JP2005067039A - Tube fixing structure, liquid ejection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tube fixing structure and a liquid ejecting apparatus that are simple in structure and easy to assemble and that can ensure high sealing performance.
A fixed portion formed of a heat-shrinkable tube at a connection portion between a downstream end portion T1b, T2b of a discharge tube connected to a tube pump and a connection tube 43, 44 of a connection member 37 connected to a waste liquid tank. The member 38 is disposed, and the fixing member 38 is thermally contracted to fasten the downstream ends T1b and T2b and the connecting pipes 43 and 44. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the downstream end portions T1b and T2b from coming off from the connecting pipes 43 and 44 and to withstand the internal pressure of the downstream end portions T1b and T2b. Moreover, since the fixing member 38 is small, an installation space can be reduced. And since assembly work can be simplified, assembly time can be shortened. Furthermore, since the fixing member 38 fastens the connecting portion with a constant tightening force due to thermal contraction, it is possible to prevent variations in assembly.
[Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a tube fixing structure and a liquid ejecting apparatus.

  Inkjet printers are widely used as liquid ejecting apparatuses that eject liquid onto a target via a liquid ejecting head. In such an ink jet printer, in a recording head as a liquid ejecting head, there is a possibility that ink near the nozzles is thickened or bubbles are mixed in the nozzles, so that printing may not be performed satisfactorily. It was. Therefore, many head cleaning mechanisms for recovering these problems have been proposed.

  As the head cleaning mechanism, the nozzle of the recording head is covered with a cap, a pump provided in an ink discharge tube communicating with the cap is driven, and ink is discharged from the nozzle using the pressure (negative pressure) generated by the pump. A device that sucks and discharges the ink to a waste ink tank through an ink discharge tube is known.

  By the way, the ink discharge tube is formed between an ink discharge tube and a flow path forming member (for example, a flow path forming member connected to a waste ink tank) when an external force generated by vibration or dropping is applied to the ink jet printer. This has an effect on the connection between them and may reduce the sealing performance. Therefore, in order to improve the sealing performance, as shown in FIG. 6, there is one that employs a tube fixing structure in which the ink discharge tube 71 and the flow path forming member 72 are connected using a joint 73 or a hook 74 ( For example, Patent Document 1).

  The joint 73 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape by an elastic material and has a center hole 75. The center hole 75 is formed with a fitting portion 76 having a large inner diameter only in part. An ink discharge tube 71 is fitted into the center hole 75 from one side, and a flange portion 77 provided on the ink discharge tube 71 is fitted into the fitting portion 76 of the joint 73. Further, a cylindrical ink introduction portion 78 protruding from the flow path forming member 72 is fitted from the other side of the center hole 75. The hook 74 extends from the flow path forming member 72 and restricts movement of the joint 73 in a direction away from the flow path forming member 72.

  Accordingly, the joint 73 and the ink discharge tube 71 are prevented from coming off when the flange portion 77 and the fitting portion 76 are fitted. Further, the joint 73 and the ink introduction part 78 are prevented from coming off due to the restriction by the hook 74.

As described above, the ink discharge tube 71 and the joint 73, and the joint 73 and the flow path forming member 72 are prevented from coming off, and the seal between the ink discharge tube 71 and the flow path forming member 72 is prevented. The decline in sex was prevented.
JP-A-6-278289

By the way, the conventional tube fixing structure needs to be provided with the flange portion 77 in the ink discharge tube 71, which may make the structure complicated and difficult to manufacture. Further, at the time of assembling, in order to fit the flange portion 77 to the fitting portion 76, it is necessary to fit the ink discharge tube 71 so as to push the joint 73 made of an elastic member so that the assembling takes time. was there.

  Further, the conventional tube fixing structure described above prevents the sealing performance from being lowered due to the disconnection in the direction along the center hole 75, but the sealing performance is lowered due to the internal pressure of the ink discharge tube 71. Could not prevent that. That is, when the pump generates pressure when the ink discharge tube 71 is clogged due to drying or the like, the internal pressure of the ink discharge tube 71 is increased, and the joint 73 is expanded in a direction orthogonal to the center hole 75 to form a gap. There was a risk that the sealing performance would deteriorate.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a tube fixing structure and a liquid ejecting apparatus that are simple in structure and easy to assemble and that can ensure high sealing performance. is there.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the tube fixing structure of the present invention, one end portion of the tube is expanded, and the connecting portion of the flow path forming member is fitted into the expanded tube, In the tube fixing structure that connects and fixes the connecting portion of the flow path forming member, the one end portion of the tube and the flow path forming member are fixed by a fixing member that crimps the outer surface of the one end portion of the tube by heat shrinkage. The connecting and fixing part of the connecting part is fastened and fixed.

  According to this invention, it can prevent that the one end part of a tube slips out from the connection part of a flow path formation member, and a liquid leaks with external force. In addition, since the fixing member uniformly presses the entire position corresponding to the connecting portion of the flow path forming member in one end portion of the tube, the fastening force does not vary depending on the location, and efficient fastening can be performed. it can. In addition, the fastening operation can be performed easily and in a short time compared to fastening one end of the tube to the connecting portion of the flow path forming member using a tool or the like. In addition, since no tools are used, the fastening work in a narrow place with no space can be easily performed.

  In this tube fixing structure, the fixing member is continuously crimped to a portion outside the connection fixing portion at one end of the tube. According to this invention, even if the internal pressure of the one end part of the tube rises at the one end part of the tube close to the connecting part, it is not spread out in the radial direction.

  In this tube fixing structure, the fixing member is formed of a cylindrical heat shrink member. According to this invention, the configuration of the fixing member can be simplified. Further, the fastening portion can be reduced in size, and as a result, the entire apparatus can be reduced in size.

  In this tube fixing structure, there are a plurality of tubes and connecting portions, and the corresponding tubes and connecting portions are connected to each other, and the plurality of connecting and fixing portions are fastened and fixed by one fixing member. . According to this invention, since it is not necessary to provide the fixing member for the number of tubes, the whole apparatus can be reduced in size. Further, since a plurality of bolts can be fastened at a time, the fastening work can be performed easily and in a short time.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, one end portion of the tube is expanded, and the connecting portion of the flow path forming member is fitted into the expanded tube, so that the one end portion of the tube and the connecting portion of the flow path forming member are connected. In the liquid ejecting apparatus having a tube fixing structure that is connected and fixed, a connecting member that connects the one end of the tube and the flow path forming member by a fixing member that crimps the outer surface of the one end of the tube by heat shrinkage It was made to fasten and fix to the connecting and fixing part.

According to this invention, it can prevent that the one end part of a tube pulls out from the connection part of a flow-path formation member, and a liquid leaks with external force. In addition, since the fixing member uniformly presses the entire position corresponding to the connecting portion of the flow path forming member in one end portion of the tube, the fastening force does not vary depending on the location, and efficient fastening can be performed. it can. In addition, the fastening operation can be performed easily and in a short time compared to fastening one end of the tube to the connecting portion of the flow path forming member using a tool or the like. In addition, since no tools are used, the fastening work in a narrow place with no space can be easily performed.

  In this liquid ejecting apparatus, the tube is a tube that supplies waste liquid sucked by a tube pump to a waste liquid tank, and the flow path forming member is provided in the waste liquid tank and is supplied from the tube. Is introduced into the waste liquid tank. According to the present invention, for example, when the liquid in the tube is hardened due to drying or the like, the tube pump generates pressure, and thus the tube is prevented from coming out of the fitting portion due to the increase in the internal pressure of the tube. .

Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, a platen 13 is disposed on a frame 12 of a printer 11 as a liquid ejecting apparatus according to this embodiment, and paper P is fed onto the platen 13 by a paper feed mechanism (not shown). The A guide member 16 is installed on the frame 12 in parallel with the platen 13, and a carriage 15 is supported on the guide member 16 so as to be movable. The carriage 15 is connected to the carriage motor 17 via the timing belt 18, and is reciprocated along the guide member 16 by driving the carriage motor 17.

  A recording head 20 is mounted on the carriage 15 below the carriage 15. The recording head 20 includes a nozzle discharge port (not shown) on its lower surface, and ejects ink droplets from the nozzle discharge port by driving a piezoelectric element (not shown).

  An ink cartridge 21 is detachably mounted on the carriage 15, and ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 21 to the recording head 20. Therefore, while the carriage 15 moves along the guide member 16, printing is performed by ejecting ink from the recording head 20 onto the paper P by driving the piezoelectric element based on print data.

  A head cleaning mechanism 25 is provided in a non-printable area (home position) on one side of the frame 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the head cleaning mechanism 25 includes a cap holder 26 and a tube pump 28. The cap holder 26 is attached to the frame 12 so as to be movable up and down by a known lifting means (not shown).

  On the cap holder 26, a square frame-shaped cap 29 is provided. The cap 29 is configured such that the upper end edge of the cap 29 abuts on the recording head 20 to seal the nozzle discharge port of the recording head 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the cap 29 has a sheet-like sponge 31 fixed to the bottom thereof. The sponge 31 is opposed to the nozzle ejection port of the recording head 20 with a predetermined interval in a state where the cap 29 is in contact with the recording head 20 and receives ink ejected from the nozzle of the recording head 20. ing. Further, the cap 29 is formed with two discharge ports 32 so as to penetrate the bottom surface.

The first and second discharge tubes T1 and T2 as tubes are connected at the upstream ends T1a and T2a to the discharge ports 32 of the corresponding caps 29, and the downstream ends T1b and T2b are disposed in the waste liquid tank 33. It is connected to the connecting member 37 as the flow path forming member. The tube pump 28 presses the first and second discharge tubes T <b> 1 and T <b> 2 while the nozzle discharge port of the recording head 20 is sealed with the cap 29 to depressurize the inside of the cap 29, and the ink from the recording head 20. Is discharged to the waste liquid tank 33. The waste liquid tank 33 is disposed below the platen 13 so that ink supplied from the first and second discharge tubes T1 and T2 flows from the connection member 37.

Next, the connection structure of the first and second discharge tubes T1, T2 and the connection member 37 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view for connecting the connecting structure of the first and second discharge tubes T1, T2 and the connection member 37. The first and second discharge tubes T1, T2 are made of silicon rubber or the like. It is comprised with the tube which consists of a flexible member. On the other hand, the connecting member 37 has a discharge pipe 42 as a discharge portion extending on the lower surface of the member main body 41, and two connection portions and connection pipes 43 and 44 as connection fixing portions on the front surface of the member main body 41. It is extended and formed. As shown in FIG. 4, a flow path 45 that connects the discharge pipe 42 and the connection pipes 43 and 44 is formed inside the member main body 41.

  Then, the downstream ends T1b and T2b of the first and second discharge tubes T1 and T2 are connected to the connection pipes 43 and 44, respectively. Specifically, the downstream ends T1b and T2b of the first and second discharge tubes T1 and T2 are expanded, and the connecting pipes 43 and 44 are inserted into the expanded first and second discharge tubes T1 and T2. Let As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the downstream ends T1b and T2b of the first and second discharge tubes T1 and T2 are connected in a state of being pressed against the connecting pipes 43 and 44.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5, the outer peripheries of the downstream end portions T <b> 1 b and T <b> 2 b connected to the connecting pipes 43 and 44 are fastened and fixed by a fixing member 38. More specifically, the fixing member 38 is formed of a heat shrinkable tube made of, for example, an electron beam cross-linked flame retardant polyolefin, and is formed in a cylindrical shape as shown in FIGS. The inner diameter of the fixing member 38 is such that the first and second discharge tubes T1 and T2 connected to the connection tubes 43 and 44 are inserted with a margin. The length of the fixing member 38 in the central axis direction is longer than the connecting pipes 43 and 44 extending from the member main body 41.

  And as shown in FIG. 4, the fixing member 38 is arrange | positioned on the outer side of downstream end part T1b, T2b of the 1st and 2nd discharge tubes T1, T2 connected with the connection pipes 43,44. In this state, hot air is blown onto the fixing member 38 to heat-shrink the fixing member 38. As a result, the fixing member 38 becomes thicker and harder, and is crimped to the downstream end portions T1b and T2b. The connection pipes 43 and 44 and the downstream end portions T1b and T2b are stronger as shown in FIG. To be concluded. In addition, in the present embodiment, the downstream end portions T1b and T2b that are not in contact with the connecting pipes 43 and 44 are crimped by the fixing member 38. Therefore, at the downstream ends T1b and T2b close to the connecting pipes 43 and 44, for example, when the ink in the first and second discharge tubes T1 and T2 is hardened due to drying or the like, the tube pump 28 generates pressure. For this reason, even if the internal pressure of the downstream end portions T1b and T2b rises, it will not be spread. As a result, the downstream ends T1b and T2b of the first and second discharge tubes T1 and T2 are firmly connected to the connecting pipes 43 and 44 without being pulled out, and a high sealing performance is ensured.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the above embodiment, the outer side of the downstream end portions T1b and T2b of the first and second discharge tubes T1 and T2 connected to the connecting tubes 43 and 44 are crimped by thermally contracting the fixing member 38. Thus, the downstream ends T1b and T2b of the first and second discharge tubes T1 and T2 are firmly fastened to the connecting pipes 43 and 44. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the downstream ends T1b and T2b of the first and second discharge tubes T1 and T2 from coming out of the connection pipes 43 and 44 and the liquid from leaking due to an external force. In addition, since the fixing member 38 is uniformly crimped at positions corresponding to the connecting pipes 43 and 44 in the downstream ends T1b and T2b, the fastening force does not vary depending on the place, and efficient fastening can be performed. it can.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the downstream end portions T1b and T2b that are not in contact with the connecting pipes 43 and 44 are crimped by the fixing member 38. Therefore, even if the internal pressure of the downstream ends T1b and T2b rises at the downstream ends T1b and T2b close to the connecting pipes 43 and 44, they are not pushed in the radial direction.

(3) In the said embodiment, the fixing member 38 was comprised with the heat contraction tube. Therefore, the connecting portion can be reduced in size, and as a result, the entire apparatus can be reduced in size.
(4) In the embodiment described above, the fixing member 38 is thermally contracted simply by blowing hot air to the fixing member 38, and the downstream ends T1b, T2b of the first and second discharge tubes T1, T2 are connected to the connecting pipes 43, 44. Firmly tightened. Therefore, the fastening operation can be performed easily and in a short time compared to fastening the downstream end portions T1b and T2b to the connecting pipes 43 and 44 using a tool or the like. In addition, since no tools are used, the fastening work in a narrow place with no space can be easily performed.

(5) In the above embodiment, the fixing member 38 is a cylindrical heat shrinkable member. Therefore, the configuration of the fixing member 38 can be simplified.
(6) In the above embodiment, the downstream end portions T1b and T2b of the two first and second discharge tubes T1 and T2 are fastened to the connecting pipes 43 and 44 by one fixing member 38, respectively. Thereby, since it is not necessary to provide the fixing member 38 for the number of tubes, the whole apparatus can be reduced in size. Further, since a plurality of bolts can be fastened at a time, the fastening work can be performed easily and in a short time.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
In the above embodiment, the fixing member 38 that fixes the downstream ends T1b, T2b of the first and second discharge tubes T1, T2 connected to the tube pump 28 and the connecting pipes 43, 44 has been described. The place to do is not limited to this. For example, a connection portion between an ink supply tube that supplies ink from an ink cartridge of an off-carriage printer to a sub tank mounted on the carriage and the sub tank may be fixed. Further, a joint portion used for other than the printer 11 may be fixed.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the connecting portions between the downstream ends T1b and T2b of the first and second discharge tubes T1 and T2 and the connecting pipes 43 and 44 are fixed by the fixing member 38 has been described. Is not limited to two. For example, it may be one, three or more.

  In each of the above embodiments, a printer (printing apparatus including a facsimile, a copier, etc.) that ejects ink has been described as the liquid ejecting apparatus. However, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects another liquid may be used. For example, as a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting liquids such as electrode materials and color materials used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, EL displays, and surface-emitting displays, as a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting bioorganic materials used in biochip manufacturing, and as precision pipettes The sample injection device may be used.

1 is a perspective view of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment. Similarly, the principal part schematic block diagram of a printer. Similarly, a perspective exploded view of a tube fixing structure. Similarly, the fragmentary sectional view before the assembly of the tube fixing structure. Similarly, the fragmentary sectional view after the assembly of the tube fixing structure. Sectional drawing of the conventional tube fixing structure.

Explanation of symbols

  P ... paper, 11 ... printer, 15 ... carriage, 20 ... recording head as liquid ejecting head, 28 ... tube pump, 29 ... cap, 33 ... waste liquid tank, T1 ... first discharge tube, T2 ... second discharge Tube, T1a, T2a ... upstream end, T1b, T2b ... downstream end, 37 ... connecting member, 38 ... fixing member, 41 ... member body, 42 ... discharge pipe, 43, 44 ... connecting pipe.

Claims (6)

One end of the tube is expanded, and the connecting portion of the flow path forming member is fitted into the expanded tube so that the one end of the tube and the connecting portion of the flow path forming member are connected and fixed. In structure
The fixing member that crimps the outer surface of the one end portion of the tube by heat shrinkage is used to fasten and fix the one end portion of the tube and the connection fixing portion of the connecting portion of the flow path forming member. Tube fixing structure. In the tube fixing structure according to claim 1,
The tube fixing structure, wherein the fixing member is continuously crimped to a portion outside the connection fixing portion at one end of the tube. The tube fixing structure according to claim 1 or 2,
The tube fixing structure, wherein the fixing member is formed of a cylindrical heat shrinkable member. In the tube fixing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A plurality of the tubes and the connecting portions, and the corresponding tubes and connecting portions are connected to each other, and the plurality of connecting and fixing portions are fastened and fixed by the one fixing member. Fixed structure. One end of the tube is expanded, and the connecting portion of the flow path forming member is fitted into the expanded tube so that the one end of the tube and the connecting portion of the flow path forming member are connected and fixed. In a liquid ejecting apparatus having a structure,
The fixing member that crimps the outer surface of the one end portion of the tube by heat shrinkage is used to fasten and fix the one end portion of the tube and the connection fixing portion of the connecting portion of the flow path forming member. Liquid ejector. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5,
The tube is a tube that supplies waste liquid sucked by a tube pump to a waste liquid tank, and the flow path forming member is provided in the waste liquid tank, and the waste liquid supplied from the tube is placed in the waste liquid tank. A liquid ejecting apparatus that is introduced.

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