CN117754986A - Ink bag, ink supply system and printer - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses an ink bag, an ink supply system and a printer, wherein the ink bag is provided with at least one path of ink passage, and the ink passage at least comprises an ink input cavity, an ink output cavity, a switch valve and an output connector communicated with the ink output cavity; the ink supply system includes an ink reservoir system and N ink bags connected in series. The ink bag is provided with the plurality of ink delivery joints, so that the ink bag is provided with a serial structure foundation, the serial ink supply system is simpler in ink delivery pipeline layout, a user can operate each printing nozzle from the upper part of the ink bag very conveniently, the space design of the ink vehicle can be greatly reduced, and the motion load and wind resistance are reduced; the length of the ink conveying pipeline is greatly reduced, the shake of the ink conveying pipeline is reduced, and the ink supply is more stable.

Description

Ink bag, ink supply system and printer

Technical field

The present invention relates to the technical field of inkjet printing, and specifically relates to an ink bag, an ink supply system and a printer.

Background technique

In the field of large-format inkjet printing equipment for commercial or industrial use, due to the need for faster printing performance, more printing nozzles are often integrated into one printing device to form a nozzle group to work together. Figure 1 shows an ink truck assembly that integrates eight printing nozzles. Among them, 8 printing nozzles 1 are installed on the nozzle base 2, and the nozzle base 2 is installed on the ink truck floor 3. Each joint of the printing nozzle 1 is connected to the output end of the printer's ink storage system 5 through an ink bag. The integral ink carriage 4 moves back and forth on the beam of the printer to perform scanning printing.

Conventionally, an ink bag with an automatic on-off valve is plugged into the connector of the print head 1 to suppress ink from overflowing from the nozzle end in the non-inkjet state. At the same time, the ink bag will automatically open the switch when the print head is actively ejecting ink. The valve delivers ink to the print head.

The structure of an existing ink bag is shown in Figure 2. An ink input chamber 10 and an ink output chamber 20 are provided inside, and a switch valve 50 is provided between the ink input chamber 10 and the ink output chamber 20; the top of the ink bag An input joint 30 is provided, and the input joint 30 is connected to the output end of the ink storage system 5 through an ink supply pipeline; an ink supply channel 60 is provided inside the ink bag to connect the input joint 30 and the ink input chamber 10; the bottom of the ink bag is provided with There is an output joint 40 connected with the ink output chamber 20 , and the output joint 40 is connected with the printing nozzle 1 . The ink bag structure will only open the switch valve 50 when the print head is actively ejecting ink, and the switch valve 50 will be closed in other states, regardless of whether the ink input end of the ink bag is positive pressure, negative pressure, or normal pressure.

Normally, the input end and the output end of the ink bag correspond one to one. For example, the ink bag shown in Figure 2 is an ink bag with only one input end and one output end. In the prior art, there is also an ink bag that can use multiple colors of ink, that is, an ink bag has multiple ink channels, and each ink channel has a one-to-one corresponding input connector 30, ink input chamber 10, and switch. Valve 50, ink output chamber 20 and output connector 40.

The ink bag with the above-mentioned existing structure is used in a printer. Since the ink storage system or pipeline joint is often at the upper part of the print head assembly (commonly known as the ink truck), for an ink truck with multiple print head arrays, the pipeline becomes very complicated. Mixed. Figure 3 shows an ink truck group consisting of 32 printing nozzles, which are arranged in four rows of ABCD printing nozzles. Since each printing nozzle requires 4 single-channel ink bag inputs, there are a total of 16 rows of single-channel ink bag arrangements. Taking the A1 column as an example, the ink bags and pipes of the A1 column of the ink truck are shown in Figure 4. There are 8 independent pipes spanning from the ink bag end below to the ink storage system interface end above. In this way, there are 16 rows of pipes similar to the A1 group in the horizontal direction, and a total of 128 pipes are crisscrossed in the air of the ink truck. This large number and intricate pipes make it very inconvenient for users to operate the inner printing nozzle. At the same time, the ink The reciprocating motion of the car causes the pipeline to vibrate back and forth, which will also have some adverse effects on inkjet printing.

Contents of the invention

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve the technical defects in the prior art that the structure of the ink bag causes the printer's ink supply system pipelines to be large and complex, causing user inconvenience and pipeline jitter to adversely affect inkjet printing. .

In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution provided by the present invention is as follows: an ink bag is provided with at least one ink passage. The ink passage at least includes an ink input chamber, an ink output chamber, and is located between the ink input chamber and the ink output chamber. There is a switch valve between the ink outlet and an output connector connected to the ink output chamber, wherein the ink passage further includes at least two ink transfer connectors connected to the ink input chamber.

In a preferred embodiment, there are two ink input connectors, including a first connector connected to the top of the ink input chamber and a second connector connected to the bottom of the ink input chamber.

In a preferred embodiment, the second connector is provided on the top of the ink bag, and a liquid flow channel is provided between the second connector and the bottom of the ink input chamber.

The invention also provides an ink supply system, including an ink storage system and N ink bags according to any one of claims 1 to 3, N≥2; N ink bags are connected in series, and the ink storage system The main ink supply pipe is connected to the ink supply joint of the first ink bag, and the ink supply joints of two adjacent ink bags are connected through the connecting ink supply pipe.

The invention also provides a printer, which at least includes the ink supply system, and the output connector of each ink bag is connected to the printing nozzle.

In the ink bag of the present invention, the ink input chamber of each ink channel is provided with at least two ink delivery joints. Compared with the traditional ink bag in which the ink input chamber is only provided with one ink delivery joint, it has the following beneficial effects:

The ink bag is equipped with multiple ink delivery joints, so that the ink input chamber can not only be used as an ink storage chamber corresponding to the printing nozzle, but also can be used as a transfer chamber for ink, supplying ink to other structures that require ink, changing the traditional ink bag The ink input chamber is only used as an application form corresponding to the ink storage chamber of the printing nozzle, which increases the application range of the ink bag.

In the ink supply system and printer of the present invention, the ink input chamber of the ink bag is provided with a structural foundation of at least two ink delivery joints. N of the above ink bags are connected in series, and the ink storage system only needs to be connected to the first ink delivery pipe through the main ink delivery pipe. Each ink bag can be connected, and adjacent ink bags are connected through a short connecting ink tube; compared with the traditional way that each ink bag is connected to the ink storage system through the main ink tube, this series ink supply The system has the following beneficial effects:

(1) The layout of the ink delivery pipeline is more concise, and users can easily operate each printing nozzle from above the ink bag.

(2) The length of the ink supply pipeline is greatly reduced, the vibration of the ink supply pipeline is reduced, and the ink supply is more stable.

(3) When the ink truck has multiple color channels, especially the ink bags on the print heads of each column (group), or the ink bags on the ink truck in different rows but with the same color channel, a certain number of series-connected ink bags are used. The method has clear context and short pipelines, which also completely solves the problem of mixed pipelines on the ink truck.

(4) The pipeline layout becomes simple and clear, which allows the space design of the ink truck to be greatly reduced, reducing the motion load and wind resistance.

The ink bag of the present invention adopts an ink bag with a switch valve structure between the ink input chamber and the ink output chamber. This switch valve structure effectively separates the ink bag into an ink input chamber and an ink output chamber. , the switch valve closes automatically when the print head is not actively ejecting ink, so that the mutual flow of ink between adjacent series-connected ink bags is adjusted, and the ink in the ink output chamber of any one of the ink bags and the print head chamber are not affected. The body pressure balance causes fluctuations or damage, thereby greatly improving the stability of the inkjet work at the print head connected to the ink output chamber.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an ink truck assembly integrating eight printing nozzles in the prior art;

Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an ink bag in the prior art;

Figure 3 shows an ink truck group consisting of 32 printing nozzles in the prior art, which is arranged in four rows of ABCD printing nozzles;

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the connection of the ink bags and ink storage system of row A1 in the ink truck group shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the ink bag in this embodiment;

Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the ink supply system in this embodiment;

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a preferred serial connection method of ink bags in the ink supply system shown in Figure 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of another preferred ink bag serial connection method in the ink supply system shown in FIG. 6 .

Detailed ways

In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described here are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on those shown in the accompanying drawings. The orientation or positional relationship is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. It does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly stated and limited, the terms "installation", "connection" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, an integral connection, or It can be a detachable connection; it can be an internal connection between two elements; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances. meaning.

An ink bag of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, is provided with an ink passage. The ink passage includes an ink input chamber 10, an ink output chamber 20, and a switch disposed between the ink input chamber 10 and the ink output chamber 20. The valve 50 and the output joint 40 connected with the ink output chamber 20 are special features of this embodiment. The ink passage further includes two ink supply joints connected with the ink input chamber 10 .

It should be noted that the ink bag shown in this embodiment is only provided with one ink passage. Those skilled in the art should understand that the ink bag can also be provided with multiple ink passages as needed.

Preferably, in this embodiment, the ink supply connector includes a first connector 31 communicating with the top of the ink input chamber 10 and a second connector 32 communicating with the bottom of the ink input chamber 10 . The second connector 32 is disposed on the top of the ink bag. In this case, a liquid flow channel 11 is disposed between the second connector 32 and the bottom of the ink input chamber 10 .

It should be noted that the number and position of the ink feed connectors mentioned above are only preferred implementations of this embodiment, and are not the only limitation on this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that the number of ink delivery connectors can also be set to more than two, and the position of the ink delivery connectors can also be adjusted according to needs. For example, the ink delivery connectors can also be provided on the side of the ink bag or on the side of the ink bag. bottom.

Preferably, in this embodiment, the switch valve 50 includes a valve port 51 disposed between the ink input chamber 10 and the ink output chamber 20 , and a valve body located on one side of the ink input chamber 10 and used to control the opening and closing of the valve port 51 . 52. The first elastic member 53 located on the side of the valve body 52 away from the valve port, the valve stem 54 located on the side of the ink output chamber 20 and passing through the valve port 51 and abutting the valve body 52; and the second elastic member 55 between the valve port 51 and the valve port 51 . Among them, the first elastic member 53 and the second elastic member 55 are preferably springs.

In this embodiment, the wall of the ink output chamber 20 opposite to the valve port 51 is a deformable wall 21. The deformable wall 21 is preset to bulge and deform to a side away from the valve port, and the valve stem 54 is away from the valve. One end of the mouth is in contact with the deformable wall 21 through the support plate 22 .

In the ink bag of this embodiment, the second elastic member 55 pushes the support plate 22 to link the deformation of the deformable wall 21 to maintain an appropriate negative pressure in the ink output chamber 20 to prevent the printing nozzle from dripping ink. When the control system controls the printing nozzle to eject ink, the ink in the ink output chamber 20 is replenished into the printing nozzle, forming a greater negative pressure in the ink output chamber 20 . The deformable wall 21 pushes the valve stem 54 to push open the valve body 52 under the action of atmospheric pressure. The ink input chamber 10 and the ink output chamber 20 are connected through the valve port. The ink in the ink input chamber 10 is replenished into the ink output chamber 20 under the action of the pressure difference. As the ink in the ink output chamber 20 increases, the pressure difference reaches a certain level. The deformable wall 21 expands again under the action of the second elastic member, and the valve body closes the valve port under the action of the first elastic member. The ink bag with this structure design allows the switch valve 50 to open and close the valve port as needed according to the active ink ejection needs of the printing nozzle, thereby completing the ink supply replenishment and pressure balance of the printing nozzle.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned switch valve is a conventional switch valve used in the art. Those skilled in the art will understand that other switch valves that can realize ink supply between the ink input chamber and the ink output chamber can also be used.

The ink bag of this embodiment is provided with at least two ink delivery connectors in the ink input chamber, which provides a structural basis for the series connection of multiple ink bags. A printer product can also be designed to integrate two channels according to the connection requirements of the print nozzle. Or a structure with two or more independent color channels to complete the independent connection of multiple color channels.

Taking the ink bag structure shown in FIG. 5 of this embodiment as an example, the tandem ink supply system of the printer of this embodiment will be described in detail below.

The ink supply system of this embodiment is shown in Figure 6 and includes an ink storage system 5 and eight ink bags connected in series. Wherein, the ink storage system 5 is connected to one of the ink delivery joints of the first ink bag through a main ink delivery tube 6, and the ink delivery joints of two adjacent ink bags are connected through a connecting ink delivery tube, where , the ink delivery joint in the last ink bag that is not connected to other ink bags is closed by the plug 8 . It should be noted that, if necessary, the ink supply connector in the last ink bag that is not connected to other ink bags can also be connected to other ink supply pipelines or components, such as to the ink return circulation pipeline. Or connect a one-way stop valve, etc.

It should be noted that FIG. 6 only shows the connection method in which each ink passage is provided with two ink delivery connectors in this embodiment. If each ink passage is provided with more than three ink delivery connectors, a more flexible serialization can be achieved. In the connection mode, the ink delivery joint in any ink bag that is not connected to other ink bags or other ink supply pipelines or components can be closed.

Figure 7 shows a preferred connection method for serially connecting N ink bags shown in Figure 5 into the ink supply system shown in Figure 6, where N≥2. In this embodiment, the ink storage system 5 is connected to the first joint 31 of the first ink bag through the main ink delivery pipe 6, and the first joint 31 of the M-th ink bag is connected to the (M-1)-th ink bag. The second joint 32 is connected through the connecting ink tube 7, where 2≤M≤N. In this connection method, during the initial connection, the ink can be filled into the ink input chambers of the remaining ink bags except the Nth ink bag, or, as shown in FIG. 7 , the ink level in the ink input chamber 10 can be pre-filled. An air chamber 12 is provided.

In this embodiment, the advantage of presetting the air chamber 12 is that the ink transported to the next ink bag is the ink taken from the bottom of the ink input chamber 10 of the previous ink bag by the first joint 31. Therefore, the ink in this section of the air chamber 12 When the printer is working, the air often stays in this ink bag and will not be automatically transferred and discharged to other ink bags, nor will the air ratio in other ink input chambers 10 be changed. This structure can utilize a certain proportion of air to buffer the pressure change of the ink input chamber 10 .

Figure 8 shows another preferred connection method for connecting N ink bags shown in Figure 5 in series into the ink supply system shown in Figure 6, where N≥2. In this embodiment, the ink storage system 5 is connected to the second joint 32 of the first ink bag through the main ink delivery pipe 6, and the second joint 32 of the M-th ink bag is connected to the (M-1)-th ink bag. The first joint 31 is connected through the connecting ink tube 7, where 2≤M≤N. In this connection mode, since the first joint 31 is at the top, the air will automatically be discharged and squeezed toward the next-level ink bag. Therefore, the ink input chamber 10 of each ink bag will be in a state of being filled with ink, and the air will collect in the ink bag. The ink of the last ink bag is fed into the chamber 10 . This connection method will facilitate the user's use, maintenance and discharge of air in the ink input chamber 10; it will also reduce the mutual dissolution of ink and air, and help improve the stability of the ink properties.

In short, the above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included in the present invention. within the scope of protection.

Claims (5)

1. An ink bag, provided with at least one ink passage, the ink passage at least includes an ink input chamber, an ink output chamber, a switch valve located between the ink input chamber and the ink output chamber, and a switch valve connected to the ink output chamber. The output connector is characterized in that the ink passage further includes at least two ink delivery connectors connected to the ink input chamber. 2. The ink bag according to claim 1, wherein the ink supply connector is provided with two, including a first connector connected to the top of the ink input chamber and a first connector connected to the top of the ink input chamber. The second joint connected at the bottom. 3. The ink bag according to claim 2, wherein the second joint is disposed on the top of the ink bag, and a liquid flow is provided between the second joint and the bottom of the ink input chamber. road. 4. An ink supply system, characterized in that it includes an ink storage system and N ink bags according to any one of claims 1 to 3, N≥2; N of the ink bags are connected in series, and the ink storage system The system is connected to the ink delivery joint of the first ink bag through a main ink delivery pipe, and the ink delivery joints of two adjacent ink bags are connected through connecting ink delivery tubes. 5. A printer, characterized in that it at least includes the ink supply system according to claim 4, and the output connector of each ink bag is connected to the printing nozzle.