JP2006001178A - Liquid cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid cartridge which can highly precisely supply a liquid uniformed in concentration while a stirring vehicle is prevented from clogging a connection passage formed in a partition of a liquid storage part and blocking circulation of the liquid. <P>SOLUTION: When the stirring vehicle 711 stored in an atmosphere side storage part 270 of the ink cartridge approaches a lower connection passage 532, the vehicle stops in a state while contacting a surface 530a of a second vertical wall part 530 and a surface 120a of a bottom wall. At this time, an outer diameter of the stirring vehicle 711 is set so that a passage 713 formed between the surface 530a of the second vertical wall part 530 and the surface 120a of the bottom wall, and the stirring vehicle 711 has a minimum opening section area larger than a minimum opening area of the lower connection passage 532. The stirring vehicle 711 is thus prevented from blocking inflow of ink to the lower connection passage 532. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid cartridge, for example, a liquid cartridge suitable for an ink cartridge that is mounted on a carriage of an ink jet recording apparatus and supplies ink contained therein to a print head.

  An ink jet recording apparatus, which is an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, is mounted with an ink cartridge containing ink, receives ink from the ink cartridge, and discharges ink onto a recording material to perform recording.

As an ink cartridge for supplying ink to an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink cartridge has been developed which is divided into an upper ink storage portion and a lower ink storage portion, which communicate with each other through a communication channel (communication portion).
In this type of ink cartridge, a liquid supply port that communicates with the upper ink storage portion stores the upper ink based on a pressure difference between the ink jet recording apparatus side and the ink cartridge side when ink is consumed by the ink jet recording apparatus. Liquid supply means is provided for supplying a portion of the ink to the ink jet recording apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, in the ink cartridge, the dark ink settled in the lower ink storage portion is first supplied to the upper ink storage portion through the communication channel, and after the dark ink is used, the thin ink is supplied, and the ink jet recording is performed. There has been a problem that the density of ink supplied to the apparatus varies.
Further, in the ink cartridge disclosed in Patent Document 1, a configuration is described in which the flow paths are arranged in the vertical and horizontal portions of the L-shaped partition wall that surrounds the communication flow path. Since the communication flow path is arranged immediately below the path, ink in the vicinity of the horizontal portion merges with the communication flow path, but there is no vertical flow in which the dark ink and the thin ink are agitated in the lower ink storage section. There was a problem.

  Therefore, an agitation moving body that stirs the liquid in the accommodation unit by moving in the ink accommodation unit is put in each ink accommodation unit, and is divided into upper and lower parts in the ink accommodation unit by the agitation force by the agitation movement body. There has been proposed an ink cartridge having a configuration in which the dark ink and the thin ink are remixed to make the density of the supplied ink uniform (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3).

JP 2003-80730 A JP 2003-266730 A JP-A-9-309212

  However, in a conventional ink cartridge in which an agitation moving body is introduced into the ink containing portion, depending on the opening shape of the ink supply communication channel formed through the partition wall of the ink containing portion and the size of the agitating moving body, the agitation moving body There is a possibility that a part of or all of the opening of the communication flow path is blocked by the moving body, resulting in an ink supply failure.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the stirring moving body accommodated in the liquid storage portion closes the communication flow path formed in the partition wall of the liquid storage portion and It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid cartridge capable of supplying a liquid with a uniform concentration with high accuracy without disturbing the flow of the liquid.

  The above-described object of the present invention is to form a plurality of liquid storage portions by the partition walls, and to store the stored liquid downstream at a position near the bottom of the liquid storage portion in the partition wall extending in a substantially vertical direction. A liquid cartridge in which a communication channel for supplying to the liquid storage unit is formed so as to penetrate therethrough, and at least one of the liquid storage units stores a stirring moving body in a movable state. The minimum opening cross-sectional area of the flow path formed between the surrounding partition wall and the stirring and moving body when approaching the communication flow path is made larger than the minimum opening cross-sectional area of the communication flow path This is achieved by a liquid cartridge characterized by:

  The liquid ejecting head of the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head (printing head) of an ink jet recording apparatus, a colorant ejecting head of a color filter manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a color filter of a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and an FED (surface emitting). And an electrode material (conductive paste) ejecting head for forming an electrode such as a display), a bioorganic matter ejecting head of a biochip manufacturing apparatus for producing a biochip, and a sample ejecting head as a precision pipette.

  According to the above configuration, even when the stirring moving body accommodated in the liquid storage portion moves and the stirring moving body comes closest to the communication flow path formed through the partition wall, Since the minimum opening cross-sectional area of the flow path formed between the surrounding partition wall and the stirring moving body is larger than the minimum opening cross-sectional area of the communication flow path, the stirring moving body blocks the communication flow path. Therefore, it is possible to stably supply the liquid having a uniform concentration from the communication channel while stirring the liquid in the liquid storage portion by the stirring moving body without disturbing the flow of the liquid.

Preferably, the flow path formed between the partition wall around the communication flow path and the stirring mobile body is set to a predetermined size with respect to the opening of the communication flow path. Is made larger than the minimum opening cross-sectional area of the communication channel.
In this case, it is effective when the stirring moving body is spherical or the like, and the minimum cross-sectional area of the flow path can be easily made larger than the minimum opening cross-sectional area of the communication flow path by simply changing the size of the stirring moving body. Can do.

Preferably, the liquid container is provided with a stopper for preventing the stirring moving body from moving toward the communication flow path, and the communication distance is regulated by restricting the closest approach distance of the stirring moving body to the communication flow path. The minimum cross-sectional area of the flow path formed between the partition wall around the flow path and the stirring moving body is made larger than the minimum opening cross-sectional area of the communication flow path.
The stopper is preferably formed of a protrusion protruding from the inner wall of the liquid storage part or a flexible member having a predetermined length connecting the inner wall of the liquid storage part and the stirring moving body.
In this case, it is effective when the outer shape of the stirring moving body is other than the above-described spherical shape, or when the stirring moving body has a small outer diameter.

  In addition, when the liquid stored in the liquid storage unit is pigment ink, it is possible to suppress variations in the density of the ink supplied to the outside by stirring the pigment ink that easily settles.

  According to the liquid cartridge of the present invention, the agitation moving body accommodated in the liquid storage section does not obstruct the flow of the liquid in the communication flow path by closing the communication flow path formed in the partition wall of the liquid storage section. The liquid with a uniform concentration can be supplied with high accuracy.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a liquid cartridge according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an ink cartridge 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention from an obliquely upper side. The ink cartridge 500 is a liquid cartridge mounted on a carriage that reciprocates with a print head (liquid ejecting head) of an ink jet recording apparatus.

  2 and 3 are rear perspective views of the ink cartridge 500 shown in FIG. 1 as viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 2 shows a state before the film 110 is attached to the surface of the cartridge body 120 of the ink cartridge 500. FIG. 3 shows a state where the film 110 is attached to the cartridge main body 120 of the ink cartridge 500. 4 and 5 are exploded perspective views showing the members constituting the ink cartridge 500 in an exploded manner.

  6 is a rear view of the ink cartridge 500 shown in FIG. 1, and shows a state before the film 110 is attached to the ink cartridge 500 of FIG. FIG. 7 is a front view of the ink cartridge 500 shown in FIG. 1 and shows a state before the film 130 is attached to the liquid storage recess 122 of the ink cartridge 500. FIG. 8 is a front view of the ink cartridge 500 shown in FIG. 1 and shows a state after the film 130 is attached to the liquid storage recess 122 of the ink cartridge 500.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ink cartridge 500 of the present embodiment covers a substantially bottomed cartridge main body 120 having a liquid storage recess 122 and substantially the entire open surface of the liquid storage recess 122. A film 130 and a lid 140 covering the outside of the film 130 are provided.

The cartridge body 120 is an integrally molded product made of a synthetic resin such as polypropylene (PP), for example, and the liquid storage recess 122 of the cartridge body 120 is divided into a plurality of liquid storage recesses 270a, 292a, 294a by partition walls or ribs as will be described later. It is partitioned.
The open surfaces of these liquid storage recesses 270a, 292a, and 294a are liquid-tightly sealed by the film 130, and form a plurality of ink storage sections that store ink (liquid).

The film 130 is a transparent or translucent resin film having a melting point lower than that of the cartridge body 120, and is welded to the partition walls or ribs that define the liquid storage recesses 270a, 292a, and 294a.
Before the film 130 is welded, a stirring moving body 711 for stirring the stored ink is introduced into the liquid storage recesses 270a and 294a.
Then, the lid 140 is fixed to the cartridge main body 120 so as to cover the outside of the film 130.

  Further, the cartridge main body 120 includes an ink storage unit 111 (see FIG. 7) that stores ink, an ink flow path unit from the ink storage unit 111 to the ink supply unit 160, and an ink side that allows the ink storage unit 111 to communicate with the atmosphere. And an atmosphere communication portion including an atmosphere valve accommodation portion and an atmosphere side passage.

The ink cartridge 500 further includes an ink supply control unit 150, an ink supply unit 160, a storage unit 170, and an engagement lever 180.
The ink supply unit 160 is disposed on the lower surface of the cartridge main body 120, and an ink supply needle formed on a carriage on which the ink cartridge 500 is mounted is inserted, and the ink stored in the ink storage unit 111 is transferred to the ink jet recording apparatus. Supply to the print head.

The storage unit 170 is caulked to the mounting portion 190, and the mounting portion 190 is caulked below the side surface of the cartridge main body 120.
The storage unit 170 stores information on the type of the ink cartridge 500, information on the color of the ink held by the ink cartridge 500, information on the existing amount of ink, and the like. This information is exchanged with the main body.
The engagement lever 180 is formed on the upper portion of the side surface of the cartridge main body 120 facing the mounting portion 190, and engages with the carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus.
The side surface of the mounting portion 190 is regulated by a rib (not shown) formed on the carriage so that the terminal 171 and the elastic contact on the carriage side are in contact with each other.

  The ink supply control unit 150 includes a differential pressure valve that supplies ink in the ink storage unit 111 to the ink supply unit 160 due to a pressure difference between the ink storage unit 111 and the ink supply unit 160 that occurs as the ink is consumed. Yes. The ink supply control means 150 is elastically deformable and is a membrane valve 900 that is an example of a valve member inserted into the recess 495 of the cartridge body 120, a valve lid 151 that covers the recess 495, the membrane valve 900, and the valve lid. 151 and a coil spring 907 as an example of an urging member disposed between the two.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the ink containing portion 111, which is a liquid containing portion of the present embodiment, is largely divided into an upper portion and a lower portion by a partition wall 272 extending in the horizontal direction, and a communication hole 242 is formed below the partition wall 272. A supply side serving as an ink storage unit including an air storage unit 270 serving as an ink storage unit capable of communicating with the atmosphere, and an upper portion including two first ink storage units 292 and a second ink storage unit 294 that are shielded from the atmosphere. A housing portion 290 is formed.

The supply-side container 290 is divided into two parts, a first ink container 292 and a second ink container 294, by a vertical partition wall 271 having a communication channel 276 in the vicinity (lower region) of the partition wall 272. A flow path portion 296 is formed so as to be surrounded by the accommodating portion 294.
The flow path section 296 is connected to the second ink storage section 294 via the lower communication flow path 278 and is connected to the ink supply control means 150 via the passage 298 and the through hole 918.

The partition wall 271 includes a lower communication channel 276 between the partition wall 272 and an upper communication channel 277 between the upper surface and the upper surface. The channel resistance of the upper communication channel 277 is smaller than the channel resistance of the lower communication channel 276.
Further, the second ink containing portion 294 is provided with a short vertical partition 288, and a communication channel 279 is formed between the partition 288 and the partition 272.

  Further, the downstream side of the ink supply control means 150 is formed at a through hole 910 communicating with the ink supply control means 150, a flow path 321 communicating with the through hole 910, one end of the flow path 321 and penetrating toward the surface side. The ink supply unit 160 is configured to communicate with the ink supply unit 160 through the through-hole 323 and the communication unit 304 having one end communicating with the through-hole 323.

  The atmosphere-side containing portion 270 and the first ink containing portion 292 are communicated with each other via a communication channel 295 extending in the vertical direction and a communicating portion 162 (FIG. 2) penetrating the bottom surface of the atmosphere-side containing portion 270. Accordingly, when ink is consumed from the ink supply unit 160, the ink in the atmosphere-side storage unit 270 is correspondingly sucked into the first ink storage unit 292, and from here, the second ink storage unit 294, the flow path unit 296, and the like. It is configured to flow into the ink supply control means 150 via

The communication channel 274, the communication unit 162, the communication hole 163, the communication channel 295, the communication channels 276 and 278, the channel unit 296, and the passage are connected from the atmosphere side storage unit 270 of the ink storage unit 111 to the ink supply control unit 150. The ink flows through the 298 and the through hole 918 in this order.
The atmosphere-side passage, which is the side communicating with the atmosphere with the atmosphere valve communication portion 624 as a boundary, includes an opening 212, a meandering passage 214, a filter housing portion 216, a communication hole 218, a communication portion 222, and a side surface of the communication portion 222 shown in FIG. It is comprised by the through-hole 652b formed in this, and the press member accommodating chamber 652.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, one end of one path 214 meandering in a maze formed on the front side of the cartridge main body 120 is opened to the atmosphere as an opening 212, and the other end is ink-repellent and breathable. The filter 215 (FIGS. 4 and 5) having the above function is connected to the filter housing portion 216 in which the filter 215 is housed.
The filter housing portion 216 communicates with a communication hole 218 that penetrates from the front side to the back side of the cartridge main body 120. The communication hole 218 is connected to the pressing member housing chamber 652 via the communication part 222 on the back side of the cartridge main body 120 and a communication hole 652 b formed on the side surface of the communication part 222. In the middle of the passage 214, a chamber 930 made of a recess is provided.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the ink side passage with the atmosphere valve communication portion 624 as a boundary is formed by the atmosphere valve chamber 669, the communication hole 238, the communication groove 240, and the communication hole 242, and the atmosphere of the ink containing portion 111 is formed. It communicates with the side accommodating portion 270.
The communication hole 238 penetrating from the back side to the front side of the cartridge main body 120 is connected to the communication groove 240 communicating with the communication hole 238, and communicates with the communication groove 240 and through the communication hole 242 penetrating from the front side to the back side of the cartridge main body 120. It communicates with the housing part 270.

The atmosphere side accommodating portion 270, the supply side accommodating portion 290, the atmosphere valve chamber 669, the atmosphere side passage, and the ink side passage are formed by welding the films 130 and 110 to a wall partitioning each of them by a method such as heat welding. And become an isolated area.
The ink supply unit 160 includes a seal member 12 formed of an elastomer having an insertion port 26 into which an ink supply needle provided in the carriage is inserted, a supply valve 13 that closes the insertion port 26 of the seal member 12, and a supply valve. And an urging member 14 made of a coil spring or the like for urging 13 toward the seal member 12. A film 604 is attached to the insertion port 26 of the seal member 12 at the time of factory shipment.

When the ink cartridge 500 is mounted on the carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus, the convex portion provided on the carriage pushes up the atmospheric valve 650 upward via the film 480 and the atmospheric valve pressing member 654, and the ink supply needle of the carriage The supply valve 13 of the ink supply unit 160 is pushed up.
As a result, the atmospheric valve communication portion 624 communicates the atmospheric flow path from the atmospheric valve chamber 669 to the communication hole 242 with the atmosphere. Further, upstream of the supply valve 13 in the ink supply unit 160 communicates with the ink supply needle.

  When the ink jet recording apparatus starts recording in a state where the communication hole 242 communicates with the atmosphere, ink is supplied from the ink supply unit 160 to the print head through the ink supply needle. When ink is supplied from the ink supply unit 160, the ink that has flowed in the order of the arrow a and the through hole 918 shown in FIG. 7 in the ink storage unit 111 passes through the ink supply control means 150 and the arrow b shown in FIG. 7. , C, d, e in this order, flow into the ink supply unit 160, and ink is supplied to the ink supply needle inserted into the ink supply unit 160.

  In the ink storage unit 111, the ink in the atmosphere-side storage unit 270 is supplied to the supply-side storage unit 290 in accordance with the ink flow. As the ink in the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270 is consumed, the air flows in the order of arrows f and g in FIG. 7 in order and flows into the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270 from the communication hole 242. Ink is supplied from the ink supply unit 160 to the print head and the liquid level of the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270 is lowered, but the flow path connecting the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270 and the supply-side accommodation unit 290 is provided in the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270. Since there is a communication port at the lowermost part, air does not flow into the supply-side storage unit 290 until all the ink in the atmosphere-side storage unit 270 moves to the supply-side storage unit 290.

  After all the ink in the atmosphere-side container 270 is consumed, the ink in the first ink container 292 and the second ink container 294 in the supply-side container 290 is consumed in this order. During this time, the ink in the supply-side container 290 may flow back to the atmosphere-side container 270 due to the surface tension of the ink meniscus formed in the communication part 162 that connects the supply-side container 290 and the atmosphere-side container 270. Is prevented.

  When the ink in the first ink storage unit 292 starts to be consumed, air flows into the first ink storage unit 292. As a result, the liquid level of the first ink containing portion 292 is lowered. However, since only the lower portion of the first ink containing portion 292 and the second ink containing portion 294 are communicated with each other through the communication flow path 276, first, Ink in the ink containing portion 292 is consumed. When the ink in the first ink storage unit 292 is consumed and the liquid level reaches the communication channel 276, the air is consumed in the second ink storage unit 294 as the ink in the second ink storage unit 294 is consumed. Also flows in. While the ink in the second ink container is consumed, surface tension is generated in the communication channel 276 due to the ink meniscus, so that the ink in the second ink container 294 is prevented from flowing back to the first ink container 292. Is done.

  As described above, the ink in the atmosphere-side storage unit 270, the first ink storage unit 292, and the second ink storage unit 294 is consumed in this order. The ink storage unit 111 is supplied to the ink supply unit 160 through the passage 918 from the communication unit 278 disposed in the vicinity of the partition wall 272 that substantially bisects the ink storage unit 111.

  FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged perspective view of FIG. In the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270, the supply-side partition wall 272a that divides the communication channel 274 provided with the communication hole 163 has a lower installation position than the other partition walls 272 in the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270. . In addition, the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270 includes a first vertical partition 510 extending vertically upward from the bottom surface of the atmosphere-side accommodation 270 in the vicinity of the communication channel 274 and a second vertical parallel to the first vertical partition 510. A partition wall portion 530 is included.

  The first vertical partition wall 510 has a lower communication channel 512 through which ink flows between the first vertical partition wall 510 and the bottom surface of the atmosphere-side storage unit 270 at the lower end. The lower communication channel 512 is a notch formed by notching the first vertical partition wall 510. The first vertical partition wall 510 is further above the lower communication channel 512, penetrates the first vertical partition wall 510, and the upper communication channel 514 through which ink flows with a smaller channel resistance than the lower communication channel 512. Have

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the upper communication channel 514 is a notch that is notched larger than the lower communication channel 512. Thereby, the flow resistance of the upper communication flow path 514 is smaller than the flow resistance of the lower communication flow path 512.
Further, the upper communication channel 514 is disposed above the supply-side partition wall 272a with the lower wall portion 513 sandwiched between the upper communication channel 514 and the lower communication channel 512.

The first vertical partition wall 510 further includes a second upper communication channel 516 through which ink flows with a smaller channel resistance than the lower communication channel 512 with the upper wall portion 515 sandwiched between the upper communication channel 514. Have. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the second upper communication channel 516 is a gap formed between the partition 272 and the upper end of the first vertical partition 510.
In addition, since the 2nd vertical partition part 530 has the same structure as the 1st vertical partition part 510, description is abbreviate | omitted.

Furthermore, the 1st vertical partition part 510 and the 2nd vertical partition part 530 are distribute | arranged to the back surface of the channel | path 214 shown in FIG. Therefore, when the film 110 shown in FIG. 3 is attached to the passage 214, it is possible to prevent “escape” in which the side surface of the cartridge main body 120 provided with the passage 214 is recessed and the film 110 is difficult to attach.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the first ink storage portion 292 of the supply side storage portion 290 has an inclined wall portion 550 that is inclined in the vertical direction. The inclined wall portion 550 is disposed above the communication channel 295 extending in the vertical direction.

In the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the atmosphere-side accommodation portion 270 that is the most proximal liquid accommodation portion and the second ink accommodation portion 294 that is the liquid accommodation portion immediately before the ink supply control means 150 are provided. Each of them is provided with a stirring moving body 711.
The stirring moving body 711 of the present embodiment is a rollable spherical metal ball, and rolls in the accommodating portion due to inertia received during the movement operation of the ink cartridge 500 by the carriage, and is stored in each accommodating portion. Stir the ink.

  Within the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270, a section between the first vertical partition section 510 and the second vertical partition section 530 and a section on the opposite side of the first vertical partition section 510 with the second vertical partition section 530 in between. The agitation moving bodies 711 are respectively arranged. In the case of the second ink storage portion 294, the agitation moving body 711 is provided in the section between the partition wall 288 having the communication channel 279 and the communication channel 278.

  When the agitation moving body 711 equipped in each storage unit rolls to the partition wall side having the communication channel, the stirring channel 711 opens to the bottom side of the partition wall (for example, the communication channel 278, 279, The lower communication channel 512, 532) is approached. In that case, even when the communication channels are closest to each other, the minimum opening section larger than the minimum opening cross-sectional area of the communication channels is formed between the partition wall around the communication channels and the stirring moving body 711. The outer diameter of the stirring moving body 711 is set to a predetermined size or more with respect to the opening of each communication channel so that a channel having an area is secured.

Securing between the second vertical wall portion 530 and the stirring moving body 711 by taking as an example the case where the stirring moving body 711 is closest to the lower communication channel 532 formed in the second vertical wall portion 530 shown in FIG. The flow path to be performed will be specifically described.
As shown in FIG. 10, the stirring moving body 711 approaching the lower communication channel 532 stops in a state where it abuts on the surface 530a of the second vertical wall portion 530 and the surface 120a of the bottom wall.
At this time, the flow path (space) 713 formed between the surface 530 a of the second vertical wall portion 530 and the surface 120 a of the bottom wall and the stirring moving body 711 is smaller than the minimum opening area of the lower communication flow path 532. The outer diameter of the stirring moving body 711 is set so as to have a large minimum opening cross-sectional area so that the stirring moving body 711 does not prevent the ink from flowing into the lower communication channel 532.

  The ink supply operation when pigment ink is stored as ink in the atmosphere-side storage unit 270 and the supply-side storage unit 290 in the configuration of the ink cartridge 500 described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, in order to use up the ink in the atmosphere side container 270 as much as possible, the communication part 162 is arranged through the bottom surface of the atmosphere side container 270 and supplies the ink that has passed through the communication part 162. It supplies to the side accommodating part 290.

  Usually, the pigment that is the color material of the pigment ink is dispersed particles dispersed in a solvent, so that when dispersed for a long period of time, the dispersed particles settle, particularly in the vicinity of the communication channel 274 in which the communicating portion 162 is disposed. Tends to accumulate dark ink with high pigment concentration.

  However, in the present embodiment, the stirring moving body 711 equipped in the atmosphere-side storage unit 270 and the second ink storage unit 294 stirs the ink stored in these storage units, and the coloring material in the ink Can be prevented, so that a phenomenon that ink having a high pigment concentration accumulates in the vicinity of the communication channel 274 can be prevented. Further, in the present embodiment, the flow path in the vertical direction that promotes agitation at the time of ink supply is formed by the communication flow paths that are separately distributed in the upper and lower parts in one partition wall (the first vertical partition wall part 510 and the second vertical partition wall part 530). As a result of the synergistic effect of the two stirring actions, active stirring is performed, and the ink supplied to the ink supply unit 160 is less likely to cause variations in density. That is, after the dark ink near the communication channel 274 flows out from the communicating portion 162 as it is, it is possible to prevent the light ink having a low density above it from flowing out, and the density of the ink supplied to the outside is uneven. Can be prevented.

  Further, according to the ink cartridge 500 of the present embodiment, the agitation moving bodies 711 stored in the atmosphere-side storage portion 270 and the second ink storage portion 294 move, so that the agitation movement bodies 711 are respectively in the first state. Even when the lower communication channels 512, 532, the communication channels 278, 279, etc. penetratingly formed in the second vertical partition walls 510, 530, the partition 288, etc. are closest to each other, the lower communication channels 532, 512 and The minimum opening cross-sectional area of the flow path 713 (see FIG. 10) formed between the partition walls around the communication flow paths 278 and 279 and the stirring moving bodies 711 is the lower communication flow paths 512 and 532 and the communication flow paths. It is made larger than the minimum opening cross-sectional area of 278,279.

  Therefore, in the ink cartridge 500, the stirring moving body 711 does not block the lower communication flow paths 512, 532 and the communication flow paths 278, 279 so as to prevent the ink from flowing. The ink in the unit 294 can be stably supplied from the lower communication channels 512 and 532 and the communication channels 278 and 279 while stirring the ink in the stirring unit 711 by the stirring moving body 711, and the density of the ink density to be printed varies. It is possible to maintain a high-quality ink supply that does not cause any problem.

  Further, in the ink cartridge 500 of the present embodiment, since the first vertical partition wall 510 having the lower communication channel 512, the upper communication channel 514, and the second upper communication channel 516 is provided, the ink is supplied from the communication hole 163. When the ink is further pulled to the communication hole 163 by flowing out, the flow rate of the thin ink flowing through the upper communication channel 514 and the second upper communication channel 516 increases.

Therefore, the flow of the thin ink (arrows i and j in the figure) becomes larger than the flow of the dark ink (arrow h in the figure), so that not only the dark ink but also the thin ink can flow into the communication hole 163.
Also, due to the difference in flow size, the upper and lower inks can flow in the space defined by the communication channel 274 and the first vertical partition wall 510, and the dark ink and the light ink, particularly from the vicinity of the upper communication channel 514 In addition, the thin ink at the upper side can be entrained and stirred.

  In particular, since the upper communication channel 514 is disposed above the supply-side partition wall 272a facing the communication hole 163, ink can be easily supplied to the upper supply-side storage portion 290 partitioned by the lower 272a. In addition, it is possible to flow thin ink above the dark ink that tends to collect in the vicinity of the communication channel 274 toward the communication channel 274. In addition, since the second upper communication channel 516 is disposed between the partition wall 272 of the atmosphere-side storage unit 270, even if the amount of ink in the atmosphere-side storage unit 270 is large and the difference in density increases, Thin ink can flow toward the communication hole 163, and can be reliably mixed with the dark ink below and supplied to the supply side accommodating portion 290.

  In addition, since the lower communication channel 512 is provided at the lower end of the first vertical partition wall 510, the ink in the atmosphere-side storage unit 270 can be almost used up without being blocked by the first vertical partition wall 510. it can. Further, since the second vertical partition wall 530 having the lower communication channels 532 and 534 and the second upper communication channel 536 is provided in parallel with the first vertical partition wall 510, dark ink is formed in the vicinity of the communication channel 274. Can be mixed with thin ink.

In addition, since the inclined wall portion 550 is provided above the communication channel 295 through which ink from the atmosphere-side accommodation portion 270 flows via the communication portion 162, the atmosphere-side accommodation portion 270 to the supply-side accommodation portion 290 is provided. By receiving the ink flow at the inclined wall portion 550 and changing the direction of the flow, the ink contained in the first ink containing portion 292 is agitated, and the dark ink and the light ink in the first ink containing portion 292 are stirred. Can be mixed.
Further, since there are a plurality of small walls in the lower communication channel such as the vertical partition 271 having the communication channel 276 and the vertical partition 288 having the communication portion 279, the supply side can be surely mixed with the darker ink below. The container 290 can be supplied.

  In the ink cartridge 500 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the upper communication channel 514 and the upper communication channel 534 in the pair of first vertical partition wall portion 510 and second vertical partition wall portion 530 have the same upper and lower sides. Arranged in position. However, the arrangement of the upper and lower positions is not limited to this, and the upper communication channel 514 and the upper communication channel 534 may be provided at different vertical positions.

Similarly, the second upper communication channel 516 and the second upper communication channel 536 may also be provided at different vertical positions. Thereby, in the area | region pinched by a pair of 1st vertical partition part 510 and 2nd vertical partition part 530, the flow of the vertical direction of a thin ink can be made, and a dark ink and a thin ink can be stirred reliably.
Furthermore, in the ink cartridge 500 of the present embodiment, the pair of first vertical partition walls 510 and the second vertical partition wall 530 are provided vertically, but the present invention is not limited to this, and both or one of the pair of wall portions is provided. You may incline with respect to a perpendicular direction.

  Therefore, according to the ink cartridge 500 of the present embodiment, by increasing the flow rate of the thin ink that floats in the vicinity of the communication portion 162 in the atmosphere-side accommodation portion 270, the ink cartridge floats with the dark ink that has settled. The thin ink is mixed and supplied from the communication unit 162 to the supply side storage unit 290. Therefore, it is possible to suppress variations in the density of the ink supplied to the outside.

Note that the configurations of the liquid storage unit, the partition, the communication channel, the stirring moving body, the channel, the stopper, and the like in the liquid cartridge of the present invention are not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, but are based on the spirit of the present invention. Of course, various forms can be adopted.
For example, the outer shape of the stirring moving body accommodated in the liquid accommodating portion is not limited to the spherical shape shown in the above embodiment. For example, it may be a rollable shape such as a columnar shape or a cylindrical shape, or another shape.

  When the outer shape of the stirring moving body is spherical, even when the stirring moving body is closest to the connecting flow path, the minimum of the flow path formed between the partition wall around the connecting flow path and the stirring moving body As a specific means for making the cross-sectional area larger than the minimum opening cross-sectional area of the communication channel, a method of setting the outer diameter of the stirring moving body 711 larger than a predetermined value as in the above embodiment is effective.

Further, when the stirring moving body is closest to the communication flow path, the minimum cross-sectional area of the flow path formed between the partition wall around the communication flow path and the stirring moving body is smaller than the minimum opening cross-sectional area of the communication flow path. The specific means for increasing the size is not limited to the selection of the outer diameter of the stirring moving body 711 shown in the above embodiment.
For example, various correspondences illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 13 are possible.

11A, the specific means shown in FIG. 11A is on the inner wall (bottom wall surface 120a) in front of the lower communication channel 532 to which the stirring moving body 711 approaches, to the lower communication channel 532 side of the stirring moving body 711. Is provided with a stopper 715 for restricting the closest approach distance.
The stopper 715 includes rib protrusions (protrusions) that extend along the flow direction of the ink that passes through the lower communication flow path 532, and is smaller than the outer diameter of the stirring moving body 711 as shown in FIG. A plurality of rows are arranged at an appropriate pitch.

  The stopper made of such a protrusion is effective even when the outer shape of the stirring moving body 711 is not spherical as described above, or when a spherical stirring moving body 711 having a small outer diameter is used. is there. Of course, it goes without saying that the shape of the protrusion can take various forms.

The specific means shown in FIG. 12 is provided with a stopper 721 that connects the inner wall of the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270 and the stirring moving body 711.
The stopper 721 is made of a flexible member having a predetermined length, and the length of the stopper 721 restricts the closest approach distance to the lower communication channel 532 of the stirring moving body 711.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the ink cartridge 500 of the ink jet recording apparatus has been described as an example of the liquid cartridge, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the colorant, the organic EL display, Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to various liquid cartridges for supplying a liquid such as an electrode material (conductive paste) for forming an electrode such as an FED or a bioorganic material of a biochip manufacturing apparatus to each liquid ejecting head.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a state before a film is attached to the surface of the ink cartridge body shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view showing a state after a film is attached to the ink cartridge main body shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the front side of the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the back side of the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 1. It is a rear view before the film of the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 1 is stuck. It is a front view before the film of the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 1 is affixed. It is a front view after the film of the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 1 was stuck. It is a principal part expansion perspective view of FIG. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of FIG. (A) is a principal part expanded sectional view for demonstrating the structure of the stopper which prevents the movement to the connection flow path side of a stirring moving body, (b) is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of (a). is there. It is a principal part expanded sectional view explaining the modification of the stopper which prevents the movement to the connection flow path side of a stirring moving body.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 110 ... Film, 111 ... Ink storage part (liquid storage part), 120 ... Cartridge main body, 122 ... Liquid storage recessed part, 130 ... Film, 132 ... Film, 140 ... Lid, 270 ... Atmosphere side storage part (liquid storage part) 270a ... Liquid storage recess, 271 ... Partition, 272 ... Partition, 278 ... Communication channel, 279 ... Connection channel, 288 ... Partition, 290 ... Supply side storage (liquid storage), 292 ... First ink storage (Liquid storage part), 292a ... liquid storage recess, 294 ... second ink storage part (liquid storage part), 294a ... liquid storage recess, 500 ... ink cartridge (liquid cartridge), 510 ... first vertical partition wall (partition) DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 512 ... Lower communication flow path (communication flow path), 530 ... 2nd vertical partition part (partition wall), 532 ... Lower communication flow path (connection flow path), 711 ... Stirring moving body, 715 ... Stopper 721 ... stopper

Claims (6)

The interior is partitioned into a plurality of liquid storage portions by partition walls, and the liquid stored in the partition wall extending in a substantially vertical direction is close to the bottom of the liquid storage portion, and is supplied to the downstream liquid storage portion. A liquid cartridge having a flow passage formed therethrough,
In at least one of the liquid storage portions, the stirring moving body is stored in a movable state, and the partition wall and the stirring moving body when the stirring moving body is brought closest to the communication flow path. A liquid cartridge characterized in that a minimum opening cross-sectional area of a flow path formed therebetween is larger than a minimum opening cross-sectional area of the communication flow path.   By setting the stirring moving body to a predetermined size with respect to the opening of the communication flow path, the minimum cross-sectional area of the flow path formed between the partition wall around the communication flow path and the stirring moving body The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the liquid cartridge is larger than a minimum opening cross-sectional area of the communication channel.   A stopper that prevents the stirring moving body from moving toward the communication flow path is provided in the liquid storage portion, and by restricting the closest approach distance of the stirring moving body to the communication flow path, the periphery of the communication flow path 2. The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a minimum cross-sectional area of a flow path formed between the partition wall and the stirring moving body is made larger than a minimum open cross-sectional area of the communication flow path.   The liquid cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the stopper includes a protrusion protruding from an inner wall of the liquid storage portion.   The liquid cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the stopper is made of a flexible member having a predetermined length that connects an inner wall of the liquid container and the stirring moving body. 6. The liquid cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the liquid in the liquid container is pigment ink.

Images