rotates the blade 250. ) And rotate the rotor blades. In this case, bubbles may be adsorbed to the ink passage members 235 to 238 in the process of ink flow, but adsorption of such bubbles may be removed by rotation of the adjacent rotary vanes 250.

The ink passing through the housing 230 passes through the opening 290a of the first disk member 290 through the hollow 281a of the conduit portion 281 of the guide support 280, and then as much as the ink flow gap. The groove 301 is formed on the upper surface of the second disk member 300 by passing between the first disk member 290 and the second disk member 300 spaced apart from each other. Then, the ink exits through the plurality of ink through holes 300a formed in the groove 301 and is discharged to the discharge port 202.

During this process, the rotating shaft 240 rotates according to the flow of ink, and the sensing bracket 260 coupled to the rotating shaft 240 also rotates at the same speed as the rotating blade. Then, the sensor 270 detects the sensing object 262 installed in the sensing bracket 260 to measure the rotation speed. Once the speed of rotation has been measured, the viscosity of the ink from this can be calculated according to the formula of hydrodynamics. For example, if the viscosity of the ink is increased, the flow rate of the ink passing through the ink flow gap between the first and second disk members 290 and 300 is lowered, and thus the rotation speed of the rotating shaft will be reduced accordingly. . Since this calculation method is already well known in the art, detailed description thereof will be omitted. According to the present invention, since the sensing object 262 is located only in the sealed space CS where ink does not flow, there is no fear that various foreign substances such as iron present in the ink are adsorbed, thereby ensuring permanent operation reliability.

If the result of the measurement indicates that the viscosity of the ink exceeds a predetermined reference range, this signal is transmitted to a controller (not shown), which then opens the solvent supply valve (21 in FIG. 2) to the container 22. The contained solvent 23 is introduced into the flow path of the ink to dilute the ink to maintain an appropriate viscosity. As described above, the ink viscosity control device according to the present invention can be corrected by measuring the viscosity of the ink in real time.

The ink viscosity adjusting device of the present invention provides an excellent effect in terms of cleaning and maintenance. That is, when cleaning and cleaning are required due to the ink being adsorbed in the adjusting device, the cleaning can be performed in the operating state without the need to open the cover 220 and take out the internal parts.

Specifically, in a situation in which cleaning is necessary, the actuator 310 is turned off, for example. Then, as shown in Figure 12, the push bracket 330 and the second disk member 300 is retracted downward by the elastic force of the spring 285, respectively, the guide support 280 and the first disk member 290 Away from you. Therefore, the distance between the discharge hole 282a and the elastic member 340 and the distance between the first disk member 290 and the second disk member 300 become relatively large. Therefore, since a relatively large amount of ink flows between them, the ink residues and the like adsorbed in the gap during operation can be removed. Although the push bracket and the second disk member are retracted downward by the elastic force of the spring 285 in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be directly driven downward by the actuator without a spring, for example. Of course.

Subsequently, when the cleaning operation is finished, the actuator 310 is turned on again to approach the second disk member 300 toward the first disk member 290 to maintain the ink flow gap, and at the same time, the discharge hole 282a and elasticity. The gap between the members 340 is approached to maintain the ink flow pressure.

According to the ink viscosity adjusting device of the present invention, since the viscosity of the ink circulated on the flow path of the ink during the printing operation process, it is possible to continuously measure in real time, thereby improving the print quality by immediately correcting the viscosity of the ink Not only can it extend the service life of the printing press.

The ink viscosity adjusting device of the present invention can remove foreign substances such as ink adsorbate by widening the ink flow gap during operation and flowing a large amount of ink, so that cleaning and maintenance are easy.

Furthermore, in the ink viscosity adjusting device of the present invention, since the sensing object made of a magnet is not immersed in the ink and is exposed in a sealed space, operation reliability is maintained despite the long time use by excluding the possibility of adhering iron or other foreign substances mixed in the ink. Can increase.

Claims (16)

An ink viscosity adjusting device installed on a flow path of ink in a printing apparatus to adjust the viscosity of ink, A housing installed on the flow path and having an inlet and an outlet through which ink is introduced and discharged; An accommodation body having an inflow passage connected to an inlet of the housing and installed inside the housing to form a space in which ink flows between an outer surface of the housing and an inner surface of the housing; A rotating shaft rotatably installed on the housing and having at least one rotary blade coupled to the ink flow; A sensing bracket having a sensing body on one side and coupled to the rotating shaft to rotate together; A sensor for sensing the sensing object; And And an ink flow rate converting means for changing the flow velocity of the ink according to the viscosity of the ink flowing into the container and discharged. The ink flow rate converting means, A first and second disk members spaced apart from each other by an ink flow gap, through which ink discharged from the housing passes therebetween, And the second disk member is configured to be spaced apart from the first disk member. The method of claim 1, Ink viscosity control device further comprises an actuator for moving the second disk member spaced apart. The method of claim 2, The actuator is ink viscosity adjusting device, characterized in that the solenoid or air cylinder. The method of claim 2, A push bracket coupled to the second disk member; And An elastic member coupled to the push bracket to selectively open and close a discharge hole through which ink flowing through the space formed between the outer surface of the housing and the inner surface of the housing is discharged according to the discharge pressure of the ink; Ink viscosity control device comprising a. The method of claim 4, wherein And a spring biasing the push bracket so that the second disk member is spaced apart from the first disk member. The method of claim 1, An opening through which ink discharged from the housing passes is formed at the center of the first disk member, An ink viscosity adjusting device, characterized in that a circular groove and a plurality of ink passing holes are formed at the edge of the second disk member to allow ink to pass through the groove. The method of claim 6, The second disk member includes an inner first upper surface and an outer second upper surface at the boundary of the groove, The height of the first upper surface is lower than the height of the second upper surface, The second upper surface is in contact with the lower surface of the first disk member, whereas the first upper surface is configured to be spaced apart from the lower surface of the first disk member by the ink flow gap. The method of claim 1, The second disk member, Ink viscosity adjusting device is characterized in that the barrier film made of a flexible material or a deformable material is combined to prevent the ink inside the housing from flowing out. An ink viscosity adjusting device installed on a flow path of ink in a printing apparatus to adjust the viscosity of ink, A housing installed on the flow path and having an inlet and an outlet through which ink is introduced and discharged; An accommodation body having an inflow passage connected to an inlet of the housing and installed inside the housing to form a space in which ink flows between an outer surface of the housing and an inner surface of the housing; A rotating shaft rotatably installed on the housing and having at least one rotary blade coupled to the ink flow; A sensing bracket having a sensing body on one side and coupled to the rotating shaft to rotate together; And And a sensor configured to detect the sensing object. And the sensing target bracket is located in a sealed space (CS) in which ink does not flow into the housing. The method of claim 9, The sealed space CS is formed between the upper end of the housing and the inner surface of the housing, the ink viscosity adjusting device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, And the at least one ink passage member in which the plurality of flow passages for guiding the ink to flow in a straight line is drilled side by side. The method of claim 11, And the rotary blades and the ink passage member are alternately positioned. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 6 to 10, Ink viscosity control means for adjusting the discharge of the ink flowing through the space formed between the outer surface of the housing and the inner surface of the housing to maintain the hydraulic pressure of the ink constant ink characterized in that it further comprises Device. The method of claim 13, The ink hydraulic pressure control means, And an elastic member for selectively opening and closing the discharge hole through which the ink flowing through the space formed between the outer surface of the housing and the inner surface of the housing is discharged according to the discharge pressure of the ink. Viscosity control device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, And said sensing object is a magnet. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, Containers containing solvents; And And a solvent supply valve driven to supply the solvent contained in the container onto the flow path of the ink when the ink viscosity measured by the sensor is higher than a reference value.

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