WO2010024085A1 - 液体噴射記録装置及び液体噴射記録方法 - Google Patents
液体噴射記録装置及び液体噴射記録方法 Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2010024085A1 WO2010024085A1 PCT/JP2009/063520 JP2009063520W WO2010024085A1 WO 2010024085 A1 WO2010024085 A1 WO 2010024085A1 JP 2009063520 W JP2009063520 W JP 2009063520W WO 2010024085 A1 WO2010024085 A1 WO 2010024085A1
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- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- liquid
- pressure
- jet recording
- pressure value
- recording apparatus
- Prior art date
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17596—Ink pumps, ink valves
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/135—Nozzles
- B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a liquid jet recording apparatus and a liquid jet recording method.
- a liquid ejecting recording apparatus that ejects droplets from a plurality of ejection ports toward a recording medium.
- Some liquid ejection recording apparatuses include a liquid ejection head that ejects liquid as droplets of several to several tens of picoliters per droplet.
- Such a liquid ejecting head that ejects minute liquid droplets is controlled so that the liquid in the ejection port is in an optimum state for ejecting in order to realize good liquid ejecting.
- the optimum state for injection means that the pressure of the liquid in the injection port becomes negative and a meniscus is formed inside the injection port.
- an apparatus that is provided with a pump or an atmospheric valve in a liquid flow path from a liquid container to a liquid ejecting head to adjust the pressure of the liquid supplied to the ejection port.
- Patent Document 1 discloses a pump for decompressing the liquid in the ejection port in the liquid ejection head, an air communication valve for pressurizing the liquid in the ejection port in the liquid ejection head, and the interior of the ejection port in the liquid ejection head.
- An ink jet printer liquid jet recording apparatus
- a pressure sensor that measures the pressure of the liquid
- a control unit that operates a pump and an air communication valve based on a measurement value obtained by the pressure sensor is described.
- the pressure of the liquid supplied into the ejection port is increased or decreased by the pump disposed in the liquid flow path from the sub tank that stores the liquid to the liquid ejection head and the air communication valve.
- the liquid affected by the pressure load is supplied, and it becomes difficult to maintain the pressure suitable for the environment in which the liquid is ejected.
- the pressure load applied to such a liquid is reduced by a pressure buffer device (liquid reservoir), but the effect of pressure loss due to an increase in the flow path length is still given to the liquid, thereby realizing an appropriate printing environment. Will be disturbed.
- the scanning range of the carriage provided with the liquid ejecting head is also increased, so that the liquid exceeding the ability to reduce the pressure load of the pressure buffer is supplied to the liquid ejecting head.
- the printing environment is expected to deteriorate due to the increased size of the device. As described above, in order to prepare an advanced printing environment in the printing apparatus, it is urgent to accurately measure and grasp the liquid pressure in the liquid ejecting head.
- the present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is a liquid jet recording apparatus and a liquid jet recording in which a configuration for adjusting the pressure of a liquid supplied to a jet port is simplified.
- An apparatus and a liquid jet recording method are provided.
- the liquid jet recording apparatus includes a liquid container that contains a liquid, and a jet unit that has a plurality of jet ports that are arranged at a position higher than the water surface of the liquid contained in the liquid container and jet the liquid. And a conduit that is interposed between the ejecting portion and the liquid container to communicate the liquid through the ejecting portion and the liquid container, and is interposed in an intermediate portion of the conduit.
- a pump that can be switched between an open state communicating with a pipe connection port and a closed state that presses the liquid supply path and blocks the liquid supply path; and the pipe between the injection unit and the pump Liquid that intervenes in the passage and buffers the pressure fluctuation of the liquid flowing in from one end A storage unit, a pressure measuring unit that measures the pressure of the liquid that is interposed in the pipe line between the ejection unit and the liquid storage unit and flows through the inside of the pipe line, and the pressure measuring unit measures A control unit that controls the drive of the pump to be switched between the liquid feeding state and the open state based on a pressure value is provided.
- the pressure measuring means measures the pressure of the liquid after the pressure fluctuation is buffered by the liquid reservoir on the ejection unit side from the liquid reservoir, and sends the pressure value to the controller. Send.
- the control unit controls the pump to switch to either the liquid feeding state or the open state corresponding to the pressure value.
- the liquid in the conduit is moved from the liquid container side to the ejection unit side, or from the ejection unit side to the liquid container side, and as a result, the pressure of the liquid in the ejection unit is increased. Adjusted.
- the pump has a flow path closing mechanism capable of closing the pipe line by a stop operation and blocking the supply of the liquid from the liquid container to the jet part. It is a feature. According to this invention, when the pump is stopped, the movement of the liquid through the pipe line is blocked, and the liquid is stored in the pipe line from the pump to the injection port. Thereby, the drive control for maintaining the pressure of the liquid at the ejection port is simplified.
- the pump includes a flow path opening mechanism that allows the pump to communicate with the pipe line by a stop operation and communicates the supply of the liquid from the liquid container to the ejecting unit. It is a feature. According to this invention, since the pipe line can be communicated by the pump, the configuration for communicating the pipe line can be simplified.
- the liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the flow path opening mechanism has an escape portion that releases the pressure of the liquid supply path. According to this invention, the pressure of the liquid feeding path can be released by the escape portion, and the inside of the pipe line can be communicated.
- the pump can transfer the liquid from the liquid container to the jet part side by a pressurizing operation, and the liquid can be transferred from the jet part side to the liquid container side by a pressure reducing action. It can be transferred to According to this invention, in addition to passive liquid feeding of the liquid from the ejection section to the liquid container side by opening the pump, the liquid is ejected from the liquid container side by the pump. Active transfer from the part side or the ejection part side to the liquid container side becomes possible.
- the liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the pressurizing operation and the depressurizing operation are performed by a forward rotation mechanism and a reverse rotation mechanism in which the pump is rotated forward and backward.
- the liquid is moved by the rotation operation of the pump to the ejection unit side or the liquid container side inside the pipe line by the pressurization operation and the decompression operation of the pump.
- the pressure of the liquid at the ejection port can be adjusted with a simple mechanism.
- the liquid jet head according to the present invention is characterized in that the pressure measuring means is directly interposed in a pipe line connecting the liquid storage part and the jet part.
- the pressure measuring unit since the flow path length of the liquid from the ejecting unit to the pressure measuring unit is shortened, the pressure measuring unit causes the pressure variation of the liquid after the liquid pressure variation occurs in the ejecting unit. The time lag until the measurement is measured is reduced, the pressure of the liquid in the ejection unit is measured with high accuracy, and the space occupied by mounting the pressure measuring means can be reduced.
- the liquid jet head according to the present invention is characterized in that the pressure measuring means is connected to a pressure transmission pipe branched from a pipe connecting the liquid storage part and the jet part.
- the length of the pipe line connecting the liquid storage part and the injection part only needs to be long enough to connect the pressure transmission pipe line, and the liquid storage part and the injection part are close to each other.
- the degree of freedom of arrangement of the pressure measuring means is increased.
- the pressure transmission pipe may be formed of a flexible tube and a gas barrier.
- the pressure transmission pipe is formed by thickening or solidifying the liquid due to gas entering the pressure transmission pipe, or by evaporating the volatile solvent from the liquid containing the volatile solvent.
- the thickening or solidification of the liquid due to leakage from the inside of the passage to the outside is suppressed. For this reason, constriction of the pressure transmission pipe line due to the liquid is suppressed.
- a decrease in measurement accuracy of the pressure measuring means caused by the thickened or solidified liquid adhering to the pressure measuring means is suppressed.
- the liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the pressure transmission pipe is made of a metal material.
- the use of a metal material reduces the effects of cracks and the like due to deterioration over time as compared with a resin tubular member, and fluid or light or the like enters the pressure transmission pipe into the pressure transmission pipe. Intrusion through the pipe wall of the passage is suppressed, and deterioration such as thickening or solidification of the liquid is suppressed.
- the pressure transmission line is formed of a flexible member that suppresses transmission of light having a specific wavelength. According to this invention, since the transmission of the light having the specific wavelength through the tube wall of the pressure transmission line is suppressed, the pressure transmission pipe of the liquid having a property of being cured by the light of the specific wavelength Thickening or solidification inside the road is suppressed.
- the liquid jet recording apparatus is characterized in that the pressure transmission line is detachable from the line. According to the present invention, by removing the pressure transmission pipe from the pipe, cleaning of the inside of the pressure transmission pipe, replacement of the pressure transmission pipe and the pressure measuring means, and the like can be performed.
- the liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention includes a carriage that supports the jetting unit at a predetermined distance from the recording medium on which the liquid is jetted and is capable of reciprocating on the recording medium.
- the liquid reservoir is fixedly supported. According to the present invention, the pressure of the liquid buffered by the liquid reservoir disposed in the carriage is measured even for a liquid ejecting head that does not have the branch pipe for connecting the pressure measuring means.
- the liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the length of the pipe line from the pressure measuring means to the jet part is in the range of 50 mm to 600 mm.
- the length of the pipe line from the pressure measuring means to the ejection part is shorter than 50 mm, the degree of freedom of the arrangement of the pressure measurement means is low, and the carriage is separated from the ejection part to the carriage.
- the length of the pipe line from the pressure measuring means to the ejector is longer than 50 mm, so that the liquid reservoir is separated from the ejector. Can be arranged on the carriage.
- the length of the pipe line from the pressure measuring means to the jetting unit is longer than 600 mm, the amount of pressure fluctuation of the liquid absorbed by the pipe line is large, so that the pressure fluctuation in the jetting unit and the pressure measurement Since there is a discrepancy between the pressure value measured by the means and accurate pressure measurement becomes difficult, the length of the pipe line from the pressure measuring means to the injection unit is shorter than 600 mm. The influence of the pressure fluctuation on the liquid ejection accuracy is small. Accordingly, the pressure of the liquid is measured with sufficient accuracy for the liquid ejecting head to eject the liquid appropriately by the pressure measuring means.
- the carriage unit according to the present invention is characterized in that the pressure measuring means is arranged above a height of +10 mm to +300 mm from the height of the injection port of the injection unit. According to this invention, when the pressure measuring means is disposed within +10 mm from the height of the ejection port of the ejecting section, the position of the ejecting section is limited by the pressure measuring means. On the other hand, since the pressure measuring unit is arranged at +10 mm or more above the height of the injection port of the injection unit, the injection unit and the pressure measurement unit do not interfere with each other.
- the position of the pressure measuring unit and the position of the injection port of the injection unit are arranged at a position higher than +300 mm in the height direction, the pressure value measured by the pressure measurement unit and the pressure in the injection unit Since the deviation from the value is large, it is difficult to accurately measure the pressure.
- the position of the pressure measuring unit and the position of the ejection port of the ejection unit are arranged closer to +300 mm in the height direction, the pressure of the liquid measured by the pressure measuring unit And the pressure of the liquid at the ejection port can be reduced. As a result, it is within the accuracy range required for adjusting the pressure of the liquid.
- the liquid storage unit includes a liquid storage chamber formed of a flexible thin film member, and the thin film member is interposed from the outside of the liquid storage unit via the thin film member. It is characterized by suppressing gas intrusion or leakage.
- the liquid reservoir absorbs the pressure fluctuation propagating from the liquid pipe by the thin film member.
- the thin film-like member suppresses the thickening or solidification of the liquid due to the gas intrusion and the mixing of bubbles into the liquid ejected from the ejection unit.
- the liquid jet recording method of the present invention is a liquid jet recording method using the liquid jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the pressure value indicated by the pressure measuring means is monitored to detect the liquid Measuring the pressure of the liquid, determining whether the pressure of the liquid is between a preset upper limit pressure value and a lower limit pressure value, and determining whether the liquid pressure is the upper limit pressure value and the lower limit
- the driving of the pump is stopped, and when the pressure of the liquid is lower than the lower limit pressure value, the pump is rotated so as to move the liquid toward the ejection unit. And a step of rotating the pump so as to move the liquid in the direction of the liquid container when the pressure of the liquid is higher than the upper limit pressure value.
- the control unit determines whether or not the pressure of the liquid is between the upper limit pressure value and the lower limit pressure value.
- the control unit stops and closes the pipe line when the pump is driven.
- the pump is driven to send the liquid to the ejection unit side.
- the control unit stops at a position where the pump communicates with the inside of the liquid pipe. In this manner, the pump is driven by the control unit, and the pressure of the liquid is appropriately adjusted while the liquid ejecting head ejects the liquid.
- the liquid jet recording method of the present invention includes a correction control step in which correction control is performed in the control unit with respect to a differential pressure between the pressure value at the jet port and the pressure value measured by the pressure measuring means. .
- the pressure value of the liquid measured by the pressure measuring means in the correction control step is corrected to the pressure of the liquid at the ejection port and output, thereby being measured by the pressure measuring means.
- the pressure value at the injection port can be adjusted based on the pressure value.
- the liquid jet recording method of the present invention is characterized in that the upper limit pressure value and the lower limit pressure value are set for the pressure value of the liquid at the jet port. According to this invention, since the pressure value of the liquid at the ejection port is controlled to be between the upper limit pressure value and the lower limit pressure value, the pressure measuring unit does not depend on the position at which the pressure of the liquid is measured. The pressure of the liquid is adjusted so that the liquid is ejected from the ejection port.
- the liquid jet recording method of the present invention is characterized in that the upper limit pressure value is +0.5 kPa and the lower limit pressure value is ⁇ 2.0 kPa.
- the upper limit pressure is +0.5 kPa or more
- the liquid leaks from the injection port of the injection unit, so that it becomes difficult to eject the liquid as droplets
- the lower limit pressure is Is less than ⁇ 2.0 kPa
- the liquid is not sufficiently supplied to the injection port of the injection unit.
- the pressure of the liquid By controlling the pressure of the liquid to be in the range of +0.5 kPa to ⁇ 2.0 kPa, a meniscus surface is formed inside the injection port of the injection unit, and the liquid is formed by the injection unit. Can be ejected as droplets onto the recording medium.
- the liquid jet recording method of the present invention is characterized in that the upper limit pressure value is -0.5 kPa and the lower limit pressure value is -1.0 kPa.
- the upper limit pressure value is a negative pressure
- a meniscus surface of the liquid is formed inside the ejection port, and the liquid can be favorably ejected as droplets.
- the lower limit pressure value is ⁇ 1.0 kPa
- the differential pressure between the upper limit pressure value and the lower limit pressure value is small, and variation in the shape of the droplets is suppressed, leading to good ejection results.
- the control unit includes a calculation step of calculating a differential pressure between the pressure of the liquid and the upper limit pressure value or the lower limit pressure value, and is proportional to the magnitude of the differential pressure.
- the driving speed of the pump is changed. According to the present invention, when the differential pressure is large, the liquid is quickly pressurized by driving the pump at a high speed. Further, when the differential pressure becomes small, excessive pressurization can be suppressed by slowing the drive of the pump.
- the pressure of the liquid in the branch pipe is increased or decreased by the pump capable of pressurizing or communicating the liquid inside the liquid pipe.
- a configuration for adjusting the pressure of the liquid supplied to the ejection port can be simplified.
- FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a liquid flow path of the liquid jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the structure of the roller tube pump of this invention.
- FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention.
- FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a configuration of a liquid flow path of a liquid ejecting head and a carriage according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the liquid jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment.
- FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the liquid flow path of the liquid jet recording apparatus.
- FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the configuration of the pump of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the liquid pressure control according to the present invention.
- the liquid ejection recording apparatus 1 includes a liquid ejection mechanism 2 that ejects a liquid 5 a onto a recording medium P such as paper, and a liquid supply mechanism 3 that supplies the liquid 5 a to the liquid ejection mechanism 2. And a transport mechanism 27 that transports the recording medium P in the X direction in the figure on the lower surface of the liquid ejecting mechanism 2 and a control unit 11 electrically connected to each of the mechanisms.
- the liquid supply mechanism 3 includes a liquid container 5 that stores the liquid 5 a, a flexible tubular liquid pipe 6 having one end connected to a part of the liquid container 5, and an intermediate part of the liquid pipe 6.
- a roller tube pump 7 that is interposed and capable of feeding the liquid 5 a inside the liquid pipe 6 to one end or the other end of the liquid pipe 6 is provided.
- the roller tube pump 7 includes a motor (not shown), a substantially cylindrical wheel 8 having a rotation center O connected to the drive shaft of the motor, and a pulse counter (not shown) that detects the rotational position of the wheel 8. And a roller 9 rotatably engaged with the outer peripheral portion of the wheel 8 and a case member 10 formed with an arc-shaped groove with which the liquid pipe 6 is engaged.
- the roller 9 presses a part of the liquid conduit 6 engaged with the case member 10.
- an escape portion 10 a is formed on a part of the outer peripheral side of the wheel 8 of the case member 10 so that the contact between the liquid conduit 6 and the roller 9 is released.
- the wheel 8 rotates while the liquid conduit 6 is pressed by the roller 9, whereby the liquid 5 a inside the liquid conduit 6 is pressurized in the rotation direction of the wheel 8, and the liquid container 5 side or the opposite side.
- the roller tube pump 7 is configured to perform any one of a liquid feeding state, a communication state (opened), and a blocked state (closed) of the liquid 5a.
- the motor and the pulse counter are electrically connected to the control unit 11, and the control unit 11 monitors the rotational position of the wheel 8.
- the liquid ejecting mechanism 2 includes a carriage 12 that is movably disposed above the recording medium P, and a liquid ejecting head 13 that is fixed to the carriage 12 and ejects the liquid 5a toward the recording medium P.
- the carriage 12 is held by a moving mechanism 14 that reciprocates the carriage 12 on the recording medium P in the Y direction in the figure.
- the liquid ejecting head 13 has a liquid storage unit 15 that has one end connected to the other end of the liquid pipe 6 to buffer the pressure fluctuation of the liquid 5a, and a plurality of ejection ports that eject the liquid 5a as fine droplets. Is disposed between the liquid storage unit 15 and the ejection unit 17, the first support unit 18 that fixes the liquid storage unit 15 and the ejection unit 17 close to each other, and the liquid storage unit 15 and the ejection unit 17.
- a pressure transmission section 20 formed of a flexible tubular member having one end connected to the branch section 19, and a pressure detection section 21 connected to the other end of the pressure transmission pipe 20. And a pressure sensor 22 fixed to the carriage 12.
- the pressure transmission line 20 is made of a material that suppresses gas permeation.
- the pressure sensor 22 is electrically connected to the control unit 11.
- the liquid storage unit 15 is stored in the liquid storage case 25 having communication portions 23 and 24 connected to the liquid pipe 6 and the branch portion 19, respectively, and connected to the communication portions 23 and 24. And a substantially bag-shaped liquid reservoir 26.
- a concave portion is formed in the liquid storage case 25, and a thin film-like material that suppresses the permeation of gas is bonded to the frame portion of the liquid storage case, which is the peripheral portion of the concave portion, using a method such as heat welding.
- the liquid storage chamber 26a for storing the liquid, the above-described liquid storage portion 26 is formed.
- the liquid storage chamber 26 a in the liquid storage unit 26 communicates with the liquid conduit 6 and the branch unit 19 via the communication units 23 and 24.
- the control unit 11 monitors the operation of the pressure sensor 22, receives the pressure value P1 at the injection nozzle surface 16 measured by the pressure sensor 22, and determines whether or not the pressure is optimum, a roller tube And a drive unit 11b for driving the pump 7.
- the determination unit 11a is set with an upper limit and a lower limit of the optimum pressure for injecting the liquid 5a (in this embodiment, the upper limit of the pressure value at the injection port surface 16 is -0.5 kPa and the lower limit is -1.0 kPa). In this way, the pressure value P1 at the injection port surface 16 measured by the pressure sensor 22 is compared with the set pressure, and a drive signal is transmitted to the drive unit 11b.
- the drive unit 11b drives the roller tube pump 7 so as to be in a normal rotation, reverse rotation, or stop state based on the drive signal transmitted from the determination unit 11a.
- the forward rotation of the roller tube pump 7 is a direction in which the liquid pipe 6 is squeezed from the liquid container 5 side to the ejection part 17 side
- the reverse rotation is the liquid pipe 6 from the jet part 17 side to the liquid container 5 side. This will be described as a squeezing direction.
- the operator supplies the recording medium P to the transport mechanism 27 and positions the recording medium below the liquid jet head 13. Subsequently, the liquid 5 a is ejected from the ejection unit 17 toward the recording medium P, the carriage 12 is reciprocated on the recording medium P by the moving mechanism 14, and the recording medium P is fixed by the transport mechanism 27. The carriage 12 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the reciprocating direction of the carriage 12 with an interval. As a result, the liquid 5a is jetted onto one surface of the recording medium P. At this time, the roller tube pump 7 is stopped, and the liquid conduit 6 is closed by the roller 9. In this case, as shown in FIG.
- the roller 9 is disposed in a portion other than the escape portion 10 a formed in the case member 10, and the liquid conduit 6 is closed. (Flow path closing mechanism) Therefore, the pressure of the liquid 5a inside the liquid pipe 6 from the roller tube pump 7 to the spraying portion 17 decreases as the liquid 5a is sprayed. (Pump stop step A1 shown in FIG. 4)
- the pressure of the liquid 5 a inside the liquid ejecting head 13 is measured by the pressure sensor 22 through the pressure transmission line 20 connected to the branch portion 19.
- the pressure value P1 of the liquid 5a at the ejection orifice surface 16 measured by the pressure sensor 22 is transmitted to the determination unit 11a in the form of a signal.
- the optimum value is set with a certain width (in this embodiment, the pressure value at the injection port surface 16 is in the range of ⁇ 0.5 kPa to ⁇ 1.0 kPa).
- the drive unit 11b When it is determined by the determination unit 11a that the pressure value P1 at the injection port surface 16 measured by the pressure sensor 22 is lower than -1.0 kPa, the drive unit 11b is activated in response to the determination by the determination unit 11a. Then, a drive signal is transmitted to the roller tube pump 7. Then, the wheel 8 of the roller tube pump 7 is rotated, and the roller 9 operates so as to squeeze the liquid conduit 6 from the liquid container 5 toward the ejecting unit 17 while crushing the liquid conduit 6.
- the determination unit 11a continuously monitors the pressure value P1 at the injection port surface 16 indicated by the pressure sensor 22, and determines that the pressure value P1 at the injection port surface 16 indicated by the pressure sensor 22 has reached -1.0 kPa.
- the driving of the roller tube pump 7 is sometimes stopped at the position where the liquid pipe 6 is closed by the driving unit 11b. In this way, pressurization control is performed so that the pressure of the liquid 5a falls within the optimum range. (Pressurizing step A2 shown in FIG. 4)
- the pressure value P1 at the ejection port surface 16 measured by the pressure sensor 22 exceeds the upper limit value of ⁇ 0.5 kPa due to pressure fluctuation caused by the movement of the carriage 12 or the like.
- the roller tube pump 7 is driven by the drive unit 11b, and the wheel rotates and stops so that the roller 9 is positioned at the escape portion 10a.
- the contact between the roller 9 and the liquid pipe 6 is released, so that the inside of the liquid pipe 6 communicates.
- the water head value of the liquid container 5 is indicated by X1
- the water head value of the ejection port surface 16 is indicated by X2
- X1 is disposed below the X2 by a height h.
- the control unit 11 compares the pressure value P1 transmitted from the pressure sensor 22 to the control unit 11 with the upper limit value or the lower limit value, and determines the rotation speed of the roller tube pump 7 according to the differential pressure.
- the proportional control circuit includes a calculation process for calculating the differential pressure based on the pressure value P1 received from the determination unit, and a comparison map for comparing the differential pressure with the rotation amount of the roller tube pump 7.
- a method for outputting a signal designating the rotation speed of the roller tube pump 7 to the drive unit 11b in response to the input of the pressure value P1 from the determination unit 11a, or a roller for the input of the pressure value P1 from the determination unit 11a A method of directly calculating the driving speed of the tube pump 7 and generating a driving signal to the driving unit 11b can be employed.
- the moving mechanism 14 conveys the carriage 12 to the service station 28a.
- the service station 28 a is configured to store the liquid 5 a leaking from the ejection port surface 16 of the ejection unit 17 in the waste liquid tank 28.
- the roller tube pump 7 is driven by the drive unit 11b. Then, a negative pressure is generated inside the liquid conduit 6 on the liquid container 5 side from the roller tube pump 7, and the liquid 5 a is sucked up from the liquid container 5 and supplied to the ejection unit 17 via the roller tube pump 7. Is done.
- the roller tube pump 7 is stopped by the driving unit 11b.
- the pressure value P1 indicated by the pressure sensor 22 is monitored by the determination unit 11a, and it is determined whether or not the pressure of the liquid 5a in the branching unit 19 is at an optimum value.
- the determination unit 11a calculates the differential pressure between the pressure value P1 indicated by the pressure sensor 22 and the optimal range, and the determination by the determination unit 11a.
- the roller tube pump 7 is driven so as to reduce the differential pressure by the drive unit 11b, and the roller tube pump 7 is driven when it is determined that the pressure value P1 indicated by the pressure sensor 22 is within the optimum range. Will be stopped. Thereafter, the liquid jet recording process can be started.
- the pressure of the liquid 5 a buffered by the liquid storage unit 15 is the pressure transmission line disposed between the liquid storage unit 15 and the jetting unit 17.
- the control unit 11 corresponds to the value measured by the pressure sensor 22.
- the liquid 5a inside the liquid pipe 6 is fed until the roller tube pump 7 is driven to reach an optimum pressure range.
- the liquid storage unit 15 since the liquid storage unit 15 is provided, it is possible to reduce the pressure fluctuation of the liquid 5a accompanying the movement of the carriage 12. Further, as described above, by measuring the pressure of the liquid 5a existing between the liquid storage unit 15 and the ejection orifice surface 16, it is possible to perform measurement on the liquid whose pressure fluctuation is reduced in the liquid storage unit 15. . Thereby, the pressure of the liquid 5a on the ejection port surface 16 can be measured even if the influence of the pressure loss due to the length of the flow path and the influence of the pressure fluctuation accompanying the movement of the carriage remain. An appropriate printing environment can be prepared.
- the method for controlling the pressure of the liquid 5 a according to the present embodiment is performed by pressurizing or depressurizing the liquid 5 a in the liquid pipe 6 with the roller tube pump 7. For this reason, compared with the technique which introduces gas into the liquid container 5 and controls the pressure of the liquid 5a as in the prior art, the deterioration of the liquid 5a due to the liquid 5a being exposed to the gas is suppressed, and good liquid jetting is achieved. Can be achieved.
- the pressure transmission pipe 20 of the present embodiment is formed of a material that suppresses the permeation of gas, outside air enters the liquid 5a flowing into the pressure transmission pipe 20 from the branch portion 19 through the pipe wall. Is suppressed.
- the liquid 5a deteriorated by suppressing the thickening, solidification, or denaturation (hereinafter collectively referred to as deterioration) of the liquid 5a adheres to the pressure sensor 22, or a part of the flow path of the liquid 5a to the ejection unit 17 Or the whole is obstruct
- the pressure transmission line 20 is detachable at the branching part 19, but when the flow path of the liquid 5 a from the liquid container 5 to the ejection part 17 is washed by this, the pressure transmission line 20 is less likely to allow the cleaning liquid to enter and exit. Can be cleaned individually.
- the pressure transmission pipe line 20 is connected to a branch part 19 formed in a part of the flow path of the liquid 5 a on the ejection part 17 side from the liquid storage unit 15.
- the liquid storage unit 15 absorbs the pressure fluctuation generated in the liquid pipe 6 on the liquid container 5 side by the liquid storage section 26 and attenuates the fluctuation range of the pressure fluctuation. For this reason, the pressure of the attenuated fluctuation range is transmitted to the branch portion 19 and is measured by the pressure sensor 22 via the pressure transmission line 20.
- the distance of the flow path of the liquid 5a from the branch part 19 to the ejection part 17 is short, the difference between the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 22 and the pressure of the liquid 5a supplied to the ejection port surface 16 Can be reduced.
- the optimum value of the pressure value P1 is set with a certain width (the pressure value on the injection port surface 16 in the present embodiment is in the range of ⁇ 0.5 kPa to ⁇ 1.0 kPa).
- the liquid 5a is pressurized or depressurized by the roller tube pump 7 during the time lag and deviates from the optimum value to the opposite side, frequent control for reducing these minute pressure fluctuations may occur.
- the optimum value has a range and the mechanism for stopping the roller tube pump 7 at the time of a minute pressure fluctuation in the vicinity of the optimum value is adopted, the frequent control as described above does not occur.
- the determination unit 11a of the control unit 11 is provided with a correction table (not shown) in which the correspondence between the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 22 and the pressure generated on the injection port surface 16 is set. .
- the determination unit 11a refers to the correction table to convert the pressure value measured by the pressure sensor 22 into the pressure value at the injection port surface 16 to determine whether the pressure value at the injection port surface 16 is within the optimum range. It comes to judge.
- the drive unit 11b drives the roller tube pump 7 by transmitting a drive signal corresponding to the determination based on the converted pressure value by the determination unit 11a to the roller tube pump 7.
- the correction value may be measured in advance based on the configuration of the liquid ejecting head 13, and the correction value may be set to be used in the determination unit 11a from the beginning.
- FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the configuration of the liquid flow path of the liquid jet recording apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
- the liquid storage part 31 of the liquid jet head 30 of the present embodiment is a conventional liquid storage part that does not include a branch part.
- a part of the carriage 12 serves as a second support portion 32, and a liquid storage unit 33 including the pressure sensor 22 is fixed.
- This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a branch pipe 35 is formed in the liquid storage case 34 and the pressure sensor 22 is connected.
- the branch pipe 35 is more than the liquid storage section 36 of the liquid storage unit 33. Since the pressure sensor 22 is also open to the injection unit 17, the pressure attenuated by the liquid storage unit 33 is transmitted to the pressure sensor 22.
- the liquid storage part 36 is provided with the liquid storage chamber 36a of the structure similar to 1st Embodiment.
- the liquid storage unit 33 is interposed in a part of the liquid pipe 6 at the intermediate portion between the roller tube pump 7 and the liquid storage unit 31.
- the length of the flow path of the liquid 5a from the liquid storage unit 33 to the ejection unit 17 is adjusted so as to be within the range of 50 mm to 600 mm which is the optimum value in the present embodiment as the liquid supply flow path. Yes.
- the pressure of the liquid 5a after the pressure is buffered by the liquid storage unit 33 can be measured.
- the pressure value P1 measured by the pressure sensor 22 is monitored by the control unit 11, and the value deviates between the lower limit pressure value and the upper limit pressure value. In this case, the pressure of the liquid 5a supplied to the liquid jet head 30 is adjusted by driving the roller tube pump 7 to pressurize or depressurize the liquid 5a.
- the measurement position of the pressure sensor 22 is the position of the liquid storage unit 33
- the pressure of the liquid 5a is measured at a remote location from the ejection port surface 16 as compared with the first embodiment.
- the pressure of the liquid 5a on the ejection orifice surface 16 can be maintained in the optimum range by correcting the pressure value measured by the pressure sensor 22 as in the first embodiment.
- the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the pressure value in the liquid storage part 36 of the liquid storage unit 33 is measured.
- Liquid 5a is stored in the liquid reservoir 36, and when the measurement is performed in the liquid reservoir 36, the variation in the displacement amount or pressure value of the liquid 5a is small compared to the case where measurement is performed in the flow path or the pipe. . That is, in the second embodiment, by adopting such a configuration, the pressure sensor 22 measures the pressure value of the portion where the liquid 5a is stored, so that fluctuations in the measured pressure value and noise are included in the pressure value. The possibility of being lost can be reduced. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the pressure value of the liquid 5a can be measured stably.
- the target value of the pressure at the injection port surface 16 measured by the pressure sensor 22 controlled by the control unit 11 is an optimum value of ⁇ 0.5 kPa to ⁇ 1.0 kPa, but +0 Even if the target value is set as .5 kPa to -1.0 kPa, the ejection accuracy of the liquid 5a can be satisfied. In this case, the driving frequency of the roller tube pump 7 for pressure adjustment can be reduced by widening the range of the target value.
- the pump for pressurizing or depressurizing the liquid 5a inside the liquid pipe 6 is configured to include the roller tube pump 7 having the two rollers 9, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
- the liquid 5a inside the liquid pipe 6 may be pressurized or depressurized by a roller tube pump that can communicate with the inside of the liquid pipe 6 and has one or more rollers 9.
- the roller tube pump 7 employs a configuration in which the liquid conduit 6 is disposed along the outer periphery of the wheel 8 and pressed by the roller 9, but is not limited to this configuration.
- a roller tube pump having a configuration in which an intermediate portion of a flexible tubular member is arranged along a part of the outer periphery of the wheel and pressed by a roller and both ends are opened as connection ports is provided in the middle of the liquid pipe 6. It is also possible to intervene in the part.
- the liquid tube 6 is communicated with the roller tube pump 7 in order to depressurize the liquid 5a in the branch portions 19 and 35.
- the present invention is not limited to this.
- the pressure sensor 22 measures the pressure value from the branch part 19 via the pressure transmission line 20, but the liquid 5 a is located near the pressure detection part 21 of the pressure sensor 22. There may be provided a pressure measurement chamber in which is stored. By adopting such a configuration, also in the first embodiment, it is possible to improve the stability regarding the measurement of the pressure value of the liquid 5a.
- invasion of gas was employ
- members made of different materials depending on the properties of the liquid 5a For example, when a metal tubular member such as stainless steel is used for the pressure transmission conduit, the durability of the pressure transmission conduit becomes higher, and the intrusion of gas into the pressure transmission conduit due to cracks due to deterioration over time is suppressed. Is done.
- the pressure transmission pipe is covered with a light-shielding paint or the pressure transmission pipe is formed of a light-shielding material, the transmission of light into the pressure transmission pipe is suppressed. For this reason, hardening or modification
- the configuration in which the pressure sensor 22 is fixed to the liquid storage unit 33 is adopted.
- the pressure of the liquid 5a after the pressure fluctuation is buffered by the liquid storage unit 33 can be measured.
- the branch pipe 35 may be formed in the outflow part of the liquid storage unit 33 and the pressure sensor 22 may be connected to one of the branch pipes 35 or from the liquid storage unit 33 to the injection part 17.
- a new branch pipe may be provided in a part of the flow path of the liquid 5a, and the pressure sensor 22 may be connected to one of the branch pipes.
- the liquid ejecting head 30 has a configuration in which the liquid reservoir 31 is mounted in advance.
- the present invention is not limited to this, and the liquid ejecting head in which the liquid reservoir 31 is not mounted. It is also possible to arrange the liquid storage unit 33 and the pressure sensor 22 of the present invention on the second support portion 32. Also in this case, it is possible to measure the pressure fluctuation of the liquid 5 a by the liquid storage unit 33 and the pressure of the liquid 5 a after the buffer by the pressure sensor 22.
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Abstract
Description
また、近年のインクジェットプリンタにおいては、ポスターや看板の表面を印刷する際に、広大な印刷範囲を印刷することができる大型印刷装置が用いられることが多く、特定の分野において装置が大型化する傾向にある。このような大型印刷装置においては、小型の印刷装置と比較して、噴射する液体を貯蔵した液体収容体から液体噴射ヘッドまでの距離が遠くなり、液体噴射ヘッドへ液体を供給する流路の流路長が長くなる。そのため大型の装置においては、液体にかかる流路圧力損失が増大し、液体噴射環境に適している圧力を保持した液体が液体噴射ヘッドへ供給されることを妨げてしまう可能性がある。そのため、液体噴射ヘッドにおける液体の圧力値を正確に設定するには、液体噴射ヘッドにおける圧力値を精度良く測定し、適正な圧力を保持した液体を供給することが必要である。
また、液体噴射ヘッドを具備するキャリッジが印刷範囲を走査する場合、液体収容体と液体噴射ヘッドを連通する流路が、キャリッジの移動に伴って変位を繰り返すため、流路内に存在する液体に圧力負荷がかかる。その場合、流路の下流に位置する液体噴射ヘッドにおいては、圧力負荷の影響を受けた液体が供給されることになり、液体を噴射する環境に適した圧力を保持することが困難になる。通常、このような液体にかかる圧力負荷は、圧力緩衝装置(液体貯留部)によって低減されるが、依然として、流路長の増大による圧力損失の影響が液体に与えられ、適切な印刷環境の実現を妨げてしまう。
さらに、上述のような印刷範囲の増大に伴って、液体噴射ヘッドを具備したキャリッジの走査範囲も増大するので、圧力緩衝装置の圧力負荷を低減する能力を超えた液体が液体噴射ヘッドへ供給される可能性があり、装置の大型化による印刷環境の悪化が見込まれる。
以上のとおり、印刷装置における高等な印刷環境を整えるためには、液体噴射ヘッドにおける液体の圧力を正確に測定し把握することが急務である。
本発明の液体噴射記録装置は、液体を収容する液体収容体と、該液体収容体に収容された前記液体の水面より高い位置に配置されて前記液体を噴射する複数の噴射口を有する噴射部と、該噴射部と前記液体収容体との間に介在されて前記噴射部と前記液体収容体とを連通して前記液体を流通させる管路と、前記管路の中間部に介在されて前記管路に連通する送液路を押圧して前記液体を前記液体収容体側から前記噴射部側へ移送させる送液状態と前記送液路の押圧を解除して前記送液路の内部を両端の管路接続口に連通させる開放状態と前記送液路を押圧して前記送液路を遮断する閉塞状態とのいずれかに切り替え可能なポンプと、前記噴射部と前記ポンプとの間の前記管路に介在されて一端から流入する前記液体の圧力変動を緩衝させる液体貯留部と、前記噴射部と前記液体貯留部との間の前記管路に介在されて前記管路の内部を流通する前記液体の圧力を測定する圧力測定手段と、該圧力測定手段が測定した圧力値に基づいて前記ポンプの駆動を前記送液状態と前記開放状態とのいずれかに切替えされるように制御する制御部とが設けられていることを特徴としている。
この発明によれば、前記ポンプが停止すると前記液体の前記管路を介した移動が遮断されて前記ポンプから前記噴射口に至るまでの前記管路の内部に前記液体が貯留するようになる。これにより、前記噴射口における前記液体の圧力を維持するための前記駆動制御が簡略化される。
この発明によれば、前記ポンプによって前記管路連通することができるため、前記管路を連通するための構成を簡略化することができる。
この発明によれば、前記逃げ部によって前記送液路の押圧を解除することができ、前記管路の内部を連通させることができる。
この発明によれば、前記ポンプを開放状態とすることによる前記液体の前記噴射部から前記液体収容体側への受動的な送液に加えて、前記ポンプによって前記液体の前記液体収容体側から前記噴射部側あるいは前記噴射部側から前記液体収容体側への能動的な移送が可能になる。
この発明によれば、前記ポンプの前記加圧動作及び減圧動作によって前記液体が前記管路の内部で前記噴射部側あるいは前記液体収容体側へ前記ポンプの回転動作によって移動される。その結果、前記噴射口における前記液体の圧力を簡便な機構で調整することができる。
この発明によれば、前記噴射部から前記圧力測定手段までの前記液体の流路長が短くなるため、前記噴射部において前記液体の圧力変動が生じてから前記圧力測定手段によって前記液体の圧力変動が測定されるまでのタイムラグが低減されて前記噴射部における前記液体の圧力が精度よく測定されると共に、圧力測定手段を搭載することによって占有される空間を小さくすることができる。
この発明によれば、前記液体貯留部と前記噴射部とを接続する管路の長さは圧力伝達管路が接続可能な長さであればよく、前記液体貯留部と前記噴射部とを近接して配置可能であると共に、圧力測定手段の配置の自由度が高まる。
この発明によれば、前記圧力伝達管路の内部へ気体が侵入することによる前記液体の増粘あるいは固化や、揮発性溶剤が配合された前記液体から揮発性溶剤が蒸発して前記圧力伝達管路の内部から外部へ洩出することによる前記液体の増粘あるいは固化が抑制される。このため、前記液体による前記圧力伝達管路の狭窄が抑制される。さらに、増粘あるいは固化した前記液体が前記圧力測定手段に付着することによって生じる前記圧力測定手段の測定精度の低下が抑制される。
この発明によれば、金属材料が用いられることによって樹脂製の管状部材と比較して経年劣化によるひび割れ等の影響が軽減され、流体あるいは光等が前記圧力伝達管路の内部へ前記圧力伝達管路の管壁を介して侵入するのが抑制されて前記液体の増粘あるいは固化等の劣化が抑制される。
この発明によれば、前記特定の波長を有する光の前記圧力伝達管路の管壁を介した透過が抑制されるため、前記特定の波長の光によって硬化する特性を有する液体の前記圧力伝達管路の内部での増粘あるいは固化が抑制される。
この発明によれば、前記圧力伝達管路を前記管路から取り外すことで前記圧力伝達管路の内部の洗浄や、前記圧力伝達管路及び前記圧力測定手段の交換等ができる。
この発明によれば、前記圧力測定手段を接続するための前記分岐管を持たない液体噴射ヘッドに対しても、前記キャリッジに配置された前記液体貯留部によって緩衝された前記液体の圧力が測定される。
この発明によれば、前記圧力測定手段から前記噴射部までの前記管路の長さが50mmよりも短い場合は前記圧力測定手段の配置の自由度が低く前記噴射部から離間させて前記キャリッジに前記液体貯留部を配置するのは困難であるのに対して、前記圧力測定手段から前記噴射部までの前記管路の長さが50mmよりも長いので前記液体貯留部を前記噴射部から離間させて前記キャリッジ上に配置可能である。また、前記圧力測定手段から前記噴射部までの前記管路の長さが600mmよりも長いと、前記液体の圧力変動の前記管路による吸収量が大きいため前記噴射部における圧力変動と前記圧力測定手段において測定された圧力値との間に乖離が生じるため正確な圧力測定が困難になるのに対して、前記圧力測定手段から前記噴射部までの前記管路の長さが600mmよりも短いので、前記圧力変動が前記液体の噴射精度に与える影響が少ない。これにより前記圧力測定手段によって前記液体噴射ヘッドが適切に液体を噴射するのに十分な精度で前記液体の圧力が測定される
この発明によれば、前記圧力測定手段が前記噴射部の噴射口の高さから+10mm以内に配置されていると前記圧力測定手段によって前記噴射部の配置位置が制限されてしまう。これに対して、前記圧力測定手段が前記噴射部の噴射口の高さから+10mm以上上方に配置されているため、前記噴射部と前記圧力測定手段とが干渉しない。また、前記圧力測定手段の位置と前記噴射部の噴射口の位置とが高さ方向で+300mmよりも高い位置に配置されていると前記圧力測定手段によって測定された圧力値と前記噴射部における圧力値との乖離が大きいため精度よく圧力測定を行うことが困難である。これに対して、前記圧力測定手段の位置と前記噴射部の噴射口の位置とが高さ方向で+300mmよりも近接して配置されているため、前記圧力測定手段によって測定される前記液体の圧力と前記噴射口における前記液体の圧力との差を低減することができる。その結果、前記液体の圧力を調整するために要求される精度の範囲内に収まる。
この発明によれば、前記液体貯留部は、前記液体管路から伝播する圧力変動を前記薄膜状部材によって吸収する。さらに前記薄膜状部材は前記気体の侵入による前記液体の増粘あるいは固化と、前記噴射部から噴射される前記液体への気泡の混入を抑制している。
この発明によれば、前記補正制御工程で前記圧力測定手段よって測定された前記液体の圧力値を前記噴射口における前記液体の圧力へと補正して出力することによって、前記圧力測定手段で測定される圧力値に基づいて前記噴射口における圧力値を調整することができる。
この発明によれば、前記噴射口における前記液体の圧力値が上限圧力値と下限圧力値の間になるように制御されるため、前記圧力測定手段が前記液体の圧力を測定する位置によらず、前記液体の圧力が前記噴射口から前記液体が良好に噴射されるように調整される。
この発明によれば、前記上限圧力が+0.5kPa以上の場合は前記液体が前記噴射部の噴射口から洩出するために前記液体を液滴として噴射することが困難になり、一方前記下限圧力が-2.0kPa以下の場合には前記液体が前記噴射部の噴射口に十分に供給されない。前記液体の圧力が+0.5kPa~-2.0kPaの範囲にあるように制御されることによって、前記噴射部の噴射口の内部には前記液体によるメニスカス面が形成され、前記噴射部によって前記液体が液滴となって前記被記録媒体へ噴射されることが可能である。さらに前記液体の圧力を+0.5kPaから-2.0kPaの間になるように幅を持たせて制御することで、前記制御部による加圧制御あるいは減圧制御が頻繁に反転して生じる過剰なポンプ駆動が抑制される。
この発明によれば、上限圧力値が負圧であるため、前記噴射口の内部には前記液体によるメニスカス面が形成されて前記液体を液滴として良好に噴射可能である。さらに前記下限圧力値が-1.0kPaであることで前記上限圧力値と前記下限圧力値との差圧が小さく、前記液滴の形状のばらつきが抑えられることで良好な噴射結果に繋がる。
この発明によれば、前記差圧が大きいときには前記ポンプの駆動を高速にすることによって迅速に前記液体が加圧される。また、前記差圧が小さくなった際には前記ポンプの駆動を低速にすることによって過剰な加圧が抑えられる。
以下、本発明の第一実施形態の液体噴射記録装置について図1~図4を参照して説明する。図1は、本実施形態の液体噴射記録装置の構成を示す構成図である。また、図2は、液体噴射記録装置の液体の流路の構成を示す説明図である。また、図3は本発明のポンプの構成を説明するための説明図である。また、図4は本発明による液体圧力制御の動作を説明するための説明図である。
図1及び図2に示すように、液体噴射記録装置1は、用紙等の被記録媒体Pに液体5aを噴射する液体噴射機構2と、液体噴射機構2に液体5aを供給する液体供給機構3と、被記録媒体Pを液体噴射機構2の下面で図中X方向に搬送する搬送機構27と、前記各機構と電気的に接続された制御部11とを筐体4の内部に備える。液体供給機構3は、液体5aを貯留する液体収容体5と、液体収容体5の一部に一端が接続された可撓性の管状の液体管路6と、液体管路6の中間部に介在されて液体管路6の内部の液体5aを液体管路6の一端あるいは他端側へ送液可能なローラーチューブポンプ7とを備える。
このような構成を持つことによって、本実施形態の液体噴射装置では、例え流路長が長尺になり、流路における圧力損失が増大したとしても、噴射口面16における液体5aの圧力値を測定することができるため、適正な圧力を保持した液体5aを供給することができる。
分岐部19と噴射口面16の位置には微小なりとも高低差があるので、両部における圧力値に差異が生じる可能性がある。この問題を解決するために、本変形例では、制御部11は、噴射口面16における圧力値が適正な圧力値となるように圧力検知部21で測定した圧力値を補正する補正制御(補正制御工程A5)を備える。
駆動部11bは、判定部11aによる変換後の圧力値に基づく判定に対応した駆動信号をローラーチューブポンプ7へ送信することでローラーチューブポンプ7を駆動するようになっている。
なお、本変形例では、液体噴射ヘッド13の構成に基づいて予め補正値を測定し、最初からその補正値を判定部11aにおいて使用するように設定してもよい。
次に、本発明の第2実施形態の液体噴射記録装置について図5を参照して説明する。なお、以下に説明する各実施形態において、上述した第1実施形態と構成を共通とする箇所には同一符号を付けて、説明を省略することにする。
図5は本発明の第2実施形態の液体噴射記録装置の液体の流路の構成を説明するための説明図である。
まず、本実施形態の液体噴射ヘッド30の液体貯留部31は分岐部を備えない従来の液体貯留部である。一方、キャリッジ12の一部は第二支持部32になっており、圧力センサ22を備える液体貯留ユニット33が固定されている。本実施形態では液体貯留ケース34に分岐管35が形成されて圧力センサ22が接続されている点で第1実施形態と異なっているが、分岐管35は液体貯留ユニット33の液体貯留部36よりも噴射部17側に開口しているため、圧力センサ22には液体貯留ユニット33によって減衰された圧力が伝達される。また、液体貯留部36は第1実施形態と同様の構成の液体貯留室36aを備える。
さらに、第2実施形態では液体貯留ユニット33の液体貯留部36における圧力値を測定している点で第1実施形態と構成が異なっている。液体貯留部36では液体5aが貯留されており、流路や管路で測定する場合と比較して、液体貯留部36において測定する場合は、液体5aの変位量や圧力値の変動差が少ない。つまり、第2実施形態ではこのような構成を採用したことによって、圧力センサ22は液体5aが貯留される部位の圧力値を測定するので、測定した圧力値の変動や、圧力値にノイズが含まれる可能性を低減することができる。そのため、第2実施形態では、安定して液体5aの圧力値を測定することができる。
5 液体収容体
5a 液体
6 液体管路(管路)
7 ローラーチューブポンプ(ポンプ)
10a 逃げ部
11 制御部
12 キャリッジ
13、30液体噴射ヘッド
14 移動機構
15、33 液体貯留ユニット
26、36 液体貯留部
26a、36a 液体貯留室
16 噴射口面
17 噴射部
18 第一支持部
19、35 分岐管(管路)
20 圧力伝達管路
22 圧力センサ(圧力測定手段)
27 搬送機構
32 第二支持部
A1 ポンプ停止工程
A2、A3 加圧工程
A4 減圧工程
A5 補正制御工程
P 被記録媒体
P1 圧力値
X1、X2 水頭値
Claims (22)
- 液体を収容する液体収容体と、
該液体収容体に収容された前記液体の水面より高い位置に配置されて前記液体を噴射する複数の噴射口を有する噴射部と、
該噴射部と前記液体収容体との間に介在されて前記噴射部と前記液体収容体とを連通して前記液体を流通させる管路と、
前記管路の中間部に介在されて前記管路に連通する送液路を押圧して前記液体を前記液体収容体側から前記噴射部側へ移送させる送液状態と前記送液路の押圧を解除して前記送液路の内部を両端の管路接続口に連通させる開放状態と前記送液路を押圧して前記送液路を遮断する閉塞状態とのいずれかに切り替え可能なポンプと、
前記噴射部と前記ポンプとの間の前記管路に介在されて一端から流入する前記液体の圧力変動を緩衝させる液体貯留部と、
前記噴射部と前記液体貯留部との間の前記管路に介在されて前記管路の内部を流通する前記液体の圧力を測定する圧力測定手段と、
該圧力測定手段が測定した圧力値に基づいて前記ポンプの駆動を前記送液状態と前記開放状態とのいずれかに切替えされるように制御する制御部とが設けられていることを特徴とする液体噴射記録装置。 - 前記ポンプは停止動作によって前記管路を閉塞し、前記液体収容体から前記噴射部への前記液体の供給を遮断することができる流路閉塞機構を有することを特徴とする請求項1に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 前記ポンプは停止動作によって前記管路を連通し、前記液体収容体から前記噴射部への前記液体の供給を連通することができる流路開放機構を有することを特徴とする請求項1または2に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 前記流路開放機構は、前記送液路の押圧を解除する逃げ部を有することを特徴とする請求項1~3のいずれか一項に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 前記ポンプは加圧動作によって前記液体を前記液体収容体から前記噴射部側へ移送可能であるとともに、減圧動作によって前記液体を前記噴射部側から前記液体収容体側へ移送可能であることを特徴とする請求項1~4のいずれか一項に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 前記加圧動作及び前記減圧動作は、前記ポンプが正転及び逆転する正転機構及び逆転機構によって実施されることを特徴とする請求項1~5のいずれか一項に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 前記液体貯留部と前記噴射部とを接続する管路に前記圧力測定手段が直接介在されていることを特徴とする請求項1~6のいずれか一項に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 前記液体貯留部と前記噴射部とを接続する管路から分岐された圧力伝達管路に前記圧力測定手段が接続されていることを特徴とする請求項1~7のいずれか一項に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 前記圧力伝達管路は可撓性を有しかつガスバリア性を持つチューブで構成されることを特徴とする請求項8に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 前記圧力伝達管路が金属材料によって作られていることを特徴とする請求項8に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 前記圧力伝達管路は特定の波長を有する光の透過を抑制する可撓部材からなることを特徴とする請求項8~10のいずれか一項に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 前記圧力伝達管路は前記管路に対して脱着可能であることを特徴とする請求項8~11のいずれか一項に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 前記噴射部を前記液体が噴射される被記録媒体から所定の距離だけ離間させて支持して前記被記録媒体上を往復移動可能なキャリッジを備え、該キャリッジに前記液体貯留部が固定支持されていることを特徴とする請求項1~12いずれか一項に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 前記圧力測定手段から前記噴射部までの前記管路の長さが50mm~600mmの範囲にあることを特徴とする請求項13に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 前記圧力測定手段は、前記噴射部の噴射口の高さよりも+10mm~+300mmの範囲内で上方に配置されていることを特徴とする請求項13または14に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 前記液体貯留部は可撓性の薄膜状部材によって形成された液体貯留室を備え、前記薄膜状部材は前記液体貯留部の外部から前記薄膜状部材を介した気体の侵入あるいは洩出を抑制していることを特徴とする請求項13~15のいずれか一項に記載の液体噴射記録装置。
- 請求項1~16のいずれか一項に記載の液体噴射記録装置を用いた液体噴射記録方法であって、前記圧力測定手段が示す圧力値を監視して前記液体の圧力を測定する工程と、前記液体の圧力があらかじめ設定された上限圧力値と下限圧力値との間にあるか否かを判定する工程と、前記液体の圧力が前記上限圧力値と前記下限圧力値の間にある際には前記ポンプの駆動を停止させ、前記液体の圧力が前記下限圧力値よりも低い際には前記液体を前記噴射部の方向へ移動させるように前記ポンプを回転させ、前記液体の圧力が前記上限圧力値よりも高い際には前記液体を前記液体収容体の方向へ移動させるように前記ポンプを回転させる工程とを備えることを特徴とする液体噴射記録方法。
- 前記噴射口における圧力値と前記圧力測定手段において測定した圧力値の差圧に対して、前記制御部において補正制御を施す補正制御工程を有することを特徴とする請求項17に記載の圧力制御方法。
- 前記上限圧力値と前記下限圧力値は、前記噴射口における液体の圧力値を対象として設定されていることを特徴とする請求項17または18に記載の圧力制御方法。
- 前記上限圧力値が+0.5kPaであり、前記下限圧力値が-2.0kPaであることを特徴とする請求項19に記載の液体噴射記録方法。
- 前記上限圧力値が-0.5kPaであり、前記下限圧力値が-1.0kPaであることを特徴とする請求項19に記載の液体噴射記録方法。
- 前記制御部は前記液体の圧力と前記上限圧力値あるいは前記下限圧力値との差圧を計算する計算工程を備え、前記差圧の大きさに比例するように前記ポンプの駆動の駆動速度を変化させることを特徴とする請求項17~21のいずれか一項に記載の液体噴射記録方法
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CN2009801349074A CN102149545A (zh) | 2008-08-29 | 2009-07-29 | 液体喷射记录装置及液体喷射记录方法 |
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JP2006150963A (ja) * | 2004-11-25 | 2006-06-15 | Oce Technologies Bv | インクジェットプリンタのインク容器内の圧力を制御する装置及び方法 |
JP4690034B2 (ja) * | 2004-12-28 | 2011-06-01 | エスアイアイ・プリンテック株式会社 | チューブポンプ、インクジェット記録装置、及びインク供給方法 |
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CN102149545A (zh) | 2011-08-10 |
US20110193899A1 (en) | 2011-08-11 |
JP5026370B2 (ja) | 2012-09-12 |
KR20110051198A (ko) | 2011-05-17 |
EP2316655A1 (en) | 2011-05-04 |
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