CN219191667U

CN219191667U - Ink cartridge

Info

Publication number: CN219191667U
Application number: CN202122946426.4U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 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: 2021-11-26
Publication date: 2023-06-16
Anticipated expiration: 2031-11-26
Also published as: CN114801494A8; CN114801494A

Abstract

The utility model relates to an ink cartridge detachably mounted in an inkjet image forming apparatus provided with a light emitting member and a light receiving member, the ink cartridge including a housing forming an ink chamber containing ink, an ink outlet portion communicating with the ink chamber so that the ink can be discharged through the ink outlet portion, and a detection assembly; the light receiving piece is used for receiving light rays emitted by the light emitting piece, and the detection assembly is matched with the light emitting piece and the light receiving piece and used for detecting the ink allowance in the ink cavity; the detection assembly comprises a movable shading piece, along with the change of the ink quantity in the ink cavity, the shading piece can move between a first position capable of shading light rays emitted by the light emitting piece and a second position incapable of shading the light rays emitted by the light emitting piece, and the light rays emitted by the light emitting piece cannot generate loss, so that the light receiving piece is ensured to receive all the light rays emitted by the light emitting piece, and misjudgment of the ink allowance in the ink cavity by the ink jet imaging equipment is avoided.

Description

Ink cartridge

The present utility model claims priority from China patent application No. 202120727450.6, filed by the applicant at 4/9/2021, china patent application No. 202120484349.2, filed by the applicant at 3/5/2021, china patent application No. 202122765982.1, filed by the applicant at 11/2021, china patent application No. 202122765982.1, patent application No. "ink cartridge", the contents of which are cross-referenced in this application.

Technical Field

The present utility model relates to the field of inkjet imaging, and more particularly to an ink cartridge removably mountable in an inkjet printer.

Background

Inkjet printers are commonly used inkjet image forming apparatuses to which an ink cartridge is detachably mounted for supplying ink when the inkjet printer is in operation. Fig. 1 provides a perspective view of a conventional ink cartridge, the ink cartridge 1 including a housing 2 containing ink, and a translucent portion 27 extending upward from an upper surface 22 of the housing 2, the translucent portion 27 being configured to detect a 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 in which the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to the ink jet printer, the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are provided on the left and right sides of the translucent portion 27, respectively, and the translucent portion 27 communicates with the ink chamber containing ink, when the amount of ink in the ink cartridge 1 is large, the light emitted from the light emitting portion cannot pass through the translucent portion 27, and thus the light receiving portion cannot receive the light, and the ink jet printer considers that the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge 1 is large; as the ink in the ink cartridge is consumed with the operation of the ink jet printer, when the ink is consumed to a predetermined value, the light emitted from the light emitting portion can reach the light receiving portion through the light transmitting portion 27, at which time the ink jet printer considers that the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge 1 is insufficient, and notifies the user of the replacement of the ink cartridge by giving an alarm.

As described above, only the light emitted by the light emitting portion passes through the light transmitting portion 27 and is received by the light receiving portion, and the ink jet printer can determine that the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge 1 is insufficient after the light receiving portion receives the light of the predetermined intensity, however, since the light transmitting portion 27 is communicated with the ink cavity containing the ink in the ink cartridge 1, when the ink adheres to the inner wall of the light transmitting portion 27 during use, the light passing efficiency of the light transmitting portion 27 will be affected, and further the ink jet printer may misdetermine 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 will be "lost" in the process of passing through the transparent portion 27, and the ink residue may be misjudged by the ink-jet printer.

Disclosure of Invention

The utility model provides an ink box, wherein a shading piece is arranged, and the relative position of the shading piece in the ink box changes along with the consumption of ink, so that the light emitted by a light emitting part can be totally received by a light receiving part, thereby ensuring that an ink jet machine can accurately judge the ink allowance, and the specific scheme is as follows:

an ink cartridge detachably mounted in an inkjet image forming apparatus provided with a light emitting member and a light receiving member, the ink cartridge including a housing forming an ink chamber containing ink, an ink outlet portion communicating with the ink chamber so that the ink can be discharged through the ink outlet portion, and a detection assembly; the light receiving piece is used for receiving light rays emitted by the light emitting piece, and the detection assembly is matched with the light emitting piece and the light receiving piece and used for detecting the ink allowance in the ink cavity; the detection assembly comprises a movable shading piece, and the shading piece can move between a first position capable of shading light rays emitted by the light emitting piece and a second position incapable of shading the light rays emitted by the light emitting piece along with the change of ink quantity in the ink cavity.

Along the moving direction of the shading piece, a first distance is reserved between the shading piece and the ink outlet part in the first position, and a second distance is reserved between the shading piece and the ink outlet part in the second position, wherein the first distance is different from the second distance.

As a first embodiment, the detection assembly further includes a deformable member coupled to the light shielding member, the light shielding member being configured to move in an up-down direction of the ink cartridge, the deformable member being elastically deformed in accordance with the movement of the light shielding member; the light shielding member is located at the first position when the ink chamber is filled with ink, and is located at the second position when the ink in the ink chamber is consumed below a predetermined amount.

Based on the above concept, when the light shielding member is located at the first position, buoyancy of ink is transmitted to the light shielding member through the deformable member, and when the light shielding member is located at the second position, the deformable member is pressed by the light shielding member to generate elastic deformation, and the light shielding member is closer to the ink outlet part; the detection assembly further comprises a rotating piece which can be in contact with the deformable piece, when the shading piece is located at the first position, the rotating piece is not in contact with the deformable piece, the shading piece is pressed by the deformable piece to elastically deform, when the shading piece is located at the second position, the rotating piece is in contact with the deformable piece, the shading piece is forced to push by the rotating piece, and the shading piece is far away from the ink outlet part; or when the light shielding piece is positioned at the first position, the buoyancy of the ink directly acts on the light shielding piece, the deformable piece is forced to elastically deform by the light shielding piece, and when the light shielding piece is positioned at the second position, the light shielding piece is closer to the ink outlet part.

As a second embodiment, the light shielding member is swingable in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction to move between the first position and the second position, and when the light shielding member is swung in the left-right direction, the rotation axis thereof is parallel to the front-rear direction; when the shading piece swings along the front-back direction, the rotation axis of the shading piece is parallel to the left-right direction.

As a third embodiment, the light shielding member is movable between a first position and a second position by sliding or rolling in the front-rear direction, and a distance between the light shielding member and the ink outlet portion in the front-rear direction is greater in the second position than in the first position.

The detection assembly further includes a moving member in the ink chamber, the moving member being movable with a change in the amount of ink, at least one of the light shielding member and the moving member having magnetism, the light shielding member being located outside the housing without being in contact with the ink.

Preferably, the ink cartridge further includes a limit frame defining a moving track of the light shielding member.

The moving part is a rotating part capable of rotating around the rotating shaft, the detection assembly further comprises a matching part fixedly arranged on the rotating part, and the matching part can interact with the shading part through magnetic force;

or, the moving member is a rotating member capable of rotating around the rotating shaft, the detecting assembly further comprises a matching member movably mounted on the rotating member, the matching member can interact with the shading member in a magnetic force mode, and at the moment, preferably, the ink box further comprises a movable cavity arranged in the ink cavity, and the matching member can roll or slide in the front-back direction in the movable cavity.

As described above, the light shielding member in the detection assembly is not fixedly disposed, but is disposed so as 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, so that the light is not "lost", and it is ensured that the light receiving member can receive all the light emitted from the light emitting member, and erroneous judgment of the ink remaining amount in the ink chamber by the ink jet image forming apparatus 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 a first embodiment of the present utility model.

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

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an ink cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present utility model taken along the up-down direction in a state of being mounted to an ink jet printer.

Fig. 5A is a schematic view showing a state of the ink detecting assembly when the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present utility model is filled with ink.

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

Fig. 6A is a schematic diagram showing a state of the ink detecting unit when ink in the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present utility model is consumed to a predetermined value.

Fig. 6B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present utility model when ink in the ink cartridge is consumed to a predetermined value, as 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 utility model.

Fig. 8A is a schematic diagram showing a state of the ink detecting unit when the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present utility model is filled with ink.

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

Fig. 9A is a schematic diagram showing a state of the ink detecting unit when ink in the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present utility model is consumed to a predetermined value.

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

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

Fig. 11A is a schematic diagram showing a state of an ink detecting unit when an ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present utility model is filled with ink.

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

Fig. 12A is a schematic diagram showing a state of an ink detecting unit when ink in the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present utility model is consumed to a predetermined value.

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

Fig. 13 is an exploded view of a detecting unit in an ink cartridge according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 14A is a schematic diagram showing a state of an ink detecting unit when an ink cartridge according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model is filled with ink.

Fig. 14B is a schematic diagram showing a state of the ink detecting unit when ink in the ink cartridge according to the fifth embodiment of the present utility model is consumed to a predetermined value.

Fig. 15 is an exploded view of a detecting unit in an ink cartridge according to a sixth embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 16A is a schematic view showing a state of an ink detecting unit when an ink cartridge according to a sixth embodiment of the present utility model is filled with ink.

Fig. 16B is a schematic diagram showing the state of the ink detecting unit when ink in the ink cartridge according to the sixth embodiment of the present utility model is consumed to a predetermined value.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present utility model are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following embodiments, the components for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge are modified, and thus, the components identical to those of the related art will be given the same numerals except for the remaining amount of ink detecting components.

For the sake of clarity of description, the ink cartridge 1 is first defined as follows: defining the installation direction of the ink cartridge 1 as the front-rear direction, and the ink cartridge 1 is installed forward, based on the angle of the ink cartridge 1 when installed, the upper side of the ink cartridge 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 about the orientation corresponds to the above description.

Example 1

[ Integrated structure of ink cartridge ]

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view of an ink cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present utility model; FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an internal structure of an ink cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present utility model; fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an ink cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present utility model taken along the up-down 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 located at the front and an upper surface 22 located above; the ink outlet portion 3 projects forward from the front surface 21 near the lower side and communicates with the ink chamber 20 for supplying the 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, and when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to the 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 assembly 6 is arranged in the up-down direction, and at least a part of the detection assembly 6 is movable in the up-down direction according to the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20.

The chip mounting portion 4 is located above the ink outlet portion 3 in the up-down direction, and further, the ink cartridge 1 further includes a sensing piece 23 and a boss 24 extending upward from the upper surface 22, wherein the sensing piece 23 is adapted to cooperate with the ink jet printer so that the ink cartridge 1 can be recognized by the ink jet printer during the mounting of the ink cartridge 1, a click 25 and a handle 26 are further provided above the boss 24, and the click 25 is snapped by the ink jet printer when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to a predetermined position of the ink jet printer, and thus, the ink cartridge 1 is positioned in the ink jet printer, and a user pulls the ink cartridge 1 rearward by holding the handle 26 when the ink cartridge 1 needs to be taken out.

Further, the case 2 includes a bottom case 2a and a face 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 face cover 2b, the sealing film 5 is used to seal the ink chamber 20 in the left-right direction, the face cover 2b is combined with the bottom case 2a in the left-right direction, and thus, the sealing film 5 is located between the face cover 2b and the bottom case 2 a. When the bottom case 2a and the cover 2b are combined, the

upper surfaces

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

[ detection Assembly ]

The detection unit 6 may be provided on the bottom case 2a or the face cover 2b, and hereinafter, description will be given taking an example in which the detection unit 6 is provided on the bottom case 2 a. As shown in the drawing, the detecting member 6 includes a light shielding member 61, a guide member 62, and a deformable member 63, a light emitting member 71 and a light receiving member 72 are provided in the ink jet image forming apparatus (as shown in fig. 5B), when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to the ink jet image forming apparatus, the detecting member 6 enters between the light emitting member 71 and the light receiving member 72, the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 if it cannot be received by the light receiving member 72, the ink jet printer recognizes that the ink amount in the ink cartridge 1 is large, the user can use it normally, the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 if it can be received by the light receiving member 72, the ink jet printer recognizes that the ink amount in the ink cartridge 1 is insufficient, and at this time, the ink jet printer gives an alarm notifying the user to replace the ink cartridge 1.

In the embodiment of the present utility model, the light shielding member 61 is movable in the guide member 62, and when the ink volume in the ink chamber 20 is larger than a predetermined value or when the ink volume in the ink cartridge 1 is large, the light shielding member 61 is positioned to shield 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 gradually moves 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 in this embodiment is movable between a light shielding position (first position) for shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 and a non-light shielding position (second position) for not shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member 71, where the non-light shielding position means that the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 passes through the light shielding member 61 entirely 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 ink balance by the ink jet printer.

Depending on the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20, the light shielding member 61 may move in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the light ray L emitted by the light emitting member 71, specifically, for example, up-down movement in the up-down direction, or forward-backward movement in the forward-backward direction, or movement in a direction inclined to the plane in which the up-down direction and the forward-backward direction are common, that is, in a direction inclined to the left-right direction. Regardless of the direction of movement of the light shielding member 61, the movement of the light shielding member 61 is controlled by the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20 as a whole, and it is understood that the buoyancy direction of the ink to the object located in the ink chamber 20 is vertically upward, and thus, when the light shielding member 61 is selectively moved in the up-down direction, the buoyancy generated by the ink can be directly used to control the light shielding member 61; when the light shielding member 61 is selected not to move in the up-down direction, the light shielding member 61 may 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-rear direction, the light shielding member 61 may be controlled by converting the upward buoyancy generated by the ink into the front-rear direction; similarly, when the light shielding member 61 moves in a direction inclined to the left-right direction, the light shielding member 61 is controlled by converting 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, a guide 62 is formed in the ink chamber 20 in the up-down direction, having a first end 62a located above and a second end 62b located below, and preferably, a guide chamber 620 is formed inside the guide 62 to accommodate the light shielding member 61, the first end 62a is opened, the second end 62b is formed with an opening 621, and the deformable member 63 is located at the second end 62b and contacts the light shielding member 61.

In the present embodiment, the opening 621 is sealed, and thus the guide chamber 620 is isolated from the ink chamber 20, and the ink in the ink chamber 20 does not leak through the guide chamber 620, that is, the guide chamber 620 is not in communication with the ink chamber 20; preferably, the deformable member 63 is an elastic film that is elastically deformable as the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20 changes; the opening 621 is sealed by the elastic film 63, and the light shielding member 61 may be exposed through the first end 62a when the light shielding 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 disposed in this order from the top, of which at least the light shielding portion 611 is made of a light-impermeable material, or the light shielding member 61 is entirely made of a light-permeable material, which is attached to the light shielding member 61, so that the light shielding portion 611 is formed on the light shielding member 61, the light shielding portion 611 being for shielding the light L emitted by the light emitting member 71; the connecting portion 612 connects the light shielding portion 611 and the guide portion 613, and the guide portion 613 has a size larger than that of the connecting portion 612 and the light shielding portion 611 and slightly smaller than that of the guide chamber 620 in the left-right direction or/and the front-rear direction, so that the light shielding member 61 can move in the guide chamber 620 more smoothly, and a stepped surface 614 is formed above the guide portion 613. As a simplified structure, the connecting portion 612 may be omitted, the light shielding portion 611 is directly connected to the guide portion 613, and it is apparent that, in the case where the dimension of the guide chamber 620 in the up-down direction is unchanged, the dimension of the guide portion 613 in the up-down direction will become longer, and thus, the material consumption of the guide portion 613 is greater, thereby causing an increase in the overall material cost of the light shielding member 61, and thus, the provision of the connecting portion 612 contributes to a reduction in the overall material cost of the light shielding member 61.

The inner wall of the guide cavity 620 is formed with a limit protrusion 65 extending inward, and the limit protrusion 65 is used for being combined with the step surface 614 to limit the upward movement amount 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 shielding member 61 can move with the elastic deformation of the elastic film 63 when the elastic film 63 is elastically deformed in response to the change in the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20.

[ detection procedure ]

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram showing the state of the ink detecting unit when the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present utility model is filled with ink;

fig. 5B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present utility model when the ink cartridge is filled with ink, as viewed in the front-rear direction; FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram showing a state of an ink detecting unit when ink in an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present utility model is consumed to a predetermined value;

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 as 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 drawing, the elastic film 63 is not elastically deformed by the buoyancy of the ink 11, and the light shielding member 61 is supported by the elastic film 63 through the guide portion 613, at this time, the gravity of the light shielding member 61 is balanced with the buoyancy of the ink applied to the light shielding member 61 through the elastic film 63, and at least the light shielding portion 611 of the light shielding member 61 is exposed to the outside through the first end 62 a; alternatively, when the elastic film 63 is sufficiently spaced from the ink level in the ink chamber 20 in the up-down direction, the buoyancy force of the ink applied to the light shielding member 61 by the elastic film 63 is greater than the gravity force of the light shielding member 61, at which time the elastic film 63 is deformed upward by the buoyancy force, and accordingly, the light shielding member 61 is also forced to be pushed upward, and as such, 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 in the up-down direction, the light shielding member 61 is located at the light shielding position, as shown in fig. 5B, the light L emitted from the light emitting member 71 is shielded by the light shielding portion 611 from passing through the light shielding member 61, and the light receiving member 72 is completely unable to receive the light L; the light shielding portion 611 does not exceed the boss 24 in the up-down direction, and the light shielding portion 611 is protected by the boss 24 in the front-rear direction while also preventing the light shielding portion 611 from interfering with the inside of the inkjet printer during the process of the ink cartridge 1 being mounted forward in the front-rear direction.

As the ink 11 in the ink chamber 20 is consumed, the buoyancy of the ink 11 to the elastic film 63 gradually decreases, and under the gravity of the light shielding member 61, the guide portion 613 starts to press the elastic film 63 to elastically deform downward, and 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 all exerted on the elastic film 63, the downward elastic deformation amount of the elastic film 63 is maximized, the light shielding member 61 stops moving downward, at this time, the light shielding portion 611 does not shield the light L, preferably, all of the light shielding member 61 enters 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-shielding position, and the distance from the upper surface 22/substrate 41/contact 42 above the light shielding member 61 is reduced compared with the light shielding position at this time, or, in the up-down direction, the distance from the upper surface 22/substrate 41/contact 42 is different in the light shielding position and the non-shielding position. In this embodiment, since the light L is not "lost" during the running process, the inkjet printing can make an accurate judgment according to the received light L, and remind the user of the need to replace the ink cartridge.

As described above, the elastic film 63 generates different elastic variation 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 where the light L is blocked and the position where the light L is not blocked, that is, the ink jet printer can send different prompt information to the user according to the different ink amounts in the ink chamber 20.

When the ink chamber 20 is filled with ink, under the buoyancy of the ink 11, the light shielding member 61 is supported by the elastic film 63 to be in a position to completely shield the light L, the light L emitted from the light emitting member 71 cannot be received by the light receiving member 72 at all, and the ink jet printer sends a message to the user that the ink amount 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 level gradually decreases in the up-down direction, the buoyancy force to which the light shielding member 61 is subjected 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 itself, the light shielding member 61 also moves downward synchronously, in other words, a part of the light L emitted by the light emitting member 71 is gradually not blocked by the light shielding member 61 any more, in other words, a part of the light L is located above the light shielding member 61 and is not blocked by the light shielding member 61 any more, and is finally received by the light receiving member 72, and another part of the light L is still blocked by the light shielding member 61, at this time, the ink jet printer can determine the ink remaining amount in the ink chamber 20 according to the amount of the light received by the light receiving member 72.

Assuming that the light L emitted from the light emitting element 71 has an amount of light c, when the amount of light received by the light receiving element 72 is zero, the ink jet printer judges that the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20 is in a full state, when the amount of light received by the light receiving element 72 is c/2, the ink jet printer judges that the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20 is in a state of being consumed to half, and when the amount of light received by the light receiving element 72 is c, the ink jet printer judges that the amount of ink 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 according to the requirement, so that the design freedom is relatively high, for example, when the ink cartridge manufacturer can adjust the parameters such as the size or the quality of the light shielding member 61 to make the ink amount in the ink chamber 20 remain half, the light shielding member 61 reaches the non-light shielding position, when the parameter of the light shielding member 61 is adjusted to make the ink amount in the ink chamber 20 remain one fourth, the light shielding member 61 reaches the non-light shielding position, and further, the light shielding member 61 can be adjusted to make the ink level in the ink chamber 20 lower than the highest point of the ink outlet portion 3, the light shielding member 61 reaches the non-light shielding position, thereby fully consuming the ink in the ink chamber 20.

In this embodiment, as the light shielding member 61 moves downward, the light receiving member 72 can not receive the light L at all, to gradually receive part of the light L, and then to receive all of the light L, and the light received by the light receiving member 72 is all the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 and located above the light shielding member 61, and all the light that cannot be received by the light receiving member 72 is shielded by the light shielding member 61, as described in the background art, the light is not "lost" in the process of passing through the light transmitting portion 27, so that the amount of light received by the light receiving portion is insufficient, and therefore, with the detection assembly 6 according to this embodiment, the inkjet printer can accurately determine the ink remaining amount in the ink chamber 20 according to the amount of light received by the light receiving member 72, and send the correct indication information to the user.

Example two

The present embodiment is different from the above embodiment 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 with emphasis hereinafter.

As shown in fig. 7, the detection assembly 6 in the present embodiment includes a light shielding member 61, a guide member 62, a deformable member 63, and a rotating member 64; the light shielding member 61 comprises a light shielding part 611, a through hole 615, a connecting part 612 and a guiding part 613 which are sequentially arranged from top to bottom, wherein the light shielding part 611 is arranged adjacent to the through hole 615, or the through hole 615 is positioned between the light shielding part 611 and the connecting part 612, the through hole 615 is communicated in the left-right direction, and no loss is generated when light passes through the through hole 615; the functions of the connection portion 612 and the guide portion 613 are the same as those of the above-described embodiment, and will not be described again.

The deformable member 63 is still selected to be an elastic membrane, while the elastic membrane 63 seals the second end 62b of the guide member 62 so that the guide chamber 620 is not in communication with the ink chamber 20. The rotating member 64 is rotatably installed in the ink chamber 20 and configured to rotate as the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20 changes, and as shown in fig. 7, the rotating member 64 includes a rotating portion 643 and first and

second portions

641 and 642 connected to the rotating portion 643, the rotating portion 643 is perforated, the housing 2 is provided with a rotating shaft 28, the rotating portion 643 is combined with the rotating shaft 28, the second portion 642 rotates around the rotating shaft 28 according to the change of the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20 while driving the first portion 641 to rotate, the first portion 641 moves the light shielding member 61 gradually upward from a light shielding position shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 during rotation and reaches a non-shielding position not shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member 71, in which the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 is all shielded by the light shielding portion 611, and in which the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 is not shielded by the light shielding portion 611, at this time, all the light is received by the light receiving member 72 through the through hole 615.

Fig. 8A is a schematic diagram showing a state of an ink detecting unit when an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present utility model is filled with ink;

fig. 8B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present utility model when the ink cartridge is filled with ink, the ink cartridge being viewed in the front-rear direction; fig. 9A is a schematic diagram showing a state of an ink detecting unit when ink in an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present utility model is consumed to a predetermined value;

As shown in fig. 8A and 8B, the ink chamber 20 is filled with the ink 11, the rotary member 64 receives the upward buoyancy of the ink 11 so that the second portion 642 is not in contact with the elastic film 63/the 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 film 63 to elastically deform downward against the buoyancy of the ink 11 by its own weight.

As the ink in the ink chamber 20 is consumed, the rotating member second portion 642 is subjected to an upward buoyancy force gradually decreasing, and the rotating member 64 as a whole rotates in the direction indicated by r about the rotation shaft 28 by the self-gravity of the second portion 642, and the rotating member first portion 641 gradually approaches the elastic film 63. In this embodiment, to ensure that the first portion 641 can push out the light shielding member 61 smoothly upwards, as shown in fig. 7, the light shielding member 61 further includes a guiding slope 616 provided on the guiding portion 613, when the rotating member 64 rotates in the r direction shown in fig. 8A, the first portion 641 is combined with the guiding slope 616, and gradually pushes out the light shielding member 61 upwards under the guidance of the guiding slope 616, and finally reaches the position shown in fig. 9A, at this time, the first portion 641 abuts against the bottom surface 617 of the guiding portion 613, and the light L emitted by the light emitting member 71 is received by the light receiving portion 72 through the through hole 615, at this time, the light shielding member 61 is located at a non-light shielding position, and the light shielding portion 611 at this time is further away from the ink outlet portion 3, or the distance between the upper side of the light shielding member 61 and the upper surface 22/substrate 41/contact 42 increases in the up-down direction, so that the distance between the upper side of the light shielding member 61 and the upper surface 22/substrate 41/contact 42 is different in the light shielding position and the non-light shielding position, as shown in fig. 9B.

Further, as a modification of the deformable member 63, as shown in fig. 7, the deformable member 63 includes an elastic film 631 and a urging projection 632 provided on the elastic film 631, the elastic film 631 serving to seal the second end opening 621 of the guide member 62, the urging projection 632 being opposed to the guide portion 613 of the light shielding member 61, and when the rotating member first portion 641 is rotated in the r direction to below the elastic film 63, the first portion 641 causes the urging projection 632 to push the guide portion 613 upward by pushing the elastic film 63, and thus the light shielding member 61 moves upward.

In the process of gradually moving up the light shielding member 61, the light shielding portion 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 all the light emitted by the light emitting member 71 is 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 the present embodiment also increases gradually 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 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 numbers will be used for the same components as those of the above embodiment, except that in this embodiment, the guide chamber 620 is in communication with the ink chamber 20, and the deformable member 63 is no longer disposed in the second opening 62b, so as to reduce the difficulty in mounting the deformable member 63.

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

Also, the guide member 62 in the present embodiment extends in the up-down direction from the side where the upper surface 22 is located toward the ink chamber 20, and has a first end 62a located above and a second end 62b located below, the second end 62b being in communication with the ink chamber 20, and the deformable member 63 is mounted on the first end 62a, so that 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, ink does not leak from the first end 62 a. The light shielding member 61 is movably installed in the guide chamber 620, and the upper side of the light shielding member 61 is connected with the deformable member 63, so that the deformable member 63 can move together with the light shielding member 61,

Fig. 11A is a schematic view showing a state of an ink detecting unit when an ink cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present utility model is filled with ink;

fig. 11B is a schematic view of an ink cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present utility model when the ink cartridge is filled with ink, the ink cartridge being viewed in the front-rear direction; fig. 12A is a schematic view showing a state of an ink detecting unit when ink in an ink cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present utility model is consumed to a predetermined value; fig. 12B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present utility model when ink in the ink cartridge is consumed to a predetermined value, as viewed in the front-rear direction.

When the ink chamber 20 is filled with the ink 11, the light shielding member 61 is located at the light shielding position, the whole of the light shielding member 61 is pushed upward by the buoyancy of the ink 11, and as shown in fig. 11A and 11B, the deformable member 63 is pushed upward by the light shielding member 61 to be deformed, 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 blocked by the light shielding portion 611 from being received by the light receiving member 72.

As the ink 11 is consumed, the ink level in the ink chamber 20 gradually decreases, the buoyancy of the ink received by the light shielding member 61 gradually decreases, 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 a non-light shielding position, and the light shielding portion 611 is closer to the ink outlet portion 3, or in other words, the distance from the upper side of the light shielding member 61 to the upper surface 22/the substrate 41/the contact point 42 decreases in the up-down direction, and the distance from the upper side of the light shielding member 61 to the upper surface differs in the light shielding position and the non-light shielding position in the up-down direction. The light L emitted from the light emitting member 71 in the present embodiment passes over the light shielding member 61, and the entire light L is received by the light receiving member 72, and since the light L is not "lost", the ink jet printer can make an accurate judgment of the ink remaining amount.

In the non-light shielding position shown in fig. 12A and 12B, the upper side of the light shielding member 61 is connected to the deformable member 63, and the light shielding member 61 is not pulled out of the guide chamber 620 even if the buoyancy of the ink 11 is not applied. The deformable member 63 in the present embodiment is mounted at the first end 62a of the guide member 62 with respect to the second end 62b of the deformable member 63 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 bonded by welding, gluing, or the like.

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

Example IV

The embodiment in which the light shielding member 61 is moved in the up-down direction between the light shielding position and the non-light shielding position has been described above, it is to be understood that the light shielding member 61 may also be provided so as to be biased in the left-right direction or the front-rear direction to effect movement between the light shielding position and the non-light shielding position, i.e., the light shielding member 61 may be moved in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the light ray L, with its rotation axis being parallel to the front-rear direction when the light shielding member 61 is biased in the left-right direction, and with its rotation axis being parallel to the left-right direction when the light shielding member 61 is biased in the front-rear direction. Whether the light shielding member 61 is biased in the left-right direction or in the front-rear 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 this time, the light emitted by the light emitting member 71 cannot be received by the light receiving member 72, and in the non-light shielding position, the light shielding portion 611 avoids the traveling direction of the light L, at this time, the light shielding portion 611 may be located closer to the ink outlet portion 3 or further from the ink outlet portion 3, and the distance between the upper side of the light shielding member 61 and the upper surface 22/the substrate 41/the contact 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 with a weight, when the ink chamber 20 is filled with ink, the weight does not act under the buoyancy of the ink, the light shielding member 61 is located at a light shielding position, and when the ink 11 is gradually consumed, the light shielding member 61 deflects toward the side connected with the weight, so that the light shielding portion 611 leaves the traveling direction of the light L to reach a non-light shielding position.

Example five

The above-described embodiments in which the elastic film 63/631 is used to move the light shielding member 61 between the light shielding position and the non-light shielding position can be realized, and the magnetic force between the oppositely disposed magnetic members can be used to move the light shielding member 61 between the light shielding position and the non-light shielding position, for example, when the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20 is changed, the magnetic force between the magnetic members is increased or decreased, thereby causing the light shielding member 61 to move, and in particular, the light shielding member 61 can move in the up-down direction, and can also move in the front-back direction or the left-right direction.

Fig. 13 is an exploded view of a detecting unit in an ink cartridge according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model. The same structure as the above embodiment will not be described again, and the same components as the above embodiment will be given the same numerals.

In this embodiment, the light shielding member 61 is switched between the light shielding position and the non-light shielding position by moving in the front-rear direction, and as shown in fig. 13, the detection unit 6 includes the light shielding member 61 located outside the housing 2, a moving member located in the ink chamber 20, the moving member being movable with a change in the amount of ink, at least one of the light shielding member 61 and the moving member having magnetism, and thus the light shielding member 61 being movable along a predetermined trajectory with a movement of the moving member.

In the present embodiment, the light shielding member 61 itself is a magnetic member, and when the light shielding member 61 is located at the light shielding position, the light emitted in the left-right direction by the light emitting member 71 will be shielded by the light shielding member 61 from being received by the light receiving member 72; as shown in fig. 13, the light shielding member 61 is in a shape of a cake, a limit frame 29 is provided above the housing 2, and the light shielding member 61 can roll in a limit space 291 in the limit frame 29. Specifically, the light shielding member 61 may be entirely made of a magnetic member, or may be only partially made of a magnetic member, and may be moved in a sliding manner in addition to rolling, so long as the light shielding member 61 is capable of shielding light emitted from the light emitting member at a light shielding position and is not capable of shielding light emitted from the light emitting member at a non-light shielding position.

As in the second embodiment, the moving member in the present embodiment is a rotating member 64 rotatable about the rotation shaft 28, the rotating member 64 includes a rotating portion 643, and a first portion 641 and a second portion 642 connected to the rotating portion, and a mating member 66 attracted by the magnetic force of the light shielding member 61 is fixedly installed in the rotating member 64, in the present embodiment, the mating member 66 is a metal that can be attracted by the magnetic force, for example, the mating member 66 is made of at least one of metals such as iron, nickel, cobalt, and the like; in the up-down direction, the first portion 641 is closer to the shutter 61 than the second portion 642, and when the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20 is changed, the rotary member 64 is rotated integrally around the rotary portion 643, and both the first portion 641 and the second portion 642 are moved, preferably, the engaging member 66 is fixedly installed in the first portion 641, so that not only can the shutter 61 be moved more sensitively in response to the rotation of the rotary member 64, but also the amount of material used for the engaging member 66 and its size can be reduced.

Fig. 14A is a schematic view showing a state of an ink detecting unit when an ink cartridge according to a fifth embodiment of the present utility model is filled with ink;

As shown in fig. 14A, when the ink chamber 20 is filled with the ink 11, the rotating member 64 is in the position shown in fig. 14A by the buoyancy of the ink, and the light shielding member 61 is held in the light shielding position/first position shown in the drawing with the mating member 66 by the magnetic force between the light shielding member 61 and the mating member 66, and at the same time, the light shielding member 61 is also restricted in the restricting space 291 by the restricting frame 29.

As the ink in the ink chamber 20 is consumed, the buoyancy of the ink gradually decreases, the rotating member 64 rotates around the rotating portion 643, and as in the second embodiment, the second portion 642 is provided heavier than the first portion 641, and when the buoyancy of the ink decreases, the rotating member 64 will rotate integrally rearward and downward in the drawing, and the engaging member 66 will move generally rearward with the first portion 641, and the light shielding member 61 will roll rearward in the restricting space 291 by the magnetic force until reaching the non-light shielding position/second position shown in fig. 14B; the light shielding member 61 located at the non-light shielding position is further away from the ink outlet portion 3/the substrate 41/the contacts 42 in the front-rear direction than the light shielding member 61 located at the light shielding position.

On the one hand, the light shielding member 61 is located at the outer side of the ink chamber 20, and the light shielding member 61 is isolated from the ink chamber 20 by the side plate of the upper surface 22 of the housing, so that the light shielding member 61 is not contacted with ink, not only the installation of the light shielding member 61 is facilitated, but also the ink is not adhered on the light shielding member 61, no matter the light shielding member 61 is at the light shielding position or the non-light shielding position, when the light emitted by the light emitting member 71 reaches the light shielding member 61, the light is not reflected or refracted, thereby affecting the detection precision of the detection assembly 6, or causing misjudgment of the ink jet printer.

On the other hand, the light shielding member 61 is defined in the stopper frame 29, thereby ensuring that the movement locus of the light shielding member 61 does not deviate.

The light shielding member 61 may roll in the front-rear direction in the stopper frame 29 along with the engaging member 66, and as described above, the light shielding member 61 may also be provided to slide in the stopper frame 29, and the light shielding member 61 may slide in the front-rear direction in the stopper frame 29 under the action of magnetic force along with the change of the position of the engaging member 66.

Example six

FIG. 15 is an exploded view of a detection assembly in an ink cartridge according to a sixth embodiment of the present utility model; fig. 16A is a schematic view showing a state of an ink detecting unit when an ink cartridge according to a sixth embodiment of the present utility model is filled with ink; fig. 16B is a schematic diagram showing the state of the ink detecting unit when ink in the ink cartridge according to the sixth embodiment of the present utility model is consumed to a predetermined value.

The difference between this embodiment and the fifth embodiment is that the matching piece 66 is also a magnetic piece, so that the magnetic force between the light shielding piece 61 and the matching piece 66 acts more uniformly, and the light shielding piece 61 is also disposed in the limiting frame 29 and moves in the limiting space 291 along with the movement of the matching piece 66, and the movement manner can be rolling or sliding; further, the engaging piece 66 is also provided in the movable chamber 67 in the ink chamber 20 in such a manner as to roll or slide.

As shown in fig. 16A, when the ink chamber 20 is filled with ink, the rotating member 64 is in the position shown in fig. 16A by the buoyancy of the ink, the light shielding member 61 is held in the light shielding position/first position shown in the drawing with the engaging member 66 by the magnetic force between the light shielding member 61 and the engaging member 66, and at the same time, the light shielding member 61 is also restricted in the restricting space 291 by the restricting frame 29, and the engaging member 66 is also restricted in the movable chamber 67.

As shown in fig. 16B, as the ink in the ink chamber 20 is consumed, the buoyancy of the ink gradually decreases, the rotating member 64 rotates downward and rearward in the drawing about the rotating portion 643, and the engaging member 66 moves rearward in the forward and rearward direction in the movable chamber 67 under the restriction of the movable chamber 67, and the light shielding member 61 rolls rearward in the restricting space 291 under the influence of magnetic force until reaching the non-light shielding position/second position shown in fig. 14B.

In the process of the matching piece 66 moving back and forth, due to the limitation of the movable cavity 67, the moving track of the matching piece 66 is more stable, and the magnetic force between the matching piece 66 and the shading piece 61 can be kept relatively stable, so that the moving process of the shading piece 61 is more stable, and the detection precision is higher.

As described above, the detection unit 6 according to the present utility model is provided with the light shielding member 61 movable between the light shielding position and the non-light shielding position, and when the ink chamber 20 of the ink cartridge is filled with ink, the light shielding member 61 is positioned at the light shielding position where the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 can be shielded, and at this time, the light is totally 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 gradually moves to a non-shielding position where all the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 is not shielded, and at this time, the light is not shielded by the light shielding member 61 but is received by the light receiving member 72 entirely, that is, the light received by the light receiving member 72 is not "lost", and when the ink chamber 20 is filled with ink again, the light shielding member 61 returns to the shielding position again, so that the information of the remaining amount of ink fed back to the ink jet printer by the light receiving member 72 is more real and accurate, and the ink jet printer will not be misjudged.

Claims

1. An ink cartridge detachably mounted in an inkjet image forming apparatus provided with a light emitting member and a light receiving member, the ink cartridge including a housing forming an ink chamber containing ink, an ink outlet portion communicating with the ink chamber so that the ink can be discharged through the ink outlet portion, and a detection assembly;

the light receiving piece is used for receiving light rays emitted by the light emitting piece, and the detection assembly is matched with the light emitting piece and the light receiving piece and used for detecting the ink allowance in the ink cavity; it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the detection assembly comprises a movable shading piece, and the shading piece can move between a first position capable of shading light rays emitted by the light emitting piece and a second position incapable of shading the light rays emitted by the light emitting piece along with the change of ink quantity in the ink cavity.

2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein in a moving direction of the light shielding member, a first distance is provided between the light shielding member and the ink outlet portion in the first position, and a second distance is provided between the light shielding member and the ink outlet portion in the second position, the first distance being different from the second distance.

3. The ink cartridge as in claim 2, wherein the detection assembly further comprises a deformable member coupled to the light shielding member, the light shielding member being configured to move in an up-down direction of the ink cartridge, the deformable member being elastically deformed in response to movement of the light shielding member.

4. The ink cartridge as in claim 3, wherein the light shielding member is located at the first position when the ink chamber is filled with ink, and is located at the second position when the ink in the ink chamber is consumed below a predetermined amount.

5. The ink cartridge according to claim 4, wherein when the light shielding member is located at the first position, buoyancy of the ink is transmitted to the light shielding member through the deformable member, and when the light shielding member is located at the second position, the deformable member is pressed by the light shielding member to be elastically deformed, and the light shielding member is located closer to the ink outlet portion.

6. The ink cartridge of claim 4, wherein the detection assembly further comprises a rotating member that is in contact with the deformable member, the rotating member being out of contact with the deformable member when the shutter is in the first position, the shutter being pressed against the deformable member to elastically deform, the rotating member being in contact with the deformable member when the shutter is in the second position, the shutter being forced by the rotating member, the shutter being further away from the ink outlet.

7. The ink cartridge as in claim 4, wherein when the light shielding member is in the first position, buoyancy of the ink directly acts on the light shielding member, and the deformable member is forced to elastically deform by the light shielding member, and when the light shielding member is in the second position, the light shielding member is closer to the ink outlet portion.

8. The ink cartridge as in claim 2, wherein the light shielding member is movable between the first position and the second position by being biased in a front-rear direction or a left-right direction.

9. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 8, wherein the rotation axis thereof is parallel to the front-rear direction when the light shielding member is deflected in the left-right direction.

10. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 8, wherein the rotation axis thereof is parallel to the left-right direction when the light shielding member is deflected in the front-rear direction.

11. The ink cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the light shielding member is slidable or rollable in the front-rear direction to move between a first position and a second position in which a distance between the light shielding member and the ink outlet portion in the front-rear direction is greater than a distance between the light shielding member and the ink outlet portion in the front-rear direction in the first position.

12. The ink cartridge as in claim 11, wherein the detection assembly further comprises a moving member in the ink chamber, the moving member being movable with a change in the amount of ink, at least one of the shutter member and the moving member having magnetism.

13. The ink cartridge as in claim 12, wherein the light shielding member is located outside the housing without contacting the ink.

14. The ink cartridge as in claim 13, further comprising a limit frame defining a movement track of the light shielding member.

15. The ink cartridge as in claim 14, wherein the moving member is a rotating member rotatable about a rotational axis, and the detecting assembly further comprises a mating member fixedly mounted on the rotating member, the mating member being capable of magnetically interacting with the light shielding member.

16. The ink cartridge as in claim 14, wherein the moving member is a rotating member rotatable about a rotational axis, the detection assembly further comprising a mating member movably mounted on the rotating member, the mating member being capable of magnetically interacting with the light shielding member.

17. The ink cartridge as in claim 16, further comprising a movable chamber disposed in the ink chamber, wherein the mating member is capable of rolling or sliding in a front-to-rear direction in the movable chamber.