Continuous ink supply printer

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of continuous ink supply printer, including ink tank and shell, flexible conduit, movement mechanism, word car and print head are placed in shell;Flexible conduit is detachably connected with ink tank in one end, and the other end is connected in print head;Print head is installed on word car, word car is connected in movement mechanism, and movement mechanism is used to drive word car movement;Ink tank is detachably placed in shell, when ink tank is placed in shell, ink tank and movement mechanism, word car and print head are misaligned in horizontal direction arrangement.The printer cancels traditional built-in ink tank store, ink tank is completely external, independent of printer shell, so that the design of shell is not affected by ink tank volume, reduce the shell thickness.When ink tank is placed in shell, ink tank and mobile printing component do not overlap in thickness direction, reduce the overall thickness of shell.So that the overall thickness of the printer is thinned, it is convenient to carry, without frequent replacement ink tank.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of printers, and in particular to a printer with continuous ink supply. Background Technology

[0002] Most existing printers, especially photo printers, use built-in ink cartridges. Figure 1 and Figure 2 A printer with a built-in ink cartridge is shown. The printer housing contains a linear moving part (such as a screw or guide rail). The printhead carriage is a rectangular structure, with its back connected to the linear moving part, allowing it to move horizontally and linearly. The ink cartridge is held within the rectangular frame of the printhead carriage and moves synchronously with it. The back of the ink cartridge has a nozzle (not shown in the image), corresponding to the printhead position. In this structure, the ink cartridge is built-in and connected to the printhead carriage. Due to the relatively large size of the ink cartridge, the printer itself is quite thick, making it difficult to meet portability requirements.

[0003] Existing printers with external ink cartridges and continuous ink supply also lack a design for a thinner printer structure, making them inconvenient to carry. Utility Model Content

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to overcome the shortcomings of existing printers that are too thick and inconvenient to carry, and to provide a printer with continuous ink supply.

[0005] The present invention solves the above-mentioned technical problems through the following technical solution:

[0006] A continuous ink supply printer, the printer comprising an ink cartridge and a housing, wherein a flexible conduit, a motion mechanism, a print carriage, and a print head are disposed within the housing;

[0007] One end of the flexible conduit is detachably connected to the ink cartridge, and the other end is connected to the print head;

[0008] The print head is mounted on the print carriage, the print carriage is connected to the motion mechanism, and the motion mechanism is used to drive the print carriage to move;

[0009] The ink cartridge is detachably housed within the housing. When the ink cartridge is housed within the housing, the ink cartridge is horizontally offset from the motion mechanism, the print carriage, and the print head.

[0010] In this design, the printer's ink cartridges are detachably connected to the casing, eliminating the traditional built-in cartridge compartment and placing the cartridges entirely externally, independent of the printer casing. This allows the casing design to be unaffected by the cartridge size, reducing the casing thickness. When the cartridges are inside the casing, they are connected to the printhead via flexible conduits, and the cartridges, motion mechanism, printhead carriage, and print head are horizontally offset. This creates a separate structure for the cartridges and moving printing components (including the printhead, printhead carriage, and motion mechanism), preventing overlap in the thickness direction (perpendicular to the horizontal). Compared to existing technologies where the cartridges overlap with the printhead carriage and motion mechanism, this design reduces the overall casing thickness. This results in a thinner printer, making it more portable, reducing the need for frequent cartridge replacements, lowering per-page printing costs, and minimizing pollution from discarded cartridges.

[0011] Preferably, the printer includes multiple ink cartridges storing different colors of ink and multiple flexible conduits connected to each ink cartridge in a one-to-one correspondence, with the multiple ink cartridges arranged side by side.

[0012] In this design, multiple ink cartridges are arranged side by side, allowing the cartridges to extend along their length to hold the same or higher capacity of ink without increasing their thickness. Thus, when the cartridges are placed inside the housing, only their length is extended without increasing or decreasing their thickness, which helps to reduce the thickness of the housing.

[0013] Preferably, the motion mechanism includes a linear moving member, and the trolley is movably connected to the linear moving member.

[0014] In this solution, through the above settings, the print head is driven by the carriage to move along a straight trajectory, and the printer can reduce the thickness of the casing while moving along a straight trajectory.

[0015] Preferably, the housing is further provided with an ink cartridge mounting bracket for detachably fixing the ink cartridge, and the ink cartridge mounting bracket is arranged parallel to the linear moving part in the horizontal direction.

[0016] In this solution, the ink cartridge mounting bracket and the linear moving part are arranged parallel to each other in the horizontal direction, and the ink cartridge and the linear moving part are staggered. The ink cartridge can be manufactured as a long strip structure, forming a regular shape configuration with the linear moving part, which is beneficial for spatial arrangement within the housing and avoids increasing the thickness.

[0017] Preferably, the motion mechanism includes a motion shaft, and the trolley is rotatably connected to the motion shaft.

[0018] In this solution, through the above settings, the print head is driven to rotate around the motion axis, realizing the movement of a fan-shaped trajectory (or an arc-shaped trajectory). The printer can reduce the thickness of the casing while moving along the fan-shaped trajectory.

[0019] Preferably, the motion axis is configured to move horizontally within the housing.

[0020] In this solution, the above settings increase the range of motion of the motion axis, which in turn increases the range of the print head moving along a fan-shaped trajectory, thereby increasing the printing area while reducing the housing thickness.

[0021] Preferably, the housing is provided with a plurality of mounting brackets, among which the plurality of mounting brackets include a mounting bracket for detachably fixing the ink cartridge;

[0022] The motion axis is located in the space surrounded by the plurality of mounting brackets.

[0023] In this solution, the ink cartridges can be easily detached and fixed by mounting brackets, and the motion axis is set in the space surrounded by multiple mounting brackets, optimizing the layout and giving the printhead a larger printing range.

[0024] Preferably, the housing is further provided with one or more catheter fixing supports, and the flexible catheter is detachably connected to the catheter fixing supports.

[0025] In this solution, the flexible conduit is easily and detachably fixed by the conduit fixing bracket, which allows for flexible adjustment of the length of the flexible conduit and also prevents the print head and print carriage from hitting the flexible conduit and causing malfunctions.

[0026] Preferably, the printer includes multiple ink cartridges storing different colors of ink and multiple flexible conduits connected to each ink cartridge. The conduit fixing bracket includes multiple slots arranged side by side, and the flexible conduits are snapped into the slots.

[0027] In this solution, the flexible conduits can be centrally fixed on the conduit fixing bracket through the side-by-side slots, resulting in a neat pipeline arrangement.

[0028] Preferably, the letter carrier is provided with a plurality of slots arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, and the plurality of flexible conduits are respectively engaged in the slots;

[0029] Alternatively, the letterpress may have a slot in which multiple flexible conduits are engaged in the same slot with a thickness direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

[0030] In this design, multiple slots arranged horizontally side-by-side are provided on the die carriage, allowing multiple flexible conduits to be fixed in a flat state on the slots, which helps to avoid excessive shell thickness. Alternatively, if only one slot is provided on the die carriage, and multiple flexible conduits are engaged in the same slot with their thickness direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction, the multiple flexible conduits are engaged in a concentrated manner along the thickness direction, resulting in a simpler structure.

[0031] Preferably, the printer further includes a plurality of quick-connect fittings, the flexible conduit being connected to the ink cartridge via the quick-connect fittings, and / or the flexible conduit being connected to the printhead via the quick-connect fittings.

[0032] In this solution, quick-connect couplings facilitate the rapid connection or disconnection of flexible conduits with ink cartridges and printheads.

[0033] The significant advantages of this invention are as follows: The printer's ink cartridge adopts a design that allows for detachable connection to the casing, eliminating the traditional built-in ink cartridge compartment. The ink cartridge is completely external and independent of the printer casing, making the casing design unaffected by the ink cartridge's size and reducing the casing thickness. When the ink cartridge is placed inside the casing, it is connected to the printhead via a flexible conduit. The ink cartridge, motion mechanism, printhead carriage, and printhead are horizontally offset, resulting in a separate structure for the ink cartridge and moving printing components (including the printhead, printhead carriage, and motion mechanism). These components do not overlap in the thickness direction (the direction perpendicular to the horizontal), significantly reducing the overall casing thickness compared to existing designs where the ink cartridge overlaps with the printhead carriage and motion mechanism. This leads to a thinner overall printer, making it more portable, reducing the need for frequent ink cartridge replacements, lowering the cost per page, and minimizing pollution from discarded ink cartridges. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a printer using existing technology.

[0035] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional view along the AA direction.

[0036] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the printer according to Embodiment 1 of this utility model.

[0037] Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the printer according to Embodiment 1 of this utility model.

[0038] Figure 5 This is a front view of the printer according to Embodiment 1 of this utility model.

[0039] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A cross-sectional view along the BB direction.

[0040] Figure 7 for Figure 2 and Figure 6 A comparison diagram, the left side of the diagram is... Figure 2 On the right is Figure 6 .

[0041] Figure 8This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the printer according to Embodiment 2 of this utility model.

[0042] Figure 9 This is an exploded view of the printer according to Embodiment 2 of this utility model.

[0043] Figure 10 This is a front view of the printer according to Embodiment 2 of this utility model.

[0044] Figure 11 for Figure 10 A cross-sectional view along the CC direction.

[0045] Figure 12 for Figure 2 and Figure 11 A comparison diagram, the left side of the diagram is... Figure 2 On the right is Figure 11 .

[0046] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0047] Printer 100

[0048] Ink cartridge 110

[0049] 120 shell

[0050] Flexible catheter 130

[0051] Sports organization 140

[0052] Linear moving part 141

[0053] Motion axis 142

[0054] 150 words

[0055] Print head 160

[0056] Ink cartridge mounting bracket 170

[0057] Mounting bracket 171

[0058] 180 catheter fixation stent

[0059] Card slot 181

[0060] Thickness direction D of the shell Detailed Implementation

[0061] The present invention will be described more clearly and completely below with reference to the accompanying drawings, using a preferred embodiment.

[0062] Example 1

[0063] This embodiment provides a continuous ink supply printer 100, such as... Figures 3-6As shown, the printer 100 includes an ink cartridge 110 and a housing 120. A flexible conduit 130, a motion mechanism 140, a print carriage 150, and a print head 160 are housed within the housing 120. One end of the flexible conduit 130 is detachably connected to the ink cartridge 110, and the other end is connected to the print head 160. The print head 160 is mounted on the print carriage 150, which is connected to the motion mechanism 140, which drives the print carriage 150 to move. The ink cartridge 110 is detachably housed within the housing 120. When the ink cartridge 110 is housed within the housing 120, it is horizontally offset from the motion mechanism 140, the print carriage 150, and the print head 160.

[0064] Specifically, in this embodiment, the flexible conduit 130 is a flexible tube made of soft rubber. Without affecting ink transfer, interfering with the movement of the printhead 150, or the ink tank assembly, the flexible conduit 130 can be bent arbitrarily according to the arrangement requirements of other components, optimizing to the shortest path and reducing space occupation. The printhead 150 is a square-shaped plastic or metal component, serving as a movable connecting component. The square printhead 160 is snapped into the frame of the printhead 150. Simultaneously, the printhead 150 is connected to the motion mechanism 140, which drives the printhead 150 to move, thereby moving the printhead 160. In this embodiment, when the printer 100 is in use, the ink cartridge 110 is housed within the housing 120. Within the housing 120, the ink cartridge 110 and the components related to mobile printing (motion mechanism 140, printhead 150, and printhead 160) are horizontally offset.

[0065] The ink cartridge 110 of the printer 100 adopts a design that is detachably connected to the housing 120. The traditional built-in ink cartridge 110 compartment is eliminated, and the ink cartridge 110 is completely external and independent of the printer 100 housing 120. This makes the design of the housing 120 unaffected by the size of the ink cartridge 110, reducing the thickness of the housing 120. Furthermore, once the ink cartridge 110 is used up, it can be replaced to achieve continuous ink supply. When the ink cartridge 110 is placed inside the housing 120, the ink cartridge 110 and the print head 160 are connected by a flexible conduit 130. The ink cartridge 110 and the motion mechanism 140, the print carriage 150 and the print head 160 are horizontally offset. In this way, the ink cartridge 110 and the moving printing components (including the print head 160, the print carriage 150 and the motion mechanism 140) are separate structures and do not overlap in the thickness direction (the thickness direction is perpendicular to the horizontal). Compared with the overlapping design of the ink cartridge 110 and the print carriage 150, motion mechanism 140 in the prior art, this reduces the overall thickness of the housing 120. As a result, the overall thickness of the printer 100 is reduced, making it easier to carry, eliminating the need for frequent ink cartridge 110 replacements, reducing the cost per page, and also reducing the pollution caused by discarded ink cartridges 110.

[0066] Among them, such as Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the printer 100 includes three ink cartridges 110 that store ink of different colors and three flexible conduits 130 that are connected to each ink cartridge 110 in a one-to-one correspondence. The three ink cartridges 110 are arranged side by side.

[0067] In the prior art, some ink cartridges 110 include ink tanks of different colors, and these ink tanks are not arranged side by side. For example, red and yellow ink tanks are side by side, while the blue ink tank is on the side of the red and yellow ink tanks. The three ink tanks still form a square ink cartridge 110. This non-side-by-side arrangement of ink cartridges 110 is limited by the overall size. If one color ink tank extends along its length, it limits the volume of another color. In this embodiment, multiple ink cartridges 110 are arranged side by side, allowing the ink cartridges 110 to achieve the same or higher ink capacity by extending along their length, without increasing the thickness of the ink cartridges 110. Thus, when the ink cartridges 110 are placed inside the housing 120, only the length is extended, without increasing or decreasing the thickness, which helps to reduce the thickness of the housing 120. Figure 7 Demonstrating Figure 2 Existing design and Figure 6 This embodiment is illustrated by a schematic diagram comparing the thickness of the housing 120. The diagram shows that the housing 120 designed in this embodiment is significantly thinner than the housing 120 in the prior art.

[0068] The printer 100 in this embodiment is a printer that prints by moving along a linear trajectory. Therefore, its associated motion mechanism 140 includes components capable of moving along a linear trajectory. Specifically, such as... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the motion mechanism 140 includes a linear moving member 141, to which the print head 150 is movably connected. This linear moving member 141 can be a screw or a slide rail. Accordingly, the print head 150 is threadedly connected to the screw or slidably connected to the slide rail. The motion mechanism 140 also includes a drive motor (not shown), which, under the control of the printing control program, drives the print head 150 to move back and forth on the screw or slide rail. The print head 150 drives the print head 160 to move along a linear trajectory, achieving precise printing and reducing the thickness of the housing 120. Of course, the linear moving member 141 is not limited to a screw or slide rail; other components capable of linear movement can be used in other embodiments.

[0069] Among them, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the housing 120 also includes a cartridge mounting bracket 170 for detachably fixing the cartridges 110. This embodiment has three cartridges 110, and correspondingly, the cartridge mounting bracket 170 has three mounting slots. The three cartridges 110 can be inserted side-by-side into the mounting slots from the side of the housing 120 and then fixed in the slots. The cartridge mounting bracket 170 and the linear moving member 141 are arranged parallel to each other in the horizontal direction. This parallel arrangement of the cartridge mounting bracket 170 and the linear moving member 141 in the horizontal direction achieves a staggered arrangement between the cartridges 110 and the linear moving member 141. Furthermore, the cartridges 110 can be manufactured as elongated structures, forming a regular shape configuration with the linear moving member 141, which is beneficial for spatial arrangement within the housing 120 and avoids increasing thickness.

[0070] The housing 120 also includes one or more conduit fixing brackets 180, to which the flexible conduit 130 is detachably connected. The conduit fixing brackets 180 facilitate the detachable fixing of the flexible conduit 130, allow for flexible adjustment of the length of the flexible conduit 130, and prevent the printhead 150 and print head 160 from encountering the flexible conduit 130 and causing malfunctions. In different embodiments, the number of conduit fixing brackets 180 can be adjusted according to the arrangement and length of the flexible conduit 130 within the housing 120.

[0071] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown in this embodiment, each conduit fixing bracket 180 includes multiple slots 181 arranged side by side, and three flexible conduits 130 are snapped into the slots 181 side by side. Through the slots 181 arranged side by side, the flexible conduits 130 can be centrally fixed on the conduit fixing bracket 180, and the pipeline is neatly arranged.

[0072] In this embodiment, the printer 100 also includes several quick-connect connectors (not shown in the figure). The flexible conduit 130 is connected to the ink cartridge 110 via the quick-connect connectors, and the flexible conduit 130 can also be connected to the print head 160 via the quick-connect connectors. The quick-connect connectors facilitate quick connection or disconnection of the flexible conduit 130 with the ink cartridge 110 and the print head 160.

[0073] The printer 100 in this embodiment is commonly a photo printer 100, but the printer 100 using the technical solution of this embodiment is not limited to a photo printer 100.

[0074] Example 2

[0075] like Figures 8-11As shown, this embodiment provides another type of printer 100. The printer 100 in this embodiment is largely the same as the printer 100 in Embodiment 1, except that the printer 100 in this embodiment is a printer that prints using a fan-shaped trajectory (or an arc-shaped trajectory). Therefore, its associated motion mechanism 140 includes components capable of moving along a fan-shaped trajectory. Specifically, the motion mechanism 140 includes a motion shaft 142, and a print head 150 is rotatably connected to the motion shaft 142. A drive motor (not shown) drives the motion shaft 142 to rotate, and the print head 150 drives the print head 160 to rotate around the motion shaft 142, thereby achieving the fan-shaped trajectory movement. Therefore, the printer 100 in this embodiment can reduce the thickness of the housing 120 while moving along a fan-shaped trajectory.

[0076] Among them, such as Figure 8 As shown, the housing 120 includes three boxes. The box on the left is a cartridge 110 connected to a flexible tube. The cartridges 110 containing three different colors of ink are arranged side by side. Figure 8 The box located on the left side of the middle section; the box placed horizontally at the bottom of the casing 120 and the box on the right side can be boxes for other purposes, such as boxes for storing cleaning fluid. Accordingly, as Figure 9 As shown, the housing 120 has three mounting brackets 171 corresponding to the three boxes, and the motion shaft 142 is located in the space surrounded by the three mounting brackets 171. In this design, the mounting brackets 171 facilitate the detachable fixing of the ink cartridge 110, and the placement of the motion shaft 142 in the space surrounded by multiple mounting brackets 171 optimizes the layout, allowing the print head 160 to have a larger printing range.

[0077] Among them, such as Figures 8-10 As shown, the letter carrier 150 is provided with three slots 181 arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. Three flexible conduits 130 are respectively snapped into the slots 181. The three flexible conduits 130 are fixed in a flat state on the slots 181, which helps to avoid the thickness of the housing 120.

[0078] In other embodiments, the carriage 150 may also have other different types of slots. For example, the carriage 150 may have only one slot, and multiple flexible conduits 130 may be engaged in the same slot in a thickness direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction. In this case, the multiple flexible conduits 130 are engaged in a concentrated manner in the thickness direction, resulting in a simple structure.

[0079] In other embodiments, the motion axis 142 can be configured to move horizontally within the housing 120. There are various ways to achieve the horizontal movement of the motion axis 142. For example, the motion axis 142 can slide on the guide rail according to different set trajectories (e.g., linear guide rail or arc guide rail) to increase the range of motion of the motion axis 142, which in turn increases the range of movement of the print head 160 in a fan-shaped trajectory, thereby increasing the printing area while reducing the thickness of the housing 120.

[0080] Similar to the height comparison in Example 1, Figure 12 Demonstrating Figure 2 Existing design and Figure 11 This embodiment is illustrated by a schematic diagram comparing the thickness of the housing 120. The diagram shows that the housing 120 designed in this embodiment is significantly thinner than the housing 120 of the prior art, making it easier to carry.

[0081] While specific embodiments of this utility model have been described above, those skilled in the art should understand that these are merely illustrative examples, and the scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of this utility model, but all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. A continuously ink-supplying printer, the printer comprising an ink cartridge and a housing, characterized in that, The housing contains a flexible conduit, a motion mechanism, a printing carriage, and a print head. One end of the flexible conduit is detachably connected to the ink cartridge, and the other end is connected to the print head; The print head is mounted on the print carriage, the print carriage is connected to the motion mechanism, and the motion mechanism is used to drive the print carriage to move; The ink cartridge is detachably housed within the housing. When the ink cartridge is housed within the housing, the ink cartridge is horizontally offset from the motion mechanism, the print carriage, and the print head.

2. The printer with continuous ink supply as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The printer includes multiple ink cartridges that store ink of different colors and multiple flexible conduits that are connected to each ink cartridge in a one-to-one manner, with the multiple ink cartridges arranged side by side.

3. The printer with continuous ink supply as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The motion mechanism includes a linear moving component, and the trolley is movably connected to the linear moving component.

4. The printer with continuous ink supply as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The housing is also provided with an ink cartridge mounting bracket that can be detachably fixed to the ink cartridge. The ink cartridge mounting bracket and the linear moving part are arranged parallel to each other in the horizontal direction.

5. The continuous ink supply printer as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The motion mechanism includes a motion shaft, and the trolley is rotatably connected to the motion shaft.

6. The printer with continuous ink supply as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The motion axis is configured to move horizontally within the housing.

7. The printer with continuous ink supply as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The housing is provided with multiple mounting brackets, including a mounting bracket for detachably fixing the ink cartridge; The motion axis is located in the space surrounded by the plurality of mounting brackets.

8. The printer with continuous ink supply as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The housing also includes one or more catheter fixing supports, and the flexible catheter is detachably connected to the catheter fixing supports.

9. The printer with continuous ink supply as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The printer includes multiple ink cartridges that store ink of different colors and multiple flexible conduits that are connected to each ink cartridge in a one-to-one manner. The conduit fixing bracket includes multiple slots arranged side by side, and the flexible conduits are snapped into the slots.

10. The printer with continuous ink supply as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The trolley is provided with multiple slots arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, and multiple flexible conduits are respectively engaged in the slots; Alternatively, the letterpress may have a slot in which multiple flexible conduits are engaged in the same slot with a thickness direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

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