JP2008044198A - Liquid injection method and liquid container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid injection method of a liquid container in which a liquid can be injected without various functions of the liquid container being damaged, and to provide the liquid container. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid container of an atmosphere open type is equipped in a container body 10 with an ink containing part, an ink supply part, an ink guiding path which guides an ink I stored in the ink containing part to the ink supply part, and an atmosphere communicating path. A liquid residual quantity sensor which detects that a liquid residual quantity in the ink containing part becomes zero by detecting inflow of a gas into the ink guiding path is set halfway of the ink guiding path. At the same time, a bubble trapping passage 713 which captures bubbles mixed in the ink I is prepared in an upstream side ink end sensor connecting passage 400 between a detection position by the liquid residual quantity sensor and the ink containing part. The ink cartridge is constituted by forming an injection port to communicate with the liquid containing part in the atmosphere communicating path for the liquid container, injecting a predetermined quantity of the ink from the injection port, and sealing the injection port after the ink is injected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid injection method and a liquid storage container for injecting a liquid into an air release type liquid storage container suitable as an ink cartridge that can be attached to and detached from, for example, an ink jet printer.

  As an ink cartridge (liquid storage container) that can be attached to and detached from a liquid consuming apparatus such as an ink jet printer, an ink storage part (liquid storage part) that stores ink in a container body that can be attached to and detached from the printer, and a print head ( An ink supply section (liquid supply section) connected to the liquid ejection section), an ink guide path (liquid guide path) for guiding ink stored in the ink storage section to the ink supply section, and consumption of ink in the ink storage section Along with this, various types of open-air types including an atmospheric communication path for introducing atmospheric air into the ink storage portion from the outside have been proposed.

  Some ink cartridges of this type are provided with an ink remaining amount detection mechanism (liquid detection unit) in which a sensor having a piezoelectric vibrator is arranged at a reference height in a liquid storage unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ). In this ink remaining amount detection mechanism, the ink level of the liquid storage unit drops to the reference height due to ink consumption by the printing process, and the outside air introduced into the liquid storage unit from the atmosphere communication path as the ink is consumed is detected by the sensor. When the position is reached, the ink level has dropped to the reference height due to changes in the vibration characteristics (residual vibration) when the sensor area is filled with ink and when the sensor is in contact with air. It is to detect.

  That is, by vibrating the vibration part of a piezoelectric device or actuator having a piezoelectric element provided in the liquid storage part and then measuring the counter electromotive force generated by the residual vibration remaining in the vibration part, the resonance frequency or the counter electromotive force waveform is measured. The change of the acoustic impedance is detected by detecting the amplitude of. This detection signal is used to display the remaining amount of ink and to notify the cartridge replacement time.

JP 2001-146019 A

  By the way, since the ink cartridge is a container formed with a high precision composed of a large number of parts, if the ink is exhausted, discarding it as it is is a waste of useful resources, which is a large economic loss. End up. Therefore, it is desired to reinject ink into a used ink cartridge for reproduction.

  However, conventional ink cartridges incorporate an ink injection process in the middle of the assembly process, and the same ink injection method cannot be used in many cases after the completion of the ink cartridge assembly. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an ink injection method that realizes ink filling without using an ink injection method for assembling a new ink cartridge.

  However, recent ink cartridges have a check valve that adjusts the ink pressure supplied to the ink supply unit and prevents backflow from the ink supply unit side in an ink guide path that connects the ink storage chamber and the ink supply unit. In other words, a high-performance differential pressure valve is provided, or an ink remaining amount detection mechanism for detecting the remaining amount of ink is provided. Furthermore, the structure of the ink storage chamber and the atmosphere communication path is also complicated.

For this reason, if the container body is carelessly processed for ink injection, when the ink is injected, the ink leaks to a part other than the ink storage chamber, or the original function is impaired due to bubbles mixed during ink injection. May result in poor reproduction.
In particular, when bubbles floating in the injected ink liquid adhere to the sensor surface of the ink remaining amount detection mechanism, the adhering bubbles cause a change in residual vibration, and the presence or absence of ink cannot be detected accurately, and the ink liquid. There is a risk of erroneous detection that the surface is lowered.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide a liquid injection method for a liquid storage container and a liquid storage container that can inject liquid without impairing various functions of the liquid storage container. is there.

The object of the present invention is to supply a liquid container, a liquid supply unit connected to the device-side liquid ejecting unit, and a liquid stored in the liquid container in the container body mounted on the device. A liquid guiding path that guides to the part, and an air communication path that introduces air from outside into the liquid containing part as the liquid in the liquid containing part is consumed,
In the middle of the liquid guide path, a liquid detection unit that detects that the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid storage unit has become zero by detecting the inflow of gas into the liquid guide path, and
Liquid is injected into an air-opening type liquid storage container in which a bubble trap channel for capturing bubbles mixed in the liquid is provided in the liquid guide path between the detection position by the liquid detection unit and the liquid storage unit A way to
Forming an inlet communicating with the liquid container in the atmosphere communication path;
Injecting a predetermined amount of liquid from the injection port;
Sealing the inlet after completion of the step of injecting the liquid;
This is achieved by a liquid injection method for a liquid container including

  According to the liquid injection method having the above configuration, the processing performed on the container body for injecting the liquid is to open the injection port for injecting the liquid and seal the injection port after the liquid is injected. With processing, both become simple processing. When injecting a liquid into a used liquid storage container, the processing into the container body can be reduced, and the liquid can be injected without impairing the functions of the liquid storage container. The container can be used at low cost.

Further, the above-described object of the present invention is to provide a liquid container, a liquid supply unit connected to the device-side liquid ejecting unit, and a liquid stored in the liquid container in the container body mounted on the device. A liquid guide path that guides the liquid supply unit, and an air communication path that introduces air into the liquid storage unit from the outside as the liquid in the liquid storage unit is consumed,
In the middle of the liquid guide path, a liquid detection unit that detects that the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid storage unit has become zero by detecting the inflow of gas into the liquid guide path, and
For an air release type liquid storage container in which a bubble trap channel for capturing bubbles mixed in the liquid is provided in the liquid guide path between the detection position by the liquid detection unit and the liquid storage unit.
An injection port communicating with the liquid storage part is formed in the atmosphere communication path, a predetermined amount of liquid is injected from the injection port, and the injection port is sealed after the liquid is injected. Is done.

According to the liquid container having the above-described configuration, bubbles floating in the liquid flowing into the liquid guide path flowing from the liquid storage section toward the liquid supply section are upstream of the detection position by the liquid detection section in the liquid guide path. When passing through the bubble trap channel provided in the, the liquid filled in the bubble trap channel acts as a buoyancy against the inflow downstream, so that the bubbles are separated from the liquid and trapped.
Therefore, bubbles do not flow into the liquid detection unit. Therefore, bubbles mixed in the liquid in the liquid storage unit do not adhere to the liquid detection unit provided in the vicinity of the liquid supply unit, and the end of the liquid flowing in the liquid supply unit (gas-liquid boundary) There is no false detection that the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid storage section has become zero before passing. Therefore, it is possible to accurately detect that the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid container is zero.

  In the liquid container according to the present invention, it is preferable that the bubble trap channel has a vertical direction conversion unit that changes the direction of the liquid flow in the vertical direction.

  According to the liquid container having such a configuration, the vertical direction changing portion that changes the flow in the vertical direction works to separate bubbles in the liquid. Therefore, the liquid flowing in the liquid supply unit is subjected to the trapping process of the bubbles by the vertical direction conversion unit before reaching the liquid detection unit, so that the mixed bubbles are separated and removed.

  In the liquid container according to the present invention, it is preferable that the bubble trap channel has a horizontal direction conversion unit that changes the flow of the liquid in the horizontal direction.

  According to the liquid container having such a configuration, an action of separating bubbles in the liquid works in the horizontal direction conversion unit that changes the flow direction in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the liquid flowing through the liquid supply unit is subjected to the bubble capturing process by the horizontal direction conversion unit before reaching the liquid detection unit, so that the mixed bubbles are separated and removed. In addition, by adopting a structure in which several vertical direction conversion units and horizontal direction conversion units are appropriately combined, the liquid flowing in the liquid supply unit is repeatedly subjected to bubble capturing processing by the vertical direction conversion unit and the horizontal direction conversion unit, Air bubbles are more reliably separated and removed.

  In the liquid container according to the present invention, it is preferable that the bubble trap channel has a bubble collection space in which the channel cross section is expanded vertically upward from the front and rear channel positions.

  According to the liquid container having such a configuration, the air bubbles floating in the liquid are stored in the air bubble collecting space whose channel cross section is extended vertically upward, and a large amount of air bubbles are collected by the air bubble collecting space. Can be stored. And since the flow path before and behind the gas stored in the bubble collection space is located below the bubble collection space, the liquid filled in the bubble collection space moves to the lower flow path. The buoyancy that resists the approach of For this reason, the gas stored in the bubble collection space can be removed from the bubble collection space even when strong vibrations are applied to the liquid container that has been removed from the device during use, or when an impact due to dropping or the like is applied. It is difficult to leak. In addition, a large amount of bubbles can be stored in one bubble collection space.

  In the liquid container according to the present invention, it is preferable that the bubble trap channel has a bubble collection space that is dead-end in the horizontal direction.

  According to the liquid container having such a configuration, the dead-end bubble collection space removed from the flow path to the liquid supply unit stores bubbles floating in the liquid, and stores a large amount of bubbles collectively. It becomes possible.

  Further, in the liquid container according to the present invention, a porous body for capturing bubbles is provided in the middle of the bubble trap channel or in the middle of the liquid guide path upstream from the detection position by the liquid detection unit. It is preferable.

  According to the liquid container having such a configuration, the porous body provided in the middle of the flow path efficiently captures the air bubbles mixed in the liquid, so that the air bubble capturing efficiency can be improved. Reliability can be improved.

  In the liquid container according to the present invention, the liquid supply port of the liquid container to which the liquid guide channel or the bubble trap channel is connected is formed in a circular cross-sectional channel having a diameter of 2 mm or less. Is preferred.

  According to the liquid container having such a configuration, the liquid supply port serving as the liquid outlet from the liquid storage unit is a circular cross-sectional flow path having a diameter of 2 mm or less, and the liquid supply port itself is a bubble outflow. Since the surface tension of the meniscus is prevented, bubbles can be prevented from flowing out from the liquid storage part to the liquid detection part itself, and the burden on the bubble trap channel can be reduced to the liquid detection part. It is possible to improve the reliability for preventing the adhesion of bubbles.

  In the liquid container according to the present invention, it is preferable that the flow path constituting the bubble trap flow path has a rectangular cross section.

According to the liquid container having such a configuration, since the flow path cross section is rectangular, compared to the case where the flow path has a circular cross section, no wasteful space is left between the parallel flow paths, and the density is high. A complicated flow path can be formed. Even when the bubble trap channel is formed by resin molding, the moldability is improved.
Moreover, in the case where the channel cross section is rectangular, compared to the case of the circular cross section, a slow flow stagnation region is formed at the corner of the rectangular channel cross section, and the upper corner in the corner is Since it functions as a bubble collection space in which bubbles separated by the flow direction changing section are collected, the bubble trapping action also works.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a liquid injection method and 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. It is 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, on the back side of the circuit board 34, there is provided a liquid remaining amount sensor (liquid detecting unit) 31 (see FIG. 3 or FIG. 4) that detects the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 1 using residual vibration. It has been. 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 (liquid guide 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 1 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.

In addition, ink discharge ports 371, 311, and 432 that communicate with the ink guide path 380, the upstream ink end sensor communication channel 400, and the ink guide 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 the ink inlet 427 that is a through hole, and the ink is transmitted via the downstream ink end sensor communication channel 410. I is guided to the liquid 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.

  The upstream ink end sensor communication channel 400, which is a part of the ink guide path between the position detected by the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 and the lower ink storage chamber 390, captures the bubbles B mixed in the ink I. A bubble trap channel 713 is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the bubble trap channel 713 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that fits in the bottom of the container body 10 as a whole.
As shown in FIG. 14, the bubble trap channel 713 has an ink discharge port (inlet) 311 into which the ink I flows from the lower ink storage chamber 390 is formed at the approximate center of the upper surface, and is positioned on the sensor side. An ink inlet (outlet) 427 for discharging ink I is formed on the outer surface.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the bubble trap channel 713 includes a plurality of vertical direction conversion units 721 a to 721 g that change the flow of the ink I in the reverse direction in the vertical direction, and the flow is about 90 degrees in the horizontal direction. A plurality of horizontal direction conversion portions 723a to 723f that change the direction one by one are combined to form a complicated flow path structure with many bent portions.

The bubble trap channel 713 has a standard channel cross-section position A (which is the position of the channel before and after the channel cross-section is adopted at the outlet end of the bubble trap channel 713 at several points in the middle of the channel. Bubble collection spaces 724a to 724c are formed that extend vertically upward (see FIG. 15).
In the case of the illustrated example, among the bubble collection spaces 724a to 724c, the bubble collection space 724c located on the most downstream side is set to the largest volume.

  Furthermore, in the bubble trap channel 713 of this embodiment, a dead-end bubble collection space 725 is formed in the middle of the channel.

  The ink discharge port 311 to which the bubble trap channel 713 is connected is formed in a circular cross-sectional channel having a diameter of 2 mm or less. In this embodiment, the bubble trap channel 713 is located at the end of the upstream ink end sensor communication channel 400 on the lower ink storage chamber 390 side, and is an ink discharge port that is an inlet of the bubble trap channel 713. Reference numeral 311 denotes an ink supply port (liquid supply port) from the lower ink storage chamber 390 to the upstream ink end sensor communication channel 400.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the bubble trap channel 713 is formed by resin injection molding, and each channel constituting the bubble trap channel 713 is set to have a rectangular channel cross section.

  In the ink cartridge 1 described above, the air in the ink containing chamber is agitated by the ink I due to vibration during transportation after manufacture, the ink cartridge 1 is shaken during use, or the temperature changes, so that the ink I Even if the bubbles B are mixed in, the bubbles B floating in the ink I flowing into the upstream ink end sensor communication channel 400 flowing from the lower ink storage chamber 390 toward the ink supply unit 50 are included in the upstream ink. Ink filled in the bubble trap channel 713 when passing through the bubble trap channel 713 provided upstream of the detection position by the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 provided in the middle of the end sensor communication channel 400 I exerts buoyancy against the inflow downstream. Therefore, the bubbles B are separated from the ink I and captured (see FIG. 15). Therefore, the bubbles B do not flow into the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 side.

  Therefore, the bubbles B mixed in the ink I in the lower ink storage chamber 390 do not adhere to the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 provided in the vicinity of the ink supply unit 50, and the ink remaining amount in the lower ink storage chamber 390 becomes zero. It is possible to accurately detect that the remaining amount of ink in the lower ink storage chamber 390 has become zero (so-called near-end) without erroneously detecting that it has become.

  Further, in the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, the bubble trap channel 713 includes a plurality of vertical direction conversion units 721a to 721g that change the flow in the vertical direction and a plurality of horizontal direction conversions that change the flow in the horizontal direction. By combining the portions 723a to 723f, a space-saving and three-dimensional and complicated flow channel structure can be formed, and the action of separating the bubbles B in the ink I works at each flow direction changing portion. Therefore, the ink I flowing through the ink supply unit 50 is repeatedly subjected to the trapping process of the bubbles B until reaching the liquid remaining amount sensor 31, and the mixed bubbles B are completely separated and removed. It is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of erroneous detection due to the bubbles B mixed in I adhering to the liquid remaining amount sensor 31.

  Furthermore, in the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, the bubbles B separated from the ink I by the flow direction conversion units 721a to 721g and 723a to 723f are trapped by expanding the cross section of the flow path vertically upward from the front and rear flow paths. It is stored in the collecting spaces 724a to 724c and dead-end bubble collecting spaces 725a and 725b, and a large amount of bubbles B can be stored together by these bubble collecting spaces 724a to 724c, 725a and 725b. Occurrence of a mistake in capturing the bubble B due to insufficient capacity of the collecting space can be eliminated.

  Further, the gas stored in the bubble collection spaces 724a to 724c has a flow path before and behind the gas collected in the bubble collection space, so that it is lowered by the ink I filled in the bubble collection space. The buoyancy that resists the approach to the flow path acts. For this reason, the gas stored in the bubble collection space is not included in the bubble collection space even when strong vibrations are applied to the ink cartridge 1 that has been removed from the device during use, or when an impact due to dropping or the like is applied. It is difficult to leak. In addition, a large amount of bubbles B can be stored in one bubble collection space.

  Furthermore, even if the gas stored in one bubble collection space may flow out to the adjacent flow path due to vibration or impact acting on the ink cartridge 1, the outflowed gas will be perpendicular to the downstream. The liquid remaining amount sensor 31 cannot be reached because it is captured or stored again by the direction changer or the dead-end bubble collecting space.

  Therefore, even when strong vibrations are applied to the ink cartridge 1 removed from the apparatus during use or an impact due to dropping or the like is applied, the bubbles B mixed in the ink I in the lower ink storage chamber 390 supply ink. The liquid remaining amount sensor 31 installed in the vicinity of the unit 50 is not attached, and it can be reliably detected without erroneously detecting that the remaining amount of ink in the lower ink containing chamber 390 has become zero.

  Further, in the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, the ink discharge port (the inlet of the bubble trap channel 713) 311 serving as the ink outlet from the lower ink storage chamber 390 is a circular cross-sectional channel having a diameter of 2 mm or less. In addition, since the ink discharge port 311 forms a meniscus that prevents the bubbles B from flowing out, the bubbles B can be prevented from flowing out from the lower ink storage chamber 390 to the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 itself, and the bubble trap flow It is possible to reduce the burden of trapping bubbles in the path 713 and improve the reliability of preventing the bubbles B from adhering to the liquid remaining amount sensor 31.

Furthermore, in the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, since the cross section of the flow path is rectangular, compared to the case where the flow path has a circular cross section, no wasteful space is left between the parallel flow paths, and the density is high. Complex flow paths can be formed, and moldability is improved even when the bubble trap flow path 713 is formed by resin molding.
Moreover, in the case where the channel cross section is rectangular, compared to the case of a circular cross section, a slow flow stagnation region is formed at the corner of the rectangular channel cross section, and the upper corner in the Since it functions as a bubble collection space in which the bubbles B separated in the flow direction changing section are collected, the bubbles B can be easily captured or collected.

A porous body that captures the bubbles B may be provided in the middle of the bubble trap channel 713 or in the middle of the ink guide path upstream from the detection position by the liquid remaining amount sensor 31.
In this way, the porous body provided in the middle of the flow path efficiently captures the air bubbles mixed in the ink through the minute holes, so that the air bubble capturing efficiency can be improved and the air bubble capturing reliability is improved. Can be improved.

  As described above, the ink cartridge 1 has a structure in which the flow path is converted in various directions and the bubbles B can be captured or collected in various directions. Therefore, the ink cartridge 1 can be in any posture. The bubble B is reliably prevented from reaching the liquid remaining amount sensor 31. Therefore, the accuracy with which the ink end is accurately detected is extremely high, and a problem that the ink cartridge 1 is replaced while the ink I remains can be prevented.

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 I in the ink cartridge 1 is consumed and the pressure in the ink cartridge 1 decreases, the atmosphere (air) flows from the atmosphere opening hole 100 into the upper ink storage chamber 370 by the amount of 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 connecting 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 1, that is, the uppermost part in the direction of gravity in a state where the ink cartridge 1 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 1 with respect to the flow-path portion 333 by folding back at a folded-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 communication channel 360 is communicated with.

  The communication channel 360 extends from the rear side to the center upper side as viewed from the back side, and is connected to the upper ink storage chamber via a through hole 372 that is the downstream end of the atmosphere communication path 150 that opens near the bottom wall of the upper ink storage chamber 370. 370 is in communication. That is, the atmosphere communication path 150 of this embodiment is configured from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the communication channel 360. The communication flow path 360 forms a meniscus and is formed to be thin enough to prevent backflow of the ink I.

  In the case of the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the ink storage chamber (the upper ink storage chamber 370, the lower ink storage chamber 390, and the buffer chamber 430) is disposed on the front side of the cartridge body 10. In addition to the air chamber (ink trap chamber 340, communication buffer chamber 350) and ink guide path (upstream ink end sensor communication channel 400, downstream ink end sensor communication channel 410), ink I is not filled. An unfilled chamber 501 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, an embodiment of a method for injecting ink I into the used ink cartridge 1 when the ink I in the ink cartridge 1 described above is exhausted will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the configuration of the ink re-injection apparatus used in the injection method of this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 19, the ink reinjection apparatus 600 includes an ink injection unit 610 connected to an injection port 601 opened in the ink cartridge 1 by punching, and a vacuum suction connected to the ink supply unit 50 of the cartridge body 10. And means 620.

  The ink injection means 610 includes an ink tank 611 that stores ink I to be filled, a pump 613 that pumps the ink I in the ink tank 611 to the flow path 612 connected to the injection port 601, and the pump 613. And a valve 614 for opening and closing the flow path 612 with the inlet 601.

  The vacuum suction means 620 includes a vacuum pump 621 that generates a negative pressure necessary for vacuum suction, a communication channel 622 that causes the negative pressure generated by the vacuum pump 621 to act on the ink supply unit 50, and a middle of the communication channel 622. The ink trap 623 that captures and collects the ink I flowing into the communication channel 622 from the cartridge body 10 side by vacuum suction and protects the vacuum pump 621 from ink mist and the like, and the ink trap 623 and the ink A valve 624 for opening and closing the communication channel 622 with the supply unit 50 is provided.

  In the present embodiment, in consideration of the structure and function of the ink cartridge 1, the position where the inlet 601 communicating with the upper ink storage chamber 370 is formed in the atmosphere communication path 150 forms a part of the atmosphere communication path 150. The position is near the position facing the through hole 372 located at the downstream end of the communication flow path 360.

  The injection port 601 facing the through hole 372 is formed by making a hole in the outer surface film 60 covering the back side of the cartridge body 10 so as to coincide with the through hole 372. For example, when the front end of the channel 612 inserted into the inlet 601 is pressed against the through hole 372, the tip of the channel 612 is in airtight contact with the container wall surface around the through hole 372, and the channel 612 and the through hole 372 are in close contact. And a seal ring or the like is provided.

The injection port 601 communicating with the upper ink storage chamber 370 may be formed in the atmosphere communication path 150 located upstream from the upper ink storage chamber 370, and the formation position of the injection port 601 is not limited to the above embodiment.
For example, the inlet 601 is formed by making a hole in the outer surface film 60 or peeling the outer surface film 60 so as to coincide with the communication flow path 360 constituting a part of the atmosphere communication path 150. be able to. Alternatively, the inlet 601 can be formed by peeling off the outer surface film 60 and the gas-liquid separation film 71 so as to coincide with the through-hole 322 opened in the gas-liquid separation chamber 70 a constituting the gas-liquid separation filter 70.

  Further, the lid member 20 is removed from the ink cartridge 1 to expose the film 80 covering the front side of the cartridge body 10, and a through hole located at the upper end of the communication channel 360 constituting a part of the atmosphere communication path 150. It can also be formed by making a hole in the film 8 so as to coincide with 351.

In the present embodiment, first, an injection port forming step of forming an injection port 601 communicating with the upper ink storage chamber 370 in the atmosphere communication path 150, and vacuum suction means 620 remove ink and residual gas remaining inside from the ink supply unit 50. A vacuum suction step for sucking and removing by the step, a liquid injection step for injecting a predetermined amount of ink from the injection port 601 by the ink injection means 610, and a sealing step for sealing the injection port 601 after completion of the liquid injection step. By carrying out, the used ink cartridge 1 is restored as a reusable ink cartridge (liquid container).
Specifically, the sealing step is a processing step in which the injection port 601 is hermetically closed by adhesion, welding, plugging, or the like of the sealing film.

  In the ink injection method of the ink cartridge of the present embodiment described above, the processing performed on the ink cartridge 1 for the injection of the ink I is for injecting the ink I so as to communicate with the upper ink storage chamber 370. The opening 601 is opened in the outer surface film 60 and the injection port 601 is sealed after the ink I is injected, both of which are simple processes. Therefore, the processing cost is low and it does not take time and effort.

  In the present embodiment, since a vacuum suction process for sucking and removing the ink and residual gas remaining from the ink supply unit 50 is provided, the liquid injection process for injecting a predetermined amount of ink I from the injection port 601 includes: The ink guide paths 380, 420, 440 and the ink storage chambers of the cartridge body 10 are managed in a reduced pressure environment, and the injected ink I reaches not only the ink storage chambers 370, 390, 430 but also the ink supply unit 50. It is possible to efficiently fill every corner of all ink guide paths.

Also, bubbles that are mixed during the injection of the ink I are removed from the ink supply unit 50 to the outside by vacuum suction, or the inflowed bubbles are dissolved and extinguished in the liquid by the reduced pressure environment in the container formed by vacuum suction. Can be.
Further, a bubble trap channel 713 provided in the middle of the upstream side ink end sensor communication channel 400 is provided for the bubbles B floating in the ink I that has flowed into the upstream side ink end sensor communication channel 400 during ink filling. When passing, the ink I filled in the bubble trap channel 713 exerts a buoyancy against the downstream inflow. Therefore, the bubbles B are separated from the ink I and captured (see FIG. 15). Therefore, the bubbles B do not flow into the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 side. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection due to the bubbles B mixed in the ink in the ink storage chambers 370, 390, and 430 at the time of ink injection adhering to the liquid remaining amount sensor 31.

  If a regenerated ink cartridge regenerated by such an ink injection method is provided, the product life as a container of the ink cartridge is extended, which can contribute to resource saving and prevention of environmental pollution. In addition, since the cost required for reproduction is low and can be provided at a low cost, it contributes to a reduction in the operating cost of the ink jet recording apparatus.

  In the ink injection method of the ink cartridge of the present embodiment described above, the cleaning liquid is injected into the cartridge main body 10 from the injection port 601 between the vacuum suction process and the liquid filling process, and the ink solidified inside the container. You may make it perform washing | cleaning and removal. Further, it is not necessary to clearly set the processing order between the vacuum suction process and the liquid filling process. For example, the liquid filling process can be performed in parallel with the vacuum suction process.

In addition, the ink re-injection apparatus 600 used when carrying out the ink injection method of the present embodiment can be replaced with a readily available instrument.
For example, in the case of the ink injection means 610, an injector composed of a cylinder and a piston can be substituted for the syringe, or a refill bottle containing refill ink in a deformable PET bottle can be substituted.

  The configurations of the container main body, the liquid storage unit, the liquid supply unit, the liquid guide path, the air communication path, the liquid detection unit, the weir unit, and the like in the liquid storage container according to the present invention are limited to the configurations of the above embodiments. It goes without saying that various forms can be adopted based on the gist of the present invention.

The use of the liquid container of the present invention is not limited to the ink cartridge of the above-described ink jet recording apparatus. The present invention can be used for various liquid consuming devices including a liquid ejecting head that discharges a minute amount of liquid droplets.
Specific examples of the liquid consuming device include, for example, an electrode material (conductive) used for forming an electrode such as a device having a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and a surface emitting display (FED). Examples thereof include an apparatus having a paste) ejection head, an apparatus having a bio-organic matter ejection head used for biochip manufacturing, an apparatus having a sample ejection head as a precision pipette, a textile printing apparatus, and a micro dispenser.

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. It is a side view of the bubble trap flow path shown in FIG. It is a top view of the bubble trap flow path shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the VI-VI line of the bubble trap flow path shown in FIG. It is a VII arrow line view of FIG. FIG. 716 is a view taken along arrow VIII. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the ink reinjection apparatus which enforces the liquid injection method of the liquid container which concerns on this invention.

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 (liquid detection part), 40 ... Differential pressure valve, 50 ... Ink Supply part (liquid supply part), 70 ... Gas-liquid separation filter, 80 ... Film, 100 ... Air opening hole, 150 ... Air communication path, 200 ... Carriage, 330 ... Upper connection flow path, 340 ... Ink trap chamber (air chamber) , 350 ... Connection buffer chamber (air chamber), 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 the 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 channel (liquid guide channel), 423 ... Ink flow Opening (liquid inflow opening), 423a ... Inner peripheral upper part, 427 ... Ink entrance part (entrance part), 430 ... Buffer chamber (liquid storage chamber), 501 ... Unfilled chamber (deaeration chamber), 713 ... Bubble trap channel , B ... bubbles, I ... ink (liquid),

Claims (9)

In a container main body detachable from the device, a liquid storage unit, a liquid supply unit connected to the liquid ejecting unit on the device side, and a liquid guide path for guiding the liquid stored in the liquid storage unit to the liquid supply unit And an atmosphere communication path for introducing the atmosphere into the liquid container from the outside as the liquid in the liquid container is consumed,
In the middle of the liquid guide path, a liquid detection unit that detects that the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid storage unit has become zero by detecting the inflow of gas into the liquid guide path, and
Liquid is injected into an air-opening type liquid storage container in which a bubble trap channel for capturing bubbles mixed in the liquid is provided in the liquid guide path between the detection position by the liquid detection unit and the liquid storage unit A way to
Forming an inlet communicating with the liquid container in the atmosphere communication path;
Injecting a predetermined amount of liquid from the injection port;
Sealing the inlet after completion of the step of injecting the liquid;
A liquid injecting method for a liquid storage container. In a container main body detachable from the device, a liquid storage unit, a liquid supply unit connected to the liquid ejecting unit on the device side, and a liquid guide path for guiding the liquid stored in the liquid storage unit to the liquid supply unit And an atmosphere communication path for introducing the atmosphere into the liquid container from the outside as the liquid in the liquid container is consumed,
In the middle of the liquid guide path, a liquid detection unit that detects that the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid storage unit has become zero by detecting the inflow of gas into the liquid guide path, and
For an air release type liquid storage container in which a bubble trap channel for capturing bubbles mixed in the liquid is provided in the liquid guide path between the detection position by the liquid detection unit and the liquid storage unit.
A liquid storage container formed by forming an injection port communicating with the liquid storage portion in the atmosphere communication path, injecting a predetermined amount of liquid from the injection port, sealing the injection port after injecting the liquid. The liquid container according to claim 2,
The bubble trap channel has a vertical direction conversion unit that changes the flow of the liquid in the vertical direction. The liquid container according to claim 2 or 3,
The bubble trap channel has a horizontal direction conversion unit that changes the flow of the liquid in the horizontal direction. The liquid container according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The liquid trap container, wherein the bubble trap channel has a bubble collection space in which a channel cross section is expanded vertically upward from the front and rear channel positions. The liquid container according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The bubble trap channel has a bubble collection space having a dead end in the horizontal direction. The liquid container according to any one of claims 2 to 6,
A liquid container, wherein a porous body that captures bubbles is provided in the middle of the bubble trap channel or in the middle of a liquid guide channel upstream of a detection position by the liquid detection unit. The liquid container according to any one of claims 2 to 7,
A liquid storage container, wherein the liquid supply port of the liquid storage section connected to the liquid guide path or the bubble trap flow path is formed in a circular cross-sectional flow path having a diameter of 2 mm or less. The liquid container according to any one of claims 2 to 7,
The liquid container, wherein the flow path constituting the bubble trap flow path has a rectangular cross section.

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