JPH067944U - Inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] A filter provided at an air intake port in an ink container of an inkjet printer removes clogging caused by ink and enables stable ink supply. A water repellent filter 9 is attached to an air intake 11a in an ink container 3, and an air supply tube 6 communicating with the air intake 11a is attached to an ink jet printer body 1
5 is connected to the pressurizing pump unit 10 and the pressurizing pump unit 10 sends pressurized air into the pressurizing supply tube 6 so that the ink permeated into the water repellent filter 9 enters the ink container 3. Push back.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an ink jet printer that prints by ejecting ink from a head toward paper.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 FIG. 3 shows the structure of an ink supply system in a conventional inkjet printer. The carriage 1 has a print head 2 and an ink container 3 mounted thereon and prints while reciprocating along a guide shaft 13 in parallel with the platen 12. An air supply needle 7 connected to an air supply tube 6 and an ink supply needle 4 connected to an ink supply tube 5 are planted on the ink container mounting surface of the carriage 1. When the sealed ink container 3 is mounted on the carriage 1, the air supply needle 7 and the ink supply needle 4 break through the rubber stopper 8 to supply the ink from the ink container 3 to the print head 2 and the air to the ink container 3. Through the hole 7a of the air supply needle 7 and the hole 4a of the ink supply needle 4. Then, an amount of air corresponding to the amount of ink supplied from the ink container 3 to the print head 2 is passed through the air supply tube 6 and the air supply needle 7, and finally the air intake port 11a is made of polypropylene non-woven fabric. It is supplied into the ink container 3 through the filter 9 that has been installed. The end of the air tube 6 is open to the atmosphere.

The ink container 3 that supplies ink to the print head 2 of an inkjet printer is roughly divided into a container that directly stores the ink and a container that is made by sealing the ink in a bag made of aluminum or the like and then storing the ink in the ink container 3. There are two types, one to put in. Generally, it is often used for the reason that the structure is simpler when the ink is directly put into the ink container 3 and the remaining amount of the ink can be directly visually confirmed.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, in the case of a structure in which the ink is directly inserted into the ink container 3, if the printer main body is installed at an angle, the ink comes into contact with the filter 9 attached to the air intake port 11a, and the ink component is only water-soluble. However, it was difficult for the filter 9 attached to the air intake port 11a to completely repel the ink because it contained various solvents. Therefore, when the internal pressure of the ink container 3 becomes higher than the external atmospheric pressure due to temperature change or atmospheric pressure change while the filter 9 is in contact with the ink, the ink in the ink container 3 permeates into the filter 9 and the filter 9 However, there was a problem in that the air corresponding to the amount of ink ejected from the print head did not enter because of clogging, and eventually the ink supply system became negative pressure and the ejection performance was adversely affected. In particular, inkjet printers for high-speed printing, which eject a large amount of ink per unit time, were the most susceptible.

An object of the present invention is to remove a clogging of a filter so that a stable ink supply can be performed.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inkjet printer of the present invention sends air under pressure into the ink container through the air supply tube connected to the air intake port of the ink container and the filter through the air supply tube. And a pressure pump unit of.

[0007]

[Action]

 According to the present invention, it is possible to remove the clogging of the filter because the ink that has penetrated into the filter can be pushed back into the ink container by sending pressurized air into the air supply tube by the pressure pump unit. It is possible to prevent deterioration of ink ejection performance.

[0008]

【Example】

 FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a general inkjet printer to which the present invention is applied. A cylindrical platen 12 is rotatably driven inside the printer main body 15. Two guide shafts 13, 13 are provided in front of the platen 12 in parallel with the axis of the platen 12. Has been. A carriage 1 is provided on each of these guide shafts 13 so as to be capable of reciprocating along the guide shafts 13. For example, cyan, magenta, yellow, black, or other color inks are attached to the carriage 1. A print head 2 for ejecting is mounted. Further, an ink container 3 that supplies ink of each color is attached to the carriage 1. Further, a continuous paper 14 wound in a roll shape is provided on the rear side of the platen 12 of the printer body 15, and the paper 14 is guided along the outer periphery of the platen 12 to a predetermined printing position. It has become.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of an ink supply system in an embodiment of the present invention. The carriage 1 has a print head 2 and an ink container 3 mounted thereon, and prints while reciprocating along a guide shaft 13. A rubber stopper 8 is attached to the opening 3a formed at the bottom of the ink container 3, and an air intake pipe 11 whose lower portion abuts against the rubber stopper 8 is provided inside the ink container 3 to allow air intake. A water repellent filter 9 is attached to the air intake port 11b at the upper end of the pipe 11. Further, an air supply needle 7 connected to the air supply tube 6 and an ink supply needle 4 connected to the ink supply tube 5 are planted on the ink container mounting surface of the carriage 1. When the sealed ink container 3 is mounted on the carriage 1, the air supply needle 7 and the ink supply needle 4 pierce the rubber 8 to supply the ink from the ink container 3 to the print head 2 and the air inside the ink container 3. Supply is possible through the hole 7a of the air supply needle 7 and the hole 4a of the ink supply needle 4. Then, an amount of air corresponding to the amount of ink supplied from the ink container 3 to the print head 2 passes through the air supply tube 6 and the air supply needle 7, and finally reaches the air intake port 11a, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene. It is supplied into the ink container 3 through a filter 9 made of polypropylene or polypropylene.

The printer body 15 is provided with a pressurizing pump unit 10 for sending pressurized air into the air supply tube 6. The pressurizing pump unit 10 is arranged so as to be connected to the air supply tube 6 when the carriage 1 moves to a predetermined position, preferably a home position (standby position). Therefore, when the carriage 1 is at the home position, the pressurizing pump unit 10 is operated to send the pressurizing air into the tube 6 so that the ink permeated into the filter 9 is pushed back into the ink container 3. Filter 9 can be removed. At this time, the higher the pressurized air pressure is, the more effective it is to remove the clogging, but the upper limit is determined by the durability of the filter 9. In this embodiment, the pressurized air pressure is set to 1.3 atm to 2.0 atm. During printing, the end of the air tube 6 is open to the atmosphere.

[0011]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to remove the clogging of the filter by the pressurized air and to stably supply the ink to the print head, so that it is possible to sufficiently support the inkjet printer for high-speed printing. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a general inkjet printer using the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an ink supply system in an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional ink supply system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Carriage 2 Print Head 3 Ink Container 3a Opening 4 Ink Supply Needle 5 Ink Supply Tube 6 Air Supply Tube 7 Air Supply Needle 8 Rubber Plug 9 Filter 10 Pressure Pump Unit 11 Air Intake Tube 11a Air Intake Port 12 Platen 13 Guide Shaft 14 Paper 15 Printer body

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An ink jet printer for ejecting ink supplied from an ink container having a filter attached to an air intake port to a print head based on a predetermined drive signal, wherein the ink is connected to the air intake port of the ink container. An ink jet printer, comprising: an air supply tube for supplying compressed air into the ink container through the air supply tube and the filter. 2. The ink container, the print head, and the air supply tube are mounted on a carriage that can reciprocate in parallel with a platen, and the first-stage pressurizing pump unit includes the air supply tube and the air supply tube when the carriage moves to a predetermined position. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet printer is mounted on a printer body that supports the carriage so as to be connected to the printer body.