JP2001001540A - Liquid supply container, liquid discharge head cartridge and liquid discharge apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a stable ink supply operation whereby a large quantity of ink can be supplied in a short time when the ink in a liquid supply container is to be supplied to a negative pressure generation member storage chamber and also when the ink is to be supplied at a high speed. SOLUTION: A valve mechanism having a valve element 261 is set to a joint opening 230 of an ink tank unit 200 which is fitted to a holder 150 by a rotational operation. A projection 180p for opening the valve in a joint pipe 180 is arranged to be lower than a center of the joint pipe 180, and a projecting part 261a of the valve element 261 is arranged to be lower than a center of the joint opening 230. A travel amount of the valve element 261 is hence increased to secure an open margin for the valve mechanism. A sectional area of a gas priority introduction path 191 formed of the projection 180p and the projecting part 261a is made larger than a sectional area of a liquid outlet path 192, whereby a stable gas-liquid exchange operation is carried out even at a high-speed ink supply operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid supply container used in a liquid supply system utilizing a negative pressure for supplying liquid to the outside, a liquid discharge head cartridge having the liquid supply container, and a liquid discharge head. Related to the device. More specifically, a liquid supply container attached to a holder or the like so as to be detachable from a negative pressure generating member storage unit that stores a negative pressure generating member that generates a negative pressure, and a liquid having the liquid supply container The present invention relates to a discharge head cartridge and a liquid discharge device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a liquid supply method using a negative pressure to supply a liquid to the outside, for example, in the field of an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink tank for applying a negative pressure to an ink discharge head has been proposed. A configuration (ink-jet cartridge) that can be integrated with a recording head has been implemented. The ink-jet cartridge is further classified into a structure in which the recording head and the ink tank (ink storage unit) are always integrated, a structure in which the recording unit and the ink storage unit are separate, and both can be separated from the recording apparatus. It can be divided into a configuration to be used integrally.

As one of the easiest methods for generating a negative pressure in such a liquid supply system, there is a method utilizing the capillary force of a porous body. In this method, the ink tank is housed inside the ink tank for the purpose of storing the ink, preferably a porous body such as a sponge housed in a compressed state, and air is taken into the ink housing to smoothly supply the ink during recording. And a possible air communication port.

However, as a problem when using a porous member as an ink holding member, the ink storage efficiency per unit volume is low. In order to solve this problem, the present applicant discloses in EP 0 580 433 that the entirety of the negative pressure generating member storage chamber except for the communicating portion has a substantially closed ink storage chamber, An ink tank used in a state open to the atmosphere is proposed. In addition, EP 0 581 531 proposes an invention in which an ink storage chamber can be exchanged for the above-mentioned ink tank. According to the present invention, only the ink storage chamber needs to be replaced when the ink runs out, so that the amount of waste can be reduced, and the present invention is compatible with recent environmental problems.

In the above-described ink tank, ink is supplied from the ink storage chamber to the negative pressure generating member storage chamber by a gas-liquid exchange operation in which gas is stored in the ink storage chamber as ink is drawn out of the ink storage chamber. In addition, during the gas-liquid exchange operation, there is an advantage that the ink can be supplied under a substantially constant negative pressure condition.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present inventors have filed an application for a highly practical liquid supply system in which the ink storage chamber can be freely attached to and detached from the negative pressure generating member storage chamber. The invention has been conceived as a result of further intensive studies by the present inventors. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an ink jet recording apparatus has been required to supply a large amount of ink in a short time since the recording speed has been increasingly advanced. Therefore, the present inventors, in the ink supply system of the above configuration,
It has been recognized that it is important to ensure the sealing performance during ink supply and to promote gas-liquid exchange more smoothly. The present inventors have conducted intensive studies based on the above recognition, and as a result, when a valve is used in a joint portion with the tank holder of an ink tank mounted on a tank holder or the like by a movable operation, the valve is opened and closed. Came to the conclusion that the position of the action part is important.

The present invention is based on the above-described novel recognition and a novel idea for solving the problem, and an object of the present invention is to detachably attach an ink storage chamber to a negative pressure generating member storage chamber. In the liquid supply container, when the valve attached to the supply port of the liquid supply container is connected to a capillary force (negative pressure) generating member storage container or the like, the valve sealability is secured, and a large amount of An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid supply container capable of supplying ink to the outside, a liquid discharge head cartridge having the liquid supply container, and a liquid discharge device. Also,
An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid supply container that can realize a stable ink supply operation even when performing an ink supply operation at high speed in a liquid supply system using the above-described liquid supply container.
And a liquid supply system having the liquid supply container.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a liquid supply unit for supplying a liquid to the outside, and an atmosphere communication unit communicating with the atmosphere, and holds the liquid inside. A liquid supply container detachably mountable to a negative pressure generation member storage chamber for storing a negative pressure generation member, having a substantially closed space, and having a liquid storage portion for storing liquid therein, wherein the liquid supply container The supply port of the container has a valve member,
In the plurality of regions formed in the supply port by mounting the liquid supply container in the negative pressure generating member storage chamber, the air passage region is wider than the liquid passage region.

Specifically, the valve member of the liquid supply container is opened and closed by a protrusion in a joint provided in the negative pressure generating member storage chamber, and the plurality of regions have upper regions. The lower region is mainly a liquid passage region and the lower region is a liquid passage region.

Preferably, the valve member comprises a valve frame, a valve body and a biasing means, and the axis of the valve body is preferably located at a position shifted downward from the center of the valve body. Further, in the plurality of regions, it is preferable that the flow resistance of the mainly air passage region is smaller than the flow resistance of the mainly liquid passage region. In this case, it is preferable that the cross-sectional area of the main air passage area is larger than the cross-sectional area of the main liquid passage area.

Further, it is preferable that the attachment and detachment of the liquid supply container to and from the negative pressure generating member storage chamber is performed by a rotating operation, and that the liquid storage portion is capable of generating a negative pressure by being deformed. It may be.

Further, the present invention has an atmosphere communicating portion communicating with the atmosphere, and is detachably mountable to a negative pressure generating member storage chamber for storing a negative pressure generating member for holding a liquid therein, and is substantially sealed. A liquid supply container having a liquid storage portion that has a space and stores a liquid therein, and has a valve member that can be opened and closed by an elastic force at a supply port of the liquid supply container. The inside of the supply port portion is divided into a plurality of regions by being attached to the negative pressure generating member storage chamber, and the cross-sectional area of the air passage region is mainly larger than the cross-sectional region of the liquid passage region in the region.

More specifically, the plurality of regions are such that an upper region is mainly a liquid passage region and a lower region is mainly a liquid passage region. The axis of the valve body is located at a position shifted downward from the center of the valve body. Further, it is preferable that the attachment / detachment of the liquid supply container to / from the negative pressure generating member storage chamber is performed by a rotation operation.

In the invention as described above, the plurality of regions formed in the supply port of the liquid supply container by mounting the liquid supply container in the negative pressure generating member storage chamber, and mainly the air passage region with respect to the liquid passage region. When the liquid in the liquid supply container is supplied into the capillary force generating member storage container, the gas mainly passes through the gas passage region, that is, the gas through the gas preferential introduction passage. The liquid is introduced from the generation member storage container to the liquid supply container, and the liquid is mainly discharged from the liquid supply container to the liquid supply container through a liquid passage area, that is, a liquid outlet passage. In such a liquid supply operation, a stable gas-liquid exchange operation is performed without blocking the entire communication portion with gas, so that a more reliable liquid supply is performed. Therefore, even when the liquid is supplied from the liquid supply container at a high speed, a more stable liquid supply operation is realized. Further, even if gas stays in the gas priority introduction path, the flow resistance of the liquid lead-out path is made larger than the flow resistance of the gas priority introduction path, so that the retained gas moves quickly with the liquid supply operation. Therefore, a stable gas-liquid exchange operation can be performed. Here, the inside of the supply port of the liquid supply container is divided into a plurality of regions by mounting the liquid supply container in the negative pressure generating member storage chamber, so that the air passage region is mainly wider than the liquid passage region. Alternatively, the cross-sectional area of the air passage area may be larger than the cross-sectional area of the liquid passage area. Further, the valve member is constituted by a valve frame, a valve body, and a biasing means, and the axis of the valve body is located at a position shifted from the center of the valve body. The movement of the valve body can be sufficiently secured by the operation. By ensuring a sufficient amount of movement of the valve body in this way, the opening margin of the valve member when the valve member is opened can be increased, so that a large amount of liquid can be supplied in a short time. And a liquid supply container capable of performing such operations.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a liquid discharge head cartridge according to any one of the above-described liquid supply containers, a holder to which the liquid supply container is detachably mounted, and a holder provided in the holder to supply the liquid from the liquid supply container. And a liquid discharge head for discharging the discharged liquid.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a liquid ejection head cartridge according to any one of the above-described liquid supply containers, a holder in which the liquid supply container is removably disposed, and a holder provided in the holder to supply the liquid from the liquid supply container. And a liquid discharge head for discharging the discharged liquid.

Further, the liquid discharge apparatus of the present invention has a carriage that detachably holds the liquid discharge head cartridge and that is supported to be reciprocally movable along the surface of the recording medium.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

"Hardness" of the capillary force generating member in the present invention
Is the "hardness" when the capillary force generating member is housed in the storage container, and is defined by the slope (unit: kgf / mm) of the repulsive force with respect to the amount of deformation of the capillary force generating member. Regarding the magnitude of the “hardness” of the two capillary force generating members, the capillary force generating member having the larger inclination of the repulsive force with respect to the deformation amount is defined as the “hard capillary force generating member”.

<Overall Configuration> FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet head cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof.

The present embodiment explains each of the components constituting the ink jet head cartridge to which the present invention is applied, and the relationship between them. The present embodiment has a configuration to which a number of novel technologies made at the stage of establishment of the present invention are applied. Therefore, the entire configuration will be described while describing these configurations.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink jet head cartridge of this embodiment includes an ink jet head unit 160, a holder 150, a negative pressure control chamber unit 100, an ink tank unit 200, and the like. Negative pressure control room unit 1 in holder 150
00 is fixed, and the ink jet head unit 160 is fixed below the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 via a holder. The holder 150 described here
And the negative pressure control chamber unit 100, the holder 150 and the inkjet head unit 160 are fixed by, for example, making them easily disassembled by screwing, engaging, or the like. It is effective for cost reduction against change. In addition, it is preferable that the components be easily disassembled from the viewpoint that only the components that need to be replaced can be easily replaced because the life of the components of each component is different.
However, depending on the conditions, it is needless to say that the fixing may be performed completely by welding, thermal caulking, or the like. The negative pressure control chamber unit 100 includes a negative pressure control chamber container 110 having an opening formed on the upper surface, and a negative pressure control chamber lid 120 attached to the upper surface of the negative pressure control chamber container 110. A storage container and two absorbers 130 and 140 loaded in the negative pressure control chamber container 110 for impregnating and holding ink.
It is composed of The absorbers 130 and 140, which are capillary force generating members, that is, negative pressure generating members, are stacked in upper and lower tiers in the use state of the ink jet head cartridge, and come into close contact with each other to form a negative pressure control chamber container 110.
Since the capillary force generated by the lower absorber 140 is higher than the capillary force generated by the upper absorber 130, the lower absorber 140 has a higher ink holding power. The negative pressure control chamber unit 1 is connected to the inkjet head unit 160 through the ink supply pipe 165.
00 is supplied.

A filter 161 is provided at a supply port 131 at the end of the ink supply pipe 165 on the absorber 140 side, and the filter 161 presses the absorber 140. The ink tank unit 200 is configured to be detachable from the holder 150. A joint pipe 180, which is a part to be joined, provided on the surface of the negative pressure control chamber container 110 on the ink tank unit 200 side is inserted and connected inside the joint port 230 of the ink tank unit 200. The ink tank unit 2 is connected via a connection between the joint pipe 180 and the joint port 230.
The negative pressure control chamber unit 100 and the ink tank unit 200 are configured so that the ink in the area 00 is supplied into the negative pressure control chamber unit 100. Negative pressure control chamber container 1
An ID member 170 for preventing erroneous mounting of the ink tank unit 200 is provided at a portion above the joint pipe 180 on the surface of the ink tank unit 200 on the side of the ink tank unit 200.

The negative pressure control chamber lid 120 has an air communication port for communicating the inside of the negative pressure control chamber container 110 with outside air, here, the absorber 130 housed in the negative pressure control chamber container 110 and the outside air. 115 is formed, and the negative pressure control chamber container 1
In the vicinity of the atmosphere communication port 115 in the space 10, a space formed by a rib protruding from the surface of the negative pressure control chamber lid 120 on the absorber 130 side, and a region where ink (liquid) in the absorber does not exist. , A buffer space 116 is provided.

A valve mechanism is provided as a valve member at a joint port 230 serving as a supply port of the ink container 201. The valve mechanism includes a first valve frame 260a and a second valve frame 26.
0b, a valve body 261, a valve lid 262, and an urging member 263. The valve body 261 is slidably supported within the second valve body 260b and is urged by the urging member 263 toward the first valve frame 260a. Joint port 23
When the joint pipe 180 is not inserted into the valve body 261, the urging force of the urging member 263 causes the first
The airtightness in the ink tank unit 200 is maintained by pressing the edge of the portion on the valve frame 260a side by the first valve frame 260a. Joint port 23 in valve body 261
A surface 261a for opening and closing the valve body protruding from that surface is formed on the surface on the opening surface side of the zero. Projection 261a
Are arranged in a region below the center of the opening surface of the joint port 230 in the use state. This projection 26
1a is a joint pipe 180 such that the valve mechanism can be switched from a closed state to an open state when the ink tank unit 200 is mounted on the holder 150 as described later.
Abuts with the inner valve opening / closing projection 180p.

On the other hand, a valve opening / closing projection 180p is formed inside the joint pipe 180, and the valve opening / closing projection 180p is arranged at a position corresponding to the projection 261a. The joint pipe 180 is inserted into the joint port 230, the projection 261a is pressed by the valve opening / closing projection 180p, and the valve body 261 is moved to the first valve frame 260a.
Moving in the direction away from the second valve frame 260
b through the opening formed in the side surface of the joint pipe 1
The inside of 80 communicates with the inside of the ink tank unit 200. Thereby, the airtightness in the ink tank unit 200 is released, and the ink in the ink tank unit 200 is supplied into the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 through the joint port 230 and the joint pipe 180. That is,
When the valve in the joint port 230 is opened, the inside of the ink container of the ink tank unit 200, which has been in a sealed state, is in communication with the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 only through the opening. In the present embodiment, the liquid supply system that supplies liquid such as ink to the inkjet head unit 160 provided in the holder 150 includes the negative pressure control chamber unit 100, the ink tank unit 200, and the remaining ink in the ink tank unit 200. It comprises a liquid remaining amount detecting means for detecting the amount.

As described above, a part of the valve mechanism attached to the supply port of the ink tank unit 200 and the join pipe 180 allow the inside of the ink tank unit 200 and the inside of the negative pressure control chamber container 110 to communicate with each other. A communication part is configured. The inside of the communicating portion is divided into two upper and lower regions by a projection 261a of the valve body 261 and a valve opening / closing projection 180p in the joint pipe 180, and the upper region is mainly an air passage region. A gas priority introduction passage 191 is formed, and a lower region is a liquid outlet passage 192 which is a liquid passage region as a seed.
The gas is mainly introduced from the negative pressure control chamber container 110 into the ink tank unit 200 through the gas priority introduction passage 191, and the ink in the ink tank unit 200 is introduced into the negative pressure control chamber container 110 through the liquid outlet passage 192. Derived. The details of the shapes of the valve opening / closing projection 180p and the projection 261a will be described later with reference to FIGS.

The ink tank unit 20 is attached to the holder 150.
When the joint pipe 180 and the valve mechanism are connected to each other by mounting 0, the gas priority introduction path 191 and the liquid exit path 192 are formed. As described above, the communication passage between the ink tank unit 200 and the negative pressure control chamber container 110 is formed by the upper gas priority introduction passage 191 and the lower liquid outlet passage 1.
92, even when gas is introduced into the ink tank unit 200, the inside of the ink tank unit 200 and the inside of the negative pressure control chamber container 110 are always connected by the ink in the liquid outlet passage 192. Therefore, the entire communication path is not locked by gas (air),
More reliable ink supply can be performed.

The cross-sectional area of the gas priority introduction path 191 in the direction perpendicular to the flow path direction is
Is larger than the cross-sectional area in the direction perpendicular to the flow path direction, and the flow resistance of the liquid outlet passage 192 is larger than the flow resistance of the gas priority inlet passage 191. Accordingly, the gas can be prevented from staying in the gas priority introduction passage 191. In the ink supply operation described later, the ink tank unit 200 and the negative pressure control chamber container 11 can be prevented.
A stable gas-liquid exchange operation can be performed between 0 and 0.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the liquid supply system that supplies liquid such as ink to the ink jet head unit 160 provided in the holder 150 includes the negative pressure control chamber unit 100, the ink tank unit 200, and the inside of the ink tank unit 200. And a liquid remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of ink.

Here, as in the present embodiment, the holder 15
In a state where the inkjet head unit 160 and the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 are fixed to 0, the inkjet head unit 160 and the negative pressure control chamber unit 10 are fixed.
It is desirable to fix each of the units 0 to the holder 150 by a method having easy disassembly, such as a screw, because each unit can be removed and replaced according to its service life.

That is, in the ink jet head cartridge of the present embodiment, normally, an ink tank containing different types of inks is not erroneously mounted in the negative pressure control chamber by an ID member provided in the ink tank.
If the ID member provided in the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 is damaged, or if the user intentionally mounts a different type of ink tank in the negative pressure control chamber unit 100, immediately after the mounting, the negative pressure control chamber Only the unit 100 needs to be replaced. Further, when the holder 150 is damaged due to a drop or the like, only the holder 150 can be replaced.

When the negative pressure control chamber unit 100, the holder 150, and the ink jet head unit 160, including the ink tank unit 200, are separated from each other, the positions of the fixing portions are set so as to prevent ink leakage from each unit. It is desirable to define

In the case of the present embodiment, the ink tank unit 200 is connected to the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 using the ink tank engaging portion 155 of the holder 150, so that only the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 is fixed. It does not come off with respect to other units that are in a state of being converted. That is, at least the ink tank unit 200 is
If not removed from the holder 50, the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 is difficult to separate from the holder 150. As described above, the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 has a structure that is easy to remove only after the ink tank unit 200 is removed from the holder 150.
There is no danger that ink will leak from the joint due to careless separation of the 00 from the negative pressure control chamber unit 100.

The ink jet head unit 16
A filter 161 is provided at the end of the ink supply pipe 165 for the ink jet head unit 160 even when the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 is separated.
There is no danger of the ink inside leaking out. In addition, the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 has a buffer space 116 (absorbers 130, 14) for preventing ink from leaking from the ink tank.
(Including a region that does not hold ink in the ink), and two absorbers 130 and 1 having different capillary forces.
40 is provided above the joint pipe 180 in a posture at the time of use (more desirably, as in the present embodiment, the capillary force of the layer including the boundary surface 113c in the vicinity thereof includes the absorber 130, 140, the structure in which the holder 150, the negative pressure control chamber unit 100, and the ink tank unit 200 are integrated is less likely to leak ink even if its posture changes. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the inkjet head unit 160 includes a fixing portion on the bottom surface that is the side having the connection terminals of the holder 150, and can be easily separated even when the ink tank unit 200 is mounted on the holder 150. ing.

Note that, depending on the shape of the holder 150, the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 or the ink jet head unit 160 and the holder 150 may be integrated so as to be inseparable. As a method of integration, it may be made inseparable by a method of integrally molding in advance or heat caulking.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3A and 3B, the ink tank unit 200 includes an ink container 201 as a liquid supply container, a first valve frame 260a and a second valve frame 260b. And an ID member 250. The ID member 250 is for preventing erroneous mounting when the ink tank unit 200 and the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 are mounted.

The valve mechanism controls the flow of ink in the joint port 230, and opens and closes when engaged with the joint pipe 180 of the negative pressure control chamber unit 100. The opening and closing of the valve at the time of attachment / detachment is prevented by a valve configuration to be described later or a structure for regulating the tank operation range by the ID member 170 and the ID concave portion 252.

<Ink Tank Unit> FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining the ink tank unit 200 shown in FIG. FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing the ink tank unit 200, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing a state where the ink tank unit 200 is disassembled.

On the front surface of the ID member 250 on the side of the negative pressure control chamber unit 100, a portion above the supply port hole 253 is an inclined surface 251. The inclined surface 251 is
The ID member 250 is inclined from the front end surface on the supply port hole 253 side to the ink container 201 side, that is, backward. The inclined surface 251 has a plurality of ID recesses 252 (3 in FIG. 3) for preventing erroneous insertion of the ink tank unit 200.
One) is formed. In the present embodiment, the ID member 250
Is the negative pressure control chamber unit 10 of the ink container 201.
It is arranged on the front side (surface having a supply port) on the 0 side.

The ink container 201 is a hollow container having a substantially polygonal prism shape and having a negative pressure generating function. The ink container 201 includes a housing 210 and an inner bag 220 (see FIG. 2), and the housing 210 and the inner bag 220 can be peeled off. The inner bag 220 has flexibility,
The inner bag 220 is deformable as the ink stored inside is drawn out. The inner bag 220 has a pinch-off portion (welded portion) 221, and the inner bag 220 is supported by the pinch-off portion 221 so as to engage with the housing 210.
An outside air communication port 222 is provided in a portion of the housing 210 near the pinch-off portion 221, and the outside air communication port 2 is provided.
The atmosphere can be introduced between the inner bag 220 and the housing 210 through 22.

As shown in FIG. 13, the inner bag 220 has, in order from the inside, a three-layer structure in which a liquid-contact layer 220c having ink resistance, an elastic modulus controlling layer 220b, and a gas barrier layer 220a having excellent gas barrier properties are laminated. , And the respective layers are functionally separated in a bonded state. Elastic modulus control layer 220b
Is that the elastic modulus of the elastic modulus control layer 220b is kept almost constant within the operating temperature range of the ink container 201, that is, the elastic modulus of the inner bag 220 is within the operating temperature range of the ink container 201. It is kept substantially constant by the elastic modulus control layer 220b. In the inner bag 220, the middle layer and the outer layer may be switched, and the elastic modulus control layer 220b may be the outermost layer, and the gas barrier layer 220a may be the middle layer.

By forming the inner bag 220 in this way, the inner bag 220 can sufficiently exhibit the functions of the respective layers with a small number of layers such as the ink-resistant layer, the elastic modulus controlling layer 220b and the gas barrier layer 220a. This makes it possible to reduce the influence on the temperature change, such as the elastic modulus of the inner bag 220. Further, in the inner bag 220, an elastic modulus suitable for controlling the negative pressure in the ink storage container 201 within the operating temperature range is secured, so that the ink in the ink storage container 201 and the ink in the negative pressure control chamber unit 110 can be used. On the other hand, the inner bag 220 has a buffer function described later (details will be described later). Therefore, it is possible to reduce the buffer chamber provided in the upper part in the negative pressure control chamber container 110, that is, the portion where the ink absorber is not filled and the region where the ink is not present in the absorbers 130 and 140. Therefore, the size of the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 can be reduced, and the inkjet head cartridge 70 with high use efficiency can be realized.

In the present embodiment, the innermost liquid contact layer 220c of the inner bag 220 is made of polypropylene, the middle elastic modulus controlling layer 220b is made of a cyclic olefin copolymer, and the outermost gas barrier layer 220a is made of a material. And EVOH (a saponified product of EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin)). here,
By including the functional adhesive resin material in the elastic modulus control layer 220b, it is not necessary to provide an adhesive layer between the layers, so that the thickness of the inner bag 220 can be reduced, which is preferable.

As the material of the housing 210, the same polypropylene as that of the innermost layer of the inner bag 220 is used. Also,
Polypropylene is also used as the material of the first valve frame 260a.

The ID member 250 has a plurality of ID recesses 25 provided on the left and right sides corresponding to the plurality of ID members 170 for preventing the ink tank unit 200 from being erroneously mounted.
2 and is fixed to the ink container 201.

The erroneous mounting prevention function provided by the ID member 170 and the ID concave portion 252 is provided by the negative pressure control chamber unit 10.
ID corresponding to the plurality of ID members 170 provided on the 0 side.
By forming the ID concave portion 252 in the member 250, an erroneous mounting prevention mechanism is configured.
By changing the position of the shape of the recess 252, various types of ID functions can be achieved.

The ID concave portion 252 of the ID member 250 and the joint port 230 of the first valve frame 260a are located on the front surface, which is forward in the mounting / removing direction of the ink tank unit 200.
It is formed of two members, an ID member 250 and a first valve frame 260a.

Also, the ink container 201 is formed by blow molding, the ID member 250 and the first valve frame 260a are formed by injection molding, and the ink tank unit 200 is constituted by three members. The valve member and the ID recess 252 can be formed with high precision.

When such an ID concave portion 252 is directly formed in the ink container 201 which is a blow tank manufactured by blow molding, it has an effect on the peeling of the inner bag 220 of the inner layer of the ink container 201, that is, Because the shape inside the ink tank is complicated, the ink tank unit 20
It may affect the negative pressure generated at zero. However, as in the configuration of the ink tank unit 200 according to the present embodiment, the ID member 250 serving as the ID portion is formed as a separate member from the ink container 201, so that the ID member 250 is attached to the ink container 201. Since there is no influence on the storage container 201 as described above, stable generation and control of negative pressure in the ink storage container 201 can be performed.

The first valve frame 260a is connected to the ink container 20.
The first housing 210 and the inner bag 220 are joined to each other. The first valve frame 260 a is joined to the inner bag 220 by welding the inner bag exposed portion 221 a of the inner bag 220, which is the ink outlet portion of the ink container 201, to the corresponding surface of the joint port 230. Here, the housing 210
Also, since the innermost layer of the inner bag 220 is made of the same polypropylene, the first valve frame 260a and the housing 210 can be welded also around the joint port 230.

As a result, the positional accuracy by welding is increased, and the supply port of the ink storage container 201 is completely sealed, so that the first valve frame 260a and the ink storage container 201 are sealed when the ink tank unit 200 is attached or detached. Ink leakage from a portion is prevented. When joining by welding as in the ink tank unit 200 in the present embodiment, the material of the layer serving as the bonding surface of the inner bag 220 and the material of the first valve frame 260a are the same in order to enhance the sealing performance. Preferably, there is.

When the housing 210 and the ID member 250 are joined, the surface of the first valve frame 260a facing the seal surface 102 joined to the ink container 201 is connected to the ID member 25.
Click part 250a formed in the lower part of the housing 0 and the housing 2
The ID member is engaged and fixed to the ink container 201 by the engagement between the engaging portion 210a on the side surface of the ten and the corresponding click portion 250a on the ID member 250 side.

The engagement and fixation here is preferably a structure having easy disassembly by, for example, engagement by irregularities and fitting. Since the ID member 250 is engaged with and fixed to the ink container 201 in this manner, the ID member 250 is in a state in which the ID member 250 and the ID concave portion 252 can be minutely movable. Can be absorbed and the ink tank unit 200 and the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 can be prevented from being damaged.

Further, by partially engaging the ID member 250 with the ink container 201 in the engaged and fixed state, the ink tank unit 200 is easily disassembled, which is effective from the viewpoint of recycling. . Further, by providing the engaging concave portion as the engaging portion 210a on the side surface of the housing 210, the configuration becomes simple when the ink container 201 is manufactured by blow molding, and the mold member at the time of molding is also reduced. It becomes simple and the management of the film thickness becomes easy.

Further, the joining between the housing 210 and the ID member 250 is performed in a state where the first valve frame 260a is joined to the housing 210, and around the joint port 230, the first valve frame 260a is sandwiched. Since the click portion 250a is engaged with the engagement portion 210a, it is possible to improve the strength of the ink tank unit 200, particularly, the joint portion at the time of attachment and detachment.

In the ink container 201, the portion covered by the ID member 250 has a concave shape, and the supply port portion protrudes.
By fixing the D member 250, it is possible to eliminate the protruding shape on the front surface of the ink tank unit 200. Also, the engaging portion 210a of the housing 210 and the corresponding I
The relationship of the unevenness with the click portion 250a of the D member 250 may be reversed.

The ink container 201 and the ID member 25
Positional control in the vertical and horizontal directions with 0 can be performed. The method of joining the ink container 201 and the ID member 250 is not limited to the above-described form, and the engagement position and the fixing method may be different.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 16, the bottom of the ink container 201 is inclined in a direction of lifting upward, and the lower part of the ink container 201 on the side opposite to the joint port 230 side is the holder 150. Is engaged with the ink tank locking portion 155 of the first embodiment. Ink tank unit 200
When the ink container 20 is removed from the holder 150,
1, the engagement portion with the ink tank locking portion 155 is lifted up.
The ink tank unit 200 substantially rotates at the time of the attaching / detaching operation. In the present embodiment, the center of rotation is substantially the supply port (joint port 230). However, strictly speaking, the center of rotation changes as will be described later. In the case of such an attachment / detachment operation of the ink tank unit 200 due to the substantial rotation, the ink tank unit 20 is moved from the pivot point.
In the relationship between the distance from the fulcrum to the ink tank engaging portion 155 and the distance from the fulcrum to the ink tank engaging portion 155, the former is longer than the latter.
Ink tank unit 200 and ink tank locking portion 15
5 causes unnecessary force in the mounting operation,
In some cases, a problem such as deformation of the pressing portions of the ink tank unit 200 and the holder 150 may occur.

As in the case of the ink container 201 of the present embodiment, the bottom of the ink container 201 is inclined, and the lower end of the portion of the ink container 201 on the ink tank engaging portion 155 side is lifted. Unnecessary twisting in rotation of the ink tank unit 200 can be prevented by the engaging portions of the holder 200 and the holder 150, so that the attachment / detachment operation of the ink tank unit 200 can be favorably performed.

In the ink jet head cartridge according to the present embodiment, the joint port 23 is provided at the lower portion of one side of the ink container 201 on the side of the negative pressure control chamber unit 100.
0 is formed, the lower portion of the other side surface of the ink container 201 opposite to the joint port 230 side, that is,
The lower part of the rear end is engaged with the ink tank locking part 155. The upper part of the ink tank locking part 155 is
The holder 150 extends upward from the bottom of the holder 150 to almost the same height as the center height 603 of the joint port 230. As a result, the horizontal movement of the joint port 230 is reliably restricted by the ink tank locking portion 155, and
A good connection between the joint 30 and the joint pipe 180 can be maintained. Here, in order to securely maintain the connection between the joint port 230 and the joint pipe 180 when the ink tank unit 200 is mounted, the upper end of the ink tank locking portion 155 is arranged at substantially the same height as the upper part of the joint port 230. Have been. The ink tank unit 200 is detachably attached to the holder 150 by a rotation operation centering on a part of the front surface on the joint port 230 side. In the attachment / detachment operation of the ink tank unit 200, the portion of the ink tank unit 200 that abuts against the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 becomes the rotation center of the ink tank unit 200. As described above, in the inkjet head cartridge, the bottom of the rear end of the ink container 201 is inclined as described above,
Since the difference between the distance from the rotation center 600 to the upper end 601 of the ink tank locking portion and the distance from the rotation center 600 to the lower end 602 of the ink tank locking portion can be reduced, each of the ink tank unit 200 and the holder 150 Can prevent unnecessarily twisting of the rotation of the ink tank unit 200, and can favorably perform the attachment / detachment operation of the ink tank unit 200.

Ink container 201 and holder 150
Is formed in the shape as described above, even when the size of the joint port 230 is increased for high-speed ink supply, the lower end of the rear end of the ink storage container 201 when the ink tank unit 200 is attached or detached. The area where the portion is twisted with the ink tank engaging portion 155 can be reduced. Accordingly, while securing the fixing property when the ink tank unit 200 is mounted on the holder 150, it is possible to avoid unnecessary twisting with the ink tank locking portion 155 when the ink tank unit 200 is mounted.

Here, a detailed description will be given with reference to FIG.
The distance from the rotation center 600 in the attachment / detachment operation of the ink tank unit 200 to the lower end 602 of the ink tank engaging portion of the ink tank unit 200 is the rotation center 600.
When the distance from the ink tank engaging portion to the upper end 601 becomes larger than necessary, the force required for the attaching / detaching operation becomes very strong, and the upper end 601 of the ink tank engaging portion is scraped or the ink container 201 is deformed. May be done. Therefore, the rotation center 6 of the ink tank unit 200
The difference between the distance from 00 to the lower end 602 of the ink tank engaging portion of the ink tank unit 200 and the distance from the center of rotation 600 to the upper end 601 of the ink tank engaging portion is determined by the detachability while exerting an appropriate fixing force. It is desirable to be as small as possible within a range excellent in the above.

When the rotation center 600 of the ink tank unit 200 is located at a position lower than the center of the joint port 230, the distance from the rotation center 600 of the ink tank unit 200 to the upper end 601 of the ink tank engaging portion is equal to the distance. From the rotation center 600 to the lower end 60 of the ink tank locking portion
Since the distance becomes longer than the distance up to 2, it is difficult to accurately suppress the ink container 201 at the height of the center of the joint port 230. Therefore, the joint port 230
In order to accurately fix the center of the ink tank unit 200 in the height direction, the rotation center 600 of the ink tank unit 200 is
It is desirable to be above the center in the height direction of 0.

When the center of rotation 600 of the ink tank unit 200 is raised above the center height 603 of the joint port 230,
The thickness of the portion corresponding to the ink tank locking portion 155 increases, and the portion corresponding to the ink tank locking portion 155 increases.
0 is more likely to be damaged. Therefore, it is desirable that the rotation center 600 of the ink tank unit 200 be closer to the center in the height direction of the joint port 230 from the viewpoint of detachability of the ink tank unit 200. The height of the ink tank locking portion 155 of the ink tank unit 200 may be appropriately determined based on the detachability of the ink tank unit 200. If the height is higher than the rotation center 600, the height of the ink tank unit 200 Since the contact distance of the locking portion of the ink tank unit becomes longer and the portion rubbed by the attaching / detaching operation increases, the ink tank units 200 and 1
In consideration of the deterioration of the ink tank unit 50, it is desirable that the height be lower than the rotation center 600 of the ink tank unit 200.

In the ink jet head cartridge of the present embodiment, the urging force for fixing the horizontal position of the ink container 201 is determined by the urging member 263 for urging the valve body 261 and the rubber joint part. 280
This is due to the repulsive force of the ink container 201 (see FIG. 4), but is not limited to such a form.
An urging means for fixing the horizontal position of the ink container 201 may be provided on the side surface, the negative pressure control chamber unit 100, or the like. In addition, the rubber joint part 280 is in a state where the ink container is connected,
It is press-fitted on the wall of the negative pressure control chamber and the ink tank, and the airtightness of the joint (peripheral part of the joint pipe) is secured (there are few areas that are exposed to the atmosphere even without complete airtightness). In addition, it can play an auxiliary role of sealing by a sealing projection described later.

Next, the internal configuration of the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 will be described.

Inside the negative pressure control chamber unit 100, a two-stage negative pressure generating member stacked with the absorber 130 as the upper stage and the absorber 140 as the lower stage is housed. Accordingly, the absorber 130 communicates with the atmosphere communication port 115, and the absorber 140 is in close contact with the absorber 130 on its upper surface and is in close contact with the filter 161 on its lower surface. The boundary surface 113c between the absorbers 130 and 140 is higher than the upper end of the joint pipe 180 as the communicating part in the posture in use.

The absorbers 130 and 140 are made of a fibrous body whose fiber directions are almost aligned, and the main fiber direction is inclined with respect to the vertical direction when the ink jet head cartridge 70 is mounted on a printer. More desirably, it is housed in the negative pressure control chamber container 110 so as to be substantially horizontal as in the present embodiment.

The absorbers 130 and 140 having the aligned fiber directions are, for example, short fibers (about 60 mm in length, for example, blended fibers of polypropylene and polyethylene) made of a crimped thermoplastic resin. ), The fiber mass made of this short fiber is aligned in the fiber direction with a carding machine, and then heated (the temperature at the time of heating is higher than the melting point of polyethylene having a relatively low melting point, (Preferably lower than the melting point of polypropylene, which has a relatively high melting point). Here, in the fiber member of the present embodiment, the fiber direction of the surface layer is relatively more regular than that of the central part, and the generated capillary force is larger than that of the central part. Rather, it has some unevenness mainly generated when bundling the slivers, and the surface layer has three-dimensionally fused intersections. For this reason, the absorber 13 whose fiber direction is aligned
The boundary surfaces 113c of the first and second absorbers 130 and 140 are formed by contacting the surfaces having irregularities with each other.
As a whole, the ink has an appropriate fluidity in the horizontal direction. That is, only the boundary surface 113c has much better ink fluidity than the surrounding region, and as a result, the ink path is formed between the gap between the negative pressure control chamber container 110 and the absorbers 130 and 140 and the boundary surface 113c. It is not to make. Therefore, by providing the boundary surface 113c between the absorbers 130 and 140 in the upper part of the joint pipe 180 in the posture at the time of use, desirably, near the upper part of the joint pipe 180 as in the present embodiment, in the gas-liquid exchange operation described later, The interface between the ink and the gas in the absorbers 130 and 140 during the gas-liquid exchange operation can be the boundary surface 113c, and as a result, the static negative pressure in the head portion during the ink supply operation can be stabilized. it can.

Focusing on the directionality of the fiber member, as shown in FIG. 14, each fiber is continuously arranged in a longitudinal direction F1 mainly arranged by a carding machine, and in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction F1. F2 has a structure in which a part of intersections between fibers is fused by thermoforming to have a connection. For this reason, the absorbers 130, 1
40 is hard to break even if it is pulled in the F1 direction in the figure,
In the drawing, when the fiber is pulled in the direction F2, the bonding portion between the fibers is broken, so that the fibers can be separated more easily than in the case of the direction F1.

Since the main fiber direction F1 exists in the absorbers 130 and 140 made of fibers as described above, the main fiber direction F1 and the fiber direction F2 orthogonal thereto are different from each other.
The fluidity of the ink and the manner of holding the ink in a stationary state differ.

Referring to the internal structure of the absorbers 130 and 140 in more detail, the crimped short fibers as shown in FIG. 15A are heated in a state where the fiber directions are aligned to some extent. The state is as shown in FIG. Here, in the region α in which a plurality of short fibers are overlapped in the fiber direction in FIG. 15A, the probability that the intersection is fused as shown in FIG. 15B is high, and as a result, in the fiber direction, A continuous fiber that is hard to cut in the F1 direction shown in FIG. 14 is formed. Further, by using crimped short fibers, the end regions (β, γ shown in FIG. 15A) of the short fibers are three-dimensionally separated from other short fibers as shown in FIG. 15B. It fuses (β) or remains as an end (γ).
In addition, since not all fibers are aligned in exactly the same direction, short fibers that are in contact with other short fibers at an angle so as to intersect with other short fibers from the beginning (ε shown in FIG. ) Are directly fused after heating (FIG. 15B).
Ε). In this way, fibers having higher strength in the F2 direction than in the conventional one-way fiber bundle are formed.

In the present embodiment, such absorbers 130 and 140 are arranged so that the main fiber direction F1 is substantially parallel to the horizontal direction and the direction from the communicating portion to the ink supply port. ing. For this reason, as shown in FIG.
The gas-liquid interface L (interface between ink and gas) in 40 is substantially horizontal, parallel to the main fiber direction F1. Even if there is a change due to environmental changes, the gas-liquid interface is substantially horizontal. In order to maintain the environment, the gas-liquid interface returns to the original position of the gas-liquid interface L if the fluctuation of the environment subsides, and the variation of the gas-liquid interface in the direction of gravity increases according to the number of cycles of environmental change. Absent.

As a result, when the ink in the ink container 201 is used up and replaced with a new ink tank unit 200, the gas-liquid interface is maintained in a substantially horizontal direction. Even if the number of times increases, the buffer space 116 does not decrease.

As described above, in order to stabilize the position of the gas-liquid interface L during the gas-liquid exchange operation irrespective of a change in the environment, a communicating portion as a connecting portion (the joint pipe 180 in the present embodiment) is used. It is sufficient that a layer having a main fiber arrangement component in a substantially horizontal direction is provided in a region at the upper end, more preferably, a region including the upper end. From another point of view, this layer only needs to be in a region connecting the supply port 131 and the upper end of the communication portion.
It suffices if this region is present on the gas-liquid interface in the gas-liquid exchange operation. If the latter is operatively grasped, the fiber layer having the orientation of this arrangement is to level the gas-liquid interface in the absorber 140 in the liquid supply operation by gas-liquid exchange. Has a function of regulating a change in the vertical direction of the absorber 140 due to the liquid movement.

By having such a layer in the absorber 140, the variation of the gas-liquid interface L in the direction of gravity in this region can be suppressed. In this case, the absorber 140
It is more preferable that the main fiber arrangement components are substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the horizontal cut surface, because the longitudinal direction of the fibers can be effectively used.

Here, if the fiber arrangement direction is slightly inclined from the vertical direction, the above-mentioned effect can be achieved even if it is theoretically slight, but in practice, it is approximately ± 30 ° with respect to the horizontal direction. A clear effect was confirmed when it was within the range. Therefore, “substantially” substantially horizontal includes the above-described inclination in this specification.

In the present embodiment, the main components in the fiber direction in the region below the upper end of the communicating portion are also the same because they are constituted by the same absorber 140. Therefore, in the gas-liquid exchange operation as shown in FIG. 6, the gas-liquid interface L does not inadvertently fluctuate in a region below the upper end of the communication portion, and ink supply failure due to lack of ink does not occur. .

That is, in the gas-liquid exchange operation, the air introduced from the air communication port 115 is dispersed along the main fiber direction when it reaches the gas-liquid interface L. As a result, the interface during the gas-liquid exchange operation is maintained in a substantially horizontal direction and can be stabilized. As a result, there is an effect that the ink can be supplied more reliably while maintaining a stable negative pressure. Also in the gas-liquid exchange operation, in the case of the present embodiment, since the main fiber direction is substantially horizontal, the ink is consumed substantially uniformly in the horizontal direction. As a result, even with respect to the ink in the negative pressure control chamber container 110, it is possible to provide an ink supply system with little remaining use. Therefore, especially in a system in which the ink tank unit 200 that directly stores the liquid can be replaced, as in the present embodiment, the areas in the absorbers 130 and 140 that do not hold ink can be effectively created. It is possible to provide an ink supply system having improved buffer space efficiency and being resistant to environmental changes.

When the ink jet head cartridge of this embodiment is mounted on a so-called serial type printer, it is mounted on a carriage that performs reciprocal scanning. At this time, with the reciprocating operation of the carriage, a force in the moving direction component of the carriage acts on the ink in the ink jet head cartridge. In order to eliminate as much as possible the adverse effect of this force on the ink supply characteristics from the ink tank unit 200 to the inkjet head unit 160, the absorbers 130, 140
The fiber direction of the ink tank unit 200 and the arrangement direction of the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 are determined from the joint port 230 of the ink tank unit 200 through the negative pressure control chamber container 1.
Desirably, the direction is toward the ten supply ports 131.

<Tank Mounting Operation> Next, the operation of mounting the ink tank unit 200 to the unit in which the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 and the holder 150 are integrated will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 shows an ink tank unit 200 in a holder 150 on which the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 is mounted.
It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the operation | movement which mount | wears.
The ink tank unit 200 includes a guide (not shown) in the width direction, a bottom portion 151 of the holder 150, and a guide portion 12 provided on the negative pressure control chamber lid 120 of the negative pressure control chamber unit 100.
1, and an ink tank locking portion 155 at the rear of the holder 150
Is attached by being substantially rotated in the directions of arrows F and G along the arrow.

First, as the mounting operation of the ink tank unit 200, the position shown in FIG. 4A, that is, the ID member 170 provided in the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 for preventing erroneous insertion of the ink tank unit is set. The ink tank unit 200 is moved to a position where the inclined surface 251 of the ink tank unit 200 contacts. At this time, the joint port 230 and the joint pipe 180 do not contact each other. At this point, if the user attempts to mount the wrong ink tank unit 200, the inclined surface 251 and the ID member 170 interfere with each other, and the mounting operation of the ink tank unit 200 thereafter is prevented. By configuring the ink jet head cartridge 70 in this way, as described above, the joint port 230
And the joint pipe 180 are not in contact with each other.
Ink tank due to ink sticking (depending on the components of the ink (ex. Reaction of anions and cations), sticking may occur at the absorbers 130 and 140, making the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 unusable). Unnecessary replacement of the head and the ink tank in the replacement type device can be prevented beforehand. Also, as described above, the ID member 25
By forming the ID portion of 0 on the inclined surface, it is possible to confirm the ID by inserting the plurality of ID members 170 into the ID recesses corresponding to the respective ID members 170 almost at the same time. A function for preventing incorrect mounting can be achieved.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the ink tank unit 200 is inserted so that the ID member 170 is inserted into the ID recess 252 and the joint pipe 180 is inserted into the joint port 230. It is moved to the negative pressure control room unit 100 side.

Next, since the ink tank unit 200 mounted at a predetermined position is provided at the position shown in FIG. Negative pressure control room unit 200
It can be moved to the back of the side. Further, when the ink tank unit 200 is rotated in the direction of arrow G, the valve opening / closing projection 180 p in the joint pipe 180
The valve body 261 is pushed by contacting the first protrusion 261a.
As a result, the valve mechanism is opened and the ink tank unit 20 is opened.
0 and the inside of the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 are communicated, and the ink 300 in the ink tank unit 200 can be supplied into the negative pressure control chamber unit 100. Details of the opening / closing operation of the valve mechanism will be described later.

Thereafter, the ink tank unit 200 is further rotated in the direction of arrow G, and the ink tank unit 200 is pushed into the position shown in FIG. This allows
The lower part of the rear surface of the ink tank unit 200 is the holder 15.
The ink tank unit 200 is fixed to a desired position in the holder 150 by being locked by the ink tank locking portion 155 of the ink jet recording apparatus. In this state, the ID member 170 moves in a direction in which it is slightly separated from the ID concave portion 252.
The urging force for fixing the ink tank unit 200 rearward (on the side of the holder locking portion 155) is generated by the urging member 263 in the ink tank unit 200 and the joint pipe 1.
And a rubber joint portion 280 provided around the periphery of the rubber member 80.

As described above, in the ink tank unit 200 which is attached and detached in accordance with the turning operation, the ID concave portion 252 is formed on the inclined surface 251 and the lower surface of the ink tank unit 200 is inclined. Reliable attachment / detachment of the ink tank unit 200 without erroneous mounting and color mixing of ink is possible in a minimum space.

As described above, the ink tank unit 200
When the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 and the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 are connected, the ink moves until the pressure in the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 and the pressure in the ink container 201 become equal, and as shown in FIG. Pipe 180 and joint port 2
An equilibrium state is established when the pressure within 30 is negative.
(This state is referred to as a use start state.) The ink movement for achieving the equilibrium state will be described in detail.

When the valve mechanism provided at the joint port 230 of the ink container 201 is opened by mounting the ink tank unit 200, the ink storage section is substantially closed except for the joint port 230. Then, the ink in the ink storage container 201 flows to the joint port 230 to form an ink path between the ink and the absorber 140 of the negative pressure control chamber unit 100. When the ink path is formed,
Due to the capillary force of the absorber 140, the movement of the ink from the ink storage container 201 to the absorber 140 is started, and as a result,
The interface of the ink in the absorber 140 rises. In addition, the inner bag 220 starts to deform in the direction in which the volume in the inner bag 220 decreases from the center of the surface having the largest area.

Here, since the housing 210 functions to suppress the displacement of the corners of the inner bag 220, the inner bag 220 has a deformation force due to ink consumption and a state before mounting (FIG. 4 in this embodiment). (A) to the initial state shown in FIG. 4 (c), and the working force is applied to the shape without a sudden change.
Negative pressure is generated according to the degree of deformation. Since the space between the casing 210 and the inner bag 220 communicates with the outside air through the outside air communication port 222, the casing 21
Air is introduced between the inner bag 220 and the inner bag 220.

Even if air is present in the joint port 230 and the joint pipe 180, if the ink in the ink container 201 comes into contact with the absorber 140 to form an ink path, the ink is discharged. Inner bag 22
Since the 0 is deformed, the air can easily move into the inner bag 220.

The ink movement is performed until the static negative pressure at the joint port 230 of the ink container 201 and the static negative pressure at the joint pipe 180 of the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 become equal.

As described above, the ink container 20
The movement of the ink from the ink storage container 201 to the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 in the connection between the ink storage container 201 and the negative pressure control
This takes place without the introduction of gas via 40. When the equilibrium state is reached, the static negative pressure of each chamber is connected so that ink does not leak from liquid ejection recording means such as the ink jet head unit 160 connected to the ink supply port of the negative pressure control chamber unit 100. What is necessary is just to set so that it may become an appropriate value according to the kind of liquid discharge recording means.

Further, since there is a variation in the amount of ink held in the absorber 130 before connection, even when the equilibrium state is reached, a region where the absorber 140 is not filled with ink may remain. This area can be used as a buffer area.

Conversely, when the pressure in the joint pipe 180 and the joint port 230 when the equilibrium state is reached may become positive due to the influence of the variation amount,
The suction recovery may be performed by suction recovery means described later provided in the main body of the liquid ejection recording apparatus, and a slight amount of ink may be caused to flow out.

As described above, the ink tank unit 200 of the present embodiment is inserted obliquely with the outer bottom surface thereof resting on the ink tank engaging portion 155 of the holder 150, and the ink tank engaging portion 155 is inserted. After getting over, it is attached to the holder 150 with a substantially rotating operation of pushing it into the bottom surface of the holder 150. Further, the ink tank unit 200 is removed from the holder 150 by the reverse operation. Then, the ink tank unit 200
The opening / closing operation of the valve mechanism provided in the ink tank unit 200 is performed with the attaching / detaching operation.

<Opening / Closing Operation of Valve Mechanism> The opening / closing operation of the valve mechanism will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 5A shows the ink tank unit 20.
0 with the joint port 230 facing obliquely downward and the holder 15
0 shows a state immediately before the joint pipe 180 is inserted into the joint opening 230 obliquely.

Here, the joint pipe 180 is provided integrally with a sealing projection 180a over the entire outer peripheral surface thereof, and the above-described valve opening / closing projection 180p is provided therein. . The joint projection 180a is formed in the joint port 2
30 is abutted against the joint seal surface 260 of the joint port 230 when inserted into the joint 30, and is provided obliquely so that the distance from the tip of the joint pipe 180 at the upper end is larger than that at the lower end. ing.

Since the sealing projection 180a slides on the joint seal surface 260 when the ink tank unit 200 is attached and detached, as described later,
It is preferable to use a material having good slidability and adhesion to the joint seal surface 260. Further, the form of the urging member 263 for urging the valve body 261 toward the first valve frame 260a is not particularly limited, and a spring member such as a coil spring or a leaf spring, or an elastic member such as rubber is used. Can be used. Also, in consideration of recyclability, it is preferable to use an elastic member made of resin.

In the state shown in FIG. 5A, the valve opening / closing projection 180p is not in contact with the projection 261a of the valve body 261 and the valve mechanism attached to the supply port of the ink tank unit 200 is closed. It is in the state that it was. The first of the valve body 261
The end portion that comes into contact with the valve frame 260a side is a flat valve body sealing portion as described later. On the other hand, the portion of the first valve frame 260a that the valve body seal portion contacts is the first valve frame 260a.
This is a first frame seal portion made of an elastomer provided inside the valve frame 260a. Thus, the valve body 261
Since the seal portions of the first valve frame 260a and the first valve frame 260a are flattened, the valve body seal portion of the valve body 261 is pressed against the elastomer in the first valve frame 260a by the urging force of the urging member 263. , Ink tank unit 2
The airtightness inside 00 is maintained.

When the ink tank unit 200 is
As the joint pipe 180 is further inserted, the joint sealing surface 260 of the joint port 230 is sealed by the sealing projection 180 a of the joint pipe 180. At this time, since the sealing projection 180a is provided obliquely as described above, first, as shown in FIG.
The lower end of Oa contacts the joint seal surface 260, and the contact range gradually increases toward the upper part of the sealing projection 180a while sliding with respect to the joint seal surface 260 with the insertion operation of the ink tank unit 200. Finally, as shown in FIG. 5C, the sealing projections 180a
Is in contact with the joint seal surface 260. As a result, the entire periphery of the seal projection 180a contacts the joint seal surface 260, and the joint port 230 is
Sealed by 80a.

In the state shown in FIG. 5C, the valve opening / closing projection 180p is not in contact with the valve body 261, and the valve mechanism is not open. Therefore, since the joint port 230 is sealed before the valve mechanism is opened, the joint port 230 during the mounting operation of the ink tank unit 200 is set.
Ink is prevented from leaking.

Further, as described above, the joint port 2
Since the seal 30 is gradually formed from the lower side of the joint seal surface 260, the air in the joint port 230 is not sealed with the seal protrusion 180a until the seal port 180 is sealed by the seal protrusion 180a. It is discharged from the gap with the surface 260. By discharging the air in the joint port 230 in this manner, the amount of air remaining in the joint port 230 in a state where the joint port 230 is sealed is minimized. , The excessive compression of the air in the joint port 230, that is, the excessive increase in the pressure in the joint port 230 is prevented. As a result, before the ink tank unit 200 is completely attached to the holder 150, an inadvertent opening of the valve due to an increase in the pressure in the joint port 230 and an outflow of ink into the joint port 230 due to this are prevented. can do.

When the ink tank unit 200 is further inserted, as shown in FIG.
The valve opening / closing projection 180p pushes the valve body 261 against the urging force of the urging member 263 while the joint port 230 is sealed by 80a. Thereby, the second valve frame 2
The opening 260c of the 60b communicates with the joint port 230,
The air in the joint port 230 is introduced into the ink tank unit 200 through the opening 260c, and the ink in the ink tank unit 200 flows through the opening 26c.
Oc and the joint pipe 180 are supplied to the negative pressure control chamber container 110 (see FIG. 2).

As described above, when the air in the joint port 230 is introduced into the ink tank unit 200,
For example, when the ink tank unit 200 in use is mounted again, the negative pressure in the inner bag 220 (see FIG. 2) is reduced. Therefore, the balance of the negative pressure between the negative pressure control chamber container 110 and the inner bag 220 is improved, and it is possible to prevent deterioration of the re-supply property of the ink to the negative pressure control chamber container 110.

After the above operation, the ink tank unit 2
00 into the bottom surface of the holder 150, and as shown in FIG.
The joint port 230 and the joint pipe 180 are completely connected to each other, and the above-described gas-liquid exchange is reliably performed.

In the present embodiment, an opening 260c is provided in the second valve frame 260b on the bottom side of the ink tank and near the valve frame seal 264. According to the configuration of the opening 260c, when the valve mechanism is opened, that is, the valve body 261 is pressed by the valve opening / closing projection 180p, and immediately after moving to the valve lid 262 side, the ink in the ink tank unit 200 is discharged to the negative pressure control chamber unit. 100, and the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank when the ink is used up can be minimized.

In this embodiment, the first valve frame 26
An elastomer was used as a material for forming the joint seal surface 260a, that is, the seal portion of the first valve frame. By using an elastomer as a constituent material, the elastic force of the elastomer causes the joint seal surface 2
At 60, a projection 180 for sealing of the joint pipe 180 is provided.
a, and the sealing portion of the first valve frame 260a can be reliably sealed with the sealing portion of the valve body 261. In addition, by giving the elastomer an elastic force equal to or more than the minimum elastic force required to ensure the sealing property between the first valve frame 260a and the joint pipe 180 (for example, by increasing the thickness of the elastomer), The deflection of the joint at the joint pipe connection at the time of serial scan scanning of the ink jet head cartridge is suppressed by bending of the elastomer, so that a more reliable seal can be performed. Further, the elastomer used as a constituent material can be integrally formed with the first valve frame 260a, and the above-described effects can be obtained without increasing the number of parts. Further, the portion using the elastomer as a constituent material is not limited to the above-described configuration, and the sealing projections 180a formed on the joint pipe 180
An elastomer may be used as a constituent material of the sealing member of the valve body 261 or a constituent material of the valve body 261.

On the other hand, when the ink tank unit 200 is removed from the holder 150, the seal of the joint port 230 is released, and the operation of the valve mechanism is performed in the reverse order of the above operation.

That is, the ink tank unit 200
Is pulled out from the holder 150 while being rotated in a direction opposite to the mounting direction, first, the valve body 261 is advanced by the urging force of the urging member 263, and the seal portion of the valve body 261 is sealed by the first valve frame 260a. The joint port 230 is closed by the valve body 261 by being pressed by the portion.

After that, the ink tank unit 20
By withdrawing 0, the sealing of the joint port 230 by the sealing projection 180a is released. As described above, since the seal of the joint port 230 is released after the valve mechanism is closed, useless supply of ink to the joint port 230 is prevented.

Further, since the sealing projection 180a is provided obliquely as described above, the seal of the joint port 230 is released from the upper end of the sealing projection 180a. Before the seal of the joint port 230 is released, ink remains inside the joint port 230 and the joint pipe 180, but the ink that is first opened is the upper end of the sealing projection 180a, and the lower end is still open. Since the seal remains, ink does not leak from the joint port 230. In addition, since the inside of the joint port 230 and the joint pipe 180 is in a negative pressure state, when the upper end of the sealing projection 180a is opened, the air enters into the joint port 230 from there, and the joint port 230 and the joint pipe 180 are opened. The ink remaining in 180 is drawn into negative pressure control container 110.

As described above, when the seal of the joint port 230 is released, the upper end of the sealing projection 180a is opened first, and the ink remaining in the joint port 230 is moved to the negative pressure control container 110. In addition, when the ink tank unit 200 is removed from the holder 150, ink is prevented from leaking from the joint port 230.

As described above, according to the connection structure between the ink tank unit 200 and the negative pressure control container 110 in this embodiment, the joint port 230 is sealed before the valve mechanism of the ink tank unit 200 operates. Therefore, careless ink leakage from the joint port 230 can be prevented. In addition, when the ink tank unit 200 is connected and detached, a time difference is provided between the upper part and the lower part of the sealing timing and the releasing timing thereof, so that the careless operation of the valve body 261 at the time of connection and the joint port 230 at the time of detachment are made. Can be prevented from leaking.

In this embodiment, the valve body 261 is disposed deeper than the open end of the joint port 230.
Since the operation of the valve body 261 is performed, the user does not directly touch the valve body 261, and it is possible to prevent the ink attached to the valve body 261 from being stained.

<Relationship between ID operation and attachment / detachment operation of joint part>
Next, referring to FIG. 4 and FIG.
The relationship of D will be described. FIGS. 4 and 5 are views showing a process of mounting the ink tank unit 200 on the holder 150, respectively, and FIGS. 4 (a), (b), (c) and FIGS. 5 (a), (b). , (C) are at the same time, and FIG.
FIG. 5 shows the state of D, and the details of the joint portion.

First, a plurality of ID members 170 and ink for preventing the erroneous insertion of the ink tank unit 200 provided in the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 are shown in the positions shown in FIGS. The mounting operation is performed up to the position where the inclined surface 251 of the tank contacts. At this time, the joint port 230 and the joint pipe 180 do not contact each other. At this point, if an incorrect ink tank unit is to be mounted,
1 and the ID member 170 interfere with each other, preventing further mounting of the ink tank unit. According to this configuration, as described above, the joint port 230 and the joint pipe 180 do not make absolute contact with each other, so that when the ink is erroneously mounted, the color mixture of the ink at the joint portion occurs, ink sticking, non-ejection, image defect, device failure, ink tank replacement type Unnecessary replacement of the head in the apparatus can be prevented.

Next, the ink tank unit 200 mounted at the correct position is provided at the position shown in FIGS. 4B and 4B, that is, at the position where the ID member 170 and the ID recess 252 correspond. Therefore, it is mounted further to the back (negative pressure control room unit 200 side). The ink tank unit 200 installed up to this position has the joint port 2
30 and sealing projection 180a of joint pipe 180
Abuts against the sealing surface 260 of the joint port 230.

The joints are connected as described above, and the inside of the ink tank unit 200 and the inside of the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 are communicated.

In the above embodiment, the sealing projection 1
Although 80a is provided integrally with the joint pipe 180, the sealing projection 180a and the joint pipe 18 are provided.
Reference numeral 0 is a separate member, and the sealing projection 180a may be substantially engaged with a projection or a recess provided around the joint pipe 180, so that the sealing projection 180a can move around the joint pipe 180. . However,
The movable range of the sealing projection 180a is the ink tank 200.
When the is mounted on the holder 150, the valve body opening / closing projection 180p is moved to the valve body 261 until the sealing projection 180a in the movable range completely contacts the joint seal surface 260.
It is designed not to come into contact with

When the ink tank unit 200 is the holder 1
In the above embodiment, the lower end of the sealing projection 180 a contacts the joint seal surface 260 and slides with respect to the joint seal surface 260 as the ink tank unit 200 is inserted. While the contact range gradually widens toward the upper part of the sealing projection 180a, it is shown that the upper end of the sealing projection 180a finally comes into contact with the joint seal surface 260. The contact area gradually increases toward the lower part of the sealing projection 180a while being in contact with the joint seal surface 260 and sliding with the joint seal surface 260 with the insertion operation of the ink tank unit 200, and finally the seal is formed. The lower end of the projection 180a may be in contact with the joint seal surface 260, and the lower end and the upper end may be the same. It may be brought into contact with. At this time, even if the air existing between the joint pipe 180 and the valve body 261 pushes the valve body 261 to open the valve body 261, the joint port 230 is completely sealed by the sealing projection 180 a and the joint seal surface 260. Therefore, the ink 300 in the storage container 201 does not leak out. That is, the point of the present invention is that the valve mechanism is opened after the joint pipe 180 and the joint port 230 are completely sealed.
When the ink tank unit 200 is mounted, the ink 300 in the ink tank does not leak out. Further, the pushed air enters the ink tank unit 200, and the ink 200 in the ink storage container 201 is connected to the joint port 2.
In this case, the ink is supplied from the ink container 201 to the absorber 140 quickly.

<Ink Supply Operation> Next, the ink supply operation of the ink jet head cartridge shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an ink supply operation in the ink jet head cartridge shown in FIG.

As described above, the negative pressure control chamber unit 100
Is divided into a plurality of members, and the boundary surface between the divided members is disposed above the upper end of the joint pipe 180 in the posture at the time of use, whereby the absorber 13 in the ink jet head cartridge shown in FIG.
In the case where ink exists in both of the lower absorber 1 and the upper absorber 140, the ink in the upper absorber 130 is consumed.
It is possible to consume the ink in 40. When the gas-liquid interface L fluctuates due to an environmental change, first, the absorber 140 and the boundary surface 113 between the absorbers 130 and 140 are used.
After the vicinity of c is filled, the ink enters the absorber 130. Accordingly, a buffer area other than the buffer space 116 in the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 can be stably secured in accordance with the fiber direction of the absorber 140. further,
As in the present embodiment, by making the capillary force of the absorber 140 relatively higher than the capillary force of the absorber 130, the ink in the upper absorber 130 can be reliably consumed during use. .

In addition, in the case of the present embodiment, the ribs of the negative pressure control chamber lid 120 allow the absorber 130 to be
The absorber 130 and the absorber 14
0 is pressed against the boundary surface 113c, and the absorber 130,
In the portion 140 near the boundary surface 113c, the compression ratio is higher and the capillary force is stronger compared to other portions. That is, the capillary force of the absorber 140 is P1, the capillary force of the absorber 130 is P2, the boundary surface 113c between the absorbers 130 and 140, and the region (boundary layer) near the boundary surface 113c of the absorbers 130 and 140. If the capillary force possessed is PS, then P2 <P1 <PS. By providing the boundary layer having a strong capillary force in this way, even if the range of the capillary force of P1 and P2 considering the unevenness of density overlaps due to the unevenness of the density in the absorbers 130 and 140, the above condition is satisfied at the interface. Since there is sufficient capillary force, the above-described effects can be reliably achieved. In addition, as described above, arranging the joint pipe 180 near the lower part of the boundary surface 113c between the absorbers 130 and 140 is preferable because the liquid level during gas-liquid exchange can be stably maintained at this position. .

Therefore, the boundary surface 113 in this embodiment is used.
A method for configuring c will be described. In the case of the present embodiment, an olefin resin fiber (2 denier) having a capillary force P1 of -110 mmAq. Is used as a constituent material of the absorber 140 which is a capillary force generating member, and has a hardness of 0.1.
It is 69 kgf / mm. Here, the hardness of the absorbers 130 and 140 is determined by measuring the repulsion force when a φ15 mm push rod is pushed into the absorber while the absorbers 130 and 140 are housed in the negative pressure control chamber container 110. It is determined by the slope. On the other hand, as a constituent material of the absorber 130, an olefin-based resin fiber of the same material as the absorber 140 was used, but P2 of the absorber 130 was weaker than that of the absorber 140, and its capillary force P2 = − The fiber diameter of the fiber material is large (6 denier), and the rigidity of the absorber 130 is as high as 1.88 kgf / mm.

As described above, the absorber 130 having a weaker capillary force is made more rigid with respect to the absorber 140 having a higher capillary force, and these absorbers 130, 140 are brought into pressure contact with each other to combine the absorbers 130, 140. In the vicinity of the boundary surface 113c between the two, the absorber 140 is crushed, and the strength of the capillary force can be set to P2 <P1 <PS. Furthermore, P2
And Ps can always be equal to or greater than the difference between P2 and P1.

<Ink Consumption Operation> Next, the ink tank unit 2 is installed in the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 and the holder 150.
The outline of the ink consumption operation from the mounting of 00 to the consumption of the ink in the ink absorbing container 201 will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the state of ink in the ink consumption operation described with reference to FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 describes the effect of suppressing the internal pressure fluctuation due to the deformation of the inner bag 220 in the ink consumption operation. FIG.

First, as described above, the ink container 20
1 is connected to the negative pressure control chamber unit 100, the ink in the ink storage container 201 moves into the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 until the pressures in the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 and the ink storage container 201 become equal. To use. Next, when the ink consumption is started by the inkjet head unit 160, the balance between the inner bag 220 and the absorber 140 in the direction in which the value of the generated static negative pressure increases increases, The ink held in both the absorbers 140 is consumed (first ink supply state: area A in FIG. 7A). Here, when the ink is held in the absorber 130, the ink in the absorber 130 is also consumed. FIG. 7A is a diagram for explaining an example of the rate of change of the negative pressure in the ink supply tube 165 at this time. In FIG. 7A, the horizontal axis indicates the direction from the ink supply tube 165. The vertical axis indicates the value of the negative pressure (static negative pressure) in the ink supply pipe 165, where the amount of ink drawn out of the negative pressure control chamber container 110 is plotted on the vertical axis.

Next, by introducing gas into the inner bag 220, the absorbers 130 and 140 maintain a gas-liquid interface L while maintaining a substantially constant negative pressure for ink derivation (gas-liquid exchange state). Second ink supply state: After the area B) in FIG. 7A, the ink remaining in the capillary force generating member storage chamber 10 is consumed (area C in FIG. 7A).

As described above, the ink jet head cartridge of the present embodiment has the step of using the ink in the inner bag 220 without introducing the outside air into the inner bag 220. Ink supply state)
In the above, the limitation of the inner volume of the ink storage container 201 only needs to consider the air introduced into the inner bag 220 at the time of connection. As a result, the ink container 201
There is an advantage that even if the restriction on the internal volume of the device is relaxed, it is possible to cope with an environmental change such as a temperature change.

Further, the above-mentioned areas A, A in FIG.
Even if the ink container 201 is exchanged in any of the states B and C, a negative pressure can be stably generated, whereby a reliable ink supply operation can be performed. That is, according to the ink jet head cartridge of the present embodiment, the ink in the ink storage container 201 can be almost completely consumed. In addition, when the ink tank unit 200 is replaced, air may be contained in the joint pipe 180 or the joint port 230, and the ink storage container 201 can be replaced regardless of the ink holding amount of the absorbers 130 and 140. Therefore, an ink jet head cartridge that can replace the ink container 201 without necessarily providing the remaining amount detection mechanism can be obtained.

Here, the operation in the series of ink consumption processes described above will be described from a further viewpoint with reference to FIG.

FIG. 7B is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation in a series of ink consumption processes.
In (b), the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the amount of ink derived from the ink storage unit and the amount of air introduced into the inner bag 220.
Also, the amount of ink supplied to the inkjet head unit 160 is assumed to be constant during the elapsed time.

An operation in a series of ink consumption processes will be described from the viewpoint of the ink derivation amount and the air introduction amount shown in FIG. 7B. In FIG. 7B, the amount of ink drawn out from the inner bag 220 is indicated by a solid line, and the amount of air introduced into the ink storage unit is indicated by a solid line.

The period from time t = 0 to time t = t1 is shown in FIG.
This corresponds to the region A before gas-liquid exchange shown in FIG. In this region A, as described above, the absorbent bag 140 and the inner bag 22
The ink is led out of the head while keeping the balance from within zero.

Next, the period from time t = t1 to time t = t2 corresponds to the gas-liquid exchange region (region B) in FIG.
In this region B, gas-liquid exchange is performed based on the negative pressure balance as described above. As shown by the solid line in FIG. 7B, the air is introduced into the inner bag 220 (indicated by the step of the solid line), and the ink is drawn out from the inside of the inner bag 220. At that time, along with the introduction of air, an amount of ink equal to the introduced air is not immediately discharged from the inside of the inner bag 220, but, for example, after a predetermined period of time from the introduction of air, the ink is introduced. An amount of ink equal to the air is finally discharged from the inner bag 220. As is apparent from FIG. 7B, such an operation has a timing difference as compared with the operation of the ink tank which does not have the inner bag 220 and does not deform the ink storage unit. . This operation is repeated in the gas-liquid exchange region as described above. As the derivation of the ink in the inner bag 220 proceeds, at some point, the amount of air and the amount of ink in the inner bag 220 are reversed.

After the time t = t2, the region (region C) after the gas-liquid exchange shown in FIG. In this region C, the inside of the inner bag 220 is almost at atmospheric pressure as described above.
Accordingly, the operation returns to the initial state (the state before the start of use) due to the elastic force of the inner bag 220. However, the inner bag 22
At 0, it does not completely return to the initial state due to so-called buckling. Therefore, the final air introduction amount Vc into the inner bag 220 is (V> Vc). Inner bag 220 even in region C
All the ink from is used up.

As described above, the characteristic of the phenomenon of the gas-liquid exchange operation in the configuration of the ink jet head cartridge of this embodiment is that the pressure fluctuation during the gas-liquid exchange (FIG.
The amplitude γ) in (a) is relatively large as compared with the conventional ink tank system that performs gas-liquid exchange.

The reason for this is that before the gas-liquid exchange is performed, the ink is drawn out from the inner bag 220, so that the inner bag 220 is deformed inward of the tank. Therefore inner bag 2
Due to the elastic force of 20, an outward force always acts on the wall of the inner bag 220. Therefore, at the time of gas-liquid exchange, the absorber 14
In order to reduce the pressure difference between the inside of the inner bag 220 and the inside of the inner bag 220, the amount of air entering the inner bag 220 often enters a predetermined amount or more as described above. As a result, there is a tendency that the amount of ink discharged from the inner bag 220 to the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 increases. On the other hand, when the inside of the ink tank unit 200 is configured to have an ink storage portion such that the wall portion is not deformed like the inner bag 220, a predetermined amount of air enters the ink storage portion to immediately The ink is led out to the negative pressure control chamber unit 100.

For example, when printing with 100% duty (solid mode), a large amount of ink is ejected from the ink jet head unit 160 at one time. Thereby, the inside of the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 and the ink container 20
Although the ink is rapidly drawn out from the inside of the ink cartridge 1, since the ink is drawn out relatively frequently by gas-liquid exchange in the ink jet head cartridge of this embodiment, there is no fear of running out of ink, and the reliability is improved.

Further, according to the configuration of the ink jet head cartridge of the present embodiment, the ink is led out in a state where the inner bag 220 is deformed inward, so that external factors such as vibration of the carriage and environmental changes are caused. There is a further advantage that the buffering effect on is high.

As described above, in the ink jet head cartridge of the present embodiment, the minute negative pressure fluctuation can be mitigated by the inner bag 220. According to the configuration, furthermore, the second ink supply state and the like can be reduced. Even when air is contained in the inner bag 220, it is possible to cope with environmental changes such as temperature changes by a solution different from the conventional method.

FIG. 8 shows a mechanism for stably holding the liquid in the ink jet head cartridge shown in FIG. 2 when the environmental conditions are changed.
This will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the absorber 130,
140 is also called a capillary force generating member.

When the atmospheric pressure decreases or the temperature rises,
When the air in the inner bag 220 is inflated, the wall constituting the inner bag 220 and the liquid level in the inner bag 220 are pressed. As a result, the inner volume of the inner bag 220 increases and the inner bag 220
Some of the ink inside flows out of the inner bag 220 into the negative pressure control chamber container 110 through the joint port 230 and the joint pipe 180. Here, since the inner volume of the inner bag 220 increases, the amount of ink flowing out to the absorber 140 is:
The number of parts in which ink is stored is greatly reduced as compared with the case where the part cannot be deformed.

Here, the amount of ink flowing out into the negative pressure control chamber container 110 through the joint port 230 and the joint pipe 180 is determined by the inner bag 220 when the pressure change is rapid.
In order to alleviate the negative pressure inside the inner bag 220 and increase the inner volume of the inner bag 220, the resistance of the wall surface caused by relaxing the inward deformation of the wall of the inner bag 220 and the capillary force by moving the ink The effect of the resistance force to be absorbed by the generating member is dominant initially.

In particular, in the case of this configuration, since the flow resistance of the capillary force generating members (absorbers 130 and 140) is greater than the resistance to the restoration of the bag, the inner bag 22
The internal volume of 0 increases. When the increase in volume due to the expansion of the air is larger than the upper limit of the increase, the inner bag 22 through the joint port 230 and the joint pipe 180
The ink flows out from the inside to the negative pressure control chamber container 110 side. That is, since the wall surface in the inner bag 220 functions as a buffer against environmental changes, the movement of the ink in the capillary force generating member becomes gentle, and the negative pressure characteristic near the ink supply pipe 165 is stabilized.

In this embodiment, the negative pressure control chamber container 11
The ink that has flowed to zero is held by the capillary force generating member. In this case, the amount of ink in the negative pressure control chamber container 110 temporarily increases and the gas-liquid interface rises, so that the internal pressure temporarily becomes slightly positive from the stable period of the ink internal pressure as in the initial use. Inkjet head unit 16
The influence on the ejection characteristics of the liquid ejection recording means such as 0 is small, and there is no problem in practical use. Further, when the atmospheric pressure is restored to the level before the pressure reduction (returned to 1 atm) (or returned to the original temperature), it leaks to the negative pressure control chamber container 110 and is held by the capillary force generating member. Ink again in inner bag 2
20 and the inner volume of the inner bag 220 returns to the original state.

Next, after the initial operation after the pressure change,
The principle operation when a steady state is reached under a changed atmospheric pressure will be described.

What is characteristic in this state is that not only the amount of ink derived from the inside of the inner bag 220 but also the negative pressure fluctuation due to the change in the inner volume of the inner bag 220 itself is balanced. This means that the interface of the ink held by the capillary force generating member changes. Here, in the present invention,
Ink absorption amount of the capillary force generating member and ink storage container 2
With respect to the relationship with 01, the amount of ink flowing out from the ink container 201 under the worst conditions and the ink container Considering the amount of ink to be held in the negative pressure control chamber container 110 when the ink is supplied from 201, the maximum ink absorption amount of the negative pressure control chamber container 110 is determined, and at least the volume sufficient to accommodate the capillary force generating member. May be provided in the negative pressure control chamber container 110.

FIG. 8A shows the initial space volume (air volume) in the inner bag 220 before decompression when the inside of the inner bag 220 is not deformed at all by the expansion of the air. Pressure is P
The vertical axis (Y) represents the ink outflow amount when the pressure is reduced to the atmospheric pressure (0 <P <1), and these relationships are indicated by dotted lines.

Accordingly, the worst conditions for estimating the amount of ink flowing out of the inner bag 220 are as follows. For example, when the maximum pressure reduction condition of the atmospheric pressure is set to 0.7 atm, the amount of ink flowing out of the ink storage container 201 becomes the maximum. This is the case when 30% of the ink of the volume VB of the inner bag 220 remains in the inner bag 220, and the ink below the lower end of the inner wall of the inner bag 220 also generates the capillary force of the negative pressure control chamber container 110. If absorbed by the member, all ink remaining in the inner bag 220 (30% of VB)
May leak out.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the inner bag 220
Because the inside is deformed by the expansion of air, the inner bag 2 before expansion
The inner volume of the inner bag 220 after inflation increases with respect to the inner volume of the inner bag 220, and the negative pressure control chamber container 1
The ink holding level in 10 changes. Then, in the steady state, the ink from the inner bag 220 keeps the balance of the negative pressure with the capillary force generating member in which the negative pressure is reduced compared to before the pressure change. That is, the amount of ink derivation is reduced by the amount of expansion in the inner bag 220. As a result, an example is shown by a solid line. As is clear from the dotted line and the solid line, the estimation of the amount of the ink flowing out from the inner bag 220 under the worst condition can be made smaller than the case where the inside of the inner bag 220 is not deformed at all by the expansion of air. . The above phenomenon is the same even when the temperature of the ink tank changes, but even when the temperature rises by about 50 deg, the outflow amount is smaller than that at the time of the above-described pressure reduction.

As described above, according to the ink tank of the present invention, the expansion of the air in the ink container 201 due to a change in the environment is controlled not only by the negative pressure control chamber container 110 but also by the outer shape inside the inner bag 220 at the maximum. Since the buffer effect of increasing the volume of the ink storage container 201 itself can be tolerated even in the ink storage container 201 until is substantially equal to the shape of the inner surface of the housing 210, the ink storage amount of the ink storage container 201 can be significantly increased. It is possible to provide an ink supply system that can cope with an environmental change even if it increases.

When the initial volume of air is VA1,
When the environment of the tank is changed from the atmospheric pressure to the P pressure (0 <P <1) at t = 0 and the amount of ink drawn out from the inner bag 220 and the inner bag 220 with the lapse of time, Is schematically shown in FIG. 8 (b). In FIG. 8B, the horizontal axis represents time (t), and the vertical axis represents the amount of ink drawn out from the inner bag 220 and the inner volume of the inner bag 220. Solid line, inner bag 220
The time change of the volume inside is shown by a solid line.

As shown in FIG. 8B, with respect to a sudden change in the environment, before the negative pressure control chamber container 110 and the ink container 201 finally reach a steady state in which the negative pressure balance is maintained. The expansion of air can be mainly handled by the ink container 201. Therefore, the timing of drawing out the ink from the ink storage container 201 to the negative pressure control chamber container 110 can be delayed with respect to a rapid environmental change.

Therefore, even under various use environments, the tolerance for the gas expansion of the outside air introduced by the gas-liquid exchange is increased while the ink storage container 201 is used under a stable negative pressure condition while being used. An ink supply system capable of supplying ink can be provided.

According to the ink jet head cartridge of this embodiment, the capillary force generating members (ink absorbers 130 and 140) and the material in the inner bag 220 are appropriately selected, so that the negative pressure control chamber container 110 The volume ratio with the inside of the bag 220 can be arbitrarily determined, and even if it is larger than 1: 2, it can be practically used. In particular, when the buffer effect in the inner bag 220 is emphasized, the amount of deformation in the inner bag 220 in the gas-liquid exchange state with respect to the start of use may be increased within a range in which elastic deformation is possible.

As described above, according to the ink jet head cartridge of the present embodiment, in combination with the configuration of the negative pressure control chamber container 110, even if the capillary force generating member has only a small occupied volume, it can be protected against changes in the external environment. Synergistic effects can be achieved.

In the ink jet head cartridge of the present embodiment, the joint pipe 180 is provided above the lower end of the negative pressure control chamber container 110 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the effect of reducing the variation of the ink components in the absorbers 130 and 140 in the negative pressure control chamber container 110 can be obtained. This effect will be described in more detail below.

The ink from the ink tank unit 200 is supplied to the ink jet head unit 160 via the joint port 230 and the absorbers 130 and 140, but the path from the joint port 230 to the ink supply pipe 165 is various. Once the ink is directly supplied at the shortest distance and, for example, the liquid level in the absorber 140 rises due to the above-mentioned environmental change or the like, the absorber 140
There is a considerable difference in the path between the path leading to the ink supply pipe 165 after reaching the top of the path. As a result, variations in ink components may affect printing. As in the configuration of the ink jet head cartridge of the present embodiment, the joint pipe 180 is connected to the absorber 14
0, the variation of the ink path,
That is, it is possible to suppress the difference in the length of the path, and thereby suppress the variation in the ink components. Thus, it is possible to suppress a variation component in recording. Thereby, the joint pipe 180 and the joint port 2
Although it is preferable to bring the 30 to the upper part as much as possible, it is preferable to keep it at a certain position as in the present embodiment in order to secure the buffer function. This position is
It is appropriately determined according to conditions such as the absorbers 130 and 140, the ink, the supply amount of the ink, and the ink amount.

As described above, in the negative pressure control chamber container 110 of the ink jet head cartridge of this embodiment, as described above, the absorbent 140 having the capillary force of P1 and the capillary force of P2 are provided.
Is stored in pressure contact with the absorber 130, thereby forming a boundary surface 113c having a capillary force of PS. The relationship between the strengths of the capillary forces is P2 <P1 <PS, that is, the boundary surface 113
c has the strongest capillary force, and then the lower absorber 140 has a higher capillary force and the upper absorber 13
0 is the weakest capillary force. Boundary surface 113
c is the strongest, and the capillary force of the absorber 130 arranged on the upper side is the weakest.
Even if the ink supplied from above flows into the upper absorber 130 beyond the boundary surface 113c, the ink is strongly pulled toward the boundary surface 113c and returns to the boundary surface 113c. In this way, the existence of the boundary surface 113c prevents the path J from drawing a line that passes through both the absorber 140 and the absorber 130. Therefore, the communication port 230 is located above the supply port 131. Combined with the formation, the difference between the length of the path K and the length of the path J can be reduced. For this reason, the difference in the influence of the ink from the absorber 140, which occurs when the path of the ink flowing in the absorber 140 is different, can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the ink absorber, which is a negative pressure generating member, housed in the negative pressure control chamber container 110 has a two-member structure. In the present embodiment, the absorbers 130 and 140 having different capillary forces are used, and the lower absorber having a strong capillary force is used. Then, the boundary surface 113c between the absorbers 130 and 140
By arranging the joint pipe 180 at the lower portion near the interface of, it is possible to secure a reliable buffer portion while suppressing variations in the ink path.

Further, the supply port 131 is connected to the negative pressure control chamber container 11.
0 is shown near the center of the lower wall as an example, but is not limited to this. If necessary, the direction away from the communication port 231, that is, the lower wall in FIG. The supply port may be formed on the left end side or the left side wall. Accordingly, the position of the ink jet head unit 160 provided in the holder 150 and the position of the ink supply pipe 165 are also provided at positions corresponding to the supply ports formed on the left end side or the left side wall of the lower wall. There may be.

<Valve Mechanism> Next, the valve mechanism provided inside the joint port 230 of the ink tank unit 200 will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 9 shows the ink container 20 shown in FIG.
It is a figure for explaining a valve mechanism attached to one supply port. FIG. 9A is an exploded perspective view of the valve mechanism, and FIG. 9B is a sectional view of the valve mechanism. FIG. 9 (c)
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the valve body.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the valve mechanism attached to the supply port of the ink container 201 is the first valve frame 2.
60d and valve frame member 260d having second valve frame 260
, A valve body 261 inserted into the valve frame member 260d, a biasing member 263 for biasing the valve body 261 and a valve lid 262 fixed to an end face of the valve body member 260d. As the urging member 263, a coil spring is used as shown in FIG. The upper part and the lower part of the portion between the first valve frame 260a and the second valve frame 260b in use state have openings 2 respectively.
60c are formed.

In the valve body 261, a plate-like projection 261a protrudes from a surface on the joint port 230 side in a portion that slides in the second valve body 260b. A support shaft 261b extends from the opposite surface. A hole into which the support shaft 261b is inserted is formed in the valve lid 262, and the support shaft 2
By inserting 61b, valve body 261 is slidably supported. The protruding portion 261a is disposed below the vertical center of the valve body 261 in the used state for a reason described below. Further, the shape of the projection 261a is, as described above, between the inner bag 220 and the negative pressure control chamber container 11.
The inside of the communicating portion with the inside of the zero is substantially divided vertically, and the tip of the protruding portion 261a has a curved surface.

When assembling the valve mechanism, as shown in FIG. 9B, the second valve frame 260
The valve body 261 is inserted into the valve frame member 260c from the opening surface on the side b.
Then, after passing the urging member 263 through the support shaft 261b of the valve body 261, the support shaft 261 is inserted into the hole of the valve lid 262 so that the urging member 263 is compressed. In this state, the valve mechanism is assembled by joining the valve lid 262 to the end face of the valve frame member 260d.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of the shape of the projection 180p formed in the joint pipe 180. As shown in FIG. 10, a plate-shaped valve opening / closing projection 180p arranged at a position where the projection 261a of the valve body 261 abuts is formed inside the elongated hole-shaped joint pipe 180. The inside of the joint pipe 180 is substantially divided into two upper and lower areas in the use state by the valve opening / closing projection 180p. The upper region of the two vertically divided regions is the upper opening 181a, and the lower region is the lower opening 181b. When the valve mechanism shown in FIG. 9 is connected to the joint pipe 180, the gas preferential introduction path shown in FIG. 2 is formed between the upper opening 181a and the space above the protrusion 261a in the valve frame member 260d. 191 is formed, and the lower opening 181b is formed.
The space below the protruding portion 261a in the valve frame member 260d forms the liquid lead-out passage 192 shown in FIG.

Only when the ink tank unit 200 is mounted on the holder 150 as described above, the gas priority introduction passage 191 and the liquid outlet are provided as communication passages for communicating the inside of the inner bag 220 and the inside of the negative pressure control chamber container 110. Road 192
Is configured. As described above, the gas priority introduction passage 191
, Gas is mainly introduced from the negative pressure control chamber container 110 into the ink tank unit 200,
2, the ink in the ink tank unit 200 is led out into the negative pressure control chamber container 110.

Further, since the communication passage between the ink tank unit 200 and the negative pressure control chamber container 110 is divided into the upper gas priority introduction passage 191 and the lower liquid outlet passage 192 as described above, When gas is introduced into the ink tank unit 200, the ink tank unit 200
Since the inside and the inside of the negative pressure control chamber container 110 are always connected by the ink in the liquid outlet passage 192, the entire communication path is not locked by the gas (air), and the ink supply with higher reliability can be achieved. It can be carried out.

Further, as described above, the valve opening / closing projection 18 is provided.
0p is arranged below the center of the joint pipe 180 in the vertical direction, and the projection 261a is arranged below the center of the joint port 230 in the vertical direction. The cross-sectional area in the direction perpendicular to the flow path direction is larger than the cross-sectional area in the liquid outlet path 192 in the direction perpendicular to the flow path direction. Thereby, the flow resistance of the liquid outlet passage 192 is larger than the flow resistance of the gas priority inlet passage 191.

In the communication section between the ink storage container 201 and the negative pressure control chamber container 110, even if the gas priority introduction passage 191 is blocked by air due to high-speed recording or the like, ink flows from the liquid discharge passage 192 to the negative passage. Since the ink can be introduced into the pressure control chamber container 110, the ink can be supplied even in that case. Thereafter, if the pressure difference between the inside of the ink tank unit 200 and the inside of the negative pressure control chamber container 110 increases, the gas in the gas priority introduction passage 191 can move, so that a stable gas-liquid exchange operation can be performed. At this time, since the flow resistance of the gas priority introduction passage 191 is made smaller than the flow resistance of the liquid outlet passage 192, even if bubbles remain in the gas priority introduction passage 191, the staying bubbles are quickly removed by the ink tank unit. It can be moved to the 200 side. As a result, a more stable gas-liquid exchange operation can be performed between the ink tank unit 200 and the negative pressure control chamber container 110. Further, even when ink is supplied from the ink tank unit 200 to the negative pressure control chamber container 110 at high speed, a more stable gas-liquid exchange operation is performed, and a highly reliable ink supply operation is realized.

In this embodiment, the ink container 201 is
A joint port 230 is provided as a supply port having an opening surface that is substantially parallel to the direction of gravity in a use state, and a valve mechanism having a valve body 261 is provided to switch the supply port between a closed state and an open state. It is attached to the mouth. The ink tank unit 200 provided with the ink container 201 is rotated with respect to the holder 150 and the negative pressure control chamber unit 100 by a rotation operation centering on a position above the substantially center of the opening surface of the joint port 230 in use. It is attached detachably. And the valve body 261
The portion pushed by the valve opening / closing projection 180p, that is, the projection 261a is located in a region lower than substantially the center of the opening surface of the joint port 230 in the used state. That is, the protrusion 261a is located in a region opposite to the rotation center side in the rotation operation of the ink tank unit 200 when the ink tank unit 200 is mounted, from substantially the center of the opening surface of the joint port 230 in the used state.

FIG. 11 shows a projection 180p for opening and closing the valve in the joint pipe 180 and a projection 261a of the valve body 261.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a relationship between the arrangement of the valve body and the movement amount of the valve body 261. FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the joint pipe 180 and the valve mechanism when the projection 261a is in contact with the valve opening / closing projection 180p in the middle of the operation of attaching the ink tank unit 200 to the holder 150. The state shown in FIG. 11 corresponds to the stage shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, assuming that the contact between the valve opening / closing projection 180p and the projection 261a is D in the mounting operation of the ink tank unit 200, the contact D is the timing of sealing the outer peripheral surface of the joint pipe 180. In view of the above, it is arbitrarily determined as long as it is a tangent to the tip of the protrusion 261a and a line perpendicular to the flow path direction in the joint port 230 (X in the drawing). Here, assuming that the contact point D is the upper side of the joint port 230, for example, a point A shown in FIG. Will be provided. At this time, as is apparent from FIG. 11, the length of the valve opening / closing projection 180p is reduced by the distance a in the figure while the length of the projection 261a is kept as it is. As a result, since the total length of the valve opening / closing protrusion 180p and the protrusion 261a after the ink tank unit 200 is mounted is reduced by the distance a, the movement amount of the valve body 260 by the distance a, that is, The opening margin of the opening 260c is reduced.

Conversely, when the contact point D is located on the lower side, for example, at the position of point B shown in FIG. 11, the length of the projection 261a is not changed, and the length of the valve opening / closing projection 180p is the distance b in the figure.
Only longer. Therefore, the total length of the valve opening / closing projection 180p and the projection 261a after the ink tank unit 200 is attached is increased by the distance b, and the amount of movement of the valve body 260 by the distance b, that is, the opening allowance of the opening 260c. Becomes larger. As described above, as the valve opening / closing projection 180p and the projection 261a, which are the opening / closing means of the valve mechanism, are disposed below the joint portion, a larger valve opening allowance can be secured by the same operation. Thus, a valve mechanism capable of supplying a large amount of ink in a short time can be configured, and it is easy to handle a large amount of ink.

When the projection 261a is disposed below the center of the joint port 230 and the urging means 263 is disposed at the center of the valve, the valve 261 is more likely to be stiff inside the second valve frame 260b. Become. As a countermeasure, as in the present embodiment, the projection 261a and the urging means 263 are connected to the valve 2
By arranging the valve body 261 on a straight line substantially parallel to the moving direction of the valve body 261, the valve body 261 is prevented from becoming stiff and the sealing performance of the valve mechanism is not impaired.

As for the shape of the projection 261a of the valve body 261, it is desirable that the inside of the joint port 230 be substantially vertically divided as in this embodiment, but the shape of the projection 261a as shown in FIG. Is simply a rod-shaped one, so that the inside of the joint port 230 cannot be partitioned up and down,
By disposing the protrusion 261a below the center of the joint port 230, the same effect as described above can be obtained. 9A and 9C, the protrusion 261a and the support shaft 261b are arranged on a straight line substantially parallel to the moving direction of the valve 261. Although the protrusion 261a and the urging member 263 are configured to be arranged on the same straight line, the protrusion 261a and the urging member 263 do not necessarily have to be arranged in such a straight line. If the valve body 261 is slidably supported and the sealing of the valve mechanism can be ensured when the valve body 261 is in the closed position, for example, the support shaft 261b should be disposed substantially at the center of the valve body 261. As a result, the protrusion 261a and the urging member 263
It is not necessary that they are arranged on a straight line that is substantially parallel to the direction of movement of one.

<Method of Manufacturing Ink Tank> Next, a method of manufacturing the ink tank of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 12A, the inner bag exposed portion 221a of the ink storage container 201 is directed upward in the direction of gravity, and the ink 401 is inserted into the ink storage container 201 from the ink supply opening by the ink injection nozzle 402. Inject. In the configuration of the present invention, ink can be injected under atmospheric pressure.

Next, as shown in FIG.
61, valve cover 262, biasing member 263, first valve frame 260
a) After the second valve frame 260b is installed in advance, the valve unit is dropped into the supply port of the ink container 201.

At this time, the outer peripheral portion of the sealing surface 102 of the ink container 201 is surrounded by a step outside the welding surface of the first valve frame 260a, and the ink container 201 and the first valve frame 2
The position with respect to the position 60a is determined, and it is possible to obtain the position accuracy. Then, the welding horn 400 is moved from above to the first valve frame 2.
The first valve frame 260a and the inner bag 220 of the ink container 201 are welded to the outer peripheral portion of the joint port 230 of the ink container 201 on the seal surface 102, and at the same time, the first valve frame 260a is The seal with the housing 210 of the ink container 201 can be reliably welded. In the present invention, the present invention is also applicable to ultrasonic welding and vibration welding. Further, the present invention can be applied to heat welding, an adhesive, and the like.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12C, the ID member 250 is placed over the ink container 201 to which the first valve frame 260a is welded. At this time, the engaging portion 210a formed on the side surface of the housing of the ink container 201 and the ID member 250
At the same time as the click portion 250a is engaged, the click portion 250a on the lower surface side of the ID member 250 sandwiches the housing 210 located in the opposite direction to the seal surface 102 of the ink container 201 with the first valve frame 260a interposed therebetween. (See FIG. 3).

<Detection of Ink Remaining Amount in Tank> Next, detection of the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank unit will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, below the region of the holder 150 where the ink tank unit 200 is mounted, a plate-like shape having a width smaller than the width of the ink container 201 (in the depth direction in the drawing). An electrode 270 is provided.
The electrode 270 is fixed to a carriage (not shown) of the printer on which the holder 150 is mounted.
Is connected to the electrical control system of the printer via the.

On the other hand, the ink jet head unit 16
0 is an ink flow path 162 communicating with the ink supply pipe 165
And a plurality of nozzles (not shown) each having an energy generating element (not shown) for generating energy for ink ejection
And a common liquid chamber 164 that temporarily holds the ink supplied from the ink flow path 162 and supplies the ink to each nozzle. The energy generating element is connected to a connection terminal 281 provided on the holder 150, and the connection terminal 281 is connected to an electric control system of the printer by mounting the holder 150 on a carriage. A recording signal from the printer is sent to the energy generating element via the connection terminal 281, and by driving the energy generating element to apply ejection energy to the ink in the nozzle, the ink is ejected from the ejection port which is the opening end of the nozzle. Is done.

In the common liquid chamber 164, an electrode 290 is provided which is connected to an electric control system of the printer via a connection terminal 281. These two electrodes 270,
At 290, the ink remaining amount detecting means in the ink container 201 is configured.

In the present embodiment, the joint port 230 of the ink tank unit 200 is connected to the ink container 201 shown in FIG. Is provided at the lower end in the used state of the surface sandwiched between the maximum area surfaces. In addition, a part of the bottom surface of the ink supply container 201 is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane in a use state. Specifically, the joint port 23 of the ink tank unit 200
When the end on the side where 0 is provided is the front end and the end on the opposite side is the rear end, the vicinity of the front end portion where the valve mechanism is provided is a plane parallel to the horizontal plane, and the area from there to the rear end is The inclined surface rises from the front end toward the rear end. The inclination angle of the bottom surface of the ink container 201 is determined by considering the deformation of the inner bag 220 described later.
It is preferable that the angle formed by the rear end face 0 is an obtuse angle. In the present embodiment, the angle is set to be 95 degrees or more.

Then, such an ink container 201
The electrode 270 is arranged at a position facing the inclined region on the bottom surface of the ink container 201 so as to be parallel to the inclined region.

Hereinafter, the ink remaining amount detecting means will be described.
The detection of the remaining amount of ink in the ink container 201 will be described.

In detecting the remaining amount of ink, a pulse voltage is applied between the electrode 270 on the holder 150 side and the electrode 290 in the common liquid chamber 164, and changes depending on the area of the electrode 270 facing the ink at that time. This is performed by detecting a capacitance (capacitance). For example, both electrodes 270, 29
During 0, a rectangular wave pulse voltage having a peak value of 5 V is applied at a pulse frequency of 1 kHz, and the time constant and gain of the circuit are subjected to arithmetic processing so that the presence or absence of ink in the ink container 201 can be detected. .

When the ink is consumed, the ink container 201
When the remaining amount of ink in the ink container decreases, the ink liquid level decreases toward the bottom surface of the ink container 201. Further, when the remaining amount of ink decreases and the ink liquid level reaches the inclined area on the bottom surface of the ink container 201, the area of the electrode 270 facing the ink gradually decreases as the ink is consumed (the electrode 270 and the ink 270). Is almost constant), and the capacitance starts to decrease.

Finally, no ink is present in the portion facing the electrode 270, and the decrease in gain and the increase in electrical resistance due to the ink are caused by changing the pulse width of the applied pulse or changing the pulse frequency. The time can be detected by calculating the time constant, and based on this, it is determined that the amount of ink in the ink container 201 is extremely small.

The above is the outline of the detection of the remaining amount of ink. In practice, however, the ink container 201 of this embodiment is
It is composed of an inner bag 220 and a housing 220, and between the two so as to maintain the balance between the negative pressure in the negative pressure control chamber container 110 and the negative pressure in the ink storage container 201 as the ink is consumed. The inner bag 220 is deformed inward in the direction of decreasing the inner volume while performing the gas-liquid exchange of the air and introducing air between the housing 210 and the inner bag 220 through the outside air communication port 222.

At the time of this deformation, as shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 20 denotes a corner portion of the ink container 201 which is deformed while being restricted. Deformation of the inner bag 220, that is, the housing 21
The separation or separation from zero is largest on the two planes that are the largest area plane (a plane substantially parallel to the cross section shown in FIG. 6), and is smaller on the bottom surface that is adjacent to the plane. Nevertheless, with the deformation of the inner bag 220, the distance between the ink and the electrode 270 increases, and the capacitance decreases in inverse proportion to the distance. However, in the present embodiment, the inner bag 22
The main area of the electrode 270 is on a plane substantially orthogonal to the deformation direction of the inner bag 220, and even if the inner bag 220 is deformed, the electrode 270 and the inner bag 22
0 is kept substantially parallel to the region near the bottom. as a result,
An area for forming the capacitance is secured, and reliable detection is possible.

Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, the angle of the corner between the bottom surface and the rear end surface of the ink container 201 forms an obtuse angle of 95 degrees or more. The inner bag 220 is easily detached from the housing 210. As a result, the inner bag 22
Even when 0 is deformed, the ink is easily discharged toward the joint port 230.

As described above, the configurations of the present embodiment have been individually described. However, they can be appropriately combined, and further effects can be obtained by combining them.

For example, by combining the elliptical configuration of the joint portion with the above-described valve configuration, the sliding at the time of attachment and detachment is stabilized, and the opening and closing of the valve can be more reliably performed.
In addition, by making the shape oval, the supply amount of ink can be reliably improved. At this time, the fulcrum of the rotational mounting shifts upward, but by tilting the bottom surface of the ink tank upward, a stable detaching operation with less twisting can be performed.

As described above, the above-described configuration of the present embodiment is a configuration that has not existed in the past, and each of them provides an effective component independently, and also has an organic component due to its complex requirements. The result is a configuration. That is, each of the above-described configurations is an excellent invention when viewed alone or in combination, and discloses preferred configuration examples for the present invention.

<Inkjet Head Cartridge> FIG. 17 is a schematic illustration of an ink jet head cartridge as a liquid ejection head cartridge using an ink tank unit applicable to the present invention.

The ink jet head cartridge 70 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 17 is capable of discharging a plurality of types of liquids (in this embodiment, three colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C)). Unit 16
Negative pressure control chamber container 110 containing each liquid at 0
a, 110b, and 110c are integrated, and a negative pressure control chamber unit 100 is provided.
The ink tank units 200a, 200b, and 200c containing the respective liquids are detachable from each other.

In this embodiment, a part of the outer surface of the in-tank unit 200 is covered so that each of the ink tank units 200a, 200b, and 200c can be properly mounted on the corresponding negative pressure control chamber container 110a, 110b, or 110c. ID having a recess 150 on the front side in the mounting direction of the ink tank unit 200
The member 250 is provided, and the ID member 2 is
By providing the convex ID member 170 corresponding to the 50 concave portions, the configuration is such that erroneous mounting is reliably prevented.

In the present invention, it is needless to say that the type of the liquid to be stored may be a color other than Y, M, and C, and it is needless to say that the number and combination of the stored liquid containers (for example, black (Bk ) Only in a single tank, other Y, M,
Needless to say, C is an integral tank.

<Recording Apparatus> Finally, an example of an ink jet recording apparatus as a liquid ejection apparatus on which the above-described ink tank unit or ink jet head cartridge can be mounted will be described with reference to FIG.

The recording apparatus shown in FIG. 18 has an ink tank unit 200 and an ink jet head cartridge 7.
A carriage 81 capable of detachably mounting the ink cartridge, a head cap for preventing ink from drying from a plurality of orifices of the head, and a suction pump for sucking ink from the plurality of orifices when the head malfunctions. A head recovery unit 82 and a paper feed surface 83 on which a recording sheet as a recording medium is conveyed.

The carriage 81 has a home position at the position on the recovery unit 82, and is scanned leftward in the figure by driving the belt 84 by a motor or the like. During this scanning, printing is performed by discharging ink from the head toward the recording paper conveyed on the paper supply surface (platen) 83.

Although the valve mechanism of the present invention can be used most suitably in the above-described liquid supply container, the shape of the liquid supply container is not limited to this.
The present invention can also be applied to other containers that directly store liquid at the supply port.

[0210]

As described above, the present invention is directed to a plurality of regions formed in the supply port of the liquid supply container by mounting the liquid supply container in the negative pressure generating member storage chamber, and mainly to the liquid passage region. On the other hand, mainly because the air passage area is widened, when the liquid is supplied from the liquid supply container to the capillary force generating member storage container at a high speed, the gas passage area and the liquid passage area are stable. The gas-liquid exchange operation has an effect that more reliable liquid supply can be performed.

The valve member is composed of a valve frame, a valve body and a biasing means, and the axis of the valve body is located at a position deviated from the center of the valve body, so that a sufficient amount of movement of the valve body is ensured. As a result, the opening margin of the valve member can be increased, so that it is possible to supply a large amount of liquid from the liquid supply container in a short time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an inkjet head cartridge according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the cartridge of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining the ink tank unit shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for describing an operation of mounting an ink tank unit on a holder to which the negative pressure control chamber unit of FIG. 2 is mounted.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an opening and closing operation of a valve mechanism applicable to the present invention.

6 is a cross-sectional view for describing an ink supply operation in the ink jet head cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for describing an ink state in an ink consuming operation described with reference to FIG. 6;

8 is a diagram for describing an effect of suppressing internal pressure fluctuation due to deformation of an inner bag in an ink consuming operation described with reference to FIG. 6;

9 is a diagram for explaining a valve mechanism attached to a supply port of the ink container 201 shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of a shape of a projection formed in a joint pipe engaged with an opening / closing operation of a valve mechanism applicable to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the arrangement of the valve opening / closing protrusions and the protrusions of the valve body in the joint pipe, and the amount of movement of the valve body.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a method of manufacturing an ink tank applicable to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration of the ink storage container shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a view for explaining an absorber in the negative pressure control chamber container shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 15 is a view for explaining an absorber in the negative pressure control chamber container shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 16 is a view for explaining an attaching / detaching operation by rotating the ink tank unit shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 17 is a schematic explanatory view of an ink jet head cartridge using an ink tank unit applicable to the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a recording apparatus to which the inkjet head cartridge of the invention can be applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 21 fiber 70 inkjet head cartridge 81 carriage 82 head recovery unit 83 paper feeding surface 84 belt 102 sealing surface 100 negative pressure control chamber unit 110 negative pressure control chamber container 113c boundary surface 115 atmosphere communication port 116 buffer space 120 negative pressure control chamber lid 121 guide Parts 130, 140 Absorber 131 Supply port 150 Holder 151 Bottom part 155 Ink tank locking part 160 Inkjet head unit 161 Filter 162 Ink flow path 164 Common liquid chamber 165 Ink supply pipe 170 ID member 180 Joint pipe 180a Seal projection 180p Valve opening / closing Projection 181a Upper opening 181b Lower opening 191 Gas preferential introduction path 192 Liquid outlet path 200 Ink tank unit 201 Ink storage container 210 Housing 21 0a engaging portion 211a, 211b contact surface 220 inner bag 221 pinch-off portion 221a inner bag exposed portion 222 outside air communication port 230 joint port 250 ID member 250a click section 252 ID recess 251 inclined surface 253 engagement hole 260 joint seal surface 260a 1 valve frame 260b second valve frame 260c opening 260d valve frame member 261 valve body 261a projection 261b support shaft 262 valve lid 262a valve lid welding guide 262b R part 263 biasing member 264 first valve frame seal part 265 valve body seal part 266 Clearance 267 Elastomer 268 Valve Flange 270, 290 Electrode 280 Rubber Joint 281 Connection Terminal 300, 401 Ink 400 Welding Horn 402 Ink Injection Nozzle 600 Rotation Center 601 Ink Tank Unit Lock Upper end 602 Ink tank unit engaging lower end 603 Ink supply port center height D Contact point L Gas-liquid interface

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Koshikawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hiroki Hayashi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inside (72) Inventor Shozo Hattori 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Kenji Kitabatake 3-30-2, Shimomaruko 3-chome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. F term (reference) 2C056 EA26 KC05 KC11 KC14 KC16 KC22 KC24

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A negative pressure generating member storage chamber that includes a liquid supply unit for supplying a liquid to the outside and an atmosphere communication unit that communicates with the atmosphere, and stores therein a negative pressure generating member that holds a liquid therein. A liquid supply container which is detachable, has a substantially closed space, and has a liquid storage portion for storing a liquid therein, wherein the liquid supply container has a valve member at a supply port, A liquid supply container in which a plurality of regions formed in the supply port by mounting the container in the negative pressure generating member storage chamber have a wider air passage region than a liquid passage region. 2. The liquid supply container according to claim 1, wherein the valve member of the liquid supply container is opened and closed by a projection in a joint provided in the negative pressure generating member storage chamber. 3. The liquid supply container according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of regions are such that an upper region is mainly a liquid passage region and a lower region is mainly a liquid passage region. 4. The valve member according to claim 1, wherein the valve member comprises a valve frame, a valve body, and a biasing means, and an axis of the valve body is located at a position shifted downward from a center of the valve body. The liquid supply container according to claim 1. 5. The liquid supply container according to claim 1, wherein, in the plurality of regions, the flow resistance of the main air passage region is smaller than the flow resistance of the main liquid passage region. . 6. The liquid supply container according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional area of the main air passage area is larger than a cross-sectional area of the main liquid passage area. 7. The attachment / detachment of the liquid supply container to / from the negative pressure generating member storage chamber is performed by a rotation operation.
7. The liquid supply container according to any one of 6. 8. The liquid supply container according to claim 1, wherein said liquid storage portion is capable of generating a negative pressure by being deformed. 9. A negative pressure generating member storage chamber for storing a negative pressure generating member for holding a liquid therein, the air communication portion having an air communication portion communicating with the atmosphere, and having a substantially closed space. A liquid supply container having a liquid storage portion for storing a liquid therein, wherein a supply port of the liquid supply container has a valve member that can be opened and closed by elastic force, and the negative pressure generating member of the liquid supply container A liquid supply container in which the inside of the supply port portion is divided into a plurality of regions by being attached to the storage chamber, and a cross-sectional area of an air passage region is mainly larger than a cross-sectional area of a liquid passage region of the region. 10. The liquid supply container according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of regions are such that an upper region is mainly a liquid passage region and a lower region is mainly a liquid passage region. 11. The valve according to claim 9, wherein the valve member comprises a valve frame, a valve body, and a biasing means, and an axis of the valve body is located at a position shifted downward from a center of the valve body. Liquid supply container. 12. The liquid supply container is attached to and detached from the negative pressure generating member storage chamber by a rotation operation.
12. The liquid supply container according to any one of items 11 to 11. 13. A liquid supply container according to claim 1, a holder on which the liquid supply container is detachably provided, and a holder provided in the holder and supplied from the liquid supply container. And a liquid discharge head for discharging the liquid. 14. A liquid ejection apparatus having a carriage that detachably holds the liquid ejection head cartridge according to claim 13 and that is supported to be reciprocally movable along a surface of a recording medium.