JP2012000861A - Liquid container and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid container for holding liquids such as ink, wherein work for attaching to the container, an oscillator for detecting a liquid remaining amount in the container is simple and easy and attached oscillator is stably held at a predetermined position in the container.SOLUTION: The liquid container includes: a body frame 50 with an ink storage chamber 11 which has a first opening 57a opened to a first direction; a protrusion 14 equipped inside with an instruction chamber 15 which communicates to the ink storage chamber 11 through communicating opening 16; an oscillating shaft 77 extending toward the first direction; an oscillator 70 which has an instruction part 72 and a float part 73, forms an outer shape which allows to be taken out to the first direction through the first opening 57a; a cap 60 attached to the oscillating shaft 77 to prevent falling off of the oscillator 70 and regulates the oscillating range of the oscillator 70 to the range in which an instruction part 72 overlaps with the instruction chamber 15; and a film 40 covering the first opening 57a.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid container that stores a liquid such as ink.

  Conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus that records an image with ink on a recording medium such as paper is known. Such an ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head unit that ejects ink to a recording medium, an ink container that stores ink, and an ink supply unit that supplies ink stored in the ink container to the recording head unit. ing. The ink container is generally provided in an ink cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body of the ink jet recording apparatus, and the ink supply unit and the ink container are connected or disconnected when the ink cartridge is attached to or detached from the apparatus main body. The

  If the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge mounted on the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus decreases, the ink jet recording apparatus can be used continuously by replacing it with a new ink cartridge filled with ink. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a decrease in the amount of ink remaining in an ink cartridge has been detected using an optical mechanism provided in an apparatus main body of an ink jet recording apparatus. As such an ink jet recording apparatus, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a semi-transparent or transparent ink remaining amount detection window is provided on a part of the wall surface of an ink container of an ink cartridge. There is known an apparatus configured to detect the remaining amount of ink in an ink container by applying light from an optical sensor.

  An ink cartridge described in Patent Document 1 includes an ink chamber for storing ink, a light-transmitting protruding detection window in which a detection space continuous with the ink chamber is formed, and an ink remaining amount The main body is provided with an arm for detecting the above. The arm includes a shaft hole that is externally fitted to a support shaft provided in the ink chamber, a float portion that swings in the ink chamber on both sides of the shaft hole, and an indicator portion that swings in the detection window. As the ink level in the ink chamber fluctuates, it swings about the support shaft. When the ink cartridge is mounted on the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus, the detection window of the ink cartridge is disposed between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the optical sensor provided in the main body of the ink, and the amount of ink in the ink chamber When there is a large amount of light, the light from the light emitting unit is blocked by the indicator unit in the detection window and does not reach the light receiving unit, and when the amount of ink in the ink chamber decreases, the ink catcher unit does not block the light from the light emitting unit. It moves and the light from the light emitting part reaches the light receiving part. It is configured to detect that the amount of ink in the ink chamber of the ink cartridge is reduced by detecting such light.

JP 2008-254194 A

In the ink cartridge described in Patent Document 1, the thickness of the detection window (the dimension in the direction parallel to the axial direction of the support shaft) is the same as the thickness of the main body of the ink cartridge (the axial direction of the support shaft) in order to reduce the size. (Dimension in the direction). Specifically, the combined thickness of the detection window and the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit of the apparatus main body sandwiching the detection window corresponds to the thickness of the main body of the ink cartridge. Thus, since the detection window is formed thin, the indicator part of the arm inserted into the detection window is also formed sufficiently thin. Furthermore, since the support shaft is loosely fitted in the shaft hole so that the arm can easily follow the change in the liquid level, it is difficult to return to the detection window once the indicator part of the arm is once removed from the detection window. is there. In order to prevent the indicator part of the arm from coming out of the detection window, the indicator part comes into contact with the upper and lower walls in the detection window, or the float part comes into contact with the bottom surface of the ink chamber. The swing range is restricted. When attaching the ink cartridge arm to the ink chamber, the indicator portion is inserted into the detection window with the arm positioned so that the axial direction of the shaft hole of the arm is inclined with respect to the axial direction of the support shaft. The support shaft must be forcedly inserted into the shaft hole. This is because if the support shaft is inserted into the shaft hole while the arm is positioned so that the axial direction of the shaft hole of the arm is parallel to the axial direction of the support shaft, the indicator part interferes with the side wall of the detection window. Because it ends up. If it does so, an arm will be moved to the direction twisted diagonally with respect to the axial direction of a spindle, a load will be applied to an arm and a spindle, and the operation of attaching an arm to an ink chamber will become difficult. In particular, the greater the thickness of the cartridge, the more difficult the operation. Furthermore, in a general-purpose industrial robot that can only move linearly, it is difficult to move the arm in a direction twisted obliquely with respect to the axial direction of the support shaft, and it is difficult to mechanize the work.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and is a liquid container for containing a liquid such as ink, and an oscillating body for detecting the remaining amount of liquid in the container. An object of the present invention is to provide a device in which the work attached to the container is simple and simple, and the attached rocking body is stably held at a predetermined position in the container. Furthermore, it is an object to facilitate mechanization of the work by simplifying the work of attaching the rocking body to the container.

  A liquid container according to the present invention has a frame shape having a first opening opened in a first direction, and a main body frame in which a storage chamber for storing liquid is formed, and the main body frame A protrusion that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the first direction and away from the storage chamber, and in which a hollow indicator chamber having a second opening opened toward the storage chamber is formed A swinging shaft provided in the housing chamber of the main body frame and extending substantially parallel to the first direction, and a shaft hole externally fitted to the swinging shaft, through the shaft hole It has a float part that can swing in the storage chamber on one side and can swing so as to enter and leave the instruction chamber through the second opening on the other side, and the liquid amount in the storage chamber In the state in which the instruction unit has left the instruction room to the accommodation room. And an oscillating body having an outer shape that can be taken out from the accommodating chamber in the first direction through the first opening of the main body frame, and attached to an end portion of the oscillating shaft in the first direction. The swinging body is prevented from falling off from the swinging shaft, and the swinging range of the swinging body is restricted to a range where at least a part of the pointing portion overlaps the pointing chamber and the first direction. And a wall that covers the first opening.

The assembly operation of the liquid container having the above-described configuration is as follows: (1) The swinging body is inserted into the accommodation chamber through the first opening by moving the swinging body in the direction opposite to the first direction with respect to the main body frame. A step of passing the swinging shaft through the shaft hole of the swinging shaft, and (2) moving the swinging shaft with the swinging shaft so that the pointing portion of the swinging body enters the pointing chamber from the state where the swinging member has been retracted from the pointing chamber. (3) The cap is attached to the rocking shaft by moving the cap in the direction opposite to the first direction with respect to the main body frame, and the rocking body is detached from the rocking shaft by this cap. The step of restricting the swinging range of the swinging body to a range where at least a part of the pointing portion overlaps the pointing chamber in the first direction, and (4) covering the first opening of the main body frame with the wall (1) It becomes comprising the step of (4). In this assembling operation, the steps (1) and (2) include the linear movement of the rocking body in the direction opposite to the first direction substantially parallel to the axial direction of the rocking shaft, and the rocking shaft of the rocking body. It consists of a simple and simple operation with rotational movement in one direction around. This does not include the movement of the oscillating body in a direction twisted obliquely with respect to the axial direction of the oscillating shaft, so that no load is applied to the oscillating body and the oscillating shaft. Then, the cap attached in the step (3) allows the rocking body to move stably in the first direction even when the posture of the liquid container changes, and the indicator does not escape from the indicator chamber. Then, it is held at a predetermined position in the liquid container. Further, in the steps (1) to (3), the attaching operation of the swinging body and the cap to the main body frame is a simple and simple operation consisting of a combination of linear movement and rotational movement of the swinging body or cap with respect to the main body frame. Therefore, mechanization of these work processes can be easily realized.

  The manufacturing method of the liquid container according to the present invention has a frame shape having a first opening opened in a first direction, and a main body frame in which a storage chamber for storing a liquid is formed in the frame; A hollow indicator chamber that protrudes from the wall surface of the main body frame in a direction orthogonal to the first direction and away from the storage chamber, and has a second opening opened toward the storage chamber in the interior thereof A protruding portion formed in the housing frame of the main body frame and extending substantially parallel to the first direction, and a shaft hole externally fitted to the swinging shaft, A float portion that swings in the housing chamber on one side through the shaft hole, and an indicator portion that swings to enter and exit the instruction chamber through the second opening on the other side; The main body frame is displayed in a state in which the instruction unit has exited from the instruction chamber to the ink chamber. An oscillating body having an outer shape that can be taken out from the housing chamber in the first direction through the first opening, a cap that prevents the oscillating body from falling off the oscillating shaft, A wall covering one opening, wherein the swinging body is moved in the direction opposite to the first direction with respect to the main body frame, and the housing is accommodated through the first opening. Inserting into the room and passing the swing shaft through the shaft hole; and rotating the swing body so that the indicator moves from the state of exiting the indicator chamber to the state of entering the indicator chamber; , And the end of the swing shaft in the first direction so that the swing range of the swing body is restricted to a range in which at least a part of the pointing portion overlaps the pointing chamber in the first direction. Attaching to the step, It is intended to include a step of covering the first opening by Kikabe.

  According to the above manufacturing method, the step of linearly moving the oscillating body in the direction opposite to the first direction and inserting the oscillating body into the accommodation chamber and the step of rotating the oscillating body around the oscillating shaft in one direction are simply performed. In addition, the swinging body can be attached to the main body frame in a step of performing a simple operation. In these steps, movement of the oscillating body in a direction twisted obliquely with respect to the axial direction of the oscillating shaft is not included, so that no load is applied to the oscillating body and the oscillating shaft. The step of attaching the cap to the swinging shaft prevents the swinging body from falling off the swinging shaft, and the swinging range of the pointing portion of the swinging body is restricted within the pointing chamber, so that the swinging body is attached to the main body frame. The oscillating body thus moved is stably held at a predetermined position in the liquid container without moving in the first direction and without the indicator section getting out of the indicator chamber. Further, since the attaching operation of the rocking body and the cap to the main body frame is configured by a simple and simple operation, the work process can be easily mechanized.

  According to the present invention, in the liquid container for storing a liquid such as ink, the operation of attaching the oscillating body for detecting the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid container to the main body frame of the liquid container is performed with respect to the oscillating shaft. It does not include the movement of the oscillating body in a twisted oblique direction, and is a combination of the linear movement and the rotational movement of the oscillating body, and it is a simple and simple operation that does not apply a load to the oscillating body and the oscillation shaft. Further, the cap attached to the swing shaft prevents the swing body from falling off from the swing shaft, and the swing range of the pointing portion of the swing body is restricted within the pointing chamber. The container is stably held at a predetermined position in the container without moving in the first direction and without the instruction unit getting out of the instruction chamber.

It is a side view of the ink cartridge which is a liquid container according to the present embodiment. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an ink cartridge. FIG. It is a side view of a main body. It is a disassembled perspective view of a main body. It is a typical side view of the main body which displayed the cross section of the protrusion part. It is a perspective view of a cap. It is a side view which shows the attitude | position change of an oscillating body, (a) is a side view which shows the oscillating body and main body frame of a 0th attitude | position, (b) is a side view which shows the oscillating body and main body frame of a 1st attitude | position, (C) is a side view which shows the rocking | fluctuation body and main body frame of a 2nd attitude | position. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of an assembly of a main body.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

  The liquid container according to the present embodiment is configured as an ink cartridge that is used by being mounted on a recording apparatus typified by an ink jet printer. Although not described in detail, an ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head unit that ejects ink onto a recording medium such as paper, an ink cartridge that includes an ink storage chamber that stores ink, and ink storage in the recording head unit. An ink supply unit for supplying ink stored in the chamber. The ink cartridge is configured to be detachable from a cartridge housing portion included in the recording apparatus. When the ink cartridge is mounted in the cartridge housing portion, the ink housing chamber of the ink cartridge is connected to the recording head portion via the ink supply portion. It is connected and ink can be supplied to the recording head unit.

[Configuration of Ink Cartridge 10]
FIG. 1 is a side view of an ink cartridge that is a liquid container according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink cartridge 10 is a substantially hexahedron having a flat shape. Specifically, the ink cartridge 10 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is thin in the width direction (the direction of the arrow 31), and whose height direction (the direction of the arrow 32) and depth direction (the direction of the arrow 33) are longer than the width direction 31. Has been. The width direction 31, the height direction 32, and the depth direction 33 are orthogonal to each other. The ink cartridge 10 is in the standing state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, that is, in a state where the lower surface in the drawing is the bottom surface and the upper surface in the drawing is the upper surface, (Not shown) is inserted and removed in the direction of the arrow 30 parallel to the depth direction 33. In the insertion / removal direction 30, the direction in which the ink cartridge 10 is inserted into the recording apparatus will be referred to as the front, and the direction in which the ink cartridge 10 in the opposite direction will escape from the recording apparatus will be described as the back.

  The ink cartridge 10 includes a main body 20 in which the ink storage chamber 11 is formed, a first cover 21, and a second cover 22. The exterior of the ink cartridge 10 includes a first cover 21 and a second cover 22 that are fitted to each other, and the main body 20 is covered with these covers 21 and 22. Specifically, the front portion of the main body 20 is covered with a first cover 21, and the rear portion of the main body 20 is covered with a second cover 22. Openings for exposing the atmosphere communication valve 80, the ink supply valve 90, and the protrusion 14 included in the main body 20 are formed on the front surface of the first cover 21, respectively. The atmosphere communication valve 80, Ink supply valve 90 and protrusion 14 appear. In the present embodiment, the main body 20, the first cover 21, and the second cover 22 are made of a resin material such as nylon, polyethylene, or polypropylene, for example.

Next, the main body 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 is a side view of the main body, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the main body, and FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the main body in which a detection window is displayed in cross section. 3-5, illustration of the film 40 is abbreviate | omitted. In FIG. 5, the illustration of the cap 60 is omitted. The main body 20 is roughly composed of a main body frame 50, a rocking body 70, a cap 60, an air communication valve 80, an ink supply valve 90, and a pair of transparent films 40 (see FIG. 2). . The main body 20 has an outer shape substantially the same shape as the ink cartridge 10 and is a substantially hexahedron having a flat shape. The main body 20 is mounted in a cartridge housing portion (not shown) of the recording apparatus in the standing state shown in FIG. In the following, for convenience of explanation, in the main body 20, the front surface in the insertion / removal direction 30 is the front surface 41, the rear surface in the insertion / removal direction 30 is the rear surface 42, the vertically upper surface is the upper surface 43, and the vertically lower side. This surface is the lower surface 44. In addition, two surfaces that are adjacent to the front surface 41, the rear surface 42, the upper surface 43, and the lower surface 44 and that face each other are referred to as side surfaces 45 and 46, respectively. Furthermore, the left side when viewed from the rear surface 42 is a left side surface 45, and the right side is a right side surface 46. In the present embodiment, the pair of side surfaces 45 and 46 has a maximum area in the main body 20. Below, each component of the main body 20 is demonstrated in detail.

  First, the main body frame 50 will be described. The main body frame 50 is a member constituting the housing of the main body 20 and forms the six surfaces 41 to 46 of the main body 20. Accordingly, since the six surfaces 41 to 46 of the main body 20 coincide with the six surfaces of the main body frame 50, hereinafter, the respective surfaces of the main body frame 50 are indicated by using the reference numerals attached to the respective surfaces of the main body 20. . The main body frame 50 is made of a transparent or translucent resin material having translucency, and can be obtained by, for example, injection molding the resin material. Such a resin material corresponds to, for example, polyacetal, nylon, polyethylene, or polypropylene.

  The main body frame 50 is integrally provided with an outer peripheral wall 51 having a frame shape and a plurality of inner walls 52 disposed inside the outer peripheral wall 51. The outer peripheral wall 51 and the inner wall 52 are provided from the left side 45 to the right side 46 of the main body 20. The outer peripheral wall 51 is annularly arranged along the front surface 41, the upper surface 43, the rear surface 42, and the lower surface 44 so as to form a space therein. As a result, an opening 57 a (first opening) is formed on the left side surface 45 of the main body frame 50, and an opening 57 b is formed on the right side surface 46. Hereinafter, the direction in which the opening 57a of the left side surface 45 of the main body frame 50 is open is referred to as “left direction (first direction)”, and the direction opposite to the left direction is referred to as “right direction”. The left direction and the right direction are parallel to the width direction 31.

  A pair of films 40 (see FIG. 2) is attached to the left side 45 and the right side 46 of the main body frame 50, and the openings 57 a and 57 b are covered with the pair of films 40. The film 40 is made of a thin-walled transparent resin, and is welded to the outer edge portions of the inner wall 52 on the side surfaces 45 and 46 side by a well-known thermal welding method in addition to the portions on the side surfaces 45 and 46 side of the outer peripheral wall 51. ing. Thus, by covering the openings 57a and 57b of the main body frame 50 with the walls of the pair of films 40, a space defined by the outer peripheral wall 51 and the pair of films 40 is formed. This space is an ink storage chamber 11 in which ink is stored. Here, the ink storage chamber 11 is formed by the main body frame 50 and the pair of films 40. For example, the opening 57b of the right side surface 46 is covered with a wall integrally formed with the outer peripheral wall 51 and the inner wall 52. The film 40 may be welded only to the left side surface 45 and the opening 57 a may be covered with the film 40. Instead of the film 40, a wall having a certain degree of rigidity may be welded to the left side surface 45 and the opening 57a may be covered with the wall. The certain degree of rigidity is, for example, such a rigidity that the wall does not bend even if a negative pressure is generated in the ink containing chamber 11.

A support rod 58 extending in the depth direction 33 is spanned below the opening 57 b of the right side surface 46 of the main body frame 50, and a swing shaft 77 extending in the width direction 31 is provided on the support rod 58. That is, the axial direction of the swing shaft 77 and the width direction 31 are in a parallel relationship. The swing shaft 77 is provided in the ink storage chamber 11 of the main body frame 50 in order to support the swing body 70 so as to be swingable. The swing shaft 77 extends leftward from the base end fixed to the support rod 58, and the tip thereof is a free end at substantially the same surface position as the left side surface 45 of the main body frame 50.

  A projecting portion 14 is formed on the front surface 41 of the main body frame 50. The protrusion 14 is used to visually or optically detect the amount of ink stored in the ink storage chamber 11. The protrusion 14 protrudes forward from the middle of the front surface 41 of the main body frame 50 (a direction perpendicular to the first direction and away from the ink storage chamber 11), and is integrally formed with the main body frame 50. ing. The protrusion 14 is made of the same material as that of the main body frame 50, that is, a transparent or translucent resin material having translucency, and can transmit light from the outside.

  The protrusion 14 is partitioned by five substantially rectangular wall surfaces. Specifically, the protrusion 14 is connected to a rectangular front wall 14a that is parallel to the front face 41 and spaced forward from the front face 41 by a predetermined distance, and two sides in the width direction of the front wall 14a. A pair of side walls 14b, 14b, an upper wall 14c connected to the upper side of the front wall 14a and the upper side of the pair of side walls 14b, 14b, a lower side of the front wall 14a, and a lower side of the pair of side walls 14b, 14b, respectively It is partitioned by a connected lower wall 14d. A hollow indicator chamber 15 surrounded by the five wall surfaces is formed inside the protruding portion 14. The instruction chamber 15 has a communication opening 16 (second opening) opened toward the ink storage chamber 11, and the instruction chamber 15 and the ink storage chamber 11 are communicated with each other through the communication opening 16. . An instruction portion 72 of the oscillator 70 described later can enter the instruction chamber 15 from the ink storage chamber 11 through the communication opening 16.

  The protrusion 14 is irradiated with light from an optical detection device such as a photo interrupter attached to the recording apparatus. Although not shown, this optical detection device is for detecting the remaining amount of liquid in the ink cartridge 10 and includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element. In this embodiment, light emitted from the light emitting element Light that is irradiated onto the side wall 14b of the protrusion 14 and passes through the instruction chamber 15 is received by the light receiving element. And the dimension of the width direction 31 of the protrusion part 14 is formed smaller than the dimension of the width direction 31 of the main body frame 50, and it is equivalent to the difference of the dimension of the width direction 31 of this protrusion part 14 and the main body frame 50. The components on the recording apparatus side are arranged in the space, and the recording apparatus is further miniaturized. As a component corresponding to the recording apparatus side, for example, the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element of the above-described optical detection device can be cited. That is, by arranging the light emitting element and the light receiving element so as to sandwich the protruding portion 14 in the width direction 31, the recording apparatus in the width direction 31 can be reduced in size. Further, a support mechanism for the ink cartridge 10 can also be cited as a component corresponding to the recording apparatus side.

  A circular opening 81 is provided above the front surface 41 of the main body frame 50, in other words, above the protruding portion 14. A cylindrical valve housing chamber 55 is formed on the inner side of the main body frame 50 continuously from the opening 81. The valve storage chamber 55 extends in the depth direction 33 of the main body 20, and communicates with the ink storage chamber 11 at the back thereof. An air communication valve 80 is accommodated in the valve accommodating chamber 55. The air communication valve 80 is configured as a valve mechanism that opens or closes an air path from the opening 81 to the ink storage chamber 11.

  Further, a circular opening 91 is provided below the front surface 41 of the main body frame 50, in other words, below the protrusion 14. A cylindrical valve housing chamber 54 is formed on the inner side of the main body frame 50 continuously from the opening 91. The valve storage chamber 54 extends in the depth direction 33 of the main body 20, and communicates with the ink storage chamber 11 at the back thereof. An ink supply valve 90 is accommodated in the valve accommodating chamber 54. The ink supply valve 90 is configured as a valve mechanism that opens or closes the ink path from the opening 91 to the ink storage chamber 11.

  A stopper 53 is provided on the surface of the main body frame 50 that defines the bottom of the ink storage chamber 11. The stopper 53 extends upward from a surface defining the bottom of the ink storage chamber 11. The stopper 53 is disposed at a position where a contact portion 71 of the swinging body 70 described later can come into contact.

  Next, the oscillator 70 will be described. The oscillator 70 is a member for detecting the amount of ink stored in the ink storage chamber 11. The oscillating body 70 has a cylindrical portion extending in the width direction 31, and a shaft hole 78 penetrating the cylindrical shape portion in the width direction 31, and extends backward with the cylindrical portion formed with the shaft hole 78 as a base end. A float portion 73, an arm 79 extending from the opposite side of the float portion 73 of the cylindrical portion in which the shaft hole 78 is formed, a pointing portion 72 provided at the tip of the arm 79, and a shaft hole 78 are formed. And a contact portion 71 extending downward from the cylindrical portion. The central angle formed by the arm 79 and the float portion 73 is approximately 90 to 120 °. When the lower end of the float portion 73 is substantially horizontal, the arm 79 stands up substantially vertically, and an instruction is given at the tip of the arm 79. The part 72 protrudes forward.

  The shaft hole 78 of the rocking body 70 is externally fitted to the rocking shaft 77 provided in the main body frame 50 with play. Thereby, the rocking body 70 is supported so as to be rockable in the direction of the arrow 35 around the rocking shaft 77.

  For example, the float portion 73 of the rocking body 70 is formed in a hollow shape, and plays a role of a buoyancy body having buoyancy with respect to a liquid such as ink. Therefore, the float unit 73 is displaced up and down according to the increase and decrease of the ink amount, and the rocking body 70 is swung according to the displacement of the float unit 73.

  The instruction unit 72 of the rocking body 70 is for indicating the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage chamber 11. The base of the arm 79 is in the ink storage chamber 11, but the indicator 72, which is the tip of the arm 79, enters the indicator chamber 15 in the protrusion 14 through the communication opening 16.

  The contact portion 71 is disposed at a position where the contact portion 71 can come into contact with the stopper 53. When the contact portion 71 comes into contact with the stopper 53, the swing range of the swing body 70 in the forward direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 3) is restricted. is doing.

  Next, the cap 60 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 in addition to FIGS. Further, with reference to FIG. 7, the postures that the rocking body 70 can take will be described. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cap. 7A is a side view showing the swinging body and the main body frame in the 0th posture, FIG. 7B is a side view showing the swinging body and the main body frame in the first posture, and FIG. It is a side view which shows the rocking | fluctuation body of a attitude | position, and a main body frame. The cap 60 is attached to the tip of the swing shaft 77 and is disposed to face the support rod 58. The cap 60 restricts the movement of the rocking body 70 in the axial direction to prevent the rocking body 77 from falling off and regulates the rocking range of the rocking body 70 backward (clockwise in FIG. 3). is doing. The cap 60 includes a planar substrate 65 parallel to the depth direction 33 and the height direction 32, a plurality of film support portions 61, 61, 61 extending through the substrate 65 in the width direction 31, and the width direction 31 from the substrate 65. And a stopper 62 extending rightward, a positioning hole 63 penetrating the substrate 65 in the width direction 31, and a shaft hole 64 penetrating the substrate 65 and the cylindrical portion rising from the substrate 65 in the width direction 31. Have. The cap 60 is integrally formed of the same synthetic resin as the main body frame 50.

  In the cap 60, the free end of the swing shaft 77 is fitted in the shaft hole 64, and the positioning pin 59 provided in the main body frame 50 is fitted in the positioning hole 63, whereby the first base of the main body frame 50 is formed on the substrate 65. It is attached to the main body frame 50 so as to block a part of the opening 57a.

  The dimension of the film support 61 of the cap 60 in the width direction 31 is substantially the same as the dimension of the main body frame 50 in the width direction 31, and the left end and the right end of the film support 61 are both the side surface 45 of the main body frame 50. 46 is in contact with a pair of films 40 stretched on 46. In order to suppress the change in the chemical properties of the ink due to the ink in the ink storage chamber 11 coming into contact with oxygen, or to suppress the generation of bubbles in the ink storage chamber 11, the ink storage chamber In some cases, the ink cartridge 10 is shipped after the pressure in the interior 11 is reduced. When the ink storage chamber 11 is in a decompressed state, the film 40 is supported by the film support portion 61 of the cap 60 so that the film 40 does not bend and deform inward of the ink storage chamber 11.

  The stopper 62 of the cap 60 defines a swinging range of the swinging body 70 in the backward direction (clockwise in FIG. 3). When the arm 79 of the oscillating body 70 comes into contact with the stopper 62, the oscillating body 70 is further prevented from rotating backward. The posture of the rocking body 70 in which the arm 79 is in contact with the stopper 62 of the cap 60 in this way is referred to as a “first posture” (see FIG. 7B). On the other hand, a swinging range of the swinging body 70 in the forward direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 3) is determined by the stopper 53. When the contact portion 71 of the rocking body 70 comes into contact with the stopper 53, the rocking body 70 is further prevented from rotating forward. The posture of the rocking body 70 in which the contact portion 71 is in contact with the stopper 53 is referred to as a “second posture” (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7C). The swinging range of the swinging body 70 thus restricted is a range in which at least a part of the pointing portion 72 overlaps the pointing chamber 15 and the width direction 31 (first direction). In this case, the instruction unit 72 does not leave the instruction room 15. Note that the forward rotation of the rocking body 70 may be restricted by the detection arm 79 coming into contact with the lower wall 14d of the protrusion 14. Further, the cap 60 may be provided with another stopper in addition to the stopper 62, so that the forward rotation of the rocking body 70 may be restricted.

  As described above, when the cap 60 is attached to the swing shaft 77, the swing range of the swing body 70 is restricted so that at least a part of the pointing portion 72 does not leave the indicating chamber 15. Is removed, the oscillating body 70 rotates rearwardly around the oscillating shaft 77 (clockwise in FIG. 3) without interfering with the inner wall 52 until the indicator 72 moves out of the indicator chamber 15 to the ink containing chamber 11. be able to. The backward rotation of the rocking body 70 when the cap 60 is removed is restricted by the float portion 73 coming into contact with the surface defining the bottom of the ink storage chamber 11. The posture of the rocking body 70 that has rotated until the float 73 comes into contact with the surface defining the bottom of the ink storage chamber 11 is referred to as a “0th posture” (see the solid line in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7A). ). In the swinging body 70 in the 0th posture, the instruction section 72 has been withdrawn from the instruction chamber 15 to the ink storage chamber 11, and the entirety is contained in the ink storage chamber 11. The swinging body 70 in the 0th posture can be taken out leftward through the opening 57a in the left side surface 45 of the main body frame 50. In other words, the outer shape of the oscillating body 70 viewed from the left side is smaller than the inner diameter of the opening 57 a of the left side 45 of the main body frame 50.

  Here, the movement of the oscillator 70 will be described. The rocking body 70 according to the present embodiment is formed such that the weight of the arm 79 and the instruction portion 72 is smaller than the weight of the float portion 73 and the contact portion 71. Therefore, in the air, the float part 73 and the contact part 71 are heavier than the arm 79 and the instruction part 72. Therefore, in a state where ink is not contained in the ink storage chamber 11 or ink less than the first predetermined amount is stored, the float unit 73 moves in the gravitational direction, so that the rocking body 70 moves the rocking shaft 77. Rotate backward (clockwise in FIG. 3) around the center to be in the first posture. When the oscillating body 70 is in the first posture, the light emitted from the light emitting element of the optical detection device to the projecting portion 14 is received by the light receiving element without being blocked by the instruction section 72, thereby the ink containing chamber. 11 can be detected that no ink is contained or that less than the first predetermined amount of ink is stored.

  On the other hand, in a state where the second predetermined amount or more of ink is stored in the ink storage chamber 11 and the float unit 73 is immersed in the ink, buoyancy is generated in the float unit 73. Due to this buoyancy, the force acting in the gravity direction of the float part 73 and the contact part 71 is smaller than the force acting in the weight direction of the arm 79 and the instruction part 72. Accordingly, when the instructing unit 72 moves in the direction of gravity, the rocking body 70 rotates forward (counterclockwise in FIG. 3) about the rocking shaft 77 and assumes the second posture. When the rocking body 70 is in the second posture, the ink in the ink storage chamber 11 is consumed, and when the ink in the ink storage chamber 11 becomes less than the second predetermined amount, the rocking body 70 is in the ink storage chamber 11. As the ink level decreases, the ink rotates from the second posture toward the first posture. When the ink in the ink storage chamber 11 is further consumed and the ink in the ink storage chamber 11 becomes less than the first predetermined amount, the oscillator 70 reaches the first posture. During the period from the second posture to the first posture of the rocking body 70, the light emitted from the light emitting element of the optical detection device to the protruding portion 14 can be blocked by the instruction portion 72 and received by the light receiving element. Can not. Accordingly, it can be detected that the first predetermined amount or more of ink is stored in the ink storage chamber 11. Here, since the swing shaft 77 is loosely fitted in the shaft hole 78 of the swing body 70, the friction resistance between the swing shaft 77 and the wall defining the shaft hole 78 is small, and the swing body 70 is The ink can be swung following the change in the liquid level of the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 11.

  Since the oscillating body 70 operates as described above, the position of the indicator 72 in the indicator chamber 15 is visually confirmed from the outside of the protrusion 14 or is monitored by an optical detection device such as a photo interrupter. It is possible to detect whether the amount of ink in the storage chamber 11 is equal to or greater than the first predetermined amount.

[Method for Manufacturing Ink Cartridge 10]
Next, a method for manufacturing the ink cartridge 10 having the above configuration will be described. The ink cartridge 10 is manufactured by attaching covers 21 and 22 to the main body 20. The main body 20 of the ink cartridge 10 is made by assembling molded components. Hereinafter, the process of assembling the main body 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of assembly of the main body.

  First, the swinging body 70 is set in a posture in which the pointing portion 72 faces forward and the float portion 73 faces back, the shaft center of the shaft hole 78 of the swinging body 70 is arranged on the extension line of the swing shaft 77, and the main body The rocking body 70 is linearly moved rightward in parallel with the axial direction of the rocking shaft 77 toward the opening 57a of the left side surface 45 of the frame 50 (step S1). As a result, the swinging body 70 is inserted into the ink storage chamber 11 of the main body frame 50 through the opening 57 a, and at the same time, the swinging shaft 77 is inserted into the shaft hole 78 of the swinging body 70. In this step S1, the rocking body 70 is in the 0th posture or a posture close thereto, and the instruction section 72 is withdrawn from the instruction chamber 15 so that the entire rocking body 70 is accommodated in the ink containing chamber 11 (FIG. 7 ( a)).

  Next, the rocking body 70 is rotated forward (counterclockwise in FIG. 7A) around the rocking shaft 77 (step S2). As a result, the posture of the oscillator 70 changes from the state in which the instruction unit 72 has exited from the instruction chamber 15 to the ink storage chamber 11 to the state in which the instruction unit 72 has entered the instruction chamber 15. The indicating portion 72 of the swinging body 70 entering the indicating chamber 15 can swing around the swinging shaft 77, but the movement of the swinging shaft 77 in the axial direction (width direction 31) is the protruding portion 14. Are regulated by the side walls 14b, 14b. However, since there is play between the swing shaft 77 and the shaft hole 78, the axial direction of the shaft hole 78 may swing with respect to the axial direction of the swing shaft 77, or the float portion 73 away from the instruction portion 72 may swing. It is possible to move in the axial direction (width direction 31) of the moving shaft 77.

Subsequently, the shaft center of the shaft hole 64 of the cap 60 is disposed on an extension line of the shaft center of the swing shaft 77, and the cap 60 is straightly directed rightward toward the swing shaft 77 parallel to the axial direction of the swing shaft 77. (Step S3). As a result, the cap 60 is attached to the tip of the swing shaft 77 (see FIG. 7B). The cap 60 prevents the oscillating body 70 from falling off the oscillating shaft 77, and the axial oscillation of the shaft hole 78 of the oscillating body 70 with respect to the axial direction of the oscillating shaft 77 is suppressed. The movement of the swing shaft 77 in the axial direction is restricted. Further, the swinging range of the swinging body 70 is restricted between the first posture and the second posture by the stopper 62 of the cap 60. As described above, the dimension in the width direction 31 of the projecting portion 14 is smaller than the dimension in the width direction 31 of the main body frame 50, and accordingly, the dimension in the width direction 31 of the pointing portion 72 of the rocking body 70 is also sufficient. It is formed small. In addition, since the swing shaft 77 is loosely fitted in the shaft hole 78, it is difficult to return to the instruction chamber 15 once the instruction portion 72 of the swing body 70 comes out of the instruction chamber 15. Therefore, by restricting the movement of the rocking body 70 with the cap 60, even if the ink cartridge 10 changes its posture, the rocking body 70 moves in the axial direction of the rocking shaft 77, and the instruction unit 72 moves from the instruction chamber 15. Without being escaped, the liquid container is stably held at a predetermined position. Furthermore, since the dimension in the width direction 31 of the protrusion 14 is smaller than the dimension in the width direction 31 of the main body frame 50, the movement of the swing body 70 is also restricted by the side walls 14 b and 14 b of the protrusion 14. 70 is more stably held at a predetermined position of the liquid container.

  Subsequently, the pair of films 40 are respectively attached to the opening 57b on the right side surface 46 and the opening 57a on the left side surface 45 of the main body frame 50 (step S4). Thus, a pair of walls are formed to cover the opening 57b of the right side surface 46 and the opening 57a of the left side surface 45, and the ink storage chamber 11 is partitioned in the main body frame 50 so that ink can be stored in the ink storage chamber 11. It becomes a state. The pair of attached films 40 is not only the opening edges of the openings 57a and 57b, but also the side edges of the film support portions 61, 61, 61 of the cap 60 and the edges of the cylindrical portion where the shaft holes 64 are formed. The film 40 is supported by the film support portions 61 and 61 so as not to bend to the inside of the ink storage chamber 11. Furthermore, the atmosphere communication valve 80 and the ink supply valve 90 are attached to the main body frame 50 (step S5), and the main body 20 is assembled. The operation of attaching the atmosphere communication valve 80 and the ink supply valve 90 to the main body frame 50 may be performed during any step of the assembly operation of the main body 20. After the assembly work of the main body 20, the atmosphere communication valve 80 and the ink supply valve 90 are opened, and ink is injected into the ink storage chamber 11 through the atmosphere communication valve 80 or the ink supply valve 90. Thereafter, the inside of the ink containing chamber 11 may be decompressed by opening one of the air communication valve 80 or the ink supply valve 90 and sucking the air inside the ink containing chamber 11.

  In the process of assembling the main body 20 described above, the work of attaching the rocking body 70 to the main body frame 50 includes the step S1 of moving the rocking body 70 linearly substantially parallel to the axial direction of the rocking shaft 77 and the rocking body 70. This is a simple and simple operation with step S2 for rotating the swinging shaft 77 in one direction. These steps do not include the movement of the rocking body 70 in a direction twisted obliquely with respect to the axial direction of the rocking shaft 77, so that no load is applied to the rocking body 70 and the rocking shaft 77. In step S3, the swinging body 70 is restricted from moving in the axial direction of the swinging shaft 77 and the swinging range, and even if the posture of the ink cartridge 10 is changed, the swinging body 70 moves in the axial direction or the indicator 72 is moved. The swinging body 70 attached to the main body frame 50 is stably held at a predetermined position in the ink containing chamber 11 without escaping from the instruction chamber 15. Furthermore, as described above, the mounting work of the rocking body 70 to the main body frame 50 is configured with simple and simple operations, so that it can be mechanized using a general-purpose industrial robot that can only move and rotate linearly. Thus, mechanization of the assembly process of the main body 20 can be easily realized.

  The present invention can be suitably used not only for ink cartridges containing ink, but also for all liquid containers containing liquid.

10 Ink cartridge 11 Ink storage chamber (storage chamber)
14 Detection window (protruding part)
15 Instruction room 16 Communication opening (second opening)
20 body 21 first cover 22 second cover 40 film 50 body frame 51 outer peripheral wall 52 inner wall 57a opening (first opening)
60 Cap 61 Film support 62 Stopper 70 Oscillator 72 Indicating part 73 Float part 77 Oscillating shaft

Claims (5)

A main body frame having a frame shape having a first opening opened in a first direction, and a storage chamber in which liquid is stored in the frame;
A hollow indicator chamber is formed which protrudes from the main body frame in a direction perpendicular to the first direction and away from the storage chamber, and has a second opening opened toward the storage chamber. A projected portion,
A swing shaft provided in the housing chamber of the main body frame and extending substantially parallel to the first direction;
A shaft hole externally fitted to the swing shaft; a float portion capable of swinging in the housing chamber on one side through the shaft hole; and the instruction chamber on the other side through the second opening The main body frame has a pointing portion that can be swung so as to enter and leave, and that indicates the amount of liquid in the storage chamber, and the pointing portion is retracted from the pointing chamber to the storage chamber. An oscillating body having an outer shape that can be taken out from the storage chamber in the first direction through one opening;
The oscillating shaft is attached to an end of the oscillating shaft in the first direction to prevent the oscillating body from falling off from the oscillating shaft, and the oscillating range of the oscillating body is set to at least the indication portion. A cap that restricts a portion of the indicator chamber to overlap with the first direction;
A wall covering the first opening,
Liquid container.   2. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein a dimension of the protruding portion is smaller than a dimension of the main body frame in a direction parallel to the first direction. The wall covering the first opening is a film,
The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the cap has a film support portion that supports the film in the first direction. A main body frame having a frame shape having a first opening opened in a first direction, and a storage chamber in which liquid is stored in the frame;
A hollow indicator chamber that protrudes from the wall surface of the main body frame in a direction orthogonal to the first direction and away from the storage chamber, and has a second opening opened toward the storage chamber in the interior thereof A protrusion formed with; and
A swing shaft provided in the housing chamber of the main body frame and extending substantially parallel to the first direction;
The shaft has a shaft hole that is externally fitted to the swing shaft, has a float portion that swings in the housing chamber on one side through the shaft hole, and enters the instruction chamber on the other side through the second opening. An accommodating portion that swings so as to enter and exit, and the accommodating chamber moves in the first direction through the first opening of the main body frame when the indicating portion is retracted from the indicating chamber to the ink chamber. An oscillating body having an outer shape that can be taken out from
A cap for preventing the rocking body from falling off the rocking shaft;
A wall covering the first opening;
A method for producing a liquid container comprising:
Moving the rocking body in a direction opposite to the first direction with respect to the main body frame, inserting the rocking body into the housing chamber through the first opening, and passing the rocking shaft through the shaft hole;
Rotating the oscillating body so that the instruction unit enters the instruction chamber from a state of exiting the instruction chamber;
The cap is placed on the end of the swing shaft in the first direction so that the swing range of the swing body is restricted to a range where at least a part of the pointing portion overlaps the pointing chamber in the first direction. Installation step;
Covering the first opening with the wall;
A method for producing a liquid container comprising: The wall is a film,
5. The liquid container according to claim 4, wherein covering the first opening with the wall includes bringing the film into contact with the cap such that the cap supports the film in the first orientation. Production method.

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