Container having liquid detection function

Abstract

A container includes: a container main body that has a delivery path for delivering liquid stored in the inside to the outside; a sensor accommodating portion that is provided in the container main body to be located in the vicinity of an end of the delivery path; a liquid detection sensor unit that is mounted on the sensor accommodating portion, and has a sensor cavity that receives the liquid as a detection object, a bottom surface of the sensor cavity being opened to receive the liquid, and a sensor chip that has a vibrating plate for closing a top surface of the sensor cavity and a piezoelectric element disposed on a top surface of the vibrating plate; a sensor receiving wall that defines a part of the sensor accommodating portion, and having a first communicating port that allows the liquid stored in the inside to flow into the sensor cavity, and a second communicating port that allows the liquid stored in the sensor cavity to flow to the outside; and an elastic seal member that seals between the sensor unit and the sensor receiving wall and has an upstream seal portion that surrounds and seals the periphery of a part of the delivery path from the inside to the sensor cavity, and a downstream seal portion that surrounds and seals the periphery of a part of the delivery path from the sensor cavity to the outside.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus (liquid jetting apparatus) that uses an ink cartridge (container) according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the invention, and in particular, is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a sensor unit, a spring, a seal cover, and a circuit board.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor unit in the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor unit as viewed from an angle different from FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a portion where the sensor unit and the spring are incorporated into a sensor accommodating recess portion in the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a portion where the sensor unit and the spring are incorporated into the sensor accommodating recess portion, as viewed from a front direction.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts of the sensor unit.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X-X of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the configuration of a sealing in this embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a method of filling molding resin in the sealing.

FIG. 13 shows a comparative example, which corresponds to FIG. 8.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the configuration of a sealing in the comparative example.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a method of filling molding resin in the sealing of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 shows another embodiment of the invention, which corresponds to FIG. 8.

Claims

1. A container comprising: a container main body that has a delivery path for delivering liquid stored in the inside to the outside;a sensor accommodating portion that is provided in the container main body to be located in the vicinity of an end of the delivery path;a liquid detection sensor unit that is mounted on the sensor accommodating portion;an upstream buffer chamber and a downstream buffer chamber that are provided in the container main body, are close to the sensor accommodating portion through a sensor receiving wall, and are interposed in serial in the delivery path so as to communicate with an upstream side and a downstream side of the delivery path, respectively;an elastic seal member that seals between the sensor unit and the sensor receiving wall; anda press spring that presses the sensor unit toward the sensor receiving wall, and applies a surface pressure required for sealing to the seal member, the sensor unit, and the sensor receiving wall while crushing the seal member,wherein the sensor unit has:a sensor cavity that receives liquid as a detection object, a bottom surface of the sensor cavity being opened to receive the liquid,a sensor chip that has a vibrating plate for closing a top surface of the sensor cavity and a piezoelectric element disposed on a top surface of the vibrating plate, anda unit base, a bottom surface of which faces the sensor receiving wall through the seal member when the sensor unit is mounted on the sensor accommodating portion,the unit base has an entrance-side flow passage and an exit-side flow passage provided with respect to the sensor cavity, the entrance-side flow passage and the exit-side flow passage serving as liquid storage spaces communicating with the sensor cavity,the sensor receiving wall has an upstream communicating port that allows the entrance-side flow passage to communicate with the upstream buffer chamber, and a downstream communicating port that allows the exit-side flow passage to communicate with the downstream buffer chamber, the upstream communicating port and the downstream communicating port being provided inside the seal member,the liquid is supplied from an upstream side of the delivery path to the sensor cavity through the upstream buffer chamber, the upstream communicating port, and the entrance-side flow passage, and then is discharged from the sensor cavity to a downstream side of the delivery path through the exit-side flow passage, the downstream communicating port, and the downstream buffer chamber, andthe seal member has an upstream seal portion that surrounds and seals the periphery of a communicating portion of the upstream communicating port of the sensor receiving wall and the entrance-side flow passage of the unit base, and a downstream seal portion that surrounds and seals the periphery of a communicating portion of the downstream communicating port of the sensor receiving wall and the exit-side flow passage of the unit base.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the seal member has, as a single body, a ring-shaped circumferential seal portion that surrounds the periphery of the communicating portion of the upstream communicating port of the sensor receiving wall and the entrance-side flow passage of the unit base and the periphery of the communicating portion of the downstream communicating port of the sensor receiving wall and the exit-side flow passage of the unit base, and a central partition portion that crosses the circumferential seal portion so as to divide the upstream communicating port and the downstream communicating port, andindividual halves of the circumferential seal portion and the central partition portion form the upstream seal portion and the downstream seal portion.

3. The container according to claim 2, wherein a sectional area of the central partition portion is set smaller than a sectional area of the circumferential seal portion, anda welding line when the seal member is produced as a single body by injecting molding is set on the central partition portion.

4. The container according to claim 3, wherein the seal member is molded, together with the unit base, by two-color molding.

5. The container according to claim 2, wherein the central partition portion is interposed between the sensor receiving wall and the unit base at a position recessed from spaces that allow the communicating ports of the sensor receiving wall to communicate with the flow passages of the unit base, andthe entrance-side flow passage and the exit-side flow passage of the unit base are formed in slope shapes or step shapes in order to increase a gap between opening ends of the entrance-side flow passage and the exit-side flow passage of the unit base close to the sensor receiving wall so as to meet the condition.

6. A container comprising: a container main body that has a delivery path for delivering liquid stored in the inside to the outside;a sensor accommodating portion that is provided in the container main body to be located in the vicinity of an end of the delivery path;a liquid detection sensor unit that is mounted on the sensor accommodating portion, and has a sensor cavity that receives the liquid as a detection object, a bottom surface of the sensor cavity being opened to receive the liquid, anda sensor chip that has a vibrating plate for closing a top surface of the sensor cavity and a piezoelectric element disposed on a top surface of the vibrating plate;a sensor receiving wall that defines a part of the sensor accommodating portion, and having a first communicating port that allows the liquid stored in the inside to flow into the sensor cavity, and a second communicating port that allows the liquid stored in the sensor cavity to flow to the outside; andan elastic seal member that seals between the sensor unit and the sensor receiving wall and has an upstream seal portion that surrounds and seals the periphery of a part of the delivery path from the inside to the sensor cavity, anda downstream seal portion that surrounds and seals the periphery of a part of the delivery path from the sensor cavity to the outside.

7. The container according to claim 6, wherein the seal member has, as a single body, a ring-shaped circumferential seal portion and a central partition portion that crosses the circumferential seal portion to define the upstream seal portion and the downstream seal portion.

8. The container according to claim 7, wherein a sectional area of the central partition portion is set smaller than a sectional area of the circumferential seal portion.

9. The container according to claim 7, wherein a welding line when the seal member is produced as a single body by injecting molding is set on the central partition portion.

10. The container according to claim 6, wherein the sensor unit further has a unit base, a bottom surface of which faces the sensor receiving wall through the seal member when the sensor unit is mounted on the sensor accommodating portion.

11. The container according to claim 10, wherein the seal member is molded, together with the unit base, by two-color molding.

12. The container according to claim 7, wherein the central partition portion of the seal member is not directly exposed in the delivery path.

13. The container according to claim 7, wherein the ring-shaped circumferential seal portion of the seal member is not directly exposed in the delivery path.

14. The container according to claim 7, wherein the central partition portion and the ring-shaped circumferential seal portion of the seal member are not directly exposed in the delivery path.

15. The container according to claim 6, wherein the upstream seal portion and the downstream seal portion are separately formed.