JP2016083833A - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recording device which can suppress ink remaining in a joint part from leaking in replacing an ink container.SOLUTION: An ink jet printer (an ink jet recording device) 100 includes a printer main body 1, and an ink passage R arranged in the printer main body 1. A joint mechanism 70 including a first joint part 80 and a second joint part 90 is arranged in the ink passage R. The first joint part 80 has a first main body part 81 in which ink passes, and a first slide part 84. A second joint part 90 includes a second main body part 91 in which the ink passes, and a second slide part 94. When the first joint part 80 is removed from the second joint part 90, the first slide part 84 and the second slide part 94 move in a direction of increasing inner volumes of the first main body part 81 and the second main body part 91 after the ink passage R on the first joint part 80 side and the second joint part 90 side is closed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus including an apparatus main body that forms an image using ink and an ink flow path provided in the apparatus main body.

  2. Description of the Related Art Inkjet recording apparatuses that form images by ejecting ink are widely used as recording apparatuses such as facsimiles, copying machines, and printers because they can form high-definition images.

  In such an ink jet recording apparatus, a plurality of ink flow paths for supplying ink and discharging ink are provided inside the apparatus main body. The ink flow path is configured to be detachable in order to improve assembly workability and maintainability, and a joint mechanism is provided at a connection portion of the ink flow path. The joint mechanism has a first joint part provided on one side and a second joint part provided on the other side to which the first joint part is attached and detached. Then, by attaching the first joint portion to the second joint portion, the ink flow paths of the first joint portion and the second joint portion are connected to enable ink distribution.

  Further, when the first joint portion is removed from the second joint portion, the first joint portion and the second joint portion are separated after the ink flow path is closed by the on-off valve.

  In addition, the joint mechanism provided in a liquid channel is disclosed by patent document 1, for example.

JP-T 8-503288

  In the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, as described above, when the first joint portion is removed from the second joint portion, the first joint portion and the second joint portion are closed after the ink flow path is closed by the on-off valve. Is cut off. For this reason, ink does not continue to overflow from the first joint part or the second joint part.

  However, even in this conventional ink jet recording apparatus, a small amount of ink remaining at the tips of the first joint portion and the second joint portion may leak to the outside, and the periphery of the joint mechanism may be stained. There is.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is an inkjet capable of suppressing leakage of ink remaining in a joint portion when an ink container is replaced. It is to provide a recording device.

  In order to achieve the above object, an ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention includes an apparatus main body that forms an image using ink, and an ink flow path provided in the apparatus main body, and a connection portion of the ink flow path The joint mechanism includes a first joint portion and a second joint portion to which the first joint portion is attached and detached. The first joint portion is a cylindrical first member through which ink passes. 1 main body part, the 2nd joint part has the cylindrical 2nd main body part through which ink passes, and an ink channel is provided inside at least one of the first main body part and the second main body part. A cylindrical slide portion is provided, and at least one of the first joint portion and the second joint portion is provided with an opening / closing valve for opening and closing the ink passage, and the first joint portion is 2nd job When the first joint portion and the second joint portion are connected by the slide portion, the on-off valve opens the ink passage and the first joint portion is removed from the second joint portion. After the on-off valve closes the ink flow path, the slide portion moves in a direction that increases the internal volume of at least one of the first main body portion and the second main body portion.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the ink remaining at the tips of the first joint portion and the second joint portion from leaking to the outside, and to suppress the periphery of the joint mechanism from being stained.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the inkjet printer of one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a structure around a first belt conveyance unit, a recording unit, and a second belt conveyance unit in FIG. 1. It is the figure which looked at the 1st belt conveyance part and recording part of the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 1 from upper direction. It is the figure which showed the container mounting part and ink container structure of the inkjet printer shown in FIG. It is a figure showing the structure of the recording part of the ink jet printer of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a structure around a recording head and a joint mechanism of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the structure of the joint mechanism of the inkjet printer of one Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the structure of the joint mechanism of the inkjet printer of one Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the structure of the joint mechanism of the inkjet printer of one Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the structure of the joint mechanism of the inkjet printer of one Embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in an ink jet printer (ink jet recording apparatus) 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a paper feed cassette 2 that is a paper storage unit is disposed below a printer main body (apparatus main body) 1. A sheet P such as a cut paper before printing, which is an example of a recording medium, is accommodated in the sheet feeding cassette 2. A paper feeding device 3 is disposed downstream of the paper feeding cassette 2 in the paper conveyance direction, that is, above the right side of the paper feeding cassette 2 in FIG. The sheet feeding device 3 separates and feeds the sheets P one by one toward the upper right of the sheet feeding cassette 2 in FIG.

  The ink jet printer 100 includes a first paper transport path 4a therein. The first paper transport path 4a is located at the upper right, which is the paper feed direction in the paper feed cassette 2. The paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 2 is transported vertically upward along the side surface of the printer body 1 through the first paper transport path 4a.

  A registration roller pair 13 is provided at the downstream end of the first paper transport path 4a with respect to the paper transport direction. Further, a first belt conveyance unit 5 and a recording unit 9 are disposed in the immediate vicinity of the registration roller pair 13 on the downstream side. The paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 2 reaches the registration roller pair 13 through the first paper transport path 4a. The registration roller pair 13 feeds the paper P toward the first belt conveyance unit 5 while correcting the oblique feeding of the paper P and timings the ink ejection operation performed by the recording unit 9. The first paper transport path 4a is provided with a pair of transport rollers for transporting the paper P at appropriate positions.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first belt conveyance unit 5 includes a first conveyance belt 8 wound around a first drive roller 6 and a first driven roller 7. The first conveyor belt 8 is rotated counterclockwise by the first drive roller 6. The paper P sent out by the registration roller pair 13 is held on the transport surface 8a (upper surface in FIG. 2) of the first transport belt 8, and is transported in the arrow X direction (from right to left).

  A first paper suction unit 30 is provided at a location inside the first transport belt 8 and facing the back side of the transport surface 8 a of the first transport belt 8. The first sheet suction unit 30 is provided with a large number of air suction holes 30a on the upper surface, and is provided with a fan 30b inside, so that air can be sucked downward from the upper surface. The first conveying belt 8 is also provided with a large number of air suction holes (not shown). With the above configuration, the first belt conveyance unit 5 conveys the paper P while adsorbing and holding the paper P on the conveyance surface 8 a of the first conveyance belt 8.

  The recording unit 9 includes a head housing 10 and line heads 11C, 11M, 11Y, and 11K held by the head housing 10. These line heads 11C to 11K are supported at such a height that a predetermined interval (for example, 1 mm) is formed with respect to the conveying surface 8a of the first conveying belt 8, and as shown in FIG. A plurality (three in this case) of recording heads 17a to 17c are arranged in a staggered manner along the paper width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) perpendicular to the head. The line heads 11 </ b> C to 11 </ b> K have a recording area that is equal to or larger than the width of the paper P, and are sucked and held on the transport surface 8 a of the first transport belt 8 in accordance with image data information received from an external computer. The ink of each color is ejected from the ink ejection nozzle 18 corresponding to the printing position onto the paper P to be printed. As a result, a full-color image in which four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are superimposed is recorded on the paper P.

  A container mounting unit 20 (see FIG. 4) is disposed above the recording unit 9. As shown in FIG. 4, the container mounting unit 20 includes a plurality of ink containers 21C, 21M, 21Y, and 21K that respectively contain cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) inks. It is detachably attached. The ink containers 21C to 21K are connected to the line heads 11C to 11K via the ink supply tubes 23 and the sub ink tanks 24 (see FIG. 4) for the respective colors. An electromagnetic valve 25 that opens and closes the ink flow path is provided at a portion upstream of the sub ink tank 24 of the ink supply tube 23. The ink supply tube 23, the sub ink tank 24, and the electromagnetic valve 25 are provided for each of the ink containers 21C to 21K. However, in FIG. One electromagnetic valve 25 is drawn at a time.

  The sub ink tank 24 is provided with an ink sensor (not shown) for detecting the amount of ink in the sub ink tank 24, and the electromagnetic valve 25 is opened according to the amount of ink, and the sub ink tanks 24C to 21K Ink is supplied to the ink tank 24. The opening / closing operation of the electromagnetic valve 25 is performed by a control unit (not shown) that controls the printer main body 1.

  The sub ink tank 24 is disposed at a position lower than the ink containers 21C to 21K, and the colors corresponding to the ink containers 21C to 21K are generated by the ink pressure generated by the height difference between the sub ink tank 24 and the ink containers 21C to 21K. Of the ink is replenished and supplied to the sub ink tank 24.

  Further, the downstream portion (not shown) of the ink supply tube 23 with respect to the sub ink tank 24 is branched into three, and the three branched ends are respectively connected to the joint mechanism 70 (see FIGS. 5 and 5). 6), the recording heads 17a to 17c are connected. As shown in FIG. 6, on the upper surfaces of the recording heads 17a to 17c, in addition to a joint mechanism 70 for connecting an ink flow path for supplying ink to the recording heads 17a to 17c, the recording heads 17a to 17c are connected to the head housing 10. A fixing member 26 for screwing to the recording head 17 and a flat cable 27 for transmitting signals to the recording heads 17a to 17c are provided. Since the recording heads 17a to 17c have the same shape and configuration, FIG. 6 shows the recording heads 17a to 17c in one drawing. The detailed structure of the joint mechanism 70 will be described later.

  A second belt conveyance unit 12 is disposed on the downstream side (left side in FIG. 1) of the first belt conveyance unit 5 with respect to the sheet conveyance direction. The paper P on which the ink image is recorded by the recording unit 9 is sent to the second belt conveyance unit 12, and the ink ejected on the surface of the paper P is dried while passing through the second belt conveyance unit 12.

  The second belt conveyance unit 12 includes a second conveyance belt 40 that is wound around a second drive roller 41 and a second driven roller 42. The second transport belt 40 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2 by the second drive roller 41. The sheet P on which an image is recorded by the recording unit 9 and conveyed in the direction of arrow X by the first belt conveyance unit 5 is transferred to the second conveyance belt 40 and conveyed in the direction of arrow Z in FIG.

  A second paper suction portion 43 is provided at a location inside the second transport belt 40 and facing the back side of the transport surface 40 a of the second transport belt 40. The second sheet suction unit 43 is provided with a number of air suction holes 43a on the upper surface and is provided with a fan 43b inside so that air can be sucked downward from the upper surface. The second conveyor belt 40 is also provided with a large number of air suction vents (not shown). With the above configuration, the second belt conveyance unit 12 conveys the paper P while adsorbing and holding the paper P on the conveyance surface 40 a of the second conveyance belt 40.

  A decurler unit 14 is provided on the downstream side of the second belt conveyance unit 12 with respect to the sheet conveyance direction and in the vicinity of the left side surface of the printer main body 1. The paper P from which the ink has been dried by the second belt conveyance unit 12 is sent to the decurler unit 14, and the curling of the paper P is corrected using a plurality of rollers arranged in the paper width direction.

  A second paper transport path 4b is provided on the downstream side (upper side in FIG. 1) of the decurler unit 14 with respect to the paper transport direction. The paper P that has passed through the decurler unit 14 is discharged from the second paper transport path 4b to a paper discharge tray 15 provided outside the left side surface of the inkjet printer 100 via a pair of discharge rollers.

  Next, the detailed structure of the joint mechanism 70 provided at the connection portion of the ink flow path for supplying ink to the recording heads 17a to 17c will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the joint mechanism 70 includes a first joint portion 80 provided on the sub ink tank 24 side (upstream side) and a second joint portion provided on the recording heads 17a to 17c side (downstream side). 90.

  The first joint portion 80 includes a cylindrical first main body portion 81 through which ink passes, a first valve (opening / closing valve) 82 disposed inside the first main body portion 81, and the first main body portion 81. A compression coil spring (biasing member) 83 that is arranged inside and urges the first valve 82 toward the lower side (the second joint part 90 side), and a cylindrical first that is arranged inside the first main body part 81. 1 slide part (slide part) 84, and the compression coil spring (biasing member) 85 which is arrange | positioned inside the 1st main-body part 81 and urges | biases the 1st slide part 84 toward the lower side is included.

  The 1st main-body part 81 has the cylindrical cylindrical member 81a, the connection member 81b arrange | positioned at the upstream of the cylindrical member 81a, and the outer cylinder member 81c arrange | positioned at the outer periphery of the cylindrical member 81a. . The cylindrical member 81a and the connecting member 81b constitute an ink flow path R. Moreover, the downstream part of the cylindrical member 81a is a small-diameter portion 81d that is inserted into a second main body portion 91 described later of the second joint portion 90. The outer cylinder member 81 c is gripped by the user when the first joint portion 80 is attached to the second joint portion 90. The sub ink tank 24 is connected to the upstream end of the connection member 81b via the ink supply tube 23 (see FIG. 4).

  On the outer peripheral surface of the first valve 82, a flange portion 82a that protrudes radially outward is formed. Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the first valve 82, a sealing material 82b made of an O-ring is provided below the flange portion 82a. Further, the first valve 82 is movable along the flow path direction (vertical direction) inside the first main body 81, and the ink valve is moved by moving the first valve 82 along the flow path direction. R can be opened and closed.

  The first slide portion 84 is disposed in the small diameter portion 81d of the cylindrical member 81a and can move along the flow path direction (vertical direction) in the small diameter portion 81d of the cylindrical member 81a. The first slide portion 84 has a smaller diameter than the first main body portion 81 and a second main body portion 91 described later, and a smaller diameter than the first valve 82 and the second valve 92 described later.

  On the inner peripheral surface of the first slide portion 84, an engagement protrusion 84a that protrudes radially inward and engages with the compression coil spring 85 is formed. Further, a sealing material 84 b made of an O-ring is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first slide portion 84. The seal member 84b suppresses ink from leaking between the first slide portion 84 and the cylindrical member 81a of the first main body portion 81, and improves the slidability of the first slide portion 84 with respect to the first main body portion 81. Improve.

  The compression coil spring 83 is disposed on the upper side of the flange portion 82a of the first valve 82, and urges the first valve 82 toward the lower side (second joint portion 90 side). The compression coil spring 85 is disposed between the first valve 82 and the engagement protrusion 84a of the first slide portion 84, and urges the first valve 82 upward and lowers the first slide portion 84. Energize to the side.

  The second joint portion 90 includes a cylindrical second main body portion 91 through which ink passes, a second valve (open / close valve) 92 disposed inside the second main body portion 91, and the second main body portion 91. A compression coil spring (biasing member) 93 that is arranged inside and urges the second valve 92 toward the upper side (the first joint portion 80 side), and a cylindrical second that is arranged inside the second main body portion 91. A slide portion (slide portion) 94 and a compression coil spring (biasing member) 95 disposed inside the second main body portion 91 and biasing the second slide portion 94 upward are included.

  The 2nd main-body part 91 has the cylindrical cylindrical member 91a, the connection member 91b arrange | positioned in the downstream of the cylindrical member 91a, and the fixing | fixed part 91c integrally formed in the connection member 91b. The cylindrical member 91a and the connecting member 91b constitute an ink flow path R. Further, the small-diameter portion 81d of the first main body portion 81 (tubular member 81a) is inserted into the upstream portion of the tubular member 91a. The fixing portion 91c is fixed to the fixing member 26 (see FIG. 6) using screws or the like. The downstream end of the connection member 91b is connected to the recording heads 17a to 17c via the tube 28 (see FIG. 6).

  On the outer peripheral surface of the second valve 92, a flange portion 92a that protrudes radially outward is formed. In addition, a sealing material 92b made of an O-ring is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second valve 92 on the upper side of the flange portion 92a. The second valve 92 is movable along the flow path direction (vertical direction) inside the second main body 91, and the second valve 92 moves along the flow path direction, whereby the ink flow path. R can be opened and closed.

  The second slide portion 94 is disposed in the tubular member 91a and can move in the tubular member 91a along the flow path direction (vertical direction). The second slide part 94 is formed such that the upper part can be inserted into the small diameter part 81 d of the first main body part 81, and the upper end part is formed so as to press the first slide part 84 upward. The second slide portion 94 is smaller in diameter than the first main body portion 81 and the second main body portion 91, and the upper portion of the second slide portion 94 is even compared to the first valve 82 and the second valve 92. Small diameter.

  On the inner peripheral surface of the second slide portion 94, an engagement protrusion 94a that protrudes radially inward and engages with the compression coil spring 95 is formed. In addition, a sealing material 94 b made of an O-ring is provided on the outer peripheral surface at the lower end of the second slide portion 94. The seal member 94b prevents ink from leaking between the second slide portion 94 and the cylindrical member 91a of the second main body portion 91, and also allows the second slide portion 94 to slide on the second main body portion 91. Improve.

  The compression coil spring 93 is disposed below the flange portion 92a of the second valve 92, and biases the second valve 92 toward the upper side (the first joint portion 80 side). The compression coil spring 95 is disposed between the second valve 92 and the engagement protrusion 94a of the second slide portion 94, and urges the second valve 92 downward and causes the second slide portion 94 to move. Energize upward.

  In a state where the first joint portion 80 is attached to the second joint portion 90 (the state of FIG. 7), the ink flow path R is open. Specifically, the upper portion of the second slide portion 94 is inserted into the cylindrical member 81a of the first main body portion 81 and presses the first slide portion 84 upward. As a result, the compression coil spring 85 is compressed to urge the first valve 82 upward. For this reason, the sealing material 82b of the first valve 82 is separated from the cylindrical member 81a of the first main body 81, and the ink flow path R is opened. The compression coil spring 95 is compressed by the reaction force of the first slide portion 84 against the second slide portion 94 to urge the second valve 92 downward. For this reason, the sealing material 92b of the second valve 92 is separated from the cylindrical member 91a of the second main body 91, and the ink flow path R is opened. As a result, as indicated by the thick arrows in FIG. 8, the connecting member 81b, the cylindrical member 81a, the first slide portion 84, the second slide portion 94, and the second main body of the first main body portion 81 from the sub ink tank 24 side. The ink flow path R is connected to the recording heads 17a to 17c via the cylindrical member 91a and the connecting member 91b of the portion 91. In FIG. 8, the compression coil springs 83, 85, 93, and 95 are omitted.

  During maintenance such as when the recording heads 17a to 17c are replaced, the first joint unit 80 may be detached from the second joint unit 90 by a service person. In this case, the first joint unit 80 is moved in a direction away from the second joint unit 90 (upward direction). Specifically, when the first joint unit 80 is moved away from the second joint unit 90, the state shown in FIG. 7 changes to the state shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the first slide portion 84 is moved to the first main body by the action of the biasing force of the compression coil springs 83 and 85 while the first slide portion 84 and the second slide portion 94 are in contact with each other. While moving the inside of the part 81 downward, the 2nd slide part 94 moves the inside of the 2nd main-body part 91 upward by the effect | action of the urging | biasing force of the compression coil springs 93 and 95. FIG. As a result, the first valve 82 moves downward in the first main body 81 so that the sealing material 82 b comes into contact with the cylindrical member 81 a of the first main body 81, and the ink flow path R of the first joint 80. Is closed. Similarly, the second valve 92 moves upward in the second main body 91 so that the sealing material 92b comes into contact with the cylindrical member 91a of the second main body 91, and the ink flow path R of the second joint 90 is changed. Closed.

  Thereafter, the first joint portion 80 is further moved in a direction away from the second joint portion 90, whereby the state shown in FIG. 9 is changed to the state shown in FIG. At this time, the first slide portion 84 moves downward with respect to the first main body portion 81, whereby the internal volume of the first main body portion 81 increases and the second slide portion 94 moves to the second main body portion 91. On the other hand, the internal volume of the 2nd main-body part 91 increases by moving upward. Therefore, the ink in the contact portion between the first slide portion 84 and the second slide portion 94 is sucked into the first slide portion 84 and the second slide portion 94.

  In this way, the first joint part 80 is removed from the second joint part 90.

  In addition, when attaching the 1st joint part 80 to the 2nd joint part 90, the 1st joint part 80 and the 2nd joint part 90 operate | move contrary to the above. For this reason, after the ink flow paths R of the first joint portion 80 and the second joint portion 90 are connected by the first slide portion 84 and the second slide portion 94, the first valve 82 moves in the first main body portion 81. Then, the ink flow path R is opened, and the second valve 92 moves in the second main body 91 to open the ink flow path R.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, when the first joint portion 80 is removed from the second joint portion 90, after the first valve 82 and the second valve 92 close the ink flow path R, the first slide portion 84 and The second slide part 94 moves in the direction in which the internal volumes of the first main body part 81 and the second main body part 91 are increased. Thereby, after the first valve 82 and the second valve 92 close the ink flow path R, the internal volumes of the first main body portion 81 and the second main body portion 91 increase, and therefore the first joint portion 80 and the second joint The ink at the tip of the portion 90 is sucked into the first main body portion 81 and the second main body portion 91. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the ink remaining at the tips of the first joint portion 80 and the second joint portion 90 (the first slide portion 84 and the second slide portion 94) from leaking to the outside. Can be prevented from becoming dirty.

  Further, the first joint portion 80 is moved from the second joint portion 90 in a state where the ink flow paths R on the first joint portion 80 side and the second joint portion 90 side are closed by the first valve 82 and the second valve 92, respectively. Removed. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the ink from flowing back from the first joint portion 80 side and the second joint portion 90 side.

  Further, as described above, the first valve 82 and the second valve 92 are disposed in the first main body portion 81 and the second main body portion 91, respectively. Accordingly, the on-off valve (first valve 82) for opening and closing the ink flow path R on the first joint portion 80 side and the on-off valve (second valve 92) for opening and closing the ink flow path R on the second joint portion 90 side are provided. The first valve 82 and the second valve 92 can have a simple structure as compared with the case where they are provided separately from the first joint portion 80 and the second joint portion 90 (in the case of being configured with an electromagnetic valve or the like). In addition, unlike the case of using a solenoid valve, an electric signal from a control unit (not shown) is not required, so that the ink flow path R can be reliably closed even when the printer body 1 is powered off.

  Further, as described above, the first slide portion 84 is in contact with the second slide portion 94 in a state where the first joint portion 80 is connected to the second joint portion 90. Accordingly, the ink flow path R of the first main body 81 and the ink flow path R of the second main body 91 can be easily connected by the first slide portion 84 and the second slide portion 94.

  Further, as described above, when the first joint portion 80 is attached to the second joint portion 90, the first slide portion 84 is pressed by the second slide portion 94 and moves so as to approach the first valve 82, The first valve 82 moves in the first main body portion 81 to open the ink flow path R, and the second slide portion 94 is pressed by the first slide portion 84 and moves so as to approach the second valve 92. The second valve 92 moves in the second main body 91 to open the ink flow path R. As a result, the ink flow path R of the first main body 81 can be easily opened by the first valve 82 while the first joint 80 is connected to the second joint 90, and the second valve 92 2 The ink flow path R of the main body 91 can be easily opened. Further, when the first joint portion 80 is removed from the second joint portion 90, the ink flow path R of the first main body portion 81 can be easily closed by the first valve 82, and the second main body by the second valve 92. The ink flow path R of the portion 91 can be easily closed.

  Further, as described above, the second slide portion 94 is inserted into the first main body portion 81 with the first joint portion 80 connected to the second joint portion 90. Thereby, the ink flow path R of the 1st main-body part 81 and the ink flow path R of the 2nd main-body part 91 can be connected easily.

  Further, as described above, the first slide portion 84 and the second slide portion 94 are smaller in diameter than the first main body portion 81 and the second main body portion 91. As a result, the inner diameters of the first slide portion 84 and the second slide portion 94 can be reduced, so that the ink in the first slide portion 84 and the second slide portion 94 can be easily suppressed by the surface tension of the ink. can do.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description of the embodiments but by the scope of claims for patent, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims for patent.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the opening / closing valve that opens and closes the ink flow path R is provided in both the first joint portion 80 and the second joint portion 90 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. When the flow is only in one direction (when there is no possibility of backflow), the open / close valve may be provided only in one of the first joint part 80 and the second joint part 90.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the slide portions (the first slide portion 84 and the second slide portion 94) are provided in both the first main body portion 81 and the second main body portion 91 has been described. In addition, a slide portion may be provided on only one of the second main body portions 91.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the joint mechanism 70 is provided in the ink flow path R (ink flow path for supplying ink) on the upstream side of the recording heads 17a to 17c has been described. If it is the road R, it will not specifically limit. For example, the joint mechanism 70 may be provided in the ink flow path for discharging ink through which waste ink passes.

1 Printer body (device body)
21C-21K Ink container 70 Joint mechanism 80 1st joint part 81 1st main-body part 82 1st valve (opening-closing valve)
84 First slide part (slide part)
90 Second joint portion 91 Second body portion 92 Second valve (open / close valve)
94 Second slide part (slide part)
100 Inkjet printer (inkjet recording device)
R ink flow path

Claims (7)

An apparatus body for forming an image using ink;
An ink flow path provided in the apparatus body;
With
A joint mechanism is provided at the connection portion of the ink flow path,
The joint mechanism includes a first joint part and a second joint part to which the first joint part is attached and detached,
The first joint portion has a cylindrical first main body portion through which ink passes,
The second joint part has a cylindrical second main body part through which ink passes,
A cylindrical slide portion that connects the ink flow path is disposed inside at least one of the first main body portion and the second main body portion,
An opening / closing valve for opening and closing the ink flow path is provided in the ink flow path of at least one of the first joint part and the second joint part,
When the first joint part is attached to the second joint part, after the ink flow paths of the first joint part and the second joint part are connected by the slide part, the on-off valve opens the ink flow path. Open,
When removing the first joint part from the second joint part, after the on-off valve closes the ink flow path, the slide part has an internal volume of at least one of the first main body part and the second main body part. An ink jet recording apparatus that moves in an increasing direction.   When removing the first joint part from the second joint part, the first joint part moves in a direction away from the second joint part, so that the on-off valve moves the first body part and the second body part. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink flow path is closed by moving inside at least one of the ink jet recording apparatus.   3. The slide part is in contact with at least the other of the first joint part and the second joint part in a state where the first joint part is connected to the second joint part. 2. An ink jet recording apparatus according to 1.   When attaching the first joint part to the second joint part, the slide part is pressed by at least the other of the first joint part and the second joint part and moves so as to approach the on-off valve, The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the on-off valve moves to open the ink flow path. The slide part includes a first slide part arranged in the first main body part, and a second slide part arranged in the second main body part,
5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first slide portion is in contact with the second slide portion in a state where the first joint portion is connected to the second joint portion.   The slide part is inserted into at least the other of the first main body part and the second main body part with the first joint part connected to the second joint part. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of 1 to 5.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slide portion has a smaller diameter than the first main body portion and the second main body portion.

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