Ink supply device and ink-jet printing system

Abstract

An ink supply device and an ink-jet printing system are used for manufacturing a display panel, and the ink supply device comprises a bearing frame provided with an inner side wall extending in the vertical direction, an ink storage box arranged on the inner side wall, connected with an external ink source and configured to introduce and store ink; the ink supply box is arranged on the inner side wall, located below the ink storage box, connected with the ink storage box through a first pipeline and configured to introduce ink in the ink storage box and supply the ink to a printing nozzle through a second pipeline, the liquid inlet end of the first pipeline is communicated with the bottom wall of the ink storage box, and the liquid outlet end of the second pipeline is communicated with the bottom wall of the ink storage box. And the liquid outlet end of the first pipeline is communicated with the lower end part of the ink supply box.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of semiconductor equipment, and in particular, to an ink supply device and an inkjet printing system. Background Art

[0002] With the popularization of 5G, smart phones are becoming more and more popular. As a key component of mobile phones, screens are becoming more and more important. OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screens are being adopted by more and more mobile phone manufacturers due to their thinness, power saving, and good display effects. As the core equipment for the production of OLED screens, the print head is the top priority for the flat panel display organic film inkjet film forming equipment. To ensure that inkjet printing can have a continuous and stable ink supply, it is also necessary to eliminate bubbles in the ink pipeline or the influence of its own gravity. The precise control of the ink supply system came into being and played a vital role in the entire printing process.

[0003] Inkjet printing technology is widely used in the field of display devices, such as printing test research of various luminescent materials, flexible display devices, OLED, QLED, Mini LED, Micro LED, LCD, color conversion films, color filters, quantum dot anti-counterfeiting labels, etc.

[0004] Modern display devices are developing towards high density, high resolution, energy saving, high brightness, colorization, and large screens. Compared with the traditional display device manufacturing process, the manufacturing technology of inkjet printing is simpler in terms of process; secondly, inkjet printing also has incomparable advantages in terms of material utilization, and can spray micro-amounts of ink in the pL level; thirdly, inkjet printing is a direct writing technology, which does not require a mask and is easier to handle large-size panels. As a result, the manufacturing cost of display devices using inkjet printing technology will also be greatly reduced. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present disclosure provides an ink supply device for manufacturing a display panel, the ink supply device comprising:

[0006] A load-bearing frame having inner side walls extending in a vertical direction,

[0007] An ink storage box, disposed on the inner side wall, connected to an external ink source, and configured to introduce and store ink;

[0008] an ink supply box, disposed on the inner side wall and below the ink storage box, connected to the ink storage box through a first pipeline, configured to introduce ink from the ink storage box and supply the ink to the print head through a second pipeline,

[0009] The liquid inlet end of the first pipeline is connected to the bottom wall of the ink storage box, and the liquid outlet end of the first pipeline is connected to the lower end of the ink supply box.

[0010] In some embodiments, at least one of the ink storage box and the ink supply box is flat in the vertical direction, so that the liquid surface of the ink contained therein is in a horizontal strip shape to reduce ink disturbance.

[0011] In some embodiments, the ink supply cartridge comprises:

[0012] A first plane side wall and a second plane side wall are arranged oppositely and in parallel, wherein the first plane side wall is fixed to the inner side wall of the supporting frame by a fixing member;

[0013] At least one partition rib is disposed inside the ink supply box, connecting the first planar side wall and the second planar side wall, and dividing the inside of the ink supply box into a plurality of accommodating spaces.

[0014] Wherein, the tops of the multiple accommodating spaces are interconnected, and the bottom walls of the multiple accommodating spaces are interconnected.

[0015] In some embodiments, the cross-section of the ink supply box in the vertical direction is roughly a right-angled trapezoid, the hypotenuse of the right-angled trapezoid corresponds to the bottom wall of the ink supply box, and the liquid outlet end of the first pipeline is connected to the second planar side wall in the vertical direction close to the lower end of the ink storage box.

[0016] In some embodiments, the ink supply cartridge further comprises:

[0017] A liquid outlet assembly is arranged at a lower end of the second plane side wall away from the ink storage box in the vertical direction, and is arranged opposite to the liquid outlet end of the first pipeline, and the liquid outlet assembly provides ink to the inkjet printing assembly through the second pipeline;

[0018] a drain assembly disposed at an end of a bottom wall of the ink supply box vertically away from the ink storage box and configured to empty the ink in the ink supply box; and

[0019] The gas delivery component is arranged on the top wall of the ink supply box and is configured to input gas into the ink supply box or extract gas from the ink supply box.

[0020] In some embodiments, the ink supply device comprises:

[0021] A liquid valve, disposed on the first pipeline, configured to control the on-off of the first pipeline;

[0022] A first pneumatic valve is provided on a nitrogen supply pipeline connecting the gas transmission assembly and the nitrogen supply source, and is configured to control the on-off of the nitrogen supply pipeline;

[0023] A second pneumatic valve is arranged on the air extraction pipeline connecting the air delivery component and the vacuum regulating device; and

[0024] The third pneumatic valve is arranged on the atmospheric pipeline connecting the gas transmission component with the outside atmosphere.

[0025] In some embodiments, the ink supply box further comprises a first liquid level sensor, a second liquid level sensor, a third liquid level sensor, and a fourth liquid level sensor which are arranged in sequence close to the ink storage box in a vertical direction and are configured to monitor the ink liquid level in the ink supply box.

[0026] When the ink level in the ink supply box is lower than a first height where the first liquid level sensor is located, the ink supply box cannot provide ink to the inkjet printing assembly through the second pipeline, and the ink supply device sends out an alarm;

[0027] When the ink level in the ink supply box is lower than the second height where the second liquid level sensor is located, the liquid valve and the second pneumatic valve are opened, the first pneumatic valve and the third pneumatic valve are closed, and the ink supply box is under low pressure, so that the ink in the ink storage box is replenished into the ink supply box under the action of gravity and pressure difference until the ink level in the ink supply box is equal to the third height where the third liquid level sensor is located;

[0028] When the ink level in the ink supply box is higher than a fourth height where the fourth liquid level sensor is located, the ink supply device sends out an alarm.

[0029] In some embodiments, the cross-section of the ink storage box in the vertical direction is roughly a right-angled trapezoid, the hypotenuse of the right-angled trapezoid corresponds to the bottom wall of the ink storage box, and the liquid inlet end of the first pipeline is connected to the bottom wall of the ink storage box in the vertical direction close to the end of the ink supply box.

[0030] In some embodiments, the ink storage cartridge further comprises:

[0031] A third plane side wall and a fourth plane side wall arranged opposite to and in parallel, wherein the third plane side wall is fixed to the inner side wall of the supporting frame by a fixing member;

[0032] a liquid inlet assembly, arranged at the lower end of the fourth plane side wall away from the liquid inlet end of the first pipeline, and connected to an external ink source through a pipeline; and

[0033] The overflow component is arranged at the upper end of the fourth plane side wall and drains the overflowed ink through a pipeline.

[0034] In some embodiments, the ink storage box further comprises a fifth liquid level sensor, a sixth liquid level sensor and a seventh liquid level sensor which are arranged in a vertical direction away from the ink supply box in sequence and are configured to monitor the ink liquid level in the ink storage box.

[0035] When the ink level in the ink storage box is lower than a fifth height where the fifth liquid level sensor is located, the external ink source injects ink into the ink storage box;

[0036] When the ink level in the ink storage box is higher than a sixth height where the sixth liquid level sensor is located, the external ink source stops injecting ink into the ink storage box;

[0037] When the ink level in the ink storage box is higher than a seventh height at which the seventh liquid level sensor is located, the ink supply device sends out an alarm.

[0038] In some embodiments, at least one of the ink storage box and the ink supply box is integrally formed using a fusible polytetrafluoroethylene material.

[0039] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an inkjet printing system for manufacturing a display panel, wherein the inkjet printing system includes the ink supply device described in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0040] The above solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure can have the following beneficial effects:

[0041] In the ink supply device of the inkjet printing system, an ink storage box and an ink supply box are designed to be arranged in sequence in the vertical direction. The ink storage box introduces and stores ink provided by an external ink source, and the ink supply box introduces ink in the ink storage box and provides it to the print nozzle, thereby avoiding the real-time and stability of liquid supply to the print nozzle caused by an overly long ink supply pipeline, ensuring accurate liquid supply to the print nozzle, and improving the inkjet printing process of the display panel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] The drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, showing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, and together with the specification, are used to explain the principles of the present disclosure. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. In the drawings:

[0043] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an ink supply device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0044] Figure 2 A front schematic diagram of an ink supply device provided for some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0045] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of an ink supply box of an ink supply device provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0046] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of an ink storage box of an ink supply device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure clearer, the present disclosure will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0048] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The singular forms "a", "said" and "the" used in the embodiments of the present disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates other meanings, and "multiple" generally includes at least two.

[0049] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0050] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe the embodiments of the present disclosure, they should not be limited to these terms.

[0051] It should also be noted that the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a product or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such product or device. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprises a" do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the product or device including the elements.

[0052] In the related art, in a simple ink supply system, the system issues an ink supply demand, and the ink extraction pump extracts ink from the ink supply source, and the ink is transferred to the print head along the delivery pipeline to ensure the ink supply demand during printing. The print head of the inkjet printing system is far away from the ink supply source that supplies ink, and the length of the ink transmission pipeline sometimes exceeds 20m. In addition, there is a height difference between the ink supply tank, which is in a low position, and the print head, which is in a high position. There are corners in the liquid supply pipeline, and the real-time ink supply cannot be guaranteed. There is a risk of delayed ink supply, and the liquid oscillation that may be generated during the transmission process of the ink is easy to generate bubbles, which is not conducive to the precise printing of the print head. Furthermore, after the ink supply demand is stopped, there is still ink in the pipeline and the ink nozzle of the print head. The ink droplets may drip onto the display substrate or other locations of the device due to their own gravity, causing pollution and affecting the display panel manufacturing process.

[0053] In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems, the present disclosure provides an ink supply device for use in the manufacture of display panels, the ink supply device comprising: a supporting frame having an inner side wall extending in a vertical direction, an ink storage box arranged on the inner side wall, connected to an external ink source, and configured to introduce and store ink; an ink supply box arranged on the inner side wall and located below the ink storage box, connected to the ink storage box through a first pipeline, configured to introduce ink in the ink storage box and supply the ink to a print head through a second pipeline, the liquid inlet end of the first pipeline being connected to the bottom wall of the ink storage box, and the liquid outlet end of the first pipeline being connected to the lower end of the ink supply box.

[0054] In the present disclosure, an ink storage box and an ink supply box arranged in sequence in the vertical direction are designed in the ink supply device of the inkjet printing system. The ink storage box introduces and stores ink provided by an external ink source, and the ink supply box introduces ink in the ink storage box and provides it to the print nozzle, thereby avoiding the real-time and stability of liquid supply to the print nozzle caused by the excessively long ink supply pipeline, ensuring accurate liquid supply to the print nozzle, and improving the inkjet printing process of the display panel.

[0055] The optional embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0056] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an ink supply device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 2 This is a front view of an ink supply device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an ink supply device 100 for manufacturing a display panel. The ink supply device 100 includes a carrying frame 10 , an ink storage box 20 and an ink supply box 30 .

[0057] The carrying frame 10 has an inner side wall 11 extending in the vertical direction for carrying the ink storage box 20, the ink supply box 30 and various components in other ink supply devices.

[0058] The ink storage box 20 is disposed on the inner wall 11 , for example, fixed to the inner wall 11 by screws, etc. The ink storage box 20 is connected to an external ink source, and the ink is introduced into the ink storage box 20 through a pipeline and stored.

[0059] The ink supply box 30 is disposed on the inner wall 11 and below the ink storage box 20, and is fixed to the inner wall 11 by screws or the like. The ink supply box 30 is connected to the ink storage box 20 via a first pipe 41, and the ink supply box 30 introduces ink from the ink storage box and supplies the ink to the print head via a second pipe 42. The print head is disposed on the other side of the carrier frame 10, for example.

[0060] The liquid inlet end of the first pipe 41 is connected to the bottom wall of the ink storage box 20 , and the liquid outlet end of the first pipe 41 is connected to the lower end of the ink supply box 30 .

[0061] Such a design can ensure that the ink in the ink storage box 20 is supplied to the ink supply box 30 under the action of weight, and at the same time, avoid ink splashing when the ink supply box 30 is filled with ink, and minimize the disturbance of the ink inside the ink supply box 30 when the ink is filled with ink, so as to quickly meet the state of accurately supplying ink to the print head.

[0062] In some embodiments, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, at least one of the ink storage box 20 and the ink supply box 30 is flat in the vertical direction, so that the liquid surface of the ink contained therein is horizontally strip-shaped to reduce ink disturbance. For example, the ink storage box 20 and the ink supply box 30 both adopt a flat structure.

[0063] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of an ink supply box of an ink supply device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 3 The perspective structure of the ink supply cartridge is shown. Figures 1 to 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the ink supply box 30 includes: a first planar side wall 31 , a second planar side wall 32 and a dividing rib 33 .

[0064] The first plane side wall 31 and the second plane side wall 32 are arranged opposite and parallel to each other, and both extend in the vertical direction, for example, and the first plane side wall 31 is fixed to the inner side wall 11 of the supporting frame 10 by a fixing member, for example, a screw. There is a narrow distance between the first plane side wall 31 and the second plane side wall 32, so that the ink supply box 30 is a flat structure in the vertical direction as a whole.

[0065] At least one partition rib 33 is disposed inside the ink supply box 30, connecting the first plane side wall 31 and the second plane side wall 32. The number of the partition ribs 33 can be multiple, for example, 4 as shown in the figure. The multiple partition ribs 33 divide the internal space of the ink supply box into multiple accommodating spaces, and the multiple accommodating spaces are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. The tops of the multiple accommodating spaces are interconnected, and the bottom walls of the multiple accommodating spaces are interconnected. With this design, on the one hand, the disturbance of the ink in the internal space of the ink supply box 30 is further reduced, and the accommodated ink is kept in a static state as much as possible. On the other hand, the structural strength of the ink supply box 30 is enhanced.

[0066] In some embodiments, Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the cross section of the ink supply box 30 in the vertical direction is roughly a right-angled trapezoid, the hypotenuse of the right-angled trapezoid corresponds to the bottom wall of the ink supply box 30, the right-angled side of the right-angled trapezoid corresponds to the top wall of the ink supply box 30, and the two bottoms of the right-angled trapezoid in the vertical direction respectively correspond to the side walls of the ink supply box 30. The top wall of the ink supply box 30 is in the horizontal direction, and the bottom wall of the ink supply box 30 is inclined.

[0067] The liquid outlet end of the first pipe 41 is connected to the lower end of the second plane side wall 32 in the vertical direction close to the ink storage box 20. With this design, ink can be smoothly injected into the ink supply box 30 from the first pipe 41, reducing the disturbance of the ink in the ink supply box 30.

[0068] In some embodiments, Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the ink supply box 30 further includes a liquid outlet component 34 , a liquid discharge component 35 and a gas supply component 36 .

[0069] The liquid outlet assembly 34 is disposed at the lower end of the second planar side wall 32 away from the ink storage box 20 in the vertical direction, and is disposed opposite to the liquid outlet end of the first pipeline 41. The liquid outlet assembly 34 provides ink to an inkjet printing assembly, such as a print head, through the second pipeline 42. The liquid outlet ends of the liquid outlet assembly 34 and the first pipeline 41 are respectively located at two opposite lower ends of the second planar side wall 32, which further reduces the disturbance of the ink at the liquid outlet assembly 34, and facilitates the ink supply box 30 to provide accurate and stable ink to the print head through the second pipeline 42.

[0070] The drain assembly 35 is disposed at the end of the bottom wall of the ink supply box 30 away from the ink storage box 20 in the vertical direction, and is configured to empty the ink in the ink supply box. When the ink type of the inkjet printing system needs to be changed, the original type of ink in the ink supply box 30 can be emptied through the drain assembly 35 and recovered through the pipeline.

[0071] The gas delivery component 36 is disposed on the top wall of the ink supply box 30 and is configured to input gas into the ink supply box 30 or extract gas from the ink supply box 30. Specifically, the pressure in the ink supply box 30 can be controlled by inputting gas, such as nitrogen or other inert gas, into the ink supply box 30, and the flow rate of ink delivered from the ink supply box 30 to the inkjet printing component, such as the print head, through the second pipeline 42 can be accurately controlled to ensure the printing quality of the display panel manufacturing process. The gas in the ink supply box 30 can also be extracted to reduce the air pressure in the ink supply box 30, so that the ink in the ink storage box 20 can be quickly and stably injected into the ink supply box 30 under the dual effects of gravity and pressure difference. The gas in the ink supply box 30 can also be extracted to make the ink supply box 30 in a near vacuum state, so as to prevent the inkjet printing component, such as the print head, from leaking ink when it is not in operation. When replacing the ink in the ink supply box 30 or performing manual maintenance on the ink supply box 30, air can also be introduced into the ink supply box 30 to facilitate the ink in the ink supply box 30 to be discharged from the discharge assembly 35 and the ink supply box 30 to be emptied.

[0072] In some embodiments, Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the ink supply device 100 includes a liquid valve 50 , a first pneumatic valve 61 , a second pneumatic valve 62 and a third pneumatic valve 63 .

[0073] The liquid valve 50 is disposed on the first pipeline 41 , and is configured to control the on-off of the first pipeline 41 , so as to control the ink storage box 20 to inject ink into the ink supply box 30 .

[0074] The first pneumatic valve 61 is disposed on the nitrogen supply pipeline connecting the gas delivery assembly 36 and the nitrogen supply source, and is configured to control the on-off of the nitrogen supply pipeline, and is used to control the injection of nitrogen into the ink supply box 30. The nitrogen supply pipeline is connected to the nitrogen supply source through the nitrogen inlet located at the top of the supporting frame 10.

[0075] The second pneumatic valve 62 is disposed on the air extraction pipeline connecting the air delivery assembly 36 and the vacuum regulating device 70. The vacuum regulating device 70 is, for example, a vacuum proportional regulating pump, which discharges the waste gas extracted from the ink supply box 30 through the exhaust port located at the top of the supporting frame 10. The vacuum regulating device 70 can accurately control the air pressure in the ink supply box 30.

[0076] The third pneumatic valve 63 is disposed on the atmospheric pipeline connecting the gas delivery assembly 36 with the outside atmosphere, and is used to control the introduction of atmospheric air into the ink supply box 30 .

[0077] The nitrogen supply pipeline, the air extraction pipeline and the atmospheric pipeline are arranged in parallel, and the three are connected to the gas delivery component 36 through a multi-way component.

[0078] In some embodiments, Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the ink supply box 20 also includes a first liquid level sensor 81, a second liquid level sensor 82, a third liquid level sensor 83, and a fourth liquid level sensor 84 which are arranged in sequence close to the ink storage box 20 in the vertical direction, and are configured to monitor the ink liquid level height in the ink supply box 30 in real time.

[0079] When the ink level in the ink supply box 30 is lower than the first height where the first liquid level sensor 81 is located, the ink supply box 30 cannot provide ink to the inkjet printing assembly through the second pipeline 42, and the ink supply device 100 issues an alarm to remind the technician to intervene manually. At the same time, the entire inkjet printing system can be controlled to stop working.

[0080] When the ink level in the ink supply box 30 is lower than the second height where the second liquid level sensor is located, the liquid valve 50 and the second pneumatic valve 62 are opened, and the first pneumatic valve 61 and the third pneumatic valve 63 are closed. A low pressure is formed in the ink supply box 30 under the action of the vacuum regulating device 70, so that the ink in the ink storage box 20 is replenished into the ink supply box 30 under the dual action of gravity and pressure difference until the ink level in the ink supply box 30 is equal to the third height where the third liquid level sensor 83 is located.

[0081] In the present disclosure, when the print head of the inkjet printing system is in normal working condition, the ink in the ink supply box 30 is preferably between the second height and the third height, and the difference between the second height and the third height is small, for example, 2 to 5 cm. At this time, nitrogen can be injected into the ink supply box 30 so that the ink supply box has a precise and stable pressure, ensuring that the ink supply box 30 provides a precise and stable ink supply to the print head.

[0082] When the ink level in the ink supply box 30 is higher than the fourth height where the fourth liquid level sensor 84 is located, the ink supply device 100 sends out an alarm to remind the technician to intervene manually.

[0083] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an ink storage box of an ink supply device provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figures 1 to 4As shown, in some embodiments, the cross section of the ink storage box in the vertical direction is substantially a right-angled trapezoid, the hypotenuse of the right-angled trapezoid corresponds to the bottom wall of the ink storage box 20, the right-angled side of the right-angled trapezoid corresponds to the top wall of the ink storage box 20, and the two bottoms of the right-angled trapezoid in the vertical direction respectively correspond to the side walls of the ink storage box 20. The liquid inlet end of the first pipeline 41 is connected to the end of the bottom wall of the ink storage box 20 close to the ink supply box 30 in the vertical direction. That is, the liquid inlet end of the first pipeline 41 is connected to the lowest point of the ink storage box 20, so that the ink in the ink storage box 20 is conveniently supplied to the ink supply box 30.

[0084] In some embodiments, as 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the ink storage box 20 further includes a third plane side wall 21 , a fourth plane side wall 22 , a liquid inlet component 23 and a liquid overflow component 24 .

[0085] The third plane side wall 21 and the fourth plane side wall 22 are arranged oppositely and in parallel, and both extend in the vertical direction, for example, and the third plane side wall 21 is fixed to the inner side wall 11 of the supporting frame 10 by a fixing member, for example, a screw. There is a narrow distance between the third plane side wall 21 and the fourth plane side wall 22, so that the ink storage box 20 is a flat structure in the vertical direction as a whole.

[0086] The liquid inlet assembly 23 is disposed at the lower end of the fourth plane side wall 22 away from the liquid inlet end of the first pipeline 41, and is connected to an external ink source through a liquid inlet pipeline 44 to replenish ink in the ink storage box 20. The pipeline is connected to the external ink source through an ink inlet located at the top of the supporting frame 10.

[0087] The overflow component 24 is arranged at the upper end of the fourth plane side wall 22, and drains the overflowed ink through the overflow pipe 43. The supporting frame 10 includes a bottom box 12, which is used to receive the overflowed ink drained by the pipe. The bottom box 12 is provided with a leakage sensor 121. When the leakage sensor detects ink, a leakage alarm is issued to prompt the technician.

[0088] In some embodiments, Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the ink storage cartridge 20 further includes a fifth liquid level sensor 85 , a sixth liquid level sensor 86 and a seventh liquid level sensor 87 which are arranged in sequence in the vertical direction away from the ink supply cartridge 30 and are configured to monitor the ink liquid level in the ink storage cartridge 20 .

[0089] When the ink level in the ink storage box 20 is lower than the fifth height where the fifth liquid level sensor 85 is located, the external ink source injects ink into the ink storage box 20 to ensure that the ink storage box 20 has sufficient ink to supply the ink supply box 30.

[0090] When the ink level in the ink storage box 20 is higher than the sixth height where the sixth liquid level sensor 86 is located, the external ink source stops injecting ink into the ink storage box 20 .

[0091] When the ink level in the ink storage box 20 is higher than the seventh height where the seventh liquid level sensor 87 is located, the ink supply device 100 sends out an alarm to alert the technician.

[0092] In some embodiments, at least one of the ink storage box 20 and the ink supply box 30 is integrally formed of a fusible polytetrafluoroethylene material. Specifically, the ink storage box 20 and the ink supply box 30 are both integrally formed of a fusible polytetrafluoroethylene material. The fusible polytetrafluoroethylene material is inert relative to the ink and will not react with the ink in any way, such as chemically, thereby ensuring the purity of the stored ink. In addition, the ink storage box 20 and the ink supply box 30 are both integrally formed of a fusible polytetrafluoroethylene material, thereby reducing seams and avoiding the risk of leakage of the ink storage box 20 and the ink supply box 30.

[0093] Some embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an inkjet printing system for manufacturing a display panel, wherein the inkjet printing system includes the ink supply device described in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0094] Finally, it should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. For the system or device disclosed in the embodiment, since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the method part description.

[0095] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, rather than to limit them. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An ink supply device for manufacturing a display panel, characterized in that: The ink supply device comprises: A load-bearing frame having inner side walls extending in a vertical direction, An ink storage box, disposed on the inner side wall, connected to an external ink source, and configured to introduce and store ink; an ink supply box, disposed on the inner side wall and below the ink storage box, connected to the ink storage box through a first pipeline, configured to introduce ink from the ink storage box and supply the ink to the print head through a second pipeline, The liquid inlet end of the first pipeline is connected to the bottom wall of the ink storage box, and the liquid outlet end of the first pipeline is connected to the lower end of the ink supply box.

2. The ink supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one of the ink storage box and the ink supply box is flat in the vertical direction, so that the liquid surface of the ink contained therein is in a horizontal strip shape to reduce ink disturbance.

3. The ink supply device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The ink supply cartridge comprises: A first plane side wall and a second plane side wall are arranged oppositely and in parallel, wherein the first plane side wall is fixed to the inner side wall of the supporting frame by a fixing member; At least one partition rib is disposed inside the ink supply box, connecting the first planar side wall and the second planar side wall, and dividing the inside of the ink supply box into a plurality of accommodating spaces. Wherein, the tops of the multiple accommodating spaces are interconnected, and the bottom walls of the multiple accommodating spaces are interconnected.

4. The ink supply device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cross-section of the ink supply box in the vertical direction is roughly a right-angled trapezoid, the hypotenuse of the right-angled trapezoid corresponds to the bottom wall of the ink supply box, and the liquid outlet end of the first pipeline is connected to the second plane side wall in the vertical direction close to the lower end of the ink storage box.

5. The ink supply device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The ink supply cartridge also includes: A liquid outlet assembly is arranged at a lower end of the second plane side wall away from the ink storage box in the vertical direction, and is arranged opposite to the liquid outlet end of the first pipeline, and the liquid outlet assembly provides ink to the inkjet printing assembly through the second pipeline; a drain assembly disposed at an end of a bottom wall of the ink supply box vertically away from the ink storage box and configured to empty the ink in the ink supply box; and The gas delivery component is arranged on the top wall of the ink supply box and is configured to input gas into the ink supply box or extract gas from the ink supply box.

6. The ink supply device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The ink supply device comprises: A liquid valve, disposed on the first pipeline, configured to control the on-off of the first pipeline; A first pneumatic valve is provided on a nitrogen supply pipeline connecting the gas transmission assembly and the nitrogen supply source, and is configured to control the on-off of the nitrogen supply pipeline; A second pneumatic valve is arranged on the air extraction pipeline connecting the air delivery component and the vacuum regulating device; and The third pneumatic valve is arranged on the atmospheric pipeline connecting the gas transmission component with the outside atmosphere.

7. The ink supply device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The ink supply box further comprises a first liquid level sensor, a second liquid level sensor, a third liquid level sensor, and a fourth liquid level sensor which are arranged in sequence near the ink storage box in a vertical direction and are configured to monitor the ink liquid level in the ink supply box. When the ink level in the ink supply box is lower than a first height where the first liquid level sensor is located, the ink supply box cannot provide ink to the inkjet printing assembly through the second pipeline, and the ink supply device sends out an alarm; When the ink level in the ink supply box is lower than the second height where the second liquid level sensor is located, the liquid valve and the second pneumatic valve are opened, the first pneumatic valve and the third pneumatic valve are closed, and the ink supply box is under low pressure, so that the ink in the ink storage box is replenished into the ink supply box under the action of gravity and pressure difference until the ink level in the ink supply box is equal to the third height where the third liquid level sensor is located; When the ink level in the ink supply box is higher than a fourth height where the fourth liquid level sensor is located, the ink supply device sends out an alarm.

8. The ink supply device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The cross-section of the ink storage box in the vertical direction is roughly a right-angled trapezoid, the hypotenuse of the right-angled trapezoid corresponds to the bottom wall of the ink storage box, and the liquid inlet end of the first pipeline is connected to the end of the bottom wall of the ink storage box close to the ink supply box in the vertical direction.

9. The ink supply device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The ink storage box also includes: A third plane side wall and a fourth plane side wall arranged opposite to and in parallel, wherein the third plane side wall is fixed to the inner side wall of the supporting frame by a fixing member; a liquid inlet assembly, arranged at the lower end of the fourth plane side wall away from the liquid inlet end of the first pipeline, and connected to an external ink source through a pipeline; and The overflow component is arranged at the upper end of the fourth plane side wall and drains the overflowed ink through a pipeline.

10. The ink supply device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The ink storage box further comprises a fifth liquid level sensor, a sixth liquid level sensor and a seventh liquid level sensor which are arranged in a vertical direction away from the ink supply box in sequence and are configured to monitor the ink liquid level in the ink storage box. When the ink level in the ink storage box is lower than a fifth height where the fifth liquid level sensor is located, the external ink source injects ink into the ink storage box; When the ink level in the ink storage box is higher than a sixth height where the sixth liquid level sensor is located, the external ink source stops injecting ink into the ink storage box; When the ink level in the ink storage box is higher than a seventh height at which the seventh liquid level sensor is located, the ink supply device sends out an alarm.

11. The ink supply device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: At least one of the ink storage box and the ink supply box is integrally formed of fusible polytetrafluoroethylene material.

12. An inkjet printing system for manufacturing a display panel, characterized in that: The inkjet printing system comprises the ink supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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