Ink transfer bin and ink supply mechanism of inkjet printer

Abstract

The ink transfer chamber of an inkjet printer includes: a liquid volume chamber, a pin is arranged at the ink inlet, an ink outlet is arranged at the bottom, and is connected to an ink connecting tube; an air outlet volume chamber is connected to the upper part of the liquid volume chamber through a one-way air outlet valve, and its connection point is higher than the air inlet surface of the pin; a common volume chamber, a labyrinth plug is arranged at the bottom, a labyrinth is arranged on the labyrinth plug, the chamber is connected to the external air through the labyrinth, the bottom is connected to the bottom of the air inlet volume chamber, the upper part is connected to the environment through a through hole, and is connected to the air outlet volume chamber and the air inlet volume chamber; the air inlet volume chamber is connected to the upper part of the liquid volume chamber through a one-way air inlet valve, and its connection point is higher than the air inlet surface of the pin. An ink supply mechanism of an inkjet printer including the above-mentioned ink transfer chamber is also provided. Through the cooperation of the ink transfer chamber and the ink storage container, it can carry a large volume of ink with the printer, and continuously supply ink to the ejection mechanism, and maintain a constant ink supply pressure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an ink supply mechanism of an inkjet printer. Background Art

[0002] The ink supply mechanism of an existing inkjet printer generally includes an ink storage container and a nozzle. The ink supply mechanism cannot carry a large amount of ink with the printer and needs to be frequently added with ink. Therefore, it is neither convenient nor economical. Summary of the invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art and provide an ink transfer bin and an ink supply mechanism of an inkjet printer, so that the printer can carry a large volume of ink.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above problems is:

[0005] The ink supply mechanism of the inkjet printer includes:

[0006] The ink storage container bracket is fixed in the printer frame and is provided with a space for accommodating the head and body of the ink storage container and the ink transfer bin;

[0007] The ink storage container is detachably fixed on the ink storage container bracket, the ink storage container is provided with an ink outlet, and a one-way valve is provided in the ink outlet;

[0008] The ink transfer tank is fixed on the ink storage container bracket and below the ink storage container, and a pin with an ink supply channel and an air intake channel is arranged at the inlet thereof, which is inserted at the ink outlet of the ink storage container, and an ink connection tube is connected at the outlet thereof;

[0009] The ink connecting tube has one end connected to the ink transfer tank and the other end connected to the printer ejection mechanism.

[0010] Preferably, the ink transfer tank includes:

[0011] The liquid volume chamber has a pin at the ink inlet and an ink outlet at the bottom, which is connected to the ink connecting tube;

[0012] The air outlet volume chamber is connected with the upper part of the liquid volume chamber through a one-way air outlet valve, and the connection point is higher than the air inlet surface of the pin;

[0013] A common volume chamber, a labyrinth plug is arranged at the bottom, a labyrinth is arranged on the labyrinth plug, the room is communicated with the outside air through the labyrinth, the bottom is communicated with the bottom of the air inlet volume chamber, the upper part is communicated with the environment through the through hole, and is communicated with the air outlet volume chamber and the air inlet volume chamber;

[0014] The air intake volume chamber is connected with the upper part of the liquid volume chamber through a one-way air intake valve, and the connection point is higher than the air intake surface of the pin.

[0015] Preferably, a liquid detector is disposed outside the liquid volume chamber.

[0016] Preferably, the bottom of the common volume chamber is in communication with the bottom of the air intake volume chamber.

[0017] Preferably, a slot is provided on the outer wall of the ink storage container, a buckle is provided on the ink storage container bracket, and the buckle of the ink storage container bracket is stuck in the slot, so that the ink storage container is easy to support.

[0018] Preferably, a gripping portion is provided on the upper portion of the outer wall of the ink storage container, so that the ink storage container can be easily gripped by hand and plugged in and out conveniently.

[0019] Preferably, an anti-mistake mechanism is provided between the ink container housing and the ink container holder, and ink containers of corresponding colors are inserted into corresponding ink container holders by utilizing the different fits between the shapes and / or structures of the ink containers and the ink container holders, so as to prevent users from mistakenly installing ink containers of different colors.

[0020] More specifically, the anti-mistake mechanism is the chamfer position and size. By coordinating the chamfers of different positions and sizes between the ink storage container shell and the ink storage container bracket, the ink storage container of the corresponding color ink can enter the installation bracket hole of the same color. In this way, it is not easy to install the wrong ink storage container when replacing the ink.

[0021] The foolproof mechanism may also be in other forms such as a groove and a protruding strip that can be inserted into the groove.

[0022] The advantages of the present invention are:

[0023] 1. Through the cooperation of the ink transfer tank and the ink storage container, a large volume of ink can be carried with the printer, and the ink can be continuously supplied to the ejection mechanism, and a constant ink supply pressure can be maintained.

[0024] 2. Use a detachable ink storage container to provide new ink by replacement, which is easy to operate.

[0025] 3. It has the function of detecting whether there is ink level, which is used to remind users to replace the ink bottle with a new one and protect the printer from printing without ink.

[0026] 4. Taking advantage of the different shapes of ink bottles, fool-proof designs are made for ink bottles of different colors to prevent users from installing the ink bottles in the wrong position. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the ink supply mechanism of the inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an ink supply mechanism of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 3 It is a schematic side cross-sectional structure diagram of an ink supply mechanism of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 4 It is a top view of the ink supply of the inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of an ink bottle of an ink supply mechanism of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a one-way plug of an ink bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 7 It is a top view of the ink transfer bin body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 8 It is a bottom view of the ink transfer bin body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Fig. 9 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the main body of the ink transfer bin according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Fig.10 It is a cross-sectional view of the main body of the ink transfer bin according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Fig.11 It is a three-dimensional exploded view of the ink transfer bin according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Fig.12 It is a three-dimensional exploded view of the ink transfer bin in another direction according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0040] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown in Figure 3, the ink supply mechanism of the inkjet printer includes an ink storage container bracket 3, an ink bottle 4, an ink transfer tank 8 and an ink connecting tube 6.

[0041] The ink storage container bracket 3 is provided with a space 31 for accommodating four ink bottles 4 and an ink transfer chamber 8 and matching the shape of the head and body of the ink bottles 4 and the ink transfer chamber 8, so that the four ink bottles 4 can be installed on the ink storage container bracket 3 in a pluggable manner.

[0042] The space 31 is designed to prevent mistakes for different ink bottles, and is compatible with ink bottles of various colors so as to distinguish the insertion of ink bottles of different colors.

[0043] Positioning grooves 32 cooperating with the ink transfer tank 8 are also provided on both sides of the above-mentioned space 31, and cooperate with the positioning feet 88 on both sides of the ink transfer tank to limit the ink transfer tank on the ink storage container bracket 3.

[0044] like Figure 4 As shown, the ink bottles of different colors are designed to be foolproof through different shapes. The chamfers 414 and 412 of the blue ink bottle are the same in size, the chamfers 416 and 417 of the red ink bottle are the same in size, but the position is different from that of the blue ink bottle, and the chamfers 418 to 421 of the yellow ink bottle are the same in size, but the chamfers 418 to 421 are smaller than the chamfers of the ink bottles of the aforementioned colors. The corresponding assembly positions of the ink bottle holders 3 are also chamfered in a matching manner. Therefore, only matching ink bottles can be installed in the ink bottle holder holes of the corresponding colors of the corresponding ink storage container holders 3, so that the ink colors will not be mistaken when replacing.

[0045] In order to better position and fix the ink bottle, a buckle 32 is also provided on the wall of the ink bottle bracket 3, and a groove 42 is correspondingly provided on the ink bottle. The ink bottle is fixed by snapping the buckle 32 into the groove 42 on the ink bottle. The buckle design is simple and practical, and the cost is low. Figure 3 .

[0046] In order to facilitate the hand to take the ink bottle 4, the two sides of the bottom of the ink bottle 4 are provided with recessed parts 413, which are conducive to the fingers buckling into the recessed parts 413 to hold the ink bottle 4. Figure 2 , 5 .

[0047] like Figure 5 As shown, there are four ink bottles 4, three of which have the same structure and are filled with inks of different colors. They include a bottle body 41, a one-way plug 42, a sealing film 43, and a bottle cap 44. The one-way plug 42 and the sealing film 43 are placed at the bottle body outlet 411, and the bottle body outlet 411 is covered by the bottle cap 44, so that when not in use, the ink in the bottle body is sealed and will not flow out.

[0048] The one-way plug 42 has a cross-shaped opening 421 in the middle, which has an automatic sealing function and can effectively prevent the ink in the ink bottle from overflowing or leaking when the ink bottle is inverted.

[0049] Among the ink bottles 4, there is one 45 which is larger than the other ink bottles 4 and is generally filled with black ink to adapt to the fact that the consumption of black ink is generally greater than that of other color inks.

[0050] like Figure 6 , 7 As shown in Figures 1 and 11 , the ink transfer tank body 8 includes an air outlet volume chamber 81 , a common volume chamber 82 , an air inlet volume chamber 84 , a liquid volume chamber 86 , and an ink outlet pipe joint 87 .

[0051] The bottom of the common volume chamber 82 is provided with a labyrinth plug assembly hole 83, and the labyrinth plug 9 is cylindrically interference-fitted with the labyrinth plug assembly hole 83 of the transfer chamber. The surface of the labyrinth plug 9 has a curved small groove 91. Fig.11 , used for the inlet and outlet of gas, by reducing the cross-sectional area of ​​the air channel to achieve the purpose of controlling the gas flow rate, and because the small groove 91 is very small, it is difficult for viscous ink to pass through, so as to achieve the purpose of preventing ink leakage.

[0052] A vent hole 811 is provided at the top of the common volume chamber 82 to serve as a common passage for air intake and exhaust.

[0053] The common volume chamber 82 is connected to the air outlet volume chamber 81 through the upper air outlet hole 816. The positioning column 810 is provided with an exhaust check valve 2. The exhaust check valve 2 seals the connecting hole 814 at the top of the air outlet volume chamber 81. The outer side of the exhaust check valve 2 is connected to the air outlet hole 813, and the air outlet hole 813 is connected to the air outlet hole 815 of the liquid volume chamber.

[0054] A needle 89 is arranged in the middle of the liquid volume chamber 86, and the needle 89 has an air inlet channel 891 and a liquid outlet channel 892. The bottom surface 8911 of the air inlet channel 891 is higher than the bottom surface 8921 of the liquid outlet channel 892, and the cross-section of the air inlet channel is smaller than that of the liquid outlet channel, which is beneficial for the liquid to enter the ink transfer tank. In this way, when it is inserted into an inverted ink bottle, liquid can be discharged from the liquid inlet channel 892 and air can be taken in from the air inlet channel 891.

[0055] After the air inlet hole 818 of the liquid volume chamber 86 is connected to the air inlet check valve 7, it is then connected to the air inlet hole 817 of the air inlet volume chamber 84. The bottom of the air inlet volume chamber 84 is connected to the bottom of the common volume chamber 82. The air inlet check valve 7 is fixed by the positioning column 812.

[0056] The liquid outlet channel on the bottom surface of the liquid volume chamber 86 is connected to the ink outlet pipe joint 87 through the liquid outlet hole 820 and the connecting hole 819. One end of the ink connecting pipe 6 is connected to the ink outlet pipe joint 87, and the other end of the ink connecting pipe 6 is connected to the printer inkjet head assembly to supply ink to the printer inkjet head. Fig.10 .

[0057] The upper surface 821 of the above-mentioned liquid outlet hole 820 is located at the highest surface in the ink supply circuit, which is higher than the highest surface of the ink in the liquid volume chamber 86, ensuring that the ink can flow out of the liquid volume chamber 86 only under external negative pressure conditions.

[0058] The refracting mirror 85 is arranged beside the liquid volume chamber 86 so that the liquid height in the liquid volume chamber 86 can be reflected. Fig.11 ) can be arranged here, and the lowest surface height of the liquid volume chamber 86 is lower than the ink detection sensor, so it can be detected when the ink is used up.

[0059] The lowest surface of the above-mentioned intake volume chamber 84 is connected to the common volume chamber 86. If there is liquid in the common volume chamber and exceeds this lowest surface, the liquid in the common volume chamber that is higher than this surface will be first sucked into the intake volume chamber and the transfer chamber during the intake process, thereby reducing the risk of excessive liquid in the common volume chamber and leaking to the outside of the transfer chamber.

[0060] The exhaust hole 15 and the air inlet hole 18 of the ink transfer bin are located higher than the bottom surface 8911 of the air inlet channel 891 and the bottom surface of the liquid outlet channel 8921 to prevent liquid from flowing out of the exhaust hole 15 and the air inlet hole 18 .

[0061] The ink transfer tank 7 of this embodiment is shown in detail in Fig.11 , which includes an ink transfer tank body 8, an exhaust one-way valve 2, an air intake one-way valve 7, a labyrinth plug 9, an ink detector 73, a bottom cover 74, sealing films 71, 75, and 76. The exhaust one-way valve 2 is fixed on the positioning column 810, and the air intake one-way valve 7 is fixed on the positioning column 812. The bottom edge of the ink transfer tank body 8 is sealed by the bottom cover 74 to form a liquid volume chamber 86. The bottom of the air outlet volume chamber 81, the common volume chamber 82, and the air intake volume chamber 84 of the ink transfer tank body 8 are sealed by the sealing film 75. The top of the ink transfer tank body 8 is sealed by the sealing films 71 and 76 respectively, thereby forming a sealed air outlet volume chamber 81, a common volume chamber 82, and an air intake volume chamber 84.

[0062] The ink detector 73 is installed on the ink transfer tank body 8, and the maze plug 9 is tightly fitted on the bottom surface of the common volume chamber 82.

[0063] Of course, the ink transfer tank 7 can also be manufactured in other ways.

[0064] The ink supply process of the printer when printing is as follows:

[0065] When using for the first time, the ink bottle 4 is placed with the mouth downward on the ink transfer tank 8 and fixed by the ink bottle bracket 3. The needle-shaped channel 89 of the ink transfer tank pierces the sealing membrane 43 and the one-way sealing valve 42 of the ink bottle mouth. The ink in the ink bottle enters the ink transfer tank 8 through the liquid channel 892 in the needle-shaped channel under the action of its own gravity, and the air in the ink transfer tank floats to the ink bottle 4 through the air channel 891 of the needle-shaped channel.

[0066] Then, when the ink in the ink bottle enters the ink transfer tank 8, a part of the gas of the same volume in the transfer tank passes through the air outlet 815, the air outlet 813, the air outlet volume chamber 81, and then enters the common volume chamber 82 through the air outlet 814 of the air outlet volume chamber 81, the exhaust valve 2, and the air outlet 8-16, and is discharged from the transfer tank through the vent 811, and a part of the gas enters the ink bottle through the air channel 891 in the needle-shaped channel to replenish the reduced ink volume in the ink bottle.

[0067] When the liquid level in the ink transfer bin 8 reaches the height of the air exchange channel of the needle-shaped channel, the air in the transfer bin cannot enter the ink bottle, and the liquid in the ink bottle cannot flow out under its own gravity, that is, the ink transfer bin and the ink bottle form a self-enclosed static balance.

[0068] When the suction force (negative pressure) from the print head (ink cartridge) sucks the ink out of the ink transfer tank through the liquid outlet hole 820, the connecting hole 819, the ink outlet tube joint 87 and the ink connecting tube 6, the liquid height surface of the ink transfer tank will be lower than the gas channel surface in the needle-shaped channel again, and a negative pressure (lower than the external atmospheric pressure) will be formed inside the transfer tank.

[0069] When the pressure in the negative pressure area is large enough to open the air intake check valve (or the pressure difference between the outside atmospheric pressure and the atmospheric pressure in the transfer chamber is large enough), the air enters the ink transfer chamber from the air intake hole 11 through the common volume chamber 82, and then through the air intake hole 817, the air intake check valve 7, and the air intake hole 18. After the outside air is added to the ink transfer chamber, the pressure in the ink transfer chamber is restored to balance, and the liquid level at this time is lower than the lowest surface of the air exchange channel, thus starting the cycle again, the liquid is added to the liquid transfer chamber from the ink bottle, and the air in the transfer chamber is added to the ink bottle.

Claims

1. An ink transfer tank for an inkjet printer, characterized in that: include: The liquid volume chamber has a pin at the ink inlet, and the pin is provided with an air inlet channel and a liquid outlet channel. The bottom of the air inlet channel is higher than the bottom of the liquid outlet channel, and an ink outlet is arranged at the bottom, which is connected to the ink connecting tube; the air outlet volume chamber is connected with the upper part of the liquid volume chamber through a one-way air outlet valve, and the connection point is higher than the air inlet surface of the pin; the common volume chamber has a labyrinth plug at the bottom, and a labyrinth is arranged on the labyrinth plug. The room is connected with the external air through the labyrinth, the bottom is connected with the bottom of the air inlet volume chamber, the upper part is connected with the environment through a through hole, and is connected with the gas of the air outlet volume chamber and the air inlet volume chamber; the air inlet volume chamber is connected with the upper part of the liquid volume chamber through a one-way air inlet valve, and the connection point is higher than the air inlet surface of the pin.

2. The ink transfer tank of the inkjet printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the common volume chamber is communicated with the bottom of the air intake volume chamber.

3. The ink transfer tank of the inkjet printer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A liquid detector is arranged outside the liquid volume chamber.

4. An ink supply mechanism for an inkjet printer, characterized in that: include: The ink storage container bracket is fixed in the printer frame and is provided with a space for accommodating the head and body of the ink storage container and the ink transfer bin; the ink storage container is detachably fixed on the ink storage container bracket, and the ink storage container is The ink container is provided with an ink outlet, and a one-way valve is provided in the ink outlet; the ink transfer tank is fixed on the ink storage container bracket and below the ink storage container, and a pin with an ink supply channel and an air inlet channel is provided at its inlet, which is inserted at the ink outlet of the ink storage container, and its outlet is provided with a needle with an ink supply channel and an air inlet channel. Connect the ink connecting tube; the ink connecting tube has one end connected to the ink transfer tank and the other end connected to the printer ejection mechanism, wherein the ink transfer tank is the ink transfer tank as described in any one of claims 1-3.

5. The ink supply mechanism of the inkjet printer according to claim 4, characterized in that: A clamping groove is arranged on the outer wall of the ink storage container, a buckle is arranged on the ink storage container bracket, and the buckle of the ink storage container bracket is clamped in the clamping groove.

6. The ink supply mechanism of the inkjet printer according to claim 4, characterized in that: A handgrip portion is provided on the upper portion of the outer wall of the ink storage container.

7. The ink supply mechanism of the inkjet printer according to claim 4, characterized in that: A liquid detector is arranged outside the liquid volume chamber.

8. The ink supply mechanism of the inkjet printer according to claim 4, characterized in that: An anti-fool mechanism is arranged between the ink storage container shell and the ink storage container bracket.

9. The ink supply mechanism of the inkjet printer according to claim 8, characterized in that: The foolproof mechanism is the chamfer position and size, and the chamfers of different positions and sizes between the ink storage container shell and the ink storage container bracket cooperate with each other.

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