JP2006069129A - Liquid storage body - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid storage body which suppresses the generation of an unpleasant collision sound by limiting the movement of a moving body arranged inside the liquid storage body. <P>SOLUTION: An ink cartridge 1 is the liquid storage body for storing ink for an inkjet printer. Agitating moving bodies 711 each having specific gravity which is greater than that of the ink stored inside and is different in accordance with a sedimentation rate of the ink, and a floating body 712 which floats in the ink and limits the movement of the moving body 711 are stored in the ink cartridge 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid container that supplies liquid stored inside to the outside.

  An ink jet recording apparatus, which is an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, is mounted with an ink cartridge containing ink, receives ink from the ink cartridge, and discharges ink onto a printing material to perform printing. There are dye-based and pigment-based inks used in the ink jet recording apparatus. The pigment-based ink is obtained by uniformly dispersing dispersed particles such as pigments in a solvent and mixing them. When such a pigment-based ink is not printed over a long period of time and is placed in a state where the ink does not circulate in the ink containing chamber, the dispersed particles tend to settle due to the specific gravity difference between the solvent and the dispersed particles.

Ink jet recording apparatuses that stir ink in order to maintain a constant ink concentration against such sedimentation of dispersed particles are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
An ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes an ink jet recording head that ejects ink droplets from nozzle openings, a carriage that moves the recording head relative to a non-printed object, and ink that is applied to the recording head. A moving body formed of a material having a specific gravity greater than that of the ink, and the moving body has a cycle shorter than that in which the ink in the ink cartridge is precipitated. It will be moved.

  On the other hand, the ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 2 performs a stirring operation in an ink chamber when an ink stirring operation is applied to an ink cartridge, and performs a printing operation by ejecting ink droplets from the recording head. Sometimes it is configured to stop at a predetermined location in the ink chamber. In other words, the stirring is performed when the ink pigment or the like is settled and stirring is performed, and the stirring operation is not performed when the printing operation is performed. Unnecessary vibration caused by the ink is not transmitted to the recording head during printing, and ink droplets in which pigments and the like are uniformly dispersed are ejected onto the print medium, and good print quality is obtained.

  Furthermore, as a method for limiting the sedimentation of the dispersed particles, a method is known in which the ink is dispersed by applying ultrasonic vibration to the ink component using an ultrasonic vibrator for the moving body (for example, (See Patent Document 3).

  In recent years, ink jet recording apparatuses of a type that performs color printing with a plurality of colors of ink are widely used. The multiple color inks are, for example, three colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow. An example of the ink cartridges for these three color inks is an ink cartridge having a total of three ink storage chambers that store cyan, magenta, and yellow, respectively. As another example of the ink cartridge, there is a four-color ink cartridge having an ink containing chamber containing black ink in addition to three colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow.

JP-A-9-309212 JP 2003-266730 A Japanese Patent No. 3163628

  By the way, when the printing operation is started in the ink jet recording apparatus, the ink cartridge moves relative to the printing material, and the moving body accommodated in the ink cartridge moves with the ink cartridge as the ink cartridge moves. When the cartridge moves in the cartridge, the moving body may collide with the inner wall of the ink cartridge to generate a collision sound. This impact sound is reduced by the resistance of the ink when the remaining amount of ink is sufficient, and is hardly worrisome.However, when the remaining amount of ink decreases, the user makes this impact sound an unpleasant impact sound. Or, it may be recognized as a failure sound.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid container that reduces a collision sound generated when a stirring moving body collides with an inner wall of a liquid container, and that a user does not recognize as a failure sound. With the goal.

The liquid container according to the present invention capable of solving the above problems is a liquid container including a liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid,
The liquid storage chamber stores an agitation moving body that sinks into the liquid and at least one floating body that floats on the liquid.

  According to the liquid container having such a configuration, the liquid level in the liquid container is lowered, and the floating body is positioned at substantially the same level as the stirring and moving body, thereby restricting the movement of the stirring and moving body. Therefore, even when the amount of liquid is reduced and the resistance of the liquid to the stirring and moving body is reduced, the stirring and moving body moves unnecessarily and collides with the inner wall of the liquid container to make it difficult to generate an unpleasant collision sound. be able to

  The floating body in the liquid container according to the present invention may be, for example, a substance having a specific gravity smaller than that of the liquid, a hollow body having a cavity inside, or the like.

  According to the liquid container of the present invention, even if the liquid level in the liquid container is lowered and the resistance of the liquid to the stirring and moving body is reduced, the stirring and moving body moves unnecessarily, It is possible to make it difficult to generate an unpleasant collision sound by colliding with the inner wall.

  The liquid container according to the present invention is suitable for supplying a liquid to a liquid ejecting head of a liquid ejecting apparatus. Examples of the liquid ejecting apparatus include a liquid ejecting head (printing head) of an ink jet recording apparatus, a colorant ejecting head of a color filter manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a color filter of a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and an FED (surface emitting). Electrode material (conductive paste) ejecting heads for forming electrodes such as displays), bio-organic matter ejecting heads for biochip manufacturing apparatuses for producing biochips, and sample ejecting heads using precision pipettes.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a liquid container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, as an example of the liquid container, an ink cartridge that is attached to and detached from an ink jet recording apparatus will be described.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge according to the present embodiment. The ink cartridge 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a plurality of ink storage chambers (liquid storage chambers) 2, 4, 6, and 8 that store a plurality of colors (plural types) of ink for each color. These ink storage chambers 2, 4, 6, and 8 are integrally molded as a whole or connected together. The ink storage chamber 2 is larger than the other ink storage chambers and stores black ink. The ink storage chambers 4, 6, and 8 store cyan, magenta, and yellow ink, respectively.

An engagement lever 180 that engages with the carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus is formed integrally with the ink storage chamber 4 at the upper portion on the back side of the ink storage chamber 4 that is positioned substantially at the center of the ink cartridge 1. Yes.
The ink cartridge 1 is reciprocated in the parallel direction (X direction in the figure) of the ink storage chambers 2, 4, 6 and 8 while being mounted on the carriage, and the ink in each ink storage chamber is ejected to the printing material. To do.

Here, a configuration example of each of the ink storage chambers 2, 4, 6, and 8 will be described by taking the ink storage chamber 4 as an example. The configurations of the ink storage chambers 2, 4, 6, and 8 are substantially the same except for the width of the carriage in the moving direction.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing only the ink storage chamber 4 in the ink cartridge 1 shown in FIG.
3 and 4 are rear perspective views of the ink storage chamber 4 of FIG. 2 as viewed obliquely from below, and FIG. 3 shows a state before the film 110 is attached to the surface of the storage chamber body 120 of the ink storage chamber 4. FIG. 4 shows a state where the film 110 is attached to the storage chamber body 120 of the ink storage chamber 4. 5 and 6 are exploded perspective views showing members constituting the ink storage chamber 4 in an exploded manner.

Arrows X shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 indicate the reciprocating direction of the liquid ejecting head (printing head) of the ink jet recording apparatus.
7 is a rear view of the ink storage chamber 4 of FIG. 2, and shows a state before the film 110 is attached in the ink storage chamber 4 of FIG. FIG. 8 is a front view of the ink storage chamber 4 of FIG. 1 and shows a state before the film 130 is attached to the opening 122 of the ink storage chamber 4. FIG. 9 is a front view of the ink storage chamber 4 of FIG. 2 and shows a state after the film 130 is attached to the opening 122 of the ink storage chamber 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the ink storage chamber 4 of the present embodiment has a bottom with an opening 122 on the front surface facing the reciprocating direction of the liquid ejecting head (printing head) of the ink jet recording apparatus. A housing body 120 having a substantially housing shape, a film 130 covering almost the entire surface of the opening 122, and a lid 140 covering the outside of the film 130 are provided.

The storage chamber main body 120 is an integrally molded product made of synthetic resin, and the interior of the storage chamber main body 120 is opened on the opening 122 side (that is, the surface facing the reciprocating movement direction of the print head) by a partition or a rib as will be described later. The plurality of recesses 270a, 292a, 294a are divided into a plurality of recesses 270a, 292a, 294a, and a plurality of recesses 270a, 292a, 294a.
The open surfaces of these recesses 270a, 292a, and 294a are hermetically closed by the film 130 to form ink storage portions 270, 292, and 294 that store ink.

More specifically, the film 130 is a transparent or translucent resin film having a melting point lower than that of the storage chamber body 120, and is fused to the partition walls or ribs that define the recesses 270a, 292a, and 294a. Each ink storage portion 270, 292, 294 is defined.
Before the film 130 is fused, a stirring moving body 711 for stirring the stored ink is put into the recesses 270a and 294a.

  The lid 140 is further fixed to the storage chamber main body 120 so as to cover the outside of the film 130 in an unsealed state. Further, the lid body 140 may be integrally formed with the storage chamber body of the ink storage chamber 6 adjacent to the ink storage chamber 4.

  The storage chamber main body 120 includes an ink storage unit 111 (see FIG. 8) that stores ink, an ink flow path unit from the ink storage unit 111 to the ink supply unit 160, and an ink-side passage that allows the ink storage unit 111 to communicate with the atmosphere. , An atmosphere valve accommodating portion, and an atmosphere communication portion including an atmosphere side passage, and are integrally formed of, for example, polypropylene (PP).

The ink storage chamber 4 further includes an ink supply control unit 150, an ink supply unit 160, a storage unit 170, and an engagement lever 180.
The ink supply unit 160 is disposed on the lower surface of the storage chamber main body 120, and an ink supply needle formed on a carriage on which the ink storage chamber 4 is mounted is inserted to record ink stored in the ink storage unit 111 by ink jet recording. Supply to the recording head of the apparatus.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the storage unit 170 is crimped to the attachment portion 190, and the attachment portion 190 is attached by being crimped below the side surface of the storage chamber body 120.
The storage unit 170 stores information on the type of the ink storage chamber 4, information on the color of the ink held in the ink storage chamber 4, information on the existing amount of ink, and the like, and a plurality of terminals 171 exposed on the surface. The information is transferred to and from the apparatus main body. The engagement lever 180 is formed on the upper portion of the side surface of the storage chamber main body 120 facing the attachment portion 190 and engages with the carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus. A side surface of the attachment portion 190 is regulated by a rib (not shown) formed on the carriage so that the terminal 171 and the elastic contact on the carriage side are in contact with each other.

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

  As shown in FIG. 8, the ink containing portion 111 is largely divided into an upper portion and a lower portion by a partition wall 272 extending in the horizontal direction, and an air side housing portion that can communicate with the atmosphere through a communication hole 242 at the lower portion of the partition wall 272. A supply side accommodation portion 290 including two first ink accommodation portions 292 and a second ink accommodation portion 294 that are shielded from the atmosphere is formed at the upper portion.

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

  The partition wall 271 includes a lower communication channel 276 between the partition wall 272 and an upper communication channel 277 between the upper surface and the upper surface. The channel resistance of the upper communication channel 277 is smaller than the channel resistance of the lower communication channel 276.

Further, the second ink containing portion 294 is provided with a short vertical partition 288, and a flow path 279 is provided between the partition 288 and the partition 272.
Further, the downstream side of the ink supply control unit 150 is formed at a through hole 910 communicating with the ink supply control unit 150, a flow path 321 communicating with the through hole 910, one end of the flow path 321, and formed toward the front side. The ink supply unit 160 is configured to communicate with the ink supply unit 160 through the through-hole 323 and the communication unit 304 having one end communicating with the through-hole 323.

  The atmosphere-side container 270 and the first ink container 292 are communicated with each other via a communication channel 295 extending in the vertical direction and a communication part 162 (see FIG. 3) penetrating the bottom surface of the atmosphere-side container 270. Accordingly, when ink is consumed from the ink supply unit 160, the ink in the atmosphere-side storage unit 270 is correspondingly sucked into the first ink storage unit 292, and from here, the second ink storage unit 294, the flow path unit 296, and the like. It is configured to flow into the ink supply control means 150 via

  The communication channel 274, the communication unit 162, the communication hole 163, the communication channel 295, the communication channels 276 and 278, the channel unit 296, and the passage are connected from the atmosphere side storage unit 270 of the ink storage unit 111 to the ink supply control unit 150. The ink flows through the 298 and the through hole 918 in this order.

  The atmosphere side passage, which is the side communicating with the atmosphere with the atmosphere valve communication portion 624 as a boundary, includes an opening 212 shown in FIG. 7, a meandering passage 214, a filter housing portion 216, a communication hole 218, and a communication portion 222 shown in FIG. A through hole 652b formed in the side surface of the communication portion 222 and a pressing member accommodating chamber 652 are included.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, one end of one passage 214 meandering in a labyrinth formed on the front side of the storage chamber body 120 is opened to the atmosphere as an opening 212, and the other end is ink-repellent and ventilated. 6 is connected to a filter housing portion 216 in which a filter 215 (FIGS. 5 and 6) having a function of sexuality is housed.
The filter housing portion 216 communicates with a communication hole 218 that penetrates from the front side to the back side of the housing chamber body 120. The communication hole 218 is connected to the pressing member storage chamber 652 via the communication portion 222 on the back side of the storage chamber main body 120 and a through hole 652 b formed on the side surface of the communication portion 222. In the middle of the passage 214, a chamber 930 made of a recess is provided.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, the ink side passage with the atmosphere valve communication portion 624 as a boundary is formed by an atmosphere valve chamber 669, a communication hole 238, a communication groove 240, and a communication hole 242. It communicates with the housing part 270.

  The communication hole 238 that penetrates from the back side to the front side of the storage chamber body 120 is connected to the communication groove 240 that communicates with the communication hole 238, the communication groove 240, and the communication hole 242 that penetrates from the front side to the back side of the storage chamber body 120. It communicates with the atmosphere side accommodation unit 270.

  The atmosphere side accommodating portion 270, the supply side accommodating portion 290, the atmosphere valve chamber 669, the atmosphere side passage, and the ink side passage are divided into partition walls, the ink side passages are separated from each other, and the ink side passages are separated into the partition partitions. By attaching the films 130 and 110 to the partition walls partitioning each other by a method such as heat welding, the region is isolated from the atmosphere.

  The ink supply unit 160 includes a seal member 12 formed of an elastomer having an insertion port 26 into which an ink supply needle provided in the carriage is inserted, a supply valve 13 that closes the insertion port 26 of the seal member 12, and a supply valve. And an urging member 14 made of a coil spring or the like for urging 13 toward the seal member 12. A film 604 is attached to the insertion port 26 of the seal member 12 at the time of factory shipment.

When the ink storage chamber 4 is mounted on the carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus, the convex portion provided on the carriage pushes up the atmospheric valve 650 upward via the film 480 and the atmospheric valve pressing member 654, and the ink supply needle of the carriage Pushes the supply valve 13 of the ink supply unit 160 upward.
As a result, the atmospheric valve communication portion 624 communicates the atmospheric flow path from the atmospheric valve chamber 669 to the communication hole 242 with the atmosphere. Further, upstream of the supply valve 13 in the ink supply unit 160 communicates with the ink supply needle.

  When the ink jet recording apparatus starts recording in a state where the communication hole 242 communicates with the atmosphere, ink is supplied from the ink supply unit 160 to the recording head through the ink supply needle. When ink is supplied from the ink supply unit 160, the ink flowing in the order of the arrow a and the through hole 918 shown in FIG. 8 in the ink storage unit 111 passes through the ink supply control means 150 and the arrow b shown in FIG. , C, d, e in this order, flow into the ink supply unit 160, and ink is supplied to the ink supply needle inserted into the ink supply unit 160.

In the ink storage unit 111, the ink in the atmosphere-side storage unit 270 is supplied to the supply-side storage unit 290 in accordance with the ink flow. As the ink in the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270 is consumed, air flows in the order of arrows f and g in FIG. 8 in order and flows into the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270 from the communication hole 242. Ink is supplied from the ink supply unit 160 to the recording head to lower the liquid level of the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270, but the flow path connecting the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270 and the supply-side accommodation unit 290 is provided in the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270. Since there is a communication port at the lowermost part, air does not flow into the supply-side storage unit 290 until all the ink in the atmosphere-side storage unit 270 moves to the supply-side storage unit 290.

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

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

  As described above, the ink in the atmosphere-side storage unit 270, the first ink storage unit 292, and the second ink storage unit 294 is consumed in this order, but the ink remains in any storage unit. The ink supply unit 111 is supplied to the ink supply unit 160 through the passage 298 from the communication unit 278 disposed in the vicinity of the partition wall 272 that substantially bisects the ink storage unit 111.

  10 is a partially enlarged perspective view of FIG. In the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270, the supply-side partition 272a that divides the communication channel 274 provided with the communication hole 163 (see FIG. 3) is more equipped than the other partition 272 in the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270. Is low. In addition, the atmosphere side accommodating portion 270 includes a first vertical partition wall 510 extending vertically upward from the bottom surface of the atmosphere side accommodating portion 270 in the vicinity of the communication channel 274, and a second parallel to the first vertical partition wall 510. A vertical partition 530 is provided.

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

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the upper communication channel 514 is a notch that is notched larger than the lower communication channel 512. Thereby, the flow resistance of the upper communication flow path 514 is smaller than the flow resistance of the lower communication flow path 512.
Further, the upper communication channel 514 is disposed above the supply-side partition wall 272a with the lower wall portion 513 sandwiched between the upper communication channel 514 and the lower communication channel 512. The first vertical partition wall 510 further includes a second upper communication channel 516 through which ink flows with a smaller channel resistance than the lower communication channel 512 with the upper wall portion 515 sandwiched between the upper communication channel 514. Have. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the second upper communication channel 516 is a gap formed between the partition wall 272 and the upper end of the first vertical partition wall portion 510.
In addition, since the 2nd vertical partition part 530 has the same structure as the 1st vertical partition part 510, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Furthermore, the 1st vertical partition part 510 and the 2nd vertical partition part 530 are distribute | arranged to the back surface of the channel | path 214 shown in FIG. Therefore, when the film 110 shown in FIG. 4 is attached to the passage 214, it is possible to prevent “escape” in which the side surface of the storage chamber main body 120 provided with the passage 214 is recessed and the film 110 becomes difficult to attach.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the first ink storage portion 292 of the supply side storage portion 290 has an inclined wall portion 550 that is inclined in the vertical direction. The inclined wall portion 550 is disposed above the communication channel 295 extending in the vertical direction.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the ink storage chamber 4 and shows a state in which the atmosphere-side storage portion 270 is filled with ink. In the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the atmosphere-side container 270 that is the most proximal liquid container, and the second ink container 294 that is the liquid container immediately before the ink supply control means 150. Each of these is provided with an agitation moving body 711 having a specific gravity greater than that of the contained ink, and a floating body 712 is provided in the atmosphere-side accommodation portion 270.
The agitation moving body 711 is a spherical metal ball that rolls in the accommodating portion by the inertia received when the ink accommodating chamber 4 is moved by the carriage, and agitates the ink stored in each accommodating portion. The floating body 712 is a hollow body having a specific gravity smaller than that of ink or having a cavity inside, and floats with respect to the ink. The outer shapes of the stirring moving body 711 and the floating body 712 are not limited to a spherical shape, and may be, for example, a cylindrical shape or a cylindrical shape. Further, the material constituting the stirring moving body 711 and the floating body 712 is not limited to metal, but plastic such as nylon, polyacetal (POM), fluororesin, polycarbonate, polypropylene, glass, ceramics (for example, Al2O3, ZrO2), rubber, and the like. Etc. can be used.

  Within the atmosphere-side accommodation unit 270, a section between the first vertical partition section 510 and the second vertical partition section 530 and a section on the opposite side of the first vertical partition section 510 across the second vertical partition section 530. In addition, an agitation moving body 711 and a floating body 712 are arranged, respectively. In the case of the second ink storage portion 294, the agitation moving body 711 is provided in a section between the partition wall 288 having the flow path 279 and the communication flow path 278.

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

  In the above configuration, an ink supply operation in the case where pigment ink is stored in the atmosphere-side storage unit 270 and the supply-side storage unit 290 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, in order to use up the ink in the atmosphere-side container 270 as much as possible, the communication part 162 is arranged through the bottom surface of the atmosphere-side container 270 and supplies the ink that has passed through the communication part 162. It supplies to the side accommodating part 290.

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

However, in the present embodiment, the stirring moving body 711 equipped in the atmosphere-side storage unit 270 and the second ink storage unit 294 performs stirring of the ink stored in these storage units, and the color in the ink Since sedimentation of the material itself can be suppressed, a phenomenon in which ink having a high pigment concentration is collected in the vicinity of the communication channel 274 can be prevented. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the communication flow path divided and arranged in one vertical partition (first vertical partition 510 and second vertical partition 530) has a vertical flow that promotes stirring when supplying ink. It can be caused, and the agitation of both of them produces a vigorous agitation, and the ink supplied to the ink supply unit 160 does not easily vary in density. That is, after the dark ink near the communication channel 274 flows out from the communicating portion 162 as it is, it is possible to prevent the light ink having a low density above it from flowing out, and the density of the ink supplied to the outside is uneven. Can be prevented.
Further, since the outer diameter of the stirring moving body 711 is restricted to a predetermined size or more with respect to the opening of the communication flow path, the stirring moving body provided in the atmosphere side storage unit 270 and the second ink storage unit 294 is provided. No. 711 does not block the communication flow path, and does not cause ink supply failure. Therefore, it is possible to maintain high-quality ink supply with no density variation.

Next, the stirring operation of the stirring moving body 711 will be described.
According to the ink containing chamber 4 of the present embodiment, when the stirring moving body 711 equipped in the atmosphere side containing portion 270 and the second ink containing portion 294 moves in the respective ink containing portions, the stirring movement is performed. Even when the body 711 is closest to the communication flow paths 532, 512, 279, 278 formed through the partition walls 530, 510, 288, etc., the partition wall 530, 510, 288, etc. As a result, a channel having a cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of the communication channel is secured.
Therefore, the stirring moving body 711 does not block the communication flow paths 532, 512, and 278 to block the flow of ink in the communication flow paths 532, 512, and 278, and the upper and lower portions in the ink storage portions 270 and 294 are not disturbed. The liquid having a concentration difference dispersed in the liquid can be remixed by the agitation moving body 711 so that the liquid having a uniform concentration can be stably supplied from the communication channel, and can be used as an ink cartridge in an ink jet recording apparatus. Therefore, high-quality and stable recording can be performed without variation in density in the ink density to be recorded.

Next, the operation of the stirring moving body 711 and the floating body 712 with respect to the change in the remaining amount of ink will be described.
When the ink storage chamber 4 is sufficiently filled with ink, the resistance of the ink with respect to the stirring moving body is large, and therefore the moving speed of the stirring moving body in the atmosphere-side ink storage portion 270 and the supply-side ink storage portion 294 is as follows. small. For this reason, the collision speed of the stirring moving body 711 against the inner wall of the ink containing portion is low, and the collision sound when the stirring moving body 711 collides with the inner wall of the ink containing portion is also small. . However, if the ink level in the atmosphere-side container 270 is reduced by the supply of the ink in the atmosphere-side container 270 to the supply-side container 290, the resistance of the ink to the stirring medium decreases, so Becomes faster and the impact sound with the inner wall of the ink container increases. However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, when the liquid level of the ink is lowered, the floating body 712 disposed in the atmosphere-side container 270 is at the same level as the stirring and moving body 711 submerged in the ink. Therefore, the movement of the stirring moving body 711 is restricted. As a result, the space in which the agitation moving body 711 can move is reduced, so that the agitation moving body 711 is less likely to collide with the inner wall of the ink containing portion. The speed is reduced, and the collision sound with the inner wall of the ink containing portion is smaller than when there is no floating body 712. Thus, in this embodiment, the floating body 712 is used to make it difficult to generate unpleasant collision sound due to the stirring moving body 711.

  Here, the floating body 712 is preferably made of a material softer than the stirring moving body 711. If the floating body 712 is made of a material softer than the stirring and moving body 711, when the floating body 712 collides with the stirring and moving body 711, the floating body 712 absorbs collision energy by deforming the outer surface. The collision speed can be reduced. Further, if the floating body 712 is made of a material softer than the stirring and moving body 711, it is possible to configure so that the collision sound when the floating body 712 itself collides with the inner wall of the ink containing portion is not increased.

Next, on the one partition wall, two or more communication channels are provided so as to be spaced apart from each other in the upper and lower directions, and the upper communication channel has a lower channel resistance than that of the lower communication channel. explain.
In the present embodiment, since the first vertical partition wall 510 having the lower communication channel 512, the upper communication channel 514, and the second upper communication channel 516 is provided, the ink further flows out from the communication hole 163. When ink is pulled to the communication hole 163, the flow rate of the thin ink flowing through the upper communication channel 514 and the second upper communication channel 516 increases. Therefore, the flow of thin ink (arrows i and j in the figure) is larger than the flow of dark ink (arrow h in the figure), and not only dark ink but also thin ink can flow into the communication hole 163.
Also, due to the difference in flow size, the upper and lower inks can flow in the space defined by the communication channel 274 and the first vertical partition wall 510, and the dark ink and the light ink, particularly from the vicinity of the upper communication channel 514 Furthermore, the thin ink at the upper side can also be entrained and stirred.

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

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

In addition, an inclined wall portion 550 is provided above the communication channel 295 into which ink from the atmosphere-side storage portion 270 flows via the communication portion 162. Therefore, the ink stored in the first ink storage unit 292 is agitated by receiving the ink flow from the atmosphere-side storage unit 270 to the supply-side storage unit 290 at the inclined wall portion 550 and changing the flow direction. The thick liquid and the thin liquid in the first ink storage unit 292 can be mixed.
Further, since there are a plurality of walls with small lower communication channels such as the vertical partition 271 having the communication channel 276 and the vertical partition 288 having the communication portion 279, the supply side can be surely mixed with the darker ink below. The container 290 can be supplied.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the upper communication channel 514 and the upper communication channel 534 in the pair of first vertical partition wall 510 and second vertical partition wall 530 are arranged at the same vertical position. Yes. However, the arrangement of the upper and lower positions is not limited to this, and the upper communication channel 514 and the upper communication channel 534 may be provided at different vertical positions. Similarly, the second upper communication channel 516 and the second upper communication channel 536 may also be provided at different vertical positions. This makes it possible to create a vertical flow of thin ink in a region sandwiched between the pair of first vertical partition wall portion 510 and second vertical partition wall portion 530 and to stir the dark ink and the thin ink reliably.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the pair of first vertical partition walls 510 and the second vertical partition wall 530 are provided vertically, but the present invention is not limited to this, and both or one of the pair of wall portions. May be inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

  As described above, the ink containing chamber 4 according to the present embodiment floats with the thick liquid that has settled by increasing the flow rate of the thin ink that floats in the vicinity of the communication portion 162 in the atmosphere-side containing portion 270. The thin liquid is mixed and supplied from the communicating portion 162 to the supply side accommodating portion 290. Therefore, it is possible to suppress variations in the density of the ink supplied to the outside.

  Further, in the ink cartridge 1 (see FIG. 1) of the present embodiment, inks of different colors (types) are stored in the ink storage chambers 2, 4, 6, and 8, and the ink settles for each color. The rate is different. Therefore, the specific gravity of the stirring and moving body 711 accommodated in each of the ink storage chambers 2, 4, 6, and 8 is varied according to the ink settling rate.

  For example, in the case of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black inks, when the sedimentation rate of each ink has a relationship of “yellow> magenta> cyan> black”, the specific gravity of the stirring moving body 711 is set to “for yellow”. Stirring moving body> Magenta stirring moving body> Cyan stirring moving body> Black stirring moving body ”. In the ink cartridge 1, when black ink is stored in the ink storage chamber 2, cyan ink is stored in the ink storage chamber 4, magenta ink is stored in the ink storage chamber 6, and yellow ink is stored in the ink storage chamber 8. The specific gravity of each stirring moving body 711 is “the stirring moving body 711 of the ink containing chamber 8> the stirring moving body 711 of the ink containing chamber 6> the stirring moving body 711 of the ink containing chamber 4> the stirring moving body 711 of the ink containing chamber 2”. To be in a relationship.

  In this way, by setting the specific gravity of each stirring moving body 711 in accordance with the sedimentation rate for each ink, the rolling property of the stirring moving body 711 in each ink storage chamber 2, 4, 6, 8 is achieved. As a result, the same stirring action can be obtained in all the ink storage chambers 2, 4, 6, and 8. Furthermore, by optimizing the specific gravity of the stirring moving body 711 according to each ink, a particularly good stirring action can be obtained for each ink. In addition to the specific gravity, the size of the stirring moving body 711 may be set in consideration of the stirring action. The specific gravity of the stirring moving body 711 is easier to roll to a certain extent and improves the stirring action. In this case, however, the weight of the ink cartridge 1 as a whole increases, and therefore the carriage on which the ink cartridge 1 is mounted. It is desirable to set the specific gravity and size so as not to cause a problem in the reciprocal movement control.

  As described above, according to the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, not only the ink stirring performance is good due to the configuration of the ink storage chamber, but also the stirring moving body 711 is provided in the ink storage portion to The ink is positively stirred by reciprocating movement, and the specific gravity of the stirring moving body 711 is set for each ink storage chamber in accordance with the settling rate of each ink. It can be obtained equally for each ink storage chamber, and a uniform density can always be maintained for all color inks. Further, by disposing a floating body in the ink storage chamber, it is possible to reduce a collision sound between the stirring moving body and the inner wall of the ink storage portion that is generated when the remaining amount of ink is reduced. Therefore, if the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment is mounted on the liquid jet head of the ink jet recording apparatus, a desired hue can be always obtained, and excellent color printing can be performed. Further, there is no possibility that the user will misunderstand the sound as a failure sound without transmitting unpleasant sound to the outside even after the ink ink remaining amount is reduced.

  In the liquid container of the present invention, the outer shapes of the stirring moving body and the floating body equipped in the liquid container are not limited to the spherical shape shown in the above embodiment. For example, a columnar shape or a cylindrical shape is also effective. When the outer shape of the stirring moving body is a columnar or cylindrical shape, even when the stirring moving body is closest to the communication channel, there is a predetermined amount or more between the partition wall around the communication channel and the stirring moving body. As a specific means for securing the flow path of the cross-sectional area, a method of setting the outer shape of the stirring moving body larger than a predetermined value is effective as in the above embodiment.

  In the example of the above-described embodiment, the ink cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the carriage on which the liquid ejecting head is mounted has been described as an example, but the main tank is fixed to the recording apparatus main body, and the main tank and the sub tank mounted on the carriage Are connected by a tube, and the subtank can be configured according to the present invention in an apparatus configured to be able to supply ink from the subtank to the head, and the same effect can be obtained.

It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the liquid container which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows only one ink storage chamber among the ink cartridges shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view before the film of the ink storage chamber shown in FIG. 2 is attached. FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view after the film of the ink storage chamber shown in FIG. 2 is attached. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the front side of the ink storage chamber shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the back side of the ink storage chamber shown in FIG. 2. It is a rear view before the film of the ink storage chamber shown in FIG. 2 is affixed. It is a front view before the film of the ink storage chamber shown in FIG. 2 is stuck. It is a front view after the film of the ink storage chamber shown in FIG. 2 was stuck. It is an expansion perspective view of the principal part of FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view after the ink storage chamber shown in FIG. 2 is filled with ink. FIG. 3 is a front view of a main part showing the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 13 is a top view of FIGS. 11 and 12.

Explanation of symbols

1: ink cartridge (liquid container), 2, 4, 6, 8: ink container (liquid container), 110: film, 111: ink container, 120: container body, 120a: surface, 122: opening Part: 130: film, 132: film, 140: lid, 150: ink supply control means, 162: communication part, 163: communication hole, 214: passage, 270: atmosphere side accommodation part, 270a: recess, 272: partition wall 272a: supply-side partition, 274: communication channel, 290: supply-side storage, 292: first ink storage, 292a: recess, 294: second ink storage, 294a: recess, 510: first vertical partition , 512: Lower communication channel, 513: Lower wall, 514: Upper communication channel, 515: Upper wall, 516: Second upper communication channel, 530: First vertical partition, 530a: Surface, 532 :under Entanglement flow path, 533: lower wall section, 534: upper communication flow path, 535: upper wall section, 536: second upper communication flow path, 550: inclined wall section, 624: atmospheric valve communication section, 650: atmospheric valve, 652: Pressing member accommodating chamber, 654: Atmospheric valve pressing member, 656: Coil spring, 669: Atmospheric valve chamber, 711: Stirring moving body, 712: Floating body

Claims (4)

A liquid container including a liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid,
The liquid container is characterized in that the liquid storage chamber contains an agitation moving body that settles in the liquid and at least one floating body that floats on the liquid.   The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the floating body is made of a substance having a specific gravity smaller than that of the liquid.   The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the floating body is a hollow body having a cavity inside. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the liquid container has a plurality of liquid containers.