Ink supply device of ink-jet printer

Abstract

The utility model discloses an ink supply device of an ink-jet printer, which comprises a rectangular box body and a plurality of ink bins, ink injection nozzles are arranged at the upper parts of the ink bins, a plurality of partition plates which are arranged at equal intervals are vertically arranged in an inner cavity of the box body to form ink bin mounting cavities, and the ink bins are inserted into the ink bin mounting cavities from the top of the box body in a one-to-one correspondence manner. The ink bin is of a rectangular box structure, the lower portion of an inner cavity of the ink bin is provided with a bottom plate to form a closed buoyancy cavity, an ink storage cavity is formed in the upper portion of the bottom plate and used for filling ink with the density of rho2, the horizontal sectional area of the inner cavity of the ink bin is A, and the outer side of the ink bin and the ink bin installation cavity form an annular space. The horizontal sectional area of the annular space is B, A: B = rho1: rho2, the bottom of the ink bin is provided with a round pipe with the upper end communicated with the ink storage cavity, the bottom of the ink bin installation cavity is provided with an ink outlet connecting pipe, and the lower end of the round pipe is communicated with the ink outlet connecting pipe through a hose. The oil responds sensitively to the weight change of the ink chamber, so that the error is small, and the stability is good.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of inkjet printing technology, specifically to an ink supply device for an inkjet printer. Background Technology

[0002] Inkjet printers spray liquid ink onto the paper surface through nozzles to form images or text. To ensure continuous operation, many existing inkjet printers are equipped with a continuous ink supply system (CISS). During printing, the printer's ink cartridges continuously supply ink to the printhead. While supplying ink, the pressure inside the cartridge decreases, requiring the intake of an equal volume of air to maintain pressure balance. The CISS replaces the air supplied through the cartridge's vent with ink. The cartridge is replenished with an equal volume of ink while simultaneously supplying ink to the printhead. This replenishment is delivered from an external, high-capacity ink tank via a flexible hose, allowing for continuous ink refilling. To address the issue of constant ink pressure, a search revealed a Chinese utility model patent, CN212472809U, which discloses a printer ink supply device. The top of a compression spring supports and connects to the ink tank, allowing the ink tank to float and compensate for the ink level in real time. However, this solution also has the following drawbacks: the volume of an external ink tank is generally between 200 and 500 ml, resulting in a relatively small weight (below 10 N). Consequently, the ink consumption (or weight variation) during use is even smaller. Therefore, using a spring to support the ink tank and responding to changes in ink volume through spring deformation inevitably leads to a significant error. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide an ink supply device for an inkjet printer to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: an ink supply device for an inkjet printer, comprising a rectangular housing and several ink tanks. L-shaped supports are installed on both sides of the bottom of the housing. An ink filling nozzle is provided on the upper part of each ink tank. Multiple equidistant partitions are vertically installed within the inner cavity of the housing to form ink tank mounting cavities. Each ink tank is inserted into one of the ink tank mounting cavities from the top of the housing. The ink tank mounting cavities are filled with an ink solution of density ρ1. Each ink tank has a rectangular box structure, and the lower part of the inner cavity is equipped with... The bottom plate forms a closed buoyancy cavity, and the upper part of the bottom plate forms an ink storage cavity for filling ink with a density of ρ2. The horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​the inner cavity of the ink tank is A. The outer side of the ink tank and the ink tank mounting cavity form an annular space with a horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​B, where A:B = ρ1:ρ2. The bottom of the ink tank is provided with a circular tube whose upper end is connected to the ink storage cavity. The bottom of the ink tank mounting cavity is provided with an ink outlet pipe. The lower end of the circular tube is connected to the ink outlet pipe through a flexible hose. The housing and the ink tank are both made of transparent plastic material.

[0005] Preferably, the ink tank has symmetrical protrusions on both sides, the top of the ink tank mounting cavity has a socket adapted to the ink tank, the edge of the socket has a guide groove adapted to the protrusions, and the top of the ink tank has micro-holes for balancing the internal air pressure.

[0006] Preferably, the oil filled into the ink tank mounting cavity is silicone oil.

[0007] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this invention are: This invention utilizes an oil-floating ink tank, using the buoyancy of the ink tank to counteract changes in ink level, thereby maintaining a constant ink level and ensuring constant ink output pressure. The oil is highly sensitive to changes in the weight of the ink tank, resulting in small errors and good stability. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;

[0009] Figure 2 This is a top view of the structure of this utility model;

[0010] Figure 3 This is a plan view of the ink cartridge layout within the ink cartridge mounting cavity.

[0011] In the diagram: 1. Housing; 2. Partition; 3. Support leg; 4. Micro-hole; 5. Ink tank; 6. Ink cartridge mounting cavity; 7. Buoyancy cavity; 8. Round tube; 9. Flexible tube; 10. Ink filling nozzle; 11. Raised ridge. Detailed Implementation

[0012] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments.

[0013] Please see Figure 1-3 This utility model provides a technical solution: an ink supply device for an inkjet printer, comprising a rectangular housing 1 and several ink tanks 5. L-shaped support legs 3 are installed on both sides of the bottom of the housing 1, and the support legs 3 have through holes for installation and fixation. An ink filling nozzle 10 is provided on the upper part of each ink tank 5. Multiple equally spaced partitions 2 are vertically installed in the inner cavity of the housing 1 to form an ink cartridge mounting cavity 6. Each ink tank 5 is inserted into the ink cartridge mounting cavity 6 from the top of the housing 1. Symmetrical protrusions 11 are provided on both sides of each ink tank 5. The top of the ink cartridge mounting cavity 6 has insertion holes adapted to the ink tank 5, and the edges of the insertion holes have guide grooves adapted to the protrusions 11. The fit between the protrusions and the guide grooves provides stability for the vertical movement of the ink tank 5. Micro-holes 4 are opened on the top of each ink tank 5 to balance the internal air pressure.

[0014] The ink cartridge mounting cavity 6 is filled with an oil of density ρ1. The oil can be a silicone oil with good evaporation properties. The ink tank 5 has a rectangular box structure, and a bottom plate forms a closed buoyancy cavity 7 at the bottom of the inner cavity. The buoyancy cavity 7 ensures that the ink tank 5 always floats in the oil. The upper part of the bottom plate forms an ink storage cavity, which is used to fill with ink of density ρ2. The horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​the inner cavity of the ink tank 5 is A. The outer side of the ink tank 5 and the ink cartridge mounting cavity 6 form an annular space with a horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​B. A:B = ρ1:ρ2. Taking the filling of ink tank 5 as an example: the weight of the ink ρ2(A.H1)g = the weight of the displaced oil ρ1(B.H2)g. H1 represents the height to which the ink rises in the ink tank 5, and H2 represents the height to which the ink tank 5 sinks into the oil after its weight increases, ensuring that H1 = H2. This ensures that when the ink level in ink tank 5 increases or decreases by a certain amount, ink tank 5 will sink or float in the oil to offset the change, thus maintaining a constant ink level.

[0015] The bottom of the ink tank 5 is equipped with a circular tube 8 that connects to the ink storage chamber at its upper end. The bottom of the ink cartridge mounting cavity 6 is equipped with an ink outlet connector. The lower end of the circular tube 8 is connected to the ink outlet connector via a flexible hose 9. The ink outlet connector is connected to the printer's ink cartridge via a pipe to deliver ink to the ink cartridge. Both the housing 1 and the ink tank 5 are made of transparent plastic to allow observation of the ink level.

[0016] Working principle: The ink tank 5 is floated by oil. When the ink in the ink tank 5 decreases or is added, the ink tank 5 floats or sinks accordingly in the oil. The change in the ink level in the ink tank is offset by the rise and fall of the ink tank 5, thereby maintaining a constant ink level and ensuring a constant ink output pressure.

[0017] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An ink supply device for an inkjet printer, comprising a rectangular housing (1) and a plurality of ink tanks (5), wherein L-shaped support legs (3) are respectively installed on both sides of the bottom of the housing (1), and an ink filling nozzle (10) is provided on the upper part of each ink tank (5), characterized in that: The inner cavity of the housing (1) is vertically fitted with multiple equally spaced partitions (2) to form an ink cartridge mounting cavity (6). The ink tanks (5) are inserted one-to-one into the ink cartridge mounting cavities (6) from the top of the housing (1). The ink cartridge mounting cavities (6) are filled with oil of density ρ1. The ink tanks (5) have a rectangular box structure, and the lower part of the inner cavity forms a closed buoyancy cavity (7) through a base plate. The upper part of the base plate forms an ink storage cavity, which is used to fill with ink of density ρ2. The horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​the inner cavity of (5) is A. The outer side of the ink tank (5) and the ink cartridge mounting cavity (6) form an annular space with a horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​B. A:B = ρ1:ρ2. The bottom of the ink tank (5) is provided with a round tube (8) whose upper end is connected to the ink storage cavity. The bottom of the ink cartridge mounting cavity (6) is provided with an ink outlet pipe. The lower end of the round tube (8) is connected to the ink outlet pipe through a flexible hose (9). The box (1) and the ink tank (5) are both made of transparent plastic material.

2. The ink supply device for an inkjet printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ink tank (5) has symmetrical protrusions (11) on both sides. The top of the ink cartridge mounting cavity (6) is provided with a socket that matches the ink tank (5). The edge of the socket is provided with a guide groove that matches the protrusions (11). The top of the ink tank (5) is provided with micro-holes (4) to balance the internal air pressure.

3. The ink supply device for an inkjet printer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The oil filled in the ink cartridge mounting cavity (6) is silicone oil.

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