EP1839871A1 - Ink cartridge - Google Patents
Ink cartridge Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1839871A1 EP1839871A1 EP06012967A EP06012967A EP1839871A1 EP 1839871 A1 EP1839871 A1 EP 1839871A1 EP 06012967 A EP06012967 A EP 06012967A EP 06012967 A EP06012967 A EP 06012967A EP 1839871 A1 EP1839871 A1 EP 1839871A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- ink
- ink cartridge
- displacement member
- ink tank
- detected
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
- B41J2/17513—Inner structure
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
- B41J2/1752—Mounting within the printer
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
- B41J2/17553—Outer structure
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17566—Ink level or ink residue control
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/19—Ink jet characterised by ink handling for removing air bubbles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17566—Ink level or ink residue control
- B41J2002/17576—Ink level or ink residue control using a floater for ink level indication
Landscapes
- Ink Jet (AREA)
- Pens And Brushes (AREA)
Abstract
MEANS FOR SOLVING: A diffusion surface (474) on which small irregularities are formed so as to generate a capillary force is provided on a portion of the surface of a sensor arm which is provided inside the ink tank where ink is stored and which moves along a set displacement path as the ink stored inside the ink tank decreases. The diffusion surface (474) consists of a base surface (474a) and a plurality of projecting parts (474b) projecting from the base surface. The base surface and projecting parts are connected at an angle so as to form corner parts (474c). Furthermore, the capillary force generating areas formed between adjacent projecting parts are linked to other capillary force generating areas.
Description
- The present invention relates to an ink cartridge for storing ink.
- An inkjet recording apparatus that performs printing by discharging ink from a nozzle to a recording sheet is known. The inkjet recording apparatus of this type may be provided with a detachable ink cartridge. When an ink jet head attempts to discharge ink in a state in which the ink cartridge is empty, it may result not only in that printing is not performed, but also in that air may enter in the inkjet head. When air enters the inkjet head, the head in question may become unusable at the worst. In order to avoid such a result, it is necessary to always know the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge and control the apparatus to prohibit discharge of ink from the head when the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge is almost zero.
- In Patent Document
JP-A-2005-125738 JP-A-2005-125738 - When carrying the ink cartridge or when transporting a printer in a state in which the ink cartridge is mounted, there may be a case in which air bubbles of ink are generated in the ink tank when the ink cartridge vibrates. When the air bubbles of ink are generated in the ink tank, there is a case in which the rotation of the sensor arm is prevented by a surface tension of the air bubbles attached on an inner wall surface of the ink tank. In such a case, there may arise such a problem that running short of ink is detected even though the remaining amount of the ink is sufficient. When the air bubbles in the ink tank disappear, the sensor arm rotates normally However, it normally takes from several hours to several tens of hours until the sensor arm is restored from a state in which the rotation of the sensor arm is hindered by the air bubbles to a state in which the air bubbles disappear to an extent in which it can rotate normally.
- Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an ink cartridge that can reduce a time lag until the remaining amount of ink can be detected accurately, which is caused by air bubbles generated in the ink tank.
- This object is achieved by the features of
claim 1. Further advantageous developments are the subject-matter of the dependent claims. According to one aspect of the ink cartridge, the air bubbles on a diffusing surface quickly disappeare in comparison with the air bubbles on a flat surface since ink which constitutes the air bubbles diffuses on the diffusing surface by a capillary force. In this arrangement, even when displacement of a displacement member is hindered by the surface tension of the bubbles attached on the inner wall surface of the ink tank, the air bubbles quickly disappeare by the diffusing surface provided on at least any one of the inner wall surface of the ink tank or a surface of the displacement member, and hence the displacement member can be displaced normally. Therefore, the time lag until the remaining amount of the ink can be detected accurately, which is caused by the air bubbles generated in the ink tank, can be reduced. - According to another aspect of the ink cartridge, preferably, the diffusing surface includes a reference surface and a plurality of projections projecting with respect to the reference surface, and a capillary force generating area formed between the projections adjacent to each other continues to other capillary force generating areas. In this arrangement, ink introduced into the capillary force generating areas can be diffused smoothly. Therefore, the time period required for the air bubbles to disappeare to an extent in which the displacement member can be displaced normally can further be reduced.
- According to a further aspect preferably, the reference surface and the projections are connected at an angle which forms an angular corner. In this arrangement, the air bubbles can disappeare further reliably on the diffusing surface.
- According to another further aspect, the ink cartridge may be configured in such a manner that the ink tank includes a main body, and a detection part projecting from the main body, having a width smaller than the width of the main body, and having a space that communicates with the inside of the main body formed therein, the displacement member includes a plate-shaped detected part that is displacable in the space in the detection part and the diffusing surface is formed on a surface of the detected part.
- In this arrangement, since the detection part projects from the main body, it can be accessed from the outside of the ink cartridge, and since the width of the detection part is smaller than the width of the main body, the detected part of the displacement member can be detected by an inexpensive optical sensor. Although the air bubbles are apt to stay in the space in the detection part projecting from the main body and having the width smaller than that of the main body, since the diffusing surface is formed on the detected part, malfunction caused by the air bubbles can be avoided. Therefore, the time lag until the remaining amount of ink can be detected accurately, which is caused by air bubbles generated in the ink tank can effectively be reduced.
- According to a further aspect, the ink cartridge may be configured in such a manner that the detection part can be provided at a position interposed between a light emitting part and a light receiving part of an optical sensor provided in an inkjet recording apparatus when the ink cartridge is mounted to the ink jet recording apparatus. In this arrangement, the detected part can be detected accurately with a simple structure.
- According to a further aspect, the ink cartridge, preferably, the displacement member includes the detected part at one end and a float member being lower in relative density than the ink stored in the ink tank at the other end, and the regulating means includes a supporting mechanism for pivotably supporting the displacement member between the detecting part, and the float member so as to make the displacement member pivotable, and a regulating portion for regulating the range of pivotal movement of the displacement member.
- When an end of the pivoting displacement member comes into contact with the air bubbles attached on the inner wall surface of the ink tank, a large moment force is generated in the direction of preventing the pivotal movement by a relatively small surface tension. In this arrangement, the detected part is located at the end of the displacement member. Therefore, the air bubbles attached to the detected part disappeare quickly by the diffusing surface formed on the detected part, and hence the displacement member can pivot further quickly in the normal state.
- According to a further aspect, the ink cartridge may be configured in such a manner that the displacement member includes the detected part and a float member being small in relative density than the ink stored in the ink tank, and the regulating means includes a wall portion extending in the direction of displacement of the liquid level of the ink in association with decrease in the amount of the ink stored in the ink tank. In this arrangement, since an area of displacement of the displacement member is reduced in comparison with a type in which the displacement member pivots, and hence flexibility in design of the ink cartridge is increased.
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- (FIGURE 1) A perspective view of the ink cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
- (FIGURE 2) An exploded view of the ink cartridge shown in Figure 1.
- (FIGURE 3) A drawing of the ink storage element shown in Figure 2.
- (FIGURE 4) A drawing of the vicinity of detection part shown in Figure 3.
- (FIGURE 5) A drawing of the sensor arm shown in Figure 3.
- (FIGURE 6) A drawing explaining the diffusion surface shown in Figure 5.
- (FIGURE 7) A drawing explaining the method of installing the ink cartridge shown in Figure 1 in an ink jet recording device.
- (FIGURE 8) A drawing explaining the method of detecting the remaining quantity of ink in the ink tank shown in Figure 5.
- (FIGURE 9) A drawing illustrating the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
- Preferred modes of embodiment of the present invention will be described below while referring to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the outer appearance of an
ink cartridge 1 according to the present embodiment, and Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view ofink cartridge 1. - As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, the
ink cartridge 1 comprises acase 200 which covers substantially all of theink storage element 100 which stores ink, and aprotector 300 which is attached to thecase 200 and which protects theink storage element 100 when theink cartridge 1 is transported. In the present embodiment, theink storage element 100,case 200 andprotector 300 are formed from a resin material and do not contain metal materials, so they can be incinerated for waste disposal. The resin materials may include nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, or the like. - As shown in Figure 1, the
ink cartridge 1 is formed substantially as a hexahedron. Namely, it comprises substantially six surfaces, including a pair of substantially rectangular surfaces with the largest area and side surfaces position in four directions, linking said pair of surfaces. In the following description, The direction along the long edges of the pair of substantially rectangular surfaces of the hexahedron with the largest surface area will be referred to as the long direction, the direction along the short edges of those surfaces will be referred to as the short direction, and the direction linking said pair of surfaces (the direction orthogonal to the long direction and the short direction) will be referred to as the width direction. Furthermore, the pair of substantially rectangular surfaces of the hexahedron with the largest surface area will be referred to as the front surface and the back surface. - Next, referring to Figure 3, the
ink storage element 100 will be described in detail. Figure 3 is a drawing, which illustrates theink storage element 100. As shown in Figure 3, theink storage element 100 comprises anink tank 110 which stores ink, anink supply part 120 which supplies the ink stored in theink tank 110 to the outside (the ink jet recording device 1000 (see Figure 7)), an ambientair intake part 130 which takes in ambient air into theink tank 110, and anink dispensing part 150 which dispenses ink into theink tank 110. - The state of the
ink storage element 100 shown in Figure 3 is the orientation in which theink cartridge 1 is installed in the ink jet recording device 1000 (see Figure 7). Namely, theink cartridge 1 is installed in an orientation with the surfaces having the largest surface area being vertical and the long edge of the surfaces with the largest surface area being horizontal. Here, the ink supplypart 120 and ambientair intake part 130 are positioned on a side surface. More specifically, theink supply part 120 is positioned on the bottom side and the ambientair intake part 130 is positioned on the ceiling side. In the following description, the up-down direction will be defined taking the ceiling side of theink cartridge 1 in the orientation of installation into the inkjet recording device 1000 will be defined as "up" and the bottom side as "down". Namely, the direction of displacement of the ink level accompanying the decrease of ink stored in theink storage element 100 is the up-down direction. - The
ink tank 110 has amain body part 170 and adetection part 140 which projects in the long direction from themain body part 170 between theink supply part 120 and the ambientair intake part 130 and has a spaced formed inside it in communication with themain body part 170. Namely, theink supply part 120, ambientair intake part 130, anddetection part 140 are provided on the same wall surface of theink storage element 100. Furthermore, inside theink tank 110, there is arranged asensor arm 470 capable of sliding about a pivot in the vicinity of the left bottom part of Figure 3, i.e. near theink supply part 120, as the ink stored in theink tank 110 decreases. - Here, referring to Figure 5, the
sensor arm 470 will be described. Figure 5 (a) is a drawing illustrating the front surface side of thesensor arm 470, while Figure 5 (b) is a drawing which illustrates the sensor arm 470 a seen from the direction of arrow Vb in Figure 5 (a). Thesensor arm 470 is a member for detecting the remaining quantity of ink in theink tank 110. Furthermore, thesensor arm 470 is comprised of a resin material (e.g. styrene resin) with a specific gravity lower than the specific gravity of the ink, and is manufactured by injection molding. - The
sensor arm 470 is a sliding member which is pivotally supported inside theink tank 110 and slides in response to the remaining quantity of ink, and which comprises anattachment part 472 with an attachment shaft 472a that is attached to a substantially C-shaped arm sandwiching part 425 (see Figure 3) provided on themain body part 170; afloat part 471 positioned on the right side of theattachment part 472 in Figure 5 (a); and anarm part 473 which extends substantially vertically (upward in Figure 5 (a)) from theattachment part 472 to thefloat part 471 and extends further upward in sloping fashion. The volume of thefloat part 471 is made sufficiently larger than the volume of thearm part 473. The end of thearm part 473 constitutes the detectedpart 473a, which his detected by a remaining ink quantity detection sensor 1014 (see Figure 7) provided in the inkjet recording device 1000. The detectedpart 473a has a plate shape with a surface parallel to the surface of the paper in Figure 5 (a). When thesensor arm 470 is attached inside theink tank 110, as shown in Figure 3, the detectedpart 473a of thesensor arm 470 is arranged inside the space of thedetection part 140. - Namely, the
sensor arm 470 has the detectedpart 473a at one end (the left end in Figure 5 (a)) and thefloat part 471 at the other end (the right end in Figure 5 (a)), and is able to slide about theattachment part 472. Here, as shown in Figure 5 (a), the length from theattachment part 472, which is the center of rotation to the detectedpart 473a, is longer than the length from theattachment part 472 to the end of thefloat part 471. The rotation of thesensor arm 470 in the clockwise direction in Figure 3 is constrained by the contact of thefloat part 471 with the bottom wall ofink tank 110. Furthermore, rotation in the counterclockwise direction in Figure 3 is constrained by contact of the detectedpart 473a with the subsequently describestopper 142. In this way, the range of sliding of thesensor arm 470 is constrained by the bottom wall of theink tank 110 and the subsequently describedstopper 142 such that it slides within along a set sliding path. - In the
arm part 473, arib 473b that protrudes in the width direction (the left-right direction in Figure 5 (b)) is formed to maintain strength. Substantially hemisphericalarm protrusion parts part 473a (the top end and the bottom end in Figure 5 (a)). Since thearm protrusion parts detection part 140 are only the ends of thearm protrusion parts - The
sensor arm 470 is comprised of a resin material with a specific gravity lower than the specific gravity of the ink. Furthermore, the volume of thefloat part 471 is made adequately larger than the volume of thearm part 473. More specifically, the volume ratio of thearm part 473 and thefloat part 471 is set such that when thefloat part 471 is positioned inside the ink liquid, the moment in the counterclockwise direction in Figure 5 (a) generated on thesensor arm 470 by gravity and buoyancy will be greater than the moment in the clockwise direction, and when a portion of thefloat part 471 is exposed from inside the liquid of the ink, the buoyancy generated on thefloat part 471 decreases and counterclockwise moment and clockwise moment become equal. Therefore, after a portion of thefloat part 471 has been exposed from inside the liquid of the ink and the liquid level of the ink drops further as the ink decreases, thefloat part 471 moves downward following the liquid level. When thefloat part 471 moves downward, thearm part 473 moves upward about the fulcrum of theattachment shaft 472a of theattachment part 472. - Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5 (a), a
diffusion surface 474 provided with small irregularities is formed the surface of thesensor arm 470, more specifically, on a portion of thefloat part 471 and on the portion of thearm part 473 excluding therib 473b. Here, thediffusion surface 474 will be described while referring to Figure 6. Figure 6 (a) is an enlargement of the detectedpart 473a, while Figure 6 (b) is a cross-section along line VIb-VIb of Figure 6. In Figure 6 (a), for explanatory purposes, recessed parts are shaded with diagonal lines. Furthermore, in Figure 6 (b), the up-down direction is depicted in enlarged fashion. - As shown in Figure 6, the
diffusion surface 474 consists of abase surface 474a (the portion with diagonal lines in Figure 6 (a)) and a plurality of projectingparts 474b, which project from thebase surface 474a. As shown in Figure 6 (b), the side surface of the projectingparts 474b and thebase surface 474a are not joined by a smooth curve but rather are connected at an angle so as to form acorner part 474c. As a result, thecorner part 474c (the connection area between thebase surface 474a and the side surface of the projectingparts 474b) has a structure, which generates a strong capillary force. Here, as shown in Figure 6 (a), the shape of the plurality of projectingparts 474b when viewed from the direction orthogonal to thediffusion surface 474 is variegated rather than uniform, but is in all cases substantially circular. Furthermore, the sizes of the projectingparts 474b when viewed from the direction orthogonal to thediffusion surface 474 are also somewhat varied. Moreover, as shown in Figure 6 (b), the length from thebase surface 474a to the tips of the projectingparts 474b is also not uniform but varied. - In the present embodiment, the angle θ formed by the
base surface 474a and projectingparts 474b is approximately 90 degrees, the length t1 from thebase surface 474a of thediffusion surface 474 to the tips of the projectingparts 474b (the height difference between the recessed and protruding parts) is 0.04 to 0.06 mm, the mean diameter of the projectingparts 474b is 0.8 mm and the area ratio of thebase surface 474a and the projectingparts 474b is 0.5. - Furthermore, the length of the gaps between adjacent projecting
parts 474b is sufficient to generate a capillary force on the ink when ink is present in said gaps, specifically about 0.4 mm. Therefore, the spaces between adjacent projectingparts 474b constitute capillary force generating areas. The capillary force generating area between any two projectingparts 474b is linked to other capillary force generating areas. Thus, a liquid on thediffusion surface 474 is diffused to other areas by the capillary force generated in the capillary force generating area where that liquid is located. - Returning to Figure 3, the
main body part 170 comprises aframe part 180 with edge parts at the front surface side and back surface side of themain body part 170, and afilm 160 welded to the front surface side and rear surface side edge parts of theframe part 180. Namely, in the present embodiment, a space for storing ink is formed inside themain body part 170 by blocking the front surface side and back surface side of theframe part 180 withfilm 160. Therefore, the thickness of theink storage element 100 can be made thinner as compared to the case where the two surfaces are blocked with side walls. - The
frame part 180 comprises an outerperipheral weld part 400 having a surface parallel to the width direction of theink tank 110 and constituting vertical walls that define the inner space of themain body part 170;inner weld parts 411 through 417 which have a surface parallel to the width direction of theink tank 110 and are arranged on the inside of the outerperipheral weld part 400; and linkingparts ink tank 110 and link the outerperipheral weld part 400 andinner weld parts 411 through 417. More specifically, linkingpart 420 links the outerperipheral weld part 400 andinner weld parts 411 at the left bottom part in Figure 3. Linkingpart 430 links the outerperipheral weld part 400 andinner weld parts 412 at the top part in Figure 3. Linkingpart 440 links the outerperipheral weld part 400 andinner weld parts 413 through 417 from the left to the right bottom part in Figure 3. Here, in Figure 3, the solid black portions of the outerperipheral weld part 400 andinner weld parts 411 through 417 are located in the same virtual plane, and afilm 160 is welded by ultrasound welding to those portions. Furthermore, linkingpart 420 is provided with anarm sandwiching part 425 which sandwiches theattachment part 472 of thesensor arm 470. - As shown in Figure 3, at least some of the vertical walls of the
inner weld parts 411 through 417 extend in a direction that slopes down or is substantially orthogonal to the long direction of theframe part 180, i.e. toward the bottom of theink cartridge 1, and the bottom ends thereof are not connected to the outerperipheral weld part 400. Thus, even if a plurality ofinner weld parts 411 through 417 is provided on the inside of the outerperipheral weld part 400, to prevent shrinkage of thefilm 160 when thefilm 160 is welded to theframe part 180, the hindrance of ink flow by the plurality ofinner weld parts 411 through 417 can be reduced. Furthermore, since theinner weld parts 411 through 417 are arranged in dispersed fashion on the inside of the outerperipheral weld part 400, shrinkage of thefilm 160 can be reduced and hindrance of ink flow can be effectively decreased. - Next, referring to Figure 4, the structure of the
detection part 140 will be described. Figure 4 (a) is a drawing illustrating the vicinity of thedetection part 140 in simplified fashion; Figure 4 (b) is a cross-section of thedetection part 140 along line IVb-IVb of Figure 4 (a); and Figure 4 (c) is a cross-section of the vicinity of thedetection part 140 along line IVc-IVc of Figure 4 (a). - As shown in Figure 4 (a), the
detection part 140 projects outward from the main body part 170 (to the left in Figure 4 (a)), and as shown in Figure 4 (b) and (c), a space is formed inside thedetection part 140, in communication with the inside of themain body part 170 and extending in the up-down direction. The detectedpart 473a provided on one end of thesensor arm 470 is arranged in the space inside thedetection part 140. The detectedpart 473a is displaceable in the up-down direction inside thedetection part 140. Furthermore, astopper 142, which supports thesensor arm 470 from below, and constraints the displacement of thesensor arm 470 is provided inside thedetection part 140. - Here, the
detection part 140 is transmissive, and is provided at a position that is sandwiched between thelight emitting part 1014a and light receivingpart 1014b (see Figure 7) of the transmissive remaining inkquantity detection sensor 1014 provided in the inkjet recording device 1000 when theink cartridge 1 is installed in the inkjet recording device 1000. Furthermore, thesensor arm 470 is non-transmissive. Consequently, as discussed above, when the ink level drops due to ink decrease and thearm part 473 moves upward as thesensor arm 470 rotates, and the detectedpart 473a moves upward inside thedetection part 140, the remaining inkquantity detection sensor 1014 is able to detect the displacement of the detectedpart 473a. Therefore, it is possible to detect by means of the remaining inkquantity detection sensor 1014 when the remaining quantity of ink has become low. - As shown in Figure 4 (b), the length t2 in the width direction of the
detection part 140 is shorter than the length t3 in the width direction of themain body part 170. Therefore, the gap between thelight emitting part 1014a and light receivingpart 1014b (see Figure 7) of the remaining inkquantity detection sensor 1014 can be made relatively narrow, thus making it possible to reliably detect the detectedpart 473a even with an inexpensive sensor. - Returning to Figure 3, the
ink supply part 120 comprises a cylindricalink supply path 121 which communicates with theink tank 110 and extends in the length direction, and anink supply mechanism 122 whereof a portion is incorporated into theink supply path 121. Theink supply mechanism 122 closes the ink flow path when theink cartridge 1 is not installed in the inkjet recording device 1000, and opens the ink flow path when the ink cartridge is installed in the inkjet recording device 1000 and the ink extraction tube 1015 (see Figure 7) of the inkjet recording device 1000 is inserted into it. Therefore, theink supply part 120 is able to supply ink from inside theink tank 110 to the inkjet recording device 1000 when theink cartridge 1 is installed in the ink j etrecording device 1000. - The ambient
air intake part 130 comprises a cylindrical ambientair communication passage 131, which communicates with theink tank 110 and extends in the long direction, and an ambientair intake mechanism 132, which has a rod-shapedvalve opening part 132a projecting outside the ambientair communication passage 131. The ambientair intake mechanism 132 closes the ambient air flow path whenink cartridge 1 is not installed in the inkjet recording device 1000, and opens the ambient air flow path when the ink cartridge is installed in the inkjet recording device 1000 and thevalve opening part 132a contacts the installation surface 1013 (see Figure 7) of the inkjet recording device 1000 and pressed into the ambientair communication passage 131. Therefore, the ambientair intake part 130 is able to place the inside of theink tank 110 in communication with the ambient air when theink cartridge 1 is installed in theinkjet recording device 1000. - The
ink dispensing part 150 comprises adispensing cylinder part 151 provided near the bottom at the side surface opposite the side surface on which theink supply part 120 and ambientair intake part 130 of theink storage element 100 are provided, and extending in the long direction; and an ink dispensing cap (not illustrated) which is press-fitted into the dispensingcylinder part 151. A communication hole (not illustrated), which places the dispensingcylinder part 151 and theink tank 110 in communication, is formed in thedispensing cylinder part 151. The ink dispensing cap is comprised of an elastic material such as butyl rubber, and is fashioned such that it cannot be easily removed once press fitted into the dispensingcylinder part 151, and so that it closes the needle entry path when a needle is inserted and withdrawn. - Here, referring to Figure 8, the method of detecting the remaining quantity of ink in the
ink tank 110 will be described. Figure 8 (a) illustrates the state where there is ink remaining, while Figure 8 (b) illustrates the state with no ink remaining. - As shown in Figure 8 (a), in the state where a large amount of ink is stored in the ink tank 110 (the state where at least the ink level is positioned above the position of the
float part 471 when the detectedpart 473a contacts the stopper 142), as discussed above, the moment in counterclockwise direction in the drawing generated on thesensor arm 470 is greater than the clockwise moment, so thefloat part 471 floats in the ink. Here, the detectedpart 473a of thesensor arm 470 is positioned at a detection position, which obstructs the space between thelight emitting part 1014a and thelight receiving part 1014b of the remaining inkquantity detection sensor 1014. This state is the ink-present state, and a discrimination of ink-present is made on the control board (not illustrated) of the inkjet recording device 1000. - Subsequently, when the ink in the
ink tank 110 decreases and thearm part 473 is exposed from the surface of the ink, the buoyancy generated on thearm part 473 decreases. As a result, the clockwise moment generated on thesensor arm 470 becomes smaller, but there is no change of the fact that the counterclockwise moment is greater than the clockwise moment, so thesensor arm 470 stops at the position shown in Figure 8 (a). As ink decreases further and thefloat part 471 is exposed from the surface of the ink, the buoyancy generated on thearm part 473 decreases. As a result, the counterclockwise moment generated on thesensor arm 470 becomes smaller. When a portion of thefloat part 471 is exposed from inside the ink, the counterclockwise moment and the clockwise moment become equal. Subsequently, if the ink decreases further, thefloat part 471 moves downward following the falling level of the ink. When the ink inside theink tank 110 is nearly gone and disappears from the bottom surface of theink tank 110, thefloat part 471 of thesensor arm 470 touches the bottom surface. This downward movement of thefloat part 471 causes thesensor arm 470 to rotate clockwise about theattachment part 472 and causes the detectedpart 473a of thesensor arm 470 to be displaced upward. When the detectedpart 473a is displaced up to a non-detection position where it does not block the space between thelight emitting part 1014a and thelight receiving part 1014b of the remaining inkquantity detection sensor 1014, light passes between thelight emitting part 1014a and thelight receiving part 1014b. This state is the out-of-ink state, and an out-of-ink discrimination inside diameter made at the control board (not illustrated) of the inkjet recording device 1000. - Next, the
case 200 will be described. Thecase 200, as shown in Figure 2, is comprised of afirst case member 210 and asecond case member 220, which sandwich theink storage element 100 in the width direction. Thefirst case member 210 is a member, which covers the bottom surface of theink storage element 100 in Figure 2, while thesecond case member 220 is a member, which covers the top surface of theink storage element 100 in Figure 2. The first andsecond case members - The
first case member 210 andsecond case member 220 are formed into substantially the same shape, and have formed in them case cutoutparts ink supply part 120 to the outside, case cutoutparts air intake part 130 to the outside when the case members sandwich theink storage element 100, andcase cutout parts detection part 140 at side walls of thedetection part 140. - Next, the outer shape of the
case 200 will be described. At both side ends in the short direction of the first andsecond case members second case members second case members ink storage element 100 is secured to thecase 200 at these stepped areas. The stepped area on theink supply part 120 side (the right front side in Figure 2) is the firstcase weld part air intake part 130 side ( the left rear side in Figure 2) is the secondcase weld part engagement part 226a extending in the short direction is formed on the end of thesecond case member 220 on the side opposite that where the case cutoutpart 221 of the firstcase weld part 226 is formed. Although this is not illustrated, the same sort of engagement part asengagement part 226a is formed also on thefirst case member 220. The secondcase weld parts engagement parts case 200. -
Protector 300 is a member which covers the surface of theink storage element 100 where theink supply part 120 and ambientair intake part 130 are provided, and serves to protect theink supply part 120 and ambientair intake part 130 when theink cartridge 1 is shipped. Furthermore, theprotector 300 consists of a resin material and is manufactured by injection molding. As shown in Figure 2, a protector through-hole 310 is formed in theprotector 300 at a location corresponding to the ambientair intake part 130 side (the left rear side in Figure 2), thus making it possible to protect thevalve opening part 132a of the ambientair intake mechanism 132. - Next, referring to Figure 7, the installation of the
ink cartridge 1 into the inkjet recording device 1000 will be described. Mounting of theink cartridge 1 in the inkjet recording device 1000 is performed with theprotector 300 having been removed from thecase 200. - As shown in Figure 7, the ink
jet recording device 1000side installation part 1010, when installingink cartridge 1, comprises anengagement rod 1011 which projects from theinstallation surface 1013 opposite theink supply part 120 and ambientair intake part 130 of theink cartridge 1 in a direction orthogonal to that surface (to the right in Figure 7) and engages with theengagement parts case 200; and asupport part 1012 which supports the firstcase weld parts case 200 from below and is formed into recessed shape matching the shape of the firstcase weld parts engagement rod 1011, aconvex part 1011 a is formed which protrudes toward the supportingpart 1012 and is formed into substantially the same shape as theengagement parts - The remaining ink
quantity detection sensor 1014 is arranged on theinstallation surface 1013 of theinstallation part 1010. The remaining inkquantity detection sensor 1014 is formed substantially in a U shape, with the open end of the U shape being thelight emitting part 1014a that emits light and the other end being thelight receiving part 1014b, which receives light. Thelight emitting part 1014a and light receivingpart 1014b are mounted projecting from theinstallation surface 1013 so as to be inserted into the through-holes formed by the case cutoutparts detection part 140 respectively. The remaining inkquantity detection sensor 1014 is configured to not output (or to output) a signal to the control board (not illustrated) provided in the inkjet recording device 1000 when the light emitted from thelight emitting part 1014a is received by thelight receiving part 1014b, and to output (or not output) a signal to the control board when the light emitted from thelight emitting part 1014a is blocked and is not received by thelight receiving part 1014b. - Furthermore, on the side corresponding to the
ink supply part 120 of the installation surface 1013 (the bottom side in Figure 7 (a)), a projectingink extraction tube 1015 is provided, while on the side of theinstallation surface 1013 corresponding to the ambient air intake part 130 (the top side in Figure 7 (a)), theinstallation surface 1013 is formed as a flat surface. Anink flow path 1013a is connected to theink extraction tube 1015, and ink is supplied to an unillustrated emission opening through theink flow path 1013a. Furthermore, an ambientair intake path 1013b is formed on theinstallation surface 1013 on the ambientair intake part 130 side, and ambient air is taken into the ink cartridge 1 (ink tank 110) through the ambientair intake path 1013b. - Moreover, on the tip side of the supporting part 1012 (the right side in Figure 7 (a), the
ink cartridge 1 side end), theinstallation part 1010 comprises arotating engagement member 1017, which engages withengagement parts 216a and 226a of thecase 200. Theengagement member 1017 comprises anengagement end 1017a that engages with theengagement parts 216a and 226a ofcase 200; apivotal support part 1017b which is joined to theengagement end 1017a and pivotally supports theengagement member 1017; and acover part 1017c that is joined to thepivotal support part 1017b and covers the surface opposite the surface of thecase 200 facing theinstallation part 1010. - Installation of the
ink cartridge 1 is carried out by inserting it such that thefirst case 200weld parts support part 1012 and pushing so that the firstcase weld parts support part 1012. Namely, as shown in Figure 7 (a), theink cartridge 1 is slid in the direction of arrow E. - As shown in Figure 7 (b), when the
ink cartridge 1 is pushed inward in the direction of the installation part 1010 (to the left in Figure 7 (b)), theengagement rod 1011 is depressed by the secondcase weld parts support part 1012. Furthermore, theengagement end part 1017a of theengagement member 1017 comes into contact with theengagement parts 216a and 226a. Moreover, as theink cartridge 1 is pushed in, theengagement member 1017 rotates upward (in the direction of arrow F in Figure 7 (b)). - As shown in Figure 7 (c), when the
ink cartridge 1 is pushed in from the state of Figure 7 (b) (or when the user rotates theengagement member 1017 in the direction of arrow F in if 7 (b)), the protrudingpart 1011a of theengagement rod 1011 fits into and engages with theengagement parts case 200, securing theink cartridge 1. Thus, when theink cartridge 1 has been installed in theinstallation part 1010, it is prevented from easily being dislodged due to printing vibrations or the like. - Furthermore, when the
ink cartridge 1 is installed in theinstallation part 1010, theink extraction tube 1015 is inserted into theink supply part 120, enabling ink supply, thevalve opening part 132a of the ambientair intake part 130 contacts theinstallation surface 1013, enabling the intake of ambient air, and the remaining inkquantity detection sensor 1014 is inserted into the through-hole formed by the case cutoutparts detection part 140, enabling detection of the remaining quantity of ink. - As indicated above, in the
ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, asensor arm 470 which moves along a set displacement path as the ink stored in theink tank 110 decreases is provided inside theink tank 110 where the ink is stored. Furthermore, a portion of the surface of thesensor arm 470 is provided with adiffusion surface 474 on which small irregularities are formed so as to generate capillary force. If bubbles adhere to thediffusion surface 474, the ink making up the bubbles is diffused by the capillary forces on thediffusion surface 474, so the bubbles disappear more rapidly as compared to bubbles adhering to a smooth surface. Therefore, with theink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, in cases where theink cartridge 1 is carried or where the inkjet recording device 1000 with theink cartridge 1 installed is transported or the like, even if ink bubbles should form inside theink tank 110 and the surface tension of bubbles adhering to the inner wall surface of theink tank 110 should hinder the displacement of thesensor arm 470, the bubbles will disappear quickly due to thediffusion surface 474 provided on the surface of thesensor arm 470, allowing thesensor arm 470 to move normally. Thus, the delay until the remaining quantity of ink can be accurately detected due to air bubbles formed in theink tank 110 can be reduced. - Furthermore, in the
ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, thediffusion surface 474 consists of abase surface 474a and a plurality of projectingparts 474b that project from thebase surface 474a, and the capillary force generating areas formed between adjacent projectingparts 474b are linked to other capillary force generating areas. Therefore, ink that is drawn into the capillary force generating areas can be smoothly dispersed. Thus, the time needed for bubbles to disappear so that thesensor arm 470 can move normally can be further shortened. - Moreover, on the
diffusion surface 474 of theink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, thebase surface 474a and the projectingparts 474b are connected at an angle so as to formcorner parts 474c. Therefore, a stronger capillary force can be generated by thecorner parts 474c as compared to a share where thebase surface 474a and projectingparts 474b are joined by a smooth curved surface, thus making it possible to more reliably eliminate bubbles on thediffusion surface 474. - Furthermore, in the
ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, theink tank 110 has amain body part 170 and adetection part 140 which projects in the long direction from themain body part 170, has a width narrower than the width of themain body part 170 and has a space formed inside it extending in the up-down direction and communicating with themain body part 170. When thesensor arm 470 is attached to thearm sandwiching part 425, displacement of thesensor arm 470 is constrained so that the plate-shaped detectedpart 473a moves in the space inside thedetection part 140. Furthermore, adiffusion surface 474 is formed on a portion of thefloat part 471 of thesensor arm 470 and on the portion of thearm part 473 excluding therib 473b. Therefore, thedetection part 140 projects from themain body part 170, making theink cartridge 1 easier to access from the outside (specifically, the ink jet recording device 1000), and the width of thedetection part 140 is narrower than the width of themain body part 170, so that the detectedpart 473a of thesensor arm 470 can be detected with an inexpensive transmissive sensor. Although bubbles are prone to lodging in the space within thedetection part 140 having a width narrower than the width of themain body part 170 and projecting from themain body part 170, since adiffusion surface 474 is formed on the detectedpart 473a which moves through the space inside thedetection part 140, operating defects due to bubbles can be avoided. Therefore, the delay due to bubbles formed in theink tank 110 until the remaining quantity of ink can be accurately detected can be effectively reduced. - In addition, with the
ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, when theink cartridge 1 is installed in theinkjet recording device 1000, thedetection part 140 is arranged a position between thelight emitting part 1014a and thelight receiving part 1014b of the remaining inkquantity detection sensor 1014 provided in the inkjet recording device 1000. Therefore, the detectedpart 473a can be reliably detected with a simple mechanism. - Furthermore, in the
ink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, thesensor arm 470 has a detectedpart 473a on one end and afloat part 471 with a specific gravity lower than that of the ink on the other end, and is slidable about anattachment part 472 located between the detectedpart 473a and thefloat part 471. The range of sliding of thesensor arm 470 is constrained such that it moves along a set displacement path by means of thearm sandwiching part 425 which pivotally supports thesensor arm 470, the bottom wall of theink tank 110 which contacts thefloat part 471 when thesensor arm 470 rotates clockwise in Figure 3, and thestopper 142 which contacts the detectedpart 473a when thesensor arm 470 rotates counterclockwise in Figure 3. When the end of thesensor arm 470 contacts bubbles adhering to the inner wall surface of theink tank 110, a large moment acts in a direction which hinders the sliding thereof at relatively low surface tension. In theink cartridge 1 of the present embodiment, adiffusion surface 474 is formed on the detectedpart 473a provided on one end of thesensor arm 470. Therefore, bubbles adhering to the detectedpart 473a can be eliminated quickly, making it possible to more quickly make thesensor arm 470 slide normally. - Next, referring to Figure 9, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment differs from the configuration of the
ink cartridge 1 according to the first embodiment in that, inink cartridge 1, the detectedpart 473a that is detected by the remaining inkquantity detection sensor 1014 of the inkjet recording device 1000 is arranged on one end of thesensor arm 470 which rotates with the decrease in ink inside theink tank 110, while in theink cartridge 500 of the present embodiment, the detectedpart 573 is provided on adisplacement member 570 which moves in the displacement direction of the ink level as the ink inside theink tank 510 decreases. - Figure 9 is a cross-section of the
ink cartridge 500 of the present embodiment, where it is shown installed in aninkjet recording device 2000. As shown in Figure 9, theink cartridge 500 of the present embodiment mainly comprises anink tank 510 which stores ink, anink supply part 520 which is arranged on one wall (bottom wall) of theink tank 510 and supplies the ink stored in theink tank 510 to the outside, anink dispensing part 550 which dispenses ink inside theink tank 510, and acap 530 which covers the wall of theink tank 510 where theink supply part 520 is provided from the outside. The up-down direction of the page in Figure 9 shall be treated as the up-down direction of theink cartridge 500, and the direction perpendicular to the page surface shall be treated as the width direction of theink cartridge 500. - The
ink tank 510 comprises a transmissive bottomed box typemain body part 511 with an opening part at the top, and acover element 515 that is welded to themain body part 511 and closes the opening part of themain body part 511, and anon-transmissive displacement member 570 is arranged therein. Thedisplacement member 570 is formed from a material whereof the specific gravity is lower than that of the ink, and comprises afloat part 571, aconnection part 572 which extends vertically upward from thefloat part 571 in Figure 9 and extends further upward to the left, and a detectedpart 573 that is connected to the edge opposite of thefloat part 571 ofconnection part 572. Furthermore, the ratio of the volume of thedisplacement member 570 occupied by thefloat part 571 is set such that when thefloat part 571 is positioned inside the ink liquid, the buoyancy generated at thedisplacement member 570 is greater than the gravity, and when a portion of thefloat part 571 is exposed from inside the liquid of the ink (when the link level is below line A shown in Figure 9), the buoyancy generated at thedisplacement member 570 on thefloat part 571 is equal to the gravity. The width of thefloat part 571 is grater than the width of the space formed inside the subsequently describeddetection part 540, and the width of theconnection part 572 and the detectedpart 573 is less than the width of the space formed inside thedetection part 540. Furthermore, adiffusion surface 574 of the same sort as thediffusion surface 474 formed on the surface of thesensor arm 470 of the first embodiment is formed over the entire surface of thedisplacement member 570. - On the side surface of the main body part 511 (the left side surface in Figure 9), the
detection part 540 is arranged, projecting from themain body part 511. Thedetection part 540 has width narrower than the width of theink cartridge 500. Inside thedetection part 540, a space is formed which extends in the up-down direction (the direction of displacement of the ink level when the ink stored in theink tank 510 decreases) and communicates with theink tank 510. When theink cartridge 500 is installed in the inkjet recording device 2000, thedetection part 540 is sandwiched between thelight emitting part 2014a and thelight receiving part 2014b of a transmissive remaining inkquantity detection sensor 2014 provided in the inkjet recording device 2000. Furthermore, a constrainingwall 512 is provided extending upward on the bottom surface of theink tank 510 near thedetection part 540. More specifically, the constrainingwall 512 is provided at a position opposite the space inside thedetection part 540 in theink tank 510. Thedisplacement member 570 is arranged such that thefloat part 571 is positioned between thedetection part 540 and the constrainingwall 512 and so that the detectedpart 573 is positioned inside thedetection part 540. Therefore, the constrainingwall 512 serves to constrain the displacement path of thedisplacement member 570 in the up-down direction. - Furthermore, a constraining
protrusion 516 is formed projecting into the ink tank 510 (downward) on thecover element 515. As shown in Figure 9, the portion of the constrainingprotrusion 516 near its tip is positioned in the space inside thedetection part 540. In other words, the tip of the constrainingprotrusion 516 is arranged in the upper part of the space inside thedetection part 540. Furthermore, a communication hole (not illustrated) for taking air into theink tank 510 is formed in thecover element 515. - Therefore, when ample ink is stored inside the ink tank 510 (at least enough for the ink level to be positioned above line A shown in Figure 9), the buoyancy generated on the
displacement member 570 will be greater than the gravity, so the detectedpart 573 will contact the tip of the constrainingprotrusion 516, as in the case of thedisplacement member 570 drawn with a dashed line. In other words, the upward displacement of the detectedpart 573 is constrained by the constrainingprotrusion 516, so that the detectedpart 573 does not jump out of the space inside thedetection part 540. Here, the detectedpart 573 is located at a detection position that blocks the space between thelight emitting part 2014a and thelight receiving part 2014b of the remaining inkquantity detection sensor 2014 provided in the inkjet recording device 2000. This state is the ink-present state, and a discrimination of ink-present is made on the control board (not illustrated) of theinkjet recording device 2000. - Subsequently, when the ink in the
ink tank 510 decreases and the ink level drops to line A, the buoyancy generated on thedisplacement member 570 becomes equal to the gravity. As the ink level drops further, thefloat part 571 moves down in the space extending vertically between thedetection part 540 and the constrainingwall 512, following the level drop. The detectedpart 573 connected to thefloat part 571 via theconnection part 572 is also displaced downward in the space inside thedetection part 540. When the remaining quantity of ink nears zero and thefloat part 571 contacts the bottom wall of theink tank 510, the detectedpart 573 becomes positioned at a non-detection position where it does not block the space between thelight emitting part 2014a and thelight receiving part 2014b of the remaining inkquantity detection sensor 2014. This state is the out-of-ink state, and an out-of-ink discrimination inside diameter made at the control board (not illustrated) of the inkjet recording device 2000. - The
ink supply part 520 comprises a cylindricalink supply path 521, which communicates with theink tank 510 and extends in the up-down direction, and anink supply mechanism 522, which is incorporated into theink supply path 521. Theink dispensing part 550 comprises a cylindricaldispensing cylinder part 551 which is arranged on the bottom wall of theink tank 510, communicates with theink tank 510 and extends in the up-down direction, and anink dispending cap 553 which is press-fitted into the dispensingcylinder part 551. The functions of theink supply part 520 and theink dispensing part 550 are substantially the same as the functions of theink supply part 120 andink dispensing part 150 of the first embodiment, so description of these functions will be omitted. - The
cap 530 is non-transmissive and is fastened to theink tank 510 by ultrasound welding or the like. As shown in Figure 9, thecap 530 comprises abottom wall 531 which faces the bottom wall of theink tank 510 and touches the ends of theink supply part 521 and dispensingcylinder part 551 projecting downward from the bottom wall of theink tank 510 and the end of arib 513 extending to the end of the dispensingcylinder part 551 and theink supply path 521 from thebottom wall 531 of theink tank 510; andside walls 535 which extend upward from the edges of thebottom wall 531 and touch a portion of the side surface of theink supply path 521 and dispensingcylinder part 551 and the side surface of therib 513, In the portions of thebottom wall 531 corresponding to theink supply path 521 and dispensingcylinder part 551 there are providedopenings annular protrusion 532a that projects downward is formed at the edge of theopening 532 corresponding to theink supply path 521. - As indicated above, in the
ink cartridge 500 of the present embodiment, just as in theink cartridge 1 of the first embodiment, bubbles are rapidly eliminated by thediffusion surface 574 provided on the surface of thedisplacement member 570, allowing thedisplacement member 570 to move normally, thus making it possible to reduce the delay until the remaining quantity of ink can be accurately detected. - Furthermore, in the
ink cartridge 500 of the present embodiment, thedisplacement member 570 has a detectedpart 573 and afloat part 571 whereof the specific gravity is lower than that of the ink, and its displacement path is constrained in the up-down direction by the constrainingwall 512 extending in the up-down direction, which is the direction of displacement of the ink level. Therefore, compared to the sliding type of displacement member, the degree of freedom of design of theink cartridge 500 is greater, since the area of displacement of thedisplacement member 570 is smaller. - Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design modification can be made within the scope described in the patent claims. For example, in the first embodiment described above, the case was described where the
diffusion surface 474 was formed on a portion of thefloat part 471 of thesensor arm 470, which is a displacement member, and on the portion of thearm part 473 excluding therib 473b, and in the second embodiment, the case was described where thediffusion surface 574 was formed over theentire displacement member 570, but the configuration is not limited to this. It is acceptable so long as the diffusion surface is formed on a portion of the area of the inner wall surface of the ink tank corresponding to the displacement path of the displacement member, and/or on a portion of the surface of the displacement member. However, the inside of the above-describeddetection parts part - Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, the case was described where the diffusion surface consisted of a base surface and a plurality of projecting parts projecting from the base surface, and the capillary force generating areas formed between adjacent projecting parts were linked to other capillary force generating areas, but the configuration is not limited hereto. For example, the diffusion surface may also consist of a base surface and a plurality of depressions depressed relative to the base surface, with the insides of the depressions constituting the capillary force generating areas. Furthermore, the diffusion surface may consists of a base surface, a plurality of projecting parts, and a plurality of depression.
- Moreover, in the first and second embodiments described above, the case was described where the base surface and projecting parts of the diffusion surface were connected at an angle of approximately 90 degrees so as to form corners, but the connection angle of the base surface and projecting parts is not limited to 90 degrees. Furthermore, the base surface and projecting parts may also be connected in continuous fashion without forming corners.
- Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, the case was described where the
ink tank 110 has amain body part 170 and adetection part 140 which projects in the long direction from themain body part 170, has a width narrower than the width of themain body part 170 and has a space formed inside it extending in the up-down direction and communicating with themain body part 170, with the detectedpart 473a of thesensor arm 470 moving inside said space. The configuration of thedetection part 140 is however not limited to this. Thus, for instance, thedetection part 140 may also not project from themain body part 170, and may have the same width as themain body part 170 - Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, the
sensor arm 470 anddisplacement member 570 had a specific gravity lower than the specific gravity of the ink. However, the arrangement is not limited to this, it being sufficient so long as thefloat part - In addition, in the first and second embodiments described above, the case was described where the detection part was arranged at a position sandwiched between the light emitting part and light receiving part of the remaining ink quantity detection sensor provided in the ink jet recording device when the ink cartridge is installed in the ink jet recording device, and where the detected part was detected inside the detection part by means of a transmissive sensor. The configuration is however not limited hereto. For example, the detected pat may also be detected by means of a reflective sensor.
- Moreover, in the aforementioned first embodiment, the case was described where the displacement range of the
sensor arm 470, which is the displacement member, was constrained by thearm sandwiching part 425 which pivotally supports thesensor arm 470, the bottom wall of theink tank 110 which contacts thefloat part 471 when thesensor arm 470 rotates toward thefloat part 471, and thestopper 142 which touches the detectedpart 473a when thesensor arm 470 rotates toward the detectedpart 473a, while in the second embodiment, the case was described where the displacement range of thedisplacement member 570 was constrained in the up-down direction by the constrainingwall 512 extending in the up-down direction, which is the displacement direction of the ink level. However, the manner of displacement of the displacement member and the means constraining the displacement range of the displacement member are not limited hereto. - Furthermore, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the case was described where the detected part of the displacement member (sensor arm) blocked the space between the light emitting part and light receiving part of the remaining ink quantity detection sensor when ample ink is stored in the ink tank, and where the detected part freed the space between the light emitting part and light receiving part of the remaining ink quantity detection sensor when the ink inside the ink tank was nearly gone. The arrangement is however not limited hereto, it being also acceptable if the detected part frees the space between the light emitting part and light receiving part which there is ample ink stored inside the ink tank and blocks the space between the light emitting part and light receiving part when the ink inside the ink tank is nearly gone.
- (COMPARISON TEST 1) Here, the anti-foaming properties were compared for a diffusion surface consisting of a base surface and plurality of projecting parts projecting from the base surface, as was the case with the diffusion surface formed on the surface of the displacement member in the above-described first and second embodiments; a diffusion surface consisting of a base surface and a plurality of depressions independent of each other and depressed relative to the base surface (modified example 1); a diffusion surface consisting of a base surface and a plurality of independent projecting parts and depressions (modified example 2); and a flat surface without any irregularities formed thereon (reference example 1). The height difference of the irregularities of the diffusion surface of modified example 1 (the length from the base surface to the bottom part of the depressions) was 0.04 to 0.06 mm, the mean diameter of the depressions was 0.8 mm, and the area ratio between the base surface and the depressions was 0.5. The height difference of the irregularities of the diffusion surface of modified example 2 (the length from the tips of the projecting parts to the bottom part of the depressions) was 0.04 to 0.06 mm, the mean diameter of the projecting parts and depressions was 0.8 mm, and the area ratio between the base surface and the projections and depressions was 0.5.
- Ink bubbles of approximately 10 mm diameter were adhered to four samples formed with each diffusion surface and with a flat surface, and an experiment to measure the time until disappearance of the bubbles was conducted three times. The ink used was a water-soluble ink, its surface tension being approximately 30 mN/m. Furthermore, the material of the samples was styrene resin. The results of these experiments were that the mean value of the three experiments were 23 minutes for the diffusion surface of the same sort as the in the first and second embodiments, 29 seconds for the diffusion surface of modified example 1, 26 minutes for the diffusion surface of modified example 2, and 31 minutes for the flat surface of the reference example 1. Thus, it could be seen that the antifoaming properties were best in the case of a diffusion surface consisting of a base surface and a plurality of projecting parts projecting from the base surface, as in the diffusion surface of the first and second embodiments.
- (COMPARISON TEST 2) Next, an experiment was conducted to investigate the behavior of the sensor arm using the ink cartridge of the first embodiment and an ink cartridge of the same form as in the first embodiment but with a sensor arm attached that had no diffusion surface formed on it, i.e. whereof the surface was flat (reference example 2). The quantity of ink stored in advance in the ink tank of each ink cartridge was such that the ink level was positioned in the middle of the long direction of the detection part.
- First, the ink stored inside was forcibly foamed and to create a state where the detected part of the sensor arm was made to cling by the bubbles to the inner wall in the vicinity of the top part of the detection part (i.e. a state where the sensor arm rotated clockwise in Figure 3 and the float part came into contact with the inner wall of the ink tank). Then, the time it took the sensor arm to return from this state to the normal position (the position where the detected part is in contact with the stopper) was measured. The ink used cyan at -20°C. The results of performing this experiment twice on the ink cartridge of the first embodiment were that the mean value was 2 minutes. Furthermore, the results of performing this experiment on the ink cartridge of reference example 2 were 2 hours 10 minutes. Thus, it could be seen that the time needed for the sensor arm to go from a state where it cannot move normally due to effects of surface tension of bubbles to a state where normal displacement is possible could be substantially shortened by using a sensor arm with a diffusion surface formed thereon, such as that of the first embodiment.
-
- 1, 500
- Ink cartridge
- 110,510
- Ink tank
- 140
- Detection part
- 170
- Main body part
- 470, 570
- Sensor arm (displacement member)
- 473a, 573
- Detected part
- 142
- Stopper (constraining member)
- 425
- Arm sandwiching part (constraining member, support mechanism)
- 512
- Constraining wall (constraining member, wall part)
- 471
- Float part
- 474, 572
- Diffusion surface
- 474a
- Base surface
- 474b
- Projecting part
- 474c
- Corner part
- 1000, 2000
- Ink jet recording device
- 1014a, 2014
- Remaining ink quantity detection sensor (transmissive optical sensor)
- 1014a, 2014a
- Light emitting part
- 1014b, 2014b
- Light receiving part
Claims (10)
- An ink cartridge comprising:an ink tank in which ink can be stored;a displacement member provided in the ink tank and displacable along a predetermined displacement route in association with decrease in the amount of the ink stored in the ink tank; andwherein a diffusing surface formed with fine depressions and for projections so as to generate a capillary force is provided on at least one of a part of an area corresponding to the displacement route on an inner wall surface of the ink tank and for a part of a surface of the displacement member.
- The ink cartridge according to Claim 1, wherein the diffusing surface includes a reference surface and a plurality of projections projecting with respect to the reference surface, and a capillary force generating area formed between the projections adjacent to each other continues to other capillary force generating areas.
- The ink cartridge according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the diffusing surface comprises a reference surface and a plurality of depressions.
- The ink cartridge according to Claim 2, wherein the reference surface and the projections are connected at an angle which forms an angular corner.
- The ink cartridge according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the ink tank comprises a main body, and a detection part projecting from the main body, having a width smaller than the width of the main body, and having a space that communicates with the inside of the main body formed therein,
the displacement member comprises a plate-shaped detected part that is displacable in the space in the detecting part , and the diffusing surface is formed on a surface of the detected part. - The ink cartridge according to Claim 5, wherein the detected part can be provided at a position interposed between a light emitting part and a light receiving part of an optical sensor provided in an inkjet recording apparatus when the ink cartridge mounted to the ink jet recording apparatus.
- The ink cartridge according to Claim 5 or .Claim 6, wherein the displacement member comprises the detected part at one end and a float member being lower in relative density than the ink to be stored in the ink tank at the other end.
- The ink cartridge according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the regulating means comprises a supporting mechanism for pivotably supporting the displacement member between the detecting section and the float member so as to make the displacement member pivotable and a regulating portion for regulating the range of pivotal movement of the displacement member are provided in said ink tank.
- The ink cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the regulating means comprises a supporting mechanism for pivotably supporting the displacement member between the detecting section and the float member so as to make the displacement member pivotable and a regulating portion for regulating the range of pivotal movement of the displacement member.
- The ink cartridge according to Claim 9, wherein the displacement member comprises the detected part and a float member being smaller in relative density than the ink to be stored in the ink tank, and the regulating means comprises a wall portion extending in the direction of displacement of the liquid level of the ink in association with decrease in the amount of the ink to be stored in the ink tank.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2006095663A JP4400590B2 (en) | 2006-03-30 | 2006-03-30 | ink cartridge |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1839871A1 true EP1839871A1 (en) | 2007-10-03 |
EP1839871B1 EP1839871B1 (en) | 2009-01-14 |
Family
ID=36930263
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP06012967A Active EP1839871B1 (en) | 2006-03-30 | 2006-06-23 | Ink cartridge |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1839871B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4400590B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN101258034B (en) |
AT (1) | ATE420770T1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE602006004843D1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2007116546A1 (en) |
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TW344341U (en) * | 1996-07-05 | 1998-11-01 | Seiko Epson Corp | Ink cartridge and loading mechanism for the ink cartridge |
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- 2006-03-30 JP JP2006095663A patent/JP4400590B2/en active Active
- 2006-06-23 AT AT06012967T patent/ATE420770T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2006-06-23 DE DE602006004843T patent/DE602006004843D1/en active Active
- 2006-06-23 EP EP06012967A patent/EP1839871B1/en active Active
- 2006-09-29 CN CN2006800192378A patent/CN101258034B/en active Active
- 2006-09-29 WO PCT/JP2006/320026 patent/WO2007116546A1/en active Application Filing
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EP1097814A2 (en) * | 1999-11-05 | 2001-05-09 | Seiko Epson Corporation | Ink-jet recording apparatus |
EP1520706A2 (en) * | 2003-09-30 | 2005-04-06 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Ink cartridge and ink-jet printer |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN101258034A (en) | 2008-09-03 |
CN101258034B (en) | 2010-12-22 |
DE602006004843D1 (en) | 2009-03-05 |
JP2007268793A (en) | 2007-10-18 |
ATE420770T1 (en) | 2009-01-15 |
JP4400590B2 (en) | 2010-01-20 |
WO2007116546A1 (en) | 2007-10-18 |
EP1839871B1 (en) | 2009-01-14 |
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