For a more complete understanding of the present invention, needs satisfied thereby, and the objects, features, and advantages thereof, reference now is made to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.
a) is a cross-sectional view of an ink cartridge, a mounting portion, and a buffer tank, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
b) is a partial, cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge and the mounting portion when the ink cartridge is mounted to the mounting portion, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
a), 3(b), and 3(c) are schematic diagrams illustrating how the ink cartridge is mounted to the mounting portion, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Embodiments of the present invention, and their features and advantages, are understood by referring to
Referring to
Ink cartridge 2 may be a hollow box with ink stored therein. Ink cartridge 2 also may comprise four ink cartridges 2B, 2C, 2Y, and 2M for storing black ink, cyan ink, yellow ink, and magenta ink, respectively Buffer tank 8 may comprise four buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M for storing black ink, cyan ink, yellow ink, and magenta ink, respectively. Flexible tube 6 may comprise four flexible tubes 6B, 6C, 6Y, and 6M. When ink cartridge 2 is mounted to mounting portion 3, one end of each of ink supply tubes 6B, 6C, 6Y, and 6M may be connected to ink cartridges 2B, 2C, 2Y, and 2M, respectively. The other end of ink supply tubes 6B, 6C, 6Y, and 6M may be connected to buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M at connection portions 8a, respectively.
Ink may be supplied from ink cartridges 2B, 2C, 2Y, and 2M to buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M through ink supply tubes 6B, 6C, 6Y and 6M. After the ink reaches the buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M, the ink may be stored in buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M. Buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M may be positioned above recording head 20, which may be fixed to a bottom portion of carriage 7. Buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M may comprise ink outlet ports 10B, 10C, 10Y, and 10M, respectively, and ink outlet ports 10B, 10C, 10Y, and 10M may be connected to recording head 20. Buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M may be in fluid communication with recording head 20 through ink outlet ports 10B, 10C, 10Y, and 10M. Carriage 7 may have an opening formed through a bottom wall, exposing a nozzle surface of recording head 20, in which the plurality of nozzles may be formed.
Buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M may comprise air exhaust portions 9B, 9C, 9Y, and 9M, respectively. Air exhaust portions 9B, 9C, 9Y, and 9M may extend from positions at top surfaces of buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M to side surfaces of buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M, and then may extend downward along the respective side surfaces. Each of the air exhaust portions 9B, 9C, 9Y, and 9M may comprise an air passage 9c, which may be in fluid communication with one of the corresponding buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y and 8M. Each air exhaust portion 9B, 9C, 9Y, and 9M may further comprise a valve disposed within air passage 9c. In one embodiment, during normal operation, the valve may close air passage 9c when recording head 20 ejects ink from the nozzles. When air passage 9c is closed by the valve, communication through air passage 9c may be prevented between buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M and an exterior of buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M.
When ink is supplied from ink supply tubes 6B, 6C, 6Y, and 6M, through buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M, to ink outlet ports 10B, 10C, 10Y and 10M, respectively, air contained in the ink may ascend and accumulate in upper portions of buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M and in air passages 9c. The air accumulated in upper portions of buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M may be in proportion to the ink supplied from the buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M. When the valve timely opens air passage 9c, the accumulated air may be exhausted to the exterior of buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M.
A maintenance unit 50 may be provided below two guide bars 19 at one end of inkjet printer 1 in a direction in which carriage 7 reciprocates. A wiper may be provided next to maintenance unit 50. The wiper also may be configured to wipe the nozzle surface of recording head 20. Maintenance unit 50 may comprise a maintenance main portion 51, a suction mechanism 30, and a lift mechanism 40. Maintenance main portion 51 further may comprise a suction cap 31 and an exhaustion cap 41 thereon. Suction cap 31 may be elastic and substantially rectangular-shaped, and may be configured to cover the nozzle surface. Exhaustion cap 41 may be elastic and substantially rectangular-shaped, and may be configured to cover respective lower end openings 9d of exhaust portions 9B, 9C, 9Y, and 9M. Lift mechanism 40 may be configured to move maintenance main portion 51 toward carriage 7, such that suction cap 31 covers the nozzle surface and exhaustion cap 41 covers lower end openings 9d. Lift mechanism 40 also may be configured to move maintenance main portion 51 away from carriage 7, such that suction cap 31 separates from the nozzle surface and exhaustion cap 41 separates from lower end openings 9d.
Suction mechanism 30 further may comprise a switch valve 34 and a suction pump 35, which may be in fluid communication with each other. A suction cap opening 31c may be formed through a bottom of suction cap 31. Similarly, an exhaustion cap opening 41c may be formed through a bottom of exhaustion cap 41. Suction cap opening 31c and exhaustion cap opening 41 may be in fluid communication with switch valve 34 through suction tubes 32 and 33, respectively. Switch valve 34 may be positioned between suction pump 35 and each of suction cap opening 31c and exhaustion cap opening 41c. Switch valve 34 may selectively establish fluid communication between suction cap 31 and suction pump 35. Switch valve 34 also may selectively establish fluid communication between exhaustion cap 41 and suction pump 35. Suction pump 35 further may be in fluid communication with a drain tank on a side opposite to suction cap 31 and exhaustion cap 41.
Exhaustion cap 41 may be configured to cover lower end openings 9d of air exhaust portions 9B, 9C, 9Y, and 9M, creating an airtight seal. At the bottom of exhaustion cap 41, protrusions 42B, 42C, 42Y, and 42M may be formed. Protrusions 42B, 42C, 42Y, and 42M may be configured to be lifted up and down by a second lift mechanism. Protrusions 42B, 42C, 42M, and 42Y further may be configured to apply a force to the valves disposed within air passages 9c when lifted. When the valves disposed within air passages 9c receive a force, passages 9c may be opened. When switch valve 34 is switched, exhaustion cap opening 41c and suction pump 35 may be placed in fluid communication with each other, and suction pump 35 may be driven, and air may be drawn out of buffer tanks 8B, 8C, 8Y, and 8M.
Suction cap 31 may be configured to cover the nozzle surface, creating an airtight seal. When switch valve 34 is switched, which may allow suction cap opening 31c and suction pump 35 to communicate with each other, suction pump 35 may be driven, and thickened ink or air containing ink may be sucked out of recording head 20.
As shown in
As shown in
A pressing member 17 may be disposed within ink chamber 2a. Pressing member 17 further may be fixed to case 2b at a fixing point 17a. Pressing member 17 may contact and elastically press two valve members 16 toward ink supply hole 14 and air intake hole 15, respectively. Valve members 16 and pressing member 17 may comprise a resin. As shown in
Ink cartridge 2 may be mounted to mounting portion 3 when suction cap 31 covers the nozzle surface and exhaustion cap 41 covers lower end openings 9d of exhaust portions 9B, 9C, 9Y, and 9M, while protrusions 42 may be positioned, such that protrusions 42 do not contact the valves disposed within air passages 9c, thus closing air passages 9c.
As shown in
In an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
As described above, air 13 which may exist in ink supply tube 14 may be drawn into the interior of ink chamber 2a, and may ascend to an upper part of ink chamber 2a. Similarly, air trapped between the ink in ink supply tube 14 and valve member 16 may be drawn into the interior of ink chamber 2a, and may ascend to an upper part of ink chamber 2a. Accordingly, air may be removed from an ink path between ink cartridge 2 and buffer tank 8, thus decreasing the likelihood of printing failure due to air existing in the ink path. In addition, the amount of ink wasted during the process of removing the air may be reduced, thus increasing ink cartridge life and printer performance.
In an embodiment of the present invention, after ink cartridge 2 is mounted to mounting portion 3, menisci of ink in the nozzles of recording head 20 may retreat from their normal position or menisci of ink may be broken, due to ink moving out of buffer tank 8 and into flexible tube 6. Suction mechanism 30 may be driven while suction cap 31 covers the nozzle surface, and ink may be drawn out of nozzles, again supplying ink from ink cartridge 2 to buffer tank 8. As a result of this operation, meniscus of ink may return to the normal position. Negative pressure may be applied to ink in recording head 20 due to the ink level difference between the ink cartridge 2 and the nozzle surface, thus, maintaining the meniscus of ink in the normal position.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the ink drawing operation may be initiated by the pressing of a button provided on inkjet printer 1, after completion of the mounting of ink cartridge 2 to mounting portion 3. In another embodiment of the present invention, the ink drawing operation may be initiated automatically when inkjet printer 1 detects the completion of the mounting of ink cartridge 2 to mounting portion 3.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, suction mechanism 30 may be driven while exhaustion cap 41 covers lower end openings 9d of air exhaust portions 9. After ink cartridge 2 is again mounted to mounting portion 3, as air is drawn out of buffer tank 8 via air exhaust portions 9, ink may be supplied from ink cartridge 2 into buffer tank 8. In this embodiment, suction mechanism 30 may be driven a predetermined time after the valves open air passages 9c. After another predetermined time, the valves may close air passages 9c, completing the operation.
In an embodiment of the present invention, suction cap 31 and exhaustion cap 41 may be lifted up and down independently by separate lift mechanisms. In this embodiment, when ink cartridge 2 is mounted to mounting portion 3, suction cap 31 may cover the nozzle surface, while exhaustion cap 41 may be separated away from the lower end openings 9d of air exhaust portions 9. Protrusions 42 may be integrally fixed to exhaustion cap 41, and may apply a force to valves disposed within air passages 9c, at the same time that exhaustion cap 41 covers lower end openings 9d of air exhaust portions 9. After ink cartridge 2 is mounted to mounting portion 3 and air 13 is drawn into ink chamber 2a, positive pressure may be applied to the ink in ink cartridge 2, supplying ink from ink chamber 2a to the buffer tanks.
As described above, in an embodiment of the present invention, air existing in an ink supply tube, or air trapped between ink in the ink supply tube and a valve member, may be drawn into an interior of the ink chamber. This air may be drawn into an interior of the ink chamber using a simple structure of an ink cartridge and a mounting portion, and a simple method for mounting the ink cartridge to the mounting portion. The amount of ink wasted when supplying ink from an ink cartridge to a buffer tank in the embodiments of the present invention may be less than the amount of ink wasted for removing the air and improving printing performance in the known inkjet printer.
While the invention has been described in connection with embodiments of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications of the embodiments described above may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the specification or from a practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and the described examples are considered exemplary only, with the true scope of the invention indicated by the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2006136279 | May 2006 | JP | national |