1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid holding container and, in particular, to a liquid holding container provided with a built-in supply pump for supplying liquid to the exterior of the liquid holding container.
2. Related Art
As a liquid containing body which is mounted in a liquid ejecting apparatus such as an ink jet printer, for example, an ink cartridge which is mounted in the ink jet printer is used. In the past, an ink supply pump for supplying ink has been provided in the liquid ejecting apparatus, and ink has been supplied from the ink cartridge to the liquid ejecting apparatus by driving the ink supply pump.
In addition, in recent years, the demand for high-precision print quality has increased, and as ink for printing, for example, pigment ink contained in an ink cartridge has been used. Since the particle diameter of a color material in pigment ink is large compared to dye ink, the ink component of the pigment ink sinks on the vertically lower side (bottom portion) of an ink cartridge, and as a result, concentration of ink on the lower side in the ink cartridge is higher, whereas concentration of ink on the upper side is lower, whereby there is a bias in the concentration distribution of the ink in the ink cartridge. In order to solve such a problem, in ink cartridges of the related art, for example, there has been proposed an ink cartridge having an ink flow path configured such that upper ink and lower ink are joined, then, agitated and mixed by the flow of ink (for example, JP-A-2003-80730), or an ink cartridge which has a movable body (an agitation member) being higher in specific gravity than ink therein and makes the ink therein to be agitated by the movement of the agitation member (for example, JP-A-9-309212).
Examples of the above-described related art is disclosed in JP-A-2003-266730, JP-A-2007-331308, JP-A-2007-331342, and JP-A-9-164704.
However, in recent years, the processing speed of a liquid ejecting apparatus has become higher, so that in an ink supply pump provided at the exterior of an ink cartridge, the supply speed of the ink supply pump is slower than the ink discharge speed of a liquid ejecting apparatus. Therefore, a problem occurs in that a sufficient amount of ink cannot be supplied at sufficient speed for the processing efficiency of a liquid ejecting apparatus.
Further, in the related art, a problem also occurs that the agitation of the ink in an ink cartridge cannot be sufficiently performed. For example, in the technology of JP-A-2003-80730, agitation efficiency varies in accordance with the flow rate of ink, so that there is a case where a sufficient agitation effect cannot be obtained. In the technology of JP-A-9-309212, since an agitation member for agitating ink is provided in an ink cartridge, it is necessary to provide a means for moving the agitation member, and also, the volume efficiency of the ink cartridge is lowered by the volume of the agitation member.
An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides for the speeding up of liquid supply from a liquid holding container to a liquid ejecting apparatus and for an improvement in agitation efficiency.
The invention can be realized as the following modes and applications.
According to Application 1, there is provided a liquid holding container that supplies liquid to a liquid ejecting apparatus, including: a liquid containing section which contains the liquid; a liquid supply port for supplying the liquid to the liquid ejecting apparatus; and a supply pump which supplies the liquid contained in the liquid containing section to the liquid ejecting apparatus through the liquid supply port.
According to the liquid holding container of Application 1, since the supply pump which supplies liquid is provided in the liquid holding container, liquid supply speed can be increased, so that liquid can be supplied at a speed according to the processing speed of the liquid ejecting apparatus.
The liquid holding container of Application 1 further includes a pressure adjustment section which is provided between the supply pump and the liquid supply port, thereby adjusting the pressure of the liquid. In addition, a term “between the supply pump and the liquid supply port” includes the meaning that refers to any position on a liquid flowing path from the supply pump to the liquid supply port. In general, pressure variation occurs in liquid which is transported by the supply pump. According to the liquid holding container of Application 2, the pressure adjustment section which adjusts pressure of liquid is provided between the supply pump and the liquid supply port. Therefore, by adjusting pressure of liquid, pressure variation of liquid, which is generated by the driving of the supply pump, can be suppressed.
The liquid holding container of Application 2 further includes a connection section which connects the pressure adjustment section and the liquid containing section, thereby returning the liquid from the pressure adjustment section to the liquid containing section. According to the liquid holding container of Application 3, the connection section is provided returning liquid discharged from the liquid containing section again to the liquid containing section. Therefore, the flowing of liquid in the liquid containing section can be generated by the flow of liquid which is discharged from the liquid containing section, and the flow of liquid which is introduced again into the liquid containing section. Accordingly, liquid in the liquid containing section can be made to be uniform without providing a separate member such as a movable body in the liquid containing section.
In the liquid holding container of Application 3, the connection section is provided at a position which induces agitation of liquid in the liquid containing section by liquid returned into the liquid containing section through the connection section. According to the liquid holding container of Application 4, the connection section is provided at a position which induces agitation of liquid in the liquid containing section. Therefore, the agitation of liquid which is contained in the liquid containing section can be promoted by liquid which is returned into the liquid containing section through the connection section.
In the liquid holding container of Application 4, the liquid containing section has an opening portion on the vertically lower side in a state where the liquid holding container is mounted in the liquid ejecting apparatus, and the end on the liquid containing section side of the connection section is connected to the opening portion of the liquid containing section. According to the liquid holding container of Application 5, one end of the connection section is connected to the opening portion provided on the vertically lower side of the liquid containing section. Therefore, liquid is returned from the lower side of the liquid containing section to the interior of the liquid containing section. Accordingly, it is possible to efficiently generate a flow of liquid with high concentration which has sunk on the lower side, so that agitation efficiency of liquid in the liquid containing section can be improved.
In the liquid holding container of Application 4, the liquid containing section has an opening portion, and the end on the liquid containing section side of the connection section is connected to the opening portion, and also, formed so as to face the vertically lower side in a state where the liquid holding container is mounted in the liquid ejecting apparatus. According to the liquid holding container of Application 6, one end of the connection section is connected to the opening portion so as to face the vertically lower side of the liquid containing section. Therefore, it is possible to generate a flow of liquid contained in the liquid containing section so as to move from the upper side to the lower side in the vertical direction. Accordingly, agitation efficiency of liquid in the liquid containing section can be improved.
In the liquid holding container of Application 4, the liquid containing section has an opening portion, and the end on the liquid containing section side of the connection section is connected to the opening portion, and also, is formed so as to face from the vertically lower side to the vertically upper side in a state where the liquid holding container is mounted in the liquid ejecting apparatus. According to the liquid holding container of Application 7, one end of the connection section is connected to the opening portion so as to face from the vertically lower side to the vertically upper side of the liquid containing section. Therefore, it is possible to generate a flow of liquid contained in the liquid containing section so as to move from the lower side to the upper side in the vertical direction. Accordingly, agitation efficiency of liquid in the liquid containing section can be improved.
In the liquid holding container of any of Applications 1 to 7, the supply pump is a piezo pump which is constituted by using a piezoelectric element. According to the liquid holding container of Application 8, by using a piezoelectric element which has been traditionally used, it is possible to constitute a small supply pump in the liquid holding container with simple configuration.
In the liquid holding container of Application 8, the supply pump is constituted so as to function as a sensor which performs the detection of the remaining amount of the liquid by using residual vibration which is generated after the application of voltage to the piezoelectric element. According to the liquid holding container of Application 9, the supply pump can be constituted as to serve two purposes, an ink supply pump and an ink remaining amount detection sensor. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a remaining amount detection sensor, so that cost reduction and reduction in size of the liquid holding container can be achieved.
According to Application 10, there is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus in which the liquid holding container of any of Applications 1 to 9 is mounted, including: a driving section which drives the supply pump. According to the liquid ejecting apparatus of Application 10, the driving of the supply pump provided in the liquid holding container can be controlled from the liquid ejecting apparatus.
In the liquid ejecting apparatus of Application 10, the driving section drives the supply pump for a given time if the electric source of the liquid ejecting apparatus is in an ON state. In general, when the electric source of the liquid ejecting apparatus is in an OFF state, the flowing of liquid is not generated, so that liquid components sink, whereby concentration of liquid on the vertically lower side is higher. According to the liquid ejecting apparatus of Application 11, if the electric source of the liquid ejecting apparatus is an ON state, the supply pump is automatically driven for a given time. Therefore, density unevenness occurring in a print result due to the sinking of thick ink can be suppressed.
The liquid ejecting apparatus of Application 10 further includes a time information acquisition section which acquires time information about an OFF time over which the electric source of the liquid ejecting apparatus remained in an OFF state; and an control section which control the above-mentioned given time on the basis of an OFF time which is represented by the time information, if the electric source of the liquid ejecting apparatus is in an ON state. In general, the extent of sinking of thick ink varies in proportion to an OFF time. According to the liquid ejecting apparatus of Application 12, when the electric source of the liquid ejecting apparatus is in an ON state, the driving time of the supply pump is controlled on the basis of an OFF time over which the electric source of the liquid ejecting apparatus remained in an OFF state. Therefore, the agitation of liquid in the liquid containing section can be appropriately performed in accordance with an OFF time.
The liquid ejecting apparatus of Application 10 further includes an instructions receiving section which receives driving instructions of the supply pump, wherein the driving section drives the supply pump if it receives the driving instructions. According to the liquid ejecting apparatus of Application 13, the supply pump is driven upon the receipt of the driving instructions. Accordingly, the agitation of liquid in the liquid containing section can be performed at a time desired by a user.
In the liquid ejecting apparatus of Application 10, the driving section drives the supply pump also at times other than the time of supply of the liquid to the liquid ejecting apparatus. According to the liquid ejecting apparatus of Application 14, the supply pump is driven also at times other than the time of supply of the liquid to the liquid ejecting apparatus. Therefore, to the pressure adjustment section provided between the liquid containing section and the liquid supply port, liquid with high pressure is supplied compared to a case where the supply pump is not driven. Accordingly, a supply pump can be applied which has lower pumping ability than the necessary pumping ability for the processing speed of the liquid ejecting apparatus.
In the liquid ejecting apparatus of Application 14, the driving section drives the supply pump during an ON state of the electric source of the liquid ejecting apparatus. According to the liquid ejecting apparatus of Application 15, the supply pump is always driven during an ON state of the electric source of the liquid ejecting apparatus. Therefore, compared to a case where the supply pump is not driven, liquid with high pressure can be always supplied to the pressure adjustment section. Further, in the liquid containing chamber having agitation action, agitation is performed during an ON state of the electric source.
In the liquid ejecting apparatus of any of Applications 10 to 14, the driving section changes the driving method of the supply pump at the time of detection of the remaining amount of liquid and at times other than the time of detection of the remaining amount of liquid. According to the liquid ejecting apparatus of Application 16, a driving method of the supply pump is changed at the time of detection of the remaining amount of liquid and at the other case. Therefore, the supply pump can be appropriately driven in accordance with the respective processing.
In the invention, various aspects described above can be applied in appropriate combination or with a portion omitted.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The air chamber 100 is communicated with the atmosphere through an air communication hole (not shown). The ink containing chamber 110 is provided with an ink discharge port 112 which discharges ink to the exterior of the ink containing chamber 110, and an ink introduction port 114 which returns ink into the ink containing chamber 110. The ink discharge port 112 is connected to the supply pump 120 through the ink flow path 160. The ink introduction port 114 is connected to the buffer chamber 130 through the communication portion 170. The ink discharge port 112 in the first example corresponds to an “opening portion” of the claims.
The supply pump 120 is constituted by using a piezoelectric element and supplies ink from the ink containing chamber 110 to the buffer chamber 130 through the ink flow path 160. In the examples, as the piezoelectric element, a piezo element is used. In addition, the supply pump 120 is constituted so as to double as a remaining amount detection sensor which detects the remaining amount of ink in the ink containing chamber 110. The detailed configuration of the supply pump 120 will be described in detail later.
The buffer chamber 130 is connected to the supply pump 120 and the pressure adjustment valve 140 and temporarily stores ink supplied from the supply pump 120. The ink stored in the buffer chamber 130 is supplied to the ink supply port 150 through the pressure adjustment valve 140. In addition, the buffer chamber 130 is connected to the ink containing chamber 110 through the communication portion 170, so that, out of the ink stored in the buffer chamber 130, ink which is not supplied to the pressure adjustment valve 140 is returned to the ink containing chamber 110 through the communication portion 170. In this manner, the communication portion 170 has the function of a bypass which returns ink that does not pass the pressure adjustment valve 140 again to the ink containing chamber 110. Accordingly, hereinafter, in the examples, the communication portion 170 is called a bypass flow path 170. The bypass flow path 170 in the first example corresponds to a “connection section” in the claim.
The pressure adjustment valve 140 is connected to the buffer chamber 130 and the ink supply port 150, thereby adjusting pressure of ink which is supplied from the buffer chamber 130, so as to reduce pressure variation, and then supplying ink to the ink supply port 150. The detailed configuration of the pressure adjustment valve 140 will be described in detail later.
Prior to explanation of the detailed configuration of the cartridge main body 10, an ink path in the first example and function blocks of an ink jet printer PT are explained with reference to
As shown in
If voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 126, so that the vibration plate 124 is bent inside the cavity 122, as shown in
Subsequently, if reversed voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 126, so that the vibration plate 124 is bent outside the cavity 122, as shown in
As shown in
The supply pump 120 also functions as a remaining amount detection sensor which detects the remaining amount of ink in the ink containing chamber 110. As described previously, if voltage is applied from the ink jet printer PT to the piezoelectric element 126 of the supply pump 120, the piezoelectric element 126 is subjected to electrostriction, and then, if voltage application to the piezoelectric element 126 is halted, the vibration plate 124 vibrates and the piezoelectric element 126 generates electromotive force by the electrostriction. By detecting the vibration characteristics (frequency, etc.) of the vibration plate 124 through the electromotive force of the piezoelectric element 126, the remaining amount detection section 192 detects the existence or nonexistence of ink in the cavity 122. Specifically, if the interior state of the cavity 122 changes from an ink-filled state to an air-filled state due to the exhaustion of the ink contained in the cartridge main body 10, the vibration characteristics of the vibration plate 124 varies. By detecting such a change in vibration characteristics, the remaining amount detection section 192 can detect the existence or nonexistence of ink in the cavity 122.
As shown in
The partition wall 212 is formed so as to divide the ink supply chamber 206 from the pressure chamber 210 and constituted so as to be able to slide the movable valve 216 which constitutes an opening and closing valve. Between the movable valve 216 and the spring bearing seat 208, the seal spring 218 of a coil shape, which serves as a pushing member, is disposed, and by the action of the seal spring 218, the movable valve 216 is pushed with pressing force to the partition wall 212 side, that is, in a direction closing an ink supply hole 226 which connects the ink supply chamber 206 and the pressure chamber 210. To the partition wall 212, the seal member 220 which surrounds the movable valve 216 is attached, and the movable valve 216 is brought into contact with the seal member 220 by a pushing force of the seal spring 218.
The pressure chamber 210 is constituted by the recessed portion 222 formed in the unit case 200, and the film member 202 which covers the recessed portion. The pressure chamber outlet 224 of the pressure chamber 210 is formed on the upper side of a vertical direction and connected to the ink supply port 150 through the ink flow path 163.
In a non-printing state of the ink jet printer PT, that is, in a state where ink is not consumed, load by the seal spring 218 and pressing force of ink which is supplied to the ink supply chamber 206 are applied to the movable valve 216. As a result, as shown in
On the other hand, in a printing state of the ink jet printer PT, that is, in a state where ink is consumed, the film member 202 is displaced to the recessed portion 222 side in accordance with the reduction of ink in the pressure chamber 210, so that the central portion of the film member 202 is brought into contact with the movable valve 216. If ink is further consumed, negative pressure is generated in the pressure chamber 210, and in a case where the negative pressure exceeded a given value, the movable valve 216 is pressed by the film member 202. As a result, as shown in
In the state of
In the state of
According to the ink cartridge 1 of the first example described above, since the supply pump 120 which supplies ink is provided in the cartridge main body 10, ink supply speed can be increased, so that ink can be supplied at speed according to the processing speed of the ink jet printer PT.
Further, according to the ink cartridge 1 of the first example, as a connection section for returning the ink discharged from the ink containing chamber 110 again to the ink containing chamber 110, the bypass flow path 170 is provided. Therefore, by the flow of ink which is discharged from the ink containing chamber 110 and the flow of ink which is introduced again to the ink containing chamber 110, the flowing of ink in the ink containing chamber 110 can be generated. Accordingly, it is possible to make the ink in the ink containing chamber uniform without providing a separate member such as a movable body (agitation member) in the ink containing chamber 110. If the agitation member is provided, the volume of ink which can be contained in the ink containing chamber 110 is reduced at least by the volume of the movable body. However, according to the ink cartridge 1 of this example, since the agitation member is not needed, the volume efficiency of the ink containing chamber 110 can be improved. Further, in the case of using the agitation member, collision noise of the movable body with the wall face of the ink containing chamber 110 is generated. However, according to the ink cartridge 1 of this example, since the agitation member is not needed, it is possible to make operation sound to be quiet without the generation of collision noise.
In addition, according to the ink cartridge 1 of the first example, the bypass flow path 170 is provided so as to agitate the ink in the ink containing chamber 110. Specifically, one end of the bypass flow path 170 is connected to an opening portion which is the ink introduction port 114 provided on the vertically lower side of the ink containing chamber 110. Therefore, ink is returned from the lower side of the ink containing chamber 110 to the interior of the ink containing chamber 110. Accordingly, it is possible to efficiently generate a flow of the ink which exists on the vertically lower side and has increased in concentration due to the sinking of ink component to the lower side of the ink containing chamber 110, so that the agitation efficiency of the ink in the ink containing chamber 110 can be improved.
In general, pressure variation occurs in ink which is transported by the supply pump 120. According to the ink cartridge 1 of the first example, the pressure adjustment valve 140 as a pressure adjustment section which adjusts pressure of ink is provided between the supply pump 120 and the ink supply port 150. Therefore, pressure of ink is adjusted, so that pressure variation of ink which occurs due to the driving of the supply pump can be suppressed.
According to the ink cartridge 1 of the first example, the supply pump 120 is driven at times other than the time of supply of ink to the ink jet printer PT. Specifically, the supply pump is always driven during an ON state of the electric source of the ink jet printer PT. Therefore, in the buffer chamber 130 provided between the ink containing chamber 110 and the ink supply port 150, ink which has a high pressure is stored compared to a case where the supply pump 120 is not driven. Therefore, a supply pump can be applied which has lower pumping ability than the necessary pumping ability for the processing speed of the ink jet printer PT. In other words, it is not necessary to use a pump having pumping ability which generates the necessary largest ink flow rate for the processing speed of the ink jet printer PT, and the supply pump 120 which has a lower pumping ability can be used. In order to generate high pressure in the piezoelectric element 126 of the supply pump 120, it is necessary to apply high voltage, so that it causes damage or a lowering in durability of the piezoelectric element 126. However, by using the supply pump 120 which has low pumping ability, breakdown of the supply pump 120 can be suppressed. In addition, according to the ink cartridge 1 of the first example, by using the supply pump 120 which has low pumping ability, it can be suppressed that the withstanding pressure of the buffer chamber 130, the withstanding pressure of the bypass flow path 170, and the withstanding pressure of self-sealing ability of the pressure adjustment valve 140 is lower than pressing force of the supply pump 120, and consequently, in addition to the fact that the damage to each structure can be suppressed, there are advantages that more inexpensive material can be used, a system can be realized with more simple structure, and so on.
In addition, according to the ink cartridge 1 of the first example, since the supply pump 120 is constituted by using a piezoelectric element which has been traditionally used, it is possible to constitute a small supply pump in the ink cartridge 1 with simple configuration. In addition, since the supply pump 120 is constituted so as to serve two purposes of an ink supply pump and an ink remaining amount detection sensor, it is not necessary to separately provide a remaining amount detection sensor, so that cost reduction and reduction in size of the ink cartridge 1 can be achieved. In addition, in the ink cartridge 1, since the driving method of the supply pump 120 is changed at the time of detection of the remaining amount of ink and at a time (time of ink supply time and ink agitation) other than the time of detection of the remaining amount of ink, the supply pump can be appropriately driven in accordance with the respective processing.
In a second example, in accordance with a time over which the electric source of the ink jet printer PT remained in an OFF state, the supply pump 120 is driven, thereby agitating the ink in the ink containing chamber 110. In the second example, the ink cartridge 1 has the same configuration as that of the first example. In the second example, the supply pump 120 is not driven at all times, but the driving of the supply pump 120 is performed at the time of printing in the ink jet printer PT, a time when the electric source of the ink jet printer is in an ON state, and a time when ink agitation instructions are given by a user through the ink jet printer.
The driving circuit 191 drives the supply pump 120 also at the time of ink supply (at the time of printing processing by the ink jet printer) and at the time of the inputting of instructions by a user. In addition, the inputting of instructions by a user may also be constituted such that, for example, if instructions for the agitation of the ink of the ink cartridge 1 are given by a user to the ink jet printer, the driving circuit 191 of the ink jet printer drives the supply pump 120 for a predetermined time in order to agitate ink. In addition, the driving circuit 191 has the functions of an “adjustment section” and an “instructions receiving section” in the claims.
In general, since the flowing of ink does not occurs during an OFF state of the electric source of the ink jet printer, concentration of ink which has sunk on the vertically lower side is thickened. According to the ink cartridge of the second example, if the electric source of the ink jet printer is in an ON state, the supply pump 120 is automatically driven for a given time. Specifically, when the electric source of the ink jet printer is in an ON state, the driving time of the supply pump 120 is controlled on the basis of an OFF time representing an elapsed time over which the electric source of the ink jet printer remained in OFF state. Therefore, time adjustment such as the increase or the reduction of agitation time of the ink in the ink containing chamber 110 can be appropriately performed in accordance with an OFF time, so density unevenness occurring in a print result can be suppressed.
In addition, according to the ink cartridge 1 of the second example, the supply pump 120 is driven in accordance with driving instructions from a user. Therefore, agitation of liquid in the ink cartridge 1 can be performed at a time desired by a user.
(1) In the first example, the bypass flow path 170 is constituted such that one end of the bypass flow path 170 which is connected to the ink introduction port 114 is approximately parallel to the bottom face of the cartridge main body 10, in other words, ink is returned in a direction approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bottom face of the cartridge main body 10. However, for example, a configuration may also be made such that one end of the bypass flow path 170 which is connected to the ink introduction port 114 faces the bottom face 11 which is located on the vertically lower side.
(2) In addition, one end of the bypass flow path 170 which is connected to the ink introduction port 114 may also be formed in a direction facing from the vertically lower side to the vertically upper side.
(3) In the first example, an on-carriage type ink cartridge 1 has been used and explained as an example. However, for example, an off-carriage type ink cartridge is also applicable.
Ink supplied from the ink pack 110c to the buffer chamber 130c by the supply pump 120c without passing the pressure adjustment valve 140c is returned into the ink pack 110c through the bypass flow path 170c. In this time, in the ink containing chamber 110, the flow of ink which is discharged from the ink pack 110c through the ink flow path 160c and the flow of ink which is returned to the ink pack 110c through the bypass flow path 170c are generated. As a result, as indicated by an arrow R20 in
(4) In each example described above, one end of the bypass flow path 170 which is connected to the ink containing chamber 110 is provided so as to agitate the liquid in the ink containing chamber 110. However, for example, in a case where ink is of a composition which hardly sinks, any portion, for example, one end of the bypass flow path 170 may also be connected to the vicinity of the upper face 12 of the ink containing chamber 110. According to Modified Example 4, the bypass flow path 170 can be freely arranged.
In the ink cartridges of each example and each modified example, which are described above, the configuration of the ink flow path is not limited to those described in the examples, but various known flow path configurations can be applied.
Although various examples of the invention have been explained above, the invention is not limited to these examples, but various configurations can be taken within a scope that does not depart from the purpose of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2009-063102 | Mar 2009 | JP | national |