CN214774860U

CN214774860U - Ink box

Info

Publication number: CN214774860U
Application number: CN202120727450.6U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈志远; 赵升魁; 王朋; 林东明
Original assignee: E Jet Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: E Jet Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2021-03-05
Filing date: 2021-04-09
Publication date: 2021-11-19
Anticipated expiration: 2031-04-09

Abstract

The utility model relates to an ink box which can be detachably installed in an ink-jet imaging device provided with a light emitting piece and a light receiving piece, wherein the ink box comprises a shell, an ink outlet part and a detection component, the shell forms an ink cavity for accommodating ink, the ink outlet part protrudes forwards from the front surface close to the lower part and is communicated with the ink cavity, and the detection component is matched with the light emitting piece and the light receiving piece to be used for detecting the ink allowance in the ink cavity; the detection assembly comprises a movable light shielding member which can move between a first position capable of shielding the light emitted by the light emitting member and a second position incapable of shielding the light emitted by the light emitting member; along upper and lower direction, the distance of light-proof piece above it and upper surface is different from the distance of light-proof piece when the second position its top and upper surface, and the light of light emission piece transmission can not produce "loss" to ensure that light receiving part can receive all light that light emission piece launches, avoid inkjet imaging device to lead to the fact the erroneous judgement to the ink surplus in the ink chamber.

Description

Ink box

Technical Field

The utility model relates to an inkjet formation of image field especially relates to an ink horn that detachably installed in ink jet printer.

Background

Inkjet printers are commonly used inkjet image forming apparatuses, and an ink cartridge is detachably mounted to the inkjet printer for supplying ink while the inkjet printer is in operation. Fig. 1 provides a perspective view of a conventional ink cartridge, in which an ink cartridge 1 includes a housing 2 for containing ink, and a light-transmitting portion 27 formed to extend upward from an upper surface 22 of the housing 2, the light-transmitting portion 27 being used to detect the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 1 when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted in an ink jet printer.

Specifically, in a state where the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to the ink jet printer, the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the light transmitting portion 27, and the light transmitting portion 27 communicates with the ink chamber containing the ink, and when the amount of the ink in the ink cartridge 1 is large, the light emitted from the light emitting portion cannot pass through the light transmitting portion 27, and thus the light receiving portion cannot receive the light, and the ink jet printer considers that the amount of the ink remaining in the ink cartridge 1 is large; when the ink in the ink cartridge is consumed as the ink jet printer is operated, and the light emitted from the light emitting portion reaches the light receiving portion through the light transmitting portion 27 when the ink is consumed to a predetermined value, the ink jet printer recognizes that the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge 1 is insufficient and notifies the user of the replacement of the ink cartridge by issuing an alarm.

As described above, the inkjet printer can determine that the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge 1 is insufficient only when the light emitted from the light emitting portion passes through the light transmitting portion 27 and is received by the light receiving portion, and the light receiving portion receives the light of the predetermined intensity, however, since the light transmitting portion 27 is communicated with the ink chamber containing the ink in the ink cartridge 1, when the ink sticks to the inner wall of the light transmitting portion 27 during use, the light passing efficiency of the light transmitting portion 27 is affected, and the inkjet printer may make a false determination on the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge 1; even if the inner wall of the transparent portion 27 is not adhered with ink, the light may be lost during the process of passing through the transparent portion 27, which may also cause the inkjet printer to make a false judgment on the remaining amount of ink.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model provides an ink box, though wherein also be provided with the printing opacity portion that is used for detecting the ink surplus, nevertheless this printing opacity portion not with the ink chamber intercommunication of storage ink in the ink horn, and along with the consumption of ink, the relative position of printing opacity portion in the ink horn changes for the light of light emission portion transmission can be received by light receiving portion is whole, thereby ensures that ink jet printer can carry out the accurate judgement to the ink surplus, and the concrete scheme is as follows:

an ink cartridge detachably mounted in an inkjet image forming apparatus provided with a light emitting element and a light receiving element, the ink cartridge including a housing forming an ink chamber containing ink and having a front surface located in front and an upper surface located above, an ink outlet portion protruding forward from the front surface near below and communicating with the ink chamber, and a detection member; the light receiving part is used for receiving light rays emitted by the light emitting part, and the detection assembly is matched with the light emitting part and the light receiving part and is used for detecting the ink allowance in the ink cavity; the detection assembly comprises a movable light shielding member which can move between a first position capable of shielding the light emitted by the light emitting member and a second position incapable of shielding the light emitted by the light emitting member; in the up-down direction, the distance between the upper part of the shading member and the upper surface when the shading member is at the first position is different from the distance between the upper part of the shading member and the upper surface when the shading member is at the second position.

As one of the embodiments, the detection unit further includes a guide member for guiding a movement of the light shielding member, the guide member extending in an up-down direction from the side of the upper surface toward the ink chamber, the light shielding member moving in the up-down direction of the ink cartridge.

The distance between the upper part of the shading member and the upper surface when the shading member is at the first position is larger than the distance between the upper part of the shading member and the upper surface when the shading member is at the second position, or the distance between the upper part of the shading member and the upper surface when the shading member is at the first position is smaller than the distance between the upper part of the shading member and the upper surface when the shading member is at the second position.

The guide member includes a first end located above and a second end located below, the detection assembly further includes a deformable member mounted at the second end, the light shielding member abuts against the deformable member, and at this time, the ink chamber is isolated from the interior of the guide member by the deformable member.

The guide member includes a first end located above and a second end located below, the detecting unit further includes a deformable member mounted at the first end, the light shielding member is connected to the deformable member, and at this time, the ink chamber and the interior of the guide member are communicated with each other.

As another embodiment, the shutter may be movable between the first position and the second position in a back-and-forth or side-to-side direction yaw.

When the shading piece swings along the left and right directions, the rotation axis of the shading piece is parallel to the front and back directions; when the shading piece swings along the front-back direction, the rotation axis of the shading piece is parallel to the left-right direction.

Preferably, at least one of the front and rear sides or the left and right sides of the light shielding member is connected with a balancing weight.

As described above, the light-shielding member in the detection assembly is not fixedly arranged any more, but is arranged to be movable in a direction intersecting with the traveling direction of the light emitted from the light-emitting member, and the light-shielding member is movable between the light-shielding position and the non-light-shielding position according to the change of the amount of ink in the ink chamber, and the light is not lost, so that the light-receiving member is ensured to receive all the light emitted from the light-emitting member, and the misjudgment of the ink remaining amount in the ink chamber by the inkjet imaging device is avoided.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional ink cartridge.

Fig. 2 is a partially exploded view of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of an internal structure of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is cut in the vertical direction in a state of being mounted to an ink jet printer.

Fig. 5A is a schematic diagram of a state of the ink remaining amount detection assembly when the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink.

Fig. 5B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the ink cartridge is filled with ink, viewed in the front-rear direction.

Fig. 6A is a schematic diagram of a state of the ink remaining detection assembly when ink is consumed to a predetermined value in the ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the ink is consumed to a predetermined value, the ink cartridge is viewed in the front-rear direction.

Fig. 7 is a partially exploded view of an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8A is a schematic view of the state of the ink remaining amount detection unit when the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink.

Fig. 8B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed in the front-rear direction when the ink cartridge is filled with ink.

Fig. 9A is a schematic view of the state of the remaining ink amount detection unit when the ink in the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is consumed to a predetermined value.

Fig. 9B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention, viewed in the front-rear direction when the ink is consumed to a predetermined value.

Fig. 10 is a schematic view of an internal structure of an ink cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11A is a schematic view of the state of the ink remaining amount detection unit when the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink.

Fig. 11B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention, as viewed in the front-rear direction when the ink cartridge is filled with ink.

Fig. 12A is a schematic diagram of a state of the remaining ink amount detection unit when ink is consumed to a predetermined value in the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention, viewed in the front-rear direction, when the ink is consumed to a predetermined value.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following embodiments, the member for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge is modified, and thus, the same members as those of the background art will be referred to hereinafter with the same reference numerals except for the remaining amount of ink detecting member.

To make the description clearer, the ink cartridge 1 is first defined as follows: defining the installation direction of the ink box 1 as the front-back direction, and the ink box 1 is installed forwards, taking the angle of the ink box 1 during installation as the standard, the upper side of the ink box 1 is the upper side, the lower side is the lower side, the left side is the left side, and the right side is the right side; the following description of the orientation corresponds to the above description.

Example one

[ integral Structure of ink Cartridge ]

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an internal structure of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is cut in the vertical direction in a state of being mounted to an ink jet printer.

The ink cartridge 1 includes a case 2 containing ink, an ink outlet portion 3, a chip mounting portion 4, and an ink remaining amount detecting member (simply referred to as "detecting member") 6, the case 2 forming an ink chamber 20 containing ink and having a front surface 21 at the front and an upper surface 22 at the upper side; the ink outlet portion 3 projects forward from the front surface 21 near below and communicates with the ink chamber 20 for supplying ink in the ink chamber 20 to the outside; the chip mounting portion 4 is located in front of the front surface 21, a substrate 41 is mounted above the chip mounting portion 4, a plurality of contacts 42 are provided on the substrate 41, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to an ink jet printer, the contacts 42 are in contact with contact pins in the ink jet printer, and thus the ink cartridge 1 establishes a communication connection with the ink jet printer; the detection member 6 is arranged in the up-down direction, and at least a part of the detection member 6 is movable in the up-down direction according to the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20.

Along the upper and lower direction, chip installation department 4 is located the top of going out black portion 3, and further, ink horn 1 still includes inductor 23 and boss 24 that extend upwards from upper surface 22, wherein, in the installation of ink horn 1, inductor 23 is used for cooperating with the inkjet printer, makes ink horn 1 can be discerned by the inkjet printer, still is provided with screens 25 and handle 26 above boss 24, when ink horn 1 is installed to the predetermined position of inkjet printer, screens 25 are blocked by the inkjet printer, therefore, ink horn 1 is fixed a position in the inkjet printer, when ink horn 1 needs to be taken out, the user pulls out ink horn 1 backward through holding handle 26.

Further, the case 2 includes a bottom case 2a and a top cover 2b formed separately, the ink chamber 20 is formed in the bottom case 2a, the ink cartridge 1 further includes a sealing film 5 between the bottom case 2a and the top cover 2b, the sealing film 5 is used to seal the ink chamber 20 in the left-right direction, and the top cover 2b is combined with the bottom case 2a in the left-right direction, so that the sealing film 5 is located between the top cover 2b and the bottom case 2 a. When the bottom case 2a and the top cover 2b are combined, the

upper surfaces

22a and 22b of the bottom case 2a and the top cover 2b are aligned to form the upper surface 22 of the ink cartridge, and the sensing member 23, the boss 24, the detecting assembly 6, the detent 25 and the handle 26 may be formed on the upper surface 22a of the bottom case 2a or the upper surface 22b of the top cover 2b, and the positions of the components relative to the upper surface 22 are unchanged as a whole regardless of whether the components are disposed on the bottom case 2a or the top cover 2 b.

[ detection Assembly ]

The detecting member 6 may be disposed on the bottom case 2a or the top cover 2b, and the detecting member 6 is disposed on the bottom case 2a as an example hereinafter described. As shown in the figure, the detecting component 6 includes a light shielding member 61, a guiding member 62 and a deformable member 63, a light emitting member 71 and a light receiving member 72 (as shown in fig. 5B) are provided in the inkjet image forming apparatus, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to the inkjet image forming apparatus, the detecting component 6 enters between the light emitting member 71 and the light receiving member 72, if the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 cannot be received by the light receiving member 72, the ink jet printer considers that the amount of ink in the ink cartridge 1 is large, the user can use the ink jet printer normally, if the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 can be received by the light receiving member 72, the ink jet printer considers that the amount of ink in the ink cartridge 1 is insufficient, and at this time, the ink jet printer gives an alarm to inform the user of replacing the ink cartridge 1.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the light shielding member 61 is movable in the guiding member 62, and when the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20 is larger than the predetermined value, or the amount of ink in the ink cartridge 1 is larger, the light shielding member 61 is located at a position capable of shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member 71, and at this time, the light receiving member 72 does not receive the light emitted from the light emitting member 71; as the ink in the ink chamber 20 is consumed, the light-shielding member 61 is gradually moved to a position where it cannot shield the light emitted from the light-emitting member 71, and at this time, the light-receiving member 72 receives the light emitted from the light-emitting member 71; it can be seen that the light shielding member 61 of the present embodiment is movable between a light shielding position (first position) for shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 and a light shielding position (second position) for not shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member 71, where the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 passes through the light shielding member 61 and is received by the light receiving member 72, that is, the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 is not lost, thereby ensuring accurate determination of the remaining amount of ink in the inkjet printer.

The light-shielding member 61 is movable in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the light L emitted from the light-emitting member 71, specifically, for example, up-and-down movement in the up-and-down direction, or front-and-back movement in the front-and-back direction, or movement in a direction inclined to a plane in which the up-and-down direction and the front-and-back direction are located, that is, movement in a direction inclined to the left-and-right direction, depending on the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20. Regardless of the moving direction of the light-shielding member 61, generally, the movement of the light-shielding member 61 can be controlled by the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20, and it can be understood that the buoyancy direction of the ink to the object located in the ink chamber 20 is vertically upward, so that the buoyancy generated by the ink can be directly utilized to control the light-shielding member 61 when the light-shielding member 61 is selectively moved in the up-down direction; when the light-shielding member 61 is selected not to move in the up-down direction, the light-shielding member 61 can be controlled by converting the upward buoyancy generated by the ink into the movement direction selected in the light-shielding member 61, that is, when the light-shielding member 61 moves in the front-back direction, the light-shielding member 61 can be controlled by converting the upward buoyancy generated by the ink into the front-back direction; similarly, when the light blocking member 61 moves in a direction inclined to the left-right direction, the light blocking member 61 is controlled by converting the upward buoyancy generated by the ink into a direction inclined to the left-right direction.

As a basis, an embodiment in which the light shielding member 61 moves in the up-down direction will be described hereinafter. As shown in fig. 2, 3 and 4, the guide member 62 is formed in the ink chamber 20 in the up-down direction, and has a first end 62a positioned above and a second end 62b positioned below, and preferably, the guide member 62 has a guide chamber 620 formed therein for accommodating the light blocking member 61, and the first end 62a is open, and the second end 62b has an opening 621, and the deformable member 63 is positioned at the second end 62b and contacts the light blocking member 61.

In this embodiment, opening 621 is sealed, and thus, guide chamber 620 is isolated from ink chamber 20, and ink in ink chamber 20 does not leak through guide chamber 620, that is, guide chamber 620 does not communicate with ink chamber 20; preferably, the deformable member 63 is an elastic membrane that is elastically deformable in accordance with a change in the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20; the opening 621 is sealed by the elastic film 63, and the light blocking member 61 may be exposed through the first end 62a when the light blocking member 61 is mounted to the guide chamber 620.

As shown in fig. 2 and 4, the light-shielding member 61 includes a light-shielding portion 611, a connecting portion 612, and a guide portion 613, which are sequentially arranged from top to bottom, of which at least the light-shielding portion 611 is made of an opaque material, or the light-shielding member 61 is entirely made of a light-permeable material, and the opaque material is attached to the light-shielding member 61, so that the light-shielding portion 611 is formed on the light-shielding member 61, and the light-shielding portion 611 is used to shield the light L emitted from the light-emitting member 71; the connecting portion 612 connects the light shielding portion 611 and the guiding portion 613, and the guiding portion 613 has a size larger than the connecting portion 612 and the light shielding portion 611 and slightly smaller than the guiding cavity 620 in the left-right direction or/and the front-back direction, so as to ensure that the light shielding member 61 can move smoothly in the guiding cavity 620, and a step surface 614 is formed above the guiding portion 613. As a simplified structure, the connection portion 612 may be omitted, and the light shielding portion 611 is directly connected to the guide portion 613, and it is obvious that, in the case where the dimension of the guide cavity 620 in the up-down direction is not changed, the dimension of the guide portion 613 in the up-down direction becomes longer, and thus, the material of the guide portion 613 is more used, thereby causing an increase in the overall material cost of the light shielding member 61, and thus, the provision of the connection portion 612 contributes to a reduction in the overall material cost of the light shielding member 61.

The inner wall of the guide chamber 620 is formed with a stopper protrusion 65 extending inwardly, and the stopper protrusion 65 is configured to be engaged with the step surface 614 to limit the amount of upward movement of the light shielding member 61. The lower portion of the guide portion 613 is supported by the elastic film 63, and thus, the light blocking member 61 can move with the elastic deformation of the elastic film 63 when the elastic film 63 is elastically deformed in response to a change in the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20.

[ detection procedure ]

Fig. 5A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state of the ink remaining amount detection assembly when the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink; fig. 5B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, viewed in the front-rear direction when the ink cartridge is filled with ink;

fig. 6A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state of the ink remaining amount detection assembly when ink is consumed to a predetermined value in the ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the ink is consumed to a predetermined value, the ink cartridge is viewed in the front-rear direction.

As shown in fig. 5A, when the ink chamber 20 is filled with the ink 11, the elastic film 63 is completely immersed in the ink 11, and at least a part of the light-shielding member 61 overlaps the ink 11 when viewed in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction, but since the guide chamber 620 is not communicated with the ink chamber 20, no ink exists in the guide chamber 620, and the light-shielding member 61 is not directly subjected to the buoyancy of the ink 11, which is applied to the light-shielding member 61 through the elastic film 63. As shown in the figure, the elastic film 63 is not elastically deformed by the buoyancy of the ink 11, and the light blocking member 61 is supported by the elastic film 63 through the guide portion 613, at this time, the gravity of the light blocking member 61 is balanced with the buoyancy applied to the light blocking member 61 by the ink through the elastic film 63, and at least the light blocking portion 611 of the light blocking member 61 is exposed to the outside through the first end 62 a; alternatively, when the distance between the elastic film 63 and the ink surface in the ink chamber 20 is sufficiently large in the up-down direction, the buoyancy force applied to the light-shielding member 61 by the ink through the elastic film 63 is larger than the gravity force of the light-shielding member 61, at this time, the elastic film 63 is deformed upward by the buoyancy force, and accordingly, the light-shielding member 61 is also urged upward, and also, at least the light-shielding portion 611 of the light-shielding member 61 is exposed to the outside through the first end 62 a.

Further, when the ink chamber 20 is filled with the ink 11, the light shielding portion 611 is located above the upper surface 22/the substrate 41 and the light shielding member 61 is located at the light shielding position in the up-down direction, as shown in fig. 5B, the light L emitted from the light emitting member 71 is shielded by the light shielding portion 611 and cannot pass through the light shielding member 61, and the light receiving member 72 will not receive the light L at all; the light shielding portion 611 does not exceed the boss 24 in the up-down direction, and the light shielding portion 611 protects the boss 24 in the front-back direction while preventing the light shielding portion 611 from interfering with the inside of the ink jet printer during the forward mounting of the ink cartridge 1 in the front-back direction.

As the ink 11 in the ink chamber 20 is consumed, the buoyancy of the ink 11 on the elastic membrane 63 is gradually reduced, and the guide portion 613 starts to press the elastic membrane 63 to elastically deform downward under the action of the gravity of the light-shielding member 61, so that the light-shielding member 61 moves downward as a whole; as shown in fig. 6A, when the ink level is lower than the elastic film 63, the elastic film 63 and the light-shielding member 61 are not subjected to the buoyancy of the ink 11, the gravity of the light-shielding member 61 is totally acted on the elastic film 63, the downward elastic deformation of the elastic film 63 reaches the maximum, the light-shielding member 61 stops moving downward, at this time, the light-shielding portion 611 does not shield the light L, preferably, the light-shielding member 61 is totally entered into the ink chamber 20, as shown in fig. 6B, the light L emitted from the light-emitting member 71 passes over the light-shielding member 61 (light-shielding portion 611) and is finally received by the light-receiving member 72, at this time, the light-shielding member 61 is located at the non-light-shielding position, at this time, the light-shielding portion 611 is located closer to the ink-emitting portion 3 than at the light-shielding position, or, in the up-down direction, the distance from the upper surface 22/substrate 41/contact 42 is reduced, and thus, at the non-light-shielding position and at the non-light-shielding position, the distance from the upper surface 22, the substrate 41, and the contacts 42 to the upper side of the light-shielding member 61 is different in the up-down direction. In this embodiment, since the light L is not "lost" in the traveling process, the inkjet printing can make an accurate determination according to the received light L and remind the user that the ink cartridge needs to be replaced.

As described above, the elastic film 63 generates different elastic variation amounts according to the variation of the ink amount, so that the position of the light shielding portion 611 relative to the housing 2 in the up-down direction is changed, and the light shielding portion 611 can move between the position of shielding the light L and the position of not shielding the light L, that is, the inkjet printer can send different prompt messages to the user according to the variation of the ink amount in the ink chamber 20.

When the ink chamber 20 is filled with ink, the light-shielding member 61 is supported by the elastic film 63 at a position where it completely shields the light L by the buoyancy of the ink 11, the light L emitted from the light-emitting member 71 is completely not received by the light-receiving member 72, and the ink-jet printer gives a user information that the amount of ink in the ink cartridge is sufficient; as the ink in the ink chamber 20 is gradually consumed, the distance from the elastic film 63 to the ink liquid level gradually decreases in the up-down direction, the buoyancy force applied to the light-shielding member 61 gradually decreases, the light-shielding member 61 forces the elastic film 63 to elastically deform downward under the action of the gravity of the light-shielding member 61, the light-shielding member 61 also moves downward synchronously, the light L emitted by the light-emitting member 71 is gradually no longer shielded by the light-shielding member 61, in other words, a portion of the light L is located above the light-shielding member 61 and is no longer shielded by the light-shielding member 61 and is finally received by the light-receiving member 72, and another portion of the light L is still shielded by the light-shielding member 61, and at this time, the inkjet printer can determine the ink remaining amount in the ink chamber 20 according to the amount of light received by the light-receiving member 72.

Assuming that the light L emitted from the light emitting element 71 has a light amount of c, when the light amount received by the light receiving element 72 is zero, the ink jet printer judges that the ink amount in the ink chamber 20 is in a filled state, when the light amount received by the light receiving element 72 is c/2, the ink jet printer judges that the ink amount in the ink chamber 20 is in a half-consumed state, and when the light amount received by the light receiving element 72 is c, the ink jet printer judges that the ink amount in the ink chamber 20 has been consumed; accordingly, the "time" when the light-shielding member 61 reaches the non-light-shielding position can be adjusted as required, and the design freedom is large, for example, a manufacturer of the ink cartridge can adjust the parameters of the light-shielding member 61 such as the size and the quality so that the light-shielding member 61 reaches the non-light-shielding position when the ink amount in the ink chamber 20 is half of the ink amount, and can adjust the parameter of the light-shielding member 61 so that the light-shielding member 61 reaches the non-light-shielding position when the ink amount in the ink chamber 20 is one fourth of the ink amount, and further, can adjust the light-shielding member 61 so that the light-shielding member 61 reaches the non-light-shielding position when the liquid level of the ink in the ink chamber 20 is lower than the highest point of the ink outlet portion 3, thereby fully consuming the ink in the ink chamber 20.

In the present embodiment, as the light shielding member 61 moves downward, the light receiving member 72 gradually receives part of the light L from the time when the light L is completely not received, and then receives all of the light L from the time when the light receiving member 72 receives all of the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 and located above the light shielding member 61, the light which is not received by the light receiving member 72 is completely blocked by the light shielding member 61, and there is no "loss" of the light in the process of passing through the light transmitting portion 27, which results in an insufficient amount of the light received by the light receiving portion, as described in the background art, and therefore, with the detection assembly 6 according to the present embodiment, the inkjet printer can accurately determine the amount of the ink remaining in the ink chamber 20 according to the amount of the light received by the light receiving member 72, and send correct indication information to the user.

Example two

The present embodiment is different from the above-described embodiments in the structure of the detecting unit 6, and the light shielding member 61 in the present embodiment gradually moves upward as the ink in the ink chamber 20 is consumed. The structure of the detecting member 6 and the detecting process thereof will be described in detail below.

As shown in fig. 7, the detection unit 6 in this embodiment includes a light shielding member 61, a guide member 62, a deformable member 63, and a rotation member 64; the light shielding member 61 includes a light shielding portion 611, a through hole 615, a connecting portion 612 and a guiding portion 613 sequentially arranged from top to bottom, the light shielding portion 611 is arranged adjacent to the through hole 615, or the through hole 615 is located between the light shielding portion 611 and the connecting portion 612, and the through hole 615 penetrates in the left-right direction, so that light does not generate "loss" when passing through the through hole 615; the functions of the connecting portion 612 and the guiding portion 613 are the same as those of the above embodiments, and are not described herein again.

The deformable member 63 is still selected to be an elastic membrane, and at the same time, the elastic membrane 63 seals the second end 62b of the guide member 62 so that the guide chamber 620 is not communicated with the ink chamber 20. The turn member 64 is rotatably installed in the ink chamber 20 and is provided to rotate with a change in the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20, as shown in fig. 7, the turn member 64 includes a turn portion 643 and a first portion 641 and a second portion 642 connected to the turn portion 643, the turn portion 643 being a through hole, the housing 2 is provided with a rotation shaft 27, the turn portion 643 is coupled to the rotation shaft 27, the second portion 642 rotates about the rotation shaft 27 in accordance with the change in the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20 while rotating the first portion 641 which, during the rotation, shifts the light blocking member 61 gradually upward from a light blocking position which blocks the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 and reaches a non-light blocking position which does not block the light emitted from the light emitting member 71, in which the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 is all blocked by the light blocking portion 611, and in which the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 is all not blocked by the light blocking portion 611, at this time, all light is received by the light receiving element 72 through the through hole 615.

Fig. 8A is a schematic view showing a state of the ink remaining amount detecting unit when the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink; fig. 8B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed in the front-rear direction when the ink cartridge is filled with ink;

fig. 9A is a schematic view of the state of the ink remaining amount detection unit when the ink in the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is consumed to a predetermined value; fig. 9B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention, viewed in the front-rear direction when the ink is consumed to a predetermined value.

As shown in fig. 8A and 8B, the ink chamber 20 is filled with the ink 11, the rotation member 64 is subjected to the upward floating force of the ink 11 so that the second portion 642 is not in contact with the elastic film 63/light-shielding member 61, the light-shielding member 61 is at the light-shielding position at this time, and the light L emitted from the light-emitting member 71 is completely shielded by the light-shielding portion 611; in the present embodiment, the light-shielding member 61 is preferably made of metal, and thus the light-shielding member 61 at this time forces the elastic membrane 63 to be elastically deformed downward against the buoyancy of the ink 11 by its own weight.

As the ink in the ink chamber 20 is consumed, the second portion 642 of the rotary member is subjected to a gradually decreasing upward buoyancy, and the rotary member 64 is rotated as a whole about the rotary shaft 27 in the direction indicated by r by the own weight of the second portion 642, and the first portion 641 of the rotary member comes closer to the elastic film 63. In this embodiment, to ensure that the first portion 641 can push the light shielding member 61 upward smoothly, as shown in fig. 7, the light shielding member 61 further includes a guiding inclined surface 616 disposed on the guiding portion 613, when the rotating member 64 rotates in the direction r shown in fig. 8A, the first portion 641 is engaged with the guiding inclined surface 616, and gradually pushes the light shielding member 61 upward under the guidance of the guiding inclined surface 616, and finally reaches the position shown in fig. 9A, at which time the first portion 641 abuts against the bottom surface 617 of the guiding portion 613, as shown in fig. 9B, the light L emitted from the light emitting member 71 is received by the light receiving portion 72 through the through hole 615, at which time the light shielding member 61 is located at a non-light shielding position, at which the light shielding portion 611 is farther from the ink discharging portion 3 than at the light shielding position, or, in the up-down direction, the distance between the upper portion of the light shielding member 61 and the upper surface 22/the substrate 41/the contact 42 increases, as can be seen, the distances from the upper surface 22, the substrate 41, and the contacts 42 are different from the upper side of the light-shielding member 61 in the up-down direction between the light-shielding position and the light-non-shielding position.

Further, as a modification of the deformable member 63, as shown in fig. 7, the deformable member 63 includes an elastic membrane 631 and an urging protrusion 632 disposed on the elastic membrane 631, the elastic membrane 631 is used to seal the second end opening 621 of the guide member 62, the urging protrusion 632 is opposite to the guide portion 613 of the light shielding member 61, and when the rotating member first portion 641 rotates below the elastic membrane 63 in the direction r, the first portion 641 pushes the urging protrusion 632 to push the guide portion 613 upwards by pushing the elastic membrane 63, so that the light shielding member 61 moves upwards.

In the process that the light shielding member 61 gradually moves upward, the light shielding member 61 gradually moves to above the light emitting member 71, the through hole 615 gradually reaches a position opposite to the light emitting member 71, and the light emitted by the light emitting member 71 is all received by the light receiving member 72 through the through hole 615; similarly, the amount of light received by the light receiving element 72 in this embodiment is gradually increased from zero until all the light emitted by the light emitting portion 71 is received, and the amount of light received by the light receiving element 72 is not "lost", so that the ink jet printer can accurately determine the amount of ink remaining in the ink chamber 20 according to the amount of light received by the light receiving element 72 and send a correct indication to the user.

EXAMPLE III

The same components of this embodiment as those of the above-described embodiment will be numbered identically, except that the guide chamber 620 communicates with the ink chamber 20 in this embodiment, and the deformable member 63 is no longer disposed in the second opening 62b, reducing the difficulty of mounting the deformable member 63.

As shown in fig. 10, the detection unit 6 includes a light-shielding member 61, a guide member 62, and a deformable member 63, and the light-shielding member 61 is movable in a direction intersecting the left-right direction under the guide of the guide member 62 between a light-shielding-free position where light emitted from the light-emitting member 71 cannot be shielded and a light-shielding position where light emitted from the light-emitting member 71 can be shielded, where the entirety of light emitted from the light-emitting member 71 without "loss" is received by the light-receiving member 72.

Also, the guide member 62 in this embodiment extends in the up-down direction from the side of the upper surface 22 toward the ink chamber 20, and has a first end 62a located above and a second end 62b located below, the second end 62b communicating with the ink chamber 20, and the deformable member 63 is mounted at the first end 62a, so that the ink in the ink chamber 20 can enter the guide chamber 620 through the second end 62b, but since the first end 62a is sealed by the deformable member 63, the ink does not leak from the first end 62 a. The light blocking member 61 is movably installed in the guide chamber 620, and the light blocking member 61 is connected with the deformable member 63 at an upper side thereof, so that the deformable member 63 can move along with the light blocking member 61,

fig. 11A is a schematic view of the state of the ink remaining amount detection unit when the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink; fig. 11B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention, as viewed in the front-rear direction when the ink cartridge is filled with ink;

fig. 12A is a schematic view of the state of the ink remaining amount detection unit when ink is consumed to a predetermined value in the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention; fig. 12B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention, viewed in the front-rear direction, when the ink is consumed to a predetermined value.

When the ink chamber 20 is filled with the ink 11, the light-shielding member 61 is in the light-shielding position, and the light-shielding member 61 as a whole is pushed upward by the buoyancy of the ink 11, as shown in fig. 11A and 11B, and the deformable member 63 is pushed upward and deformed by the light-shielding member 61, and at this time, the light-shielding portion 611 protrudes upward beyond the upper surface 22, and the light emitted from the light-emitting member 71 is shielded by the light-shielding portion 611 and cannot be received by the light-receiving member 72.

As the ink 11 is consumed, the ink level in the ink chamber 20 gradually lowers, the buoyancy of the ink applied to the light-shielding member 61 gradually decreases, and the light-shielding member 61 moves downward as a whole under the combined action of the gravity of the light-shielding member 61 itself and the elastic restoring force of the deformable member 63, as shown in fig. 12A and 12B, the light-shielding member 61 moves downward to the light-non-shielding position where the light-shielding portion 611 is closer to the ink outlet portion 3, or the distance between the upper side of the light-shielding member 61 and the upper surface 22/the substrate 41/the contact 42 decreases in the up-down direction, and the distance between the upper side of the light-shielding member 61 and the upper surface differs in the up-down direction at the light-shielding position and the light-non-shielding position. The light L emitted from the light emitting element 71 in this embodiment passes over the light shielding element 61, and the entire light L is received by the light receiving element 72, and since there is no "loss" of the light L, the ink jet printer can make an accurate judgment of the remaining amount of ink.

In the light-blocking position shown in fig. 12A and 12B, the deformable member 63 is connected to the upper side of the light-blocking member 61, and the light-blocking member 61 does not come out of the guide chamber 620 even if the buoyancy of the ink 11 is not exerted. The deformable member 63 in this embodiment is mounted at the first end 62a of the guide member 62 relative to the second end 62b of the deformable member 63 located in the ink chamber 20, the first end 62a being located outside the housing 2, and the deformable member 63 is more easily mounted to the first end 62a, for example, the two can be quickly joined by welding, gluing, or the like.

Alternatively, the detecting unit 6 in this embodiment may also adopt the structure as described in the second embodiment, that is, the detecting unit 6 further includes the rotating member 64, and unlike the second embodiment, the deformable member 63 in this embodiment is connected to the light shielding member 61, and the deformable member 63 is mounted at the first end 62a of the guide member 62.

Example four

The above describes the embodiment in which the light-shielding member 61 is moved between the light-shielding position and the light-non-shielding position in the up-down direction, it is understood that the light-shielding member 61 may also be provided to be swung in the left-right direction or the front-back direction between the light-shielding position and the light-non-shielding position, that is, the light-shielding member 61 may be moved in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the light L, and when the light-shielding member 61 is swung in the left-right direction, its axis of rotation is parallel to the front-back direction, and when the light-shielding member 61 is swung in the front-back direction, its axis of rotation is parallel to the left-right direction. Whether the light-shielding member 61 is selected to be deflected in the left-right direction or in the front-back direction, in the light-shielding position, the light-shielding portion 611 is located outside the housing 2 and in the traveling direction of the light L, at which time the light emitted from the light-emitting member 71 cannot be received by the light-receiving member 72, and in the light-non-shielding position, the light-shielding portion 611 avoids the traveling direction of the light L, at which time the light-shielding portion 611 may be located closer to the ink-discharging portion 3 or farther from the ink-discharging portion 3, and the distance above the light-shielding member 61 from the upper surface 22/the substrate 41/the contacts 42 in the up-down direction is different.

Specifically, at least one of the front and rear sides or the left and right sides of the light shielding member 61 is connected to a weight, when the ink chamber 20 is filled with ink, the weight does not function under the buoyancy of the ink, the light shielding member 61 is located at the light shielding position, and when the ink 11 is gradually consumed, the light shielding member 61 will swing toward the side connected to the weight, so that the light shielding portion 611 leaves the traveling direction of the light L and reaches the non-light shielding position.

As described above, the detecting unit 6 of the present invention is provided with the light shielding member 61 capable of moving in the up-down direction, when the ink chamber 20 of the ink cartridge is filled with ink, the light shielding member 61 is located at the light shielding position capable of shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member 71, and at this time, the light is completely shielded by the light shielding member 61 and cannot be received by the light receiving member 72; as the ink in the ink chamber 20 is consumed, the light shielding member 61 is gradually moved to a non-light shielding position where it does not shield all the light emitted from the light emitting member 71, and at this time, the light is not shielded by the light shielding member 61 and is all received by the light receiving member 72, that is, the light received by the light receiving member 72 is not "lost", so that the information of the remaining amount of ink fed back from the light receiving member 72 to the ink jet printer is more realistic and accurate, and the ink jet printer does not have a false judgment.

Claims

1. An ink cartridge detachably mounted in an inkjet image forming apparatus provided with a light emitting element and a light receiving element, the ink cartridge including a housing forming an ink chamber containing ink and having a front surface located in front and an upper surface located above, an ink outlet portion protruding forward from the front surface near below and communicating with the ink chamber, and a detection member;

the light receiving part is used for receiving light rays emitted by the light emitting part, and the detection assembly is matched with the light emitting part and the light receiving part and is used for detecting the ink allowance in the ink cavity;

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the detection assembly comprises a movable light shielding member which can move between a first position capable of shielding the light emitted by the light emitting member and a second position incapable of shielding the light emitted by the light emitting member;

in the up-down direction, the distance between the upper part of the shading member and the upper surface when the shading member is at the first position is different from the distance between the upper part of the shading member and the upper surface when the shading member is at the second position.

2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit further includes a guide member for guiding a movement of the light shielding member, the guide member extending in an up-down direction from a side of the upper surface toward the ink chamber, the light shielding member moving in the up-down direction of the ink cartridge.

3. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 2, wherein a distance between an upper side of the light-shielding member and the upper surface when the light-shielding member is in the first position is larger than a distance between the upper side of the light-shielding member and the upper surface when the light-shielding member is in the second position.

4. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 2, wherein a distance between an upper side of the light-shielding member and the upper surface when the light-shielding member is in the first position is smaller than a distance between the upper side of the light-shielding member and the upper surface when the light-shielding member is in the second position.

5. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the guide member includes a first end located above and a second end located below, the detecting unit further includes a deformable member mounted at the second end, and the light shielding member abuts against the deformable member.

6. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 5, wherein the ink chamber is isolated from an inside of the guide by a deformable member.

7. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the guide member includes a first end located above and a second end located below, the sensing assembly further includes a deformable member mounted at the first end, and the light blocking member is connected to the deformable member.

8. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 7, wherein the ink chamber communicates with an inside of the guide member.

9. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shutter is movable between the first position and the second position in a back-and-forth direction or a left-and-right direction.

10. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 9, wherein the light-shielding member has an axis of rotation parallel to the front-rear direction when the light-shielding member is swung in the left-right direction.

11. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 9, wherein the light-shielding member has a rotation axis parallel to the left-right direction when the light-shielding member is swung in the front-rear direction.

12. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 9, 10 or 11, wherein a weight is attached to at least one of the front and rear sides or the left and right sides of the light-shielding member.