JP2001219573A - Method for manufacturing valve structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a valve structure which easily improves a sealing efficiency between a valve seat and a valve element and between the valve seat and a container, and provide a method for manufacturing a valve structure whereby a sealing efficiency can be easily made sure with a certain degree of certainty. SOLUTION: A spring 16 is inserted to a stepped hole 12 of an ink cartridge 10. The valve element 17 transferred while sucked is disposed to be urged by the spring 16. An axial part 21a of a jig 21 is fitted in a center hole 18a of the valve seat 18 and transferred. The valve seat 18 is inserted to the stepped hole 12 with the valve element 17 being pressed by a leading end part 21b of the axial part 21a of the jig 21. An inside 14 of the ink cartridge 10 is reduced in pressure, so that the sealing efficiency between the valve seat 18 and the valve element 17, the stepped hole 12 is made sure.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a valve structure, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing a valve structure suitable as a valve structure incorporated in an ink cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a valve structure incorporated in an ink cartridge or the like, for example, has a valve seat, a valve body corresponding to the valve seat which can be opened and closed, and a valve body in a closing direction with respect to the valve seat. And a biasing spring. Usually, the valve element is brought into contact with a valve seat to close the valve, and is opened when the valve element is moved by a supply needle or the like of an external device.

[0003]

However, when assembling the valve structure into the container, the valve body and the valve seat may be inclined and assembled. The sealing property is not sufficiently maintained. Therefore, when this valve structure is assembled to a container containing a fluid such as an ink cartridge, fluid may leak from between the valve body and the valve seat and between the valve seat and the container due to long-term use. Problems such as getting out had occurred.

[0004] For this reason, if a valve structure having insufficient sealing properties is made into a finished product as it is, the quality of the valve structure is deteriorated. Therefore, the sealing properties are confirmed in the manufacturing process. However, a method that can easily achieve this sealing property has hardly been embodied, and therefore, a manufacturing method that can achieve the sealing property at the stage of assembling the valve structure has been desired.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to such problems existing in the prior art. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a valve structure capable of ensuring the above-described sealing performance.

[0006]

According to one aspect of the present invention, a valve seat for fitting a supply needle of an external device to a supply portion of a container for supplying a fluid to an external device is provided. And a valve body that is provided with a valve body that is constantly pressed to the valve seat side by a spring, wherein after inserting the spring and the valve body into the supply unit, the valve body is moved from a seating position with respect to the valve seat. The valve seat is inserted into the supply portion in a state where the valve seat is not moved forward.

Therefore, the valve seat is inserted at a position where the valve body does not advance from a seating position with respect to the valve seat. Therefore, the valve body is assembled at a predetermined position without being inclined along the axial direction. It can be carried out. Further, since the valve seat can be inserted without the valve seat coming into contact with the valve body, the valve body moves only in the axial direction and sits on the valve seat without following the inclination thereof. Therefore, the sealing property between the valve body and the valve seat can be ensured.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a valve structure according to the first aspect, the valve body is disposed at a position retracted from a seating position with respect to the valve seat, and the valve seat is inserted into the supply portion. Things. Therefore, the valve body can be more reliably seated on the valve seat, so that the sealing performance between the valve body and the valve seat can be more reliably ensured.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a valve structure according to the first or second aspect, the valve seat seals between itself and the container. Therefore, since the valve seat itself secures the sealing property between the container and the container, a high sealing property can be obtained without separately providing a member for sealing between the container and the valve body.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a valve structure according to any one of the first to third aspects,
The sealing surface of the valve element is sucked and conveyed, and is inserted into the supply section. Therefore, when installing the valve element,
The conveying means need only have a space corresponding to the diameter of the valve element, and there is no need to provide an extra space for the conveying means as a supply section to which the valve element is attached, and the supply section can be made smaller.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a valve structure according to the fourth aspect, the contact area of the suction member in the suction of the valve element is located off the sealing area of the sealing surface. It is. Therefore, since the sealing area is not damaged, good sealing performance can be ensured.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a valve structure according to any one of the first to fifth aspects,
The valve seat has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a distal end portion of a shaft-shaped jig is fitted into a hole at the center of the valve seat, and the valve seat is conveyed in that state and inserted into the supply unit. Therefore, the seat portion of the valve seat on which the valve element is seated, and the outer peripheral portion of the valve seat forming a seal with the container,
Since it does not come into contact with other members for transportation, the seat and the outer peripheral portion are not damaged.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a valve structure according to any one of the first to fifth aspects,
The valve seat is held by a shaft-shaped jig, and the valve body is pressed by the tip of the shaft-shaped jig so as to retreat from a seating position.

Therefore, when the valve seat is inserted, the valve body can be easily pressed, and the axial jig does not press the sealing area of the valve body, so that good sealing performance can be ensured. . Further, if the second axial jig is the same as the first axial jig of claim 4, the manufacturing process of transporting and inserting the valve seat can be performed as a series of processes.

According to the present invention, the supply needle of the external device is fitted into the supply portion of the container for supplying the fluid to the external device, and the valve seat made of an elastic material and the spring are always provided on the valve seat side. A method for manufacturing a valve structure comprising a pressed valve body, wherein a valve seat is inserted after a spring and a valve body are inserted into a supply unit, and a plurality of positions of the valve seat are sequentially pressed in the insertion direction. It is. Therefore, when the valve seat is pressed, even when the entire valve seat is tilted and inserted into the supply unit, the tilt is corrected by sequentially pressing a plurality of positions of the valve seat in the insertion direction, It is inserted in the supply part in a substantially horizontal state.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eighth aspect, instead of pressing a plurality of positions of the valve seat sequentially in the insertion direction, a part of the upper surface of the valve seat is pressed. , The pressing position is moved. Therefore, when the valve seat is pressed, even if the entire valve seat is inclined and inserted into the supply unit, the inclination is corrected by pressing a part of the upper surface and moving the pressed position. Then, it is inserted into the supply unit in a substantially horizontal state.

According to a tenth aspect, in the ninth aspect, the movement of the pressing position is performed continuously. Therefore, the inclination can be corrected more uniformly.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, a valve seat for fitting a supply needle of the external device while ensuring a sealed state between the container and a supply portion of the container for supplying a fluid to the external device. And a valve structure that is provided with a valve body that is constantly pressed to the valve seat side by a spring. After the spring, the valve body, and the valve seat are assembled to the supply unit, the upstream side and the downstream side of the supply unit are provided. A pressure difference is provided between the valve seat and the valve seat to check the sealing performance between the valve seat, the container, and the valve body. Therefore, it is possible to almost certainly and easily confirm the sealing performance.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a valve structure according to the eleventh aspect, the sealing performance is confirmed by increasing or decreasing the pressure on the downstream side of the supply unit. .

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a valve structure according to the eleventh aspect, the sealing performance is confirmed by increasing or decreasing the pressure on the upstream side of the supply unit. .

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in a supply portion of a container for supplying a fluid to an external device, a seal is secured between the container and the valve, and a valve seat fitted with a supply needle of the external device is provided. In a method of manufacturing a valve structure including a valve body that is constantly pressed to a valve seat side by a spring, after assembling the spring, the valve body, and the valve seat in a container, a fluid is put into the container, and a supply unit is provided. The sealing performance between the valve seat, the container, and the valve body is confirmed by the presence or absence of the leakage of the fluid to the downstream side of the valve. Therefore, it is possible to confirm the sealing property to a substantially extent and easily.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in a supply portion of a container for supplying a fluid to an external device, a seal is provided between the container and the valve, and a valve seat fitted with a supply needle of the external device is provided. In a method of manufacturing a valve structure, which comprises a valve body that is constantly pressed toward a valve seat by a spring, after assembling the spring, the valve body, and the valve seat to the container, the container is inserted into the container from a fluid injection hole of the container. After filling the fluid, depressurizing the inside of the container and sealing the fluid injection hole of the container with a film, the sealing of the valve seat, the container and the valve body is checked by deformation of the film. Therefore, it is possible to almost certainly and easily confirm the sealing performance. In particular, since a deformed portion appears on the outer surface of the container, it is possible to accurately and promptly confirm the sealability using a laser beam or the like.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in a supply portion of a container for supplying a fluid to an external device, a seal is secured between the container and the valve, and a valve seat fitted with a supply needle of the external device is provided. In a method of manufacturing a valve structure, which comprises a valve body that is constantly pressed toward a valve seat by a spring, after assembling the spring, the valve body, and the valve seat to the container, the container is inserted into the container from a fluid injection hole of the container. After filling the fluid and sealing the fluid injection hole of the container with a film, the inside of the container is depressurized, and the sealing between the valve seat, the container and the valve body is confirmed by deformation of the film. Therefore, it is possible to almost certainly and easily confirm the sealing performance. In particular, since a deformed portion appears on the outer surface of the container, it is possible to accurately and promptly confirm the sealability using a laser beam or the like.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a valve structure according to any one of the first to sixteenth aspects, the fluid is ink and the container is an ink cartridge. . Therefore, when the fluid is ink and the container is an ink cartridge, the effect can be particularly effectively obtained by applying the present invention.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) An embodiment of the present invention as a method of manufacturing a valve structure adapted to an ink cartridge will be described below with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, an ink cartridge 10 which is replaceably provided in a printer 30 which is an external device is provided.
The cartridge body 10b is made of a synthetic resin such as plastic so as to be substantially box-shaped as a whole.
And a lid member 11 for closing the upper opening of the cartridge body 10b. The lid member 11 is provided with an air hole 11a communicating with the atmosphere via a narrow groove 11b on the upper surface, and an ink inlet 11c. The upper surface of the lid member 11 is covered with a film 25 for preventing evaporation of water from the ink. Although the film 25 is actually thin, its thickness is exaggerated in FIG. 1 for easy explanation.

A boss 10a projecting inward and outward of the cartridge body 10b is provided at the lower left portion of FIG. 1 of the ink cartridge 10. The boss 10a has a stepped hole 12 serving as a supply portion. Are formed downward. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a cup-shaped projection 13 having two opposed slits 13 a is provided at an upper portion of the stepped hole 12 (upside down in FIGS. 2 to 7).
Is formed to project downward, and a hole 13b having a slanted inner peripheral surface that expands downward is formed at the lower end of the projection 13. The lower surface of the protrusion 13 around the protrusion 13 serves as one spring seat of the spring 16. In addition, in the inside 14 of the cartridge body 10b,
Although not shown, a known porous member holding ink is provided.

In the stepped hole 12, a valve structure 15 having a substantially cylindrical valve seat 18 made of an elastic member such as rubber and a valve body 17 is provided. On the outer periphery of the valve seat 18, an annular projection 18 b that seals with the inner peripheral surface of the stepped hole 12 is formed integrally, and on the inner periphery, a center fitted to the supply needle 31 of the printer 30 is formed. A hole 18a is formed. The peripheral edge of the upper end of the center hole 18a of the valve seat 18 slightly protrudes outward to form a seat 18c. On the other hand, the valve element 17 has an end portion 17b on the valve seat 18 side that is enlarged in diameter, and faces the seat portion 18c so as to be openable and closable. The end portion 17b serves as the other spring seat of the spring 16, and the spring 16 constantly biases the valve element 17 toward the valve seat 18. The valve element 17 is configured such that the lower surface of the end 17 b is
The sealing surface 17c abuts on the other end of the hole 13b. The opposite side of the sealing surface 17c penetrates the hole 13b, and the tip of the sealing surface 17c engages with the edge of the hole 13b to form a stopper 17a. The stopper 17a is formed so that the outer peripheral surface thereof is inclined downward.

When the printer 30 is provided with the ink cartridge 10, the valve seat 18 of the valve structure 15 is provided.
The supply needle 31 provided in the printer 30 is fitted into the center hole 18a of the printer 30 from below. And this supply needle 31
Presses the valve element 17 to separate the valve element 17 upward from the valve seat 18, and supplies the ink held in the interior 14 to the printer 30.

Next, a method of manufacturing the valve structure 15 in the present embodiment will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 2, the formed cartridge body 10b is turned upside down.
Next, as shown in FIG. 3, a spring 16 is disposed on a spring seat around the stepped hole 12.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the valve body 17 is conveyed while its sealing surface 17c is sucked by a pipe 20 connected to, for example, an air suction device. In this case, the outer diameter of the tube 20 is almost the same as the diameter of the sealing surface 17c,
The contact area of the sealing surface 17c with the pipe 20
c is outside the contact area of the sealing surface 17c with respect to c. Then, when the valve element 17 in the state of being adsorbed by the pipe 20 is lowered, the end portion 17b of the valve element 17 presses the spring 16, and the stopper 17a of the valve element 17 is replaced with the hole 13b and the stopper 17a.
The hole 13b is expanded by the action of the two slopes. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the valve element 17 is disposed in a state where the retaining 17 a is engaged with the projection 13 under the urging force of the spring 16.

Next, the jig 21 is inserted into the center hole 18a of the valve seat 18.
Of the valve seat 18 as shown in FIG.
Is transported. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the tip 2 of the shaft 21 a of the jig 21 projecting below the valve seat 18.
By 1b, the valve seat 18 is attached to the stepped hole 12 while pressing the valve body 17 downward from the seating position with respect to the valve seat 18 to the retreating side. Then, the jig 21 is inserted into the center hole 18a of the valve seat 18.
When the valve is removed from the valve seat 17, the valve element 17 moves upward in the figure by the urging force of the spring 16, and as shown in FIG.
c. In the present embodiment, the jig 21 is
It is a pressing means and a first and a second axial jig.

Next, the sealability of the assembled valve structure 15 is checked. First, the upstream side of the stepped hole 12, that is, the inside 14 side of the cartridge body 10b is pressurized by air. At this time, the sealing surface 17c of the valve body 17 is
8 is not seated in the seat 18c, the valve structure 1
The air flowing from the upstream side to the downstream side of 5 becomes larger than an expected predetermined amount. Therefore, by measuring this flow rate, the sealing performance between the valve seat 18 and the cartridge body 10b and the sealing performance between the valve seat 18 and the valve body 17 are confirmed. next,
When the pressure on the upstream side of the stepped hole 12 is reduced, the sealing surface 17c of the valve body 17 is separated from the seat portion 18c of the valve seat 18 at this time.
If the valve 7c is not securely separated from the seat 18c of the valve seat 18, the amount of air flowing from the downstream side to the upstream side becomes smaller than an expected predetermined amount. Therefore, by measuring this flow rate, the sealing performance with the cartridge body 10b and the sealing performance with the valve seat 18 and the valve element 17 are confirmed.

After confirming the sealing performance in this way and determining that there is no defect, a porous member is inserted into the interior 14 of the cartridge body 10b, and the lid member 11 is inserted into the upper opening of the cartridge body 10b. , For example, by vibration welding. Next, the porous member is filled with ink from the ink inlet 11c. At this time, the valve element 17
The valve seat 18 and the cartridge body 1 are also determined by the presence or absence of ink leakage from between the valve seat 18 and the downstream side of the stepped hole 12.
0b and the sealing property between the valve seat 18 and the valve element 17 are confirmed.

Next, in order to stably hold the ink on the entire porous member, the inside 14 of the ink cartridge 10 is depressurized by an air suction device (not shown), and
Is sealed with a film 25. At this time, if the sealing property is maintained between the valve seat 18 and the cartridge main body 10b, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the film 25 has the air hole 11a and the ink injection port 11c. It is deformed so as to be pulled into the air hole 11a and the ink inlet 11c. If this deformation is confirmed by laser light irradiation or the like, the sealing property between the valve seat 18 and the cartridge body 10b is confirmed, and the ink cartridge 10 is completed.

Next, the effects that can be expected from the above embodiment will be described below. (A) In the present embodiment, instead of the valve seat 18,
Since the valve seat 18 is inserted while pressing the valve element 17 with the jig 21, even if the valve seat 18 is inserted while being inclined, the valve element 17 does not follow the inclination and is not moved in the axial direction. , And sits on the valve seat 18. Therefore, the valve element 17 has
Almost no force is applied except in the axial direction.
7 can be prevented, and the sealing performance between the valve element 17 and the valve seat 18 can be improved. Further, since the valve element 17 is pressed by the jig 21, the valve can be pressed more easily and more reliably than by pressing through the valve seat 18 which is an elastic material. Further, since the valve seat 18 is held and assembled by the jig 21, it is possible to reduce the sealing performance due to the poor shape of the valve seat 18 and to reduce the inclination when the valve seat 18 is inserted, thereby improving the sealing performance. The structure can be easily manufactured.

(B) In the present embodiment, the pipe 20
As a result, the sealing surface 17c of the valve body 17 is sucked and conveyed, so that when the valve body 17 is mounted, the required space is
Only the size of the diameter of the valve body 17 is sufficient, and the supply unit can be reduced. For this reason, the cartridge body 10
The space inside 14b can be increased, and the amount of stored ink can be increased. Further, the size of the connection structure with the external device can be reduced, which can contribute to an increase in the space of the interior 14.

(C) In the present embodiment, since the valve element 17 is suctioned and conveyed by the pipe 20 having substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the sealing face 17c, only the outer peripheral side of the sealing face 17c of the valve element 17 is a pipe. 20 and can be transported to the actual seal area without damaging the area. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in sealing performance due to the damage of the sealing surface 17c.

(D) In the present embodiment, the valve seat 1
The valve seat 18 was conveyed by fitting to the jig 21 in the center hole 18a of No. 8. Therefore, the jig 21 is attached to the cartridge body 10b.
Therefore, there is almost no possibility that the outer periphery of the valve seat 18 is damaged, and the sealing performance can be further improved.

(E) In this embodiment, the jig 2
1 transports the valve seat 18, and the jig 21 presses the valve body 17 when the valve seat 18 is inserted into the stepped hole 12.
The manufacturing process of transporting and inserting the valve seat 18 can be performed as a series of processes. Therefore, even if a valve structure with improved sealing properties is manufactured, no extra manufacturing time is required.

(F) In the present embodiment, after assembling the valve structure 15, the pressure inside the ink cartridge 10, which is on the upstream side of the stepped hole 12, is reduced to check the seal. It is possible to reliably and easily confirm the sealing performance.

(G) In the present embodiment, after assembling the valve structure 15 and immediately after injecting the ink into the ink cartridge 10, the valve seat 18 and the stepped hole 12 are determined depending on whether or not the ink leaks. In addition, the sealing performance with the valve body 17 is checked. Therefore, the sealability can be easily and reliably confirmed.

(H) In the present embodiment, after assembling the valve structure 15, the lid member 1 of the ink cartridge 10
After fixing the film 1 and sealing the film 25 to the lid member 11, the seal was confirmed again by the deformation of the film 25. Therefore, the sealability can be easily and reliably confirmed.

(I) In the present embodiment, the inside 14 of the ink cartridge 10 is depressurized when the sealability is confirmed based on the amount of change of the film 25 coated on the lid member 11. Since the operation is performed to stably hold the ink, the sealability can be easily confirmed without increasing an extra step. (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on parts different from the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a spring 16 and a valve 17 are mounted in the stepped hole 12 as shown in FIG. Then, as in the conventional case, the valve seat 18 is inserted into the stepped hole 12 while pressing the valve body 17 with the valve seat 18 against the spring 16. At this time, as shown in FIG.
May be inclined. Then, next, valve seat 1
For example, the outer periphery of 8 is divided into four divided areas A, B, C, and D.
After sequentially pressing the area A, for example, the area A, the area C, the area D, the area A,... Then, the valve seat 18 made of an elastic body becomes substantially horizontal and fits in the state shown in FIG. Of course, at this time, the valve element 17 is
, But since the valve element 17 is substantially horizontal, the valve element 1
The seal surface 17c of the valve seat 7 is seated on the seat 18c of the valve seat 18.

Then, as in the first embodiment,
The check up to the sealability of the assembled valve structure 15 is performed. If it is determined by this check that there is no defect in the sealing property, a porous member is inserted into the inside 14 of the cartridge body 10b, and the lid member 11 is attached to the upper opening of the cartridge body 10b by, for example, vibration welding. To fix. Next, the valve structure 15 is inserted into the decompression chamber, ink is filled into the porous member through the ink inlet 11c, the ink cartridge 10 is positioned in the decompression chamber, and the entire porous member is depressurized through the air holes 11a. I do. Then, the film 25 is sealed on the lid member 11 in a state where the pressure of the porous member is reduced. Then, the ink cartridge 10 is taken out of the decompression chamber. At this time,
As long as the sealing property is maintained between the valve seat 18 and the cartridge body 10b, as shown in the two-dot chain line in FIG. The portion 11c is deformed so as to be pulled into the air hole 11a and the ink inlet 11c by the pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure and the inside 14. If this deformation is confirmed by laser light irradiation or the like, the valve seat 18 and the cartridge body 10
b, the sealability with the ink cartridge 10 is confirmed.
Is completed.

Therefore, in the second embodiment,
(B), (c), and (b) in the first embodiment described above.
In addition to the effects described in (g) to (i), the following effects can be obtained.

(J) In the present embodiment, the valve seat 1
Even when the valve 8 is inserted diagonally, the outer periphery of the valve seat 18 is divided into four parts, and the entire periphery is continuously pressed again, so that the inclination is almost corrected by the elastic force of the valve seat 18. The valve seat 18 is inserted into the stepped hole 12 in a substantially horizontal state. Therefore, the valve element 17 is also disposed in a substantially horizontal state, so that the sealing surface 17c of the valve element 17 is securely seated on the seat 18c of the valve seat 18. for that reason,
The sealing performance between the valve element 17 and the valve seat 18 can be improved.

(K) In the present embodiment, after sealing the film in the decompression chamber, it is taken out of the decompression chamber,
Since the film is deformed by the atmospheric pressure to check the sealing property, the sealing property can be checked more easily than in the first embodiment. (Modification) This embodiment can be modified and embodied as follows. In the first embodiment, the valve element 1 is moved by the jig 21 which is a pressing means.
Although the valve seat 18 is inserted while pressing the valve 7, the valve seat 18 may be inserted while the retaining 17 a of the valve element 17 is being pulled down by a mechanical pulling device or the like. That is, when inserting the valve seat 18, the valve body 17 may be moved to the seating position or a position retracted from the seating position so that the valve body 17 does not advance from the seating position with respect to the valve seat 18 by any means.

In the first embodiment, at the stage when the valve structure 15 has been assembled, the upstream side of the stepped hole 12 is pressurized or depressurized to check the sealing performance. However, if a pressure difference is provided between the upstream side and the downstream side of the stepped hole 12 serving as the supply portion, the seal of the valve structure 15 can be easily and reliably confirmed. Therefore, the sealing property may be checked by pressurizing or depressurizing the downstream side of the stepped hole 12.

In the first embodiment, the valve seat is pressurized or depressurized on the upstream side of the stepped hole 12 to determine whether or not the injected ink has leaked and the amount of change in the film 25 to determine whether the valve seat has changed. The sealability between the valve body 18, the valve body 17, and the valve seat 18 and the cartridge body 10b was checked three times. However, it is not necessary to perform all of them, and the sealability is checked by any one or two. You may do so.

In the first embodiment, the sealing property of the valve structure 15 was confirmed by the deformation of the film 25 sealed in the lid member 11. However, protrusion 1
The lower end opening of the film 3 may be covered with a film 26, and the deformation of the film 26 may be used to check the sealing performance.

In the second embodiment described above, the upper surface of the valve seat 18 is divided into four parts and is sequentially and continuously repressed over the entire circumference. However, the number of divisions may be any number. Further, in the second embodiment, a plurality of places are sequentially pressed from the area A where the insertion amount is the smallest, but
A similar effect can be obtained even if a plurality of locations are sequentially pressed from the region D having the largest insertion amount. In addition, the order may be clockwise or counterclockwise, but it is necessary to sequentially move a plurality of places or continuously move the pressing position of a part of the upper surface of the valve seat 18. .

The technical idea that can be grasped from the above embodiment will be described. A valve seat, and a valve body constantly pressed toward the valve seat side by a spring, wherein the spring and the valve body are arranged in the method of manufacturing a valve structure in which the valve body is separated from and seated on the valve seat; After the installation, the valve seat is inserted while pressing the valve body by a pressing means.

That is, even if the valve seat of the valve structure does not fit with the supply needle of the external device, if the valve structure is manufactured in this manner, the sealing property between the valve seat and the valve body can be improved. Can be improved.

[0056]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
It has the following excellent effects.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the valve element is pressed, the valve element can be pressed more easily and more reliably. In addition, since the valve seat can be inserted without the valve seat coming into contact with the valve body, the valve body moves only in the axial direction and sits straight on the valve seat without following the inclination thereof. Therefore, the valve seat can be seated on the valve seat with almost no force applied in a direction other than the axial direction, so that a valve structure ensuring the sealing property between the valve element and the valve seat can be manufactured.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the valve body can be more reliably seated on the valve seat, the sealing between the valve body and the valve seat can be performed more reliably. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the sealing property can be improved, it is possible to manufacture a valve structure that can obtain a high sealing property without separately providing a member for sealing between the container and the valve element. it can.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the valve body is mounted, the conveying means only needs to have a space corresponding to the diameter of the valve body, and an extra space for the conveying means is provided as a supply section for mounting the valve body. There is no need to provide them, and the supply unit can be made smaller.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the sealing area is not damaged, good sealing performance can be ensured. According to the invention of claim 6, the seat portion of the valve seat on which the valve body is seated and the outer peripheral portion of the valve seat forming a seal with the container do not come into contact with other members for transportation. Is not hurt. Therefore, a reduction in sealing performance can be prevented, and a valve structure with improved sealing performance can be manufactured.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the valve seat is inserted, the valve body can be easily pressed, and the axial jig does not press the sealing area of the valve body.
Good sealing performance can be ensured. Also, this axial jig is
If the shaft jig is the same as that of the sixth aspect, the manufacturing process of transporting and inserting the valve seat can be performed as a series of processes. Therefore, even if a valve structure with improved sealing properties is manufactured, it does not need to take extra time to manufacture.

According to the present invention, when the valve seat is pressed, even if the entire valve seat is inclined and inserted into the supply portion, the plurality of positions of the valve seat can be changed. By successively pressing or sequentially pressing a part of the upper surface of the valve seat and moving the pressing position, the inclination is corrected, and the state where the valve is inserted substantially horizontally into the supply unit is obtained. Therefore, even if the valve seat is inserted into the supply portion while pressing the valve body, the valve body hardly tilts and is firmly seated on the valve seat. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture a valve structure in which the sealing property between the valve body and the valve seat is improved.

According to the invention of claims 11 to 16,
It is possible to almost certainly and easily confirm the sealing performance. According to the seventeenth aspect, when the present invention is applied, the effect can be particularly effectively obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional view of a part of an ink cartridge having a valve structure manufactured in an embodiment and an external device.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of a main part of a first manufacturing process of the valve structure according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of a main part of a second manufacturing process of the valve structure according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of a main part of a third manufacturing process of the valve structure according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a front sectional view of a main part of a fourth manufacturing process of the valve structure according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a front sectional view of a main part of a fifth manufacturing process of the valve structure according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a front sectional view of a main part of a sixth manufacturing step of the valve structure according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 shows the first structure of the valve structure according to the second embodiment.
Sectional drawing of the principal part of the manufacturing process different from embodiment of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Ink cartridge 12 ... Stepped hole which is a supply part 15 ... Valve structure 16 ... Spring 17 ... Valve body 17c ... Seal surface 18 ... Valve seat 18a ... Central hole which is a cylindrical center hole 21 ... Pressurizing means A first axial jig and a second jig 21a ... a distal end of the first axial jig 21b ... a distal end of a second axial jig 25, 26: Film 30: Printer as an external device 31: Supply needle

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takashi Koike 3-3-5 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Inside Seiko Epson Corporation (72) Inventor Tomio Yokoyama 3-3-5 Yamato Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Seiko Epson (72) Inventor Kazunori Ito 3-3-5 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Seiko Epson Corporation F-term (reference) 2C056 KB05 KB08 KC05 KC16 KC22

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A valve structure in which a supply portion of a container for supplying a fluid to an external device is provided with a valve seat fitted with a supply needle of the external device and a valve body constantly pressed toward the valve seat by a spring. In the method for manufacturing a body, after inserting the spring and the valve body into the supply portion, the valve seat is inserted into the supply portion in a state where the valve body is arranged at a position that does not advance from a seating position with respect to the valve seat. Of manufacturing a valve structure. 2. The method for manufacturing a valve structure according to claim 1, wherein the valve body is disposed at a position retracted from a seating position with respect to the valve seat, and the valve seat is inserted into the supply unit. 3. The method for manufacturing a valve structure according to claim 1, wherein the valve seat seals between itself and the container. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the valve element is conveyed by suctioning a sealing surface of the valve element.
The method for manufacturing a valve structure according to claim 1, wherein the valve structure is inserted into the supply unit. 5. The method for manufacturing a valve structure according to claim 4, wherein the contact area of the suction member in the suction of the valve element is located outside the sealing area on the sealing surface. 6. The valve seat has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a distal end of a shaft jig is fitted into a center hole of the valve seat, and the valve seat is conveyed in that state and inserted into the supply unit. Claims 1 to 5
The method for manufacturing a valve structure according to any one of the above. 7. The valve seat according to claim 1, wherein the valve jig is held by a shaft jig, and the valve body is pressed by a tip end of the shaft jig so as to retreat from a seating position. Of manufacturing a valve structure. 8. A supply portion of a container for supplying a fluid to an external device, a valve seat which is fitted with a supply needle of the external device and is made of an elastic material, and a valve body which is constantly pressed to the valve seat side by a spring. A method of manufacturing a valve structure, comprising: inserting a spring and a valve body into a supply unit, inserting a valve seat, and sequentially pressing a plurality of positions of the valve seat in the insertion direction. Manufacturing method. 9. The valve structure according to claim 8, wherein instead of sequentially pressing a plurality of positions of the valve seat in the insertion direction, a part of the upper surface of the valve seat is pressed and the pressed position is moved. Manufacturing method. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the movement of the pressing position is performed continuously. 11. A supply portion of a container for supplying a fluid to an external device, a sealed state between the container and the container, and a valve seat fitted with a supply needle of the external device, and a valve seat constantly provided by a spring. The method for manufacturing a valve structure, comprising: a valve body that is pressed to a side thereof, wherein after a spring, a valve body, and a valve seat are assembled to a supply unit, a pressure difference between an upstream side and a downstream side of the supply unit is increased. Wherein the sealing performance between the valve seat, the container and the valve element is checked. 12. The method for manufacturing a valve structure according to claim 11, wherein the confirmation of the sealing performance is performed by increasing or decreasing the pressure on the downstream side of the supply unit. 13. The method for manufacturing a valve structure according to claim 11, wherein the confirmation of the sealing performance is performed by increasing or decreasing the pressure on the upstream side of the supply unit. 14. A supply portion of a container for supplying a fluid to an external device, a seal is secured between the container and the container, and a valve seat that is fitted with a supply needle of the external device, and a valve seat is always provided by a spring. A method for manufacturing a valve structure, comprising a valve body pressed against a valve body, comprising: assembling a spring, a valve body, and a valve seat into a container; A method for producing a valve structure, characterized in that the sealing property between a valve seat, a container and a valve body is checked based on the presence or absence of leakage. 15. A supply part of a container for supplying a fluid to an external device, a seal is secured between the container and the container, and a valve seat to be fitted with a supply needle of the external device, and a valve seat that is always on the valve seat side by a spring. A method of manufacturing a valve structure, comprising: a valve body that is pressed into a container. After assembling a spring, a valve body, and a valve seat in the container, filling the inside of the container with a fluid through a fluid injection hole of the container, The method for producing a valve structure, characterized in that, after reducing the pressure and sealing the fluid injection hole of the container with a film, the sealing of the valve seat, the container and the valve body is checked by deformation of the film. 16. A supply portion of a container for supplying a fluid to an external device, a seal is secured between the container and the container, and a valve seat that is fitted with a supply needle of the external device, and a spring is always provided on the valve seat side by a spring. In a method for manufacturing a valve structure comprising a valve body pressed against the container, after assembling a spring, a valve body, and a valve seat to the container, filling the inside of the container with a fluid through a fluid injection hole of the container, A method for manufacturing a valve structure, comprising: after sealing a fluid injection hole with a film, depressurizing the inside of the container and confirming the sealing property between the valve seat, the container, and the valve body by deforming the film. 17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is ink, and the container is an ink cartridge.