CN103832079A

CN103832079A - Improvements in or relating to continuous inkjet printers

Info

Publication number: CN103832079A
Application number: CN201410019457.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 罗伯特·玛丽亚·万克塞尔; 亨利克·伦斯高; 普拉巴卡兰·西瓦林加姆; 乔纳森·摩根; 布赖恩·帕特里克·吉尼; 尼古拉斯·乔治·普莱斯特
Original assignee: Domino Printing Sciences PLC
Current assignee: Domino Printing Sciences PLC
Priority date: 2006-05-04
Filing date: 2007-04-27
Publication date: 2014-06-04
Also published as: CN101437686B; GB0608762D0; WO2007129110A2; GB2463807B; GB2450272A; GB2450272B; GB2463807A; WO2007129110A3; GB0920121D0; GB0817714D0; CN101437686A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a continuous inkjet printer in which ink and make-up fluid consumption is determined without reference to the level of the contents within the ink and make-up fluids reservoirs. The invention also provides a consumables pack for a continuous inkjet printer in which the ink and make-up fluid reservoirs are formed integrally but are provided with distinct connections to deter incorrect connection to the printer.

Description

Improvement continous inkjet printers or relative

The application is to be the divisional application that on April 27th, 2007, national applications number are 200780015972.6, name is called the Chinese patent application of " improvement continous inkjet printers or relative " applying date.

Technical field

The present invention relates to a kind of continous inkjet printers.

Background technology

Continous inkjet (CIJ) printer is known and day by day complicated, but exists for the demand that maintains CIJ printer acceptable operating characteristics, lower cost in the situation that avoiding complexity.

At least part of reason that in the manufacture of CIJ printer, cost improves is that China ink and additive are placed in container separately, and must separately monitor its height in each container with indicating user in the time should changing container.User then must maintain China ink and the independent stock of additive.

The object of this invention is to provide a kind of new method of CIJ printer and/or a kind of CIJ of operation printer of new shape, it has at least and helps solve above-mentioned needs and problem, or provides a kind of novelty and useful alternative scheme to major general.

Summary of the invention

Thereby, on the one hand, the invention provides a kind of continous inkjet printers, it has: black holder; Make-up fluid reservoir; And measurement mechanism, it can be used in to measure takes from the amount of fluid consumed of described black holder and described make-up fluid reservoir, and described printer is characterised in that, and described measurement mechanism is the outside in described black holder and described make-up fluid reservoir completely.

Preferably, described measurement mechanism is configured to not monitor the height of the fluid in height or the described make-up fluid reservoir of the fluid in described black holder.

Preferably, described printer also comprises that at least one can be used in the valve of controlling from the outlet of the additive of described make-up fluid reservoir, and described measurement mechanism comprises and can be used in record by the device of the flow of described at least one valve.

Preferably, described measurement mechanism comprises the device that can be used in the required China ink amount of calculating printing bitmap.

Preferably, can be used in and calculate the described device of printing the required China ink amount of bitmap and can be used in the ink dot number in the described bitmap of counting.

Preferably, described printer also comprises that user exports, and its program turns to less surplus based on described China ink or described additive indicates the height of residual fluid to user.

Second aspect, the invention provides a kind of method that operation has the continous inkjet printers of black holder and make-up fluid reservoir, described method is characterised in that, the consumption of China ink and additive is not definite height in described black holder and described make-up fluid reservoir with reference to it.

Preferably, described method comprises the accumulation total amount of additive of one or more the valves that keep flowing through, and described valve control is from the outlet of the fluid of described make-up fluid reservoir.

Preferably, described method comprises that estimation is printed to the required China ink amount of network for location and with print cycle number and is multiplied by described China ink amount.

Preferably, estimation is printed to the step of the required China ink amount of network for location and is comprised that counting is described to the ink dot number in network for location.

The third aspect, the invention provides the method for the black consumption in a kind of definite continous inkjet printers, and described method is characterised in that, definite one or more China ink amounts that bitmap is required of printing of calculating that comprise of described black consumption.

Fourth aspect, the invention provides a kind of consumable print cartridge for continous inkjet printers, the additive chamber that described consumable print cartridge has black chamber and forms with described black chamber, and described consumable print cartridge is characterised in that:

Be provided with independent interface to realize being connected of described consumable print cartridge and described printer, described interface comprises the joint that enters being connected with described black chamber and described additive chamber; And

The geometry that enters joint being connected with described black chamber be different from be connected with described additive chamber described in enter joint geometry.

Will be apparent to those skilled in the art according to carrying out many variations that mode of the present invention carries out.The following description is only used as the example that realizes a kind of mode of the present invention, lacks for the explanation of distortion or equivalents and should not be considered as limitation.In the case of any possible, the explanation of concrete element should be considered as the equivalents that comprises that they are whole, no matter and it is present in now or future.

Brief description of the drawings

Now by reference to brief description of the drawings various aspects of the present invention, wherein:

Fig. 1 illustrates according to the schematic design figure of CIJ printer of the present invention;

Fig. 2 illustrates according to the flow chart of consumption measuring process included in printer of the present invention;

Fig. 3 illustrates the view such as survey such as axle such as grade being applicable to according to the consumable print cartridge of printer of the present invention; And

Fig. 4 from downside with larger ratio exemplify joint between the consumable print cartridge shown in Fig. 3 and printer etc. axle survey view.

Detailed description of the invention

First with reference to figure 1, wherein show the executive component of CIJ printer 5.These elements are identical with those elements that our A series CIJ printer comprises in many aspects, but below the many aspects that are described in more detail there are differences.

Shown in the printer 5 of form comprise black holder 7 and make-up fluid reservoir 9.Described printer configuration and be arranged to the China ink of correct viscosity to be delivered to printhead 10 by transfer pipeline 12 from holder 7.Ink droplet deflects into substrate to be marked from printhead 10.Produce in a conventional manner but do not lead back in black holder 7 for the required ink droplet of printing is gathered in groove 13 and by barrel road 14.

Use in a conventional manner the additive from holder 9.In other words, additive imports in holder 7 to reduce the viscosity of holder 7 China and Mexico from holder 9 by adding valve 15 and pipeline 16.Also can aspirate additive via flushing valve 17 and pass printhead 10 to realize the cleaning of printhead 10.Relatively, in embodiment situation described herein, all additives that aspirate from holder 9 are all conducted through one of valve 15 or 17.

In loop, be provided with and adopt the various parts of valve, damper, viscosity measuring apparatus and filter form to improve from the ink droplet current mass of printhead ejection.But these parts are substantially known the same with our A series CIJ printer, do not contribute to the understanding of the present invention.

In reality, importantly the consumption of monitoring China ink and additive gives a warning to user when also any one height is lower therein.For this reason, our current A series printer has altimeter in holder 7 and 9.One of object of the present invention is to remove described altimeter, and utilizes existing machinery and electronic hardware, but monitors the consumption of China ink and additive with alternative method.

In the situation of additive, we have determined that additive that valve 15 or each opening and closing of valve 17 can cause relative fixed amount is from wherein passing through.Because the operation that comprises the repertoire in the operating in of valve 15 and 17 of printer is all according to the control of electronics mode, therefore electronic device sequencing can be counted to the number of operations of valve 15 and 17, thereby calculate total depletion of additive amount.Alternately, owing to passing through constant flow pump feeding additive, described electronic device can be measured the number of times that valve 15 and 17 is opened separately, thereby calculates and record consumption.

If China ink returns to holder 7 from described tank circuit, can not carry out monitor China ink consumption by the throughput of monitoring ink feed valve 18.The present invention sprays and each ink droplet of not flowing into groove 13 solves this problem by effectively monitoring from printhead 10.In reality, this is realized by a concrete aspect of the present invention, and wherein, described electronic device calculates the given required China ink amount (the ink droplet number of printing is multiplied by the volume of each ink droplet) of bitmap of printing.Then, just can determine total consumption by the print cycle number that the described amount calculating has been multiplied by.

In Fig. 2, show in a flowchart the method for determining China ink and depletion of additive amount.

About the calculating of black consumption, admittedly, additive is added into described China ink, thereby in CIJ printer, determines that from the bitmap of printing black consumption can not be used as the accurate expression of black consumption.But another people is surprised, in our test within the scope of operating condition, to find, the required additive addition of China ink almost with from the solvent phase of described China ink evaporation is worked as.Thereby the difference the consumption calculating from bitmap and operation between the consumption of reality can be ignored substantially.

Increase the independent calculating of China ink and depletion of additive amount, and accumulation total amount has been stored in memory.

Although can will turn to the height of indicating remaining China ink and additive to user according to printer program of the present invention, but for simple and by more obvious in the following description reason, provide a kind of program to turn to for the remaining output that consumes fluid of instruction separately to user, described instruction is that the less surplus based on described China ink and additive is made.When the less surplus of two kinds of fluids in emptying amount 10% in time, described output can be changed into warning, and in the time that first China ink or additive exhaust, will generate to user the instruction of changing consumable print cartridge.

The accumulation total amount of consumption is preferably stored in EEPROM (EEPROM) formula memory device, thereby can retain these total amounts in the situation that printer turn-offs.Each when for example inputting suitable code by user in the time packing new consumable print cartridge into printer and changing described module, described EEPROM formula memory is reset.

The present invention also imagines, and in single consumable print cartridge, supplies China ink and additive.According to which, two kinds of fluid supplies are changed simultaneously, and the concrete structure of module described herein guarantees that described replacing not only simply but also clean.And, reduce the consumable quantity in stock that need to be kept by user, and reduced downtime owing to changing China ink and additive simultaneously.

Refer now to Fig. 3 and 4, consumable print cartridge 20 is arranged to comprise black chamber 21 and additive chamber 22.Described

chamber

21 and 22 be preferably formed at plastics molded in, then can fill in the outer paper sleeve-board 24 that is printed on thereon tutorial message.

In order to make described print cartridge can be mounted to the functional unit of described printer, be provided with independent threaded circular interface 25, according to shown in the described interface 25 of form there is the erection joint (not shown) that is communicated with respectively each described black chamber 21 and additive chamber 22.Two groups of connecting

holes

27 and 28 that are respectively used to described black chamber and additive chamber are formed in the upper side 26 of described interface.Can find out, the geometrical arrangements of described

hole group

27 and 28 is not identical, to stop described consumable print cartridge to be connected with the incorrect of described printer.

Refer now to Fig. 4, described printer connections (not shown) connects mode according to pipe and accesses contiguous block 30, and contiguous block 30 described in use is fixed to interface 25 by threaded annular retaining ring 31.Many joints 32 stretch out from described contiguous block 30 downsides, and the described joint 32 being arranged in sets is corresponding to the

hole group

27 and 28 in interface 25.Can the suitable sealing of setting example as O shape ring (not shown) carry out the sealing between joint 32 and

hole group

27 and 28.

Also obvious from Fig. 4, mounting blocks 30 comprises the pin 34 stretching out downwards, and described pin 34 engages with the hole 35 forming in interface 25, so that joint 32 is positioned to suitable position with respect to

hole group

27 and 28.

Thereby should be appreciated that, the present invention has at least simplified the mechanical realization of known continous inkjet printers in the situation that of described detailed description of the invention, and operation and the fluid replacing method simplified are provided.

Claims

1. for a consumable print cartridge for continous inkjet printers, the additive chamber that described consumable print cartridge has black chamber and forms with described black chamber, described consumable print cartridge is characterised in that:

On described consumable print cartridge, be provided with independent interface to realize and being connected of described printer, described interface comprises that entering joint and being configured to of being connected with described black chamber and described additive chamber engages with independent contiguous block; And

The geometry that enters joint described in being connected with described black chamber be different from be connected with described additive chamber described in enter joint geometry.