JP2008044197A - Liquid container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid container which can stably maintain the quality of liquid for a longer time by preventing the evaporation of moisture in the liquid held in a liquid containing chamber, and the deterioration of the liquid quality caused by contact between the liquid and air introduced into the liquid containing chamber. <P>SOLUTION: A thin communicating passage 360 is formed thinner than other communicating passages halfway of an atmosphere communicating path 150 which introduces the air from the outside into the liquid containing chamber 370 accompanied by the consumption of an ink I in the liquid containing chamber 370. The thin communicating passage 360 can hold at least a part of the ink I contained in the liquid containing chamber 370 by a meniscus. The ink I of a quantity that can block the ink I contained in the liquid containing chamber 370 from the atmosphere is held in the thin communicating passage 360, whereby the evaporation of the moisture in the ink in the upper liquid containing chamber 370 and the contact to the air are suppressed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an atmosphere-opening type liquid container that supplies liquid stored in a container body that is detachably attached to the liquid consuming device to the liquid consuming device.

  Examples of conventional liquid storage containers and liquid consuming devices include, for example, an air release type ink cartridge storing ink liquid and an ink jet recording apparatus (ink jet printer) on which the ink cartridge is replaceably mounted. it can.

  The ink cartridge is generally an ink storage chamber in which ink is filled in a container body that is detachably mounted on a cartridge mounting portion of an ink jet recording apparatus, and liquid stored in the ink storage chamber is an ink jet type. An ink supply unit for supplying to the recording apparatus, an ink guide path communicating with the ink storage chamber and the ink supply unit, and air from outside is introduced into the ink storage chamber as the ink in the ink storage chamber is consumed. And an atmosphere communication passage that is configured to include an ink supply needle mounted on the cartridge mounting portion when the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion of the ink jet recording apparatus. Thus, the stored ink can be supplied to the recording head of the ink jet recording apparatus.

  The recording head in the ink jet recording apparatus controls the ejection of ink droplets using heat and vibration, and when the ink cartridge runs out of ink and the ink ejection operation occurs without ink being supplied, It breaks down. Therefore, in the ink jet recording apparatus, it is necessary to monitor the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge so that the recording head does not run idle.

  From such a background, the remaining amount of ink stored in the container main body is kept so that the ink stored in the ink cartridge is not completely used up and the recording head of the recording apparatus is not emptied. An ink cartridge including a liquid remaining amount sensor that outputs a predetermined electrical signal when consumed up to a preset threshold value has been developed (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-146030 A

By the way, since the ink storage chamber in the conventional air release type ink cartridge is always open to the atmosphere by the atmosphere communication path, the water in the ink stored in the ink storage chamber evaporates from the atmosphere communication path, If the viscosity of the ink increases due to evaporation of moisture, the printing performance of the ink jet recording apparatus may be affected.
In addition, since the atmosphere in the ink storage chamber is naturally ventilated through the air communication path, and the contact between the ink stored in the ink storage chamber and fresh air increases, the contact of the ink with the air in the long term There was also a possibility that the quality deteriorated.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, to prevent an increase in the viscosity of the liquid due to the evaporation of moisture in the liquid through the atmosphere communication path, and to regulate the ventilation of air in the liquid storage chamber. It is an object to provide a liquid storage container that is open to the atmosphere that can suppress deterioration in liquid quality due to contact between the liquid and fresh air, and that can stably maintain the quality of the liquid over a longer period of time.

The object of the present invention is to provide a container body mounted on the liquid consuming device.
A liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid;
A liquid supply unit connected to the liquid consumption device;
A liquid guide path for guiding the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid supply section;
An atmosphere communication path for introducing the atmosphere into the liquid storage chamber from the outside as the liquid in the liquid storage chamber is consumed;
An air open type provided with a liquid remaining amount sensor that is provided in the middle of the liquid guide path and detects that the liquid in the liquid storage chamber has been exhausted by detecting the inflow of gas into the liquid guide path. A liquid container,
In the middle of the atmosphere communication path, a narrow communication path part that is formed thinner than the other communication path part and can hold a part of the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber by a meniscus is provided,
The liquid storage container is characterized in that an amount of liquid capable of blocking the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber from the atmosphere is held in the narrow communication path portion.

  According to the liquid container having the above configuration, the atmosphere communication passage is sealed with the liquid held in the narrow communication portion provided in the middle thereof, so that the atmosphere in the ink storage chamber is not naturally ventilated. The moisture in the liquid stored in the chamber does not evaporate from the atmosphere communication path to the outside, and an increase in the viscosity of the liquid due to the evaporation of moisture can be prevented.

  In addition, when the liquid pressure in the liquid storage chamber decreases due to the consumption of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber, the liquid seal is introduced into the liquid storage chamber by passing the liquid sealed in a liquid state with the external atmosphere in a minute bubble state. Then, the atmospheric pressure in the liquid storage chamber is returned to the atmospheric pressure, but when the atmospheric pressure in the liquid storage chamber does not drop, the external atmosphere is not introduced. That is, since the inflow of the atmosphere into the liquid storage chamber via the atmosphere communication path is restricted to the minimum necessary, the quality deterioration of the liquid due to the contact between the liquid and fresh air can be suppressed. Therefore, the quality of the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber can be stably maintained over a longer period.

In the liquid storage container having the above-described configuration, an atmospheric outlet at one end of the narrow communication path portion is provided in the vicinity of the bottom wall of the liquid storage chamber,
It is desirable that the air inlet at the other end is provided below the bottom wall of the liquid storage chamber.

  According to the liquid storage container having such a configuration, for example, when a predetermined amount of liquid is filled in the liquid storage chamber at the time of manufacture, etc., the liquid pressure in the liquid storage chamber acting on the air outlet is necessary for the thin communication portion. An amount of liquid can be fed and held, and a liquid seal portion can be easily formed in the middle of the air communication path.

Further, in the liquid container having the above-described configuration, it is desirable that the narrow communication path portion is formed in a substantially L shape.
According to the liquid container having such a configuration, the meniscus force generated in the substantially L-shaped bent portion controls the liquid movement with respect to the sealing liquid held in the narrow communication path portion. The liquid sealing state in which the liquid is held in the narrow communication path portion can be stably maintained.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a liquid container according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, as an example of the liquid container, an ink cartridge mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus (printer) that is an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus will be described.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an ink cartridge as an embodiment of a liquid container according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the ink cartridge of this embodiment as viewed from the opposite angle to FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge of the present embodiment, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge of the present embodiment as viewed from the opposite angle to FIG. FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which the ink cartridge of the present embodiment is attached to the carriage, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state immediately before attachment to the carriage, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state immediately after attachment to the carriage. It is.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and stores and stores ink (liquid) I in an ink storage chamber (liquid storage chamber) provided therein. A liquid container. The ink cartridge 1 is mounted on a carriage 200 of an ink jet recording apparatus as an example of a liquid consuming apparatus, and supplies ink to the ink jet recording apparatus (see FIG. 5).

  The appearance characteristics of the ink cartridge 1 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink cartridge 1 has a flat upper surface 1a and is connected to an ink jet recording apparatus on a bottom surface 1b facing the upper surface 1a. An ink supply unit (liquid supply unit) 50 for supplying ink is provided. An air opening hole 100 for introducing air into the ink cartridge 1 is opened on the bottom surface 1b. That is, the ink cartridge 1 is an air release type ink cartridge that supplies ink from the ink supply unit 50 while introducing air from the air release hole 100.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the air opening hole 100 includes a substantially cylindrical concave portion 101 that opens on the bottom surface 1 b from the bottom surface side to the top surface side, and a small hole that opens on the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion 101. 102. The small hole 102 communicates with an atmosphere communication path described later, and the atmosphere is introduced into the uppermost upstream ink storage chamber 370 described later via the small hole 102.

  The concave portion 101 of the air opening hole 100 is configured to have a depth so as to receive the protrusion 230 formed on the carriage 200. The protrusion 230 is a forgetting to peel-off protrusion for preventing forgetting to peel off the sealing film 90 as a closing means for closing the air opening hole 100 in an airtight manner. That is, since the protrusion 230 is not inserted into the atmosphere opening hole 100 in a state where the sealing film 90 is attached, the ink cartridge 1 cannot be attached to the carriage 200. This prevents the user from attaching the ink cartridge 1 to the carriage 200 while the sealing film 90 is stuck on the air opening hole 100, thereby ensuring that the ink cartridge 1 is sealed when the ink cartridge 1 is attached. The film 90 can be prompted to peel off.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an erroneous insertion prevention protrusion for preventing the ink cartridge 1 from being mounted at an incorrect position on the narrow side surface 1 c adjacent to one short side of the upper surface 1 a of the ink cartridge 1. 22 is formed. As shown in FIG. 5, a concave and convex portion 220 corresponding to the erroneous insertion preventing projection 22 is formed on the carriage 200 side serving as a receiver, and the ink cartridge 1 is used only when the erroneous insertion preventing projection 22 and the concave and convex portion 220 do not interfere with each other. Mounted on the carriage 200. The erroneous insertion prevention protrusion 22 has a different shape for each type of ink, and the unevenness 220 on the carriage 200 side serving as a receiver also has a shape corresponding to the corresponding ink type. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, even when the carriage 200 can mount a plurality of ink cartridges, the ink cartridge is not mounted at an incorrect position.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an engagement lever 11 is provided on the narrow side surface 1 d that faces the narrow side surface 1 c of the ink cartridge 1. The engaging lever 11 is formed with a protrusion 11a that engages with a recess 210 formed in the carriage 200 when mounted on the carriage 200, and the protrusion 11a and the recess 210 engage while the engaging lever 11 is bent. As a result, the position of the ink cartridge 1 is fixed with respect to the carriage 200.

  A circuit board 34 is provided below the engagement lever 11. A plurality of electrode terminals 34 a are formed on the circuit board 34, and when these electrode terminals 34 a come into contact with electrode members (not shown) provided on the carriage 200, the ink cartridge 1 is electrically inkjet. Connected to a recording device. The circuit board 34 is provided with a rewritable nonvolatile memory, and stores various information about the ink cartridge 1, ink use information of the ink jet recording apparatus, and the like. Further, a liquid remaining amount sensor (sensor unit) 31 (refer to FIG. 3 or FIG. 4) for detecting the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge 1 using residual vibration is provided on the back side of the circuit board 34. ing. In the following description, the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 and the circuit board 34 are collectively referred to as an ink end sensor 30.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a label 60a indicating the contents of the ink cartridge is attached to the upper surface 1a of the ink cartridge 1. The label 60a is formed by sticking the end portion of the outer surface film 60 covering the wide side surface 1f to the upper surface 1a.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wide side surfaces 1e and 1f adjacent to the two long sides of the upper surface 1a of the ink cartridge 1 have a flat surface shape. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the wide side 1e side will be described as the front side, the wide side 1f side as the back side, the narrow side 1c side as the right side, and the narrow side 1d side as the left side.

Next, each part constituting the ink cartridge 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
The ink cartridge 1 includes a cartridge main body 10 that is a container main body, and a lid member 20 that covers the front side of the cartridge main body 10.

  The cartridge body 10 is formed with ribs 10a having various shapes on the front side thereof, and these ribs 10a partition to form a plurality of ink storage chambers (liquid storage chambers) filled with ink I. In addition, an unfilled chamber that is not filled with ink I, an air chamber located in the middle of an air communication path 150 described later, and the like are partitioned.

  A film 80 that covers the front side of the cartridge body 10 is provided between the cartridge body 10 and the lid member 20, and the upper surfaces of the ribs, recesses, and grooves are closed by the film 80, and a plurality of flow paths and An ink storage chamber, an unfilled chamber, and an air chamber are formed.

Further, on the back side of the cartridge body 10, a differential pressure valve housing chamber 40 a as a recess for housing the differential pressure valve 40 and a gas-liquid separation chamber 70 a as a recess constituting the gas-liquid separation filter 70 are formed.
A valve member 41, a spring 42, and a spring seat 43 are housed in the differential pressure valve housing chamber 40a to constitute the differential pressure valve 40. The differential pressure valve 40 is disposed between the ink supply unit 50 on the downstream side and the ink storage chamber on the upstream side, and the ink supplied to the ink supply unit 50 by depressurizing the downstream side with respect to the upstream side. It is comprised so that I may become a negative pressure.

  A gas-liquid separation film 71 is attached to the upper surface of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a along a bank 70b surrounding an outer periphery provided in the vicinity of the center of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a. The gas-liquid separation membrane 71 is a material that allows gas to pass through and blocks liquid from passing through, and constitutes a gas-liquid separation filter 70 as a whole. The gas-liquid separation filter 70 is provided in the atmosphere communication path 150 that connects the atmosphere opening hole 100 and the ink storage chamber so that the ink I in the ink storage chamber does not flow out of the atmosphere opening hole 100 through the atmosphere communication path 150. It is for making.

  In addition to the differential pressure valve housing chamber 40a and the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a, a plurality of grooves 10b are formed on the back side of the cartridge body 10. These grooves 10b are covered with the outer surface film 60 in the state where the differential pressure valve 40 and the gas-liquid separation filter 70 are configured, so that the openings of the grooves 10b are closed, and the air communication paths 150 and the ink guides are formed. A path is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a sensor chamber 30 a is formed on the right side surface of the cartridge body 10 as a recess for housing each member constituting the ink end sensor 30. The sensor chamber 30a accommodates a remaining liquid sensor 31 and a compression spring 32 that presses and fixes the remaining liquid sensor 31 against the inner wall surface of the sensor chamber 30a. The opening of the sensor chamber 30 a is covered with a cover member 33, and the circuit board 34 is fixed on the outer surface 33 a of the cover member 33. The sensing member of the remaining liquid sensor 31 is connected to the circuit board 34.

The liquid remaining amount sensor 31 includes a cavity that forms part of an ink guide path between the ink storage chamber and the ink supply unit 50, a diaphragm that forms part of the wall surface of the cavity, and a vibration plate on the diaphragm. A piezoelectric element (piezoelectric actuator) for applying vibration is provided, and the presence or absence of ink I in the ink guiding path is detected from residual vibration when vibration is applied to the diaphragm. The liquid remaining amount sensor 31 detects the presence or absence of the ink I in the cartridge body 10 by detecting the difference in the amplitude, frequency, etc. of the residual vibration between the ink I and the gas (the bubble B mixed in the ink). To do.
Specifically, when the ink I in the ink storage chamber in the cartridge main body 10 is exhausted and the air introduced into the ink storage chamber enters the cavity of the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 through the ink guide path, This is detected from the change in the amplitude and frequency of the residual vibration and an electrical signal indicating the ink end is output.

  On the bottom surface side of the cartridge body 10, in addition to the ink supply unit 50 and the air opening hole 100 described above, as shown in FIG. Are formed in the pressure reducing hole 110, a recess 95 a constituting an ink guide path from the ink storage chamber to the ink supply unit 50, and a buffer chamber 30 b provided below the ink end sensor 30.

  The ink supply unit 50, the air opening hole 100, the decompression hole 110, the recess 95a, and the buffer chamber 30b are all opened by the sealing films 54, 90, 98, 95, and 35 immediately after the ink cartridge is manufactured. It is in a sealed state. Among these, the sealing film 90 that seals the air opening hole 100 is peeled off by the user before the ink cartridge is mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus and put into use. As a result, the atmosphere opening hole 100 is exposed to the outside, and the ink storage chamber inside the ink cartridge 1 communicates with the outside air via the atmosphere communication path 150.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the sealing film 35 attached to the outer surface of the ink supply unit 50 is broken by the ink supply needle 240 on the ink jet recording apparatus side when mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus. It is configured to be.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ink supply unit 50 includes an annular seal member 51 that is pressed against the outer surface of the ink supply needle 240 when attached, and a seal member 51 that is not attached to the printer. A spring seat 52 that closes the ink supply unit 50 and a compression spring 53 that urges the spring seat 52 in the contact direction of the seal member 51.

  6 and 7, when the ink supply needle 240 is inserted into the ink supply unit 50, the inner periphery of the seal member 51 and the outer periphery of the ink supply needle 240 are sealed, and the ink supply unit 50 and the ink supply are supplied. The gap between the needle 240 is sealed in a liquid-tight manner. Further, the tip of the ink supply needle 51 comes into contact with the spring seat 52, pushes the spring seat 52 upward, and the seal between the spring seat 52 and the seal member 51 is released, so that the ink supply portion 50 moves to the ink supply needle 240. Ink can be supplied.

Next, the internal structure of the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
8 is a view of the cartridge main body 10 of the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment as viewed from the front side, and FIG. 9 is a view of the cartridge main body 10 of the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment as viewed from the rear side. (A) of FIG. 8 is a simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 8, (b) of FIG. 10 is a simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is an AA sectional view of FIG. FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the flow path shown in FIG.

In the ink cartridge 11 of the present embodiment, as the main ink storage chamber filled with the ink I, the upper ink storage chamber 370 and the lower ink storage chamber 390 divided into two upper and lower portions, and the upper and lower ink storage chambers are provided. Three ink storage chambers including a buffer chamber 430 positioned so as to be sandwiched are formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10 (see FIG. 10).
Further, an air communication path 150 is formed on the back side of the cartridge body 10 to introduce air into the upper ink storage chamber 370 that is the most upstream ink storage chamber according to the amount of ink I consumed.

  The ink storage chambers 370 and 390 and the buffer chamber 430 are divided by the rib 10a. In the case of the present embodiment, each of these ink storage chambers extends in the horizontal direction and is recessed 374, 394, 434 having a shape recessed downward in a part of the rib 10a that becomes the bottom wall of the storage chamber. Is formed.

  The depression 374 is a depression of a part of the bottom wall 375 formed by the rib 10 a of the upper ink storage chamber 370. The recess 394 is recessed in the cartridge thickness direction by the bottom wall 395 and the bulging portion of the wall surface by the rib 10a of the lower ink storage chamber 390. The recess 434 is obtained by recessing a part of the bottom wall 435 by the rib 10a of the buffer chamber 430 downward.

Ink drains 371, 311, and 432 communicating with the ink guiding path 380, the upstream ink end sensor communication channel 400, and the ink guiding path 440 are provided at or near the bottoms of the recesses 374, 394, and 434. ing.
The ink discharge ports 371 and 432 are through holes that penetrate through the wall surface of each ink storage chamber in the thickness direction of the cartridge body 10. The ink discharge port 311 is a through hole penetrating the bottom wall 395 downward.

  One end of the ink guide path 380 communicates with the ink discharge port 371 of the upper ink storage chamber 370 and the other end communicates with the ink inlet 391 provided in the lower ink storage chamber 390. This is a communication flow path for guiding the ink I to the lower ink storage chamber 390. The ink guide path 380 is provided so as to extend vertically downward from the ink discharge port 371 of the upper ink storage chamber 370, and the flow direction of the ink I in the communication flow path is a downward flow from the top to the bottom. The pair of liquid storage chambers 370 and 390 are connected to each other by a descending connection.

One end of the ink guide path 420 communicates with the ink discharge port 312 of the cavity in the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 located downstream of the lower ink storage chamber 390 and the other end of the ink inlet 431 provided in the buffer chamber 430. The ink I in the lower ink storage chamber 390 is guided to the buffer chamber 430. The ink guide path 420 is provided so as to extend obliquely upward from the ink discharge port 312 of the cavity in the liquid remaining amount sensor 31, and the flow direction of the ink I in the communication flow path is from bottom to top. A pair of ink storage chambers 390 and 430 are connected to each other by an ascending connection that forms an upward flow.
That is, in the cartridge main body 10 of the present embodiment, the three ink storage chambers 370, 390, 430 are connected in series to alternately repeat the descending connection and the ascending connection.

The ink guide path 440 is an ink flow path that guides ink from the ink discharge port 432 of the buffer chamber 430 to the differential pressure valve 40.
In the case of the present embodiment, the ink inlets 391 and 431 of the respective ink storage chambers are above the ink discharge ports 371 and 311 provided in the respective storage chambers in the respective ink storage chambers. It is provided in the vicinity of the bottom walls 375, 395, 435 of the storage chamber.

Hereinafter, an ink guiding path from the upper ink storage chamber 370, which is the main ink storage chamber, to the ink supply unit 50 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The upper ink storage chamber 370 is the most upstream (uppermost) ink storage chamber in the cartridge main body 10, and is formed on the front side of the cartridge main body 10 as shown in FIG. 8. The upper ink storage chamber 370 is an ink storage area that occupies about half of the ink storage chamber, and is formed in a portion above approximately half of the cartridge body 10.

  An ink discharge port 371 communicating with the ink guide path 380 is opened in the recess 374 of the bottom wall 375 of the upper ink storage chamber 370. The ink discharge port 371 is located at a position lower than the bottom wall 375 of the upper ink storage chamber 370. Even if the ink liquid level F in the upper ink storage chamber 370 drops to the bottom wall 375, the ink liquid level F at that time Stable ink derivation is continued at a lower position.

As shown in FIG. 9, the ink guide path 380 is formed on the back side of the cartridge body 10 and guides the ink I from below to the lower ink storage chamber 390.
The lower ink storage chamber 390 is an ink storage chamber into which the ink I stored in the upper ink storage chamber 370 is introduced. As shown in FIG. 8, the lower ink storage chamber 390 is about the ink storage chamber formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10. This is an ink containing area that occupies half of the area, and is formed in the lower half of the cartridge body 10.

  The ink inlet 391 that communicates with the ink guide path 380 opens to a communication channel that is disposed below the bottom wall 395 of the lower ink storage chamber 390, and passes from the upper ink storage chamber 370 through the communication channel. Ink I flows in.

  The lower ink chamber 390 communicates with the upstream ink end sensor communication channel 400 through an ink discharge port 311 that penetrates the bottom wall 395. The upstream side ink end sensor communication channel 400 is formed with a three-dimensional maze channel, which captures the bubbles B and the like that flowed in front of the ink end and flows downstream. It is configured not to flow.

  The upstream ink end sensor communication channel 400 communicates with the downstream ink end sensor communication channel 410 via a through hole (not shown), and the ink I is liquid via the downstream ink end sensor communication channel 410. It is guided to the remaining amount sensor 31.

The ink I guided to the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 passes through a cavity (flow path) in the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 and is formed on the back side of the cartridge main body 10 from the ink discharge port 312 which is an outlet of the cavity. Guided to guideway 420.
The ink guide path 420 is formed so as to guide the ink I obliquely upward from the liquid remaining amount sensor 31, and is connected to an ink inlet 431 that communicates with the buffer chamber 430. Accordingly, the ink I that has exited the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 is guided to the buffer chamber 430 through the ink guide path 420.

  The buffer chamber 430 is a small chamber defined by the rib 10 a between the upper ink storage chamber 370 and the lower ink storage chamber 390, and is formed as an ink storage space immediately before the differential pressure valve 40. The buffer chamber 430 is formed to face the back side of the differential pressure valve 40, and the ink I is supplied to the differential pressure valve 40 via an ink guide path 440 that communicates with an ink discharge port 432 formed in a recess 434 of the buffer chamber 430. Flows in.

  The ink I that has flowed into the differential pressure valve 40 is guided downstream by the differential pressure valve 40, and is guided to the outlet flow channel 450 through the through hole 451. The outlet channel 450 communicates with the ink supply unit 50, and the ink I is supplied to the ink jet recording apparatus side via the ink supply needle 240 inserted into the ink supply unit 50.

  In the case of the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the ink storage chamber (upper ink storage chamber 370, lower ink storage chamber 390, buffer chamber) is disposed on the front side of the cartridge body 10. 430), air chamber (ink trap chamber 340, communication buffer chamber 350), ink guide path (upstream ink end sensor communication channel 400, downstream ink end sensor communication channel 410), and ink I An unfilled chamber 501 that is not filled is defined.

The unfilled chamber 501 is partitioned and formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10 in a region near the hatched left side so as to be sandwiched between the upper ink storage chamber 370 and the lower ink storage chamber 390.
The unfilled chamber 501 is provided with an air opening hole 502 penetrating to the back side in the upper left corner of the inner region, and communicates with the outside air through the air opening hole 502.

  The unfilled chamber 501 is a deaeration chamber in which a negative pressure for deaeration is accumulated when the ink cartridge 1 is packed in a decompression pack. Therefore, before use, the air pressure inside the cartridge body 10 is kept below a specified value by the negative pressure suction force of the unfilled chamber 501 and the decompression pack, and ink I with less dissolved air can be supplied.

Next, the atmosphere communication path 150 from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the upper ink storage chamber 370 will be described with reference to FIGS.
When the ink in the ink cartridge 11 is consumed and the pressure in the ink cartridge 11 decreases, the atmosphere (air) flows from the atmosphere opening hole 100 into the upper ink storage chamber 370 by the amount of the decrease in the stored ink I.

  A small hole 102 provided in the atmosphere opening hole 100 communicates with one end of a serpentine passage 310 formed on the back side of the cartridge body 10. The serpentine path 310 is a meandering path formed so as to increase the distance from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the upper ink storage chamber 370 and suppress the evaporation of moisture in the ink. The other end of the serpentine 310 is connected to the gas-liquid separation filter 70.

A through-hole 322 is formed in the bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a constituting the gas-liquid separation filter 70, and communicates with a space 320 formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10 through the through-hole 322. .
In the gas-liquid separation filter 70, the gas-liquid separation film 71 is disposed between the through hole 322 and the other end of the serpentine 310. The gas-liquid separation membrane 71 is formed by knitting a fiber material having high water and oil repellency into a mesh shape.

  The space 320 is formed at the upper right of the upper ink chamber 370 when viewed from the front side of the cartridge body 10. In the space 320, a through hole 321 opens above the through hole 322. The space 320 communicates with the upper connection channel 330 formed on the back side through the through hole 321.

  The upper connection flow path 330 has a long side from the through hole 321 when viewed from the back side so as to pass through the uppermost side of the ink cartridge 11, that is, the uppermost part in the direction of gravity when the ink cartridge 11 is attached. And a through-hole 341 formed in the vicinity of the through-hole 321 through the upper surface side of the ink cartridge 11 with respect to the flow-path portion 333 by folding back at a turn-back portion 335 near the short side. And a flow path portion 337 extending to the end. The through hole 341 communicates with an ink trap chamber 340 formed on the front side.

  Here, when the upper connecting flow path 330 is viewed from the back side, the flow path portion 337 extending from the folded portion 335 to the through hole 341 has a position 336 where the through hole 341 is formed, and the cartridge thickness direction from the position 336. A concave portion 332 that is deeply dug in position is provided, and a plurality of ribs 331 are formed so as to delimit the concave portion 332. Further, the flow path portion 333 extending from the through hole 321 to the folded portion 335 is formed to be shallower than the flow path portion 337 extending from the folded portion 335 to the through hole 341.

  In the present embodiment, since the upper connection channel 330 is formed at the uppermost portion in the direction of gravity, basically, the ink I does not move beyond the upper connection channel 330 to the atmosphere opening hole 100 side. It is configured. Further, the upper connecting flow path 330 has a width large enough to prevent the backflow of the ink I due to a capillary phenomenon or the like, and the recessed portion 332 is formed in the flow path portion 337, so that the ink I that has flowed back is not allowed to flow. It is configured to be easy to capture.

  The ink trap chamber 340 is a rectangular parallelepiped space formed at the upper right corner of the cartridge body 10 when viewed from the front side. As shown in FIG. 12, the through hole 341 opens near the upper left rear corner of the ink trap chamber 340 when viewed from the front side. Further, a notch portion 342 in which a part of the rib 10a serving as a partition is notched is formed at the right lower front corner of the ink trap chamber 340, and the communication buffer chamber is formed through the notch portion 342. 350 is communicated.

  Here, the ink trap chamber 340 and the communication buffer chamber 350 are air chambers in which the volume in the middle of the atmosphere communication path 150 is expanded, and even if the ink I flows backward from the upper ink storage chamber 370 for some reason, The ink I is retained in the ink trap chamber 340 and the communication buffer chamber 350 so that it does not flow into the atmosphere opening hole 100 as much as possible. Specific roles of the ink trap chamber 340 and the communication buffer chamber 350 will be described later.

  The communication buffer chamber 350 is a space formed below the ink trap chamber 340. The bottom surface 352 of the connection buffer chamber 350 is provided with a decompression hole 110 for releasing air when ink is injected. In addition, a through hole 351 is opened on the thickness direction side in the vicinity of the bottom surface 352 and at the lowest position in the gravitational direction when mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus, and is formed on the back side through the through hole 351. The narrow communication path 360 is communicated.

  The narrow communication path 360 forms a part of the atmosphere communication path 150 that allows the upper ink storage chamber 370 to communicate with the atmosphere opening hole 100. As shown in FIG. And communicates with the upper ink storage chamber 370 through a through-hole 372 opened near the bottom wall of the upper ink storage chamber 370.

  The through hole 372 at one end of the narrow communication path 360 is an atmospheric outlet for introducing outside air into the upper ink storage chamber 370 through the atmospheric communication path 150. The through hole 351 at the other end of the narrow communication path 360 is in communication with the communication buffer chamber 350 and is an air inlet for introducing outside air from the communication buffer chamber 350 to the thin communication path 360.

  In the thin communication path 360 of this embodiment, a through hole 372 that is an air outlet at one end is provided in the vicinity of the bottom wall 375 (see FIG. 10A) of the uppermost ink storage chamber 370, and further. A through hole 351 serving as an air inlet at the other end is provided below the bottom wall 375 of the upper ink storage chamber 370 by a distance H1.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, the narrow communication path 360 is substantially the same as a first communication path 361 that descends from a through hole 372 that is an atmospheric outlet by a distance H1 and a lower end of the first communication path 361. A second communication passage 362 that extends horizontally by a distance L1 and communicates with a through hole 351 that is an air inlet is formed in a substantially L shape.

The narrow communication path 360 formed in a substantially L shape by the first communication path 361 and the second communication path 362 is a communication whose cross section is formed narrower than the other communication path portions constituting the atmosphere communication path 150. A part of the ink I accommodated in the upper ink storage chamber 370 is held in the first communication path 361 and the second communication path 362 by the meniscus.
Since the communication path 360 is thin enough to form a meniscus in all portions, the air inside the upper ink storage chamber 370 expands or contracts due to a temperature change or the like, and the liquid level formed in the communication path 360 moves. The meniscus can be formed at any location in the communication path 360.

  Further, the first communication path described above is set so that the amount of ink retained in the narrow communication path 360 is an appropriate amount that can block the ink I stored in the upper ink storage chamber 370 and the like from the outside atmosphere. A length H1 of 361 and a length L1 of the second communication path 362 are set.

  According to the ink cartridge 1 described above, the atmosphere communication path 150 is liquid-sealed with the ink I held in the narrow communication path 360 provided in the middle thereof, so that it is stored in the upper ink storage chamber 370 and the like. The water in the stored ink I does not evaporate from the atmosphere communication path 150 to the outside, and an increase in the viscosity of the ink I due to the evaporation of the water can be prevented.

  In addition, the liquid sealing in the narrow communication path 360 is liquid-sealed in the form of fine bubbles in the outside atmosphere when the air pressure in the upper ink storage chamber 370 decreases due to the consumption of the ink I in the upper ink storage chamber 370. The ink is passed through and introduced into the upper ink storage chamber 370, and the atmospheric pressure in the upper ink storage chamber 370 is returned to atmospheric pressure. However, when the atmospheric pressure in the upper ink storage chamber 370 does not drop, external air is introduced. There is nothing.

  That is, since the inflow of the atmosphere into the ink storage chamber 370 through the atmosphere communication path 150 is regulated to the minimum necessary, the quality deterioration of the ink I due to the contact between the ink I and fresh air can be suppressed. . Therefore, the quality of the ink I stored in each ink storage chamber 370, 390, 430 can be stably maintained over a longer period.

  In addition, in the case of the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, the narrow communication path 360 that performs liquid sealing has a through hole 372 that is an air outlet at one end provided in the vicinity of the bottom wall 375 of the upper ink storage chamber 370. A through hole 351, which is an air inlet at the end, is provided below the bottom wall 375 of the upper ink storage chamber 370 by a distance H1.

  Therefore, for example, when a predetermined amount of ink I is filled in the cartridge main body 10 at a factory or the like, it is necessary for the portion of the narrow communication path 360 with the liquid pressure of the ink I in the upper ink storage chamber 370 that acts on the air outlet. An amount of ink I can be fed and held, and a liquid seal portion can be easily formed in the middle of the air communication path 150.

  In the case of the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, the portion of the narrow communication path 360 is formed in a substantially L shape, so that the ink I for sealing stored in the portion of the thin communication path 360 is used. The meniscus force generated in the substantially L-shaped bent portion exerts a holding force that restricts the movement (back flow) of the ink I, and the liquid sealing state in which the ink I is held in the portion of the narrow communication path 360 is maintained for a longer period of time. It can be kept stable.

  In the above embodiment, three ink storage chambers are defined in one cartridge main body. However, the number of ink storage chambers provided in the cartridge main body can be set to an arbitrary number of two or more. As the number of chambers increases, the bubble traps are multiplexed, and the performance of preventing the bubbles B from moving downstream is improved.

The use of the liquid container of the present invention is not limited to the ink cartridge shown in the above embodiment. Further, the liquid consuming apparatus provided with the container mounting portion to which the liquid container of the present invention is mounted is not limited to the ink jet recording apparatus shown in the above embodiment.
The liquid consuming device includes a container mounting portion on which a liquid storage container is detachably mounted, and various devices in which the liquid stored in the liquid storage container is supplied to the device are applicable. For example, an apparatus having a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, an apparatus having an electrode material (conductive paste) ejecting head used for forming an electrode such as an organic EL display and a surface emitting display (FED), Examples thereof include an apparatus equipped with a bio-organic substance ejecting head used for biochip production, an apparatus equipped with a sample ejecting head as a precision pipette, and the like.

1 is an external perspective view of an ink cartridge as an embodiment of a liquid container according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of an ink cartridge as an embodiment of the present invention viewed from an angle opposite to that in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an ink cartridge as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention when viewed from an angle opposite to that in FIG. 3. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state where an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to a carriage of an ink jet recording apparatus. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state immediately before the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the invention is attached to the carriage. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state immediately after the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the invention is attached to the carriage. It is the figure which looked at the cartridge main body of the ink cartridge as one Embodiment of this invention from the front side. It is the figure which looked at the cartridge main body of the ink cartridge as one embodiment of the present invention from the back side. (A) is the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 8, (b) is the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the flow path structure in the cartridge main body shown in FIG. 8.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ink cartridge (liquid container), 10 ... Cartridge main body (container main body), 20 ... Lid member, 30 ... Ink end sensor, 31 ... Liquid residual amount sensor, 40 ... Differential pressure valve, 50 ... Ink supply part (liquid supply) Part), 70 ... gas-liquid separation filter, 80 ... film, 100 ... atmosphere opening hole, 150 ... atmosphere communication path, 200 ... carriage, 330 ... upper connection channel, 340 ... ink trap chamber (air chamber), 350 ... connection Buffer chamber (air chamber), 360 ... narrow communication passage, 361 ... first communication passage, 362 ... second communication passage, 370 ... upper ink storage chamber (liquid storage chamber), 371, 311, 432 ... ink discharge port (liquid) Discharge port), 374, 394, 434 ... depression, 375, 395, 435 ... bottom wall of liquid storage chamber, 380 ... ink guide path (liquid guide path), 390 ... lower ink storage chamber (liquid Storage chamber), 391, 431 ... ink inlet (liquid inlet), 400 ... upstream ink end sensor communication channel (liquid guide channel), 410 ... downstream ink end sensor communication channel (liquid guide channel), 420 ... ink guide path (liquid guide path), 430 ... buffer chamber (liquid storage chamber), 501 ... unfilled chamber (deaeration chamber), B ... air bubbles, I ... ink (liquid)

Claims (2)

In the container body attached to the liquid consumption device,
A liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid;
A liquid supply unit connected to the liquid consumption device;
A liquid guide path for guiding the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid supply section;
An atmosphere communication path for introducing the atmosphere into the liquid storage chamber from the outside as the liquid in the liquid storage chamber is consumed;
An air open type provided with a liquid remaining amount sensor that is provided in the middle of the liquid guide path and detects that the liquid in the liquid storage chamber has been exhausted by detecting the inflow of gas into the liquid guide path. A liquid container,
In the middle of the atmosphere communication path, a narrow communication path part that is formed thinner than the other communication path part and can hold a part of the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber by a meniscus is provided,
An amount of liquid capable of blocking the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber from the atmosphere is held in the narrow communication path portion. An air outlet at one end of the narrow communication passage portion is provided near the bottom wall of the liquid storage chamber,
The liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein an air inlet at the other end is provided below the bottom wall of the liquid storage chamber.

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