Maintenance station of an inkjet printer

A maintenance station of an inkjet printer mounted in a housing of the inkjet printer includes an ink cup rotationally and slidably coupled to the housing about/along an axis of rotation. The ink cup has a basic plate and a columnar rim around the basic plate. The columnar rim respectively defines a plurality of stopping ratchets and driving ratchets with the same gradient direction at a bottom and top thereof. A moving body is slidably disposed in the housing of the inkjet printer. An actuator movably disposed in the moving body moves together with the moving body, a tail of the actuator stretches out from the moving body for matching with the driving ratchets to rotate the ink cup. A plurality of housing ratchets are disposed in the housing of the inkjet printer and arranged into a ring for matching with the stopping ratchets to prevent the ink cup reversion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an inkjet printer, and more particularly to a maintenance station of an inkjet printer.

2.The Related Art

An inkjet printer requires experimental print before starting to print, and wiping the remnant ink of the printing head of the inkjet printer to keep the printing head clean and covering the printing head to avoid ink evaporating after print. So the inkjet printer is provided with a maintenance station for receiving the ink of the experimental print and cleaning the remnant ink of the printing head.

Reference toFIG. 1,FIG. 2andFIG. 3, a prior maintenance station is shown. The maintenance station has an ink cup300′ adopted to receive the ink of the experimental print and a pivot330′ configured in the inkjet printer. The ink cup300+ is pivoted to the pivot330′. An appropriate space is left between the ink cup300′ and the pivot330′. The ink cup300′ has a plurality of ratchets340′ extending outward from the edge thereof. An actuator400′ is adopted to push the ratchets340′ to rotate the ink cup300′ so that the ink cup300′ can receive the ink averagely. And a stopping block430′ is adopted to abut to the ratchet340′ of the ink cup300′ to prevent the ink cup300′ from reversing.

When the actuator400′ pushes the ratchet340′ along the direction of the arrow shown inFIG. 2, the ink cup300′ is pushed to the top left because of the space between the ink cup300′ and the pivot330′. In this process, the interface between the actuator400′ and the ink cup300′ increases gradually, the ink cup300′ separates from the stopping block430′ and is pushed to rotate. When the actuator400′ moves oppositely along the direction of the arrow shown inFIG. 3, the ink cup300′ moves to the bottom right because of the space. At this time, the stopping block430′ abuts the ink cup300′ so that the ink cup300′ cannot reverse.

However, the moving trace of the ink cup300′ is not affirmatory because of the floating position of the ink cup300′ and the changing position of the actuator400′. Sometimes the interface between the ink cup300′ and the actuator400′ dose not increase or the ink cup300′ does not move to the bottom right when the actuator400′ moves oppositely. As the result, the actuator400′ cannot drive the ink cup300′ rotating effectively and steadily or the ink cup300′ comes into reversing when the actuator400′ withdraws to the initiative position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a maintenance station of an inkjet printer which can get rid of the problem that the actuator can not drive the ink cup rotating effectively and steadily and that the ink cup comes into reversing when the actuator withdraws to the initiative position.

A maintenance station of an inkjet printer mounted in a housing of the inkjet printer includes an ink cup rotationally and slidably coupled to the housing about/along an axis of rotation. The ink cup has a basic plate and a columnar rim around the basic plate. The columnar rim respectively defines a plurality of stopping ratchets and driving ratchets with the same gradient direction at a bottom and top thereof. A moving body is slidably disposed in the housing of the inkjet printer. An actuator movably disposed in the moving body moves together with the moving body, a tail of the actuator stretches out from the moving body for matching with the driving ratchets to rotate the ink cup. A plurality of housing ratchets are disposed in the housing of the inkjet printer and arranged into a ring for matching with the stopping ratchets to prevent the ink cup reversion.

As described above, the ink cup of the maintenance station of the inkjet printer is pivoted to the housing and can move upward and downward. The actuator is slidably received in the moving body and also can move upward and downward. When the actuator moving together with the moving body pushes the driving ratchet to rotate the ink cup, the actuator matches the driving ratchet of the ink cup, which guarantees the ink cup being driven steadily all the same. When the actuator moves oppositely for withdrawing to the initiative position, the stopping ratchets of the ink cup mating with the housing ratchets can effectively prevent the ink cup from reversion. Thereof, the present invention can avoid the problem that the actuator cannot drive the ink cup rotating effectively and steadily and that the ink cup comes into reversing when the actuator withdraws to the initiative position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference toFIG. 4,FIG. 6andFIG. 8, a maintenance station of the present invention mounted in a housing20of an inkjet printer includes a supporter100configured in the housing20, a maintenance assembly200slidably placed on the supporter100, an actuator400movably received in the maintenance assembly200, a pivot500located on the housing20, a plurality of housing ratchets600encircling the pivot500fixed on the housing20and an ink cup300slidably pivoted to the pivot500.

Please reference toFIG. 8andFIG. 9, the housing ratchets600connecting continuously with each other are surroundingly fixed on the housing20to form a circle. Each of the housing ratchets600has a blocking surface610of upright-plane shape and a slippery surface620of gradient-plane shape connecting with each other. The pivot500protrudes outward from the housing20and is located at the center of the circle formed by the housing ratchets600.

Please reference to theFIG. 4,FIG. 10andFIG. 11, the supporter100has a pair of holding plates110at two sides thereof. Each of the holding plate110has two slots111arranged in series and extending toward the bottom right to form an arc shape. The maintenance assembly200has a moving body210. The moving body210includes a basic plate211and a pair of side plates212extending upward vertically from front and rear edges of the basic plate211respectively. Each of the side plate212provides a pair of sliding bars214which are inserted into the corresponding slots111to lead the moving body210to slide therein. A bottom surface of the basic plate211extends downward to form a hole base215. An actuating hole213is opened to pass through the basic plate211and the hole base215. The basic plate211has an extension portion216extending upward from the margin of the actuating hole213. A surface of the extension portion216facing to the actuating hole213has a shape consistent with the actuating hole213and less than the half of the actuating hole213.

Please reference to theFIG. 4,FIG. 5,FIG. 6andFIG. 7, the ink cup300has a basic plate310and a columnar rim320located around the margin of the basic plate310. The basic plate310has a supporter base311extending upward at the center thereof. A pivotal hole312is opened at a position corresponding to the axis of rotation to pass through the supporter base311and the basic plate310for pivoting to the pivot500. The columnar rim320is of cylinder shape. A bottom of the columnar rim320extends downward to form a plurality of stopping ratchets330coupling with the housing ratchets600. The stopping ratchet330has a stopping surface331of upright-plane shape coupling with the blocking surface610and a sliding surface332of gradient-plane shape coupling with the slippery surface620. A top of the columnar rim320extends upward to form a plurality of driving ratchets340connecting with each other. The driving ratchet340has the same gradient direction with the stopping ratchet330and includes a cliffy driving surface341of upright-plane shape, a glacis surface342and an arc surface343connecting the cliffy driving surface341and the glacis surface342.

Please reference to theFIG. 6andFIG. 12, the actuator400slidably mounted in the actuating hole213has a cylinder portion420and a pushing portion410formed at a bottom end of the cylinder portion420. The cylinder portion420extends upward to form two facing elastic portions430at the edge thereof. An upper portion of the elastic portion430extends outward to form a stopping lump450. A recess440is formed between the two elastic portions430to assure the elastic portions430of the actuator400elastically passing through the actuating hole213. Then the stopping lumps450are against an abutting region of the top of the actuating hole213for supporting the actuator400and are against two sides of the extension portion216for preventing the actuator400from rotating. The pushing portion410of oblong shape has a pushing surface412of upright-plane shape at one side thereof and a sliding surface411at the bottom thereof. The pushing surface412and the sliding surface411define an acute included angle and can engage with the cliffy driving surface341and the glacis surface342respectively.

Please reference to theFIG. 5andFIG. 6, when the inkjet printer begins to experimentally print, the moving body210is driven to move toward the bottom right along the slots111of the holding plate110. In this process, the actuator400pushes the cliffy driving surface341of the driving ratchet340to move and accompanies with the ink cup300moving upward and downward because of the stopping ratchets330sliding on the housing ratchets600, accordingly, the ink cup300begins to rotate and receive the experimental ink. When the actuator400needs to withdraw to the initiative position, the moving body210moves toward the top left along the slots111of the holding plate110. In this process, the sliding surface411of the actuator400slides smoothly on the adjacent glacis surface342of the adjacent driving ratchet340along the gradient direction of the driving ratchet340and then falls down to back to the initiative position and face the cliffy driving surface341of the adjacent driving ratchet340, wherein the arc surface343is adopted to guarantee the actuator400sliding smoothly and steadily. Meanwhile, the ink cup300can keep immobile because of the housing ratchets600mating with the stopping ratchets330to block the ink cup300reversing.

As described above, the ink cup300of the maintenance station of the inkjet printer is pivoted to the housing20and can move upward and downward. The actuator400is slidably received in the moving body210and also can move upward and downward. When the actuator400moving together with the moving body210pushes the driving ratchet340to rotate the ink cup300, the actuator400matches the driving ratchet340of the ink cup300, which guarantees the ink cup300being driven steadily all the same. When the actuator400moves oppositely for withdrawing to the initiative position, the stopping ratchets330of the ink cup300mating with the housing ratchets600can effectively prevents the ink cup300from reserving. Thereof, the present invention can avoid the problem that the actuator400cannot drive the ink cup300rotating effectively and steadily and that the ink cup300comes into reversing when the actuator400withdraws to the initiative position.