CN220242791U

CN220242791U - Ink box

Info

Publication number: CN220242791U
Application number: CN202322173431.5U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 夏敬章; 梁仕超; 朱一静
Original assignee: Zhuhai Ninestar Management Co Ltd
Current assignee: Zhuhai Ninestar Management Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-09-05
Filing date: 2023-08-11
Publication date: 2023-12-26
Anticipated expiration: 2033-08-11
Also published as: WO2024051580A1

Abstract

The utility model discloses an ink box, which is arranged in a mounting cavity of a printer main body along an inserting direction, wherein a sensor is arranged in the mounting cavity, and the ink box comprises: a housing having a front surface and a top surface; the detection part is arranged on the top surface and comprises a shielding part and a light transmission part; the shielding part can shield the signal sent by the sensor or change the path of the signal sent by the sensor in the installation process of the ink box, and shield the signal sent by the sensor or change the path of the signal sent by the sensor again after the ink box is installed in place; the light transmission part allows the signal sent by the Xu Chuangan device to be received in the ink box installation process; the light transmitting portion is farther from the front surface of the housing than the shielding portion. According to the ink box, the shielding part and the light transmission part are arranged on the detection part at the same time, so that the condition that stains exist between the first shielding part and the second shielding part in the existing structure to influence the installation and detection of the ink box is avoided, and the detection stability is improved.

Description

Ink box

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the technical field of printers, in particular to an ink box.

Background

The ink cartridge is used to supply ink to the printer and is an important component of the printer.

The existing ink box comprises a shell, a first detection part and a second detection part are arranged on the top surface of the shell, the first detection part and the second detection part are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the shell, and the second detection part is arranged closer to the front end of the shell relative to the ink quantity detection piece. The ink horn can be followed the length direction of casing and packed into the installation intracavity of printer, and the top surface in printer installation intracavity is equipped with optical sensor, and optical sensor includes light emission portion and light receiving part, and the sensor outputs high level when the light that light emitter sent is received by the light receiver, and the sensor outputs low level when the light that light emitter sent is not received by the light receiver. In the process that the ink box is arranged in the mounting cavity, the second detection part passes through the space between the light emitting part and the light receiving part and shields light emitted by the light emitter, the light receiving part cannot receive the light emitted by the light emitting part, the optical sensor outputs a low level at the moment, when the second detection part passes through the optical sensor, the interval between the second detection part and the first detection part reaches the space between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, the light receiving part can receive the light emitted by the light emitting part, the optical sensor outputs a high level at the moment, when the interval between the second detection part and the first detection part passes through the optical sensor, the first detection part reaches the space between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, the light receiving part cannot receive the light emitted by the light emitting part, and the optical sensor outputs a low level at the moment. The printer receives the low-high-low level and considers the loader to be completed, and the ink cartridge can be used normally.

Because the dirt is easy to store between the first detection part and the second detection part in the process of transporting or using the ink box, the dirt can pass through the optical sensor and form shielding on the optical sensor in the process of loading the ink box into the installation cavity so as to block the light path of the optical sensor, thereby the optical sensor is continuously in a shielded state in the process of loading the ink box into the installation cavity, the detection of the printer is interfered, and the reliability of the printer is reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

According to an aspect of the present utility model, there is provided an ink cartridge to be mounted in a mounting chamber of a printer body in an insertion direction, the mounting chamber having a sensor, an ink supply needle, and a contact portion provided therein, the ink cartridge comprising:

a housing having a front surface and a top surface;

a detection portion disposed on the top surface, the detection portion including a shielding portion and a light-transmitting portion;

the shielding part can shield the signal sent by the sensor or change the path of the signal sent by the sensor in the installation process of the ink box, and shield the signal sent by the sensor or change the path of the signal sent by the sensor again after the ink box is installed in place;

the light-transmitting part allows the signal sent by the sensor to be received in the process of installing the ink box;

the light-transmitting portion is farther from the front surface of the housing than the shielding portion.

In some embodiments, the light-transmitting portion and the shielding portion are disposed in order along the insertion direction, and the light-transmitting portion is constituted by an upwardly concave groove formed on the detecting portion.

In some embodiments, an ink outlet is formed on the front surface of the housing, a sealing member and an elastic member are disposed in the ink outlet, the elastic member is compressed after the ink supply needle pierces the sealing member during the installation process of the ink cartridge, and the elastic member is compressed to generate elastic force so that the ink cartridge can move along the extraction direction opposite to the insertion direction.

In some embodiments, the elastic force of the elastic member can move the ink cartridge from a position where the light transmitting portion corresponds to the sensor to a position where the shielding portion corresponds to the sensor.

In some embodiments, the housing is provided with an abutment portion, the abutment portion including an abutment surface facing in the insertion direction, and movement of the ink cartridge in the insertion direction is restricted when the ink cartridge moves in the insertion direction during the mounting of the ink cartridge until the abutment surface abuts the mounting chamber.

In some embodiments, the abutment is provided on a top surface of the housing, the abutment abutting a contact within the mounting cavity during installation of the ink cartridge; or,

the abutting portion is arranged on the front surface of the shell and abuts against the front wall of the installation cavity along the insertion direction in the ink box installation process.

In some embodiments, the casing is provided with a limiting part, and when the limiting part is abutted against the contact part in the process that the ink cartridge moves along the taking-out direction under the action of the elastic force of the elastic piece, the movement of the ink cartridge along the taking-out direction is limited.

In some embodiments, the ink supply needle pierces the seal, a friction force is generated between the seal and the ink supply needle, and movement of the ink cartridge in the take-out direction is stopped when the ink cartridge moves in the take-out direction under the elastic force of the elastic member until the elastic force and the friction force cancel each other.

In some embodiments, the end of the elastic member adjacent to the sealing member is a first end having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the ink supply needle.

In some embodiments, a guide is provided on a top surface of the housing, the guide being located below the contact during the ink cartridge installation process.

The utility model has the beneficial effects that: according to the ink box, the shielding part and the light transmission part are arranged on the detection part at the same time, so that the condition that stains exist between the first shielding part and the second shielding part in the existing structure to influence the installation and detection of the ink box is avoided, and the detection stability is improved.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an ink cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present utility model;

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 the mounting chamber within the printer body of the present utility model;

fig. 4 to 5 are schematic views showing a process of installing an ink cartridge in an installation chamber of a printer body according to a first embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an ink cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present utility model after being mounted in place in a mounting cavity of a printer body;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present utility model;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural view of an ink cartridge according to a third embodiment of the present utility model.

Detailed Description

The present utility model will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the embodiments described are some, but not all embodiments of the utility model. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the utility model without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the utility model.

It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," and the like are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implying a number of technical features being indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present utility model, the meaning of "plurality" means at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless specifically defined otherwise.

In the present utility model, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly and include, for example, either fixedly attached, detachably attached, or integrally formed; may be mechanically connected, may be electrically connected or may be in communication with each other; either directly or indirectly, through intermediaries, or both, may be in communication with each other or in interaction with each other, unless expressly defined otherwise. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present utility model can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art according to the specific circumstances.

In the present utility model, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, a first feature "up" or "down" a second feature may be the first and second features in direct contact, or the first and second features in indirect contact via an intervening medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "over" and "on" a second feature may be a first feature being directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is level higher than the second feature. The first feature being "under", "below" and "beneath" the second feature may be the first feature being directly under or obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is less level than the second feature.

In the above description, descriptions of the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples," etc., mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the utility model. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms are not necessarily directed to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples may be combined and combined by those skilled in the art without contradiction.

Example 1

As shown in fig. 1, the present embodiment provides an ink cartridge 100 for supplying ink to a printer, a printer body is provided with a mounting chamber 200, the ink cartridge 100 is detachably mounted in the mounting chamber 200 in an upright posture, consumable materials (e.g., ink) for development are stored inside the ink cartridge 100, and when the printer prints, the consumable materials in the ink cartridge 100 are developed on a printing medium (e.g., paper). One or more ink cartridges 100 may be accommodated in the installation cavity 200, and the plurality of ink cartridges 100 may be disposed in the installation cavity 200 side by side, and the plurality of ink cartridges 100 may be of the same color or different colors.

As shown in fig. 3 to 6, the installation chamber 200 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, a first end thereof having an installation opening 210, and an end opposite to the installation opening 210 is a front wall 240 of the installation chamber, the ink cartridge 100 is installed into the installation chamber 200 along the installation opening 210, the installation chamber 200 has a plurality of cartridge installation positions, and each ink cartridge 100 is correspondingly installed in one of the cartridge installation positions. Each cartridge mounting location of the mounting cavity 200 includes a stylus 220, an ink supply needle 260, a sensor 230, and a contact 250.

As shown in fig. 1, the ink cartridge 100 includes a housing 1, a chip 2 provided on the housing 1, a chip holder 3, an ink outlet 4, a detection portion 5, a stopper portion 6, an abutment portion 7, and an operation portion 8.

As shown in fig. 1, the case 1 has a front surface a, a rear surface b, a top surface c, a bottom surface d, a left surface e, and a right surface f, the rear surface b being opposite to the front surface a, the top surface c intersecting the front surface a and the rear surface b, the bottom surface d being opposite to the top surface c, the left surface e intersecting the front surface a, the rear surface b, and the top surface c, the right surface f being opposite to the left surface e, the front surface a, the rear surface b, the top surface c, the bottom surface d, the left surface e, and the right surface f being connected to each other so that the case 1 forms a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case 1 structure, and an ink storage chamber storing ink inside the case 1.

To better explain the respective components of the ink cartridge 100, a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system XYZ axis is established, the housing 1 is set to a Z-axis direction in a vertical direction (gravity direction) in a use state (state of being mounted to the mounting chamber 200 in an upright posture), the top surface c is directed to the bottom surface d in a-Z direction (gravity direction), the horizontal direction is directed to the front surface in a +x direction, that is, the rear surface b is directed to the front surface in a +x direction, that is, the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 100 and the length direction of the housing 1, -the X direction is the removal direction of the ink cartridge 100, the width direction of the housing 1 is a Y direction, and the left surface e is directed to the right surface f in a +y direction. "front" along the +X axis direction, "rear" along the-X axis direction, "up" along the +Z axis direction, "down" along the-Z axis direction, "left" along the +Y axis direction, and "right" along the-Y axis direction. The three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system of the ink cartridge 100 coincides with the three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system of the installation cavity 200.

As shown in fig. 3 to 6, the first end (-X axis direction end) of the mounting chamber 200 is provided with the mounting port 210, the second end (+x axis direction end) of the mounting chamber 200 is the front wall 240 of the mounting chamber, the stylus 220, the sensor 230 and the contact portion 250 are all provided on top of the mounting chamber 200, and the contact portion 250, the sensor 230 and the stylus 220 are provided in this order along the insertion direction (+x axis direction), i.e., the stylus 220 is closest to the front wall 240 of the mounting chamber 200, and the contact portion 250 is closest to the mounting port 210. The ink supply needle 260 is disposed inside the front wall 240 of the mounting chamber 200, and the ink supply needle 260 is closer to the lower end of the mounting chamber 200 in the Z-axis direction. The sensor 230 is an optical sensor, and a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion of the sensor 230 are disposed opposite to each other in the Y-axis direction with a space therebetween.

As shown in fig. 1, the chip holder 3 is disposed at the junction of the front surface a and the top surface c, the chip 2 is mounted on the top of the chip holder 3, the chip 2 is disposed on the front side of the top surface c, i.e., near the front surface a, in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 100, the chip 2 is used for recording information of the ink amount of the ink cartridge 100, the number of times the ink cartridge 100 is used, etc., and when the ink cartridge 100 is mounted on the printer, the chip 2 is electrically connected with the contact pins 220 in the printer mounting chamber 200, and transmits information on the ink cartridge 100 to the printer and/or inputs some data parameters, etc. to the chip 2 by the printer.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the ink outlet 4 extends from the housing 1 in a length direction (X-axis direction) intersecting the height direction (Z-axis direction), and the ink outlet 4 has an ink outlet facing forward in the length direction, i.e., the ink outlet faces in the +x direction, a liquid passage is defined in the ink outlet 4, the liquid passage communicates with the ink reservoir, and the liquid passage is configured to allow ink in the ink reservoir to flow out of the housing 1 through the ink outlet 4. When the ink cartridge 100 is mounted in the mounting chamber 200 in the vertical posture, the ink supply needle 260 in the mounting chamber 200 is inserted into the ink outlet 4 to communicate with the ink storage chamber, thereby supplying the ink in the ink cartridge 100 to the printer. The ink outlet 4 is further provided with a sealing member 41, so that the ink outlet is sealed, the sealing member 41 has elasticity (for example, made of rubber), when the ink cartridge 100 is installed, the ink supply needle 260 needs to puncture the sealing member 41 and then is inserted into the ink outlet 4, and the punctured sealing member 41 wraps the ink supply needle 260 under the self elasticity, so that friction force is generated between the ink supply needle 260 and the ink supply needle.

As shown in fig. 2, the elastic member 42 is provided in the ink outlet 4, the elastic member 42 is located on the-X axis side of the seal member 41, and during the process of mounting the ink cartridge 100, the ink supply needle 260 pushes the elastic member 42 to be compressed and deformed when the seal member 41 is inserted, thereby generating a force (force in the-X direction) acting on the ink cartridge 100 and opposite to the insertion direction, and the elastic member 42 is compressed to generate an elastic force so that the ink cartridge 100 can move in the take-out direction (-X axis direction) opposite to the insertion direction. The end of the elastic member 42 that contacts the ink supply needle 260 is a first end 42a (end in the +x direction), and the diameter of the first end 42a is smaller than the diameter of the ink supply needle 260, so that the elastic member 42 can be pushed by the ink supply needle 260 instead of the ink supply needle 260 passing through the elastic member 42. The other end of the elastic member 42 opposite to the first end is a second end 42b (one end along the-X direction), the second end 42b is abutted against the inner wall of the ink outlet 4 (the inner wall along the-X direction), and the diameter of the second end 42b is larger than the diameter of a hole formed in the inner wall of the ink outlet 4 and communicated with the ink storage cavity, so that the elastic member 42 is prevented from entering the ink storage cavity. In some other embodiments, the diameter of the first end 42a of the resilient member 42 may also be equal to the diameter of the ink supply needle.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the detecting portion 5 is provided on the top surface c of the housing 1 for cooperating with the sensor 230 in the mounting chamber 200 to perform the mounting detection of the ink cartridge 100, and the detecting portion 5 is located at a substantially middle position of the top surface c in the X-axis direction, and the detecting portion 5 is fixedly provided on the housing 1. The detecting part 5 includes a shielding part 51 and a light transmitting part 52, the shielding part 51 being capable of shielding a signal emitted from the sensor 230 or changing a path of the signal emitted from the sensor 230 during the installation of the ink cartridge, and shielding the signal emitted from the sensor 230 or changing a path of the signal emitted from the sensor again after the ink cartridge is installed in place; the light transmitting portion 52 allows the signal emitted from the sensor 230 to be received during the cartridge mounting process; the light transmitting portion 52 and the shielding portion 51 are disposed in this order in the insertion direction (+x-axis direction) and the light transmitting portion 52 is farther from the front surface a of the housing 1 than the shielding portion 51, i.e., the light transmitting portion 52 is located on the-X-axis side of the shielding portion 51. In the present embodiment, the light transmitting portion 52 and the shielding portion 51 are on the same straight line (in the X-axis direction). In some other embodiments, the light-transmitting portion 52 and the shielding portion 51 may not be on the same line, i.e., the positions of the light-transmitting portion 52 and the shielding portion 51 in the width direction (Y-axis direction) may be slightly offset, such as a portion of the light-transmitting portion 52 being located on the-Y-axis side or the +y-axis side of the shielding portion 51.

Preferably, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the light transmitting portion 52 is constituted by an upwardly concave groove formed on the detecting portion 5. The detection part is a block-shaped member, the shielding part 51 and the light-transmitting part 52 are arranged at the-Z shaft end of the detection part, the height positions of the shielding part 51 and the light-transmitting part 52 are matched with the height position of the sensor 230, the shielding part 51 is a part of the-Z shaft end of the detection part in the X-axis direction, and the light-transmitting part 52 is a groove part formed by removing the other part of the-Z shaft end of the detection part in the X-axis direction. The shielding part 51 may be made of a material which is not light-transmitting, or may be coated with a light-impermeable coating on the surface of the shielding part 51, so that the shielding part 51 can shield the signal emitted by the sensor 230 or change the path of the signal emitted by the sensor 230 when passing through the sensor 230, and the signal emitted by the sensor 230 is shielded. The light-transmitting portion 52 is a groove/notch on the detecting portion, and cannot block the signal sent by the sensor 230 or change the path of the signal sent by the sensor 230, so that the signal sent by the sensor 230 can be received. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 100 moves from the position corresponding to the sensor 230 to the position corresponding to the light transmitting portion 52 in the mounting chamber 200, the signal received by the sensor 230 by the printer changes.

In some other embodiments, the light-transmitting portion 52 may be a transparent member (transparent solid member), and the shielding portion 51 may be a non-transparent member, and the light-transmitting portion 52 may be joined to the shielding portion 51 by clamping, adhering, welding, or the like.

As shown in fig. 1 to 6, an abutment portion 7 is further provided on the top surface c of the ink cartridge 100, the abutment portion 7 being for cooperation with the contact portion 250 in the mounting chamber 200 to restrict movement of the ink cartridge 100 in the insertion direction (+x-axis direction). The abutment portion 7 is closer to the rear surface b of the housing 1 than the detection portion 5 in the insertion direction. The abutment 7 may be a first protrusion provided protruding from the top surface c, a surface of the first protrusion facing the insertion direction (+x-axis direction) being an abutment surface 71, the abutment surface 71 being provided perpendicular to the top surface c. The contact portion 250 in the mounting chamber 200 may be a lever, and when the ink cartridge 100 moves in the insertion direction until the abutment surface 71 of the abutment portion 7 abuts against the contact portion 250, the movement of the ink cartridge 100 in the insertion direction is restricted, i.e., the ink cartridge 100 may not continue to move in the insertion direction. Since the ink supply needle 260 is required to provide a large installation force by the user during the installation of the ink cartridge 100 to pierce the seal 41, the elastic member 42 continues to be compressed by the ink supply needle, and the movement of the ink cartridge 100 in the insertion direction is stopped as the abutment portion 7 moves into abutment with the contact portion 250 during the compression of the elastic member 42, so that the compression amount of the elastic member 42 is maintained within a suitable range, and the compression amount of the elastic member 42 is associated with the generated elastic force even if the elastic force generated by the elastic member 42 acting on the ink cartridge 100 is within a suitable range.

As shown in fig. 1 to 6, a stopper 6 is further provided on the top surface c of the ink cartridge 100, and the stopper 6 is adapted to cooperate with the contact 250 in the mounting chamber 200 to restrict movement of the ink cartridge 100 in the take-out direction (-X-axis direction) under the urging force of the elastic member 42. The stopper portion 6 is located on the front side (+x axis side) of the abutment portion 7, and the stopper portion 6 is a second projection protruding from the top surface c, which may be integrally provided with the first projection (abutment portion 7). The height of the stopper 6 in the Z-axis direction is lower than the height of the abutment 7, the stopper 6 has a space between the abutment 7 and the X-axis direction, the surface of the stopper 6 facing the take-out direction (-X-axis direction) is the acting surface 61, the acting surface 61 may be a surface inclined with respect to the top surface c, the inclined directions are inclined from-X, -Z-side direction +x, +z-side direction, and when the acting surface 61 abuts against the contact 250, the movement of the ink cartridge 100 in the take-out direction (-X-axis direction) is restricted, that is, the ink cartridge 100 is not allowed to move further in the-X-axis direction, and when the acting surface 61 of the stopper abuts against the contact 250 during the mounting of the ink cartridge 100, the ink cartridge 100 is in a position where it is mounted in place in the mounting chamber 200.

As shown in fig. 1, 2 and 4, the rear surface b of the ink cartridge 100 is further provided with an operation portion 8, where the operation portion 8 may be a handle, and the operation portion 8 is provided to be convenient for a user to hold, install and take out the ink cartridge, and when the ink cartridge 100 is installed in place in the installation cavity 200, the operation portion 8 is at least partially located outside the installation opening 210, so as to be convenient for the user to take out the ink cartridge 100.

As shown in fig. 1 to 6, in the process of loading the ink cartridge 100 into the installation cavity 200, the user applies a force to insert the ink cartridge 100 into the installation cavity 200 from the installation port 210 along the insertion direction (+x-axis direction), when the blocking portion 51 of the detection portion 5 corresponds to the sensor 230, the blocking portion 51 passes between the light emitter of the sensor 230 and the light receiver, the blocking portion 51 blocks the signal (light signal) emitted by the light emitter, the light receiver cannot receive the light signal, the light receiver emits a signal (for example, a low level signal) to the printer, the ink supply needle 260 pierces the sealing member 41 at the ink outlet 4 and then is inserted into the ink outlet 4 to abut against the elastic member 42, and deformation is generated by movement of the ink cartridge 100, the elastic member 42 is compressed and then generates a force acting on the ink cartridge along the extraction direction opposite to the insertion direction, as the ink cartridge 100 continues to move, the light transmitting portion 52 reaches a position corresponding to the sensor 230 after the blocking portion 51 passes over the sensor 230, the light transmitting portion 52 cannot block the light emitted by the light emitter, the light receiver can receive the light emitted by the light emitter, and the light emitted by the light emitter can further transmit a signal (for example, a low level signal) to the printer can further contact the sealing member 41 at the ink outlet 4 to abut against the elastic member 42, and then move against the ink cartridge 100 in the insertion direction (for example, the ink cartridge 100) and then moves into the insertion direction 50 until the sealing member is contacted with the ink cartridge 100 and moves into the installation cavity 200, and the printing member is prevented from moving in the insertion direction. When the user applies a mounting force in the insertion direction, the elastic force of the elastic member 42 is compressed to act on the ink cartridge 100, so that the ink cartridge 100 moves in the extraction direction (-X-axis direction) opposite to the insertion direction until the stopper 6 abuts against the contact portion 250, and at this time, the ink cartridge 100 moves from the position of the light transmitting portion 52 corresponding to the sensor 230 in the-X-axis direction to the position of the shielding portion 51 corresponding to the sensor 230, the light signal of the sensor 230 is shielded again by the shielding portion 51, the sensor 230 sends a low level signal to the printer, and when the printer recognizes the mounting timing of the low level-high level-low level, it is determined that the ink cartridge 100 is mounted in place.

The ink cartridge 100 of this embodiment only sets up a detection portion 5 including shielding portion 51 and light transmitting portion 52, can accomplish the installation detection of ink cartridge 100 in the process of loading into installation cavity 200, therefore, the installation detection abnormal condition under the condition that the existing structure exists the spot between first shielding portion and second shielding portion has been stopped, the condition that the signal that sensor 230 sent is continuously shielded or continuously changes the route also can not appear, thereby can avoid or reduce the detection to the printer and produce the interference, the reliability of printer use has been improved, and the ink cartridge 100 that only has a detection portion 5 is simpler in structure, and is convenient for production.

Example two

The present embodiment provides another ink cartridge, which is different from the first embodiment in the structure of the abutting portion.

As shown in fig. 7, in the present embodiment, the front surface a of the housing 1 is provided with an abutment portion 7A, the abutment portion 7A is a third protrusion protruding from the front surface a, the surface of the third protrusion facing the insertion direction is an abutment surface 71A, and the abutment portion 7A is configured to abut against the front wall 240 of the mounting chamber 200 to restrict movement of the ink cartridge 100 in the insertion direction, that is, when the abutment surface 71A of the abutment portion 7A abuts against the front wall 240 of the mounting chamber 200, the ink cartridge 100 cannot move in the insertion direction (+x axis direction) any more.

When the light transmitting portion 52 moves to a position corresponding to the sensor 230, the abutting portion 7A abuts against the front wall 240, and the position of the ink cartridge 100 in the mounting chamber 200 can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the abutting portion 7A protruding from the front surface a.

In this embodiment, the abutment surface 71A and the front wall 240 are both planar, and the area of the abutment surface 71A is larger than that of the first embodiment, the contact area between the abutment surface 71A and the front wall 240 is also larger, and the abutment between the two is more stable.

Other structures of the ink cartridge of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and will not be described here again.

Example III

The present embodiment provides another ink cartridge, which is different from the first embodiment in that the stopper portion 6 and the abutment portion 7 are omitted and the guide portion 9 is provided.

As shown in fig. 8, in the present embodiment, the guide portion 9 is a fourth projection provided on the top surface c, and when the ink cartridge 100 is mounted into the mounting chamber 200, the guide portion 9 is located below the contact portion 250, and the upper surface of the guide portion 9 abuts against the lower surface of the contact portion 250 for guiding the mounting and the removal of the ink cartridge. The guide portion 9 is integrally located below the contact portion 250, and is simpler in structure and easier to mold than the first embodiment, and facilitates stable mounting of the ink cartridge 100 to the mounting chamber 200.

The ink cartridge 100 of the present embodiment cancels the stopper 6, and the ink cartridge 100 counteracts the elastic force generated by the elastic member 42 only by the friction force generated by wrapping the ink supply needle after the sealing member 42 is pierced, i.e., when the friction force is the same as the elastic force of the elastic member 42, the movement of the ink cartridge in the take-out direction (-X axis direction) is stopped.

After the abutting portion 7 is removed from the ink cartridge 100 of the present embodiment, the position of the ink cartridge 100 in the mounting chamber 200 is controlled by the degree to which the elastic member 42 itself is compressed.

What has been described above is merely some embodiments of the present utility model. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit of the utility model.

Claims

1. An ink cartridge mounted in a mounting chamber of a printer body in an insertion direction, the mounting chamber being provided therein with a sensor, an ink supply needle, and a contact portion, the ink cartridge comprising:

a housing having a front surface and a top surface;

2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the light transmitting portion and the shielding portion are provided in order along the insertion direction, the light transmitting portion being constituted by an upwardly recessed groove formed on the detecting portion.

3. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein an ink outlet is provided on a front surface of the housing, a seal member and an elastic member are provided in the ink outlet, the elastic member is compressed after the ink supply needle pierces the seal member during the mounting of the ink cartridge, and the elastic member is compressed to generate elastic force so that the ink cartridge can move in a take-out direction opposite to the insertion direction.

4. The ink cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the elastic force of the elastic member enables the ink cartridge to move from a position where the light transmitting portion corresponds to the sensor to a position where the shielding portion corresponds to the sensor.

5. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 4, wherein an abutment portion is provided on the housing, the abutment portion including an abutment surface facing in an insertion direction, and movement of the ink cartridge in the insertion direction is restricted when the ink cartridge is moved in the insertion direction until the abutment surface abuts against the mounting chamber during mounting of the ink cartridge.

6. The ink cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the abutting portion is provided on a top surface of the housing, the abutting portion abutting against a contact portion in the installation cavity during installation of the ink cartridge; or,

7. The ink cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the housing is provided with a stopper portion, and movement of the ink cartridge in the take-out direction is restricted when the stopper portion abuts against the contact portion during movement of the ink cartridge in the take-out direction by the elastic force of the elastic member.

8. A cartridge according to claim 3, wherein said ink supply needle pierces said seal member, a frictional force is generated between said seal member and said ink supply needle, and movement of said cartridge in said take-out direction is stopped when said cartridge moves in said take-out direction by an elastic force of said elastic member until said elastic force is canceled by said frictional force.

9. The ink cartridge as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein an end of the elastic member adjacent to the seal member is a first end having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the ink supply needle.

10. The ink cartridge as in claim 8, wherein a guide portion is provided on a top surface of the housing, the guide portion being located below the contact portion during the ink cartridge mounting process.