JP2014061636A - Ink retention device and inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress increase in the concentration of a gas that is dissolved in an ink.SOLUTION: An ink retention device (10) is provided with an ink retention chamber (1) for internally retaining the ink, a reduced-pressure chamber (2) in which the pressure is reduced, and a gas permeable member (3) which allows permeation of a gas, while not allowing permeation of the ink. The gas permeable member (3) allows the gas dissolved in the ink to be transmitted to the reduced-pressure chamber (2) when the pressure of the reduced-pressure chamber (2) is reduced, and bends in response to the force applied from the ink according to movement of a carriage.

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink storage device and an ink jet recording apparatus including the ink storage device.

  Patent Document 1 describes a printing apparatus that supplies ink having a reduced concentration of dissolved gas to an inkjet head by repeatedly passing ink through a deaeration device.

JP 2009-248513 A (released on October 29, 2009)

  In the ink jet recording apparatus, gas is dissolved in the ink ejected from the ink jet head. If the concentration of the dissolved gas is high, the ink may not be ejected appropriately.

  Therefore, in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, in order to eject the ink having a low concentration of dissolved gas, the ink barrier is accommodated in advance and the gas barrier characteristics of the ink supply path are improved. However, since there is a limit to the gas barrier characteristics of an inexpensive ink supply path, when ink is retained in the ink supply path, the concentration of gas dissolved in the retained ink may increase. Therefore, at the end of printing, it is necessary to remove the ink from the ink supply path so as not to retain the ink.

  Further, in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, since there are a plurality of ink storage portions that store ink other than the ink tank, ink stays in the plurality of ink storage portions when printing is stopped. If the ink is retained in the ink storage part, the concentration of dissolved gas may increase. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the ink from all the ink storage parts at the end of printing so as not to retain the ink.

  As described above, in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, it is necessary to start printing after the ink deaerated in advance is put in the apparatus, and it is necessary to draw out the ink staying in the apparatus after the printing is finished. For this reason, there are problems that the processing before printing and after printing is complicated and printing cannot be started immediately.

  Furthermore, in the printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a deaeration device using a hollow fiber membrane is provided in the middle of the main pipe connecting the main tank and the supply tank. Similarly, while the printing is stopped, the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink stored in the main tank and the supply tank increases. For this reason, it is necessary to remove ink from the supply tank after printing. In addition, it is necessary to repeatedly pass ink through a circulation path including a deaeration device before starting printing and sufficiently remove the gas dissolved in the ink, and then supply ink to the supply tank, so printing cannot be started immediately.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides an ink storage device that suppresses an increase in the concentration of gas dissolved in ink, and an ink jet recording apparatus including the ink storage device. Objective.

  In order to solve the above problems, an ink storage device according to the present invention is an ink storage device mounted on a carriage including an inkjet head that discharges ink onto a recording medium, and an ink storage chamber that stores ink therein. And a decompression chamber in which the inside is decompressed, and a gas permeable member that allows gas to permeate but does not allow ink to permeate, wherein the ink storage chamber and the decompression chamber are adjacent to each other via the gas permeable member. The gas permeable member is configured to transmit the gas dissolved in the ink in the ink storage chamber to the decompression chamber when the decompression chamber is decompressed, and when the carriage moves, It is characterized in that it bends by receiving a force applied from ink as it moves.

  According to the above configuration, the ink storage chamber and the decompression chamber are adjacent to each other via the gas permeable member. The gas permeable member is configured to transmit the gas in the ink storage chamber to the decompression chamber when the decompression chamber is decompressed. Therefore, when the inside of the decompression chamber is decompressed, the gas in the ink storage chamber moves to the decompression chamber via the gas permeable member. Further, since the gas permeable member is bent by the force applied from the ink as the carriage moves, the gas permeable member suppresses vibration of the ink by bending itself. Since the gas permeable member suppresses vibration of the ink, an increase in the contact area between the gas phase and the ink is suppressed. Therefore, the ink storage device according to the present invention can suppress an increase in the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink. Further, since the gas permeable member is bent, the pressure fluctuation in the ink storage chamber that occurs when the carriage is scanned can be reduced.

  In the ink storage device according to the present invention, the ink storage chamber is formed between the inside of the main body and the gas permeable member by covering the opening surface of the main body having at least one surface open with the gas permeable member. The decompression chamber covers the inside of the attachment member and the inside of the attachment member by covering the opening surface of the attachment member having one surface opened with the gas permeable member at a position facing the opening surface of the main body. It is preferably formed between the gas permeable member.

  According to the above configuration, the ink storage chamber is formed by covering the opening of the main body with the gas permeable member. Further, the decompression chamber is formed by covering the opening surface of the mounting member with the gas permeable member at a position facing the opening surface of the main body. Therefore, the ink storage chamber and the decompression chamber can be easily formed using the main body, the mounting member, and the gas permeable member as the minimum constituent members.

  In the ink storage device according to the present invention, the gas permeable member is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of fluororesin (PTFE), polypropylene (CPP, OPP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polystyrene (PS). Preferably it is.

  By forming the gas permeable member from the above material, it is possible to more effectively suppress an increase in the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink in the ink storage chamber.

  An ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes an ink jet head that ejects ink onto a recording medium, and a carriage on which the ink storage device is mounted.

  According to the above configuration, the ink jet recording apparatus includes the ink storage device that suppresses the increase in the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink. Therefore, an increase in the concentration of gas dissolved in the ink ejected from the ink jet head can be suppressed, and the ink can be suitably ejected from the ink jet head.

  The ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention further includes a decompression unit that decompresses the decompression chamber, and the decompression unit is a pump that sucks the gas in the decompression chamber and prevents the gas from flowing back into the decompression chamber. Is preferred.

  According to the above configuration, the ink jet recording apparatus includes the pump that prevents the gas from flowing back into the decompression chamber as the decompression unit. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the gas from flowing backward into the decompression chamber, and it is possible to suppress the gas inside the decompression chamber from permeating into the ink storage chamber.

  In the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the decompression unit decompresses the decompression chamber to -60 kPa or more and -90 kPa or less.

  According to the said structure, the gas in an ink storage chamber can be permeate | transmitted more suitably in a pressure reduction chamber via a gas permeation | transmission member. As a result, the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink can be more suitably suppressed.

  The inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention further includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the ejection of the ink from the inkjet head is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, and the determination unit ejects the ink from the inkjet head. Is determined to be equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the pressure reducing means preferably depressurizes the pressure reducing chamber.

  According to the above configuration, the determination unit determines the amount of ink discharged from the inkjet head, and when the discharge amount is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the decompression unit decompresses the decompression chamber. For this reason, for example, when the ink discharge amount is reduced or the ink discharge is stopped, and the ink stays in the ink storage chamber, the increase in the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink can be suppressed. it can.

  In the ink storage device according to the present invention, since the ink storage chamber and the decompression chamber are adjacent to each other via the gas permeable member, an increase in the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink can be suppressed.

  The ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention can suitably eject ink from an ink jet head.

It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the outline of the ink storage apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is an exploded view showing the outline of the ink storage device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the quantity of the gas dissolved in the ink which changes with progress of time.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view showing an outline of an ink storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing an outline of the ink storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Ink storage device 10]
The ink storage device 10 according to this embodiment includes an ink storage chamber 1, a decompression chamber 2, and a gas permeable member 3. Further, the ink storage device 10 may further include an ink flow path 4, a main body suction port 5, a tube 6, and an attachment member suction port 7. FIG. 1 shows a part of the ink storage device 10.

  The ink storage device 10 is mounted on a carriage (not shown) including an inkjet head (not shown) that discharges ink onto a recording medium. The ink storage device 10 is for storing ink supplied to the inkjet head.

(Ink storage chamber 1)
The ink storage chamber 1 is for storing ink therein. Ink from a main tank (not shown) is supplied into the ink storage chamber 1 via the ink flow path 4. FIG. 1 shows a state in which ink (shaded portion in the figure) satisfies about 60% of the ink storage chamber 1.

(Decompression chamber 2)
The interior of the decompression chamber 2 is decompressed. The decompression chamber 2 is decompressed by sucking the gas inside through the attachment member suction port 7.

(Gas permeable member 3)
The gas permeable member 3 is formed of a material that transmits gas and does not transmit ink, and may be, for example, a film having such a function.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ink storage chamber 1 and the decompression chamber 2 are adjacent to each other through a gas permeable member 3. Therefore, when the inside of the decompression chamber 2 is decompressed, the gas in the ink storage chamber 1 is transmitted to the decompression chamber 2 through the gas permeable member 3. That is, since the pressure of the inside of the decompression chamber 2 is reduced, the gas moves from the higher pressure to the lower pressure, so that the gas in the gas phase of the ink storage chamber 1 and the gas dissolved in the ink are gas permeable members. 3 to move to the decompression chamber 2. Thereby, an increase in the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink in the ink storage chamber 1 can be suppressed. Since the gas permeable member 3 does not transmit ink, the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 1 does not flow into the pressure reducing chamber 2 through the gas permeable member 3 when the pressure in the pressure reducing chamber 2 is reduced.

  The gas permeable member 3 is bent by receiving a force applied from the ink as the carriage moves. As described above, when the gas permeable member 3 is bent, the pressure fluctuation in the ink storage chamber 1 that occurs when the carriage is scanned can be reduced.

  Normally, when the ink in the ink storage chamber 1 vibrates with the movement of the carriage, the liquid level of the ink in the ink storage chamber 1 undulates and the contact area between the gas phase and the ink increases. Therefore, the amount of gas dissolved in the ink inside the ink storage chamber 1 increases. However, since the gas permeable member 3 is bent by the movement of the carriage, the vibration of the ink is suppressed by being bent. Since the gas permeable member 3 suppresses vibration of the ink, an increase in the contact area between the gas phase and the ink is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the amount of gas dissolved in the ink inside the ink storage chamber 1. Further, the gas permeable member 3 functions as a damper that reduces vibrations resulting from the movement of the carriage.

  A material that forms such a gas permeable member 3 is a material that transmits gas and does not transmit ink. It is preferable to select a material that bends by receiving a force applied from ink as the carriage moves. Examples thereof include fluorine resin (PTFE), polypropylene (CPP, OPP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polystyrene (PS). By using the gas permeable member 3 formed of these materials, the gas stored in the ink storage chamber 1 can be efficiently transmitted to the decompression chamber 2 without transmitting the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 1.

  The thickness of the gas permeable member 3 can be selected so as to bend by receiving a force applied from the ink as the carriage moves. Further, the gas permeable member 3 preferably has a thickness of 10 μm or more and 50 μm or less. Since the thickness of the gas permeable member 3 is 50 μm or more, the gas is generated by the force that the gas permeable member 3 receives from the ink as the carriage moves or the force that the gas permeable member 3 receives when the decompression chamber 2 is decompressed. Damage to the transmissive member 3 can be prevented. Further, since the thickness of the gas permeable member 3 is 50 μm or less, when the decompression chamber 2 is decompressed, the gas in the ink storage chamber 1 can be suitably transmitted to the decompression chamber 2.

(Ink channel 4)
The ink channel 4 is a channel for supplying ink supplied from the ink supply port 14 (shown in FIG. 2) to the ink storage chamber 1. The ink flow path 4 extends to the bottom surface of the ink storage chamber 1, for example. Since the ink flow path 4 extends to the bottom surface of the ink storage chamber 1, it is possible to supply ink to the bottom surface of the ink storage chamber 1 via the ink flow path 4, and to prevent the ink from foaming. Can do. As a result, the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink in the ink storage chamber 1 can be further suppressed.

(Main body suction port 5)
The main body suction port 5 is provided in the ink storage chamber 1, and one end thereof is connected to a decompression means (not shown) such as a pump. The gas in the ink storage chamber 1 is sucked by the decompression means through the main body suction port 5. By sucking the gas in the ink storage chamber 1 through the main body suction port 5, the pressure in the ink storage chamber 1 is reduced, and the pressure in the ink storage chamber 1 can be maintained at a predetermined value. The inside of the ink storage chamber 1 is preferably decompressed to, for example, −3.0 kPa or more and −0.9 kPa or less.

(Tube 6)
One end of the tube 6 is connected to an opening (not shown) provided in the ink storage chamber 1 and is a tube for supplying the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 1 to the inkjet head. Therefore, the other end of the tube 6 is connected to the inkjet head.

(Mounting member suction port 7)
The attachment member suction port 7 is provided in the decompression chamber 2, and one end thereof is connected to decompression means (not shown) such as a pump. The gas in the decompression chamber 2 is sucked by the decompression means through the attachment member suction port 7. By sucking the gas in the decompression chamber 2 through the attachment member suction port 7, the decompression chamber 2 is decompressed, and the gas in the ink storage chamber 1 is transmitted into the decompression chamber 2.

  The overall configuration of the ink storage device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the ink storage device 10 according to this embodiment includes a main body 15, a gas permeable member 3, a mounting member 11, and a cap 12.

(Main body 15)
The main body 15 has an opening surface in which two opposing surfaces are open, and is divided into four spaces by partitioning the inside with a cross-shaped partition wall. The ink storage chamber 1 is formed between the inside of the main body 15 and the gas permeable member 3 by covering the opening surface of the main body 15 with the gas permeable member 3. Since the inside of the main body 15 is partitioned into four spaces, two ink storage chambers 1 are formed by the gas permeable member 3 covering one opening surface, and two more by the gas permeable member 3 covering the other opening surface. Two ink storage chambers 1 are formed.

  The configuration of the main body 15 is not limited to this, and one ink storage chamber 1 may be formed by covering the opening surface of the main body 15 having one open surface with the gas permeable member 3. .

  Each of the four ink storage chambers 1 configured as shown in FIG. 2 may store different color inks. An example of such an ink is a normal color ink such as Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black). The ink used in the present invention is not limited to a specific ink, and for example, water-based ink, solvent ink, thermosetting ink, ultraviolet curable ink, and the like can be used.

(Mounting member 11)
The attachment member 11 has an opening surface with one surface opened. Then, the decompression chamber 2 is formed between the inside of the attachment member 11 and the gas permeable member 3 by covering the opening surface of the attachment member 11 with the gas permeable member 3 at a position facing the opening surface of the main body 15. The As shown in FIG. 2, the ink storage device 10 is attached so that the opening surface of the main body 15 and the opening surface of the mounting member 11 face each other through the gas permeable member 3 covering the two opening surfaces of the main body 15. By providing the member 11, two decompression chambers 2 are formed between the inside of the attachment member 11 and the gas permeable member 3. That is, the two decompression chambers 2 are adjacent to the two ink storage chambers 1 via the gas permeable member 3.

  Note that the configuration of the mounting member 11 is not limited to this, and one decompression chamber is formed by covering the opening surface of the mounting member 11 with the gas permeable member 3 at a position facing the opening surface of the main body 15 having one surface opened. 2 may be formed.

  A member having airtightness such as rubber packing is attached between the main body 15 and the gas permeable member 3 and between the attachment member 11 and the gas permeable member 3, and the ink storage chamber 1 and the decompression chamber 2. The sealing property may be secured. Further, the cap 12 may be provided so as to cover the attachment member 11 after forming the ink storage chamber 1 and the decompression chamber 2 using the main body 15, the attachment member 11, and the gas permeable member 3. Thereby, the main body 15, the gas permeable member 3, and the attachment member 11 can be fixed.

  Thus, the ink storage chamber 1 is formed by covering the opening surface of the main body 15 having at least one surface opened with the gas permeable member 3. Further, the decompression chamber 2 is formed by covering the opening surface of the attachment member 11 having one surface opened with the gas permeable member 3 at a position facing the opening surface of the main body 15. Therefore, the ink storage chamber 1 and the decompression chamber 2 can be easily formed by using the main body, the mounting member 11 and the gas permeable member 3 as minimum constituent members. In addition, it is only necessary to change the film of the conventional ink storage device to the gas permeable member 3 and arrange the decompression chamber 2 outside the ink storage chamber 1, and the design can be easily changed.

[Inkjet recording device]
An ink jet recording apparatus (not shown) according to this embodiment includes a carriage on which an ink jet head that discharges ink onto a recording medium and the ink storage device 10 are mounted.

(carriage)
The carriage mounts the ink storage device 10 and the ink jet head, and scans the ink jet head on the recording medium by changing the relative position with respect to the recording medium. A conventionally known carriage can be used.

(Inkjet head)
The ink jet head ejects ink toward the recording medium and draws a desired image on the recording medium. The ink jet head is connected to the ink storage chamber 1 of the ink storage device 10 via the tube 6, and the ink in the ink storage chamber 1 is supplied to the ink jet head.

(Pressure reduction means)
The ink jet recording apparatus may further include a pump (a decompression unit, not shown) that decompresses the interior of the decompression chamber 2. The pump is connected to the attachment member suction port 7 of the decompression chamber 2. The pump decompresses the inside of the decompression chamber 2 by sucking the gas inside the decompression chamber 2. The pump preferably has a configuration that prevents gas from flowing back from the pump into the decompression chamber 2, and preferably has a check function, such as a tube pump. A pump having a check valve may be used. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the gas from flowing back into the decompression chamber 2, and it is possible to suppress the gas in the decompression chamber 2 from passing through the ink storage chamber 1.

  The decompression means may be used as a pump that is connected to the main body suction port 5 and decompresses the inside of the ink storage chamber 1. By using one pump to suck and decompress the gas in the ink storage chamber 1 and the decompression chamber 2, the number of parts for manufacturing the ink jet recording apparatus can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced. .

  Further, the pressure when the inside of the decompression chamber 2 is decompressed by the decompression means is not limited, but the inside of the decompression chamber 2 is placed inside the ink storage chamber 1 in order to efficiently transmit the gas inside the ink storage chamber 1 into the decompression chamber 2. It is preferable to reduce the pressure more strongly.

  The decompression means may depressurize the interior of the decompression chamber 2 to an appropriate value depending on the material of the gas permeable member (film) 3, the thickness of the gas permeable member 3, or the contact area between the gas permeable member 3 and the ink. For example, it is preferable to depressurize the inside of the decompression chamber 2 to -60 kPa or more and -90 kPa or less. By reducing the pressure in the decompression chamber 2 to this pressure, the gas in the ink storage chamber 1 can be suitably transmitted through the gas permeable member 3. As a result, the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink can be suitably suppressed.

  Here, the negative pressure (negative pressure) represents how much pressure is lower than the atmospheric pressure. For example, reducing the pressure in the decompression chamber 2 to −60 kPa means adjusting the pressure in the decompression chamber 2 to be 60 kPa lower than the atmospheric pressure.

(Judgment means)
The ink jet recording apparatus may further include a determination unit that determines whether or not the ejection of ink from the ink jet head is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. When the determination unit determines that the ejection of ink from the inkjet head is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the decompression unit decompresses the interior of the decompression chamber 2.

  Here, the user of the present invention can arbitrarily determine the “predetermined amount”. Therefore, “the ink discharge becomes a predetermined amount” includes, for example, when the ink discharge amount decreases to a predetermined value, or when the ink discharge stops. Therefore, when the ink discharge amount is reduced or the ink discharge is stopped, the inside of the decompression chamber 2 is decompressed, and control is performed so that the inside of the decompression chamber 2 is not decompressed during normal printing with a large amount of ink ejection. It is also possible. Thereby, the density | concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink in the ink storage chamber 1 can be suppressed effectively.

  The determination unit may determine whether or not ink is being ejected from the ink jet head, and may cause the decompression unit to depressurize the interior of the decompression chamber 2 when printing is stopped or when the ink is not ejected. Thus, even when printing is not performed for a long period of time, an increase in the concentration of gas dissolved in the ink can be suppressed, so that it is not necessary to remove the ink staying in the ink storage chamber 1. Therefore, when printing is started, printing can be performed immediately without storing ink in the ink storage chamber 1 again.

  Note that the decompression in the decompression chamber 2 by the decompression means can be performed at an arbitrary timing. For example, the inside of the decompression chamber 2 may be decompressed both when the ink jet recording apparatus performs printing and when printing is stopped, or the decompression chamber 2 may be decompressed only while printing is stopped. Further, the decompression in the decompression chamber 2 by the decompression means may be performed continuously or intermittently.

  Here, the change with time of the amount of gas dissolved in the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the amount of gas dissolved in ink that changes with time.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the inside of the decompression chamber 2 is decompressed (negative pressure values −70 kPa and −60 kPa), compared to the case where the decompression chamber 2 is not decompressed (negative pressure value 0 kPa), over a long period of time. The amount of dissolved gas in the ink could be suppressed. Further, when the pressure in the decompression chamber 2 was reduced to -70 kPa, the amount of dissolved gas in the ink could be suppressed more than when the pressure was reduced to -60 kPa.

  As described above, the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes the ink storage device 10 that suppresses the increase in the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink. Therefore, ink in which the concentration of dissolved gas is suppressed can be supplied to the inkjet head. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink from diffusing due to an increase in the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink, and it is possible to suitably eject the ink from the inkjet head.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[Additional Notes]
An ink storage device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is an ink storage device 10 mounted on a carriage including an inkjet head that discharges ink to a recording medium, and an ink storage chamber 1 that stores ink therein. A decompression chamber 2 in which the inside is decompressed and a gas permeable member 3 that allows gas to permeate but does not allow ink to permeate are provided. The gas permeable member 3 transmits gas dissolved in the ink in the ink storage chamber 1 to the decompression chamber 2 when the decompression chamber 2 is decompressed, and when the carriage moves. In response to the movement, the force applied from the ink is deflected.

  According to the above configuration, the ink storage chamber 1 and the decompression chamber 2 are adjacent to each other through the gas permeable member 3. The gas permeable member 3 transmits gas in the ink storage chamber 1 to the decompression chamber 2 when the decompression chamber 2 is decompressed. Therefore, when the inside of the decompression chamber 2 is decompressed, the gas in the ink storage chamber 1 moves to the decompression chamber 2 via the gas permeable member 3. Further, since the gas permeable member 3 is bent by the force applied from the ink as the carriage moves, the gas permeable member 3 suppresses vibration of the ink by bending itself. Since the gas permeable member 3 suppresses vibration of the ink, an increase in the contact area between the gas phase and the ink is suppressed. Therefore, the ink storage device 10 can suppress an increase in the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink. Further, since the gas permeable member 3 is bent, the pressure fluctuation in the ink storage chamber 1 generated when the carriage is scanned can be reduced.

  Further, in the ink storage device 10, the ink storage chamber 1 is formed between the inside of the main body 15 and the gas permeable member 3 by covering the opening surface of the main body 15 having at least one open surface with the gas permeable member 3. The decompression chamber 2 covers the opening surface of the mounting member 11 with one surface opened by the gas permeable member 3 at a position facing the opening surface of the main body 15. It is formed between the inside and the gas permeable member 3.

  According to the above configuration, the ink storage chamber 1 is formed by covering the opening of the main body 15 with the gas permeable member 3. Further, the decompression chamber 2 is formed by covering the opening surface of the attachment member 11 with the gas permeable member 3 at a position facing the opening surface of the main body 15. Therefore, the ink storage chamber 1 and the decompression chamber 2 can be easily formed by using the main body 15, the attachment member 11, and the gas permeable member 3 as minimum constituent members.

  In the ink storage device 10, the gas permeable member 3 is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of fluororesin (PTFE), polypropylene (CPP, OPP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polystyrene (PS). .

  By forming the gas permeable member 3 from the above material, the ink storage device 10 can be provided more effectively.

  An ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a carriage on which an ink jet head for ejecting ink onto a recording medium and an ink storage device 10 are mounted.

  According to the above configuration, the ink jet recording apparatus includes the ink storage device 10 that suppresses an increase in the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink. Therefore, an increase in the concentration of gas dissolved in the ink ejected from the ink jet head can be suppressed, and the ink can be suitably ejected from the ink jet head.

  The ink jet recording apparatus further includes a decompression unit that decompresses the interior of the decompression chamber 2, and the decompression unit is a pump that sucks the gas in the decompression chamber 2 and prevents the gas from flowing back into the decompression chamber 2. .

  According to the above configuration, the ink jet recording apparatus includes the pump that prevents the gas from flowing back into the decompression chamber 2 as the decompression means. Therefore, the gas can be prevented from flowing back into the decompression chamber 2, and the gas within the decompression chamber 2 can be prevented from permeating into the ink storage chamber 1.

  In the ink jet recording apparatus, the decompression unit decompresses the interior of the decompression chamber 2 to -60 kPa or more and -90 kPa or less.

  According to the above configuration, the gas in the ink storage chamber 1 can be more suitably transmitted through the gas permeable member 3 into the decompression chamber 2. As a result, the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink can be more suitably suppressed.

  The ink jet recording apparatus further includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the amount of ink discharged from the ink jet head is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, and the determination unit discharges ink from the ink jet head in advance. When it is determined that the amount is equal to or less than the predetermined amount, the decompression unit decompresses the interior of the decompression chamber 2.

  According to the above configuration, the determination unit determines the amount of ink discharged from the ink jet head, and the decompression unit decompresses the interior of the decompression chamber 2 when the discharge amount is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. For this reason, for example, when ink is retained in the ink storage chamber 1 due to a decrease in the ink ejection amount or the ink ejection being stopped, an increase in the concentration of the gas dissolved in the ink is suppressed. Can do.

  The present invention can be used for inkjet printing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink storage chamber 2 Decompression chamber 3 Gas permeable member 4 Ink flow path 5 Main body suction port 6 Tube 7 Mounting member suction port 10 Ink storage device 11 Mounting member 12 Cap 14 Ink supply port 15 Main body

Claims (7)

An ink storage device mounted on a carriage having an inkjet head for discharging ink to a recording medium,
An ink storage chamber for storing ink inside,
A decompression chamber in which the inside is decompressed,
A gas permeable member that transmits gas and does not allow ink to pass through,
The ink storage chamber and the decompression chamber are adjacent via the gas permeable member,
The gas permeable member transmits gas dissolved in the ink in the ink storage chamber to the decompression chamber when the decompression chamber is decompressed, and moves when the carriage moves. The ink storage device is bent by receiving a force applied from the ink. The ink storage chamber is formed between the inside of the main body and the gas permeable member by covering the opening surface of the main body having at least one surface opened with the gas permeable member.
The decompression chamber covers the opening surface of the mounting member having one surface opened with the gas permeable member at a position facing the opening surface of the main body, thereby allowing the inside of the mounting member and the gas permeable member to be covered. The ink storage device according to claim 1, wherein the ink storage device is formed between the ink storage devices.   2. The gas permeable member is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of fluororesin (PTFE), polypropylene (CPP, OPP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polystyrene (PS). Or the ink storage device according to 2;   An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a carriage on which an inkjet head that ejects ink onto a recording medium and the ink storage device according to claim 1 are mounted. Further comprising a decompression means for decompressing the decompression chamber;
5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the decompression unit is a pump that sucks the gas in the decompression chamber and prevents the gas from flowing back into the decompression chamber.   6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the decompression unit decompresses the decompression chamber to -60 kPa or more and -90 kPa or less. A determination means for determining whether or not the ejection of ink from the inkjet head is equal to or less than a predetermined amount;
The inkjet according to claim 5 or 6, wherein when the determining means determines that the ejection of ink from the inkjet head is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the decompressing means decompresses the decompression chamber. Recording device.

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