JP6020126B2 - ink cartridge - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink cartridge having an air communication portion that brings an ink chamber to atmospheric pressure by communicating the ink chamber with outside air.

  Conventionally, an image recording apparatus that records an image on recording paper using ink is known. This image recording apparatus includes an ink jet recording head, and selectively ejects ink droplets from a nozzle of the recording head toward a recording sheet. The ink droplets land on the recording paper, whereby a desired image is recorded on the recording paper. This image recording apparatus is provided with an ink cartridge for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head. The ink cartridge can be mounted on a mounting portion provided in the image recording apparatus (Patent Document 1).

  The inside of the ink cartridge attached to the image recording apparatus is sealed so that the ink inside the ink cartridge does not leak when not in use, and is brought to atmospheric pressure during use. Therefore, it is conceivable to provide a valve mechanism for opening and closing the atmosphere communication port in the ink cartridge. More specifically, a valve body provided at the atmosphere communication port is biased in a direction to close the atmosphere communication port by a coil spring or the like, and is provided at the mounting portion when the ink cartridge is mounted on the mounting portion. There is known a valve mechanism that opens an atmosphere communication port by pressing a valve element against a biasing force of a coil spring.

JP 2009-96126 A

  According to the valve mechanism having the above configuration, the atmosphere communication port is closed again by removing the ink cartridge from the mounting portion, so that it is possible to prevent ink from leaking from the atmosphere communication port. However, the above-described valve mechanism that reversibly opens and closes the atmosphere communication port has a problem that the number of parts is large and the configuration is complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge provided with an air communication portion capable of communicating an ink chamber with outside air with a simple configuration.

  (1) An ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a casing having an ink chamber in which ink is stored, and the casing, and the ink stored in the ink chamber flows out to the outside. An air supply unit that is provided in the housing and has a gas passage that is open to the outside, a communication port that communicates the gas passage with the ink chamber, and an inside of the gas passage. And a closing member positioned at a first position for closing the gas passage between the opening and the communication port, and the gas passage so as to be slidable. A slider that moves the closing member from the first position to a sliding position toward the second position where the communication port is opened by contacting the closing member; The slider has a first hole formed therein, the sectional area when viewed from the sliding direction is larger than the sectional area of the gas passage, and the upstream end of the sliding direction is opened to the outside. The first tube portion in which the opening of the first hole is sealed with a semipermeable membrane, the upstream end portion in the sliding direction is communicated with the first hole, and the downstream end portion in the sliding direction is external A second hole is formed in the inside, and has a second tube portion that is in close contact with the inner wall surface of the atmosphere communication portion on the opening side of the gas passage from the first position.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to realize an atmosphere communication unit that communicates the ink chamber with the outside air with a simple configuration as compared with the case where the valve mechanism is used. Moreover, since the space which touches a semipermeable membrane can be enlarged by sealing the 1st hole with a comparatively large cross-sectional area with a semipermeable membrane, air can pass a semipermeable membrane smoothly. Furthermore, by sliding the second cylinder portion having a relatively small cross-sectional area in the gas passage, the contact area with the atmosphere communication portion can be reduced, so that the pushing load of the slider can be reduced. The slider may be slid by the user before using the ink cartridge, or may be automatically slid when mounted on the image recording apparatus.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an ink cartridge having an air communication portion that communicates the ink chamber with the outside air with a simple configuration.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an internal structure of a printer 10 including a cartridge mounting unit 110 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the ink cartridge 30 according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the external configuration of the ink cartridge 30. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge 30 with the main body 31 removed and the internal frame 35 exposed. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views of the atmospheric communication portion 120, where FIG. 5A shows a state where the gas passage 121 is closed, and FIG. 5B shows a state where the gas passage 121 is opened.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The embodiment described below is merely an example in which the present invention is embodied, and it is needless to say that the embodiment can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Embodiment]
[Overview of Printer 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 records an image by selectively ejecting ink droplets onto a recording sheet based on an ink jet recording method. The printer 10 includes a recording head 21, an ink supply device 100, and an ink tube 20 that connects the recording head 21 and the ink supply device 100. The ink supply device 100 is provided with a cartridge mounting portion 110. The ink cartridge 30 can be mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110. An opening 112 is provided on one surface of the cartridge mounting portion 110. The ink cartridge 30 is inserted into or removed from the cartridge mounting part 110 through the opening 112.

  The ink cartridge 30 stores ink that can be used by the printer 10. The ink cartridge 30 and the recording head 21 are connected by the ink tube 20 in a state where the cartridge is mounted in the cartridge mounting unit 110. The recording head 21 is provided with a sub tank 28. The sub tank 28 temporarily stores the ink supplied through the ink tube 20. The recording head 21 selectively ejects the ink supplied from the sub tank 28 from the nozzles 29 by the ink jet recording method.

  The recording paper fed from the paper feed tray 15 to the transport path 24 by the paper feed roller 23 is transported onto the platen 26 by the transport roller pair 25. The recording head 21 selectively ejects ink onto a recording sheet that passes over the platen 26. Thereby, an image is recorded on the recording paper. The recording sheet that has passed through the platen 26 is discharged by a discharge roller pair 22 to a discharge tray 16 provided on the most downstream side of the transport path 24.

[Ink supply apparatus 100]
As shown in FIG. 1, the ink supply device 100 is provided in the printer 10. The ink supply device 100 supplies ink to the recording head 21 provided in the printer 10. The ink supply device 100 includes a cartridge mounting unit 110 in which the ink cartridge 30 can be mounted. The cartridge mounting unit 110 includes a case 101, an engagement member 145, an ink needle 113, and an optical sensor 114. FIG. 1 shows a state where the ink cartridge 30 is mounted in the case 101. The cartridge mounting portion 110 can accommodate four ink cartridges 30 corresponding to cyan, magenta, yellow, and black colors, but FIG. 1 shows a space in which one ink cartridge 30 can be accommodated. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ink needle 113 is formed of a tubular resin needle and is provided at the lower part of the end surface of the case 101. The ink needle 113 is disposed on the end surface of the case 101 at a position corresponding to the ink supply unit 34 of the ink cartridge 30 mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110. The ink needle 113 is inserted into an ink supply port 71 of the ink cartridge 30 to be described later and opens the ink supply valve 70. As a result, the ink in the ink chamber 36 flows out to the ink tube 20 connected to the ink needle 113 through the ink flow path 72.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the optical sensor 114 is provided above the ink needle 113 on the end surface of the case 101 in the gravity direction. The optical sensor 114 includes a light emitting element provided at one end of a horseshoe-shaped housing and a light receiving element provided at the other end. The light emitting element is, for example, an LED or the like, and irradiates light in a horizontal direction (corresponding to the width direction 51 in FIG. 2) perpendicular to the insertion and extraction direction 50. The light receiving element is, for example, a phototransistor or the like, and receives light emitted from the light emitting element. A detection unit 33 of the ink cartridge 30 to be described later can enter the space between the light emitting element and the light receiving element. When the detection unit 33 enters the optical path of the optical sensor 114, the optical sensor 114 can detect a change in the amount of light received by the light receiving element by the detection unit 33. The height direction 52 in FIG. 1 corresponds to the gravity direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the engaging member 145 is provided on the top surface of the case 101 so as to be rotatable around a support shaft 147 provided on the opening 112 side. The engaging member 145 is for holding the ink cartridge 30 mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 in a mounted state. In a state where the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110, the engaging member 145 is engaged with a locking portion 45 of the ink cartridge 30 to be described later, and resists a force that pushes the ink cartridge 30 toward the ejection direction 55. The ink cartridge 30 is held in the cartridge mounting unit 110. On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 30 is removed from the cartridge mounting portion 110, the engaging member 145 rotates counterclockwise by the rear end of the rotating member 80 provided on the ink cartridge 30 being pushed down by the user. The engagement with the locking portion 45 is released. As a result, the ink cartridge 30 can be removed from the cartridge mounting portion 110.

[Ink cartridge 30]
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the ink cartridge 30 is a container for storing ink. A space formed inside the ink cartridge 30 is an ink chamber 36 for storing ink. The ink chamber 36 is formed by the internal frame 35 housed in the main body 31 that forms the appearance of the ink cartridge 30, but may be formed by the main body 31 itself.

  The ink cartridge 30 is in the standing state shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, that is, the bottom surface is the bottom surface and the top surface is the top surface in FIG. Inserted and removed along the direction (hereinafter referred to as “insertion and removal direction 50”). The insertion and removal direction 50 is along the horizontal direction. The ink cartridge 30 is inserted into and removed from the cartridge mounting portion 110 while standing. This standing state corresponds to the mounting posture. The direction in which the ink cartridge 30 is mounted in the cartridge mounting unit 110 is the insertion direction 56 along the horizontal direction, and the direction in which the ink cartridge 30 is removed is the extraction direction 55. Further, the height direction (vertical direction) 52 in the standing state corresponds to the direction of gravity. In other words, the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 along the insertion / removal direction 50 and is removed from the cartridge mounting portion 110 along the insertion / removal direction 50. In the present embodiment, the insertion and removal direction 50 is along the horizontal direction, but the insertion and removal direction 50 may be a gravity direction or a direction that intersects the horizontal direction and the gravity direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the ink cartridge 30 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body 31, a bracket 90 that forms the front wall 140 side, and an internal frame 35 that partitions the ink chamber 36. A bracket 90 is assembled to the main body 31 to form the outer shape of the ink cartridge 30. The inner frame 35 is housed inside the assembled main body 31 and bracket 90. The ink cartridge 30 as a whole has a flat shape that is thin in the width direction (left-right direction) 51 and has a height direction (up-down direction) 52 and a depth direction (front-rear direction) 53 larger than the width direction 51. The wall of the bracket 90 that is the front side of the insertion direction 56 when the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110 is the front wall 140, and the wall of the main body 31 that is the rear side of the insertion direction 56 is the rear wall 42. is there. The front wall 140 and the rear wall 42 face each other in the insertion and extraction direction 50 (that is, the depth direction 53).

[Main unit 31]
The main body 31 is configured such that side walls 37 and 38 that face each other in the width direction 51 and an upper wall 39 and a lower wall 41 that face each other in the height direction 52 extend from the rear wall 42 in the insertion direction 56. In the depth direction 53, a box shape having an open surface facing the rear wall 42 is formed. An internal frame 35 is inserted into the main body 31 through the opening. A part of the inner frame 35 on the front wall 40 side is exposed from the main body 31. That is, the main body 31 covers a part of the rear side of the internal frame 35.

  The main body 31 is provided with a rotating member 80 on the rear side of the upper wall 39. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the rotating member 80 has a bent flat plate shape, and is arranged such that its longitudinal direction is along the depth direction 53. The rotation member 80 is rotatable around an axis (not shown) provided at the bent portion. The pivot member 80 has a leading end extending toward the locking surface 46 formed on the upper side of the main body 31 and a rear end extending toward the rear wall 42. In a state where the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110, the distal end side of the bent portion of the rotating member 80 is positioned below the engaging member 145 that is engaged with the locking portion 45. Then, when the ink cartridge 30 is taken out from the cartridge mounting portion 110, the engagement between the engaging member 145 and the locking portion 45 is released by the user pushing down the rear end of the rotating member 80.

[Bracket 90]
The bracket 90 is configured such that side walls 143 and 144 facing each other in the width direction 51 and an upper wall 141 and a lower wall 142 facing each other in the height direction 52 are extended from the front wall 140 in the take-out direction 55. In the depth direction 53, a box shape having an opening on the surface facing the front wall 140 is formed. The inner frame 35 is inserted into the bracket 90 through the opening. That is, the bracket 90 covers a part of the inner frame 35 on the front side that is not covered by the main body 31.

  In a state where the bracket 90 is assembled to the main body 31, the upper wall 141 of the bracket 90 constitutes the upper wall of the ink cartridge 30 continuously with the upper wall 39 of the main body 31. Similarly, the lower wall 142 of the bracket 90 is continuous with the lower wall 41 of the main body 31 to form the lower wall of the ink cartridge 30, and the side walls 143 and 144 of the bracket are continuous with the side walls 37 and 38 of the main body 31, respectively. The side wall of the cartridge 30 is configured. In the assembled state of the ink cartridge 30, the front wall 140 of the bracket 90 constituting the front wall of the ink cartridge 30 and the rear wall 42 of the main body 31 constituting the rear wall of the ink cartridge 30 are arranged in the depth direction 53. In each other. The direction in which the front wall 140 and the rear wall 42 of the ink cartridge face each other (that is, the depth direction 53) is the front-rear direction (horizontal direction), which is the same as the insertion / removal direction 50 in this embodiment. The direction in which the upper wall 39 and the lower wall 41 of the ink cartridge 30 face each other (that is, the height direction 52) is the vertical direction (gravity direction).

  In the side walls 143 and 144 of the bracket 90, an opening 95 penetrating in the width direction 51 is formed at a position approximately in the center of the height direction 52 and in contact with the front wall 140. The opening 95 exposes the detection unit 33 of the inner frame 35 to the outside when the inner frame 35 is inserted into the bracket 90. Accordingly, the opening 95 is formed in a position, size, and shape corresponding to the detection unit 33 of the inner frame 35.

  In addition, a hole 96 penetrating in the depth direction 53 is formed in the front wall 140 of the bracket 90 above the opening 95 in the height direction 52. The hole 96 is a hole for allowing the atmospheric communication portion 120 to communicate with the outside in a state where the inner frame 35 is inserted into the bracket 90. Accordingly, the hole 96 is formed in a position, size, and shape corresponding to the atmospheric communication portion 120 of the inner frame 35. In FIG. 2, the front end of the hole 96 in the front-rear direction is disposed in front of the front end of an ink supply unit 34 described later.

  Furthermore, a hole 97 that penetrates in the depth direction 53 is formed in the front wall 140 of the bracket 90 below the opening 95 in the height direction 52. The hole 97 is a hole for exposing the ink supply unit 34 of the internal frame 35 to the outside in a state where the internal frame 35 is inserted into the bracket 90. Therefore, the hole 97 is formed in a position, size, and shape corresponding to the ink supply unit 34 of the internal frame 35. The hole 97 is disposed behind the hole 96 in the front-rear direction.

  A first protrusion 85 and a second protrusion 86 are provided on the front wall 140 of the bracket 90. The first protrusion 85 is provided at the upper end of the front wall 140 of the bracket 90 in a direction away from the front wall 140 toward the front (insertion direction 56). The hole 96 is provided at the tip of the first protrusion 85. The second protrusion 86 protrudes at the lower end of the front wall 140 of the bracket 90 in a direction away from the front wall 140 toward the front (insertion direction 56). The first protrusion 85 and the second protrusion 86 are provided to cause the printer 10 to determine the type of the ink cartridge 30 by being detected by a sensor (not shown) provided in the cartridge mounting portion 110. The type of the ink cartridge 30 includes a difference in ink color and components, a difference in the amount of ink initially stored in the ink chamber 36, and the like.

[Internal frame 35]
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the inner frame 35 is configured in an annular shape in which a pair of surfaces facing the width direction 51 are opened. The pair of opened surfaces is sealed with a film (not shown), thereby forming an ink chamber 36 in which ink can be stored. The internal frame 35 corresponds to the housing. The front wall 40 that defines the ink chamber 36 is a wall surface that faces the front wall 140 of the bracket 90 when the internal frame 35 is inserted into the bracket 90, and includes the atmosphere communication unit 120, the blocking member storage chamber 32, and the detection unit. 33 and an ink supply unit 34 are provided.

[Detection unit 33]
The detection unit 33 protrudes from the front wall 40 of the inner frame 35 in the insertion direction 56 between the atmosphere communication unit 120 and the ink supply unit 34 in the height direction 52. The detection unit 33 has a box shape communicating with the ink chamber 36. The detection unit 33 is exposed to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through the opening 95 of the bracket 90. The detection unit 33 is emitted from an optical sensor 114 (see FIG. 1) provided in the cartridge mounting unit 110 and travels in a direction perpendicular to the insertion and extraction direction 50 (in the present embodiment, the width direction 51). It has a pair of walls made of a translucent resin that transmits light, for example, infrared light. The light may be infrared light or visible light.

  The space between the pair of walls of the detection unit 33 is hollow so that ink can be stored. As shown in FIG. 1, the indicator unit 62 of the sensor arm 60 is located between the pair of walls of the detection unit 33. The sensor arm 60 is provided with an indicator part 62 and a float part 63 at both ends of a plate-like arm main body 61, respectively. The sensor arm 60 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 64 extending along the width direction 51 in the ink chamber 36. The sensor arm 60 rotates according to the amount of ink present in the ink chamber 36.

  When the sensor arm 60 is rotated, the indicator unit 62 includes a lower posture positioned below the gravity direction of the detection unit 33 and an upper posture positioned above the gravity direction of the detection unit 33 relative to the lower posture. It is possible to change the posture. The detection unit 33 when the indicator unit 62 is in the upper posture transmits infrared light emitted from the optical sensor 114. On the other hand, the detection unit 33 when the indicator unit 62 is in the lower posture blocks or attenuates infrared light emitted from the optical sensor 114. It is determined that the remaining amount of ink in the ink chamber 36 has become less than a predetermined amount according to the light transmission state of the detection unit 33.

[Ink supply unit 34]
The ink supply unit 34 protrudes from the front wall 40 of the inner frame 35 in the insertion direction 56, that is, in the front-rear direction forward, below the detection unit 33 in the height direction 52. The ink supply unit 34 has a cylindrical outer shape and protrudes outward through a hole 97 provided in the front wall 140 of the bracket 90. An ink supply port 71 is formed at the protruding end of the ink supply unit 34. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an ink flow path 72 that connects the ink supply port 71 and the ink chamber 36 is formed inside the ink supply unit 34, and the ink supply that opens and closes the ink supply port 71. A valve 70 is arranged.

  When the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110, the ink needle 113 provided on the cartridge mounting portion 110 is inserted into the ink supply port 71. Then, the ink needle 113 moves the ink supply valve 70 rearward in the front-rear direction, whereby the ink supply port 71 is opened. As a result, the ink in the ink chamber 36 flows out to the ink needle 113 through the ink flow path 72. The ink outflow direction is substantially the same as the front in the front-rear direction. The ink supply port 71 is not necessarily limited to a configuration that can be opened and closed by the ink supply valve 70. For example, even if the ink supply port 71 is closed with a film or the like, and the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110, the ink supply port 71 may be opened by the ink needle 113 breaking through the film. Good.

  3 and 4, a pair of engaging claws 43 are formed at the lower end of the front wall 40 of the inner frame 35. The ends of the pair of engaging claws 43 protrude outward in the width direction 51 of the ink cartridge 30. The pair of engaging claws 43 can be elastically deformed so that the dimension in the width direction 51 is reduced by a notch (not shown) provided in the center of the width direction 51. The tips of the pair of engaging claws 43 respectively enter a pair of long holes 91 provided in the bracket 90 and engage with the inner surfaces of the cylindrical inner walls forming the long holes 91.

  Further, a locking portion 45 is formed on the upper wall of the inner frame 35. The locking portion 45 has a locking surface 46 that extends in the width direction 51 and the height direction 52 of the ink cartridge 30. The locking surface 46 is engaged with an engaging member 145 provided on the cartridge mounting portion 110 in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110. The locking portion 45 receives a biasing force that pushes the ink cartridge 30 in the removal direction 55.

[Atmospheric communication part 120]
The atmosphere communication unit 120 is provided so as to protrude from the front wall 40 of the inner frame 35 in the insertion direction 56 on the upper side of the detection unit 33 in the height direction 52. The air communication part 120 is for communicating the ink chamber 36 with the outside of the ink cartridge 30, and an opening 119 is provided at the protruding end thereof, and a cylindrical inner wall extending from the opening 119 in the depth direction 53 is provided inside. A gas passage 121 is formed. The inner diameter of the gas passage 121 is substantially the same as that of the opening 119 and is smaller than the hole 96 formed in the bracket 90. In addition, a communication port 122 that allows the gas passage 121 and the ink chamber 36 to communicate with each other is provided on a wall surface extending in the depth direction 53 of the atmosphere communication unit 120. Further, a slider 123 and a closing member 128 are disposed in the gas passage 121.

  More specifically, a communication groove 118 that is formed by a wall and a film that define the inner frame 35 and communicates with the ink chamber 36 is formed above the inner frame 35. The communication groove 118 extends forward from the portion communicating with the ink chamber 36 in the front-rear direction, and further extends downward so as to overlap with the atmosphere communication portion 120 when viewed from the width direction 51. A communication port 122 provided so as to penetrate the inner wall of the atmosphere communication portion 120 communicates with the lower end of the communication groove 118. The position of the communication port 122 in the height direction 52 is above the initial position (that is, the highest position) of the liquid level of the ink stored in the ink chamber 36. As a result, the air flowing into the gas passage 121 from the opening 119 passes through the communication port 122 and further flows into the ink chamber 36 via the communication groove 118.

  The atmosphere communication portion 120 has an opening 117 having the same diameter as the gas passage 121 at the end opposite to the opening 119 and communicates with the closing member housing chamber 32 formed behind the opening 117. The blocking member storage chamber 32 has a space for storing the blocking member 128 when the ink cartridge 30 is used. The closing member accommodating chamber 32 has a cross-sectional area including a width direction 51 and a height direction 52 (in other words, a cross section when viewed from the depth direction 53 in plan view) larger than the gas passage 121, and the opening 117. The excluded part is a closed space defined by the wall surface.

  The closing member 128 closes the gas passage 121 between the opening 119 and the communication port 122, and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape by an elastic member such as rubber. The outer diameter of the blocking member 128 is set slightly larger than the gas passage 121 and is press-fitted into the gas passage 121. As shown in FIG. 5A, the closing member 128 in the present embodiment has an outer peripheral surface that is in close contact with the inner wall surface of the atmosphere communication portion 120 including the position where the communication port 122 is formed. Is blocked. The position of the closing member 128 in FIG. 5A corresponds to the first position. 5A shows a state in which the outer peripheral surface of the closing member 128 completely covers the communication port 122, but the first position of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the position where the closing member 128 is in close contact with the inner wall surface of the atmosphere communication unit 120 on the opening 119 side from the communication port 122 may be set as the first position.

  The slider 123 is disposed on the opening 119 side of the closing member 128 inside the gas passage 121. The slider 123 is disposed in close contact with the inner wall surface of the atmosphere communication unit 120. More specifically, the slider 123 includes a cylindrical slider main body 124, a cap 125 that covers the end of the slider main body 124 on the insertion direction 56 side, and an inner surface of the atmosphere communication unit 120 that is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the slider main body 124. An O-ring 126 that is in close contact with the wall surface and a semipermeable membrane 127 that seals a through-hole provided in the slider 123 are included. In a state where the inner frame 35 is inserted into the bracket 90, one end of the slider 123 is exposed to the outside through the hole 96. As shown in FIG. 5, a through-hole 116 extending along the extending direction of the atmosphere communication portion 120 (that is, the insertion and extraction direction 50) is formed inside the slider body 124.

  The slider main body 124 includes a large-diameter portion 129 having a relatively large outer diameter and a small-diameter portion 130 having a smaller outer dimension than the large-diameter portion 129. Then, the slider main body 124 has the gas passage 121 with the large-diameter portion 129 facing the insertion direction 56 (ie, the upstream side in the sliding direction) and the small-diameter portion 130 facing the extraction direction 55 (ie, the downstream side in the sliding direction). Placed inside. The tip of the large diameter portion 129 is exposed from the ink cartridge 30. The large-diameter portion 129 is provided with a disk-shaped flange portion 131 projecting radially outward from the outer peripheral surface thereof. On the other hand, a circumferential groove 132 that holds the O-ring 126 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 130. The large diameter portion 129 corresponds to the first tube portion, and the small diameter portion 130 corresponds to the second tube portion. The take-out direction 55 corresponds to the slide direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the through-hole 116 that penetrates the inside of the slider main body 124 in the insertion and extraction direction 50 is formed in the large-diameter hole 133 formed in the large-diameter portion 129 and the small-diameter portion 130. Medium diameter hole 134 and small diameter hole 135. The large-diameter hole 133 is opened on the upstream side in the sliding direction, and communicates with the medium-diameter hole 134 on the downstream side in the sliding direction. The large-diameter hole 133 is sealed by attaching a semipermeable membrane 127 from the front side in the depth direction 53. The medium diameter hole 134 communicates with the large diameter hole 133 on the upstream side in the sliding direction and communicates with the small diameter hole 135 on the downstream side in the sliding direction. The small diameter hole 135 is opened on the downstream side in the sliding direction, and communicates with the medium diameter hole 134 on the upstream side in the sliding direction. The large-diameter hole 133, the medium-diameter hole 134, and the small-diameter hole 135 are formed concentrically. The large diameter hole 133 is shorter in the depth direction 53 than the medium diameter hole 134 and the small diameter hole 135.

  The medium-diameter hole 134 is set to have a cross-sectional area smaller than that of the large-diameter hole 133 when viewed from the sliding direction. The small-diameter hole 135 is set to have a cross-sectional area smaller than that of the medium-diameter hole 134 when viewed from the sliding direction. The large-diameter hole 133 corresponds to the first hole, the medium-diameter hole 134 corresponds to the third hole, and the small-diameter hole 135 corresponds to the fourth hole. That is, the diameter of the through hole provided in the slider main body 124 is gradually increased in the direction opposite to the sliding direction.

  The cap 125 is attached to the large diameter portion 129 of the slider main body 124 so as to cover the semipermeable membrane 127 attached to the opening of the large diameter hole 133. The cap 125 in the present embodiment includes a disc-shaped lid portion 136 and a cylindrical cylindrical portion 137 that protrudes from a wall surface on one side in the thickness direction of the lid portion 136. The lid 136 is formed with a through hole 138 penetrating in the thickness direction. The cylindrical portion 137 is formed so as to surround the through hole 138. The through hole 138 corresponds to the second hole. The surface of the lid 136 opposite to the cylindrical portion 137 is a flat surface that extends in a direction orthogonal to the front of the insertion direction 56, and a through hole 138 is formed at the center thereof. The outer diameter of the lid 136 is larger than the diameter of the hole 96 of the ink cartridge 30.

  That is, a through hole (large diameter hole 133, medium diameter hole 134, and small diameter hole 135) penetrating the slider main body 124 and a through hole 138 provided in the cap 125 form one communicating hole. . Further, this hole is opened on the upstream side and the downstream side of the slider 123 in the sliding direction. That is, the slider 123 is formed with a through hole penetrating in the sliding direction.

  The cap 125 is attached to the slider main body 124 so that the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 129 is covered with the cylindrical portion 137. Here, the outer diameter of the large-diameter portion 129 is set slightly larger than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 137. That is, the cap 125 is press-fitted into the slider body 124. Further, in the process of attaching the cap 125 to the slider main body 124, the protruding end of the cylindrical portion 137 is brought into contact with the flange portion 131 before the lid portion 136 contacts the semipermeable membrane 127. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, when the cap 125 is attached to the slider body 124, the wall surface of the lid 136 and the semipermeable membrane 127 are separated from each other, and a space is formed between them. .

  The O-ring 126 is fitted into a circumferential groove 132 provided in the small diameter portion 130 of the slider main body 124. The O-ring 126 is configured in a ring shape by an elastic member such as rubber. The O-ring 126 corresponds to a sealing member. The O-ring 126 attached to the circumferential groove 132 is in close contact with the inner wall surface of the atmospheric communication portion 120 on the upstream side in the sliding direction from the communication port 122.

  The outer dimension of the small diameter part 130 of the slider body 124 is set smaller than the inner diameter dimension of the atmosphere communication part 120. Further, the outer dimension of the O-ring 126 fitted in the circumferential groove 132 is set to be larger than the inner diameter dimension of the atmospheric communication portion 120. That is, when the slider main body 124 is slid in the gas passage 121, only the O-ring 126 is always in contact with the inner wall surface of the atmospheric communication portion 120. On the other hand, the inner diameter dimension of the large-diameter portion 129 of the slider main body 124 (that is, the cross-sectional area of the large-diameter hole 133) is set to be larger than the outer dimension of the atmospheric communication portion 120 (that is, the cross-sectional area of the gas passage 121). That is, when the slider 123 is slid in the gas passage 121, as shown in FIG. 5B, the end of the atmosphere communicating portion 120 in which the surface facing the downstream side of the sliding direction of the large diameter portion 129 forms the opening 119. A further slide is regulated by contacting the part.

  Note that the slider 123 has the front and rear ends of the air communication portion 120 where the surface facing the upstream side of the sliding direction of the large diameter portion 129 forms the opening 119 in a state where the closing member 128 is moved to the closing member accommodation chamber 32. Are spaced apart in the direction. That is, even after the closing member 128 is moved to the closing member accommodation chamber 32, the user can move the slider 123 in the sliding direction. In this case, when the closing member 128 moves through the gas passage 121, a load is received from the closing member 128. However, after the closing member 128 moves to the closing member accommodation chamber 32, the load is not applied to the slider 123. The user can recognize that the closing member 128 is accommodated in the closing member accommodating chamber 32 and the ink chamber 36 is communicated with the atmosphere by the change (decrease) in the pushing resistance of the slider 123.

  The semipermeable membrane 127 is attached to the opening end portion of the large diameter portion 129 and seals the large diameter hole 133. The semipermeable membrane 127 is a porous membrane having fine pores that allow passage of gas and restrict passage of liquid. For example, polytetrafluoroethylene, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene It consists of fluororesins, such as a copolymer, a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, and a tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer.

  The slider 123 configured as described above can slide in the gas passage 121 in the sliding direction. Then, the slider 123 in contact with the closing member 128 releases the closing of the communication port 122 by pushing the closing member 128 in the sliding direction. The slider 123 in this embodiment moves the closing member 128 to the closing member accommodation chamber 32 as shown in FIG. The position of the closing member 128 in FIG. 5B corresponds to the second position. 5B shows a state where the communication port 122 is completely exposed, the second position of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the end surface on the opening 119 side of the closing member 128 is moved to the downstream side in the sliding direction from the end on the opening 119 side of the communication port 122, the outer peripheral surface of the closing member 128 overlaps with a part of the communication port 122. The position where it disappears may be the second position.

  In the unused ink cartridge 30, the ink chamber 36 is maintained in a negative pressure state. Further, the atmosphere communication unit 120 is closed as shown in FIG. In the unused ink cartridge 30, the slider 123 abuts the closing member 128 on the downstream end in the sliding direction. At this time, the opening on the downstream side of the small-diameter hole 135 in the sliding direction is closed by the closing member 128. Further, the flange 131 and the tip of the atmospheric communication portion 120 are at least separated from the moving distance until the closing member 128 moves in the sliding direction and is accommodated in the closing member accommodation chamber 32. In this state, since the closing member 128 seals the communication port 122 of the atmosphere communication unit 120, the ink chamber 36 is closed to the outside. Therefore, the ink in the ink chamber 36 is prevented from leaking outside.

  When the ink cartridge 30 is used, the slider 123 is slid in the sliding direction from the state shown in FIG. Specifically, when a pressing force in a sliding direction is applied to the surface facing the front of the cap 125 from the user or the cartridge mounting unit 110, the slider 123 starts moving in the sliding direction. The slider 123 slides in the sliding direction against the sliding resistance that the O-ring 126 receives from the gas passage 121 and the reaction force that the downstream end in the sliding direction receives from the closing member 128. The slider 123 receives a reaction force opposite to the sliding direction due to the elastic force of the closing member 128 when sliding, but the friction force generated by the O-ring 126 coming into contact with the gas passage 121 is larger. 123 does not move in the direction opposite to the sliding direction. Therefore, the slider 123 moves irreversibly in the sliding direction with respect to the gas passage 121.

  As the slider 123 moves, the communication member 122 is gradually exposed by moving the blocking member 128 pushed by the slider 123 in the sliding direction. However, since the opening of the small diameter hole 135 is closed by the closing member 128 while the downstream end of the slider 123 in the sliding direction is in contact with the closing member 128, the ink chamber 36 is not communicated to the outside. That is, the ink chamber 36 is still maintained in a negative pressure state.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, the closing member 128 that has passed through the gas passage 121 falls into the closing member accommodation chamber 32 through the opening 117, whereby the opening of the small-diameter hole 135 is opened. At this time, the O-ring 126 is positioned upstream of the communication port 122 in the sliding direction, and the opening of the small diameter hole 135 is positioned downstream of the communication port 122 in the sliding direction. That is, the air that has flowed from the through hole 138 of the lid portion 136 passes through the inside of the slider 123, flows into the gas passage 121 from the opening of the small diameter hole 135, wraps around the outside of the slider 123, and enters the ink chamber 36 from the communication port 122. Flow into. Thereby, the inside of the ink chamber 36 becomes an external pressure. 5B, most of the gas passage 121 is closed by the slider 123, and is communicated to the outside only through a through-hole formed in the slider 123. That is, the through hole penetrating the slider 123 can be considered as a part of the gas passage 121.

[Effects of Embodiment]
In this embodiment, the slider 123 is not connected to the closing member 128 and is only brought into contact with the slider 123 when it is slid in the sliding direction. 56) cannot be moved. In addition, since the closing member 128 is formed larger than the outer diameter of the gas passage 121, it is extremely difficult to return the closing member 128 that has entered the closing member accommodation chamber 32 to the gas passage 121. That is, the closing member 128 in the present embodiment is configured to be irreversibly movable in the gas passage 121 from the first position toward the second position (that is, in the sliding direction).

  As described above, by enabling the closing member 128 that closes the communication port 122 to move only in the sliding direction, the atmosphere communication unit 120 that allows the ink chamber 36 to communicate with the outside air can be realized with a simple configuration. The slider 123 may be slid by a user before using the ink cartridge 30 or may be automatically slid when mounted on the printer 10. For example, a rod is protruded at a position corresponding to the atmosphere communication unit 120 on the end surface of the cartridge mounting unit 110, and the rod is brought into contact with the slider 123 in the process of mounting the ink cartridge 30 on the cartridge mounting unit 110. May be moved in a sliding direction.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, as the closing member 128 is exposed to the closing member accommodation chamber 32, the contact area between the closing member 128 and the inner wall surface of the atmosphere communication unit 120 is gradually reduced. Thereby, the load required to slide the slider 123 can be gradually reduced. In addition, since the closing member 128 that has reached the second position is completely accommodated in the closing member accommodating chamber 32, the load required to slide the slider 123 is drastically reduced. In this case, it can be surely recognized that the ink chamber 36 communicates with the outside air.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, only the O-ring 126 of the slider 123 is in close contact with the inner wall surface of the atmospheric communication portion 120, and the small diameter portion 130 is not in close contact with the inner wall surface of the atmospheric communication portion 120. As described above, by limiting the portion that is in close contact with the inner wall surface of the atmospheric communication portion 120 to a portion having a relatively small cross-sectional area, the resistance when the slider 123 is slid can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, in the state of FIG. 5B in which the ink chamber 36 is communicated with the outside air, the O-ring 126 is located on the upstream side in the sliding direction from the communication port 122, so the ink chamber 36. The ink leaking from the gas through the communication port 122 to the gas passage 121 is blocked by the O-ring 126. Further, since the opening of the small-diameter hole 135 is located on the downstream side of the communication port 122 in the sliding direction, the ink leaking into the gas passage 121 does not go around the gas passage 121 to the closing member housing chamber 32 side. The through hole of the slider 123 cannot be reached.

  Further, when ink enters the ink outflow path, an opening formed at the boundary between the small diameter hole 135 and the medium diameter hole 134 and an opening formed at the boundary between the medium diameter hole 134 and the large diameter hole 133 are formed. Each meniscus is formed by ink. As a result, it is possible to suppress the ink flowing into the through hole of the slider 123 from reaching the semipermeable membrane 127. Further, the ink that has reached the inside of the slider 123 is prevented from flowing out to the outside by the semipermeable membrane 127.

  By comprising in this way, the outflow of an ink to the exterior can be suppressed effectively. Further, by arranging the semipermeable membrane 127 on the most downstream side of the ink outflow path, the amount of ink reaching the semipermeable membrane 127 becomes extremely small, so that the air permeability of the semipermeable membrane 127 is increased by the adhesion of ink. It can control that it falls.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the semipermeable membrane 127 is attached to the opening end of the large-diameter hole 133, and the cap 125 is attached to the slider main body 124 in a state where the lid portion 136 and the semipermeable membrane 127 are separated from each other. Therefore, a large space can be secured on one side and the other side in the thickness direction of the semipermeable membrane 127. As a result, air can pass through the semipermeable membrane 127 smoothly.

  Further, by disposing the slider 123 in the atmosphere communication portion 120 (that is, the gas passage 121) as in the present embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a space for sliding the slider 123, so that the ink cartridge 30 can be reduced in size. Or large capacity. However, the present invention is not limited to the above example.

30 ... Ink cartridge 32 ... Closing member accommodation chamber 34 ... Ink supply part 35 ... Internal frame 36 ... Ink chamber 120 ... Atmospheric communication part 121 ... Gas passage 122 ... Communication port 123 ... Slider 124 ... Slider body 125 ... Cap 126 ... O-ring 127 ... Semipermeable membrane 128 ... Closure member 129 ... Large diameter part 130 ... Small diameter part 131 ... Flange part 133 ... Large diameter hole 134 ... Medium diameter hole 135 ... Small diameter hole 136 ... Lid part 137 ... Cylindrical part 138 ... Through hole

Claims (7)

A housing having an ink chamber in which ink is stored;
An ink supply unit that is provided in the housing and causes the ink stored in the ink chamber to flow out;
An air communication portion provided in the housing, and having a gas passage that opens to the outside and a communication port that communicates the gas passage with the ink chamber;
A closing member disposed in the gas passage and positioned at a first position for closing the gas passage between the opening and the communication port;
The gas passage is slidably arranged, and comes into contact with the closing member from the opening side so that the closing member moves from the first position to the second position where the communication port is opened. A slider to be moved,
The slider
A first hole having a cross-sectional area when viewed from the sliding direction is larger than a cross-sectional area of the gas passage and an upstream end in the sliding direction is opened to the outside, and the first hole is opened. A first tube part sealed with a semipermeable membrane;
A second hole in which an upstream end portion in the sliding direction communicates with the first hole and a downstream end portion in the sliding direction is opened to the outside is formed inside, and the gas passage extends from the first position. An ink cartridge having a second cylindrical portion in close contact with the inner wall surface of the atmosphere communicating portion on the opening side of the air cartridge. The second hole has a third hole, and a fourth hole that is arranged downstream of the third hole in the sliding direction and communicates with the third hole.
2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the fourth hole has a cross-sectional area smaller than that of the third hole when viewed from the sliding direction. The air communication part has the opening formed at one end thereof,
The casing communicates with the gas passage at the other end of the atmospheric communication portion, and has a cross-sectional area when viewed from the sliding direction that is larger than a cross-sectional area of the gas passage and includes the second position. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a chamber.   The slider includes a slider main body formed of the cylindrical first cylindrical portion and the cylindrical second cylindrical portion, a cap that covers an end portion of the slider main body on the first cylindrical portion side, and the second cylindrical portion. An ink cartridge according to claim 3, further comprising: a sealing member attached to an outer peripheral surface of the air communication portion and closely contacting an inner wall surface of the atmospheric communication portion. The cap has a lid portion having a through hole penetrating in the thickness direction, and a cylindrical cylindrical portion that projects from the lid portion and covers the outer peripheral surface of the first cylinder portion at a position surrounding the through hole. And
The first cylindrical portion has a flange portion protruding radially outward from the outer peripheral surface at a position where the first cylindrical portion contacts the tip of the cylindrical portion in a state where the wall surface of the lid portion and the semipermeable membrane are separated from each other. The ink cartridge according to claim 4.   The ink cartridge according to claim 5, wherein an outer diameter of the first cylindrical portion at a position covered by the cylindrical portion is larger than an inner diameter of the cylindrical portion.   The communication port is provided on an inner wall surface of the atmospheric communication portion that extends along the sliding direction, and the second cylindrical portion is opened in the state where the closing member is moved to the second position. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the ink cartridge is located closer to the opening side of the atmosphere communication portion.

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