JP3572743B2 - Ink cartridge mounting device for printer - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention belongs to the field of technologies of printers such as ink jet printers and the like, and includes an ink cartridge mounting device which replaceably mounts an ink cartridge capable of precisely supplying a required amount of various inks to a printer body. It is about.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in printers, various cartridge mounting devices for supplying ink to a recording head have been proposed, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-87266 (known example).
[0003]
In the known example, an ink cartridge containing a sponge-like material containing ink in a support structure mounted on a movable carriage is freely attachable, and for the support structure, Four upwardly open arms are provided in parallel, an ink cartridge is carried in the arms, ink is drawn out from the nozzles, and the ink is supplied to the head. A plurality of ink cartridges can be freely attached by attaching them.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Even in the above-mentioned known example, a required ink cartridge can be mounted on a head portion of a printer or the like to supply ink, but the following points to be improved are mentioned.
[0005]
That is, since the ink cartridge is mounted at a position where the space is limited by the support structure, there is a problem that various large and small ink cartridges having different ink storage amounts cannot be freely mounted without limitation. When a large amount of ink is used in a short time, it has been pointed out that it is difficult to expect a smooth and sufficient supply of ink.
[0006]
An object of the present invention is to provide a solution that can solve the above-mentioned unsolved problem. A first object of the present invention is to freely select various ink cartridges in which colors or contained ink amounts are changed. In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge mounting device that can be easily mounted and demounted.
[0007]
It is a second object of the present invention to provide an ink cartridge mounting device which facilitates mounting and dismounting operations of the ink cartridge.
[0008]
A third object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge mounting device in which ink from an ink cartridge is supplied to a recording head via a plurality of ink flow paths, and a large amount of ink can be stably supplied. is there.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The structural features of the present invention for achieving the above object are as follows.
[0010]
(1) top portion opening shaped cart Riddji ink cartridge mounting apparatus in continuously changeable formed printer the mounting position of the different ink cartridge of a plurality of outer dimensions for definitive one of the accommodating chamber of the mounting case.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
(Embodiment 1)
{Circle around (1)} As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the present invention relates to a mounting device 1 in which various ink cartridges having different ink colors or different loading capacities can be easily mounted and removed, and the top is open. In the cartridge mounting case 2, storage chambers 24, 25, 26 in which the ink cartridges 100, 200 can be loaded are formed by the bottom wall 21, the side wall 22, and the partition wall 23, and each of the walls 22, 23 has a depth. Serrated engaging portions 22A and 23A extending in the direction of the upper surface are formed, a porous plate material 21A having a relatively strong capillary force is laid on the bottom wall 21, and a conductive path 21B located on the lower surface thereof is formed. The ink discharge section 21C communicates with the conductive path 21B for guiding the ink transmitted through the porous body 21A, and the discharge section 21C is provided so that the ink can be supplied to the recording head 21D. It is.
[0018]
On the other hand, in each of the ink cartridges 100 and 200 mounted on the cartridge mounting case 2, ink occluding bodies 101 and 201 which occlude ink are provided therein, and are pressed against the ink occluding bodies 101 and 201. Are provided so as to be in contact with the porous body 21A, and are provided with the ink color or its storage amount changed. Further, on its side wall, saw teeth 103A, 203A are formed to engage with the saw teeth 21A, 22A, 23A formed on the side wall 22 and the partition wall 23 of the cartridge mounting case 2.
[0019]
{Circle around (2)} Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the ink cartridges 100 or 200 containing the required amount of color and the amount of ink suitable for the use amount are used as saw teeth 22A, 23A, By mounting the cartridges in the cartridge mounting case 2 using 103A and 203A, ink of a required color can be supplied to the recording head 21D without excess or deficiency, and the operability thereof can be greatly improved. is there.
[0020]
As for the supply flow path of the ink cartridges 100 or 200, the ink held in the ink storage bodies 101 and 201 shown in FIG. As a result, the ink ejecting bodies 101 and 201 are partially crushed by the pressing portions (a) and (b), and the capillaries are pushed closer than the other portions. Since the force is increased, it is smoothly guided in the direction of the porous lead-out rods 102, 202, and further passes through the porous lead-out rods 102, 202 to the porous plate material 21A having a relatively strong capillary force as described above. The recording medium is transferred to the recording head 21D via the outlet path 21B and the ink discharge section 21C.
[0021]
(Embodiment 2)
Although there are many points in common with the first embodiment, the difference is that the ink cartridge 300 can house the same amount of ink as shown in FIG. Embodiments 1 and 2 are also common in Embodiment 1 except that the supply amount of ink is quantitative.
[0022]
(Embodiment 3)
Also in the third embodiment, the color of the ink contained in the ink cartridge 400 is desirably selected, the required amount of ink is contained, and the ink cartridge 400 can be attached and detached in the cartridge mounting case 500. The second embodiment is common to the first or second embodiment, but has the following features.
[0023]
That is, as shown in FIG. 4, operation levers 401 are elastically movably connected to both sides of the ink cartridge 400, and the engagement members 402 of the operation lever 401 are engaged with the engagement holes 501 of the cartridge mounting case 500. It was made detachable.
[0024]
Therefore, when the ink cartridge 400 is mounted and dismounted, simply by pushing the ink cartridge 400 into the mounting case 500 in the direction of the arrow (X) in FIG. The operating lever 401 is pressed and bent in the direction of the arrow (Y) to release the engaging element 402 from the engaging hole 501, and then the ink cartridge 400 is fixed in the direction of the arrow (X '). Since # 400 can be extracted, the mounting and dismounting operation of the ink cartridge 400 can be facilitated.
[0025]
In a printing process that requires a large amount of ink in a short time, the flow path resistance may become larger than the capillary force acting on the nozzles of the head, and the meniscus in the nozzle portion may be destroyed, resulting in ink ejection failure. However, as shown in the third embodiment, a plurality of porous lead-out rods 410 are remodeled between the ink cartridge 400 and the recording head 510, and two ink connection flow paths are formed between the ink cartridge 400 and the porous plate member 520. Is prepared, the flow path resistance can be reduced, and a large amount of ink can be supplied smoothly.
[0026]
In the first embodiment or the second embodiment, when a plurality of ink cartridges are provided in parallel and a plurality of ink circulation paths are prepared as in the third embodiment, the same effect can be obtained.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention described above, the following remarkable effects can be expected.
[0028]
(1) Since a plurality of ink cartridges having different ink colors or storage amounts can be selectively mounted, a required print process can be executed without waste by selecting an ink capacity as needed. In addition, even when the ink in a certain ink cartridge runs out, by mounting a plurality of ink cartridges, it is possible to prevent a printing error due to true ink exhaustion.
[0029]
{Circle around (2)} The ink cartridge can be easily attached to and detached from the cartridge attachment case.
[0030]
(3) Since the ink in the cartridge can be supplied to the recording head via a plurality of ink circulation paths, a large amount of ink can be supplied in a timely and smooth manner.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along the line (Z)-(Z) of FIG. 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a third embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Mounting device 2,500 Cartridge mounting case 21 Bottom wall 21A, 520 Porous plate material 21B Conductive path 21C Ink discharge section 21D, 510 Recording head 22 Side wall 23 Partition wall 22A, 23A Serrated engagement section 100, 200, 300, 400 Ink cartridge 101, 201 Ink occlusion body 102, 202 Porous lead-out rod 103A, 203A Saw tooth 401 Operation lever 402 Engagement element 501 Engagement hole

Claims (1)

Ink cartridge loading device tops in the open shape of the cart Riddji can continuously change formed printer mounting position of the different ink cartridge of a plurality of outer dimensions for definitive one of the accommodating chamber of the mounting case.

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