JP6562708B2 - Liquid storage container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid storage container that stores a liquid.

  A liquid storage container (for example, an ink tank) is used in a recording apparatus typified by an ink jet printer. In such a recording apparatus, the liquid stored in the liquid storage container is supplied to the liquid discharge head, and the liquid or the liquid is discharged from the liquid discharge head onto the recording medium, thereby recording an image or a character.

  In general, the liquid storage container is configured to be detachable from the liquid storage container mounting portion of the recording apparatus in order to facilitate replacement at the time of liquid consumption. The liquid storage container is provided with a supply port plugged with a rubber plug or the like, and the liquid storage container mounting portion is provided with a hollow needle or the like at a connection portion with the liquid storage container. By connecting a hollow needle or the like to the supply port of such a liquid storage container, the liquid is supplied from the liquid storage container to the recording apparatus.

  In recent years, a large amount of liquid is stored directly in a housing such as blow molding in order to reduce the frequency of replacement of the liquid storage container for a large recording apparatus that has a high printing duty and consumes a large amount of liquid. There is a need for a liquid container. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration of a liquid storage container mounting portion for mounting such a liquid storage container and a method for mounting a liquid storage container. That is, the supply port of the liquid storage container is provided on the front surface (attachment surface) in the insertion direction with respect to the liquid storage container mounting portion, the direction in which the liquid storage container is mounted on the liquid storage container mounting portion, and the supply port of the liquid storage container The connection direction of the recording apparatus with the liquid supply path is the same direction. In such a connection between the liquid storage container mounting portion and the liquid storage container, positioning of the liquid storage container to the liquid storage container mounting portion and insertion of a hollow needle or the like into the supply port are performed in one operation.

  As described in Patent Document 1, some liquid storage containers are inserted in a horizontal direction with respect to the liquid storage container mounting portion. In the liquid storage container, the bottom surface of the liquid storage part storing the liquid may be inclined downward in the direction of gravity toward the supply port in order to improve the use up of the liquid in the liquid storage container. In such a case, from the viewpoint of using up the liquid, even if the recording apparatus main body is inclined due to the inclination of the installation surface of the recording apparatus, the bottom surface of the liquid storage portion of the mounted liquid storage container is gravity directed toward the supply port. It is preferable to incline downward in the direction. That is, it is preferable that the bottom surface of the liquid storage unit has an inclination (guaranteed angle) that takes into account the maximum inclination of the recording apparatus.

  On the other hand, the posture of the liquid storage container may become unstable due to the inclination of the bottom surface of the liquid storage unit. As a result, the mounting accuracy at the time of mounting the liquid storage container on the recording apparatus is lowered. In order to stabilize the posture, as described in Patent Document 2, a method of providing a protrusion below the liquid storage container is conceivable.

JP2011-224959A JP 2000-177145 A

  However, in the method described in Patent Document 2, when the guaranteed angle of inclination of the installation surface of the recording apparatus is increased, the inclination of the bottom surface of the liquid storage container is also increased. Accordingly, the protrusion on the bottom surface of the liquid storage container also becomes larger accordingly, so that the moldability of the liquid storage container is lowered, and damage due to dropping is considered. If the shape of the liquid container is changed, it may be difficult to mount the liquid container on the recording apparatus with high accuracy.

  Further, not only when the protrusion is provided on the bottom surface of the liquid storage container, when the liquid storage container is mounted on the recording apparatus, the liquid storage container is not stable and may not be mounted with high accuracy. For example, when the liquid storage container is small, alignment with the recording apparatus becomes difficult, and if the recording apparatus side is large and there is a margin in the portion where the liquid storage container is mounted, the liquid storage container may move within the recording apparatus. .

  Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid storage container that can be mounted on a recording apparatus with high accuracy.

The present invention relates to a liquid storage container for storing a liquid, a mounting surface facing forward when mounted on a recording apparatus, and a surface positioned below in the gravity direction when mounting the liquid storage container on the recording apparatus The mounting surface has a positioning portion for abutting a positioning member of the recording apparatus to determine the position of the liquid storage container, and a supply for supplying the liquid to the recording apparatus And the bottom surface includes a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface located between the first surface and the second surface, the liquid storage When the container is mounted on the recording apparatus, the first surface and the second surface are surfaces that are in contact with and supported by the support member of the recording apparatus, and the third surface Is a surface located below the first surface and the second surface in the direction of gravity, and the first surface And the second surface is between a first horizontal plane that is a horizontal plane passing through the center of the positioning portion on the mounting surface and a second horizontal plane that is a horizontal plane passing through the center of the supply port on the mounting surface. It is a liquid container characterized by being located.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a liquid container that can be mounted on a recording apparatus with high accuracy.

The figure which shows the recording device with which the liquid storage container was mounted | worn. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a liquid storage container mounting portion of the recording apparatus. The figure which shows a liquid storage container. The figure which shows a mode that a liquid storage container is mounted | worn in a liquid storage container mounting part. The figure which shows a liquid storage container and a liquid storage container mounting part. The figure which shows a mode that a liquid storage container is mounted | worn in a liquid storage container mounting part.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a recording apparatus equipped with a liquid storage container. The recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the liquid storage container mounting portion and the liquid discharge head of the recording apparatus. The recording apparatus 1 is provided with a liquid storage container 9. A supply pipe 4 of the recording apparatus 1 is inserted into the liquid storage container 9. A joint member (not shown), a seal rubber, and the like are attached to the insertion portion so that the liquid does not leak from the liquid storage container 9. The supply pipe 4 includes a liquid outlet 2 for leading out the liquid in the liquid storage container, and an air inlet 3 for taking air into the liquid storage container from the path 7. The liquid led out via the supply pipe 4 is supplied to the liquid discharge head 5 side through the path 6.

  In the liquid storage container, the air inlet 3 of the supply pipe 4 is opened upward in the gravity direction, and the liquid outlet 2 is opened downward in the gravity direction. A path 7 communicating with the air inlet 3 at the base of the supply pipe 4 is open to the atmosphere at the end opposite to the supply pipe 4. Thereby, when liquid is sucked from the liquid outlet port 2, air enters from the air inlet port 3. The air that has entered the liquid storage container escapes upward in the liquid storage container. By opening the liquid outlet 2 downward in the direction of gravity in the liquid storage container, the liquid in the liquid storage container can be efficiently discharged. In addition, although the supply pipe 4 shown here is integrally provided with two flow paths of the liquid outlet 2 and the air inlet 3, the two flow paths may be separate. A diaphragm 8 is provided at the end of the path 6, and a liquid discharge head 5 for discharging a liquid is provided at the end. The liquid discharge head 5 has energy generation elements and discharge ports, and performs recording by discharging liquid from the discharge ports by the energy generated by the energy generation elements and landing on a recording medium such as paper.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the liquid storage container mounting portion of the recording apparatus. The liquid storage container mounting unit 10 includes the supply pipe 4 described above, a positioning member 11 (not shown in FIG. 1), a support member 12, and a ceiling member 13.

  In this specification, as shown in FIG. 2, the mounting direction (here, the horizontal direction) of the liquid storage container 9 to the liquid storage container mounting portion 10 is the X direction, and the direction perpendicular to the mounting direction in the horizontal plane is the Y direction. The normal direction of the horizontal plane, that is, the direction of gravity is defined as the Z direction.

  A liquid storage container is mounted on the liquid storage container mounting portion 10. A member for positioning the liquid container at the time of mounting is the positioning member 11, and the positioning member 11 has a shape and a position corresponding to the positioning portion 22. The supply pipe 4 has a shape and a position corresponding to the supply port 23. The support member 12 serves as a guide rail when the liquid storage container is mounted. The ceiling member 13 is located above the liquid storage container in the gravity direction, and regulates the posture of the liquid storage container above the gravity direction.

  The positioning member 11 is a member for finally positioning the liquid storage container mounting portion 10 and the liquid storage container. Considering the engagement with the liquid storage container, the tip of the positioning member 11 is preferably tapered. The positioning member 11 can smoothly mount the liquid storage container, and as a result, damage to the positioning member 11, the supply pipe 4, the liquid storage container, and the like can be suppressed. In addition, since the relative positional relationship between the supply pipe 4 and the supply port of the liquid storage container becomes more accurate, the liquid from the engagement portion of the supply pipe 4 and the supply port of the liquid storage container is used during the use of the liquid storage container. Can be prevented from leaking.

  In FIG. 2, the supply port 23 is located between the two positioning members 11 in the horizontal direction. More specifically, at least in the liquid storage container, the vertical line extending from the supply port 23 is located between the vertical lines extending from the two positioning members 11 in the horizontal direction. In this way, not only the movement of the liquid storage container (and the supply port 23) in the Y direction and the Z direction can be restricted, but also the rotation around the axis in the X direction can be restricted. However, the number of positioning members 11 is not necessarily two, and a plurality of positioning members 11 may be provided. Or, when there is not much restriction on rotation, one may be used. When there are a plurality of positioning members, the supply port 23 is preferably located between the plurality of positioning members. In addition, examples of the shape of the positioning member 11 include a cylinder, an elliptic cylinder, and a prism.

  Two support members 12 are provided so as to face each other. The two support members 12 are preferably arranged symmetrically. Moreover, it is preferable that the upper surfaces of the two support members 12 are horizontal, and the support members 12 extend in the X direction. The support member 12 performs positioning until the liquid storage container is engaged with the positioning member 11 in addition to stabilizing the posture of the liquid storage container when the liquid storage container is mounted on the liquid storage container mounting portion 10 of the recording apparatus. It plays a role.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the liquid storage container. FIG. 3A is an exploded view of the liquid storage container 9. The liquid storage container 9 includes a liquid storage unit 20 that stores liquid, a joint member 21 that has a portion that engages with the liquid storage container mounting unit 10 of the recording apparatus, and a cover member 24 that protects the joint member 21. The cover member 24 covers a part of the mounting surface. The liquid storage unit 20 is a hollow casing. The liquid storage unit 20 and the joint member 21 are fixed so as to be integrated by ultrasonic welding, hot plate welding, or the like. The joint member 21 has a positioning portion 22 and a supply port 23 and can be regarded as a part of the mounting surface of the liquid storage container.

  FIG. 3B shows a state in which the liquid storage container of FIG. 3A is assembled, and FIG. 3C shows a view of the liquid storage container shown in FIG. The positioning portion 22 and the supply port 23 are holes opened in the mounting surface of the liquid storage container 9. The mounting surface of the liquid storage container is a surface (surface facing the recording device) that becomes the recording device side when the liquid storage container is mounted on the recording device among the surfaces constituting the liquid storage container. A part of this mounting surface is covered with a cover member 24. The supply port 23 is a hole for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid storage unit 20 of the liquid storage container 9 to the liquid discharge head. Of the surfaces constituting the liquid storage container, the surface positioned below the gravitational direction when the liquid storage container is mounted on the recording apparatus is the bottom surface. As shown in FIG. 3C, the bottom surface of the liquid storage container 9 is a first surface 25, a second surface 26, and a first surface located between the first surface 25 and the second surface 26. And three surfaces 27. Here, the bottom surface of the liquid storage container 9 is composed of three surfaces including a first surface 25, a second surface 26, and a third surface 27.

  From the viewpoint of using up the liquid, the supply port 23 is disposed below the mounting surface in the direction of gravity, and two positioning portions 22 are disposed on both sides of the supply port 23. The first surface 25 and the second surface 26 are preferably a pair of planes parallel to the X direction and the Y direction. The first surface 25 and the second surface 26 are preferably surfaces having the same height in the Z direction (gravity direction). The third surface 27 is located between the first surface 25 and the second surface 26. From the viewpoint of using up the liquid, the third surface 27 is preferably inclined downward in the direction of gravity toward the supply port 23 of the mounting surface.

  The entrance on the mounting surface side of the positioning portion 22 is preferably tapered so that the positioning member 11 can be led into the center of the positioning portion 22. Here, the supply port 23 is located between the two positioning portions 22, but in this way, not only is the movement of the plane in the Y direction and the Z direction restricted with respect to the liquid storage container 9. , Rotation around the axis in the X direction can also be restricted. However, like the positioning member 11, the number of positioning portions 22 is not necessarily two, and a plurality of positioning portions 22 may be provided. Alternatively, if there is not much need to regulate rotation, one may be used. In addition, examples of the shape of the positioning portion 22 include a round hole, an elliptical hole, and a square hole.

  The positioning member 11 and the positioning portion 22 need only be in a relationship of contacting each other and determining the position. That is, for example, the positioning member 11 may be a round hole and the positioning portion 22 may be a cylinder.

  The first surface 25 and the second surface 26 are surfaces that are located above the third surface 27 in the gravitational direction, and are surfaces that contact the upper surface of the support member 12. Therefore, it plays the role of positioning for performing positioning by the positioning member 11 and the positioning portion 22 more smoothly. From this point, it is preferable that the upper surface of the support member 12 and the first surface 25 and the third surface 26 have shapes that match each other. Further, these surfaces are preferably surfaces parallel to the mounting direction of the liquid storage container.

  4 and 5 show how the liquid storage container 9 is mounted on the liquid storage container mounting portion 10. When the liquid storage container 9 is mounted on the liquid storage container mounting portion 10 of the recording apparatus, the first surface 25 and the second surface 26 are above the third surface 27 in the gravity direction. The third surface 27 is sandwiched between the two support members 12. As the mounting amount (insertion amount) of the liquid storage container 9 increases, the fitting amount of the third surface 27 between the two support members 12 also increases, thereby increasing the restriction amount for rotation in the XY plane. . For this reason, the positioning member 11 and the positioning portion 22 can be smoothly engaged.

  In particular, when a casing container formed by blow molding is used for the liquid storage portion 20 of the liquid storage container 9, the manufacturing variation is large compared to a casing container manufactured by injection molding. In particular, a surface having a larger area among the surfaces of the housing is greatly bulged due to stress strain after molding, and the dimensional accuracy is likely to decrease. In such a container, the present invention exhibits a more remarkable effect.

  In addition, the smaller the area of the bottom surface of the liquid storage unit 20, the easier the dimensional accuracy is. This is because the closer to the ridgeline and the corner, the easier it is to obtain accuracy (for example, smoothness), and it is possible to make many parts of the surface close to the ridgeline by reducing the area of the surface itself. The bottom surface of the liquid storage unit 20 of the present invention has a first surface 25, a second surface 26, and a third surface 27. The first surface 25 and the second surface 26 are surfaces that come into contact with the support member 12, and by increasing the accuracy of these surfaces, the clearance between the liquid storage container 9 and the liquid storage container mounting portion 10 is also reduced. This is preferable because operability is improved. From this point, it is preferable that the area of at least one of the first surface 25 and the second surface 26 is smaller than the area of the third surface 27. The areas of the first surface 25 and the second surface 26 are preferably smaller than the area of the third surface 27. If the areas of the first surface and the second surface are too large, as described above, the accuracy of the surface is lowered. On the other hand, if the areas of the first surface and the second surface are too small, the support member 12 The contact property with is reduced. Considering these, the areas of the first surface 25 and the second surface 26 are each preferably 5% or more and more preferably 10% or more with respect to the area of the third surface 27. preferable. In addition, the areas of the first surface 25 and the second surface 26 are each preferably 50% or less, and more preferably 30% or less, with respect to the area of the third surface 27.

  As described above, when the first surface 25 and the second surface 26 of the liquid storage container 9 are in contact with the upper surfaces of the two support members 12, rotation about the axes in the Z direction and the X direction is restricted. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the rotation of the third surface 27 between the two support members 12 is restricted around the Y-direction and Z-axis axes.

  Next, restrictions on rotation around the axis in the Y direction will be described. It is necessary to provide a clearance between the liquid storage container 9 and the liquid storage container mounting portion 10 in order to cope with dimensional variations due to manufacturing and dimensional changes due to storage. As described above, since the bottom surface of the liquid storage portion is constituted by the first surface 25, the second surface 26, and the third surface 27, the size of the bottom surface is relatively stable due to the effect of the ridgeline and the corner portion. To do. On the other hand, the dimensional change is large on both side surfaces and the upper surface of the liquid storage unit 20. Further, in the case of the liquid storage container 9 having the liquid storage portion 20 manufactured by blow molding, the variation in molding dimensions becomes large, so that the clearance needs to be further increased.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), when the rear surface which is the surface opposite to the mounting surface of the liquid storage container 9 is pushed in and mounted, the positioning member 11, the positioning portion 22, the supply pipe 4 and the supply port Even immediately before 23 is engaged, there is an influence of the clearance between the upper surface of the liquid storage container 9 and the ceiling member 13. That is, when the ridge line on the mounting surface side of the liquid storage container 9 between the first surface 25 and the second surface 26 rotates about the axis (point A), the positioning portion 22 and the supply port 23 swing in the Z direction. There is. As a result, the positional relationship between the positioning member 11 and the positioning portion 22, as well as the supply pipe 4 and the supply port 23 in the Z direction (gravity direction, vertical direction) is shifted. This deviation increases as the distance from the center of rotation increases. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the first surface 25 and the second surface 26 include a first horizontal plane 29 that is a horizontal plane passing through the center of the positioning portion 22 on the mounting surface 28, and a supply port 23 on the mounting surface 28. It is located between the second horizontal plane 30 which is a horizontal plane passing through the center. Thereby, the movement of the positioning portion 22 and the supply port 23 in the Z direction due to the rotation around the point A shown in FIG. 6B can be suppressed. On the other hand, for example, when the first surface 25 and the second surface 26 are located above the first horizontal plane 29 and the second horizontal plane 30, the displacement in the Z direction of the positioning portion 22 that is particularly far from the point A increases. . On the other hand, when the first surface 25 and the second surface 26 are below the first horizontal plane 29 and the second horizontal plane 30, the Z-direction shift of the supply port 23 that is particularly far from the point A becomes large. Moreover, since the effect of reducing the movement of the positioning portion 22 and the supply port 23 in the Z direction can be obtained when the point A is the center of rotation, the ceiling member 13 can be used to prevent liquid other than the point A from being the center of rotation. The posture of the storage container 9 is regulated.

  The relationship between the first surface 25 and the second surface 26 and the first horizontal surface 29 and the second horizontal surface 30 will be described in further detail. As described above, the first surface 25 and the second surface 26 are located between the first horizontal plane 29 and the second horizontal plane 30. It is preferable that the 1st surface 25 and the 2nd surface 26 are located in the position close | similar to the 1st horizontal surface 29 in the gravity direction among the 1st horizontal surfaces 29 and the 2nd horizontal surfaces 30. FIG. The first horizontal plane 29 is a horizontal plane that passes through the center of the positioning portion 22, and the first surface 25 and the second surface 26 that are in contact with the support member are close to this surface, so that the positioning accuracy is further improved. . In particular, when the liquid storage container is attached to the recording apparatus, when the two first come into contact with each other at the positioning portion, the first horizontal plane 29 and the second horizontal plane 30 are arranged at positions close to the positioning portion, thereby positioning accuracy. Can be high. Regarding the direction of gravity, the length from the first horizontal plane 29 to the first surface 25 is “a”, and the length from the second horizontal plane 30 to the first surface 25 is “b”. At this time, the first surface 25 is located near the first horizontal plane 29 in the direction of gravity among the first horizontal plane 29 and the second horizontal plane 30. "Means satisfying. More preferably, “a <b * 4/5”, and further preferably “a <b * 3/5”. However, the first surface 25 is preferably at a position that is not too far from the second horizontal plane 30. In this respect, “b * 1/4 <a” is preferable, and “b * 1/2 <a” is further preferable.

  The position of the second horizontal plane 30 can also be considered in the same manner as the position of the first horizontal plane 29 described above.

  As described above, the shift in the Z direction due to the rotation around the point A increases as the distance from the point A increases. In the example shown here, a cover member 24 is provided to protect functional parts such as the positioning part 22 and the supply port 23. However, when protection of the functional part is not necessary, that is, when the cover member 24 is not necessary, the first surface 25 and the second surface 26 are extended to the mounting surface 28 of the liquid storage container 9, and the point A is positioned at the positioning portion. 22 or the supply port 23 is preferable.

  Further, it is preferable that the positioning portion 22 is on the inner side (center side of the liquid storage container) on the mounting surface than the contact portion with the upper surface of the support member of the liquid storage container. . However, if it is too much inside, the positioning accuracy due to the fitting between the positioning member 11 and the positioning portion 22 is lowered. For this reason, the position of the positioning portion 22 on the mounting surface is “c / from the center of the liquid storage container when the distance from the center of the liquid storage container to the end of the liquid storage container is“ c ”in the horizontal direction. The position is preferably 4 "or more.

Claims (19)

A liquid storage container for storing a liquid,
A mounting surface facing forward when mounted on the recording device, and a bottom surface which is a surface located below the gravitational direction when mounting the liquid storage container on the recording device,
The mounting surface has a positioning portion for determining a position of the liquid storage container by contacting a positioning member of the recording apparatus, and a supply port for supplying the liquid to the recording apparatus,
The bottom surface includes a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface located between the first surface and the second surface,
When the liquid container is attached to the recording apparatus, the first surface and the second surface are surfaces that are in contact with and supported by the support member of the recording apparatus, and third face is a surface located on the gravity direction lower than the first surface and the second surface, said first surface and said second surface, the center of the positioning portion in said mounting surface The liquid storage container is located between a first horizontal plane that passes through the center of the supply port and a second horizontal plane that passes through the center of the supply port on the mounting surface. The third face, the liquid container according to claim 1, toward the mounting surface are inclined in the direction of gravity downward.   The liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the positioning portions are provided. The liquid supply container according to claim 3, wherein the supply port is located between the plurality of positioning portions in a horizontal direction when the liquid storage container is mounted on the recording apparatus . Wherein at least one of the area of the first surface and the second surface, the liquid container according to any one of the third small claim than the area of the surface 1 to 4. The area of the first surface and the second surface, the liquid container according to any one of the third small claim than the area of the surface 1 to 5. The liquid storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein areas of the first surface and the second surface are 5% or more with respect to an area of the third surface, respectively. The liquid storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein areas of the first surface and the second surface are 10% or more with respect to an area of the third surface, respectively. The area of the first surface and the second surface, respectively, the third of the area of the surface, the liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is 50% or less. The area of the first surface and the second surface, respectively, the third of the area of the surface, the liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is 30% or less. Regarding the direction of gravity, when the length from the first horizontal plane to the first surface is “a” and the length from the second horizontal plane to the first surface is “b”, “a” <a container according to any one of claims 1 to 10 and b '. The liquid container according to claim 11 , wherein the “a” and the “b” satisfy “a <b * 4/5”. The liquid container according to claim 11 or 12 , wherein the "a" and the "b" satisfy "b * 1/4 <a". The liquid container according to claim 11 or 12 , wherein the "a" and the "b" satisfy "b * 1/2 <a". As for the position of the positioning portion on the mounting surface, the distance from the center of the liquid storage container to the end of the liquid storage container in the horizontal direction when mounting the liquid storage container to the recording apparatus is “c”. The liquid storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 14 , wherein the liquid storage container is at a position separated from the center of the liquid storage container by "c / 4" or more. The liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 15 , further comprising a cover member that covers a part of the mounting surface. The liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 16 , wherein the first surface and the second surface are surfaces having the same height in the direction of gravity. A liquid storage container mounting portion for mounting the liquid storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 17 , and the support member, wherein the positioning corresponding to the positioning portion is provided in the liquid storage container mounting portion. A recording apparatus comprising: a member; and a supply pipe corresponding to the supply port. The recording apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the liquid storage container mounting portion includes a ceiling member positioned above the liquid storage container in the gravity direction.

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