CN217145377U - Ink box - Google Patents

Abstract

The application provides an ink box, relates to the technical field of ink boxes, and is used for solving the technical problems that a sealing element in the existing ink box is difficult to take down and cannot be recycled, so that the resource waste is caused, and the sealing element leaks air; the inner shell is arranged in the outer shell and used for storing liquid; the shell is provided with a vent hole, and a clamped part is arranged at the position, close to the vent hole, of the shell; the air control valve is of a self-sealing structure and is used for sealing the vent hole, comprises a clamping part and an opening part and is clamped with the clamped part through the clamping part; the opening part is configured to open the air control valve when the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the shell reaches a preset threshold value; the opening part and the vent hole form an air inflow channel; and otherwise, when the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the shell is smaller than the preset threshold value, the air control valve is closed. The ink box provided by the embodiment of the application is used for supplying ink to an ink jet printing device.

Description

Ink box

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of ink boxes, in particular to an ink box.

Background

Current ink cartridges typically include an inner housing disposed within an outer housing, the inner housing forming an ink reservoir, and a seal. The bottom of the shell is provided with a vent hole so as to keep the pressure of the ink storage cavity and the external environment balanced; the seal seals the vent and inhibits evaporation of the ink during transport.

The sealing member includes an adhesion area adhered to the bottom of the case and a non-adhesion area extending to an end of the sealing member and capable of forming an air inflow passage communicating with the vent hole so that the external air can be introduced into the case through the air inflow passage in a state where the ink storage chamber is under negative pressure. With this arrangement, the effects of suppressing evaporation of ink during transportation and maintaining stable ink supply to the print head can be achieved without increasing the burden on the user (peeling off the seal).

However, the sealing element in the ink cartridge is adhered by glue, and the sealing element is difficult to remove when being reused due to long adhering time or temperature change and the like, so that the sealing element cannot be recycled, and resource waste is caused; further, the non-adhesion area has a problem of air leakage, and there is a risk that the inner case storing ink is aged by being exposed to air for a long time.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the above problems, the embodiment of the present application provides an ink cartridge, wherein an air control valve of the ink cartridge is clamped to the bottom of a housing, so that the air control valve can be recycled, the utilization rate of the air control valve is improved, and resource waste is avoided; but also can improve the gas leakage problem of sealing member, avoid the inner shell that stores the ink expose in the air for a long time and the risk that ages.

In order to achieve the above object, the embodiments of the present application provide the following technical solutions:

the embodiment of the application provides an ink box which comprises an outer shell, an inner shell and an air control valve; the inner shell is arranged in the outer shell and used for storing liquid; the shell is provided with a vent hole, and a clamped part is arranged at the position, close to the vent hole, of the shell; the air control valve is of a self-sealing structure and is used for sealing the vent hole, comprises a clamping part and an opening part and is clamped with the clamped part through the clamping part; the opening part is configured to open the air control valve when the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the shell reaches a preset threshold value, and the opening part and the vent hole form an air inflow channel; and when the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the shell does not reach the preset threshold value, the air control valve is closed.

In one possible implementation, the gas control valve comprises a body; the opening part is an opening formed on the body, and the opening is opposite to and communicated with the vent hole; the opening and closing state of the opening is changeable, and when the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the shell reaches the preset threshold value, the opening is opened.

In a possible implementation manner, the clamped part is a sealing groove annularly arranged at the bottom of the shell; the clamping part is a sealing strip annularly arranged on the edge of the body, and the sealing strip is embedded in the sealing groove.

In a possible implementation, a side of the body facing the vent hole is recessed and forms a raised portion; the opening is formed on the raised portion; the ridge is configured to deform and open the opening when the difference between the internal and external pressures inside the housing reaches the preset threshold.

In one possible implementation, the opening is a cross-shaped opening.

In one possible implementation, the gas control valve further comprises a deformation part and a sealing part; the sealing part and the clamping part are respectively arranged at two ends of the deformation part, and the sealing part is positioned in the shell and seals the vent hole; the clamping part is positioned on the outer side of the shell and clamped with the area around the vent hole; the clamping part is provided with a notch to form the opening part, and the opening part is communicated with the vent hole; the deformation portion is configured to be deformable and cause the sealing portion to release the sealing of the vent hole when a difference between the inside and outside pressures of the housing reaches a preset threshold value.

In one possible implementation manner, the deformation portion is a rod body with elasticity and can deform along the axial direction of the rod body; a gap is formed between the rod body and the vent hole.

In one possible implementation, the deformation is a square or circular rod.

In one possible implementation mode, the whole gas control valve is in an umbrella shape; the sealing part is a hemispherical sealing block and comprises a spherical surface and a sealing surface, the sealing surface is connected with the rod body, and the sealing surface can be abutted against the inner wall of the bottom of the shell; the clamping part is a cylindrical clamping block, and the outer diameter of the clamping part is larger than the inner diameter of the vent hole; the clamping part is provided with the notch penetrating through the clamping part along the circumferential direction of the clamping part.

In one possible implementation, a middle region of the bottom of the housing forms an arc-shaped recess; the vent hole is positioned in the center of the arc-shaped recess, and a horizontal part is formed around the vent hole.

Compared with the related art, the ink box provided by the embodiment of the application has the following advantages;

the ink box provided by the embodiment of the application comprises an outer shell, an inner shell and an air control valve; wherein, the shell has the installation cavity, and the inner shell sets up in the installation cavity, and the inner shell is used for the storage liquid, and the inner shell forms promptly and stores up the ink chamber. The shell is provided with a vent hole, and the bottom of the shell is provided with a clamped part for installing the air control valve at the position close to the vent hole. The air control valve is used for sealing the vent hole, is provided with a clamping part and is clamped with the clamped part through the clamping part, so that the air control valve can be detachably arranged on the shell.

In addition, the air control valve comprises an opening part, and the opening part is configured to form an air inflow channel with the vent hole when the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the shell reaches a preset threshold value, so that the outside air enters the installation cavity to balance the pressure balance between the ink storage cavity and the external environment and maintain the effect of stable ink supply of the printing head; furthermore, the air control valve is of a self-sealing structure, the sealing effect is good, the air vent can be opened only when the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the outer shell reaches a threshold value, and the air vent can be sealed in other times, so that the risk of air leakage is reduced, and the risk of aging caused by the fact that the inner shell storing ink is exposed in the air for a long time can be avoided.

Compared with the sealing element in the related art which is connected to the bottom of the shell in a bonding mode, the air control valve in the embodiment of the application is detachably connected to the bottom of the shell through the clamping part, when the air control valve needs to be recycled, the air control valve can be conveniently detached, the resource waste can be avoided, and the cost is saved; and can reduce the risk of air leakage to avoid the risk of aging of the inner casing storing ink due to long-term exposure to air.

In addition to the technical problems, technical features constituting technical solutions, and advantageous effects brought by the technical features of the technical solutions described above, other technical problems, technical features included in technical solutions, and advantageous effects brought by the technical features that can be solved by the ink cartridge provided in the embodiments of the present application will be described in further detail in the detailed description of embodiments.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is an internal structural view of an inkjet printing apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2a and 2b are external perspective views of a mounting unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic view of a second housing in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of an ink cartridge provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an assembly of a gas control valve and a housing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the arrangement of the air control valve at the bottom of the housing in the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the valve of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of another ink cartridge provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the housing of the present application assembled with another air control valve;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the present application showing the disposition of the air control valve at the bottom of the housing;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the valve of FIG. 11;

fig. 13 is a schematic view illustrating an installation process of the ink cartridge and the inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

As described in the background art, the ink cartridge of the related art includes an inner case, an outer case, and a sealing member, and the vent hole may be provided at the bottom of the outer case, and the sealing member may seal the vent hole, which may suppress evaporation of ink during transportation. However, the above ink cartridge has problems that the sealing member is difficult to remove when being reused, cannot be recycled, and causes waste of resources, and the sealing member has a problem of air leakage, and the inner casing storing ink is exposed to air for a long time and is aged, and the inventor finds that the problem is caused by:

the sealing member includes an adhesion region adhered to the bottom of the case and a non-adhesion region extending to an end of the sealing member and capable of forming an air inflow passage communicating with the vent hole so that the outside air can be introduced into the case through the air inflow passage in a state where the ink storage chamber is under negative pressure. However, the sealing element is adhered to the bottom of the shell through glue, and due to the long attaching time or temperature change and other reasons, the sealing element cannot be detached when being recycled, so that resource waste is caused; meanwhile, the non-adhesion area is not bonded with the bottom of the shell, and the sealing effect is poor, so that the phenomenon of air leakage of the non-adhesion area is easily caused.

To solve the above technical problem, an embodiment of the present application provides an ink cartridge, which is provided with an engaged portion for installing an air control valve at a bottom of a housing. The air control valve is of a self-sealing structure and is used for sealing the air vent, the air control valve is provided with a clamping part and is clamped with the clamped part through the clamping part, and the air control valve is detachably mounted on the shell. By the arrangement, when the air control valve needs to be recycled, the air control valve can be conveniently detached, so that resource waste can be avoided, and the cost is saved; and the air control valve is of a self-sealing structure, the sealing effect is better, the air vent can be opened only when the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the shell reaches a threshold value, and the air vent can be sealed in other times, so that the risk of air leakage is reduced, and the risk of aging caused by the fact that the inner shell storing ink is exposed in the air for a long time can be avoided.

In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more comprehensible, embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be apparent that the described embodiments are only a few embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

The ink box provided by the embodiment of the application is installed in the ink-jet printing equipment and is used for providing ink for the ink-jet printing equipment.

Fig. 1 is an internal configuration diagram of an inkjet printing apparatus 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as a printing apparatus 1) used in the first embodiment. The printing apparatus 1 is a multifunction peripheral, and includes a printing unit 2 and a scanner unit 3 located above the printing unit 2.

The printing unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 may each independently or collectively perform various processes regarding a printing operation and a reading operation. The scanner unit 3 includes an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) and a Flat Bed Scanner (FBS), and is capable of reading an original automatically fed by the ADF and reading (scanning) an original placed on a platen of the FBS by a user. Although fig. 1 shows a multifunction peripheral including both the printing unit 2 and the scanner unit 3, the scanner unit 3 may not be included. Fig. 1 shows the printing apparatus 1 in a standby state in which a printing operation or a reading operation is not performed.

In the printing unit 2, a first cassette 5A and a second cassette 5B for storing a printing medium (cut sheet) are detachably mounted at the bottom below the apparatus case 4. For example, smaller printing media as small as a4 size are stored in the first cassette 5A in a vertically stacked manner, and larger printing media as large as A3 size are stored in the second cassette 5B in a vertically stacked manner. A first feeding unit 6A is provided in the vicinity of the first cassette 5A for feeding the stored printing media one by one, respectively. Also, a second feeding unit 6B is provided near the second cassette 5B. In the case of performing a printing operation, a printing medium is selectively fed from one cassette.

The conveyance roller 7, the discharge roller 12, the grip roller 7a, the pinion 7b, the guide 18, the inner guide 19, and the flap 11 constitute a conveyance mechanism for guiding the printing medium in a predetermined direction. The conveying roller 7 is a driving roller, is disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the print head 8, and is driven by a conveying motor, not shown. The pinch roller 7a is a driven roller and rotates while nipping the printing medium in cooperation with the conveyance roller 7. The discharge roller 12 is a driving roller, is disposed on the downstream side of the conveying roller 7, and is driven by a conveying motor, not shown. The pinion 7b nips and conveys the printing medium in cooperation with the conveyance roller 7 and the discharge roller 12 disposed on the downstream side of the print head 8.

The guide 18 is provided on a conveyance path for the printing medium, and guides the printing medium in a predetermined direction. The inner guide member 19 has a curved side surface extending in the y direction, and guides the printing medium along the curved side surface. The flap 11 is configured to switch the conveying direction of each printing medium at the time of the duplex printing operation. The discharge tray 13 is a tray for stacking and containing the printing medium discharged by the discharge roller 12 after the printing operation is completed.

The print head 8 shown in fig. 1 is a full-line type inkjet print head in which a plurality of ejection ports that eject ink according to print data are arranged in the y direction as long as the width of a print medium. In addition, in the print head 8, ejection port arrays extending in the y direction are arranged so as to correspond to yellow, cyan, magenta, and black inks, respectively.

With the print head 8 at the standby position, the ejection opening surface 8a of the print head 8 is capped with the cap unit 10, as shown in fig. 1. In the case of performing a printing operation, the orientation of the print head 8 is changed so that the ejection opening surface 8a is opposed to the platen 9. The platen 9 is formed of a flat plate extending in the y direction, and supports the printing medium S subjected to the printing operation performed by the print head 8 from the back side thereof.

The ink tank unit 14 includes a mounting unit 140 for mounting the ink cartridge 20. Each ink cartridge 20 mounted to the mounting unit 140 can supply ink stored inside to the ink supply unit 15. Although the mount unit 140 may be fixed to the printing apparatus 1, the mount unit 140 may be detachable from the printing apparatus 1. In this embodiment, the mounting unit 140 is capable of detachably mounting the ink cartridges 20 storing cyan, yellow, magenta, and black inks, respectively.

The ink supply unit 15 is provided in the middle of the flow path connecting the ink tank unit 14 to the print head 8, and adjusts the ink pressure and flow rate in the print head 8 to appropriate ranges. This embodiment employs a circulating type ink supply system, and the ink supply unit 15 adjusts the pressure of ink supplied to the print head 8 and the flow rate of ink recovered from the print head 8 to appropriate ranges.

The maintenance unit 16 includes a cover unit 10 and a wiping unit 17. The maintenance unit 16 operates these units at predetermined timings to perform maintenance operations on the print head 8.

Fig. 2a and 2b are external perspective views of the mounting unit 140. Fig. 2a shows a state where the ink cartridge 20 is not mounted, and fig. 2b shows a state where the ink cartridge 20 is mounted.

The mounting unit 140 includes: a plurality of first cases 141, each of the first cases 141 being substantially cylindrical and capable of inserting the ink cartridge 20; and a plurality of second housings 142, each of the second housings 142 having a diameter smaller than that of the corresponding first housing 141.

The first casing 141 and the second casing 142 have a space which is cylindrical and continuous inside, and a recess 141b for loosely positioning each ink cartridge 20 in the casing is formed around an opening (first opening) 141a of each first casing 141.

Meanwhile, although not shown in fig. 2a and 2b, each of the second cases 142 is provided with a contact pin 23b (see fig. 3), and the contact pin 23b may be connected to a pad electrode 62 provided on the ink cartridge 20. In a case where the ink cartridge 20 is to be mounted to the mounting unit 140, the user inserts the ink cartridge 20 from the first opening 141a of the first casing 141 in the y direction so that the end of the ink cartridge 20 reaches the top end or the vicinity of the second casing 142.

The first opening 141a of the first case 141 does not have to be exactly circular; examples of the material forming the first case 141 include acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymer resin, modified polyphenylene oxide (PPO), High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) resin, and the like. Examples of the material forming the second housing 142 include polypropylene (PP), modified polyphenylene oxide (PPO), and the like. Although this embodiment describes the first and second housings 141 and 142 as separate components, these components may be formed in one piece.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the second housing 142. The ink receiving tube 21 protrudes from the bottom surface of the second housing 142. With the ink cartridge 20 inserted in the y direction, the ink receiving tube 21 can be inserted into the ink outlet 63 of the ink cartridge 20, so that the ink stored in the ink cartridge 20 can be supplied to the ink supply unit 15.

The electrical connection unit 23 is disposed on a side surface of the second housing 142. The electrical connection unit 23 includes two positioning units 23a, and the contact pin 23b is disposed between the two positioning units 23 a. In the case where the ink cartridge 20 is inserted in the y direction, the positioning unit 23a comes into contact with the side surface of the projection 61 of the ink cartridge 20 so as to position the ink cartridge 20. Due to this positioning, each contact pin 23b and the corresponding pad electrode 62 of the ink cartridge 20 are electrically connected to each other. Note that: the electrical connection unit 23 does not always have to be provided on the side surface of the second housing 142. The electrical connection unit 23 is also detachable from the mounting unit 140.

In the embodiment of this application, examples of the material forming the positioning unit 23a include PPO, ABS, and the like. Examples of the material forming the contact pin 23b include a copper alloy (gold plating) and the like. In the electrical connection unit 23, a material forming a portion other than the positioning unit 23a and the contact pins 23b includes ABS, Polycarbonate (PC), or the like.

As shown in fig. 4 to 8, the ink cartridge 20 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes an outer casing 30, an inner casing 40, an air control valve 50, and a connecting unit 60; wherein, the inner shell 40 and the outer shell 30 are both cylindrical shells, the inner shell 40 is arranged inside the outer shell 30, and one ends of the inner shell 40 and the outer shell 30 are both provided with openings and are commonly and hermetically connected on the connecting unit 60.

For convenience of describing the embodiment, the ink cartridge 20 in the embodiment of the present application has a front end at one end toward the connection unit and a bottom end at the other end, that is, the ink cartridge 20 is inserted into the mounting unit 140, and the end partially connected to the second casing 142 is the front end (top) of the ink cartridge 20 and the end opposite to the front end of the ink cartridge 20 is the bottom end (bottom) thereof.

The front end opening of the inner casing 40 is hermetically connected with the coupling unit 60, and the other end of the inner casing 40 is sealed and forms a sealed cavity for storing liquid. For example, the inner housing 40 is used to store ink, i.e., the inner housing 40 has an ink reservoir. The coupling unit 60 may be a pipe joint, and the diameter of the pipe joint may be smaller than that of the inner case 40 so that the pipe joint forms a stepped structure after being coupled to the inner case 40. The pipe joint is provided with an ink outlet 63 communicated with the ink storage cavity, so that when the ink box 20 is plugged into the ink jet printing equipment, the ink receiving pipe 21 of the ink jet printing equipment can be inserted into the ink outlet 63 to realize ink taking.

The outer peripheral surface of the pipe joint is also provided with a projection 61, the projection 61 is used for mounting a pad electrode 62, and the pad electrode 62 is used for electrically connecting with a contact pin 23b of an electrical connection unit 23 of the ink jet printing apparatus to transmit the information of the ink cartridge 20. It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the connecting unit 60 and the inner shell 40 may be manufactured independently from each other, or the connecting unit 60 and the inner shell 40 are an integral structure, which is not limited in the present embodiment.

The front end of the shell 30 is connected with the pipe joint in a sealing way, the bottom of the shell 30 is provided with a vent hole 31, and the vent hole 31 is communicated with the installation cavity of the shell 30. The air control valve 50 is provided at the bottom of the housing 30 and serves to seal the air vent 31. The air control valve 50 is configured such that when the ink storage chamber is in a negative pressure state, the inner shell 40 is deformed and reduced in volume due to flexibility, and the outer shell 30 is not easily deformed due to high rigidity, so that the volume between the inner shell 40 and the outer shell 30 is increased and the air pressure is reduced, which is not favorable for normal ink supply of the inner shell 40.

When the difference between the air pressure of the space between the outer shell 30 and the inner shell 40 and the external atmospheric pressure reaches a preset threshold, the air control valve 50 is opened to allow the external air to flow into the mounting cavity, so that the pressure of the ink storage cavity is balanced with the external environment, and normal ink supply is ensured; that is, when the internal pressure of the casing 30 is in a negative pressure state and the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the casing 30 reaches a preset threshold value, the air control valve is opened; otherwise, when the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the housing 30 does not reach the preset threshold, the air control valve 50 is closed.

Further, the air control valve 50 includes a clamping portion 51 and an opening portion 52, and a clamped portion 32 matched with the clamping portion 51 is arranged at the bottom of the housing 30, that is, the air control valve 50 can be clamped to the bottom of the housing 30 through the clamping portion 51 and can seal the vent hole 31.

The opening portion 52 is configured to form an air inflow passage between the opening portion 52 and the vent hole 31 when the inside of the housing 30 is in a negative pressure state and the difference between the inside and the outside pressure reaches a preset threshold value, so that the outside air is introduced into the installation cavity of the housing 30 through the air inflow passage.

On the contrary, when the inside of the outer casing 30 is in a positive pressure state (the ink cartridge 20 is in a non-ink-supply state), no air inflow channel is formed between the opening 52 and the vent hole 31, so as to prevent the external air from entering the outer casing 30 when the ink storage chamber is in the positive pressure state, thereby preventing the inner casing 40 from being exposed to the air for a long time and being oxidized.

Compared with the sealing element in the related art which is connected to the bottom of the housing 30 in an adhesion manner, the air control valve 50 in the embodiment of the present application is detachably connected to the bottom of the housing 30 through the clamping portion 51, and when the air control valve 50 needs to be recycled, the air control valve 50 can be conveniently detached, so as to avoid resource waste and save cost; furthermore, air control valve 50 is self-sealing structure, and its sealed effect is better, only can open when the inside and outside pressure differential of shell 30 reaches and predetermines the threshold value, all can seal the air vent in the rest of the time to reduce the risk of gas leakage, can avoid storing the inner shell 40 of ink to expose in the air for a long time and ageing risk.

With reference to fig. 8, the gas control valve 50 provided in the embodiment of the present application is a bottle cap, and includes a body and a fastening portion 51; the body is a plate-shaped structure, the engaging portion 51 is a sealing strip arranged around the edge of the body, the sealing strip protrudes out of the surface of the body, and the sealing strip protrudes towards the bottom of the housing 30.

The body is provided with an opening 52, and the opening 52 penetrates through the body, so that the external air can flow into the shell 30 through the opening 52 and the vent hole 31. For example, the opening 52 may be an opening provided in the body, and the opening and closing state of the opening may be changed, that is, the opening is provided in a self-sealing structure. When the shell 30 is in a negative pressure state and the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the shell 30 reaches a preset threshold value, the opening is in an open state; conversely, when the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the housing 30 is less than the predetermined threshold value, the opening is closed. It should be noted that the predetermined threshold may be 0.5-1.5kpa, that is, the opening 52 is opened when the difference between the internal pressure and the external pressure of the outer casing 30 reaches 0.5-1.5 kpa.

In order to clamp the air control valve 50 to the bottom of the casing 30, the bottom of the casing 30 is provided with a sealing groove to form the clamped part 32, and the sealing groove is matched with the sealing strip. The sealing groove is arranged at the bottom of the shell 30 and is positioned at the periphery of the vent hole 31. When the air control valve 50 needs to be installed at the bottom of the housing 30, a sealing strip may be embedded into the sealing groove to realize that the air control valve 50 is clamped to the bottom of the housing 30, and the air control valve 50 may maintain a seal with the bottom of the housing 30, and when the opening 52 is opened, an air inflow channel is formed between the body and the bottom of the housing 30.

With this arrangement, when the ink cartridge 20 is in a non-ink-supply state (positive pressure state), the air control valve 50 is clamped into the sealing groove at the bottom of the casing 30 by the sealing strip, so as to improve the sealing effect between the air control valve 50 and the casing 30. Compared to the risk of the non-adhering area of the seal member in the related art having a problem of air leakage, which causes the inner case 40 to be aged by being exposed to air for a long period of time; the embodiment of the application can prevent external air from entering the outer shell 30 when the ink box 20 is in a non-ink-supplying state, so as to avoid the risk that the inner shell 40 is exposed to air for a long time and oxidized.

On the basis of the above embodiment, the above opening portion 52 may be formed at the center of the body, and the opening portion 52 may be opposed to the vent hole 31. In order to make the opening 52 deform more easily to ensure that the opening 52 is in an open state when the ink storage chamber is in a negative pressure state and the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the housing 30 reaches a preset threshold, in the embodiment of the present application, the body is recessed on the side facing the vent hole 31 to form the raised portion 53, and the raised portion 53 has better deformation capability than other regions of the body, for example, the thickness of the raised portion 53 is smaller than that of other regions of the body, so that the raised portion is easier to deform.

Further, the above-described opening may be formed on the ridge portion 53, and the ridge portion 53 is configured such that the ridge portion 53 can be deformed and the opening opened when the difference between the internal and external pressures of the housing 30 reaches a preset threshold value. Illustratively, the opening may be a cross-shaped opening, and the opening may be formed by a slit formed in the ridge portion 53.

The vent hole 31 may be formed in the central region of the bottom of the casing 30 in the embodiment, and the central region of the bottom of the casing 30 may be formed as an arc-shaped recess, and the arc-shaped recess is recessed toward the inside of the ink cartridge 20, so that the structural strength of the casing 30 may be enhanced. The vent hole 31 may be formed in the center of the arc recess, so that a part of the air control valve 50 is located in the arc recess, which is advantageous to reduce the installation space of the air control valve 50.

As shown in fig. 9 to 12, the present embodiment also provides another ink cartridge 20, which includes a second air control valve 50; it is different from the above-described ink cartridge 20 in that the air control valve 50 provided at the bottom of the housing 30 is different, and the air control valve 50 is engaged with the housing 30 in a different manner.

Specifically, the second air control valve 50 provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a deformation portion 55, a sealing portion 54, and an engaging portion 51, where the sealing portion 54 and the engaging portion 51 are respectively disposed at two ends of the deformation portion 55. The sealing portion 54 is disposed in the housing 30, and the sealing portion 54 has a sealing surface, the valve 50 to be controlled is mounted to the bottom of the housing 30, and the sealing surface of the sealing portion 54 is fitted to the inner wall of the housing 30 to seal the vent hole 31.

The clamping part 51 is arranged at the outer side of the shell 30, the clamping part 51 is clamped with the bottom area of the shell 30 around the vent hole 31, and the clamped part 32 is formed in the bottom area of the shell 30, so that the air control valve 50 is clamped to the bottom of the shell 30; that is, the engaging portion 51 and the sealing portion 54 form an interposed space, and the engaging portion 51 and the sealing portion 54 are respectively interposed between the inner and outer sides of the bottom portion of the housing 30 and are bonded to the inner wall and the outer wall of the housing 30.

The deformation portion 55 is provided in the vent hole 31, and a gap is maintained between the deformation portion 55 and the inner wall of the vent hole 31, so that the sealing surface of the sealing portion 54 can contact with the outside air; for this, the engaging portion 51 is provided with a notch to form an opening portion 52, and the opening portions 52 are respectively communicated with the vent hole 31 and the outside so that the air control valve 50 forms an air inflow passage.

Further, the deformation portion 55 in the embodiment of the present application may be configured such that when the difference between the internal and external pressures of the casing 30 reaches a preset threshold value, the deformation portion 55 can be deformed and the sealing portion 54 releases the sealing of the vent hole 31, that is, when the inside of the casing 30 is in a negative pressure state, the pressure of the external air can act on the sealing surface of the sealing portion 54 and generate pressure; when the difference between the internal pressure and the external pressure of the outer casing 30 reaches a predetermined threshold value, the deformation portion 55 is deformed, so that the sealing surface is separated from the inner wall of the outer casing 30, and the external air can enter the outer casing 30, so that the pressure of the ink storage chamber and the external environment is kept balanced.

It should be noted that the preset threshold may be 0.5-2.5kpa, that is, when the difference between the internal pressure and the external pressure of the outer casing 30 reaches 0.5-2.5kpa, the deformation portion 55 deforms, and external air can enter the outer casing 30, so as to keep the pressure of the ink storage chamber balanced with the pressure of the external environment.

Compared with the sealing element in the related art which is connected to the bottom of the housing 30 in an adhesion manner, the air control valve 50 in the embodiment of the present application is detachably connected to the bottom of the housing 30 through the engaging portion 51, and when the air control valve 50 needs to be recycled, the air control valve 50 can be conveniently detached, so as to avoid resource waste and save cost.

Furthermore, when the ink cartridge 20 is in a non-ink-supplying state (positive pressure state), the air control valve 50 seals the vent hole 31 through the sealing portion 54, so that the sealing effect between the air control valve 50 and the outer casing 30 can be improved, and the air leakage problem, i.e., the external air is prevented from entering the outer casing 30, so as to avoid the risk of oxidation of the inner casing 40 due to long-term exposure to the air.

For example, the deformation portion 55 provided in the embodiment of the present application is an elastic rod, and when the inside of the shell 30 is in a negative pressure state and the pressure difference between the inside and the outside is greater than a predetermined threshold value, and the sealing portion 54 connected to the rod is subjected to the external atmospheric pressure, the rod may be stretched along the axial direction thereof, so that the sealing portion 54 is separated from the inner wall of the shell 30.

The deformation portion 55 may be a cylindrical or square rod with a gap between the rod body and the vent hole 31. For example, the vent hole 31 is a circular hole, and the deformation portion 55 is a circular rod; the aperture of the vent hole 31 is larger than the diameter of the rod body to form an air inflow passage between the rod body and the vent hole 31.

The sealing portion 54 may be a hemispherical sealing block including a spherical surface and a sealing surface, the sealing surface is connected to the rod body, and when the air control valve 50 is engaged with the housing 30, the sealing surface can be kept attached to the inner wall of the housing 30 and seal the air vent 31.

The clamping part 51 can be a cylindrical clamping block or a whole body is in a round cake shape and has a certain thickness; the outer diameter of the engaging portion 51 is larger than the inner diameter of the vent hole 31 so that the engaging portion 51 can abut against the area around the vent hole 31. The engaging portion 51 is provided with at least one notch along the circumferential direction thereof, the notch penetrates the entire engaging portion 51 along the thickness direction of the engaging portion 51, and the notch is used for communicating the external environment with the vent hole 31, so that an air inflow channel is formed among the vent hole 31, the sealing portion 54 and the engaging portion 51.

On the basis of the above embodiment, in order to improve the structural strength of the bottom of the housing 30 or reduce the installation space of the air control valve 50; in the embodiment of the present application, a recessed area is formed in the middle area of the bottom of the housing 30, the vent hole 31 is located in the center of the arc-shaped recess, and a horizontal portion is formed in the peripheral area of the vent hole 31, that is, the peripheral area of the vent hole 31 is a horizontal area, so that the engaging portion 51 of the air control valve 50 is abutted to the horizontal portion, the engaging effect of the engaging portion 51 and the horizontal portion is improved, and the sealing effect between the sealing portion 54 and the inner wall of the housing 30 can be improved.

The process of installing the ink box to the printing equipment provided by the embodiment of the application is as follows:

fig. 13 is a schematic view illustrating an installation process of the ink cartridge and the inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. In fig. 13, for better explanation, regarding the mounting process of the mounting unit 140 of the inkjet printing apparatus 1 and the ink cartridge 20, a part of the hole forming member is indicated by a dotted line.

Before the state becomes as shown in part (a) of fig. 13, the front end of the ink cartridge 20 is first placed in the insertion hole of the first casing 141, the case 30 is provided with the positioning portion 33, and the first casing 141 is provided with the recess portion 141b for engaging with the positioning portion 33. The relative position between the ink cartridge 20 and the first casing 141 is substantially matched by the positioning portion 33 and the recess 141 b.

If the positioning portion 28 and the recess 141b do not match, the ink cartridge 20 cannot be put into the first opening 141a of the first casing. For example, when an attempt is made to insert an ink cartridge storing cyan ink into the first opening 141a of the first casing 141 to be inserted with a cyan ink cartridge, the shapes of the positioning portion 33 and the recess 141b are matched with each other, and thus the ink cartridge can be inserted into the opening.

Fig. 13 (a) shows a diagram of an intermediate stage of the insertion. The insertion direction of the ink cartridge 20 is a direction in which the front end of the ink cartridge points forward, and can also be said to be a direction in which the coupling unit 24 is located on the front side. When the recess 141b of the first casing 141 extends in the extending direction of the cartridge hole, the ink cartridge 20 is inserted so that the positioning part 33 moves along the recess 141 b.

Part (b) in fig. 13 is a diagram showing a state where the insertion of the ink cartridge 20 in the insertion direction is completed. It is preferable that the pad electrode 62 is not connected to the inkjet printing apparatus when the ink cartridge 20 is inserted up to the state shown in part (b) in fig. 13, and the pad electrode 62 can be prevented from being damaged when the pad electrode 62 is inserted up to the state shown in part (b) in fig. 13. Therefore, by increasing the diameter of the first opening 141a shown in fig. 2a, the pad electrode 62 can be prevented from hitting the hole wall of the insertion hole.

Here, at the stage (b) in fig. 13, the ink receiving tube 21 of the ink supply unit is inserted into the ink outlet 63 of the ink cartridge.

Next, for example, when the projection 61 of the ink cartridge is in contact with the mounting unit 140, the ink cartridge 20 rotates as shown in part (c) in fig. 13. The triggering of the rotation of the ink cartridge 20 is not limited thereto. For example, a flag may be provided on the ink cartridge 20, and the user may start rotating the ink cartridge 20 using the flag. Alternatively, by closing the cover of the inkjet printing apparatus, the cover pushes the ink cartridge 20, the ink cartridge 20 may be inserted up to a certain point in the insertion direction, and then may start to rotate.

The rotation of the ink cartridge 20 shown in part (c) in fig. 13 is rotation about an axis in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 20. In other words, when the ink cartridge 20 is inserted in the insertion direction along the center axis of the ink cartridge 20, the rotation is rotation with the center axis of the ink cartridge 20 as the rotation axis.

In the state shown in part (d) in fig. 13, the positioning portion 33, the pad electrode 62 on the protruding portion 61 is arranged between the two positioning units 23a of the electrical connection unit 23.

When the rotation proceeds to the state shown in part (e) in fig. 13, the protrusion 61 and the pad electrode 62 on the protrusion 61 are interposed between the two positioning units 23a, and the contact pins 23b of the electrical connection unit 23 are brought into contact with the pad electrode 62. Thus, the pad electrode 62 is electrically connected to the electrical connection unit 23. Thereby completing the installation of the ink cartridge 20 into the installation unit 140 of the inkjet printing apparatus.

The embodiments or implementation modes in the present specification are described in a progressive manner, each embodiment focuses on differences from other embodiments, and the same and similar parts among the embodiments may be referred to each other.

It should be noted that references in the specification to "one embodiment," "an example embodiment," "some embodiments," etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

In general, terms should be understood at least in part by their use in context. For example, the term "one or more" as used herein may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular or may be used to describe a combination of features, structures, or characteristics in the plural, depending, at least in part, on the context. Similarly, terms such as "a" or "the" may also be understood to convey a singular use or to convey a plural use, depending at least in part on the context.

Furthermore, spatially relative terms, such as "below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's illustrated relationship to another element or feature. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The device may have other orientations (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly as well.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used for illustrating the technical solutions of the present application, and not for limiting the same; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some or all of the technical features may be equivalently replaced; and the modifications or the substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims (10)

1. An ink box is characterized by comprising an outer shell, an inner shell and an air control valve;

the inner shell is arranged in the outer shell and used for storing liquid; the shell is provided with a vent hole, and a clamped part is arranged at the position, close to the vent hole, of the shell;

the air control valve is of a self-sealing structure and is used for sealing the vent hole, comprises a clamping part and an opening part and is clamped with the clamped part through the clamping part;

the opening part is configured to open the air control valve when the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the shell reaches a preset threshold value, and the opening part and the vent hole form an air inflow channel; and when the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the shell does not reach the preset threshold value, the air control valve is closed.

2. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the gas control valve comprises a body;

the opening part is an opening formed on the body, and the opening is opposite to and communicated with the vent hole;

the opening and closing state of the opening is changeable, and when the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the shell reaches the preset threshold value, the opening is opened.

3. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 2, wherein the engaged portion is a seal groove formed around a bottom of the housing;

the clamping part is a sealing strip annularly arranged on the edge of the body, and the sealing strip is embedded in the sealing groove.

4. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 2, wherein the body is recessed toward a side of the vent hole and forms a raised portion; the opening is formed on the raised portion;

the ridge is configured to deform and open the opening when the difference between the internal and external pressures of the housing reaches the preset threshold.

5. The ink cartridge as in claim 4, wherein said opening is a cross-shaped opening.

6. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air control valve further comprises a deformation portion and a sealing portion;

the sealing part and the clamping part are respectively arranged at two ends of the deformation part, and the sealing part is positioned in the shell and seals the vent hole;

the clamping part is positioned on the outer side of the shell and clamped with the area around the vent hole; the clamping part is provided with a notch to form the opening part, and the opening part is communicated with the vent hole;

the deformation portion is configured to be deformable and cause the sealing portion to release the sealing of the vent hole when a difference between the inside and outside pressures of the housing reaches the preset threshold value.

7. The ink cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the deformation portion is a rod body having elasticity and is capable of deforming in an axial direction thereof;

a gap is formed between the rod body and the vent hole.

8. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 7, wherein the deformation portion is a square rod or a circular rod.

9. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 7, wherein the air control valve is integrally formed in an umbrella shape;

the sealing part is a hemispherical sealing block and comprises a spherical surface and a sealing surface, the sealing surface is connected with the rod body, and the sealing surface can be abutted against the inner wall of the bottom of the shell;

the clamping part is a cylindrical clamping block, and the outer diameter of the clamping part is larger than the inner diameter of the vent hole; the clamping part is provided with the notch penetrating through the clamping part along the circumferential direction of the clamping part.

10. The ink cartridge as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a middle region of the bottom of the housing forms an arc-shaped recess;

the vent hole is positioned in the center of the arc-shaped recess, and a horizontal part is formed around the vent hole.

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