JP2008273049A - Liquid storage container, head cartridge, inkjet recording device, and stirring method of liquid storage container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid storage container capable of reducing the concentration inclination of liquid in the container by effectively stirring the liquid such as ink stored in the liquid storage container, a head cartridge, an inkjet recording device, and a stirring method of the liquid storage container. <P>SOLUTION: A swing member 100 arranged in an ink storage chamber 80 is swung in a rotating direction as a carriage of the recording device moves. Thus, force F1, and force F2 are applied to the liquid present in a range located above in gravitational force from a rotational center and to the liquid present below in the gravitational force from the rotational center respectively in a hollow portion 104. The forces F1, F2 are forces with different intensities, so that the flow of the ink is generated from one side of opening portions 102, 103 to the other side of the same in the hollow portion 104 of the swing member 100. Thereby the ink in an ink tank is stirred. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid storage container for storing a liquid such as ink, a head cartridge including the liquid storage container, an ink jet recording apparatus capable of recording an image using the liquid storage container, and stirring of the liquid in the liquid storage container Regarding the method.

  In a serial type ink jet recording apparatus, a recording head capable of ejecting ink and an ink tank for containing ink to be supplied to the recording head are mounted on a carriage movable in the main scanning direction. When recording an image, the operation of ejecting ink from the ejection port of the recording head toward the recording medium while moving the carriage in the main scanning direction and the operation of conveying the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction intersecting the main scanning direction And repeat. A desired image is recorded by the ink droplets ejected from the recording head landing on the recording medium.

  The mainstream of ink used in such an ink jet recording apparatus is an ink containing a dye as a coloring material. However, in general, dye inks have slightly low light resistance and gas resistance, and recorded materials using the dye inks sometimes have difficulty in providing durable image fastness in special applications such as outdoor posting.

  In recent years, recording apparatuses using ink containing a pigment as a coloring material have been provided. The pigment ink is excellent in light resistance and gas resistance, and the recorded matter can also exhibit sufficient image fastness. However, unlike the dye ink, the pigment ink is required to be handled in consideration of the dispersibility of the color material. In order to obtain a uniform recorded image, it is necessary to disperse the color material in the solvent.

  The pigment molecules in the pigment ink do not dissolve in the ink solution like the dye molecules in the dye ink, but float in a dispersed state. If the ink tank containing the pigment ink is left standing for a while, the pigment particles in the ink tank gradually settle down due to gravity, and the concentration gradient of the pigment particles may occur in the height direction of the ink tank. . That is, a layer having a high color material density is located at the bottom of the ink tank, and a layer having a low color material density is located above the ink tank. When ink is supplied from the ink tank in this state to the recording head to start the image recording operation and the recording operation is continued, a difference in density may occur in the image between the initial stage and the later stage of the recording operation. There is.

  In order to explain specifically, consider an ink jet recording apparatus configured to supply ink to the recording head from the bottom of the ink tank. When recording is started with the ink tank having the above-described gradient of pigment particle concentration in this recording apparatus, ink with a high colorant concentration in the lower layer in the ink tank is supplied at the initial stage of recording. High-density images are recorded on the. Thereafter, by continuing the recording operation, the recording density of the image gradually decreases as the ink in the ink tank is consumed. In a state where the amount of ink in the ink tank is small, only ink having a color material density lower than the original color material density remains in the ink tank. Therefore, even when an image is recorded based on the same image data as that at the beginning of recording, the recording density is low. In particular, when the diameter and specific gravity of the pigment particles are large, the sedimentation tendency of the pigment particles is remarkable. Therefore, even if the ink tank is not used for several days, there is a possibility that a density gradient that may affect the image may occur.

  As described above, when the color material density of the ink ejected from the recording head is changed with the use of the ink tank, not only the density difference is generated in the recorded image between the initial use stage and the later use stage of the ink tank. For example, in a color inkjet recording system that uses a plurality of color inks and expresses a hue based on a predetermined color balance, the color balance may be lost. In this case, it will be recognized as a more prominent image density difference problem.

  Regardless of the amount of ink remaining in the ink tank, in order to maintain the color material concentration of the ink droplets ejected from the recording head within a certain density range, at least during the recording operation, It is desirable that the pigment molecules are uniformly dispersed.

  In order to realize such uniform dispersion of pigment molecules, a configuration in which a stirring body for stirring pigment molecules is provided inside the ink tank has been proposed.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an ink pack provided with a stirrer that can be manually operated. This stirrer is shaped to be inserted from the outside into the ink pack. A part of the stirring member protruding outside acts as an operation unit for operating the stirring unit of the stirring member extending in the ink pack. In other words, the user can agitate the ink in the ink pack and disperse the pigment molecules periodically or as necessary by swinging the stirring unit.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an ink cartridge provided with a swinging member that stirs ink in a tank using an inertial force when the carriage moves during a recording operation. As an example, an agitator formed integrally with an ink cartridge case is shown. In this example, the stirrer extends so as to hang down from the ceiling of the ink cartridge case toward the bottom, and a columnar weight is formed at the lower end thereof. The stirrer swings in the moving direction of the carriage with the base portion of the ceiling as a fulcrum by the inertial force accompanying the acceleration / stop / reverse operation of the carriage, and stirs the ink in the ink cartridge.

  In addition, Patent Document 1 discloses a stirring body that can be freely moved on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge without being fixed to the ink cartridge case as another example. This agitator moves the bottom surface in the ink cartridge by the inertial force accompanying the acceleration / stop / reverse operation of the carriage to agitate the ink.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an axial weight that swings to the left and right of the swing center axis by inertial force accompanying the movement of the carriage, and a plurality of fins that swing integrally with the shaft weight. , A stirring mechanism including the above is disclosed. According to this configuration, since the plurality of fins are arranged in parallel in the height direction of the ink cartridge, the ink is evenly stirred from the upper layer portion to the lower layer portion in the ink cartridge.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-065520 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-216761

  However, in the configuration described in the above-mentioned patent document, since the stirring region is limited, it is not sufficient to stir the settled pigment particles over the entire interior of the container, and the efficiency is poor.

  For example, in the configuration provided with a manual swing member described in Patent Document 1, since the freedom of movement of the swing member is small, only a limited area of ink in the ink cartridge is stirred. I can't. In particular, in the vicinity of the joint portion between the stirrer and the ink cartridge, which is a fulcrum of the stirrer, the moving range of the stirrer is narrow, so that a sufficient stirring effect cannot be obtained.

  Moreover, in the structure provided with the column-shaped weight part disclosed by patent document 1, although the inertial force is utilized efficiently, the range which can be stirred is still not enough. Further, when an agitator that can freely move on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge is used, although stirring with respect to the ink near the bottom of the ink cartridge can be expected, the agitation with respect to the upper layer region of the cartridge that is away from the agitator Cannot be expected.

  On the other hand, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 2, since a plurality of fins are arranged in the height direction of the ink cartridge, the uniformity of stirring in the height direction can be expected to some extent. However, the vicinity of the central axis in the ink cartridge has a small agitation effect, so the stirring effect is small. In addition, since the swing member including a plurality of fins and the rotation shaft has a complicated configuration, the ink cartridge itself becomes expensive.

  As described above, the pigment ink in the ink cartridge has a concentration gradient of the pigment particles in the height direction of the ink cartridge as the pigment particles gradually settle according to gravity. In order to eliminate the density difference in the ink cartridge, the ink of high density ink that settles in the lower layer of the ink cartridge is actively wound on the upper layer part, or the low density ink of the upper layer part is poured into the lower layer part. Is efficient.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems.

  The present invention relates to a liquid storage container, a head cartridge, an ink jet recording apparatus, and a liquid storage capable of efficiently stirring a liquid such as ink stored in a liquid storage container to reduce the concentration gradient of the liquid in the container. It aims at providing the stirring method of a container.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid storage container having a liquid storage section and a stirring member for stirring the liquid in the liquid storage section, the stirring member guiding the liquid in the liquid storage container. And has a swinging member that is swingably supported in the liquid storage portion, the swinging member being supported to perform a swinging operation including a rotating component, and for rotating the rotating component. When F1 is a force applied to the liquid in the hollow portion located above the moving center in the gravity direction and F2 is a force applied to the liquid in the hollow portion located below the rotation center in the gravity direction, the F1 and the The rotation center is arranged so as to be different from F2.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid storage container having a liquid storage section and a stirring member that stirs the liquid in the liquid storage section, and a recording head that performs recording using the liquid supplied from the liquid storage container. The agitating member includes a hollow portion for guiding the liquid in the liquid storage container and is swingably supported in the liquid storage portion. The swinging member is supported to perform a swinging operation including a rotating component, and the force applied to the liquid in the hollow portion located above the rotating center of the rotating component in the gravity direction is F1, The rotation center is arranged so that F1 and F2 are different when the force applied to the liquid in the hollow portion located below the rotation center in the gravity direction is F2. .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stirring method for a liquid storage container having a liquid storage part and a stirring member for stirring the liquid in the liquid storage part, wherein the stirring member is provided in the liquid storage container. A hollow member that guides the liquid and having a swinging member that is swingably supported in the liquid storage unit, and the liquid storage unit is moved in the swinging direction of the stirring member while changing the acceleration. The oscillating member is caused to perform a oscillating operation including a rotating component, and the liquid in the hollow portion located above the rotating center of the rotating component in the gravity direction is placed below the rotating center in the gravity direction. A force different from that of the liquid in the hollow portion is generated.

  According to the present invention, by swinging the swinging member provided in the liquid storage container, the liquid can be introduced from one end of the hollow portion of the swinging member and the introduced liquid can be led out from the other end. It becomes possible. As a result, an effective liquid flow can be generated in stirring the liquid in the liquid storage container. Then, the pigment particles that tend to settle in the lower layer portion of the ink storage chamber can be lifted up to the upper layer portion, or a liquid having a low pigment concentration in the upper layer portion of the ink storage chamber can be flowed toward the lower layer portion. As a result, the entire area of the liquid such as ink stored in the liquid storage container can be efficiently stirred to reduce the concentration gradient of the liquid, and the concentration gradient can be maintained even after the liquid storage container is left for a long period of time. Less liquid can be provided. For this reason, according to the ink jet recording apparatus using the liquid container of the present invention, it is possible to shorten the ink stirring time to be performed before the image recording operation.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
The liquid container in the present embodiment is an application example as an ink tank that can be mounted on a so-called serial scan type inkjet recording apparatus.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. The recording apparatus includes an apparatus main body M1000 that performs recording on a recording medium, a paper feeding unit M3022 for supplying the recording medium into the apparatus, and a paper discharge tray M1004 that receives the recording medium after recording. It is mainly composed.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining an internal mechanism of the apparatus main body M1000. Main internal mechanisms of the apparatus main body M1000 are installed and protected in a chassis M3019. Reference numeral M4001 denotes a carriage which can reciprocate in the main scanning direction indicated by an arrow X in a state where a recording head cartridge (not shown) is mounted. The recording head cartridge is equipped with an ink jet recording head as will be described later. When a recording operation command is input, one of the recording media stacked on the paper supply unit M3022 is fed and conveyed to a position where an image can be recorded by the recording head on the carriage M4001. Thereafter, while the carriage M4001 moves in the main scanning direction, a recording scan in which the recording head of the recording head cartridge ejects ink based on the image data, and an operation for conveying the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow Y by the conveying means. ,repeat. As a result, images are sequentially formed on the recording medium.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the recording head cartridge H1001 and an ink tank (liquid storage container) 1 that can store ink. One side of the recording head cartridge H1001 is provided with an ink jet recording head H1000 capable of ejecting ink droplets from ejection ports, and an ink tank 1 for supplying ink to the recording head H1000 is detachable on the opposite side. Installed. The recording head cartridge H1001 of the present embodiment is configured so that the ink tanks 1 for six colors can be mounted independently.

  When the ink tank 1 is mounted on the recording head cartridge (ink tank mounting portion) H1001, the ink supply port 30 (see FIG. 4) of the ink tank 1 is connected to the recording head H1000. The ink in the ink storage part (liquid storage part) of the ink tank 1 is ejected from the recording head H1000 toward the recording medium via the ink supply port 30 downward in the gravitational direction. In this manner, the ink supply port is positioned downward in the gravity direction in a state where the ink tank is mounted on the recording apparatus. In the present invention, as described above, the posture of the ink tank when the ink supply port is directed downward in the direction of gravity and ink is supplied from the supply port to the recording head is set to the posture in the use state of the ink tank (ink Tank usage posture). In a head cartridge in which an ink tank and a recording head are integrated, the posture of the head cartridge when the recording head ejects ink downward in the direction of gravity toward the recording medium is defined as the posture in which the head cartridge is used. To do.

  A plurality of fine recording elements are arranged in the recording head H1000, and each recording element is provided with a mechanism for ejecting ink. For example, in a configuration in which an electrothermal conversion element having a heating resistor (heater) is provided, a voltage pulse is applied to each electrothermal conversion element in accordance with an ink ejection signal. As a result, the ink in the vicinity of the heating resistor is rapidly heated, and ink droplets are ejected from the ejection ports by the action of film boiling occurring at that time.

(Configuration of the entire ink tank)
FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the ink tank 1. The ink tank 1 is a container having an ink storage chamber therein, and mainly includes an ink container housing 10 and a lid member 20. An ink supply port 30 for supplying ink to the recording head H1000 is provided at the bottom of the ink tank 1.

  FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the ink tank 1. The ink container housing 10 of the ink tank 1 is made of, for example, polypropylene, and includes an oscillating member 100 as a stirring member for stirring the ink, a spring member 50, a plate member 60, and a flexible member. The functional film 70 is accommodated. The opening of the ink container housing 10 is sealed by the lid member 20. A support shaft (support portion) 40 for supporting the swinging member 100 is formed on the inner wall of the ink container housing 10 as shown in FIG. 6, and a portion of the ink container housing 10 that forms the ink supply port 30. Is provided with a meniscus forming member 31. In the present embodiment, both ends of the support shaft 40 are fixed to and supported by the inner wall of the ink container housing 10 so that the support shaft 40 is horizontal when the ink tank 1 is used.

  The meniscus forming member 31 is, for example, a capillary member formed from polypropylene fiber material and having a capillary force, or this capillary member and a filter member (permeation dimension is about 15 to 30 μm, material is stainless steel, polypropylene, etc.). It is a combined absorber. The meniscus forming member 31 and the inside of the housing 10 are communicated by an ink flow path so that ink can be supplied from the ink storage chamber 80 in the housing 10 to the recording head H1000. Further, a meniscus is formed by ink in the meniscus forming member 31 so that bubbles from the outside do not enter the ink storage chamber 80. The meniscus forming member 31 is pressed and stopped by the pressing member 32 from the outside.

  A flexible film 70 is welded to the periphery of the opening of the ink container housing 10, thereby forming an ink storage chamber 80 (see FIG. 8) as an ink storage portion in the ink container housing 10. The ink is stored in an ink storage chamber 80 formed by the flexible film 70 and the housing 10. The flexible film 70 may be a film member having a thickness of about 20 to 100 μm, such as a polypropylene thin film. The spring member 50 urges the flexible film 70 outward through the plate member 60. The outwardly biased flexible film 70 has a convex shape that protrudes toward the outside of the ink storage chamber 80 as shown in FIG. The flexible film 70 is protected by the lid member 20, and the protruding amount of the convex portion is limited. Due to the biasing force of the spring member 50, the inside of the ink storage chamber 80 is in a negative pressure state.

  The lid member 20 is provided with an air communication portion (not shown), and the outside of the ink storage chamber 80 is maintained at atmospheric pressure. As a constituent material of the spring member 50 and the plate member 60, for example, a stainless material is desirably used as a material that avoids corrosion due to contact with ink or the like.

  As the ink in the ink storage chamber 80 is consumed by the supply to the recording head, the flexible film 70 is bent as the spring member 50 contracts, and the volume of the ink storage chamber 80 decreases. The ink tank 1 of this embodiment can consume the ink in the ink storage chamber 80 until the plate member 60 contacts the inner wall of the housing 10.

(Composition of ink to be filled)
The ink used in the present embodiment is, for example, an ink containing a pigment (pigment ink). The pigment of the pigment ink may be, for example, a resin dispersant type pigment (resin dispersion type pigment) using a dispersant or an activator, or an activator dispersion type pigment. The pigment may be a microcapsule type pigment that can be dispersed without using a dispersant by increasing the dispersibility of the water-insoluble colorant itself, and a hydrophilic group is introduced on the surface of the pigment particles. Self-dispersed pigments (self-dispersed pigments) may also be used. Furthermore, a modified pigment (polymer-bonded self-dispersing pigment) can be used by chemically bonding an organic group containing a polymer to the surface of the pigment particle. Of course, these pigments having different dispersion methods can also be used in combination. The pigment that can be used in the present invention is not particularly limited.

  Table 1 below illustrates two types of pigment ink compositions (pigment inks 1 and 2) used in this embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to these compositions.

  The pigment ink used in the present embodiment has the ink blending ratio shown in Table 1 below. The pigment dispersion 1 is a self-dispersing pigment, and the pigment dispersion 2 is a resin-dispersed pigment. ing. Further, in both the pigment dispersion 1 and the pigment dispersion 2, a dispersion is prepared by adding water to the pigment and dispersing it so that the pigment concentration becomes 10% by mass. The formulation of each solvent is listed in Table 1 below.

The specific gravity of the pigment ink injected into the ink tank is preferably smaller than the specific gravity of the swing member. Swinging member in this embodiment, a specific gravity a stainless material is 8.0 g / cm ^3, the specific gravity of the pigment ink is 1.0~1.1g / cm ^3, the pigment ink than the swinging member The specific gravity of is small.

(Configuration of stirring mechanism)
FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining an installation state of the swing member 100. 7 is a view showing a swinging state of the swinging member, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a force acting on the ink in the hollow portion 104 by the swing of the swing member 100.

  6 to 8, the swinging member 100 is constituted by a cylindrical body (cylindrical body) having a uniform diameter from the upper end to the lower end. The swinging member 100 is formed with an upper opening 103 positioned on the upper side in the gravity direction and a lower opening 102 positioned on the lower side in the gravity direction. The swing member 100 is three-dimensionally shaped such that the interior between the openings 102 and 103 is a hollow portion 104. In the hollow portion 104, an ink flow path (liquid flow path) that communicates between the openings 102 and 103 is formed. As will be described later, the ink in the ink storage chamber 80 (in the liquid storage portion) is introduced from one of the openings 102 and 103 through the ink flow path and led out from the other. Furthermore, when the ink storage chamber 80 is filled with ink, the swinging member 100 has an upper opening 102 serving as an ink outlet, a lower opening 103 serving as an ink outlet, and a hollow portion 104 in the ink. The structure is completely submerged. A pair of insertion holes 101 are formed in the wall surface of the swing member 100, and a support shaft 40 fixed to the inner wall of the ink container housing is rotatably inserted into the insertion holes 101. Here, the support shaft 40 inserted through the swing member 100 and the central axis direction (longitudinal direction of the swing member) of the cylindrical shape of the swing member 100 are substantially orthogonal. The swing member 100 is supported at a position on the support shaft 40 so as not to contact the spring member 50.

  As described above, the swing member 100 is supported by the support shaft 40 so as to be rotatable around the support shaft 40, and the support shaft 40 is a fulcrum (hereinafter referred to as swing) when the swing member swings. Also called a fulcrum). As shown in FIG. 6, the insertion hole 101 through which the support shaft 40 is inserted is installed at a position closer to the lower opening 102 than the upper opening 103. That is, the swing fulcrum of the swing member 100 is set at a position where the distance from the swing fulcrum to the upper opening 103 is longer than the distance from the swing fulcrum to the upper opening 103. Therefore, when the swinging member 100 swings as shown in FIG. 8, the displacement amount α of the upper opening 103 is larger than the displacement amount β of the lower opening 102.

  In addition, when the inner diameter of the hollow portion 104 of the swing member 100 is too small, the pigment in the ink may aggregate to a size larger than the inner diameter of the hollow portion 104 and the ink cannot move in the hollow portion 104. There is. Accordingly, the inner diameter of the hollow portion 104 is set to such an extent that the ink can move through the hollow portion 104 even if the pigment in the ink to be used aggregates.

  Further, the swing member 100 of the present embodiment is formed of a stainless material. The material of the swing member in the present invention is not limited to this. However, the material for forming the swing member 100 is preferably a material having a specific gravity greater than that of the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 80. Furthermore, since the moving speed of the rocking member 100 changes depending on the specific gravity and viscosity of the ink to be used and the moving speed of the carriage, which will be described later, the stirring efficiency may change. It is desirable to select appropriately according to conditions.

(Operation and action of stirring mechanism)
Next, the operation of the swing member 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (c).

  FIG. 7A shows a first state of the swing member 100. The carriage M4001 reciprocates in the main scanning direction (arrow X direction) within the recording width range of the recording medium. When the direction of movement is reversed, a change in acceleration such as deceleration, stop, and acceleration in the opposite direction occurs. At that time, an inertial force acts on the ink tank. When the inertial force acts in the direction of the arrow X2, that is, when the movement direction of the carriage M4001 is reversed from the direction of the arrow X2 to the direction of X1, the swing member 100 moves the support shaft 40 as shown in FIG. It rotates in the direction of arrow A1 as a fulcrum. At this time, the end on the upper opening 103 side contacts one inner surface of the ink container 10. Here, the state in which the inertial force is acting in the X2 direction in this way is the first state. After the movement direction of the carriage M4001 is reversed from the arrow X2 direction to the X1 direction, when the carriage M4001 moves at a constant speed in the arrow X1 direction, the inertial force does not work and the swing member 100 is kept in the first state. It is.

  FIG. 7B shows the second state of the swing member 100. In the second state, contrary to the first state, the inertial force acts in the X1 direction, that is, the movement direction of the carriage M4001 is reversed from the arrow X1 direction to the X2 direction. FIG. As described above, the swinging member 100 rotates in the arrow A2 direction with the support shaft 40 as a fulcrum. At this time, the end on the upper opening 103 side comes into contact with the other inner surface of the ink container 10 (the surface opposite to FIG. 7A). Here, the state in which the inertial force works in the X1 direction in this way is defined as the second state. After the movement direction of the carriage M4001 is reversed from the arrow X1 direction to the X2 direction, when the carriage M4001 moves at a constant speed in the arrow X2 direction, the inertial force does not work and the swing member 100 is kept in the second state. It is.

  Since the carriage M4001 repeats reciprocating movement in accordance with the recording operation, the swinging member 100 repeatedly enters the first and second states shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B to remove the ink in the ink storage chamber 80. Stir.

  FIG. 7C shows the displacement direction, displacement amount, and ink flow of the openings 102 and 103 when the swing member 100 swings.

  Immediately before the swinging member 100 swings in one direction and then reverses in the reverse direction, an inertial force acts on the ink in the hollow portion 104. As a result, flows B1, B2, and B3 as shown in FIG. 7C are generated in the ink in the vicinity of the upper opening 103 and the lower opening 102 and in the hollow portion 104. Hereinafter, the principle of this flow will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the area of the upper opening 103 and the lower opening 102 of the swing member 100 is S1 and S2, and the pressure acting on each opening is P1 and P2, the upper opening 103 has F3 = P1 · S1 and the lower opening. The force F4 = P2 · S2 is applied to 102. However, the difference between F3 and F4 is the gravity of the liquid in the rocking member 100 and does not contribute to the movement of the ink. Accordingly, when the movement of the swing member 100 is stopped, the ink does not move because only the above-described forces F3 and F4 act on the ink in the hollow portion 104.

On the other hand, when the oscillating member 100 is moving, that is, when the oscillating member 100 rotates around the support shaft 40, the ink in the hollow portion 104 of the oscillating member 100 is transferred to the ink. Inertia works. The inertial force F applied to the minute volume ΔV in the oscillating member 100 during the oscillating operation of the oscillating member 100 is ρ as the specific gravity of the liquid, r as the distance from the center of rotation, and v as the speed of ΔV.
F = ρΔVv ² / r (Formula 1)
It becomes. The inertial force F becomes a centrifugal force that works in a direction away from the center of rotation.

  In the present embodiment, the support shaft 40 is provided in the vicinity of the lower opening 102 of the swing member 100. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 8B, the volume (weight) in the range from the support shaft 40 that is the rotation center (swinging fulcrum) to the upper opening 103 is lower than the lower opening 102. Much larger than the volume (weight) of the range. Furthermore, the displacement amount α of the upper opening 103 accompanying the swing (rotation) of the swing member 100 is larger than the displacement amount β of the lower opening 102, and the moving speed of the upper opening 103 is lower than the lower opening. It is faster than the moving speed of 102. For this reason, the inertial force F1 of the ink positioned within the range from the rotation center to the upper opening 103 and the inertial force F2 of the ink positioned within the range from the rotation center to the lower opening 102 are illustrated in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8B, the relationship is F1> F2. As a result, the ink in the hollow portion 104 of the swinging member 100 moves from the lower opening 102 to the upper opening 103 and flows out of the swinging member 100, near the lower opening 102 and the upper opening 103, In the hollow portion 104, the ink flows B1, B2, and B3 are generated. Using this ink flow, pigment particles that tend to settle in the lower layer of the ink storage chamber 80 can be lifted up to the upper layer. As a result, an ink flow from the lower layer portion to the upper layer portion of the ink storage chamber is generated, and further, a flow from the upper layer portion to the lower layer portion is also generated along with the ink flow from the lower layer portion to the upper layer portion. Due to such a flow of ink, the dark ink and the light ink are convected in the ink container, and the pigment particles in the ink storage chamber 80 can be efficiently stirred. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a density difference from occurring in a recorded image between the initial use stage and the late use stage of the ink tank and to prevent color balance from being lost when a plurality of color inks are used.

  On the other hand, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state during operation of the swing member 100 ′ as a comparative example of the present embodiment. The swing member 100 ′ shown in this comparative example has a cylindrical shape having a uniform diameter from the upper end to the lower end, similarly to the swing member 100 in the present embodiment shown in FIG. 8. However, the oscillating member 100 ′ is supported by a support shaft 40 at the center in the central axis direction (longitudinal direction) of the cylindrical shape, and rotates about this as a fulcrum. That is, the distance from the rotation center (swinging fulcrum) of the swinging member 100 ′ to the upper opening 103 ′ and the distance from the rotation center to the lower opening 102 ′ are the same.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 9A, the inertial force F applied to the minute volume ΔV in the swinging member 100 ′ is ρ as the specific gravity of the liquid, r as the distance from the rotation center, and v as the speed of ΔV. Then
F = ρΔVv ² / r (Formula 1)
It becomes.

  As shown in FIG. 9 (b), the hollow portion 104 ′ of the swinging member 100 ′ has a portion from the rotation center to the upper opening 103 ′ and a portion from the rotation center to the lower opening 102 ′. Are symmetrical. For this reason, even when the swinging member 100 moves and reverses, the inertial force acting on the liquid in the swinging member 100 'is F1 = F2, so that the ink in the swinging member 100' does not move. Accordingly, ink convection does not occur in the ink storage chamber 80, and the ink is not efficiently stirred.

  Compared to the comparative example shown in FIG. 9, in the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the ink is introduced from the lower opening 102 by swinging the swinging member 100, and the ink is passed through the hollow portion 104. And can be led out from the upper opening 103. Pigment particles that tend to settle in the lower layer of the ink storage chamber can be lifted up to the upper layer easily and reliably. As a result, the entire area of the liquid such as ink stored in the liquid storage container is efficiently stirred. The concentration gradient of the liquid can be reduced.

  Further, the effect of such agitation includes the dimensions of the ink storage chamber, the inner diameter of the rocking member 100, the perimeter, the surface area, the length, the specific gravity, the moving speed and moving distance of the rocking member, the ink viscosity, and the rocking angle. Differences occur depending on parameters such as the specific gravity of the ink. However, the above-described parameters are set in any way as long as sufficient driving force is obtained for the ink having a high pigment component to be lifted up to the upper ink layer in the ink storage chamber via the hollow portion 504. Also good. In other words, any parameter can be set as long as the swing member 500 can be swung so that the ink can be led out from the upper opening by the centrifugal force and inertia force generated in the ink in the hollow portion. Good.

  Further, the swinging direction of the swinging member is not necessarily reversed. Sufficient propulsive force for rolling up the pigment particles located at the bottom of the ink storage chamber to the upper part of the container via the hollow portion may be applied by the inertial force. The swing member may be stopped.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the method of rocking | fluctuating a rocking | swiveling member by the reciprocating movement of the carriage was shown. However, this ruinous liquid storage container can obtain a stirring effect even when the vibrating member is swung by vibration during movement in the physical distribution.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, the same or corresponding parts as those of the ink tank 1 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4 to FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining an installation state of the swinging member 110 as the stirring member in the second embodiment. The rocking member 110 in the present embodiment is configured by a cylindrical body (cylindrical body) having the same inner diameter from the upper end to the lower end, like the rocking member 100 in the first embodiment. Further, an upper opening 103 is formed on the upper side of the swing member 110 in the gravity direction, and a lower opening is formed on the lower side of the gravity direction. Both openings communicate with the hollow portion 140 that forms the ink flow path. ing. This point is also the same as in the first embodiment. However, the swing member 104 is formed with an insertion hole 101 in the vicinity of the upper opening 103 for inserting a support shaft 40 that is held at both ends by the inner wall of the ink storage chamber 80. 40 is supported so as to be swingable with a swinging fulcrum 40 as a swinging fulcrum. In other words, in the swing member 110 according to the present embodiment, the distance from the support shaft 40 to the upper opening 103 is shorter than the distance from the support shaft 40 to the lower opening 102, which is the first point. Different from the embodiment. Even in the swing member 110, both the openings 102 and 103 and the hollow portion 104 are completely submerged in the ink in the state where the ink is filled in the ink storage chamber 80, and at the time of the swing, The swing member 110 and the spring member 50 are disposed at a position where they do not contact each other.

Next, the operation of the swing member and the ink flow will be described with reference to FIG.
Also in the second embodiment, when the swinging member 110 is pivoting about the support shaft 40, the minute volume ΔV in the swinging member 100 is as shown in FIG. Inertia force (centrifugal force) F is generated. Note that forces F3 and F4 due to pressures P1 and P2 also act on the upper opening 103 and the lower opening 102, but these forces do not contribute to the ink flow as described above. This inertial force F is a centrifugal force acting in a direction away from the center of rotation, and is a force obtained by the above-described (Equation 1).

  In the second embodiment, the support shaft 40 is provided in the vicinity of the upper opening 103 of the swing member 110. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11A, the volume in the range from the support shaft 40 that is the rotation center (swing fulcrum) to the lower opening 103 is the range from the rotation center to the upper opening 102. Much larger than the volume. Further, the amount of displacement of the lower opening 103 due to the rocking (rotation) of the rocking member 110 is larger than the amount of displacement of the upper opening 102, and the moving speed of the lower opening 103 is the same as that of the upper opening 102. Faster than moving speed. For this reason, the inertial force F1 of ink positioned from the rotation center to the upper opening 103 and the inertial force F2 of ink positioned from the rotation center to the lower opening 102 are shown in FIG. Thus, the relationship of F1 <F2 is established. As a result, the ink in the hollow portion 104 of the swinging member 110 moves from the lower opening 102 to the upper opening 103 and flows out of the swinging member 100, near the lower opening 102 and the upper opening 103, In the hollow portion 104, the ink flows B1, B2, and B3 are generated. In other words, ink having a relatively low density flows out from the lower opening 102, and this ink flow diffuses pigment particles that tend to settle in the lower layer of the ink storage chamber 80, and is mixed with the ink having a high density. Is done. Along with the flow of ink from the upper layer to the lower layer, a flow from the lower layer to the upper layer is also generated, so it is possible to convection of dark and light ink in the ink container. Thus, the pigment particles in the ink storage chamber 80 can be efficiently stirred.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 12, the same or corresponding parts as those shown in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals.
FIG. 12A is a perspective view showing an installation state of the swing member 120. As shown in the figure, a support shaft 40 for supporting the swing member 120 is held on the inner wall of the ink container 10 so as to be substantially horizontal in the use posture. The oscillating member 120 is constituted by a cylindrical body having a non-uniform inner diameter. Here, the oscillating member 120 has a hollow truncated cone shape. An insertion hole 101 through which the support shaft 40 is inserted is formed at the center of the swing member 120 in the central axis direction, and the swing member is centered on the support shaft 40 inserted through the insertion hole 101 (fulcrum). 120 is rotatable. Further, the swinging member 120 is formed with a lower opening 102 located on the lower side in the gravity direction of the ink container 10 and an upper opening 103 located on the upper side, and these openings 102, 103 are formed. It communicates with the hollow portion 104 that forms the ink flow path.

  In the third embodiment, the upper opening 103 of the oscillating member 120 having a truncated cone shape is formed with a larger diameter than the lower opening 102. Further, the swinging member 100 is configured such that when the ink storage chamber 80 is filled with ink, the openings 102 and 103 and the hollow portion 104 are completely immersed in the ink.

Next, the operation of the swing member 120 will be described.
The oscillating member 120 performs a rotating operation around the support shaft 40 (fulcrum) as a oscillating operation. FIG. 13B shows the force acting on the ink in the swing member 120 when this rotation operation is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 13B, the inertial force shown by F1 and F2 acts on the liquid in the hollow portion 104 when the swinging member 120 swings. In the third embodiment, in the hollow portion 104, the volume of ink located within the range from the fulcrum shaft 40 that is the rotation center to the upper opening 103 is transferred from the fulcrum shaft 40 to the lower opening 102. It is larger than the volume of ink located in the entire range. Therefore, the inertial force F1 of the ink positioned within the range from the rotation center to the upper opening 103 and the inertial force F2 of the ink positioned within the range from the rotation center to the lower opening 102 are F1> The relationship is F2.

  Accordingly, the ink in the hollow portion 104 of the swing member 120 is led out from the upper opening 103 through the hollow portion 104 from the lower opening 102. That is, in the ink storage chamber 80, ink flows B 1, B 2, and B 3 are generated in the lower opening 102, the upper opening 103, and the hollow portion 104. Using this ink flow, pigment particles that tend to settle in the lower layer of the ink storage chamber 80 can be lifted up to the upper layer. As a result, the pigment particles in the ink storage chamber 80 can be stirred. In the third embodiment, a support shaft that serves as a swing fulcrum at the center of the center axis (center portion in the longitudinal direction of the swing member) from the upper end to the lower end of the swing member 120 having a hollow truncated cone shape. The case where 40 is provided is shown. However, the position of the swing fulcrum is not limited to this. That is, it is possible to provide the support shaft serving as the swing fulcrum at a position shifted in the longitudinal direction from the above-described central portion. The point is that the volume of the ink located in the range from the swing fulcrum to the upper end in the hollow portion and the volume of the ink located in the range from the swing fulcrum to the lower end are different from each other. That's fine. Therefore, contrary to the fourth embodiment, the ink located in the portion from the lower opening to the swing fulcrum has a larger volume than the ink located in the portion from the upper opening to the swing fulcrum. It is also possible to configure as described above. In this case, since the ink flows from the upper opening toward the lower opening, the dark ink that has settled at the bottom of the ink storage chamber is diffused and mixed by the light ink flowing out from the lower opening. The ink can be efficiently stirred.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the third embodiment, the configuration in which the swinging member 120 is completely immersed in the ink by the ink filled in the ink storage chamber 80 is shown. On the other hand, in the ink tank according to the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the upper opening 103 of the swing member 120 is located above the liquid level with respect to the ink level in the ink storage chamber 80. It is prominent. Other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment.

FIG. 13A shows a state in which the upper opening 103 of the swing member 120 is placed in contact with the inner surface of the storage container. FIG. 13B shows the ink flow and the like in the swing member 120 when the swing member 100 operates around the support shaft 40 from the state shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 13A, when the swinging member 120 is stationary, the liquid level inside and outside the swinging member 120 is the same. During the swing member operation, inertial forces F1 and F2 act on the liquid in the swing member 120 as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the volume of liquid in the range from the support shaft 40 that is the rotation center to the liquid level in the swing member, the volume of liquid in the range from the rotation center to the lower opening 102, and the rotation of the swing member 120. Depending on the speed of movement and the shape of the swinging member 100, F1> F2 may be satisfied. Further, when F1 is sufficiently larger than F2, the liquid in the swinging member 120 is lifted above the upper opening 103, that is, above the liquid level outside the hollow portion 104, and is outside the swinging member. As a result, liquid is introduced from the lower opening 102. According to this, the pigment particles that tend to settle in the lower layer portion of the ink storage chamber 80 can be guided to the ink surface, and the dark ink in the ink storage chamber 80 and the low concentration ink are mixed. Therefore, stirring can be performed effectively. Note that, as shown in FIG. 13, the center portion of the central axis line extending from the upper end to the lower end of the swing member 120 having a hollow frustum shape (the center portion in the longitudinal direction of the swing member) is shown in FIG. ) Shows a case where a support shaft 40 serving as a swing fulcrum is provided. However, it is also possible to provide the support shaft serving as the oscillating fulcrum at a position shifted in the longitudinal direction from the aforementioned central portion. For example, it is possible to satisfy the condition of F1> F2 even if the rotation fulcrum is provided above the center part. This is because the volume of ink in the range from the rotation center to the liquid level in the rocking member, the volume of ink in the range from the rotation center to the lower opening 102, the rotation speed of the rocking member 120, This can be realized by setting the shape of the moving member 100 and the like. On the contrary, depending on these settings, it is possible to instantaneously lead the ink downward from the lower opening 102 and then introduce ink from the lower opening 102. In this way, it is possible to agitate the highly concentrated ink that has settled below the ink storage portion 80 by the flow of ink generated by introducing and introducing the ink from the lower opening 102.

  Moreover, in the said 4th Embodiment, the case where the opening diameter of the upper side opening part 103 of a rocking | swiveling member was smaller than the opening diameter of a lower side opening part was illustrated. However, the opening diameter of the upper opening 102 may be made smaller than the opening diameter of the lower opening, or the swing member may be cylindrical as shown in the first or second embodiment. In any case, by setting the above conditions including the swing speed of the swing member, the ink is led out from the upper opening, or the ink is led out / introduced in the lower opening. Is possible.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the embodiments described above. In other words, the liquid storage container of the present invention actively applies a liquid flow for stirring the liquid from the bottom of the container to the top or from the top of the container to the bottom. It is sufficient if it can be generated automatically. The direction of the liquid flow can be optimally set according to the shape of the liquid storage space, the type of liquid, and the like. The liquid flow may be generated through at least two openings and a hollow portion therebetween.

  Therefore, the position, shape, number, etc. of the hollow part and the opening part in the swing member are arbitrary. For example, the configuration for causing the ink in the ink storage chamber to flow from the lower opening to the upper opening of the swing member is not limited to the shape of the stirring mechanism described above. That is, the openings 102 and 103 of the swing member may have a shape other than a circle as in the above embodiment, for example, an elliptical shape, a triangular shape, a rectangular shape, or a polygonal shape. In short, if the configuration is such that the hollow portion 104 is a substantially sealed space except for the openings 102 and 103, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

  In each of the above embodiments, the liquid flow in the hollow portion of the swing member is combined with the movement of the liquid generated by the liquid being stirred by the outer surface of the swing member. The liquid can be stirred more efficiently.

  In the embodiment described above, an ink tank that can be mounted on a so-called serial scan type ink jet recording apparatus has been shown as an application example of the liquid storage container in the present invention. However, the present invention is not only applicable to ink tanks. For example, a liquid storage container having a swinging member having a hollow portion for guiding liquid is mounted on a mounting table, and the mounting table is reciprocated to swing the swinging member to stir the liquid. Is also applicable. Further, the movement of the liquid container is not limited to reciprocal movement. For example, the liquid container can also be moved by moving it in a certain direction, then temporarily stopping and then moving again in the same direction, by swinging the swinging member to It is possible to stir.

  Further, the configuration for supporting the swing member is not limited to the configuration using the shaft as described above. In short, it is only necessary that the swinging member can be supported so as to be able to swing in a predetermined swinging direction by an inertial force accompanying the movement of the liquid storage container and to be movable in a direction crossing the swinging direction. In the liquid storage container (ink cartridge) of the above-described embodiment, the liquid storage portion (ink storage chamber) that can store the liquid has a configuration in which the liquid level does not change even if the storage amount of the liquid (ink) is reduced. It has become. However, the liquid storage portion may be configured such that the height of the liquid level changes as the amount of liquid storage decreases. In this case, it is effective to set the rocking speed and other conditions so that the ink is led out from the upper opening protruding from the liquid surface as in the fourth embodiment.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the swing member swings in the rotation direction around the support shaft. However, the swing direction of the swing member does not necessarily coincide with the rotation direction. . That is, in the present invention, it is sufficient that the swing member includes a rotation component, and it is also possible to perform swing including a linear component, another curved direction component, and the like together with the rotation component. is there. This is realized by adopting a configuration in which the rotation center of the swinging member can be moved in a linear direction or another curved direction.

  The liquid storage container of the present invention can also be applied to an ink tank that is integrally formed with an ink jet recording head, that is, a head cartridge.

1 is an external perspective view of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the internal mechanism of the recording device shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a recording head cartridge and an ink tank that can be mounted on a carriage of the recording apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view of the ink tank in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the ink tank shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an explanatory perspective view of an installed state of a swing member in the ink tank shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge for explaining the operation of the swing member in FIG. 5, (a) shows the operation of the swing member when the carriage is reversed from the X2 direction to the X1 direction, and (b) is the carriage. (C) shows the operation of the swinging member when the carriage is reversed from the X2 direction to the X1 direction. It is a sectional side view which shows the force which acts on the ink in a hollow part by rocking | fluctuation of a rocking | swiveling member. It is a sectional side view which shows the comparative example with the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and has shown the force which acts on the ink in a hollow part by rocking | fluctuation of a rocking | swiveling member. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the installation state of the rocking | swiveling member in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the force which acts on the ink in a hollow part by the rocking | fluctuation of the rocking | swiveling member in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the principal part of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a perspective view for demonstrating the installation state of a rocking | swiveling member, (b) is the ink in a hollow part by rocking | swiveling of a rocking | swiveling member. It is a sectional side view which shows the force which acts on. It is a sectional side view which shows the principal part of the 4th Embodiment of this invention, (a) is the state in which the rocking | swiveling member is stationary, (b) is the ink in a hollow part by rocking | swiveling of a rocking | swiveling member. The forces acting on the ink and the ink flow are respectively shown.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid storage container 10 Ink container housing | casing 40 Support shaft 80 Ink storage chamber 100,110,120 Oscillating member 102 Lower side opening part 103 Upper side opening part 104 Hollow part F1 The liquid in the position from a support shaft to an upper opening part Force F2 Force applied to the liquid at the position from the support shaft to the upper opening

Claims (19)

A liquid storage container having a liquid storage portion and a stirring member for stirring the liquid in the liquid storage portion,
The stirring member has a hollow portion that guides the liquid in the liquid storage container and has a swinging member that is swingably supported in the liquid storage portion.
The swinging member is supported to perform a swinging operation including a rotating component, and the force applied to the liquid in the hollow portion located above the rotating center of the rotating component in the gravity direction is F1, The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the rotation center is arranged so that F1 and F2 are different when F2 is a force applied to the liquid in the hollow portion located on the lower side in the gravity direction.   The rocking member has an upper opening that communicates with the hollow portion on the upper side in the gravity direction of the rotation center, and a lower opening that communicates with the hollow portion on the lower side in the gravity direction of the rotation center. The liquid container according to claim 1.   The rocking member includes the weight of the liquid positioned from the rotation center to the upper opening, and the liquid positioned from the rotation center to the lower opening among liquids positioned in the hollow portion. The liquid container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the liquid container is different in weight.   4. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the swing member swings so that movement speeds of the upper opening and the lower opening are different.   The swing member is formed of a cylindrical body having a uniform inner diameter, and the upper opening is formed at the upper end of the cylindrical body, and the lower opening is formed at the lower end of the cylindrical body. The liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein the liquid storage container is a liquid storage container.   The swing member is formed of a cylindrical body having a non-uniform inner diameter, and the upper opening is formed at the upper end of the cylindrical body and the lower opening is formed at the lower end of the cylindrical body. The liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein the liquid storage container is a liquid storage container.   The rocking member is configured by a cylindrical body having a hollow frustum shape, and the cylindrical body has the upper opening formed at the upper end and the lower opening formed at the lower end. The liquid container according to claim 6.   The liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the rotation center is arranged such that F1 and F2 have a relationship of F1> F2.   8. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the rotation center is arranged such that F1 and F2 have a relation of F1 <F2.   The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the swinging member is supported so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in a direction intersecting the direction of gravity.   The liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein the liquid storage container constitutes an ink tank that stores ink as the liquid.   12. The liquid storage unit according to claim 1, wherein, in a predetermined usage posture of the liquid storage container, the liquid level in the direction of gravity is kept constant regardless of a storage amount of the liquid. The liquid container described.   12. The liquid storage unit according to claim 1, wherein a height of the liquid surface in the direction of gravity changes in accordance with a change in a storage amount of the liquid in a predetermined use posture of the liquid storage container. The liquid container described in 1.   The liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein the stirring member is swung by an inertial force accompanying the movement of the liquid storage container.   15. A head cartridge that performs recording using the liquid storage container according to claim 1 and the liquid supplied from the liquid storage container. A carriage capable of mounting a liquid storage container having a liquid storage section and a stirring member for stirring the liquid in the liquid storage section, and a recording head for performing recording using the liquid supplied from the liquid storage container An inkjet recording apparatus,
The stirring member has a hollow portion that guides the liquid in the liquid storage container and has a swinging member that is swingably supported in the liquid storage portion.
The swinging member is supported to perform a swinging operation including a rotating component, and the force applied to the liquid in the hollow portion located above the rotating center of the rotating component in the gravity direction is F1, An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the rotation center is arranged so that F1 and F2 are different from each other when F2 is a force applied to the liquid in the hollow portion located on the lower side in the gravity direction. A stirring method for a liquid storage container, comprising: a liquid storage portion; and a stirring member for stirring the liquid in the liquid storage portion,
The stirring member has a hollow portion that guides the liquid in the liquid storage container and has a swinging member that is swingably supported in the liquid storage portion.
The liquid storage part is moved in the swing direction of the stirring member while changing the acceleration so that the swing member performs a swing operation including a rotation component, and gravity is applied from the rotation center of the rotation component. A liquid container agitation method, wherein a force different from that of the liquid in the hollow portion located on the lower side in the gravity direction of the rotation center is generated in the liquid in the hollow portion located on the upper side in the direction.   18. The liquid stored in the liquid storage portion is guided and stirred from the lower side to the upper side in the gravity direction via the hollow portion by the swinging of the stirring member. Of stirring liquid storage container.   18. The liquid stored in the liquid storage portion is guided and stirred from above in the direction of gravity through the hollow portion by the swing of the stirring member, and stirred. Of stirring liquid storage container.

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