Patent Grant
12257846
The present invention relates to a liquid storage container capable of being detachably attached to a printing apparatus.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-161876 discloses a liquid cartridge detachably attached to a printer body. As shown in
In the liquid cartridge disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-161876, even when the liquid cartridge is detached from the printer main body, the lever 510 remains in an open state of the liquid cartridge in a fallen state, so that liquid may leak from the liquid cartridge. Further, since the valve element 520 is disposed outside the liquid reservoir chamber 132 and valve element 520 is configured to close the communication port 131 from the outside, when the internal pressure of the liquid reservoir chamber 132 increases, there is a possibility that the valve element 520 is separated from the communication port 131 and liquid leaks from the liquid cartridge.
It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a liquid storage container capable of preventing leakage of the liquid.
A liquid storage container of the present disclosure, comprising: a liquid reservoir part configured to reserve a liquid; an air communication passage for communicating the liquid reservoir part with an atmosphere; a partition wall configured to separate an inside of the liquid reservoir part and an outside of the liquid reservoir part; a through hole configured to penetrate the partition wall in a first direction; a movable support member capable of moving in the through hole in the first direction; a first seal member disposed in the liquid reservoir part and fixed to the movable support member; and a biasing member configured to bias the movable support member so that the first seal member positions at a closing position where the first seal member closes the air communication passage. In the liquid storage container, the movable support member has receiving part configured to receive an external force, and the external force moves the first seal member from the closing position so that the inside of the liquid reservoir part communicates with the outside of the liquid reservoir part via the air communication passage.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the components described in the embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure to them.
Next, the configuration of the liquid storage container 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail.
Referring to
The liquid storage container 100 is provided with an air communication passage 147 configured to communicate the liquid reservoir part 110 with the atmosphere. When the liquid is supplied to the printing head 1, the inside of the liquid reservoir part 110 becomes a negative pressure state, but the internal pressure of the liquid reservoir part 110 is kept constant because an external air is taken into the liquid reservoir part 110 through the air communication passage 147. The valve unit 140 switches between a closed state in which the air communication passage 147 is closed and an open state in which the air communication passage 147 is opened.
The configuration of each part of the liquid storage container 100 will be described in detail below.
(Liquid Reservoir Part)
The liquid storage container 100 has a partition wall 144 configured to separate an inside of the liquid reservoir part 110 and an outside of the liquid reservoir part 110. The partition wall 144 is located at an upper region of the liquid reservoir part 110. In the present embodiment, the partition wall 144 constitutes a lid member of the liquid reservoir part 110. A liquid supply part 120 is provided at a bottom part 111 of the liquid reservoir part 110. Since the bottom part 111 is formed to be inclined downwardly toward the liquid supply part 120, the liquid can be supplied to the printing head 1 without remaining in the bottom part 111.
(Liquid Supply Part)
Next, the configuration of the liquid supply part 120 will be described in detail with reference to
The liquid supply part 120 has a liquid supply port 124, a valve element 121, a valve spring 122 and an annular joint seal 123. The valve element 121 is made of a resin material. The valve spring 122 is made of a metal material. The joint seal 123 is made of an elastic member such as rubber and is attached to the liquid supply port 124. The valve spring 122 biases the valve element 121 toward the joint seal 123. By the biasing force of the valve spring 122, the valve element 121 closes the liquid supply port 124 to which the joint seal 123 is attached.
When the liquid storage container 100 is attached to the holder 3, the joint needle 310 is inserted into the liquid supply port 124 as shown in
When the liquid storage container 100 is detached from the holder 3, the liquid storage container 100 is moved in the direction of the arrow 52. The joint needle 310 relatively moves in the liquid supply port 124 in the direction opposite to the insertion direction (the same direction as the biasing direction of the valve spring 122) while maintaining the sealing property by the joint seal 123. As the joint needle 310 exits the liquid supply port 124, the biasing force of the valve spring 122 causes the valve element 121 to close the liquid supply port 124.
(Valve Unit and Air Communication Passage)
Next, the valve unit 140 and the air communication passage 147 will be described with reference to
One end of the movable support member 141 is located on a side of the liquid reservoir part 110, and the other end is located outside the liquid reservoir part 110. The first seal member 146 is disposed inside the liquid reservoir part 110 and is fixed to the one end of the movable support member 141. The second seal member 143 is disposed outside the liquid reservoir part 110 and is fixed to the movable support member 141. In other words, the first seal member 146 is disposed on the first surface 144a side of the partition wall 144, and the second seal member 143 is disposed on the second surface 144b side of the partition wall 144. The interval between the first seal member 146 and the second seal member 143 is larger than the thickness of the partition wall 144. The second seal member 143 has an annular shape, and its inner peripheral surface is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the movable support member 141. The first seal member 146 and the second seal member 143 can be fixed to the movable support member 141 using, for example, an adhesive.
The torsion coil spring 142 is an example of a biasing member for biasing the movable support member 141 such that the first seal member 146 positions at a closing position P1 for closing the air communication passage 147. At the closing position P1, the first seal member 146 can close a gap between the movable support member 141 and the through hole 144c. When the movable support member 141 is moved in the direction opposite to the biasing direction of the biasing member, the first seal member 146 is separated from the closing position P1, and the second seal member 143 closes the gap between the movable support member 141 and the through hole 144c. When the first seal member 146 is separated from the closing position P1, the liquid reservoir part 110 communicates with the atmosphere through the air communication passage 147.
The air communication passage 147 is provided in the movable support member 141. The air communication passage 147 has a first opening 147a communicating with an inside of the liquid reservoir part 110 and a second opening 147b communicating with an outside of the liquid reservoir part 110. Here, the air communication passage 147 is provided so as to penetrate from one end to the other end of the movable support member 141. The first opening 147a is formed on a side surface of one end of the movable support member 141, and the second opening 147b is formed on an end surface of the other end of the movable support member 141. The second opening 147b may be formed on a side surface of the movable support member 141. The first opening 147a is located inside the liquid reservoir part 110, and the second opening 147b is located outside the liquid reservoir part 110. In the closed state in which the first seal member 146 is disposed at the closing position P1, the first opening 147a is accommodated in the through hole 144c.
A gas-liquid separation membrane 145 for separating gas and liquid is provided in the first opening 147a of the air communication passage 147. The gas-liquid separation membrane 145 suppresses a leakage of the liquid stored in the liquid reservoir part 110 to a side of the air communication passage 147 even when the printing device is tilted slightly. The gas-liquid separation membrane 145 preferably has low flow resistance and low liquid permeability. For example, a water-repellent filter can be used for the gas-liquid separation membrane 145.
The biasing mechanism will be described in detail with reference to
A male screw 148a is provided on an outer peripheral surface of the movable support member 141, and a female screw 148b is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the through hole 144c. The movable support member 141 is rotatable in a state where the male screw 148a and the female screw 148b are screwed. When the movable support member 141 is rotated in a first rotational direction (arrow A1), the movable support member 141 moves toward the inside of the liquid reservoir part 110, that is, in the direction of the arrow 54. When the movable support member 141 is rotated in a second rotational direction (arrow A2) opposite to the first rotational direction, the movable support member 141 moves toward the outside of the liquid reservoir part 110, that is, in the direction of the arrow 53.
The movable support member 141 has a receiving part which receives an external force. The external force moves the first seal member 146 from the closing position P1 so that the inside of the liquid reservoir part 110 communicates with the outside of the liquid reservoir part 110 via the air communication passage 147. Here, the pressing force of the pressing portion 320 is used as the external force. The movable support member 141 includes, as an external force receiving part, a pressure receiving part 141a disposed outside the liquid reservoir part 110 and extending in a direction intersecting the rotational axis of the movable support member 141. When the liquid storage container 100 is attached to the holder 3, the pressing portion 320 presses the pressure receiving part 141a, so that the movable support member 141 rotates in the first rotational direction.
The torsion coil spring 142 is configured to receive a torsion moment (arrow A) about the central axis of the coil. In the torsion coil spring 142, a coil part is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the movable support member 141, an upper end of the coil is fixed to the movable support member 141, and a lower end of the coil is fixed to a spring support part 149. The spring support part 149 is provided on the second surface 144b of the partition wall 144. The torsion coil spring 142 biases the movable support member 141 in the second rotational direction (arrow A2) so as to maintain the closed state in which the first seal member 146 is arranged at the closing position P1.
When the liquid storage container 100 is attached to the holder 3, as shown in
When the liquid storage container 100 is detached from the holder 3, the pressing portion 320 is separated from the pressure receiving part 141a, and the pressure of the pressing portion 320 against the pressure receiving part 141a is released. When the pressing portion 320 is separated from the pressure receiving part 141a, the movable support member 141 is rotated by an angle θ1 in the second rotational direction by the action of the torsional moment. Rotating in the second rotational direction causes the movable support member 141 to move in the direction of the arrow 53. As a result, the second seal member 143 is separated from the second surface 144b of the partition wall 144, and the first seal member 146 is moved to the closing position P1 to close the gap between the movable support member 141 and the through hole 144c. In this way, the liquid storage container 100 is switched to a closed state in which the liquid reservoir part 110 is sealed.
In the biasing mechanism, the distance D1 between the second seal member 143 and the first surface 144a of the partition wall 144 corresponds to the movement amount of the movable support member 141 corresponding to the rotational amount of the angle θ1, and can be defined by a pitch of the screw and the angle θ1. The rotatable angle range (range of angle θ1) of the movable support member 141 is preferably 30°-150°, for example. Within this angle range, the open state and the closed state can be satisfactorily realized by the action of the torsional moment.
According to the liquid storage container 100 of the present embodiment described above, the first seal member 146 closes the air communication passage 147 in a detached state, so that the liquid reservoir part 110 is kept in a sealed state. Therefore, for example, even when the liquid storage container 100 is transported or the user picks up the liquid storage container 100 and tilts it, the liquid reserved in the liquid reservoir part 110 does not leak out of the liquid storage container 100.
The first seal member 146 is configured so as to close the air communication passage 147 from the inside of the liquid reservoir part 110 by closely contacting with the first surface 144a of the partition wall 144. Therefore, even if the internal pressure of the liquid reservoir part 110 increases due to transportation or the like, the first seal member 146 is not separated from the first surface 144a, and the closed state can be maintained.
Further, in the open state, since the second seal member 143 closes the gap between the movable support member 141 and the through hole 144c, it is possible to suppress leakage of the liquid inside the liquid reservoir part 110 to the outside through the gap between the movable support member 141 and the through hole 144c.
The liquid storage container 100A of the present embodiment is different from the liquid storage container 100 of the first embodiment in that the liquid storage container 100A has an air communication passage 247 instead of the air communication passage 147. The same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions of these components are omitted here in order to avoid duplication of descriptions.
The air communication passage 247 is provided in the partition wall 144. The air communication passage 247 has a first opening 247a communicating with the inside of the liquid reservoir part 110 and a second opening 247b communicating with the outside of the liquid reservoir part 110. Here, the air communication passage 247 is provided so as to penetrate from the first surface 144a to the second surface 144b of the partition wall 144. The first opening 247a is adjacent to the through hole 144c. With the movable support member 141 disposed in the closing position P1, the first seal member 146 closes the first opening 247a. The gas-liquid separation membrane 145 is provided in the first opening 247a.
As shown in
As shown in
Similarly to the case of the first embodiment, the liquid storage container 100A of the present embodiment can also prevent leakage of the liquid when the liquid storage container is removed from the printing apparatus or when the internal pressure of the liquid reservoir part 110 increases.
In the closed state, since the first seal member 146 closes the gap between the movable support member 141 and the through hole 144c, it is possible to suppress leakage of the liquid inside the liquid reservoir part 110 to the outside through the gap between the movable support member 141 and the through hole 144c.
Further, in the open state, since the second seal member 143 closes the gap between the movable support member 141 and the through hole 144c, it is possible to suppress leakage of the liquid inside the liquid reservoir part 110 to the outside through the gap between the movable support member 141 and the through hole 144c.
The liquid storage container 100B of the present embodiment differs from the liquid storage container 100 of the first embodiment in that it does not have the male screw 148a and the female screw 148b and uses a coil spring 142A instead of the torsion coil spring 142. A part of a movable support member 241 is inserted into the through hole 144c of the partition wall 144. An outer peripheral surface of a movable support member 241 is in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the through hole 144c, and the movable support member 241 can slide in the penetration direction (z-axis direction). The outer peripheral surface of the movable support member 241 and the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 144c have concentric circular shapes in the x-y plane. A spring support part 150 for supporting an upper end of a coil spring 142A is provided at an outer part of the movable support member 241. The spring support part 150 extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the movable support member 241. The spring support part 150 is parallel to the second surface 144b of the partition wall 144 and is located on an outer side (opposite to the partition wall 144) of the second seal member 143. In other words, the second seal member 143 is located between the spring support part 150 and the second surface 144b of the partition wall 144.
A lower end of the coil spring 142A is in contact with the second surface 144b of the partition wall 144. The Coil spring 142A biases the movable support member 241 such that the first seal member 146 maintains the closed state in which the first seal member 146 closes the air communication passage 147 at the closing position P1. Specifically, the coil spring 142A biases the movable support member 241 in a direction toward the outside (arrow 53). The movable support member 241 is provided with an air communication passage 147 described in the first embodiment.
The pressing portion 320 has a leaf spring 320a that biases the movable support member 241 in a direction (arrow 54) opposite to the biasing direction of the coil spring 142A. In the present embodiment, an end of the movable support member 241 in contact with the leaf spring 320a serves as the receiving part of the external force. Instead of the leaf spring 320a, a slope acting to move the movable support member 241 in the direction of the arrow 54 may be provided in the pressing portion 320.
In the liquid storage container 100B of the present embodiment, the first seal member 146 is located in the closing position P1 and the first opening 147a of the air communication passage 147 is housed in the through hole 144c in the detached state. The first seal member 146 closes the gap between the movable support member 241 and the through hole 144c at the closing position P1. In this way, the liquid storage container 100B becomes the closed state with the air communication passage 147 closed.
When the liquid storage container 100B is attached to the holder 3, the leaf spring 320a of the pressing portion 320 biases the movable support member 241 in the direction of the arrow 54. When the movable support member 241 moves in the direction of the arrow 54, the first seal member 146 moves away from the closing position P1, and the second seal member 143 closes the gap between the movable support member 241 and the through hole 144c. In this way, the liquid storage container 100B is switched to an open state in which the liquid reservoir part 110 communicates with the atmosphere through the air communication passage 147.
In the liquid storage container 100B of the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, leakage of the liquid can be prevented when it is detached from the printing device or when the internal pressure of the liquid reservoir part 110 increases.
In addition, according to the liquid storage container 100B of the present embodiment, the structure of the container can be made simple because it does not have a screw structure compared with the first embodiment.
The biasing mechanism of the liquid storage container 100B of the present embodiment can also be applied to the liquid storage container 100A of the second embodiment. In such case, in the detached state, the first seal member 146 closes the gap between the movable support member 241 and the through hole 144c at the closing position P1, and closes the opening 247a of the air communication passage 247. As a result, the liquid storage container 100A becomes a closing state with the air communication passage 247 closed.
On the other hand, when the liquid storage container 100B is attached to the holder 3, the leaf spring 320a of the pressing portion 320 biases the movable support member 241 in the direction of the arrow 54. When the movable support member 241 moves in the direction of the arrow 54, the first seal member 146 moves away from the closing position P1, and the second seal member 143 closes the gap between the movable support member 241 and the through hole 144c. With this, the liquid storage container 100B is switched to the open state in which the liquid reservoir part 110 communicates with the atmosphere through the air communication passage 247.
The above application example also exhibits the same working effect as that of the second embodiment.
According to the present disclosure, even when the liquid storage container is removed from the printing apparatus or when the internal pressure of the liquid reservoir part increases, leakage of the liquid from the liquid storage container can be prevented.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-169410, filed Oct. 15, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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