JP2010221477A - Liquid container and manufacturing method for liquid container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manufacture an ink cartridge efficiently while fully assuring the function of the ink cartridge. <P>SOLUTION: The ink cartridge 1 is partitioned by a rib 10a in the inside, and the front and the back are sealed with an outer surface film 60 and a film 80. The ink cartridge 1 includes a tank chamber 370 and an end chamber 390 which hold liquid, an atmosphere opening hole 100, air chambers 320 to 360 which communicate the tank chamber 370 to the atmosphere opening hole 100 by making the ventilation possible, a liquid supply part 50 for feeding an ink to a printer, an atmosphere communication chamber 355 which is formed next to the air chamber 350 and be communicated to an atmosphere through a vacuum hole 110, and a bypass passage 354 which makes the air chamber 350 communicate to the atmosphere communication chamber 355 by making the ventilation possible when injecting an ink to the tank chamber 370 and the end chamber 390. The bypass passage 354 is heat-welded with the film 80 and sealed after injecting an ink. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid container in which at least one surface of a housing having a recess is sealed with a film material.

  In recent years, ink jet printers equipped with ink cartridges containing ink have become widespread. Some ink cartridges of such an ink jet printer are provided with a decompression hole in order to efficiently inject ink into the ink cartridge at the time of manufacture (for example, Patent Document 1 below). The decompression hole is a through hole provided in the case of the ink cartridge in order to suck the air inside the ink cartridge from the decompression hole and depressurize it when injecting ink into the ink cartridge. Sealed. As such a sealing method, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which an elastic member is inserted into a decompression hole, and a decompression needle having a through hole is passed through the elastic member to decompress the inside of the ink cartridge from the through hole. Is disclosed. If such a technique is used, if the decompression needle is removed from the elastic member after ink injection, the decompression hole is sealed by the restoring force of the elastic member, so that a sealing operation is not necessary.

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, an elastic member is required, so that there is a problem that the number of parts increases. Further, since the decompression hole is sealed only by the restoring force of the elastic member, there is a concern that the sealing performance may not be sufficiently secured, and there is a concern that the ink in the ink cartridge evaporates or leaks. Moreover, in order to ensure sealing performance, it is conceivable to seal the decompression hole by attaching a film material or the like, but in that case, the problem of increase in the number of parts and the number of manufacturing steps cannot be solved. .

  Such problems are not limited to ink cartridges for printers. For example, liquid containers such as a liquid container that supplies a liquid material to an ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid material containing metal to form an electrode layer on a semiconductor can be used as a liquid. This is a problem common to the liquid container for supplying the liquid.

JP 2001-105618 A

  In view of the above problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to efficiently manufacture an ink cartridge while sufficiently securing the function of the ink cartridge.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

[Application Example 1] A liquid container in which at least one surface of a housing having a recess is sealed with a film material,
A liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid;
An atmosphere opening portion having an opening provided on the surface of the liquid container;
An atmosphere communication path for allowing the liquid storage chamber and the atmosphere opening portion to communicate with each other so as to allow ventilation;
A liquid supply unit for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to a liquid consuming device that consumes the liquid via a liquid channel;
An atmosphere communication chamber that communicates with the atmosphere through an atmosphere communication hole that is a hole communicating with the atmosphere;
At the time of injecting the liquid into the liquid storage chamber, it is formed between the surface of the housing and the film material, and communicates with the liquid storage chamber or the atmosphere communication passage and the atmosphere communication chamber so as to allow ventilation. And a bypass passage sealed with the film material after the liquid has been injected.

  The liquid container having such a configuration includes an air communication chamber that communicates with the liquid storage chamber or the air communication path via a bypass. The atmosphere communication chamber communicates with the atmosphere through the atmosphere communication hole. Therefore, at the time of manufacturing the liquid container, the liquid can be injected after the air in the liquid path of the liquid container is sucked from the atmosphere communication hole through the bypass and the atmosphere communication chamber and decompressed. Therefore, efficient liquid injection can be performed. Moreover, since the path | route which attracts | sucks air can be shortened compared with the case where pressure_reduction | reduced_pressure from an air release part, pressure loss of a suction path | route can be reduced and it can decompress | decompress efficiently. In addition, after liquid injection, the bypass path is sealed with a film material that seals the casing of the liquid container, and the atmosphere communication chamber is isolated from the path in the liquid container, so the atmosphere communication hole is sealed separately. There is no need to stop. That is, the number of parts does not increase.

Application Example 2 In the liquid container according to Application Example 1, the atmosphere communication path includes a meandering communication path formed by meandering part of the atmosphere communication path, and the bypass path is A liquid storage container that communicates the liquid storage chamber or the atmosphere communication path with the atmosphere communication chamber through a path closer to the liquid storage chamber than the meandering communication path during the injection.

  Since the liquid container having such a configuration can be depressurized in a path that avoids the meandering communication path where the pressure loss is large due to the structure when the liquid container is manufactured, the liquid container can be efficiently depressurized.

Application Example 3 The liquid container according to Application Example 1 or Application Example 2 in which the bypass path communicates the atmosphere communication path and the atmosphere communication chamber during the injection.

  In the liquid storage container having such a configuration, the bypass path connects the atmosphere communication path and the atmosphere communication chamber, so that when the liquid is injected at the time of manufacturing the liquid storage container, the injected liquid is the bypass path and the atmosphere communication hole portion. It is possible to suppress leakage to the outside of the liquid container via the.

Application Example 4 In the liquid container according to Application Example 3, the atmosphere communication path includes a plurality of air chambers partitioned so as to allow ventilation, and the bypass path is configured to be the atmosphere communication chamber at the time of the injection. And a liquid storage container that communicates the air chamber on the liquid storage chamber side among the plurality of air chambers.

  In the liquid storage container having such a configuration, when the liquid storage container is manufactured, the bypass flow path communicates the atmosphere communication chamber and the air chamber on the liquid storage chamber side among the plurality of air chambers. The pressure can be reduced by a route avoiding the majority, and the pressure can be reduced efficiently.

Application Example 5 At least a part of the bypass path seals a concave portion or a convex portion formed on a rib of the casing, and a surface of the casing including the concave portion or the convex section. The liquid container according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 4, which is a gap formed between the film material and the film material.
The liquid container having such a configuration can easily form a bypass passage and can be easily sealed.

Application Example 6 In the liquid storage container according to Application Example 4, the atmosphere communication chamber and the air chamber on the liquid storage chamber side are disposed adjacent to each other, and the bypass path is connected to the atmosphere communication chamber and the air communication chamber. Between the recess or projection formed in the rib of the casing that divides the air chamber on the liquid storage chamber side, and the film material that seals the surface of the casing provided with the recess or projection A liquid container which is a gap formed in the container.

  In the liquid storage container having such a configuration, the atmosphere communication chamber and the air chamber on the liquid storage chamber side are arranged adjacent to each other, and the bypass path is a gap between the concave portion or the convex portion formed in the ribs that define them and the film. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a flow path other than on the rib, and the flow path can be formed short and easily.

[Application Example 7] In the liquid container according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 6, the opening of the atmosphere opening portion has a depressed shape, and the atmosphere communication hole portion has the depressed shape. A liquid container formed on a side surface.
In the liquid container having such a configuration, the air communication hole portion may be formed on a side surface of the depressed air release portion. In this case, since the air communication hole is difficult to see from the outside, the appearance of the liquid container is good.

[Application Example 8] The liquid storage container according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 7, further provided in a liquid path between the liquid storage chamber and the liquid supply unit, on the liquid supply unit side A check valve that prevents back flow of the liquid from the liquid supply chamber to the liquid storage chamber, and a path that bypasses the check valve when the liquid is injected from the liquid supply port to the liquid storage chamber. A liquid bypass channel that communicates the supply unit with the liquid storage chamber, the liquid bypass channel being sealed with the film material after the liquid is injected, and the bypass channel and the liquid bypass channel; Is a liquid container sealed with the film material on the same surface of the liquid container after the liquid is injected.

  Since the liquid container having such a configuration can seal the liquid bypass channel and the bypass channel on the same surface at the time of manufacturing the liquid container, the bypass channel is simultaneously used in the step of sealing the liquid bypass channel. It can be sealed. That is, it is not necessary to separately provide a process for sealing the bypass passage, and the production can be efficiently performed.

The present invention can also be realized as a method for manufacturing a liquid container of Application Example 9.
Application Example 9 A method for manufacturing a liquid storage container in which at least one surface of a housing having a recess is sealed with a film material, a liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid, and a hole provided in the surface of the liquid storage container An atmosphere opening portion having a portion, an atmosphere communication passage for allowing the liquid storage chamber and the atmosphere release portion to communicate with each other in a breathable manner, and the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber via the liquid channel. A liquid supply unit for supplying to a consuming liquid consuming device, an air communication chamber communicating with the atmosphere through an air communication hole which is a hole communicating with the atmosphere, and between the surface of the housing and the film material A step of preparing a liquid storage container that is formed and includes a bypass passage that allows the liquid communication chamber or the air communication passage to communicate with the air communication chamber, and the liquid communication container from the air communication hole. Inside liquid path air A step of sucking and depressurizing the liquid path; a step of injecting the liquid from the liquid supply unit into the liquid storage chamber; and a step of sealing the bypass path with the film material after the liquid injection. A method for manufacturing a liquid container.

2 is a first external perspective view of the ink cartridge 1. FIG. 4 is a second external perspective view of the ink cartridge 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a first exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge 1. FIG. 4 is a second exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge 1. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the ink cartridge 1 is attached to a carriage 200. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a path from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the liquid supply unit 50. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an internal structure (front side) of the cartridge body 10. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an internal structure (back side) of the cartridge body 10. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the internal structure (front and back) of the cartridge body 10. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the bypass path 354, and the sealing method. FIG. 5 is a process diagram illustrating a procedure for manufacturing the ink cartridge 1. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state when ink is injected into the cartridge main body 10. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the path | route from the atmospheric | air release hole 100 to the liquid supply part 50 as 2nd Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the internal structure (front side) of the cartridge main body 10 as 2nd Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the path | route from the air | atmosphere open hole 100 to the liquid supply part 50 as 3rd Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the internal structure (front side) of the cartridge main body 10 as 3rd Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure and sealing method of the bypass path 354 as a modification.

Examples of the present invention will be described.
A. First embodiment:
A-1. Ink cartridge configuration:
FIG. 1 is a first external perspective view of an ink cartridge 1 as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a second external perspective view of the ink cartridge 1. FIG. 2 shows a view from the opposite direction to FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge 1 corresponding to FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge 1 corresponding to FIG. FIG. 4 shows a view from the opposite direction to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state where one of the ink cartridges 1 is attached to the carriage. 1 to 5 show the XYZ axes in order to specify the direction.

  The ink cartridge 1 contains liquid ink therein. As shown in FIG. 5, the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on a carriage 200 of an ink jet printer and supplies ink to the printer.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink cartridge 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and includes a surface 1a on the Z-axis positive direction side, a surface 1b on the Z-axis negative direction side, and a surface 1c on the X-axis positive direction side. , An X-axis negative direction side surface 1d, a Y-axis positive direction side surface 1e, and a Y-axis negative direction side surface 1f. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the surface 1a is also referred to as the top surface, the surface 1b as the bottom surface, the surface 1c as the right side surface, the surface 1d as the left side surface, the surface 1e as the front surface, and the surface 1f as the back surface. Moreover, the side with these surfaces 1a-1f is also called the upper surface side, bottom surface side, right side surface side, left side surface side, front side, and back side, respectively.

  The bottom surface 1b is provided with a liquid supply unit 50 (corresponding to a liquid supply unit in claims) having a supply hole for supplying ink to the printer. Further, an air opening hole 100 (corresponding to the air opening portion in the claims) for introducing the air into the inside of the ink cartridge 1 is opened in the bottom surface 1b (FIG. 4). The air opening hole 100 has such a depth and diameter that the protrusion 230 (FIG. 5) formed on the carriage 200 of the printer fits with a margin so as to have a predetermined gap. The user removes the sealing film 90 that hermetically seals the air opening hole 100 and then mounts the ink cartridge 1 on the carriage 200. The protrusion 230 is provided to prevent forgetting to remove the sealing film 90.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an engagement lever 11 is provided on the left side surface 1d. The engaging lever 11 is formed with a protrusion 11a. The protrusion 11a engages with a recess 210 formed in the carriage 200 when mounted on the carriage 200, whereby the ink cartridge 1 is fixed to the carriage 200 (FIG. 5). As can be seen from the above, the carriage 200 is a mounting portion on which the ink cartridge 1 is mounted. During printing by the printer, the carriage 200 is integrated with a print head (not shown) and reciprocates in the paper width direction (main scanning direction) of the print medium. The main scanning direction is the Y-axis direction in FIG.

  A circuit board 35 is provided below the engagement lever 11 on the left side surface 1d (FIG. 2). A plurality of electrode terminals 35 a are formed on the circuit board 35, and these electrode terminals 35 a are electrically connected to the printer via electrode terminals (not shown) provided on the carriage 200. An outer surface film 60 is attached to the upper surface (surface 1a) and back surface (surface 1f) of the ink cartridge 1.

  Further, the internal configuration and component configuration of the ink cartridge 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The ink cartridge 1 includes a cartridge body 10 and a lid member 20 that covers the front side (surface 1e side) of the cartridge body 10.

  Ribs 10a having various shapes are formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10 (FIG. 3). 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. The film 80 is affixed densely so that no gap is formed on the front end face of the rib 10a of the cartridge body 10. By these ribs 10 a and the film 80, a plurality of small chambers, for example, an end chamber and a buffer chamber described later are partitioned and formed inside the ink cartridge 1.

  A differential pressure valve housing chamber 40a and a gas-liquid separation chamber 70a are formed on the back side of the cartridge body 10 (FIG. 4). The differential pressure valve accommodating chamber 40a accommodates a differential pressure valve 40 (corresponding to a check valve in claims) comprising a valve member 41, a spring 42, and a spring seat 43. A bank 70 b is formed on the inner wall surrounding the bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70 a, and a gas-liquid separation film 71 is adhered to the bank 70 b, thereby constituting the gas-liquid separation filter 70 as a whole.

  A plurality of grooves 10b are further formed on the back side of the cartridge body 10 (FIG. 4). When the outer surface film 60 is affixed so as to cover substantially the entire back side of the cartridge main body 10, these grooves 10 b have various flow paths described later between the cartridge main body 10 and the outer surface film 60, For example, a flow path for ink and air to flow is formed.

  Next, the structure around the circuit board 35 will be described. A sensor housing chamber 30a is formed on the bottom surface side (surface 1b side) of the left side surface (surface 1d) of the cartridge body 10 (FIG. 4). A liquid remaining amount sensor 31 is accommodated in the sensor accommodating chamber 30 a and is adhered by a film 32. The opening on the left side surface of the sensor housing chamber 30 a is covered with a cover member 33, and the circuit board 35 described above is fixed to the outer surface 33 a of the cover member 33 via the relay terminal 34. The sensor storage chamber 30 a, the remaining liquid sensor 31, the film 32, the cover member 33, the relay terminal 34, and the circuit board 35 are also collectively referred to as a sensor unit 30.

  Although not shown in detail, the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 includes a cavity that forms a part of an ink flow portion, which will be described later, a diaphragm that forms a part of the wall surface of the cavity, and a piezoelectric element disposed on the diaphragm. Device. The terminal of the piezoelectric element is electrically connected to a part of the electrode terminal of the circuit board 35, and when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the printer, the terminal of the piezoelectric element passes through the electrode terminal of the circuit board 35. Electrically connected to the printer. The printer can vibrate the diaphragm via the piezoelectric element by applying electric energy to the piezoelectric element. Thereafter, the printer can detect the presence or absence of ink in the cavity by detecting the residual vibration characteristics (frequency, etc.) of the diaphragm via the piezoelectric element. Specifically, when the ink contained in the cartridge body 10 is exhausted, and the state inside the cavity changes from the state filled with ink to the state filled with air, the residual vibration of the diaphragm Changes its characteristics. By detecting such a change in vibration characteristics via the liquid remaining amount sensor 31, the printer can detect the presence or absence of ink in the cavity, that is, the ink consumption or the remaining amount state in the ink cartridge 1.

  The circuit board 35 is provided with a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), and records the ink consumption amount of the printer.

  A pressure reducing hole 110 (corresponding to the atmospheric communication hole portion in the claims) is provided on the bottom surface side of the cartridge body 10 together with the liquid supply portion 50 and the atmospheric opening hole 100 described above (FIG. 4). The decompression hole 110 is used to suck out air and decompress the interior of the ink cartridge 1 when ink is injected in the manufacturing process of the ink cartridge 1.

  Immediately after the ink cartridge 1 is manufactured, the liquid supply unit 50 and the air opening hole 100 are sealed by the sealing films 54 and 90, respectively. Among these, the sealing film 90 is peeled off by the user before the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 200 of the printer as described above. As a result, the atmosphere opening hole 100 communicates with the outside, and the atmosphere is introduced into the ink cartridge 1. The sealing film 54 is configured to be broken by the ink supply needle 240 provided in the carriage 200 when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 200 of the printer.

  Inside the liquid supply unit 50, a closing spring 53, a spring seat 52, and a seal member 51 are accommodated in order from the inside (FIG. 4). When the ink supply needle 240 of the printer is inserted into the liquid supply unit 50, the seal member 51 seals so that no gap is generated between the inner wall of the liquid supply unit 50 and the outer wall of the ink supply needle 240. The spring seat 52 contacts the inner wall of the seal member 51 to close the liquid supply unit 50 when the ink cartridge 1 is not mounted on the carriage 200. The closing spring 53 biases the spring seat 52 in a direction in which the spring seat 52 abuts against the inner wall of the seal member 51. When the ink supply needle 240 of the carriage 200 is inserted into the liquid supply unit 50, the upper end of the ink supply needle 240 pushes up the spring seat 52, and a gap is generated between the spring seat 52 and the seal member 51. Ink is supplied to the supply needle 240.

  Before describing the internal structure of the ink cartridge 1, for convenience of understanding, a path from the air opening hole 100 to the liquid supply unit 50 will be schematically described with reference to FIG. 6. The path from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the liquid supply unit 50 includes an ink storage unit for storing ink, an air introduction unit on the upstream side of the ink storage unit, and an ink flow unit on the downstream side of the ink storage unit. It is roughly divided into

  The air introduction part includes, in order from the upstream side, the air opening hole 100, the meandering path 310 (corresponding to the meandering communication path of the claims), the gas-liquid separation chamber 70 a for housing the gas-liquid separation film 71 described above, and the gas-liquid The air chambers 320 to 360 (corresponding to the air chambers in the claims) that connect the separation chamber 70a and the ink containing portion are configured. The meandering path 310, the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a, and the air chambers 320 to 360 correspond to the atmosphere communication path in the claims. The meandering path 310 has an upstream end communicating with the atmosphere opening hole 100 and a downstream end communicating with the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a. The meandering path 310 is formed to meander in an elongated manner in order to increase the distance from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the ink containing portion. Thereby, it is possible to suppress evaporation of moisture in the ink in the ink container.

  The gas-liquid separation membrane 71 is made of a material that allows gas permeation and does not allow liquid permeation. By disposing the gas-liquid separation film 71 between the upstream side and the downstream side of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a, it is possible to prevent the ink flowing backward from the ink storage unit from entering the upstream side of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a. can do.

  The air chambers 320 to 360 are a plurality of divided air flow paths, and in this embodiment, the air chambers 320 to 360 are three-dimensionally configured in the vertical and horizontal directions of the cartridge body 10. The air chambers 320 to 360 are defined by ribs 10a and the like, and communicate with each other through communication holes and notches provided in the ribs 10a. As described above, by providing the air chambers 320 to 360 that are divided into a plurality of parts and are configured in three dimensions, it is possible to prevent the ink from flowing backward from the tank chamber 370 to the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a.

  Of the air chambers 320 to 360, the air chamber 350 communicates with the atmosphere communication chamber 355 (corresponding to the atmosphere communication chamber of the claims) via the bypass passage 354 (corresponding to the bypass passage of the claims). . The atmosphere communication chamber 355 communicates with the atmosphere by forming the decompression hole 110. That is, the air chamber 350 communicates with the atmosphere via the bypass passage 354, the atmosphere communication chamber 355, and the decompression hole 110. The bypass passage 354 serves as a flow path for suction air when sucking air from the decompression hole 110 during ink injection in the manufacturing stage of the ink cartridge 1, but is sealed after ink injection, and thereafter the flow path. Does not work. A method for manufacturing the ink cartridge 1 will be described later.

  The ink storage unit includes a tank chamber 370, a communication path 380, and an end chamber 390 in order from the upstream. The upstream side of the communication path 380 communicates with the tank chamber 370, and the downstream side of the communication path 380 communicates with the end chamber 390. In the present embodiment, the ink storage unit includes two chambers, the tank chamber 370 and the end chamber 390, but the number (number) of the chambers is not limited and may be configured as one chamber. The structure including three or more rooms may be sufficient. The tank chamber 370 and the end chamber 390 correspond to the liquid storage chamber in the claims.

  In the ink flow part, in order from the upstream side, the bubble trap channel 400, the bubble trap chamber 410, the first flow path 420, the sensor unit 30, the second flow path 430, the buffer chamber 440, and the above described. The differential pressure valve accommodating chamber 40a for accommodating the differential pressure valve 40, the third flow path 450, and the fourth flow path 460 are configured.

  The bubble trap channel 400 has a plurality of bent portions in three dimensions and is formed in a folded staircase shape. The bubble trap channel 400 ensures a predetermined volume with such a shape, thereby allowing bubbles to enter the bubble trap chamber 410 due to changes in the external environment, for example, changes in the outside air temperature and changes in the ink volume due to the outside air pressure. Can be prevented from entering. Further, since the bubble trap channel 400 has such a shape, movement of bubbles from the bubble trap channel 400 to the bubble trap chamber 410 can be suppressed regardless of the storage posture of the ink cartridge 1. As a result, it is possible to prevent air from entering the sensor unit 30 and causing the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 to malfunction.

  The bubble trap chamber 410 communicates with the first flow path 420 through a communication hole 412 formed in the bubble trap chamber 410, and the downstream end of the first flow path 420 communicates with the sensor unit 30. In the bubble trap chamber 410, the sensor unit 30 receives the ink introduced through the outlet part 402 of the bubble trap channel 400 formed in the upper direction (Z direction) through the second flow path 430 formed in the lower side. Therefore, the bubbles are trapped on the upper surface side of the bubble trap chamber 410 using the difference in specific gravity between the gas and the liquid. That is, the bubbles contained in the ink flowing from the bubble trap channel 400 can be separated, and the movement of the bubbles to the sensor unit 30 can be suppressed.

  The second flow path 430 has an upstream end communicating with the sensor unit 30 and a downstream end communicating with the buffer chamber 440. The buffer chamber 440 communicates directly with the differential pressure valve storage chamber 40a. In the differential pressure valve accommodating chamber 40a, the differential pressure valve 40 generates a force that causes the ink downstream of the differential pressure valve 40 to become negative pressure due to supply from the liquid supply unit 50 to the printer, and the negative pressure closes the differential pressure valve 40. When it exceeds, the differential pressure valve 40 is opened only during the time when the ink exceeds the upstream side, and the upstream ink flows downstream. That is, the differential pressure valve 40 enables the ink flow in one direction from the upstream side to the downstream side. For example, the ink on the downstream side of the differential pressure valve 40 by injecting ink from the liquid supply unit 50 or the like. When the pressure becomes positive, a force in the direction of closing the valve is applied to the differential pressure valve 40 to prevent the backflow of ink from the downstream side to the upstream side of the differential pressure valve 40.

  The third flow path 450 has an upstream end communicating with the differential pressure valve housing chamber 40 a and a downstream end communicating with the liquid supply unit 50 via the fourth flow path 460. The third flow path 450 communicates with the buffer chamber 440 via an ink bypass flow path 455 (corresponding to a liquid bypass flow path in the claims). The ink bypass channel 455 serves as an ink flow path when ink is injected from the liquid supply unit 50 in the manufacturing stage of the ink cartridge 1, but is sealed after the ink injection, and thereafter the ink channel is Does not work. When the ink cartridge 1 is manufactured, the bypass path is provided because the differential pressure valve 40 accommodated in the differential pressure valve accommodating chamber 40a cannot pass ink from the liquid supply unit 50 to the end chamber 390 side as described above. Because. A method for manufacturing the ink cartridge 1 will be described later.

  When the ink cartridge 1 is manufactured, the ink is filled up to the tank chamber 370 as schematically shown by the broken line ML1 in FIG. As the ink inside the ink cartridge 1 is consumed by the printer, the liquid level moves to the downstream side, and instead, the atmosphere flows into the ink cartridge 1 from the upstream via the atmosphere opening hole 100. As the ink consumption progresses, the liquid level reaches the sensor unit 30 as schematically shown by the broken line ML2 in FIG. Then, the atmosphere is introduced to the sensor unit 30, and the ink remaining amount is detected by the liquid remaining amount sensor 31. When out of ink is detected, the ink cartridge 1 stops printing at a stage before the ink existing downstream (the buffer chamber 440, etc.) from the sensor unit 30 is completely consumed, and the user runs out of ink. To be notified. By doing so, printing is not performed in a state where air is mixed in the print head.

  Based on the above description, a specific configuration in the ink cartridge 1 of each component of the path from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the liquid supply unit 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a view of the cartridge body 10 as viewed from the front side. FIG. 8 is a view of the cartridge body 10 as seen from the back side. FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram in which FIG. 7 is simplified. FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram in which FIG. 8 is simplified.

  Of the ink storage portion, the tank chamber 370 and the end chamber 390 are formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10. The tank chamber 370 and the end chamber 390 are shown by single hatching and cross hatching in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9B, the communication path 380 is formed in the vicinity of the central portion on the back side of the cartridge body 10. The communication hole 371 is a hole that connects the upstream end of the communication path 380 and the tank chamber 370, and the communication hole 391 is a hole that connects the downstream end of the communication path 380 and the end chamber 390.

  Of the air introduction part, the meandering path 310 and the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a are respectively formed at positions on the right side of the back side of the cartridge body 10, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9B. The communication hole 102 is a hole that communicates the upstream end of the meandering path 310 and the atmosphere opening hole 100. The downstream end of the meandering path 310 passes through the side wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a and communicates with the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a.

  In addition, air chambers 320 to 360 of the air introduction part are provided on the air chambers 320, 340, 350 (see FIGS. 7 and 9A) disposed on the front side of the cartridge body 10 and on the back side of the cartridge body 10. It is comprised from the air chambers 330 and 360 (refer FIG.8 and FIG.9 (b)) arrange | positioned, and each space forms the one flow path in series in order of the code | symbol from upstream. The communication hole 322 is a hole that communicates the gas-liquid separation chamber 70 a and the air chamber 320. The communication holes 321 and 341 are holes that communicate between the air chamber 320 and the air chamber 330 and between the air chamber 330 and the air chamber 340, respectively. The air chamber 340 and the air chamber 350 communicate with each other by a notch 342 formed in a rib separating the air chamber 340 and the air chamber 350. The communication holes 351 and 372 are holes that communicate between the air chamber 350 and the air chamber 360 and between the air chamber 360 and the tank chamber 370, respectively.

  The air communication chamber 355 is formed between the air chamber 350 and the decompression hole 110 adjacent to the air chamber 350 on the front side of the cartridge body 10 as shown in FIGS. Yes. The above-described decompression hole 110 is formed on the bottom surface of the atmosphere communication chamber 355, and the atmosphere communication chamber 355 communicates with the atmosphere via the decompression hole 110. In addition, a convex portion 353 is provided on the rib 10 a that partitions the air chamber 350 and the atmosphere communication chamber 355. In the present embodiment, three convex portions 353 are formed, but the number is not limited. Moreover, although the front end surface of the convex part 353 is formed in the substantially round shape and flat shape, for example, a rectangular shape may be sufficient and it may be roundish.

  Of the rib 10a where the convex portion 353 is formed, the portion that intersects the outer wall of the right side surface of the ink cartridge 1 is the right side surface side from the left side surface in the mounting posture of the ink cartridge 1 to the printer (the bottom surface side is the lower posture). The slope is formed to be higher. This inclination is caused by the right side surface of the ink cartridge 1 in the rib 10a where the convex portion 353 is formed when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the printer with a small amount of ink flowing into the air chamber 350 from the communication hole 351. This is to prevent ink from stagnating and remaining in the portion that intersects the outer wall.

  The convex portion 353 is provided to form the bypass passage 354 when the ink cartridge 1 is manufactured. The convex portion 353 and the bypass passage 354 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 schematically shows a cross section of the convex portion 353 in the Y-axis direction. When the ink cartridge 1 is manufactured, before the ink is injected, the film 80 covering the front surface of the cartridge main body 10 has a convex portion 353 extending between the convex portions 353 as shown in FIG. A film 80 is attached along the front end surface of the film. At this time, the gap between the convex portion 353 and the film 80 functions as a bypass path 354.

  On the other hand, after the ink is injected, the convex portion 353 and its peripheral portion are thermally welded to the film 80. At this time, the convex portion 353 is melted and rounded by heat, and as shown in FIG. 10B, the convex portion 353 and the film 80 are bonded in an airtight manner without a gap. Thus, the bypass path 354 is sealed after the ink is injected in the manufacturing process of the ink cartridge 1.

  Among the ink flow parts, the bubble trap channel 400 and the bubble trap chamber 410 are formed at positions close to the liquid supply part 50 on the front side of the cartridge body 10 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9A. ing. In the end chamber 390, an introduction part 401 communicating with the bubble trap channel 400 is formed. The bubble trap channel 400 is configured so that the cylindrical channel advances to the upper surface side while turning back between the back side and the front side of the cartridge body 10 and communicates with the bubble trap chamber 410 via the lead-out portion 402. Is formed. As described with reference to FIG. 4, the sensor unit 30 is disposed on the bottom side of the left side surface of the cartridge body 10 (FIGS. 7 to 9).

  As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9B, the first flow path 420 that communicates the bubble trap chamber 410 and the sensor unit 30 and the second flow path 430 that communicates the sensor unit 30 and the buffer chamber 440 are arranged as shown in FIGS. Each is formed on the back side of the main body 10. A communication hole 412 is formed in the bubble trap chamber 410 and communicates between the bubble trap chamber 410 and the first flow path 420. The communication hole 311 is a hole that communicates between the first flow path 420 and the sensor unit 30. The communication holes 312 and 441 are holes that communicate between the sensor unit 30 and the second flow path 430 and between the second flow path 430 and the buffer chamber 440.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9A, the buffer chamber 440, the third flow path 450, and the fourth flow path 460 are formed on the left side of the front side of the cartridge body 10, respectively. The communication hole 441 is a hole that communicates the downstream end of the second flow path 430 and the buffer chamber 440. The communication hole 442 is a hole that directly communicates the buffer chamber 440 and the differential pressure valve storage chamber 40a. The communication hole 451 is a hole that communicates between the differential pressure valve housing chamber 40 a and the third flow path 450. The communication hole 452 is a hole that communicates between the third flow path 450 and the fourth flow path 460 formed inside the liquid supply unit 50.

  A convex portion 453 is provided on the rib 10 a that partitions the third flow path 450 and the buffer chamber 440. In this embodiment, four convex portions 453 are formed, but the number is not limited. Moreover, although the front end surface of the convex part 453 is formed in a substantially round shape and a flat shape, for example, it may have a rectangular shape or may be rounded. The convex portion 453 is provided to form the ink bypass channel 455 when the ink cartridge 1 is manufactured. The ink bypass channel 455 is formed as a gap between the convex portion 453 and the film 80 in the same manner as the convex portion 353 described above before the ink injection when the ink cartridge 1 is manufactured. The film 80 is heat-sealed with no gap and sealed.

  Further, spaces 501 and 503 shown in FIGS. 7 and 9A are unfilled chambers that are not filled with ink. The unfilled chambers 501 and 503 are not on the path from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the liquid supply unit 50 and are independent. An air communication hole 502 that communicates with the atmosphere is provided on the back side of the unfilled chamber 501. Similarly, an air communication hole 504 that communicates with the atmosphere is provided on the back side of the unfilled chamber 503. The unfilled chambers 501 and 503 are deaeration chambers in which negative pressure is accumulated when the ink cartridge 1 is packaged with a decompression pack. As a result, with the ink cartridge 1 being packaged, the air pressure inside the cartridge body 10 is kept below a specified value, and ink with less dissolved air can be supplied.

A-2. Ink cartridge manufacturing method:
A method for manufacturing the ink cartridge 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The ink cartridge 1 is manufactured according to the following procedure. First, the cartridge body 10 is prepared (step S610). An outer surface film 60 and a film 80 are attached to the cartridge main body 10 prepared here, and ink and air flow paths are formed inside the cartridge main body 10. In the present embodiment, the air opening hole 100 is sealed with the sealing film 90.

  Once the cartridge main body 10 is prepared, the cartridge main body 10 is then fixed in a predetermined injection posture, and the ink injection device 810 is connected to the liquid supply unit 50 (step S620). In this embodiment, the pouring posture is such that the upper surface of the cartridge body 10 is the lower side in the gravity direction. This is because, in the internal structure of the cartridge main body 10 described above, the ink is unlikely to flow into the air chamber 360 via the communication hole 372 in such a posture. However, depending on the internal structure of the cartridge main body 10, another posture, for example, a posture in which the bottom surface of the cartridge main body 10 is on the lower side in the gravity direction, or a posture in which the cartridge main body 10 is inclined by a predetermined angle may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the ink injection device 810 used in this embodiment is configured by connecting an ink tank 811, a pump 812, a valve 813, and an injection needle 814 with a tube or the like. The ink tank 811 stores ink to be injected into the cartridge body 10. The injection needle 814 is constituted by a protruding member having a through hole through which ink can flow. When the injection needle 814 is inserted into the liquid supply unit 50, the protruding member of the injection needle 814 pushes up the spring seat 52 of the liquid supply unit 50 so that the liquid supply unit 50 can circulate the ink. The liquid supply unit 50 is in contact with the seal member 51 and sealed. At the stage where the ink injection device 810 is connected to the liquid supply unit 50, the valve 813 is closed.

  When the ink injection device 810 is connected, the decompression device 820 is then connected to the decompression hole 110, and the air in the ink and air paths of the cartridge body 10 is sucked using the decompression device 820, and the interior of the path is decompressed. (Step S630). As shown in FIG. 12, the decompression device 820 used in this embodiment is configured by connecting a vacuum pump 821, an ink trap 822, a valve 823, and a suction needle 824 with a tube or the like. The suction needle 824 includes a protruding member having a through hole through which air can flow and a seal member. When the suction needle 824 is inserted into the decompression hole 110, the sealing member of the suction needle 824 comes into contact with the peripheral portion of the decompression hole 110 and is sealed. In this state, the vacuum pump 821 is driven and the valve 823 is opened, so that the inside of the cartridge body 10 is depressurized. In this embodiment, an ink trap 822 is provided to completely prevent ink from entering the vacuum pump 821 by suction.

  When the pressure in the path of the cartridge main body 10 is reduced, the pump 812 of the ink injection device 810 connected in step S620 is driven and the valve 813 is adjusted to inject ink (step S640). In this embodiment, the ink is injected until the ink is filled up to about half of the tank chamber 370.

  Once the ink is injected, next, the bypass path 354 and the ink bypass path 455 are sealed (step S650). Specifically, as described above, the convex portion 353 and the convex portion 453 and the film 80 are heat-welded, and the convex portion 353 and the convex portion 453 and the film 80 are bonded in an airtight manner without gaps, and the bypass path 354 and The ink bypass channel 455 is sealed.

  Once the bypass passage 354 and the ink bypass passage 455 are sealed, the lid member 20 and the sealing film 54 are then attached to the cartridge body 10 (step S660). Thus, the ink cartridge 1 is completed.

  The ink cartridge 1 having such a configuration includes an air communication chamber 355 that communicates with the air chamber 350 via a bypass passage 354 that functions as a flow path when ink is injected. The atmosphere communication chamber 355 communicates with the atmosphere through the decompression hole 110. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 1 is manufactured, the air in the path of the ink cartridge 1 can be sucked from the pressure reducing hole 110 through the bypass path 354 and the atmosphere communication chamber 355, and the ink can be injected after the pressure is reduced. Efficient ink injection.

  Further, since air can be sucked by bypassing a part of the air introduction part, the air sucking path can be shortened compared with the case of sucking from the air opening hole 100, and the pressure loss of the sucking path can be reduced, which is efficient. The pressure can be reduced. In particular, the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment includes the meandering path 310 between the air chamber 350 and the atmosphere opening hole 100, but the above-described pressure reduction can be performed in a path avoiding the meandering path 310. Since the meandering path 310 has a large pressure loss during air suction, the effect of reducing the pressure loss of the suction path is remarkable. In the ink cartridge 1, the bypass passage 354 communicates with the air chamber 350 located on the downstream side (tank chamber 370 side) of the air chambers 320 to 360. Therefore, the above-described pressure reduction can be performed in a path that avoids an air chamber having a large pressure loss during air suction as much as possible, and the pressure loss in the suction path can be further reduced. Similarly, the bypass passage 354 communicates with the air chamber 350 located on the downstream side of the gas-liquid separation membrane 71, so that the pressure loss of the suction path can be further reduced.

  In addition, the ink cartridge 1 seals the bypass path 354 with a film 80 that seals the housing of the cartridge body 10 after ink injection, and thereafter, the atmosphere communication chamber 355 is isolated from the path of the ink cartridge 1. There is no need to separately seal the decompression hole 110 with a film or the like. That is, even if the decompression hole 110 is provided, the number of parts does not increase. Moreover, since the film is welded and the bypass path 354 is sealed, the film can be reliably sealed.

  Further, in the ink cartridge 1, the bypass passage 354 communicates with the air chamber 350 that does not contain ink, so that the injected ink leaks from the decompression hole 110 through the bypass passage 354 and the atmosphere communication chamber 355 when ink is injected. This can be suppressed.

  Further, in the ink cartridge 1, since the bypass path 354 is formed by the gap between the convex portion 353 formed on the rib 10a and the film 80, the bypass path 354 can be easily formed. Moreover, it can seal easily by heat welding. Further, since the air chamber 350 and the atmosphere communication chamber 355 are provided adjacent to each other, the bypass passage 354 may be formed only on the rib 10a that partitions the air chamber 350 and the atmosphere communication chamber 355. And can be formed easily.

  Further, in the ink cartridge 1, since the bypass passage 354 and the ink bypass passage 455 are formed on the same surface (front side) side of the cartridge body 10, after the ink injection, the bypass passage 354 and the ink are simultaneously performed in one step. Both bypass channels 455 can be sealed. That is, in the cartridge body 10 provided with the ink bypass channel 455, the addition of the bypass channel 354 does not increase the sealing process, and can be efficiently manufactured.

B. Second embodiment:
An ink cartridge 1 as a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The ink cartridge 1 as the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in a part of the path shown in FIG. 6 and a configuration related to a part of the path. Only differences from the first embodiment will be described below. A path of the ink cartridge 1 as the second embodiment is shown in FIG. FIG. 13 corresponds to FIG. 6 described above, and the same reference numerals as those in FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, the path of the ink cartridge 1 as the second embodiment is a bypass path 357 (instead of the bypass path 354, the atmosphere communication chamber 355, and the decompression hole 110 (see FIG. 6) of the first embodiment. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it includes an atmospheric communication chamber 358 and a decompression hole 359 (corresponding to the atmospheric communication hole portion of the claims).

  The atmosphere communication chamber 358 communicates with the air chamber 350 via the bypass passage 357. Further, the atmosphere communication chamber 358 communicates with the atmosphere opening hole 100 through the decompression hole 359. That is, the air chamber 350 communicates with the atmosphere via the bypass passage 357, the atmosphere communication chamber 358, and the decompression hole 359. The bypass passage 357 serves as a suction air flow passage when sucking air from the atmosphere opening hole 100 when ink is injected in the manufacturing stage of the ink cartridge 1, but is similar to the bypass passage 354 of the first embodiment. The ink is sealed after the injection.

  FIG. 14 shows the internal structure of the ink cartridge 1. FIG. 14 corresponds to FIG. 7 described above, and the same reference numerals as those in FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, the cartridge body 10 does not include the bypass 354, the atmosphere communication chamber 355, and the decompression hole 110 (see FIG. 7). The cartridge body 10 is formed with an air communication chamber 358 adjacent to the air chamber 350 and the air opening hole 100 on the front side of the cartridge body 10. On the back side of the atmosphere communication chamber 358, the side wall of the atmosphere opening hole 100 described above is formed.

  In the atmosphere communication chamber 358, a decompression hole 359 penetrating the side wall is formed on the side wall of the atmosphere opening hole 100. The atmosphere communication chamber 358 communicates with the atmosphere via the decompression hole 359. In addition, a convex portion 356 is provided on the rib 10 a that partitions the air chamber 350 and the atmosphere communication chamber 358. The convex portion 356 is provided to form the bypass path 357 when the ink cartridge 1 is manufactured. The method for forming the bypass path 357 is the same as the method for forming the bypass path 354 of the first embodiment.

  In the ink cartridge 1 having such a configuration, when the pressure reducing device 820 is connected to the atmosphere opening hole 100 and the pressure in the path of the ink cartridge 1 is reduced when the ink cartridge 1 is manufactured, the air chamber 350 reaches the pressure reducing hole 359. Since air can be sucked in the path, if the bypass path 357 is sealed with the film 80 after the ink is injected, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. The sealing method of the bypass passage 357 is the same as the sealing method of the bypass passage 354 of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, in step S610 in the manufacturing process of the ink cartridge 1, the cartridge main body 10 is prepared in a state where the air release hole 100 is not sealed with the sealing film 90. In step S660, the air release hole is prepared. 100 is sealed with the sealing film 90. As described above, in the decompression process in the manufacturing stage of the ink cartridge 1, the decompression hole for sucking air by bypassing a part of the path of the ink cartridge 1 is not limited to being provided on the outer wall of the cartridge body 10. It is only necessary to provide it at a place where it can communicate with.

C. Third embodiment:
An ink cartridge 1 as a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The ink cartridge 1 as the third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in a part of the path shown in FIG. 6 and the configuration related to a part of the path. Only differences from the first embodiment will be described below. The path of the ink cartridge 1 as the third embodiment is shown in FIG. 15 corresponds to FIG. 6 described above, and the same components as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, the path of the ink cartridge 1 as the third embodiment is a bypass path 394 (instead of the bypass path 354, the atmosphere communication chamber 355, and the decompression hole 110 (see FIG. 6) of the first embodiment. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it includes an atmosphere communication chamber 395 and a decompression hole 396 (corresponding to an atmosphere communication hole portion in the claims).

  The atmosphere communication chamber 395 communicates with the end chamber 390 via the bypass passage 394. Further, the atmosphere communication chamber 395 communicates with the atmosphere opening hole 100 through the decompression hole 396. That is, the end chamber 390 communicates with the atmosphere via the bypass 394, the atmosphere communication chamber 395, and the decompression hole 396. The bypass path 394 serves as a flow path for suction air when air is sucked from the atmosphere opening hole 100 during ink injection in the manufacturing stage of the ink cartridge 1, but is similar to the bypass path 354 of the first embodiment. The ink is sealed after the injection.

  FIG. 16 shows the internal structure of the ink cartridge 1. 16 corresponds to FIG. 7 described above, and the same components as those in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. As shown in FIG. 16, the cartridge body 10 does not include the bypass 354, the atmosphere communication chamber 355, and the decompression hole 110 (see FIG. 7). The cartridge body 10 is formed with an atmosphere communication chamber 395 adjacent to the end chamber 390 and the atmosphere opening hole 100 on the front side of the cartridge body 10. On the back side of the atmosphere communication chamber 395, the side wall of the atmosphere opening hole 100 described above is formed.

  In the atmosphere communication chamber 395, a decompression hole 396 penetrating the side wall is formed in the side wall of the atmosphere opening hole 100. The atmosphere communication chamber 395 communicates with the atmosphere through the decompression hole 396. The rib 10a that partitions the end chamber 390 and the atmosphere communication chamber 395 is provided with a convex portion 393. The convex portion 393 is provided to form the bypass passage 394 when the ink cartridge 1 is manufactured. The method for forming the bypass path 394 is the same as the method for forming the bypass path 354 of the first embodiment.

  In the ink cartridge 1 having such a configuration, when the pressure reducing device 820 is connected to the atmosphere opening hole 100 and the pressure in the path of the ink cartridge 1 is reduced when the ink cartridge 1 is manufactured, the end chamber 390 reaches the pressure reducing hole 396. Since air can be sucked in the path, if the bypass path 394 is sealed with the film 80 after the ink is injected, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. The sealing method of the bypass passage 394 is the same as the sealing method of the bypass passage 354 of the first embodiment. In the third embodiment, the cartridge body 10 is prepared in a state where the air opening hole 100 is not sealed with the sealing film 90 in step S610 in the manufacturing process of the ink cartridge 1, and in step S660, the air opening hole is prepared. 100 is sealed with the sealing film 90. Thus, in the decompression step, the path for bypassing a part of the path of the ink cartridge 1 and sucking air is not limited to the path from the air chamber to the decompression hole, but the end chamber 390 or the tank for containing ink. A path from the chamber 370 to the decompression hole may be used.

  However, in the configuration of the third embodiment, attention must be paid to the injection posture of the cartridge body 10 and the ink injection amount at the time of ink injection. Specifically, in the internal structure of the cartridge main body 10 shown in FIG. 16, when ink is injected from the liquid supply unit 50 in the injection posture with the bottom surface side being the lower side in the gravity direction, the ink filled in the end chamber 390 is discharged. It flows out of the cartridge body 10 through the bypass 394, the atmosphere communication chamber 395, the decompression hole 396, and the atmosphere opening hole 100. Therefore, it is necessary to inject ink in an injection posture in which the bypass path 394 is as high as possible in the gravity direction, and stop the ink injection before the ink reaches the level of the bypass path 394. Even when ink is injected by such a method, if the tank chamber 370 and the end chamber 390 are integrated in the internal structure of the cartridge body 10 shown in FIG. 16, a sufficient amount of ink is injected. It is possible to do.

D. Variation:
A modification of the above-described embodiment will be described.
D-1. Modification 1:
In the embodiment described above, the flow path (for example, the bypass path 354 and the ink bypass flow path 455 in the first embodiment) that is sealed after ink injection is formed on the rib 10a as shown in FIG. However, the configuration of the flow path is not limited to such a configuration. For example, even if the flow path is formed between the recess formed in the rib 10a and the film 80, a bypass path can be easily formed and sealed as in the above-described embodiment. A specific example of such a configuration is shown in FIG. FIG. 17A shows a state in which a bypass 354 is formed between the recess 352 formed in the rib 10a and the film 80 attached along the upper end surface of the recess 352. Even in such a case, if the concave portion 352 and its peripheral portion and the film 80 are thermally welded after ink injection, the concave portion 352 is melted and rounded by heat, as shown in FIG. The bypass 354 can be sealed by adhering the recess 352 and the film 80 in an airtight manner without any gap.

D-2. Modification 2:
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the air chamber 350 or the end chamber 390 communicates with the bypass path has been described. However, the connection location of the bypass path is not limited to the location, and the tank chamber 370, the end chamber 390, or the atmosphere. Any one of the introduction portions may be used, and may be set as appropriate in consideration of the internal structure and arrangement of the ink cartridge 1.

D-3. Modification 3:
In the cartridge main body 10 of the first embodiment described above, since the air chamber 350 and the atmosphere communication chamber 355 are provided adjacent to each other, the bypass path 354 is a rib that divides the air chamber 350 and the atmosphere communication chamber 355. However, when the air chamber 350 and the atmosphere communication chamber 355 are not adjacent to each other, another communication path may be formed. Even in such a case, as long as at least a part of the communication path is formed on the rib 10a that partitions the air chamber 350 and the atmosphere communication chamber 355, the bypass path 354 is the same as in the first embodiment. Can be easily sealed. This also applies to the second and third embodiments.

D-4. Modification 4:
In the above embodiment, the manufacturing procedure of the ink cartridge 1 is shown in FIG. 11, but the order of the steps of the procedure is not limited. For example, the decompression device 820 may be connected to the cartridge main body 10 before the ink injection device 810, or the inside of the cartridge main body 10 may be decompressed while injecting ink. In short, any order may be employed so long as the ink can be injected after the cartridge body 10 is decompressed or during decompression and the bypass channel can be sealed after the ink is injected.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but among the components of the present invention in the above-described embodiment, elements other than the elements described in the independent claims are additional elements and can be omitted as appropriate. In addition, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the liquid container of the present invention can also be realized as a method for manufacturing a liquid container and a method for injecting liquid into the liquid container. In addition to application to the ink cartridge used in the ink jet printer shown in the embodiments, application to various liquid containers other than ink is possible. Specifically, for example, liquid materials such as liquid crystal displays, EL displays, surface-emitting displays, and color materials such as electrode materials and color materials used in the production of color filters, bioorganic materials used in biochip production, and precision pipettes UV-cured resin sprayed to form liquids that are used as samples, lubricating oil that is pinpointed to precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) that are used in optical communication devices, etc. It may be related to a container such as an acid or alkali etching solution for etching the transparent resin solution or the substrate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ink cartridge 1a ... Upper surface 1b ... Bottom 1c ... Right side 1d ... Left side 1e ... Front 1f ... Back 10 ... Cartridge main body 10a ... Rib 10b ... Groove 11 ... Engaging lever 11a ... Protrusion 20 ... Lid member 30 ... Sensor part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30a ... Sensor storage chamber 31 ... Liquid residual amount sensor 32 ... Film 33 ... Cover member 33a ... Cover member outer surface 34 ... Relay terminal 35 ... Circuit board 35a ... Electrode terminal 40 ... Differential pressure valve 40a ... Differential pressure valve storage chamber 41 ... Valve member DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 42 ... Spring 43 ... Spring seat 50 ... Liquid supply part 51 ... Seal member 52 ... Spring seat 53 ... Closure spring 54 ... Sealing film 60 ... Outer surface film 70 ... Gas-liquid separation filter 70a ... Gas-liquid separation chamber 70b ... Bank 71 ... gas-liquid separation membrane 80 ... film 90 ... sealing film 100 ... air opening hole 102 ... communication hole 110 ... decompression hole 20 ... Carriage 210 ... Recess 230 ... Protrusion 240 ... Ink supply needle 310 ... Serpentine path 311, 312 ... Communication hole 320, 330, 340, 350, 360 ... Air chamber 321, 322, 351, 371, 391 ... Communication hole 342 ... Notch 352 ... concave portion 353, 356, 393, 453 ... convex portion 354, 357, 394 ... bypass passage 355, 358, 395 ... atmospheric communication chamber 359, 369 ... decompression hole 370 ... tank chamber 380 ... communication passage 390 ... end chamber 400 ... Bubble trap channel 401 ... Introducing section 402 ... Deriving section 410 ... Bubble trap chamber 412,441,442,451,452 ... Communication hole 420 ... First flow path 430 ... Second flow path 440 ... Buffer chamber 450 ... Third flow Path 453 ... Projection 455 ... Ink bypass flow path 460 ... Fourth flow path 501, 503 ... Not yet Filling chamber 502, 504 ... Air communication hole 810 ... Ink injection device 811 ... Ink tank 812 ... Pump 813 ... Valve 814 ... Injection needle 820 ... Decompression device 821 ... Vacuum pump 822 ... Ink trap 823 ... Valve 824 ... Suction needle

Claims (9)

A liquid container in which at least one surface of a housing having a recess is sealed with a film material,
A liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid;
An atmosphere opening portion having an opening provided on the surface of the liquid container;
An atmosphere communication path for allowing the liquid storage chamber and the atmosphere opening portion to communicate with each other so as to allow ventilation;
A liquid supply unit for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to a liquid consuming device that consumes the liquid via a liquid channel;
An atmosphere communication chamber that communicates with the atmosphere through an atmosphere communication hole that is a hole communicating with the atmosphere;
At the time of injecting the liquid into the liquid storage chamber, it is formed between the surface of the housing and the film material, and communicates with the liquid storage chamber or the atmosphere communication passage and the atmosphere communication chamber so as to allow ventilation. And a bypass passage sealed with the film material after the liquid has been injected. The liquid container according to claim 1,
The atmosphere communication path includes a meandering communication path formed by meandering a part of the atmosphere communication path;
The bypass path is a liquid storage container that communicates the liquid storage chamber or the atmosphere communication path and the atmosphere communication chamber with a path closer to the liquid storage chamber than the meandering communication path during the injection.   3. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the bypass passage connects the atmosphere communication path and the atmosphere communication chamber during the injection. The liquid container according to claim 3,
The atmosphere communication path includes a plurality of air chambers partitioned to allow ventilation,
The bypass passage communicates the atmosphere communication chamber and the air chamber on the liquid storage chamber side among the plurality of air chambers during the injection.   At least a part of the bypass path includes a concave portion or a convex portion formed in a rib of the casing, and the film material that seals the surface of the casing including the concave portion or the convex portion. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the liquid container is a gap formed between the two. The liquid container according to claim 4,
The atmosphere communication chamber and the air chamber on the liquid storage chamber side are disposed adjacent to each other,
The bypass path includes a concave portion or a convex portion formed in a rib of the casing that divides the atmosphere communication chamber and the air chamber on the liquid storage chamber side, and the concave portion or the convex portion of the casing including the convex portion. A liquid container which is a gap formed between the film material for sealing a surface. The liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The opening of the atmosphere opening portion has a depressed shape,
The atmosphere communication hole is a liquid container formed on a side surface of the depressed shape. A liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Furthermore,
A check valve that is provided in a liquid path between the liquid storage chamber and the liquid supply unit, and prevents backflow of the liquid from the liquid supply unit side to the liquid storage chamber side;
A liquid bypass passage that communicates the liquid supply unit and the liquid storage chamber in a path bypassing the check valve when the liquid is injected from the liquid supply port to the liquid storage chamber; A liquid bypass channel sealed with the film material after liquid injection,
The bypass path and the liquid bypass path are sealed with the film material on the same surface of the liquid container after the liquid is injected. A method for producing a liquid container in which at least one surface of a housing having a recess is sealed with a film material,
A liquid storage chamber for storing a liquid;
An atmosphere opening part having a hole provided on the surface of the liquid container;
An atmosphere communication path for allowing the liquid storage chamber and the atmosphere opening portion to communicate with each other so as to allow ventilation;
A liquid supply unit for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to a liquid consuming device that consumes the liquid via a liquid channel;
An atmosphere communication chamber that communicates with the atmosphere through an atmosphere communication hole that is a hole communicating with the atmosphere;
A liquid storage container is provided, which is formed between the surface of the casing and the film material, and includes a liquid storage chamber or the atmosphere communication path, and a bypass path that allows the atmosphere communication chamber to communicate with each other so as to allow ventilation. Process,
A step of reducing the pressure of the liquid path by sucking air of the liquid path in the liquid container from the atmosphere communication hole; and
Injecting the liquid from the liquid supply section into the liquid storage chamber;
And a step of sealing the bypass passage with the film material after the liquid injection.

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