CN201176028Y - inkjet printer cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to an ink box for ink jet printers, comprising an ink chamber, an ink outlet and a gas port, wherein the ink chamber and the ink outlet have a first one-way valve and a second one-way valve therebetween parallel provided on two ink pipes for controlling the communication state between the ink chamber and the ink outlet, whose open directions are pointed to the ink outlet and the ink chamber, the first and the second one-way valves are elastic cylinder sleeves whose one axis end is open, the cylinder face of the first one-way valve far from the open end of the cylinder sleeve is provided with at least two cutting seams penetrating through the wall of the cylinder sleeve. The ink body can effectively stably supply ink.

Description

inkjet printer cartridge

technical field

The utility model relates to an ink cartridge for an inkjet printer. The ink cartridge stores ink in the form of a pure cavity, and the recording head adapted to the ink cartridge is arranged on the inkjet printer carriage, and the ink cartridge as an ink containing device is detachably assembled on the inkjet printer carriage, and The nozzles on the recording head are kept in communication with the ink supply needles arranged on the character carriage and the corresponding ink flow passages.

Background technique

For inkjet printers, the printing method is usually provided by the ink cartridge used to store the ink, and the ink is transported to the recording head through the corresponding ink flow channel, and the ink is driven from the recording head by the printing signal. The nozzles spray onto recording media such as paper to complete the recording of characters or graphics. Common commercially available inkjet printers can be divided into piezoelectric inkjet printers and bubble inkjet printers according to the structure of their nozzles.

Piezoelectric inkjet printers are equipped with one or more piezoelectric crystals on both sides of the ink flow channel near the nozzle of the recording head. The piezoelectric crystal is controlled by the data-modulated printing signal to produce contraction or expansion deformation. The ink in the extrusion nozzle is ejected from the nozzle to form fine droplets, which splash onto the recording medium such as the page of paper to form a recording point.

Bubble inkjet printers have a recording head structure similar to piezoelectric inkjet printers. The difference between them is that the bubble-jet printer has heating electrodes on the inner or outer wall of the ink flow channel near the nozzle of the recording head. The electrical pulse signal modulated by the data is sent to the heating electrode of the nozzle, and the heating electrode heats up rapidly, so that the ink near the nozzle is rapidly vaporized to form bubbles. The pressure generated by the expansion of the bubbles causes the ink to form tiny ink droplets after being ejected from the nozzle, and splash onto the paper page. After the electrical pulse disappears, the ink vapor condenses, and the ink in the nozzle is maintained at a level flush with the outer surface of the nozzle by surface tension. The negative pressure formed after the ink is drawn by the recording head guides the ink in the ink storage chamber to flow into the ink flow channel where the nozzle is located.

According to the configuration relationship between the recording head and the ink cartridge, the inkjet printer ink cartridge includes two types. One is an ink containing body, such as an ink cartridge with an integrated structure in which an ink storage chamber and a recording head are integrated; the other is an ink cartridge with a separate structure in which the ink containing body and the recording head are separated. The ink cartridge with an integrated structure includes both a recording head and an ink storage chamber, and the recording head is arranged on the ink supply port of the ink cartridge. In the ink cartridge of the split structure, the ink storage chamber and the recording head are separated from each other. The ink storage chamber is only used to hold ink, and the recording head is arranged on the printer carriage. Wherein, the ink cartridge with split structure includes two types of ink cartridges: pure cavity ink storage and porous material such as sponge ink storage.

For ink cartridges with a split-type pure cavity and no sponge structure, it is usually necessary to set a one-way open-close gas control valve at the air guide port to adjust the balance between the inner cavity pressure of the ink cartridge and the external environment, so as to prevent ink from overflowing from the air guide port. To the outside of the ink cartridge, it is also necessary to set a one-way open and close ink control valve on the ink flow pipeline in front of the ink supply port. The ink control valve used in this ink cartridge is usually a one-way valve with a slit made of silicon rubber. After a period of storage, the slit will close, that is, the slit will self-close. Taking a slit with a length of 6mm as an example, after one week of storage, the effective area of the check valve cutout is reduced to about 95% of the initial area, that is to say, the flow capacity of the check valve cutout is reduced by about 5% from the initial complete flow rate . Therefore, during the high-speed printing process of the inkjet printer, the one-way valve arranged on the ink flow pipe in front of the ink supply port will limit the flow of ink due to the self-closing phenomenon, resulting in the ink supply volume flowing into the ink supply needle of the inkjet printer. Insufficient, there is no ink condition.

Utility model content

The purpose of the utility model is to provide an ink-jet printer ink box which can maintain a long-term stable ink supply flow.

The inkjet printer ink box designed according to the above-mentioned purpose includes an ink storage chamber, an ink supply port and an air guide hole, and there is a control between the ink storage chamber and the ink supply port between the ink storage chamber and the ink supply port. The first one-way valve and the second one-way valve on the two parallel ink delivery pipelines are located at the ink supply port and the ink storage chamber. Both the first one-way valve and the second one-way valve are elastic cylindrical sleeves with one axial end in an open state. At least two slits penetrating through the pipe wall of the cylindrical sleeve are provided on the cylindrical surface of the first one-way valve away from the open end of the cylindrical sleeve.

Generally, the aforementioned inkjet printer ink cartridge has four slits on the cylindrical surface of the first check valve away from the open end of the cylindrical sleeve, and the four slits are on the axial cross-section of the cylindrical sleeve. The position is symmetrical to the central axis of the cylindrical sleeve.

Preferably, the aforementioned inkjet printer cartridge further includes a first buffer chamber, a second buffer chamber and a buffer column. The vertical bottom of the first buffer chamber communicates with the vertical bottom of the ink storage chamber and the vertical bottom of the second buffer chamber respectively. One end of the buffer column communicates with the air guide hole, and the other end communicates with the second buffer chamber near the geometric center of the second buffer chamber. The buffer column is a tubular channel extending from the vertical top of the second buffer chamber toward the geometric center of the second buffer chamber.

The ink-jet printer ink cartridge of the present utility model aims at the phenomenon that the valve port of the tubular one-way valve in the existing ink cartridge will be partially stuck or self-closing after a period of storage and application. The first one-way valve of the port is provided with a plurality of slits, and the superposition effect of the ink flow in the multiple slits can offset the reduction of the ink flow caused by adhesion or self-closing, so as to ensure that the inkjet printer When high-speed operation needs to draw a large amount of ink, a sufficient amount of ink can be supplied from the ink storage chamber to the ink supply port, so as to prevent the first check valve from reducing the flow of ink flowing through the slit due to the adhesion of the slit part, thereby ensuring the inkjet printer. The ink supply volume of the nozzle under long-term use.

Illustration

Fig. 1 is an exploded schematic diagram of the ink cartridge structure of the utility model inkjet printer.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the ink cartridge of the inkjet printer of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the one-way valve used in the ink cartridge of the inkjet printer of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the one-way valve used in the ink cartridge of the inkjet printer of the present invention.

Detailed ways

Referring to Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, it is the structural representation of the ink-jet printer cartridge of the present invention and the check valve used therefor. The placement state of the ink cartridge A for the inkjet printer shown in Figures 1 and 2 has the same posture as that of being installed on the inkjet printer, that is, the ink flow direction in the ink supply port 504 and the ink supply port 504 is directed downward in the vertical direction, and the cartridge A The cover 1 is located on the upper part of the box body 5 in the vertical direction. For the convenience of description, the illustrated placement posture of the ink cartridge A for inkjet printers shown in Fig.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 , the components of the ink cartridge A include a rectangular box body 5 and a flat box cover 1 prepared by injection molding using plastics as raw materials. The box cover 1 can be regarded as a movable side wall of the box body 5 . In the assembled state, the box cover 1 is sealed on the opening of the box body 5 by chemical bonding or hot-melt bonding. Inside the box body 5 , the inner space of the box body 5 is divided into a plurality of cavities by setting a corresponding plurality of partitions 514 . After the box cover 1 is fixed on the box body 5 by glue bonding or direct melt bonding, the cavity of the box body 5 separated by the partition 514 becomes a closed container that can accommodate liquids such as ink. On the outer surface of a relatively narrow and short side wall of the box body 5, an elastic handle 506 extending obliquely outward and a notch 505 sunk into the side wall are respectively provided. When the ink cartridge A is loaded into the inkjet printer, the freely extending end of the elastic handle 506 abuts against the corresponding side wall of the inkjet printer carriage, providing the ink cartridge A with horizontal positioning through elastic contact. The notch 505 provides an accommodating and positioning space for a micro integrated circuit chip (not shown in the figure) for the ink cartridge A.

Referring to FIG. 2 , it is a corresponding cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge A. The ink storage chamber 508 , the first buffer chamber 509 , and the second buffer chamber 507 are formed in the box body 5 after the above partitions 514 are used for separation.

The ink storage chamber 508 defines an ink filling hole 513 at a position corresponding to the box cover 1 , which communicates the ink storage chamber 508 with the outside atmosphere. In the state that the ink storage cavity 508 is filled with ink, the ink filling hole 513 is closed by elastic colloid.

Before the ink cartridge A is assembled on the inkjet printer, or just after the ink cartridge A is filled with ink, both the first buffer chamber 509 and the second buffer chamber 507 are kept basically empty.

An ink supply port 504 is provided on a bottom wall 510 that is a component of the ink storage chamber 508 and whose extension surface is perpendicular to the vertical direction. The ink supply port 504 communicates with the ink storage chamber 508 and the external environment. The specific form in which the ink supply port 504 communicates with the ink storage chamber 508 is to set two independent and parallel ink flow channels a and b between the ink supply port 504 and the ink storage chamber 508 . The two ink flow channels a and b are respectively controlled by the first one-way valve 3 and the second one-way valve 4 to realize the on-off state. The opening direction of the first one-way valve 3 and the second one-way valve 4 point to the ink supply port 504 and the ink storage chamber 508 respectively, that is, the opening direction of the first one-way valve 3 points to the ink supply port 504, and the second one-way valve The opening direction of 4 points to the ink storage chamber 508. Wherein, one section of the ink flow channel a corresponding to the first one-way valve 3 is formed by the groove 502 formed on the outer wall of the box body 5 after being hot-melted or glued and sealed by a plastic film (not shown in the figure). (See Figure 1). Moreover, in order to facilitate the installation of the aforementioned first one-way valve 3 in the process, the port corresponding to the ink flow channel a of the first one-way valve 3 close to the ink storage chamber 508 is undertaken by the docking plate 2 (see FIGS. 1 and 2 ) . The first one-way valve 3 is installed on the interface of the docking plate 2 pointing to the ink supply port 504 . In the case that the ink storage chamber 508 contains ink, the ink supply port 504 is usually sealed by a seal valve 511 such as a rubber ring, and in the storage and transportation state, the ink supply port 504 is usually located outside the rubber ring seal valve 511 The port is additionally sealed with a layer of plastic film to enhance the sealing performance of the ink cartridge A in the storage and transportation state. In the state that the ink cartridge A is installed on the inkjet printer (not shown in the figure), the ink supply needle of the recording head of the inkjet printer penetrates the gap in the middle part of the rubber ring sealing valve 511 and is inserted into the ink supply port 504, to extract the ink stored in the ink storage cavity 508 .

Both the first one-way valve 3 and the second one-way valve 4 are made of elastic rubber or silicon rubber, and both are in the shape of a cylindrical sleeve with an open state at one axial end. Their open ends are respectively threaded on the corresponding interfaces of the aforementioned two ink flow channels a, b provided between the ink supply port 504 and the ink storage chamber 508 . Wherein, the first one-way valve 3 is installed on the interface of the butt plate 2 as a component of the corresponding ink flow channel a. The first one-way valve 3 and the second one-way valve 4 are respectively provided with slits 301, 401 extending parallel to their axial direction and penetrating the cylindrical wall on the cylindrical wall away from their open ends, see Fig. 2, 3, 4. Wherein, there are four slits 301 provided on the first one-way valve 3 . The positions of the four slits 301 on the axial cross-section of the cylindrical sleeve are symmetrical to the central axis of the cylindrical sleeve. The slit 301 and the slit 401 constitute a valve for controlling the on-off state of the aforementioned two ink flow channels a, b provided between the ink supply port 504 and the ink storage chamber 508 . In this way, the first one-way valve 3 and the second one-way valve 4, which are used to control the on-off state of the two ink flow passages a and b, are controlled by the elasticity of the elastic rubber or silicon rubber, the slit 301 and the slit 301. The combined effect of the dome structure at the location of the slit 401 and the pressure difference of the ink on both sides of the slit 301 or the slit 401 is realized.

The lowest part of the first buffer chamber 509 in the vertical direction, that is, the bottom, communicates with the vertical bottom of the ink storage chamber 508 and the vertical bottom of the second buffer chamber 507 respectively. The channel through which the first buffer chamber 509 communicates with the ink storage chamber 508 is formed after the groove 503 formed on the outer wall of the box body 5 is sealed by hot-melting or glue bonding of a plastic film (not shown in the figure) (see FIG. 1 ). The channel through which the first buffer chamber 509 communicates with the second buffer chamber 507 is formed by the groove 501 formed on the outer wall of the box body 5 after being hot-melted or glued and sealed by a plastic film (not shown in the figure) (see FIG. 1 ) .

The second buffer cavity 507 communicates with the tubular buffer column 512 extending from the lid 1 toward the geometric center of the second buffer cavity 507 at approximately its geometric center. After the buffer column 512 passes through the lid 1, it passes through a section of serpentine groove 101 sealed by a plastic film in a hot-melt or glue-bonded manner on the outer wall of the lid 1, and then communicates with the outside atmosphere. Usually, before the ink cartridge A is installed on the inkjet printer and put into use, the entire air passage formed by the serpentine groove 101 is in a sealed state.

When using the ink cartridge A, open the end of the serpentine groove 101 away from the buffer column 512, remove the plastic sealing film at the outer end of the ink supply port 504, align and insert the ink supply port 504 on the ink supply needle of the inkjet printer carriage . In this initial state, the positive pressure impact formed by the insertion of the ink supply needle into the ink supply port 504 passes through the second one-way valve 4 and is released into the ink storage chamber 508 along the ink flow channel b, while the first one-way valve 3 remains off. Thereafter, as the ink in the ink supply port 504 is continuously drawn by the ink supply needle to form a negative pressure below the atmosphere in the ink supply port 504, the ink storage chamber 508, the first buffer chamber 509 and the second buffer chamber 509 inside the ink cartridge A The second buffer chamber 507 always reaches the state of air pressure balance with the external atmosphere through the serpentine groove 101, so that the pressure inside the ink storage chamber 508 is higher than the pressure of the ink in the ink supply 504, so that the suction force generated by the ink supply needle Under the action, the ink continuously enters the ink supply port 504 from the ink storage chamber 508, and then flows into the ink supply needle of the printer.

Claims (3)

1. ink-jet printer cartridge, comprise ink storage chamber, ink supply port and gas port, having the described ink storage chamber of control between described ink storage chamber and the described ink supply port points to described ink supply port and described ink storage chamber respectively and is positioned at two first check valve and second check valves on the parallel inking pipeline simultaneously with on off operating mode between the described ink supply port and its opening direction, it is characterized in that described first check valve and described second check valve are the resilient cylindrical sleeve that its axial end is in open state, offer at least two joint-cuttings of the tube wall that connects described cylindrical sleeve on the cylinder of described first check valve away from described cylindrical sleeve open end.

2. ink-jet printer cartridge according to claim 1, it is characterized in that being opened in described first check valve is four and their axles among the position on the axial cross section of described cylindrical sleeve is symmetrical in described cylindrical sleeve away from the described joint-cutting quantity on the cylinder of described cylindrical sleeve open end.

3. according to the described ink-jet printer cartridge of claim 2, it is characterized in that also comprising first cushion chamber, second cushion chamber and bumper post, described first cushion chamber is communicated with respectively with described ink storage chamber vertical bottom and described second cushion chamber vertical bottom in its vertical bottom, described bumper post one end is communicated with described gas port and the other end is communicated with described second cushion chamber near the geometric center position of described second cushion chamber, and described bumper post is the tubular conduit of being extended towards the geometric center of described second cushion chamber by the described second cushion chamber vertical top.

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