JP2002059567A - Ink supply mechanism for ink jet recording apparatus, and ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink supply mechanism for an ink jet recording apparatus in which an ink drawing port and an ink supply needle can be correctly engaged with each other even in a large ink cartridge. SOLUTION: This ink supply mechanism is constituted of a holder 9 including the ink supply needle 17 communicating with a recording head, a positioning shaft 16 set projecting by ΔL towards a leading end more than the ink supply needle 15 to hold the ink supply needle 15 and a guide shaft 17, and the ink cartridge 8 in which a flat ink bag with ink sealed is stored and which has holes 4a and 4g formed to be engaged with the shafts 16 and 17 when set to the holder 9. The ink drawing port 2 to which the ink supply needle 15 is inserted is set to one end side of the ink bag. When the ink cartridge 8 is inserted to the holder 9, the ink supply needle 15 is guided by the shafts 16 and 17 and the holes 4a and 4g, and then engaged with the ink drawing port 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink cartridge for supplying ink to a recording head, and more particularly to an ink cartridge positioning means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an ink cartridge for supplying ink to a recording head via an ink supply tube, an ink outlet for supplying ink to the recording head is provided at one end as shown in, for example, JP-A-3-7350. A rectangular ink bag made of a flexible material in which ink is sealed and provided;
It is composed of a case for storing the ink bag and a lid. Such an ink cartridge is loaded into a recording apparatus such that the ink outlet is located at the tip, and ink is supplied to the recording head through an ink supply tube through an ink supply needle on the recording apparatus side.

In order to accurately position the ink outlet of the ink cartridge with the ink supply needle of the recording apparatus, such an ink cartridge is provided on the ink outlet side of the ink cartridge as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-99633. It has been proposed to form an engagement recess and an engagement projection on the recording device side.

[0004]

By the way, in order to cope with a large amount of ink consumption in high-speed printing or the like, when the ink storage amount of the ink cartridge increases and the weight becomes heavy, friction with a holder for holding the cartridge occurs due to friction and the like. A large pushing force is required, and if positioning is performed by using only the concave portion and the protrusion near the ink supply needle, they may be damaged.In addition, the ink supply needle is inserted into a position deviated from the center of the ink outlet, and the There are problems such as ink leakage during the period. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to enable the ink outlet and the ink supply needle to be accurately engaged even with a large ink cartridge. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink supply mechanism for an ink jet recording apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge suitable for the ink supply mechanism.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an ink supply needle which communicates with a recording head, and which protrudes from the ink supply needle to the tip side.
A holder provided with a positioning projection disposed so as to sandwich the ink supply needle, an ink outlet through which the ink supply needle is inserted is provided at one end, and an ink bag filled with ink; A case in which the ink bag is housed so that ink can be supplied to the outside from an ink outlet, and a case is provided in the holder and formed with a positioning hole for engaging with the positioning projection. When the ink cartridge is inserted into the holder, the ink supply needle is engaged with the ink outlet after the positioning hole is guided by the positioning protrusion.

[0006]

When the ink cartridge is inserted into the holder, the positioning hole is guided by the positioning protrusion, and the ink outlet moves to a position facing the ink supply needle, and the cartridge is moved to a predetermined position of the ink outlet. The ink supply needle is inserted.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The details of the present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. FIGS. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of the ink cartridge of the present invention. A flexible ink bag 1 is made of two sheets of aluminum foil, for example, an outer foil for improving gas barrier properties. With a nylon film and an aluminum laminated film sandwiching the inside with a polyethylene film. Two aluminum laminated films are overlapped, and the periphery is joined by heat welding or the like. Joint surface (shown as hatched in the figure)
An ink outlet 2 for drawing out the ink in the ink bag 1 to the outside is joined to one side of the above by heat welding or the like. Ink outlet 2
Is a plastic molded product, the joint surface of which is formed in at least a pair of opposing tapered knife-edge shapes, and has a sufficient thickness to ensure a sufficient heat melting area (so-called glue) of the joint surface. It is thick.

A fixing groove 2a is provided in the ink outlet 2, and the ink outlet 2 is fitted and fixed to the case body 4. By providing the fixing groove 2a in the ink outlet 2, the ink bag 1 having the ink outlet 2 in which the restriction on the shape of the fitting portion 4b of the case body 4 is reduced. The case is positioned on the surface in the insertion direction, that is, the surface on which the fixing groove 2a is formed, so as to sandwich the fixing groove 2a.
a and a guide hole 4g.

The ink bag 1 thus constructed is fixed to the bottom surface of the case body 4 with a double-sided tape (not shown), and a detection plate 5 for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink bag 1 is provided on the lid side. And so on.

The lid 6 is fixed to the case body 4 by fitting a pair of corners 6a and a pair of holes 4d of the case body 4 and snap-fitting a pair of claws 6b and a pair of recesses 4e. First, the corner 6a and the hole 4d are fitted together, and then the claw 6b and the recess 4e are snap-fitted and fixed. The claw 6b is configured to bend in the direction of arrow D. When the cover 6 is inserted in the direction of arrow E, the claw 6b bends and fits into the recess 4e. When removing the lid 6, it is possible to easily remove the lid 6 by inserting a jig into the notch 4f of the case body 4 and prying in the F direction.

Next, a mechanism for mounting the ink cartridge and the recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows a mechanism for positioning the ink cartridge of the present invention in the holder of the recording apparatus. The holder 9 provided in the recording apparatus guides the insertion of the ink cartridge 8 and moves the ink cartridge 8 to a predetermined position. The upper and lower frames 10 for holding the frame 8 are provided.

The holder 9 is provided with a shutter 12 for protecting the supply needle 15 and the like provided on a needle seat frame (not shown) of the holder 9 from touching when the ink cartridge 8 is not present. The frame 10 is provided with a pair of elastically displaceable lock arms 10a (only one side is shown) for locking the shutter 12 at the illustrated position. The shutter 12 is rotatably supported about a rotation center 12a, and is urged to a position shown by a shutter spring (not shown). At this time, the shutter 12 is engaged with the groove of the lock arm 10a and is in a holding state (locked state). When the ink cartridge 8 is inserted between the upper and lower frames 10 in the direction of arrow I, a pair of functional ribs 4c are guided by a pair of rails 10b on the upper surface and the lower surface of the ink cartridge 8 on the ink outlet side and move to the back. .

A pair of functional ribs 4 of the ink cartridge 8
c reaches the lock arm 10a, and the lock arm 10a
Is elastically displaced in the direction of arrow J. At this time shutter 12
Is released from the groove of the lock arm 10a, is pushed by the ink cartridge 8, rotates around the shutter rotation center 12a, and escapes to the upper part of the lid 6 of the ink cartridge 8.

When the ink cartridge 8 moves further, the positioning hole 4a of the ink cartridge 8 engages with the positioning shaft 16 provided in the needle seat frame, and the vertical position of the ink cartridge 8 is determined. At the same time, the guide hole 4g formed in the upper part of the ink outlet of the ink cartridge 8
Left and right positions are determined.

As shown in FIG. 5, the positioning shaft 16 and the guide shaft 17 are tapered at their tips and project from the tip of the ink supply needle 15 by ΔL, so that the functional rib 4c and the rail 10b Therefore, if the positioning hole 4a and the guide hole 4g are roughly positioned with an error of about the diameter of the guide hole 4g, the positioning shaft 16 and the guide shaft 17 are positioned before the ink supply needle 15 contacts the ink outlet 2. And the guide hole 4g is accurately guided to a predetermined position so that the center of the ink outlet 2 faces the tip of the ink supply needle 15.

When the ink cartridge 8 moves further in this state, a pair of leaf springs 13 (only one side is shown) held by the upper and lower frames 10 are engaged with a pair of functional ribs 4c, and the ink cartridge 8 is moved to the upper and lower frames. 10
Is held. In this state, the elastic displacement of the lock arm 10a has the original shape (the shutter 12 and the lock arm 10a).
(a state in which the groove portion a is engaged). When the ink cartridge 8 is held by the upper and lower frames 10, the supply needle 15 passes through the outlet rubber 3 and the ink outlet 2 and reaches the ink in the ink bag 1. When the ink cartridge 8 is inserted into the holder 9 in a direction other than that shown in the drawing, the functional ribs 4c and the pair of erroneous insertion preventing ribs 4w of the ink cartridge 8 contact the pair of erroneous insertion preventing surfaces 10c of the upper and lower frames 10 and move to the holder 9. Prevent insertion.

As described above, at the beginning of the insertion, the ink cartridge is moved by a long distance while positioning the ink cartridge by the functional rib 4c and the rail 10b, and the positioning hole 4a and the guide hole 4g are made immediately before coming into contact with the ink supply needle 15. Is positioned by the positioning shaft 16 and the guide shaft 17, the positional accuracy of the pair of frames 10 of the recording apparatus can be reduced to some extent, and play can be secured between the frame 10 and the ink cartridge at the beginning of insertion. A large cartridge can be easily moved to the back by the pressing force.

When a force such as vibration is applied to the cartridge to cause the cartridge to fall down in a state of being mounted on the recording apparatus, the positioning shaft 16 and the guide shaft inserted into the upper and lower positioning holes 4a and the guide holes 4g of the ink outlet 2 are formed. Since the vertical posture can be maintained from the position 17, the bending force is prevented from acting on the ink supply needle 15.

When the ink cartridge 8 is removed from the holder 9, the functional rib 4c and the leaf spring 13 are disengaged from each other, the functional rib 4c reaches the lock arm 10a, and elastically displaces the lock arm 10a in the direction of arrow J. At this time, the shutter 12 is moved by a shutter spring (not shown).
The shutter 12 is returned to the illustrated position and the lock arm 10 is
It engages with the groove part a, and becomes a holding state (lock state).

[0020]

According to the present invention, when the ink cartridge is inserted into the holder, the ink cartridge is guided by the shaft and the hole so that the ink supply needle faces a predetermined position of the ink outlet, and thereafter the ink supply is performed. The needle can be engaged with a predetermined position of the ink outlet, and even a large ink cartridge can supply ink to the recording head without causing ink leakage.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing one embodiment of an ink cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a member forming an ink outlet.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a fixing groove of an ink outlet.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a snap-fit shape between a case and a lid.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a positioning mechanism when the ink cartridge of the present invention is mounted on a recording apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 ink bag 2 ink outlet 4 case main body 4a positioning hole 4b fitting part 4c function rib 4d hole 4e recess 4f notch 4g guide hole 4w erroneous insertion prevention rib 4x shutter rib 4y guide rib 4z protrusion 5 detection plate 6 lid 8 Ink cartridge 9 Holder 10b Rail 10c Incorrect insertion prevention surface 15 Ink supply needle 16 Positioning axis 17 Guide axis

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Seiji Mochizuki 3-3-5 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Seiko Epson Corporation F-term (reference) 2C056 KC02 KC04 KC05 KC14

Claims (3)

[Claims] An ink supply needle that communicates with a recording head;
A holder having a positioning protrusion that protrudes to the tip end side from the ink supply needle and is arranged to sandwich the ink supply needle; and an ink outlet through which the ink supply needle is inserted is provided at one end. An ink bag filled with ink, and a positioning hole for receiving the ink bag so that ink can be supplied from the ink outlet to the outside, and being mounted on the holder and engaging with the positioning protrusion. And an ink cartridge comprising: a case; and wherein the ink supply needle is engaged with the ink outlet after the positioning hole is guided by the positioning projection when the ink cartridge is inserted into the holder. Ink supply mechanism of the recording device. 2. An ink supply needle communicating with a recording head,
An ink cartridge mounted on a holder having a positioning protrusion protruding from the ink supply needle toward the distal end and sandwiching the ink supply needle; an ink outlet through which the ink supply needle is inserted; Is provided at one end side, and accommodates an ink bag filled with ink, the ink bag so that ink can be supplied to the outside from the ink outlet, and is mounted on the holder to engage with the positioning protrusion. An ink cartridge comprising a case having a positioning hole. 3. A flat ink bag in which an ink outlet for supplying ink to a recording head is provided at one end side and in which ink is enclosed, and the ink bag is housed so that ink can be supplied to the outside from the ink outlet. An ink cartridge comprising a rectangular parallelepiped case, wherein the upper surface and the lower surface of the case on the ink outlet side of the case sandwich the ink outlet in a state where the surface of the ink bag is positioned substantially vertically while being mounted on the holder. Before the ink outlet comes into contact with the ink supply needle provided on the holder, a positioning hole guided by a positioning projection provided on the holder is formed, and the upper and lower surfaces of the case are formed with the positioning holes. An ink cartridge in which a guide rib is formed on an ink outlet side to engage with a concave portion provided in the recording apparatus.