WO2024088362A1

WO2024088362A1 - Ink cartridge and ink cartridge component

Info

Publication number: WO2024088362A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/126949
Authority: WO
Inventors: 赵升魁; 林东明
Original assignee: 珠海益之印科技有限公司
Priority date: 2022-10-26
Filing date: 2023-10-26
Publication date: 2024-05-02

Abstract

An ink cartridge (10) detachably mounted in an imaging device provided with a frame. The ink cartridge comprises a housing (101) forming an ink cavity (101i), an ink outlet portion (102) protruding from the lower side wall of the housing, an air inlet (101i4) formed on the housing, and an operating means (17) mounted on the housing; the ink outlet portion faces a bottom plate (22) of the frame and is used for discharging an ink outward; the air inlet is communicated with the atmosphere; the operating means comprises a locking assembly (17c) and an unlocking assembly; the locking assembly is used for locking the ink cartridge in an ink cartridge accommodating portion of the frame; the unlocking assembly comprises a force receiving member (17a), a force transmission member (17b), and an unlocking member (17g); the force receiving member is used for receiving external force; the force transmission member is used for transmitting the force to the unlocking member; under the action of the external force, at least one of the force receiving member, the force transmission member, and the unlocking member moves in a z direction, and meanwhile, the unlocking member forces the locking assembly to move in an x direction to unlock the ink cartridge. The ink cartridge can improve user experience.

Description

Ink cartridge and ink cartridge components

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of inkjet imaging, and in particular to an ink cartridge detachably mounted on an inkjet imaging device and an ink cartridge component having the ink cartridge.

Background technique

An ink cartridge is a container that can supply ink to an inkjet imaging device (hereinafter referred to as an "imaging device"). During the installation of the ink cartridge toward the imaging device, the ink outlet portion of the ink cartridge needs to be accurately combined with the ink receiving portion of the imaging device, so that the ink in the ink cartridge is supplied to the imaging device through the ink outlet portion and the ink receiving portion.

There is an existing ink cartridge with coupling parts respectively arranged on both sides (first side and second side) of the length direction thereof, the coupling parts are used to combine with the imaging device so that the ink cartridge is positioned in the imaging device, and the ink outlet portion is arranged near one side (first side) of the length direction. When the ink cartridge is installed, it can rotate around a rotation point close to the second side, so that the coupling part arranged on the second side is combined with the imaging device, and at the same time, the ink outlet portion is combined with the ink receiving portion. Obviously, during the rotation process of the ink cartridge, the shorter the stroke of the ink outlet portion, the more conducive it is to prevent the ink cartridge from swinging, and the ink outlet portion can be more accurately combined with the ink receiving portion. At the same time, the coupling part arranged on the second side can also be combined with the imaging device faster. How to improve the user experience and improve the design freedom of each component in the ink cartridge are also issues that need to be considered.

Summary of the invention

To this end, the present invention provides an ink cartridge adopting the following technical solution to solve at least one of the above technical problems.

An ink cartridge is detachably mounted in an imaging device provided with a frame, wherein the frame comprises a bottom plate provided with a through hole, a side plate arranged around the bottom plate, and a limiting member movably mounted on one of the side plates, wherein the limiting member comprises two limiting plates arranged opposite to each other in the y direction; the ink cartridge comprises a shell forming an ink cavity, an ink outlet protruding from the lower side wall of the shell, an air inlet arranged on the shell, and an operating device installed on the shell, wherein the ink outlet faces the bottom plate and is used to discharge the ink outward, and the air inlet is connected to the atmosphere; wherein the height direction of the ink cartridge is the z direction, the lower side wall faces the -z direction of the ink cartridge, and is opposite to the -z direction The opposite direction is the +z direction, the length direction of the ink cartridge is the x direction, the width direction of the ink cartridge is the y direction, and the x direction, y direction and z direction intersect; the operating device includes a locking assembly and an unlocking assembly, the locking assembly is used to lock the ink cartridge in the ink cartridge accommodating portion, the unlocking assembly includes a force-bearing member, a force transmission member and an unlocking member, the force-bearing member is used to receive an external force, and the force transmission member is used to transmit the force to the unlocking member, under the action of the external force, at least one of the force-bearing member, the force transmission member and the unlocking member moves in the z direction, and at the same time, the unlocking member forces the locking assembly to move along the x direction to release the lock on the ink cartridge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an ink cartridge assembly according to the present invention and an ink cartridge accommodating portion of an imaging device are separated from each other.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a first limiting member in an ink cartridge accommodating portion according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the ink cartridge accommodating portion as viewed along the -z direction.

3A and 3B are three-dimensional views of an ink cartridge having an operating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a disassembled perspective view of the operating device and the ink cartridge housing according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a three-dimensional view of the ink cartridge housing according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5B is a three-dimensional diagram of the unlocking assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

5C is a side view of the ink cartridge having the operating device according to the first embodiment of the present invention after being installed in an imaging device and cut along the AA direction in FIG. 3A and observed from the +x direction to the -x direction.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge having an operating device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view taken along the BB direction in FIG. 6 after the ink cartridge having the operating device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is installed in the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional view taken along the CC direction in FIG. 6 after the ink cartridge having the operating device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is installed in the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a partially exploded perspective view of an ink cartridge having an operating device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a three-dimensional view of an ink cartridge having an operating device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

11A and 11B are three-dimensional views of the ink cartridge components involved in the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 12 is a partial exploded schematic diagram of the ink cartridge assembly involved in Example 4 of the present invention.

Figure 13 is a three-dimensional view of the protective member in the ink cartridge component involved in Example 4 of the present invention.

Figure 14 is a plan view of the ink cartridge component according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention observed along the -x direction after the protective member is hidden.

[Corrected 20.11.2023 in accordance with Rule 91]
15A and 15B are three-dimensional views of an operating device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 16 is a three-dimensional view of the ink cartridge after the protective member is hidden in the ink cartridge component involved in Example 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a three-dimensional view cut along the direction indicated by EE in FIG. 11A .

FIG. 18 is a three-dimensional view cut along the direction indicated by FF in FIG. 11A .

Figure 19 is a three-dimensional view of the interior of the ink chamber of the ink cartridge component involved in Example 4 of the present invention.

Figure 20 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge component involved in Example 5 of the present invention after being cut along the direction shown by EE in Figure 11A.

Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the partial decomposition of the ink cartridge components involved in Example 6 of the present invention.

Figure 22 is a three-dimensional view of the protective part in the ink cartridge component involved in Example 6 of the present invention.

Figure 23A is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge component involved in Example 6 of the present invention after being cut along the direction shown by FF in Figure 11A.

Figure 23B is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge component involved in Example 6 of the present invention after the ink cartridge is installed in the ink cartridge accommodating portion, taken along the direction shown by FF in Figure 11A.

Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of the partial decomposition of the ink cartridge in the ink cartridge assembly involved in Example 7 of the present invention.

Figure 25A is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge component involved in Example 7 of the present invention after being cut along the direction shown by FF in Figure 11A.

Figure 25B is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge component involved in Example 7 of the present invention after the ink cartridge is installed in the ink cartridge accommodating portion, taken along the direction shown by FF in Figure 11A.

Figure 26 is a schematic diagram of the partial component decomposition of the ink cartridge involved in Example 8 of the present invention.

Figure 27 is a side view of the ink cartridge involved in Example 8 of the present invention observed along the y direction.

Figure 28A is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge component involved in Example 8 of the present invention after being cut along the direction shown by FF in Figure 11A.

Figure 28B is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge component involved in Example 8 of the present invention after the ink cartridge is installed in the ink cartridge accommodating portion, taken along the direction shown by FF in Figure 11A.

Figure 29 is a three-dimensional view of the ink cartridge involved in Example 9 of the present invention.

Figure 30 is a side view of the ink cartridge involved in Example 9 of the present invention observed along the y direction.

Figure 31A is a schematic diagram of the ink cartridge involved in Example 9 of the present invention when installed toward the ink cartridge accommodating portion when observed along the y direction.

Figure 31B is a schematic diagram of the ink cartridge provided with the conventional guided protrusion when being installed toward the ink cartridge accommodating portion, observed along the y direction.

Figure 32 is a schematic diagram of the partial decomposition of the ink cartridge involved in Example 10 of the present invention.

Figure 33 is a three-dimensional view of the assembly parts in the ink cartridge involved in Example 10 of the present invention.

Figure 34 is a three-dimensional view of the ink cartridge involved in embodiment 10 of the present invention before being installed, cut along the direction shown by FF in Figure 11A.

35A is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention after being locked to the imaging device, taken along the direction indicated by FF in FIG. 11A .

Figure 35B is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge involved in Example 10 of the present invention after being unlocked, taken along the direction indicated by FF in Figure 11A.

Figure 36 is a schematic diagram of the partial decomposition of the ink cartridge involved in Example 11 of the present invention.

Figure 37 is a three-dimensional view of the assembly parts in the ink cartridge involved in Example 11 of the present invention.

Figure 38 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge involved in Example 11 of the present invention after being locked to the imaging device, cut along the direction shown by FF in Figure 11A.

Figure 39 is a three-dimensional view of the ink cartridge housing involved in Example 12 of the present invention after the face cover and the main body are separated.

Detailed ways

【Imaging equipment】

The ink cartridge accommodating portion 20 is arranged in the imaging device, including a frame and a first limiting member 23 and a second limiting member 24 located in the frame, the frame including a bottom plate 22 and side plates 21 arranged around the bottom plate, the side plates 21 and the bottom plate 22 enclose an open ink cartridge accommodating space that can accommodate multiple ink cartridges, the ink cartridge accommodating space is divided into multiple limiting cavities 25 by multiple spaced-apart partitions 26, each limiting cavity 25 is provided with an ink receiving portion 28, the ink receiving portion 28 is used to receive ink discharged from the ink cartridge 10, and the size of each limiting cavity 25 along the width direction of the ink cartridge 10 is s1; wherein, the first limiting member 23 and the second limiting member 24 are respectively arranged on two opposite side plates, the first limiting member 23 is a lever movably installed on one of the side plates, and the second limiting member 24 is a hole/groove arranged on the other side plate.

The side plate 21 includes a first side plate 21a and a second side plate 21b that are opposite to each other, and a third side plate 21c and a fourth side plate 21d that are opposite to each other, wherein the first limiting member 23 is a rod movably installed on the first side plate 21a, the second limiting member 24 is a limiting hole/groove arranged on the second side plate 21b, the second side plate 21b has an inner side wall 21b1 facing the ink cartridge accommodating space, and the second limiting member 24 passes through the inner side wall 21b1 along the -x direction (as described below); the partition 26 is provided with a guide surface 261 inclined toward the bottom plate 22 on one side close to the second side plate 21b; the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20 also includes a rib plate 27 arranged in the ink cartridge accommodating space, and the rib plate 27 is located on the frame.

The lever 23 can rotate around the axis 23c, and includes a first part 23a and a second part 23b respectively located on both sides of the axis 23c, wherein a force receiving part 231 for receiving the force applied by the user is provided on one side of the first part 23a, and a positioning groove 232 and a pushing part 233 are provided on the other side of the first part 23a; the second part 23b includes two limiting plates 23b1 arranged opposite to each other in the y direction and a connecting plate 23b2 located between the two limiting plates, and the pushing part 233 is adjacent to the connecting plate 23b2.

A plurality of ink cartridges 10 form an ink cartridge assembly that can be accommodated by the ink cartridge accommodating portion, and each ink cartridge 10 has the same general structure. The bottom plate 22 is provided with a plurality of pairs of through holes 221 for allowing light to pass through, each pair of through holes 221 corresponds to an ink cartridge, and each pair of through holes 221 is closer to the first limiting member 23 relative to the second limiting member 24. In each pair of through holes 221, one through hole 221 is used to allow light to enter the ink cartridge from the imaging device, and the other through hole 221 is used to allow light to enter the imaging device from the ink cartridge.

The through hole 221 has two opposite sides in the x-direction and two opposite sides in the y-direction. The ink cartridge 10 can be configured to be combined with at least one of the two opposite sides in the x-direction, or to be combined with at least one of the two opposite sides in the y-direction. The specific structure of the ink cartridge and the method of combining with the frame will be described in detail in the various embodiments below.

As shown in Figure 2, multiple ribs 27 are arranged along the y direction (as described below), and the space between every two ribs 27 corresponds to the limiting cavity 25. Along the x direction, the rib 27 is located between the lever 23 and the through hole 221. During the installation process of the ink cartridge 10 and after the ink cartridge 10 is installed, a portion of the ink cartridge 10 can enter the space between the two ribs 27. Along the y direction, a portion of the ink cartridge 10 abuts against the rib 27.

In the following embodiment, one end of the ink cartridge 10 is coupled to the second limiting member 24, and the other end is coupled to the pair of through holes 221 to be locked in the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20. The following description will take one of the ink cartridges as an example.

【ink cartridge】

[Overall structure of ink cartridge]

The ink cartridge 10 includes a shell 101, a second coupling member 12, an ink outlet portion 102 and a chip assembly 103, wherein an ink cavity 101i for containing ink is formed inside the shell 101, the second coupling member 12 is combined with the shell 101 and is used to be combined with the second limiting member 24, the ink outlet portion 102 is formed to protrude from the shell 101, and is used to discharge the ink contained in the shell 101 outwardly, and the chip assembly 103 is installed on the shell 101, and is used to electrically contact with a contact pin provided in the imaging device/frame to establish a communication connection between the ink cartridge and the imaging device.

To make the following description clearer, the ink cartridge 10 is in the installed posture, and the length direction of the ink cartridge 10 is defined as the x direction, the width direction is the y direction, and the height direction is the z direction. Along the x direction, the housing 101 has a first side wall (front side wall) 101a and a second side wall (rear side wall) 101b that are arranged opposite to each other. Along the z direction, the housing 101 has a third side wall (upper side wall) 101c and a fourth side wall (lower side wall) 101d that are arranged opposite to each other. Along the y direction, the housing 101 has a fifth side wall (left side wall) 101f and a sixth side wall 101g that are arranged opposite to each other (as shown in FIG. 5C ). The x direction, the y direction, and the z direction intersect each other. Preferably, , the x-direction, the y-direction and the z-direction are orthogonal; the ink cartridge 10 is installed along the -z direction and taken out along the +z direction, the second coupling member 12 protrudes from the second side wall 101b, the ink outlet portion 102 protrudes from the fourth side wall 101d and faces the bottom plate 22, and along the x-direction, relative to the first side wall 101a, the ink outlet portion 102 is closer to the second coupling member 12/second side wall 101b; it should be pointed out that the outermost surface of the first side wall 101a-sixth side wall 101g should not be a plane, but a continuous surface that can be changed according to the structure of the ink cartridge, as long as the surface faces the front, back, left, right, top and bottom.

The direction from the second side wall 101b to the first side wall 101a is the +x direction/front, and the opposite is the -x direction/backward. The direction from the sixth side wall to the fifth side wall 101f is the -y direction/right, and the opposite is the +y direction/left. The direction from the fourth side wall 101d to the third side wall 101c is the +z direction/upper, and the opposite is the -z direction/lower. Therefore, the second coupling member 12 protrudes along the -x direction, and the ink outlet portion 102 protrudes along the -z direction. Correspondingly, for the first limiting member 23, the first portion 23a is located in the +z direction/above the second portion 23b, and the positioning groove 232 and the forced pushing portion 233 are both located in the +z direction/above the axis 23c.

Furthermore, the ink cartridge 10 also includes a first coupling member 11 protruding forward from the first side wall 101a. When the ink cartridge 10 is installed, the first coupling member 11 is coupled to the first limiting member 23 so that the ink cartridge 10 is positioned in the y direction. Specifically, the first coupling member 11 enters between the two limiting plates 23b1. Along the y direction, the first coupling member 11 abuts against the two limiting plates 23b1 and is restricted.

Preferably, the left surface of the left wall 101f and the right surface of the right wall 101g are both planes, and along the y direction, the size of the shell 101 is s2, that is, the distance between the left surface of the left wall 101f and the right surface of the right wall 101g is s2, satisfying s1≥s2, so that the ink cartridge 10 can be smoothly installed in the limiting cavity 25.

Furthermore, along the +x direction, the third side wall 101c is longer than the fourth side wall 101d, and along the -z direction, the second side wall 101b is longer than the first side wall 101a. Therefore, a side wall (seventh side wall) 101e inclined toward the +x direction and the -z direction is formed at the intersection of the first side wall 101a and the fourth side wall 101d, and at least a portion of the chip assembly 103 is located on the seventh side wall 101e; a chip 104 provided with a plurality of contact portions is installed in the chip assembly 103, and at least the plurality of contact portions are located at positions opposite to the seventh side wall 101e. Preferably, the chip assembly 103 also includes a positioning plate 105 opposite to the seventh side wall 101e, so that the chip 104 can have a wider adaptability. At least the multiple contact portions are located on the positioning plate 105. The positioning plate 105 can be a component independent of the shell 101, or can be formed integrally with the shell 101. When the positioning plate 105 is formed integrally with the shell 101, according to the design of the chip 104, the positioning plate 105 can be configured to protrude from the surface of the shell 101/seventh side wall 101e, or can be recessed from the surface of the shell 101/seventh side wall 101e, or can be a part of the shell 101/seventh side wall 101e.

In some embodiments, along the x direction, the lengths of the third side wall 101c and the fourth side wall 101d are substantially the same, and the housing 101 may not have the seventh side wall 101e. In this case, the chip assembly 103 may be placed at any position of the housing 101 according to design requirements.

As described above, when the ink cartridge 10 is installed in the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20, the second combining member 12 is combined with the second limiting member 24 so that the rear of the ink cartridge is limited in the z direction, and the first combining member 11 is combined with the first limiting member 23 so that the left and right sides of the ink cartridge are limited in the y direction; further, the ink cartridge 10 also includes an operating device 17 combined with the pair of through holes 221. Specifically, the operating device 17 passes through the through holes 221 and abuts against the -z direction surface of the bottom plate 22. Since the operating device 17 is combined with the housing 101, the front of the ink cartridge is also limited in the x direction. Finally, the ink cartridge 10 can be stably Positioned in the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20; along the direction from +y to -y, the pair of through holes 221 have a first side 221a, a second side 221b, a third side 221c and a fourth side 221d in sequence (as shown in FIG. 5C ), wherein the first side 221a and the second side 221b are arranged relative to each other in one through hole 221, and the third side 221c and the fourth side 221d are arranged relative to each other in another through hole 221, and the operating device 17 can be engaged with any one or two of the first side 221a, the second side 221b, the third side 221c and the fourth side 221d.

[Operation device]

The operating device 17 of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following, no matter whether the locking assembly 17 c of the operating device 17 is formed integrally with the housing 101 or not, the operating device 17 is configured to be combined with the housing 101 .

Embodiment 1

3A and 3B, the operating device 17 includes a locking assembly 17c and an unlocking assembly, wherein the locking assembly 17c is used to lock the ink cartridge 10 by combining with the through hole 221, and the unlocking assembly is used to unlock the cartridge 10. At least a portion of the locking assembly 17c is formed as a clamping member protruding downward from the lower side wall 101d, including an elastic arm 17c1 and a clamping portion 17c2 provided on the elastic arm 17c1, and the clamping portion 17c2 has a clamping surface facing the +z direction.

Preferably, the locking member 17c includes a pair of elastic arms 17c1 spaced apart in the y direction and engaging portions 17c2 respectively provided on the elastic arms 17c1, a spacing space 17c3 is formed between the two elastic arms 17c1, and the two engaging portions 17c2 have the same structure.

The elastic arm 17c1 can be combined with the housing 101, and it is not necessary to limit whether the two are integrated. When the elastic arm 17c1 and the housing 101 are formed separately, the two can be combined by keyway matching, shaft hole matching, welding, bonding, etc.

(Unlock component)

The unlocking assembly includes a force-bearing member 17a and a force-transmitting member 17b which are combined with each other. The force-bearing member 17a is used to receive an external force, and the force-transmitting member 17b is used to transmit the force to the locking assembly 17c, and release the locking assembly 17c from locking the ink cartridge 10. In this embodiment, the force-bearing member 17a is located above the upper side wall 101c, and is configured as a plate-shaped member that can rotate around an axis relative to the housing 101, and has an upper surface 171 facing upward and a lower surface 172 facing downward, and the lower surface 172 is opposite to the upper side wall 101c.

The force-bearing member 17a includes a force-bearing portion 17a1, a combining portion 17a2 and a rotating portion 17a3. Along the x direction, the force-bearing portion 17a1 extends beyond the front side wall 101a, and accordingly, the upper surface 171 and the lower surface 172 also extend beyond the front side wall 101a, so that when installing and removing the ink cartridge, the user can apply a force to the force-bearing portion 17a1. As shown in the figure, the force-bearing portion 17a1 has an upper force-bearing surface 17ac and a lower force-bearing surface 17ad that are relatively arranged in the z direction. Preferably, the upper force-bearing surface 17ac is coplanar with the upper surface 171, and the lower force-bearing surface 17ad is coplanar with the lower surface 172. Therefore, the upper force-bearing surface 17ac can be regarded as a part of the upper surface 171, and the lower force-bearing surface 17ad can be regarded as a part of the lower surface 172.

During the installation of the ink cartridge, the user applies a downward pressing force to the upward force surface 17ac, so that the locking component 17c locks the ink cartridge 10. During the removal of the ink cartridge, the user applies an upward pushing force to the downward force surface 17ad, so that the unlocking component releases the lock of the locking component 17c. In this way, during the installation and removal of the ink cartridge, the user's hands will not directly apply force to the shell 101, the integrity and design freedom of the shell 101 can be improved, and it is also beneficial to prevent the user's hands from being contaminated by ink adhering to the shell 101.

In this embodiment, the rotation axis L of the force-bearing member 17a is set to be parallel to the y direction. Therefore, during the unlocking process, the force-bearing member 17a will have a movement in the z direction, and transmit the force to the force transmission member 17b through the coupling surface 17a5, so that the force transmission member 17b also moves along the z direction. Then, as the force transmission member 17b moves, the locking assembly 17c is released.

The force transmission member 17b generally extends along the z direction, and includes a middle portion 17f and a coupled portion 17e and an unlocking member 17g respectively located at both ends of the middle portion 17f. The middle portion 17f is a rod body, and the coupled portion 17e is a groove arranged at the end of the rod body in the +z direction.

The unlocking member 17g includes an unlocking body 17g1 connected to the rod body 17f and an unlocking hole 17g2 that passes through the unlocking body 17g1 along the z direction, and the unlocking hole 17g2 is for the elastic arm 17c1 to pass through. As the unlocking member 17g moves in the z direction along with the force transmission member 17b, the unlocking body 17g1 forces the two elastic arms 17c1 to approach or move away from each other to unlock the ink cartridge 10; along the y direction, each unlocking hole 17g2 has two oppositely arranged action surfaces, wherein the two outermost action surfaces in the y direction are the first action surfaces 17g3, and the action surface opposite to the first action surface 17g3 is the second action surface 17g4, so that one of the two first action surfaces 17g3 faces the -y direction, and the other faces the +y direction. Similarly, one of the two second action surfaces 17g4 faces the -y direction, and the other faces the +y direction.

(Locking and unlocking process)

As described above, when the ink cartridge 10 is installed, the second coupling member 12 is first coupled to the second limiting member 24, and then the front of the ink cartridge 10 is pressed. For example, the user presses the upper force-bearing surface 17ac or the upper surface 171, and the ink cartridge 10 as a whole rotates downward around the coupling point between the second coupling member 12 and the second limiting member. The first coupling member 11 enters between the two limiting plates 23c1 of the lever. When the locking member 17c begins to contact the bottom plate 22, the elastic arm 17c1 is elastically deformed in the y direction, and the engaging portion 17c2 enters the through hole 221 until the engaging surface is coupled to the -z direction surface of the bottom plate, that is, the engaging portion 17c2 moves from the above-mentioned first position/disengagement position to the second position/engaging position, and the ink cartridge 10 is locked.

In addition, when installing the ink cartridge 10, the force-bearing portion 17a can be lifted first, and then the second coupling member 12 is coupled to the second limiting member 24, and then the upper force-bearing surface 17ac or the upper surface 171 is pressed to allow the ink cartridge as a whole to rotate around the coupling point between the second coupling member 12 and the second limiting member. When the locking member 17c contacts the bottom plate 22, the elastic arm 17c1 uses its own plasticity to allow the locking portion 17c2 to enter the through hole 221 until the locking surface is coupled to the -z direction surface of the bottom plate.

When the ink cartridge 10 needs to be taken out, the user applies an upward/+z direction force to the downward force-bearing surface 17ad, and the force-bearing member 17a begins to rotate/swing upward around the rotation axis L relative to the shell 101, and the force is transmitted to the force transmission member 17b through the mutually coupled coupling portion 17a2 and the coupled portion 17e. Then, the force transmission member 17b also moves in the +z direction, and along the y direction, the unlocking body 17g1 begins to apply a force to the unlocking protrusion 17c4, and the elastic arm 17c1 elastically deforms in the y direction again, but at this time, the direction in which the elastic arm 17c1 elastically deforms is opposite to the direction in which the elastic arm 17c1 elastically deforms when the ink cartridge is installed, and the engaging surface disengages from the -z direction surface of the bottom plate, and the engaging portion 17c2 disengages from the through hole 221, that is, the engaging portion 17c2 moves from the above-mentioned second position/engaged position to the first position/disengaged position, and as the user lifts the front part of the ink cartridge 10, the second coupling member 12 and the second limiting member 24 also disengage, and the ink cartridge 10 is unlocked.

It can be known from the above description that during the installation and removal process of the ink cartridge 10, along the y direction, the locking component 17c/the locking portion 17c2 moves between the first position and the second position, and thus, the ink cartridge 10 is locked by combining the locking component 17c with the imaging device/the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20/the bottom plate 22 in the y direction; it can be understood that the rotation axis L of the force-bearing member 17a should not be limited to a direction parallel to the y direction, and the rotation axis L can also be set to be parallel to the x direction, or the rotation axis L intersects with the z direction. Preferably, the rotation axis L is located in the xy plane, but is not parallel to the x direction and the y direction, as long as the force-bearing member 17a/the force transmission member 17b can be moved in the z direction.

Furthermore, when the engaging portion 17c2 is located at the first position, the force-bearing portion 17a1 can be located either close to the upper side wall 101c or far away from the upper side wall 101c. In the above embodiment, along the y direction, the combining position of the combining portion 17a2 and the combined portion 17e and the force-bearing portion 17a1 are located on the same side of the rotation axis L, and therefore, the movement direction of the combined portion 17e is the same as the movement direction of the force-bearing portion 17a1, that is, when the force-bearing portion 17a1 is pushed upward by the user, the combined portion 17e also moves upward, and the engaging portion 17c2 moves from the second position to the first position; along the y direction, when the combining position of the combining portion 17a2 and the combined portion 17e and the force-bearing portion 17a2 are respectively located on both sides of the rotation axis L, the movement direction of the combined portion 17e will be opposite to the movement direction of the force-bearing portion 17a1, that is, when the force-bearing portion 17a1 is pushed upward by the user, the combined portion 17e will move downward, and the engaging portion 17c2 will move from the first position to the second position.

The operating device 17 has the following beneficial effects:

(1) The ink cartridge 10 is installed along the -z direction. When the force-bearing member 17a is disposed above the upper side wall 101c, the user will apply a pressing force or a pushing force to the force-bearing member 17a from a larger space.

(2) The force-bearing member 17a and the force-transmitting member 17b are arranged to be movable in the z direction. Similarly, the force-bearing member 17a and the force-transmitting member 17b will also have a larger movement space, and thus, the force-bearing member 17a and the force-transmitting member 17b will have a greater degree of design freedom;

(3) The force-bearing member 17a is configured to be rotatable relative to the housing 101 around the rotation axis, so that the force-bearing portion 17a1 located in front of the front side wall 101a can also serve as a handle of the ink cartridge 10. During the installation and removal of the ink cartridge 10, the force-bearing portion 17a1 is used to receive the force applied by the user;

Embodiment 2

In this embodiment, the locking assembly 17c is a metal component formed separately from the shell 101. As shown in Figure 8, the locking assembly 17c includes a base 17c0, an elastic arm 17c1 extending from the base 17c0, and a locking portion 17c2 protruding from the elastic arm 17c1, and the elastic arm 17c1 is formed as a metal sheet.

The ink cartridge in this embodiment also includes a detection member 18 protruding toward the inside of the ink chamber 101i, and the detection member 18 is used to detect the remaining ink. Preferably, the detection member 18 is set as a prism. When the ink cartridge 10 is installed, the prism 18 is opposite to the through hole 221, so that the light emitted by the light-emitting member in the imaging device enters the prism 18 through one of the through holes 221, and the light emitted from the ink cartridge 10 is received by the light receiving member in the imaging device through the other through hole 221. To this end, along the x direction, the engaging portion 17c2 is arranged to be closer to the front side wall 101a than the prism 18, that is, the engaging portion 17c2 is located in front of the optical path/prism 18.

Embodiment 3

In this embodiment, the unlocking component 17m is configured as a swinging member that can swing around an axis L17 parallel to the y direction. The shell 101 includes a main shell 101r and an assembly part 101m that are combined with each other. The ink chamber 101i is located in the main shell 101r. The swinging member 17m is movably installed in the active chamber 10k between the main shell 101r and the assembly part 101m. Along the x direction, the active chamber 10k is arranged adjacent to the ink chamber 101i. Specifically, the active chamber 10k is located in the +x direction/front of the ink chamber 101i. During the assembly process of the ink cartridge 10, the swinging member 17m can be installed first, and then the assembly part 101m can be installed, so that the ink cartridge 10 can be assembled more easily. In the operating device 17, at least a part of the unlocking component 17m is located in the active chamber 10k and can be protected.

In some embodiments, the assembly part 101m can be omitted, the swinging part 17m is directly exposed to the outside, and the overall structure of the ink cartridge can be simplified.

The active cavity 10k is open toward the +x direction/front and the +z direction/upward, so the swinging member 17m will be exposed from the front and the upward of the active cavity 10k; at least a portion of the locking assembly 17c is still formed by extending downward from the lower side wall 101d of the housing 101, and the locking assembly 17c of this embodiment can adopt the structure of any of the above embodiments,

Along the x direction, the side wall located at the +x direction end of the assembly 101m can be regarded as the first side wall/front side wall 101a of the shell 101, and the first coupling member 11 protrudes forward/in the +x direction from the first side wall 101a. Along the z direction, the first coupling member 11 is located above the contact portion of the chip 104/in the +z direction; the side wall located on the assembly 101m and facing the +x direction and -z direction can be regarded as the seventh side wall/inclined side wall 101e of the shell 101, and correspondingly, the side wall 101a1 located at the +x direction end of the main shell 101r can be regarded as the shell The sub-front side wall 101a1 of the housing 101, the sub-front side wall 101a1 is opposite to the front side wall 101a, is located on the main housing 101r, and the side wall facing the +x direction and -z direction can be regarded as the sub-inclined side wall 101e1 of the housing 101, the sub-inclined side wall 101e1 is opposite to the inclined side wall 101e, the active cavity 10k is located between the front side wall 101a1 and the front side wall 101a and between the sub-inclined side wall 101e1 and the inclined side wall 101e, and the lower side/-z direction of the active cavity 10k is open, and the swinging member 17m extends from the opening. In some embodiments, the inclined side wall 101e may not be provided, in which case the active cavity 10k will be located between the sub-front side wall 101a1 and the front side wall 101a.

The swinging member 17m includes the above-mentioned force-bearing member 17a and the force transmission member 17b, wherein the force-bearing member 17a is used to receive external force, and the force transmission member 17b releases the locking assembly 17c from locking the ink cartridge 10 after receiving the force. As shown in Figure 9, the force transmission member 17b includes a middle portion 17f and a combined portion 17e and an unlocking member 17g respectively located at both ends of the middle portion 17f, the combined portion 17e is used to combine with the force-bearing member 17a, and the unlocking member 17g is used to interact with the locking assembly 17c to release the locking assembly 17c from locking the ink cartridge 10.

Preferably, the force-bearing member 17a and the force-transmitting member 17b are formed integrally, so that the structure of the swinging member 17m can be effectively simplified, the assembly process of the combined part 17e and the force-bearing member 17a can be omitted, and the space occupied by the swinging member 17m is also smaller; the unlocking member 17g in the force-transmitting member 17b can be formed integrally with the middle part 17f or can be formed separately.

The force-bearing member 17a exposed from the top can be pressed from the top by the user to achieve the installation of the ink cartridge 10. The force-bearing member 17a exposed from the front can be pushed from the front by the user, and can also receive the force from the lever 23 to release the lock of the ink cartridge 10. Preferably, the force-bearing member 17a extends beyond the front side wall 101a, and the portion of the force-bearing member 17a that extends beyond the front side wall 101a is the above-mentioned force-bearing portion 17a1. It can be seen that the force-bearing member 17a in this embodiment also has the function of the force-bearing member described in Example 1.

Furthermore, the ink cartridge 10 also includes an elastic member 17k for forcing the swinging member 17m to reset. The elastic member 17k is arranged between the main shell 101r and the force-bearing member 17a, and is used to push the force-bearing member 17a toward the +x direction. On the one hand, the force-bearing member 17a can be maintained in a state beyond the front side wall 101a, so that the user can easily apply the force required for unlocking to the force-bearing member 17a. On the other hand, when the force applied to the force-bearing member 17a is cancelled, the elastic member 17k can force the swinging member 17m to reset quickly.

It is practicable that the locking assembly 17c may also be provided with only one elastic arm 17c1 and a clamping portion 17c2 protruding from the elastic arm 17c1.

As described above, when force is applied to the swinging member 17m, the force-bearing member 17a moves along the z direction, and the unlocking member 17g also moves along the z direction. On the whole, the swinging member 17m forms a lever. According to the lever principle, along the z direction, when the rotation axis L17 is closer to the force-bearing member 17a, the swinging member 17m will form a force-consuming lever. However, when the force-bearing member 17a moves the same distance along the z direction, the unlocking member 17g will be able to obtain a longer movement distance along the z direction. Therefore, the position of the rotation axis L17 can be adjusted according to the overall design requirements of the ink cartridge 10.

The swinging member 17m described in this embodiment can move in both the x-direction and the z-direction. Compared with the existing technical solution that is only predetermined in the x-direction, the space required for the swinging member 17m in the x-direction is reduced, which is beneficial to increasing the capacity of the ink chamber 101i.

In some embodiments, the operating device is also integrally formed, that is, the unlocking component and the locking component 17c are integrally formed. When the ink cartridge 10 needs to be taken out, the unlocking component causes the ink cartridge to move upward as a whole, thereby releasing the lock on the ink cartridge 10 by the locking component 17c.

As described above, at least a portion of the unlocking component is configured to be movable in the z direction. This approach can not only make full use of the space in the +z direction of the ink cartridge 10, thereby increasing the design freedom of the unlocking component, but also reduce the space occupied by the unlocking component in the ink chamber 101i, thereby increasing the ink capacity of the ink chamber 101i. At the same time, this design will not change the user's usage habits, which is conducive to improving the user's convenience.

Generally, after the factory completes the production of the ink cartridge 10, it is necessary to install a protective part on the ink cartridge 10 to prevent the ink cartridge 10 from colliding with the outside or being squeezed during transportation or packaging, thereby causing the operating device 17 to deform or break. The combination of the ink cartridge 10 and the protective part is called an ink cartridge component 100. The ink cartridge component 100 is described below, wherein the ink cartridge 10 involved in the following embodiments may adopt the structure of the above-mentioned embodiment or the structure of the following embodiment.

Embodiment 4

(Structure of the housing)

The main housing 101r includes a main body 101x and a cover 101y, the ink chamber 101i is located between the main body 101x and the cover 101y, and the upper side wall 101c is formed above the cover 101y. Further, the main housing 101r also includes a partition 101t arranged in the ink chamber 101i, along the x direction, the partition 101t divides the ink chamber 101i into a sponge chamber 101i1 located in the -x direction/behind the partition and an ink storage chamber 101i2 located in the +x direction/in front of the partition, along the z direction, the sponge chamber 101i1 and the ink outlet 102 are opposite/communicated, and a sponge 108 as a negative pressure generating member is installed in the sponge chamber 101i1, and the sponge chamber 101i1 and the ink storage chamber 101i2 are connected through the communication ports 101t1/101t2 described below, so that the ink in the ink storage chamber 101i2 can be supplied to the sponge chamber 101i1.

In the process of operation of the imaging device, in order to maintain the pressure inside the ink cartridge 10 stable, the main housing 101r also includes an air guide component for connecting the ink chamber 101i with the atmosphere. Specifically, the air guide component includes an air inlet 101i4 (as shown in FIG. 16 ), an air guide cavity 101i3, a first air guide port 101c1, and a second air guide port 101c2. The air inlet 101i4 is directly connected to the atmosphere. Specifically, the air inlet 101i4 can be set at any position of the main housing 101r according to design requirements. Preferably, the air inlet 101i4 is set at the lower side wall 101d. Along the x direction, the air inlet 101i4 is connected to the ink outlet portion 101i. 2 are arranged adjacent to each other; the air guiding cavity 101i3 extends along the z direction, the first air guiding port 101c1 is connected to the second air guiding port 101c2 and the sponge cavity 101i1, one end of the air guiding cavity 101i3 is connected to the air inlet 101i4, and the other end is connected to the second air guiding port 101c2, so that the external atmosphere can enter the sponge cavity 101i1 through the air inlet 101i4, the air guiding cavity 101i3, the second air guiding port 101c2 and the first air guiding port 101c1.

Preferably, a protruding column 101i5 is formed in the air guiding cavity 101i3, and the air inlet 101i4 penetrates the protruding column 101i5 along the z direction. Therefore, in the air guiding cavity 101i3, the protruding column 101i5 makes the upper end (the end in the +z direction) of the air inlet 101i4 higher than the bottom end of the air guiding cavity 101i3. Even if ink enters the air guiding cavity 101i3 from the first air guiding cavity 101c1 and the second air guiding cavity 101c2, it will not affect the external air from entering the air guiding cavity 101i3 through the air inlet 101i4, and the ink will not overflow from the air guiding cavity 101i3 to the outside of the ink cartridge and pollute the environment.

Along the x direction, the air guide cavity 101i3 is arranged close to the partition 101t, so that the partition 101t can be used as a part of the air guide cavity 101i3 to reduce the space occupied by the air guide cavity 101i3, which is beneficial to increase the ink capacity of the ink cavity 101i. In other words, the air guide cavity 101i3 is neither close to the first sub-front side wall 101a1 nor the rear side wall 101b. Correspondingly, along the x direction, the air inlet 101i4 also has the same position as the air guide cavity 101i3. The beneficial effects brought about by this design will be explained below.

The first air port 101c1 and the second air port 101c2 can be set as through holes penetrating the upper side wall 101c in the z direction, or can be blind holes set on the upper side wall 101c, as long as the first air port 101c1 and the second air port 101c2 are fluidically connected; when the first air port 101c1 and the second air port 101c2 are set as through holes, the ink cartridge 10 also includes a sealing member 106 covering the first air port 101c1 and the second air port 101c2. Furthermore, the face cover 101y also includes a pressing protrusion 101c3 protruding from the upper side wall 101c toward the ink chamber. When the face cover 101y is installed, the pressing protrusion 101c3 presses the sponge 108, so that an isolation space is formed between the sponge 108 and the first air guide port 101c1 (as shown in Figures 17 and 18). On the one hand, the isolation space can prevent the sponge 108 from being tightly attached to the side of the upper side wall 101c facing the ink chamber, resulting in air being unable to smoothly enter the sponge 108. On the other hand, the isolation space can also prevent the occurrence of capillary phenomena. When the internal and external air pressures of the ink chamber 101i change, the ink absorbed by the sponge 108 will not flow out from the first air guide port 101c1 or the gap between the face cover 101y and the main body 101x.

In order to allow the ink in the ink storage chamber 101i2 to be replenished to the sponge chamber 101i1, the partition 101t is further provided with a first communication port 101t1 and a second communication port 101t2. The first communication port 101t1 and the second communication port 101t2 are both used to connect the sponge chamber 101i1 and the ink storage chamber 101i2. Along the z direction, the first communication port 101t1 is located in the +z direction/above the second communication port 101t2. When the imaging device is working, the ink in the sponge chamber 101i1 is consumed first. When the ink in the sponge chamber 101i1 is consumed to a level lower than the first communication port 101t1, the air entering the sponge 108 can enter the ink storage chamber 101i2 through the first communication port 101t1. Therefore, the sponge chamber 101i1 and the ink storage chamber 101i2 can exchange gas and liquid. It can be understood that the first connecting port 101t1 and the second connecting port 101t2 can also be combined into one connecting port. When the ink in the sponge chamber 101i1 drops to the uppermost end (the end in the +z direction) of the connecting port, the sponge chamber 101i1 and the ink storage chamber 101i2 begin to exchange gas and liquid.

The ink in the sponge chamber 101i1 is absorbed by the sponge 108. When the amount of ink in the sponge 108 reaches a maximum, that is, the sponge 108 is in a saturated state, a sealed state will be formed between the sponge 108 and the side walls forming the sponge chamber (the left side wall 101g, the right side wall 101f, the right side wall 101b and the partition 101t) under the action of the surface tension of the ink. In this way, the air entering the sponge chamber 101i1 or the air located in the sponge chamber 101i1 will not be able to enter the ink storage chamber 101i2 through the first connecting port 101t1. Finally, the ink supply from the ink cartridge 10 to the imaging device may not be timely, resulting in a "disconnected" phenomenon.

As shown in FIG. 20 , a spacer forming portion 101t3 is further provided on the surface 101t0 of the partition 101t facing the sponge chamber 101i1, and the spacer forming portion 101t3 is used to prevent the sponge 108 in a saturated state from forming a close contact with the partition 101t, so that the air in the sponge 108 can enter the ink storage chamber 101i2 through the first communication port 101t1. Specifically, the spacer forming portion 101t3 is a groove provided on the partition 101t or a protrusion provided on the partition 101t, as long as a spacer can be formed between the sponge 108 and the surface 101t0.

Preferably, the spacing forming portion 101t3 is connected to the first communication port 101t1, so that the air in the sponge 108 can directly enter the first communication port 101t1 through the spacing formed by the spacing forming portion 101t3. It is understandable that when the spacing forming portion 101t3 is the protrusion, the space between the protrusion and the surface 101t0 will form a groove based on the highest point of the protrusion (i.e., the point farthest from the partition 101t), and air can flow in the space; more preferably, the spacing forming portion 101t3 extends beyond the sponge adjacent to the partition 101t, so that the air entering the sponge cavity 101i1 can directly enter the first communication port 101t1 through the spacing formed by the spacing forming portion 101t3. It is understandable that the spacing forming portion 101t3 can also be set on other side walls forming the sponge cavity 101i1.

In order to enable the operating device 17 to be reset after unlocking, the ink cartridge 10 also includes a reset member combined with the locking component or the unlocking component, for example, an elastic member is arranged between the unlocking component and the first sub-front side wall 101a1, or an elastic member is arranged between the unlocking component and the front side wall 101a. The present embodiment also provides a reset member to reduce the number of parts of the ink cartridge 10. As shown in FIG12 , the unlocking assembly further includes a cantilever/elastic member 17p (an embodiment of a reset member for resetting the operating device 17) integrally formed with the middle portion 17f. The cantilever 17p serves as a reset member, one end of which is connected to the middle portion 17f and the other end is suspended. When the unlocking assembly rotates around the rotation axis L17 to perform an unlocking operation, the cantilever 17p will abut against the assembly part 101m or the seventh side wall 101e and undergo elastic deformation. When the force-bearing member 17a is no longer subjected to force, the cantilever 17p releases the elastic force to reset the unlocking assembly. In some embodiments, the cantilever 17p may also be connected to other parts of the unlocking assembly, for example, the cantilever 17p is connected to the force-bearing member 17a, or the cantilever 17p is connected to the unlocking member 17g, etc.

[Protective parts]

The ink cartridge component 100 includes an ink cartridge 10 and a protective member 19 that are detachably coupled to each other. The protective member 19 includes a protective body 19a and a sealing assembly 19b that are coupled to each other. The sealing assembly 19b is carried by the protective body 19a and is connected to the first protective member 191 described below. When the protective member 19 is coupled to the housing 101, the sealing assembly 19b is at least used to seal the ink outlet 102. When the air inlet 101i4 is disposed adjacent to the ink outlet 102, the sealing assembly 19b is also used to seal the air inlet 101i4. In this way, when the user opens the protective piece 19, the ink outlet portion 102 and the air inlet 101i4 can be opened at the same time, which can prevent the ink cartridge from being unable to supply ink due to the user not opening the air inlet 101i4. As shown in the figure, the sealing component 19b is made of an elastic material, for example, the sealing component 19b is made of an elastic material such as elastic rubber, silicone, etc., and includes an ink outlet seal 193 for sealing the ink outlet portion 102 and an air inlet seal 194 for sealing the air inlet 101i4. Preferably, the sealing component 19b is formed in one piece.

In some embodiments, the protective member 19 also includes a retaining assembly 196 disposed in the first protective member 191, wherein the retaining assembly 196 is used to limit/protect the locking assembly 17c at least in the y direction to prevent the locking assembly 17c from being elastically deformed or broken due to collision during the transportation of the ink cartridge assembly 100. Specifically, the retaining assembly 196 abuts against the elastic arm 17c1 and/or the locking portion 17c2 in the locking assembly 17c in the y direction.

It can be seen that the retaining component 196 can also be regarded as a kind of protective component. When the retaining component 196 is set to not allow the locking component 17c/the snap-fitting portion 17c2 to be exposed in the z direction, the retaining component 196 also restricts/protects the locking component 17c in the z direction; when the retaining component 196 is set to allow the locking component 17c/the snap-fitting portion 17c2 to be exposed in the z direction, along the z direction, the elastic arm 17c1/the snap-fitting portion 17c2 does not exceed the bottom surface of the protective body 19a1/the bottom surface of the first protective component 1911 (as shown in Figure 8), so that the snap-fitting portion 17c2 can be protected by the retaining component 196; the bottom surface of the protective body 19a1/the bottom surface of the first protective component 1911 is the bottom surface of the protective component 19.

The holding assembly 196 includes a first holding portion 1961, which is used to enter the spacing space 17c3 and abut against the elastic arm 17c1 to prevent the two elastic arms 17c1 from approaching each other and deforming. [Other instructions]

The existing ink cartridge is also equipped with a protective piece, and the existing protective piece can also seal the ink outlet and the air inlet at the same time, but the air inlet is located in the -x direction of the ink outlet. The existing protective piece is combined with the second combining piece 12. Since the second combining piece 12 is also located in the -x direction of the ink outlet, it can be seen that along the x direction, the existing air inlet will be located between the second combining piece 12 and the ink outlet. When the user installs the protective piece, the sealing of the air inlet will precede the combination of the protective piece and the second combining piece 12. During the combination process of the protective piece and the second combining piece 12 after the air inlet is sealed, the sealing of the air inlet is easily affected by the force applied to the protective piece by the user, which may cause the sealing failure of the air inlet or the sealing result does not meet the predetermined requirements.

As described above, in this embodiment, along the x direction, the air guide cavity 101i3 and the air inlet 101i4 connected to the air guide cavity 101i3 are neither adjacent to the front side wall 101a nor to the rear side wall 101b, but are arranged between the sponge cavity 101i1 and the ink storage cavity 101i2. Preferably, the air inlet 101i4 is located in the +x direction/front of the ink outlet portion 102.

Embodiment 5

In the above embodiment, when the ink cartridge 10 is installed in the imaging device, the user can apply a thrust in the +z direction to the lower surface 172 of the force-bearing member, thereby causing the unlocking component to rotate around the rotation axis L17, and the force-bearing member 17a moves upward. At the same time, the unlocking member 17g moves downward to unlock the locking component 17c.

During the upward movement of the force-bearing member 17a, the force-bearing member 17a or the middle part 17f gradually approaches the upper side wall 101c. In order to avoid interference between the force-bearing member 17a or the middle part 17f and the upper side wall 101c, in this modified embodiment, the combined part 17e between the force-bearing member 17a and the middle part 17f is set to be arc-shaped, and along the x direction, there is a gap t between the combined part 17e and the upper side wall 101c.

When observed along the viewing angle shown in Figure 8, the combined portion 17e is formed as an arc-shaped convex portion protruding toward the +z direction and the -x direction. In some embodiments, the combined portion 17e can also be configured as an arc-shaped concave portion recessed toward the -z direction and the +x direction. This design is more conducive to preventing the unlocking component from interfering with the upper side wall 101c during the upward movement of the force-bearing member 17a.

Embodiment 6

In this embodiment, the shell 101 still includes a main shell 101r and an assembly part 101m that are combined with each other, and an active cavity 10k is formed between the main shell 101r and the assembly part 101m. At least a part of the operating device 17 is located in the active cavity 10k, and the operating device 17 is configured to be combined with the through hole 221 of the imaging device along the x direction.

As shown in Figure 21, the locking portion 17c2 in the locking assembly 17c extends from the elastic arm 17c1 along the -x direction. In some embodiments, the first coupling member 11 is configured so that during the installation of the ink cartridge 10, before the locking assembly 17c/the locking portion 17c2 is combined with the through hole 221, the first coupling member 11 abuts against the two limiting plates 23b1 in the y direction. Therefore, the first coupling member 11 can play a role in pre-positioning the ink cartridge 10. During the subsequent installation of the ink cartridge 10, the first coupling member 11 abuts against the two limiting plates 23b1 and is guided. The movement trajectory of the locking portion 17c2 can be precisely controlled, and the locking portion 17c2 will not be broken due to misalignment with the through hole 221.

In some embodiments, during the installation of the ink cartridge 10, along the x direction, the first coupling member 11 also abuts against the connecting plate 23b2, so that the lever 23 will rotate in the direction shown by M in Figure 23B, the first part 23a rotates toward the -x direction, and the second part 23b rotates toward the +x direction; when the ink cartridge 10 is completely combined with the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20, along the x direction, the engaging portion 17c2 is engaged on the -z direction surface of the bottom plate 22, the lever 23 is abutted by the first coupling member 11 and is in a state of pressing the first coupling member 11 in the downward/-z direction, the lower surface 172 of the force-bearing member is opposite to the top surface 23d of the lever, and the ink cartridge 10 is stably installed in the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20; preferably, along the z direction, the lower surface 172 of the force-bearing member abuts against the top surface 23d of the lever, not only can the ink cartridge 10 be more stably accommodated in the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20, but when the ink cartridge 10 needs to be taken out, the force-bearing member 17 can receive the thrust of the lever 23 more quickly.

When the ink cartridge 10 needs to be removed, the user continues to push the first part 23a in the direction indicated by M. Then, the first part 23a applies a thrust to the lower surface 172 of the force-bearing member, and the operating device 17 rotates counterclockwise in Figure 36B around the rotating axis 17b1. The locking portion 17c2 disengages from the -z direction surface of the bottom plate 22, and the ink cartridge 10 disengages from the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20.

In some embodiments, along the x direction, the force-bearing member 17a extends beyond the first limiting member 23, as shown in FIG. 23B. When removing the ink cartridge 10, the user can directly apply a thrust in the +z direction to the force-bearing member 17a, forcing the operating device 17 to rotate counterclockwise in the figure, thereby unlocking the ink cartridge 10.

In some embodiments, the cantilever 17p is provided with an abutting protrusion 17p1, specifically, the abutting protrusion 17p1 protrudes toward the seventh side wall 101e, and when the operating device 17 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 23B, the abutting protrusion 17p1 abuts against the seventh side wall 101e, causing the cantilever 17p to be elastically deformed, and when the user no longer pushes the first portion 23a, the cantilever 17p releases the elastic force, and the operating device 17 is reset. The provision of the abutting protrusion 17p1 can make the cantilever 17p have a smaller contact area with the seventh side wall 101e, so that the stress on the cantilever 17p is more concentrated, and the cantilever 17p can generate a larger elastic force, so that the operating device 17 can be reset more easily.

Embodiment 7

The engaging portion 17c2 in this embodiment is still combined with the through hole 221 in the x direction, but compared with the sixth embodiment, the engaging portion 17c2 in this embodiment extends from the elastic arm 17c1 to the +x direction.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the component for forcing the operating device 17 to reset is an elastic member 17k combined with the operating device 17 (another embodiment of a reset member for resetting the operating device 17). The elastic member 17k can be used to push at least a portion of the operating device 17 toward the +x direction. For example, the elastic member 17k is a compression spring/rubber, etc. arranged between the main shell 101r and the operating device 17, or the elastic member 17k is a tension spring, etc. arranged between the operating device 17 and the assembly 101m.

Along the z direction, the first protection member 191 in this embodiment has no opening at a position opposite to the engaging portion 17c2, so that the elastic arm 17c1/engaging portion 17c2 is not exposed from the first protection member 191 toward the -z direction and is protected.

As shown in FIG. 25B , when the ink cartridge 10 is installed in the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20, the engaging portion 17c2 is engaged with the -z direction surface of the through hole 221, and along the z direction, the top surface 23d of the lever is opposite to the lower surface 172 of the force-bearing member, and the lever 23 presses the first engaging member 11 in the -z direction. At the same time, the first engaging member 11 also abuts against the two limiting plates 23b1 in the y direction, so that the ink cartridge 10 can be stably installed in the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20. In this embodiment, the operating device 17/locking assembly 17c is configured to be movable along the x direction. Preferably, the movement direction of the operating device 17/locking assembly 17c is parallel to the x-direction. As shown in FIG. 24, the shell 101 is provided with an elongated hole 10p which can be combined with the rotating shaft 17b1. When the operating device 17 is subjected to a force in the x-direction, the rotating shaft 17b1 is guided by the elongated hole 10p so that the movement trajectory of the operating device 17 is controlled. Optionally, the positions of the elongated hole 10p and the rotating shaft 17b1 can also be interchanged. The rotating shaft 17b1 can be referred to as a moving part, and the elongated hole 10p can be referred to as a motion limiting part.

The force-bearing member 17 a in this embodiment may also extend beyond the first limiting member 23 , so as to directly apply a thrust in the −x direction to the force-bearing member 17 a and unlock the ink cartridge 10 .

As shown in Figure 24, the ink cartridge 10 in this embodiment also includes a guide member 101p arranged on the assembly member 101m, and the guide member 101p is formed to protrude from the assembly member 101m. During the installation process of the ink cartridge 10, along the y direction, the guide member 101p abuts against the rib plate 27, and the ink cartridge 10 is guided, and its movement trajectory can be determined, so there will be no problem that the locking portion 17c2 cannot be aligned with the through hole 221, resulting in the locking portion 17c2 being broken; preferably, the two guide members 101p are plate-shaped and spaced apart along the y direction. As the ink cartridge 10 is installed, each guide member 101p abuts against a rib plate 27 in the y direction.

As described above, when the first coupling member 11 is provided, during the installation process of the ink cartridge 10, the abutment between the first coupling member 11 and the limiting plate 23b1 in the y direction is earlier than the engagement between the locking portion 17c2 and the through hole 221, that is, the first coupling member 11 is guided by the limiting plate 23b1, so that the locking portion 17c2 is guided, thereby enabling the locking portion 17c2 to be accurately engaged with the through hole 221.

Similarly, in the case where the guide member 101p is provided, during the installation process of the ink cartridge 10, the guide member 101p and the rib plate 27 abut in the y direction before the engagement portion 17c2 is engaged with the through hole 221, that is, the guide member 101p is guided by the rib plate 27, so that the engagement portion 17c2 is guided, and then the engagement portion 17c2 can be accurately engaged with the through hole 221. It can be seen that the provision of at least one of the first coupling member 11 and the guide member 101p can achieve the accurate engagement of the guiding engagement portion 17c2 with the through hole 221, and thus, the guide member 101p can also be regarded as a coupling member, and further, the first coupling member 11 and the guide member 101p can be collectively referred to as the installation guide mechanism of the ink cartridge 10.

In some embodiments, the guide member 101p and the first coupling member 11 can also be provided at the same time. During the installation process of the ink cartridge 10, whether the guide member 101p first abuts against the rib plate 27 in the y direction, or the first coupling member 11 first abuts against the limiting plate 23b1 in the y direction, the shaking of the ink cartridge 10 in the y direction can always be effectively prevented, thereby ensuring that the locking portion 17c2 can be accurately combined with the through hole 221.

Embodiment 8

In this embodiment, the locking portion 17c2 of the locking assembly 17c is formed to protrude from the elastic arm 17c1 toward the +x direction, and the locking assembly 17c is configured to move along the x direction. As shown in Figure 26, the elastic member 17k serving as a reset member is arranged between the main housing 101r and the operating device 17. Further, the elastic member 17k is arranged between the main housing 101r and the locking assembly 17c.

As shown in FIG. 27 , after the ink cartridge 10 is assembled, an active space s is formed between the first buckle 17c71 and the second buckle 101m2 along the x direction.

As shown in Figure 28B, when the ink cartridge 10 is installed in the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20, under the elastic force of the elastic member 17k, the locking portion 17c2 is maintained in a state of being combined with the -z direction surface of the through hole 221, and along the z direction, the top surface 23d of the lever is opposite to the lower surface 172 of the force-bearing member, and the first coupling member 11 abuts against the two limiting plates 23b1 in the y direction. Preferably, the lever presses the first coupling member 11 in the -z direction, so that the ink cartridge 10 can be stably installed in the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20.

It is feasible that the operating device 17 can also be configured so that when the ink cartridge 10 needs to be taken out, the user applies a thrust to the second surface 172. In Figure 27 or Figure 28A, the force-bearing member 17a and the force-transmitting member 17b rotate counterclockwise around the axis L17. By providing a force conversion mechanism in the force-transmitting member 17b or between the force-transmitting member 17b and the locking assembly 17c, the force conversion mechanism can be, for example, two oppositely disposed wedge-shaped surfaces. The direction of the thrust applied by the user is converted to the -x direction, and then the locking assembly 17c slides in the -x direction and compresses the elastic member 17k. Finally, the engaging portion 17c2 disengages from the through hole 221, and the ink cartridge 10 is unlocked.

Similar to the above-mentioned embodiment, the force-bearing member 17a in this embodiment can also extend beyond the first limiting member 23. In this way, when the user directly applies force to the force-bearing member 17a, he does not have to be restricted by the rotation angle of the lever 23. Therefore, even if the rotation angle of the lever 23 is small, the ink cartridge 10 can be unlocked smoothly.

In the present invention, at least the locking assembly 17c is configured to slide along the x direction. Compared with the locking assembly 17c rotating around the axis L17 along with the force transmission member 17b, the sliding locking assembly 17c can make the ink cartridge 10 and the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20 more stably combined.

Regardless of whether the locking assembly 17c and the force transmission member 17b are formed integrally or not, when the engaging portion 17c2 is arranged to protrude from the elastic member 17c1 in the -x direction, and the locking assembly 17c can rotate around the axis L17 along with the force transmission member 17b, when the ink cartridge 10 is installed in the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20, the contact pin abuts against the chip 104 and applies a thrust away from the contact pin to the chip 104, and the thrust has a tendency to force the ink cartridge 10 to rotate in the direction indicated by M in FIG. 23B , and accordingly, the engaging portion 17c2 also has a tendency to disengage from the -z direction surface of the through hole 221.

When the locking assembly 17c is set to slide along the x direction, even if the ink cartridge 10 has a tendency to rotate in the direction shown by M in FIG. 23B , the locking assembly 17c will not be affected by the force transmission member 17b. Therefore, the locking assembly 17c continues to maintain a stable combination with the -z direction surface of the through hole 221.

Embodiment 9

Based on the structure of the ink cartridge 10 described in the above embodiment, this embodiment will further describe the structure by which the ink cartridge 10 can be smoothly installed.

As shown in Figure 29, the ink outlet portion 102 protrudes from the shell body 101 in the -z direction. Specifically, the ink outlet portion 102 protrudes downward from the lower side wall 101d, and includes an extension body 1021 connected to the shell body 101 and an ink outlet 1022 arranged in the extension body 1021. The ink is discharged outward through the ink outlet 1022. The plane passing through the center line LM of the ink outlet 1022 and perpendicular to the y direction is set as the reference plane. The extension body 1021 has a first surface 1023 facing the +y direction, and the right side wall 101g has an end surface/right side surface 101g1 that is farther away from the reference plane than the first surface 1023.

Furthermore, the right side wall 101g also has a second surface 101g2 that is closer to the reference plane than the right side surface 101g1 , and the second surface 101g2 is flush with the first surface 1023 . The ink cartridge 10 also includes a guided portion 101w protruding from the second surface 101g2 toward the +y direction. Along the y direction, the guided portion 101w is located between the right side surface 101g1 and the first surface 1023. Along the z direction, the guided portion 101w does not extend beyond the lower side wall 101d or the extension body 1021. As shown in Figure 30, the -z direction end of the guided portion 101w is not aligned with the -z direction end of the lower side wall 101d and/or the -z direction end of the extension body 1021, and a portion of the second surface 101g2 is still located between the -z direction end of the guided portion 101w and the lower side wall 101d, and a portion of the first surface 1023 is still located between the -z direction end of the guided portion 101w and the -z direction end of the extension body 1021.

In some embodiments, along the y direction, in the extension body 1021 , a side surface opposite to the first surface 1023 is flush with the left side surface of the left side wall 101 f , and the guided portion 101 w is only provided on the +y direction side/right side of the ink cartridge 10 .

When the user installs the ink cartridge 10 toward the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20 at the angle shown in Figure 31A, along the y direction, the guided portion 101w is opposite to the partition 26. At this time, the -x direction end of the ink cartridge 10 will be restricted by the partition 26 in the y direction, and possible shaking of the ink cartridge 10 is prevented. The first coupling member 11 can accurately enter between the two limiting plates 23b1 and/or the guide member 101p can accurately enter between the two rib plates 27. Finally, the snap-fitting portion 17c2 can be accurately aligned with the through hole 221 and combined with the -z direction surface of the through hole. The risk of breakage caused by the inability of the elastic arm 17c1/the snap-fitting portion 17c2 to be aligned with the through hole 221 is effectively reduced.

Furthermore, a guided surface inclined relative to the reference plane is provided in the -z direction of the guided portion 101w. As shown in FIG30 , a straight line d1 and a straight line d2 parallel to the z direction are respectively made through the +x direction end and the -x direction end of the extension body 1021, and an ink outlet area Q is formed between the straight line d1 and the straight line d2. Preferably, the guided surface extends at least in the ink outlet area Q.

Along the x direction, the guided surface includes a first guided surface 101w1 and a second guided surface 101w2 located in the ink outlet area Q, wherein the first guided surface 101w1 is located in the +x direction of the second guided surface 101w2. Preferably, the inclination angle of the first guided surface 101w1 relative to the reference surface is greater than the inclination angle of the second guided surface 101w2 relative to the reference surface.

When the ink cartridge 10 is installed toward the ink cartridge accommodating portion 20, the guided surface can guide the ink cartridge 10 toward the corresponding limiting cavity 25, preventing the guided portion 101w from interfering with the partition 26, thereby affecting the installation of the ink cartridge 10. As shown in FIG31A, the second guided surface 101w2 will first contact the partition 26 in the y direction to guide the ink cartridge 10. When the inclination angle of the second guided surface 101w2 is set to be smaller than the inclination angle of the first guided surface 101w1, the ink cartridge 10 can be smoothly guided to the corresponding limiting cavity 25, the ink outlet portion 102 can be accurately combined with the ink receiving portion 28, and the engaging portion 17c2 can also be aligned with the through hole 221.

Furthermore, the guided surface also includes a third guided surface 101w3 located in the -x direction of the ink outlet area Q. When the ink cartridge 10 is installed at an inclination angle relative to the +x direction that is larger than the inclination angle shown in Figure 31A (as shown in Figure 31B), the third guided surface 101w3 can also serve to guide the ink cartridge 10 toward the corresponding limiting cavity 25.

As shown in FIG. 29, the guided portion 101w further comprises a third surface 101g3 facing the +y direction. Along the y direction, the third surface 101g3 is located between the right side surface 101g1 and the second surface 101g2. The ink cartridge 10 further comprises a guided protrusion 109 disposed on the third surface 101g3. Thus, the guided protrusion 109 is located in the +y direction of the guided portion 101w. The guided protrusion 109 can be connected to any one of the second surface 101g2 and the third surface 101g3, or can extend downward/in the -z direction from the step surface formed between the right side surface 101g1 and the third surface 101g3. In general, in the angle shown in Figure 30, compared with the guided protrusion 109 being set on the -x direction side of the ink outlet area Q, the guided protrusion 109 in this embodiment is located in the ink outlet area Q, and the displacement of the second coupling member 12 to the combination with the second limiting member 24 and the displacement of the ink outlet portion 102 to the combination with the ink receiving portion 28 can be reduced, thereby ensuring that the ink cartridge 10 is accurately installed while also improving the installation speed of the ink cartridge 10; along the x direction, the guided protrusion 109 is located on the -x direction side of LM, or in other words, in the ink outlet area Q, the guided protrusion 109 is located closer to the second coupling member 12.

As shown in FIG. 31A , during the installation of the ink cartridge 10, the guided protrusion 109 abuts against the partition 26 in the z direction. At this time, the ink cartridge 10 is supported by the partition 26 and becomes positioned in the z direction. Accordingly, the second coupling member 12 and the ink outlet portion 102 are also positioned in the z direction. Along the z direction, the distance between the second coupling member 12 and the second limiting member 24 in the z direction is determined. Along the z direction, the distance between the second coupling member 12 and the second limiting member 24 is h1, and the distance between the ink outlet portion 102 and the ink receiving portion 28 is h2. When the guided protrusion 109 is arranged on the -x direction side of the ink outlet area Q, as shown in FIG. 31B As shown, when the guided protrusion 109 abuts against the partition 26 in the z direction, although the second combining member 12 and the ink outlet portion 102 are also positioned in the z direction, the distance h1' between the second combining member 12 and the second limiting member 24 and the distance h2' between the ink outlet portion 102 and the ink receiving portion 28 will be respectively greater than the h1 and h2. In this way, during the installation of the ink cartridge 10 in this embodiment, the displacement of the second combining member 12 and the ink outlet portion 102 in the z direction can be reduced, the second combining member 12 can be combined with the second limiting member 24 more quickly, and the ink outlet portion 102 can also be combined with the ink receiving portion 28 more quickly and accurately.

As the user applies a force in the -z direction on the +x direction side of the ink cartridge 10, the ink cartridge 10 as a whole rotates counterclockwise around the abutment point between the guided protrusion 109 and the guide surface 261, and the third surface 101g3 begins to abut against the partition 26 in the y direction. At this time, in the ink cartridge 10, at least the position of the ink outlet 102 is limited in the y direction, and the movement trajectory of the ink cartridge 10 will be more precise. When the first coupling member 11 abuts against the two limiting plates 23b1 in the y direction, the ink cartridge 10 is basically positioned in the y direction. Along the x direction, the ink cartridge 10 is located in front of the first coupling member 11. It is positioned by abutting against the two limiting plates 23b1, and is positioned at the rear by abutting against the third surface 101g3 and the partition 26; at the same time, the second coupling member 12 gradually moves toward the +z direction/upward and combines with the second limiting member 24, and does not abut against the inner wall 21b1, causing the ink cartridge 10 to be unable to continue to be installed; finally, the ink cartridge 10 can be accurately installed in the limiting cavity 25, the ink outlet portion 102 is accurately combined with the ink receiving portion 28, and the snap-fit portion 17c2 accurately enters the through hole 221, thereby realizing the combination of the snap-fit portion 17c2 with the -z direction surface of the through hole 221.

In other embodiments, the guided portion 101w can also be set on the -y direction side/left side of the ink cartridge 10, which can also play a role in guiding the ink cartridge 10 to prevent the engaging portion 17c2 from being broken during the installation of the ink cartridge 10; in other embodiments, the guided portion 101w can also be set on the +y direction side/left side and -y direction side/right side of the ink cartridge 10 at the same time, that is, along the y direction, the guided portion 101w is also provided on both sides of the ink cartridge 10. Therefore, the ink cartridge 10 can be more accurately guided toward the limiting cavity 25, the ink outlet portion 102 is accurately combined with the ink receiving portion 28, and the engaging portion 17c2 accurately enters the through hole 221 without being broken.

In summary, the ink cartridge 10 and the protective member 19 are combined in a detachable manner. Along the x direction, the bottom, at least a portion of the front, and at least a portion of the rear of the ink cartridge 10 are protected by the protective member 19. The operating device 17 located in the ink cartridge 10 can be effectively protected by the protective member 19 to prevent the ink cartridge component 100 from being collided during transportation and causing the operating device 17 to break.

Embodiment 10

The unlocking component and the locking component 17c are still formed separately, and the unlocking component includes a force-bearing member 17a and a force transmission member 17b that are connected to each other. Preferably, the unlocking component is formed in one piece, and the unlocking component is configured to rotate around the rotation axis L17, and the locking component 17c is configured to move along the x direction. During the rotation of the unlocking component, the lock of the ink cartridge 10 by the locking component 17c is released. More preferably, the locking component 17c is configured to slide along the x direction.

The locking assembly 17c includes a base 17c0, an elastic arm 17c1 extending from the base 17c0, and a snap-fitting portion 17c2 protruding from the elastic arm 17c1, wherein the elastic arm 17c1 is configured as two spaced apart in the y direction, and a spacing space 17c3 is formed between the two elastic arms 17c1, and thus, the snap-fitting portion 17c2 is also configured as two spaced apart in the y direction; the locking assembly 17c is combined with the shell 101 through the base 17c0, and the snap-fitting portion 17c2 is extended from the elastic arm 17c1 along the x direction. According to the above embodiment, the snap-fitting portion 17c2 can be extended in the +x direction or in the -x direction. The following description will focus on the example of the snap-fitting portion 17c2 extending in the +x direction.

The unlocking component also includes a first moving part 101u and a second moving part 101v arranged on the force transmission part 17b, a first motion limiting part 10p which can be combined with the first moving part 101u is arranged on the shell 101, and a second motion limiting part 17h which can be combined with the second moving part 101v is arranged on the shell 101 and/or the locking component 17c, wherein one of the combination of the first moving part 101u and the first motion limiting part 10p and the combination of the second moving part 101v and the second motion limiting part 17h enables the operating device 17 to rotate around the rotation axis L17, and the other of the combinations limits the motion trajectory of the operating device 17.

Preferably, the combination of the second moving part 101v and the second motion limiting part 17h enables the operating device 17/unlocking component to rotate around the rotation axis L17, and the combination of the first moving part 101u and the first motion limiting part 10p limits the movement trajectory of the operating device 17/unlocking component. When the unlocking component rotates, the lock of the ink cartridge 10 by the locking component 17c is released.

Furthermore, the operating device 17 also includes a pushing member 17r that can move with the force transmission member 17b. When the force transmission member 17b rotates, the pushing member 17r is used to push the locking assembly 17c, so that the locking assembly 17c can move along the x direction, thereby releasing the lock of the ink cartridge 10 by the locking assembly 17c. The pushing member 17r can be regarded as a kind of unlocking member.

Preferably, the pushing member 17r is a protrusion connected to the force transmission member 17b. In some embodiments, the pushing member 17r is fixedly connected to the force transmission member 17b. More preferably, the pushing member 17r is formed integrally with the force transmission member 17b.

Furthermore, the operating device 17 also includes a guide protrusion 17c8 arranged on the base 17c0. As shown in Figure 32, the two guide protrusions 17c8 are arranged at intervals along the y direction, and a guide groove 17c9 is formed therebetween. Before the unlocking assembly is subjected to the force, the pushing member 17r is located in the guide groove 17c9. When the unlocking assembly is subjected to the force, the movement trajectory of the pushing member 17r can be effectively controlled under the action of the guide groove 17c9.

As shown in Figure 33, the assembly part 101m is also provided with a matching groove 101m3 for matching with the limited boss 17c7 and a front limiting portion 101m4 for combining with the second moving part 101v. Along the y direction, the matching groove 101m3 does not penetrate the matching part body 101m1. Therefore, after the operating device 17 is assembled, the limited boss 17c7 will not be exposed, and the overall aesthetics of the ink cartridge 10 can be improved. In some embodiments, the matching groove 101m3 can also be configured to penetrate the matching part body 101m1 along the y direction. At this time, the matching groove 101m3 will be formed as a matching hole.

As shown in FIG. 35A , when the ink cartridge 10 is installed in the imaging device, under the elastic action of the elastic member 17k, the engaging portion 17c2 is kept in combination with the bottom plate 22 in the +x direction of the through hole 22. At this time, the engaging portion 17c2 is located in the engaging position/second position, and along the x direction, the guide groove 17c9 is opposite to the pushing member 17r. Preferably, the guide groove 17c9 is in contact with the pushing member 17r. When the lower surface 172 of the force-bearing member 17a is subjected to a thrust in the M direction in FIG. 35A , the unlocking component will rotate around The axis L17 rotates to the position shown in Figure 35B. During the rotation process, the push member 17r applies a thrust in the -x direction to the guide groove 17c9, so that the locking assembly 17c moves as a whole in the -x direction. Under the cooperation of the limited boss 17c7 and the matching groove 101m3, the locking assembly 17c slides as a whole in a direction parallel to the x direction, the elastic member 17k undergoes elastic deformation, and the locking portion 17c2 gradually disengages from the bottom plate 22 to reach the disengagement position/first position.

When the thrust applied to the lower surface 172 is removed, the elastic member 17k releases the elastic force, and the locking assembly 17c moves toward the +x direction again. At the same time, the guide groove 17c9 pushes the push member 17r so that the unlocking assembly rotates again around the rotation axis L17 in the direction opposite to the above-mentioned rotation direction. Finally, the operating device 17 is reset.

In some embodiments, the sub-lower side wall 101d2 is further provided with an avoidance portion 101d3. When the unlocking assembly rotates around the rotation axis L17 in the direction indicated by M, as shown in FIG35B, the pushing member 17r can be accommodated by the avoidance portion 101d3. This structure not only prevents the pushing member 17r from interfering with the sub-lower side wall 101d2, allowing the unlocking assembly to rotate more smoothly, but also enables the unlocking assembly to obtain a larger rotation angle, so that the locking assembly 17c moves a longer distance in the -x direction, which is conducive to ensuring that the engaging portion 17c2 is disengaged from the bottom plate 22.

The above describes that the engaging portion 17c2 extends in the +x direction, the unlocking component is rotated in the direction indicated by M in Figure 35A by the thrust force, and the engaging portion 17c2 is forced to disengage from the base plate 22 by applying a thrust force in the -x direction to the locking component 17c. In other embodiments, the engaging portion 17c2 may also extend in the -x direction. At this time, the elastic member 17k will be configured as a tension spring, and the unlocking component may be rotated in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by M by the thrust force in the opposite direction to the direction shown in Figure 35A. When the unlocking component moves, the unlocking component will apply a thrust force in the +x direction to the locking component 17c to force the engaging portion 17c2 to disengage from the base plate 22.

As a preferred manner, the upper/+z-direction end of the locking component 17c abuts against the sub-lower side wall 101d2, so that the locking component 17c can move more smoothly along the x-direction.

Embodiment 11

On the basis of the above embodiment, the present embodiment further improves the structure of the operating device 17 and the structure of the protective member 19. The same components as those in the above embodiment will be numbered the same, and the following focuses on describing the structures different from the above embodiment.

As shown in Figures 36 and 37, the force transmission member 17b is provided with a first moving member 101u and a second moving member 101v, and the assembly member 101m is provided with a long hole 10p for cooperating with the first moving member 101u and a rotation support groove 101m5 for cooperating with the second moving member 101v. Through the cooperation between the second moving member 101v and the rotation support groove 101m5, the force transmission member 17b can rotate around the second moving member 101v, and through the cooperation between the first moving member 101u and the long hole 10p, the rotation trajectory of the force transmission member 17b around the second moving member 101v can be determined.

The locking assembly 17c involved in this embodiment still includes a base 17c0, an elastic arm 17c1 extending from the base 17c0, and a snap-fit portion 17c2 arranged on the elastic arm 17c1, and the locking assembly 17c is still configured such that when the unlocking assembly applies a force to the locking assembly 17c, the locking assembly 17c is unlocked by moving along the x direction, and an elastic member 17k is arranged between the locking assembly 17c and the main shell 101r. Under the action of the elastic member 17k, the locking assembly 17c is maintained in a state of locking the ink cartridge. Specifically, the snap-fit portion 17c2 in the locking assembly 17c passes through the through hole 221 and abuts against the surface of the bottom plate facing the -z direction.

In order to make the unlocking process of the operating device 17 smoother, the locking assembly 17c also includes a first limited boss 17c7 and a second limited boss 17c12 arranged on the base 17c0, the first limited boss 17c7 and the second limited boss 17c12 both extend along the x direction, and are respectively used to cooperate with the first matching groove 101m3 and the second matching groove 101m4 arranged in the assembly part 101m and extending along the x direction, along the z direction, the first limited boss 17c7 and the second limited boss 17c12 are arranged at intervals, so that with the cooperation of the first limited boss 17c7 and the first matching groove 101m3 and the cooperation of the second limited boss 17c12 and the second matching groove 101m4, the locking assembly 17c can move more smoothly in the x direction, and the engaging portion 17c2 and the bottom plate 22 can be more smoothly disengaged from the abutment.

The locking assembly 17c also includes a pushed portion 17c10 connected to the base 17c0, and the force transmission member 17b is also provided with a push member 17r for abutting against the pushed portion 17c10. Correspondingly, the main shell 101r is also provided with the above-mentioned avoidance portion 101d3, but the avoidance portion 101d3 in this embodiment is also opened toward the +x direction so that the pushed portion 17c10 can enter the avoidance portion 101d3; further, the surface of the base 17c0 facing the force transmission member 17b (the pushed surface 17c11) is set to be inclined relative to the x direction and facing In the +x direction and -z direction, correspondingly, the force transmission member 17b has a pushing surface 17b3 that cooperates with the pushed surface 17c11. In the process of the unlocking component pushing the locking component 17c to move along the x direction, the pushing surface 17b3 not only applies a force to the pushed surface 17c11, but also plays a role of supporting the pushed surface 17c11, thereby making the movement trajectory of the locking component 17c more stable; preferably, the pushing surface 17b3 and the pushed surface 17c11 are both set to arc surfaces, which is more conducive to ensuring that the unlocking component can smoothly transfer the force to the locking component 17c.

As shown in FIG38 , a plurality of cavities are formed in the main shell 101r, including a sponge cavity 101i1, an ink storage cavity 101i2, a replenishing cavity 101i6 and an air guide cavity (not shown), wherein the sponge 108 is installed in the sponge cavity 101i1, and the structures and relative positions of the sponge cavity 101i1, the ink storage cavity 101i2 and the air guide cavity are the same as those in the above-mentioned embodiment, and in the process of the ink cartridge 10 supplying ink to the outside, the flow path of the atmosphere in the ink cartridge 10 may also be the same as that in the above-mentioned embodiment, which will not be repeated here; the replenishing cavity 101i6 is located at the rear/-x direction of the sponge cavity 101i1, and the replenishing cavity 101i6 is used for The ink storage chamber 101i1 is fluidly connected to the sponge chamber 101i1 to replenish the ink stored therein into the sponge chamber 101i1. Therefore, the ink storage chamber 101i2 located in front of the sponge chamber 101i1/in the +x direction can be called the first ink storage chamber, and the replenishing chamber 101i6 located behind the sponge chamber 101i1/in the -x direction can be called the second ink storage chamber. Both the first ink storage chamber and the second ink storage chamber are fluidly connected to the sponge chamber. Such an arrangement can, on the one hand, increase the ink storage capacity of the ink cartridge 10, and on the other hand, help reduce the amount of residual ink in the ink cartridge 10, thereby preventing the ink that is far away from the sponge chamber 101i1 in the x direction from reaching the sponge chamber 101i1 and being wasted.

The protective member 19 involved in this embodiment is described below in conjunction with Figures 36 and 38. As shown in the figures, the protective member 19 in this embodiment includes a protective body 19a and a sealing assembly 19b that are combined with each other. The protective body 19a is combined with the bottom and rear of the shell 101, and the sealing assembly 19b simultaneously seals the ink outlet portion 102 and the air inlet 101i4 as the protective body 19a is combined with the shell.

The protective body 10a includes a first protective member 191 and a third protective member 195 and an extension portion 199 respectively connected to the first protective member 191. When the protective member 19 is installed to the ink cartridge, the first protective member 191 is located below the shell 101, the third protective member 195 is located behind the shell 101, and the extension portion 199 enters the spacing space 17c3. Therefore, the extension portion 199 can also be regarded as a retaining member.

In some embodiments, the third protective member 195 is further provided with a coupling hole 1951 coupled with the second coupling member 12 , so that the third protective member 195 protects the rear of the housing 101 .

In some embodiments, the first protective member 191 is also provided with a support protrusion 1913 abutting against the lower side wall 101d. When the protective member 19 is installed on the ink cartridge, the support protrusion 1913 abuts against the bottom surface 1911 of the first protective member so that the protective member 19 is subjected to a downward/-z direction pressure, which forces the second coupling member 12 to remain abutted against the coupling hole 1951 in the z direction.

In some embodiments, the shell 101 is also provided with a box side coupling portion 101z similar to the structure of the third coupling member 101s mentioned above. Correspondingly, the first protective member 191 is also provided with a protective member side coupling portion 1912 coupled with the box side coupling portion 101z. Preferably, the two box side coupling portions 101z are respectively arranged on both sides of the shell 101 in the y direction. Through the combination of the second coupling member 12 and the coupling hole 1951 and the combination of the box side coupling portion 101z and the protective member side coupling portion 1912, the protective member 19 and the shell 101 can be stably combined. At the same time, the sealing performance of the sealing component 19b on the ink outlet portion 102 and the air inlet 101i4 can also be effectively guaranteed.

Embodiment 12

As described above, the ink chamber 101i includes a sponge chamber 101i1 and an ink storage chamber 101i2 which are interconnected. The sponge chamber 101i1 is opposite to/connected with the ink outlet portion 102. At the same time, the ink cartridge 10 is connected with the external atmosphere through an air guide component. Furthermore, as described in Example 11, the ink chamber 101i also includes a replenishing chamber 101i6 which is connected with the sponge chamber 101i1. Along the x direction, the replenishing chamber 101i6 and the ink storage chamber 101i2 are respectively located on both sides of the sponge chamber 101i1.

In one embodiment, the air guide component may include an air inlet 101i4, an air guide cavity 101i3, a first air guide port 101c1 and a second air guide port 101c2 as described above, the air inlet 101i4 is arranged on the lower side wall 101d, and along the x direction, the air inlet 101i4 is arranged adjacent to the ink outlet portion 102, the first air guide port 101c1 and the second air guide port 101c2 are arranged on the face cover 101y, and the first air guide port 101c1 is opposite to/connected with the sponge cavity 101i1, and the second air guide port 110c2 is opposite to/connected with the air guide cavity 101i3, so that the external atmosphere can enter the sponge cavity 101i1 through the air inlet 101i4, the air guide cavity 101i3, the second air guide port 101c2 and the first air guide port 101c1.

Based on this, the air inlet 101i4 can be set not on the lower side wall 101d, but on at least one of the left side wall 101f, the right side wall 101g, the front side wall 101a, and the rear side wall 101b, as long as the atmosphere can enter the air guide cavity 101i3 through the air inlet 101i4.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 39 , the air guide assembly only includes a third air guide port 101c4 disposed on the face cover 101y, and the third air guide port 101c4 is opposite to/connected with the sponge cavity 101i1, so that the external atmosphere can directly enter the sponge cavity 101i1 through the third air guide port 101c4.

In this embodiment, the air inlet 101i4 arranged on the lower side wall 101d and the air guide cavity 101i3 connected to the air inlet 101i4 are still retained, so that the ink cartridge manufacturer can produce ink cartridges with different air guide structures according to the structure of the surface cover 101y.

Specifically, when the cover 101y is only provided with the third air guide port 101c4, the main body 101x and the cover 101y are combined with each other to form the first ink cartridge, the third air guide port 101c4 is sealed by the sealing member 106, and at the same time, the air inlet 101i4 at one end of the air guide cavity 101i3 is sealed, and/or the other end of the air guide cavity 101i3 is sealed relative to the position in the cover 101y where no air guide port is provided. Before using the ink cartridge 101y, the user manually removes/eliminates/ The sealing member 106 is torn off to open the third air port 101c4, but the air cavity 101i3 and/or the air inlet 101i4 are still sealed. Thus, when the ink cartridge is in use, the third air port 101c4 is unsealed and connected to the atmosphere, and the external atmosphere can be replenished into the ink cavity 101i through the third air port 101c4. The air cavity 101i3 is always in a sealed state, and the air inlet 101i4 does not need to be restricted and is always in an open state or a sealed state.

When the cover 101y is provided with the first air guide port 101c1 and the second air guide port 101c2, the main body 101x and the cover 101y are combined to form a second ink cartridge, the first air guide port 101c1 and the second air guide port 101c2 are still sealed by the seal 106, the second air guide port 101c2 is connected to the other end of the air guide cavity 101i3, and the air inlet 101i4 at one end of the air guide cavity 101i3 can be sealed by the air inlet The protective member 194 may also be sealed by a sealing member independent of the protective member 19. Before the user uses the ink cartridge 10, the air inlet 101i4 is opened to allow the air guide cavity 101i3 to communicate with the external atmosphere. Therefore, when the ink cartridge is used, the air inlet 101i4 is unsealed and opened, and the external atmosphere can be replenished into the ink cavity 101i through the air inlet 101i4, the air guide cavity 101i3, the second air port 101c2 and the first air port 101c1.

It can be seen that the main body 101x with the above structure has good versatility. When the number of main bodies 101x supplied is more than the predetermined number of face covers, the main bodies 101x with more face covers than the predetermined number can still form an ink cartridge by combining with another type of face cover. Finally, the main body 101x can be fully utilized. At the same time, since the first ink cartridge and the second ink cartridge only differ in the structure of the air guide component, there is no difference between the two in the matching structure with the imaging device, the ink volume, etc., and therefore, users can use them normally.

Furthermore, in the first ink cartridge, at least one of an inner welding wire 101c6 and an outer welding wire 101c5 is provided along the circumferential direction of the third air port 101c4, or in other words, on the surface of the third side wall 101c. The inner welding wire 101c6 is closer to the third air port 101c4 than the outer welding wire 101c5. Preferably, the inner welding wire 101c6 and the outer welding wire 101c5 are spaced apart from each other. In this way, when the sealing member 106 is welded to the third side wall 101c, the melted welding wire can be evenly distributed around the third air port 101c4. Finally, a good seal is formed around the third air port 101c4.

Furthermore, the inner welding wire 101c6 is formed into a cylindrical protrusion around the entire circumference of the third air guide port 101c4, and the outer welding wire 101c5 is arranged to be a plurality of regular or irregular protrusions at intervals around the entire circumference of the third air guide port 101c4. This structure can not only form a good seal for the third air guide port 101c4 through the inner welding wire 101c6, but also reduce the amount of material used for the outer welding wire 101c5.

In summary, the operating device 17 involved in the present invention is configured so that the force-bearing member 17a in the operating device 17 receives the force in the +z direction or the -z direction to release the lock of the ink cartridge 10 by the locking component 17c in the operating device 17. The operating device 17 not only reduces the space occupied by the ink chamber 101i, but also ensures that the unlocking action of the ink cartridge can be completed smoothly.

Claims

An ink cartridge is detachably mounted in an imaging device provided with a frame, wherein the frame comprises a bottom plate provided with a through hole, a side plate arranged around the bottom plate, and a limiting member movably mounted on one of the side plates, wherein the limiting member comprises two limiting plates arranged opposite to each other in the y direction;

The ink cartridge includes a shell forming an ink chamber, an ink outlet protruding from a lower side wall of the shell, an air inlet provided on the shell, and an operating device installed on the shell, wherein the ink outlet faces the bottom plate and is used to discharge ink outwards, and the air inlet is connected to the atmosphere;

The height direction of the ink cartridge is the z direction, the lower side wall faces the -z direction of the ink cartridge, the direction opposite to the -z direction is the +z direction, the length direction of the ink cartridge is the x direction, the width direction of the ink cartridge is the y direction, and the x direction, y direction and z direction intersect;

The operating device comprises a locking assembly and an unlocking assembly, wherein the locking assembly is used to lock the ink cartridge in the ink cartridge accommodating portion, and the unlocking assembly comprises a force-bearing member, a force-transmitting member and an unlocking member, wherein the force-bearing member is used to receive an external force, and the force-transmitting member is used to transmit the force to the unlocking member, and is characterized in that:

Under the action of external force, at least one of the force receiving member, the force transmitting member and the unlocking member moves in the z direction, and at the same time, the unlocking member forces the locking assembly to move along the x direction to release the lock on the ink cartridge.
The ink cartridge according to claim 1 is characterized in that the locking assembly includes an elastic arm and a snap-fit portion, wherein the snap-fit portion extends from the elastic arm in the x direction and is used to be combined with the -z direction surface of the bottom plate.
The ink cartridge according to claim 1 is characterized in that the force-bearing member is configured to rotate around a rotation axis intersecting with the z-direction of the ink cartridge, thereby driving the power transmission member to move in the z-direction of the ink cartridge.
The ink cartridge according to claim 1 is characterized in that the force-bearing member is configured to rotate around a rotation axis intersecting with the z-direction of the ink cartridge, and drives the unlocking member to move in the x-direction of the ink cartridge through the force transmission member.
The ink cartridge according to claim 1 is characterized in that the locking assembly is a metal part formed separately from the shell.
The ink cartridge according to claim 2 is characterized in that the ink cartridge also includes a detection member arranged in the ink chamber for detecting the remaining ink amount, and the locking portion is located in front of the detection member.
The ink cartridge according to claim 1 is characterized in that, along the x-direction, the shell has a first side wall and a second side wall relative to each other, the ink outlet is closer to the second side wall, and the ink cartridge also includes a coupling protruding from the first side wall, and during the installation of the ink cartridge, the coupling is used to abut against the limiting plate in the y-direction.
The ink cartridge according to claim 7 is characterized in that the shell includes a main shell and a mounting part that are combined with each other, the main shell forms an ink chamber for containing ink, and the mounting part is located on the mounting part.
According to the ink cartridge according to claim 8, it is characterized in that a plurality of ribs spaced apart along the y direction are further provided on the frame, and the ink cartridge further comprises a guide member provided on the assembly member, and during the installation process of the ink cartridge, the guide member abuts against the ribs along the y direction.
The ink cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the force-bearing member extends beyond the first side wall.
The ink cartridge according to claim 8 is characterized in that the main shell also includes a partition arranged in the ink chamber, and along the x direction, the partition divides the ink chamber into a sponge chamber located in the -x direction of the partition and an ink storage chamber located in the +x direction of the partition, and the negative pressure generating member is installed in the sponge chamber, and the sponge chamber and the ink outlet portion are opposite.
The ink cartridge according to claim 11 is characterized in that the main shell includes a main body and a face cover, the ink chamber is located between the main shell and the face cover, and the ink cartridge also includes an air guide chamber connected to the air inlet, and according to the structure of the face cover, the air guide chamber is connected to the ink chamber, or the air guide chamber is sealed by the face cover.
The ink cartridge according to claim 12 is characterized in that the ink cartridge also includes a first air port and a second air port arranged on the surface cover, the first air port is connected to the second air port and the sponge cavity, one end of the air cavity is connected to the air inlet, and the other end is connected to the second air port, and at the same time, the first air port and the second air port are also sealed by a sealing member.
The ink cartridge according to claim 12 is characterized in that the ink cartridge also includes a third air guide port arranged on the surface cover, the third air guide port is connected to the sponge cavity, and the air guide cavity is sealed relative to a position in the surface cover where no air guide port is arranged.
The ink cartridge according to claim 12 is characterized in that the air guide cavity is arranged close to the partition.
The ink cartridge according to claim 12 is characterized in that, along the x-direction, the air guide chamber is arranged between the sponge chamber and the ink storage chamber.
The ink cartridge according to claim 11 is characterized in that a spacer forming portion is provided on a surface of the partition facing the sponge cavity, and the spacer forming portion is used to prevent the negative pressure generating member in a saturated state from forming a close contact with the partition.
The ink cartridge according to claim 17 is characterized in that the spacing forming portion is a groove or a protrusion provided on the partition.
According to the ink cartridge according to claim 17, it is characterized in that the partition is also provided with a connecting port for connecting the sponge chamber and the ink storage chamber, and the spacing forming portion is connected to the connecting port.
The ink cartridge according to claim 1 is characterized in that the force transmission member includes a middle portion and a coupled portion and an unlocking member respectively located at two ends of the middle portion, the coupled portion is used to couple with the force-bearing member, and the unlocking member is used to release the lock of the locking assembly, and the coupled portion is arranged in an arc shape.
The ink cartridge according to claim 8 is characterized in that the ink cartridge further comprises an elastic member disposed between the main shell and the operating device, wherein the elastic member is used to urge at least a portion of the operating device toward the +x direction.
The ink cartridge according to claim 1 is characterized in that the unlocking member is a pushing member that can move with the force transmission member, and when the force transmission member rotates, the pushing member is used to push the locking assembly so that the locking assembly moves along the x direction to be unlocked.
The ink cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the ink outlet portion comprises an extension body connected to the shell and an ink outlet provided in the extension body, and the shell has end surfaces respectively located on both sides of the y direction, with a plane passing through the center line of the ink outlet and perpendicular to the y direction as a reference plane;

The ink cartridge also has a second surface closer to the reference surface than the end surface and a guided portion protruding from the second surface toward the y direction. During the installation of the ink cartridge, the guided portion is used to guide the ink cartridge.
The ink cartridge according to claim 23 is characterized in that a guided surface inclined relative to a reference plane is provided in the -z direction of the guided portion, and a straight line d1 and a straight line d2 parallel to the z direction are respectively made through the +x direction end and the -x direction end of the extension body, an ink outlet area Q is formed between the straight line d1 and the straight line d2, and the guided surface extends at least in the ink outlet area Q.
The ink cartridge according to claim 24 is characterized in that the side plate and the bottom plate enclose an ink cartridge accommodating space, and the ink cartridge accommodating space is divided into a plurality of limiting cavities by a plurality of spaced-apart partitions, each limiting cavity accommodating an ink cartridge, and the guided portion also has a third surface facing the y direction, and the ink cartridge also includes a guided protrusion arranged on the third surface, and during the installation process of the ink cartridge, the guided protrusion abuts against the partition in the z direction, and the guided protrusion is located in the ink outlet area Q.
An ink cartridge component, characterized in that the ink cartridge component includes a protective member and an ink cartridge as described in any one of claims 2 to 25, wherein the protective member is used to protect the operating device and is detachably combined with the ink cartridge.
The ink cartridge component according to claim 26 is characterized in that the protective part includes a protective body and a sealing assembly that are combined with each other, the protective body is combined with the bottom and rear of the shell, and the sealing assembly simultaneously seals the ink outlet and the air inlet as the protective body is combined with the shell.
The ink cartridge component according to claim 27 is characterized in that the elastic arms are arranged as two spaced apart in the y direction of the ink cartridge, the protective body includes a first protective member and a third protective member and an extension portion respectively connected to the first protective member, and when the protective member is installed to the ink cartridge, the first protective member is located below the shell, the third protective member is located behind the shell, and the extension portion enters between the two elastic arms.
The ink cartridge assembly according to claim 28 is characterized in that the first protective member is provided with a supporting protrusion abutting against the lower side wall.