JP2006015659A - Ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink cartridge in which interconnection and interruption between an ink chamber and the outside can be switched selectively through a simple structure while decreasing the number of components. <P>SOLUTION: When an ink cartridge 1 is attached, an ink extraction tube 12 presses the intermediate wall 31f of an elastic seal member 31 to push up the elastic seal member 31. Consequently, a first interconnection hole 32 and an ink hole 12e are interconnected to form an ink channel B from an ink chamber 16 to the ink extraction tube 12. When the ink cartridge 1 is detached, the elastic seal member 31 is moved downward through draw-out operation of the ink extraction tube 12, and outer circumferential protrusions 31c1 and 31c2 adhere to the inner wall face 30a of an ink supply chamber 30 while holding the first interconnection hole 32 between thus interrupting the ink channel B. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink cartridge, and more particularly to an ink cartridge capable of selectively switching between communication and blocking between an ink chamber and the outside by being attached to and detached from an ink jet recording apparatus.

  As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-113723 (Patent Document 1), in order to selectively switch between communication and blocking between an ink chamber storing ink and the outside, a valve body and a spring are provided. Ink cartridges are known. In this ink cartridge, a cylindrical packing that forms an insertion path for an ink supply needle is press-fitted into an ink supply port that communicates the ink chamber with the outside. An ink guide chamber is formed on the ink chamber side from the cylindrical packing, and a valve body and a spring for urging the valve body to elastically contact the cylindrical packing are disposed in the ink guide chamber. ing.

  When this ink cartridge is installed in the ink jet recording apparatus, the ink supply needle contacts the valve body through the insertion path of the cylindrical packing, and the valve body is moved to the ink chamber side, so that the space between the ink chamber and the ink supply needle is reached. Thus, an ink flow path is formed. At this time, since the inner peripheral surface of the insertion path of the cylindrical packing is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ink supply needle, ink in the ink chamber can be prevented from leaking from the insertion path of the cylindrical packing. On the other hand, when the ink cartridge is detached from the ink jet recording apparatus, the valve body is urged by the spring so as to elastically contact the cylindrical packing, the valve body is seated on the cylindrical packing, and the insertion path is closed. Therefore, the ink in the ink chamber can be prevented from leaking outside from the insertion path.

JP 2001-113723 A (FIG. 4 etc.)

  However, in the above-described ink cartridge, in order to selectively switch between communication and blocking between the ink chamber and the outside, it is necessary to include a cylindrical packing that elastically contacts the valve body, a spring, and a plurality of parts of the valve body. Not only is the structure complicated, but the number of assembly steps increases and the cost increases. Further, when the spring is made of a metal material, it is necessary to separate the spring from other parts when discarding the ink cartridge, and there is a problem that the disposal cost is increased.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can reduce the number of components and selectively switch between communication and blocking between the ink chamber and the outside with a simple structure. The object is to provide a cartridge.

  In order to achieve this object, the ink cartridge according to claim 1 is configured to be detachable from an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from a recording head, and is provided as a hollow tube protruding from the ink jet recording apparatus. An ink chamber communicating with the recording head via a member, and an ink supply chamber into which the hollow tube member is inserted and removed in order to supply the ink from the ink chamber to the recording head A first communication hole communicating the ink chamber and the ink supply chamber, and an elastic seal capable of moving forward and backward along the insertion / removal direction of the hollow tube member between the first and second positions in the ink supply chamber And the elastic seal member has a hollow cylindrical shape having an internal space in which the hollow tube member can be inserted and removed, and the hollow cylindrical outer peripheral portion and the internal A second communication hole that communicates with each other, and the elastic sealing member and the hollow tube member disposed in the inner space thereof are operated by the operation in the insertion direction of the hollow tube member. A first engaging portion that moves the seal member from the second position to the first position, and a second that moves the elastic seal member from the first position to the second position by an operation in the extraction direction of the hollow tube member. An engagement portion, wherein, in the first position, the elastic seal member is in a position where the first communication hole and the second communication hole communicate with the ink supply chamber, and the ink chamber is in the elastic state. In the second position, the elastic seal member communicates with the internal space of the seal member and closes the first communication hole with respect to the ink supply chamber.

  The ink cartridge according to claim 2 is the ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the elastic seal member corresponds to the first communication hole in the first position and has the second communication hole. And a second cylindrical portion that closes the first communication hole in the second position, side by side in the forward / backward movement direction.

  The ink cartridge according to claim 3 is configured to be detachable from an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording head, and the ink cartridge is provided via a hollow tube member that protrudes from the ink jet recording apparatus. Outside air is introduced into the ink chamber that stores water, and in order to introduce outside air into the ink chamber, the outside air introduction chamber through which the hollow tube member is inserted and removed, and the ink chamber and the outside air introduction chamber communicate with each other. An outside air introduction hole, and an elastic seal member capable of moving back and forth between the first and second positions in the outside air introduction chamber along the insertion / removal direction of the hollow tube member, the elastic seal member comprising the hollow tube The elastic sealing member has a hollow cylindrical shape having an internal space in which a member can be inserted and removed, and has a second communication hole that communicates the outer peripheral portion of the hollow cylindrical shape with the internal space. A first engaging portion that moves the elastic seal member from the second position to the first position by an operation in an insertion direction of the hollow tube member between the hollow tube member disposed in the internal space; And a second engagement portion that moves the elastic seal member from the first position to the second position by an operation in the extraction direction of the hollow tube member. An elastic seal member is in a position where the outside air introduction hole and the second communication hole communicate with each other, and the outside air introduction hole communicates with an internal space of the elastic seal member. In the second position, the outside air introduction chamber is connected to the outside air introduction chamber. On the other hand, the elastic seal member is in a position to close the outside air introduction hole.

  The ink cartridge according to claim 4 is the ink cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the elastic seal member corresponds to the outside air introduction hole at the first position and has the second communication hole, A second cylindrical portion that closes the outside air introduction hole at the second position is arranged side by side in the forward / backward movement direction.

  6. The ink cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the recording head is configured to be detachable from an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from the recording head, and the recording head is interposed through a hollow tube member that protrudes from the ink jet recording apparatus. The hollow tube member is inserted and removed in order to supply the ink from the ink chamber to the recording head and introduce outside air into the ink chamber. An ink supply / outside air introduction chamber; a first communication hole that communicates the ink chamber with the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber; an outside air supply path that communicates the ink chamber with the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber; An outside air introduction hole communicating the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber and the outside air, and a plugging / unplugging of the hollow tube member between the first and second positions in the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber An elastic seal member that can move forward and backward along a direction, and the elastic seal member is a first internal space in which the hollow tube member can be inserted and removed, and an outside air that communicates the outside air supply path and the outside air introduction hole. It has a hollow cylindrical shape having a communication passage, has a second communication hole that communicates the outer peripheral portion of the hollow cylindrical shape and the first internal space, and is disposed in the elastic seal member and the internal space. A first engagement portion that moves the elastic seal member from the second position to the first position by an operation in the insertion direction of the hollow tube member between the hollow tube member, and extraction of the hollow tube member A second engagement portion that moves the elastic seal member from the first position to the second position by an operation in a direction, wherein the elastic seal member is located at the first position with respect to the ink supply and outside air introduction chamber, The first communication hole and the second communication hole The ink chamber communicates with the internal space of the elastic seal member, the outside air communication path is in a position communicating the outside air supply path and the outside air introduction hole, and in the second position, The elastic seal member is in a position to close the first communication hole and the outside air introduction hole with respect to the ink supply and outside air introduction chamber.

  The ink cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the elastic seal member corresponds to the first communication hole in the first position and has the second communication hole, and the ink cartridge according to claim 5, A cylindrical portion having an outside air communication passage inside and one end of the outside air communication passage opened to the outer periphery is arranged side by side in the forward / backward movement direction, and the first communication hole and the outside air introduction hole are provided at the second position. Occlude.

  The ink cartridge according to claim 7 is the ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein when the elastic seal member is in the first position, at least a part of an inner peripheral surface of the elastic seal member is The second communication hole communicates with the inside of the hollow tube member in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hollow tube member and in a sealed state with respect to the outside.

  The ink cartridge according to claim 8 is the ink cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the elastic seal member has an inner peripheral protrusion projecting inward in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface, When in the first position, the inner peripheral protrusion is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hollow tube member.

  The ink cartridge according to claim 9 is the ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the elastic seal member opens an end of the internal space so as to allow insertion and removal of the hollow tube member. And has elasticity in the direction of expanding or reducing the diameter of the opening.

  The ink cartridge according to claim 10 is the ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the elastic seal member opens an end of the internal space so as to allow insertion and removal of the hollow tube member. And the other end opposite to the opening has a wall portion that forms a part of the first engaging portion and abuts against the tip of the hollow tube member, and the wall portion is inserted into the hollow tube member. As a result of being pressed, it is moved toward the first position.

  An ink cartridge according to an eleventh aspect is the ink cartridge according to the second aspect, wherein the elastic seal member includes an outer peripheral portion substantially between the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion, and the portion from the outer peripheral portion. Projecting annularly into the outer peripheral part of the first cylindrical part sandwiching two communication holes and the outer peripheral part of the second cylindrical part spaced from the part to the opposite side of the second communication hole, There is an outer peripheral protrusion closely contacting the inner surface of the ink supply chamber, and the interval between two adjacent outer peripheral protrusions of the outer peripheral protrusions is such that the first communication hole is sandwiched between the first position and the second position. is there.

  An ink cartridge according to a twelfth aspect is the ink cartridge according to the fourth aspect, wherein the elastic seal member includes an outer peripheral portion substantially between the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion, and the portion from the outer peripheral portion. Projecting annularly into the outer peripheral part of the first cylindrical part sandwiching two communication holes and the outer peripheral part of the second cylindrical part spaced from the part to the opposite side of the second communication hole, There is an outer peripheral protrusion closely contacting the inner surface of the outside air introduction chamber, and the interval between two adjacent outer peripheral protrusions of the outer peripheral protrusions is such that the first communication hole is sandwiched between the first position and the second position. is there.

  The ink cartridge according to claim 13 is the ink cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the elastic seal member includes an outer peripheral portion of an opening side end portion of the internal space from which the hollow tube member is inserted and removed, and the portion from the outer peripheral portion. An outer peripheral part at a position sandwiching the second communication hole, an outer peripheral part at a position sandwiching the opening of the outside air communication passage from the latter part, and an outer peripheral part at a position spaced from the latter part Each of the outer peripheral protrusions protrudes annularly and closely contacts the inner surface of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber, and the interval between two adjacent outer peripheral protrusions of the outer peripheral protrusions is the first position and the second position. The first communication hole and the outside air introduction hole are sandwiched.

  According to the ink cartridge of the first aspect, in the ink supply chamber from which the hollow tube member is inserted and removed, a space between the first position and the second position in the ink supply chamber is along the insertion and removal direction of the hollow tube member. If the elastic seal member is moved to the first position by the first engaging portion by the operation in the insertion direction of the hollow tube member, the elastic seal member is supplied with ink. The first communication hole and the second communication hole communicate with the chamber, and the ink chamber communicates with the internal space of the elastic seal member. Therefore, the ink in the ink chamber can be supplied to the recording head via the hollow tube member. On the other hand, when the elastic sealing member is moved to the second position by the second engaging portion by the operation in the extraction direction of the hollow tube member, the elastic sealing member closes the first communication hole with respect to the ink supply chamber. Therefore, the supply of ink from the ink chamber to the outside can be shut off.

  As a result, unlike the conventional ink cartridge, it does not require many parts, and it is possible to select between supplying ink from the ink chamber to the outside and blocking it with a simple configuration that simply arranges the elastic seal member in the ink supply chamber. There is an effect that can be switched automatically. Further, since the elastic seal member moves forward and backward with the positional relationship between the ink jet recording apparatus and the ink cartridge, there is an effect that a force necessary to maintain the mounted state of the ink cartridge is not required.

  According to the ink cartridge of the second aspect, in addition to the effect produced by the ink cartridge of the first aspect, the elastic seal member corresponds to the first communication hole at the first position and has the second communication hole. And a second cylindrical portion that closes the first communication hole at the second position are arranged side by side in the forward / backward movement direction. Therefore, since the elastic seal member can be moved back and forth in the first and second positions in conjunction with the insertion / removal operation of the hollow tube member, that is, linear motion, the reliability of the forward / backward movement operation can be ensured. In addition to the effect of being able to do so, the configuration of the ink supply chamber can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced correspondingly.

  According to the ink cartridge of claim 3, in the outside air introduction chamber from which the hollow tube member is inserted and removed, the space between the first position and the second position of the outside air introduction chamber is along the insertion and removal direction of the hollow tube member. When the elastic seal member is moved to the first position by the first engaging portion by the operation in the insertion direction of the hollow tube member, the elastic seal member is introduced into the outside air. Since the outside air introduction hole and the second communication hole communicate with the chamber and the ink chamber communicates with the internal space of the elastic seal member, the outside air from the hollow tube member can be supplied to the ink chamber. On the other hand, when the elastic seal member is moved to the second position by the second engagement portion by the operation in the extraction direction of the hollow tube member, the elastic seal member closes the outside air communication hole with respect to the outside air introduction chamber, The supply of outside air from the outside to the ink chamber can be shut off. As a result, there is an effect that the external air supply to the ink chamber can be selectively switched from the outside to the ink chamber with a simple configuration in which the elastic seal member is simply disposed in the outside air introduction chamber. Further, since the elastic seal member moves forward and backward with the positional relationship between the ink jet recording apparatus and the ink cartridge, there is an effect that a force necessary to maintain the mounted state of the ink cartridge is not required.

  According to the ink cartridge of the fourth aspect, in addition to the effect produced by the ink cartridge of the third aspect, the elastic seal member corresponds to the outside air introduction hole at the first position, and has the second communication hole. A portion and a second cylindrical portion that closes the outside air introduction hole at the second position are arranged side by side in the forward / backward movement direction. Therefore, since the elastic seal member can be moved back and forth in the first and second positions in conjunction with the insertion / removal operation of the hollow tube member, that is, linear motion, the reliability of the forward / backward movement operation can be ensured. In addition to being effective, the configuration of the outside air introduction chamber can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced correspondingly.

  According to the ink cartridge of claim 5, in the ink supply and outside air introduction chamber from which the hollow tube member is inserted and removed, the hollow tube is provided between the first position and the second position of the ink supply and outside air introduction chamber. An elastic seal member that can move forward and backward along the insertion / removal direction of the member, and when the elastic seal member is moved to the first position by the first engagement portion by the operation in the insertion direction of the hollow tube member, The elastic seal member communicates the first communication hole and the second communication hole with the ink supply and outside air introduction chamber, and the ink chamber communicates with the internal space of the elastic seal member. Therefore, the ink in the ink chamber can be supplied to the recording head via the hollow tube member. At the same time, the outside air communication passage allows the outside air supply path and the outside air introduction hole to communicate with each other, so that outside air can be supplied from the outside to the ink chamber. On the other hand, when the elastic seal member is moved to the second position by the second engaging portion by the operation in the extraction direction of the hollow tube member, the elastic seal member is in contact with the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber. In addition, the outside air communication hole can be closed to block the supply of ink from the ink chamber to the outside and the supply of outside air from the outside to the ink chamber.

  As a result, unlike the conventional ink cartridge, the ink supply from the ink chamber to the outside and the shut-off thereof can be performed with a simple configuration in which an elastic seal member is disposed in the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber without requiring many parts. There is an effect that can be selectively switched. Further, since the elastic seal member moves forward and backward with the positional relationship between the ink jet recording apparatus and the ink cartridge, there is an effect that a force necessary to maintain the mounted state of the ink cartridge is not required.

  Further, according to the ink cartridge of the present invention, two operations of ink supply and outside air introduction can be performed with one elastic seal member, so that the number of parts can be reduced, and the part cost and the assembly cost can be reduced. In addition, since the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber has two functions of ink supply and outside air introduction, the space in the ink chamber can be increased, and more ink can be filled accordingly. There is an effect.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect produced by the ink cartridge according to the fifth aspect, the elastic sealing member includes a first cylindrical portion having a second communication hole corresponding to the first communication hole at the first position. A cylindrical portion having an outside air communication passage inside and one end of the outside air communication passage opened to the outer periphery is arranged side by side in the forward / backward movement direction, and the first communication hole and the outside air introduction hole are closed at the second position. Therefore, since the elastic seal member can be moved back and forth in the first and second positions in conjunction with the insertion / removal operation of the hollow tube member, that is, linear motion, the reliability of the forward / backward movement operation can be ensured. In addition to the effect that it can be performed, the configuration of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced correspondingly.

  According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect produced by the ink cartridge according to any of the first to sixth aspects, when the elastic seal member is located at the first position, at least the inner peripheral surface of the elastic seal member Part of the second communication hole is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hollow tube member and sealed to the outside, thereby allowing the second communication hole to communicate with the inside of the hollow tube member. Therefore, there is an effect that the communication state between the second communication hole and the inside of the hollow tube member can be reliably maintained while suppressing leakage of the ink to the outside.

  In addition to the effect produced by the ink cartridge according to claim 7, the elastic seal member has an inner peripheral protrusion that projects continuously inward in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface, When in the first position, the inner peripheral protrusion is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hollow tube member. Therefore, when the hollow tube member is operated in the extraction direction, the elastic seal member can be reliably moved from the first position to the second position by engaging the inner peripheral protrusion with the hollow tube member. effective.

  The ink cartridge according to a ninth aspect of the invention has the effect of the ink cartridge according to any one of the first aspect to the eighth aspect of the invention, and the elastic seal member is provided so that one end of the inner space can be inserted and removed from the hollow tube member. Open and have elasticity in the direction of expanding or reducing the diameter of the opening. Therefore, there is an effect that the hollow tube member can be smoothly inserted and removed from the opening.

  The ink cartridge according to claim 10 has the effect of the ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and the elastic seal member allows the hollow tube member to be inserted and removed at one end of the internal space. An opening is provided, and at the other end opposite to the opening, there is a wall portion that forms a part of the first engagement portion and abuts against the tip of the hollow tube member. Accordingly, since the wall portion is pressed along with the insertion of the hollow tube member, the seal member can be moved toward the first position, and therefore a special member for moving the elastic seal member is separately provided. There is an effect that the product cost can be reduced correspondingly.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect produced by the ink cartridge according to the second aspect, the elastic seal member includes an outer peripheral portion substantially between the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion, and the portion. Ink supply to the outer peripheral portion of the first cylindrical portion sandwiching the second communication hole and the outer peripheral portion of the second cylindrical portion spaced apart from the second communication hole on the opposite side to the second communication hole It has an outer periphery protrusion closely_contact | adhered to the inner surface of a chamber, and the space | interval of two adjacent outer periphery protrusions has the relationship which pinches | interposes a 1st communicating hole in a 1st position and a 2nd position. As described above, since the outer peripheral protrusions protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the elastic seal member toward the inner surface of the ink supply chamber, in the state where the elastic seal member is disposed in the ink supply chamber, Each protrusion is crushed. This crushing margin, that is, the sealing margin increases, and there is an effect that ink leakage and inflow of outside air can be prevented more reliably.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect produced by the ink cartridge according to the fourth aspect, the elastic seal member includes an outer peripheral portion substantially between the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion, and a portion thereof. The outer peripheral portion of the first cylindrical portion sandwiching the second communication hole and the outer peripheral portion of the second cylindrical portion spaced apart from the second communication hole on the opposite side to the second communication hole are annularly projected to introduce the outside air It has an outer periphery protrusion closely_contact | adhered to the inner surface of a chamber, and the space | interval of two adjacent outer periphery protrusions has the relationship which pinches | interposes a 1st communicating hole in a 1st position and a 2nd position. As described above, since the outer peripheral protrusions project toward the inner surface of the outside air introduction chamber on the outer peripheral surface of the elastic seal member, in the state where the elastic seal member is disposed in the outside air introduction chamber, Each protrusion is crushed. This crushing margin, that is, the sealing margin increases, and there is an effect that leakage and inflow of outside air can be prevented more reliably.

  In addition to the effect produced by the ink cartridge according to claim 6, the elastic seal member includes an outer peripheral portion of the opening side end portion of the internal space through which the hollow tube member is inserted and removed, and the portion. An outer peripheral portion at a position sandwiching the second communication hole, an outer peripheral portion at a position sandwiching the opening of the outside air communication passage from the latter portion, and an outer peripheral portion at a position spaced from the latter portion, respectively. An outer peripheral protrusion that protrudes in an annular shape and is in close contact with the inner surface of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber, and the interval between two adjacent outer peripheral protrusions of the outer peripheral protrusions is the first communication at the first position and the second position. The hole and the outside air introduction hole are sandwiched. As described above, since the outer peripheral protrusions project toward the inner surface of the outside air introduction chamber on the outer peripheral surface of the elastic seal member, in the state where the elastic seal member is disposed in the outside air introduction chamber, Each protrusion is crushed. This crushing margin, that is, the sealing margin increases, and there is an effect that ink leakage and leakage and inflow of outside air can be prevented more reliably.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an ink cartridge 1 and an ink jet recording apparatus 2 on which the ink cartridge 1 is mounted in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The ink cartridge 1 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from an inkjet recording apparatus 2 including a recording head 7 that ejects ink, and stores ink supplied to the recording head 7.

  The ink cartridge 1 includes a hollow box-shaped main body case 1a having an open upper surface and a lid 1b that seals the upper open surface of the main body case 1a. The ink supplied to the recording head 7 is formed inside the main body case 1a. Stored in the ink chamber 16 (see FIG. 2). The ink jet recording apparatus 2 is equipped with a plurality of ink cartridges 1 filled with four color inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, respectively.

  The ink jet recording apparatus 2 includes a mounting unit 3 that detachably mounts the ink cartridge 1, a tank 5 that stores ink supplied from the ink cartridge 1 via the ink supply tube 4, and ink stored in the tank 5. A recording head 7 for discharging the ink toward the recording paper 6, a carriage 8 on which the tank 5 and the recording head 7 are mounted and reciprocating in a linear direction, a carriage shaft 9 serving as a guide for reciprocating the carriage 8, and recording A transport mechanism 10 for transporting the paper 6 and a purge device 11 are provided.

  The mounting portion 3 includes a base portion 3a and guide portions 3b standing from both sides of the base portion 3a. From the base portion 3a sandwiched between the guide portions 3b, ink stored in the ink cartridge 1 is received. A hollow ink extraction tube 12 for extraction and a hollow outside air introduction tube 13 for introducing outside air into the ink cartridge 1 are disposed so as to protrude.

  An ink supply tube 4 is connected to one end side of the ink extraction tube 12, and the ink extraction tube 12 communicates with the tank 5 via the ink supply tube 4. An outside air introduction tube 15 is connected to one end side of the outside air introduction tube 13, and the outside air introduction tube 13 communicates with the outside through the outside air introduction tube 15.

  The ink cartridge 1 is attached to the attachment portion 3 from the vertical direction (arrow X direction). At this time, as shown in FIG. 5 to be described later, the ink extraction tube 12 displaces the elastic seal member 31 provided in the ink cartridge 1, and the outside air introduction tube 13 displaces the elastic seal member 51, respectively. Communicates with the interior of

  The ink extraction tube 12 has an ink hole 12e communicating with the internal flow path 12a on the side surface, and ink is supplied to the recording head 7 through the internal flow path 12a. Similarly, the outside air introduction pipe 13 is formed with an outside air hole 13e communicating with the inside channel 13a on the side surface, and outside air is introduced into the ink chamber 16 through the inside channel 13a.

  The recording head 7 is provided with a plurality of nozzle holes on the surface facing the recording paper 6, and by driving an actuator made of a piezoelectric element, ink stored in the tank 5 is directed from the nozzle holes toward the recording paper 6. Discharged. In the actual recording operation, recording is performed on the recording paper 6 while the carriage 8 on which the recording head 7 is mounted moves back and forth.

  Further, the recording head 7 is disposed above the mounting portion 3, and the ink in the nozzle hole has a negative pressure (back pressure) due to a water head difference between the ink cartridge 1 mounted in the mounting portion 3 and the nozzle hole. ) Is given.

  The purge device 11 is disposed outside the recording range and faces the recording head 7, and includes a purge cap 11a that covers the nozzle hole forming surface of the recording head 7, and a waste ink tube 11b that communicates with the purge cap 11a. And a pump 11c for sucking ink from the nozzle holes via the waste ink tube 11b.

  When executing the purge process, the carriage 8 is moved to the purge process execution position, and the nozzle hole forming surface of the recording head 7 is covered with the purge cap 11a. In this state, the pump 11c is driven to suck the defective ink containing bubbles and the like accumulated inside the recording head 7. The sucked defective ink is stored in a waste ink tank (not shown) through the waste ink tube 11b. The recording operation and the purge process are controlled under a CPU (not shown) that is a central processing unit mounted on the inkjet recording apparatus 2.

  Next, a joint portion (portion A in FIG. 1) of the ink cartridge 1 to the ink jet recording apparatus 2 will be described. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge 1 showing a state before being mounted on the inkjet recording apparatus 2.

  The ink cartridge 1 has an opening 36 at a position corresponding to the ink extraction pipe 12 and an opening 56 at a position corresponding to the outside air introduction pipe 13, and an ink supply that communicates with each of the openings 36 and 56. A chamber 30 and an outside air introduction chamber 50 are formed.

  The ink supply chamber 30 is partitioned from the ink chamber 16 by a partition wall 35 that rises integrally from the bottom surface 1 c into the ink chamber 16. The ink supply chamber 30 has a parallel inner wall surface 30a parallel to the axial direction along the insertion / removal direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 2) of the ink extraction tube 12, and the diameter gradually increases from the parallel inner wall surface 30a toward the opening 36. An inclined inner wall surface 30b is formed.

  And the step part 37 which diameter-expands further from the inclination inner wall surface 30b along the peripheral edge is formed in the lower end side (lower side of FIG. 2) of the inclination inner wall surface 30b. A cover member 33 is fixed to the lower end side of the step portion 37 so as to protrude inward from the step portion 37 and form the opening 36.

  A first communication hole 32 that communicates the ink supply chamber 30 and the ink chamber 16 is formed through the side surface of the partition wall 35 at a position corresponding to the side surface of the parallel inner wall surface 30a.

  The outside air introduction chamber 50 is defined by a partition wall 55 that rises from the bottom surface 1 c toward the inside of the ink chamber 16. The outside air introduction chamber 50 is formed in the same shape as the ink supply chamber 30, and includes a parallel inner wall surface 50a parallel to the axial direction along the insertion / removal direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 2) of the outside air introduction tube 13, an inclined inner wall surface 50b, A portion 57 is formed. A cover member 53 having an opening 56 is fixed so as to cover the stepped portion 57. An outside air introduction hole 52 is formed on the side surface of the partition wall 55 at the same position as the first communication hole 32 in the ink supply chamber 30.

  A cylindrical outside air guide member 21 is fitted and connected to the outer periphery of the partition wall 55, and an outside air guide groove that connects the outside air introduction hole 52 and the internal flow path 23 of the outside air guide member 21 to the side surface of the partition wall 55. 22 is formed. The upper end of the internal flow path 23 of the outside air guiding member 21 is connected to the upper space of the ink chamber 16.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 3, the structure of the elastic seal member 31 is demonstrated in detail.

  The elastic seal member 31 is integrally formed of an elastic material such as rubber in a hollow cylindrical shape having a central axis parallel to the insertion / removal direction of the ink extraction tube 12, and an internal space 31h into which the ink extraction tube 12 is inserted / removed from an opening 31k at one end. Have More specifically, the elastic seal member 31 includes a second cylindrical portion 31a having an outer peripheral surface parallel to the central axis on one end side in the central axis direction, and a first cylindrical portion on the other end side, that is, the opening 31k side. 31b is provided, and the opening 31k side of the intermediate wall 31f that vertically divides the inside of the second cylindrical portion 31a is an internal space 31h into which the ink extraction tube 12 is inserted and removed. The 1st cylindrical part 31b has comprised the taper shape which diameter-expands in the opening 31k side rather than the 2nd cylindrical part 31a side in a normal state.

  The elastic seal member 31 is disposed in the ink supply chamber 30 so as to be slidable in the axial direction thereof, and is moved to the first position and the second position by the ink extraction tube 12 as will be described later.

  On the outer peripheral surfaces of the second cylindrical portion 31a and the first cylindrical portion 31b, the first outer peripheral protrusion 31c1, the second outer peripheral protrusion 31c2, and the third outer peripheral protrusion 31c3 are sequentially flanged in order from the top. It is formed so as to overhang. The second outer peripheral protrusion 31c2 is located in the outer peripheral portion between the second cylindrical portion 31a and the first cylindrical portion 31b, and the first outer peripheral protrusion 31c1 is the upper outer periphery of the second cylindrical portion 31a. The third outer peripheral protrusion 31c3 is positioned at the lower end outer peripheral portion of the first cylindrical portion 31b. In addition, the distance between the first outer peripheral protrusion 31c1 and the second outer peripheral protrusion 31c2 (the vertical dimension in FIG. 2 (b)) is a distance between which the first communication hole 32 is sandwiched at the second position described later. The distance between the second outer peripheral protrusion 31c2 and the third outer peripheral protrusion 31c3 (the vertical dimension in FIG. 2B) is a distance that sandwiches the first communication hole 32 at a first position described later.

  Further, an inner peripheral protrusion 31d that is continuous in the circumferential direction is formed in a flange shape on the lower end portion (lower side of FIG. 2B) of the inner peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion 31b.

  Between the second outer peripheral protrusion 31c2 and the third outer peripheral protrusion 31c3, a second communication hole 31e that connects the outer peripheral surface side and the inner peripheral surface side of the first cylindrical portion 31b is formed, and an intermediate wall 31f is formed. Is provided with a through hole 31g communicating the upper surface side and the lower surface side thereof.

  The outer peripheral protrusions 31c1 to 31c3 of the elastic seal member 31 are formed in a circular arc shape whose cross-sectional shape is convex toward the inner wall surface of the ink supply chamber 30, and the inner peripheral protrusion 31d is the center side of the elastic seal member 31. It is formed in the shape of a convex arc. Thereby, when the elastic seal member 31 is disposed in the ink supply chamber 30, each protrusion is crushed and press-fitted, and the crushing margin is increased to ensure the sealing performance ( (See FIG. 5).

  Further, since each of the protrusions 31c1 to 31c3 and 31d and the ink supply chamber 30 are formed in a circular shape in plan view, it is necessary to consider the mounting direction of the elastic seal member 31 relative to the ink supply chamber 30 in the rotational direction. Absent.

  The elastic seal member 51 disposed in the outside air introduction chamber 50 is formed in the same shape as the elastic seal member 31 disposed in the ink supply chamber 30 described above, and includes a second cylindrical portion 51a, A first cylindrical portion 51b and an intermediate wall 51f are provided, and outer peripheral protrusions 51c1 to 51c3 and an inner peripheral protrusion 51d project from the outer peripheral portion and the inner peripheral portion. The first cylindrical portion 51b has a second communication hole 51e formed between the second outer peripheral protrusion 51c2 and the third outer peripheral protrusion 51c3, and the intermediate wall 51f has an upper surface side. A through hole 51g that communicates with the lower surface side is formed.

  Next, the structure of the ink extraction tube 12 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  The ink extraction tube 12 includes a hollow cylindrical body 12c having an internal flow path 12a on the inside and a distal end portion 12b that seals the distal end. An ink hole 12e is formed through the side surface of the cylindrical body 12c so as to communicate the internal flow path 12a with the outer peripheral surface side. In addition, a tip overhanging portion 12d is formed on the tip end portion 12b so as to have a larger diameter than the cylindrical body 12c in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction along the insertion direction of the ink extraction tube 12 (the vertical direction in FIG. 4B). Has been.

  The outer diameter of the tip overhanging portion 12d is set larger than the inner diameter of the inner peripheral protrusion 31d when the inner peripheral protrusion 31d is in close contact with the outer periphery of the cylindrical body 12c of the ink extraction tube, as will be described later. When the ink extraction tube 12 is pulled out from the ink supply chamber 30, the tip overhanging portion 12 d comes into contact with the inner peripheral protrusion 31 d so that the elastic seal member 31 moves relative to the ink supply chamber 30 together with the ink extraction tube 12. It has become.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a cross-shaped tip groove 12f is formed on the top surface of the tip portion 12b, and the tip groove 12f extends to the side surface of the tip overhanging portion 12d. This front end groove 12 f is a groove for releasing air when the elastic seal member 31 is pressed. Instead of the tip groove 12f, a rib or the like may be provided on the intermediate wall 31f to form an air discharge path.

  The outside air introduction tube 13 includes an internal flow path 13a, an outside air hole 13e, a cylindrical body 13c, a tip end portion 13b, and a tip extending portion 13d having the same shape as the ink extraction tube 12 described above.

  In a state before the ink cartridge 1 is attached to the attachment portion 3, as shown in FIG. 2, the elastic seal members 31 and 51 are pulled out toward the openings 36 and 56 in the ink supply chamber 30 and the outside air introduction chamber 50. It is in the position (second position). Hereinafter, the operation and action will be described only on the ink supply chamber 30 side, but the same applies to the outside air introduction chamber 50 side. In this position, the diameter of the first cylindrical portion 31b of the elastic seal member 31 is increased by its own elasticity, the third outer peripheral protrusion 31c3 is fitted to the stepped portion 37, and the elastic seal member 31 is pulled out from the opening 36. In contrast, the friction between the outer peripheral projections 31 c 1 and 31 c 2 and the inner wall surface of the ink supply chamber 30 also moves with a small force in the inner direction of the ink supply chamber 30. It is prevented from going away.

  Moreover, in this 2nd position, the 2nd cylindrical part 31a between the 1st outer periphery protrusion 31c1 and the 2nd outer periphery protrusion 31c2 of the elastic seal member 31 is located facing the 1st communicating hole 32, The first communication hole 32 is closed with respect to the internal space of the elastic seal member 31. Similarly, the outside air introduction hole 52 is also closed by the elastic seal member 51. This prevents the atmosphere from entering the ink chamber 16 and prevents the ink in the ink chamber 16 from leaking.

  When the ink cartridge 1 is attached to the attachment portion 3, as shown in FIG. 5, the ink extraction tube 12 and the outside air introduction tube 13 are inserted into the ink supply chamber 30 and the outside air introduction chamber 50 from the openings 36 and 56, respectively. . Hereinafter, the operation and action will be described only on the ink supply chamber 30 side, but the same applies to the outside air introduction chamber 50 side. At this time, the ink extraction tube 12 is inserted into the internal space 31 h from the opening 31 k at the lower end of the elastic seal member 31, the tip end 12 b abuts against the intermediate wall 31 f, and the intermediate wall 31 f is moved in the depth direction of the ink supply chamber 30. Press (upward in FIG. 5). Accordingly, the elastic seal member 31 moves to a position (first position) where the first communication hole 32 is disposed between the second outer peripheral protrusion 31c2 and the third outer peripheral protrusion 31c3, and the ink chamber 16 is in the first position. It communicates with the internal space 31h of the elastic seal member 31 through the communication hole 32 and the second communication hole 31e.

  As the elastic seal member 31 moves in the depth direction of the ink supply chamber 30, the first cylindrical portion 31b is reduced in diameter along the inclined inner wall surface 30b against its own elasticity, and the inner circumferential protrusion 31d. Closely adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the ink extraction tube 12 below the ink hole 12e. Therefore, the lower end opening 31k of the internal space 31h of the elastic seal member 31 is closed to the outside, so that the internal space 31h communicates with the ink hole 12e of the ink extraction tube 12, and the first communication hole extends from the ink chamber 16. 32, the second communication hole 31 e, the ink flow path B reaching the ink extraction pipe 12 through the internal space 31 h of the elastic seal member 31 is formed, and ink is supplied to the recording head 7.

  When the elastic seal member 31 moves to the first position, air between the intermediate wall 31f and the ceiling of the ink supply chamber 30 is compressed. This air is extracted from the through hole 31g in the intermediate wall. It escapes to the internal space 12h through the upper end groove 12f of the tube 12.

  On the other hand, similarly to the above, the elastic seal member 51 is moved to the back of the outside air introduction chamber 50 by the outside air introduction pipe 13, and from the outside air introduction pipe 13 through the outside air hole 51 e, the outside air introduction hole 52, and the outside air guiding member 21. An outside air flow path C reaching the top of 16 is formed.

  In this embodiment, the upper end of the outside air introduction tube 13 is set slightly higher than the upper end of the ink extraction tube 12, or the second position of the elastic seal member 51 on the outside air introduction tube 13 side is set as the elastic seal on the ink extraction tube 12 side. By setting the member 31 slightly lower than the second position, the outside air introduction tube 13 communicates with the ink chamber 16 before the ink extraction tube 12 communicates with the ink chamber 16 when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted. Can be. Thereby, when the pressure in the ink cartridge 1 before mounting is different from the atmospheric pressure, the pressure difference can be eliminated.

  On the other hand, when the mounted ink cartridge 1 is pulled up from the mounting portion 3, the tip projecting portion 12d of the ink extraction tube 12 comes into contact with the inner peripheral protruding portion 31d of the first cylindrical portion 31b. At this position, since the first cylindrical portion 31b is constrained by the parallel inner wall surface 30a and cannot be expanded in diameter, the elastic seal member 31 is pulled out from the first position to the opening 36 and returned to the second position. Thereby, the first communication hole 32 is closed and the flow path B is blocked.

  At this time, the diameter of the first cylindrical portion 31b is expanded along the inclined inner wall surface 30b by its elastic restoring force, so that the extraction of the ink extraction tube 12 can be performed without resistance with respect to the elastic seal member 31 at the second position. It can be carried out.

  Similarly, the elastic seal member 51 is returned from the first position to the second position by the outside air introduction pipe 13. And the external air introduction hole 52 is obstruct | occluded and the flow path C is interrupted | blocked (refer FIG. 2).

  Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The ink cartridge 101 according to this embodiment is configured such that the ink supply chamber and the outside air introduction chamber are shared by one ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130. The ink jet recording apparatus to which the ink cartridge 101 is mounted is the same as that of the above embodiment, and the ink extraction tube 112 (FIG. 9) protrudes from the mounting portion 3 like the ink extraction tube 12 of the above embodiment. It is provided, and the outside air introduction pipe 13 of the above embodiment is not provided.

  First, the configuration of the joint portion of the ink cartridge 101 to the inkjet recording apparatus 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge 101 showing a state before being mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus 2.

  The ink cartridge 101 has an opening 136 at a position corresponding to the ink extraction tube 112 on the bottom surface 101 c, and an ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130 communicating with the opening 136 is formed.

  The ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130 is separated from the ink chamber 116 by a partition wall 135 that rises integrally from the bottom surface 101 c into the ink chamber 116. At the upper end (upper side in FIG. 6) of the partition wall 135, the outside air guiding member 121 rises in parallel with the axial direction along the insertion / removal direction (up / down direction in FIG. 6) of the ink extraction pipe 112. The ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130 is communicated with the upper space of the ink chamber 116 via the passage 123.

  Also, the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130 is inserted with a parallel inner wall surface 130a parallel to the axial direction along the insertion / removal direction of the ink extraction tube 112 (the vertical direction in FIG. 9), and the ink extraction tube 112 is inserted from the parallel inner wall surface 130a. An inclined inner wall surface 130b that gradually increases in diameter toward the opening 136 is formed.

  A stepped portion 137 is formed on the lower end side (lower side in FIG. 6) of the inclined inner wall surface 130b. The stepped portion 137 has a diameter larger than that of the inclined inner wall surface 130b. On the lower end side of the stepped portion 137, a cover member 133 that sticks out from the stepped portion 137 and forms the opening 136 is fixed.

  A first communication hole 132 that communicates the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130 and the ink chamber 116 is formed through the side surface of the partition wall 135 at a position corresponding to the side surface of the parallel inner wall surface 130a.

  In addition, a partition wall 161 is formed to rise from the bottom wall 101c toward the upper end opening at a position spaced from a part of the side wall of the main body case 101a of the ink cartridge, and between the partition wall 161 and the side wall of the main body case 101a. An outside air introduction path 160 is formed between them. The ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130 is disposed adjacent to the outside air introduction path 160 with the lower end portion of the partition wall 161 interposed therebetween. The partition wall 161 between the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130 and the outside air introduction path 160 is formed with an outside air introduction hole 152 communicating therewith, and is opposed to the first communication hole 132 in a substantially diametrical direction. In addition, they are formed at a certain distance in the axial direction along the insertion direction of the ink extraction tube 112 (upward in FIG. 9).

  An external communication hole 170 is formed through the lid 101b covering the upper end opening of the main body case 101a at a position where it communicates with the outside air introduction path 160. The external communication hole 170 is covered with an air permeable membrane 171. . The air permeable membrane 171 is made of a material that allows the passage of air while blocking the passage of ink.

  Here, the configuration of the elastic seal member 131 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The elastic seal member 131 is integrally formed of an elastic material such as rubber in a hollow cylindrical shape having a central axis parallel to the insertion / removal direction of the ink extraction tube 112, and an internal space 131h into which the ink extraction tube 112 is inserted / removed from an opening 131k at one end. Have More specifically, the elastic seal member 131 includes a second cylindrical portion 131a having an outer peripheral surface parallel to the central axis on one end side in the central axis direction, and a first cylindrical portion on the other end side, that is, the opening 131k side. An opening 131k side of an intermediate wall 131f that includes the respective 131b and partitions the inside of the second cylindrical portion 131a up and down is an internal space 131h into which the ink extraction tube 112 is inserted and removed. The 1st cylindrical part 131b has comprised the taper shape which diameter-expands in the opening 31k side rather than the 2nd cylindrical part 131a side in a normal state.

  The elastic seal member 131 is disposed in the ink supply chamber 130 so as to be slidable in the axial direction thereof, and is moved to the first position and the second position by the ink extraction tube 112 as will be described later.

  On the outer peripheral surfaces of the second cylindrical portion 131a and the first cylindrical portion 131b, there are a fourth outer peripheral protrusion 131c1, a fifth outer peripheral protrusion 131c2, a sixth outer peripheral protrusion 131c3, and a seventh outer peripheral protrusion 131c4 in order from the top. It is formed in a flange shape continuously extending in the circumferential direction. The sixth outer peripheral protrusion 131c3 is located on the outer peripheral portion between the second cylindrical portion 131a and the first cylindrical portion 131b, and the fourth outer peripheral protrusion 131c1 is on the upper end outer peripheral portion of the second cylindrical portion 131a. The fifth outer peripheral protrusion 131c2 is positioned at the outer peripheral portion of the second cylindrical portion 131a between the sixth outer peripheral protrusion 131c3 and the fourth outer peripheral protrusion 131c1, and the seventh outer peripheral protrusion 131c4 is It is located at the outer peripheral part of the lower end of one cylindrical part 131b.

  The distance between the fourth outer peripheral protrusion 131c1 and the fifth outer peripheral protrusion 131c2 (the vertical dimension in FIG. 8A) is the distance between which the outside air introduction hole 152 (see FIG. 6) is sandwiched at the second position described later. On the other hand, the distance between the fifth outer peripheral protrusion 131c2 and the sixth outer peripheral protrusion 131c3 (the vertical dimension in FIG. 8A) is the first communication hole 132 (see FIG. 6) at the second position. The distance is between.

  On the other hand, the distance between the fifth outer peripheral protrusion 131c2 and the sixth outer peripheral protrusion 131c3 (the vertical dimension in FIG. 8A) is the distance between which the outside air introduction hole 152 (see FIG. 9) is sandwiched at the first position described later. On the other hand, the interval between the sixth outer peripheral protrusion 131c3 and the seventh outer peripheral protrusion 131c4 (the vertical dimension in FIG. 8 (a)) is the first communication hole 132 (see FIG. 9) at the first position. The distance is between.

  In addition, an inner peripheral protrusion 131d that is continuous in the circumferential direction is formed in a flange shape at the lower end portion (lower side in FIG. 8A) of the inner peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion 131b.

  Between the sixth outer peripheral protrusion 131c3 and the seventh outer peripheral protrusion 131c4, a second communication hole 131e that connects the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface side of the first cylindrical portion 131b is formed. Between the protrusion 131c2 and the sixth outer peripheral protrusion 131c3, an outside air communication hole 131g that communicates the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface side of the second cylindrical portion 131a is provided.

  Each of the outer peripheral protrusions 131c1 to 131c4 of the elastic seal member 131 is formed in a circular arc shape whose cross-sectional shape is convex toward the inner wall surface of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130, and the inner peripheral protrusion 131d is the elastic seal member 131. It is formed in a convex arc shape toward the center side. As a result, when the elastic seal member 131 is disposed in the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130, each protrusion is crushed and press-fitted, and the crushing margin is increased to ensure the sealing performance. ing.

  A pair of ribs 131m are substantially parallel to the central axis direction of the elastic seal member 131 so as to connect the fourth to sixth outer peripheral protrusions 131c1 to 131c3 at positions substantially opposite to the diameter direction, and the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber. It protrudes toward the inner wall surface of 130. The rib 131m is fitted into a fitting groove (not shown) formed in parallel to the central axis direction on the inner wall surface of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130, thereby moving the elastic seal member 131 in the sliding direction. The space between the fifth outer peripheral protrusion 131c2 and the sixth outer peripheral protrusion 131c3 and between the inner wall surface of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130 and the second cylindrical portion 131a is divided into two parts to communicate with the outside air. The hole 131g is prevented from communicating with the space on the opposite side.

  The ink extraction tube 112 has substantially the same shape as the ink extraction tube 12 of the above-described embodiment, and an ink hole 112e is opened on the side surface of the cylindrical body 112c having the internal flow path 112a, and the tip is closed by the tip 112b. The tip overhanging portion 112d overhangs the outer periphery. The size of the tip overhanging portion 112d with respect to the inner peripheral protrusion 131d is the same as that in the above embodiment. However, the tip groove 12f of the above embodiment does not exist.

  In a state before the ink cartridge 101 is attached to the attachment portion 3, as shown in FIG. 6, the elastic seal member 131 is drawn to the opening 136 side in the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130 (second position). It is in. At this position, the elastic seal member 131 fits the seventh outer peripheral protrusion 131c4 to the stepped portion 137, and moves in the direction of exiting from the opening 136 and the back direction of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130 as in the above embodiment. Is blocked.

  Further, in the second position, the second cylindrical portion 131a between the fifth outer peripheral protrusion 131c2 and the sixth outer peripheral protrusion 131c3 of the elastic seal member 131 is positioned to face the first communication hole 132, and One communication hole 132 is closed with respect to the internal space of the elastic seal member 131. Similarly, the outside air introduction hole 152 is also closed by facing the second cylindrical portion 131a between the fourth outer peripheral protrusion 131c1 and the fifth outer peripheral protrusion 131c2. This prevents the atmosphere from entering the ink chamber 116 and also prevents the ink in the ink chamber 116 from leaking. Note that the first communication hole 132 and the outside air introduction hole 152 are both located between the fifth outer peripheral protrusion 131c2 and the sixth outer peripheral protrusion 131c3, but the communication between them is blocked by the rib 131m.

  When the ink cartridge 101 is attached to the attachment portion 3, as shown in FIG. 9, the ink extraction tube 112 is inserted into the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130 through the opening 136. At this time, the ink extraction tube 112 is inserted into the internal space 131h from the opening 131k at the lower end of the elastic seal member 131, and the front end portion 112b abuts against the intermediate wall 131f so that the intermediate wall 131f is used as the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber. Press in the depth direction 130 (upward in FIG. 9). Accordingly, the elastic seal member 131 has the outside air introduction hole 152 between the fifth outer peripheral protrusion 131c2 and the sixth outer peripheral protrusion 131c3, and the sixth outer peripheral protrusion 131c3 and the seventh outer peripheral protrusion 131c4. It moves to the position (first position) where each of the first communication holes 132 is arranged.

  As a result, the outside air introduction path 160 passes through the outside air introduction hole 152, the outside air communication hole 131g, the space above the intermediate wall 131f in the second cylindrical portion 131a, and the internal flow passage 123 of the outside air guiding member 121 through the ink chamber. An outside air flow path E communicating with the upper space 116 is formed.

  The ink chamber 116 communicates with the internal space 131h of the elastic seal member 131 through the first communication hole 132 and the second communication hole 131e. As the elastic seal member 131 moves in the depth direction of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130, the first cylindrical portion 131b is reduced in diameter along the inclined inner wall surface 130b against its own elasticity, The protrusion 131d is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface below the ink hole 112e of the ink extraction tube 112. Accordingly, the lower end opening 131k of the internal space 131h of the elastic seal member 131 is closed to the outside, and the internal space 131h communicates with the internal flow path 112a through the ink hole 12e of the ink extraction tube 112, and the ink chamber An ink flow path D is formed from 116 to the ink extraction pipe 112 through the first communication hole 132, the second communication hole 131 e, the internal space 131 h of the elastic seal member 131, and the ink is supplied to the recording head 7.

  On the other hand, when the mounted ink cartridge 101 is pulled up from the mounting portion 3 (see FIG. 1), the tip protruding portion 112d of the ink extraction tube 112 comes into contact with the inner peripheral protruding portion 131d of the first cylindrical portion 131b. At this position, the first cylindrical portion 131b is restrained by the parallel inner wall surface 130a and cannot be expanded in diameter, so the elastic seal member 131 is pulled out from the first position toward the opening 136 and returns to the second position. Accordingly, the first communication hole 132 is closed and the flow path D is blocked, and at the same time, the outside air introduction hole 152 is closed and the flow path E is blocked.

  At this time, since the diameter of the first cylindrical portion 131b is expanded along the inclined inner wall surface 130b by the elastic restoring force, the ink extraction tube 112 can be pulled out without resistance.

  Furthermore, since two operations, ink supply and outside air introduction, can be performed with one elastic seal member 131, the number of parts can be reduced, and the part cost and assembly cost can be reduced. In addition, since only the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130 needs to be disposed in the ink chamber 116, the space in the ink chamber 116 can be increased, and a larger amount of ink can be filled accordingly. it can.

  Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. The third embodiment differs from the elastic seal member 131 of the second embodiment in the shape of the lower portion and the shape of the lower portion of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 130, but is common to the other portions. The same parts as those of the second embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge 201 showing a state before the ink jet recording apparatus 2 is mounted.

  The elastic seal member 231 in this embodiment has a first tubular portion 231b and a second tubular portion 231a as in the second embodiment, but the first tubular portion 231b is the center of the elastic seal member 231. It is formed in a cylindrical shape having an outer peripheral surface parallel to the axis. For the first cylindrical portion 231b and the second cylindrical portion 231a, fourth to seventh outer peripheral protrusions 231c1 to 231c4 and an inner peripheral protrusion 231d are provided, and an outside air communication hole 231g, a second communication hole 231e, A rib (not shown but equivalent to 131m in FIG. 7) that connects between the intermediate wall 231f and the fourth to sixth outer peripheral protrusions 231c1 to 231c3 is also formed in the same manner as in the second embodiment.

  The ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 230 is formed in a cylindrical shape having an inner peripheral surface parallel to the central axis from the upper end to the substantially lower end, and does not have the inclined inner wall surface 130b as in the second embodiment. A stepped portion 237 having a diameter larger than that of the chamber 230 is formed along the periphery of the lower end portion of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 230. A cover member 233 that protrudes inward from the step 237 and forms an opening 236 is fixed to the lower end side of the step.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the ink extraction tube 212, an ink hole 212e is opened on the side surface of a cylindrical body 212c having an internal flow path 212a, and the tip thereof is blocked by a tip portion 212b, as in the above embodiments. In addition, a tip overhanging portion 212d projects over the outer periphery. However, the tip groove 12f of the first embodiment does not exist. The outer diameter of the tip overhanging portion 212d is formed to be substantially the same as or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the first cylindrical portion 231b (including the diameter of the lower surface of the intermediate wall 231f), and is smaller than the inner diameter of the inner circumferential protrusion 231d. Largely formed.

  In order to increase the inner diameter of the inner peripheral projection 231d against the elasticity of the first cylindrical portion 231b when the tip overhanging portion 212d is inserted into or pulled out of the internal space of the first cylindrical portion 231b. Both the upper and lower peripheral portions (in the insertion / removal direction) of the tip overhanging portion 212d and the inner peripheral protruding portion 231d are formed in an arcuate or inclined tapered shape.

  In a state before the ink cartridge 201 is attached to the attachment portion 3, as shown in FIG. 10, the elastic seal member 231 is drawn to the opening 236 side in the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 230 (second position). It is in. At this position, the elastic seal member 231 is prevented from moving in the direction of coming out of the opening 236 by bringing the peripheral edge of the lower end opening into contact with the cover member 233, and the fourth to sixth outer peripheral protrusions 231c1 to 231c3 and the ink supply The movement of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 230 in the back direction is prevented by friction with the inner wall surface of the outside air introduction chamber 230.

  Further, in the second position, the second cylindrical portion 231a between the fifth outer peripheral protrusion 231c2 and the sixth outer peripheral protrusion 231c3 of the elastic seal member 231 is positioned to face the first communication hole 132, and The first communication hole 132 is closed with respect to the internal space of the elastic seal member 231. Similarly, the outside air introduction hole 152 is also closed by facing the second cylindrical portion 231a between the fourth outer peripheral protrusion 231c1 and the fifth outer peripheral protrusion 231c2. This prevents the atmosphere from entering the ink chamber 116 and also prevents the ink in the ink chamber 116 from leaking.

  When the ink cartridge 201 is attached to the attachment portion 3, the ink extraction tube 212 is inserted into the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 230 from the opening 236. At this time, the tip overhanging portion 212 d of the ink extraction tube 212 expands the inner peripheral projection 231 d of the elastic seal member 231 toward the stepped portion 237 against elasticity and is inserted into the internal space of the elastic seal member 231. Is done. Then, the tip end portion 212b comes into contact with the intermediate wall 231f and presses the intermediate wall in the back direction of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 230 (upward in FIG. 10). As a result, as in the state of FIG. 9, the elastic seal member 231 has the outside air introduction hole 152 between the fifth outer peripheral protrusion 231c2 and the sixth outer peripheral protrusion 231c3, and the sixth outer peripheral protrusion 231c3 and the seventh outer peripheral protrusion. It moves to the position (first position) where the first communication holes 132 are respectively arranged between the protrusions 231c4.

  As a result, the outside air introduction path 160 passes through the outside air introduction hole 152, the outside air communication hole 231g, the space above the intermediate wall 231f in the second cylindrical portion 231a, and the internal flow path 123 of the outside air guiding member 121 through the ink chamber. An outside air flow path communicating with the upper space 116 is formed.

  Further, the ink chamber 116 communicates with the internal space of the first cylindrical portion 231b of the elastic seal member 231 through the first communication hole 132 and the second communication hole 231e. As the elastic seal member 231 moves in the depth direction of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 230, when the seventh outer peripheral projection 231c4 comes into close contact with the inner wall surface of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 230, the inner peripheral projection 231d also The ink extraction tube 212 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface below the ink hole 212e. Accordingly, the lower end opening of the internal space of the first cylindrical portion 231b is closed to the outside, and the internal space communicates with the internal flow path 212a via the ink hole 212e of the ink extraction tube 212, and the ink chamber An ink flow path is formed from 116 to the ink extraction tube 212 through the first communication hole 132, the second communication hole 231 e, and the internal space of the elastic seal member 231, and ink is supplied to the recording head 7.

  On the other hand, when the mounted ink cartridge 201 is pulled up from the mounting portion 3, the tip protruding portion 212d of the ink extraction tube 212 comes into contact with the inner peripheral protrusion 231d of the first cylindrical portion 231b. At this position, the first cylindrical portion 231b is constrained by the inner wall surface of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber 230 and cannot be expanded in diameter. Therefore, the elastic seal member 231 is pulled out from the first position toward the opening 236 and moved to the second position. Return. Accordingly, the first communication hole 132 is closed and the ink flow path is blocked, and at the same time, the outside air introduction hole 152 is closed and the outside air flow path is blocked.

  Then, after the elastic seal member 231 comes into contact with the cover member 233, the tip protruding portion 212d expands the diameter of the inner peripheral protrusion 231d toward the stepped portion 237 against elasticity, so that the ink extraction tube 212 is in ink. The supply and outside air introduction chamber 230 is extracted.

  As described above, according to the ink cartridges 1, 101, and 201 of the present invention, when the ink cartridges 1, 101, and 201 are attached to or detached from the inkjet recording apparatus 2, the elastic seal members 31, 51, 131, and 231 are arranged. By the displacement, communication between the ink chambers 16 and 116 and the outside can be selectively switched.

  In addition, the ink cartridges 1, 101, and 201 are assembled simply by disposing the elastic seal members 31, 51, 131, and 231 in the ink supply chamber 30, the outside air introduction chamber 50, and the ink supply and outside air introduction chambers 130 and 230, respectively. It is done. This eliminates the need for parts such as a coil spring for generating displacement of the seal member as in the prior art, so that not only the number of parts can be reduced, but also the number of assembly steps can be reduced, and the production cost can be reduced. Can do. Furthermore, since it can be manufactured without using metal parts such as a coil spring, the ink cartridges 1, 101 and 201 can be easily discarded.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It can be easily guessed.

  For example, in the first embodiment, the first cylindrical portion 31b of the elastic seal member 31 is configured to have a slanting slope toward the opening 36 of the ink supply chamber 30, but the ink is the same as in the third embodiment. You may comprise the 1st cylindrical part 31b in parallel with the axial direction along the insertion direction of the extraction pipe | tube 12. As shown in FIG.

  Further, for example, in each of the above embodiments, the outer peripheral protrusions 31c1 to 31c3, 51c1 to 51c3, 131c1 to 131c4, 231c1 to 231c4, and the inner peripheral protrusions 31d, 51d, 131d, and 231d are formed in a convex arc shape. However, it may have a rectangular cross section or a trapezoidal cross section. That is, any shape may be used as long as the seal allowance can be ensured when it is in close contact with the inner wall surface.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording apparatus in which the ink cartridge is mounted according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge in a state before being mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus. (A) is a top view of an elastic sealing member, (b) is the IIIb-IIIb sectional view taken on the line of (a). (A) is a top view of an ink extraction tube, (b) is a sectional view taken along line IVb-IVb of (a). FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of an ink cartridge in a state where it is mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge in a state before being mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus in the second embodiment. It is a top view of an elastic sealing member. (A) is the VIIIa-VIIIa sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 7, (b) is the VIIIb-VIIIb sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of an ink cartridge in a state where it is mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge in a state before being mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus in the third embodiment. (A) is a top view of the ink extraction tube, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIb-XIb of (a).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink cartridge 2 Inkjet recording device 7 Recording head 12, 112, 212 Ink extraction tube (hollow tube member)
12b, 13b, 112b, 212b Tip portion (a part of the first engaging portion)
12d, 13b, 112d, 212d Tip overhanging portion (a part of the second engaging portion)
13 Outside air introduction pipe (hollow pipe member)
16, 116 Ink chambers 23, 123 Internal flow path (outside air supply path)
30 Ink supply chambers 31, 51, 131, 231 Elastic seal members 31a, 51a, 131a, 231a Second cylindrical portions 31b, 51b, 131b, 231b First cylindrical portions 31c1-31c3, 51c1-51c3 Outer peripheral projections 31d, 51d, 131d, 231d Inner peripheral protrusion (part of second engaging portion)
31e, 51e, 131e, 231e 2nd communicating hole 31f, 51f, 131f, 231f Intermediate wall (a part of 1st engaging part, wall part)
32, 132 First communication hole 50 Outside air introduction chambers 52, 152 Outside air introduction holes 130, 230 Ink supply / outside air introduction chambers 131c1-131c4 Outer peripheral projections 231c1-231c4 Outer peripheral projections

Claims (13)

In an ink cartridge that is configured to be detachable from an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from a recording head, and communicates with the recording head via a hollow tube member that protrudes from the ink jet recording apparatus.
An ink chamber for storing the ink;
An ink supply chamber in which the hollow tube member is inserted and removed in order to supply the ink from the ink chamber to the recording head;
A first communication hole communicating the ink chamber and the ink supply chamber;
An elastic seal member capable of moving back and forth between the first and second positions in the ink supply chamber along the insertion / removal direction of the hollow tube member;
The elastic seal member has a hollow cylindrical shape having an internal space in which the hollow tube member can be inserted and removed, and has a second communication hole that communicates the outer peripheral portion of the hollow cylindrical shape and the internal space,
The elastic seal member is moved from the second position to the first position by the operation in the insertion direction of the hollow tube member between the elastic seal member and the hollow tube member disposed in the internal space. A first engagement portion, and a second engagement portion that moves the elastic seal member from the first position to the second position by an operation in the extraction direction of the hollow tube member,
In the first position, the elastic seal member is in a position where the first communication hole and the second communication hole communicate with the ink supply chamber, and the ink chamber is connected to the internal space of the elastic seal member. Communication,
The ink cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the elastic seal member is in a position to close the first communication hole with respect to the ink supply chamber in the second position.   The elastic seal member includes a first cylindrical portion corresponding to the first communication hole at the first position and having the second communication hole, and a second cylindrical shape closing the first communication hole at the second position. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a portion aligned in the forward / backward movement direction. An ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from a recording head is configured to be detachable, and outside air is introduced into an ink chamber that stores the ink through a hollow tube member that protrudes from the ink jet recording apparatus. In the ink cartridge
In order to introduce outside air into the ink chamber, an outside air introduction chamber into which the hollow tube member is inserted and removed, and
An outside air introduction hole communicating the ink chamber and the outside air introduction chamber;
An elastic seal member capable of moving back and forth between the first and second positions in the outside air introduction chamber along the insertion / removal direction of the hollow tube member;
The elastic seal member has a hollow cylindrical shape having an internal space in which the hollow tube member can be inserted and removed, and has a second communication hole that communicates the outer peripheral portion of the hollow cylindrical shape and the internal space.
The elastic seal member is moved from the second position to the first position by an operation in the insertion direction of the hollow tube member between the elastic seal member and the hollow tube member disposed in the internal space. A first engagement portion, and a second engagement portion that moves the elastic seal member from the first position to the second position by an operation in the extraction direction of the hollow tube member,
In the first position, the elastic seal member is in a position where the outside air introduction hole and the second communication hole communicate with the outside air introduction chamber, and the outside air introduction hole is connected to the internal space of the elastic seal member. Communication,
In the second position, the elastic seal member is in a position to close the outside air introduction hole with respect to the outside air introduction chamber.   The elastic seal member includes a first tubular portion corresponding to the outside air introduction hole at the first position and having the second communication hole, and a second tubular portion blocking the outside air introduction hole at the second position. The ink cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the ink cartridges are arranged side by side in the forward / backward movement direction. In an ink cartridge that is configured to be detachable from an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from a recording head, and communicates with the recording head via a hollow tube member that protrudes from the ink jet recording apparatus.
An ink chamber for storing the ink;
An ink supply / outside air introduction chamber through which the hollow tube member is inserted and removed in order to supply the ink from the ink chamber to the recording head and introduce outside air into the ink chamber;
A first communication hole communicating the ink chamber and the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber;
An outside air supply path that communicates between the ink chamber and the ink supply and outside air introduction chamber;
An outside air introduction hole communicating the ink supply and outside air introduction chamber and the outside air;
An elastic seal member capable of moving back and forth between the first and second positions in the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber along the insertion / removal direction of the hollow tube member;
The elastic seal member has a hollow cylindrical shape having a first internal space in which the hollow tube member can be inserted and removed, and an external air communication path that connects the external air supply path and the external air introduction hole. It has a 2nd communicating hole which connects a peripheral part and the 1st interior space,
The elastic seal member is moved from the second position to the first position by the operation in the insertion direction of the hollow tube member between the elastic seal member and the hollow tube member disposed in the internal space. A first engagement portion, and a second engagement portion that moves the elastic seal member from the first position to the second position by an operation in the extraction direction of the hollow tube member;
In the first position, the elastic seal member communicates the first communication hole and the second communication hole with the ink supply and outside air introduction chamber, and the ink chamber communicates with the internal space of the elastic seal member. And the outside air communication passage is in a position where the outside air supply path and the outside air introduction hole communicate with each other,
2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein in the second position, the elastic seal member is in a position for closing the first communication hole and the outside air introduction hole with respect to the ink supply and outside air introduction chamber.   The elastic seal member has a cylindrical portion corresponding to the first communication hole at the first position and having the second communication hole, and has the outside air communication passage inside and one end of the outside air communication passage opened to the outer periphery. The ink cartridge according to claim 5, further comprising: a cylindrical portion arranged side by side in the forward / backward movement direction, wherein the first communication hole and the outside air introduction hole are closed at the second position.   When the elastic seal member is in the first position, at least a part of the inner peripheral surface of the elastic seal member is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hollow tube member and is in a sealed state with respect to the outside. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the hole communicates with the inside of the hollow tube member.   The elastic seal member has, on the inner peripheral surface, an inner peripheral protrusion that projects continuously inward in the circumferential direction, and when the elastic seal member is in the first position, the inner peripheral protrusion is formed on the hollow tube member. 8. The ink cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the ink cartridge is closely attached to an outer peripheral surface.   2. The elastic seal member has an opening in one end of the inner space so as to allow the hollow tube member to be inserted and removed, and has elasticity in a direction in which the diameter of the opening is increased or decreased. The ink cartridge according to any one of 1 to 8.   The elastic seal member opens one end of the internal space to allow the hollow tube member to be inserted and removed, and forms a part of the first engaging portion at the other end opposite to the opening. 2. A wall portion that comes into contact with the tip of the hollow tube member, and the wall portion is moved toward the first position by pressing the wall portion as the hollow tube member is inserted. The ink cartridge according to any one of 9 to 9. The elastic sealing member includes an outer peripheral portion substantially between the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion, an outer peripheral portion of the first cylindrical portion sandwiching the second communication hole from the portion, An outer peripheral protrusion that protrudes in an annular shape to the outer peripheral portion of the second cylindrical portion spaced from the portion to the side opposite to the second communication hole, and is in close contact with the inner surface of the ink supply chamber;
3. The ink cartridge according to claim 2, wherein an interval between two adjacent outer peripheral protrusions of the outer peripheral protrusions is in a relationship of sandwiching the first communication hole at the first position and the second position. The elastic sealing member includes an outer peripheral portion substantially between the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion, an outer peripheral portion of the first cylindrical portion sandwiching the second communication hole from the portion, An outer peripheral protrusion projecting annularly to the outer peripheral portion of the second cylindrical portion spaced from the portion to the side opposite to the second communication hole, and in close contact with the inner surface of the outside air introduction chamber;
5. The ink cartridge according to claim 4, wherein an interval between two adjacent outer peripheral protrusions among the outer peripheral protrusions is in a relationship of sandwiching the first communication hole at the first position and the second position. The elastic seal member includes an outer peripheral portion of an opening side end portion of the internal space through which the hollow tube member is inserted and removed, an outer peripheral portion at a position sandwiching the second communication hole from the portion, and a latter portion To the outer peripheral portion at a position sandwiching the opening of the outside air communication passage and the outer peripheral portion at a position spaced from the latter portion, and the outer periphery closely contacting the inner surface of the ink supply / outside air introduction chamber Has a protrusion,
The distance between two adjacent outer peripheral protrusions among the outer peripheral protrusions is in a relationship of sandwiching the first communication hole and the outside air introduction hole at the first position and the second position. Ink cartridge.

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