JP2009202346A - Printer system and external ink supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable continuous printing for a long time by enabling ink supply from outside regardless of the kind of a printer body apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: A printer system consists of: the printer body apparatus 10; and an external ink supplying device 20. In the state where a printer head is opposed to a printing sheet M supported by a platen 12a, the printer body apparatus 10 makes desired printing on a surface of the printing sheet M by ejecting an ink from the printer head while relatively moving the printer head to the printing sheet. The external ink supplying device 20 is constituted as a different body from the printer body apparatus and supplies the ink to be ejected from the printer head to the printer body apparatus. The printer system has the external ink supplying device equipped with both a sealing container 31 which accepts the ink to be ejected from the printer head, and an ink supply tube 35 which is provided to connect the sealing container with the printer body apparatus and supplies the ink in the sealed container to the printer head. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer system that applies a desired print on the surface of a print medium by ejecting ink while the printer head is moved relative to the print medium, and an external ink supply that is used in this system and supplies ink from the outside. Relates to the device.

  Various types of ink jet printer devices have been used in the past. For example, a sheet-like print medium is supported on a platen, and a printer head is provided on the upper side of the platen so as to face the print medium. There is a printer apparatus configured to perform desired printing on the surface of a print medium by performing control of ejecting ink from the printer head while reciprocating the head left and right and relatively moving in a direction perpendicular to the head. In general, a cartridge type ink tank for supplying ink ejected from a printer head is detachably attached to such a printer apparatus.

On the other hand, while the size of the printer device is being increased, the amount of ink used during printing tends to increase as the size of the print device increases and the size of the print medium increases. Tanks are running out of capacity. In particular, when printing is performed continuously over a long period of time automatically using a roll sheet as a printing medium, there is a problem that ink shortage due to insufficient ink tank capacity may cause a problem in automation. There is. For this reason, an ink container with a large capacity is provided separately from the cartridge type ink tank, and ink can be automatically supplied from the ink container to the cartridge type ink tank to enable automatic printing for a long time. The proposal which makes it become is made | formed (refer patent document 1 and patent document 2).
US Pat. No. 5,751,319 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-1284

  By the way, in the case of a configuration in which ink is automatically supplied from a large capacity ink container to a cartridge type ink tank as disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, a housing for arranging the ink tank on the side of the printer is provided. A device that is attached and automatically supplies ink from the ink container according to ink consumption in the cartridge-type ink tank is required, and there is a problem that the configuration of the ink supply device becomes large and complicated.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an external ink supply device that has a simple configuration and is configured separately from the printer device and can supply ink from the outside regardless of the type of the printer body device. An object of the present invention is to provide a printer system provided with

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an external ink supply device that constitutes such a printer system.

  In order to achieve such an object, in the present invention, the printer head is opposed to a print medium (for example, the print sheet M in the embodiment) supported by the medium support means (for example, the platen 12a in the embodiment). A printer main body device that discharges ink from the printer head while moving relative to the print medium to perform a desired print on the surface of the print medium, and the printer main body device are configured separately from the printer main body. A printer system is composed of an external ink supply device that supplies ink discharged from the printer head to the main body device. In this printer system, the external ink supply device connects an ink container (for example, the sealed container 31 in the embodiment) that receives ink ejected from the printer head, and the ink container and the printer main body device. And an ink supply path (for example, the ink supply tube 35 in the embodiment) that supplies the ink in the ink container to the printer head.

  In this printer system, the printer body device is detachably provided with a cartridge type intermediate ink tank (for example, the cartridge type ink tank 18 in the embodiment) filled with ink to be supplied to the printer head, and the ink supply path. Is preferably connected to the intermediate ink tank so that the ink in the ink container is supplied and replenished to the intermediate ink tank.

  In the printer system, the external ink supply device includes a suspension mechanism that suspends and holds the ink container, and the suspension position of the ink container is adjusted by the suspension mechanism so that the intermediate ink tank is moved from the ink container. It is preferable that the water head acting on the water can be adjusted.

  In the printer system, an open / close valve that controls opening / closing of the ink supply path in the ink supply path, and a check valve that allows an ink flow from the ink container to the intermediate ink tank but prevents a reverse flow; Is preferably provided.

  In the printer system, it is preferable that the suspension mechanism is connected to the printer main body device by a connection member (for example, connection bar 5 in the embodiment) to prevent the suspension mechanism from falling.

  In the printer system, the ink container is formed into a bag shape from a flexible water-resistant sheet material (for example, a water-resistant sheet material that is freely deformable, such as a vinyl sheet, a plastic resin sheet, or the like). It is preferable that the sealed container is formed.

  On the other hand, the external ink supply device according to the present invention discharges ink from the printer head while moving the printer head relative to the print medium while facing the print medium supported by the medium support means. An external ink supply device that supplies ink from the outside to a printer main body device that performs a desired print on the surface of a print medium, the ink container receiving ink ejected from the printer head, and the ink container A suspension mechanism for suspending and holding and an ink supply tube for supplying and replenishing ink from the ink container to an intermediate ink tank provided in the printer main body device are provided.

  In this external ink supply device, it is preferable that the suspending position of the ink container is adjusted by the suspending mechanism so that the water head acting on the intermediate ink tank can be adjusted from the ink container.

  Furthermore, in the external ink supply device, it is preferable that the ink container is composed of a sealed container formed in a bag shape from a flexible waterproof sheet material.

  According to the printer system of the present invention configured as described above, the external ink supply device is configured separately from the printer main body device, and the ink container is connected to the main body device via the ink supply path. Therefore, the external ink supply device can be applied to various types of printers, and a printer system having an external ink supply device with high versatility can be obtained.

  If the ink supply path is connected to a cartridge-type intermediate ink tank that is detachably attached to the printer main unit, and the ink in the ink container is supplied to the intermediate ink tank, the printer main unit is changed. The external ink supply device can be applied as it is simply by connecting the ink supply path to the intermediate ink tank.

  It is preferable that the external ink supply device is configured to suspend ink by a suspending mechanism so that the suspending position can be adjusted. By doing so, the vertical position of the ink container relative to the intermediate ink tank in the printer main unit can be freely adjusted. The ink supply speed to the intermediate ink tank is adjusted to an appropriate value according to the type of ink, the ambient temperature (that is, the actual viscosity of the ink), the ink level in the ink container, and the like. Easy to adjust.

  In addition, it is preferable to provide an open / close valve and a check valve in the ink supply path, so that the ink supply amount and timing can be adjusted freely and the backflow of ink to the ink container side can be prevented, so Replenishment can be performed.

  Further, it is preferable that the suspension mechanism is connected to the main body device by a connecting member so as to prevent the suspension mechanism from falling down, thereby eliminating the possibility of the suspension mechanism falling down. Further, the ink container is preferably composed of a sealed container formed in a bag shape from a flexible water-resistant sheet material. In this way, handling of the ink container becomes simple and easy, and the ink container can be replaced. Can also be simple.

  On the other hand, according to the external ink supply device of the present invention, any printer can be used regardless of the type, simply by connecting a cartridge-type intermediate ink tank detachably attached to the printer body device to the ink supply path. The present invention can also be applied to the main body device, and an external ink supply device having a high versatility can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show an example of the overall configuration of a printer system to which the present invention is applied. This printer system includes a printer main body device 10 and an external ink supply device 20 provided separately from the printer main body device 10. The printer body device 10 and the external ink supply device 20 are connected to each other and a connecting member 5 that connects them together.

  The printer main body 10 includes a support leg 11 having left and right support legs 11a and 11b, a central body part 12 supported by the support legs 11, a right body part 13 provided on the right side of the central body part 12, The left body part 14 provided on the left side of the central body part 12 and the upper body part 15 that connects the left and right body parts 13 and 14 and that is spaced apart and parallel to the upper side of the central body part 12 are configured. . The central body portion 12 is provided with a platen 12a that is exposed on the upper surface and extends to the left and right. A printed sheet M is placed on the platen 12a, and the pinch is attached to the lower surface side of the upper body portion 15. The printing sheet M is conveyed forward (in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1 and toward the front side) while being pressed by the roller 15a.

  The right body portion 13 is provided with operation switches and display devices on the front side thereof, and a mechanism for moving the printer head (not shown) to the left and right, and a maintenance station for cleaning the printer head, etc. are provided therein. It has been. A guide rail extending left and right is provided in the upper body portion 15, and a printer head is mounted on the transport rail so as to be movable left and right. The printer head is driven by a mechanism in the right body portion 13 to move the printer head upward. It is transported and moved left and right on the guide rail in the body 15.

  A cartridge mounting portion 16 is provided on the upper portion of the left body portion 14, and a plurality of cartridge type ink tanks 18 are detachably mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 16 from the front side. A connection portion (not shown) for receiving the ink tank 18 and receiving ink from the ink tank 18 is provided inside the cartridge mounting portion 16, and the inside of the left body portion 14 and the upper body portion 15 extends from this connection portion. The ink tube is connected to the printer head, and the ink in the ink tank 18 is supplied to the printer head via the ink tube.

  The external ink supply device 20 includes a suspension mechanism 21 that suspends and holds the ink pack 30. The suspension mechanism 21 is supported by a foldable tripod mechanism 22b and extends upward, a movable support 23 that is connected to the fixed support 22a so as to move up and down and extends upward, and a manual operation of the handle 24a. A column moving device 24 that moves the movable column 23 up and down, and a suspension bar 25 that is attached to the upper end of the movable column 23 so as to extend horizontally and is used to suspend the ink pack 30.

  The ink pack 30 is composed of a sealed container 31 formed of a flexible water-resistant sheet material in the shape of a flat rectangular bag and filled with ink. A hook provided on the top of the sealed container 31. 32 is suspended and held on the suspension bar 25. As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the lower end of the sealed container 31 is provided with a connecting portion 31a connected to the inner space of the container to take out ink. The opening / closing operation lever 33a is connected to the connecting portion 31a. A valve 33 is provided, and an ink supply tube 35 having a check valve 34 connected to the open / close valve 33 is provided. As can be seen from this configuration, the ink pack 30 has a form like a medical drip pack.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink supply tube 35 is connected to the connector portion 18a of the ink tank 18 attached to the cartridge attachment portion 16 of the printer main body device 10, and the ink in the sealed container 31 is supplied with the ink. The ink is supplied into the ink tank 18 through the tube 35. At this time, the ink supply can be controlled by operating the operation lever 33a to open and close the open / close valve 33. The check valve 34 is a valve that allows ink to be supplied from the sealed container 31 side to the ink tank 18 side, but prevents the opposite flow of ink. The check valve 34 causes the ink to flow backward from the ink tank 18. Is to be blocked.

  1 and 2 show one ink pack 30 from which ink is supplied only to the rightmost cartridge type ink tank 18 via the ink supply tube 35. The ink packs 30 are connected to all the ink tanks 18 respectively. That is, the same number of ink packs 30 as the ink tanks 18 are suspended and supported by the suspension bar 25, and ink is replenished and supplied to the corresponding ink tanks 18.

  Further, the printer main body device 10 and the external ink supply device 20 are connected by the connecting bar 5, so that the external ink supply device 20 is prevented from falling. In the case of this embodiment, the upper end portion of the fixed column 22a and the cartridge mounting portion 16 are connected by the connecting bar 5, but this connecting bar 5 is detachable, and the external ink supply device 20 can be connected as necessary. It can be removed and the attachment position has a degree of freedom. Further, the tripod mechanism 22b constituting the external ink supply device 20 can be folded, and when the external ink supply device 20 is removed, it can be folded and the suspension mechanism 21 can be stored compactly. ing.

  An operation example for performing printing on the print sheet M using the printer system configured as described above will be briefly described. The print sheet M is inserted between the central body portion 12 and the upper body portion 15 from the rear side of the printer main body device 10 and is placed on the platen 12a and pressed and held by the pinch rollers 15a. In this state, while the printer head moves back and forth within the upper body 15, ink is ejected from the lower ejection nozzles in a desired pattern, and desired printing is performed on the surface of the print sheet M. In conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the printer head, control is performed so that the print sheet M is intermittently conveyed forward, and desired printing is performed on the entire surface of the print sheet M.

  When printing is performed in this manner, ink is supplied from each ink tank 18 attached to the cartridge attachment portion 16 to the printer head. Depending on the consumption of ink in the ink tank 18, the external ink supply device 20 is supplied. Ink is replenished and supplied from the ink pack 30. For this reason, continuous printing over a long period of time is possible without replacing the cartridge-type ink tank 18. As long as there is ink in the ink tank 18, printing can be continued even if the ink pack 30 is removed, and the ink pack 30 can be replaced while continuing printing.

  At this time, the ink replenishment supply amount and timing from the ink pack 30 can be arbitrarily controlled by opening / closing the opening / closing valve 33. Further, the vertical position of the ink pack 30 is adjusted by operating the handle 24 a and moving the movable column 23 up and down by the column moving device 24, so that the ink in the sealed container 31 acts on the ink in the ink tank 18. (Head) can be adjusted arbitrarily, so that the ink supply speed to the ink tank 18 is appropriate according to the ink type, ambient temperature, ink viscosity, ink level in the sealed container 31 and the ink tank 18, and the like. It can be easily adjusted to achieve a correct value.

  The preferred embodiment of the printer system to which the present invention is applied has been described above, but the printer system according to the present invention is not limited to the above configuration. For example, it is possible to provide a configuration in which ink is supplied directly from the ink pack 30 to the printer head without providing the cartridge type ink tank 18. Moreover, although the form which made the suspension mechanism the foldable tripod mechanism was shown, you may use the support leg part structure which consists of a plurality of foldable leg members, such as a tetrapod structure, considering stability. Further, the form of the sealed container 31 constituting the ink pack 30 is not limited to the flat rectangular shape described above, and may be any shape such as a circular shape or a polygonal shape. It does not limit the color or the like.

1 is a front view showing a printer system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the printer system. It is a partial enlarged view of an ink pack constituting the printer system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Connection bar 10 Printer main body apparatus 12a Platen 15a Pinch roller 16 Cartridge attachment part 18 Cartridge type ink tank 20 External ink supply apparatus 21 Hanging mechanism 25 Hanging bar 30 Ink pack 31 Sealed container 32 Hook 33 Open / close valve 34 Check valve 35 Ink Supply tube M Printing sheet

Claims (9)

A printer main body that discharges ink from the printer head while moving the printer head relative to the print medium in a state of being opposed to the print medium supported by the medium support means, and performs a desired print on the surface of the print medium Equipment,
The printer main body device is configured separately from the printer main body device, and includes an external ink supply device that supplies ink ejected from the printer head to the printer main body device.
The external ink supply device is
An ink container that receives ink ejected from the printer head;
A printer system comprising: an ink supply path which is provided by connecting the ink container and the printer main body device and supplies ink in the ink container to the printer head.   The printer main body device is detachably provided with a cartridge-type intermediate ink tank filled with ink to be supplied to the printer head, the ink supply path is connected to the intermediate ink tank, and the ink in the ink container is The printer system according to claim 1, wherein the printer system is configured to supply and replenish the intermediate ink tank.   The external ink supply device includes a suspending mechanism for suspending and holding the ink container, and the suspending mechanism is used to adjust a suspending position of the ink container so that a water head acting on the intermediate ink tank from the ink container is provided. The printer system according to claim 2, wherein the printer system is adjustable.   An opening / closing valve that controls opening / closing of the ink supply path and a check valve that allows the flow of ink from the ink container to the intermediate ink tank but prevents the reverse flow are provided in the ink supply path. The printer system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The printer system according to claim 3, wherein the suspension mechanism is connected to the printer main body device by a connecting member to prevent the suspension mechanism from falling.   6. The printer system according to claim 1, wherein the ink container is a sealed container formed in a bag shape from a flexible water-resistant sheet material. A printer main body that discharges ink from the printer head while moving the printer head relative to the print medium in a state of being opposed to the print medium supported by the medium support means, and performs a desired print on the surface of the print medium. An external ink supply device for supplying ink from the outside to the device,
An ink container that receives ink ejected from the printer head, a suspension mechanism that suspends and holds the ink container, and an ink that supplies and replenishes ink from the ink container to an intermediate ink tank provided in the printer main body device An external ink supply device comprising a supply tube.   The external ink supply device according to claim 7, wherein the suspending position of the ink container is adjusted by the suspending mechanism to adjust a water head acting on the intermediate ink tank from the ink container.   The external ink supply device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the ink container is a sealed container formed in a bag shape from a flexible water-resistant sheet material.

Images