JP3368388B2 - Liquid supply container with pump - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid supply container with a pump for supplying new liquid so that the liquid amount in a liquid tank is constant. 2. Description of the Related Art As means for keeping the liquid consumed in a liquid tank constant by supplying new liquid, there are the following means: (1) a method in which the content is discharged by its own weight when set in an electronic copying machine; (2) A device in which pressure is previously applied to a container to discharge the container is known. However, the conventional liquid supply apparatus has various problems. For example, in the device (1), it is difficult to control the supply of a new liquid so that the liquid in the container becomes a fixed amount. Further, the device (2) requires a device for performing constant pressurization. Accordingly, the applicant of the present application has previously proposed a liquid developer supply container with a pump capable of reliably supplying a fixed amount of liquid developer to the developing tank for each operation without using a pressurizing means. (Japanese Patent Application No. 3-26080). However, when the internal pressure in the supply container becomes high, there is a problem that the liquid developer sometimes leaks from the discharge port or the air replacement port. That is, in the liquid developer supply container with a pump shown in FIG. 5, when the internal pressure increases due to a rise in the temperature in the container filled with the liquid developer, the liquid developer flows from the suction port A27 and the suction port B27 '. When the liquid developer supply container is set and used in an electrophotographic copying machine, the liquid developer sometimes flows into the air replacement pipe when the internal pressure of the supply container is high. In some cases, the air leaked from the air replacement port 41 through the passage 20. [0005] The object of the present invention is not limited to liquid developers, but can be applied to general liquids. An appropriate amount of liquid can be used for each operation without using a pressurizing means. And a liquid supply container with a pump that does not leak as described above. [0006] The present invention provides a container body,
A liquid supply container with a pump comprising a cylinder provided in the container body, a spring provided in the cylinder, and a piston provided with a piston cover and a piston shaft pressed down in the cylinder by the spring. In the lower part of the cylinder, there is provided a cylinder valve for sucking the liquid from the suction port A into the lower space of the cylinder when the piston is pushed up, and the piston is provided in the upper space of the cylinder when it is pushed down. A piston valve A for sucking a liquid from a suction port B, a piston valve B for discharging the liquid in the lower space of the cylinder through the piston shaft, and a piston shaft for discharging the liquid in the upper space of the cylinder when the piston is pushed up. A piston valve C for discharging through the inside is provided. -A valve presser for pressing the valve from the inside is provided, and further, a pedestal provided with a seal packing is provided at a connection portion between the tip of the suction port B and the cylinder or the container body when the piston is pressed down most. It is characterized by that. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a pump unit according to a liquid supply container with a pump of the present invention, in which reference numeral 20 denotes an air replacement pipe communicating with an upper part (bottom part) in a liquid supply container that has been turned over, 21 denotes a cylinder cover, 22 denotes a cylinder,
Is a piston valve A provided on a piston cover, 24 is a piston cover, 25 is a piston, 26 is a lower space portion of a cylinder, 27 and 27 'are suction ports A and B for sucking liquid from a liquid supply container, and 28 is a liquid tank. Outlets for discharging the liquid, 29 and 30 are sealing materials, 32 is a cylinder valve,
33 is a piston valve B that discharges liquid from the lower cylinder space 26 to the discharge port 28 when the piston moves downward. 36 is a upper cylinder space of the cylinder, and 34 is a liquid from the upper cylinder space 36 when the piston moves upward. Piston valves C and 35 for sucking and discharging the liquid to the liquid discharge port 28
Is a spring for biasing the piston downward, 40 is a piston shaft having a passage for discharging liquid therein, 4
1 is an air replacement port, 42 is a valve presser for pressing the cylinder valve 632 from the inside, 43 is a pedestal connected and fixed to the cylinder 22 (or the container body) and provided with a seal packing 44, 45 is a backflow prevention seal It is. FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are overall views showing the arrangement of the liquid supply container main body, the pump and the liquid tank according to the present invention, and how an appropriate amount of liquid is supplied to the liquid tank. FIG. As can be seen from FIG. 2, a pump section is fixedly arranged in the container body 1, and the liquid outlet of the pump section is opened to the liquid tank 50. Further, the inside of the container body 1 is filled with a liquid. Now, as shown in FIG. 2, when the liquid in the tank 50 is consumed and the liquid level drops below a predetermined lower limit level, the liquid level from a liquid level detecting means (not shown) is output. For example, the solenoid 51 is operated for a certain time by the signal, and the piston shaft 40 is pushed up in the operation direction B in conjunction with the operation. as a result,
The cylinder valve 32 is opened, and a certain amount of liquid is sucked from the suction port A (suction port 27) into the cylinder lower space 26.
At the same time, the piston valve C34 opens, sucks the liquid from the cylinder upper space portion 36, passes through the passage inside the piston shuff, and has its discharge port 28 connected to the liquid tank 50 from the discharge port 2.
Discharge the liquid to 8. When the inside of the tank 50 is filled with an appropriate amount of liquid, the pushing up of the piston shaft 40 ends. When the liquid in the tank 50 starts to decrease again and falls below the lower limit level, the piston 25 is pushed down by the spring 35 in the operating direction A. At this time, the piston valve A opens, and a certain amount of liquid is sucked into the suction port B (suction port 2).
7 ') is sucked into the upper space 36 of the cylinder. At the same time, the piston valve B33 opens, sucks the liquid from the lower space 26 of the cylinder, and discharges the liquid from the passage in the piston shaft to the discharge port 28 (FIGS. 3 and 4). FIG. 4 is an example in which the lower limit level of the liquid in the tank 50 is set lower than in FIG. As the liquid is discharged from the supply container to the tank 50, the air in the tank is guided to the bottom of the supply container (the upper part because it is overturned) by the air replacement port 41 and the air replacement pipe 20. As described above, since the operating directions A and B of the pistons both have the function of simultaneously sucking and discharging the liquid, a double operation of the liquid in the tank 50 can be performed by one operation of the solenoid. Can be supplied. Next, the prevention of leakage of liquid from the liquid supply container will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, when the pump is stopped, that is, while the liquid in the tank 50 is within the allowable range,
Since the cylinder valve 32 is pressed by the valve retainer 42 from the inside, the liquid does not enter the pump from the suction port A27 even if the internal pressure of the container increases. On the other hand, suction port B
The tip of 27 'is a seal packing 44 provided on the receiving base 43.
Liquid cannot enter the pump from here. If necessary, a backflow prevention seal 45 may be provided in close contact with the inner surface of the cylinder cover 21 (FIG. 1) so that liquid does not enter the air replacement pipe 20. According to the present invention, it is possible to always supply an appropriate amount of liquid to the tank for each operation with a simple device without providing a pressurizing means. However, even if the internal pressure in the container increases, the liquid does not leak.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of a pump section showing one embodiment of a liquid supply container of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a state in which an appropriate amount of liquid is supplied from a liquid supply container body of the present invention to a tank. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an appropriate amount of liquid is supplied from a liquid supply container body of the present invention to a tank. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an appropriate amount of liquid is supplied from a liquid supply container body of the present invention to a tank. FIG. 5 is an explanatory sectional view of a comparative pump unit. [Description of Signs] 1 Container main body 20 Air replacement pipe 21 Cylinder cover 22 Cylinder 23 Piston valve A 24 Piston cover 25 Piston 26 Cylinder lower space 27 Suction port A 27 'Suction port B 28 Discharge for discharging liquid developer to tank Outlet 32 Cylinder valve 33 Piston valve B 34 Piston valve C 35 Spring 36 Cylinder upper space 40 Piston shaft 41 Air replacement port 42 Valve holder 43 Receiving stand 44 Seal packing 45 Backflow prevention seal 50 Liquid tank 51 Solenoid

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65D 83/76 G03G 15/11

Claims (1)

(57) Claims 1. A container body (1), a cylinder (22) provided in the container body (1), and a cylinder (22)
The spring (35) provided in the
5) The piston cover (24) and the piston shaft (4) pushed down inside the cylinder (22).
0), the piston (25) is provided with a piston (2) below the cylinder (22).
5) A cylinder valve (32) is provided for sucking the liquid from the suction port A (27) into the lower space (26) of the cylinder when the cylinder is pushed up. The piston valve A which sucks the liquid from the suction port B into the upper space (36) and the piston valve B and the piston (25) which discharge the liquid in the lower space (26) through the piston shaft (40) are pushed. A piston valve C for discharging the liquid in the cylinder head space (36) through the piston shaft (40) when raised
The piston (25) is provided with a valve presser (42) for pressing the cylinder valve (32) from the inside. Further, when the piston (25) is pressed down most, the tip of the suction port B and the container body (1) are pressed. A liquid supply container with a pump, characterized in that a seal packing (44) is provided at a connection portion with a receiving stand (43) connected and fixed to a cylinder (22).