JP2001219571A - Inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To facilitate the attachment / detachment work of an ink tank and an ink carriage, and to prevent the occurrence of ink clogging in the ink supply path and the mixing of air and dust. An ink tank unit is configured by holding an ink head connected to an ink tank by an ink tube integrally with the ink tank by a holding member. An ink tank 10 disposed at a predetermined position of a printer and an ink head 1 mounted on a carriage 7
3, the ink head 13 is mounted on the carriage 7 when the ink tank 10 is arranged at a predetermined position, and the work of mounting the ink tank 10 and the ink head 13 is performed simultaneously. When the ink tank 10 arranged at a predetermined position and the ink head 13 mounted on the carriage 7 are integrated by the holding member 11, the ink tank 1
0 and the ink head 13 are removed simultaneously.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet printer for recording an image by ejecting ink droplets from a recording medium, and more particularly to ejecting the ink droplets relatively to a recording medium. The present invention relates to an ink jet printer having an ink supply mechanism that connects and integrates an ink head and an ink tank with a pipe and improves the simplicity and reliability of maintenance at the time of ink replacement.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ink jet printers are lightweight, generate little noise, and can perform high-speed recording on plain paper without requiring special fixing processing. In recent years, OA
2. Description of the Related Art Digitalization of devices is rapidly progressing, and demand for color image output is increasing. Therefore, low-cost color inkjet printers are widely used as digital color copying machines and color laser printers.

[0003] Such an ink jet printer generally has an ink tank containing liquid ink and an ink head having a large number of ejection ports mounted on a carriage, and this carriage is perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction. A driving method of reciprocating in a moving direction (main scanning direction) is adopted.

However, as the number of continuous recordings increases, there is a strong demand for an increase in the amount of liquid ink stored in an ink tank. For this reason, the carriage on which the ink tank is mounted tends to be large, and the movement of the carriage not only causes the printer to vibrate or requires a large driving force but also causes a problem that the printer itself becomes large.

Therefore, a subtank having a relatively small capacity is mounted on the carriage, a main tank separate from the subtank is provided in the apparatus main body, and ink is supplied from the main tank to the subtank to reduce the size and weight of the carriage. Ink jet printers have been proposed in which the vibration of the printer device is suppressed and the driving force is reduced.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-138899 discloses that a fixed tank (main tank) is provided with members such as an ink inlet, a joint nozzle, an arm, and a solenoid for each of yellow, magenta, cyan and black inks. Is disclosed in which, when a carriage having an ink head tank (sub tank) mounted thereon moves to an ink supply position, a joint nozzle is extended to supply ink in a main tank to the sub tank. In this configuration, the joint nozzle is extended and contracted by turning on / off the solenoid based on the detection signals of the ink empty sensor and the ink full sensor provided in the sub tank.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-235892 discloses that the ink head is not removed from the carriage.
A configuration is disclosed in which ink is intermittently supplied from a storage container outside a carriage (main tank) to a print cartridge. In this configuration, the storage reservoir (sub-tank) of the carriage is connected to a needle valve structure supported on the refill station housing by a short flexible tube for each color ink. When refilling the sub-tank, the lever on which the refill station housing is mounted rotates and the needle valve structure engages the refill port of the cartridge. The needle valve structure includes a hollow needle having a plurality of openings formed at an end, and a sliding valve collar sealing around the needle is urged to a valve closed position by the elastic force of a spring.
When the amount of ink stored in the sub-tank containing at least one color ink drops below a threshold, the needle valve structure engages with the refill port of the cartridge, the slide valve collar pushes up the needle, and the tip of the needle opens the port. The ink is simultaneously supplied to all of the plurality of sub-tanks containing the respective color inks.

[0008]

However, the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-138899 has a problem that the ink remaining in the joint nozzle dries and causes clogging of the ink at the tip. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-23
The structure disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5892 has a problem that the needle valve structure and the structure of the supply port of the cartridge are complicated, ink easily remains in the hollow needle, and ink clogging occurs at the tip of the hollow needle. As described above, if ink clogging occurs in the ink supply path, ink cannot be supplied from the main tank to the sub tank, and there is a problem that an image cannot be accurately recorded. Furthermore, in any of the configurations, there is a problem that air enters the ink supply path due to the detachment of the supply pipe at the time of ink tank replacement or maintenance, or the ink running out of the main tank, and the image recording state is deteriorated. is there. in addition,
The work of attaching and detaching the ink tank and the ink head must be performed separately, and the workability is poor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to facilitate the work of attaching and detaching an ink tank and an ink head, and to prevent the occurrence of ink clogging in an ink supply path,
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printer that can prevent air and dust from being mixed in and can maintain a good image recording state.

[0010]

The present invention has the following arrangement as means for solving the above-mentioned problems.

(1) A carriage supported reciprocally within a predetermined range in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the recording medium, and an ink mounted on the carriage to eject ink onto the recording medium to form an image. A head, an ink tank arranged above the carriage, an ink tube for flowing ink from the ink tank to the ink head,
A holding member for integrally holding the ink head in the ink tank, and an ink tank disposed at a predetermined position before the ink head is mounted on the carriage and when the ink head is removed from the carriage, and an ink mounted on the carriage. A holding member for integrally holding the ink head below the ink tank while maintaining the positional relationship with the head is provided.

In this configuration, the ink head connected to the ink tank via the ink tube is provided before the ink head is mounted on the carriage and when the ink head is removed from the carriage. Is maintained integrally with the ink tank via the holding member while maintaining the positional relationship with the ink tank. Therefore, by mounting the ink head on the carriage while being integrated with the ink tank via the holding member, the ink tank is simultaneously arranged at a predetermined position. Further, the ink head and the ink tank are simultaneously removed from the carriage and the predetermined position while the ink head is held integrally with the ink tank by the holding member. That is, the operation of disposing the ink tank at the predetermined position and the operation of mounting the ink head on the carriage are performed simultaneously, and the operation of removing the ink tank from the predetermined position and the operation of removing the ink head from the carriage are performed simultaneously.

(2) Each of the ink head and the holding member has an engaging portion that engages with each other, and the carriage releases the engaged state between the engaging portion of the ink head and the engaging portion of the holding member. And a support portion that engages with the engagement portion of the ink tank.

In this configuration, when the ink head is mounted on the carriage in a state where the engaging portion of the ink head and the engaging portion of the holding member are engaged, the engaging portion of the ink head is moved from the engaging portion of the holding member. After disengagement, it engages the support of the carriage. Therefore, in the ink head, the engaging portion that engages with the engaging portion of the holding member and the engaging portion that engages with the support portion of the carriage are shared, and when the ink head is mounted on the carriage, the holding of the ink head is prevented. The operation of releasing the holding state of the member becomes unnecessary.

(3) The engagement releasing means is movable between an exposed position and a retracted position, and is provided with an ink head and a holding member which are mounted on the carriage from above while being located at the exposed position. And disengages the engaging portion of the ink head from the engaging portion of the holding member, and the ink head and the holding member mounted on the carriage in the retracted position. , The engagement between the engagement portion of the ink head and the engagement portion of the holding member is permitted.

In this configuration, when the disengagement means is located at the exposed position when the ink head is mounted on the carriage, the engagement disengagement means enters between the ink head and the holding member, and the ink disengagement means is moved to the carriage. When the engagement state between the engagement portion and the engagement portion of the holding member is released, and when the ink release head is detached from the carriage, the engagement release device is located at the retracted position, the engagement release device engages with the ink head. The engagement between the engagement portion of the ink head and the engagement portion of the holding member is allowed to be separated from a portion between the joining portion and the engagement portion of the holding member. Therefore, the ink head is selectively held by the holding member by positioning the release means at the exposure position or the retreat position depending on whether the ink head is mounted on or removed from the carriage.

(4) In the configuration of (3), the disengagement means is moved to the exposed position when the ink head is mounted on the carriage, and the disengagement means is moved to the retreat position when the ink head is removed from the carriage. A moving mechanism for moving the moving member can be provided.

According to this configuration, the disengagement means can be automatically positioned at a position suitable for attaching and detaching the ink head to and from the carriage, so that workability can be further improved.

(5) In the configuration of (3), a part of the disengagement means located at the retracted position may define the mounting position of the ink head on the carriage.

According to this configuration, when the ink head is mounted on the carriage, a part of the disengagement means can be used as a guide for positioning the mounting position, thereby facilitating the mounting operation of the ink head. It can be carried out.

(6) A pressing portion that presses the ink tube to close the ink flow path while the carriage is located at a standby position other than the reciprocating movement range during image formation on the recording medium during image formation on the recording medium. It is characterized by having.

In this configuration, the ink tube is pressed by the pressing portion when the image forming operation for the recording medium is on standby, and the ink flow path from the ink tank to the ink head is closed. Therefore, the water content of the ink in the ink tank does not evaporate from the ink head via the ink tube during the standby of the image forming operation, and the ink is stored in the ink tube and the ink tank even when the image forming operation is not performed for a long time. Air and foreign matter are not mixed, and deterioration of the image forming state is prevented before it occurs.

(7) The ink tank is provided with a flexible sheet in close contact with the liquid surface of the ink, and the upper part of the sheet is opened to the atmospheric pressure.

[0024] In this configuration, inside the ink tank, the flexible sheet is in close contact with the liquid level of the stored ink, and atmospheric pressure acts on the upper surface of the sheet. Therefore, even when ink is supplied to the ink head and the amount of ink stored in the ink tank is reduced, the sheet continues to adhere to the liquid surface of the ink and the ink is exposed to the outside air inside the ink tank. And the water content of the ink does not evaporate.

[0025]

FIG. 1 is an external view of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. A paper feed port 1a is formed on an upper surface of an ink jet printer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a printer) 1, and a paper discharge port 1b is formed on a front surface.
Are formed. A paper feed tray 2 is mounted on the paper feed port 1a. A front portion of the upper surface of the printer 1 and an upper portion of the front surface thereof are covered with a cover 3 so as to be freely opened and closed. A paper supply unit 6 is mounted, and a duplex paper supply unit 7 (not shown) is selectively mounted. A window 4 is formed on one side surface of the printer 1.

The paper P placed on the paper feed tray 2 is 1
Paper is fed into the printer 1 from the paper feed port 1a one by one.
The fed paper P is subjected to an inkjet image recording process inside the printer 1 and is fed to a paper feed port 1b.
From the printer 1 to the front.

FIG. 2 is an external view showing a state where the cover of the printer is opened. This figure shows the printer without the ink tank and the ink head. Inside the printer 1, a shaft 17 extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper P transport direction is disposed in a space 1c between the cover 3 and the paper P transport surface. A part of the carriage 7 is externally fitted on the shaft 17, and the carriage 7 reciprocates in the main scanning direction above the sheet conveying surface along the shaft 17 by a driving mechanism (not shown). An ink head described later is mounted on the carriage 7, and a power supply unit 8 for applying an ink ejection signal corresponding to image data to the ink head is provided on the upper surface of the carriage 7.

The carriage 7 moves to the rightmost standby position shown in FIG. 2 only when the ink head is mounted and when the ink head is removed. In the state where the carriage 7 is located at the standby position, the carriage 7 does not face the upper surface of the sheet P conveyed in the printer 1. That is, when forming an image on a normal sheet P, the carriage 7 reciprocates between the position on the left side of the standby position and the left end.

Three walls 1ca, 1cb, 1c in the space 1c
The ink tank stopper 5 that protrudes in the horizontal direction above the carriage 7 is formed continuously at c.
On the wall surface 1ca, a tube pressing member 6 is formed below the ink tank stopper 5 so as to protrude in the horizontal direction. The ink tank stopper 5 contacts the bottom surface of the ink tank 10 described later on the top surface. by this,
The ink tank 10 is disposed at a predetermined position in the printer 1 above the moving range of the carriage 7. The function of the tube pressing member 6 will be described later. As shown in FIG. 2, the cover 3 can be opened only when the carriage 7 is located closest to the wall surface 1 cc and at a predetermined position that does not face the paper transport surface, and the cover 3 is open. Then, the power supply to the drive mechanism of the carriage 7 is shut off.

FIG. 3 is an external view of the ink tank unit applied to the printer before the ink tank unit is mounted. Also,
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of the ink tank unit. The ink tank unit 9 includes an ink tank 10, a holding member 11, an ink tube 12, and an ink head 13.
It is constituted by. The ink tank 10 is configured by integrating small tanks 10a to 10d each containing yellow, magenta, cyan, and black liquid inks. On the upper surface of each small tank 10a to 10d,
An air hole 14 is formed. As described above, the ink tank 10 is arranged at a predetermined position inside the printer 1 with the bottom surface in contact with the upper surface of the ink tank stopper 5. In addition, the ink head 13 is
Is mounted from above.

In this example, four color inks are used, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, adding 6 colors of light magenta and light cyan
In the case of using liquid ink of a color, an ink tank 10 in which six small tanks are integrated can be used.

The ink head 13 has a plurality of ejection ports formed on the bottom surface facing the recording surface of the sheet P while being mounted on the carriage 7, and the ejection ports from the ejection ports based on ejection signals corresponding to image data. Ink is ejected on the recording surface of P. The ink tube 12 is formed of a flexible hollow pipe, and has small tanks 10a to 10d.
Are individually connected to the ink head 13.
The ink-jet holding member 11 is formed by molding a resin or metal flat plate into a substantially U-shape, and has protrusions 16 formed on two inner surfaces facing each other.
On the other hand, a concave portion 15 into which the protrusion 16 is fitted is formed on two parallel side surfaces of the ink head 13. Further, the two surfaces of the holding member 11 on which the protrusions 16 are formed are elastically deformed in directions away from each other. The above recess 1
5 corresponds to an engagement portion of the ink head of the present invention,
6 also corresponds to the engaging portion of the holding member.

The width W1 of the ink tank 10 in the paper transport direction is substantially equal to the maximum width W2 of the ink head 13 and the width W3 of the inner surface of the holding member 11. In addition, the length L1 of the ink tank 10 in the main scanning direction is
Is substantially equal to the distance L2 between the wall surface 1ca and the wall surface 1cc in the space 1c in the inside.

In the ink tank unit 9 configured as described above, before mounting the ink tank 10 and the ink head 13 in the printer 1, the ink tube 12 and the ink tank 10 are placed on the upper surface of the ink head 13 in this order. After that, the holding member 1 is
1 and the projection 16 is fitted into the recess 15. As a result, the ink tank unit 9 before the ink tank 10 and the ink head 13 are mounted in the printer 1.
Has an ink tank 10, an ink tube 12, and an ink head 13 integrated by a holding member 11.

As described above, in the state where the ink tank 10 and the ink head 11 are integrated by the holding member 11, the ink tank 10 disposed at a predetermined position in the printer 1 and the carriage 7 positioned at the standby position. Is maintained in a state of maintaining the positional relationship with the ink head 13 mounted on the printer. Therefore, the ink tank 1 is held via the holding member 11.
0, the ink tank unit 9 with the ink head 13 integrated therewith is inserted into the space 1c of the printer 1,
When the bottom surface of the ink tank 10 is disposed at a predetermined position in contact with the upper surface of the ink tank stopper 5, the ink head 13 is mounted on the carriage 7, and the operation of arranging the ink tank 10 at the predetermined position and the ink head 1
3 can be performed at the same time. Also,
The holding member 1 holds the ink tank 10 disposed at a predetermined position and the ink head 13 mounted on the carriage 7.
After the ink tank unit 9 is integrated by the step 1, the operation of removing the ink tank 10 from a predetermined position and the operation of removing the ink head 13 from the carriage 7 are performed simultaneously by taking out the ink tank unit 9 from the space 1 c. Can be.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a main part for explaining the structure of the carriage in the printer and the state of attachment / detachment of the ink head to / from the carriage. Carriage 7
, Two front and rear plates 7a are provided movably between an upper exposed position and a lower retracted position. The interval between the two plates 7a substantially matches the length of the ink head 13 in the front-rear direction, and the two plates 7a move integrally by being connected by, for example, a connecting member (not shown). This plate 7a constitutes the disengagement means of the present invention. The outer surface of the plate 7a is formed by an inclined surface near the upper end, and the thickness of the plate 7a is gradually reduced in a tapered shape near the upper end.
The plate 7a is located at the lower retreat position as shown in FIG. 5A, and a part of the upper end is exposed upward from the upper surface of the carriage 7, and the mounting position of the ink head 13 with respect to the carriage 7 Has been stipulated.

Each of the two plates 7a is provided with a projection 7b on the side surface facing each other. The projections 7b correspond to the support portion of the present invention, and are urged in directions opposite to each other by an elastic member 7c located outside the projections 7b inside the plate 7a. However, when the plate 7a is located at the retracted position shown in FIG. 5A, the projection 7b is housed in the plate 7a by contact with a part of the carriage 7. The elastic member 7
A similar function can be obtained by forming the projection 7b itself with an elastic body or forming the projection 7b on a part of a leaf spring instead of c. The shape of the protrusion 7 b substantially matches the shape of the recess 15 formed in the ink head 13.

When the ink head 13 is mounted on the carriage 7 constructed as described above, the plate 7a is located at the retracted position and the projection 16 is fitted into the recess 15 as shown in FIG. After the ink head 13 held by the holding member 11 in this state is placed on the upper surface of the carriage 7, the plate 7a is moved to the upper exposed position. As a result, the upper end of the plate 7a penetrates upward from below between the ink head 13 and the holding member 11, and the engagement between the recess 15 and the projection 16 is released. FIG. 5 (B)
When the plate 7a reaches the exposed position, the protrusion 7b of the plate 7a fits into the recess 15 of the ink head 13 by the elastic force of the elastic member 7c as shown in FIG. This allows
While the mounted state of the ink head 13 on the carriage 7 is maintained, the ink head 13 and the holding member 11
And the holding member 11 is moved to the ink tank unit 9.
Can be removed from.

On the other hand, from the carriage 7 to the ink head 13
When removing the plate 7a, the plate 7a is moved to the lower retreat position, the protrusion 7b of the plate 7a is pulled out from the concave portion 15 of the ink head 13, and the protrusion 16 of the holding member 11 covered from above the ink tank 10 is removed. The head 13 is fitted into the recess 15. Thereby, the ink head 1
The ink head 3 is integrally held by the ink tank 10 via the holding member 11, and the ink head 13 can be simultaneously removed from the carriage 7 when the ink tank 10 is removed from a predetermined position.

In the carriage 7, the plate 7a
Can be moved in a vertical direction by manual operation or through a moving mechanism including a motor. When the plate 7a is moved up and down by a manual operation, it is conceivable to form a grip on the plate 7a located on the front side of the carriage 7. When the moving mechanism is used, each of the two plates 7a is connected to one of the two plates 7a connected by the connecting member, or to the connecting member connecting the two plates 7a in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, a rack gear 7d in which a plurality of gear teeth are vertically arranged is formed, and a pinion gear 18a meshing with the rack gear 7d is attached to a rotating shaft of a motor 18 such as a DC motor fixed to the carriage 7. Is driven in the forward or reverse direction to rotate the plate 7a.
Can be moved upward or downward. In addition,
By providing the motor 18 with the pinion gear 18a and the rack gear 7d on each of the two plates 7a, a connecting member can be made unnecessary, and by providing the connecting member with the two plates 7a, 1
8 can be moved.

FIG. 7 is a front sectional view showing the structure of the main parts of the ink tank stopper and the ink head of the printer. Wall surfaces 1ca to 1 constituting a space 1c of the printer 1
cc of the right side wall surface 1ca which is orthogonal to the moving direction of the carriage 7 and is close to the standby position of the carriage 7.
The ink head 13 of the ink tube 12 is provided between the ink tank stopper 5 extending from the ink tube 12 and a pressing protrusion 13 a formed on the ink head 13 mounted on the carriage 5.
A pressing projection 6 for holding a part close to is formed.

With this configuration, when the carriage 7 is located at the standby position, the ink tube 12 is pressed by the pressing protrusions 13a and the pressing protrusions 6 in a portion close to the ink head 13, and the ink head 12 is moved from the ink tank 10 to the ink head 10. 13 is closed. Therefore, even when the printer 1 is not used for a long period of time, the moisture of the ink stored in the ink tank 10 does not evaporate via the ink tube 12 and the ink head 13 and is stored in the ink tank 10. Image formation can be performed by effectively using ink.

The ink tube 12 is made of silicon rubber having an outer diameter of 3 mm and an inner diameter of 1 mm, for example.
Four tubes are arranged and adhered on a polyimide sheet having a thickness of 0.2 mm, and each of the four tubes is connected to each of the small tanks 10a to 10d and the ink head 1
3 is connected.

FIG. 8 is a front sectional view showing the internal structure of the ink tank used in the printer. As described above, the ink tank 10 is formed by integrating four small tanks 10a to 10d having the same configuration with each other, and the configuration of the small tank 10a will be described as an example. An opening 14 is formed in the upper surface of the small tank 10a, and an ink sheet 19 is fixed inside the small tank 10a between the liquid surface of the ink 20 and the upper inner surface of the small tank 10a over the entire circumference. I have. This ink sheet 19
Is made of a flexible polyethylene sheet having a thickness of 20 μm as an example.
The lower surface of the ink sheet 19 is in close contact with the liquid level of the ink 20 in a state in which the ink 20 is fully stored in a.

With this configuration, in the small tank 10a, the ink sheet 19 is located between the inner upper surface and the liquid level of the ink 20, and the opening 14 is located above the ink sheet 19.
It is open to the outside through. Therefore, the atmospheric pressure always acts on the upper surface of the ink sheet 19, and as the storage amount of the ink 20 in the small tank 10a decreases, the ink sheet 19 is pressed downward by the effect of the atmospheric pressure, The lower surface of the ink sheet 19 is kept in close contact with the liquid surface of the ink 20 over substantially the entire surface. Therefore, the ink 20 does not contact the outside air in the small tank 10a,
The water of the ink 20 does not evaporate in the small tank 10a. Thereby, image formation can be performed by effectively utilizing the ink stored in the ink tank 10.

[0046]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) Before the ink head connected to the ink tank via the ink tube is mounted on the carriage and when the ink head is removed from the carriage, the ink head disposed at a predetermined position and the ink head mounted on the carriage are separated. Since the ink tank is held integrally with the ink tank via the holding member while maintaining the positional relationship, the ink head is mounted on the carriage while being integrated with the ink tank via the holding member. At the same time, the ink tank can be arranged at a predetermined position. Further, the ink head and the ink tank can be simultaneously removed from the carriage and the predetermined position while the ink head is held integrally with the ink tank by the holding member.
Therefore, the work of arranging the ink tank at a predetermined position and the work of mounting the ink head on the carriage, and
The work of removing the ink tank from the predetermined position and the work of removing the ink head from the carriage can be performed simultaneously, and the work of attaching and detaching the ink tank and the ink head can be simplified.

(2) When the ink head is mounted on the carriage with the engaging portion of the ink head and the engaging portion of the holding member being engaged, the engaging portion of the ink head moves from the engaging portion of the holding member. By engaging with the support portion of the carriage after being disengaged, an engagement portion that engages with the engagement portion of the holding member and an engagement portion that engages with the support portion of the carriage are separately provided in the ink head. This eliminates the need to simplify the configuration of the ink head, and eliminates the need to release the holding state of the holding member with respect to the ink head when mounting the ink head on the carriage. It can be simplified.

(3) The engagement releasing means located at the exposed position enters between the ink head and the holding member to release the engagement between the engaging portion of the ink head and the engaging portion of the holding member. The disengagement means located at the retracted position is separated from between the engagement portion of the ink head and the engagement portion of the holding member to permit the engagement between the engagement portion of the ink head and the engagement portion of the holding member. With this configuration, the release unit can be positioned at the exposure position or the retreat position depending on whether the ink head is mounted on or removed from the carriage, and the ink head can be selectively held by the holding member. In addition, the work of attaching and detaching the ink head to and from the carriage can be facilitated.

(4) When the ink tube is pressed by the pressing portion when the image forming operation on the recording medium is on standby and the ink flow path from the ink tank to the ink head is closed, the ink tank is on standby during the image forming operation. It is possible to prevent the water in the ink inside from evaporating from the ink head via the ink tube, and even when the image forming operation is not performed for a long period of time, no air or foreign matter enters the ink tube and the ink tank, Deterioration of the image forming state can be prevented.

(5) In the inside of the ink tank, the flexible sheet is brought into close contact with the liquid level of the stored ink, and the atmospheric pressure is applied to the upper surface of the sheet, thereby storing the ink in the ink tank. Even when the amount decreases, the sheet is kept in close contact with the ink surface, preventing the ink from being exposed to the outside air inside the ink tank and preventing the deterioration of the image forming state due to evaporation of the water content of the ink. can do.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view showing a state where a cover of the printer is opened.

FIG. 3 is an external view of an ink tank unit applied to the printer before mounting.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of the ink tank unit.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part illustrating a structure of a carriage in the printer and a state where an ink head is attached to and detached from the carriage.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration for moving a plate in a vertical direction in the carriage of the printer.

FIG. 7 is a front sectional view showing a configuration of an ink tank stopper and a main part of an ink head of the printer.

FIG. 8 is a front sectional view showing an internal configuration of an ink tank used in the printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1-Printer (ink-jet printer) 5-Ink tank stopper 6,13a-Pressing member 7-Carriage 9-Ink tank unit 10-Ink tank 10a-10d-Small tank 11-Holding member 12-Ink tube 13-Ink head

Claims (5)

[Claims] A carriage supported reciprocally within a predetermined range in a direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of a recording medium, and an ink head mounted on the carriage and ejecting ink onto the recording medium to form an image. An ink tank arranged at a predetermined position above the carriage, an ink tube for flowing ink from the ink tank to the ink head, and a holding member for integrally holding the ink head in the ink tank. Before the ink head is mounted and when the ink head is removed from the carriage, the ink head is integrated below the ink tank while maintaining the positional relationship between the ink tank disposed at a predetermined position and the ink head mounted on the carriage. An ink jet printer comprising a holding member for holding the ink jet printer. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the ink head and the holding member includes an engaging portion that engages with each other.
Claims: An engagement release means for releasing an engagement state between an engagement portion of an ink head and an engagement portion of a holding member, and a support portion engaged with the engagement portion of the ink tank. Item 2. The inkjet printer according to Item 1. 3. An ink head and a holding member, wherein the engagement releasing means is movable between an exposure position and a retreat position, and is mounted on the carriage from above while being at the exposure position. Between the ink head and the holding member, the engagement between the engaging portion of the ink head and the engaging portion of the holding member is released, and the ink head and the holding member mounted on the carriage in the retracted position. The ink-jet printer according to claim 2, wherein the engagement between the engagement portion of the ink head and the engagement portion of the holding member is permitted at a distance from the space. 4. A pressing portion for pressing an ink tube to close an ink flow path while the carriage is located at a standby position other than a reciprocating movement range during image formation on a recording medium during image formation. The inkjet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: 5. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the ink tank includes a flexible sheet in close contact with a liquid surface of the ink, and an upper portion of the sheet is opened to the atmospheric pressure. The ink-jet printer as described.