WO2013165012A1

WO2013165012A1 - Inkjet recording device

Info

Publication number: WO2013165012A1
Application number: PCT/JP2013/062694
Authority: WO
Inventors: 斎藤敬
Original assignee: Saito Takashi
Priority date: 2012-05-01
Filing date: 2013-05-01
Publication date: 2013-11-07
Also published as: JP2013230651A

Abstract

The present invention provides a simple high-capacity ink supply device as an ink supply system comprising two ink tanks, that is, an on-carriage ink tank integrated with a print head and a replaceable supplementary ink tank. The center value of the supplementary ink tank in the height direction is disposed H mm below the print head. When the width in the height direction thereof is ±h mm from the center value, that is, 2h mm, if the allowed negative pressure variation of a liquid chamber connected to the print head is -(P±p) mmH20, h ≤ p and |P-H| ≤ p are set so that the ink can be sucked up from the supplementary ink tank into the on-carriage ink tank just with the allowed negative pressure.

Description

Inkjet recording device

Inkjet recording devices used in homes and offices, elucidating basic element conditions of simple ink supply that uses only negative pressure derived from the print head and does not use auxiliary devices, and based on that, without increasing the size of the main body of the device The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus having a configuration that significantly increases the capacity of mounted ink that is a consumable.

2. Description of the Related Art A widely used inkjet recording apparatus has a carriage on which a print head that reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the paper traveling direction is mounted, and ink tanks of various colors are mounted on the carriage in a replaceable manner. In order to increase the amount of ink that can be used, another ink tank group is provided separately from the ink tank on the carriage, and the method of supplying ink from there to the ink tank on the carriage is also adopted depending on the purpose of use of the recording device. ing. In either method, stable ink supply to the print head is a basic problem, and various ideas have been accumulated for better solutions.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 07-068773 JP 2001-138541 A JP 2010-228237 A JP 2009-226026 A

Consumer product genres (mainly for home use and SOHO use) and business use ink jet recording devices first appeared in the early 1990s, and then rapidly spread and formed a large market. Over the past 20 years, both text quality and photographic quality have improved dramatically, the specifications have been enriched, the design has been refined, and the price of the device itself has been drastically reduced. Above all, it has become an indispensable presence in the printing of photographs. Inkjet recording devices of the consumer product genre are on-carriage ink tanks, which are consumables that can be replaced when ink runs out. These are called ink cartridges, but this method is the mainstream and is used in most products. ing. The ink cartridge, which is a consumable item, has not changed the amount of ink that can actually be printed and the price, despite the enormous production volume for a long time.

ユーザー Users often hear opinions that “ink will run out soon” and “ink costs are high”. In addition, even though I bought a high-performance printer, I put up with it, "I try not to use it as much as possible" and "Printing in a print mode that uses less ink even at the expense of image quality." There is also a voice saying " In order to meet this user's request, third parties provide ink refill kits and ink refill products. However, refills often get dirty, and refill products are constantly subject to patent disputes with the original manufacturer. Absent. On the other hand, the original original manufacturer has introduced a high-cost large-sized ink tank system for business use printers that accepts an increase in the size and price of the main body, but it is suitable for home use or SOHO use. In consumer product printers, there is no clear response. The development of appropriate technology is more difficult than a third party can imagine, and is it difficult for even a professional engineer to create a technology suitable for consumer products? User dissatisfaction has not yet been resolved.

As a representative example, the ink cartridges that are often used in the Japanese market are composed of four color inks of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan. Replacing the cost will cost nearly 5,000 yen. The number of sheets that can be printed in A4 size in the standard manuscript / standard printing mode (ISO / IEC2472 and 2471 compliant) is about 500. Therefore, the cost of printing ink for one sheet is about 10 yen. The catalog generally contains numbers of such a level. Since four colors of ink are used, the average number is 125 printable sheets per one color ink cartridge. Too little for the price. Users even say, “If this is the case, it would be better to buy a new printer if the ink runs out.” In fact, printers with a price of, for example, 4,800 yen or 5,800 yen appear at the store and are often bought. The dissatisfaction that “ink price is high” is also a problem in sales, so we will consider it, and we would like to respond to the dissatisfaction that “ink will soon disappear”. Since the solution should be a large-capacity ink cartridge, it is of course necessary that the ink cost per sheet can be reduced.

The system in which each color ink tank is mounted on the carriage in a replaceable manner is called an on-carriage ink tank system. In addition to the ink tank fixed on the carriage, another type of replaceable ink tank for replenishing ink and supplying the ink from there to the ink tank on the carriage is called an off-carriage ink tank method. I will decide. .

The typical arrangement of the main components in the on-carriage ink tank type printer is shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 and the plan view of FIG. In the printer

main body

10, 1 is a paper cassette, 2 is a paper discharge tray, and printed paper is conveyed from 1 to 2 through a paper path indicated by a dotted line 3 and discharged. In the middle of the printing process, ink droplets are ejected from the print head 4 according to information, and printing is performed. Reference numeral 5 denotes a replaceable on-carriage ink tank. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing how the on-carriage ink tank in this conventional machine is replaced. Open the upper mechanism of the tank, and at the same time move the carriage to the center and then replace it.

The typical size of the ink tank is approximately 1.5 cm in width, 5 to 7 cm in depth, and 4 to 5 cm in height, and this is mounted on the carriage in a replaceable manner. A black ink whose main purpose is to print characters is usually about twice as wide as the above. The number of tanks may be a combination of black and four yellow, magenta, and cyan, or six plus photo magenta and photocyan, and seven convenient plus black for photography. Furthermore, there is a configuration in which the number of colors is increased in order to further improve the picture quality. In these cases, the total width of all color tanks is around 7-10 cm. Here, the carriage has a firm mechanism for ensuring the ease of replacement of the ink cartridge by the user, and the thickness is also a value added thereto. Since this is a reciprocating scan exceeding the paper width (21 cm), at least the width of the apparatus body plus 20 cm is necessary. In fact, the width of most consumer genre printers is well over 40cm. Therefore, it is difficult to increase the width of the ink tank any more in order to increase the amount of ink. The height and depth are close to the limit. In addition, increasing the on-carriage ink tank also increases the load on the motor that moves the carriage. The precision of carriage movement is a lifeline for printers.

For these reasons, the on-carriage ink tank method has not increased the ink capacity for many years. In the case of the above-described wide black ink tank and the normal width of yellow, magenta, cyan, and a system of four colors, the total width is about 7 cm. In this case, a width in the width direction of 14 cm is required. Even in such a relatively narrow product group of ink cartridges, the increase in the amount of ink remains unchanged.

The content of the ink tank in the above example is over 30cc. The on-carriage ink tank is essentially located above the print head, and basically the head pressure is applied to the print head, and unless it is a very shallow ink tank, ink will leak out of the print head if no action is taken . Therefore, sponge-like stuffing, a maze, or a valve is provided to prevent ink from dropping from the print head. One example can be found in cited document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-068773. Although this technique is later improved and is considered to be used in actual products, the use efficiency of the ink cartridge volume drops to almost half due to this filling, and the effective ink amount is about 15 cc, for example. In actual use, such as reports, letters, recipes, and copies of net information, the ink consumption is about half that of the standard manuscript printing, and the ink consumption per sheet is approximately 0. It is 05 cc (the converted value from the sum of the ink amount actually used for printing and the ink amount used for maintenance). Therefore, it can be said that printing of approximately 300 sheets / one ink cartridge is possible in calculation. This is consistent with the upper limit of the actual feeling of many users. (In this proposal, the description will be continued using 0.05 cc of ink consumption per sheet)

From the above, the issues are clear. With the inkjet printer of the consumer product genre, there is a need to create a simple method that does not increase the size of the main body and thus increases the ink capacity without increasing the cost. In the on-carriage ink tank system, the amount of ink increase is limited as described above. The solution must be found in an off-carriage ink tank system. There is also a problem with the width of the apparatus body. On a desk or office with a narrow home or SOHO, there is nothing special even if the height is, for example, 18 cm becomes 23 cm. However, if the width is 43 cm, for example, 48 cm, the occupied area is widened and it is quite difficult. It will be wider than laser printers of the same genre. It is added to the problem that an off-carriage ink tank is not arranged so as to widen the width of the main body.

It is the lower part of the print head that is commonly considered good in the location of the off-carriage ink tank. When the ink tank is located above the print head, so-called dripping occurs that ink leaks from the print head due to the water head pressure of the ink tank. Ingenuity is required for the correspondence. It is said that there is no fear of falling down when placed down, so a simple mechanism can be used.

However, there are actually some problems and various innovations have been made. As known examples, JP-A-2001-138541, JP-A-2010-228237, JP-A-2009-226026 and JP-A-2009-226026 can be referred to. In JP-A-2009-226026, a buffer chamber (called a sub-tank) is decompressed to a negative pressure state by a pump to stabilize printing, and if necessary, the buffer chamber is pressurized to a positive pressure state to store the stored ink. The printer head automatically sends it out. In any case, it is possible to suck up automatically using a negative pressure derived from the print head up to a depth of about 3 cm, and a suction pump is required at a depth exceeding this. When a pump is used, a sensor, a switching valve, a control device, and the like are inevitably required, resulting in a costly configuration. *

Among commercially available products, a recording apparatus that avoids a paper feed mechanism and a print head recovery mechanism (indicated by reference numeral 12 below the on-carriage ink tank 6 in the figure) as schematically shown in FIGS. 11 can be seen in which a replacement off-carriage ink tank is provided at a location on one side of the 11. This is the place indicated by the number 8. Reference numeral 7 denotes a flexible ink conduit connecting the two ink tanks. In this configuration, the replacement off-carriage ink tank can be somewhat longer in the rear side direction of the recording apparatus main body, and the amount of stored ink can be increased. However, in such a side-by-side placement, the width of the ink tank affects the width of the main body and cannot be so large. Also, it is difficult to increase the number of colors. In fact, there are four colors on the market. The number of colors can be increased if the width of the main body can be increased a little, but it cannot be said that there is “extended freedom”.

One of the answers to increase the ink storage capacity without using a force such as a pump is to place a replacement ink tank above the print head and control the head pressure on the print head caused by the ink in this tank. In this method, a pressure control mechanism is provided in the on-carriage ink tank, and the height of the replacement ink tank is set so as to correspond to the negative pressure fluctuation allowable range of the liquid chamber connected to the print head. This ink supply system has an “expansion degree of freedom” that can be arranged to fill the entire width of the printing apparatus main body although the height width of the off-carriage ink tank is restricted. In addition, a long space can be obtained in the rear side direction of the recording apparatus main body. However, although it is as simple as a small valve, it requires a hydraulic head pressure control mechanism.

Among the various devices described above, the present invention relates to the disposition of the replacement off-carriage ink tank below the print head, and (1) it is easy to increase the capacity of the stored ink and expand the stored ink amount and the number of colors. It has a degree of freedom, (2) is user-friendly in ink tank replacement, (3) does not widen the main body, and (4) aims to realize a simple and inexpensive configuration that makes it a consumer product. Is. The main premise is that the ink does not fall off from the print head and has stable ink supply performance that does not hinder ink ejection.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, as a first problem solving means, in an ink jet recording apparatus, at least an on-carriage ink tank integrated with a print head, a replaceable refill ink tank, and the refill The ink supply system is composed of a flexible ink conduit that guides ink from the ink tank to the on-carriage ink tank, the replenishment ink tank is arranged below the print head, and its central position is Hmm below the print head. If the width in the height direction is ± hmm, that is, 2hmm, and the negative pressure fluctuation allowable value of the liquid chamber connected to the print head is − (P ± p) mmH2O, h ≦ p and | PH | ≦ By setting p, ink is sucked from the replenishment ink tank to the on-carriage ink tank only by this allowable negative pressure. It is a Kujetto system recording apparatus.

The second problem solving means is an ink jet recording apparatus characterized in that h = p and H = P in the first problem solving means.

Further, as the problem solving means 3, in the above problem solving means 1 and 2, the replacement ink tank is placed under the condition that h ≦ p and | PH | ≦ p or particularly h = p and H = below the print head. In addition to the condition that it is P, in the lateral direction and the depth direction of the recording apparatus main body, it is an arbitrary position in the space over the entire area avoiding the print head recovery mechanism and the paper feeding mechanism. is there.

The problem solving means 4 is the problem solving means 1, 2, and 3, in which the paper discharge tray positioned immediately above the space for arranging the replaceable refilling ink tank is automatically placed in the recording apparatus main body when the recording apparatus is stopped or stopped. The ink jet recording apparatus is automatically retracted and stored, and automatically extends or retracts from the storage position in the main body during operation of the recording apparatus.

The operation of the first problem solving means is as follows. The arrangement of the main components of the recording apparatus 14 of the present invention is schematically shown in FIGS. 6 (transverse sectional view) and 7 (plan view). A space indicated by an alternate long and short dash line 13 is a space that can store the lower off-carriage ink tank (replacement ink tank) 9 defined in the present invention. Details will be described later.

First, various conditions regarding the disposition of the replacement ink tank 9 below the print head were strictly studied, and the following necessary and sufficient conditions were obtained. The center position of the replacement ink tank in the height direction is set to be Hmm below the print head. The width in the height direction is ± hmm from the center position, that is, 2 hmm. (H−h) mm is the ink height when the ink is full, and (H + h) mm is the height immediately before the ink reaches the bottom. Further, a negative pressure range that does not leak ink from the print head (so-called no dropping of the ink) and is not so high as to cause ejection becomes − (P ± p) mmH ₂ O.

(A) Mandatory condition 1: When the negative pressure is weakened to the lowest level (ie, when-(Pp) mmH ₂ O), the top position of the replacement tank {i.e., downward (H No further suction / inflow from -h) mm}. As a result, the negative pressure is further reduced, and the ink does not fall off. This condition can be expressed as follows.
Hh ≧ Pp (1)
In order to simplify the explanation, the density of the ink is set to 1 which is the same as that of water. Actually, the density of ink, which is mostly water, is approximate, and there is no problem in handling in this way.

(B) Indispensable condition 2: When negative pressure is maximum {ie, when-(P + p) mmH ₂ O}, ink is also sucked up from the bottom position of the replacement tank that is most difficult to pump up ink (ie when it is below (H + h) mm). . This condition can be expressed as follows.
H + h ≦ P + p (2)

From the above formulas (1) and (2), hp ≤ PH ≤ ph (3)
Is guided. From now on,
h ≦ p + (P−H) and h ≦ p− (P−H), that is, h ≦ p− | P−H |, where p− | P−H | ≧ 0
Or more simply,
h ≦ p and | PH | ≦ p (4)
Is guided. That is, the height width 2h of the replacement ink tank is 2p or less of the allowable fluctuation range of the negative pressure, and the difference between the center value H of the tank position and the central value P of the allowable negative pressure is 1/2 of the allowable fluctuation range. p or less. As long as this condition is satisfied, (A) even when ink is sucked up from the top of the replenishing ink tank that is most easily sucked up, the negative pressure around the print head is not lowered below the allowable minimum value. (B) Ink tank for replenishment with only the allowable negative pressure of the liquid chamber connected to the print head-(P ± p) mmH2O, without using auxiliary power or auxiliary equipment such as a suction pump. Thus, these two basic element conditions that allow ink to be sucked into the on-carriage ink tank are satisfied.

The above is the condition required for the replacement ink tank. Since our purpose is to increase the height of the ink tank as much as possible to increase the amount of stored ink, h is the maximum value h = p and naturally More preferably, H = P. This is the second problem solving means. For example, if the negative pressure fluctuation allowable value is −25 mm ± 10 mm H 2 O, it indicates that the replacement ink tank height 2 h is 20 mm corresponding to 2 p. Also, in order for h = p, PH should not be a number other than zero. That is, P = H (H = 25 mm in this case) should be set. In addition, the upper position of the ink tank may have to be lowered to avoid interference with the paper feed mechanism. Therefore, h <p may be unavoidable.

It is possible to obtain sufficient performance with the above two essential conditions, that is, “there is no dropping and pumping from the lowest part”. From this principle study, it can be seen that it cannot be said that ink can be assembled from below. The maximum height position of the replacement ink tank is from (P−p) mm to (P + p) mm below the head position, and the maximum height of the tank is 2 pmm. This constraint is quite “narrow” or “tight”. However, if the sub-tank position and height are widened, auxiliary power such as a pump is required. Such an ink supply system is an area not relevant to the present invention. This is because even if the conditions in the height direction are severe, other conditions that can be obtained are very attractive if they are carefully followed.

This will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. The replacement ink tank 9 includes a connecting seal member 93. The connecting mechanism 71 of the printer body is provided with a needle 72. When the replacement ink tank 9 is attached to the connection mechanism 71, the ink communicates from the needle 72 to the ink chamber 60 of the on-carriage ink tank 6 through the flexible ink conduit 7. At this time, it is necessary to have various related elements such as a means to prevent unnecessary air from entering, a mechanism for notifying that ink has been emptied before that, and an ink tank replacement sequence (preliminary ejection, head cleaning, etc.). These may be appropriately incorporated from many excellent known techniques. The description will be continued focusing on the skeleton of the present invention.

In the ink chamber 60 of the on-carriage ink tank 6, the ink is always in a disturbed state due to intense reciprocation by the printing operation. If this ink state is directly transmitted to the print head, stable ejection cannot be performed. Therefore, a buffer mechanism for protecting the print head and mitigating the turbulent movement of the ink as shown by reference numeral 61 is provided. This uses a continuous porous material, such as a sponge or fiber stuffing. Alternatively, a maze-like buffer mechanism described later is also effective.

Also, in the ink chamber 60, the problem of mixed bubbles is inherent. That is, if bubbles are mixed in the ink chamber 60 for some reason (melted gas, mixed gas at the time of ink tank replacement, etc.), it expands when the liquid temperature rises, etc., causing the ink head to drop unintentionally from the print head 4. . Bubbles are exemplarily shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. In order to prevent such an inconvenience, a mechanism 66 that performs “gas release or excessive positive pressure release” is necessary. In an inkjet printer, this mechanism is basically incorporated in all on-carriage ink tanks.

In order to make the delivery of ink from the replacement ink tank 9 smooth, negative pressure accompanying the delivery should not be generated here. For example, in order to facilitate handling, a device such as using a hard ink container 90 and using an ink bag 91 that is soft and deflated naturally as the ink is delivered is required. It is important to provide a hole 92 for taking in air in the hard ink container 90 in order to prevent the generation of negative pressure. Many other mechanisms with similar performance have been proposed.

The place where the replacement ink tank 9 can be stored is a space above the paper cassette 1 and below the paper transport path 31 directly below the print head, as indicated by a dashed line 13 in FIG. The height width of the replacement ink tank 9 housed here is equivalent to 2 pmm at the maximum as described above, and is not necessarily a large value. Although it depends on the negative pressure fluctuation allowable width 2p determined by the ink properties and the print head shape, it is at most about 40 mm. In order to secure this space, the paper conveyance path 31 directly under the print head needs to be configured higher than that of the conventional recording apparatus. However, the on-carriage ink tank is small because it is not intended to store ink here. Height, width, and depth if necessary. Therefore, even if the paper conveyance path 31 directly under the print head is higher than that of the conventional recording apparatus, the height of the recording apparatus is almost the same as that of the conventional apparatus.

The place where the replacement ink tank 9 can be accommodated is the one-dot chain line 13, but another limitation is to avoid the print head recovery mechanism (lower part of the on-carriage ink tank in FIG. 6, indicated by reference numeral 12). . In addition, it is necessary to consider that the drive transmission mechanism should be arranged on the exterior portion side as much as possible and that the feed roller for paper conveyance should be as small as possible. By taking these design considerations into consideration, it is possible to obtain a space 13 in which the replacement ink tank 9 can be accommodated, which is close to the full width of the recording apparatus.

The restriction in the depth direction is the paper pickup roller No. 32 in FIG. The stowable space 13 can be extended up to this position. In this way, the place where the replacement ink tank 9 can be stored, the one-dot chain line space 13 is not high in height, but can be created as a huge space having a full width and a long depth of the recording apparatus. It is.

The above is the basic principle of the problem-solving means of the present invention and the explanation of the operation. The effects of this are as follows. (1) In the configuration in which the replacement ink tank is arranged below the print head, a wide arrangement space and expansion flexibility are ensured, and only the above conditions “h ≦ p and | PH | ≦ p” are observed. A good and simple configuration is possible. In other words, a buffer chamber and a pumping pump that are required in other arrangements and methods that have been proposed so far are not necessary for supplying ink. Mechanical elements such as ink transfer means, sensors, switching valves, and flanges and control circuits related to these are also unnecessary. Ink is simply pumped according to the negative pressure from the printhead. It is simple and low-cost, but the necessary functions can be realized reliably.

(2) An object of the present invention is also not to increase the size of the recording apparatus. As mentioned above, the height of the on-carriage ink tank that has been used without change for 20 years is a trade-off that you want to install as much ink as possible, but you must avoid ink dropping. The height continues to be approximately 40 mm to 50 mm. And there is some simple organs to control the water head pressure. According to the present invention, the on-carriage ink tank integrated with the print head is not intended to store ink here, so it can be smaller. A height of about 10 mm to 15 mm is sufficient. Compared with the conventional machine, it is 30 mm to 40 mm lower, and accordingly, the paper conveyance path 31 directly below the print head can be lifted upward to widen the lower space. For example, the storage space 13 has a height of 30 mm, and a replacement ink tank having a height of, for example, 20 mm can be mounted therein. For example, if the width is 40 mm and the depth is 80 mm (all are the internal dimensions of the ink tank), the ink capacity is 64 cc. The amount of ink that can be printed exceeds 1,280 sheets (64 cc / 0.05 cc = 1,280). This is the answer to user dissatisfaction in almost the same device height as the conventional machine.

(3) The width of the recording device can be reduced. Although it is repeated, it was described in the previous section that “the on-carriage ink tank is small because it is not intended to store ink here”, but this is not only the height. The width can be reduced. For example, within a few mm, and within 1 cm anyway. This number is merely an example, but it should be understood that the greater the number of ink colors, the greater the effect because the effect on the recording apparatus main body width is doubled. For reference, the ink tank 5 of the conventional machine is indicated by a dotted line on the right side of FIG. The size of this conventional machine is a dotted line 10 in FIG. Although it is a simple schematic diagram, it can be visually understood that the width of the reciprocating on-carriage ink tank greatly affects the lateral width of the recording apparatus main body. There are other constraints on the size of the product, and it is a design matter, but the ability to ensure a small degree of freedom is a major utility.

In a typical example of the replacement ink tank (for example, one black tank and five color tanks), the black for characters is made large, for example, 60 mm wide. The ink tank width for other colors is 40 mm. The total lateral width is 60 + 40 × 5 = 260 mm. This approximates and does not exceed the paper width + on-carriage ink tank width x2. A product that is at least 5 cm narrower than a conventional machine with the same six colors can be made. The printable number of color ink tanks is shown above. The capacity of the black ink tank for characters in this example is 60 mm × 20 mm × 80 mm = 96 cc. That is, 96 cc / 0.05 cc = 1,920 (sheets) can be printed.

(4) The replacement ink tank is disposed at the lower position on the front side facing the user of the main body, and can be arranged side by side in a horizontal line there. It is very easy for the user to exchange. In the conventional machine shown in the perspective view of FIG. 3, the upper lid is opened, and in the case of a multifunction machine, the upper scanner is lifted together, but the ink tank is exchanged so as to look into it. On the other hand, in the arrangement of the present invention in FIG. 8, the ink tank housing door 17 on the front surface is opened, and the necessary ink tank 9 is replaced from the ink tank housing outlet 16. The ease of handling of both is obvious. One drawback of the present invention is that the paper discharge tray 2 is directly above the storage portion outlet 16 and the door 17 for replacement of the replenishment ink tank, so that it is difficult to replace the ink tank. In order to cope with this, as described in Problem Solving Means 4, this discharge tray is automatically retracted and stored in the main body of the recording apparatus during the pause or stop, and is automatically extended when used. added. As a result, the user can replace the ink tank without being disturbed by the paper discharge tray. As a suboptimal measure, it does not deny such a mechanism that performs manual removal and flip-up, or manual storage and withdrawal as in the conventional machine.

If you want to further increase the ink capacity on a business use machine, you can increase the depth and width of the ink tank. A specific configuration will be described later in Examples. To further increase the number of ink colors, the lateral width may be slightly narrowed to increase the depth. In this way, the degree of freedom in design becomes extremely high. However, it is essential that the inner height 2h of the ink tank is 2pmm, and it is only necessary to keep this.

Cross-sectional view of a typical conventional machine The plan view FIG. Schematic diagram of ink tank replacement Cross-sectional view of off-carriage ink tank lateral arrangement recording device The plan view Cross-sectional view of the recording device below the replacement ink tank The plan view FIG. Schematic diagram of ink tank arrangement example and replacement Relationship diagram between ink tank for replacement at lower position and on-carriage ink tank, Part 1 2 Maze type ink disturbance buffer mechanism Cross-sectional view of the large replacement ink tank lower recording device The plan view Cross section of automatic extension type paper tray mounted recording device The plan view Diagram of the first extension tray Figure where the second stage of the extendable output tray is extended Figure where the third stage of the extendable output tray is extended and fully extended Cross section

The basic configuration of the recording apparatus of FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 used in the above description and the arrangement suitable for the self-pumping conditions shown in the relational diagrams of FIGS. 9 and 10 are typical forms of the present invention. A specific configuration is shown by a consumer product genre photo printer using six colors of black, yellow, magenta, cyan, photo magenta, and photocyan.

The inner dimension of each color of the on-carriage ink tank was 0.9 cm. Their partition walls are 0.1 cm (there is no need to remove and replace these ink tanks, so there is no need for thick container walls or gaps between containers), the outermost wall is 0.2 cm, and the total width is 0.1 cm. 9x6 + 0.1x5 + 0.2x2 = 6.3 cm. This was mounted on a carriage having a width of 7 cm. Since the width of the main body is 21 cm, the width of the main body can be 39 cm by adding 7 × 2 cm + α (approximately 4 cm due to mechanical parts such as gears and the thickness and gap of the exterior). The carriage width of a conventional machine equipped with a six-color on-carriage ink tank is close to or more than 10 cm, and thus the main body width is well over 40 cm.

The depth of this ink tank was 5.0 cm in internal dimensions. This is not particularly short. This is because there is a sufficient margin in the depth direction of this place. The height was 1.4 cm for the outer dimension and 1.0 cm for the inner dimension. In simple calculation, the capacity is 4.5 cc. Since the ink disturbance buffer member is provided, the free ink liquid amount (liquid amount excluding the liquid amount contained in the buffer member) is about 3 cc. This is the amount of liquid capable of printing about 100 sheets by continuous printing. Here, 0.03 cc is used for printing one standard original. This means that the on-carriage ink tank is always replenished with ink, and even if there is a slight replenishment time lag, and even in the case of continuous printing, this is an amount that can be printed. Here, in the case of continuous printing, it is assumed that 0.03 cc is used for printing one standard document, assuming that there is no idle ejection or suction cleaning in the meantime and only the amount of ink consumed for actual printing. Note that the ink consumption amount as an actual recording apparatus is calculated by conversion to 0.05 cc because empty ejection or suction cleaning for the purpose of cleaning the print head is performed as described above. *

The replacement ink tank can be designed with a high degree of freedom as long as its height and width are strictly observed. What is exemplified in the section of action and effect is a typical form of a replacement ink tank. As shown again, if the height x width x depth is 2 cm x 4 cm x 8 cm in terms of inner diameter, printing of about 1,200 sheets or more is possible. If the depth length is set to 14 cm, for example, it is possible to print over 2,000 sheets (2 × 4 × 14 = 112 cc → 112 / 0.05 = 2,240 sheets).

Since the height of the on-carriage ink tank is low, the space obtained from this has become a suitable place for the ink tank. Moreover, it can be used to the full width of the device. There is also a large space in the depth direction. Regardless of whether you prefer the height of the tank, it is low anyway. This in turn brings about such design freedom or extensibility. For this purpose, it is important to strictly apply H = P and preferably h = p based on the study of the description. If even this is strictly observed, a free design can be performed with peace of mind.

In the configuration of the present invention, the replacement of the ink tank by the user is inevitably performed by opening the ink tank storage section door 17 on the lower side of the paper discharge tray 2 and from the ink tank storage section outlet 16. Although it is easy to do because it is an operation on the front side of the recording apparatus, the ink tank replacement is performed by removing the paper discharge tray 2 above the ink tank storage section takeout port 16 or pushing it into the recording apparatus main body each time. Have to do. In order to take advantage of the ease of operation at the front of the ink tank replacement, the paper discharge tray should be automatically pulled into the recording device body when the ink tank is replaced. In addition, when the recording apparatus is not used, the unused paper discharge tray protrudes and does not get in the way, and the appearance is also clear.

In order to achieve the above purpose, a recording device 18 having an automatic extension type paper discharge tray has been devised. This will be described with reference to FIGS. Reference numeral 20 denotes an automatic extension type paper discharge tray. In this design, the A4 paper is covered by three stages of extension. The automatic extension type paper discharge tray 20 is composed of three extension type

paper discharge trays

21, 22 and 23 made of steel round bars. At both left and right ends, a round bar was squeezed long in the vertical direction, and a linear gear 24 was cut in the lower part. A paper discharge tray drive gear 25 is placed in correspondence with the linear gear 24 at the forefront portion inside the recording apparatus main body. Explanatory diagrams of the movement of the extension type paper discharge tray are shown at 20-0, 20-1, 20-2 and 20-3 at the bottom of FIG. The starting point is 20-0, and the first-stage extension type paper discharge tray 21 on which 22 and 23 are placed is sent out by the rotation of the drive gear 25. This is 20-1 in FIG. When the terminal 21 is disengaged from the drive gear 25, the drive gear 25 is engaged with the extension 22 of the extension type paper discharge tray 23 as a second stage and sends it out. This is 20-2 in FIG. Next, in the same manner, as the third stage, it is combined with the extension type paper discharge tray 23 and sent out. This is 20-3 in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a plan view corresponding to 20-0 in FIG. 14, which is a starting point where the automatic extension type paper discharge tray 20 is accommodated. In this state, the recording apparatus is paused or shut down, and the paper discharge tray is not ejected from the recording apparatus. The user can replace the ink tank without being disturbed by the paper discharge tray. FIG. 16 shows a state where the first-stage extension type paper discharge tray 21 is sent out when the recording apparatus is restarted. It is a top view of the state of 20-1 of FIG. FIG. 17 is a plan view corresponding to 20-2 of FIG. 14, where the second-stage extension type paper discharge tray 22 on which the tray 21 is placed is sent out. FIG. 18 is a plan view corresponding to 20-3 in FIG. 14, where the third-stage extension type paper discharge tray 23 on which the

trays

21 and 22 are placed is sent out.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which all three stages of the extension type paper discharge tray are extended. Although not shown, of course, an apparatus for controlling these series of movements is necessary. It is one of the general design items and is not special. It is also possible to detect the presence or absence of printed matter on the paper discharge tray, and automatically reverse the drive gear 25 if there is not, and store the extension type paper discharge tray in the recording apparatus main body in the reverse order. is there. Naturally, regardless of whether it is by the user or automatic, the drive gear 25 is reversed before the shutdown is entered, and the tray is stored in the main body.

If it is a printer suitable for business use, a replacement ink tank capable of printing 10,000 sheets can be easily designed. For example, assuming that the black ink tank has a lateral width of 12 cm and a depth of 22 cm, the ink tank capacity is 2 cm × 12 cm × 22 cm and is 528 cc, that is, the printable number is 10,560. If the two colors for color are 7 cm wide and the same depth as black, 2 cm × 7 cm × 22 cm = 308 cc, that is, the number of printable sheets is 6,160 / color. For the remaining one color, the depth length was 18 cm and the width was 9 cm, avoiding the printhead recovery mechanism. The volume is 2 cm × 9 cm × 18 cm = 324 cc, that is, the number of printable sheets is 6,480. The overall width of the four-color tank is 12 cm + 7 cm × 2 + 9 = 35 cm (+ total container wall thickness and spacing is approximately 37 cm). FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 show the recording apparatus 15 equipped with this large replacement ink tank. In FIG. 13, for the sake of easy understanding, the replacement ink tank group 9 and its accommodating space 13 are displayed in the center, and other carriage parts, ink conduits, and paper feeding mechanisms are omitted.

FIG. 11 shows another embodiment of the ink disturbance buffer mechanism. An ink disturbance relaxation mechanism including a maze 62 is provided. Other numbers are the same as those in FIGS. 9 and 10.

The extending / drawing and retracting / storing mechanisms of the recording devices 18 and 19 having the automatic extension type paper discharge tray according to the embodiment of the present invention are widely used in other fields and are not special. Incorporation of other similar automatic mechanisms into recording devices should be used as appropriate. Although it is not certain whether or not such an automatic extension / storage type paper discharge tray exists in the ink jet type recording apparatus so far, the “configuration with the paper discharge tray immediately above the ink tank outlet” of the present invention "Is a design consideration that is very user-friendly but not necessary.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various elemental technologies proposed for known ink jet recording apparatuses can be used according to the purpose of design to determine the height position of the replacement ink tank. Various embodiments can be realized as long as H = P, the height width 2h of the replacement ink tank is within 2p, and these two points are strictly applied as necessary and sufficient preconditions. Is.

The present invention has been mainly described for an inkjet recording apparatus as a consumer product, and its application to a business use printer has also been introduced. It can also be applied to large format printers, professional photographic printers, or industrial printers that may be costly. And even portable printers can have a significant effect if you use them, depending on your design goals.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper cassette 2 Paper discharge tray 3 Paper conveyance path 4 Print head 5 Conventional on-carriage ink tank 6 Small on-carriage ink tank 7 Ink conduit
8 Horizontally arranged off-carriage ink tank 10 Conceptual diagram of external shape of conventional machine 12 Recovery mechanism of print head 13 Storage space 14 Conceptual diagram of external shape of proposed recording device 15 Recording device equipped with large replacement ink tank 16 From ink tank storage unit Ink tank outlet 17 Ink tank storage door 18 Automatic extension type discharge tray mounting recording device 20 Extension type discharge tray 21 First extension type discharge tray 22 Second extension type discharge tray 23 Third extension type discharge tray 24 Elongation Type Discharge Tray Linear Gear 25 Elongation Type Ejection Tray Drive Gear 31 Paper Transport Path Directly Under Print Head 32 Paper Pickup Roller 60 Ink Chamber 61 Porous Material Ink Buffer Mechanism 62 Maze Type Ink Buffer Mechanism 65 Bubble 66 Gas Release Mechanism 71 Printer body coupling mechanism 72 Needle 90 Hard ink container 91 Ink bag 92 Hole for taking in air 93 Sealing member for connection

Claims

In an ink jet recording apparatus, at least an on-carriage ink tank integrated with a print head, a replaceable refill ink tank, and a flexible ink conduit for guiding ink from the refill ink tank to the on-carriage ink tank When the replenishment ink tank is disposed below the print head and the center position in the height direction is Hmm downward from the print head and the width in the height direction is ± hmm, that is, 2 hmm. If the permissible negative pressure fluctuation value of the liquid chamber connected to the print head is − (P ± p) mmH 2 O, replenishing ink with only the permissible negative pressure by setting h ≦ p and | PH | ≦ p. An ink jet recording apparatus that sucks up ink from a tank into an on-carriage ink tank.
2. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein h = p and H = P.
3. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the replenishment ink tank is disposed under the condition that h ≦ p and | PH | ≦ p or particularly h = p and H = P below the print head. An ink jet recording apparatus having an arbitrary position in a space over a whole area avoiding a recovery mechanism and a paper feed mechanism of a print head in a lateral direction and a depth direction of the apparatus main body.
In Claims 1, 2, and 3, the paper discharge tray positioned immediately above the space where the replaceable replenishment ink tank is disposed is automatically drawn into and stored in the main body of the recording apparatus when the recording apparatus is stopped or stopped. An ink jet recording apparatus which is automatically extended or extended from a storage position in the main body during operation of the recording apparatus.