CN101410253B - Liquid storage container - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a liquid storage container capable of preventing evaporation of moisture contained in a liquid contained in a liquid storage chamber and preventing deterioration of the quality of the liquid due to contact of air introduced into the liquid storage chamber with the liquid, thereby The quality of the liquid can be stably maintained over a longer period of time. A thin communication path (360) is provided in the middle of the atmosphere communication path (150) that introduces the atmosphere into the liquid storage chamber (370) from the outside as the ink I in the liquid storage chamber (370) is consumed. The communication path (360) is formed thinner than the other communication path portions and can hold a part of the ink I contained in the liquid storage chamber (370) through the meniscus. Moisture in the ink in the upper liquid storage chamber (370) is suppressed by being able to keep the ink I contained in the liquid storage chamber (370) in an amount cut off from the atmosphere in the thin communication path (360). evaporation or contact with air.

Description

liquid container

technical field

The present invention relates to an air-opening type liquid storage container for supplying liquid stored in a container body detachably attached to the liquid consuming device to a liquid consuming device.

Background technique

Examples of conventional liquid storage containers and liquid consuming devices include atmosphere-opening ink cartridges storing ink liquid and ink jet recording devices (ink jet printers) in which the ink cartridges are replaceably mounted.

The above-mentioned ink cartridge generally includes in the container main body detachably installed on the cartridge mounting portion of the inkjet recording device: an ink containing chamber for filling ink; an ink supply portion for storing ink stored in the ink containing chamber. The liquid in the inkjet recording device is supplied to the inkjet type recording device; the ink guide path communicates with the ink storage chamber and the ink supply part; and the atmosphere communication path introduces the atmosphere from the outside into the Ink holding chamber. When the above-mentioned ink cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion of the inkjet recording apparatus, the ink supply needle provided on the cartridge mounting portion is inserted into the ink supply portion and connected thereto, whereby the stored ink can be Ink is supplied to a recording head of an inkjet recording device.

The recording head of the inkjet recording device uses heat or vibration to control the ejection of ink droplets. Therefore, once the ink in the ink cartridge is exhausted and an idle ejection occurs in which the ink ejection operation is not supplied, it will cause a malfunction. . Therefore, in an inkjet recording device, it is necessary to monitor the remaining amount of ink liquid in the ink cartridge so that the recording head does not perform idle ejection.

From this background, the following ink cartridges have been developed: there is a liquid level sensor that outputs a predetermined electrical signal when the remaining amount of ink stored in the container main body is consumed to a preset threshold, so as not to cause the ink cartridge to be stored The ink stored in the ink cartridge is finally completely used up, resulting in empty ejection of the recording head of the recording device (for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Document Laid-Open No. 2001-146030.

Contents of the invention

The problem to be solved by the invention

The ink storage chamber in the conventional air-opening ink cartridge is always open to the atmosphere through the atmosphere communication path, so the moisture in the ink stored in the ink storage chamber evaporates from the atmosphere communication path, and the viscosity of the ink increases due to the evaporation of water. , which may affect the printing performance and the like of the inkjet recording device.

In addition, the atmosphere in the ink storage chamber is naturally ventilated through the atmosphere communication path, and the contact between the ink stored in the ink storage chamber and fresh air increases, so the quality of the ink may deteriorate due to long-term contact with the air.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an atmosphere-opening type liquid storage container capable of preventing the viscosity of the liquid from being reduced due to the evaporation of moisture in the liquid through the atmosphere communication path. Ascent, and by restricting the ventilation of the air in the liquid storage chamber, the deterioration of the quality of the liquid due to the contact of the liquid with fresh air can be suppressed, so that the quality of the liquid can be stably maintained for a longer period.

means of solving problems

The above-mentioned object of the present invention is achieved by the following liquid storage container, which is an atmosphere-open type liquid storage container mounted on a liquid consuming device, which includes: a liquid storage chamber for storing liquid; a liquid supply part, and the A liquid consumption device is connected; a liquid guide path guides the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid supply part; an atmosphere communication path guides air from the outside as the liquid in the liquid storage chamber is consumed. into the liquid storage chamber; and a liquid residual sensor, arranged in the middle of the liquid guide path, detects that the liquid in the liquid storage chamber has been exhausted by detecting the gas flowing into the liquid guide path; The above-mentioned liquid storage container is characterized in that a thin communication path part is provided in the middle of the atmosphere communication path, and the thin communication path part is formed thinner than other communication path parts, and can be kept contained in the liquid storage container by the meniscus. A portion of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber can be kept in the thin communication path portion in an amount that blocks the liquid contained in the liquid storage chamber from the atmosphere.

According to the liquid storage container of the above-mentioned structure, the air communication path is provided in the middle of the thin communication portion and is sealed by the liquid held in it, so the atmosphere in the ink storage chamber is not naturally ventilated, so it is stored in the liquid storage chamber. Moisture in the liquid does not evaporate from the air communication path to the outside, so that the viscosity of the liquid can be prevented from rising due to the evaporation of water.

In addition, once the air pressure in the liquid storage chamber drops due to the consumption of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber, the above-mentioned liquid seal will make the external atmosphere into a state of micro bubbles, which will pass through the liquid in the liquid seal and be introduced into the liquid storage chamber, so that The air pressure in the liquid storage chamber returns to atmospheric pressure, but the outside air is not introduced unless the air pressure in the liquid storage chamber drops. That is, since the inflow of air into the liquid storage chamber via the air communication path is restricted to the minimum necessary, deterioration of the quality of the liquid due to contact between the liquid and fresh air can be suppressed. Therefore, the quality of the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber can be stably maintained for a longer period of time.

In addition, in the liquid storage container of the above structure, it is preferable that the atmospheric flow outlet at one end of the thin communication path portion is provided near the bottom wall of the liquid storage chamber, and the atmospheric flow inlet at the other end is connected to the liquid storage chamber. The bottom wall of the chamber is set lower than that.

According to the liquid storage container constituted in this way, for example, when a predetermined amount of liquid is filled in the liquid storage container at the time of manufacture, etc., a necessary amount of liquid can be supplied to the fine device by the hydraulic pressure acting on the liquid storage chamber of the atmospheric air outlet. The communication part and the necessary amount of liquid are held in the thin communication path part, so the liquid seal part can be easily formed in the middle of the atmosphere communication path.

In addition, in the liquid storage container having the above configuration, it is preferable that the thin communication path portion is formed in an approximately L-shape.

According to the liquid storage container constructed in this way, the capillary force generated in the approximately L-shaped bent portion exerts a holding force for restricting the movement of the liquid for sealing held in the thin communication path portion, so that it can be stably maintained in a thin communication path portion. A liquid-tight state with liquid is maintained in the communicating path portion.

The above-mentioned object is achieved by the following liquid storage container, which is installed on the liquid consumption device and includes: a liquid storage chamber for containing the liquid; a liquid supply part connected with the liquid consumption device; The liquid in the liquid storage chamber is guided to the liquid supply part; the atmosphere communication path introduces the atmosphere into the liquid storage chamber from the outside as the liquid in the liquid storage chamber is consumed; and the liquid sensor is provided In the liquid guide path; the liquid storage container is characterized in that a thin communication path portion is provided in the middle of the atmosphere communication path, the thin communication path portion is formed thinner than other communication path portions, and can By holding a part of the liquid contained in the liquid storage chamber through the meniscus, an amount of the liquid contained in the liquid storage chamber that is blocked from the atmosphere can be held in the thin communication path portion.

According to the liquid storage container of the above-mentioned structure, the air communication path is provided in the middle of the thin communication portion and is sealed by the liquid held in it, so the atmosphere in the ink storage chamber is not naturally ventilated, so it is stored in the liquid storage chamber. Moisture in the liquid does not evaporate from the air communication path to the outside, so that the viscosity of the liquid can be prevented from rising due to the evaporation of water.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an ink cartridge as an embodiment of the liquid container of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the appearance of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention when viewed from an opposite angle to that of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an ink cartridge as an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from an opposite angle to that of FIG. 3;

5 is a diagram showing a state in which an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a carriage of an inkjet recording device;

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state immediately before an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a carriage;

7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state immediately after an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a carriage;

FIG. 8 is a view of the cartridge body of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the front side;

FIG. 9 is a view of the cartridge body of the ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the back side;

(a) of Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of Figure 8, and (b) is a schematic diagram of Figure 9;

Fig. 11 is the A-A sectional view of Fig. 8;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the channel structure in the cartridge main body shown in Fig. 8 .

Label description:

1 Ink cartridge (liquid storage container); 10 Case main body (container main body); 20 Cover member; 30 Ink end sensor; 31 Liquid remaining sensor; 40 Differential pressure valve; 50 Ink supply part (liquid supply part); 70 Gas Liquid separation filter; 80 membrane; 100 atmospheric open hole; 150 atmospheric communication path; 200 bracket; 330 upper connection flow path; 340 ink capture chamber (air chamber); 361 first communication path; 362 second communication path; 370 upper ink storage chamber (liquid storage chamber); 371, 311, 432 ink discharge port (liquid discharge port); 374, 394, 434 recess; 375, 395, 435 bottom wall of liquid storage chamber; 380 ink guide path (liquid guide path); 390 lower ink storage chamber (liquid storage chamber); 391, 431 ink inflow port (liquid inflow port); 400 upstream side ink end sensor Connecting flow path (liquid guiding path); 410 downstream side ink end sensor connecting flow path (liquid guiding path); 420 ink guiding path (liquid guiding path); 430 buffer chamber (liquid containing chamber); Air chamber); B bubble; I ink (liquid).

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the liquid storage container of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, an ink cartridge mounted on an ink jet recording device (printer) as an example of a liquid ejecting device will be described as an example of a liquid storage container.

1 is an external perspective view of an ink cartridge as an embodiment of a liquid storage container of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the ink cartridge of this embodiment viewed from an angle opposite to that of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge of this embodiment, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge of this embodiment viewed from an angle opposite to that of FIG. 3 . 5 is a diagram showing a state where the ink cartridge according to this embodiment is mounted on a carriage, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state immediately before being mounted on a carriage, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state immediately after being mounted on a carriage. Sectional view.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the ink cartridge 1 of this embodiment is a liquid storage container having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and storing and containing ink (liquid) I in an ink storage chamber (liquid storage chamber) provided inside. The ink cartridge 1 is mounted on a carriage 200 of an ink jet recording device as an example of a liquid consuming device, and supplies ink to the ink jet recording device (see FIG. 5 ).

The appearance features of the ink cartridge 1 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink cartridge 1 has a flat upper surface 1a, and an ink supply portion (liquid supply portion) 50 connected to an inkjet recording device to supply ink is provided on a bottom surface 1b opposite to the upper surface 1a. . In addition, an air opening hole 100 for introducing air into the ink cartridge 1 is opened in the bottom surface 1b. That is, the ink cartridge 1 is an air-opening type ink cartridge that supplies ink from the ink supply unit 50 while introducing air from the atmosphere opening hole 100 .

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , the atmospheric opening hole 100 has a substantially cylindrical concave portion 101 that opens from the bottom side to the upper surface side on the bottom surface 1b, and a small hole that opens on the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion 101. 102. The small hole 102 communicates with an air communication path described later, and the air is introduced through the small hole 102 into the most upstream upper ink storage chamber 370 described below.

The recess 101 of the atmosphere opening hole 100 has a depth to receive the protrusion 230 formed on the bracket 200 . This protrusion 230 is a forgetting-to-peel prevention protrusion for preventing forgetting to peel off the sealing film 90 which is a sealing unit that air-tightly seals the atmosphere opening hole 100 . That is, since the protrusion 230 is not inserted into the atmosphere release hole 100 in the state where the sealing film 90 is pasted, the ink cartridge 1 is not mounted on the carriage 200 . Thus, even if the user tries to install the ink cartridge 1 on the carriage 200 in the state where the sealing film 90 is pasted on the atmosphere opening hole 100, it is impossible to install the ink cartridge 1, so that the sealing of the sealing film 90 can be reliably promoted when the ink cartridge 1 is installed. peel off.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1 , on the narrow side 1 c adjacent to one short side of the upper surface 1 a of the ink cartridge 1 , there is formed a mis-insertion prevention protrusion 22 for preventing the ink cartridge 1 from being mounted in a wrong position. As shown in FIG. 5, on the side of the bracket 200 as the receiving side, a concave-convex 220 corresponding to the mis-insertion prevention protrusion 22 is formed. Rack 200. The mis-insertion prevention protrusion 22 has a different shape for each type of ink, and the unevenness 220 on the side of the carriage 200 which is the receiving side also has a shape corresponding to the type of the corresponding ink. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5 , even when a plurality of ink cartridges can be mounted on the carriage 200 , the ink cartridges will not be installed in wrong positions.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, on the narrow side 1d of the ink cartridge 1 opposite to the narrow side 1c, an engagement lever 11 is provided. A protrusion 11a is formed on the engaging lever 11 to engage with a recess 210 formed on the carriage 200 when mounted on the carriage 200. By engaging the protrusion 11a with the recess 210 while the engaging rod 11 is bent, the ink cartridge 1 is positioned relative to the bracket 200.

In addition, a circuit board 34 is provided below the engaging lever 11 . A plurality of electrode terminals 34 a are formed on the circuit board 34 , and the ink cartridge 1 is electrically connected to the ink jet recording device by contacting the electrode terminals 34 a with electrode members (not shown) provided on the carriage 200 . A nonvolatile memory capable of rewriting data is provided in the circuit board 34, and various information related to the ink cartridge 1, ink usage information of the inkjet recording device, and the like are stored in the nonvolatile memory. Further, a remaining liquid level sensor (sensor unit) 31 (see FIG. 3 or 4 ) for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 1 using residual vibration is provided on the back side of the circuit board 34 . In the following description, the liquid level sensor 31 and the circuit board 34 are collectively referred to as the ink end sensor 30 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1 , a label 60 a indicating the contents of the ink cartridge is attached to the upper surface 1 a of the ink cartridge 1 . The label 60a is formed by sticking the end of the outer film 60 covering the wide side 1f across the upper surface 1a.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the wide sides 1e, 1f adjacent to both long side sides of the upper surface 1a of the ink cartridge 1 are formed in a planar shape. In the following description, for convenience, the side of the wide side 1e is referred to as the front side, the side of the wide side 1f is referred to as the back side, the side of the narrow side 1c is referred to as the right side, and the side of the narrow side 1d is referred to as the left side. illustrate.

Next, each part constituting the ink cartridge 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 .

The ink cartridge 1 has a cartridge body 10 as a container body, and a cover member 20 covering the front side of the cartridge body 10 .

Ribs 10a having various shapes are formed on the front side of the cartridge main body 10, and these ribs 10a are used to divide and form a plurality of ink storage chambers (liquid storage chambers) filled with ink I and a plurality of ink storage chambers not filled with ink I. The unfilled chamber, the air chamber located in the middle of the atmosphere communication path 150 described later, and the like.

A film 80 covering the front side of the cartridge body 10 is provided between the cartridge body 10 and the cover member 20, and the upper surfaces of the ribs, recesses, and grooves are closed by the film 80 to form a plurality of flow paths, ink storage chambers, Unfilled chamber, air chamber.

Also, a differential pressure valve housing chamber 40 a serving as a recess for housing the differential pressure valve 40 and a gas-liquid separation chamber 70 a serving as a recess constituting the gas-liquid separation filter 70 are formed on the back side of the case main body 10 .

A valve member 41 , a spring 42 , and a spring seat 43 are accommodated in the differential pressure valve accommodation chamber 40 a, thereby constituting the differential pressure valve 40 . The differential pressure valve 40 is arranged between the ink supply unit 50 on the downstream side and the ink storage chamber on the upstream side, and is configured to make the ink I supplied to the ink supply unit 50 a negative pressure by reducing the pressure on the downstream side relative to the upstream side. .

On the upper surface of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a, a gas-liquid separation membrane 71 is bonded along a bank 70b surrounding the periphery provided near the center of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a. The gas-liquid separation membrane 71 is made of a material that allows gas to pass through and blocks liquid so that it cannot pass through, and the gas-liquid separation membrane 71 constitutes a gas-liquid separation filter 70 as a whole. The gas-liquid separation filter 70 is provided in the atmosphere communication path 150 connecting the atmosphere opening 100 and the ink storage chamber, and is used to prevent the ink I in the ink storage chamber from flowing out of the atmosphere opening 100 through the atmosphere communication path 150 .

In addition to the differential pressure valve accommodation chamber 40a and the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a, a plurality of grooves 10b are engraved on the back side of the cartridge main body 10 . The atmosphere communication path 150 and the ink guide path are formed by covering the outer surface of the differential pressure valve 40 and the gas-liquid separation filter 70 with the outer surface film 60 to close the openings of the respective grooves 10 b.

As shown in FIG. 4 , a sensor chamber 30 a is formed on the right side of the cartridge main body 10 as a recess for accommodating components constituting the ink end sensor 30 . A liquid level sensor 31 and a compression spring 32 for pressing and fixing the liquid level sensor 31 to the inner wall surface of the sensor chamber 30 a are accommodated in the sensor chamber 30 a. In addition, the opening of the sensor chamber 30 a is covered with a cover member 33 , and a circuit board 34 is fixed to an outer surface 33 a of the cover member 33 . The sensing part of the liquid level sensor 31 is connected to the circuit board 34 .

The remaining liquid level sensor 31 includes: a chamber forming a part of the ink guide path from the ink containing chamber to the ink supply part 50; a vibrating plate forming a part of the wall surface of the chamber; and a piezoelectric element (piezoelectric actuator) to apply vibrations to the vibrating plate. The remaining liquid sensor 31 detects the presence or absence of ink I in the ink guide path based on the residual vibration when the vibration is applied to the vibration plate. The liquid level sensor 31 detects the presence or absence of the ink I in the cartridge main body 10 by detecting the difference in the amplitude and frequency of residual vibration between the ink I and the gas (bubbles B mixed in the ink).

Specifically, when the ink I in the ink storage chamber in the cartridge main body 10 is exhausted and the air introduced into the ink storage chamber enters the chamber of the liquid level sensor 31 through the ink guide path, according to the current situation The above-mentioned situation is detected by the change of the amplitude or frequency of the residual vibration, and an electrical signal indicating that the ink is used up is output.

As shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the previously described ink supply portion 50 and the atmosphere opening hole 100, a decompression hole 110 is formed on the bottom surface side of the cartridge main body 10 for removing ink from the air via a vacuum suction unit when injecting ink. The inside of the ink cartridge 1 is decompressed by suctioning air; the concave portion 95 a constitutes an ink guide path from the ink storage chamber to the ink supply unit 50 ; and the buffer chamber 30 b is provided below the ink end sensor 30 .

The respective openings of the ink supply portion 50, the atmosphere opening hole 100, the decompression hole 110, the recessed portion 95a, and the buffer chamber 30b are all sealed by the sealing films 54, 90, 98, 95, and 35 immediately after the ink cartridge is manufactured. Among them, the sealing film 90 that seals the atmospheric opening hole 100 is peeled off by the user before the ink cartridge is mounted on the inkjet recording device and put into use. As a result, the atmosphere opening hole 100 is exposed to the outside, and the ink storage chamber inside the ink cartridge 1 communicates with the outside air through the atmosphere communication path 150 .

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the sealing film 35 pasted on the outer surface of the ink supply portion 50 is pierced by the ink supply needle 240 on the inkjet recording apparatus side when mounted on the inkjet recording apparatus.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the inside of the ink supply part 50 is provided with: an annular sealing member 51, which is pressed to the outer surface of the ink supply needle 240 when installed; When contacting the sealing member 51 to close the ink supply part 50;

6 and 7, once the ink supply needle 240 is inserted into the ink supply part 50, the inner circumference of the sealing member 51 and the outer circumference of the ink supply needle 240 are sealed, and the gap between the ink supply part 50 and the ink supply needle 240 is sealed. The gap is sealed liquid-tight. In addition, the tip of the ink supply needle 51 abuts against the spring seat 52 to press the spring seat 52 upward, and the seal between the spring seat 52 and the sealing member 51 is released, whereby ink can be supplied from the ink supply part 50 to the ink supply needle 240 . .

Next, the internal structure of the ink cartridge 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 12 .

FIG. 8 is a view of the cartridge body 10 of the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment viewed from the front side, and FIG. 9 is a view of the cartridge body 10 of the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment viewed from the back side. FIG. 10 (a) It is a schematic diagram of FIG. 8, (b) of FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view of A-A of FIG. In addition, FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the flow path shown in FIG. 8 .

In the ink cartridge 11 of this embodiment, three ink storage chambers are formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10. These three ink storage chambers include an upper ink chamber divided into upper and lower parts as the main ink storage chamber filled with ink I. The storage chamber 370, the lower ink storage chamber 390, and the buffer chamber 430 are located at positions sandwiched between the upper and lower ink storage chambers (see (a) and (b) of FIG. 10 ).

In addition, an air communication path 150 is formed on the back side of the cartridge main body 10 to introduce air into the upper ink storage chamber 370 which is the most upstream ink storage chamber according to the consumption of the ink I.

The ink storage chambers 370, 390, and the buffer chamber 430 are partitioned by the rib 10a. Further, in each of the ink storage chambers of the present embodiment, recesses 374 , 394 , and 434 in a downwardly concave shape are formed on part of the rib 10 a extending in the horizontal direction as the bottom wall of the storage chamber.

The recess 374 is formed by a part of the bottom wall 375 formed by the rib 10 a of the upper ink containing chamber 370 being recessed downward. The recess 394 is a portion that is recessed in the thickness direction of the cartridge body formed by the bottom wall 395 formed by the rib 10a of the lower ink containing chamber 390 and the protrusion of the wall surface. The recess 434 is formed when a part of the bottom wall 435 formed by the rib 10a of the buffer chamber 430 is recessed downward.

In addition, ink discharge ports 371 , 311 , 432 communicating with the ink guide path 380 , the upstream side ink end sensor connection flow path 400 , and the ink guide path 440 are provided at or near the bottom of each recess 374 , 394 , 434 . .

The ink discharge ports 371 and 432 are through holes penetrating through the wall surfaces of the respective ink storage chambers in the thickness direction of the cartridge body 10 . In addition, the ink discharge port 311 is a through hole penetrating downward through the bottom wall 395 .

One end of the ink guide path 380 communicates with the ink discharge port 371 of the upper ink containing chamber 370 , and the other end communicates with the ink inflow port 391 provided in the lower ink containing chamber 390 . The ink I in is guided to the connection flow path in the lower ink containing chamber 390. The ink guide path 380 is provided to extend vertically downward from the ink discharge port 371 of the upper ink storage chamber 370, and is connected by a descending type in which the flow direction of the ink I in the connection flow path is a descending flow from top to bottom. A pair of liquid holding chambers 370, 390 are interconnected.

One end of the ink guide path 420 communicates with the ink discharge port 312 of the chamber in the liquid level sensor 31 located downstream of the lower ink containing chamber 390, and the other end communicates with the ink inflow port 431 provided in the buffer chamber 430, which The ink guide path 420 guides the ink I in the lower ink containing chamber 390 to the buffer chamber 430 . The ink guide path 420 is provided so as to extend obliquely upward from the ink discharge port 312 of the chamber in the liquid level sensor 31, and the flow direction of the ink I passing through the connecting flow path is an ascending flow from bottom to top. Type connection to connect a pair of ink containing chambers 390, 430 to each other.

That is, in the cartridge main body 10 of the present embodiment, the three ink storage chambers 370 , 390 , and 430 are connected to each other in series in which descending connection and ascending connection are alternately repeated.

The ink guide path 440 is an ink flow path that guides ink from the ink discharge port 432 of the buffer chamber 430 to the differential pressure valve 40 .

In this embodiment, the ink inlets 391, 431 of the respective ink containing chambers are arranged in the vicinity of the bottom walls 375, 395, 435 of the respective ink containing chambers, and are respectively arranged in the respective containing chambers. The ink discharge ports 371, 311 are arranged above.

Hereinafter, the ink guide path from the upper ink storage chamber 370 as the main ink storage chamber to the ink supply unit 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 12 .

The upper ink storage chamber 370 is the most upstream (uppermost) ink storage chamber in the cartridge body 10 , and is formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10 as shown in FIG. 8 . The upper ink storage chamber 370 is an ink storage area occupying about half of the ink storage chamber, and is formed at a portion upward from about half of the cartridge main body 10 .

The ink discharge port 371 communicating with the ink guide path 380 opens at the recess 374 of the bottom wall 375 of the upper ink containing chamber 370 . The ink discharge port 371 is located below the bottom wall 375 of the upper ink storage chamber 370, so even if the ink liquid level F in the upper ink storage chamber 370 drops to the bottom wall 375, the ink discharge port 371 and the ink at this time will The liquid level F is also located below, so that the ink I continues to be led out stably.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the ink guide path 380 is formed on the rear side of the cartridge body 10 and guides the ink I from above to the lower ink storage chamber 390 below.

The lower ink storage chamber 390 is an ink storage chamber for introducing the ink I stored in the upper ink storage chamber 370. As shown in FIG. About half of the ink storage area of the storage chamber is formed in the lower part of the cartridge main body 10 at about half.

The ink inflow port 391 communicating with the ink guide path 380 opens to a communication flow path disposed below the bottom wall 395 of the lower ink storage chamber 390, and the ink I from the upper ink storage chamber 370 flows in through the communication flow path.

The lower ink storage chamber 390 communicates with the upstream ink end sensor connection channel 400 through the ink discharge port 311 penetrating the bottom wall 395 . A stray flow path is three-dimensionally formed in the upstream ink end sensor connection flow path 400 , and air bubbles B or the like that flow in before the ink runs out are captured through the stray flow path so as not to flow to the downstream side.

The upstream ink end sensor connection flow path 400 communicates with the downstream ink end sensor connection flow path 410 through a through hole not shown, and the ink I is introduced into the ink remaining sensor 31 through the downstream ink end sensor connection flow path 410 .

The ink I introduced into the ink remaining sensor 31 passes through the chamber (flow path) in the ink remaining sensor 31 and is introduced into the ink guide path formed on the back side of the cartridge main body 10 from the ink discharge port 312 serving as the outlet of the chamber. 420.

The ink guide path 420 is formed to guide the ink I obliquely upward from the remaining ink level sensor 31 , and is connected to the ink inlet 431 communicating with the buffer chamber 430 . As a result, the ink I flowing out from the remaining ink level sensor 31 is introduced into the buffer chamber 430 via the ink guide path 420 .

The buffer chamber 430 is a small space defined by the rib 10 a between the upper ink storage chamber 370 and the lower ink storage chamber 390 , and is formed as an ink storage space immediately before the differential pressure valve 40 . The buffer chamber 430 is formed opposite to the back side of the differential pressure valve 40 , and the ink I flows into the differential pressure valve 40 through the ink guide path 440 communicating with the ink discharge port 432 formed at the recess 434 of the buffer chamber 430 .

The ink I flowing into the differential pressure valve 40 is guided to the downstream side by the differential pressure valve 40 , and is guided to the outlet channel 450 through the through hole 451 . The outlet channel 450 communicates with the ink supply part 50 , and the ink I is supplied to the inkjet recording device side through the ink supply needle 240 inserted into the ink supply part 50 .

In the ink cartridge 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 350), the ink guide path (the upstream side ink end sensor connection flow path 400, the downstream side ink end sensor connection flow path 410), the front side of the cartridge body 10 is also divided and formed with an unfilled ink I not filled Room 501.

The unfilled chamber 501 is a region near the left side indicated by hatching on the front side of the cartridge body 10 , and is defined so as to be sandwiched between the upper ink storage chamber 370 and the lower ink storage chamber 390 .

In addition, an air opening hole 502 penetrating to the back side is provided at the upper left corner of the inner region of the unfilled chamber 501 , and communicates with the outside air through the air opening hole 502 .

The unfilled chamber 501 serves as a degassing chamber in which a negative pressure for degassing is accumulated when the ink cartridge 1 is packed under reduced pressure. Therefore, before use, the air pressure inside the cartridge body 10 is kept below a predetermined value by the negative pressure suction force of the unfilled chamber 501 and decompression, so that the ink I with little dissolved air can be supplied.

Next, the atmosphere communication path 150 from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the upper ink storage chamber 370 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 12 .

When the ink in the ink cartridge 11 is consumed and the pressure inside the ink cartridge 11 decreases, atmospheric air (air) corresponding to the reduced amount of stored ink I flows into the upper ink storage chamber 370 from the atmospheric opening hole 100 .

The small hole 102 provided inside the atmosphere opening hole 100 communicates with one end of the snake path 310 formed on the back side of the case main body 10 . The snake path 310 is an elongated snake path that extends the distance from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the upper ink storage chamber 370 and suppresses evaporation of moisture in the ink. The other end of the snake path 310 is connected to the gas-liquid separation filter 70 .

A through hole 322 is formed in the bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70 a constituting the gas-liquid separation filter 70 , and communicates with a space 320 formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10 through the through hole 322 .

In the gas-liquid separation filter 70 , the gas-liquid separation membrane 71 is arranged between the through hole 322 and the other end of the snake path 310 . The gas-liquid separation membrane 71 is formed of a mesh woven of highly hydrophobic and highly oleophobic fiber materials.

The space 320 is formed on the upper right of the upper ink chamber when viewed from the front side of the cartridge body 10 . In the space 320 , a through hole 321 opens at an upper portion of the through hole 322 . The space 320 communicates with the upper connection flow path 330 formed on the back side through the through hole 321 .

The upper connecting flow path 330 has: a flow path portion 333 that passes through the uppermost side of the ink cartridge 11, that is, the uppermost portion in the direction of gravity in the state where the ink cartridge 11 is installed, and extends along the length from the through hole 321 when viewed from the back side. The side extends to the right; and the flow path portion 337 is turned back at the turnback portion 335 near the short side, passes through a position closer to the upper side of the ink cartridge 11 than the flow path portion 333, and extends to the through hole 341 formed near the through hole 321 . In addition, the through hole 341 communicates with the ink trap chamber 340 formed on the front side.

Here, when the upper connection flow path 330 is viewed from the back side, the position 336 where the through hole 341 is formed is provided in the flow path portion 337 extending from the folded portion 335 to the through hole 341 , and the ratio in the thickness direction of the case is provided. The location 336 is a deeper recess 332 and is formed with a plurality of ribs 331 separating the recess 332 . In addition, the flow path portion 333 extending from the through hole 321 to the turnback portion 335 has a shallower depth than the flow path portion 337 extending from the turnback portion 335 to the through hole 341 .

In this embodiment, since the upper connecting flow path 330 is formed at the uppermost part in the direction of gravity, the ink I basically does not move beyond the upper connecting flow path 330 to the atmosphere opening hole 100 side. In addition, the upper connecting flow path 330 has a wide thickness so that the ink I does not flow back due to capillary action or the like, and the flow path portion 337 is formed with the concave portion 332 so that the backflowing ink I can be easily caught.

The ink trap chamber 340 is a cuboid-shaped space formed at the upper right corner of the cartridge body 10 when viewed from the front side. As shown in FIG. 12 , the through hole 341 opens near the upper left rear corner of the ink trap chamber 340 when viewed from the front side. In addition, a notch 342 in which a part of the rib 10 a as a partition wall is cut away is formed at the lower right front corner of the ink trap chamber 340 , and communicates with the connection buffer chamber 350 through the notch 342 .

Here, the ink trap chamber 340 and the connection buffer chamber 350 are air chambers formed by enlarging the volume of the atmosphere communication path 150, and the ink trap chamber 340 and the connection buffer chamber 350 are formed so that even if the ink 1 is caused by some For various reasons, the ink I will be stored in the ink storage chamber 340 and the connection buffer chamber 350 under the situation of backflow from the upper ink storage chamber 370, and the ink I will not continue to flow to the air opening hole 100 side as far as possible. The specific functions of the ink trap chamber 340 and the connection buffer chamber 350 will be described later.

The connection buffer chamber 350 is a space formed below the ink trap chamber 340 . A decompression hole 110 for removing air when injecting ink is provided on the bottom surface 352 of the connection buffer chamber 350 . In addition, in the vicinity of the bottom surface 352, at a position located at the lowest position in the direction of gravity when mounted on an inkjet recording device, a through hole 351 opens to the side in the thickness direction, and communicates with the thin hole formed on the back side through the through hole 351. Path 360 communicates.

The thin communication path 360 constitutes a part of the atmosphere communication path 150 that communicates the upper ink storage chamber 370 with the atmosphere opening hole 100. As shown in FIG. The upper ink storage chamber 370 communicates with the upper ink storage chamber 370 through the through hole 372 opened near the bottom wall of the upper ink storage chamber 370 .

The through hole 372 at one end of the thin communication path 360 is an air inlet for introducing outside air into the upper ink storage chamber 370 via the atmosphere communication path 150 . In addition, the through hole 351 at the other end of the thin communication path 360 is an atmospheric air inlet that communicates with the connection buffer chamber 350 and guides external air from the connection buffer chamber 350 into the thin communication path 360 .

In the thin communication path 360 of the present embodiment, a through hole 372 serving as an air inlet at one end thereof is provided in the vicinity of the bottom wall 375 (see FIG. The through hole 351 which is the atmospheric air inlet at the other end thereof is provided at a position lower by a distance H1 than the bottom wall 375 of the upper ink containing chamber 370 .

As shown in (b) of FIG. 10 , the thin communication path 360 is approximately formed in an L-shape by a first communication path 361 and a second communication path 362 , and the first communication path 361 passes through a through hole 372 serving as an air outlet. Declining approximately vertically for a distance of H1, the second communication path 362 extends approximately horizontally for a distance of L1 from the lower end of the first communication path 361 and communicates with the through hole 351 as an air inlet.

The thin communication path 360 formed approximately in an L-shape by the first communication path 361 and the second communication path 362 is a communication path whose flow path section is thinner than that of the other communication path portions constituting the atmosphere communication path 150, and passes through the meniscus ( meniscus) while holding a part of the ink I contained in the upper ink containing chamber 370 in the first communication path 361 and the second communication path 362.

Since the communication path 360 is thin enough to form a meniscus at all parts, even if the air inside the upper ink storage chamber 370 expands or contracts due to temperature change or the like, the liquid level formed in the communication path 360 moves. , a meniscus can also be formed somewhere in the communication path 360 .

In addition, the length H1 of the above-mentioned first communication path 361 and the length L1 of the second communication path 362 are set so that the amount of ink held in the thin communication path 360 can be accommodated in the upper ink storage chamber 370 or the like. The appropriate amount of ink I is blocked from the outside atmosphere.

According to the ink cartridge 1 described above, since the atmosphere communication path 150 is liquid-sealed by the ink I held in the part of the thin communication path 360 provided in the middle, the ink I stored in the upper ink storage chamber 370 and the like is liquid-sealed. Moisture does not evaporate to the outside from the atmosphere communication path 150, so that the viscosity of the ink 1 can be prevented from increasing due to the evaporation of water.

In addition, once the air pressure in the upper ink containing chamber 370 drops due to the consumption of the ink I in the upper ink containing chamber 370, the liquid seal in the thin communication path 360 will make the external atmosphere into a state of tiny bubbles and flow in the liquid. The ink in the seal is introduced into the upper ink storage chamber 370, thereby restoring the air pressure in the upper ink storage chamber 370 to atmospheric pressure, but the outside atmosphere will not be introduced when the air pressure in the upper ink storage chamber 370 does not drop.

That is, since the inflow of air into the ink storage chamber 370 via the air communication path 150 is restricted to the minimum necessary, deterioration of the quality of the ink I due to contact of the ink I with fresh air can be suppressed. Therefore, the quality of the ink I stored in each of the ink storage chambers 370, 390, 430 can be stably maintained for a longer period of time.

In addition, according to the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, the through-hole 372 serving as an air flow outlet at one end of the liquid-sealed thin communication path 360 is provided near the bottom wall 375 of the upper ink containing chamber 370, and the through hole 372 at the other end as an air flow outlet. The through hole 351 of the inlet is provided at a position lower than the bottom wall 375 of the upper ink containing chamber 370 by a distance of H1.

Therefore, for example, when a predetermined amount of ink I is filled into the cartridge main body 10 in a factory or the like, a necessary amount of ink I can be supplied to the cartridge body 10 by the hydraulic pressure of the ink I acting on the upper ink storage chamber 370 of the air outlet. Since the necessary amount of ink I is kept in the thin communication path 360 and the necessary amount of ink I is held in the thin communication path 360, the liquid seal portion can be easily formed in the middle of the atmosphere communication path 150.

In addition, according to the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, since the portion of the thin communication path 360 is formed in an approximately L-shape, the capillary force generated at the bent portion of the approximately L-shape acts on the thin communication path 360 . The ink I for sealing in the portion exerts a holding force that restricts the movement (backflow) of the ink I, so that the liquid-sealed state in which the ink I is held in the portion of the thin communication path 360 can be stably maintained for a longer period of time.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, three ink storage chambers are divided and formed in one cartridge body, but the number of ink storage chambers provided in the cartridge body can be set to any number of two or more, and the number of ink storage chambers The larger the number of settings, the more multiplied the bubble trap will be, and thus the performance of preventing the bubble B from flowing downstream will be improved.

In addition, the application of the liquid storage container of the present invention is not limited to the ink cartridge shown in the above-mentioned embodiment. In addition, the liquid consumption device having the container mounting portion for mounting the liquid storage container of the present invention is not limited to the ink jet recording device described in the above-mentioned embodiment.

The liquid consuming device corresponds to various devices that have a container mounting portion that detachably mounts a liquid container and are supplied with liquid stored in the liquid container. Specific examples include: A device with a colorant jetting head used in the manufacture of color filters such as displays; a device with an electrode material (conductive paste) jetting head used in electrode formation for organic EL displays, surface emission displays (FED), etc.; a device with A device with a bioorganic substance injection head used in the manufacture of a biochip; a device with a sample injection head as a precision pipette, etc.

Claims (5)

1. A liquid storage container, which is an atmosphere-open type liquid storage container mounted on a liquid consumption device, comprising: a liquid holding chamber for containing liquid; a liquid supply part connected to the liquid consumption device; a liquid guide path for guiding the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid supply part; an atmosphere communication path that introduces atmosphere into the liquid holding chamber from the outside as the liquid in the liquid holding chamber is consumed; and A liquid level sensor, disposed in the middle of the liquid guiding path, detects that the liquid in the liquid holding chamber has been exhausted by detecting that gas flows into the liquid guiding path; The liquid storage container is characterized in that, The liquid storage chamber has: a first liquid storage chamber connected to the atmosphere communication path; and a second liquid storage chamber located on the downstream side of the first liquid storage chamber and below the first liquid storage chamber. ; The first liquid storage chamber and the second liquid storage chamber are connected by a connecting flow path, so that the flow of the liquid becomes a descending flow from top to bottom, and one end of the connecting flow path is connected to the first liquid storage chamber. The liquid discharge port of the chamber communicates, and the other end communicates with the liquid inlet provided in the second liquid holding chamber, There is a thin communication path part in the middle of the atmosphere communication path, and the thin communication path part is formed thinner than other communication path parts, and the liquid contained in the first liquid storage chamber can be held by a meniscus. The atmospheric air outlet at one end of the thin communication path portion is arranged near the bottom wall of the first liquid holding chamber and above the liquid discharge outlet, and the atmospheric air inlet at the other end is connected to the bottom wall of the first liquid storage chamber. The bottom wall of the first liquid holding chamber is arranged lower than that, An amount of liquid accommodated in the liquid storage chamber that is blocked from the atmosphere can be held in the thin communication path portion. 2. The liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein: The thin communication path portion can form a meniscus at all portions within the communication path portion. 3. A liquid containment container mounted on a liquid consuming device and comprising: a liquid holding chamber for containing liquid; a liquid supply part connected to the liquid consumption device; a liquid guide path for guiding the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid supply part; an atmosphere communication path that introduces atmosphere into the liquid holding chamber from the outside as the liquid in the liquid holding chamber is consumed; and a liquid sensor disposed in the liquid guiding path; The liquid storage container is characterized in that, The liquid storage chamber has: a first liquid storage chamber connected to the atmosphere communication path; and a second liquid storage chamber located on the downstream side of the first liquid storage chamber and below the first liquid storage chamber. ; The first liquid storage chamber and the second liquid storage chamber are connected by a connecting flow path, so that the flow of the liquid becomes a descending flow from top to bottom, and one end of the connecting flow path is connected to the first liquid storage chamber. The liquid discharge port of the chamber communicates, and the other end communicates with the liquid inlet provided in the second liquid holding chamber, There is a thin communication path part in the middle of the atmosphere communication path, and the thin communication path part is formed thinner than other communication path parts, and the liquid contained in the first liquid storage chamber can be held by a meniscus. The atmospheric air outlet at one end of the thin communication path portion is arranged near the bottom wall of the first liquid holding chamber and above the liquid discharge outlet, and the atmospheric air inlet at the other end is connected to the bottom wall of the first liquid storage chamber. The bottom wall of the first liquid holding chamber is arranged lower than that, An amount of liquid accommodated in the liquid storage chamber that is blocked from the atmosphere can be held in the thin communication path portion. 4. The liquid container according to claim 3, wherein: The thin communication path portion can form a meniscus at all portions within the communication path portion. 5. The liquid storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The thin communication path portion is formed in an approximately L-shape.

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