Patent Grant
10029474
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid storage unit to be used in a liquid discharge apparatus configured to discharge liquid onto a recording medium, and more particularly, to a mechanism for removing bubbles from a liquid storage unit.
Description of the Related Art
A liquid discharge apparatus including a liquid tank and a liquid storage chamber configured to hold liquid supplied from the liquid tank and supply the liquid to a liquid discharge head is publicly known. Air may enter the liquid storage chamber due to various factors. The air may cause decrease in filling efficiency of the liquid from the liquid tank to the liquid storage chamber, and the entry of air to the liquid discharge head may affect the discharge. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-290419 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-370374, a liquid discharge apparatus including a liquid storage chamber having a bellows structure and a mechanism for expanding and contracting the liquid storage chamber in its axial direction is disclosed. When this mechanism is actuated, the entire liquid storage chamber is expanded and contracted, thereby being capable of discharging the air stagnating in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid tank.
In the liquid discharge apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-290419 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-370374, the entire liquid storage chamber needs to be expanded and contracted, thereby being difficult to increase the thickness of the liquid storage chamber. Also in the bellows structure, it is preferred that the liquid storage chamber be thinner for the purpose of securing sufficient flexibility. On the other hand, the thin liquid storage chamber has high air permeability, and hence air is liable to enter the liquid storage chamber. The air thus having entered is mixed with liquid to become bubbles and stagnate in the liquid storage chamber. As a result, the frequency of the process of discharging the bubbles in the liquid storage chamber toward the liquid tank is increased. When a thick structure is employed for the purpose of reducing the air permeability of the liquid storage chamber, the liquid storage chamber cannot be expanded and contracted satisfactorily, thereby being difficult to discharge the bubbles in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid tank.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid storage unit capable of discharging bubbles in a liquid storage chamber to a liquid tank, and reducing the frequency of discharging the bubbles in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid tank.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a liquid storage unit, including a first liquid storage chamber having a constant volume and being capable of holding liquid supplied from a liquid tank; a second liquid storage chamber communicating with the first liquid storage chamber; a pressure control chamber configured to change a pressure of the pressure control chamber through actuation of a pressure control unit; and an elastic member being configured to tightly partition the second liquid storage chamber and the pressure control chamber from each other and being deformable so as to increase and decrease a volume of the second liquid storage chamber in accordance with the pressure of the pressure control chamber.
The volume of the second liquid storage chamber is increased and decreased through the deformation of the elastic member in accordance with the pressure of the pressure control chamber. Thus, the volume of a combined space of the first liquid storage chamber, which communicates with the second liquid storage chamber and has a constant volume, and the second liquid storage chamber is increased and decreased, with the result that bubbles stagnating in the first liquid storage chamber can be discharged to the liquid tank. The first liquid storage chamber has a constant volume, and hence there is no need to deform the first liquid storage chamber itself. Therefore, when the thickness of the first liquid storage chamber is increased, the air permeability of the first liquid storage chamber can be suppressed. As a result, the bubbles are less liable to be generated in the first liquid storage chamber, thereby being capable of reducing the frequency of the process of discharging the bubbles to the liquid tank.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
Now, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, a liquid discharge head discharges liquid such as ink while moving relative to a recording medium, to thereby form an image. In the embodiments of the present invention, a liquid tank is removably mounted on the liquid discharge head, and liquid is directly supplied from the liquid tank to the liquid discharge head. The liquid tank together with the liquid discharge head is mounted on a carriage configured to conduct reciprocating motion (main). The present invention is also applicable to such a liquid discharge head and a liquid discharge apparatus that the liquid tank is not mounted on the liquid discharge head and the liquid tank and the liquid discharge head are connected to each other through a tube. In another embodiment of the present invention, a fixed liquid discharge head may discharge liquid onto a moving recording medium, to thereby form an image.
Overview of Liquid Discharge Apparatus First, a schematic configuration and operation of a liquid discharge apparatus of the present invention are described with reference to
A liquid discharge apparatus 10 is configured to record a color image or a monochrome image on a recording medium such as paper by using liquids (inks) of four colors, that is, yellow (Y), black (Bk), cyan (C), and magenta (M). The liquid contains pigments or dyes. As illustrated in
The liquid storage unit 130 comprises a plurality of liquid storage units arranged corresponding to the colors of the liquids to be used in the liquid discharge apparatus 10. In this embodiment, four liquid storage units 130 are arrayed in the main scanning direction H. In each of the liquid storage units 130, yellow (Y), black (Bk), cyan (C), or magenta (M) liquid is filled. The liquid storage units of the respective colors are arrayed in the order of Y, Bk, C, and M from the left in
The liquid discharge head 110 is arranged on each liquid storage unit 130. In a surface of the liquid discharge head 110 that opposes to the recording medium, a plurality of discharge ports 115 configured to discharge the liquid are formed for the respective colors as illustrated in
To supply the liquid to the liquid storage unit 130 of each color, the liquid tank 160 may be mounted on the liquid storage unit 130. In each liquid tank 160, yellow (Y), black (Bk), cyan (C), or magenta (M) liquid is filled. As illustrated in
Liquid Storage Unit 130
The liquid storage unit 130 is described in more detail with reference to
The liquid storage unit 130 includes a first liquid storage chamber 131, a second liquid storage chamber 132, and a pressure control chamber 141. The liquid tank 160 is mountable on the first liquid storage chamber 131, and the first liquid storage chamber 131 holds the liquid supplied from the liquid tank 160. The first liquid storage chamber 131 has a constant volume. The first liquid storage chambers 131 are arrayed adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction H. The first liquid storage chamber 131 includes a liquid supply tube 145 to which the liquid tank 160 is connected. The liquid supply tube 145 protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction H, and an end 150 of the liquid supply tube 145 engages with a supply port (not shown) of the liquid tank 160. The liquid of the liquid tank 160 flows through the liquid supply tube 145, and is supplied to the liquid storage chamber through an introduction port 136.
The second liquid storage chamber 132 communicates with the first liquid storage chamber 131 through a communication portion 144. The pressure control chamber 141 is formed adjacent to the second liquid storage chamber 132. The second liquid storage chamber 132 and the pressure control chamber 141 are positioned below the introduction port 136 of the first liquid storage chamber 131. The pressure control chamber 141 has an opening 156 connected to the pressure control unit 300 described later, and the pressure of the pressure control chamber 141 is changed through actuation of the pressure control unit 300. The second liquid storage chamber 132 and the pressure control chamber 141 are tightly partitioned from each other by an elastic member 148. The description “tightly partitioned” means that the air-tightness and the water-tightness are both satisfied. The elastic member 148 is deformable so as to increase and decrease the volume of the second liquid storage chamber 132 in accordance with the pressure of the pressure control chamber 141. The second liquid storage chamber 132 and the pressure control chamber 141 are collectively referred to as “elastic-member-storing chamber 149”. The elastic-member-storing chamber 149 has a constant volume, and is partitioned into the second liquid storage chamber 132 and the pressure control chamber 141 by the elastic member 148. The first liquid storage chamber 131 is defined by a wall member having a lower air permeability per unit area than the elastic member 148. The wall member of the first liquid storage chamber 131 is thicker than the elastic member 148, and the area of the inner surface of the first liquid storage chamber 131 is larger than the surface area of the elastic member 148.
The first and second liquid storage chambers 131 and 132 and the pressure control chamber 141 are formed by a liquid flow path member 120, a joint member 133 positioned above the liquid flow path member 120, and a seal member 140 inserted between the liquid flow path member 120 and the joint member 133. The liquid flow path member 120 holds the liquid discharge head 110. The liquid flow path member 120 includes a flow path 121 connecting the first liquid storage chamber 131 to the liquid discharge head 110, and a liquid-holding member 135. The liquid-holding member 135 is positioned between the first liquid storage chamber 131 and the liquid discharge head 110 to function as a filter configured to filtrate the liquid. The liquid tank 160 is mounted on the joint member 133. The elastic member 148 has a thin structure to have high air permeability, but the first and second liquid storage chambers 131 and 132 are mostly formed by the joint member 133 and the liquid flow path member 120, and hence air is less liable to permeate the first and second liquid storage chambers 131 and 132. In this embodiment, the elastic member 148 is a part of the seal member 140. The liquid in the liquid tank 160 flows from the liquid supply tube 145 through the first liquid storage chamber 131 that is mainly formed by the joint member 133, and is supplied to the liquid discharge head 110 through the liquid-holding member 135 and the flow path.
The liquid supply tube 145 is integrated with the joint member 133 (first liquid storage chamber 131) for the purpose of cost reduction. It is preferred that the outer diameter of the liquid supply tube 145 be as small as possible to prevent leakage of the liquid under a state of engaging with the liquid tank 160. When the liquid tank 160 is mounted on the liquid supply tube 145 or when tumbling vibration is applied with the liquid supply tube 145 engaged with the liquid tank 160, however, a significant stress is generated in a base of the liquid supply tube 145, and the liquid supply tube 145 may be broken in some cases. Thus, the base of the liquid supply tube 145 may have a larger outer diameter and thickness.
It is preferred that the joint member 133 and the liquid flow path member 120 that form the first liquid storage chamber 131 be thicker for the purpose of reducing the air permeability. In the present invention, the first liquid storage chamber 131 has a constant volume, and hence there is no need to deform the first liquid storage chamber 131. Therefore, there is no limitation on the thicknesses of the joint member 133 and the liquid flow path member 120. To enhance sealing performance of the seal member 140, it is desired that the seal surfaces of the joint member 133 and the liquid flow path member 120 have as high flatness as possible. Considering those points, the joint member 133 and the liquid flow path member 120 are molded of a material obtained by adding fillers into a modified polyphenylene ether (PPE), which is a resin material excellent in mechanical strength and low in coefficient of thermal shrinkage.
When assembling the liquid storage unit 130, as illustrated in
The seal member 140 has a rib-shaped first seal portion 146 on its upper surface. Only one first seal portion 146 is arranged, and extends continuously so as to surround the first and second liquid storage chambers 131 and 132 and the pressure control chamber 141 (both of the first liquid storage chamber 131 and the elastic-member-storing chamber 149). The seal member 140 has two rib-shaped second seal portions 147a and 147b on its lower surface. The second seal portions 147a and 147b each abut against the top surface (seal surface) of the liquid flow path member 120 and respectively extend along the periphery of the first liquid storage chamber 131 and the peripheries of the second liquid storage chamber 132 and the pressure control chamber 141 (elastic-member-storing chamber 149) independently of each other. The first seal portion 146 and the second seal portion 147a extending along the periphery of the first liquid storage chamber 131 are configured to prevent leakage of the liquid in the first and second liquid storage chambers 131 and 132 to the outside. The second seal portion 147b surrounding the pressure control chamber 141 is configured to prevent, particularly when the elastic member 148 is deformed, leakage of the liquid from the second liquid storage chamber 132 to the pressure control chamber 141, and to prevent entry of air from the pressure control chamber 141 to the second liquid storage chamber 132. Those seal portions secure sealing between the joint member 133 and the outside including the pressure control chamber 141 and between the liquid flow path member 120 and the outside. Thus, the first and second liquid storage chambers 131 and 132 are formed into hermetic spaces except for the introduction port 136 for the liquid and the flow path 121 connected to the liquid discharge head 110.
The joint member 133 has a partition wall 143 configured to partition the first liquid storage chamber 131 and the second liquid storage chamber 132 (elastic-member-storing chamber 149) from each other. The partition wall 143 has the communication portion 144, which is a cutout opposing to projections 151a and 151b of the seal member 140 described later and connecting the first liquid storage chamber 131 and the second liquid storage chamber 132 to each other. That is, the partition wall 143 has a flat portion brought into abutment against the projections 151a and 151b and a recessed portion (communication portion 144) kept out of abutment against the projections 151a and 151b. As illustrated in
The partition wall 143 of the joint member 133 may have a continuous top surface without the recessed portion.
Seal Member 140 and Elastic Member 148
The configurations of the seal member 140 and the elastic member 148 are described in more detail. As described above, the elastic member 148 of this embodiment is formed as a part of the seal member 140. The seal member 140 has the elastic member 148 and an opening portion 152, which are partitioned from each other by a central coupling portion 154. As illustrated in
The seal member 140 has the projections 151a, 151b, 152a, and 152b in a region that is on the side opposite to the region in which one of the first seal portion 146 and the pair of the second seal portions 147a and 147b is arranged and is a region in which the other is not arranged. Specifically, on a surface of the seal member 140 that opposes to the joint member 133, the first projections 151a and 151b extend along the central coupling portion 154. On a surface of the seal member 140 that opposes to the liquid flow path member 120, the second projections 152a and 152b extend along an outer peripheral portion 155 in the vicinity of intersection points between the outer peripheral portion 155 and the central coupling portion 154. When one seal portion is not arranged in a region that is on the side opposite to the region in which the other seal portion is arranged, the seal member 140 is not compressed equally from both sides, and hence the sealing performance may be degraded particularly under a high-temperature environment. With the projections, the seal member 140 is compressed equally from both sides, and hence satisfactory sealing performance can be maintained even under the high-temperature environment. The peak of the projection is rounded, but may be angulated. With the projection having an angulated peak, the screw fastening force can be reduced when fixing the joint member 133 onto the liquid flow path member 120 with screws.
As described above, the first seal portion 146 brought into abutment against the joint member 133 is arranged so as to surround the first and second liquid storage chambers 131 and 132 and the pressure control chamber 141. The second seal portions 147a and 147b brought into abutment against the liquid flow path member 120 are arranged so as to surround the first liquid storage chamber 131 and surround the second liquid storage chamber 132 and the pressure control chamber 141 individually, and are not coupled to each other. Therefore, when the seal member 140 is erroneously mounted upside down, the first and second liquid storage chambers 131 and 132 communicate with the atmosphere through the communication portion 144 as a cutout or recessed portion, with the result that the hermeticity of the first and second liquid storage chambers 131 and 132 is decreased. The decrease in hermeticity may affect a bubble returning function. When a leakage test is conducted, it can be detected whether or not the seal member 140 is mounted upside down. A leakage test for the first seal portion 146 and the second seal portion 147a surrounding the first liquid storage chamber 131 is conducted by introducing air to the first liquid storage chamber 131 through the liquid supply tube 145 to pressurize the first liquid storage chamber 131 (first leakage test). A leakage test for the second seal portion 147b surrounding the pressure control chamber 141 is conducted by introducing air to the pressure control chamber 141 through a decompression port 142 to pressurize the pressure control chamber 141 (second leakage test). The first leakage test and the second leakage test are conducted individually. To enhance the sealing performance, the two second seal portions 147a and 147b may be coupled to each other to surround the first and second liquid storage chambers 131 and 132 and the pressure control chamber 141 in one loop.
The seal member 140 is integrally molded of rubber, including various portions such as the elastic member 148, the outer peripheral portion 155, the central coupling portion 154, and the first and second seal portions 146a, 146b, 147a, and 147b as described above. To realize high deformation performance of the elastic member 148, liquid contact property with the liquid to be used, followability of the seal portion, and the like, the seal member 140 may be formed of, for example, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber. When the joint member 133 and the liquid flow path member 120 are formed of modified PPE containing fillers, the fillers may be exposed on the seal surface due to fluctuation of a cooling state during the molding. Even when the fillers are exposed to cause fluctuation of the flatness of the seal surface, satisfactory sealing performance can be secured by using EPDM. As the seal member 140, chlorinated butyl rubber or the like may be used as well.
The intermediate portion 148c is inclined relative to the outer peripheral portion 148b at an angle θ of more than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees, preferably more than 0 degrees and less than 65 degrees. With this shape, when the elastic member 148 is deformed, the volume of the second liquid storage chamber 132 is changed significantly, thereby reducing the number of times of the bubble returning process. When the inclination angle is equal to or more than 90 degrees, the elastic member 148 is not restored to the original shape in some cases due to resistance generated at the supporting point of the inversion at the time of inversion.
The outer peripheral portion 148b of the elastic member 148 is thicker than the inner peripheral portion 148a. Thus, the restoration force to be generated when the elastic member 148 is inverted becomes greater, with the result that the elastic member 148 is easily restored to the original shape. It is preferred that the thickness of the outer peripheral portion 148b be about 0.5 mm to 1.3 mm, that the thickness of the inner peripheral portion 148a be about 0.2 mm to 1.0 mm, and that the thickness of the outer peripheral portion 148b be 1.5 times or more as large as the thickness of the inner peripheral portion 148a.
Elastic members 148 according to other embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to
In the embodiment illustrated in
In the embodiment illustrated in
In the embodiment illustrated in
The elastic member 148 may be arranged independently of the seal member 140. Referring to
Meniscus Holding Structure for Liquid
A meniscus holding structure for liquid is described with reference to
As illustrated in
Bubble Returning Mechanism and Bubble Returning Process
A bubble returning mechanism and the bubble returning process are described with reference to
In the bubble returning process, the elastic member 148 is deformed repeatedly so that the bubbles (air and liquid) in the first liquid storage chamber 131 are removed and returned into the liquid tank 160. The bubble returning process is executed when filling the liquid of the liquid tank 160 to the first liquid storage chamber 131 for the first time, or when replacing the used liquid tank 160 with a new liquid tank 160. The used liquid tank 160 is replaced with the new liquid tank 160 when the remaining amount of the liquid of the first liquid storage chamber 131 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount. The bubble returning process may be executed periodically or in response to a command from a user. Further, the bubble returning process may be executed when activating the recording apparatus after the recording apparatus is not used for a long period of time. In this case, air may permeate the first liquid storage chamber 131 to contain bubbles in the first liquid storage chamber 131.
Referring to
Next, the pump 301 is actuated. Due to the air-tightness of the suction pad 320, the pump 301 discharges air in the pressure control chamber 141 through the decompression flow path 303 and the flow path switching portion 302, to thereby decompress the pressure control chamber 141. As illustrated in
Next, as illustrated in
In the embodiment in which the liquid-holding member 137 is not arranged as illustrated in
When the pressure for inverting the elastic member 148 is extremely small (for example, 3 KPa to 8 KPa), the deformation of the elastic member 148 becomes smaller, and hence the amount of the liquid to be introduced from the liquid tank 160 is decreased. As a result, the amount of the bubbles to be returned into the liquid tank 160 per bubble returning process is decreased, and hence the efficiency of returning the bubbles is degraded. When the pressure for inverting the elastic member 148 is excessively large as described later, on the other hand, the meniscus at the discharge ports 115 of the liquid discharge head 110 is broken, with the result that liquid droplets may be exposed to the outside of the discharge ports 115. When the liquid droplets are exposed to the outside of the discharge ports 115, the colors may be mixed between the color liquids. Further, when the discharge port surface is covered with the liquid to close the discharge ports 115, the liquid discharge direction is fluctuated, which may result in unsatisfactory printing. Thus, the actuation pressure of the pump 301 is set so that the elastic member 148 is inverted with such a pressure as to avoid the breakage of the meniscus (for example, 8 KPa to 30 KPa).
As described above, in the present invention, the bubble returning process can be executed with a simple configuration including the elastic member 148 and the deformation unit for the elastic member 148. Thus, the bubbles can be securely returned into the liquid tank 160, thereby reducing the risk of affecting the liquid. There is no need to deform the joint member 133 itself, and hence the mechanism for deforming the joint member 133 is unnecessary. Further, the joint member 133 can have a thick rigid configuration. As a result, the air permeability of the first liquid storage chamber 131 is reduced, and bubbles are less liable to be generated in the first liquid storage chamber 131. Therefore, the frequency of the bubble returning process can be reduced.
Color Mixing Preventing Mechanism
In the present invention, the first liquid storage chamber 131 is pressurized so as to return bubbles into the liquid tank 160. It is possible to prevent breakage of the meniscus at the discharge ports 115 by appropriately setting the actuation pressure of the pump 301, but in some cases, it is difficult to prevent breakage of the meniscus at the discharge ports 115 simply by setting the actuation pressure of the pump 301 due to various limitations. Therefore, an additional configuration for maintaining the meniscus at the discharge ports 115 is described. First, the relationship between the meniscus and the pressure of the first liquid storage chamber 131 is described with reference to
In
In
In
In view of the above, it is necessary to satisfy the following relationship:
(meniscus force at discharge ports 115)>(pressure generated in first liquid storage chamber 131 through restoration of elastic member 148)>(meniscus force at liquid-holding member 137).
Therefore, in the bubble returning process, the pressure generated in the first liquid storage chamber 131 when the elastic member 148 is restored is required to be smaller than the meniscus force at the discharge ports 115 of the liquid discharge head 110. Therefore, in the following embodiment, a flow resistance increase portion 400 is arranged. The flow resistance is increased at the periphery of the flow resistance increase portion 400, and thus the flow resistance increase portion 400 can decrease the pressure generated in the first liquid storage chamber 131 when the elastic member 148 is restored so as to be smaller than the meniscus force at the discharge ports 115 of the liquid discharge head 110. The flow resistance increase portion 400 generally has a configuration with a reduced flow path sectional area as described below. Alternatively, the shape of the tube wall, the shape of the tube path, or the like may be changed, and any configuration may be utilized as long as the flow resistance is increased. The flow resistance increase portion 400 limits the flow rate of air flowing into the pressure control chamber 141, to thereby prevent abrupt increase in pressure of the pressure control chamber 141. The amount of air per unit time flowing into the pressure control chamber 141 is reduced so that the restoration speed of the elastic member 148 or the change in volume of the second liquid storage chamber 132 per unit time can be reduced. Thus, the change in pressure of the first liquid storage chamber 131 generated by the restoration of the elastic member 148 can be reduced. It is possible to obtain a similar effect by reducing the sectional areas of the first and second flow paths 303a and 303b, but because molding and welding become difficult and the effect of the pump 301 is reduced, it is preferred to arrange the flow resistance increase portion 400.
In an example, the sectional area of the flow resistance increase portion 400 is 0.008 mm2 to 0.78 mm2, and the length L of the flow resistance increase portion 400 is 5 mm or more. The rubber hardness of the elastic member 148 is 20 degrees to 50 degrees, and the thickness of the elastic member 148 is 0.4 mm to 1.5 mm. The meniscus force generated at the discharge ports 115 of the liquid discharge head 110 is 450 mmAq or more, and the negative pressure of the liquid tank 160 is −35 mmAq or less.
Various embodiments of the flow resistance increase portion 400 are described. Referring to
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-112182, filed May 30, 2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
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