KR20170063376A - Liquid storage container and printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The liquid storage container of the present invention comprises a liquid storage chamber, a support, and an oscillator configured to oscillate about the support. The oscillator has a float portion that moves on the one side in accordance with the liquid level of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber and a detected portion on the other side that is used to detect the amount of liquid in the liquid storage chamber, And connected to the supported portion. The lower end portion in the vertical direction of the connection portion connecting the arm portion and the supported portion is positioned lower than the upper end portion in the vertical direction of the rotation region of the supported portion.

Description

[0001] LIQUID STORAGE CONTAINER AND PRINTING APPARATUS [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a recording apparatus equipped with a liquid storage container having a liquid remaining amount detection mechanism and a liquid remaining amount detection mechanism of a liquid storage container.

An ink jet recording apparatus is known in which liquid is ejected onto a recording medium from a liquid ejection head to perform recording of images, characters, and the like on a recording medium. Such a recording apparatus usually includes a detachable liquid storage container or a liquid storage container capable of replenishing the liquid in a state of being mounted on the recording apparatus. From the viewpoint of user convenience, it is preferable that the user can grasp the liquid remaining amount in the liquid storage container in a state in which the liquid storage container is mounted on the recording apparatus. A liquid remaining amount detecting mechanism described in Japanese Patent No. 4595359 is proposed as a structure capable of grasping the remaining liquid amount in the liquid storage container.

The inventors of the present invention have studied the liquid storage container described in Japanese Patent No. 4595359, and the droplet exposed to the atmosphere tends to be adhered or fixed, and the liquid droplet tends to adhere to the rotating region of the shaft portion 11 (I.e., the area of the shaft hole 15). There is a possibility that the smooth movement of the oscillator 10 may be hindered when the droplet left unremoved in the rotation region is adhered or fixed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to make it possible to smoothly operate a pivotal member by suppressing sticking or sticking of a pivotal region in a pivotal member so that the recording apparatus can more reliably detect the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid storage container. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a liquid storage container showing a liquid remaining amount detection mechanism described in Japanese Patent No. 4595359. The liquid storage container (1) has an oscillator (10). As the liquid in the liquid storage container is consumed by the recording apparatus, the oscillator 10 is moved in the order of the detected portion 13, the arm portion 14, the shaft portion 11, and the float portion 12, 1). ≪ / RTI > At this time, the liquid remaining on the surface of the detection target portion 13 flows in the direction of arrow a along the arm portion 14 by gravity.

The liquid storage container of the present invention comprises: a liquid storage chamber configured to store liquid; A support provided in the liquid storage chamber; A float portion that moves in accordance with a height of the liquid level of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber on one side via a supported portion rotatably supported by the support portion while detecting the amount of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber on the other side Wherein the detection subject is connected to the not-supported portion via an arm portion, and the connection portion connecting the arm portion and the not-supported portion is provided with a connection portion The lower end portion in the vertical direction is positioned lower than the upper end portion in the vertical direction of the rotation region of the not-supported portion.

Additional features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to the accompanying drawings).

1 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid storage container in the prior art.
Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid containing container in the first embodiment. Fig.
3 is a perspective view of the liquid storage container after the assembly in the first embodiment.
4 is a functional block diagram of the remaining liquid amount detecting mechanism in the first embodiment.
5A to 5C are diagrams showing the details of the remaining liquid amount detecting mechanism in the first embodiment.
6 is an enlarged view showing a positional relationship in the vicinity of the rotation region in the first embodiment.
7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a liquid storage container in a modified example of the first embodiment.
8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid containing container in another modified example of the first embodiment.
9A to 9C are diagrams showing the details of the remaining liquid amount detecting mechanism in the second embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the constituent elements described in this embodiment are merely examples, and the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited thereto.

Before explaining the embodiments, a liquid remaining amount detecting mechanism of the prior art will be examined. 1, the liquid storage container 1 includes a liquid storage chamber 2 configured to store the liquid I, a detection chamber 3 communicating with the liquid storage chamber 2, And a swinging body 10 configured to swing in accordance with the remaining amount of the liquid I stored in the swinging body 1. The oscillator 10 is provided with a shaft portion 11, a float portion 12, a detection target portion 13 and an arm portion 14 connecting the shaft portion 11 to the detection target portion 13. The shaft portion 11 has a shaft hole 15 which is fitted to the outside of the shaft 7 extending from the liquid storage chamber 2. The swinging body 10 has the float portion 12 and the detected portion 13, Is installed in the liquid containing container (1) so as to swing in a seesaw shape about the shaft portion (11).

In the recording apparatus main body, an optical sensor is provided in which the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged so as to sandwich the inspecting chamber (3) from the outside of the liquid containing container (1). The reference character P indicates the detection position of the optical sensor. When the liquid remaining amount in the liquid storage container 1 is large, the float portion 12 rises in the liquid storage chamber 2 by the buoyancy force, (13) descends the detection target chamber (3). At this time, the detection target portion 13 is located on the lower side in the detection sensor chamber, and thus the light beam output from the optical sensor is shielded by the detection target portion 13. The recording apparatus notifies the user through the display or the like provided in the recording apparatus that the liquid remaining amount in the liquid storage container 1 is large, based on the light beam output from the optical sensor being in a light shielding state.

The pivotal body 10 is exposed to the atmospheric space A from the liquid I as the liquid level in the liquid storage container 1 decreases and the height of the liquid level decreases from the upper side in the vertical direction to the lower side in the vertical direction. The float portion 12 descends in the liquid storage chamber 2 due to gravity and conversely the detection target portion 13 ascends in the detection chamber 3. At this time, the detection target portion 13 is located on the upper side of the detection target chamber, and the light beam output from the optical sensor starts to pass through the detection target chamber 3. [ The recording apparatus notifies the user of the fact that the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid containing container (1) is reduced, based on the light ray output from the optical sensor being in the transmitting state, through the display or the like provided in the recording apparatus.

The liquid droplet remaining on the surface of the detection target portion 13 flows in the direction of arrow a along the arm portion 14 by gravity when the detection target portion 13 is located on the upper side of the detection target chamber 3. [ The liquid in contact with the atmosphere tends to be viscous or sticky, and therefore there is a possibility that adhesion or sticking of the rotating region of the shaft portion 11 (region of the shaft hole 15 provided with the support shaft 7) may be caused. There is a possibility that the smooth motion of the oscillator 10 may be hindered if the droplet left in the unremoved state is tackified or fixed. When the smooth movement of the oscillator 10 is hindered, the detection accuracy of the optical sensor is lowered, and the residual liquid amount in the liquid storage container can no longer be reliably detected.

[First Embodiment]

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid containing container 1 in the present embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the liquid containing container 1 after the assembly.

The liquid containing container 1 of the present embodiment includes a container casing 4 having a side face opened and a container lid 8 covering the side face opening of the container casing 4. For example, an ultrasonic welding method may be used to prevent the liquid stored in the liquid storage container 1 from leaking to assemble the container casing 4 and the container lid 8. However, It does not. The container casing 4 includes a liquid storage chamber 2 configured to store liquid, a liquid supply port 5 for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber 2 to the recording apparatus main body, (6) for introducing the atmosphere into the atmosphere. The liquid supply port 5 and the atmospheric air introduction port 6 are formed by a seal member to be described later in order to prevent leakage of the liquid stored in the liquid storage container 1 during transportation of the liquid storage container 1 It is sealed. The liquid supply pipe 17 (not schematically shown in Fig. 1) provided in the recording apparatus is provided in the liquid supply port 5, so that the liquid stored in the liquid storage container 1 is supplied to the recording apparatus main body 1. [ As shown in Fig. Likewise, since a pipe-shaped atmosphere introduction pipe (not schematically shown in FIG. 1) provided in the recording apparatus is provided in the air inlet 6, it is possible to introduce an outside atmosphere into the liquid containing container 1 It becomes.

The container casing 4 is provided with a liquid storage chamber 2 and an inspection chamber 3 communicating with the liquid storage chamber 2. The liquid storage chamber 2 and the detection chamber 3 are provided in the liquid storage container 1, And the liquid inside is arranged to be able to communicate with each other. The liquid storage chamber 2 is provided with a support shaft 7 serving as a support portion and the shaft portion 11 of the oscillator 10 to be supported is rotatably supported.

The oscillator 10 used for detecting the liquid level of the liquid storage container 1 fluctuates in accordance with the remaining amount of the liquid stored in the liquid storage container 1. [ The swinging body 10 of the present embodiment has the float portion 12 which moves on the one side in accordance with the height of the liquid level in the liquid storage chamber via the shaft portion 11 and the liquid amount in the liquid storage chamber on the other side And a detection target portion 13 used for detection. The oscillator 10 is supported so as to oscillate in a seesaw form within the liquid containing container 1 with the shaft portion 11 as a fulcrum and the detection subject portion 13 is supported by the shaft portion 11 .

In the present embodiment, a predetermined clearance is provided between the support shaft 7 and the shaft hole 15 in order to smoothly oscillate the oscillator 10. When the clearance is excessively large, the position of the oscillator 10 in the liquid container 1 is not stable, so that the detection precision of the optical sensor described later is lowered. Conversely, when the clearance is too small, frictional resistance occurs when the shaft 7 and the shaft hole 15 rotate, and the operation of the oscillator 10 in the liquid container 1 becomes unstable. Therefore, the clearance between the shaft 7 and the shaft hole 15 in this embodiment is preferably about 0.2 mm (0.1 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less).

As the material of the liquid container 1 and the oscillator 10 in this embodiment, a PP (polypropylene) resin is suitably used. Of course, the materials of the liquid container 1 and the oscillator 10 are not limited to the PP resin, but other resins or metals such as PE (polyethylene) resin may be used. The mechanism for oscillating the oscillator 10 is not limited to the structure in which the shaft 7 is provided in the container casing 4 and the shaft hole 15 is provided in the oscillator 10, May be provided so as to be swingable in the liquid storage container (1). For example, the support shaft 7 may be configured as a separate component from the container casing 4. [ Alternatively, a structure in which a bearing is provided in the container casing 4 and a support shaft is provided in the shaft portion 11 of the oscillator 10, respectively, may be acceptable.

4 is a functional block diagram of the remaining liquid amount detection mechanism in the present embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to Fig. 4, a method of detecting the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid containing container 1 will be described.

Fig. 4 is a front view of a part of the liquid container 1 when the surface in which the liquid supply pipe 17 is inserted into the liquid supply port 5 is viewed from the outside. Although four liquid storage containers 1 corresponding to four kinds of liquids (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) are shown in this embodiment, the kind of liquid and the number of liquid storage containers 1 corresponding thereto But is not limited to. The liquid supply pipe 17 communicates with the liquid discharge head 103 which is a recording head of the recording apparatus main body and is configured to be capable of supplying liquid from the liquid containing container 1. [ When the liquid discharge head 103 receives a control signal for forming an image from the control unit 101 of the recording apparatus main body, the liquid discharge head 103 discharges the liquid through the discharge port 103a and performs a recording operation for forming an image on the recording medium I do.

On the other hand, the recording apparatus has an optical sensor 100 disposed in the vicinity of the liquid storage container 1, and an electric signal from the optical sensor 100 is configured to be output to the control unit 101. [ In the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 100a and the light receiving unit 100b are arranged so as to sandwich the inspecting chamber 3 from the outside, and the light emitting unit 100a outputs light beams to the light receiving unit 100b . When the light receiving unit 100b receives light, the optical sensor 100 outputs to the control unit 101 a signal indicating that the detection chamber 3 of the liquid container 1 is in the transmitting state. On the other hand, when the light beam is shielded by the detection target section 13 and the light receiving unit 100b can not receive the light beam, the optical sensor 100 stops the signal output to the control unit 101. [

The liquid remaining amount detecting unit 102 detects the liquid remaining amount in the liquid containing container 1 based on the presence or absence of a signal received from the optical sensor 100. [ The liquid level in the liquid containing container 1 is lowered and the float portion 12 descends in the liquid storage chamber 2 in the same manner as the liquid remaining amount detecting mechanism of the prior art, 1). Subsequently, the light beam shielded by the detection target section 13 is started to be received by the light receiving unit 100b. Then, the optical sensor 100 outputs to the control unit 101 a signal indicating that the light shielding state has changed to the transmission state.

When it is determined that the signal from the optical sensor 100 is received, the liquid remaining amount detecting unit 102 detects that the liquid remaining amount in the liquid containing container 1 is reduced. In the present embodiment, when it is detected that the liquid remaining amount in the liquid containing container 1 is reduced, the control unit 101 displays a message urging the replacement of the liquid containing container 1 to the display provided in the recording apparatus as a new one do.

5A to 5C are diagrams showing the details of the remaining liquid amount detecting mechanism in the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the remaining liquid amount detecting mechanism of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 5A to 5C. Fig.

The recording apparatus main body is provided with an optical sensor 100 which is arranged so as to sandwich the inspecting chamber 3 between the light emitting unit 100a and the light receiving unit 100b from the outside of the liquid containing container 1 as shown in Fig. Is provided. The reference character P indicates the detection position of the optical sensor. The float portion 12 rises in the liquid I by the buoyant force and the detected portion (the center of the liquid) I provided on the opposite side of the float portion 12 with respect to the shaft portion 11 13) descend in the liquid (I). At this time, the detection target portion 13 is positioned below the detection target chamber 3, so that the light beam output from the optical sensor is shielded by the detection target portion 13. The recording apparatus can detect that the liquid remaining amount in the liquid containing container 1 is large, based on the fact that the light beam output from the optical sensor is in a light shielding state.

The amount of liquid remaining in the liquid storage container 1 is reduced and the height of the liquid level L is lowered so that the oscillator 10 is exposed to the atmospheric space A from the liquid I. The float portion 12 descends in the liquid due to gravity, and conversely, the detection target portion 13 ascends in the detection chamber 3. When the height of the liquid level L is lowered and most of the oscillator 10 is exposed to the atmospheric space A from the liquid I, the detection target portion 13 is positioned on the upper side of the detection target chamber 3 , So that the light beam output from the optical sensor starts to pass through the inspected chamber 3. The recording apparatus can detect that the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid containing container 1 is reduced based on the fact that the light beam output from the optical sensor is in a transmitting state.

As described above, the liquid storage container 1 is provided with a liquid supply port 5 for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber 2 to the recording apparatus main body, A sphere 6 is provided. The liquid supply port 5 and the atmospheric air introduction port 6 are provided in the liquid storage container 1 so as to prevent the liquid stored in the liquid storage container 1 from leaking during the transportation of the liquid storage container 1, As shown in Fig. The seal member 9 of the present embodiment is made of an elastic member such as rubber.

5A), the liquid supply pipe 17 provided in the recording apparatus main body passes through the seal member 9a of the liquid supply port 5, so that the liquid storage chamber 1 It becomes possible to supply the liquid in the recording apparatus 2 to the recording apparatus. Similarly, when the liquid containing container 1 is mounted on the recording apparatus, the atmospheric introduction port 18 provided in the recording apparatus main body passes through the seal member 9b of the atmospheric introduction port 6, It is possible to introduce the atmosphere into the combustion chamber 1.

Next, the operation of the oscillator 10, which is a main unit of the present embodiment, will be described in detail. 5A shows a sectional view of the liquid containing container 1 before the recording apparatus consumes the liquid. In the liquid (I) of the liquid containing container (1), the oscillator (10)

Buoyancy applied to the detected portion 13 < buoyancy applied to the float portion 12, and

Gravity applied to the float portion 12 <Buoyancy applied to the float portion 12

Is established. Due to the shape of the oscillator 10, when the oscillator 10 is immersed in the liquid I, a force for raising the float portion 12 is generated.

As described above, the detection target portion 13 and the float portion 12 rock in a seesaw shape with the shaft portion 11 as a fulcrum. Therefore, when the oscillator 10 is immersed in the liquid I, a force for lowering the detection target portion 13 is generated. The detection target portion 13 lowered to the lower side of the detection target chamber 3 shields the light beam output from the light emission unit 100a.

As the recording apparatus consumes the liquid I of the liquid containing container 1, the liquid is supplied to the recording apparatus via the liquid supply port 5, and the liquid containing container 1 Lt; / RTI &gt; The volume of the float portion 12 existing in the atmospheric space A gradually increases and the volume of the float portion 12 existing in the liquid I becomes larger than the volume of the float portion 12 Decrease gradually. The float portion 12 descends to the lower side of the liquid storage chamber 2 because the buoyancy applied to the float portion 12 gradually decreases with the descent of the liquid level L. [ When the float portion 12 moves to the lower side of the liquid storage chamber 2, the detection target portion 13 moves to the upper side of the detection target chamber 3.

Fig. 5B shows a cross-sectional view of the liquid containing container 1 in a state in which the float portion 12 is lowered. The broken line indicates the initial position of the oscillator 10 (Fig. 5A). As the liquid level L descends, the float portion 12 descends from the initial position, and conversely, the detected portion 13 rises from the initial position. 5B, the amount of movement of the detection target portion 13 is not sufficient, and the light beam of the optical sensor provided in the recording apparatus main body is still shielded by the detection target portion 13. That is, in the state of Fig. 5B, it is determined that the liquid remaining amount in the liquid containing container 1 is large.

5C shows a sectional view of the liquid containing container 1 in a state in which the position of the float portion 12 is also lowered. And broken lines indicate positions of the oscillator 10 in Figs. 5A and 5B, respectively. As the liquid level L further descends, the float portion 12 descends from the position of FIG. 5B, and conversely, the detected portion 13 ascends from the position of FIG. 5B. In the state of Fig. 5C, the light beam of the optical sensor provided in the recording apparatus main body is not shielded by the detection target portion 13. Fig. In other words, in the state of Fig. 5C, the liquid remaining amount in the liquid containing container 1 is determined to be small.

6 is an enlarged view showing the positional relationship of the pivotal body 10 in the vicinity of the pivotal area. 6, in the pivotal body 10 of the present embodiment, the lower end portion LE in the vertical direction of the connecting portion 16 between the shaft portion 11 and the arm portion 14 is supported by the supported portion 11 ) In the vertical direction than the upper end portion TE in the vertical direction. With this configuration, even when the liquid storage container 1 is left in a state where the liquid remaining amount is determined to be large (the state shown in Fig. 5B), the rotation of the shaft portion 11 (The region of the shaft hole 15 in which the support shaft 7 is provided) can be suppressed. That is, even when the droplet remaining on the surface of the oscillator 10 flows along the arm portion 14 in the direction of arrow a in Fig. 5B, the droplet tends to flow under the shaft portion 11, It is possible to suppress the adhesion or sticking of the rotating region in the substrate. As a result, the oscillator 10 can be smoothly operated, and the recording apparatus can reliably detect the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid containing container 1. [ It is preferable that the lower end portion LE in the vertical direction of the connection portion 16 is positioned lower than the center 11 'in the vertical direction of the rotation region of the supported portion in the vertical direction. It is also preferable that the center 16 'in the vertical direction of the connection portion 16 is positioned lower than the upper end portion TE in the vertical direction of the rotation region of the supported portion in the vertical direction. Further, it is preferable that the center 16 'in the vertical direction of the connection portion 16 is positioned below the center 11' in the vertical direction of the rotation region of the supported portion. The connection portion 16 is a portion connecting the arm portion 14 and the supported portion (shaft portion 11). When the arm portion is straight and the supported portion is circular, the connecting portion 16 is a portion where the straight line and the circle are in contact with each other. In this case, the lower end portion LE in the vertical direction of the connection portion 16 is a point where a straight line intersects a curve (a part of the circumference of the supported portion). The lower end portion LE in the vertical direction of the connecting portion 16 may be a point where the inclination changes on the way from the arm portion 14 to the supported portion.

5A to 5C and FIG. 6 show an example in which the connecting portion 16 between the shaft portion 11 and the arm portion 14 is positioned below the shaft hole 15 in the vertical direction. However, In the case where at least a part of the droplets can be guided to the lower side than the shaft hole 15, the connection portion 16 may be located at another position. Specifically, since the connecting portion 16 between the shaft portion 11 and the arm portion 14 is located at least downward in the vertical direction from the upper end portion of the shaft hole 15 as the rotating region, at least a part of the droplet remaining in the oscillator 10 Can be guided to the lower side of the shaft hole (15). Even in such a configuration, sticking or sticking of the rotating region in the shaft portion 11 can be suppressed. In the case of a structure in which a bearing is provided in the container casing 4 and a shaft is provided in the shaft portion 11 of the oscillator 10, the connection portion 16 between the shaft portion 11 and the arm portion 14, The effect similar to that of the above embodiment can be obtained.

7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid containing container 1 in the modified example of the present embodiment.

The configuration differing from the configuration in the above embodiment is not limited to the connection portion 16 between the shaft portion 11 and the arm portion 14 but also the connection portion 19 between the shaft portion 11 and the float portion 12, Is located lower than the rotation area of the rotating shaft 11 in the vertical direction. With this configuration, even when the droplet remaining on the surface of the float portion 12 flows in the direction toward the shaft portion 11 of the oscillator 10, the droplet tends to flow below the shaft hole 15, It is possible to suppress the adhesion or fixation of the rotating region of the substrate 11.

8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid containing container 1 in another modified example of the present embodiment.

As a modification of the above-described embodiment, the configuration as shown in Fig. 8 is also conceivable. 8 is an example in which the thickness of the arm portion is increased from the thickness of the arm portion of Fig. 8, for example, the center 16 'in the vertical direction of the connecting portion 16 between the shaft portion 11 and the arm portion 14 is the same as the center 16' in the vertical direction of the rotation region of the supported portion (shaft portion 11) And is located on the upper side in the vertical direction than the center. The lower end portion of the connecting portion 16 between the shaft portion 11 and the arm portion 14 in the vertical direction is positioned below the upper end portion in the vertical direction of the rotation region of the supported portion (shaft portion 11). Since the liquid easily flows through the lower end of the arm portion, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained in such a configuration.

[Second Embodiment]

9A to 9C are diagrams showing details of the remaining liquid amount detecting mechanism in the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the remaining liquid amount detecting mechanism of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 9A to 9C. Fig. In the description of the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

9A is a schematic sectional view of the liquid containing container 1 in a state before the liquid I is consumed by the recording apparatus. 9A, the detection target portion 13 of the present embodiment is connected to the shaft portion 11 via the arm portion 14 and likewise, the float portion 12 is connected to the shaft portion 11 via the arm portion 20, Lt; / RTI &gt; In the pivotal body 10 of the present embodiment, the shaft portion 11 of the oscillator 10 is located on the upper side of the upper end portion of the float portion 12 and the upper end portion of the detected portion 13 in the vertical direction, Connects the to-be-tested portion 13 and the float portion 12 from the shaft portion 11 in the vertical direction lower side.

9B shows a sectional view of the liquid containing container 1 in a state in which the liquid I is consumed by the recording apparatus and the height of the liquid surface is lowered. In the present embodiment, as the liquid level L descends, the oscillator 10 is exposed to the atmospheric space A in order from the uppermost shaft portion 11. With this configuration, the liquid remaining on the surface of the shaft portion 11 flows along the arm portions 14 and 20 in the direction of arrow a in Fig. 9B. As a result, droplets remaining on the surface of the shaft portion 11 can be quickly guided downward, and adhesion or sticking of the rotating region of the shaft portion 11 can be suppressed.

[Other Embodiments]

Although the embodiment in which the container casing 4 and the container lid 8 are assembled by ultrasonic welding has been described in the above embodiment, the liquid container 1 may be assembled by vibration welding, You can.

Alternatively, the liquid storage chamber 2 may be formed by thermally welding a film to the container casing 4 instead of the container lid 8. Alternatively, the container casing 4 may be formed in a frame shape, May be allowed to be blocked with a film. In this case, in order to prevent breakage of the film, it is preferable that a protective cover part is provided outside the container casing 4. [

In the above-described embodiment, the liquid supply pipe 17 is inserted into the seal member 9 composed of an elastic member such as rubber, so that liquid can be supplied from the liquid storage container 1 to the recording apparatus main body . However, in another embodiment, the liquid supply mechanism may be implemented by other configurations. For example, by pressing the valve to the sealing member 9 using an elastic material such as a spring, It is possible to allow the liquid to be supplied to the main body.

The embodiment (s) of the present invention may be implemented in a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored on a storage medium (also referred to as a &quot; non-transient computer-readable storage medium &quot;) for performing one or more of the above- (E.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for reading and executing computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) and / or performing one or more of the above- Readable and executable instructions from a computer of a system or apparatus including, for example, a computer-readable recording medium, and for executing, for example, one or more of the above-described embodiments (s) Or by controlling one or more circuits to perform one or more functions of the system or apparatus. The computer may include one or more processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a separate computer or separate processor network for reading and executing computer- can do. The computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or storage medium. The storage medium may be, for example, a hard disk, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), storage of a distributed computing system, an optical disk (e.g., , Or Blu-ray Disc (BD) ^TM ), a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

(Other Embodiments)

The present invention can be realized by supplying a program or a program for realizing one or more functions of the above embodiments to a system or an apparatus via a network or a storage medium, .

It may also be implemented by a circuit (for example, an ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

According to the liquid container of the present invention, it is possible to smoothly operate the oscillator by suppressing the sticking or sticking of the oscillating area of the oscillator. As a result, the recording apparatus can more reliably detect the remaining amount of the liquid in the liquid containing container.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims (12)

Liquid storage container,
A liquid storage chamber configured to store liquid,
A support provided in the liquid storage chamber,
A float portion that moves in accordance with a height of the liquid level of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber on one side via a supported portion rotatably supported by the support portion while detecting the amount of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber on the other side And a pivot member configured to swing about the support portion as a fulcrum,
The detection target portion is connected to the not-supported portion via the arm portion,
Wherein the lower end in the vertical direction of the connection portion connecting the arm portion and the not-supported portion is located lower than the upper end in the vertical direction of the rotation region of the to-be-supported portion. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the lower end in the vertical direction of the connecting portion connecting the float portion and the not-supported portion is located lower than the upper end in the vertical direction of the rotation region of the to-be-supported portion. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a detection chamber communicating with the liquid storage chamber,
Wherein the liquid storage chamber and the detection subject chamber are arranged so that the liquid in the liquid storage container can communicate with each other, and as the float portion moves in the liquid storage chamber, Storage container. The method of claim 3,
The detection target portion moves between a first position for shielding a light beam output from an optical sensor disposed outside the inspection object chamber and a second position for transmitting the light beam as the float portion moves in the liquid storage chamber Liquid storage container. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the support portion is a support shaft,
The supported portion is a shaft portion having a shaft hole provided in the support shaft,
And a lower end in a vertical direction of a connecting portion connecting the arm portion and the shaft portion is located below an upper end in the vertical direction of the shaft hole. The method according to claim 1,
The support portion is a bearing,
Wherein the supported portion is a shaft portion having a support shaft provided on the bearing,
And a lower end in a vertical direction of a connecting portion connecting the arm portion and the shaft portion is located below an upper end in the vertical direction of the bearing. The method according to claim 1,
And the lower end in the vertical direction of the connecting portion is positioned lower than the center in the vertical direction of the rotation region of the supported portion in the vertical direction. The method according to claim 1,
And the center of the connecting portion in the vertical direction is positioned lower than the upper end in the vertical direction of the rotation region of the supported portion in the vertical direction. The method according to claim 1,
And the center of the connecting portion in the vertical direction is located below the center in the vertical direction of the turning region of the supported portion in the vertical direction. Liquid storage container,
A liquid storage chamber configured to store liquid,
A support provided in the liquid storage chamber,
A float portion that moves along the liquid level of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber on one side via a supported portion rotatably supported by the support portion and a float portion that moves on the other side in order to detect the amount of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber And a swing body having a detection target portion to be used and configured to swing about the support portion as a fulcrum,
The detection target portion is connected to the not-supported portion via the first arm portion,
The float portion is connected to the not-supported portion via the second arm portion,
Wherein the lower end portion in the vertical direction of the supported portion is located on the upper side in the vertical direction of the detection target portion and on the upper side in the vertical direction than the upper end in the vertical direction of the float portion. A recording apparatus comprising:
A recording head for performing a recording operation by ejecting liquid,
As a liquid storage container,
A liquid storage chamber configured to store the liquid;
A support provided in the liquid storage chamber,
A float portion that moves along the liquid level of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber on one side via a supported portion rotatably supported by the support portion and a float portion that moves on the other side in order to detect the amount of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber And a swinging body having a detected portion to be used and configured to swing about the support portion as a fulcrum,
Wherein the liquid storage chamber is configured to store liquid supplied to the recording head,
The detection target portion is connected to the not-supported portion via the arm portion,
Wherein a lower end portion in a vertical direction of a connecting portion connecting the arm portion and the not-supported portion is positioned lower than a top end portion in a vertical direction of the rotation region of the to-be-supported portion,
And a control unit configured to control a recording operation of the recording head. 12. The method of claim 11,
And a lower end portion in the vertical direction of the connecting portion connecting the float portion and the supported portion is positioned lower than the upper end in the vertical direction of the rotation region of the supported portion.

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