阅读说明：本技术 墨盒 (Ink box ) 是由 徐长江 黄喜龙 毕庆功 于 2021-07-28 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及可拆卸地安装在设置有光发射件和光接收件的喷墨打印机中的墨盒,所述墨盒包括形成腔体的框体和检测组件,墨水被容纳在腔体中,检测组件与光发射件和光接收件配合用以检测墨水余量；当墨盒处于被安装的姿态时,框体具有面向前方、后方、上方和下方的侧板；检测组件包括分别位于框体外部和内部的第一部分和第二部分,所述第一部分和第二部分位于侧板的两侧,二者之间通过磁力相互作用,因而,框体侧板不需设置允许第一部分和第二部分穿过的孔,则墨水不会从框体的侧板泄漏,墨盒的密封需求得到减小。(The invention relates to an ink box which can be detachably installed in an ink-jet printer provided with a light emitting piece and a light receiving piece, wherein the ink box comprises a frame body forming a cavity and a detection assembly, ink is contained in the cavity, and the detection assembly is matched with the light emitting piece and the light receiving piece to detect the residual amount of the ink; when the ink box is in the mounted posture, the frame body is provided with side plates facing to the front, the rear, the upper side and the lower side; the detection assembly comprises a first part and a second part which are respectively positioned outside and inside the frame body, the first part and the second part are positioned on two sides of the side plate and are interacted with each other through magnetic force, therefore, the side plate of the frame body does not need to be provided with a hole for allowing the first part and the second part to pass through, ink cannot leak from the side plate of the frame body, and the sealing requirement of the ink box is reduced.)

1. The ink box is detachably installed in the ink-jet printer provided with the light emitting part and the light receiving part and comprises a frame body forming a cavity and a detection assembly, ink is contained in the cavity, and the detection assembly is matched with the light emitting part and the light receiving part to detect the ink allowance;

when the ink box is in the mounted posture, the frame body is provided with side plates facing to the front, the rear, the upper side and the lower side;

the detection assembly is characterized by comprising a first part and a second part which are respectively positioned outside and inside the frame body, wherein the first part and the second part are positioned on two sides of the side plate and interact with each other through magnetic force.

2. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first part includes a light shielding member and a first magnetic member mounting portion which are connected to each other, the first magnetic member being mounted in the first magnetic member mounting portion.

3. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 2, wherein the light shielding member is movable by a magnetic force between a light shielding position in which the light emitted from the light emitting member is shielded by the light shielding member and the light receiving member does not receive the light and a light non-shielding position in which the light emitted from the light emitting member is not shielded by the light shielding member and the light receiving member can receive the light.

4. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 3, wherein the light shielding member is moved linearly or rotated about a rotational axis between the light shielding position and the light non-shielding position.

5. The ink cartridge according to claim 4, wherein when the light shielding member moves linearly, the ink cartridge further comprises a positioning frame positioned above the frame body, a first position limiting plate provided in the positioning frame, and a surface cover covering the chamber, wherein a second position limiting plate is provided on the surface cover, and the light shielding member is held between the first position limiting plate and the second position limiting plate.

6. The ink cartridge according to claim 5, further comprising a first stopper provided on the first stopper plate, wherein the direction of movement of the light-shielding member is restricted by the first stopper.

7. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first portion and the second portion are disposed in a relative relationship in a light shielding position and the first portion and the second portion are disposed in a relative relationship in a non-light shielding position along a moving direction of the light shielding member when the light shielding member is linearly moved.

8. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first portion and the second portion are disposed opposite to each other in the light shielding position and the first portion and the second portion are disposed opposite to each other in the light non-shielding position along the moving direction of the light shielding member.

9. The ink box is detachably installed in the ink-jet printer provided with the light emitting part and the light receiving part and comprises a frame body forming a cavity and a detection assembly, ink is contained in the cavity, and the detection assembly is matched with the light emitting part and the light receiving part to detect the ink allowance;

when the ink box is in the mounted posture, the frame body is provided with side plates facing to the front, the rear, the upper side and the lower side;

the detection assembly is characterized by comprising a first part and a second part which are separated, wherein one side wall is positioned between the first part and the second part, and the first part and the second part are not contacted through the action of magnetic force.

10. The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising an ink outlet portion connected to the frame, the ink outlet portion being provided with an ink passage and a gas passage, and a sealing film for sealing both the ink passage and the gas passage.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of inkjet imaging, and more particularly, to an ink cartridge detachably mountable in an inkjet printer.

Background

The ink box is a consumable for supplying ink to the ink-jet printer, and before the ink is consumed, the ink-jet printer needs to output prompt information to an end user to ensure that the end user can replace a new ink box in time.

European patent EP3112164 describes an ink cartridge 30 comprising an ink detection portion 60, said ink cartridge 30 being mountable to an ink jet printer provided with a light emitting element and a light receiving element, said ink detection portion 60 being provided with a light entrance portion 62 and a movable light shielding element 68, said light shielding element 68 being located between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, said light shielding element 68 being adapted to shield light emitted by the light emitting element when the cartridge chamber 36 is filled with ink, and said light receiving element being adapted to not receive light, wherein the ink jet printer is adapted to consider that the ink in the ink cartridge 30 is full; as the ink in the chamber 36 is consumed, the position of the light shielding member 68 in the chamber 36 changes until the light shielding member does not shield the light, and the light receiving member can receive the light, at this time, the ink jet printer considers that the ink in the ink cartridge 30 is about to be consumed, and needs to prompt the end user to replace the ink cartridge.

As shown in fig. 6 of EP3112164, the space for accommodating the light shielding member 68 is formed by the light entrance part 62, which is communicated with the cavity 36, so that the top surface of the case constituting the cavity 36 cannot be made integral, and the light entrance part 62 is made of a light-transmitting material, and a notch capable of being combined with the light entrance part 62 is provided on the top surface of the case, and the light entrance part 62 is mounted toward the case during the assembly of the ink cartridge 30, so that the problem of sealing between the light entrance part 62 and the case is also considered, and ink leakage from the gap therebetween is prevented.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides an ink box, wherein the ink box can be normally used for reducing the sealing requirement of the ink box and preventing ink leakage under the condition of detecting the ink allowance, and the specific scheme is as follows:

the ink box is detachably installed in the ink-jet printer provided with the light emitting part and the light receiving part and comprises a frame body forming a cavity and a detection assembly, ink is contained in the cavity, and the detection assembly is matched with the light emitting part and the light receiving part to detect the ink allowance; when the ink box is in the mounted posture, the frame body is provided with side plates facing to the front, the rear, the upper side and the lower side; the detection assembly comprises a first part and a second part which are respectively positioned outside and inside the frame body, the first part and the second part are positioned on two sides of the side plate, and the first part and the second part are mutually interacted through magnetic force.

The first portion includes a light shielding member and a first magnetic member mounting portion connected to each other, and the first magnetic member is mounted in the first magnetic member mounting portion.

Through magnetic force, the light-shading part can move between shading position and not shading position, and in the shading position, the light that the light emission part launched is sheltered from by the light-shading part, and light receiving part can not receive light, and in not shading position, the light that the light emission part launched is not sheltered from by the light-shading part, and light receiving part can receive light.

The shading member moves linearly or rotates around a rotating shaft between the shading position and the non-shading position.

When the shading piece is in linear motion, the ink box further comprises a limiting frame positioned above the frame body, a first limiting plate arranged in the limiting frame and a face cover covering the cavity, a second limiting plate is arranged on the face cover, and the shading piece is clamped between the first limiting plate and the second limiting plate.

The ink box also comprises a first limiting block arranged on the first limiting plate, and the movement direction of the shading piece is limited by the first limiting block.

When the shading member moves linearly, the first part and the second part are distributed relatively at the shading position along the moving direction of the shading member, and the first part and the second part are still distributed relatively or not distributed relatively at the non-shading position.

The invention also provides an ink box which can be detachably arranged in the ink-jet printer provided with the light emitting part and the light receiving part, wherein the ink box comprises a frame body forming a cavity and a detection assembly, ink is contained in the cavity, and the detection assembly is matched with the light emitting part and the light receiving part to detect the ink allowance; when the ink box is in the mounted posture, the frame body is provided with side plates facing to the front, the rear, the upper side and the lower side; the detection assembly comprises a first part and a second part which are separated, wherein one side wall is positioned between the first part and the second part, and the first part and the second part are enabled not to be contacted through magnetic force.

The ink box further comprises an ink outlet part and a sealing film, wherein the ink outlet part is connected with the frame body, an ink channel and an air channel are arranged in the ink outlet part, and the sealing film simultaneously seals the ink channel and the air channel.

The first part and the second part are mutually interacted through magnetic force, a side plate between the first part and the second part is not required to be provided with a hole for allowing the first part and the second part to pass through, ink cannot leak from the side plate, and the sealing requirement of the ink box is reduced.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a part of the ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating relative positions of components of the detection assembly when the ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of relative positions of components of the detection assembly when ink in the ink cartridge is consumed according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing relative positions of respective parts of the detection unit when the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the relative positions of the components of the detecting unit when the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is used up.

Fig. 7 is an exploded view of a part of the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view showing relative positions of respective parts of the detection unit when the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing relative positions of parts of the detection assembly when ink is consumed in the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a schematic view of the internal structure of the ink cartridge according to the present invention with the ink cartridge cover hidden.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge according to the present invention, taken along a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction and passing through the center line of the ink outlet.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge according to the present invention. To make the description below clearer, the ink cartridge is first defined as follows: the mounting direction of the ink cartridge 1 is defined as the front and the removal direction as the rear, with respect to the angle of the ink cartridge when it is normally used in an ink jet printer, and the ink cartridge 1 has the same upper, lower, left and right directions as the observer when viewed from the rear to the front.

The ink cartridge 1 comprises a casing 3, a face cover 2 and a chip mounting part 4 positioned in front of the casing 3, wherein the casing 3 is partially provided with an open cavity 33 for accommodating ink, the face cover 2 covers the cavity 33 (as shown in fig. 2), furthermore, the ink cartridge 1 further comprises a detection assembly 5 arranged therein, the detection assembly 5 is used for being matched with a light emitting part and a light receiving part in the ink-jet printer to detect the ink allowance in the cavity, the light emitting part and the light receiving part are oppositely arranged, and when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to a preset position of the ink-jet printer, the light emitting part and the light receiving part are respectively positioned at the left side and the right side of the ink cartridge 1.

[ example one ]

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a part of the ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The casing 3 comprises a frame 31 forming a cavity 33, when the ink box 1 is in a mounting state to the ink-jet printer, the frame 31 is provided with a front side plate 3c facing forwards, a rear side plate 3d facing backwards, an upper side plate 3a facing upwards and a lower side plate 3b facing downwards, the front side plate 3c, the rear side plate 3d, the upper side plate 3a, the lower side plate 3b and a casing bottom plate jointly enclose to form an open cavity 33, and the cavity 33 can be sealed by a sealing film or a face cover 2 directly; the ink outlet portion 32 extends/protrudes forward from the front side plate 3c for supplying ink in the chamber 33 to the inkjet printer.

The detection assembly 5 comprises a first part 51 and a second part 52 which are separately arranged, wherein the first part 51 is positioned outside the cavity 33, the second part 52 is positioned inside the cavity 33, whenever the first part 51 is positioned outside the cavity 33, the second part 52 is positioned inside the cavity 33, and the first part 51 and the second part 52 are interacted through magnetic force without mutual contact, so that each side plate of the frame 31 can be kept complete without forming a hole for the detection assembly 5 to pass through on the side plate, thereby improving the sealing performance of the ink cartridge 1, correspondingly, the frame 31 can be integrally formed, and the production efficiency can be improved.

The first part 51 and the second part 52 are movably arranged, a first magnetic part 53 is installed in the first part 51, a second magnetic part 54 is installed in the second part 52, the opposite side of the first magnetic part 53 and the second magnetic part 54 is opposite in polarity, that is, a magnetic force capable of penetrating through the side plate of the frame body is formed between the first magnetic part 53 and the second magnetic part 54. In general, the first magnetic member 53 and the second magnetic member 54 are permanent magnets, and optionally, the first magnetic member 53 and the second magnetic member 54 may also be electromagnets, or one of the first magnetic member 53 and the second magnetic member 54 is a permanent magnet and the other is an electromagnet, and from the viewpoint of convenience of installation, it is preferable that both the first magnetic member 53 and the second magnetic member 54 are permanent magnets.

As shown in the figure, the first portion 51 includes a light shielding member 511 and a first magnetic member mounting portion 512 connected to each other, the first magnetic member 53 is mounted in the first magnetic member mounting portion 512, the light shielding member 511 may be made of an opaque material, or the surface of a light transmissive material may be coated with an opaque material, or the surface of a light transmissive material may be blackened by a black paint, so that light cannot pass through the light shielding member 511.

The second part 52 includes a base 521, a guide rod 522 coupled to the base 521, and a second magnetic member mounting part 523 coupled to the guide rod 522, such that the guide rod 522 is located between the base 521 and the second magnetic member mounting part 523; alternatively, the guide rod 522 may be omitted, in which case the base 521 is directly connected to the second magnetic member mounting portion 523, the base 521 may also serve as a guide for guiding the second portion 52, and the second magnetic member 54 is fixedly mounted in the second magnetic member mounting portion 523, preferably, the base 521 is made of a material having a density less than that of the ink, and when the cavity 33 is filled with the ink, the second portion 52 is entirely floated and soaked in the ink.

As shown in fig. 2, the housing 3 further includes a limiting frame 35 located above the frame 31, a first limiting plate 36 disposed in the limiting frame 35, and a first limiting block 37 disposed on the first limiting plate 36, the cover 2 includes a covering portion 21 for covering the cavity 33, and a second limiting plate 23 disposed on the upper surface 22 of the covering portion 21, the light-shielding member 511 is clamped between the first limiting plate 36 and the second limiting plate 23 to ensure that the light-shielding member 511 can move in the up-down direction, and at the same time, the first limiting block 37 is used for limiting the range of upward movement of the light-shielding member 511, the light-shielding member 511 has an upper portion 511a and a lower portion 511b opposite to each other in the up-down direction, and the first limiting block 37 is used for abutting against the upper portion 511 a.

Further, the first portion 51 further includes a protrusion 513 connected to the light blocking member 511, the protrusion 513 is a bar extending in the up-down direction from the surface of the light blocking member 511, when the ink cartridge 1 is assembled, the protrusion 513 abuts against the first stopper plate 36 or the second stopper plate 23 in the front-back direction, and the light blocking member 511 is positioned in the front-back direction. Alternatively, the structure for guiding and restricting the light-shielding member 511 may also be a structure in which a guide protrusion and a guide groove are engaged, for example, a guide groove is provided on the housing 3 and a guide protrusion is provided on the light-shielding member 511, or a guide protrusion is provided on the housing 3 and a guide groove is provided on the light-shielding member 511. Similarly, the cavity 33 is also provided with a structure for guiding the guide rod 522/base 521, and conventionally, a guide groove is provided in the cavity 33, but the guide groove provided in the cavity 33 will not facilitate the free flow of ink in the cavity, for this reason, the cavity 33 of the present invention is provided with a plurality of spacing protrusions 55 as shown in the figure, and the plurality of spacing protrusions 55 are distributed along the front-back direction and the up-down direction, and can simultaneously guide and limit the moving range of the second portion 52, as described in detail below.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the relative positions of the components of the detection assembly when the ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of relative positions of components of the detection assembly when ink in the ink cartridge is consumed according to an embodiment of the invention.

When the ink is filled in the cavity 33, the second portion 52 moves upward by buoyancy of the ink until the protrusion 55 abuts against the top surface 5211 of the base 521, the upward movement of the second portion 52 is restricted, the guide rod 522 is clamped by the protrusions 55 distributed in the front-rear direction, the first magnetic member 53 and the second magnetic member 54 are distributed in the up-down direction, and the first portion 51 moves upward in the up-down direction by a repulsive force generated therebetween until the upper portion 511a of the light shielding member 511 abuts against the first stopper 37, at which time, the light shielding member 511 is positioned on a traveling path of the light emitted from the light emitting member, that is, the light receiving member will not receive the light emitted from the light emitting member.

During the upward movement of the second part 52, the first part 51 and the second part 52 are always kept out of contact and are respectively positioned outside and inside the cavity 33, and the upper side plate 3a between the two is kept intact without opening a hole for allowing the first part 51 or the second part 52 to move, so that the frame 31 forming the cavity 33 has better integrity, and the leakage of ink from the side plates is prevented; as shown in the figure, the projection 55 for abutting against the base top surface 5211 may not necessarily be provided, and the limitation of the range of upward movement of the second portion 52 is achieved by the abutment of the second magnetic mounting portion 523 against the upper side plate 3 a.

As the ink in the chamber 33 is consumed, the buoyancy of the ink applied to the first portion 51 becomes smaller, the second portion 52 starts to gradually move downward (in the direction inside the chamber 33) under the combined action of the gravity of the second portion 52 itself and the repulsive force between the first magnetic member 53 and the second magnetic member 54, the light blocking member 511 gradually moves from a position capable of blocking the light traveling path emitted from the light emitting member to a position incapable of blocking the light traveling path, and when the ink in the chamber 33 is consumed or is about to be consumed, the lower portion 511b of the first portion 51 abuts against the upper surface 34 of the upper side plate 3a, and the base 521 or the second magnetic member mounting portion 523 of the second portion 52 abuts against the protrusion 55 to be restricted. The light emitted from the light emitting element is no longer blocked by the light blocking element 511, and at this time, the light receiving element can receive the light emitted from the light emitting element, and the first magnetic element 53 and the second magnetic element 54 are still relatively distributed in the up-down direction, and the repulsive force therebetween disappears or is reduced to be insufficient to push up the first portion 51.

During the downward movement of the second part 52, the first part 51 and the second part 52 are still not in contact with each other and are located outside and inside the cavity 33, respectively, and the upper side plate 3a between the two is kept intact without opening a hole for allowing the first part 51 or the second part 52 to move, so that the frame 31 has better integrity and the leakage of ink from the side plates is prevented.

[ example two ]

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the relative positions of the components of the detecting unit when the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the relative positions of the components of the detecting unit when the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is used up.

In this embodiment, the detection assembly 5 still includes the first portion 51 and the second portion 56 respectively located outside and inside the cavity 33, and the frame 31 for forming the cavity 33 is integrally formed, so that it is not necessary to provide the frame 31 with a hole for allowing the first portion 51 or the second portion 52 to move, the integrity of the frame 31 is ensured, and the leakage of ink from the side plates is prevented.

The second part 56 is rotatable about a rotation axis, and includes a floating portion 561, a support portion 562, and a rotation portion 563, the floating portion 561 and the support portion 562 are respectively connected to the rotation portion 563, and the second magnetic member 54 is supported by the support portion 562 and is changeable in position in the chamber 33 in accordance with the rotation of the second part 56. Preferably, the second portion 56 may further provide a second magnetic member mounting portion 564 for mounting the second magnetic member 54, so that the second magnetic member 54 can be stably mounted while reducing the difficulty of mounting the second magnetic member 54, the second magnetic member mounting portion 564 being provided at the distal end of the supporting portion 562.

When ink is injected into the chamber 33, the second portion 56 rotates around the rotating portion 563 under the buoyancy of the ink, and at the same time, the supporting portion 562 drives the second magnetic member mounting portion 564 to rotate around the rotating portion 563, as shown in fig. 5, in a state where the chamber 33 is filled with the ink, the floating portion 561 rotates to a highest point in the up-down direction under the buoyancy of the ink, accordingly, the supporting portion 562 also reaches the highest point in the up-down direction, the second magnetic member 54 and the first magnetic member 53 are distributed oppositely across the upper side plate 3a, and under the repulsive force therebetween, the first portion 51 moves upward in the up-down direction, and the upper portion 511a of the light shielding member 511 abuts against the first stopper 37, so that the tendency of the first portion 51 moving upward is limited, and at this time, the light emitted from the light emitting member in the inkjet printer is shielded by the light shielding member 511, and the light receiving member cannot receive the light.

As the ink in the chamber 33 is consumed, the buoyancy applied to the float 561 is gradually reduced, the second portion 56 rotates in the opposite direction around the rotation axis under the combined action of the self-gravity of the second portion 56 and the first and second magnetic members 53 and 54, the second magnetic member 54 and the first magnetic member 53 are gradually no longer distributed relatively, and they are deviated in the vertical direction, the first portion 51 moves downward under the self-gravity, and finally reaches the position shown in fig. 6, at this time, the lower portion 511b of the light shielding member 511 abuts against the upper surface 34 of the upper side plate 3a, and the second magnetic member 54 rotates with the second portion 56 to a position where it is not distributed relatively to the first magnetic member 53 in the vertical direction. Compared with the position where the first portion 51 is located at the upper position abutted by the first stopper 37, the position where the second magnetic member 54 is located is, when the first portion 51 reaches the lower position abutted by the upper surface 34 of the upper side plate 3a, the second magnetic member 54 is farther away from the upper side plate 3a, specifically, the second magnetic member 54 is closer to the inside of the cavity 33, the light shielding member 511 no longer shields the light emitted by the light emitting member, and the light receiving member can receive the light.

In the above embodiment, the first portion 51 is configured to be movable in the up-down direction, the second portion 56 is configured to be movable in the up-down direction, or rotate around the rotation axis in the cavity 33, when the cavity 33 is filled with ink, or the cavity 33 contains a first predetermined amount of ink, the buoyancy generated by the first predetermined amount of ink can force the second portion 52 to move upward, in the up-down direction, the first magnetic member 53 and the second magnetic member 54 are distributed oppositely, the second magnetic member 54 in the second portion 56 is located at the highest point in the cavity 33 that the second magnetic member 54 can reach, the repulsive force generated between the first magnetic member 53 and the second magnetic member 54 forces the first light shielding portion 51 to reach the highest point in the up-down direction, the light emitted by the light emitting member is shielded by the light receiving member 511, and the light receiving member cannot receive the light. When the ink in the cavity 33 is consumed, or the ink amount in the cavity 33 is a second predetermined amount, the second portion 56 cannot be forced to move upward by the buoyancy generated by the second predetermined amount, the second magnetic member 54 in the second portion 56 is located at the lowest point in the cavity 33 where the second magnetic member 54 can reach in the up-down direction, and the first portion 511 descends to a position where the light emitted from the light emitting member cannot be blocked, and the light receiving member can receive the light, regardless of the existence of the repulsive force between the first magnetic member 53 and the second magnetic member 54.

As can be seen from this, as for the first magnetic member 53, when the light shielding member 511 is in the light shielding position where it can shield the light emitted from the light emitting member, the first magnetic member 53 is located in the first position, and when the light shielding member 511 is in the non-light shielding position where it cannot shield the light emitted from the light emitting member, the first magnetic member 53 is located in the second position, the first position being located above the second position in the up-down direction, or, the first position and the second position having a height difference therebetween. Similarly, for the second portion 56, in the light shielding position, the second magnetic member 54 is located at the third position, in the light non-shielding position, the second magnetic member 54 is located at the fourth position, and the third position is located above the fourth position in the up-down direction, or there is a height difference between the third position and the fourth position.

The rotatable second portion 56 is easier to mount and the overall structure of the ink cartridge can be simplified with respect to the second portion 52 which moves linearly in the up-down direction, and as described above, when the second portion 52 moves linearly in the up-down direction, a plurality of protrusions 55 are further provided in the chamber 33, and the rotatable second portion 56 only needs to provide a protrusion or recess in the chamber 33 which engages with the rotating portion 563 when operating.

[ third example ]

Fig. 7 is an exploded view of a part of the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

As described above, the first portion 51 and the second portion 52/56 of the detecting member 5 are respectively located outside and inside the cavity 33, and the first portion 51 and the second portion 52/56 are mutually repulsive and magnetically urge the second portion 52/56 located inside the cavity 33 to form a height difference in the vertical direction, so that the first portion 51 located outside the cavity 33 is moved between a light shielding position where it can shield the light emitted from the light emitting member and a light non-shielding position where it cannot shield the light emitted from the light emitting member.

The second portion 52/56 can move linearly in the vertical direction and can also rotate around the rotation axis, so that the second portion 52/56 forms a height difference in the vertical direction, and more specifically, the second magnetic member 54 mounted in the second magnetic member mounting portion 564 of the second portion 52/56 forms a height difference in the vertical direction.

In this embodiment, the second portion 56 is rotatable around a rotation axis, the first portion 51 is also configured to be rotatable around the rotation axis, as shown in fig. 7, the first portion 51 still includes a light shielding member 511 and a first magnetic member mounting portion 512 connected to each other, the first magnetic member 53 is mounted in the first magnetic member mounting portion 512, the light shielding member 511 may be made of an opaque material, or the surface of a light transmissive material may be coated with an opaque material, or the surface of the light transmissive material may be blackened with a black paint so that light cannot pass through the light shielding member 511, and the whole first portion 51 may be rotatable around the rotation portion 514.

The second portion 56 includes a floating portion 561, a supporting portion 562, a rotation portion 563, and a second magnetic member mounting portion 564, the floating portion 561 and the supporting portion 562 are respectively connected to the rotation portion 563, and the second magnetic member 54 may be mounted into the second magnetic member mounting portion 564.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the relative positions of the components of the detecting unit when the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink;

fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing relative positions of parts of the detection assembly when ink is consumed in the ink cartridge according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

When the ink cartridge is filled with ink, the floating portion 561 floats, the second portion 56 rotates integrally around the rotating portion 563, and in the up-down direction, the second magnetic member 54 is distributed opposite to the first magnetic member 53, and the upper side plate 3a is located therebetween, and under the action of the repulsive force between the first magnetic member 53 and the second magnetic member 54, the first portion 51 rotates around the rotating portion 514, so that the first magnetic member 53 rotates in a direction away from the cavity 33, the light shielding member 511 reaches a light shielding position capable of shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member, and the light receiving member cannot receive the light emitted from the light emitting member.

As the ink in the chamber 33 is consumed, the buoyancy applied to the float 561 is reduced, the second portion 56 reversely rotates around the rotating portion 563, the second magnetic member 54 and the first magnetic member 53 are gradually no longer relatively distributed in the up-down direction, the repulsive force therebetween gradually disappears, the first portion 51 reversely rotates around the rotating portion 514, the first magnetic member 53 gradually approaches the chamber 33, the light shielding member 511 reaches the non-light shielding position where the light emitted from the light emitting member cannot be shielded, and the light receiving member can receive the light emitted from the light emitting member.

The first portion 51 in this embodiment does not move linearly in the up-down direction any more but rotates about the rotation portion 514, and the entire structure thereof is simplified, and particularly the size of the ink cartridge in the up-down direction can be effectively controlled. The position of the various components of the detection assembly 5 relative to the casing 3 can be changed with the change of the ink volume in the cavity 33, the first part 51 and the second part 52/56 of the detection assembly 5 are respectively positioned outside and inside the cavity 33/the frame 31, the movement between the first part 51 and the second part 52/56 is realized by the interaction of the first magnetic piece 53 respectively arranged in the first part 51 and the second magnetic piece 54 respectively arranged in the second part 52/56, holes allowing the first part 51 and the second part 52/56 to move are not required to be arranged in the frame 31 forming the cavity 33, the frame 31 is more complete, thereby preventing the ink from leaking from the frame 31, and the whole sealing performance of the ink box is improved.

The above embodiment describes the case where the detection unit 5 is located above the ink cartridge 1, in which the first part 51 and the second part 52/56 are located on both sides of the upper side plate 3c, respectively, and the first part 51 and the second part 52/56 interact with each other by magnetic force, so that the structure of the upper side plate 3a is maintained intact and leakage of ink from the upper side plate 3a does not occur; similarly, the position of the detecting assembly 5 can be adjusted according to the positions of the light emitting element and the light receiving element in the inkjet printer, for example, the detecting assembly 5 is located in front of the ink cartridge, and the first portion 51 and the second portion 52/56 are respectively located on two sides of the front side plate 3c, and interact with each other through magnetic force, so that the structural integrity of the front side plate 3c can be improved.

[ Structure of ink-discharging portion ]

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing an internal structure of the ink cartridge according to the present invention with a front cover thereof hidden; fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge according to the present invention, taken along a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction and passing through the center line of the ink outlet.

Referring first to fig. 7, the ink discharging portion 32 projects forward from the front side plate 3c, the chip mounting portion 4 is located above the ink discharging portion 32, the chip 41 is mounted in the chip mounting portion 4, and when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to an ink jet printer, the chip 41 is connected to contacts in the ink jet printer, so that a communication connection is established between the ink cartridge and the ink jet printer.

The ink outlet portion 32 includes a tubular body 39 extending forward from the front side plate 3c and a sealing plug 7 mounted in the tubular body, preferably, the tubular body 39 and the sealing plug 7 are both cylindrical, the sealing plug 7 is a hollow body, and divides an inner space 390 of the tubular body 39 into an ink passage 70 and a gas passage 392, the ink passage 70 is communicated with the cavity 33, and the gas passage 392 is communicated with the cavity 33 and the external atmosphere; as shown in fig. 10 and 11, the tubular body 39 further includes a first communication port 393 that is in gas communication with the cavity 33/ink outlet chamber 331 and a second communication port 394 that is in liquid communication with the cavity 33/ink outlet chamber 331, and thus the ink channel 70 communicates with the cavity 33/ink outlet chamber 331 through the second communication port 394 and the gas channel 392 communicates with the cavity 33/ink outlet chamber 331 through the first communication port 393.

Further, the ink cartridge 1 further comprises a first sealing film 61 for sealing the cavity 33 and a second sealing film 62 for sealing the ink outlet portion 32, and the surface cover 2 is positioned at the left side of the first sealing film 61, i.e. the first sealing film 61 is positioned between the housing 3 and the surface cover 2 to be protected; the second sealing film 62 seals the ink outlet part 32 and also seals the gas channel 392, that is, the ink channel 70 and the gas channel 392 of the ink cartridge 1 are simultaneously sealed by the second sealing film 62, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to the ink jet printer, the ink channel 70 and the gas channel 392 are simultaneously opened along with the second sealing film 62 being punctured, thus omitting the gas channel arranged at the position of the ink cartridge 1 except the ink outlet part 32, simplifying the structure of the ink cartridge 1, simplifying the production process and reducing the use steps of an end user.

The inner space 390 of the tubular body 39 comprises a first space 391 and a second space 392 adjacent to each other, the sealing plug 7 is accommodated in the first space 391, and the second space 392 forms the gas passage, and preferably, the second space 392 is formed by being recessed from the first space 391 to the outside of the tubular body 39, and as shown in fig. 7 and 11, the second space 392 extends from the free end (front end) of the side wall of the tubular body 39 in the front-rear direction.

The sealing plug 7 includes a small-sized portion 71 forming an ink channel 70, and a large-sized portion 72 and a sealing member 73 respectively located on both sides of the small-sized portion 71, the large-sized portion 72 and the sealing member 73 both contact the surface of the first space 391, the sealing plug 7 can be stably supported in the first space 391, the sealing member 73 is formed as a sealing ring mounted on the small-sized portion 71 or integrally formed with the small-sized portion 71, the sealing ring 73 is in close contact with the surface of the first space 391, the first communication port 393 is located in front of the sealing member 73 on the side where the second communication port 394 is located, the ink channel 70 and the gas channel 392 are isolated, and ink does not enter the gas channel 392; as shown in fig. 11, the sealing plug 7 further includes a self-sealing member 74 provided in the large-sized portion 72, and the ink passage 70 is sealed by the self-sealing member 74 when ink is not mounted to the inkjet printer.

When the sealing plug 7 is mounted, the free end (front end) of the sealing plug 7 is located behind the free end (front end) of the tubular body 39 so that they are not aligned, the second sealing film 62 is welded to the free end of the tubular body 39 to simultaneously seal the ink channel 70 and the gas channel 392, and during the mounting of the ink cartridge 1 to the ink jet printer, an ink suction needle (not shown) located in the ink jet printer pierces the second sealing film 62 and passes through the self-sealing member 74 into the ink channel 70 so that the ink channel 70 and the gas channel 392 are simultaneously opened, i.e., the ink channel 70 communicates with the ink suction needle, and the gas channel 392 communicates with the atmosphere.

However, when the sealing plug 7 is assembled with its free end aligned with the free end of the tubular body 39, the second sealing membrane 62 will be in contact with both the free end of the tubular body 39 and the free end of the sealing plug 7, and likewise, the ink passage 70 and the gas passage 392 will be sealed by the second sealing membrane 62 at the same time; in the process of mounting the ink cartridge 1 to the ink jet printer, the ink absorbing needle (not shown) located in the ink jet printer pierces the second sealing film 62 and passes through the self-sealing member 74 into the ink passage 70, and since the second sealing film 62 is also welded to the free end of the sealing plug 7, the gas passage 392 located between the sealing plug 7 and the outer surface of the tubular body 39 will likely remain sealed by the second sealing film 62, at which time the ink passage 70 communicates with the ink absorbing needle, but the gas passage 392 is not yet communicated with the atmosphere, and the ink cartridge 1 will not work, and for this reason, as shown in fig. 7 and 11, the sealing plug 7 further includes a plurality of projections 75 provided at intervals along the circumference of the large-sized portion 72 (the side where the free end of the sealing plug 7 is located), a gap 76 is formed between adjacent two projections 75, and when the sealing plug 7 is mounted, at least one gap 76 communicates with the gas passage 392, and thus, even if the second sealing film 62 located between the sealing plug 7 and the tubular body 39 is not pierced by the ink suction needle, the external atmosphere can still enter the gas passage 392 through the gap 76.

As shown in fig. 11, after the sealing plug 7 is mounted, the first space 391 between the small-sized portion 71 and the surface of the internal space 390 communicates with the gas passage 392, the first communication port 393 communicates with the gas passage 392, as shown in fig. 7 to 10, the air guide groove 332 is provided in the frame 31, one end of the air guide groove 332 communicates with the cavity 33, and the other end communicates with the first communication port 393, so that, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to the inkjet printer, the external atmosphere can enter the cavity 33 through the gas passage 392, the first communication port 393, and the air guide groove 332 in this order, during the operation of the inkjet printer, the air pressure in the cavity 33 can be kept balanced, the gas passage 392 for introducing the atmosphere into the cartridge cavity 33 is provided adjacent to the ink passage 70, the second sealing film 62 can simultaneously seal the gas passage 392 from the ink passage 70, and it is not necessary to weld a sealing film specially sealing the gas passage 392 on the ink cartridge 1, the end user does not have to tear off the sealing film that seals the gas passage 392 before using the ink cartridge 1, and the use of the ink cartridge 1 is simplified.