Ink-jet printer capable of preventing nozzle from being blocked

Abstract

The invention belongs to the field of printers, and particularly relates to an ink-jet printer capable of preventing a nozzle from being blocked, which comprises an ink-jet printer body, a paper outlet of the ink-jet printer body is arranged at the front end close to the bottom, and a paper baffle is arranged at the rear end close to the top of the ink-jet printer body. The top of the ink-jet printer body is provided with a turnover protective cover, an ink box of the ink-jet printer body is detachably installed at the position, close to the top, of the front end, and through the arrangement, it is guaranteed that a movable spray head can be in a sealed environment with appropriate humidity after working each time; the problems of drying and hardening of ink in direct contact with air are greatly reduced, meanwhile, the nozzle plate can be automatically replaced, equipment can continuously operate in high-intensity work, the nozzle plate which is used for a long time and carries hardened ink can be automatically cleaned, long-term barrier-free operation of the equipment is achieved, and the equipment is high in practicability. And the self service life is greatly prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of printers, specifically an inkjet printer that prevents printhead clogging. Background Technology

[0002] An inkjet printer is an office output device that forms text and images by precisely spraying tiny ink droplets onto paper. Its core working principle is that the digital control system converts the printing information from the computer into dot instructions, driving the precision print head to perform horizontal scanning.

[0003] The printhead is equipped with hundreds of nozzles. Instantaneous pressure, generated by technologies such as thermal inkjet or piezoelectric, forces ink out of the nozzles. Simultaneously, the paper feed system feeds the paper longitudinally. Together, these two processes ensure that ink droplets adhere to preset positions. The entire system intelligently manages ink flow, printhead moisturizing, and movement calibration to ensure a stable and efficient printing process, ultimately producing documents or photos with rich colors and clear details.

[0004] Traditional inkjet printers are often plagued by printhead clogging issues because the ink at the bottom of the printhead is in direct contact with the environment. Different ambient humidity levels affect the ink; lower humidity causes the water in the ink to evaporate, leading to the ink drying and hardening, which affects the printing process. In addition, disassembling the printhead of a traditional printer is relatively complicated, making the cleaning process also quite tedious.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides an inkjet printer that prevents printhead clogging. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, at least one technical problem raised in the background art is solved.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problem is as follows: The inkjet printer of the present invention for preventing printhead clogging includes an inkjet printer body, the paper output port of the inkjet printer body is opened at the front bottom, a baffle is installed at the rear top of the inkjet printer body, a flip-up protective cover is installed at the top of the inkjet printer body, the ink cartridge of the inkjet printer body is detachably installed at the front top, a movable printhead capable of translation is installed inside the inkjet printer body, a nozzle plate is installed at the bottom of the movable printhead, a separation box is fixed to one side of the inkjet printer body, the separation box is arranged parallel to the movable printhead, and a cleaning box for cleaning the movable printhead is provided in the separation box. This setup not only ensures that the moving printhead is in a relatively sealed environment with suitable humidity after each use, greatly reducing the problem of ink drying and hardening due to direct contact with air, but also automates the replacement of the nozzle plate, allowing the equipment to continue operating under high-intensity conditions. It also automatically cleans the nozzle plate that has been used for a long time and carries hardened ink, achieving long-term uninterrupted operation of the equipment and greatly extending its service life.

[0008] Preferably, the movable printhead has an inkjet slot at its bottom, with an inkjet printer fixed to the top of the inkjet slot. The bottom of the movable printhead has a connecting slot adapted to the nozzle plate, and the top of the nozzle plate has multiple connecting rods fixed to it. The connecting slot has multiple slots adapted to the connecting rods. Ink from the ink cartridge continuously fills the inkjet slot under gravity and negative pressure. Then, the ink from the inkjet slot is continuously ejected from the bottom by the inkjet printer. The nozzle plate has numerous tiny nozzles, allowing the ink to be sprayed in neatly arranged droplets. The inkjet printer can be piezoelectric or thermal. The piezoelectric principle is that current is precisely applied inside the printhead. The two sides of the piezoelectric crystal; crystal deformation: voltage causes the crystal to undergo minute bending or contraction deformation; extrusion jet: deformation extrudes adjacent ink chambers, the pressure inside the chambers increases sharply, forcing ink droplets to be precisely ejected from the nozzle; resetting and ink absorption: when the voltage is removed, the crystal returns to its original shape, negative pressure is generated inside the chambers, and new ink is drawn in, ready for the next jet; the thermal bubble type is basically the same, except that the thermal bubble type forms bubbles by heating, forcing ink droplets to be precisely ejected from the nozzle, and negative pressure is also generated after heating to absorb ink; the nozzle plate is connected to the slot by a connecting rod, and the connection between the connecting rod and the slot can be magnetically attached, with a locking mechanism at the bottom of the slot to ensure a tight connection.

[0009] Preferably, the bottom of the inkjet tank is provided with a lower through hole, which is elongated and wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. The surface of the inkjet tank is also provided with nozzle grooves that are adapted to the position of the lower through hole. The lower through hole is designed so that when the nozzle plate is separated, the bottom opening is narrower, which, together with the negative pressure of the air bubble above and the tension of the ink, prevents the ink from falling.

[0010] Preferably, two control rails are fixedly connected in the separation box, and the cleaning box is located between the two control rails. The moving end of the control rail is fixedly connected to the outside of the cleaning box. The cleaning box is controlled to move horizontally and vertically through the control rail. The vertical movement allows the cleaning box to be sealed to the bottom of the moving nozzle. The combination of horizontal movement and vertical movement allows the nozzle plate to be replaced.

[0011] Preferably, the separation box has two adapter slots on its inner side near the top, and transmission pipes are fixed to the bottom of both sides of the separation box. The two ends of the transmission pipes extend to the outside of the separation box and are connected to a waste liquid box and an addition box. When replacing the nozzle plate, the position of the two nozzle plates is restricted by the adapter slots. An electromagnet can be used at the bottom of the adapter slot to control the magnetic force to attract the nozzle plate, thereby removing the nozzle plate from the bottom of the moving nozzle head. This also weakens the magnetic attraction and allows the nozzle plate to be transferred to the bottom of the moving nozzle head. The addition box has a built-in water pump to transfer cleaning water to the separation box through the transmission pipes, and the waste liquid can also be recycled by the waste liquid box.

[0012] Preferably, a lifting box is installed at the bottom center of the cleaning chamber. Multiple vertically oriented mixing arms are installed in the lifting box, arranged linearly and equidistantly. A rotating drive column is installed at the bottom of each mixing arm. When the nozzle plate is replaced, and there are no subsequent replacements, the multiple mixing arms can be controlled by the lifting box to move upwards, entering the inkjet tank and agitating it. Simultaneously, the system can control the complete discharge of internal ink. This is similar to the heating element in a thermal printer, where prolonged heating of the ink above can easily cause ink clumps to form at the top. The mixing arms can clean these clumps and discharge them into the cleaning chamber. It should be noted that this function is not suitable for frequent use.

[0013] Preferably, the mixing arm is composed of multiple elastic metal wires, forming a long, teardrop-shaped strip that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. A series plate is fixedly connected between the bottoms of the multiple drive columns. A sealing hole adapted to the drive columns is opened in the middle of the cleaning box. The structure of the mixing arm can spread out due to compression when it is in contact with the inkjet printer, cleaning up the clumps stuck to the inkjet printer and improving the cleaning effect. The series plate is used to synchronously control the multiple drive columns to rise and fall together. An elastic sheet is built into the sealing hole to reduce liquid leakage.

[0014] Preferably, the movable printhead also has an ink storage tank inside, which is located above the inkjet tank. The ink storage tank and the inkjet tank are connected by a connecting groove. A diaphragm pump is installed inside the movable printhead. The diaphragm pump is connected to the connecting groove through a negative pressure pipe. The ink storage tank will first store a certain amount of ink, and under natural gravity, it will continuously fill the inkjet tank with ink. This not only ensures that there is enough ink in the inkjet tank, but also provides enough time to replace the ink cartridge. During the removal of the nozzle plate, the diaphragm pump can also provide negative pressure to ensure that the ink at the bottom does not leak out.

[0015] Preferably, the top of the movable printhead is fixedly connected to an adjusting valve communicating with the ink reservoir. Multiple slender connecting pipes are fixedly connected to the outer side of the top of the adjusting valve. The connecting pipes pass through the outer edge of the movable printhead and communicate with the ink cartridge. The adjusting valve can only allow liquid to flow in one direction and has a built-in negative pressure function to provide suction when the suction is insufficient. The connecting pipes are restricted by the top of the movable printhead to reduce pipe bends and avoid creating a high position, which could lead to problems with ink flow obstruction.

[0016] Preferably, the side cover of the separation box is detachable, the moving end of the electric slide rail inside the inkjet printer body is connected to the middle of the moving printhead, one end of the moving printhead is equipped with an alignment device, and a reflector adapted to the alignment device is installed in the separation box. By removing the side cover, the moving printhead can be directly replaced. At this time, the cleaning box sinks down to facilitate the removal of the moving printhead. When the moving printhead moves into the separation box, the alignment device can emit a positioning laser towards the reflector to ensure that the moving printhead moves to the accurate position.

[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1. The inkjet printer for preventing printhead clogging described in this invention, through the design of a movable printhead, a separation box, and a detachable nozzle plate, not only ensures that the movable printhead is in a relatively sealed environment with suitable humidity after each use, greatly reducing the problem of ink drying and hardening due to direct contact with air, but also automates the replacement of the nozzle plate, allowing the equipment to continue operating under high-intensity conditions. Furthermore, it automatically cleans nozzle plates that have been used for a long time and carry hardened ink, achieving long-term uninterrupted operation and significantly extending the equipment's lifespan.

[0018] 2. The inkjet printer for preventing printhead clogging described in this invention, when the nozzle plate is replaced and there are no subsequent replacements, can control multiple mixing arms to move upward through a lifting box. The mixing arms enter the inkjet tank and agitate it. At the same time, the system can also control the complete discharge of internal ink. The purpose is to address the issue of ink clumping, similar to that in thermal inkjet printers, where prolonged heating of the ink above can easily lead to ink clumps forming at the top. The mixing arms can clean these clumps and discharge them into the cleaning box. The structure of the mixing arms allows them to spread out due to compression when they are in contact with the inkjet printhead, thus cleaning the clumps adhering to the printhead and improving the cleaning effect. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the separation box of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the movable nozzle and control rail of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the movable nozzle of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the movable nozzle and cleaning box of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the hybrid arm of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the control rail and cleaning box of the present invention; In the diagram: 1. Inkjet printer body; 2. Paper output tray; 3. Paper stop; 4. Ink cartridge; 6. Protective cover; 7. Separation box; 8. Side cover; 9. Refill box; 10. Waste liquid box; 11. Moving printhead; 12. Electric slide rail; 13. Transfer pipe; 14. Control rail; 15. Adjustment valve; 16. Connecting pipe; 17. Alignment device; 18. Cleaning box; 19. Ink reservoir; 20. Negative pressure pipe; 21. Connecting slot; 22. Inkjet slot; 23. Nozzle plate; 24. Connecting rod; 25. Nozzle slot; 26. Inkjet printer; 27. Lower through hole; 28. Mixing arm; 29. ​​Lifting box; 30. Drive column; 31. Sealing hole; 32. Adapter slot. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0022] like Figures 1 to 2 As shown in the figure, an inkjet printer for preventing printhead clogging according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an inkjet printer body 1, a paper output port 2 of the inkjet printer body 1 located at the bottom front end, a baffle plate 3 installed at the top rear end of the inkjet printer body 1, a flip-up protective cover 6 installed at the top of the inkjet printer body 1, an ink cartridge 4 detachably installed at the top front end of the inkjet printer body 1, a movable printhead 11 capable of translational installation inside the inkjet printer body 1, a nozzle plate 23 installed at the bottom of the movable printhead 11, a separation box 7 fixedly connected to one side of the inkjet printer body 1, the separation box 7 being arranged parallel to the movable printhead 11, and a cleaning box 18 for cleaning the movable printhead 11 being provided in the separation box 7. By installing the ink cartridge 4 containing ink into the inkjet printer body 1 and connecting it to the moving printhead 11, the inkjet printer body 1 has a built-in control system. After receiving printing data and operation instructions, the main control unit parses and rasterizes the data to generate precise bitmap instructions. The printhead drive circuit, based on these instructions, precisely controls the movement of the moving printhead 11, and, in conjunction with the paper's movement speed, precisely controls the piezoelectric or thermal bulb units of each tiny nozzle, triggering ink droplet ejection within nanoseconds to complete image reconstruction. After inkjet printing is complete, the moving printhead 11 is moved to one side, into the separation cartridge 7, and precisely positioned directly above the cleaning chamber 18. The cleaning chamber 18 is then raised, ensuring the bottom of the moving printhead 11 is fully in contact with the bottom surface of the cleaning chamber 18. By sealing the bottom of the movable printhead 11, direct contact between the ink and outside air is reduced, thus minimizing ink evaporation and preventing ink clumping and nozzle blockage. During the sealing period, a small amount of water is injected into the cleaning chamber 18. The separation box 7 has a built-in humidity detector that adjusts the amount of water injected based on the humidity level, maintaining the internal humidity of the cleaning chamber 18 above 70%. At this humidity level, the ink will not evaporate; instead, the higher humidity will draw moisture from the air, keeping the ink moist and further reducing the problem of ink drying and hardening. Only when the separation box 7 detects a decrease in humidity should a small amount of water be injected, keeping the ink in a cycle of water absorption and dehydration, ensuring it never dries out. There will be no ink leakage due to excessive water absorption. After long-term use or high-intensity use during a single operation, the nozzle plate 23 carrying the nozzle can be directly removed from the moving printhead 11 after the moving printhead 11 is moved to the cleaning box 18. At this time, negative pressure is provided in the moving printhead 11 to prevent ink from flowing out. At the same time, the cleaning box 18 is moved horizontally to move the new nozzle plate 23 below the moving printhead 11 for replacement. When the moving printhead 11 can continue to work, high-temperature cleaning solution is added to the cleaning box 18 to soak the replaced nozzle plate 23. The dissolution of the dried ink can be assisted by controlling the movement of the cleaning box 18. At this time, the moving printhead 11 is above the cleaning box 18 or is in the process of printing. After a period of time, the cleaning solution is poured out and left to dry. The residual moisture can air dry naturally. During the air drying process, the internal humidity is relatively high, so no more water is added to the cleaning tank 18. Finally, the nozzle plate 23 is completely free of dried ink residue and can be replaced next time. This setting not only ensures that the moving printhead 11 is in a relatively sealed environment with suitable humidity after each use, greatly reducing the problem of ink drying and hardening in direct contact with air, but also automates the replacement of the nozzle plate 23, allowing the equipment to continue to operate under high-intensity work. It can also automatically clean the nozzle plate 23 that has been used for a long time and carries hardened ink, realizing the function of long-term unobstructed operation of the equipment and greatly extending its service life.

[0023] The movable printhead 11 has an inkjet slot 22 at the bottom inside, and an inkjet printer 26 is fixedly connected to the top of the inkjet slot 22. The bottom of the movable printhead 11 has a connecting slot adapted to the nozzle plate 23. The top of the nozzle plate 23 has multiple connecting rods 24 fixedly connected, and the connecting slot has multiple slots adapted to the connecting rods 24. During operation, ink from ink cartridge 4 is continuously filled into inkjet tank 22 by gravity and negative pressure. Then, ink from inkjet tank 22 is continuously ejected from the bottom by inkjet printer 26. Numerous tiny nozzles are provided on nozzle plate 23, allowing the ink to be sprayed in neat, arranged droplets. Inkjet printer 26 can be piezoelectric or thermal. The piezoelectric principle is as follows: current is precisely applied to both sides of a piezoelectric crystal inside the printhead; crystal deformation: voltage causes the crystal to undergo minute bending or contraction deformation; compression ejection: deformation compresses adjacent ink droplets. The pressure inside the cavity suddenly increases, forcing the ink droplets to be precisely ejected from the nozzle; Reset ink absorption: When the voltage is removed, the crystal returns to its original state, a negative pressure is generated inside the cavity, and new ink is drawn in, ready for the next ejection; The thermal bubble type is basically the same, except that the thermal bubble type forms bubbles by heating, forcing the ink droplets to be precisely ejected from the nozzle, and a negative pressure is also generated after heating to absorb ink; The nozzle plate 23 is connected to the slot via the connecting rod 24. The connection between the connecting rod 24 and the slot can be magnetically attached, and a locking mechanism is set at the bottom of the slot to ensure a tight connection.

[0024] The bottom of the inkjet tank 22 is provided with a lower through hole 27, which is elongated and wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. The surface of the inkjet tank 22 is also provided with a nozzle groove 25 that matches the position of the lower through hole 27. During operation, the lower through hole 27 is designed so that when the nozzle plate 23 is separated, the bottom opening is narrow. Combined with the negative pressure of the air bubble above and the tension of the ink, the ink will not fall.

[0025] Two control rails 14 are fixedly connected in the separation box 7, and the cleaning box 18 is located between the two control rails 14. The moving end of the control rail 14 is fixedly connected to the outside of the cleaning box 18. During operation, the cleaning box 18 is controlled to move horizontally and vertically via the control rail 14. The vertical movement allows the cleaning box 18 to be sealed to the bottom of the moving nozzle 11. The combination of horizontal movement and vertical movement allows the nozzle plate 23 to be replaced.

[0026] The separation box 7 has two adapter slots 32 on its inner side near the top. The bottom sides of the separation box 7 are also fixed with transmission pipes 13. The two ends of the transmission pipes 13 extend to the outside of the separation box 7 and are connected to the waste liquid box 10 and the addition box 9. During operation, when replacing the nozzle plate 23, the positions of the two nozzle plates 23 are restricted by the adapter slot 32. An electromagnet can be used at the bottom of the adapter slot 32 to control the magnetic force to attract the nozzle plate 23, thereby removing the nozzle plate 23 from the bottom of the moving nozzle 11. This also weakens the magnetic attraction and allows the nozzle plate 23 to be transferred to the bottom of the moving nozzle 11. The addition box 9 has a built-in water pump to transfer the cleaning water to the separation box 7 through the transmission pipe 13. Waste liquid can also be recycled by the waste liquid box 10.

[0027] A lifting box 29 is installed at the bottom center of the cleaning box 18. Multiple vertically oriented mixing arms 28 are installed in the lifting box 29. The multiple mixing arms 28 are arranged linearly and equidistantly, and a rotating transmission column 30 is installed at the bottom of the mixing arms 28. During operation, when the nozzle plate 23 is being replaced and there is no other work to be done afterward, multiple mixing arms 28 can be moved upward by controlling the lifting box 29. The mixing arms 28 enter the inkjet tank 22 and agitate it. At the same time, the system can also control all the ink inside to be discharged. The purpose is to clean up ink clumps at the top of the heating element in a thermal printer, which is prone to forming due to long-term heating of the ink above. The mixing arms 28 can clean up the clumps and discharge them into the cleaning box 18. It should be noted that this function is not suitable for frequent use.

[0028] The mixing arm 28 is composed of multiple elastic metal wires, forming a long teardrop shape that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. A series plate is fixed between the bottoms of the multiple transmission columns 30. A sealing hole 31 adapted to the transmission column 30 is opened in the middle of the cleaning box 18. During operation, the structure of the mixing arm 28 can spread due to compression when it is in contact with the inkjet printer 26, cleaning up the clumps stuck to the inkjet printer 26 and improving the cleaning effect. The series plate is used to synchronously control the lifting and lowering of multiple drive columns 30 together. The sealing hole 31 has a built-in elastic sheet to reduce liquid leakage.

[0029] The movable printhead 11 is also provided with an ink storage tank 19, which is located above the ink jet tank 22. The ink storage tank 19 and the ink jet tank 22 are connected by a connecting groove 21. A diaphragm pump is installed inside the movable printhead 11, and the diaphragm pump is connected to the connecting groove 21 through a negative pressure pipe 20. During operation, the ink reservoir 19 will first store a certain amount of ink, and under natural gravity, it will continuously fill the inkjet tank 22 with ink. This not only ensures that there is enough ink in the inkjet tank 22, but also provides enough time to replace the ink cartridge 4. During the removal of the nozzle plate 23, the diaphragm pump can also provide negative pressure to ensure that the ink at the bottom does not leak out.

[0030] The top of the movable printhead 11 is fixedly connected to an adjustment valve 15 that communicates with the ink reservoir 19. Multiple thin connecting pipes 16 are fixedly connected to the outer side of the top of the adjustment valve 15. The connecting pipes 16 pass through the outer edge of the movable printhead 11 and communicate with the ink cartridge 4. During operation, the regulating valve 15 can only allow liquid to flow in one direction and has a built-in negative pressure function to provide suction when the suction is insufficient. The connecting pipe 16 is restricted by the top of the moving nozzle 11 to reduce pipe bends and create a high position, which can cause ink flow obstruction.

[0031] The side cover 8 on the outside of the separation box 7 is detachable. The moving end of the electric slide rail 12 inside the inkjet printer body 1 is connected to the middle of the moving printhead 11. One end of the moving printhead 11 is equipped with an alignment device 17. A reflector adapted to the alignment device 17 is installed in the separation box 7. During operation, the movable nozzle 11 can be directly replaced by removing the side cover 8. At this time, the cleaning box 18 sinks down to facilitate the removal of the movable nozzle 11. When the movable nozzle 11 moves into the separation box 7, the alignment device 17 can emit a positioning laser towards the reflector to ensure that the movable nozzle 11 moves to the accurate position.

[0032] During operation, the ink cartridge 4 containing ink is installed into the inkjet printer body 1 and connected to the moving printhead 11. The inkjet printer body 1 has a built-in control system. After receiving printing data and operation instructions, the main control unit parses and rasterizes the data to generate precise bitmap instructions. The printhead drive circuit precisely controls the moving printhead 11 to move according to the instructions, and coordinates with the paper movement speed to precisely control the piezoelectric or thermal bulb units of each tiny nozzle, triggering ink droplet ejection within nanoseconds to complete image reconstruction. After inkjet printing is completed, the moving printhead 11 is moved to one side, into the separation cartridge 7, and precisely moved to the top of the cleaning box 18. The cleaning box 18 is then raised so that the bottom of the moving printhead 11 is completely in contact with the bottom surface of the cleaning box 18. The bottom of the moving printhead 11 is sealed, reducing direct contact between the ink and the outside air, thus reducing the evaporation of moisture in the ink and preventing ink clumping and nozzle blockage. During the sealing period, a small amount of water is injected into the cleaning chamber 18. The separation box 7 has a built-in humidity detector, which selects the amount of water to inject based on the humidity level. The humidity inside the cleaning chamber 18 must be maintained above 70%. At this humidity level, the moisture in the ink will not evaporate outwards. Instead, due to the high air humidity, the ink will be drawn back to keep the ink moist, further reducing the problem of ink drying and solidification. Moreover, only when the separation box 7 detects a decrease in humidity should a small amount of water be injected, so that the ink is in a cycle of absorbing and dehydrating, always keeping the ink from drying out. It also avoids ink leakage due to excessive water absorption. After prolonged use or intensive use during a single print job, the nozzle plate 23, which carries the nozzles, can be removed directly from the print head 11 after the moving print head 11 is moved to the cleaning tank 18. At this time, negative pressure is provided in the moving print head 11 to prevent ink leakage. Simultaneously, the cleaning tank 18 is moved horizontally, placing a new nozzle plate 23 below the moving print head 11 for replacement. When the moving print head 11 can continue operating, high-temperature cleaning fluid is added to the cleaning tank 18 to soak the replaced nozzle plate 23. The movement of the cleaning tank 18 can be controlled to assist in the dissolution of the dried ink. At this time, the moving print head 11 is either above the cleaning tank 18 or in the process of printing. After a period of time, the cleaning solution is poured out and left to dry. The residual moisture can air dry naturally. During the air drying process, the internal humidity is relatively high, so no more water is added to the cleaning tank 18. Finally, the nozzle plate 23 is completely free of dried ink residue and can be replaced next time. This setting not only ensures that the moving printhead 11 is in a relatively sealed environment with suitable humidity after each use, greatly reducing the problem of ink drying and hardening in direct contact with air, but also automates the replacement of the nozzle plate 23, allowing the equipment to continue to operate under high-intensity work. It can also automatically clean the nozzle plate 23 that has been used for a long time and carries hardened ink, realizing the function of long-term unobstructed operation of the equipment and greatly extending its service life.

[0033] Ink cartridge 4 continuously fills the inkjet chamber 22 through gravity and negative pressure. Then, the ink in the inkjet chamber 22 is continuously ejected from the bottom by the inkjet printer 26. Numerous tiny nozzles are provided on the nozzle plate 23, allowing the ink to be sprayed in neat, arranged droplets. The inkjet printer 26 can be piezoelectric or thermal. The piezoelectric principle is as follows: current is precisely applied to both sides of a piezoelectric crystal inside the printhead; crystal deformation: voltage causes the crystal to undergo minute bending or contraction deformation; compression ejection: the deformation compresses adjacent ink chambers. The pressure inside the cavity increases sharply, forcing the ink droplets to be precisely ejected from the nozzle; Reset ink absorption: when the voltage is removed, the crystal returns to its original state, a negative pressure is generated inside the cavity, and new ink is drawn in, ready for the next ejection; The thermal bubble type is basically the same, except that the thermal bubble type forms bubbles by heating, forcing the ink droplets to be precisely ejected from the nozzle, and a negative pressure is also generated after heating to absorb ink; The nozzle plate 23 is connected to the slot via the connecting rod 24. The connection between the connecting rod 24 and the slot can be magnetic, and a locking mechanism is set at the bottom of the slot to ensure a tight connection.

[0034] The lower through-hole 27 is designed so that when the nozzle plate 23 is separated, the bottom opening is narrow, which, together with the negative pressure of the air bubble above and the tension of the ink, prevents the ink from falling.

[0035] The cleaning box 18 is controlled to move horizontally and vertically by adjusting the control rail 14. The vertical movement allows the cleaning box 18 to be sealed to the bottom of the moving nozzle 11. The combination of horizontal movement and vertical movement allows the nozzle plate 23 to be replaced.

[0036] When replacing the nozzle plate 23, the positions of the two nozzle plates 23 are restricted by the adapter slot 32. An electromagnet can be used at the bottom of the adapter slot 32 to control the magnetic force to attract the nozzle plate 23, thereby removing the nozzle plate 23 from the bottom of the moving nozzle head 11. This also weakens the magnetic attraction and allows the nozzle plate 23 to be transferred to the bottom of the moving nozzle head 11. The addition box 9 has a built-in water pump to transfer the cleaning water to the separation box 7 through the transmission pipe 13. Waste liquid can also be recycled by the waste liquid box 10.

[0037] When the nozzle plate 23 is being replaced and there is no other work to be done afterward, multiple mixing arms 28 can be moved upward by controlling the lifting box 29. The mixing arms 28 enter the inkjet tank 22 and agitate it. At the same time, the system can also control all the ink inside to be discharged. The purpose is to clean the ink clumping at the top of the heating element in a thermal printer, as long-term heating of the ink above can easily cause ink clumping. The mixing arms 28 can clean the clumping and discharge it into the cleaning box 18. It should be noted that this function is not suitable for frequent use.

[0038] The structure of the mixing arm 28 allows it to spread out due to compression when it is attached to the inkjet printer 26, thus cleaning up any clumps stuck to the inkjet printer 26 and improving the cleaning effect. The series plate is used to synchronously control the lifting and lowering of multiple drive columns 30 together. The sealing hole 31 has a built-in elastic sheet to reduce liquid leakage.

[0039] The ink reservoir 19 will first store a certain amount of ink, and under natural gravity, it will continuously fill the inkjet tank 22 with ink, which not only ensures that there is enough ink in the inkjet tank 22, but also allows enough time to replace the ink cartridge 4; during the removal of the nozzle plate 23, the diaphragm pump can also provide negative pressure to ensure that the ink at the bottom will not leak out.

[0040] The regulating valve 15 can only allow liquid to flow in one direction and has a built-in negative pressure function to provide suction when the suction is insufficient. The connecting pipe 16 is restricted by the top of the moving nozzle 11 to reduce pipe bends and create a high position, which can cause ink flow obstruction.

[0041] By removing the side cover 8, the movable nozzle 11 can be directly replaced. At this time, the cleaning box 18 sinks down to facilitate the removal of the movable nozzle 11. When the movable nozzle 11 moves into the separation box 7, the alignment device 17 can emit a positioning laser towards the reflector to ensure that the movable nozzle 11 moves to the accurate position.

[0042] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An inkjet printer that prevents printhead clogging, characterized in that: The printer includes an inkjet printer body with a paper output port located at the front bottom. A baffle is installed at the rear top of the inkjet printer body. A flip-up protective cover is installed on the top of the inkjet printer body. The ink cartridge is detachably installed at the front top of the inkjet printer body. A movable printhead capable of horizontal movement is installed inside the inkjet printer body. A nozzle plate is installed at the bottom of the movable printhead. A separation box is fixed to one side of the inkjet printer body. The separation box is arranged parallel to the movable printhead. A cleaning box for cleaning the movable printhead is provided in the separation box.

2. An inkjet printer for preventing printhead clogging according to claim 1, characterized in that: The movable printhead has an inkjet slot at its bottom, and an inkjet printer is fixed to the top of the inkjet slot. The bottom of the movable printhead has a connecting slot that matches the nozzle plate, and multiple connecting rods are fixed to the top of the nozzle plate. The connecting slot has multiple slots that match the connecting rods.

3. An inkjet printer for preventing printhead clogging according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom of the inkjet tank is provided with a lower through hole, which is elongated and wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. The surface of the inkjet tank is also provided with nozzle grooves that are adapted to the position of the lower through hole.

4. An inkjet printer for preventing printhead clogging according to claim 3, characterized in that: Two control rails are fixedly connected in the separation box, and the cleaning box is located between the two control rails. The moving end of the control rail is fixedly connected to the outside of the cleaning box.

5. An inkjet printer for preventing printhead clogging according to claim 4, characterized in that: The separation box has two adapter slots on its inner side near the top, and transmission pipes are fixed to the bottom of both sides of the separation box. The two ends of the transmission pipes extend to the outside of the separation box and are connected to a waste liquid box and an addition box.

6. An inkjet printer for preventing printhead clogging according to claim 5, characterized in that: A lifting box is installed at the bottom center of the cleaning box. Multiple vertically oriented mixing arms are installed in the lifting box. The multiple mixing arms are arranged linearly and equidistantly, and a rotating transmission column is installed at the bottom of the mixing arms.

7. An inkjet printer for preventing printhead clogging according to claim 6, characterized in that: The mixing arm is composed of multiple elastic metal wires, forming a long teardrop shape that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. A series plate is fixed between the bottoms of the multiple transmission columns, and a sealing hole adapted to the transmission columns is opened in the middle of the cleaning box.

8. An inkjet printer for preventing printhead clogging according to claim 7, characterized in that: The movable printhead also has an ink storage tank inside, which is located above the inkjet tank. The ink storage tank and the inkjet tank are connected by a connecting groove. A diaphragm pump is installed inside the movable printhead, and the diaphragm pump is connected to the connecting groove through a negative pressure pipe.

9. An inkjet printer for preventing printhead clogging according to claim 8, characterized in that: The top of the movable printhead is fixedly connected to an adjustment valve that communicates with the ink reservoir. Multiple slender connecting pipes are fixedly connected to the outer side of the top of the adjustment valve. The connecting pipes pass through the outer edge of the movable printhead and communicate with the ink cartridge.

10. An inkjet printer for preventing printhead clogging according to claim 9, characterized in that: The side cover of the separation box is detachable. The moving end of the electric slide rail inside the inkjet printer body is connected to the middle of the moving printhead. An alignment device is installed at one end of the moving printhead. A reflector adapted to the alignment device is installed in the separation box.

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