WO2004073987A1

WO2004073987A1 - A automatic supplying ink container for ink-jet recording apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2004073987A1
Application number: PCT/CN2004/000140
Authority: WO
Inventors: Quande Gao
Original assignee: Quande Gao
Priority date: 2003-02-21
Filing date: 2004-02-23
Publication date: 2004-09-02
Also published as: CN1439521A; CN1299914C

Abstract

An automatic supplying ink container for jet ink recording apparatus comprises an automatic supplying ink portion and waste ink recovery portion. The automatic supplying ink portion consists of external supplying ink cartridge and supplying ink conduit, and the waste ink recovery portion consists of waste ink recovery chamber and waste ink conduit. A storing ink chamber is disposed inside the external supplying ink cartridge and connected with internal ink cartridge with which ink in storing ink chamber is supplied to ink-jet recording apparatus. Negative pressure in internal ink cartridge can not be destroyed.

Description

Automatic ink supply device for inkjet recording device

Technical field

The invention belongs to the technical field of inkjet recording, and particularly relates to an inkjet recording device (such as an inkjet printer, an inkjet printer, a plotter, a facsimile machine, a copier, and office equipment) used for any inkjet recording head as a recording means. Combiner, etc.) Automatic ink supply for continuous ink supply. Background technique

In recent years, as people have more and more requirements for the number of prints, the need for low-cost printing has also become stronger. Compared with higher-priced color laser printers, color inkjet printers have simpler structures and lower prices, and are more popular printing products. The printing effect has also been improved with the continuous development of software and hardware technology and maturity. In some products, it has caught up with or even exceeded the quality of traditional silverized film.

However, the current printing cost of color inkjet printers is still high. The reason is that the cost of color inkjet printers is mainly consumables. In addition to printing media, they are inkjet recording heads. Inkjet recording heads include inkjet heads and ink cartridges. The ink cartridge is composed of an ink tank and ink. Ink cartridges (even inkjet heads) are designed as disposable consumer products, and their consumables are expensive, making inkjet printer users generally "affordable printers, ca n’t afford ink cartridges", and disposable ink cartridges also bring Increasing environmental issues. Although some users have successfully filled ink cartridges with ink to reduce printing costs, the method of filling ink is not something that ordinary consumers can master. In addition, since the split design reduces the reliability of the fluid connection, a large amount of ink has to be wasted in frequent "cleaning" operations of the inkjet head. As a result, this split design solution does not reduce the user's use cost.

In fact, inkjet heads are quite durable; what is not durable is just the ink in the cartridge. Regardless of the "thermal bubble" or "micro-piezo" type inkjet head, under normal use conditions, for A4 format color text with 15% coverage area, an inkjet head can print at least 30,000 pages. Confirmed by the applicant's practice. If you only need to refill the ink without replacing the ink cartridges throughout the life of the inkjet head, the cost of using the inkjet printer will be reduced to one-twentieth of the current cost.

In order to solve the above problems, in the disclosed prior art solution, the Chinese utility model patent with the application number of 99222462.4 is the same as the purpose of the present invention, but the implementation object of the utility model is limited to the desktop inkjet printer produced by EPSON company. Even so, after the implementation of the utility model, the expected technical effect cannot be achieved, and the ink supply cannot be stabilized automatically. As can be seen from Figure 3 (Working State Diagram) of the manual, the ink level in the external ink cartridge is higher than the top cover of the built-in ink cartridge. The manual also states "automatic ink supply through the siphon principle". It is wrong in theory and does not conform to the working principle of the inkjet printer inkjet head.

In fact, the inkjet head of an inkjet recording device works normally within a certain range of negative pressure, but cannot work under positive pressure, because the ink around the nozzle hole will collect ink under positive pressure, making the inkjet head The ink droplets formed inside are difficult to escape from the nozzle plate, and the printed matter is either a piece of white paper or a piece of waste paper stained with a pool of ink.

At present, there are no truly practical products that can be connected to the inkjet printers of all manufacturers and can continuously and automatically supply ink for a long period of time. From the technical point of view, the existing continuous ink supply products are similar to the Chinese utility model patent with the application number of 99222462.4, both of which have technical defects and cannot be used in actual work.

In fact, if the ink level in the external ink cartridge is higher than the nozzle, then according to the siphon principle, it is known that ink leakage from the nozzle is inevitable. The larger the drop, the faster the ink leakage. With the technical characteristics of the automatic ink supply technology solution, when the drop is small, the inkjet head can print normally for a period of time after several cleanings, but soon the ink droplets will not be ejected, and broken lines will appear on the printed works. The phenomenon. In addition, after stopping for a period of time, the ink leaks from the nozzle through the pump attachment to the chassis base without the user's knowledge.

If the ink level in the external ink cartridge is lower than the nozzle, the siphon principle will cause the ink to flow back from the internal ink cartridge to the external ink cartridge, which is contrary to the original intention of automatic ink supply. In this regard, it has been reported that an air segment of 1 to 5 cm often appears at the end of the ink delivery duct near the built-in ink cartridge. When this air segment is small, the inkjet head can print normally after multiple cleanings, but when the air segment is large, it will not work properly, and the entire ink supply system must be disassembled and reinstalled, which is very troublesome.

Since neither of the above two methods can be used in actual work, some technical researchers think that the height of the ink level in the external ink cartridge should be consistent with the height of the nozzle, so Hooke's law, hydraulic principle, ink level Technical solutions such as sensor control have been proposed and implemented, but the technology of these solutions is too complicated.

On the basis of fully understanding the working principle of the inkjet head, the present invention simply and thoroughly solves the problem of continuous automatic ink supply of the inkjet recording device by using the capillary principle and the siphon principle. After the invention is implemented, it can be connected to any inkjet recording device, and theoretically can ensure the stability and reliability of automatic ink supply. Summary of the invention

In order to solve the shortcomings in the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide an automatic continuous ink supply device which can be connected to any type of inkjet recording device. The ink is automatically supplied so that the consumed ink can be replenished at any time.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object of the present invention, the automatic ink supply device of the present invention includes an external ink supply cartridge and an ink delivery duct. The external ink supply cartridge is provided with an ink storage tank inside, and the ink storage tank is sealedly connected with one end of the ink delivery duct. The other end of the ink delivery duct is sealedly connected to the internal ink cartridge of the inkjet recording device, and is configured to continuously supply the ink in the external ink supply cartridge to the internal ink cartridge without damaging the negative pressure of the normal operation of the internal ink cartridge. The ink liquid level in the external ink supply cartridge is lower than the height of the horizontal plane of the nozzle of the inkjet recording device. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the other end of the ink infusion tube which is in a sealed connection with the built-in ink cartridge of the inkjet recording device is a hollow needle.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the automatic ink supply unit of the fan may further include a waste ink recovery part, and the waste ink recovery part is composed of a waste ink recovery bin and a waste ink duct. The waste ink recovery bin is set in an external ink supply cartridge and is connected to a waste ink discharge port in a cleaning unit of the inkjet recording device through a waste ink duct.

The automatic ink supply device for the inkjet recording device of the present invention enables the built-in ink cartridge originally designed for one-time use to be used for a long time, which greatly reduces the user's inkjet printing cost, and the printing quality is stable and reliable, and the economy and environmental protection are realized The goal. In addition, the present invention also considers the problem of waste ink pollution caused by cleaning the inkjet head of the inkjet printer. A mobile waste ink recovery bin is provided in the automatic ink supply device, which can keep the inside of the printer clean and protect the working environment of the user. It also provides the possibility for the recycling of ink. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

1 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic ink supply device for an inkjet recording device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a use state of an automatic ink supply device for an inkjet recording device according to a first embodiment of the present invention ·;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic ink supply device for an inkjet recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. detailed description

The specific content of the present invention will be described in detail through the first embodiment of the present invention with a desktop inkjet printer, which is a typical representative of the inkjet recording device, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automatic ink supply device for an inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention is composed of an automatic ink supply portion la and a waste ink recovery portion lb. Among them, the automatic ink supply part la is composed of an external ink supply cartridge 1 and an ink delivery duct 2. The ink delivery duct 2 is made of, for example, a high-elastic PVC material, and its inner diameter is, for example, 1.5 mm. The waste ink recovery part lb is made of waste. The ink recovery bin 7 and the waste ink duct 71 are composed.

The external ink supply cartridge 1 is a flat rectangular parallelepiped, and its top mask has an openable cover 11. In the external ink supply cartridge 1, a plurality of ink storage tanks 13 having the same structure and corresponding to the number of colors of the built-in ink cartridges of the inkjet printer are provided. In this embodiment, six ink storage tanks 13 are provided. The plurality of ink storage tanks 13 may be connected or separated. Each ink storage tank 13 is provided with an ink injection port 15 on the top, and the ink injection port 15 is provided with a sealing cap 151. The sealing cap 151 is provided for external ink supply during transportation. The cartridge elbow serves as a seal. Each ink storage tank 13 is connected with an ink delivery duct 2. During normal operation, the ink injection port 151 is opened, so that the ink in the ink storage tank 13 is kept in communication with the ambient atmosphere, thereby ensuring that the ink inside it is in contact with the atmosphere, so that the ink can be smoothly passed through the ink delivery pipe 2 under the negative pressure of the nozzle. Ground into the ink cartridge of the inkjet printer.

The built-in ink cartridge has a container 6 corresponding to the external ink-supply ink cartridge for storing various colors of ink, in the container The ink is stored in a conventional method (for example, the filling sponge 62) and is connected to the corresponding nozzle 61. The built-in ink cartridge has a conventional structure and will not be described again. In addition, for the sake of brevity, FIG. 2 only shows an ink storage tank and an ink delivery duct, and a corresponding container 6 in the built-in ink cartridge.

An ink outlet hole 4 is provided on one side of the ink storage tank 13, and the ink outlet hole 4 is opened at the bottom of the ink storage tank 13. The ink outlet end of the ink storage tank 13 is connected to the ink delivery duct 2 in a sealed manner. A stop valve is preferably provided on the ink delivery duct 2 and a filter is preferably provided. The filter is used to filter impurities in the ink in the ink storage tank 13, and the stop valve is used to cut off the supply of the ink storage tank 13 to the container 6 with a built-in ink cartridge when necessary. ink. The ink inlet end 21 of the ink delivery pipe 2 is connected to the ink storage tank 13 through, for example, a Luer conical joint. In this embodiment, a hollow needle 23 is connected to the ink outlet end 22 of each ink delivery tube 2. In use, pierce the rubber stopper on the container 6 with the hollow needle 23 and insert the hollow needle 23 into the bottom of the container 6 with the built-in ink cartridge, but make sure that the head of the hollow needle 23 does not protrude from the container 6 with the built-in ink cartridge. The internal sponge 62. The ink outlet end 22 is sealedly connected to the container 6 with the built-in ink cartridge by using a rubber stopper on the top of the container 6 with the built-in ink cartridge.

There is a partial inclined surface 14 between the top surface and the bottom surface of the external ink supply cartridge 1. Depending on the implementation object, the external ink supply cartridge 1 may also be a rectangular parallelepiped without a slope, and in this embodiment is provided with a slope 14. An ink position observation window 12 for each color of ink is provided on one side of the external ink supply cartridge 1. The observation window 12 is marked with an ink water level scale. The upper and lower limits are the effective height of the ink in the ink storage tank 13.

The effective height of the ink in the ink storage tank 13 depends on the negative pressure working range of the inkjet printer nozzle, the inner diameter of the ink delivery tube 2, the inner wall of the ink delivery tube 2, the capillary force between the inner wall of the hollow needle and the ink, and other hydrodynamic characteristics. . The effective height of the ink can be determined by hydrodynamic calculations. The effective height can also be determined experimentally. An important point of the present invention is to ensure that the height of the ink in the storage tank of the external ink supply cartridge is lower than the horizontal level of the nozzle of the inkjet printer. If the height of the ink is lower than the lower limit, the ink cannot flow into the container 6 with the built-in ink cartridge of the inkjet printer; if the height of the ink is higher than the upper limit, the ink may overflow from the nozzle of the inkjet printer due to excessive pressure.

In addition, the upper and lower limits of the ink height in the ink storage tank should also be determined according to the following conditions: The height difference HI between the highest liquid level (upper limit value) of the ink in the ink storage tank and the horizontal plane of the nozzle of the inkjet recording device is sufficient to generate the nozzle work station. The condition that the minimum negative pressure is required, and the height difference H2 between the minimum liquid level (lower limit value) of the ink in the ink storage tank and the nozzle horizontal plane of the inkjet recording device satisfies the condition that generates the maximum negative pressure required for the nozzle operation. For example, in some specific embodiments of the present inventors, the optimal effective height H0 of the ink in the ink storage tank is not more than 4 cm.

The waste ink recovery bin 7 is connected to a waste ink discharge port in a cleaning unit of the inkjet recording apparatus through a waste ink duct 71.

The above-mentioned components can constitute an automatic ink supply device for an ink jet recording device of the present invention. The method of using the automatic ink supply device of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First of all, the container 6 of the inkjet printer with built-in ink cartridges is filled with ink, preferably a new set of ink cartridges, and the inkjet printer itself is in good working condition. On this basis, the inkjet printer's automatic ink supply is connected 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the specific implementation steps of the present invention are as follows:

The first step is to lock the ink cut-off valve 5 on the ink delivery tube 2 (the operation methods of the ink delivery tubes and ink supply cartridges of different colors are the same, the black cartridge is used as an example below, and no specific color is specified); Open the top cover 11 of the external ink supply cartridge 1 in two steps, fill the ink supply cartridge 1 with ink, and control the ink level to reach the upper and lower scale lines through the observation window 12;

The third step is to place the ink delivery tube 2 on the desktop flat, holding the ink outlet end 22 of the ink delivery tube 2 connected to the hollow needle, and ensure that the horizontal position of the outlet of the ink outlet end 22 is higher than the ink supply cartridge 1 Ink level. Loosen the ink shutoff valve 5 on the ink delivery tube 2 and slowly lower the height of the ink outlet end 22 of the ink delivery tube 2. At this time, the ink will automatically flow into the ink delivery tube 2 until the ink delivery tube 2 is filled with ink and slightly When some ink overflows, immediately close the ink shutoff valve 5 on the ink delivery tube 2;

The fourth step is to pierce the hollow needle 23 of the ink outlet end 22 of the ink delivery tube 2 through the rubber stopper on the container 6 with the built-in ink cartridge and insert it into the bottom of the ink container 2 and ensure that the ink delivery tube 2 and the container 6 with the built-in ink cartridge Sealed connection

The fifth step is to fix the ink delivery tube 2 in a suitable position on the inkjet printer (such as: lay along with the control signal line of the print head, or hang over the print head through the bracket, or lay on the front of the print head On the inner wall of the casing) to ensure that the ink delivery tube 2 does not affect the movement of the print head and the carriage when the inkjet printer is working normally;

The sixth step is to place the ink supply cartridge 1 on the same desktop platform directly in front of the printer to ensure that the height of the upper limit of the ink liquid level in the ink supply cartridge 1 is lower than the height of the printer nozzle, and the height difference is different from the ink supply of the present invention. In the system, various capillary forces from the ink outlet hole 4 of the ink supply cartridge 1 to the nozzle of the container 6 with the built-in ink cartridge are related, and the preferred height difference is 10 mm. Replace the paper output guide of the printer with the inclined surface on the ink supply cartridge 1;

Step 7 Loosen the ink shutoff valve 5 on the ink delivery tube 2, and then you can operate according to the normal operation steps of the inkjet printer.

When the waste ink recovery function is added, the waste ink recovery step should be performed before the first step. First open the casing of the inkjet printer, connect one end of the waste ink duct 71 to the waste ink discharge port in the cleaning unit of the inkjet printer, then connect the other end through the casing to the waste ink recovery bin 7, and finally close the inkjet Just the printer case.

The following describes specific application examples of the present invention with some printer products from more well-known manufacturers currently on the market.

Example 1:

For a desktop inkjet printer produced by Hewlett-Packard Company, since the paper feeding method is to feed paper from the front, the automatic ink supply device of the present invention cannot be placed directly in front of the machine body. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the second embodiment of the present invention is to design an external ink supply cartridge into a rectangular parallelepiped shape without a bevel and to place it on the side of the body. Other technical features are the same as those of the preferred embodiment. Example two:

In order to prevent the ink from evaporating from the ink storage tank 13 of the external ink supply cartridge 1 during printing, the third embodiment of the present invention is to replace the ink storage tank 13 (not shown in the figure) in the external ink supply cartridge 1 with a flexible bag. It is filled with ink without leaving any gap, and the flexible bag has only one outlet, which is connected to the ink delivery tube in a sealed manner. Compared with the first embodiment, this embodiment reduces the top cover 11 on the external ink supply cartridge 1, but also adds a factor that affects the placement height of the external ink supply cartridge 1, that is, the deformation required for the flexible bag Negative pressure (depending on the flexibility of the material used in the flexible bag). The material of the flexible bag should be able to meet the deformation of the flexible bag with the negative pressure of the nozzle during the printing operation of the printer, without affecting the force of the negative pressure on the ink in the ink storage tank 13. Other technical features are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Example three: '

For the inkjet printer produced by EPSON, because the inkjet head is provided with an ink suction needle, in addition to the above embodiment, another embodiment may also be adopted, that is, the container 6 of the built-in ink cartridge of the printer is not used, and the The ink outlet end 22 of the ink delivery tube 2 is directly sealed and sleeved on the ink suction needle (not shown). This embodiment of the present invention has special requirements for the inner diameter of the ink delivery duct 2. This is not only to meet the sealing sleeve, but to adapt to the negative pressure working range of the inkjet head. The other technical features of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

In addition, for printers with built-in ink cartridges that do not use materials such as sponges as a method for maintaining the negative pressure of the ink, the present invention can pre-fill a container 6 with a porous material (such as a sponge with a suitable density) in the container 6 The negative pressure in 6 is adjusted to the negative pressure working range of the inkjet head, and then the hollow needle 23 at the front end of the ink delivery tube 2 is used to penetrate the rubber plug on the housing of the container 6 containing the ink cartridge, and the tip of the hollow needle is inserted Inside the sponge 62 in the container 6 with the built-in ink cartridge, the structure used in the above embodiment of the present invention is realized in the container 6 with the built-in ink cartridge. The purpose of continuously supplying ink to the printer can also be achieved, and the effect of the present invention can be achieved.

Claims

Claim

An automatic ink supply device for an inkjet recording device, comprising an external ink supply cartridge and an ink delivery duct, wherein the external ink supply cartridge is provided with an ink storage tank therein, and the ink in the ink storage tank is stored in the ink tank. The ink storage tank is sealedly connected to one end of the ink delivery duct, and the other end of the ink delivery duct is sealedly connected to the built-in ink cartridge of the inkjet recording apparatus. A negative pressure for conveying the ink in the ink storage tank to the built-in ink cartridge without destroying the normal working of the built-in ink cartridge. '

2. The automatic ink supply device for an inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other end of the ink supply duct which is in a sealed connection with the built-in ink cartridge of the inkjet recording apparatus has an insertion device.

3. The automatic ink supply device for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said insertion means is a hollow needle.

4. The automatic ink supply device for an inkjet recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that one end of the ink delivery duct is sealedly connected to the ink storage tank through a Luer conical joint.

5. The automatic ink supply device for an inkjet recording device according to claim 1, wherein a filter screen and a shutoff valve are provided in the ink delivery duct.

6. The automatic ink supply device for an inkjet recording device according to claim 1, wherein the external ink supply cartridge is a flat rectangular parallelepiped or a rectangular parallelepiped with a partially inclined surface between a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein The top surface is provided with an openable top cover, or the peripheral ink supply cartridge is a flexible bag.

7. The automatic ink supply device for an inkjet recording device according to claim 1, wherein an ink injection port is provided on the top of the ink storage tank, and a sealing cover is provided on the ink injection port.

8. The automatic ink supply device for an inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a height difference between a highest liquid level of the ink in the ink storage tank and a horizontal plane of the nozzle of the inkjet recording apparatus satisfies the condition that the The condition of the minimum negative pressure required for the nozzle to work; the height difference between the lowest liquid level of the ink in the ink storage tank and the horizontal level of the nozzle of the inkjet recording device meets the conditions for generating the maximum negative pressure required for the nozzle to work.

9. The automatic ink supply device for an inkjet recording device according to claim 1, wherein a water level observation window for each color of ink is provided on a side of the external ink supply cartridge, and an ink water level scale is marked on the observation window. line.

The automatic ink supply device for an inkjet recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a waste ink recovery section, wherein the waste ink recovery section is composed of a waste ink recovery bin and Waste ink duct composition.

11. The automatic ink supply device for an inkjet recording device according to claim 10, wherein the waste ink recovery bin is disposed in an external ink supply cartridge, and the waste ink recovery bin is discharged through a waste ink duct and sprayed. The waste ink discharge port in the cleaning unit of the ink recording apparatus is connected.