The present application is a divisional application of an invention patent application having an application date of 2001, 10/20, application No. 200410068528.9, entitled "ink cartridge for ink jet recording apparatus".
Detailed Description
The present invention will be described in detail by preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First embodiment
Fig. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B show the front and rear structures of a container main body 1 forming an ink cartridge, which constitutes a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 shows the bottom structure of the container body 1. The interior of the container body 1 is vertically divided into a lower region and an upper region by a substantially horizontally extending wall 2. In the lower area, the first ink formula 3 serving as a lower ink chamber is formed in the lower area. A differential pressure valve storage chamber 4 serving as a negative pressure generating mechanism to be described later is formed in an upper region; a filter chamber 5 for storing a filter; and a second ink chamber 8 serving as an upper ink chamber, and further including first and second ink storage portions 15 and 16.
The differential pressure valve storage chamber 4 and the filter chamber 5 are separated from each other by a wall 6, and the wall 6 is located substantially at the center portion in the thickness direction of the container body 1. The wall 6 is formed with a raised valve seat 6A and a through hole 6B on the side of the differential pressure valve chamber (4) (see also fig. 6A and 6B). A frame portion 10 is formed on the side of the filter chamber 5 to fix a filter 18 thereon (see also fig. 6A and 6B).
The upper and lower chambers communicate with the upper region opening 5a of the filter chamber 5 through a circuitous flow path (more precisely, a path that opens and runs along a vertical plane) defined by vertically extending walls 11a, 11b and horizontally extending walls 11c, 11d on one side of the container body 1 (see fig. 9).
The differential pressure valve reservoir chamber 4 connected to the filter chamber 5 through the through hole 6b is exchanged with the ink supply port 14 through a flow passage 13 separated from the first ink chamber 3. That is, a part of the outer circumference of the differential pressure valve reservoir 4 is exchanged with the ink supply port 14 through the flow channel 13 including an opening 13a, a through hole 13b, and an opening 13 c. The first and second upper ink storage portions 15 and 16 are disposed opposite to each other with respect to the differential pressure valve storage chamber 4 and the filter chamber 5. Air bubbles rising and transferred with the ink from the first ink chamber 3 are trapped by these upper ink storage portions 15 and 16.
As shown in fig. 2B and 3, the horizontally extending wall 20 is formed at a slight distance from the outer wall of the container body 1, thereby defining an air chamber 21. The air chamber 21 is exchanged with the first ink chamber 3 through a vertically extending through hole 25a of a cylindrical portion 25 (as shown in fig. 4, a valve element to be described later is fitted into the through hole 25a of the cylindrical portion 25). The air chamber 21 also communicates with a recessed portion 23 provided with an air permeable membrane 24a (fig. 2B). As shown in fig. 2A, the recessed portion 23 is exchanged with the passage 100 through a groove 23c, which is connected to one end 22b of the capillary 22. The capillary tube 22 is formed on the differential pressure valve storage chamber side surface of the container body 1. The other end 22a of the capillary tube 22 is connected to the air exchange port 17 and is open to the outside air. That is, the first ink chamber 3 is connected to the air exchange port 17 through the cylindrical portion 25, the air chamber 21, the air permeable membrane 24a, the capillary tube 22, and the like. In addition, fig. 2A shows a state before the air-permeable film 24a is provided on the concave portion 23, and fig. 2B shows a state after the air-permeable film 24a is provided on the concave portion 23.
The capillary tube 22 is formed by sealing a 7-turn groove formed on the differential pressure valve storage chamber side surface of the container main body 1 with an air-impermeable film 37 (fig. 1A). The end 22a is connected to the air exchange port 17, while the opposite end 22b communicates with the region identified between the air permeable membrane 24a and the air impermeable membrane 24b through the channel 100 and the groove 23c (connected to the channel 100 on the inside of the container body). The air permeable film 24a is stretched over the middle section of the concave portion 23 formed on the container body 1. More specifically, as shown in fig. 4A, a film holding member 23a is formed at a middle section of the concave portion 23, and an air permeable film 24A is bonded to the film holding member 23 a. In addition, the air impermeable film 24b is bonded to the upper surface periphery 23b of the concave portion 23 (fig. 2A), and thus the inside of the concave portion 23 is isolated from the atmosphere.
The air chamber 21 communicates with the first ink chamber 3 through a cylindrical portion 25, the cylindrical portion 25 being substantially opposite to the ink supply port 14. An opening 28 is located above the cylindrical portion 25 (see fig. 4B), and the opening 28 is sealed by an elastically deformable air impermeable membrane 29. As shown in fig. 8, the valve element 27 is stored in the cylindrical portion 25. The plate spring 26 pulls the valve element 27 upward to normally seal the first ink chamber 3.
With such an arrangement, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to the recording apparatus, an operating lever R of the recording apparatus advances to elastically deform the air permeable membrane 29, pushing the valve element 27 to the valve-open state, and thus, the first ink chamber 3 communicates with the air chamber 21.
As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the valve element 27 includes a slide 27a for penetrating the cylindrical portion 25 and a valve 27B formed of an elastic material. One end 27d of the slide 27a is exposed at an opening 28 formed at the upper surface of the ink cartridge and communicates with the air chamber 21, and the other end of the slide 27a is exposed to the first ink chamber 3. A portion 27c (below one end 27 d) of the slide 27a is attached to the fixed portion 26a of the leaf spring 26, while the valve 27b is fixed to the other end of the slide 27 a. The opening 28 is sealed by an elastically deformable, air impermeable membrane 29.
Referring to fig. 3, the lower surface of the ink cartridge, on which the ink supply port 14 is provided, is formed with a concave portion 30 which is open to the lower surface side and is located just below the differential pressure valve storage chamber 4. In this embodiment, the concave portion 30 defines an area in which a projection 31 (see fig. 2A) for ink cartridge confirmation purposes can be formed. As shown in fig. 3, this bottom surface is also formed with ink ejection ports 32 and 33 through which ink is loaded into the ink cartridge when the ink cartridge is manufactured. In fig. 3, numeral 33a denotes an opening of the ink suction flow passage a (fig. 9) defined between the wall 11a and the outer wall of the ink cartridge, and numeral 33b denotes an opening of the first ink chamber 3. After ejecting the ink, the ink ejection ports 32 are sealed by an air impermeable film or plug, and the ink ejection ports 33 are sealed by the same or another air impermeable film or plug, while ensuring communication of the openings 33b and 33 a. Numeral 34 denotes a concave portion for storing a storage device, which is formed on the side wall of the ink cartridge in the vicinity of the ink supply port 14. Numeral 35 denotes a convex portion for assisting detachment or attachment of the ink cartridge from or to the carriage of the recording apparatus.
Fig. 6A and 6B show a differential pressure valve mechanism serving as a negative pressure generating element (negative pressure generating mechanism), in which fig. 6A shows a valve closed state and fig. 6B shows a valve open state. A diaphragm valve (diaphragm valve) 40 includes an annular thick portion 40a along the outer periphery, a central thick portion 40c having a through hole 40b at the center thereof, and a bent portion 40d having a substantially S-shaped cross section and located near the annular thick portion 40 a. The membrane valve 40 is fixedly mounted to a cylindrical support 41 and can therefore be stored within the differential pressure valve reservoir 4. The coil spring 42 is inserted and interposed between the center thick portion 40c and the container body 1. The function of the coil spring 42 is to allow the diaphragm valve 40 to be away from the valve seat 6A (see fig. 6B) when a predetermined negative pressure is applied to the ink supply port 14 due to ink consumption by the recording head, and to allow the diaphragm valve 40 to elastically contact the valve seat 6A when the ink supply to the recording head is completed (see fig. 6A). To achieve this, the spring force (the elasticity) of the spring will be adjusted accordingly.
Referring to fig. 1A and 1B, the filter chamber side surface of the container main body 1 is sealed closed by the cover member 36, and the differential pressure valve storage chamber side surface thereof is sealed closed by the air impermeable film 37, thereby constructing a sealed container.
To accomplish this configuration of the ink cartridge, the ink ejection ports 32 and 33 are connected to an ink ejection device to load ink into the ink cartridge in a state in which the ink supply port 14 is sealed by a film, and the film is easily broken by an inserted ink supply needle, and after being filled with ink, these ink ejection ports 32 and 33 are sealed by a plug(s) or an air impermeable film(s).
Fig. 7A shows an example of a cartridge holder 50 suitable for the ink cartridge described above. The cartridge holder 50 includes a base 51, walls 52, 53, 54 provided on the base 51 conforming to the front surface and the side surfaces adjacent to the front surface of the ink cartridge, and a convex portion 55 provided on the base 51 at a position corresponding to the vertical concave portion of the ink cartridge. If necessary, a projection (or projections) 56 for the purpose of confirming the ink cartridge (for confirming the kind of the ink cartridge) may be provided on the base 51.
In this embodiment, when the ink cartridge is in a state of not being mounted on the recording apparatus, the valve 27b of the valve member 27 seals the first ink chamber side opening portion of the cylindrical member 25 by the urging force of the spring 26, and thus the first ink chamber 3 is isolated from the outside air. Therefore, evaporation or leakage of the ink is eliminated.
On the other hand, when the ink cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holder 50, the three surfaces of the front surface side of the ink cartridge and the concave portions thereof are guided by the walls 52, 53, 54 and the convex portions 55, respectively, and therefore, the ink cartridge is located at a predetermined position as shown in fig. 7B, and further, an operation lever R provided on the recording apparatus presses the valve member 27 down to open the valve through the air impermeable film 29, as shown in fig. 8. Therefore, the first ink chamber 3 is communicated with the atmosphere through the air chamber 21, the air permeable membrane 24a, the capillary tube 22 and the air exchange port 17.
Under such conditions, since ink is consumed by the recording head, a negative pressure acts on the ink supply port 14, and the diaphragm valve 40 receives a differential pressure, breaking away the urging force of the coil spring 42 and separating from the valve seat 6 a. The ink in the first ink chamber 3 flows into the differential pressure valve reservoir chamber 4 through the filter 18, passes through the through hole 6b, the through hole 40b of the membrane valve 40, and then flows through the flow channel 13 into the ink supply port 14.
The flow of ink from the first ink chamber 3 to the filter chamber 5 will be described in detail later. When this negative pressure acts on the filter chamber 5 due to the ink flowing out from the ink supply port 14, as shown in fig. 9, the ink in the first ink chamber 3 is sucked and flows into the upper portion of the filter chamber 5 through the passages defined by the walls 11, i.e., the substantially vertically extending flow passage a, the horizontally extending passage B at the uppermost portion, the flow passage C interposed between the wall defining the filter chamber and the substantially horizontally extending wall 2, the vertical flow passage D, and the horizontal passage E. Since the ink in the first ink chamber 3 flows into the two upper ink storage portions 15 and 16 and flows out of the ink storage portions 15 and 16 from the bottoms of the ink storage portions 15 and 16, air bubbles in the ink are trapped by the upper portions of the ink storage portions 15 and 16. Thus, the air bubbles are removed as much as possible just before the ink flows into the filter chamber 5.
Here, since both the inflow and outflow of the ink are performed at the bottom of the upper ink storage portion 16, a constant pressure (head pressure) can be applied to the differential pressure valve during the consumption of the ink in the upper ink storage chamber 16. That is, the variation in the head pressure can be reduced.
In this way, during ink consumption, the ink in the first ink chamber 3 at the bottom is sucked up to the upper portion of the filter chamber 5 and then supplied to the ink supply port 14 through the differential pressure valve structure. Therefore, the ink pressure applied to the back surface of the film valve 40 is not affected by the pressure change generated by the movement of the ink stored in the first ink storage chamber 3, and therefore a good negative pressure can be maintained to supply the ink to the recording head.
If the ink cartridge is removed due to the exhaustion of ink or the need to change the kind of ink, the valve member 27 is closed due to the lack of support of the operating lever provided on the recording apparatus, and the thin film valve 40 is kept in elastic contact with the valve seat 6a by the urging force of the coil spring 42. Therefore, the ink is prevented from leaking from the ink supply port 14.
In the first embodiment, a differential pressure valve mechanism serving as a negative pressure generating element (negative pressure generating mechanism) is disposed in the second ink chamber 8 located in the upper portion. However, the invention is not so limited. That is, the differential pressure valve mechanism may be located at any portion of the passage connecting the second ink chamber 8 to the ink supply port 14. It is apparent that the differential pressure valve mechanism can supply a negative pressure to the ink stored in the upper ink chamber 8 to supply the ink to the ink supply port 14 regardless of the storage position of the differential pressure valve mechanism.
In the first embodiment, the case where the identification block is mounted to (or the projection 31 is provided on) the concave portion of the ink cartridge to prevent the ink cartridge from being erroneously loaded has been described. However, the invention is not limited by or thereby. In the case where the erroneous mounting is not accepted, for example, when the outer shape of the ink cartridge (black ink cartridge) is different from those of the ink cartridges (yellow ink cartridge, cyan ink cartridge, and magenta ink cartridge) used together with others, such an identification piece or projection can be omitted.
In addition, as shown in fig. 10, if the porous member 57 is inserted into the filtering chamber 5 in a filling manner without using the filter 18, or the filter 18 is combined with the porous member 57 in a stacking manner, it is possible to remove the bad influence caused by the external factors such as: air bubbles, print inhibition, short cycle pressure variations of the ink, etc. In the case of using the porous member alone, a welding process for the filter can be eliminated, so that the manufacture is easy. In addition, if the porous member is made of the same material as the container body, the recycling ability is improved.
In addition, as shown in fig. 11A and 11B, the ink storage amount of the ink cartridge can be changed by merely changing the volumes (lengths L1, L2) of the ink storage portions located opposite the identification piece (identification block) of the recessed portion 30 without any change in the attaching/detaching ability of the ink cartridge and the characteristics of the ink supply to the recording head.
In addition, the lower ink chamber (i.e., the first ink chamber 3 in this first embodiment) is used as a buffer chamber. That is, during use of the ink cartridge, even if the volume of the bubble trapped in the upper ink storage portion (i.e., the second ink chamber 8 in this embodiment) expands due to a temperature change, the ink in the upper ink storage portion returns to the bottom ink storage portion (the first ink chamber 3 in this embodiment) that is open to the atmosphere through the ink suction channel (the channel a in this embodiment) without being forced into the differential pressure valve storage chamber. Therefore, leakage of ink from the ink supply port can be avoided. When the recording head uses ink, the ink returned to the lower ink storage portion is again sucked to the upper ink storage portion by the ink suction passage, and therefore the ink in the ink cartridge can be effectively used.
Second embodiment
Fig. 12A and 12B are schematic external views of an ink cartridge constituting a second embodiment of the present invention. The ink cartridge 61 is mainly constituted by a flat, rectangular container body 62 whose one side is open, and a lid member 63 for hermetically closing the opening. The container body 62 is integrally formed with locking members 65 and 66 at the ink supply port, the upper corners of the front end of the ink cartridge, as viewed from the cartridge insertion direction (in this embodiment, the lower portion). A storage device 67 is disposed below the locking element 65. A valve reservoir 68 is disposed below the other locking element 66. A valve member (not shown) is stored in the ink supply port 64 so that the valve member is opened when an ink supply needle is inserted into the ink supply port 64.
Fig. 13 and 14 are schematic views showing a flow path formed in a container main body 62 of the ink cartridge. The inner space of the container main body 62 is divided into an upper portion and a lower portion by a substantially horizontally extending wall 70, and more specifically, the wall extends so that the ink supply port 64 side is lower.
The lower portion includes a first ink chamber 71 serving as a lower ink chamber. The upper portion is defined by a frame 74, with the wall 70 as its bottom, thereby forming an upper ink chamber. The frame 74 is spaced from the wall 72 of the container body 62, thereby forming an air exchange channel 73. The inner space of the space 74 is divided into a plurality of space portions by a vertical wall 75 formed with an exchange passage at the bottom. One space portion is used as the second ink chamber 76, and the other space portion is used as the third ink chamber 77.
A suction passage 78 is formed in the side of the second ink chamber (76). The suction passage 78 connects the second ink chamber 76 to the bottom surface 62a of the container main body 62 (i.e., the bottom region of the first ink chamber 71). The cross-sectional area of the suction channel 78 is selectable, and therefore can handle the amount of ink consumed by the recording head. As shown in fig. 15, an ink suction port 78a is formed at the lower end of the suction passage. The ink suction port 78a opens to the first ink chamber 71, and can hold ink by capillary force. An outer port 78b is formed at the upper end of the suction passage 78. The external port 78b is opened to the bottom of the second ink chamber 76.
A wall 79 is formed at a lower portion of the suction passage 78. The wall 79 includes exchange ports 79a and 79b formed therein. An ink ejection hole 80 for ejecting ink from the outside into the container body 62 is formed in a portion facing the suction passage 78, and an ink ejection hole 81 communicates with the first ink chamber to eject ink. The suction passage 78 is established such that a concave portion 78c (fig. 16) is formed on the surface of the container body 62, and the concave portion 78c is sealed by the air impermeable film.
The third ink chamber 77 is defined by walls 82 and 84 which are spaced a predetermined gap from the upper surface 74a of the frame 74. The fourth ink chamber 83 is defined by walls 86, 84, and 87. The filter chamber 94 for storing the filter 115 is defined by the wall 84 continuously to the wall 82. In the thickness direction of the container body, one side of the wall 85 defines a differential pressure valve reservoir chamber 93 (fig. 16), and the other side defines a filter chamber 94. Through holes 85a are formed in the wall 85 to guide the ink that has flowed through the filter to the differential pressure valve reservoir 93 located opposite the filter chamber 94.
A dividing wall 86 having an exchange port 86a is provided at a lower portion of the wall 84 so that the exchange port 86a is located between the wall 84 and the wall 87. A partition wall 87 having a switching port 87a at the bottom is also provided, so that an ink passage 88 is formed between the partition wall 87 and the frame 74. The upper portion of the ink passage 88 communicates with the side surface of the ink cartridge 61 through a through hole 89. In fig. 14, reference numeral 62a denotes a concave portion for storing the storage device 67.
As shown in fig. 15, the through-holes 89 are separated by a wall 90 continuous to the partition wall 87. As shown in fig. 16, the through hole 89 communicates with the upper portion of the filter chamber 94 through the concave portion 90 a. More specifically, the through hole 89 communicates with the region 91 defined by the walls 90, 84 and 82 via the recessed portion 90a, and communicates with the upper portion of the filter chamber 94 via the exchange port 84a (fig. 14) formed in the upper portion of the wall 84, the wall 84 defining the filter chamber 94.
As shown in fig. 16, the lower portion of the differential pressure valve reservoir chamber 93 and the ink supply port 64 are connected to each other through a passage constituted by a recessed portion 95 formed on the surface and an air impermeable film covering the recessed portion 95. In the figure, reference numeral 95a denotes a deep portion entering the ink supply port side.
Narrow groove 96, wide groove 97, and recessed portion 98 are formed on the surface of container body 62. The narrow slot 96 is serpentine in design and therefore provides maximum flow resistance. Wide slots 97 are provided around narrow slots 96. The concave portion 98 is rectangular in shape and is provided in an opposite area of the second ink chamber 76. The frame 99 and the ribs 100 are formed at the recessed portion 98 slightly below the open end of the recessed portion 98. The other end 96b of the groove 96 is open to the outside air. An air permeable membrane having ink repellency and gas permeability is bonded to the frame 99 and the ribs 100, thereby defining air exchange chambers. A through hole 101 is formed in the bottom of the recessed portion 98 and communicates with an elongated area 103 (fig. 15) defined by a wall 102 of the second ink chamber 76. The narrow groove 96 communicates with the recessed portion 98 on a surface side closer to which the air permeable membrane is provided (i.e., an open end side). The other end of the region 103 communicates with the valve reservoir 68 through a through hole 104, an exchange groove 105, and a through hole 106. In short, an air exchange passage is formed and extends from the other end portion 96b of the narrow groove 96, through the one end portion 96a of the narrow groove 96, the air permeable membrane bonded to the frame 99 and the rib 100, the through hole 101 formed at the bottom of the recessed portion 98, the elongated region 103, the through hole 104, the groove 105, and the through hole 106, to the through hole 120 of the valve reservoir chamber 68. The through hole 120 also communicates with the first ink chamber 71 via a flow passage (not shown, but formed in or provided on the container body 62) and a through hole 127.
A window 68a is formed and opens an ink cartridge insertion leading end of the valve reservoir chamber 68, i.e., a lower end portion of the valve reservoir chamber 68 in the embodiment shown in fig. 14. The valve storage chamber 68 stores air at its upper portion to open a valve 125 (see fig. 18), which is normally closed but opened by entering a valve-operating lever (not shown) provided in the main body of the recording apparatus into the chamber. That is, the air opening valve 125 is provided on the through hole 120, so that the through hole 106 can communicate with and be isolated from the through hole 127.
Fig. 17 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the differential pressure valve reservoir 93. A spring 110 and a diaphragm valve 112 are mounted within the differential valve reservoir 93. The diaphragm valve 112 is made of an elastically deformable material such as synthetic rubber and has a through-hole 111 at the center thereof. The membrane valve 112 includes an annular thick portion 112a provided circumferentially, and a frame 114 formed integrally with the annular thick portion 112 a. The membrane valve 112 is secured to the container body 62 by a frame 114. The spring 110 is supported at one end by a spring receiving portion 112b of the thin film valve 112 and at the other end by a spring receiving portion 113a of a cover member 113 for a differential pressure valve reservoir.
In the figure, reference numeral 115 denotes a filter provided in the filter chamber 94, and 116 and 117 denote air impermeable films bonded to the surface side and the opening side of the container main body 62. Air impermeable membrane 116 is bonded to wall 70, frame 74 and walls 75, 82, 84, 86, 87, 90 and 102 (fig. 15) by welding or similar process.
In this structure, the ink that has passed through the filter 115 flows through the ink flow port 85a and is blocked by the membrane valve 112. In this state, the pressure applied to the ink supply port 64 becomes low, and the diaphragm valve 112 is moved away from the valve seat 85b against the elastic force of the spring 110, so that the ink flows through the through hole 111 and flows to the ink supply port 64 through the passage formed by the recessed portion 95.
When the ink pressure applied to the ink supply port 64 increases to a predetermined value, the diaphragm valve 112 is elastically (elastically) brought into contact with the valve seat 85b by the elastic force of the spring 110. As a result, the ink flow is interrupted. By repeating this operation, the ink is discharged to the ink supply port 64 while maintaining a constant negative pressure.
Fig. 18 is a schematic sectional view of the structure of the valve reservoir 68 communicating with air. The through-hole 120 is in the wall defining the valve reservoir 68. The pressure member 121 formed of an elastic material such as rubber is movably inserted into the through hole 120 in a state that its periphery is supported by the container state 62. Disposed at the insertion leading end of the pressure member 121 is a valve member 125 supported by an elastic member such as a plate spring 122 having a base end fixed by a projection 123 and a middle portion limited by a projection 124. The valve element 125 is constantly pressed against the through-hole 120.
A cartridge identification block 135, shown in detail in fig. 20A and 20B, is mounted on the other surface of the pressure member 121. The cartridge recognition block 135 has: a fulcrum 126a formed by the cartridge insertion side of the recognition block 135, i.e., the lower end portion thereof in this embodiment is disposed slightly inward from the valve-operating lever of the recording apparatus; the arm 126 formed by the ink cartridge moving side of the identification block 135, i.e., in this embodiment, the upper side thereof, extends obliquely into the advancing path of the valve-operating lever; and a convex portion 126b provided on the top of the arm 126 for elastically pressing the pressing member 121. With such a structure, when the valve element 125 is set to the valve-open state, the through hole 127 is formed in the upper portion of the first ink chamber 71, communicating with the air exchange recessed portion 98 through the through hole 120.
A recessed portion 128 for fixing the cartridge recognition block to adjust whether or not the ink cartridge is properly mounted on the recording apparatus is formed on the insertion side of the arm 126, i.e., the lower side in this embodiment. An identification block 135 shown in fig. 20 is installed in the concave portion 128 so as to finish judging the suitability of the ink cartridge before the ink supply port 64 communicates with the ink supply needle and before the valve member 125 is opened. In fig. 18, reference numeral 138 ″ is a convex portion as an identification portion of the cartridge identification block 135.
The cartridge recognition block 135 includes guide grooves 136, 137, and 140 (fig. 20A) that guide a valve-operating lever and a recognition piece provided on the recording apparatus, respectively. The protrusions 138 and 138' are provided at predetermined positions in the guide grooves into which the identification pieces are entered. The projections 138 and 138 'are provided at least at positions different from the ink cartridge in the insertion direction, and therefore, if an ink cartridge not matching the recording apparatus is inserted, these projections 138 and 138' contact the identification piece to prevent further insertion.
In fig. 20B, reference numeral 139 denotes a claw for engaging with a concave portion 140 formed in the container body.
In this structure, when the ink cartridge 61 is inserted into the cartridge holder having the valve-operating lever mounted on the lower surface thereof, the valve-operating lever is brought into contact with the inclined arm 126 of the cartridge recognition block 135. When the insertion operation of the ink cartridge 61 is performed, the pressure member 121 moves toward the valve member 125. As a result, the valve element 125 is removed from the through hole 120, and thus the first ink chamber communicates with the air through the through hole 106, the groove 105, the through hole 104, the region 103, the through hole 101, and the air permeable membrane.
When the ink cartridge 61 is pulled out from the cartridge holder, the arm 126 loses its support by the valve-operating lever. Thus, the spring 122 causes the valve element 125 to close the through hole 120, thereby interrupting the exchange between the first ink chamber 71 and the air.
When all the parts including the valve are mounted to the container body 62, an air impermeable film 117 (fig. 17) is bonded to the surface of the container body 62 by heat welding or the like so as to cover at least the concave part. Thus, a capillary tube serving as an air exchange passage is formed on its surface by the narrow groove 96 and the air impermeable film 117.
An air impermeable film 116 (fig. 17) is bonded to the opened portion of the container body 62 by thermal welding or the like so as to mainly seal the second ink chamber 76, the third ink chamber 77, and the fourth ink chamber 83. Thus, the areas defined by walls 70, 74, 75, 82, 84, 86, 87, 90 and 102 are sealed to exchange communication with each other only through suction channel 78 and exchange ports 75a, 86a and 87 a.
The long open side of the valve reservoir 68 is then also sealed by an air impermeable membrane 116' (fig. 18). Finally, the cover member 63 is secured by welding or the like to ensure a predetermined gap between the cover member 63 and the membrane 116, preferably a gap that allows the membrane 116 to be deformed due to changes in ink pressure. Thus, the first ink chamber 71 is hermetically closed, and the ink cartridge mounting is completed.
By using such a structure, the ink reservoir area is sealed by the film 116, and the container body 62 having a plurality of partitioned ink reservoirs and areas and capable of absorbing the movement of the ink due to the reciprocation of the carriage by the deformation of the film 116 can be formed by injection molding of a high molecular polymer in a simple process.
Subsequently, air is expelled from the ink cartridge through the ink ejection holes 80 and 81, and then a sufficiently degassed ink is ejected into the ink cartridge. When the ink ejection is completed, the ink ejection holes 80 and 81 are sealed by a film or plug member. In this state, the spaces from the first to fourth ink chambers 71, 76, 77, 83, the suction passage 78, the filter chamber 94, the differential pressure valve reservoir chamber 93, the recessed portion 95, to the ink supply port 104 are filled with ink.
The lower ink storage region, i.e., the first ink chamber 71, is sealed by the container body 62 and the lid member 63. The upper ink storage region, in the second embodiment, the second ink chamber 76, the third ink chamber 77, the fourth ink chamber 83 and the filter chamber 94, is defined by a thin film 116 located between the container body 62 and the valve element 63. In this case, a space 150 (fig. 17) communicating with the first ink chamber 71 exists. Therefore, when the amount of ink filled reaches any specific amount, some amount of ink enters the space.
In the ink cartridge of this structure, the ink is stored therein while being isolated from the air by a valve or the like. Therefore, when storing the deaerated ink, the deaeration rate of the ink is completely maintained.
When the ink cartridge 61 is set on the cartridge holder, if the ink cartridge is engaged with the cartridge holder, the ink supply port 64 advances until it receives the ink supply needle. The through hole 10 is opened by the valve-operating lever already described, the first ink chamber 71 (ink storage area) is communicated with air, and the valve element of the ink supply port 64 is opened by the ink supply needle.
When the ink cartridge is not fitted to the cartridge holder, the ink cartridge is blocked before the ink supply port 64 reaches the ink supply needle, at least before the valve member of the ink supply port is opened by the ink supply needle. The valve member 125 maintains the sealed state of the ink cartridge to prevent unwanted replacement of air in the ink storage area, thereby preventing the ink solvent from being evaporated.
When the ink cartridge is normally put into the cartridge holder, the ink is consumed by the ink jet recording head, and the pressure in the ink supply port 64 is lowered to a predetermined pressure value. Thus, the membrane valve 112 is opened as described above. When the pressure of the ink supply port 64 rises above a predetermined value, the diaphragm valve 112 closes. The ink flows into the recording head while maintaining a predetermined negative pressure (fig. 19I, hatched areas in fig. 19I to 19V represent the inks contained in the first to fourth ink chambers 71 to 83 and the like).
When the recording head consumes the ink for recording, the ink in the first ink chamber 71 flows into the second ink chamber 76 through the suction passage 78. The bubbles flowing into the second ink chamber 76 with the ink are lifted by buoyancy, and therefore only the ink flowing into the third ink chamber 77 through the lower exchange port 75 a.
The ink in the fourth ink chamber 83, having passed through the exchange port 86a of the partition wall 86 defining the filter chamber 94, rises from the area 91 through the ink passage 88 and flows into the upper portion of the filter chamber 94. The ink flowing through the filter 115 flows into the differential pressure valve reservoir 93 through the through hole 85a as described above, and then flows into the ink supply port 64 by the opening and closing operation of the membrane valve 112 under a predetermined negative pressure.
The first ink chamber 71 communicates with the air through the through hole 127, and is maintained at atmospheric pressure. The second ink chamber 7 communicates with the third ink chamber 77 only through the exchange port 75 a. Therefore, the amount of ink, corresponding to the amount of ink decreased by the ink consumed by the recording head, flows from the first ink chamber 71 into the second ink chamber 76.
Even if the ink of the first ink chamber 71 flows back and reaches the concave portion 98, the air provided in the concave portion 98 cannot permeate and the ink repellent film is kept in communication with the atmosphere to prevent the ink from leaking therefrom. In this feature, the ink cartridge is free from such an undesirable state in which the ink that has flowed into the narrow groove 96 is solidified, thereby closing the air exchange passage. Therefore, when the ink is in the first ink chamber 71, the negative pressure applied to the ink supply port 64 gradually increases according to the ink height H in the first ink chamber 71.
Therefore, the ink in the bottom area of the first ink chamber 71 in the lower portion is sucked into the vicinity of the bottom of the upper ink chamber, more specifically, the second ink chamber 76. Therefore, the head pressure of the ink in the upper ink chambers 76, 77, and 83 is substantially constant. Thus, the variation in the water head pressure due to the height of the ink cartridge is limited only to the variation in the water head pressure H of the first ink chamber 71 located at the lower portion, and this limited variation is directly applied to the film valve 112.
Therefore, the pressure for keeping the membrane valve 112 in the closed state can be set in accordance with the water head pressure H of the first ink chamber 71. Therefore, even if the amount of stored ink is increased without increasing the bottom area, i.e., the height of the container main body 62 is increased, the ink cartridge can supply ink without applying excessive negative pressure to the recording head and without using a negative pressure generating mechanism. Thus, the ink stored in the ink cartridge can be effectively used while maintaining high printing quality.
When the ink in the first ink chamber 71 is sucked into the second ink chamber 76 through the suction passage 78 and completely consumed (fig. 19II), the ink suction port 78a of the suction passage 78 holds the ink by its capillary force (i.e., meniscus force formed at the ink suction port 78 a). Therefore, no ink flows from the second ink chamber 76 to the first ink chamber 71. Further, even when the ink cartridge is removed in a state where no ink remains in the first ink chamber 71, the ink in the upper ink storage area can be prevented from flowing into the first ink chamber 71.
When the ink is consumed by the recording head and negative pressure acts on the second ink chamber 76, the ink immediately flows from the second ink chamber 76 into the third ink chamber 77 through the exchange port 75a while sucking air from the first ink chamber 71 communicating with the outside air. A constant pressure is applied to the thin film valve 112 serving as a negative pressure generating mechanism regardless of the ink levels in the second ink chamber 76, the third ink chamber 77, and the fourth ink chamber 83, while the inks in the second ink chamber 76, the third ink chamber 77, and the fourth ink chamber 83 are consumed. Therefore, the ink in the ink cartridge is efficiently supplied into the recording head without degrading the printing quality.
When there is no ink chamber remaining in the second ink chamber 76 (fig. 19III), the ink remaining in the third ink chamber 77 is sent to the recording head through the exchange port 86 a. When the ink in the third ink chamber 71 runs out, the ink in the fourth ink chamber 83 is used (fig. 19V). In addition, each of the ports 75a, 86a, and 88a is sized such that a meniscus can be formed to support ink in the ports 75a, 86a, 88a during ink consumption as illustratively shown.
Even if the ink in an area partitioned by the partition wall 86 is lower than the ink in the exchange port 86a (fig. 19IV), and the ink in the fourth ink chamber 83 is consumed (fig. 19V), the filter chamber 94 does not communicate with the air, because the ink on the ink flow passage 88 side of the wall 70 is located at a lower position, and therefore the lower end portion 88a of the ink passage 88 is immersed in the ink. Therefore, if the ink consumed by the recording head stops in this state, the air bubbles are prevented from flowing into the recording head.
As described above, when the ink storage region of the upper portion is divided into a plurality of regions by the walls 75 and 86, a plurality of ink chambers 76, 77, and 83 are defined in the upper portion, and these ink chambers communicate with each other at least at the bottom portions thereof. This arrangement can keep the head pressure acting on the membrane valve 112 within a substantially constant range while ignoring the decrease in ink in the ink chambers 76, 77, and 83. In the process ranging from fig. 19II to 19IV, that is, in a state where the ink in the first ink chamber 71 is used up and the inks in the second to fourth ink chambers 76, 77 and 83 are supplied into the recording head, the change in the negative pressure acting on the ink supply port 64 is greatly suppressed as compared with a state where there is remaining ink in the first ink chamber 71.
In addition, the lower ink chamber (i.e., the first ink chamber 71 in this embodiment) is used as a buffer chamber. That is, in use of the ink cartridge, even if the air bubbles trapped by the upper ink storage portion (i.e., the second to fourth ink chambers 76, 77, 78 in this embodiment) expand due to a temperature change, the ink in the upper ink storage portion is returned to the lower ink storage portion (the first ink chamber 71 in this embodiment) communicating with the atmosphere through the ink suction passage (the flow passage 78 in this embodiment) without being forced to flow into the differential pressure valve storage chamber. Therefore, ink leakage from the ink supply port can be avoided. When the ink is used by the recording head, the ink refluxed to the lower ink storage portion is again sucked to the upper ink storage portion by the ink suction channel, and therefore the ink in the ink cartridge can be effectively used.
More specifically, even if a gas layer formed in, for example, the upper portion of the second ink chamber expands due to an increase in the ambient temperature during consumption of ink in the second and successive ink chambers, ink drawn back into the first ink chamber is caused to flow back, and the ink that has flowed back is trapped by the first ink chamber. Further, the ink collected in the first ink chamber and flowing backward can be sucked again into the second ink chamber and used.
Fig. 21A shows another flow path connecting the second ink chamber 76 to the third ink chamber 77. In this example, a slope 70a extending vertically is formed on the outflow side of the exchange port 75a partitioning the second ink chamber 76 and the third ink chamber 77, that is, on a part of the wall 70a of the third ink chamber 77. The slope angle of the slope 70a is gradually increased to be close to the vertical direction as it approaches the upper end thereof.
The ink flowing out of the exchange port 75a flows along the inclined surface 70a in the direction indicated by the arrow F1, and a vortex is formed behind the inclined surface 70a as indicated by the arrow F2. Therefore, the coloring material component or the like is concentrated at a lower portion in the pigment ink than in the dye ink, and such concentration or precipitation can be eliminated.
Fig. 21B is a schematic view showing a modification of the ink chamber, for example, a third ink chamber 77. In this modification, a slope 70b is formed on the wall 70 so as to face the moving direction of the carriage (indicated by arrow G) when the ink cartridge is mounted to the carriage of the recording apparatus.
When the ink cartridge 61 mounted to the carriage of the recording apparatus receives acceleration/deceleration due to the reciprocating movement of the carriage, the slope 70B causes an upward flow as shown by F3 in fig. 21B, thereby preventing condensation or precipitation similar to that shown in fig. 21A. It is apparent that a similar effect can be obtained if such slopes 70a, 70b are formed on at least one of the first to third (fourth) ink chambers.
Third embodiment
Fig. 22A, 22B, and 23A to 23D are schematic external views of another ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention, which constitutes a third embodiment. The ink cartridge 61 is mainly constituted by a flat, rectangular, box-shaped container body 162 one surface of which is open and the other opposite surface of which is closed, and a cover member 163 for closing the open face of the container body 162. An ink supply port 164 is formed at a longitudinally offset position on the leading end side in the insertion direction, i.e., on the bottom surface of this embodiment. The locking members 165 and 166 are integrally formed with the container body 162 at an upper lateral portion.
The locking member 165 near the ink supply port has a rotation fulcrum 165a which is slightly above the leading end side of the locking member 165 as viewed from the insertion direction, i.e., at the lower end portion of the locking member 165 of this embodiment, so that the upper portion of the locking member 165 can be opened outward around the fulcrum 165 a. The opposite locking member 166 is designed to insist on supporting the ink cartridge together with the locking member 165.
The width of each of the locking members 165 and 166 is designed according to the width of the insertion port provided in the carriage, and therefore, the side surfaces of the locking members 165, 166 can serve as guide members for restricting the lateral position of the ink cartridge.
The storage device 167 is positioned below the locking member 165 adjacent the ink supply port. The memory device 167 includes a plate, a plurality of electrodes 167a formed on one surface of the plate, and semiconductor memory elements formed on the other surface of the plate. A valve chamber 168 is formed at a position lower than the other locking member 166.
An elongated portion 169 is formed in the vicinity of the ink supply port 164 and on the central region side of the container. The elongated portion 169 extends in the insertion/removal direction of the ink cartridge, and at least the leading end side thereof is open. The length and width of the elongated portion 169 are such that it constrains the open surface of the ink supply port to be perpendicular to the ink supply needles of the carriage, at least until the leading end of the ink supply port 164 reaches the ink supply needles.
On the other hand, a recording head 261 is provided on the bottom surface of the carriage 260 mounting the ink cartridge, and the carriage also has an ink supply needle 262 communicating with the recording head 261, as shown in fig. 24. The pressure member, i.e., the plate spring 263 in this embodiment, is disposed at a region having a distance from the region of the ink supply needle 262. A positioning projection piece 264 is formed between the pressure member and the ink supply needle 262 and extends in the insertion/removal direction of the ink cartridge. The electrode 266 is provided on the side wall 265 on the ink supply needle (262) side. The concave portion 267 is formed above the electrode 266 and thus can be engaged with the protrusion 165b of the locking member 165.
By adopting such a structure, as shown in fig. 25A, when an ink cartridge having the ink supply port 164 located at a deep position is inserted and is pushed in against the urging force of the plate spring 263, the elongated portion 169 is restrained by the projecting piece 264. Therefore, even if the ink cartridge receives such a rotational force (arrow K in fig. 25A) to lower the ink supply port 164 by the urging force of the plate spring 263 disposed at the offset position, the posture of the ink cartridge is constrained to a specific insertion/removal direction, i.e., parallel to the vertical direction in this embodiment.
The ink cartridge 161 is further urged against the elastic force of the spring 263, and the projection 165b of the locking member 165 drops into and engages with the concave portion 267 by the entire elasticity of the locking member 165. Therefore, a clear locking feeling is transmitted to the hand grasping the locking member 165, and the user can judge that the ink cartridge 161 is actually mounted to the carriage 260.
In the mounted state of the ink cartridge 161, the surface of the storage device 167 provided with the electrode 167a is pressed against the electrode 266 of the carriage 260 by the elastic force of the spring 163 (the elastic force is indicated by an arrow K in the drawing), while the position of the surface is restricted by the projection 165b of the locking member 165 in the insertion/removal direction. Therefore, the contact can be reliably maintained regardless of the variation caused in printing.
When the ink cartridge 161 is removed from the carriage 260 for replacement or the like, the lock member 65 is elastically pressed toward the container main body (162) side, and therefore the lock member 165 is rotated with respect to the rotation fulcrum 165a provided slightly above the lower end portion thereof, so that the projection 165b of the lock member 165 is disengaged from the concave portion 267. Under this condition, the ink cartridge 161 is guided by the guide piece 264 and moves in parallel to the ink supply needle 262 by the elastic force of the spring 263. Therefore, the ink cartridge can be detached from the carriage without applying a bending force or the like to the ink supply pins 264.
Fig. 26A and 26B are front and rear structural schematic views of a container main body 162 of an ink cartridge structure according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The interior of the container body 162 is vertically divided into upper and lower regions by a wall 170. The wall 170 extends substantially horizontally, and more specifically, the wall 170 extends in such a manner that the ink supply port (164) side thereof is slightly lowered.
The lower region includes a first ink chamber 171. The upper region is separated by a frame 174 having a wall 170 as the bottom surface. The frame 174 is spaced a predetermined distance or distance from the wall 172 of the container body 162, thereby defining an air exchange passage 173. The inside of the frame 174 is divided by a vertical wall 175 whose bottom portion has an exchange port 175a, so that one area side is used as the second ink chamber 176 and the other area side is used as the third ink chamber 177.
In an area toward one end portion of first ink chamber 171, there is a suction passage 178 for connecting second ink chamber 176 to bottom surface 162a of container body 162 (i.e., the bottom portion of first ink chamber 171). The suction passage 178 has a sectional area capable of dealing with the amount of ink consumed by the recording head. The lower end of the suction channel 178 is formed in a suction port 178a that opens into the first ink chamber 171 and that can hold ink by capillary force. The upper end of the suction passage 178 is formed in an outflow port 178b that is open to communicate with the bottom portion of the second ink chamber 176.
A wall 179 having exchange ports 179a and 179b is formed in the vicinity of the suction port 178a of the suction passage 178. As shown in fig. 27, an opening 180 for ejecting ink from the outside into the container body 162 is formed at a position opposite to the suction passage 178, and the opening 181 is communicated with the first ink chamber 171. The suction passage 178 is formed on the surface of the container body 162 together with the concave portion 178c (see fig. 26B), and this concave portion 178c is sealed by the air impermeable film 255 (see fig. 29 and 30).
The third ink chamber 177 is defined by walls 182, 184 and 186 having a predetermined space from the upper surface 174a of the frame 174 (fig. 26A). The fourth ink chamber 83 is defined by walls 170, 184, 186, and 187. Continuing from wall 184 to wall 182 defines a flow passage communicating with the back side of the differential valve reservoir 193 (fig. 30).
A partition wall 186 having an exchange port 186A (fig. 26A) is provided between the lower portion of the wall 184 and the wall 170. A partition wall 187 having an exchange port 187a at a lower portion thereof is provided for defining an ink flow path 188 between the wall 187 and the frame 174. The upper portion of the ink flow path 188 communicates with the other side of the ink cartridge 161 via a through hole 189, which serves as a filter chamber. The filter 215 (fig. 29) is made of a porous material such as a foamed resin, and the filter is inserted into this through-hole 189. In the figure, numeral 162b denotes a concave portion for storing the storage device 167.
As shown in fig. 27, the through-hole 189 is divided by a wall 190 continuing to the wall 187, and the through-hole 189 communicates with the upper end of the ink flow path 188 via a recessed portion or groove portion 190 a. On the other side surface of the container body 162, a teardrop-shaped recess 190B (see fig. 26B) is formed to communicate the through hole 189 with a recess portion 184a provided in an upper portion of a flow passage (or chamber) defined by the rear side wall 194 and the wall 184 of the differential pressure valve reservoir chamber 193 as shown in fig. 28.
As shown in fig. 26B, the lower portion of the differential pressure valve reservoir chamber 193 and the ink supply port 164 are connected to each other through a flow channel defined by a concave portion 195 formed on the surface of the container body 162 and an air impermeable film 255 covering the concave portion 195 (see fig. 30).
As shown in fig. 26B, narrow grooves 196, wide grooves 197, and rectangular recessed portions 198 are formed on the surface of the container body 162. The narrow slot 196 is serpentine in arrangement to provide the greatest possible flow resistance. Wide slots 197 are formed around narrow slots 196. The concave portion 198 is provided on an area on the opposite side of the second ink chamber 176. The recess 198 has a frame 198a and ribs 198b that are slightly below the open end of the recess 198. The ribs 198b are spaced apart from one another. An ink-resistant, air permeable membrane 258 is secured in an extended state by this frame 198a and defines an air exchange chamber.
A through hole 198c is formed on the bottom surface of the concave portion 198 as shown in fig. 26B. This through hole 198c communicates with an elongated area 199a defined by a wall 199 of the second ink chamber 176 (fig. 26A and 28). The concave portion 198 also communicates with one end 196a of the narrow groove 196 at a region near the surface side rather than the region provided with the air permeable film 258. That is, the through hole 198c communicates with one end 196a of the narrow groove 196 via the air permeable membrane 258. The elongated region 199a communicates with the valve storage chamber 168 (fig. 27) via a through hole 200 (fig. 28) provided on the other end of the region 199a, a groove 201 (fig. 26B) formed on the surface of the container main body 162, and the through hole 201a (fig. 28).
As shown in fig. 26B and fig. 30, a concave portion 203 is formed on the rear surface of the valve storage chamber 168, and the leading end of the concave portion 203 is formed together with a through hole 203a that opens in the vicinity of the second ink chamber 176. The area where these concave portions 203 and the through-holes 203a are provided is sealed by a film 221 to define a passage for air exchange. The through-hole 203a communicates with a flow passage 205 (fig. 26A) defined by a vertically extending wall 204 and the cover member 163, the wall 204 being at a predetermined spatial distance from the frame 174. An upper end 205a of the flow passage 205 communicates with an upper end of the first ink chamber 171 via a flow passage 206 or an air exchange passage 173 formed by the wall 204 and the frame 174.
By adopting such a flow passage structure, it is possible to prevent ink from flowing from the first ink chamber 171 into the valve storage chamber 168, and to prevent ink in the first ink chamber 171 from evaporating while keeping the first ink chamber 171 open to the atmosphere.
The leading end of the valve reservoir chamber 168 in the insertion direction of the ink cartridge, i.e., the lower portion of the valve chamber 168 in this embodiment, is opened through a window 168a, as shown in fig. 26B. An identification block 230 (described in detail later) is mounted on a lower portion of the valve storage chamber 168, and an air opening valve 225 (fig. 29) is mounted on an upper portion thereof. The recognition block 230 allows entry of a plurality of recognition pieces 270, 271, 272 (fig. 24) and a valve-operating lever provided on a carriage 260 of the recording apparatus main body.
In this condition, as shown in fig. 29, the film 254 is bonded to the frame 174 and the walls 170, 175, 182, 184, 186, 187, 190, and 199 on the open side of the container main body 162 by heat welding or the like, so that the ink chambers (176, 177, 183) are formed in the upper region portion. The cover member 163 is hermetically attached in a state where the upper area ink chamber is separated from the lower area ink chamber (171). The membrane 256 is coupled to the valve reservoir 168 in a state in which the valve element 225 and the plate spring 222 are stored in the valve reservoir 168.
On the other hand, on the film side of the container state 162, as shown in fig. 30, the film valve 212, the spring 210 and the film valve holder (lip member) 213, the groove 213a connecting the outlet side of the film valve 212 and the concave portion 195 are installed and stored in the differential pressure valve storage chamber 193, and then, a single air impermeable film 255 having such a size as to be capable of covering the differential pressure valve chamber 193, the narrow groove 196, the groove 201, the concave portion 190b, the concave portion 195, the concave portion 198 and the concave portion 178c is bonded to the side surface of the container body 162.
An air impermeable film 221 which is easily deformed by the lever is bonded to a region opposite to the concave portion 203 of the valve reservoir 168, and an identification piece 230 is mounted and fixed to a side surface of the valve reservoir 168 by claws 230a, 230 b.
A valve member 250 (fig. 24) opened by inserting an ink supply needle is inserted into the ink supply port 164, and thus the valve member 250 is normally closed by the elastic force of the spring 251. The packing member 252 is also inserted into the ink supply port 164 to ensure a sealed state between each valve element 250 and the ink supply port and the container body 162. In the figure, numeral 253 denotes a protective film which is bonded to the ink supply port for preventing ink leakage during commercial distribution and allowing insertion of the ink supply needle 262.
Fig. 31 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the differential pressure valve reservoir chamber 193. A spring (coil spring) 210 and a membrane valve 212 are stored in the differential valve storage chamber 193. The diaphragm valve 212 is made of an elastically deformable material such as synthetic rubber, and has a through hole 211 at the center thereof. The membrane valve 212 includes an annular thick portion 212a disposed circumferentially and a frame 214 formed integrally with the annular thick portion 212 a. The membrane valve 212 is secured to the container body 162 by a frame 214. The spring 210 is supported at one end by a spring receiving portion 212b of the thin film valve 212 and at the other end by a thin film valve supporting plate 213 fixedly attached to the container body 162.
In this arrangement, ink flowing through the filter 215 (FIG. 29) flows through the ink flow port 194a and is blocked by the membrane valve 212. In this state, when the pressure of the ink supply port 164 is lowered, the diaphragm valve 212 is separated from the valve seat 194b against the elastic force of the spring 210, so that the ink flows through the through hole 211 and is supplied to the ink supply port 164 via the flow path formed by the concave portion 195.
When the ink pressure in the ink supply port 164 increases to a predetermined value, the diaphragm valve 212 elastically contacts the valve seat 194b by the elastic force of the spring 210, and thus the flow of ink is stopped. By repeating this operation, the ink is discharged to the ink supply port 164 while maintaining a constant negative pressure.
Fig. 32A and 32B are schematic cross-sectional views of a valve reservoir 168 for air exchange. The wall defining the valve reservoir 168 is formed with a through hole 220, and a convex portion 225a of the valve element 225 is movably fitted into the through hole 220. The body 225b of the valve member 225 is pressed by the elastic member 222, such as a plate spring, so that the valve member 225 normally closes the through-hole 220. The lower end of the elastic member 222 is fixed by a projection 223 and the central portion thereof is restricted by a projection 224. Preferably, the valve member 225 has a sealing portion 225c formed of a relatively soft material such as synthetic rubber, the sealing portion 225c being on the side of the through hole (220).
The identification piece 230 (fig. 33A and 33B) provided on the other side of the film 258 is fixed to the holes 162c, 162d (fig. 28) of the container main body 162 by the claws 230a, 230B (fig. 33A), and is formed with a plurality of grooves (fig. 33A and 33B: three grooves: 231, 232, 233 in this embodiment) parallel to the cartridge insertion direction. One of these grooves, i.e., the groove 232 in this embodiment, is formed together with an arm 234 for pressing the convex portion 225a of the valve element 225. The arm 234 is supported at the side of the cartridge insertion direction, i.e., the lower end in this embodiment, by the recognition block 230.
The arm 234 has a fulcrum 234a about which the arm 234 pivots and is therefore located slightly inward of it. The moving side of the cartridge of the arm 234, i.e., the upper side in this embodiment, extends obliquely into the front path of the lever 273 (fig. 32B). The grooves 231 to 233 are formed together with the projecting portions 231a, 232a, 233a opposite to the leading ends of the identification pieces 270, 271, 272 of the carriage 260 (fig. 24 and 25), respectively.
With this arrangement, the position of the arm 234 can be made constant while preventing erroneous mounting of the ink cartridge, and therefore the positions of the convex portions 231a, 232a, 233a and the positions of the leading ends of the identification pieces 270, 271, 272 are determined according to the kind of ink in the ink cartridge. The convex portions 231a, 232a, 233a may be provided in a three-dimensional manner such that the positions of these convex portions vary not only in the direction of insertion/removal of the ink cartridge but also in the direction of thickness of the ink cartridge. This makes it possible to confirm a large number of kinds or types of ink without increasing the area for forming the identification region.
This identification block 230 is used by the recording apparatus to determine the ink type based on the position of the raised portion. The identification block may be the same or similar color as the ink or may be provided as a signature of the ink type for ease of identification by the user or during installation.
When the ink cartridge is mounted to the holder and the arm 234 is pressed by the lever 273, the valve element 225 is moved to the valve-open state. Thus, passing through an air exchange passage formed by the through hole 203a and the film 221 opened in the vicinity of the second ink chamber 176; a flow channel 205 defined by a vertically extending wall 204, the wall 204 being shown at a constant distance from the frame 174 and the cover member 163; the flow passage 206 and the air exchange passage 173, both sides of the upper end portion of the first ink chamber 171 are open to the atmosphere.
That is, the valve chamber 168 communicates with the groove 201 of the container body 162 via the through hole 201a, and also communicates with the bottom surface of the recessed portion 198 via the through hole 200 at the other end, the area 199a covered with the film, and the through hole 198 c. The recessed portion 198 communicates with one end 196a of the narrow groove 196 forming the capillary of the container body through the air permeable membrane 258, and is thus open to the atmosphere.
The ink cartridge may be mounted and the ink may be stored on the same recording apparatus as other mounted ink cartridges, which consume the ink at a rate greater than that of the other ink cartridges. For example, an ink cartridge containing black ink is such an ink cartridge. Such an ink cartridge is preferably an ink cartridge designed to have a large ink storage capacity as shown in fig. 34, and this is also convenient for the user because the ink cartridge replacement cycle can be substantially equal to that of other ink cartridges.
With such a structure of the ink cartridge, the shape of the opened surface of the container main body 162' can be made the same, but the depth W2 is made larger. By merely changing the depth W2 of the container body 162 ', the amount of ink contained in the container body 162' can be increased.
The distance from the surface of the container body 162 ' to the center of the ink supply port 164 ' and the storage device 167 ' is set to a constant value W1, equal to that of the other ink cartridges. In addition, the recognition block 230 ' is mounted to the side surface of the container body 162 ', and thus the recognition block 230 ' is disposed at the same position as other ink cartridges. That is, when the ink cartridge is mounted, in order to ensure that pressure is applied to the ink supply port 164 ', the locking member 165' is at a position shifted toward the side surface of the container body 162 ', similarly to the ink supply port 164'. In addition, the locking element 166' is not offset as shown, for example, in FIGS. 34A and 34B.
Even if the thickness W2 of the container body 162 ' is larger, the cross-sectional area of the ink flow passage is sufficient enough to guide the flow of ink from the fourth ink chamber 183 ' (fig. 37) to the differential pressure valve storage chamber (i.e., the cross-sectional area of the ink flow passage corresponding to the ink flow passage 188 in the above-mentioned embodiment), and the thin film valve 212 ' (fig. 38) constituting the differential pressure valve is the same as or similar to those of the above-mentioned thin ink cartridge. For this reason, the ink flow path corresponding to the ink flow path 188 of the above-mentioned embodiment is formed such that the concave portion 207 (fig. 36) is provided on the side surface of the container body 162 ', and the concave portion 207 is sealed by the film 255 ' (fig. 38) bonded to the surface of the container body 162 '. The concave portion 207 communicates with the fourth ink chamber 183 'at its lower end portion via a through hole 207a (fig. 37), and its upper end portion communicates with a through hole 189' as a filter chamber via a through hole 207b (fig. 37). That is, the concave portion 207 communicates with the inner side surface of the container body 162' at the upper and lower ends.
The wall 184 'defining the flow passage behind the differential valve reservoir 193' has a height J, as viewed from the surface of the container body 162 ', which is less than the width W2 of the container body 162', as shown in fig. 39B. Membrane 208 sealingly engages wall 184'.
In this arrangement, the ink is sucked up from the through hole 207a in the bottom of the fourth ink chamber 183 'into the ink flow path defined by the concave portion 207 and the film 255', flows out from the through hole 207b in the upper end portion of the concave portion 207, and flows out to the side surface of the container main body 162 'through the filter 215'. In addition, the through-hole 207b and the through-hole 189 'communicate with each other via the concave portion 189' (fig. 37).
Subsequently, the ink flows through the tear-drop-shaped recessed portion 190b ' of the side surface of the container body 162 ', and then flows through the recessed portion 184a ' into the area defined by the wall 184 ' and the film 208, i.e., the rear side of the differential pressure valve reservoir 193 '. Similar to the above-mentioned embodiment, the ink flows into the ink supply port 164 ' by opening and closing the film valve 212 ' in accordance with the negative pressure in the ink supply port 164 '.
If the flow passage from the fourth ink chamber 183 'to the differential valve reservoir chamber 193' is constructed as described above, a dead space can be subtracted, and the ink can be effectively used as compared with the case where the wall 184 'is simply formed to have the same height as the container main body 162'.
In the illustrated example, since the height of the wall 184 ' defining the flow passage behind the differential valve reservoir is lower than the height of the frame 174 ' and the wall 170 ', the frame and the wall define the upper ink reservoir, the third and fourth ink reservoirs 177 ' and 183 ', and a single ink reservoir is formed substantially in the thickness direction of the container body.
The ink cartridge of this structure is completed as a commercial product by stacking and bonding the decorative films 257, 257 ' to the films 255, 255 ' bonded to the surfaces of the container bodies 162, 162 ', as shown in fig. 29, 30, and 38.
Such decorative films 257, 257 ' are preferably formed with position labels 257a, 257a ' corresponding to the ink ejection ports 180, 181, 180 ', 181 ', so that the ink ejection ports 180, 181, 180 ', 181 ' can be sealed by the labels 257a, 257a '.
In the above-mentioned embodiment, the second ink chambers 176, 176 ' and the third ink chambers 177, 177 ' communicate with each other only through the recessed portions 175a, 175a ' formed in the lower portions of the walls 175, 175 ', and therefore, the function of the bubble trap chamber is added to the second ink chambers 176, 176 ' (see fig. 40 and 41). However, as shown in fig. 40 and 41, the concave portions 175a, 175a 'may be formed at the upper portions of the walls 175, 175'. In this case, even when such ink is concentrated or precipitated in the lower portion, for example, pigment ink, the pigment concentrated in the second ink chamber 176 is allowed to flow into the third ink chambers 183, 183 'through the concave portions 175a, 175 a', and at the same time, the solvent component is allowed to flow into the third ink chambers 177, 177 'through the upper concave portions 175b, 175 b', so that the pigment and the solvent component are stirred conveniently. That is, the concentration of the ink can be made uniform.
In the above-mentioned embodiment, the differential pressure valve reservoir chamber is provided in the upper ink reservoir chamber from the viewpoint of ease of arrangement. The same effect can be obtained even if the differential pressure valve storage chamber is provided in the lower portion of the ink storage chamber or in a position extending across the upper and lower ink storage chambers. In this case, the flow path is provided to communicate the ink of the upper ink reservoir chamber with the inflow side of the membrane valve and communicate the outflow side of the membrane valve with the ink supply port.
In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the filters 215, 215' of porous material are installed in the through holes 189 in the vicinity of the differential pressure valve reservoir. The same effect can be obtained even if the plate-like mesh filter 273 is disposed in an extended manner to cover the through-holes 194a of the wall 194 of the differential-pressure valve storage chamber 193 (see fig. 42).
One or both of the type of filter made of a porous material and the plate-shaped filter are selected according to the kind of ink stored in the ink cartridge.
In this embodiment, three kinds of ink storage chambers are formed in the upper portion, but even if a single ink storage chamber is formed in the upper portion, the effect of reducing the variation in the hydraulic head pressure acting on the membrane valve as described above can be obtained. By forming two or more ink storage chambers and by causing these ink storage chambers to communicate with each other at the bottom, a space is created in each ink storage chamber as a result of ink consumption, which can be allowed to function as a bubble trapping space, thus eliminating the possibility of air bubbles entering the negative pressure generating mechanism as much as possible. That is, degradation of printing quality can be avoided.
In the above-mentioned embodiment, the ink supply port is formed on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge, but a similar effect can be obtained even if the ink supply port is formed on the side surface. In the case of this arrangement, the member for operating the insertion process of the ink cartridge is improved and adapted to the insertion direction. This is a matter of design improvement.
As described above, according to the present invention, since the ink in the upper portion is supplied to the recording head via the negative pressure generating mechanism, the pressure change based on the change in the ink amount can be surely prevented.