Ink jet image formation apparatus

Abstract

To provide an ink jet image formation apparatus capable of suppressing erroneous operation when connecting a discharge port of an ink container to a joint.SOLUTION: An image formation apparatus includes: an ink container 61; a tube 45 that connects the ink container 61 to an ink jet head; a joint 47 that is provided at one end of the tube 45 and detachably connected to a discharge port 67 of the ink container 61; a tray 49 that is drawn from / put into a housing section 41 along a predetermined drawing direction, and on which the ink container 61 is placed with the discharge port 67 facing a front side in the drawing direction; and a handle 53 that is provided on a surface on the front side in the drawing direction of the tray 49. The handle 53 is arranged on a rear side in the drawing direction relative to the tube 45 or the joint 47 in a state where the ink container 61 is housed in the housing section 41 and the joint 47 is connected to the discharge port 67.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inkjet image forming apparatus that forms an image using ink supplied from an ink container. [Background technology]

[0002] In an inkjet image forming apparatus, ink is supplied from an ink container to an inkjet head. The inkjet head and the ink container are connected by a tube. One end of the tube is fixed to the inkjet head. As described in Patent Document 1, a joint is attached to the other end of the tube, which is detachably connected to the outlet of the ink container.

[0003] In general, the ink container is placed on a tray that can be pulled out from the container. When the tray is pulled out to replace the ink container, the outlet of the ink container is separated from the joint. When a new ink container is placed on the tray and the tray is pushed into the container, the outlet of the ink container is automatically connected to the joint. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-66140 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In this way, in the image forming device described in Patent Document 1, the outlet of the ink container and the joint are connected by pushing the tray into the storage section. In this case, the outlet and the joint are located on the other side (rear side) of the ink container as seen by the user, so it is difficult to check whether the two are connected properly. For this reason, if the axes of the outlet and the joint are misaligned or the tray is not pushed in with sufficient force, a connection failure occurs, causing problems such as ink leakage.

[0006] On the other hand, when a user manually connects the joint to the outlet, it is easy for the user to make erroneous operations such as pulling the tray out of the storage section without removing the joint, or conversely, pushing the tray into the storage section without connecting the joint.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In consideration of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet image forming apparatus capable of suppressing erroneous operation when connecting a joint to an outlet of an ink container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is an image forming apparatus comprising: an ink container for storing ink to be supplied to an inkjet head; a tube connecting the ink container and the inkjet head; a joint provided at one end of the tube and removably connected to an outlet of the ink container; a tray that is inserted and removed from a storage section along a predetermined pull-out direction and on which the ink container is placed with the outlet facing the front side in the pull-out direction; and a handle provided on a surface of the tray at the front side in the pull-out direction, wherein the handle is positioned rearward of the tube or the joint in the pull-out direction when the ink container is stored in the storage section and the joint is connected to the outlet.

[0009] In the present invention, the ink container may further include a cover for opening and closing the opening of the storage section, the cover having a support portion for supporting the joint removed from the outlet of the ink container so that a portion of the joint protrudes from the cover, and when the joint is supported by the support portion, the portion of the joint protruding from the cover interferes with the opening, making it impossible for the cover to close the opening. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, the tray cannot be pulled out unless the joint is removed from the outlet, so that the tray can be prevented from being pulled out with the joint still connected to the outlet of the ink container. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a schematic internal configuration of an ink jet type image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a housing of an ink jet type image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cover of a container is open in an ink jet type image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a joint is removed from a discharge port of an ink container in an ink jet image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a tray is pulled out in an ink jet type image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an ink container in the ink jet image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An ink jet type image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] First, the overall configuration of an inkjet image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a front view showing a schematic internal configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. In each figure, L, R, Fr, and Rr respectively indicate left, right, front, and rear.

[0014] The inkjet image forming apparatus 1 includes a housing 3 having a rectangular parallelepiped hollow portion. The housing 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the housing 3. The housing 3 has four support columns 5 arranged at the four corners (front left corner, front right corner, rear left corner, and rear right corner) of the hollow portion, a rectangular upper frame body 7 connected to the upper ends of the four support columns 5, and a rectangular lower frame body 9 connected to the lower ends of the four support columns 5. The hollow portion is divided into an upper hollow portion S1 and a lower hollow portion S2 by a partition plate 11 along a horizontal plane (see also FIG. 1).

[0015] First, the upper hollow section S1 will be described. The upper hollow section S1 is surrounded on all four sides by front and rear side panels and left and right side panels. The front side panel has an opening (not shown) that is long in the left and right direction. The opening is closed by an upper cover 13 so as to be openable and closable. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper hollow section S1 accommodates a head unit 17 and a transport unit 19. The head unit 17 is accommodated above the upper hollow section S1. The transport unit 19 is accommodated below the upper hollow section S1 through the opening in the front side panel.

[0016] First, the head unit 17 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The head unit 17 includes four inkjet heads 21 corresponding to yellow, black, cyan, and magenta inks. The four inkjet heads 21 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. Each inkjet head 21 includes three recording heads and a plate that supports the three recording heads (all not shown).

[0017] The print head is equipped with a large number of nozzles (not shown) through which ink is supplied, and a piezoelectric element (not shown) provided for each nozzle. The nozzles have ejection openings on the bottom surface of the print head. When the piezoelectric element is driven, the ink in the nozzles is ejected downward from the ejection openings.

[0018] Next, the transport unit 19 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The transport unit 19 includes an endless transport belt 31, and a drive roller 33A and a driven roller 33B around which the transport belt 31 is wound. The transport belt 31 has a large number of through holes penetrating in the thickness direction. The rotation of the drive roller 33A causes the transport belt 31 to run counterclockwise in FIG. 1. The transport belt 31 runs along the upper running track, and the recording medium is transported in the transport direction from right to left in FIG. 1.

[0019] A conveying plate 35, a plurality of suction chambers 37, and a plurality of suction devices 39 are disposed in the hollow portion of the conveying belt 31. The conveying plate 35 is disposed between the rollers 33A and 33B so as to contact the inner surface of the conveying belt 31 traveling along the upper traveling track. The conveying plate 35 has a plurality of through holes penetrating in the thickness direction. The plurality of suction chambers 37 are disposed below the conveying plate 35 along the conveying direction. The suction devices 39 are disposed in the suction chambers 37 and generate negative pressure in the suction chambers 37. When the suction chambers 37 become negative pressure, negative pressure is generated in the through holes of the conveying plate 35 and the through holes of the conveying belt 31 traveling along the upper traveling track, and the recording medium is attracted to the conveying belt 31.

[0020] Next, the lower hollow portion S2 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and also Fig. 3 to Fig. 5. Fig. 3 to Fig. 5 are perspective views showing a storage portion 41 provided in the lower hollow portion S2. The lower hollow portion S2 is provided with the storage portion 41 that stores an ink container that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head of the inkjet head 21 of the head unit 17 and a cleaning liquid container that stores cleaning liquid for cleaning the nozzle surface of the recording head.

[0021] The left and right side surfaces and the rear surface of the lower hollow portion S2 are covered with left and right side plates and a rear plate. Twelve storage sections 41 are provided in the lower hollow portion S2. In detail, as shown in Fig. 2, the storage sections 41 are arranged in three rows in the vertical direction and four rows in the horizontal direction. Each storage section 41 is a rectangular parallelepiped hollow section surrounded by a top plate and a bottom plate facing each other in the vertical direction, left and right side plates facing each other in the horizontal direction, and a rear plate, and has an opening 41a (see Figs. 3 to 5) on the front surface.

[0022] As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, an opening 41a on the front surface of the storage section 41 is opened and closed by a cover 43. The cover 43 is rotatably supported on a pivot point provided on the left side plate of the storage section 41. The cover 43 has a front plate 43a capable of closing the opening 41a, and an upper plate 43b bent rearward (toward the inside of the storage section 41) from the upper edge of the front plate 43a. The lower half of the front plate 43a is inclined rearward. A concave handle 43c is formed in the inclined lower half. In addition, a notch 43d is formed in the upper plate 43b, which faces forward from the rear edge.

[0023] 3 to 5, a flexible tube 45 connected to the corresponding inkjet head 21 is supported in the storage section 41. The tube 45 extends from the inkjet head 21 through the partition plate 11 of the housing 3 to the lower hollow section S2, and then extends forward along the inner surface of the left side plate of the storage section 41 through the rear plate of the storage section 41. A joint 47 that can be connected to an outlet of an ink container 61 (described later) is provided at the tip of the tube 45.

[0024] 4, the joint 47 can be removably supported by the cover 43 by being hooked on a notch 43d formed in the upper plate 43b of the cover 43 with the connection port facing upward. At this time, the upper end of the joint 47 protrudes above the upper plate 43b of the cover 43. In this manner, the notch 43d is an example of a support portion in the present invention that supports the joint 47 removed from the discharge port of the ink container so that a portion of the joint 47 protrudes from the cover 43.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 5, each storage section 41 supports a tray 49 on which an ink container is placed. The tray 49 is formed in a box shape with an open top, having a bottom plate, front and rear side plates facing each other in the front-rear direction, and left and right side plates facing each other in the left-right direction. The left and right side plates of the tray 49 are supported by the left and right side plates of the storage section 41 by left and right rails 51 with a retraction mechanism along the front-rear direction. The tray 49 can be completely drawn out of the storage section 41 by moving it forward along the left and right rails 51. On the other hand, the tray 49 is stored in the storage section 41 by moving it backward along the left and right rails 51.

[0026] A notch 49a is formed downward from the upper edge on the front plate of the tray 49. The width of the notch 49a narrows downward. Furthermore, a handle 53 is formed on the front plate of the tray 49 to the left of the lower end of the notch 49a (toward the left plate of the storage section 41).

[0027] Next, the ink container 61 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the ink container 61. The ink container 61 is formed in a gusseted bag shape by joining the edges of upper and lower films 63 and left and right films 65. One of the joints between the upper and lower films 63 is provided with a cylindrical outlet 67 for discharging ink to the outside. The outlet 67 is equipped with an opening and closing valve (not shown) for preventing the outflow of ink. When the joint 47 provided at the tip of the tube 45 is connected to the outlet 67, the opening and closing valve is pushed in by the joint 47, and the inside of the ink container 61 and the tube 45 communicate with each other via the outlet 67.

[0028] An example of the replacement operation of the ink container 61 in the inkjet image forming apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 5. As described above, the ink container 61 is supported by the tray 49 and housed in the housing section 41. In detail, as shown in Fig. 3, the ink container 61 is placed on the tray 49 with the discharge port 67 facing forward, and the discharge port 67 is inserted from above into the notch 49a in the front plate of the tray 49. In this manner, the discharge port 67 faces forward (forward in the pull-out direction of the tray 49). The discharge port 67 is connected to the joint 47 provided at the tip of the tube 45. That is, the tube 45 is disposed from the inner surface of the left side plate of the housing section 41 along the outer surface of the front plate of the tray 49, and the joint 47 is connected to the discharge port 67 from the front.

[0029] When the ink container 61 becomes empty, for example, an instruction to replace the ink container is displayed on the display unit of the image forming apparatus 1. Then, the user first opens the cover 43 as shown in Fig. 3. Next, the user removes the joint 47 from the discharge port 67, and temporarily hooks the removed joint 47 into the notch 43d of the cover 43 as shown in Fig. 4. When the joint 47 is removed, the discharge port 67 is closed by the opening and closing valve.

[0030] 5, the user grasps the handle 53 and pulls the tray 49 forward from the storage section 41 through the opening 41a. The user then removes the empty ink container 61 from the tray 49 and places a new ink container 61 on the tray 49. The user then pushes the tray 49 into the storage section 41, removes the joint 47 from the cover 43, and connects it to the discharge port 67 of the ink container 61. At this time, the discharge port 67 is fixed and stabilized in the notch 49a in the front plate of the tray 49, so that the joint 47 can be easily connected. Finally, the cover 43 is closed.

[0031] The ink container 61 is replaced as described above, but there may be cases where, for example, after opening the cover 43 (as shown in FIG. 3), the user mistakenly tries to pull out the tray 49 without detaching the joint 47. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the handle 53 of the tray 49 is located behind the tube 45 (rear in the direction in which the tray 49 is pulled out), making it difficult to grasp the handle 53. Therefore, the user notices that the tube 45 is in front of the handle 53, i.e., that the joint 47 has not been removed from the discharge port 67.

[0032] Also, after replacing the ink container 61, a user may forget to connect the joint 47 to the discharge port 67. In this case, if the user pushes the tray 49 into the storage unit 41 without connecting the joint 47 and attempts to close the cover 43, the joint 47 supported by the cover 43 interferes with the upper part of the opening of the storage unit 41 (the upper plate of the storage unit 41 or the cover 43 of the upper storage unit 41), making it impossible to close the cover 43. This causes the user to realize that the joint 47 is not connected to the discharge port 67.

[0033] As described above, according to the present invention, the handle 53 of the tray 49 is disposed on the rear side of the tube 45 connected to the ink container 61, so that the tray 49 cannot be pulled out unless the joint 47 is removed from the outlet 67. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tray 49 from being pulled out with the joint 47 connected to the outlet of the ink container 61.

[0034] In this embodiment, an example in which the handle 53 is disposed behind the tube 45 has been described. However, for example, if the joint 47 is L-shaped, the handle 53 may be disposed behind the joint 47.

[0035] Furthermore, the cover 43 cannot be closed while the joint 47 is supported on the cover 43. In other words, the cover 43 cannot be closed unless the joint 47 is connected to the discharge port 67. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent forgetting to connect the joint 47.

[0036] The above-described embodiment is merely an example of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1. Image forming device 21 Inkjet head 41 Storage unit 41a aperture 43 Cover 43d Notch (support part) 45 tubes 47 Joint 49 Tray 53 Handle 61 Ink Container 67 Outlet

Claims

1. an ink container for storing ink to be supplied to the inkjet head; a tube connecting the ink container and the inkjet head; a joint provided at one end of the tube and removably connected to an outlet of the ink container; a tray that is inserted into and removed from a storage section along a predetermined pull-out direction, and on which the ink container is placed with the outlet facing the front side in the pull-out direction; a handle provided on a surface of the tray on a front side in the pull-out direction, An image forming apparatus characterized in that the handle is positioned rearward of the tube or the joint in the withdrawal direction when the ink container is accommodated in the accommodation section and the joint is connected to the outlet.

2. A cover for opening and closing the opening of the storage portion is further provided, the cover has a support portion that supports the joint removed from the outlet of the ink container such that a portion of the joint protrudes from the cover; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the joint is supported by the support portion, a portion of the joint protruding from the cover interferes with the opening, making it impossible for the cover to close the opening.

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