JP2007261051A - Ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect that the ink in an ink storage chamber has decreased while suppressing the upsizing of an ink cartridge and the decrease of the quantity of an ink storable in the ink storage chamber as much as possible. <P>SOLUTION: An optical interception part 42 is provided near the end of the left side of an arm 41 shakably supported by a support base 31 at a fulcrum 41a near the right side end. The arm 41 has a branched arm 44 which branches in the portion between the optical interception part 42 and the fulcrum 41a and extends downward, and at the tip of which a float 43 is provided. When an ink fully remains in the ink storage chamber 111, the light emitted from a luminescence part 1014a of an optical sensor is intercepted by the optical interception part 33. When the quantity of the ink in the ink storage chamber 111 decreases, the optical interception part 33 moves downward, and then the light emitted from the luminescence part 1014a is not intercepted, and the light is received by a light receiving part 1014b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink cartridge that supplies ink to an inkjet head.

  Some ink cartridges that supply ink to a printer are configured to detect that the ink remaining in the ink cartridge is low. For example, in the ink cartridge described in Patent Document 1, shutters (light beams) are respectively provided at both ends of a lever that is supported at a bottom portion of an ink tank (ink storage chamber) so that a substantially central portion in the extending direction is swingably supported by a support base. When the ink amount in the ink tank is large, the float rises due to buoyancy and the lever swings, so that the shutter moves to the ink. The shutter is located near the top of the concave part by blocking the light emitted from the light emitting part of the optical sensor located near the bottom of the concave part of the tank, and when the ink amount in the ink tank decreases, the float descends and the lever swings The light emitted from the light emitting unit is not blocked. At this time, the light receiving portion of the optical sensor receives this light and detects that the ink in the ink tank has been reduced.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-125738 (FIGS. 1 and 2)

  However, in the ink cartridge described in Patent Document 1, a relatively large shutter mechanism in which a shutter and a float are provided at both ends of a lever supported by a support base is disposed in the ink tank. In order to arrange such a shutter mechanism, it is necessary to make the ink cartridge large.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge capable of detecting that the remaining amount of ink has decreased while minimizing an increase in size.

  The ink cartridge of the present invention includes an ink storage chamber in which ink is stored, and a swinging member that is provided in the ink storage chamber and supported so as to be swingable about a fulcrum. An ink cartridge for supplying ink stored in an ink storage chamber to a printer, wherein the swing member serves as a fulcrum when supported by a light blocking portion having light blocking properties and swinging in the ink storage chamber A pivot part, an arm part that connects the light blocking part and the pivot part, a branch arm part that branches off from a part between the light shielding part and the pivot part of the arm part, and a projecting tip of the branch arm part And has a float portion whose mass per unit volume is smaller than that of ink, and restricts swinging in the direction in which the swinging member swings due to buoyancy generated when the float portion is positioned in the ink. Rocking Comprising a control means, when in the mounting position when it is attached to the printer, the swing member is located lower than the float part is always light shielding portion in the region over which it can oscillate.

  According to this, since the float part is provided at the projecting tip of the branch arm part that branches off and projects from the part between the light blocking part and the pivot part of the arm part, the arm part from the pivot part to the light shielding part The arm portion can be shortened without extending to the opposite side. Therefore, the swing member can be reduced in size, and the swing member can be disposed in the ink storage chamber without increasing the size of the ink cartridge. Further, since the float portion is always positioned below the light blocking portion in the mounting posture, it is detected that the ink in the ink storage chamber has decreased in a state where the ink in the ink storage chamber has been reliably reduced. Can do. Moreover, since the float part is provided at the tip of the branch arm part, the float part can be easily positioned below the light blocking part in the mounting posture.

  In the ink cartridge of the present invention, the entire swing member may have a smaller mass per unit volume than the ink. According to this, when the remaining amount of ink is large, a sufficiently large buoyancy can be generated in the entire swinging member, so that the swinging member swings when receiving external vibrations, etc. It is possible to reduce the possibility of misdetection that the number of occurrences has decreased.

  In the ink cartridge of the present invention, the float portion may always be positioned below the pivot portion within a range in which the swing member can swing when in the mounted posture. According to this, since the float part is always located below the pivot part, when the ink level in the ink storage chamber comes to a lower position, it is detected that the ink in the ink storage chamber has decreased. be able to.

  Further, in the ink cartridge of the present invention, the ink storage chamber is formed inside a rectangular parallelepiped case, and this case has an ink outlet on the lower side on one side wall when in the mounting posture, Above that, a light-transmitting protrusion having an internal space communicating with the ink storage chamber is formed, and the swing restricting means may be formed by the upper surface of the internal space of the protrusion. According to this, an optical outlet and an ink supply pipe necessary for the printer are provided on one side by concentrating the ink outlet and the protruding portion formed with the internal space where the light blocking portion is disposed on one side wall of the case. Since the printers can be arranged in a centralized manner, the printer can be reduced in size. In addition, since the upper surface of the protruding portion acts as a swing restricting means, it is not necessary to provide a separate swing restricting means, and the configuration of the ink cartridge is simplified.

  At this time, the printer includes a light transmission type optical sensor having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, and the protruding portion is provided at a position sandwiched between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion when mounted on the printer. May be. According to this, when the ink cartridge is attached to the printer, the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the optical sensor sandwich the protruding portion, so that the ink depends on whether the light receiving portion receives the light emitted from the light emitting portion. It can be easily detected that the ink in the storage chamber has been reduced.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. In FIG. 2, the side wall 160 described later is transparent, and the inside of the ink storage body 100 described later can be seen, but the illustration thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink cartridge 1 is attached to an ink reservoir 100 that stores translucent ink, an external case 200 that covers substantially the entire ink reservoir 100, and the external case 200. And a protector 300 that protects the ink reservoir 100 when the ink cartridge 1 is transported. In the present embodiment, the ink reservoir 100, the outer case 200, and the protector 300 are made of a resin material such as nylon, polyethylene, or polypropylene.

  The outer case 200 includes two case members 210 and 220 that sandwich the ink reservoir 100 from above and below (upper and lower sides in FIG. 2). The first case member 210 covers the lower side of the ink reservoir 100 in FIG. The second case member 220 is a member that covers the upper side of the ink reservoir 100 in FIG. The first and second case members 210 and 220 are made of a resin material and are manufactured by injection molding.

  The first case member 210 is formed with two case notches 211 and 212 for exposing the ink supply part 120 and the air introduction part 130 to the outside of the outer case 200. The case notches 211 and 212 are formed in a substantially semicircular shape, the case notch 211 on the right front side in FIG. 2 is a notch corresponding to the ink supply unit 120, and the case notch 212 on the left side in FIG. It is a notch corresponding to the air introduction part 130. Further, a case notch 213 cut into a rectangular shape is formed between the case notch 211 and the case notch 212, and this is the optical sensor 1014 (FIG. 6) up to the position where the protrusion 140 is sandwiched. This is a notch for inserting a reference). A contact groove 211 a that contacts the ink supply unit 120 is formed on the inner surface of the first case member 210 that is connected to the case notch 211, and the inner surface that is connected to the case notch 212 of the first case member 210 is formed. A contact groove 212 a that contacts the air introduction part 130 is formed on the side surface. By providing the contact grooves 211a and 212a, the ink reservoir 100 can be easily aligned with the first case member 210.

  The first case member 210 is formed with two case protrusions 214a and 214b that protrude in the direction of the protector 300 (the left front side in FIG. 2) from the surface on which the case notches 211 to 213 are formed. The case protrusions 214a and 214b are formed on both sides (the right front side end portion in FIG. 2 and the port side end portion in FIG. 2) of the first case member 210 so as to sandwich the case cutout portions 211 to 213, and the ink supply portion The 120 side (right front side in FIG. 2) is the case protrusion 214a, and the atmosphere introduction part 130 side (left port side in FIG. 2) is the case protrusion 214b. In addition, the case protrusion 214a extends from the portion connected to the side wall of the first case member 210 toward the tip (the protector 300 direction, the left front side in FIG. 2) in the case notch portions 211 to 213 (inside the first case member 210). The inclined surface 214a2 is inclined in the direction). When the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the printer 1000 (see FIG. 6), the case protrusion 214a is mounted on the lower side. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted, when the inclined surface 214a2 comes into contact with the lower portion of the printer 1000, the ink cartridge 1 is smoothly guided to a predetermined mounting position by the inclination.

  Further, the case protrusion 214b is formed with a case protrusion notch 214b1 cut into a rectangular shape on the inner surface on the case notches 211 to 213 side. In addition, a case fitting groove 214b2 into which a fitting rod 1016b1 (see FIG. 6) is fitted when formed in the printer 1000 is formed in the case protrusion 214b.

  Further, the first case member 210 is positioned in the vicinity of the side wall on the ink supply unit 120 side (right front side in FIG. 2) in the direction of the second case member 220 and positions the ink reservoir 100 enclosed in the outer case 200. And an ink reservoir that protrudes toward the second case member 220 (upward in FIG. 2) and is enclosed in the outer case 200 in the vicinity of the side wall on the atmosphere introduction part 130 (on the port side in FIG. 2). Bar members 215b and 215c for positioning 100 are formed. Since the ink reservoir 100 is positioned by the three portions of the rod members 215a to 215c, it is possible to prevent the ink reservoir 100 from being attached in the wrong direction.

  Similarly to the first case member 210, the second case member 220 is formed with three case cutout portions 221 to 223, and is connected to the contact groove 221a connected to the case cutout portion 221 and the case cutout portion 222. A contact groove 222a is formed. In addition, case protrusions 224a and 224b are formed on both sides of the case notches 221 to 223, and the case protrusions 224a extend from the portion connected to the side surface of the second case member 220 toward the tip. An inclined surface 224a2 that inclines in the directions 221 to 223 is provided. Further, the case protrusion 224b is formed with a case protrusion notch 224b1 having the same configuration as the case protrusion notch 214b1, and a case fitting groove 224b2 extending from the tip of the case protrusion 224b to the side surface of the second case member 220. Yes. The second case member 220 protrudes toward the first case member 210 (downward in FIG. 2) corresponding to the position where the rod members 215a to 215c of the first case member 210 are formed, and the rod members 215a to 215c. And a fitting hole (not shown) having a hole to be fitted.

  Next, the outer shape of the outer case 200 will be described. The first and second case members 210 and 220 are formed in a concave shape on both side surfaces in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction A (the direction connecting the starboard side of FIG. 2 and the left front side of FIG. 2, arrow A in FIG. 2). Steps are formed on the surfaces of the first and second case members 210 and 220. At the stepped portion, the first and second case members 210 and 220 are welded, and the ink reservoir 110 is fixed to the outer case 200. As for the stepped portion, the stepped portion on the ink supply unit 120 side (right front side in FIG. 2) is the first case welded portion 216, 226, and the stepped portion on the atmosphere introducing unit 130 side (left port side in FIG. 2) is the second case welded. Parts 217 and 227.

  In the following description, the longitudinal direction A of the first and second case members 210 and 220 means the longitudinal direction of the ink cartridge 1, the longitudinal direction of the ink reservoir 100, and the longitudinal direction of the outer case 200. .

  Here, the first and second case welded portions 226 and 227 of the second case member 220 will be described. The first case welded portion 226 is connected to the same plane as the case protruding portion 224a, and on the opposite side of the case protruding portion 224a, a concave portion 226a formed in a concave shape in the inner direction of the second case member 220, The ink cartridge 1 has an engaging portion 226b that engages with an engaging member 1017 (see FIG. 6) when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the printer 1000 (see FIG. 6). The recess 226a is a region for securing a swing range when the engaging member 1017 swings. The case welded portion 227 has a locking portion 227a formed in a concave shape at a substantially intermediate position in the longitudinal direction A of the second case member 220, and the locking portion 227a is attached to the printer 1000 (see FIG. 6). In this state, the ink cartridge 1 is locked.

  Although not described in detail, the first case member 210 also has a recess and an engagement portion (not shown) formed in the same shape as the recess 226a, the engagement portion 226b, and the locking portion 227a of the second case member 220. In addition, a locking portion 217a is formed.

  Next, the ink reservoir 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a side view of the ink reservoir 100 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view at a substantially central portion in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface, near the left end portion of the ink reservoir 100 of FIG. 5A and 5B are diagrams schematically showing the swing member. FIG. 5A shows the swing member 32 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 5B shows the arm portion 51 centered on a fulcrum 51a in the middle thereof. A swing member 50 having a conventional configuration in which a blocking portion 52 and a float portion 53 are provided in the vicinity of both end portions of the arm portion 51 opposite to each other with respect to the fulcrum 51a. It is shown. The state of the ink reservoir 100 shown in FIG. 3 is a posture (mounting posture) in which the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the printer 1000 (see FIG. 6). That is, the ink supply unit 120, the air introduction unit 130, and the protrusion 140 are positioned on the side, the ink supply unit 120 is positioned on the bottom side, and the air introduction unit 130 is positioned on the ceiling side. In FIG. 3, the outer edge of the side plate 160 is indicated by a thick line, and the positions of the light emitting unit 1014 a and the light receiving unit 1014 b when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the printer 1000 are indicated by a one-dot chain line. Further, in FIG. 4, illustration of a swing member 32 described later is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the ink reservoir 100 is formed by forming a later-described ink reservoir 111, an ink supply path 116, and the like in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case 110. In addition, one attachment portion 110a extending downward is formed on the lower surface of the case 110, and two attachment portions 110b and 110c extending upward are formed on the upper surface of the case 110, and the attachment portions 110a to 110c are formed on the attachment portions 110a to 110c. Are formed with through holes 460a to 460c that fit into the rod members 512a to 512c of the first case member 210, respectively. Then, the through holes 460a to 460c are fitted into the rod members 512a to 512c, respectively, so that the ink reservoir 100 is aligned and attached to the outer case 200.

  Inside the case 110, an ink storage chamber 111 is formed over almost the entire area excluding an ink supply path 116, an air introduction path 117, and a protrusion 140 described later. In the ink storage chamber 111, ink having optical transparency supplied from the ink supply path 116 to the printer 1000 is stored.

  A protruding portion 140 protruding leftward is formed at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction of the left side wall (one side wall) 161 of the ink storage chamber 111. An internal space 140 a that communicates with the ink storage chamber 111 is formed inside the protrusion 140. When the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the printer 1000, the protruding portion 140 is sandwiched between a light emitting portion 1014a and a light receiving portion 1014b that are disposed on the front side and the rear side of FIG. Formed in position. The protrusion 140 is light transmissive, and is configured to reach the light receiving unit 1014b when light emitted from the light emitting unit 1014a is not blocked by the light blocking unit 42 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a shutter mechanism 30 is disposed inside the ink storage chamber 111. The shutter mechanism 30 includes a support base 31 and a swing member 32. The swing member 32 is formed of a resin material having a specific gravity smaller than that of the ink in the ink storage chamber 111, and the mass per unit volume is smaller than that of the ink in the ink storage chamber 111. The support base 31 extends perpendicularly from the bottom surface of the ink storage chamber 111 to the bottom surface, and supports the swing member 32 so as to be swingable as described below. The swing member 32 includes an arm part 41, a light blocking part 42, a float part 43, and a branch arm part 44. The arm portion 41 is swingably supported by a bearing formed on the support base 31 at a fulcrum 41a (pivot fulcrum) formed so as to protrude from the right end portion of the arm portion 41. From the fulcrum 41a toward the upper left in FIG. , Extending to the vicinity of the protrusion 140. The light blocking portion 42 is provided (connected) at the left end portion of the arm portion 41 and is located in the internal space 140 a of the protruding portion 140. As will be described later, the light blocking unit 42 blocks light emitted from the light emitting unit 1014a of the optical sensor 1014 and transmitted through the protruding portion 140 when the light blocking unit 42 is located in the internal space 140a (that is, the light blocking unit 42). The part 42 has light blocking properties). Further, a branch arm portion 44 branches and protrudes from a portion between the fulcrum 41 a of the arm portion 41 and the light blocking portion 42, and protrudes toward the bottom side of the ink storage chamber 111. The float portion 43 is provided at a protruding tip portion of the branch arm portion 44 and has a sufficiently large volume as compared with other portions of the swing member 32. The float portion 43 has a structure in which air is filled inside, and the mass per unit volume including the air inside is smaller than other portions of the swing member 32.

  In a state where the ink remains sufficiently in the ink storage chamber 111 (a state where the entire swinging member 32 is located in the ink liquid), the buoyancy generated with respect to the entire swinging member 32 is superior to the gravity, so A moment in the clockwise direction around the fulcrum 41a in FIG. 3 acts on the moving member 32, and the arm portion 41 tries to swing in the clockwise direction around the fulcrum 41a together with the light blocking portion 42. However, at this time, the upper end of the light blocking part 42 is in contact with the upper surface (swing restricting means) of the internal space 140a of the projecting part 140, and the arm part 41 is prevented from being swung clockwise (restricted). ) That is, when the amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 111 is larger than a predetermined amount (when the ink level in the ink storage chamber 111 is above the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 3), the light blocking unit 42 is In a position in contact with the upper surface of the internal space 140a. At this time, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 1014 a is blocked by the light blocking unit 42. As described above, since the arm portion 41 is prevented from swinging by the upper surface of the internal space 140a, the light blocking portion 42 reliably emits from the light emitting portion 1014a when a certain amount or more of the ink in the ink storage chamber 111 remains. Block the light emitted.

  Thereafter, as the amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 111 decreases, the light blocking portion 42 and the arm portion 41 are gradually exposed from the ink surface, and the buoyancy generated in the swinging member 42 decreases. . However, the volume of the float portion 43 in the ink liquid is sufficiently larger than the volume of the exposed portion. In addition, the float portion 43 has a smaller mass per unit volume than the exposed portion (units). Since the buoyancy per volume is larger than the exposed portion), the buoyancy generated with respect to the entire swing member 32 still surpasses gravity, and the position of the swing member 32 does not change. Thereafter, when the amount of ink further decreases and a part of the float portion 43 is exposed from the ink liquid, the buoyancy and gravity generated with respect to the swing member 32 are balanced. (In this embodiment, when the arm portion 41, the light blocking portion 42, and the branch arm portion 44 are completely exposed from the ink liquid surface and a part of the float portion 43 is also exposed, the gravity generated in the swing member 32 is reduced. The volume of each of these elements is set so that the buoyancy is balanced.) Thereafter, the float portion 43 moves downward following the ink level as the ink decreases. Thereby, the swing member 32 swings counterclockwise. As a result, when the light blocking unit 42 moves downward in FIG. 3 and the arm unit 41 swings counterclockwise by a certain amount, the light blocking unit 42 does not block the light emitted from the light emitting unit 1014a. This light reaches the light receiving unit 1014b. Accordingly, the optical sensor 1014 (see FIG. 6) detects that the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 111 has decreased. Then, a warning for prompting replacement of the ink cartridge is given by a display means (not shown).

  Further, when the amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 111 decreases, the arm portion 41 further swings counterclockwise. However, when the arm portion 41 swings counterclockwise, the lower end of the light blocking portion 42 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the internal space 140a of the protruding portion 140 at a certain point (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3). Contact. This prevents the arm portion 41 from swinging further counterclockwise. That is, the arm portion 41 can swing in a range between a position where the upper end of the light blocking portion 42 contacts the upper surface of the internal space 140a and a position where the lower end of the light blocking portion 42 contacts the lower surface of the inner space 140a. It has become. When the arm portion 41 swings within this range, the fulcrum 41a is always located below the light blocking portion 42, and the float portion 43 is always below the light blocking portion 42 and the fulcrum 41a. positioned. As a result, when the float unit 43 reliably lowers the ink level in the ink storage chamber 111, that is, when the ink in the ink storage chamber 111 is surely reduced, the light blocking unit 42 emits the light emitting unit 1014a. The light emitted from will not be blocked. However, the height of the float portion 43 (the height of the ink surface) at the time when the light blocking portion 42 does not block the light emitted from the light emitting portion 1014a is the upper end of the ink outlet 116a of the ink supply path 116 described later. Higher than. Thus, it is possible to reliably detect that the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 111 has decreased before ink cannot be supplied from the ink supply path 116 to the printer 1000. Here, since the rocking member 32 as a whole has a mass per unit volume smaller than that of the ink in the ink storage chamber 111, the rocking member 32 rocks following the ink level reliably.

  Here, the case where the swing member 32 of the present embodiment is compared with the conventional swing member 50 in the schematic views of the swing members 32 and 50 in FIGS. 5A and 5B will be described. If the distance between the fulcrum 41 and the light blocking part 42 and the distance between the fulcrum 51 and the light blocking part 52 are made equal in order to make the moving distances of the light blocking parts 42 and 52 equal, FIG. As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the float portion 53 is provided on the opposite side of the light shielding portion 52 with respect to the fulcrum 51a, while the float portion 43 is provided between the fulcrum 41a and the light shielding portion 42. When the arm portion 41 is provided, the arm portion 41 does not need to be extended to the opposite side of the light blocking portion 42 with respect to the fulcrum 41 a unlike the arm portion 51, and the arm portion 41 can be made shorter than the arm portion 51. Thereby, the rocking | swiveling member 32 can be reduced in size. Furthermore, in the oscillating member 32, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), the float portion 43 is arranged at the tip of the branch arm portion 44 branched from the arm portion 41, so that the conventional member shown in FIG. It is possible to detect that the remaining amount of ink has decreased when the liquid level in the ink storage chamber 111 is lower than the case.

  Returning to FIG. 4, an ink supply path 116 is formed below the protrusion 140 of the side wall 161, and an air introduction path 117 is formed above the protrusion 140 of the side wall 161. In the state shown in FIG. 4 (installed state), the ink supply path 116 and the air introduction path 117 extend in the horizontal direction, and a valve capable of opening and closing the ink outlet 116 a of the ink supply path 116 is provided inside the ink supply path 116. The mechanism 500 is accommodated, and the atmosphere introduction mechanism 510 capable of opening and closing the atmosphere introduction port 117 a of the atmosphere introduction path 117 is accommodated in the atmosphere introduction path 117. The ink supply path 116 and the valve mechanism 500 constitute the ink supply section 120, and the atmosphere introduction path 117 and the atmosphere introduction mechanism 510 constitute the atmosphere introduction section 130.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the ink supply path 116 communicates with the valve accommodating portion 800 in which a part of the valve mechanism 500 is accommodated with the valve accommodating portion 800 through the communicating hole 421, and with the ink through the communicating hole 423. The ink supply chamber 801 communicates with the storage chamber 111, and the flow path from the ink supply chamber 801 to the ink outlet 116a through the communication hole 421 and the valve storage portion 800 extends in the horizontal direction as a whole. In the ink supply path 116, the ink in the ink storage chamber 111 flows into the ink supply chamber 801 through the communication hole 423, and further flows into the valve storage unit 800 through the communication hole 421.

  The valve mechanism 500 will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 4, the valve mechanism 500 includes a supply cap 600, a supply joint 610, a supply valve 620, a first supply spring 630, a supply slider 640, a second supply spring 650, and a valve seat 660. , A check valve 670 and a cover 680 are provided.

  The supply cap 600 is attached in the vicinity of the ink outlet 116 a of the ink supply path 116. The supply joint 610 is made of a resin material having elasticity such as rubber, and a horizontally extending through hole 610a into which the ink extraction tube 1015 (see FIG. 6) of the printer 1000 (see FIG. 6) is inserted is substantially at the center. And the peripheral edge of the ink outlet 116a of the ink supply path 116 is closed. The supply valve 620 is pressed leftward in the drawing by the second supply spring 650 when the ink cartridge 1 is not attached to the printer 1000, and the right wall of the supply joint 610 is in contact with the left wall surface in the drawing. Thus, the through hole 610a is closed. On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the printer 1000, the supply joint 610 is moved to the right in the drawing by being pressed by an ink extraction tube 1015 described later, and between the supply valve 620 and the supply valve 620. Since there is a gap, the ink supply path 116 (valve storage portion 800) and the ink extraction tube 1015 communicate with each other, and ink can be supplied to the printer 1000. In this manner, the ink outlet 116a of the ink supply path 116 is opened and closed.

  The first supply spring 630 sandwiches the supply slider 640 with the second supply spring 650. The supply slider 640 covers the right side of the supply valve 620 and is operable in the moving direction of the supply valve 620 pressed by the ink extraction pipe 1015 (the left-right direction in FIG. 4). The second supply spring 650 is housed in the supply slider 640 and is formed of the same material and shape as the first supply spring 630 and presses the supply slider 640 to the left. The valve seat 660 contacts the second supply spring 650 and supports the check valve 670. The check valve 670 is provided in the vicinity of the communication hole 421 and prevents back flow of ink in the communication hole 421. The cover 680 covers the check valve 670 with the valve seat 660.

  The air introduction path 117 extends in the horizontal direction, and a large tree introduction mechanism storage unit 810 in which a part of the air introduction mechanism 510 is stored, and a communication hole 434 that communicates the air introduction mechanism storage unit 810 with the ink storage chamber 111. Have

  The atmosphere introduction mechanism 510 will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 4, the atmospheric introduction mechanism 510 includes an atmospheric cap 700, an atmospheric joint 710, an atmospheric valve 720, a first atmospheric spring 730, an atmospheric slider 740, and a second atmospheric spring 750. .

  The atmosphere cap 700 is attached to the atmosphere introduction port 117 a of the atmosphere introduction path 117. The atmosphere joint 710 is made of a resin material having elasticity such as rubber, and has a through hole 710a extending in the horizontal direction at a substantially central portion, and closes the peripheral edge of the atmosphere introduction port 117a. The supply valve 720 is pressed to the left in the drawing by the second supply spring 750 when the ink cartridge 1 is not attached to the printer 1000, and the right wall of the supply joint 710 in contact with the left wall in the drawing. Thus, the through hole 710a is closed. On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the printer 1000, the protruding portion 720a protruding from the left end of the atmospheric valve 720 to the outside of the ink introduction port 117a is pressed by coming into contact with a mounting surface 1013 (see FIG. 6) described later. Then, it moves to the right in the figure, and a gap is formed between the atmospheric joint 710 and the atmospheric valve 720, so that the atmospheric introduction path 117 communicates with an atmospheric introduction path 1013b, which will be described later, and the atmosphere can be introduced. In this manner, the air introduction port 117a of the air introduction path 117 is opened and closed.

  The first atmospheric spring 730 sandwiches the atmospheric slider 740 with the second atmospheric spring 750. The atmospheric slider 740 covers the right side of the atmospheric valve 720 and can be operated in the moving direction of the atmospheric valve 720 pressed in contact with the wall surface of the mounting surface 1013 (the left-right direction in FIG. 4). The second atmospheric spring 750 is housed in the atmospheric slider 740 and is formed of the same material and shape as the first atmospheric spring 730 and presses the atmospheric slider 740 to the left.

  Next, a method for mounting the ink cartridge 1 to the printer 1000 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method for mounting the ink cartridge 1 to the printer 1000.

  Before describing the method of mounting the ink cartridge 1 to the printer 1000, first, the mounting portion of the ink cartridge 1 of the printer 1000 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the mounting portion 1010 on the printer 1000 side protrudes from the mounting portion 1010 of the ink cartridge 1 in a substantially vertical direction (right direction in FIG. 6), and the locking portions 217a and 227b of the outer case 200 The locking rod 1011 to be locked and the first case welded portions 216 and 226 of the outer case 200 are supported from below, and the support portion 1012 formed in a concave shape according to the shape of the first case welded portions 216 and 226. And. The locking rod 1011 has a convex portion 1011a that protrudes toward the support portion 1012 and is formed in substantially the same shape as the locking portions 217a and 227a.

  An optical sensor 1014 is disposed on the mounting surface 1013 of the ink cartridge 1 of the mounting unit 1010. The optical sensor 1014 is formed in a substantially U-shape, and one end (front side in FIG. 6) of which the U-shape is opened is a light emitting unit 1014a that emits light, and the other (in FIG. 6). The end on the back side of the drawing is a light receiving unit 1014b that receives light. The light emitting portion 1014a and the light receiving portion 1014b are attached so as to protrude from the mounting surface 1013 so as to be inserted through the through holes formed by the case notches 213 and 223 and the protruding portion 140, respectively. The light sensor 1014 outputs a signal to a control board (not shown) provided in the printer 1000 when the light receiving unit 1014b receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit 1014a, and the light emitted from the light emitting unit 1014a. Is a light transmission type optical sensor that does not output a signal to the control board when the light receiving unit 1014b does not receive this light. When this signal is not output to the control board, printing is possible. When this signal is output to the control board, a warning is given to prompt the user to replace the ink cartridge by a display means (not shown).

  In addition, an ink extraction tube 1015 protrudes from the side corresponding to the ink supply unit 120 of the mounting surface 1013 (the lower side in FIG. 6A), while the side corresponding to the air introduction unit 130 of the mounting surface 1013 ( In FIG. 6A, the mounting surface 1013 is formed as a flat surface. An ink flow path 1013a is connected to the ink extraction tube 1015, and ink is supplied to the printer 1000 through the ink flow path 1013a. An atmosphere introduction path 1013 b is formed on the mounting surface 1013 on the atmosphere introduction unit 130 side, and the atmosphere is introduced into the ink storage chamber 111 through the atmosphere introduction path 1013 b.

  Further, on both sides of the mounting surface 1013 (on both side ends of the mounting surface 1013 between the locking rod 1011 and the support portion 1012 in FIG. 6A), the case protruding portions 214a and 224a of the outer case 200 and the case protruding. The portions 214b and 224b are loosely inserted, and concave portions 1016a and 1016b corresponding to the outer shapes of the case protruding portions 214a and 224a and the case protruding portions 214b and 224b are formed. Further, the recess 1016b is formed with a fitting rod 1016b1 which is inserted and fitted into a fitting groove formed by the case fitting grooves 214b2 and 224b2 of the outer case 200. When the ink cartridge 1 is mounted, the fitting rod 1016b1 is inserted into the fitting groove formed by the case fitting grooves 214b2 and 224b2. That is, the shape of the case protrusion formed by the case protrusions 214a and 224a of the outer case 200 and the case protrusion formed by the case protrusions 214b and 224b are different, and the shapes of the recesses 1016a and 1016b of the printer 1000 are different. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted upside down, the fitting rod 1016b1 becomes an obstacle and the ink cartridge 1 cannot be mounted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink cartridge 1 from being erroneously mounted, and thus it is possible to prevent the ink supply unit 120 and the air introduction unit 130 from being damaged and the optical sensor 1014 and the ink extraction tube 1015 from being damaged.

  Further, the mounting portion 1010 enters the recesses 216a and 226a of the outer case 200 at the front end side (the left side in FIG. 6A, the end portion on the ink cartridge 1 side) of the support portion 1012 and the engaging portions 216b and 226b. An engaging member 1017 that engages and rotates is provided. The engagement member 1017 includes an engagement end portion 1017 a that engages with the engagement portions 216 b and 226 b of the outer case 200, a shaft support portion 1017 b that is connected to the engagement end portion 1017 a and pivotally supports the engagement member 1017, and a shaft A covering portion 1017c that is connected to the support portion 1017b and covers the opposite side surface of the outer case 200 that faces the mounting portion 1010 is provided. The shaft support portion 1017 b is formed with a convex portion 1017 d that protrudes from the shaft center of the support shaft of the engaging member 1017 in the outer peripheral direction. The convex portion 1017 d is formed in a concave portion 1018 formed in the mounting portion 1010 of the printer 1000. By engaging, the engaging member 1017 is fixed.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, when the ink cartridge 1 (with the protector 300 removed) is attached to the printer 1000, the ink cartridge 1 is placed on the lower side and the air introduction unit 130 is on the upper side. Attach to be. This is because the ink in the ink cartridge 1 (ink storage chamber 111) cannot be used efficiently unless the ink supply unit 120 is positioned below.

  The ink cartridge 1 is in the order of the ink supply unit 120, the protrusion 140, and the air introduction unit 130 from the bottom to the top when mounted on the printer 1000, and further includes the ink supply unit 120, The protrusion 140 and the air introduction part 130 are formed on the same end surface. Therefore, since the ink supply 120, the projecting portion 140, and the air introduction portion 130 are concentrated on the same end surface, the optical sensor 1014, the ink extraction tube 1015 (ink flow path 1013a), and the air that are necessary on the printer 1000 side are provided. The introduction path 1013b can be provided on one surface. Therefore, the printer 1000 can be reduced in size.

  The ink cartridge 1 is inserted so that the case protrusions 214a and 224a (first case welding parts 216 and 226) of the outer case 200 are in contact with the support part 1012, and the first case welding parts 216 and 226 are the support parts. 1012 is performed by pressing to slide on. That is, as shown in FIG. 6A, the ink cartridge 1 is slid in the direction of arrow E. As described above, since the inclined surfaces 214a2 and 224a2 are formed on the case protrusions 214a and 224a, the ink cartridge 1 can be smoothly inserted onto the support portion 1012 by the inclined surfaces 214a2 and 224a2. it can.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, when the ink cartridge 1 is pushed in the direction of the mounting portion 1010 (leftward in FIG. 6B), the locking rod 1011 is pushed by the second case welding portions 217 and 227. , Elastic deformation in a direction away from the support portion 1012. Further, the engagement end portion 1017a of the engagement member 1017 enters the recesses 216a and 226a of the outer case 200, and then comes into contact with the engagement portions 216b and 226b. Further, when the ink cartridge 1 is pushed in, the engaging member 1017 rotates upward (in the direction of arrow F in FIG. 6B).

  As shown in FIG. 6C, when the ink cartridge 1 is further pushed in from the state of FIG. 6B (or when the user rotates the engaging member 1017 in the direction of arrow F in FIG. 6B). The convex portion 1011a of the locking rod 1011 is fitted and engaged with the locking portions 217a and 227a of the outer case 200, and the ink cartridge 1 is fixed. Further, in the engaging member 1017, the convex portion 1017d is engaged with the concave portion 1018, and the ink cartridge 1 is also fixed by the engaging member 1017. Therefore, the ink cartridge 1 is prevented from being easily detached due to printing vibration or the like in the state where the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the mounting unit 1010.

  Further, since the ink cartridge 1 is restricted from moving in the vertical direction by the locking rod 1011 and the support portion 1012, the ink cartridge 1 is inserted obliquely, and the optical sensor 1014 and the ink extraction tube 1015 are damaged. Can be prevented.

  Further, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the mounting unit 1010, the ink extraction tube 1015 is inserted into the ink supply unit 120 so that ink can be supplied as described above, and the atmospheric valve 720 of the atmospheric introduction unit 130 is provided. The projecting portion 720a comes into contact with the mounting surface 1013 so that the atmosphere can be introduced as described above, and the optical sensor 1014 is inserted into the through-hole formed by the case notches 213 and 223 and the projecting portion 140, As described above, the ink remaining amount can be detected.

  Further, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the mounting portion 1010, the optical sensor 1014 is inserted into the through hole formed by the case cutout portions 213 and 223 and the protruding portion 140, so that the light emitting portion 1014a of the optical sensor 1014 is inserted. In addition, the light receiving unit 1014b is positioned in the outer case 200. Therefore, damage to the optical sensor 1014 can be reduced, and it can be reduced that dust or dust adheres to the light emitting unit 1014a and the light receiving unit 1014b and is erroneously detected.

  According to the embodiment described above, the float portion 43 is provided at the tip of the branch arm portion 44 protruding from the portion between the light blocking portion 42 and the fulcrum 41a of the arm portion 41. It is not necessary to extend to the side opposite to the light blocking part 42 with respect to the fulcrum 41a, and the arm part 41 can be shortened. Accordingly, the swing member 32 can be reduced in size, and the swing member 32 can be disposed without increasing the size of the ink cartridge 1. Alternatively, since the swing member 32 can be reduced in size, it is possible to minimize the amount of ink that can be stored in the ink storage chamber 111 by providing the swing member 32 as much as possible.

  Further, when the arm portion 41 is within the swingable range, the float portion 43 is always located below the light blocking portion 42 and the fulcrum 41a, so that the float portion 43 has surely come to a low position. In other words, when the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 111 is reliably reduced, it can be detected that the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 111 has decreased. Here, by providing the float portion 43 at the projecting tip of the branch arm portion 44, the float portion 43 can be easily positioned below the light blocking portion 42 and the fulcrum 41a. It is possible to configure the swing member 32 so that the fulcrum 41a is located below the float part 43. However, if the fulcrum 41a is located below the float part 43, the present embodiment Therefore, it is preferable to place the float portion 43 below the fulcrum 41a.

  Further, since the swing member 32 including the arm portion 41, the light blocking portion 42, and the float portion 43 has a smaller mass per unit volume than the ink as a whole, the entire swing member 32 is located in the ink liquid. The buoyancy of sufficient magnitude (buoyancy sufficiently large with respect to gravity) can be generated at a time (when the remaining amount of ink is large). Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility of erroneous detection that the swinging member 32 swings and the remaining amount of ink is reduced when receiving external vibration.

  Further, the volume ratio of the float portion 43 in the swing member 32 is increased, and a space filled with air is provided inside the float portion 43, so that the mass per unit volume of the float portion 43 is reduced. By making it smaller than the other portions, it is possible to balance the buoyancy generated in the swing member 32 and the gravity when the ink level is sufficiently lowered. Therefore, since the swing member 32 can be swung when the remaining amount of ink becomes small, the remaining amount of ink can be reduced.

  The ink storage chamber 111 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped case 110, and the ink supply channel 116, the standby introduction channel 117, and the protruding portion 140 are formed in a concentrated manner on the left side wall of the case 110. Therefore, the optical sensor 1014 and the ink extraction tube 1015 necessary for the printer 1000 can be provided on one surface, and the printer 1000 can be downsized.

  Next, modified examples in which various changes are made to the present invention will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the upper end of the light blocking portion 42 contacts the upper surface of the internal space 140 a of the protruding portion 140, so that the arm portion 41 is restricted from swinging clockwise more than a certain amount. However, the arm portion 41 is not limited to this, but the arm portion 41 is provided on the wall surface of the ink storage chamber 111. The arm portion 41 is restricted from swinging, for example, a protrusion is formed that contacts the arm portion 41 when it swings a certain amount clockwise or counterclockwise and prevents the arm portion 41 from further swinging. Means for this may be provided separately.

  In the present embodiment, the fulcrum 41a is always positioned below the light blocking portion 42 when the oscillating member 32 is within the range of oscillating. However, the present invention is not limited to this. 41a may always be located above the light blocking part 42. Alternatively, the fulcrum 41a is located at a height between the position when the light blocking section 42 is at the uppermost position and the position when the light blocking section 42 is at the lowest position, and the light blocking section 42 is at a predetermined position. The fulcrum 41a is located below the light blocking part 42 when the fulcrum 41a is positioned above the light blocking part 42, and the fulcrum 41a is positioned above the light blocking part 42 when the light blocking part is positioned below the predetermined position. It may be configured as follows.

  In the present embodiment, the fulcrum 41 a is formed on the arm portion 41 of the swing member 32, and the fulcrum 41 a is supported by the bearing of the support base 31. However, the swing member 32 is pivotally supported by the support base 31. Any configuration may be used, and a configuration in which a fulcrum is formed on the support base 31 and a bearing is formed on the swing member 32 may be employed.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the present invention is applied to the ink cartridge in which the ink supply channel 116 is provided on the side surface of the case 110 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an ink storage chamber is formed, for example. The present invention can also be applied to an ink cartridge in which the ink supply channel 116 is formed on the bottom surface of the case.

It is a perspective view of the ink cartridge which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a side view of the ink reservoir in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3. (A) is the figure which represented typically the rocking | fluctuation member of FIG. 3, (b) is the figure which represented typically the rocking | fluctuation member of the conventional structure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method for mounting the ink cartridge of FIG. 1 on a printer.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink cartridge 32 Swing member 41 Arm part 41a Support point 42 Light blocking part 43 Float part 44 Branch arm part 110 Case 111 Ink storage chamber 116 Ink supply path 116a Ink outlet 140 Protrusion part 1000 Printer 1014 Optical sensor 1014a Light emitting part 1014b Light receiving part

Claims (5)

An ink storage chamber in which ink is stored, and a swinging member provided in the ink storage chamber and supported to be swingable about a fulcrum, are stored in the ink storage chamber when mounted on a printer. An ink cartridge for supplying ink to a printer,
The swing member is
A light blocking part having light blocking properties;
A pivot that is the fulcrum when supported in a swingable manner in the ink reservoir;
An arm portion connecting the light blocking portion and the pivot portion;
A branch arm portion that branches off and protrudes from a portion between the light blocking portion and the pivot portion of the arm portion;
Provided at the protruding tip of the branch arm part, and has a float part whose mass per unit volume is smaller than that of ink,
Oscillating regulating means for regulating oscillating in a direction in which the oscillating member oscillates due to buoyancy generated when the float portion is located in the ink;
The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the swinging member is always positioned below the light blocking portion within a swingable range when the swinging member is in a mounting posture when mounted on the printer.   The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the entire swing member has a mass per unit volume smaller than that of ink.   3. The ink according to claim 1, wherein the float portion is always positioned below the pivot support portion within a range in which the swing member can swing when in the mounting posture. 4. cartridge. The ink storage chamber is formed inside a rectangular parallelepiped case, and this case has an ink outlet on the lower side on one side wall when in the mounting posture, and above the ink, A light-transmitting protrusion having an internal space communicating with the storage chamber is formed,
The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the swing restricting unit is formed by an upper surface of an internal space of the projecting portion.   The printer includes a light transmission type optical sensor having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, and the protruding portion is provided at a position sandwiched between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion when mounted on the printer. The ink cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the ink cartridge is provided.

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