JPH11320902A - Ink storage container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink storage container not leaving air bubbles. SOLUTION: A packing 9 of an elastic body is set at an ink feed port 6, which reduces a passage cross section towards a direction in which an ink 11 is discharged. A tube part 15 is formed at the elastic packing, whereat a part of the packing of a minimum passage cross section comes in tight contact with the vicinity of an ink suction port 13b of an insertion part 13a when the ink feed port 6 is fitted at the insertion part 13a of an ink passage 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink storage container for storing ink supplied to a print head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an ink storage container (hereinafter, simply referred to as a container) provided in an on-demand type ink jet printer, one of a side wall forming a container and a position facing the side wall. The ink is filled in a space surrounded by the provided flexible side wall and a filter provided at a lower part of the container. A spring is mounted in the space to prevent the ink from leaking from the container due to the negative pressure. An ink supply port for sending ink to the ink flow path is formed below the filter of the container, and an elastic packing is provided inside the ink supply port. A cap is provided so as to cover the periphery of the packing, and a seal film is attached to a lower portion of the cap to form a container before being attached to the print head.

[0003] When a container is mounted in the ink flow path, the seal film is peeled off, the packing is mounted on an insertion section of the ink flow path, and the insertion section is inserted into the packing. As a result, the tube formed inside the packing and the insertion portion of the ink flow path come into close contact with each other, the insertion portion is fixed, and the container is mounted on the ink flow path. Then, when the ink is discharged from the container by sucking from the ink flow path side, the ink flows into an ink suction port formed in the insertion portion of the ink flow path, and is supplied to the print head.

Here, when the insertion portion of the ink flow path is inserted into the packing, the tube portion of the packing is in close contact with the insertion portion of the ink flow path below the ink suction port of the ink flow path, Therefore, the ink is filled to the lower part of the ink flow path away from the ink suction port.

[0005]

In the above-described conventional container, after the container is mounted on the flow path, an operation of filling the print head with ink while removing bubbles in the container and the ink flow path is performed. When the container is attached to the insertion part of the ink flow path, if the part where the packing tube part and the insertion part of the ink flow path are in close contact with each other is below the ink suction port of the ink flow path, the filter The space of the ink supply port, which is surrounded by the packing and the ink flow path, becomes wider, and the air bubbles not sucked from the ink suction port collect in the gap between the tube and the insertion portion of the ink flow path. In some cases.

If the remaining air bubbles flow into the print head during the printing operation for some reason, the pressure due to the pressure is absorbed, which causes a problem such as a defective ink ejection of the print head. Was.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above-mentioned problems, a solution taken by the present invention is to hold the ink while maintaining the inside at a negative pressure, and to attach the ink supply port to a suction member so that the suction is performed. In an ink storage container that discharges ink to the outside when ink is sucked from an ink suction port of a member, the ink supply port is provided in the ink supply port, and a passage cross-sectional area decreases in a direction in which ink is discharged, and When the supply port is attached to the suction member, an elastic gasket is provided in which a portion having the smallest passage cross-sectional area is formed with a tube portion which is in close contact with the ink suction port of the suction member.

According to the above construction, when suctioning ink and air bubbles from the ink suction port to perform an operation of removing air bubbles existing inside the container while discharging ink, the ink and air bubbles are guided to the tube. Move to the ink suction port
The ink is sucked from the ink suction port and discharged out of the container. Therefore, no air bubbles remain inside the container.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Elements common to the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals.

First Embodiment FIGS. 1 and 2 are sectional views showing an ink storage container according to a first embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view showing an ink storage container according to the first embodiment. 4 is a perspective view showing the packing of the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the ink storage container of the first embodiment.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, an ink storage container 1 is shown.
(Hereinafter referred to as container 1) is composed of a plurality of members, and one of the members is a frame 2 for forming a peripheral side wall of the container 1. The frame 2 is provided with a vent 3 for sending air corresponding to the volume of the discharged ink 11 into the container 1.

A flexible side wall 4 (hereinafter referred to as a side wall 4) is provided on one side wall inside the frame 2.
The side wall 4 is fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the frame 2 by welding or the like so as to maintain the hermetic seal. Except for the peripheral portion of the side wall 4, the size is set to cover the inner surface along the frame 2 when almost all of the ink 11 in the container 1 is sucked out. A spring 5 which is an elastic member is provided on the other side wall of the frame 2, and the flat portion 5 a of the spring 5 presses the side wall 4.

An ink supply port 6 is formed at a position corresponding to an ink flow path described later on the side of an ink jet printer (not shown).

The ink 11 is filled in the space surrounded by the frame 2, the filter 8, and the side wall 4.
The side wall 4 and the spring 5 that are deformed due to the decrease of the ink 11 constitute a negative pressure adjusting mechanism. The negative pressure adjusting mechanism prevents the ink 11 from leaking from the ink storage container 1. With the above configuration, a closed ink storage section of the container 1 is formed.

Next, the ink supply section of the container 1 will be described. 3, 4, and 5, the ink supply unit 7 includes a filter 8 corresponding to the ink supply port 6 of the frame 2, an elastic packing 9 that sends the ink 11 to an ink flow path connected to the print head, The cap 10 for holding the two is fixed to the frame 2 by welding or the like so as to keep the airtight. The filter 8 is for removing dust present in the ink 11.

Before opening the container 1 shown in FIG. 2, a seal film 12 is fixed to the end face of the cap 10 by welding or the like in order to seal the ink 11 stored therein.
When the container 1 is used, the seal film 12 is peeled off, and the packing 9 is attached to the insertion portion 13a of the ink flow path 13 which is a suction member. To the ink flow path 13. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, an ink suction port 13b for sucking the ink 11 into the ink flow path 13 is formed in the insertion portion 13a of the ink flow path 13. Then, the ink 11 is sent to the print head via the ink flow path 13. The ink flow path 13 is provided with a flow path filter 14. The container 1 is configured by the above members and configuration.

Next, the packing 9 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the packing 9 has a tube portion 15 therein so as to enhance the adhesion between the ink passage 13 and the insertion portion 13 a.
The tube portion 15 extends in a truncated conical shape in which the passage cross-sectional area gradually decreases from the upper side, which is the ink supply port 6 side, to the lower side, which is the ink flow path 13 side. That is, the cross-sectional area of the tube portion 15 gradually decreases toward the ink flow path 13. The inside of the portion of the pipe portion 15 having the smallest passage cross-sectional area is the contact portion 26,
The packing 9 is attached to the insertion portion 13 a of the ink flow channel 13, and when the insertion portion 13 a is inserted into the inside of the packing 9, the close contact portion 26 becomes the insertion portion 13 a of the ink flow channel 13.
Abuts and adheres.

Further, in order to support the pipe portion 15, inside the packing 9, elastic columns 16 (1
6a, 16b, 16c). The column 16 keeps the rigidity of the tube portion 15, and the ink flow is caused by the displacement of the ink passage 13 or the displacement of the tube portion 15 caused by vibrations during operation of the print head. The gap between the road 13 and the insertion portion 13a is prevented. At the same time, the column 16 prevents the tube portion 15 from buckling when the packing 9 is attached to the insertion portion 13 a of the ink flow path 13.

Next, the operation of supplying the ink 11 from the container 1 to the print head while removing bubbles existing inside the container 1 and the ink flow path 13 in the above configuration will be described. When supplying the ink 11 from the container 1, the operator peels off the seal film 12 and connects the container 1 to the ink flow path 13 as shown in FIG. Then, an operation of filling the print head with ink is performed while removing bubbles existing in the container 1 and the ink flow path 13. for that reason,
The ink 11 is sucked from the ink flow path 13 side. Then, the ink 11 in the container 1 is guided to the tube 15 of the packing 9, flows into the ink suction port 13 b of the ink flow path 13, and is supplied to the print head. When the ink 11 is discharged from the container 1, the volume on the side filled with the ink 11 decreases, so that air is sucked into the container 1 from the vent 3.

When the ink 11 flows into the ink flow path 13, the air bubbles inside the container 1 also flow into the ink flow path 13. In the present embodiment, the passage cross-sectional area of the pipe portion 15 of the packing 9 is set in a direction in which the passage cross-sectional area is in close contact with the insertion portion 13a of the ink flow path 13, that is, the
Is gradually reduced in the direction of the ink suction port 13b from which the ink is discharged, so that the space of the ink supply port 6 surrounded by the filter 8, the packing 9, and the insertion portion 13a of the ink flow path 13 is smaller than in the related art. Smaller and the ink 1
1 is easily guided in the direction of the ink suction port 13b.
At the same time, it moves in the direction of the ink suction port 13b and is sucked.

Therefore, the bubbles flow into the ink flow path 13 together with the ink 11 without remaining in the container 1. Therefore, all the bubbles flow into the print head at the time of sucking the ink, and do not remain in the container 1 or the ink flow path 13. The bubbles are guided from the print head together with the ink 11 to a cleaning unit (not shown), where they are absorbed. The operation of removing the air bubbles is performed every time a predetermined number of sheets are printed.

In the first embodiment, the container 1
Since the internal air bubbles are easily discharged to the outside of the ink supply port 6, all the air bubbles are discharged to the outside of the container 1 during the operation of removing the air bubbles. Therefore, during printing, bubbles are generated in the container 1.
Does not flow into the print head. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in print quality caused by bubbles entering the print head during printing.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are sectional views showing an ink storage container according to the second embodiment, FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view showing the ink storage container according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing an ink storage container according to a second embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view showing the ink storage container according to the second embodiment.

The different points from the first embodiment are the shapes of the packing 17 and the cap 20.
Will be described. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, a tube portion 27 is formed inside the packing 17, which is an elastic body, in order to increase the adhesion with the insertion portion 13 a of the ink flow path 13. The tube 27 is located on the ink flow path 13 side (ink discharge side) from above the ink supply port 6 side.
And the shape of the truncated cone whose passage cross-sectional area gradually decreases downward, and at a certain point (a contact portion 1 described later).
From 8), the shape of the drum is again formed in the shape of a truncated cone so that the cross-sectional area of the passage gradually increases downward toward the ink flow path 13. The inside of the portion of the tube portion 27 having the smallest passage cross-sectional area is the contact portion 18, and the packing 17 is inserted into the insertion portion 13 a of the ink flow path 13.
When the insertion portion 13a is inserted into the inside of the packing 17, the contact portion 18 comes into contact with the insertion portion 13a of the ink flow path 13 and comes into close contact therewith.

A pedestal 19 is formed at the bottom of the packing 17. When the packing 17 is incorporated in the cap 20, the periphery of the pedestal 19 abuts against the inner wall of the cap 20. Is supported.

On the other hand, a projection 21 is formed on the cap 20. The projection 21 holds the pedestal 19 and regulates the movement of the pedestal 19. The pedestal portion 19 is prevented from moving when the device 17 is mounted.

Next, the operation of supplying the ink 11 from the container 1 to the print head while removing bubbles existing in the container 1 and the ink flow path 13 in the above configuration will be described. The operation of supplying the ink 11 from the container 1 to the print head in the above-described configuration is the same as that in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted, and the operation when the ink 11 is sucked and flows into the ink flow path 13 will be described. The operation will be described first.

When the ink 11 flows into the ink flow path 13, air bubbles existing inside the container 1 are also removed from the ink flow path 1.
It flows into the 3rd side. Also in the present embodiment, the passage cross-sectional area of the tube portion 27 of the packing 17 gradually decreases in the direction in which the tube portion 27 comes into close contact with the insertion portion 13a of the ink flow path 13, that is, in the direction of the ink suction port 13b where the ink 11 is discharged. Therefore, the space of the ink supply port 6 surrounded by the filter 8, the packing 17, and the insertion portion 13 a of the ink flow path 13 becomes smaller than in the related art.
Is easily guided in the direction of the insertion portion 13a.
It moves in the direction 3b and is sucked.

Therefore, the bubbles flow into the ink flow path 13 together with the ink 11 without remaining in the container 1. Therefore, all the bubbles flow into the print head at the time of sucking the ink, and do not remain in the container 1 or the ink flow path 13.

Also, different from the first embodiment,
Since the packing 17 has a drum shape, the entire periphery of the pedestal portion 19 comes into close contact with the cap 20, thereby supporting the entire periphery of the insertion portion 13 a with the entire periphery of the contact portion 18. Therefore, a force for contacting the insertion portion 13a from all directions around the contact portion 18 acts, so that the contact portion 18
Of the ink flow path 13 is in close contact with the insertion portion 13a of the ink flow path 13. As a result, the contact portion 18 and the ink flow path 1
A gap is less likely to be formed in a portion where the ink passage 3 is in close contact, and the adhesion between the insertion portion 13a of the ink flow path 13 and the packing 17 is increased. Therefore, even if the container 1 vibrates during printing and the insertion portion 13a of the ink flow path 13 moves, air does not enter the inside of the container 1 from outside.

In the second embodiment, the container 1
Since the inside air bubbles are easily discharged to the outside of the container 1, all the air bubbles are discharged to the outside of the container 1 during the operation of removing the air bubbles. Therefore, bubbles do not flow from the container 1 into the print head during printing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in print quality caused by bubbles entering the print head during printing.

Also, as shown in FIG. 11, by forming a structure in which the contact portion 18 of the packing 17 extends above the ink suction port 13b of the insertion portion 13a of the ink flow path 13, bubbles are generated. It is more reliably guided to the ink suction port 13b of the ink flow path 13 along the inside of the close contact portion 18, and air bubbles easily flow to the ink suction port 13b,
And the packing 17 is the insertion portion 13a of the ink flow path 13.
Since the area of the packing 17 and the insertion portion 13a is further reduced, it is difficult to form a gap between the packing 17 and the insertion portion 13a.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same parts as those in the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view showing an ink storage container according to the third embodiment, FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a packing according to the third embodiment, and FIGS. 14 and 15 are third embodiments. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a packing and an ink flow path.

12 and 13, the difference from the second embodiment is the shape of the packing 22, and the close contact portion 23 of the packing 22 is inserted into the insertion portion 13a of the ink flow path 13.
Extends above the ink suction port 13b. Thereby, the air bubbles are guided to the contact portion 22 and the air bubbles are further generated.
b, and the gap between the packing 22 and the insertion portion 13a of the ink flow path 13 can be hardly formed. Reinforcing ribs 24 are formed on the outer periphery of the contact portion 23 of the packing 22.
A pedestal portion 25 is formed at the bottom of the.

When the packing 22 is mounted on the insertion portion 13 a and the insertion portion 13 a is inserted into the packing 22, the insertion portion 13 a comes into contact with the inside of the close contact portion 23. At this time, if the position of the container 1 and the insertion portion 13a are misaligned, the insertion portion 13a bites into the inside of the close contact portion 23 of the packing 22 as shown in FIG. There is a case where a gap is formed between the contact portion 13a and the contact area between the insertion portion 13a and the contact portion 23 is reduced. Therefore, by reinforcing the contact portion 23 with the rib 24, when the packing 22 is attached to the insertion portion 13a of the ink flow path 13, the inside of the contact portion 23 and the insertion portion 13a can easily adhere to each other, and deformation can be prevented. .

Further, instead of providing the ribs 24, the contact portion 23 may be reinforced by simply increasing the thickness of the contact portion 23, and may have any shape as long as the rigidity over the periphery thereof is increased.

The other parts are the same as those of the second embodiment, and the description is omitted.

As described above, in the third embodiment, the second
As in the first embodiment, since the air bubbles in the container 1 are easily discharged to the outside of the container 1, all the air bubbles are discharged to the outside of the container 1 during the operation of removing the air bubbles. Therefore,
Air bubbles do not flow from the container 1 into the print head during printing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in print quality caused by bubbles entering the print head during printing.

In the above-described first to third embodiments, a container applied to an ink jet recording apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to storage of ink, but can be applied to a container for storage of liquid. .

[0042]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects.

The passage cross-sectional area provided in the ink supply port decreases in the direction in which the ink is discharged, and when the ink supply port is mounted on the suction member, the portion having the smallest passage cross-sectional area is the suction section. By providing an elastic gasket having a tube portion in close contact with the ink suction port of the member, ink and air bubbles are guided by the tube portion, move to the ink suction port, and are sucked from the ink suction port. It is discharged out of the container. Therefore, bubbles do not flow into the print head from the container during printing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in print quality caused by bubbles entering the print head during printing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an ink storage container according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the ink storage container according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the ink storage container according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a packing according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the ink storage container according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an ink storage container according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an ink storage container according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating an ink storage container according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a packing according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an ink storage container according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating an ink storage container according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating an ink storage container according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a packing according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a packing and an ink flow path according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a packing and an ink flow path according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink storage container 6 Ink supply port 9 Packing 10 Cap 11 Ink 13 Ink flow path 15 Tube section 16 Support post 17 Packing 18 Adhesive part 19 Pedestal part 20 Cap 21 Projection part 22 Packing 23 Adhesive part 24 Rib 25 Pedestal part 26 Adhesive part 27 Pipe

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An ink storage for holding ink while maintaining the inside at a negative pressure, an ink supply port attached to a suction member, and discharging ink to the outside when ink is sucked from the ink suction port of the suction member. In the container, provided in the ink supply port, a passage cross-sectional area decreases in a direction in which ink is discharged, and a portion having the smallest passage cross-sectional area when the ink supply port is attached to the suction member. An ink storage container provided with an elastic gasket having a tube portion formed close to the ink suction port of the suction member. 2. The ink storage container according to claim 1, wherein a support for supporting the tube is formed on the packing. 3. An ink storage that holds ink by maintaining the inside at a negative pressure, and an ink supply port is attached to a suction member, and discharges ink to the outside when ink is sucked from the ink suction port of the suction member. In the container, a cap provided in the ink supply port, and a passage cross-sectional area provided in the cap, the passage cross-sectional area decreases in a direction in which the ink is discharged, and the ink supply port is attached to the suction member. When the portion having the smallest passage cross-sectional area is in close contact with the vicinity of the ink suction port of the suction member, the passage cross-sectional area is increased again in the direction in which ink is discharged from the contact portion, and the bottom portion contacts the cap. An ink storage container provided with an elastic packing in which a drum-shaped tube portion is formed. 4. The ink storage container according to claim 3, wherein a projection for holding the tube is formed on the cap. 5. The ink storage container according to claim 3, wherein when the ink supply port is attached to the suction member, a portion of the packing having the smallest passage cross-sectional area extends above the ink suction port. . 6. The ink storage container according to claim 5, wherein a rigidity around at least a part of a portion of the packing having the smallest passage cross-sectional area is higher than other portions.