Ink supply device

Abstract

The invention relates to an ink supply device. The ink supply device comprises a quantitative barrel with a preset capacity; the pump structure is arranged to be used for pumping the liquid into the quantitative barrel until the liquid level in the quantitative barrel reaches a preset value; the pump is further arranged to pump out the liquid with the preset volume in the quantitative barrel according to the preset equal part number N according to an instruction, and N is gt; 0 is a natural number. When the initial viscosity of the ink is close to the desired blending viscosity, the preset equal part number N can be set to be larger, that is, the solvent in the quantitative barrel can be subdivided into more equal parts, and the solvent can be more finely mixed and blended with the ink to form the ink with proper viscosity. The automatic ink blending device has the function of automatically blending ink, manpower is saved, and meanwhile uncontrollability caused by manual operation is eliminated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of industrial inkjet printing, and particularly to an ink supply device. Background Art

[0002] An inkjet printer is a device that prints according to the processing results of a computer. It prints preset graphic and text information by ejecting ink droplets onto paper, plastic and other targets. The ink of an inkjet printer mainly consists of two liquid agents, namely ink liquid and solvent. The function of the ink liquid is to solidify and develop color after adhering to the target. Its initial viscosity is produced and factory - tested according to the standard. Due to its high viscosity, it needs to be diluted with a solvent before it can be used normally; while the solvent is a volatile organic compound, and its function is to keep the ink liquid in a moist and non - solidified state. After the ink droplets adhere to the target, the solvent quickly volatilizes, and the ink liquid solidifies and adheres to the target and then develops color; in addition to the function of ensuring ink supply, the ink supply system also has an important function: mixing the ink liquid and the solvent in proportion and storing them in the ink tank for use by the inkjet head; in the prior art, the ink liquid and the solvent are generally manually poured into the ink tank in proportion at one time, and after stirring and mixing, ink is formed, without the function of automatically dispensing and mixing ink. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an ink supply device to solve one or more of the above - mentioned problems in the prior art.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, an ink supply device is provided, which includes a metering bucket with a preset capacity; a pump structure configured to pump a liquid agent into the metering bucket until the liquid level in the metering bucket reaches a preset value; and is also configured to pump out a preset capacity of the liquid agent in the metering bucket in a preset number of equal parts N according to an instruction, where N is a natural number greater than 0.

[0005] Before the preparation stage before use, connect the ink cartridge to the first pump port and the solvent cartridge to the second pump port; after the device is started, the pump structure first pumps the ink into the metering bucket until the liquid level in the metering bucket reaches the preset value, and then the pump structure pumps all the ink in the metering bucket into the ink tank; then the pump structure pumps the solvent in the solvent cartridge into the metering bucket until the liquid level in the metering bucket reaches the preset value, and then the pump structure pumps out the appropriate number of portions of the solvent into the ink tank according to the instruction to mix with the previously pumped ink to form ink with an appropriate viscosity for supplying the inkjet head. Specifically, since the initial viscosity of the ink is configured according to the standard during factory production, and the viscosity during subsequent actual use needs to be re-diluted and adjusted according to different scenarios, the specific preset equal number of portions N of the solvent can be set according to the initial viscosity of the ink and the desired adjusted viscosity. For example, when the initial viscosity of the ink is close to the desired adjusted viscosity, the preset equal number of portions N can be set larger, that is, the solvent in the metering bucket can be subdivided into more equal portions, and the ink can be more finely mixed with the ink to form ink with an appropriate viscosity. Compared with the prior art using the manual mixing process, the present invention has the function of automatically mixing ink, saving manpower and eliminating the uncontrollability brought by manual operation.

[0006] In some embodiments, a first sensor is further included, and the first sensor is configured to detect whether the liquid level in the metering bucket reaches the preset value.

[0007] In this way, the first sensor is used in conjunction with the control system. When the first sensor detects that the liquid level in the metering bucket reaches the preset value, the control system instructs the pump structure to stop pumping.

[0008] In some embodiments, a second sensor is further included. The metering bucket is provided with a port connected to the pump structure, and the second sensor is configured to detect whether a liquid agent flows through the port when the pump structure is working.

[0009] In this way, when the pump structure pumps out the liquid agent in the metering bucket according to the instruction, if the second sensor does not detect that a liquid agent flows through, the control system determines that the work is abnormal and sends a prompt message to the user, and at the same time instructs the pump structure to stop working, prompting the user that the device may have abnormal conditions such as leakage, pipeline breakage, and blockage; making the present invention have an intelligent fault reporting function and reducing the wear of the pump structure caused by idling.

[0010] In some embodiments, the pump structure includes a first control valve, a second control valve, and a power pump; both the first control valve and the second control valve are two-position three-way valves, and both are provided with a common port, a normally open port, and a normally closed port; the normally open port of the first control valve is set to communicate with the solvent cartridge, the normally closed port of the first control valve is set to communicate with the ink cartridge, the common port of the first control valve is set to communicate with the normally open port of the second control valve, the common port of the second control valve is set to communicate with the pumping port of the power pump, the normally closed port of the second control valve is set to communicate with the through port, and the pumping port of the power pump is set to communicate with the through port.

[0011] Thus, when it is necessary to fill the dosing bucket with a liquid agent, the first control valve is instructed to select the solvent cartridge or the ink cartridge to conduct with the common port of the first control valve, and the power pump pumps the corresponding liquid agent from the common port of the first control valve through the second control valve and finally into the dosing bucket to complete the filling process; when it is necessary to pump the liquid agent in the dosing bucket into the ink tank, the second control valve is switched to conduct between the common port of the second control valve and the normally closed port of the second control valve, and the normally open port of the second control valve is closed. Then, the common port of the second control valve is conducted with the through port of the dosing bucket, and the power pump pumps the liquid agent in the dosing bucket through the second control valve. Then, by controlling the bypass structure arranged between the pumping port and the through port of the dosing bucket, the liquid agent is pumped into the ink tank.

[0012] In some embodiments, a third control valve is further included. The third control valve is a two-position three-way valve and is provided with a common port, a normally open port, and a normally closed port; the pumping port of the power pump is communicated with the common port of the third control valve, the normally open port of the third control valve is communicated with the common port of the first control valve, and the normally closed port of the third control valve is set to direct the liquid agent conveyed from the power pump to the through port.

[0013] Thus, before starting up and using, the solvent is first filled in the dosing bucket. Then, the second control valve is switched to conduct between the common port of the second control valve and the normally closed port of the second control valve, and the normally open port of the second control valve is closed. At the same time, the first control valve is switched to conduct with the ink cartridge and disconnected from the solvent cartridge. The power pump pumps the solvent out of the dosing bucket, then pumps it to the first control valve through the third control valve, and then pumps an appropriate amount of solvent to the ink outlet nozzle of the ink cartridge to wet and clean the ink outlet nozzle, solving the problem of blockage of the ink outlet nozzle.

[0014] In some embodiments, a fourth control valve is further included. The fourth control valve is a two-position three-way valve and is provided with a common port, a normally open port, and a normally closed port; the common port of the fourth control valve is communicated with the normally closed port of the third control valve, the normally closed port of the fourth control valve is communicated with the through port, and the normally open port of the fourth control valve is set to communicate with the ink tank.

[0015] In this way, the bypass structure provided between the pumping port and the dosing bucket port is the third control valve and the fourth control valve. The normally open end of the third control valve is used for wetting and cleaning the ink outlet nozzle; the combination of the normally closed end of the third control valve and the normally closed end of the fourth control valve is used for liquid agent filling of the dosing bucket; the combination of the normally closed end of the third control valve and the normally open end of the fourth control valve is used for pumping the liquid agent from the dosing bucket to the ink tank.

[0016] In some embodiments, the dosing bucket includes a bucket body and a cover body. The cover body is provided with a first pipe, and the first pipe is arranged as at least a part of the communication pipeline between the common end of the second control valve and the pumping port of the power pump. The second sensor is arranged on the first pipe to detect whether there is a liquid agent flowing through the first pipe.

[0017] In this way, the external connecting pipelines are reduced, the integrated and modular design is realized, and the structure is more compact.

[0018] In some embodiments, the cover body is further provided with a second pipe and an overflow port. The overflow port is arranged at the preset value scale position of the dosing bucket. One end of the second pipe is connected to the overflow port, and the other end of the second pipe is used to extend to the ink tank; the first sensor is arranged on the second pipe to detect whether there is a liquid agent flowing through the second pipe.

[0019] In this way, when the liquid agent in the dosing bucket is filled up, the liquid agent flows out from the overflow port, then flows into the ink tank through the second pipe. The first sensor detects that there is a liquid agent flowing through and feeds back a signal to the control system, and the pump structure stops working.

[0020] In some embodiments, it further includes a flow channel plate, and the communication pipelines between the first control valve, the second control valve, the third control valve, the fourth control valve, the dosing bucket and the power pump are adaptively arranged on the flow channel plate.

[0021] In some embodiments, it further includes a control system, a viscosity detection module, and an ink cartridge. The ink cartridge is configured to receive the liquid agent pumped out from the metering bucket in a preset equal number of portions N. The viscosity detection module is configured to detect the viscosity value of the ink in the ink cartridge. The pump structure, the viscosity detection module, the first sensor, and the second sensor are all electrically connected to the control system. The first sensor is configured to detect whether the liquid level in the metering bucket reaches a preset value and to feed back an electrical signal to the control system in real time. The control system instructs the pump structure whether to continue pumping the liquid agent into the metering bucket based on the feedback from the first sensor. The control system is configured to determine whether the second sensor detects the flow of the liquid agent through the through-port when the pump mechanism is working, so as to determine whether the ink supply device is in a normal working state. The control system is configured to instruct the pump structure to adjust the equal number of portions of the output liquid agent according to the viscosity value feedback by the viscosity detection module until the viscosity value of the ink in the ink cartridge reaches a preset value. Description of the Drawings

[0022] Figure 1 is the ink path schematic diagram of the ink supply device of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 is the structural schematic diagram of the ink supply device of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 is Figure 2 the exploded state schematic diagram of the ink supply device shown;

[0025] Figure 4 is Figure 2 the half-sectional schematic diagram of the ink supply device shown;

[0026] Figure 5 is Figure 2 the other half-sectional schematic diagram of the ink supply device shown;

[0027] Figure 6 is Figure 2 the bottom upward view of the ink supply device shown;

[0028] Figure 7 is Figure 6 the structural schematic diagram of the flow channel plate in the ink supply device shown.

[0029] Description of the reference numerals: 1. Quantitative bucket; 11. Bucket body; 111. Through pipe; 12. Cover body; 121. First pipe; 1211. First hole; 1212. Second hole; 122. Second pipe; 1221. Overflow port; 13. Through port; 14. First sensor; 15. Second sensor; 2. Ink box; 3. Viscosity detection module; 41. First control valve; 411. Common end of the first control valve; 412. Normally open end of the first control valve; 413. Normally closed end of the first control valve; 42. Second control valve; 421. Common end of the second control valve; 422. Normally open end of the second control valve; 423. Normally closed end of the second control valve; 43. Third control valve; 431. Common end of the third control valve; 432. Normally open end of the third control valve; 433. Normally closed end of the third control valve; 44. Fourth control valve; 441. Common end of the fourth control valve; 442. Normally open end of the fourth control valve; 443. Normally closed end of the fourth control valve; 45. Power pump; 451. Pump-in port; 452. Pump-out port; 5. Flow channel plate. Detailed implementation manners

[0030] To make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present application more obvious and understandable, the following describes the detailed implementation manners of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to facilitate a thorough understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the connotation of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0031] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that if such terms as "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" appear, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by these terms is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

[0032] In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present application, the meaning of the term "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0033] In this application, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, if terms such as "installed", "connected", "linked", "fixed", etc. appear, these terms should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly limited. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0034] In this application, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, if there is a description such as the first feature being "on" or "under" the second feature, its meaning can be that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are indirectly in contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "over", and "on top of" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature has a higher horizontal height than the second feature. The first feature being "under", "beneath", and "underneath" the second feature can be that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature has a lower horizontal height than the second feature.

[0035] The technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below with specific embodiments.

[0036] Such as Figures 1-7As shown in the figure, the ink supply device of the present invention includes a metering bucket 1 with a preset capacity; a pump structure configured to pump a liquid agent into the metering bucket 1 until the liquid level in the metering bucket 1 reaches a preset value; and is also configured to pump out a preset capacity of the liquid agent in the metering bucket 1 in a preset number of equal parts N according to an instruction, where N is a natural number greater than 0. Specifically, in this embodiment, the pump structure is driven by a stepper motor, and the specific value of the preset number of equal parts N can be set according to the value of the basic step angle of the stepper motor. Because the smaller the basic step angle of the stepper motor, the smaller the angle by which each pulse controls the rotation of the stepper motor, and the finer the amount of the liquid agent that the pump structure can control to be pumped out. Then the value of the preset number of equal parts N can correspondingly be set more. In other embodiments, the specific type and structure of the pump structure can also be adjusted appropriately according to the actual situation. Specifically, the ink pump structure is provided with a first pump port and a second pump port. The ink pump structure selects one of the first pump port and the second pump port for pumping and sucking. In the preparation stage before use, the ink cartridge is connected to the first pump port, and the solvent cartridge is connected to the second pump port; after the device is started, the pump structure first pumps the ink into the metering bucket 1 until the liquid level in the metering bucket 1 reaches a preset value, and then the pump structure pumps all the ink in the metering bucket 1 into the ink tank 2; then the pump structure pumps the solvent in the solvent cartridge into the metering bucket 1 until the liquid level in the metering bucket 1 reaches a preset value, and then the pump structure pumps out an appropriate number of parts of the solvent into the ink tank 2 according to the instruction to be mixed with the previously pumped ink to form ink with an appropriate viscosity for supplying the inkjet head. Specifically, since the initial viscosity of the ink is configured according to the standard during factory production, and the viscosity during subsequent actual use needs to be re-diluted and adjusted according to different scenarios, the specific preset number of equal parts N of the solvent can be set according to the initial viscosity of the ink and the desired adjusted viscosity. For example, when the initial viscosity of the ink is close to the desired adjusted viscosity, the preset number of equal parts N can be set larger, that is, the solvent in the metering bucket 1 can be divided into more equal parts, and can be more finely mixed with the ink to form ink with an appropriate viscosity. Compared with the prior art using the manual mixing process, the present invention has the function of automatically mixing ink, saving manpower and eliminating the uncontrollability brought by manual operation.

[0037] Specifically, during actual use, the ink supply device of the present invention is also used in conjunction with a viscosity detection module 3 and a control system. The viscosity detection module 3 is connected to the ink tank 2 for storing ink, and the viscosity detection module 3 detects the viscosity of the ink in the ink tank 2 in real time; during actual use, as the solvent volatilizes, the viscosity of the ink will gradually increase. When the viscosity detection module 3 detects that the viscosity of the ink is higher than the preset value, the viscosity detection module 3 feeds back the viscosity value to the control system, and the control system instructs the pump structure to pump out an appropriate number of parts of the solvent into the ink tank 2 to make the ink viscosity return to an appropriate value, thereby enabling the present invention to have the function of automatically compensating the ink viscosity.

[0038] More specifically, in this embodiment, a first sensor 14 is further included. The first sensor 14 is configured to detect whether the liquid level in the metering bucket 1 reaches a preset value. The first sensor 14 is used in conjunction with the control system. When the first sensor 14 detects that the liquid level in the metering bucket 1 reaches the preset value, the control system instructs the pump structure to stop pumping.

[0039] In this embodiment, a second sensor 15 is further included. The metering bucket 1 is provided with a port 13 connected to the pump structure. The second sensor 15 is configured to detect whether a liquid agent flows through the port 13 when the pump structure is working. In this way, when the pump structure pumps out the liquid agent in the metering bucket 1 according to the instruction, if the second sensor 15 does not detect the flow of the liquid agent, the control system determines that the work is abnormal and sends a prompt message to the user, and at the same time instructs the pump structure to stop working, prompting the user that there may be abnormalities such as leakage, pipeline breakage, or blockage in the equipment; this makes the present invention have an intelligent fault reporting function and also reduces the wear of the pump structure caused by idling.

[0040] In this embodiment, the pump structure includes a first control valve 41, a second control valve 42, and a power pump 45; both the first control valve 41 and the second control valve 42 are two-way three-way valves, and both are provided with a common end, a normally open end, and a normally closed end; the normally open end 412 of the first control valve (i.e., the ink pump structure and the second pump port) is set to communicate with the solvent box, the normally closed end 413 of the first control valve (i.e., the first pump port of the ink pump structure) is set to communicate with the ink cartridge, the common end 411 of the first control valve is set to communicate with the normally open end 422 of the second control valve, the common end 421 of the second control valve is set to communicate with the pump inlet port 451 of the power pump 45, the normally closed end 423 of the second control valve is set to communicate with the port 13, and the pump outlet port 452 of the power pump 45 is set to communicate with the port 13. In this way, when it is necessary to fill the metering bucket 1 with a liquid agent, by instructing the first control valve 41 to select the solvent box or the ink cartridge to conduct with the common end 411 of the first control valve, the power pump 45 pumps the corresponding liquid agent from the common end 411 of the first control valve through the second control valve 42 and finally pumps it into the metering bucket 1 to complete the filling process; when it is necessary to pump the liquid agent in the metering bucket 1 into the ink tank 2, the second control valve 42 is switched to conduct the common end 421 of the second control valve with the normally closed end 423 of the second control valve, and the normally open end 422 of the second control valve is closed. Then, the common end 421 of the second control valve is conducted with the port 13 of the metering bucket 1, and the power pump 45 pumps out the liquid agent in the metering bucket 1 through the second control valve 42, and then by controlling the bypass structure arranged between the pump outlet port 452 and the port 13 of the metering bucket 1, the liquid agent is pumped out to the ink tank 2.

[0041] In this embodiment, it further includes a third control valve 43. The third control valve 43 is a two-position three-way valve and is provided with a common port, a normally open port, and a normally closed port; the pump-out port 452 of the power pump 45 is communicated with the common port of the third control valve 43, the normally open port 432 of the third control valve is communicated with the common port 411 of the first control valve, and the normally closed port 433 of the third control valve is arranged to direct the liquid agent conveyed from the power pump 45 to the through port 13. In this way, since the ink outlet nozzle of the ink cartridge may have the phenomenon of dried-up and stacked ink if it is not used for a period of time, resulting in the blockage of the ink outlet nozzle. To solve this problem, the solvent can be filled in the metering barrel 1 before starting up and using. Then, the second control valve 42 is switched to conduct between the common port 421 of the second control valve and the normally closed port 423 of the second control valve, and the normally open port 422 of the second control valve is closed. At the same time, the first control valve 41 is switched to conduct with the ink cartridge and disconnect from the solvent cartridge. The power pump 45 pumps the solvent out of the metering barrel 1, then pumps it to the first control valve 41 through the third control valve 43, and then pumps an appropriate amount of solvent to the ink outlet nozzle of the ink cartridge to wet and clean the ink outlet nozzle, solving the problem of blockage of the ink outlet nozzle.

[0042] In this embodiment, a fourth control valve 44 is further included. The fourth control valve 44 is a two-position three-way valve and is provided with a common port, a normally open port, and a normally closed port. The common port 441 of the fourth control valve is communicated with the normally closed port 433 of the third control valve. The normally closed port 443 of the fourth control valve is communicated with the port 13. The normally open port 442 of the fourth control valve is arranged to be communicated with the ink cartridge 2. In this way, when it is necessary to fill the liquid agent into the metering bucket 1, the first control valve 41 is instructed to select the solvent cartridge or the ink cartridge to conduct with the common port 411 of the first control valve. The power pump 45 pumps the corresponding liquid agent from the common port 411 of the first control valve in sequence through the normally open port 422 of the second control valve, the common port 421 of the second control valve, the power pump 45, the common port 431 of the third control valve, the normally closed port 433 of the third control valve, the common port 441 of the fourth control valve, the normally closed port 443 of the fourth control valve, and the port 13, and finally pumps it into the metering bucket 1 to complete the filling process. When it is necessary to pump the liquid agent in the metering bucket 1 into the ink cartridge 2, the second control valve 42 is switched to conduct the common port 421 of the second control valve and the normally closed port 423 of the second control valve, and the normally open port 422 of the second control valve is closed. Then the common port 421 of the second control valve is communicated with the port 13 of the metering bucket 1. The power pump 45 pumps the liquid agent in the metering bucket 1 through the second control valve 42, and then in sequence through the power pump 45, the common port 431 of the third control valve, the normally closed port 433 of the third control valve, the common port 441 of the fourth control valve, and the normally open port 442 of the fourth control valve, and pumps the liquid agent into the ink cartridge 2. In this process, the bypass structure arranged between the pump-out port 452 and the port 13 of the metering bucket 1 is the third control valve 43 and the fourth control valve 44. The normally open port 432 of the third control valve is used for wet cleaning of the ink outlet nozzle. The combination of the normally closed port 433 of the third control valve and the normally closed port 443 of the fourth control valve is used for filling the liquid agent into the metering bucket 1. The combination of the normally closed port 433 of the third control valve and the normally open port 442 of the fourth control valve is used for pumping the liquid agent from the metering bucket 1 into the ink cartridge 2.

[0043] Further in detail, in this embodiment, the metering bucket 1 includes a bucket body 11 and a cover body 12. The cover body 12 is provided with a first pipe 121. The first pipe 121 is arranged to be at least a part of the connecting pipeline between the common port 421 of the second control valve and the pump-in port 451 of the power pump 45. The second sensor 15 is arranged on the first pipe 121 to detect whether there is a liquid agent flowing through the first pipe 121. In this way, the external connecting pipelines are reduced, the integrated and modular design is realized, and the structure is more compact.

[0044] In this embodiment, a second pipe 122 and an overflow port 1221 are further provided on the cover body 12. The overflow port 1221 is arranged at the preset value scale position of the metering bucket 1. One end of the second pipe 122 is connected to the overflow port 1221, and the other end of the second pipe 122 is used to extend to the ink cartridge 2; a first sensor 14 is arranged on the second pipe 122 to detect whether there is a liquid agent flowing through the second pipe 122. In this way, when the liquid agent in the metering bucket 1 is filled up, the liquid agent flows out from the overflow port 1221, then flows into the ink cartridge 2 through the second pipe 122. The first sensor 14 detects that there is a liquid agent flowing through and feeds back a signal to the control system, and the pump structure stops working.

[0045] In this embodiment, a flow channel plate 5 is further included. The communication pipe 111 paths among the first control valve 41, the second control valve 42, the third control valve 43, the fourth control valve 44, the metering bucket 1, and the power pump 45 are all adaptively arranged on the flow channel plate 5. Specifically, as Figures 4-7 shown, a plurality of flow channels are arranged on the flow channel plate 5 to adapt to the connection relationships among the above-mentioned various components; two through pipes 111 corresponding to the first pipe 121 of the cover body 12 are further provided on the side wall of the barrel body 11. The two through pipes 111 extend downward to the flow channel plate 5 and adaptively form a first hole 1211 and a second hole 1212, that is, both ends of the first pipe 121 extend to the first hole 1211 and the second hole 1212 respectively; the pump-in port 451 and the pump-out port 452 of the power pump 45 extend to the flow channel plate 5 respectively. The first hole 1211 is communicated with the pump-in port 451 of the power pump 45 through a flow channel arranged on the flow channel plate 5; the through port 13 of the metering bucket 1 also extends to the flow channel plate 5. In this embodiment, for Figures 4-7 example, taking the process of filling the liquid agent as an example for explanation (the flow path of the liquid agent is shown by the dotted line path in the figure), when it is necessary to fill the liquid agent into the metering bucket 1, by instructing the normally open end 412 of the first control valve or the normally open end 412 of the first control valve to be conducted with the common end 411 of the first control valve (that is, the first control valve 41 selects the solvent box or the ink liquid box to be conducted with the common end of the first control valve 41), the power pump 45 pumps the corresponding liquid agent from the common end 411 of the first control valve through the normally open end 422 of the second control valve, the common end 421 of the second control valve, the pump-in port 451 and the pump-out port 452 of the power pump 45, the first hole 1211, the first pipe 121, the second hole 1212, the common end 431 of the third control valve, the normally closed end 433 of the third control valve, the common end 441 of the fourth control valve, the normally closed end 443 of the fourth control valve, and the through port 13, and finally pumps it into the metering bucket 1 to complete the filling process.

[0046] In this embodiment, it further includes a control system, a viscosity detection module 3, and an ink cartridge 2. The ink cartridge 2 is configured to receive the liquid agent pumped out from the metering barrel in preset equal portions N. The viscosity detection module 3 is configured to detect the viscosity value of the ink in the ink cartridge 2. The pump structure, the viscosity detection module 3, the first sensor 14, and the second sensor 15 are all electrically connected to the control system. The first sensor 14 is configured to detect whether the liquid level in the metering barrel 1 reaches a preset value and feedback an electrical signal to the control system in real time. The control system instructs whether the pump structure continues to pump the liquid agent into the metering barrel 1 according to the feedback of the first sensor 14. The control system is configured to determine whether the second sensor 15 detects that the liquid agent flows through the through port 13 when the pump mechanism is working, so as to determine whether the ink supply device is in a normal working state. If the second sensor 15 does not detect the flow of the liquid agent, the control system determines that the work is abnormal and sends a prompt message to the user, and at the same time instructs the pump structure to stop working, prompting the user that the device may have abnormal conditions such as leakage, pipeline breakage, and blockage. The control system is configured to instruct the pump structure to adjust the equal portions of the output liquid agent according to the viscosity value feedback by the viscosity detection module 3 until the viscosity value of the ink in the ink cartridge 2 reaches the preset value.

[0047] The above embodiments only represent several implementation manners of the present application. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, several deformations and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present application shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. Ink supply device, characterized in that, Comprising: A metering bucket with a preset capacity; A pump structure configured to pump a liquid agent into the metering bucket until the liquid level in the metering bucket reaches a preset value; and further configured to pump out a preset volume of the liquid agent in the metering bucket in a preset number of equal parts N according to an instruction, where N is a natural number greater than 0.

2. The ink supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a first sensor configured to detect whether the liquid level in the metering bucket reaches the preset value.

3. The ink supply device according to claim 2, wherein, It further includes a second sensor. The metering bucket is provided with a port connected to the pump structure, and the second sensor is configured to detect whether a liquid agent flows through the port when the pump structure is operating.

4. The ink supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pump structure includes a first control valve, a second control valve, and a power pump; Both the first control valve and the second control valve are two-way three-way valves, and both are provided with a common port, a normally open port, and a normally closed port; The normally open port of the first control valve is set to communicate with a solvent cartridge, the normally closed port of the first control valve is set to communicate with an ink cartridge, the common port of the first control valve is set to communicate with the normally open port of the second control valve, the common port of the second control valve is set to communicate with the pump-in port of the power pump, the normally closed port of the second control valve is set to communicate with the port, and the pump-out port of the power pump is set to communicate with the port.

5. The ink supply device according to claim 4, wherein, It further includes a third control valve. The third control valve is a two-way three-way valve and is provided with a common port, a normally open port, and a normally closed port; the pump-out port of the power pump communicates with the common port of the third control valve, the normally open port of the third control valve communicates with the common port of the first control valve, and the normally closed port of the third control valve is set to direct the liquid agent delivered from the power pump to the port.

6. The ink supply device according to claim 5, characterized in that It further includes a fourth control valve. The fourth control valve is a two-way three-way valve and is provided with a common port, a normally open port, and a normally closed port; the common port of the fourth control valve communicates with the normally closed port of the third control valve, the normally closed port of the fourth control valve communicates with the port, and the normally open port of the fourth control valve is set to communicate with an ink tank.

7. The ink supply device according to claim 1, wherein The metering bucket includes a bucket body and a cover body. The cover body is provided with a first pipe, and the first pipe is set as at least a part of the communication pipeline between the common port of the second control valve and the pump-in port of the power pump. The second sensor is arranged on the first pipe to detect whether a liquid agent flows through the first pipe.

8. The ink supply device according to claim 7, characterized in that The cover body is further provided with a second pipe and an overflow port. The overflow port is arranged at the preset value scale position of the metering bucket. One end of the second pipe is connected to the overflow port, and the other end of the second pipe is used to extend to the ink tank; the first sensor is arranged on the second pipe to detect whether a liquid agent flows through the second pipe.

9. The ink supply device according to claim 6, wherein, It further includes a flow channel plate, and the communication pipelines between the first control valve, the second control valve, the third control valve, the fourth control valve, the metering bucket, and the power pump are adaptively arranged on the flow channel plate.

10. The ink supply device according to claim 3, characterized in that It further includes a control system, a viscosity detection module, and an ink tank. The ink tank is configured to receive the liquid agent pumped out from the metering bucket in a preset number of equal parts N, and the viscosity detection module is configured to detect the viscosity value of the ink in the ink tank; The pump structure, the viscosity detection module, the first sensor, and the second sensor are all electrically connected to the control system; The first sensor is configured to detect whether the liquid level in the metering bucket reaches a preset value and to feed back an electrical signal to the control system in real time. The control system instructs whether the pump structure continues to pump the liquid agent into the metering bucket according to the feedback of the first sensor; The control system is configured to determine whether the second sensor detects that the liquid agent flows through the through-port when the pump mechanism is working, so as to determine whether the ink supply device is in a normal working state; The control system is configured to instruct the pump structure to dispense the output liquid agent in equal portions according to the viscosity value feedback by the viscosity detection module until the viscosity value of the ink in the ink tank reaches a preset value.

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