JP4882554B2 - Liquid container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid storage container in which an air chamber is interposed between a liquid storage portion and an atmosphere opening hole.

  As an ink cartridge (liquid container) that is used detachably attached to the carriage of an ink jet printer, the ink chamber communicates with the outside in order to maintain the internal pressure of the ink chamber (liquid container) in an appropriate state. A device having an air release channel for releasing the air is known. And in this kind of air opening flow path, a device for preventing ink leakage from the air opening hole is required.

  Therefore, in the configuration of the air opening flow path in the conventional ink cartridge, an ink chamber for storing ink (liquid), a communicating path portion (snake path) formed in a meandering state, and an air chamber (for storing infiltrated ink) (Also called an ink trap) and an air opening hole for sequentially connecting the ink chamber to the outside and introducing external air into the ink chamber as the ink in the ink chamber is consumed (for example, patents) Reference 1).

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the air chamber 1 of the air release channel in the conventional ink cartridge communicates with an end 2a on the air release hole side of the air release groove 2 communicating with an ink chamber (not shown). The air chamber 1 is formed by a cylindrical recess 5 having a predetermined depth obtained by digging a case lid (container main body) 3 in a direction orthogonal to the surface 3 a, and an upper end opening is exposed on the surface 3 a of the case lid 3. Yes. A small-diameter communication port 7 is coaxially formed at the center of the circular lower end surface of the recess 5, and the lower end of the communication port 7 communicates with the ink trap 9 on the atmosphere opening hole side.
A sealing label (sealing member) 11 is affixed to a portion of the surface 3 a of the case lid 3 where the recess 5 is formed. Thereby, the upper end opening of the recess 5 is sealed, and the air chamber 1 is partitioned and formed.

In the air chamber 1, when the air in the ink chamber is thermally expanded due to a change in the environmental temperature or the like, the ink leaks to the outside when the ink in the ink chamber flows backward toward an air opening hole (not shown) due to the thermal expansion of the air. It is provided to prevent this.
Therefore, the ink collected in the air chamber 1 through the corners of the air release groove 2 by capillary attraction enters the communication port 7 to form a meniscus, thereby preventing the ink trap 9 from entering.

JP-A-2005-22340

However, the meniscus formed in the communication port 7 as described above is easily broken by an ink cartridge dropping, an impact due to attachment / detachment, a change in posture during movement, an inertial force due to carriage operation, an air expansion of the ink chamber, and the like.
On the other hand, in order to increase the meniscus force, the hole diameter of the communication port 7 needs to be several tens of μm or less, which is not realistic.

  Therefore, the object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is strong against impacts, inertial forces and internal / external pressure changes on the container body, and the time for the liquid accumulated in the air chamber to flow out from the communication port on the air inflow side is reduced. The object is to provide a good liquid container which can be delayed.

The above object of the present invention is to provide a liquid storage unit provided in a container body for storing a liquid, a liquid supply unit communicating with the liquid storage unit, and an air opening to the outside as the liquid in the liquid storage unit is consumed. A liquid comprising: an air release channel that introduces air from an open hole into the liquid storage unit; and an air chamber that is provided in the middle of the air release channel and can store liquid that has entered the air release channel. A storage container,
The communication port on the air inflow side of the air chamber is achieved by a liquid storage container characterized in that the communication port is opened at the front end surface of a protrusion protruding from the inner wall surface of the air chamber.

According to the liquid container of the above configuration, even if the liquid in the liquid container passes through the communication port on the air outflow side of the air chamber and accumulates in the air chamber, the time until the liquid reaches the communication port on the air inflow side Becomes slower by the height of the protrusion.
That is, in a state where the atmosphere inflow side communication port is in the vertical direction, the liquid flowing into the air chamber accumulates up to the height of the protrusion, and then flows out from the air inflow side communication opening that opens at the protrusion tip surface. . Thereby, the time until the liquid flows out from the communication port on the atmosphere inflow side is delayed.

  Also, unlike the meniscus formed in the conventional communication port that easily breaks due to impacts due to dropping, attachment and detachment of the container body, change in posture during movement, inertia force due to carriage operation, air expansion of the liquid container, etc. Leakage of liquid from the communication port on the atmosphere inflow side in the chamber can be stably prevented.

In the liquid container having the above-described configuration, a gas-liquid separation membrane that allows gas to pass but does not allow liquid to pass is provided in the middle of the atmosphere opening flow path on the atmosphere opening hole side from the air chamber. Is desirable.
According to the liquid container having such a configuration, leakage of the liquid to the outside can be reliably prevented by the gas-liquid separation membrane. In addition, since liquid leakage from the air chamber is stably prevented, the gas-liquid separation membrane can gain time until it comes into contact with the liquid and the ventilation performance deteriorates. Can be maintained.

Moreover, in the liquid container having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that a communicating path portion formed in a meandering state is provided in the middle of the atmosphere opening flow path on the atmosphere opening hole side from the gas-liquid separation membrane.
According to the liquid container having such a configuration, an effect of delaying leakage of the liquid to the outside by the communicating path portion formed in a meandering state can be expected, and air circulation between the gas-liquid separation membrane and the air opening hole can be achieved. By estrangement, evaporation of the liquid can be reduced.
In addition, the leakage of the liquid from the air chamber is delayed, and the liquid-liquid separation membrane reliably prevents the liquid from leaking to the outside, so that the liquid enters the communication path and the dynamic pressure on the liquid supply section changes significantly. I will not let you.

In the liquid container having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that a plurality of the air chambers are provided and the adjacent air chambers communicate with each other.
According to the liquid container having such a configuration, it is easy to secure the volume of the entire air chamber for storing the liquid even in a limited space in the container main body.
In addition, since the communication ports on the air inflow side of each air chamber are opened at the front end surface of the protrusion protruding from the inner wall surface of each air chamber, the time until the liquid flows out from the communication port on the most air inflow side can be reduced. Further delays can be made. Furthermore, by opening each communication port in a different direction as appropriate, it is possible to cope with various container leaving postures and reliably prevent liquid leakage from the air chamber.

In the liquid container having the above-described configuration, it is desirable that the communication port on the air outflow side of the air chamber is opened on the same plane as the inner wall surface of the air chamber.
According to the liquid container having such a configuration, the communication port on the atmosphere inflow side in the air chamber has a trap structure that makes it difficult for the liquid to flow out, whereas the communication port on the atmosphere outflow side is easy for liquid to enter. It becomes a structure. Therefore, the liquid accumulated in the air chamber easily passes through the communication port on the air outflow side, which is easy to enter, and is easily collected again into the liquid storage unit.

Moreover, in the liquid container having the above-described configuration, it is desirable that the edge portion where the tip end surface of the protrusion intersects with the side surface of the protrusion has a corner in cross section.
According to the liquid container having such a configuration, in a container leaving state in which the protrusions are oriented in the vertical direction, the liquid that has risen upward on the side surfaces of the protrusions due to surface tension is applied to the tip end surfaces of the protrusions by the corners of the edge portions. Is prevented. Therefore, even if liquid accumulates in the air chamber, the liquid does not enter the communication port on the air inflow side at the protrusion height of the protrusion. In addition, that a cross section is a corner means that there is no R or chamfering at the edge portion where the tip surface and the side surface of the protrusion intersect.

In the liquid container having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that the protrusion height of the protrusion is a height that leaves a gap in which the meniscus due to the liquid does not occur between the opposing inner wall surfaces.
According to the liquid container having such a configuration, even if the liquid accumulated in the air chamber comes into contact with the front end surface of the protrusion due to the impact of the drop or attachment / detachment of the container main body, the posture change during movement, the inertial force due to the carriage operation, or the like. The liquid does not form a meniscus in the gap with the opposing inner wall surface due to the capillary attraction, and the liquid does not easily enter the communication port that opens at the distal end surface.

According to the liquid container according to the present invention, even if the liquid in the liquid storage portion passes through the communication port on the air outflow side of the air chamber and accumulates in the air chamber, the liquid can reach the communication port on the air inflow side. The time can be delayed by the height of the protrusion.
In addition, the liquid container according to the present invention has a conventional communication port that can be easily broken due to a drop of the container body, an impact due to attachment / detachment, a change in posture during movement, an inertial force due to carriage operation, air expansion of the liquid container, and the like. Unlike the formed meniscus, it is possible to stably prevent liquid leakage from the communication port on the air inflow side in the air chamber.
Therefore, it is possible to provide a good liquid container that is strong against impacts on the container body, inertial force, and changes in internal and external pressure, and that can delay the time that the liquid accumulated in the air chamber flows out of the communication port on the air inflow side.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a liquid container according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 is an external perspective view of a liquid storage container according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid storage container shown in FIG. 1 viewed from the front side, and FIG. 3 is a back side view of the liquid storage container shown in FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the inside of the container body as viewed from the front side, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a view of the inside of the container body from the back side. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the atmospheric open flow path, FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the communication port on the air inflow side, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a modification of the communication port on the air inflow side.

The ink cartridge 100 according to the present embodiment is a liquid container that is mounted on a cartridge mounting unit on a carriage on which a print head that is a liquid ejecting unit is mounted in an ink jet printer (not shown).
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the ink cartridge 100 is connected to an ink chamber (liquid storage portion) 23 that is provided in the container body 21 and stores ink (liquid), and a print head on the cartridge mounting portion side. An ink supply unit (liquid supply unit) 25, an ink guide path 27 for guiding the ink stored in the ink chamber 23 to the ink supply unit 25, and the open air to the outside as the ink in the ink chamber 23 is consumed. An air release channel 102 that introduces the atmosphere into the ink chamber 23 from the hole 29 and a plurality of air chambers 31 a and 31 b that are provided in the middle of the air release channel 102 and can store ink that has entered the atmosphere release channel 102. , 31c, and an open air type ink cartridge.

  Further, the air release channel 102 of the present embodiment includes a gas / liquid separation unit 33 provided with a ventilation film (gas / liquid separation membrane) 33a provided between the air chamber 31c and the atmosphere release hole 29, and a gas / liquid separation. And a snake path 35 which is a communicating path portion formed in a meandering state between the portion 33 and the atmosphere opening hole 29. Therefore, the air opening flow path 102 causes the ink that has passed through the air opening hole 29, the snake path 35, the gas-liquid separation unit 33, and the air chambers 31a, 31b, and 31c in order as ink is consumed in the ink chamber 23 to the ink. Introduce into chamber 23.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, films (sealing members) 39a and 39b are attached to the front and back of the integrally formed container body 21 in close contact with the partition walls 37a, 37b, 37c, 37d, etc. The films 39a and 39b block the front and back open portions of the container body 21 to partition the ink chamber 23, the air chambers 31a, 31b and 31c, the ink guide path 27, and the like. Further, a lid member 41 is further attached to the surface of the container body 21 sealed with the film 39a.

The ink supply part 25 formed in a cylindrical shape has a valve body 43 provided therein and is closed by a supply lid 45 having a supply opening 45a.
The valve body 43 is biased toward the supply lid 45 by the coil spring 47, thereby closing the supply opening 45a. The supply lid 45 has a supply opening 45 a sealed with a sealing film 49.

  The ink cartridge 100 according to the present embodiment includes pressure adjusting means including a pressure receiving plate receiving portion 61, a coil spring 63, and a pressure receiving plate 65, and a lever 51 for attaching / detaching the ink cartridge 100 to / from the cartridge mounting portion on the carriage. And a storage means 53 for writing ink consumption and the like, and a peelable sealing film 55 for closing the air opening hole 29.

When the atmosphere open flow path 102 formed in the container main body 21 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is schematically shown, it becomes as shown in FIGS.
That is, the communication port 71 of the ink chamber 23 communicates with the communication port 75 of the communication channel 73 provided on the surface side via the communication channel 72 provided on the back side of the container body 21, and the communication channel 73 is connected to the communication port 73. 77 to the air chamber 31a.

The air chamber 31 a communicates with the back side air chamber 31 b through the communication port 79, and the air chamber 31 b communicates with the surface side communication channel 83 through the communication port 81.
The communication channel 83 communicates with the back side air chamber 31 c through the communication port 85, and the air chamber 31 c communicates with the surface side communication channel 89 through the communication port 87.
The communication channel 89 communicates with the back-side communication channel 90 through the communication port 91, and the communication channel 90 communicates with the back-side gas-liquid separator 33 through the surface-side communication channel 91.
And the gas-liquid separation part 33 provided with the ventilation | gas_flowing film 33a leads to the snake way 35, and becomes the air release hole 29 in the terminal, and is air-released.

  Such an atmosphere open channel 102 is more conceptually represented as shown in FIG. Here, for example, the communication port 79 (same as the communication ports 81 and 87) on the air inflow side of the air chamber 31a (same as the air chambers 31b and 31c) is formed from an inner wall surface 93 of the air chamber 31a as shown in FIG. An opening is formed in the tip end surface 95a of the protruding cylindrical protrusion 95. The protrusion 95 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may be formed in a polygonal column shape, a conical shape, or a polygonal pyramid shape as long as the tip surface is appropriately separated from the inner wall surface.

According to the ink cartridge 100 having such a configuration, even if the ink in the ink chamber 23 passes through the communication port 77 on the air outflow side of the air chamber 31a and accumulates in the air chamber 31a, the ink enters the communication port 79 on the air inflow side. The time to reach is delayed by the height of the protrusion 95.
That is, in the container leaving state where the communication port 79 on the air inflow side is oriented in the vertical direction, the ink that has flowed into the air chamber 31 a is accumulated up to the height h of the protrusion 95, and then is opened to the tip surface 95 a of the protrusion 95. It flows out from the communication port 79 on the inflow side. Thereby, the time until the ink flows out from the communication port 79 on the air inflow side to the next air chamber 31b is delayed.

  In addition, the conventional ink cartridge communication port 7 is easily broken due to an impact caused by dropping of the container body or attachment / detachment to the cartridge mounting portion, a change in posture during movement, an inertial force due to carriage operation, or an air expansion in the ink chamber. Unlike the formed meniscus (see FIG. 10), the ink cartridge 100 of the present embodiment can stably prevent liquid leakage from the communication port 79 on the air inflow side in the air chamber 31a.

Furthermore, in the atmosphere open flow path 102 according to the ink cartridge 100 of the present embodiment, a plurality of air chambers 31a, 31b, 31c are provided, and the adjacent air chambers communicate with each other through the communication ports 79, 80 and the communication flow path 83. It is communicated by.
Therefore, even in a limited space in the container main body 21, it is easy to secure the volume of the entire air chamber for storing ink.

Further, the communication ports 79, 81, 87 on the air inflow side of the air chambers 31a, 31b, 31c are opened at the front end surfaces of the protrusions protruding from the inner wall surfaces of the air chambers (see, for example, the protrusion 95 in FIG. 8). Has been.
Therefore, it is possible to further delay the time until the ink flows out from the communication port 87 on the most air inflow side.

Furthermore, by opening the respective communication ports 79, 81, 87 in different directions as appropriate, it is possible to cope with various container leaving postures and reliably prevent ink leakage from the air chambers 31a, 31b, 31c. be able to.
For example, in the case of a thin cartridge in which the container main body 21 is formed in a flat and substantially rectangular parallelepiped like the ink cartridge 100 of the present embodiment, the direction most likely to be placed by the user is the wide surface of the container main body 21. Since the posture is one of the front and back surfaces (that is, the posture in which the thickness direction is the vertical direction), the protrusion 95 inside the container body 21 faces the vertical direction. Therefore, by causing the protrusions 95 to protrude in the thickness direction of the container body 21, the ink trap rate can be increased.

  Furthermore, by projecting the protrusions 95 of the air chambers 31a, 31b, and 31c in alternate directions, either one of the widest front and back surfaces of the ink cartridge 100 is placed downward. The protrusions 95 in the air chambers 31a, 31b, and 31c protrude from the accumulated ink surface, and the communication ports 79, 85, and 87 of any one of the front end surfaces 95a are disposed on the ink surface. As a result, the ink trap rate can be uniformly increased (see FIG. 5).

Further, in the atmosphere open channel 102 of the present embodiment, the air outlet 31 side communication port 77 (same as the communication ports 80 and 85) of the air chamber 31a (same as the air chambers 31b and 31c) is connected to the air chamber 31a (31b). , 31c) is opened on the same plane as the inner wall surface 97 (see FIG. 8).
Therefore, the air inflow side communication port 79 (81, 87) in the air chamber 31a (31b, 31c) has a trap structure that makes it difficult for ink to flow out, whereas the air outflow side communication port 77 (80, 85). ) Has a structure in which ink can easily enter, and the ink accumulated in the air chamber 31a (31b, 31c) passes through the communication port 77 (80, 85) on the air outflow side where it can easily enter, and then returns to the ink chamber 23 again. It becomes easy to collect.

In the ink cartridge 100 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, air is allowed to pass through the atmosphere opening flow path 102 on the atmosphere opening hole 29 side from the air chamber 31 c and ink is allowed to pass. A gas-liquid separation part 33 provided with a non-venting air-permeable film 33a is provided, and a snake path 35 which is a communicating passage part formed in a meandering manner in the middle of the air release channel 102 on the air release hole 29 side from the gas-liquid separation part 33. Is provided.
Therefore, even if ink leaks from the air chamber 31c, the ventilation film 33a can reliably prevent leakage of the ink to the outside of the cartridge. In addition, the snake path 35 can be expected to delay the leakage of ink to the outside of the ink cartridge, and the air flow between the ventilation film 33a and the atmosphere opening hole 29 is reduced, thereby reducing ink evaporation. can do.
In addition, the leakage of the liquid from the air chamber is delayed, and the liquid-liquid separation membrane reliably prevents the liquid from leaking to the outside, so that the liquid enters the communication path and the dynamic pressure on the liquid supply section changes significantly. I will not let you.

Furthermore, since leakage of ink from each air chamber 31a (31b, 31c) is stably prevented as described above, the ventilation film 33a gains time until the ventilation performance is deteriorated by contacting the ink. And stable ventilation performance can be maintained over a long period of time.
In addition, ink leakage from each air chamber 31a (31b, 31c) is stably prevented, and leakage of ink to the outside of the cartridge is reliably prevented by the ventilation film 33a. Does not significantly change the dynamic pressure applied to the ink supply unit 25.

  Further, when the container body 21 is integrally formed by the upper and lower molds as in the ink cartridge 100 of the present embodiment, the axis of the protruding direction of the protrusion 95 is parallel to the mold opening direction of the upper and lower molds. As a result, the protrusion 95 having the same orthogonal cross-sectional shape at any position in the axial direction has the same axis opening direction as that of the upper mold and the lower mold. Therefore, when the container body 21 is integrally formed, a slide mold for forming the protrusions 95 is not required, and the moldability is improved, so that the container body 21 can be easily manufactured.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, in the ink cartridge 100 of the present embodiment, the edge portion 95c where the tip end surface 95a and the side surface 95b of the protrusion 95 intersect has a corner in cross section. That is, R or chamfering is not performed on the edge portion 95c where the tip surface 95a and the side surface 95b of the protrusion 95 intersect.
Therefore, in the container leaving state where the protrusion 95 is directed in the vertical direction, the ink that scoops up the side surface 95b of the protrusion 95 by surface tension prevents the protrusion 95 from wrapping around the tip surface 95a by the corner of the edge portion 95c. Is done. Therefore, even if ink accumulates in the air chamber 31a, the ink does not enter the communication port 79 on the air inflow side until the protrusion height h of the protrusion 95.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, the protrusion height h of the protrusion 95 can be set to a height that leaves a gap t at which no meniscus due to ink is formed between the opposing inner wall surface (film 39a or inner wall surface 97).
In this case, even if the ink accumulated in the air chamber 31a comes into contact with the front end surface 95a of the protrusion 95 due to an impact caused by the drop of the container body 21 or attachment / detachment to the cartridge mounting portion, a posture change during movement, an inertial force due to carriage operation, or the like. Ink does not form a meniscus between the ink 39 and the film 39a which is the opposite inner wall surface by capillary attraction, and it is difficult for the ink to enter the communication port 79 opened in the front end surface 95a.

Therefore, according to the ink cartridge 100, the ink stored in the air chambers 31a, 31b, and 31c is strong against the impact, inertial force, and internal / external pressure change on the container body 21, and the communication ports 79 and 81 on the air inflow side are stored. , 87 can provide a good ink cartridge capable of delaying the time to flow out.
As a result, according to the ink jet printer using the ink cartridge 100 of this embodiment, the dynamic pressure change with respect to the ink supply unit 25 is suppressed, and high quality printing can be maintained.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a liquid container according to the present invention. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the liquid container shown in FIG. 1 from the surface side. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the liquid container shown in FIG. 1 from the back side. It is the schematic diagram which looked at the inside of a container main body from the surface side. It is an AA cross-sectional arrow view of FIG. It is the schematic diagram which looked at the inside of a container main body from the back side. It is a conceptual diagram of an air release channel. It is an expanded sectional view of the communication port on the air inflow side. It is an expanded sectional view showing the modification of the communicating port by the side of the air inflow. It is an expanded sectional view of the communicating port by the side of the atmosphere inflow in the conventional liquid storage container.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Container main body, 23 ... Ink chamber (liquid storage part), 25 ... Ink supply part (liquid supply part), 29 ... Air release hole, 31a, 31b, 31c ... Air chamber, 33a ... Ventilation film (gas-liquid separation membrane) ), 35... Snake way (communication passage portion formed in a meandering state), 77, 80, 85... Communication port on the air outflow side of the air chamber, 79, 81, 87. 97 ... Inner wall surface of air chamber, 95 ... protrusion, 95a ... tip surface, 95b ... side surface, 95c ... edge portion, 100 ... ink cartridge (liquid container)

Claims (7)

The liquid is supplied from a liquid storage section provided in the container body for storing liquid, a liquid supply section communicating with the liquid storage section, and an air opening hole opened to the outside as the liquid in the liquid storage section is consumed. A liquid storage container comprising: an air release channel to be introduced into the storage unit; and an air chamber that is provided in the middle of the air release channel and capable of storing liquid that has entered the air release channel,
When one of the front and back surfaces, which is the widest surface of the container body, is placed vertically downward, the communication port on the atmosphere inflow side of the air chamber is connected from the one surface to the other surface. A liquid container having an opening at a front end surface of a protrusion protruding in a vertical direction toward the surface.

  The gas-liquid separation membrane which allows passage of gas and does not allow passage of liquid is provided in the middle of the atmosphere opening flow path on the atmosphere opening hole side from the air chamber. Liquid container.   The liquid container according to claim 2, wherein a communicating path portion formed in a meandering state is provided in the middle of the atmosphere opening flow path on the atmosphere opening hole side from the gas-liquid separation membrane.   The liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of the air chambers are provided and adjacent air chambers are communicated with each other.   5. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein a communication port on the air outflow side of the air chamber is opened on the same plane as the inner wall surface of the air chamber.   The liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the edge portion where the tip end surface of the protrusion intersects with the side surface of the protrusion has a corner in cross section.   7. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein a protrusion height of the protrusion is a height that leaves a gap in which a meniscus due to the liquid does not occur between the opposed inner wall surfaces. .

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