JP2011218686A - Fluid housing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adjust pressure fluctuation in the fluid supply path.SOLUTION: A fluid housing unit which can be attached removably to a fluid consumption unit includes a fluid housing section in which fluid is housed, a fluid supply section into which a part of the fluid consumption unit can be inserted, a supply path through which the fluid is supplied from the fluid housing section to the fluid supply section, a valve mechanism provided in the supply path and opens the supply path when the pressure in the fluid supply section is lower than a predetermined level otherwise intercepts the supply path, and a deforming section which deforms a part of the supply path on the downstream side of the valve mechanism according to the insertion amount of a part of the fluid consumption unit in the fluid supply section.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid storage device.

  For example, in a fluid ejecting apparatus such as an ink jet printer, characters and images are recorded on a recording medium by ejecting ink from a recording head. In this way, the liquid consuming device that consumes ink has a configuration in which a liquid container such as an ink cartridge that contains ink is mounted (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The ink cartridge includes, for example, a storage unit filled with ink, a supply unit for supplying the liquid stored in the storage unit to the ink jet recording apparatus, and a supply path that communicates the storage unit and the supply unit. It has. In contrast, the printer is provided with, for example, an ink supply needle to be inserted into the supply unit.

  The ink supply needle is a tubular member whose tip is formed in a needle shape. In a state where the ink supply needle is inserted into the supply unit, the supply unit and the printer are communicated with each other through the tip of the ink supply needle, and the ink is supplied to the printer side through the ink supply needle. ing.

JP 2004-237720 A

  However, when the ink supply needle is inserted into the supply unit, the volume of the supply unit increases by the volume of the ink supply needle. For this reason, an increase in the pressure of the supply unit and the supply path connected to the supply unit may occur. The increase in the pressure may adversely affect the printer side, for example.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a fluid storage device capable of adjusting the pressure in a fluid supply path.

  The fluid storage device according to the present invention is a fluid storage device that is detachable from the fluid consumption device, and includes a fluid storage portion that stores fluid, a fluid supply portion into which a part of the fluid consumption device can be inserted, and the fluid A supply path for supplying the fluid from the housing section to the fluid supply section; and provided in the supply path, the supply path is opened when the fluid supply section becomes smaller than a predetermined pressure; A valve mechanism that shuts off the supply path; and a deforming part that deforms a part of the supply path on the downstream side of the valve mechanism in accordance with the amount of insertion of a part of the fluid consuming device in the fluid supply part. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, since the fluid supply device has the deforming portion that deforms a part of the downstream side of the valve mechanism in the supply path according to the insertion amount of the fluid consumption device in the fluid supply portion, The volume of the supply path changes depending on the amount of insertion. Thereby, the pressure increase by the change of the volume in a supply path | route can be avoided, and the pressure in a supply path | route can be adjusted.

The fluid accommodation device is characterized in that the deforming portion is formed so that a part of the supply path can be deformed in conjunction with the insertion of a part of the fluid consuming device.
According to the present invention, since the deforming portion is formed so as to be able to deform a part of the supply path in conjunction with the insertion of a part of the fluid consuming device, it is adapted to the insertion of a part of the fluid consuming device. Thus, the pressure in the supply path can be adjusted in real time and reliably.

In the fluid accommodation device, the deforming portion includes a spring member having one end connected to a part of the fluid consuming device, and a pressing portion that is connected to the other end of the spring member and presses a part of the supply path. It is characterized by having.
According to the present invention, the deforming portion has a spring member whose one end is connected to a part of the fluid consuming device and a pressing portion that is connected to the other end of the spring member and presses a part of the supply path. Therefore, the pressure adjustment of the supply path in conjunction with the insertion of a part of the fluid consumption device can be realized.

The fluid accommodation apparatus is characterized in that a part of the supply path is formed by a flexible member.
According to the present invention, since a part of the supply path is formed by the flexible member, the pressure can be adjusted flexibly. In addition, as a flexible member, the member formed so that it might bend elastically with respect to the force from the outside, for example is included.

The fluid accommodation device is characterized in that the flexible member is formed to have flexibility within a predetermined pressure range caused by the fluid consuming device.
According to the present invention, since the flexible member is formed to have flexibility within a predetermined pressure range caused by the fluid consuming device, the fluid is stably supplied to the fluid consuming device. be able to.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of an ink cartridge of the liquid container according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the ink cartridge as viewed from an angle opposite to that in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an ink cartridge. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge as viewed from an angle opposite to that in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state where an ink cartridge is attached to a carriage. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state immediately before the ink cartridge is attached to the carriage. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state immediately after the ink cartridge is attached to the carriage. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state immediately before the ink cartridge is attached to the carriage. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state immediately after the ink cartridge is attached to the carriage. The figure which looked at the cartridge main body of the ink cartridge from the front side. The figure which looked at the cartridge main body of the ink cartridge from the back side. (A) is the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 10, (b) is the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. AA sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of a flow path structure in the cartridge main body shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the ink cartridge. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the ink cartridge.

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

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

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and stores and stores ink (fluid) I in an ink storage chamber (fluid storage portion) provided therein. It is a liquid container. The ink cartridge 1 is mounted on a carriage 200 of an ink jet recording apparatus as an example of a liquid consuming apparatus, and supplies ink to the ink jet recording apparatus (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The schematic configuration of the printer PRT is shown in FIG. The printer PRT is a device that performs recording on a transport medium P such as paper. In addition to the carriage 200, the printer PRT includes, for example, a recording head HD that ejects ink onto the transport medium P, a transport device CV that transports the transport medium P, and a platen SP that supports the transport medium P. Yes. Each ink cartridge 1 mounted on the carriage 200 is connected to the recording head HD via, for example, a tube member TB communicated with the ink supply needle 240. In the recording head HD, a plurality of nozzles NZ for ejecting ink are formed. In each nozzle NZ, the meniscus is adjusted in order to perform stable ink ejection.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A film 80 that covers the front side of the cartridge body 10 is provided between the cartridge body 10 and the lid member 20, and the upper surfaces of the ribs, recesses, and grooves are closed by the film 80, and a plurality of flow paths and An ink storage chamber, an unfilled chamber, and an air chamber are formed.
On the back side of the cartridge body 10, a differential pressure valve accommodating chamber 40 a as a concave portion for accommodating the differential pressure valve 40 and a gas-liquid separation chamber 70 a as a concave portion constituting the gas-liquid separation filter 70 are formed.

  A valve member 41, a spring 42, and a spring seat 43 are housed in the differential pressure valve housing chamber 40a to constitute the differential pressure valve 40. The differential pressure valve 40 is disposed between the ink supply unit 50 on the downstream side and the ink storage chamber on the upstream side, and the ink supplied to the ink supply unit 50 by depressurizing the downstream side with respect to the upstream side. It is comprised so that I may become a negative pressure.

  The valve member 41 includes, for example, an elastic part 41b (second flexible member) formed of a flexible material and a valve part 41a connected to the elastic part 41b. It arrange | positions so that the differential pressure-valve storage chamber 40a may be block | closed with the spring seat 43. FIG. The differential pressure valve storage chamber 40 a is in communication with the ink storage unit and the ink supply unit 50. The valve portion 41a is provided so as to block the differential pressure valve accommodating chamber 40a and the outlet flow channel 450. The valve part 41a opens the said communication path | route, for example, when the elastic part 41b bends in the direction in which the internal volume of the differential pressure valve storage chamber 40a decreases. Further, the spring 42 is configured so that the valve portion 41a opens the communication path when, for example, the differential pressure valve housing chamber 40a becomes smaller than a predetermined pressure, and otherwise the valve portion 41a blocks the communication path. It arrange | positions so that the elastic part 41b may bend in the direction where the internal volume of the storage chamber 40a increases.

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

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

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

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

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

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ink supply unit 50 includes an annular seal member 51 that is pressed against the outer surface of the ink supply needle 240 when attached, and a seal member 51 that is not attached to the printer. And a spring member 52 that closes the ink supply unit 50 and a spring member 53 that urges the spring seat 52 in the contact direction of the seal member 51. 6 and 7, when the ink supply needle 240 is inserted into the ink supply unit 50, the inner periphery of the seal member 51 and the outer periphery of the ink supply needle 240 are sealed, and the ink supply unit 50 and the ink supply are supplied. The gap between the needle 240 is sealed in a liquid-tight manner.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the ink supply unit 50 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 8, in the present embodiment, the ink supply unit 50 includes a deformation unit BF. The deformation part BF is a part that deforms a part of the ink supply part 50 in accordance with the insertion amount of the ink supply needle 240. The deformation portion BF includes, for example, a flange portion 52b and a spring member 53.

  The spring seat 52 is formed with a shaft portion 52a extending upward in the figure. The flange portion 52b is formed at the tip of the shaft portion 52a. A spring receiving portion 55 a that receives the spring member 53 is formed at the upper end portion of the wall portion 55 that forms the ink flow path. The spring receiving portion 55a is formed so that, for example, the center portion is opened.

  The flexible member FL is provided so as to close the opening of the spring receiving portion 55a. The flexible member FL is a film member formed of a resin such as an elastomer. The flexible member FL is provided so as to be elastically deformable with respect to an external force, for example. The upper side of the flexible member FL in the figure is connected to the atmosphere. For example, a recording head is connected further downstream of the ink supply needle 240. The flexible member FL is formed to be bent by a pressure smaller than the meniscus pressure resistance of the nozzle of the recording head. The meniscus pressure resistance of the nozzle is a pressure that can maintain the state of the ink (meniscus) formed on the nozzle of the recording head.

  On the other hand, an opening 55 b connected to the differential pressure valve 40 is formed above the wall 55. The opening 55 b is connected to the differential pressure valve 40 via the outlet channel 450. Therefore, the ink from the differential pressure valve 40 flows into the opening 55b through the outlet channel 450 and flows into the ink supply unit 50 from the opening 55b.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration in a state where the ink supply needle 240 is inserted.
As shown in FIG. 9, when the ink supply needle 240 is inserted, the tip of the ink supply needle 240 comes into contact with the spring seat 52, and the spring seat 52 is pushed upward in the drawing. When the seal between the spring seat 52 and the seal member 51 is released, the ink can be supplied from the ink supply unit 50 to the ink supply needle 240.

  When the spring seat 52 is pushed upward, the flange portion 52b pushes up the flexible member FL via the shaft portion 52a. The flexible member FL is bent upward in the figure by the pressing force. For this reason, the volume in the ink supply part 50 increases by the amount of deformation of the flexible member FL. On the other hand, when the ink supply needle 240 is inserted, the volume in the ink supply unit 50 decreases. As described above, since the flexible member FL is deformed in conjunction with the insertion of the ink supply needle 240, the volume decrease by the ink supply needle 240 and the volume increase by the flexible member FL are the same. This cancels out the volume variation in the ink supply unit 50. In addition, since the flexible member FL is used in the part to deform | transform among the ink supply parts 50, it can deform | transform more reliably.

  Next, the internal structure of the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  10 is a view of the cartridge body 10 of the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment as viewed from the front side, and FIG. 11 is a view of the cartridge body 10 of the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment as viewed from the back side. (A) of FIG. 10 is a simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 10, (b) of FIG. 12 is a simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the flow path shown in FIG.

  In the ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, as the main ink storage chamber filled with the ink I, the upper ink storage chamber 370 and the lower ink storage chamber 390 divided into two upper and lower portions, and the upper and lower ink storage chambers are provided. Three ink storage chambers including a buffer chamber 430 positioned so as to be sandwiched are formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10 (see FIG. 12).

  Further, an air communication path 150 is formed on the back side of the cartridge body 10 to introduce air into the upper ink storage chamber 370 that is the most upstream ink storage chamber according to the amount of ink I consumed.

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

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

  In addition, ink discharge ports 371, 311, and 432 that communicate with the ink guide path 380, the upstream ink end sensor communication channel 400, and the ink guide path 440 are provided at or near the bottoms of the recesses 374, 394, and 434. ing.

  The ink discharge ports 371 and 432 are through holes that penetrate the wall surface of each ink storage chamber in the thickness direction of the cartridge body 10. The ink discharge port 311 is a through hole penetrating the bottom wall 395 downward.

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

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

  That is, in the cartridge main body 10 of the present embodiment, the three ink storage chambers 370, 390, 430 are connected in series to alternately repeat the descending connection and the ascending connection.

  The ink guide path 440 is an ink flow path that guides ink from the ink discharge port 432 of the buffer chamber 430 to the differential pressure valve 40.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the ink inlets 391 and 431 of the respective ink storage chambers are above the ink discharge ports 371 and 311 provided in the respective storage chambers in the respective ink storage chambers. It is provided in the vicinity of the bottom walls 375, 395, 435 of the storage chamber.

  Hereinafter, an ink guiding path from the upper ink storage chamber 370, which is the main ink storage chamber, to the ink supply unit 50 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The upper ink storage chamber 370 is the most upstream (uppermost) ink storage chamber in the cartridge main body 10, and is formed on the front side of the cartridge main body 10 as shown in FIG. 10. The upper ink storage chamber 370 is an ink storage area that occupies about half of the ink storage chamber, and is formed in a portion above approximately half of the cartridge body 10.

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

  As shown in FIG. 11, the ink guide path 380 is formed on the back side of the cartridge body 10 and guides the ink I from below to the lower ink storage chamber 390.

  The lower ink storage chamber 390 is an ink storage chamber into which the ink I stored in the upper ink storage chamber 370 is introduced. As shown in FIG. 10, the lower ink storage chamber 390 is about the ink storage chamber formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10. This is an ink containing area that occupies half of the area, and is formed in the lower half of the cartridge body 10.

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

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

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

  The ink I guided to the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 passes through a cavity (flow path) in the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 and is formed on the back side of the cartridge main body 10 from the ink discharge port 312 which is an outlet of the cavity. Guided to guideway 420.

  The ink guide path 420 is formed so as to guide the ink I obliquely upward from the liquid remaining amount sensor 31, and is connected to an ink inlet 431 that communicates with the buffer chamber 430. Accordingly, the ink I that has exited the liquid remaining amount sensor 31 is guided to the buffer chamber 430 through the ink guide path 420.

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

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

  Next, the atmosphere communication path 150 from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the upper ink storage chamber 370 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the ink I in the ink cartridge 1 is consumed and the pressure in the ink cartridge 1 decreases, the atmosphere (air) flows from the atmosphere opening hole 100 into the upper ink storage chamber 370 by the amount of the stored ink I.

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

  A through-hole 322 is formed in the bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a constituting the gas-liquid separation filter 70, and communicates with a space 320 formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10 through the through-hole 322. .

  In the gas-liquid separation filter 70, the gas-liquid separation film 71 is disposed between the through hole 322 and the other end of the serpentine 310. The gas-liquid separation membrane 71 is formed by knitting a fiber material having high water and oil repellency into a mesh shape.

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

  The upper connecting flow path 330 has a long side from the through hole 321 when viewed from the back side so as to pass through the uppermost side of the ink cartridge 1, that is, the uppermost part in the direction of gravity in a state where the ink cartridge 1 is attached. And a through-hole 341 formed in the vicinity of the through-hole 321 through the upper surface side of the ink cartridge 1 with respect to the flow-path portion 333 by folding back at a folded-back portion 335 near the short side. And a flow path portion 337 extending to the end. The through hole 341 communicates with an ink trap chamber 340 formed on the front side.

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

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

  The ink trap chamber 340 is a rectangular parallelepiped space formed at the upper right corner of the cartridge body 10 when viewed from the front side. As shown in FIG. 14, the through hole 341 opens near the upper left rear corner of the ink trap chamber 340 when viewed from the front side. Further, a notch portion 342 in which a part of the rib 10a serving as a partition is notched is formed at the right lower front corner of the ink trap chamber 340, and the communication buffer chamber is formed through the notch portion 342. 350 is communicated.

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

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

  The communication channel 360 extends upward in the center when viewed from the back side, and communicates with the upper ink storage chamber 370 through a through hole 372 opened near the bottom surface of the upper ink storage chamber 370. That is, the communication channel 360 from the atmosphere opening hole 100 constitutes the atmosphere communication path 150 of the present embodiment. The communication flow path 360 forms a meniscus and is formed to be thin enough to prevent backflow of the ink I.

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

  The unfilled chamber 501 is partitioned and formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10 in a region near the hatched left side so as to be sandwiched between the upper ink storage chamber 370 and the lower ink storage chamber 390.

  The unfilled chamber 501 is provided with an air opening hole 502 penetrating to the back side in the upper left corner of the inner region, and communicates with the outside air through the air opening hole 502.

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

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the deformation portion BF that deforms a part of the ink supply unit 50 according to the amount of insertion of the ink supply needle 240 in the ink supply unit 50 is provided. The volume of the ink supply unit 50 changes according to the amount of insertion. Thereby, an increase in pressure due to a change in volume in the ink supply unit 50 can be avoided, and the pressure in the ink supply unit 50 can be adjusted.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the opening 55b is provided in the wall 55 of the ink supply unit 50, and the outlet channel 450 is connected so as to go around the flexible member FL from the side of the ink supply unit 50. However, it is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the connection between the ink supply unit 50 and the outlet channel 450 may be linear.

  As shown in FIG. 15, an opening 55 b is formed in the wall portion 55. The opening 55 b is connected to a communication path 55 g that is parallel to the ink flow path of the ink supply unit 50. The communication path 55g is adjacent to the ink flow path, for example, with the wall 55 interposed therebetween. For example, an opening 55e is formed on the upper side of the communication path 55g in the figure, and a flexible member FL is attached so as to close the opening 55e.

  On the other hand, the spring seat 52 has a shaft portion 52c extending to the opening 55b side. The shaft portion 52c is inserted into the communication passage 55g through the opening 55b and is bent so as to extend, for example, upward in the drawing along the extending direction of the communication passage 55g. A flange portion 52d is formed at the tip of the shaft portion 52a. The flange portion 55d is in contact with the lower surface of the flexible member FL when the ink supply needle 240 is not inserted.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a state when the ink supply needle 240 is inserted in the configuration of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 16, when the ink supply needle 240 is supplied, the spring seat 52 is pushed up. When the spring seat 52 is pushed up, the shaft portion 52 a and the flange portion 52 b move integrally with the spring seat 52 in the drawing. By this operation, the flange portion 52b pushes up the flexible member FL. The flexible member FL is deformed upward in the figure by the pressing force of the flange portion 52b. Due to the deformation, the volume of the communication passage 55g increases. By this increase in volume, the influence of the volume reduction in the ink supply unit 50 due to the insertion of the ink supply needle 240 is alleviated.

  In the above description, an ink jet printer and an ink cartridge are employed. However, a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges fluid other than ink and a fluid container that contains the fluid are employed. Also good. The present invention can be applied to various fluid ejecting apparatuses including a fluid ejecting head that ejects a minute amount of liquid droplets. In addition, a droplet means the state of the fluid discharged from the said fluid ejecting apparatus, and includes what pulls a tail in granular shape, tear shape, and thread shape. Moreover, the fluid here may be a material that can be ejected by the fluid 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 fluid as one state of the substance, as well as particles in which functional material particles made of solid substances such as pigments and metal particles are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent. In addition, typical examples of the fluid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the embodiment. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks and oil-based inks, and various fluid compositions such as gel inks and hot-melt inks.

  As a specific example of the fluid ejecting apparatus, for example, a fluid 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, or a color filter in a dispersed or dissolved form. It may be a fluid ejecting apparatus for ejecting, a fluid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a bio-organic matter used for biochip manufacturing, a fluid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a fluid used as a precision pipette, a printing apparatus, a microdispenser, or the like.

  In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resins to form fluid injection devices that inject lubricating oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements, etc. Alternatively, a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate or a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate may be employed. The present invention can be applied to any one of these ejecting apparatuses and fluid containers.

I ... Ink PRT ... Printer HD ... Recording head NZ ... Nozzle BF ... Deformation part FL ... Flexible member 1 ... Ink cartridge 40 ... Differential pressure valve 50 ... Ink supply part 52 ... Spring seat 52a ... Shaft part 52b ... Flange part 52c ... Shaft part 52d ... Flange part 53 ... Spring member 55 ... Wall part 55a ... Spring receiving part 55b ... Opening part 55g ... Communication path 55e ... Opening part 55d ... Flange part

Claims (5)

A fluid storage device detachable from the fluid consumption device,
A fluid container for containing fluid;
A fluid supply part into which a part of the fluid consuming device can be inserted;
A supply path for supplying the fluid from the fluid storage section to the fluid supply section;
A valve mechanism that is provided in the supply path and opens the supply path when the fluid supply unit becomes smaller than a predetermined pressure; otherwise, the valve mechanism shuts off the supply path;
A fluid storage device comprising: a deforming portion that deforms a part of the supply path on the downstream side of the valve mechanism according to an insertion amount of the fluid consumption device in the fluid supply unit. The fluid storage device according to claim 1, wherein the deforming portion is formed so as to be able to deform a part of the supply path in conjunction with the insertion of a part of the fluid consuming device. The deformation part is
A spring member having one end connected to a part of the fluid consuming device;
A pressing portion connected to the other end of the spring member and pressing a part of the supply path;
The fluid storage device according to claim 1 or 2. The fluid accommodation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a part of the supply path is formed by a flexible member. The fluid accommodation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the flexible member is formed to have flexibility within a predetermined pressure range caused by the fluid consuming apparatus.

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