JPH06336008A - Ink jet head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an ink jet head in which a head device can easily be loaded on a body by any user, the main part of the head is protected, and the head is prevented from getting lost or missing. CONSTITUTION:A holder 1 is loaded on a carriage 24 in such a way as to be fitted into a guide groove in the state that it protects a head device 50. Next, levers 12, 13 are erected in the directions indicated by arrows A, B. An electrode plate 61 and an ink cartridge 62 are moved toward the head device 50. In this manner, the head device 50 is securely set. Lastly, only the holder 1 is removed by pulling up a ring 3 and bending a claw 2 at a cutout 5.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet head which ejects ink from a plurality of ink ejection holes and is attachable to and detachable from a main body device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet printer having a detachable head unit has been known. In such an inkjet printer, when the function of the head unit deteriorates, the user himself purchases a replacement head unit,
Replacing the head unit can extend the life of the printer as a whole, which is very advantageous for the user.

Such a conventional detachable head unit is constructed as shown in FIG. Reference numeral 51 in the drawing is a known ink jet head, in which a dimple-shaped electrode 52 is formed on the front side of the drawing, and positioning holes 56 are formed on the left and right sides thereof. Further, a needle 53 for ink supply is attached to the back surface of the head 51, and a tab 54 for the user to hold the head unit 50 at the time of attachment is attached to the upper portion. The nozzle array 55 that ejects ink is formed on the left side surface of the head 51 and ejects ink in the direction of the arrow.

To mount the head unit 50 on the printer body, the tab 54 is pinched between the electrode plate 61 formed on the body side and the ink cartridge 62 as shown in FIG. Next, the electrode plate 61 and the ink cartridge 62 are moved in the directions of arrows B and C, respectively, by a fitting mechanism (not shown) to fix the head unit 50. At this time, the positioning pin 64 formed on the electrode plate 61 is inserted into the positioning hole 56 on the head unit 50 side to determine the position of the head unit 50. In addition, the needle 53
Breaks through the sealing material 65 provided in the ink cartridge 62, and ink is supplied to the head unit 50.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, since the head unit itself is very small, if the user drops the unit by mishandling, it may be lost or damaged. In addition, if the tab is not picked up properly, the head unit may be touched directly by hand, and there is a problem that the electrode may rust or the nozzle may be clogged due to oil, water or dust adhering to the hand. It was

Further, in the conventional head unit,
Since the entire unit including the tab is extremely small, it is difficult to position the head unit when it is mounted on the main body device, and the head unit is damaged due to contact with other members during positioning.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet head which can prevent the head unit from being lost or damaged and can be easily attached to the main body device. It is in.

[0008]

In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides an ink jet head which is ejectable from a plurality of ink ejection holes and which is detachable from a main body device and is provided in a mounting ink jet head. A protective member for protecting the head, and a guide portion provided on the protective member for guiding mounting of the head to the main body device, the protective member being separable from the head after mounting to the main body device It is characterized by

[0009]

In the ink jet head of the present invention having the above structure, the protective member protects the ink jet head for mounting, and the guide portion provided on the protective member guides the mounting of the head to the main body device and protects it. The member is
It is separated from the head after mounting on the main unit.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, the same parts as those in the conventional example are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 4 shows a main configuration of a printer equipped with a head unit using the present invention. The platen 20 is rotatably attached to the frame 22 by a shaft 21 and driven by a motor 23. A head unit 50 is provided so as to face the platen 20. The head unit 50 is mounted on the carriage 24 together with the ink cartridge 62. The carriage 24 is slidably supported by two guide rods 25 arranged in parallel to the axis of the platen 20, and a timing belt 27 wound around a pair of pulleys 26 is coupled to the carriage 24.
Then, one pulley 26 is rotated by a motor 28, and the timing belt 27 is sent, so that the carriage 24 moves on the paper 29 along the platen 20.

FIG. 1 shows a head unit 5 for wearing by a user.
0 shows a perspective view of 0. The head unit 50 is covered with the holder 1 made of resin which is an elastic body, and the details thereof will be described below. The holder 1 has a substantially U shape, and a ring 3 on which the user can sufficiently hook his / her finger and a pump 4 for introducing the initial ink are provided on the upper surface. Further, near the tips of both legs of the holder 1, there are provided claws 2 that can be bent by the notches 5. Since the head unit 50 is fixed in the holder 1 by the claws 2, the surface (not shown) of the nozzle array 55 of the head unit 50, the opposite surface, and the upper surface are closely protected by the inner surface of the holder 1. Further, the surface on the side of the needle 53 (not shown) and the surface on the side of the electrode 52 are open, but their surfaces are in a position to be included in the holder 1. Therefore, the nozzle array 55 is reliably protected against contact with the user and other members inside the printer. Further, the electrode 52 is not closely protected by the holder 1, but because the end surface of the holder 1 is projected from the surface of the electrode 52, it is hard to contact the user's finger or other members in the printer. .

As shown in FIG. 2A, the pump 4 described above is in conduction with a chamber 8 provided in a leg portion which is in close contact with the nozzle array 55. Further, valves 6 and 7 are installed below the pump 4 to switch between exhaust and intake paths. That is, when the user presses the pump 4, as shown in FIG. 2A, the valve 6 closes the path on the chamber 8 side by pressurization, the valve 7 opens so as to communicate with the outside air, and the air in the pump 4 is released. Exhausted to the outside. Next, when the pump 4 is released, as shown in FIG. 2B, the pressure inside the pump 4 becomes negative due to the recovery of the bellows provided on the pump 4, the valve 7 is closed, the valve 6 is turned on, and the nozzle array is released. Air is sucked from inside 55.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a procedure for the user to mount the head unit 50 on the carriage 24, as viewed from the platen 20 side of the printer. On the carriage 24, a guide groove 1 that engages with the claws 2 of the leg portion of the holder 1 when the head unit 50 is mounted and guides the position of the holder 1.
4 are provided. Further, on the carriage 24, an electrode plate 61 and an ink cartridge 62 are arranged so as to sandwich the head unit 50 and can be moved left and right in the drawing. Further, in order to move and fit the electrode plate 61 and the ink cartridge 62 to the head unit 50, levers 12 and 13 supported by the carriage 24 by fulcrums 10 and 11 and rotatable in the directions of arrows A and B are provided. Has been.

If an absorbing member for holding the ink sucked at the time of initial ink introduction, for example, a porous foam is put in the chamber 8, the sucked ink will be spilled when the holder 1 is discarded. It can be prevented.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

When the user newly mounts the head unit 50, the levers 12 and 13 are opened, and the holder 1 is placed between the ink cartridge 62 and the electrode plate 61 by pinching the ring 3 as shown in FIG. 3 (a). . At that time, the head unit 50
Is easily positioned by the pawl 2 of the holder 1 entering the guide groove 14 of the carriage 24.

Next, the levers 12 and 13 are raised in the directions of arrows A and B to move the electrode plate 61 and the ink cartridge 62 in the direction of the head unit 50, and the head unit 50 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
Fix as in (b). At this time, the positioning pin 64 formed on the electrode plate 61 is inserted into the positioning hole 56 on the head unit 50 side to determine the position of the head unit 50. Further, the needle 53 breaks through the sealing material 65 provided in the ink cartridge 62, and the ink can be supplied to the head unit 50.

After fixing the head unit 50, the pump 4 provided on the holder 1 is pushed down several times to suck air from the nozzle array 55 and introduce ink into the head unit 50.

Finally, the ring 3 is hooked with a finger, and the holder 1 is pulled upward as shown in FIG. 3 (c). Since the head unit 50 is fixed by the ink cartridge 62 and the electrode plate 61, the claw 2 of the holder 1 is bent from the notch 5,
The holder 1 is removed and discarded.

Since the newly mounted head unit 50 is supplied while being protected by the holder 1 made of resin, the head unit 50 is directly damaged even if the user accidentally drops it on the floor. Does not join. Also, if the holder 1 is manufactured in a conspicuous color such as yellow, it will not be lost. Furthermore, the head unit 50
Since the holder is included in the holder 1, it is possible to prevent the user from accidentally touching the nozzle array 55 and the electrode 52, and to prevent the head unit 50 from colliding with other members during mounting. 50 can be protected. In addition to the above-mentioned protective effect, the holder 1 is also used for positioning during mounting, so that the head unit itself is not used for positioning and the head unit is not damaged unlike the conventional case. Further, since the holder 1 is separated after mounting the head unit 50, it can be formed large with a sufficient margin, and any user can easily mount the head.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the holder 1 has a substantially U shape, but the head unit 50
Any shape may be used as long as it can protect the. Further, although the claw 2 of the holder 1 is configured to bend from the notch 5 when detached after being mounted, it may be configured to be detached from the head unit 50 by flexible deformation. In this way, the detached holder 1 can be used as a tool for removing the old head unit from the carriage when the head unit is replaced next time.

[0023]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the ink jet head of the present invention, the protection member protects the mounting ink jet head, and the guide portion provided on the protection member serves to guide the head main body device. Since the mounting is guided, it is possible to provide the inkjet head which can prevent the head unit from being lost or damaged and can be easily mounted to the main body device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mounting inkjet head according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a main part for explaining a pump mechanism of a holder.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a main part showing a method of mounting a head unit on a carriage.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a main part of a printer including the head unit according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional mounting inkjet head.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a main part showing a conventional method of mounting a head unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Holder 2 Claw 3 Ring 4 Pump 5 Notch 6, 7 Valve 8 Chamber 50 Head unit

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Internal reference number FI technical display location B41J 3/04 102 N

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet head which ejects ink from a plurality of ink ejection holes and is detachable from a main body device, is provided on a mounting ink jet head, and a protective member for protecting the head and the protective member are provided. And a guide part for guiding mounting of the head to the main body device, wherein the protection member is separable from the head after mounting to the main body device.