JP2010284901A - Method for manufacturing liquid container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology of readily injecting liquid into a liquid containing chamber of a container body. <P>SOLUTION: This method for manufacturing a liquid container includes (a) a step of preparing a liquid injection pipe 252 that has an opening at its tip portion for injecting liquid into the container body 10, and (b) a step of injecting liquid into the container body 10 from the tip portion of the liquid injection pipe 252. The step (b) includes (b1) a step of inserting the liquid injection pipe 252 into the container body 10, (b2) a step of allowing the tip portion of the liquid injection pipe 252 to reach an upstream side intermediate fluid channel which is located at a portion upstream side of a first valve 41 in an intermediate fluid channel 3, and (b3) a step of injecting liquid into the liquid containing chamber through the upstream side intermediate fluid channel. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a liquid container in which a liquid is contained in a container body.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink cartridge that is used by being mounted on a liquid ejecting apparatus such as an inkjet printer is known as a liquid container. In the container main body of the ink cartridge, an ink storage chamber, an ink supply channel, and an intermediate channel that communicates these are formed. Further, the ink cartridge includes a valve body (also referred to as “first valve body”) in the intermediate flow path. The valve body is opened when a predetermined pressure difference is generated between the ink storage chamber and the ink supply flow path, thereby causing the ink in the ink storage chamber to flow into the ink supply flow path.

  Patent Document 1 is known as a method for manufacturing an ink cartridge containing ink by injecting ink into a container body having a valve body. In the technique of Patent Document 1, a member such as a seal member provided in the ink supply channel is removed, and the valve body is forcibly opened using a long jig to maintain the valve open state. However, ink is injected into the ink storage chamber using the ink injection device.

  However, in order to inject ink into the ink storage chamber, it is necessary to use a jig for forcibly opening the valve body in addition to the ink injection device, which may complicate the manufacturing process of the ink cartridge. there were. Such a problem is not limited to ink cartridges, but is a problem common to a method of manufacturing a liquid container by injecting a liquid into a container body that contains a valve body.

JP 2008-44184 A

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for easily injecting a liquid into a liquid storage chamber of a container body.

  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 for supplying a liquid to a liquid ejecting apparatus, wherein the liquid container is a method for manufacturing a liquid container, and (a) a liquid injection tube having an opening at the tip Preparing a liquid injection tube for injecting liquid into the container body, and (b) injecting liquid into the container body from the tip of the liquid injection tube, A liquid storage chamber capable of storing the liquid, an atmospheric flow path communicating with the atmosphere in the liquid storage chamber, and an open hole opening toward the outside of the container body at one end, and is stored in the liquid storage chamber A liquid supply channel capable of supplying the liquid jetting device to the liquid ejecting apparatus, and an intermediate channel communicating between the liquid storage chamber and the liquid supply channel, and the liquid container includes: , Interposed in the middle of the intermediate flow path, the liquid storage chamber and the liquid A first valve body that opens when a predetermined pressure difference occurs with the supply flow path, and the step (b) includes (b1) a step of inserting the liquid injection tube into the container body. And (b2) a step of causing the tip of the liquid injection tube to reach an upstream intermediate flow path that is a portion upstream of the first valve body in the intermediate flow path, and (b3) the upstream side And a step of injecting a liquid into the liquid storage chamber via an intermediate flow path.
According to the manufacturing method described in Application Example 1, since the tip of the liquid injection tube reaches the upstream intermediate flow path and the liquid is injected into the liquid storage chamber via the upstream intermediate flow path, the liquid is injected. In doing so, it is not necessary to open the first valve body using a jig, for example. For this reason, the liquid can be easily injected into the liquid storage chamber.

Application Example 2 In the manufacturing method according to Application Example 1, the upstream intermediate flow path includes an upstream pressure chamber formed by the container body and the first valve body, and the step (b2 ), The position of the upstream intermediate flow path that reaches the tip of the liquid injection tube is the upstream pressure chamber.
According to the manufacturing method described in Application Example 2, the tip of the liquid injection tube can reach the upstream pressure chamber, and the liquid can be injected into the liquid storage chamber via the intermediate flow path including the upstream pressure chamber.

[Application Example 3] The manufacturing method according to Application Example 1 or Application Example 2, wherein the liquid container includes a liquid supply needle that allows the liquid in the liquid container to flow into the liquid ejecting apparatus. A sealing member including a portion made of rubber or elastomer that is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the liquid supply needle when inserted into the channel, and the step (b1) includes A method of manufacturing, comprising: inserting the liquid injection tube from the open hole and penetrating the tip of the liquid injection tube with respect to the portion of the seal member.
According to the manufacturing method described in the application example 3, the tip of the liquid injection pipe reaches the upstream intermediate flow path without taking out the seal member including the portion made of rubber or elastomer from the liquid supply flow path. Can do. Further, since the hole of the seal member formed by inserting the liquid injection tube is blocked to some extent by the elasticity of the portion of the seal member when the liquid injection tube is pulled out, the liquid can be removed from the hole of the seal member. Leakage to the outside can be suppressed.

Application Example 4 In the manufacturing method according to Application Example 3, the liquid container is in contact with the seal member when the liquid supply needle is not inserted into the liquid supply channel, and the liquid supply When the needle is inserted into the liquid supply flow path, the liquid supply flow path has a second valve body that is separated from the seal member by being pushed by the liquid supply needle. A groove extending along the flow direction of the liquid flowing through the liquid supply flow path is formed at the periphery of the supply flow path. In the step (b1), the liquid injection pipe is inserted from the open hole, and the liquid injection is performed. The manufacturing method including the process of allowing the front-end | tip of a pipe | tube to pass with respect to at least one part of the said groove | channel.
According to the manufacturing method described in the application example 4, the second valve body is supplied with the liquid in order to make the tip of the liquid inflow pipe reach the upstream intermediate flow path through the groove formed in the peripheral edge of the liquid supply flow path. The liquid can be injected into the liquid storage chamber without being taken out from the flow path.

Application Example 5 In the manufacturing method according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 4, the first valve body includes a portion made of rubber or elastomer, and the step (b2) includes A manufacturing method comprising the steps of causing the tip of the liquid injection tube to penetrate the portion of the first valve body and causing the tip of the liquid injection tube to reach the upstream intermediate flow path.
According to the manufacturing method described in the application example 5, the first valve body is formed so that the tip of the liquid injection pipe penetrates the first valve body and the tip of the liquid injection pipe reaches the upstream intermediate flow path. The liquid can be injected into the liquid storage chamber without forcibly opening the valve. In addition, since the first valve body includes a portion made of rubber or elastomer, the hole of the first valve body formed by inserting the liquid injection tube is the first valve when the liquid injection tube is pulled out. It is blocked to some extent by the elasticity of the part of the body. For this reason, it can be suppressed to some extent that the liquid flows from the upstream intermediate flow path to the downstream intermediate flow path through the hole formed in the first valve body.

Application Example 6 In the manufacturing method according to any one of Application Example 2 to Application Example 5, the liquid container is a sensor unit used for detecting the amount of liquid in the liquid container. A sensor part capable of detecting the amount of liquid stored in the liquid container is provided upstream of the upstream pressure chamber in the upstream intermediate flow path, and the step (b3) includes: A manufacturing method comprising a step of injecting a liquid delivered from a tip of the liquid injection tube into the liquid storage chamber through the sensor unit.
According to the manufacturing method described in Application Example 6, since the sensor unit can be filled with the liquid, a decrease in accuracy of the sensor unit can be reduced.

[Application Example 7] The manufacturing method according to any one of Application Example 3 to Application Example 6 subordinate to Application Example 2 and Application Example 2, wherein the liquid supply channel and the upstream pressure chamber are substantially cylindrical. And the central axis of the liquid supply channel and the central axis of the upstream pressure chamber are located on the same plane, and the step (b1) is configured such that the liquid injection pipe is connected to the liquid through the open hole. The manufacturing method, wherein the step (b2) is a step of inserting the leading end of the liquid injection tube into the upstream pressure chamber of the upstream intermediate channel.
According to the manufacturing method described in Application Example 7, when the central axis of the liquid supply channel and the central axis of the upstream pressure chamber are located on the same plane, In comparison, the tip of the liquid injection tube can be easily reached from the liquid supply channel to the upstream pressure chamber.

Application Example 8 The manufacturing method according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 7, further comprising:
(C) A manufacturing method comprising a step of depressurizing the liquid storage chamber before performing the step (b).
According to the manufacturing method described in Application Example 8, it is easy to inject liquid into the liquid storage chamber via the upstream intermediate flow path by reducing the pressure in the liquid storage chamber.

Application Example 9 The manufacturing method according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 8, further comprising:
(D) A manufacturing method comprising a step of covering the open hole with a film after performing the step (b).
According to the manufacturing method described in Application Example 9, it is possible to reliably prevent the injected liquid from leaking out of the liquid container from the open hole.

  The present invention can be realized in various forms, for example, a liquid container in which liquid is injected from the outside and a method for manufacturing the same, or a method for injecting liquid into the liquid container, and any of the above-described ones. It can implement | achieve in aspects, such as a liquid ejecting apparatus provided with the liquid container manufactured with this manufacturing method.

FIG. 3 is a first external perspective view of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a 2nd external appearance perspective view of the ink cartridge of 1st Example of this invention. FIG. 3 is a first exploded perspective view of an ink cartridge. FIG. 6 is a second exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where an ink cartridge is attached to a carriage. It is a figure which shows notionally the path | route from an air release hole to an ink supply flow path. It is the figure which looked at the cartridge main body from the front side. It is the figure which looked at the cartridge main body from the back side. It is a figure which shows the AA cross section of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the apparatus which inject | pours ink into an ink cartridge. It is a figure for demonstrating the injection method of an ink. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an ink injection method. It is a figure for demonstrating the injection method of the ink of 2nd Example. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an ink injection method. It is a figure for demonstrating a 1st modification. It is a figure for demonstrating a 2nd modification.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
A. First embodiment:
B. Second embodiment:
C. Variation:

A. First embodiment:
A1. Basic configuration of ink cartridge (liquid container):
FIG. 1 is a first external perspective view of an ink cartridge as a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a second external perspective view of the ink cartridge as the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a first exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge. FIG. 4 is a second exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the ink cartridge is attached to the carriage. 1 to 4 show 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 ink jet 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. Further, the side having these surfaces 1a to 1f with respect to each configuration of the ink cartridge 1 is also referred to as a top surface side, a bottom surface side, a right side surface side, a left side surface side, a front surface side, and a back surface side, respectively.

  At the bottom surface 1b, an air release hole 100 for introducing air into the ink cartridge 1 is opened (FIG. 3). Further, a part of an ink supply channel (also referred to as “liquid supply channel”) 50 (FIG. 2) for supplying ink to the ink jet printer protrudes from the bottom surface side. Note that one end of the ink supply channel 50 has an ink supply hole (also referred to as “open hole”) 50 a that opens toward the outside of the ink cartridge 1 (FIG. 3).

  The air opening hole 100 has such a depth and diameter that the protrusion 230 (FIG. 5) formed on the carriage 200 of the ink jet printer fits with a margin so as to have a predetermined gap. The user peels off 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). During printing by the ink jet 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 as indicated by an arrow AR1 in FIG. That is, the ink cartridge 1 is reciprocated along the Y-axis direction in each drawing when the ink jet printer is printing.

  A circuit board 34 is provided below (on the bottom side) the engaging lever 11 provided on the left side surface 1d (FIG. 2). A plurality of electrode terminals 34 a are formed on the circuit board 34, and these electrode terminals 34 a are electrically connected to the inkjet printer via electrode terminals (not shown) provided on the carriage 200. . An outer surface film 60 is attached to the upper surface 1 a and the rear surface 1 f of the ink cartridge 1.

  In this embodiment, a description has been given of a so-called “on-carriage type printer” in which an ink cartridge is mounted on a carriage, but a so-called “off-carriage type printer” in which an ink cartridge is mounted in a place other than the carriage. Alternatively, the ink cartridge 1 of this embodiment can be used.

  Further, the internal configuration and components of the ink cartridge 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The ink cartridge 1 includes a cartridge main body (also referred to as “container main body”) 10 and a lid member 20. The cartridge body 1 and the lid member 20 are made of, for example, a synthetic resin such as propylene (PP) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and have lower elasticity and higher hardness than a seal member and a first valve body described later.

  On the front side of the cartridge body 10, ribs 10a having various shapes to be described later are formed. 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 ink storage chamber (also referred to as “liquid storage chamber”), which will be described later, and a buffer chamber, are partitioned and formed inside the ink cartridge 1. Details of these rooms will be described later.

  A substantially cylindrical valve unit housing chamber 40a and a substantially rectangular parallelepiped gas-liquid separation chamber 70a are formed on the back side of the cartridge body 10. The valve unit accommodation chamber 40 a accommodates the valve unit 40 having the first valve body 41, the coil spring 42, and the holding member 43 that holds the first valve body 41. The first valve body 41 has a substantially disc shape. A bank 70b is formed on the entire circumference of the inner wall surrounding the bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a. The outer periphery of the gas-liquid separation membrane 71 is attached to the bank 70b. Thereby, the gas-liquid separation filter 70 is constituted by the gas-liquid separation chamber 70 a, the bank 70 b and the gas-liquid separation film 71. The first valve body 41 is made of an elastic body such as rubber or elastomer, and the holding member 43 is made of a synthetic resin such as PP or PET.

  A plurality of grooves 10 b are further formed on the back side of the cartridge body 10. 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.

  On the left side surface 1d of the cartridge body 10, a sensor housing chamber 30a having an opening on the left side surface is formed below (on the bottom surface side) the engagement lever. A sensor 31 and a coil spring 32 are housed in the sensor housing chamber 30a. The sensor 31 detects the presence or absence of ink by generating vibration and acquiring the characteristics of the vibration. The coil spring 32 presses the sensor 31 against the inner wall surface of the sensor housing chamber 30a to fix the sensor 31 to the sensor housing chamber 30a. Further, the opening of the sensor housing chamber 30 a is covered with a cover member 33. A circuit board 34 is fixed to the outer surface 33 a of the cover member 33. The sensor accommodating chamber 30a, the sensor 31, the coil spring 32, the cover member 33, the circuit board 34, and a sensor flow path forming chamber 30b described later are also referred to as a sensor unit 30 as a whole.

  Although detailed illustration is omitted, the sensor 31 includes a cavity that forms a part of an intermediate flow path, which will be described later, a diaphragm that forms part of the wall surface of the cavity, and a piezoelectric element that is disposed on the diaphragm. I have. The terminal of the piezoelectric element is electrically connected to a part of the electrode terminal of the circuit board 34, and when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the ink jet printer, the terminal of the piezoelectric element passes through the electrode terminal of the circuit board 34. Electrically connected to the inkjet printer. The ink jet printer can vibrate the diaphragm via the piezoelectric element by applying electric energy to the piezoelectric element. Thereafter, by acquiring the residual vibration characteristics (frequency, etc.) of the diaphragm via the piezoelectric element, the ink jet printer can detect the ink residual amount of the ink cartridge 1. Specifically, when the ink contained in the cartridge body 10 is consumed 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 sensor 31, the ink jet printer can detect the ink residual amount.

  The circuit board 34 is provided with a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory). The circuit board 34 includes various information relating to the ink cartridge 1 (for example, ink color information indicating ink color information, ink remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber, and ink indicating the ink consumption of the ink jet printer). Consumption information) is stored. The circuit board 34 is electrically connected to the ink jet printer via the electrode terminals 34a exposed on the surface thereof, and exchanges various information with a control device (not shown) on the ink jet printer side. ing.

  In addition to the ink supply hole 50a and the air opening hole 100 described above, the decompression hole 110, the sensor flow path forming chamber 30b, and the maze flow path forming chamber 95a are formed on the bottom surface side of the cartridge body 10 (FIG. 3). . The decompression hole 110 is used to suck out air and decompress the inside of the ink cartridge 1. The sensor flow path forming chamber 30b and the labyrinth flow path forming chamber 95a form part of an intermediate flow path that will be described later. The sensor flow path forming chamber 30b and the labyrinth flow path forming chamber 95a are the narrowest and highest flow path portions of the intermediate flow path. In particular, the labyrinth channel forming chamber 95a forms a labyrinth-like channel and generates a meniscus (liquid bridge formed in the channel), so that the channel resistance is a particularly large portion.

  The openings of the ink supply hole 50a, the air opening hole 100, the decompression hole 110, the maze flow path forming chamber 95a, and the sensor flow path forming chamber 30b are formed immediately after the ink cartridge 1 is manufactured. , 95, 35. 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 inkjet printer as described above. For this reason, it is preferable to affix the sealing film 90 to the air release hole 100 to such an extent that it can be easily peeled off compared to the other films 54, 98, 95 and 35. When the sealing film 90 is peeled off, the atmosphere opening hole 100 communicates with the outside, and the atmosphere is introduced into the ink cartridge 1. Further, the film 54 attached to the ink supply hole 50a is formed by an ink supply needle (also referred to as “liquid supply needle”) provided in the carriage 200 when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 200 of the inkjet printer. Configured to be torn.

  In the ink supply flow path 50, a seal member 51, a second valve body 52, and a coil spring 53 are accommodated in order from the ink supply hole 50a (FIG. 3).

  The seal member 51 is an annular member, and is attached so as to surround the ink supply channel 50 along the inner wall surface of the ink supply channel 50. The seal member 51 is made of an elastic body such as rubber or elastomer. The inner peripheral surface of the seal member 51 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ink supply needle when the ink supply needle is inserted into the ink supply channel 50 from the ink supply hole 50a. That is, the seal member 51 prevents the ink from leaking between the inner wall surface of the ink supply channel 50 and the outer peripheral surface of the ink supply needle when the ink supply needle is inserted into the ink supply channel 50. It is sealed.

  The coil spring 53 biases the second valve body 52 in a direction in which the second valve body 52 is brought into contact with the seal member 51. The second valve body 52 closes the ink supply channel 50 by contacting the seal member 51 when the ink supply needle is not inserted into the ink supply channel 50. Specifically, the outer peripheral side of one end surface (the surface facing the seal member 51) of the second valve body 52 abuts on the seal member 51, so that the one end surface of the second valve body 52 is an annular seal member 51. Block the opening. Accordingly, when the ink supply needle is not inserted into the ink supply channel 50 (that is, when the ink cartridge 1 is not mounted on the carriage 200 of the inkjet printer), the ink leaks from the ink supply channel 50 to the outside. It prevents it from coming out. On the other hand, the second valve body 52 is separated from the seal member 51 by being pushed up by the ink supply needle when the ink supply needle is inserted into the ink supply channel 50. As a result, a gap is formed between the second valve body 52 and the seal member 51, and ink is supplied from this gap to the ink supply needle. The ink supplied to the ink supply needle flows into the carriage 200.

  Next, before describing the internal structure of the ink cartridge 1 in more detail, the path from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the ink supply hole 50a will be conceptually described with reference to FIG. 6 for easy understanding. FIG. 6 is a diagram conceptually showing a path from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the ink supply flow path 50.

  The path from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the ink supply flow path 50 includes an ink storage chamber 3 for storing ink, an air flow path 2 positioned upstream of the ink storage chamber 3, and the ink storage chamber 3. And the intermediate flow path 4 located on the downstream side. In this specification, “upstream side” and “downstream side” refer to the ink in the case where the ink contained in the ink cartridge 1 is supplied to the outside (for example, an ink jet printer) from the ink supply channel 50. The flow direction is assumed. The ink stored in the ink cartridge 1 flows from the ink storage chamber 3 toward the ink supply channel 50 when supplied to the outside.

  The ink storage chamber 3 includes a first ink storage chamber 370, a storage chamber connection channel 380, and a second ink storage chamber 390 in order from the upstream side. The upstream side of the storage chamber connection flow path 380 communicates with the first ink storage chamber 370, and the downstream side of the storage chamber connection flow path 380 communicates with the second ink storage chamber 390.

  The atmospheric flow path 2 includes, in order from the upstream side, a meandering flow path 310, a gas-liquid separation chamber 70a that stores the above-described gas-liquid separation film 71, and a connecting portion that connects the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a and the ink storage chamber 3. 320-360. The meandering channel 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 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 chamber from entering upstream from the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a. can do. The specific configuration of the connecting portions 320 to 360 will be described later.

  The intermediate flow path 4 includes, in order from the upstream side, the labyrinth flow path 400, the first flow path 410, the sensor unit 30, the second flow path 420, the buffer chamber 430, and the valve unit 40 described above. And a third flow channel 450. The intermediate flow path 4 is located upstream of the first valve element 41 when the valve unit 40 including the first valve element 41 is accommodated in the valve unit accommodating chamber 40a. And a downstream intermediate flow path 6 located downstream of the first valve body 41. That is, the first valve element 41 is interposed in the middle of the intermediate flow path 4, thereby dividing the intermediate flow path 4 into the upstream intermediate flow path 5 and the downstream intermediate flow path 6. The upstream intermediate flow path 5 and the downstream intermediate flow path 6 are configured so that the first valve body 41 is in contact with a valve seat having a communication hole (also referred to as a “valve hole”) provided in a valve unit housing chamber 40a described later. It will be in a non-communication state by contacting. On the other hand, the upstream intermediate flow path 5 and the downstream intermediate flow path 6 are brought into a communication state when the first valve body 41 is separated from a valve seat provided in a valve unit housing chamber 40a described later. Further, when the valve unit 40 is accommodated in the valve unit accommodating chamber 40a, an upstream pressure chamber 40c is formed in the valve unit accommodating chamber 40a upstream of the first valve body 41, and the first valve A downstream pressure chamber 40 b is formed on the downstream side of the body 41. As shown in FIG. 6, the upstream pressure chamber 40 c corresponds to the most downstream portion of the upstream intermediate flow path 5. The operation of the valve unit 40 will be described later.

  The labyrinth channel 400 includes a space formed by the above-described labyrinth channel formation chamber 95a and is formed in a three-dimensional labyrinth shape. The maze flow channel 400 can capture bubbles mixed in the ink and suppress the bubbles from being mixed into the ink downstream of the maze flow channel 400. The maze channel 400 is also referred to as a “bubble trap channel”.

  The first channel 410 has an upstream end communicating with the labyrinth channel 400 and a downstream end communicating with the sensor channel forming chamber 30 b of the sensor unit 30. The second channel 420 has an upstream end communicating with the sensor channel forming chamber 30 b of the sensor unit 30 and a downstream end communicating with the buffer chamber 430.

  The buffer chamber 430 communicates directly with the valve unit housing chamber 40a without interposing a channel in the middle. As a result, the space from the buffer chamber 430 to the ink supply channel 50 can be reduced, and the possibility that the ink stays and settles down can be reduced. For the valve unit storage chamber 40a, the pressure of the ink downstream of the valve unit storage chamber 40a is adjusted by the valve unit 40 to be lower than the pressure of the upstream ink so that the downstream ink has a negative pressure. .

  The third channel 450 has an upstream end communicating with the valve unit housing chamber 40 a and a downstream end communicating with the ink supply channel 50. The third flow channel 450 and the ink supply flow channel 50 extend in the vertical direction so that the ink discharged from the valve unit housing chamber 40a flows in the vertical downward direction when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage 200. A flow path is formed. Here, it is assumed that the ink jet printer is installed in an appropriate orientation.

  When the ink cartridge 1 is manufactured, the ink is stored up to the first ink storage chamber 370 as conceptually indicated by the broken line ML1 in FIG. As the ink contained in the ink cartridge 1 is consumed by the ink jet printer, the liquid level moves downstream, 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 conceptually shown by the broken line ML2 in FIG. Then, the atmosphere is introduced into the sensor unit 30, and the sensor 31 detects ink out. When the ink cartridge 1 is detected to be out of ink, the ink cartridge 1 stops printing before the ink existing downstream from the sensor unit 30 (such as the buffer chamber 430) is completely consumed, and the user runs out of ink. To be notified. This is because if the ink runs out completely and further printing is performed, air is mixed into the print head, which may cause problems.

  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 ink supply flow path 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. 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.

  The first ink storage chamber 370 and the second ink storage chamber 390 are formed in the cartridge body 10. The first and second ink storage chambers 370 and 390 are open toward the front side and are sealed with the film 60 (FIG. 3). The first and second ink storage chambers 370 and 390 are indicated by single hatching and cross hatching in FIG. 7, respectively. The storage chamber connection channel 380 is formed on the back side of the cartridge body 10 at the position shown in FIG. The communication hole 371 is a hole for communicating the upstream end of the storage chamber connection flow path 380 and the first ink storage chamber 370, and the communication hole 391 is the downstream end of the storage chamber connection flow path 380 and the second ink storage chamber 390. Is a hole that communicates with each other.

  Of the atmospheric flow path 2, the meandering flow path 310 and the gas-liquid separation chamber 70 a are respectively formed at the positions shown in FIG. The communication hole 102 is a hole that communicates the upstream end of the meandering flow path 310 and the atmosphere opening hole 100. The downstream end of the meandering channel 310 passes through the side wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a and communicates with the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a.

  More specifically, the connecting portions 320 to 360 of the atmospheric flow path 2 include the first space 320 that opens toward the front side, the third space 340, the fourth space 350 (FIG. 7), and the back side. A second space 330 that opens toward the center and a fifth space 360 (FIG. 8). Openings in the first, third, and fourth spaces 320, 340, and 350 are sealed with a film 80 (FIG. 4). The openings of the second and fifth spaces 330 and 360 are sealed with a film 60 (FIG. 3). As a result, each space forms a single flow path in series in the order of the signs from the upstream. The communication hole 322 is a hole that communicates the gas-liquid separation chamber 70 a and the first space 320. The communication holes 321 and 341 are holes that communicate between the first space 320 and the second space 330 and between the second space 330 and the third space 340, respectively. The third space 340 and the fourth space 350 communicate with each other by a notch 342 formed in a rib separating the third space 340 and the fourth space 350. The communication holes 351 and 372 are holes that communicate between the fourth space 350 and the fifth space 360, and between the fifth space 360 and the first ink storage chamber 370, respectively.

  Of the intermediate flow path 4, the maze flow path 400 and the first flow path 410 are formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10 at the positions shown in FIG. 7. The communication hole 311 is provided in a rib that separates the second ink storage chamber 390 and the maze flow channel 400, and communicates the second ink storage chamber 390 and the maze flow channel 400. As described with reference to FIG. 6, the sensor unit 30 is disposed on the bottom side of the left side surface of the cartridge body 10 (FIG. 7). The second flow path 420 and the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a described above are formed at the positions shown in FIG. The buffer chamber 430 and the third flow channel 450 are formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10 at the positions shown in FIG. The communication hole 312 is a hole that communicates the labyrinth flow path forming chamber 95 a (FIG. 3) of the sensor unit 30 with the upstream end of the second flow path 420, and the communication hole 431 is downstream of the second flow path 420. The hole communicates the end and the buffer chamber 430. The communication hole 432 is a hole that directly communicates the buffer chamber 430 and the valve unit accommodation chamber 40a. A communication hole (also referred to as “valve hole”) 451 is a hole that communicates the valve unit housing chamber 40 a and the third flow channel 450. The communication hole 452 is a hole that communicates the third flow channel 450 and the ink supply flow channel 50. The space 501 is an unfilled chamber that is not filled with ink. The unfilled chamber 501 is not on the path from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the ink supply channel 50 and is independent. An air communication hole 502 that communicates with the atmosphere is provided on the back side of the unfilled chamber 501. The communication hole 451 is provided at the center of a convex valve seat 40d formed on the front surface (circular surface) of the valve unit housing chamber 40a (FIG. 8).

  Next, the details of the vicinity of the valve unit 40, the ink supply flow path 50, and the function of the valve unit 40 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a view showing a cross section taken along the line AA of FIG. FIG. 9A is a diagram showing a cross section taken along the line AA when the first valve body 41 is in the closed state, and FIG. 9B is a view when the first valve body 41 is in the opened state. It is a figure which shows the AA cross section. FIG. 9C is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the cross section of the ink supply flow path 50, and shows a part of the cross section BB of FIG. 9A. 9A and 9B are drawn so that the communication hole 432, the third flow channel 450, and the ink supply flow channel 50 are positioned on one plane for convenience of illustration.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, the first valve body 41 is interposed in the middle of the intermediate flow path 4. Specifically, the first valve body 41 is located in the valve unit accommodation chamber 40 a that is a part of the intermediate flow path 4. In a state in which the first valve body 41 is in contact with the valve seat 40d (that is, the first valve body 41 is in a closed state), the intermediate flow path 4 is a portion upstream of the first valve body 41. A certain upstream-side intermediate flow path 5 and a downstream-side intermediate flow path 6 that is a portion on the downstream side of the first valve body 41 are provided (FIG. 6).

  When the valve unit 40 is accommodated in the valve unit accommodation chamber 40a, the valve unit accommodation chamber 40a includes an upstream pressure chamber 40c that is an area surrounded by the cartridge body 10 and the first valve body 41, a holding member 43, and the like. A downstream pressure chamber 40b that is a region surrounded by the first valve body 41 is formed. The upstream pressure chamber 40c has a substantially cylindrical shape.

  The first valve body 41 closes the communication hole 451 by coming into contact with the valve seat 40d by the urging force of the coil spring 42. That is, the first valve body 41 is in a closed state. When the first valve body 41 is closed, the intermediate flow path 4 is closed, and the upstream intermediate flow path 5 and the downstream intermediate flow path 6 are not communicated. When ink is supplied from the ink supply channel 50 to the ink jet printer side, the pressure in the ink supply channel 50 decreases. When the pressure in the ink supply channel 50 decreases, the pressure in the downstream pressure chamber 40b communicating with the ink supply channel 50 also decreases. On the other hand, since the ink storage chamber 3 communicates with the atmosphere (FIG. 3), the pressure in the ink storage chamber 3 is maintained constant without being lowered. Accordingly, the pressure in the upstream pressure chamber 40c communicating with the ink storage chamber 3 is also maintained constant without decreasing. When the pressure in the ink supply flow path 50 decreases and the pressure difference between the ink supply flow path 50 and the ink storage chamber 3 becomes larger than the biasing force of the coil spring 42, as shown in FIG. The first valve body 41 is opened. That is, when the first valve body 41 is separated from the valve seat 40d, the upstream intermediate flow path 5 and the downstream intermediate flow path 6 are in communication with each other, and the ink supply flow path from the ink storage chamber 3 side as indicated by an arrow. The ink flow to the 50 side is allowed. The ink passes through a gap between the cartridge main body 10 and the second valve body 52 forming the ink supply channel 50 and a groove 55 formed at the periphery of the ink supply channel 50 described later, and the tip of the ink supply needle 240. The ink is supplied into the ink supply needle 240 through the communication hole 241 formed in the portion.

  As shown in FIG. 9C, the ink supply channel 50 has a substantially cylindrical shape. Further, a groove 55 extending along the direction in which the ink flows (the direction in which the ink supply channel 50 extends) is formed at the periphery of the ink supply channel 50. The groove 55 is formed from the position corresponding to at least the position of the second valve body to the upstream end of the ink supply channel 55 in a state where the second valve body 52 is in contact with the seal member 51. In the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, the central axis A1 of the substantially cylindrical ink supply flow path 50 and the central axis A2 of the substantially cylindrical upstream pressure chamber 40c are located on the same plane.

A2. Manufacturing method of ink cartridge 1:
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an apparatus for injecting ink into the ink cartridge 1. An ink injection device (also referred to as “liquid injection device”) 250 is used when ink is injected into the ink storage chamber 3 of the ink cartridge 1. The ink injection device 250 includes an ink injection tube (also referred to as “liquid injection tube”) 252, an ink injection control mechanism (also referred to as “liquid injection control device”) 262, a vacuum suction tube 254, and a vacuum suction control mechanism. 270.

  The ink injection tube 252 is hollow and has a flow path through which ink passes. The tip of the ink injection tube 252 is open, and ink is injected into the cartridge body 10 from the opening. Furthermore, the tip portion of the ink injection tube 252 has a sharp shape, and the ink injection tube 252 has a needle shape as a whole. The ink injection control mechanism 262 includes an injection valve 256 that opens and closes the ink injection pipe 252, an ink tank 260 that stores ink, and a pump 258 that sends ink from the ink tank 260 to the ink injection pipe 252.

  The vacuum suction tube 254 is hollow and has a flow path through which gas passes. The vacuum suction tube 254 is used to decompress the ink storage chamber 3. The vacuum suction control mechanism 270 includes a suction valve 264 that opens and closes the vacuum suction tube 254, a vacuum pump 268 that decompresses the ink storage chamber 3 via the vacuum suction tube 254, and a space between the suction valve 264 and the vacuum pump 268. And an ink trap 266 for collecting ink that has flowed into the vacuum suction tube 254.

  Next, a process of injecting ink from the ink injection tube 252 into the ink storage chamber 3 will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an ink injection method. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining an ink injection method. 11 shows the AA cross section of FIG. 7 as in FIG. In the following, description will be made mainly with reference to FIG. Hereinafter, as an example, a method of injecting ink again into the ink cartridge 1 in which ink has been consumed by the ink jet printer will be described.

  The ink injection tube 252 is inserted into the cartridge body 10 through the ink supply hole 50a, and the tip of the ink injection tube 252 reaches the upstream pressure chamber 40c (step S10, FIG. 11). Specifically, the tip of the ink injection tube 252 passes through the seal member 51, then passes through a part of the groove 55, and finally passes through the first valve body 41. It reaches the upstream pressure chamber 40c. In other words, the tip of the ink injection tube 252 reaches the upstream pressure chamber 40c without penetrating the cartridge body 10 itself and the holding member 43 itself made of synthetic resin. By passing the tip of the ink injection tube 252 through such a path, the tip of the ink injection tube 252 can reach the upstream pressure chamber 40c more smoothly than when penetrating the cartridge body 10 and the holding member 43. . Further, without removing the second valve body 52, the coil spring 53, and the seal member 51 disposed in the ink supply flow path 50 from the ink supply flow path 50, the tip of the ink injection pipe 252 is moved to the upstream pressure chamber 40c. Can be reached.

  Next, the vacuum suction tube 254 is attached to the atmosphere opening hole 100 (step S20). Next, with the injection valve 256 closed, the suction valve 264 is opened, the vacuum pump 268 is driven, and air is sucked from the atmosphere opening hole 100 (step S30). In other words, step S30 is a step of depressurizing the inside of the ink storage chamber 3. In addition, step S10 and step S20 may be performed simultaneously, and can also be performed by reversing the order of processes. Furthermore, step S10 can also be performed after performing steps S20 and S30.

  Next, ink is injected into the ink storage chamber 3 (step S40). Specifically, by opening the injection valve 256 and driving the pump 258, the ink in the ink tank 260 is fed into the ink injection tube 252. Next, ink is delivered from the tip of the ink injection tube 252 to the upstream pressure chamber 40c. As a result, the delivered ink flows in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 11 and is injected into the ink storage chamber 3 via the upstream intermediate flow path 5. That is, the ink sent to the upstream pressure chamber 40 c passes through the buffer chamber 430, the second flow path 420, the sensor unit 30, the first flow path 410, and the labyrinth flow path 400, and the first and second inks. It is injected into the storage chambers 370 and 390 (FIG. 6). Thus, since the ink is injected into the ink storage chamber 3 through the sensor unit 30, the sensor unit 30 can be filled with the liquid. Therefore, it is possible to reduce a decrease in accuracy of the sensor unit.

  Note that step S40 may be performed while sucking air in the ink storage chamber 3, or may be performed after the suction of air is stopped. When ink is injected after the suction of air is stopped, step S40 may be performed after the suction valve 264 is closed.

  After the ink is injected into the ink storage chamber 3, the ink injection tube 252 and the vacuum suction tube 254 are removed from the cartridge body 10 (step S50), and a new film 54a is attached to the ink supply hole 50a, whereby the ink supply hole 50a is opened. Cover with the film 54a (step S60). By covering the ink supply hole 50a with the film 54a, it is possible to reliably prevent the ink from leaking to the outside even if the ink flows into the hole of the seal member 51 formed by the insertion of the ink injection tube 252.

  Through steps S <b> 10 to S <b> 60, the ink cartridge 1 in which ink is stored in the ink storage chamber 3 can be manufactured. Further, when the ink in the ink cartridge 1 is consumed by the ink jet printer and the ink is again injected into the ink cartridge 1, the ink can be stored in the ink storage chamber 3 by repeating Steps S10 to S60. In step S40, ink may be injected until ink is stored in at least the second ink storage chamber 390 of the ink storage chamber 3, but until ink is stored in the first ink storage chamber ( Liquid level ML1 in FIG. 6) It is preferable to inject ink.

  As described above, the tip of the ink injection tube 252 reaches the upstream pressure chamber 40c (step S10), and the ink is injected into the ink storage chamber 3 (step S40). There is no need to use a special jig for opening the valve. Therefore, ink can be easily injected into the ink storage chamber 3. Further, the holes formed in the seal member 51 and the first valve body 41 by the penetration of the ink injection tube 252 cause the seal member 51 and the first valve when the ink injection tube 252 is taken out from the ink cartridge 1. It is blocked to some extent by the elasticity of the valve body 1. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the ink from flowing out from the upstream intermediate flow path 5 to the downstream intermediate flow path 6 or leaking from the ink supply flow path 50 to the outside through the hole. In addition, since the position where the tip of the ink injection pipe 252 reaches the upstream pressure chamber 40c that is the most downstream part of the upstream intermediate flow path 5, the ink injection pipe 252 inserted from the ink supply hole 50a. The tip can easily reach the upstream intermediate flow path 5. Furthermore, since the center axes A1 and A2 of the ink supply flow path 50 and the upstream pressure chamber 40c are located on the same plane, the tip of the ink injection pipe 252 extends from the ink supply flow path 50 to the upstream pressure chamber 40c. And can be easily reached.

  Further, a step (Step S45) of filling the downstream intermediate flow path 6 (FIG. 6) and the ink supply flow path 50 with ink may be provided between Step S40 and Step S50. This step can be realized, for example, by positioning the tip of the ink injection pipe 252 in the downstream intermediate flow path 6 or the ink supply flow path 50 after step S40 and sending ink from the tip of the ink injection pipe 252. As a result, the bubbles in the downstream intermediate flow path 6 and the ink supply flow path 50 can be reduced, and when the ink cartridge 1 is used in an ink jet printer, the bubbles can be reduced from flowing into the carriage 200 via the ink supply needle 240. . Note that the steps S10 to S60 can also be applied when ink is first injected into the ink storage chamber 3 during the initial manufacture of the ink cartridge 1.

B. Second embodiment:
FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the ink injection method of the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining an ink injection method. FIG. 13 shows an AA cross section of FIG. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the ink cartridge is the same as that of the ink cartridge 1 of the first embodiment. Further, the difference from the first embodiment regarding the method of manufacturing the ink cartridge containing the ink is the processing content of the step of sucking air from the ink cartridge 1 (also referred to as “decompression step”). Therefore, since the configuration of the ink cartridge and the steps other than the pressure reducing step are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

  The step of reducing the pressure in the ink storage chamber 3 is performed by attaching a vacuum suction tube 254a to the ink supply hole 50a and sucking air from the ink supply hole 50a (steps S20a and S30a, FIG. 13). As long as the vacuum suction tube 254a is hollow and has a flow path through which gas passes, the same vacuum suction tube 254 as in the first embodiment may be used, or another vacuum suction tube may be used. good. In order to efficiently suck air, a vacuum suction tube 254a is used so that the outer peripheral surface of the vacuum suction tube 254a and the seal member 51 are in close contact with each other when the vacuum suction tube 254a is attached to the ink supply hole 50a. preferable. Further, when air is sucked using the vacuum suction tube 254a in step S20a, the air opening hole 100 may be closed with a film or the like so that air does not flow into the ink cartridge 1 from the air opening hole 100. preferable.

  As described above, by attaching the vacuum suction tube 254a to the ink supply hole 50a and sucking air, not only in the ink storage chamber 3, but also in the downstream intermediate flow path 6 (FIG. 6) and the ink supply flow path 50. The air inside can also be sucked. Thereby, for example, when the downstream intermediate flow path 6 and the ink supply flow path 50 are filled with ink (step S45), the generation of bubbles in the ink can be reduced. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 1 manufactured by the method of the second embodiment is used for an ink jet printer, it is possible to reduce the inflow of bubbles together with ink into the carriage 200 via the ink supply needle 240. Therefore, the ink jet printer can stably eject the ink onto the print medium. Further, the ink injection method of the second embodiment has the same effect as that of the first embodiment.

C. Variation:
In addition, elements other than the elements described in the independent claims of the claims in the constituent elements in the above-described embodiments are additional elements and can be omitted as appropriate. Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described examples and embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are possible.

C-1. First modification:
FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the first modification. In FIG. 15, the second valve body 52 and the coil spring 53 are omitted. In the above embodiment, the tip of the ink injection pipe 252 is made to reach the upstream pressure chamber 40c and the ink is injected to the ink storage chamber 3, but the arrival position of the tip of the ink injection pipe 252 is the upstream intermediate flow. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment as long as it is within the path 5 (FIG. 6). For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the tip of the ink injection tube 252 can reach the buffer chamber 430. Even if it does in this way, when injecting ink, it is not necessary to open the 1st valve body 41, for example using a jig. Therefore, ink can be easily injected into the ink storage chamber 3.

  In the above embodiment, the tip of the ink injection tube 252 reaches the upstream pressure chamber 40c without the tip of the ink injection tube 252 penetrating the cartridge body 10 or the holding member 43. Is not to be done. For example, the tip of the ink injection pipe 252 may reach the upstream pressure chamber 40c through the cartridge body 10 or the holding member 43. Alternatively, without passing through the seal member 51 and the first valve body 41, only the holding member 43 and the cartridge main body 1 may be penetrated, and the tip of the ink injection pipe 252 may reach the upstream pressure chamber 40c. Even if it does in this way, when injecting ink, it is not necessary to open the 1st valve body 41, for example using a jig. Therefore, ink can be easily injected into the ink storage chamber 3.

C-2. Second modification:
FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a second modification. In the above embodiment, the ink injection tube 252 is inserted into the cartridge main body 10 from the ink supply hole 50a. Instead, the side of the cartridge main body 10 where the valve unit accommodating chamber 40a is formed (the cartridge main body 10). The ink injection tube 252 may be inserted into the cartridge main body 10 from the back side of the cartridge. Specifically, the ink injection tube 252 is inserted from the opening of the valve unit housing chamber 40 a, and the front surface of the ink injection tube 252 is attached to the back surface of the cartridge body 10 and the first valve body 41. , The tip of the ink injection tube 252 reaches the upstream pressure chamber 40c. After the ink is injected into the ink storage chamber 3 and the ink injection tube 252 is extracted from the cartridge body 10, the hole formed in the outer surface film 60 is closed with a new film, whereby the ink cartridge 1 containing the ink is stored. Can be manufactured.

  Even if it does in this way, when injecting ink, it is not necessary to open the 1st valve body 41, for example using a jig. Therefore, ink can be easily injected into the ink storage chamber 3. In the second modification, it is preferable that the tip of the ink injection tube 252 reaches the upstream pressure chamber 40c without the tip of the ink injection tube 252 penetrating the holding member 43 itself. That is, it is preferable that the tip of the ink injection tube 252 reaches the upstream pressure chamber 40c through the space 43a formed in the holding member 43. Since the holding member 43 is made of a synthetic resin such as PP or PET and has a higher hardness than the first valve body 41, the tip of the ink injection tube 252 cannot smoothly reach the upstream pressure chamber 40c. is there.

  Further, when ink is first injected into the ink storage chamber 3 during the initial manufacture of the ink cartridge 1, the ink injection tube 252 is connected to the valve unit 40 in which the valve unit 40 is stored before the outer surface film 60 is attached. It may be inserted into the cartridge body 10 from the storage chamber 40a (specifically, the opening of the valve unit storage chamber 40a), and the tip of the ink injection pipe 252 may reach the upstream pressure chamber 40c. When the ink is reinjected into the cartridge main body 10, the outer surface film 60 is peeled off from the cartridge main body 10, and then the ink injection tube 252 is connected to the cartridge main body from the valve unit storage chamber 40 a in which the valve unit 40 is stored. 10 and the tip of the ink injection tube 252 may reach the upstream pressure chamber 40c.

C-3. Third modification:
In the above embodiment, the ink injection pipe 252 is inserted into the cartridge body 10 without removing the seal member 51, the second valve body 52, and the coil spring 53 from the ink supply flow path 50. The ink injection tube 252 may be inserted into the cartridge body 10 after the members 51, 52, 53 arranged in the path 50 are taken out. Even if it does in this way, when injecting ink, it is not necessary to open the 1st valve body 41, for example using a jig. Therefore, ink can be easily injected into the ink storage chamber 3.

C-4. Fourth modification:
In the above embodiment, the first valve body 41 and the seal member 51 are made of an elastic body such as rubber or elastomer. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is made of an elastic body such as rubber or elastomer. As long as the part includes the part.

C-5. Fifth modification:
The shape of the ink injection tube 252 used in the above embodiment was a needle shape, but it is not particularly limited to this, and any ink injection tube that is hollow inside and can deliver liquid from the tip may be used. .

C-6. Sixth modification:
In the above embodiment, the vacuum suction tubes 254 and 254a are attached to the atmosphere opening hole 100 and the ink supply hole 50a to suck the air in the ink cartridge 1 (steps S20, S30 in FIG. 12, steps in FIG. 14). S20a, S30a) can be omitted. Further, although the ink injection tube 252 and the vacuum suction tubes 254 and 254a are taken out from the cartridge body 10 and a film is pasted on the ink supply hole 50a (step S60), step S60 can also be omitted. Even if it does in this way, when injecting ink, it is not necessary to open the 1st valve body 41, for example using a jig. Therefore, ink can be easily injected into the ink storage chamber 3. Further, since one end surface of the second valve body 52 blocks the opening of the annular seal member 51 without attaching a film, it is possible to suppress the leakage of ink to the outside to some extent. Furthermore, a jig for sucking air such as a vacuum suction tube may be attached to the decompression hole 110 to suck air. Note that the sealing film 90 attached to the air opening hole 100 has better peelability than the film 98 attached to the decompression hole 110, and the ink cartridge 1 is used after the sealing film 90 is peeled off. For this reason, when ink is reinjected, it is preferable to attach a vacuum suction tube 254 to the atmosphere opening hole 100 to reduce the pressure in the ink storage chamber 3.

C-7. Seventh modification:
Although the ink cartridge 1 of the above embodiment has the groove 55 (FIG. 9) on the periphery of the ink supply flow path 50, it does not have to have the groove 55. Even if the groove 55 is not provided, the tip of the ink injection pipe 252 can reach the upstream intermediate flow path 5 through the gap between the second valve body 52 and the ink supply flow path 50. It is. This is because the tip of the ink injection pipe 252 can easily reach the upstream intermediate flow path 5 by taking out the members 51, 52, 53 arranged in the ink supply flow path 50.

C-8. Eighth modification:
The ink cartridge 1 of the above embodiment has the second valve body 52 in the ink supply flow path 50, but may not have the second valve body 52. In this case, the shape of the seal member 51 is preferably a shape (for example, a disk shape) corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the ink supply channel 50 so that the ink does not leak out from the ink supply hole 50a. . That is, the seal member is a disk-shaped member, and is preferably attached so that the outer peripheral surface of the seal member is in contact with the inner wall surface of the ink supply channel 50.

C-9. Ninth modification:
In the above embodiment, the central axis A1 of the cylindrical ink supply channel 50 and the central axis A2 of the cylindrical upstream pressure chamber 40c are located on the same plane. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It does not need to be located on the same plane. This is because even with such an ink cartridge, the tip of the ink injection tube 252 can reach the upstream intermediate flow path 5.

C-10. 10th modification:
In the above embodiment, the liquid container and the method for manufacturing the liquid container have been described using the ink jet printer, the ink cartridge, and the ink injection device. However, the liquid ejection that ejects or ejects liquid other than ink An apparatus and a liquid container that contains the liquid may be employed, and a liquid injection device that injects the liquid into the liquid container may be employed. The present invention can be used for various liquid ejecting apparatuses including a liquid ejecting head that ejects a minute amount of liquid droplets. In addition, a droplet means the state of the liquid discharged from the said liquid ejecting apparatus, and shall also include what pulls a tail in granular shape, tear shape, and thread shape. The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected by the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, it may be in the state when the substance is in a liquid phase, and may be in a liquid state with high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melts) ) And a liquid as one state of the substance, as well as particles in which functional material particles made of solid materials such as pigments and metal particles are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent. In addition, as a typical example of the liquid, the ink described in the above embodiment can be used. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks and oil-based inks, and various liquid compositions such as gel inks and hot-melt inks. As a specific example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, for example, a liquid containing a material such as an electrode material or a color material used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface emitting display, a color filter, or the like in a dispersed or dissolved state. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a biological organic material used in biochip manufacturing, and a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid that is used as a precision pipette as a sample. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resins to form liquid injection devices that inject lubricating oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate, or a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate or the like may be employed. And this invention is applicable to manufacture of any one of these injection apparatuses and a liquid container.

    DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ink cartridge, 1a ... Upper surface, 1b ... Bottom surface, 1c ... Right side surface, 1d ... Left side surface, 1e ... Front surface, 1f ... Back surface, 2 ... Air flow path, 3 ... Ink storage chamber, 4 ... Intermediate flow path, 5 ... upstream intermediate flow path, 6 ... downstream intermediate flow path, 10 ... cartridge body, 10a ... rib, 10b ... groove, 11 ... engagement lever, 11a ... projection, 20 ... lid member, 30 ... sensor part, 30a ... Sensor accommodating chamber, 30b ... sensor flow path forming chamber, 31 ... sensor, 32 ... coil spring, 33 ... cover member, 33a ... outer surface, 34 ... circuit board, 34a ... electrode terminal, 40 ... valve unit, 40a ... valve unit Storage chamber, 40b ... downstream pressure chamber, 40c ... upstream pressure chamber, 40d ... valve seat, 41 ... first valve body, 42 ... coil spring, 43 ... holding member, 43a ... space, 50 ... ink supply flow Path, 50a ... ink supply hole DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 51 ... Seal member, 52 ... 2nd valve body, 53 ... Coil spring, 54, 54a ... Film, 55 ... Groove, 60 ... Outer surface film, 70 ... Gas-liquid separation filter, 70a ... Gas-liquid separation chamber, 70b ... Bank, 71 ... Gas-liquid separation membrane, 80 ... Film, 86 ... Ink tank, 90 ... Sealing film, 95a ... Maze flow path forming chamber, 100 ... Air opening hole, 102 ... Communication hole, 110 ... Pressure reducing hole, 200 ... Carriage, 210 ... concave portion, 230 ... projection, 240 ... ink supply needle, 241 ... communication hole, 250 ... ink injection device, 252 ... ink injection tube, 254 ... vacuum suction tube, 254a ... vacuum suction tube, 256 ... injection valve 258 ... Pump, 260 ... Ink tank, 262 ... Ink injection control mechanism, 264 ... Suction valve, 266 ... Ink trap, 268 ... Vacuum pump, 270 ... Vacuum suction control 310, meandering flow path, 311 ... communication hole, 312 ... communication hole, 320 ... first space, 321 ... communication hole, 322 ... communication hole, 330 ... second space, 340 ... third space, 342 ... notch, 350 ... fourth space, 351 ... communication hole, 360 ... fifth space, 370 ... first ink storage chamber, 371 ... communication hole, 380 ... storage chamber connection flow path, 390 ... second ink Storage chamber, 391 ... communication hole, 400 ... maze channel, 410 ... first channel, 420 ... second channel, 430 ... buffer chamber, 431 ... communication hole, 432 ... communication hole, 450 ... third Flow path, 451 ... communication hole, 452 ... communication hole, A1 ... central axis, A2 ... central axis, ML1 ... liquid level, ML2 ... liquid level

Claims (9)

A liquid container that supplies a liquid to a liquid ejecting apparatus, wherein the liquid container is a method for manufacturing a liquid container that contains a liquid,
(A) a liquid injection tube having an opening at the tip, the step of preparing a liquid injection tube for injecting liquid into the container body;
(B) injecting liquid into the container body from the tip of the liquid injection tube;
With
The container body has at one end a liquid storage chamber capable of storing a liquid, an air flow path communicating with the atmosphere inside the liquid storage chamber, and an open hole opening toward the outside of the container body. A liquid supply flow path capable of supplying the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid ejecting apparatus and an intermediate flow path communicating between the liquid storage chamber and the liquid supply flow path are formed. And
The liquid container includes a first valve body that is interposed in the middle of the intermediate flow path and opens when a predetermined pressure difference occurs between the liquid storage chamber and the liquid supply flow path,
The step (b)
(B1) inserting the liquid injection tube into the container body;
(B2) a step of causing the tip of the liquid injection pipe to reach an upstream intermediate flow path that is a portion of the intermediate flow path upstream of the first valve body;
(B3) including a step of injecting liquid into the liquid storage chamber via the upstream intermediate flow path.
A method for producing a liquid container. The manufacturing method according to claim 1,
The upstream intermediate flow path includes an upstream pressure chamber formed by the container body and the first valve body,
In the step (b2), the position of the upstream intermediate flow path that reaches the tip of the liquid injection tube is the upstream pressure chamber. It is a manufacturing method of Claim 1 or Claim 2, Comprising:
The liquid container includes a rubber that is in close contact with an outer peripheral surface of the liquid supply needle when a liquid supply needle that allows the liquid in the liquid container to flow into the liquid ejecting apparatus is inserted into the liquid supply channel. A seal member including a portion made of an elastomer in the liquid supply flow path;
The step (b1) includes a step of inserting the liquid injection tube from the open hole and penetrating the tip of the liquid injection tube into the portion of the seal member. It is a manufacturing method of Claim 3, Comprising:
The liquid container is in contact with the seal member when the liquid supply needle is not inserted into the liquid supply channel, and the liquid supply when the liquid supply needle is inserted into the liquid supply channel. A second valve body that is separated from the seal member by being pushed by a needle, in the liquid supply flow path;
Furthermore, a groove extending along the flow direction of the liquid flowing through the liquid supply channel is formed at the periphery of the liquid supply channel,
The step (b1) includes a step of inserting the liquid injection tube through the open hole and allowing the tip of the liquid injection tube to pass through at least a part of the groove. The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The first valve body includes a portion made of rubber or elastomer,
The step (b2) includes a step of penetrating the tip of the liquid injection tube with respect to the portion of the first valve body and causing the tip of the liquid injection tube to reach the upstream intermediate flow path. Method. It is a manufacturing method of any one of Claims 2 thru | or 5, Comprising:
The liquid container is a sensor unit used for detecting the amount of liquid in the liquid container, and the sensor unit capable of detecting the amount of liquid stored in the liquid container is provided on the upstream side. Provided upstream of the upstream pressure chamber in the intermediate flow path,
The step (b3) is a manufacturing method including a step of injecting the liquid delivered from the tip of the liquid injection tube into the liquid storage chamber through the sensor unit. A manufacturing method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, which is dependent on claim 2 and claim 2,
The liquid supply channel and the upstream pressure chamber are substantially cylindrical,
The central axis of the liquid supply channel and the central axis of the upstream pressure chamber are located on the same plane,
The step (b1) is a step of inserting the liquid injection tube into the liquid supply channel from the open hole,
The step (b2) is a manufacturing method, which is a step of causing the tip of the liquid injection tube to reach the upstream pressure chamber in the upstream intermediate flow path. The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:
(C) A manufacturing method comprising a step of depressurizing the liquid storage chamber before performing the step (b). The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising:
(D) A manufacturing method comprising a step of covering the open hole with a film after performing the step (b).

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