CN113022144A - Ink box - Google Patents
Ink box Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CN113022144A CN113022144A CN202110244014.8A CN202110244014A CN113022144A CN 113022144 A CN113022144 A CN 113022144A CN 202110244014 A CN202110244014 A CN 202110244014A CN 113022144 A CN113022144 A CN 113022144A
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- Prior art keywords
- light
- ink
- light shielding
- light emitting
- shielding
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- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 22
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 10
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000002360 preparation method Methods 0.000 claims 1
- 238000003384 imaging method Methods 0.000 abstract description 4
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 description 15
- 239000012528 membrane Substances 0.000 description 11
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 6
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 5
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000009471 action Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000005489 elastic deformation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007667 floating Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007641 inkjet printing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002452 interceptive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17566—Ink level or ink residue control
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
- B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
- B41J2/17566—Ink level or ink residue control
- B41J2002/17573—Ink level or ink residue control using optical means for ink level indication
Landscapes
- Ink Jet (AREA)
Abstract
The invention relates to a detachable ink-jet imaging device provided with a light emitting element and a light receiving element, wherein an ink box comprises a shell and a detection component, the shell forms an ink cavity for containing ink, and the detection component is used for matching with the light emitting element and the light receiving element to detect the ink allowance in the ink cavity; the light receiving part is used for receiving the light emitted by the light emitting part; the detection assembly comprises a shading part which can move along the direction intersecting with the advancing direction of the light emitted by the light emitting part, the shading part can move between a shading position for shading the light emitted by the light emitting part and a non-shading position which can not shade the light emitted by the light emitting part according to the ink amount change in the ink cavity, and the light emitted by the light emitting part cannot generate loss, so that the light receiving part can be ensured to receive all the light emitted by the light emitting part, and the ink jet imaging equipment is prevented from misjudging the ink allowance in the ink cavity.
Description
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
Inkjet printers are commonly used inkjet image forming apparatuses, and an ink cartridge is detachably mounted to the inkjet printer for supplying ink while the inkjet printer is in operation. Fig. 1 provides a perspective view of a conventional ink cartridge, in which an ink cartridge 1 includes a housing 2 for containing ink, and a light-transmitting portion 27 formed to extend upward from an upper surface 22 of the housing 2, the light-transmitting portion 27 being used to detect the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 1 when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted in an ink jet printer.
Specifically, in a state where the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to the ink jet printer, the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the light transmitting portion 27, and the light transmitting portion 27 communicates with the ink chamber containing the ink, and when the amount of the ink in the ink cartridge 1 is large, the light emitted from the light emitting portion cannot pass through the light transmitting portion 27, and thus the light receiving portion cannot receive the light, and the ink jet printer considers that the amount of the ink remaining in the ink cartridge 1 is large; when the ink in the ink cartridge is consumed as the ink jet printer is operated, and the light emitted from the light emitting portion reaches the light receiving portion through the light transmitting portion 27 when the ink is consumed to a predetermined value, the ink jet printer recognizes that the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge 1 is insufficient and notifies the user of the replacement of the ink cartridge by issuing an alarm.
As described above, the inkjet printer can determine that the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge 1 is insufficient only when the light emitted from the light emitting portion passes through the light transmitting portion 27 and is received by the light receiving portion, and the light receiving portion receives the light of the predetermined intensity, however, since the light transmitting portion 27 is communicated with the ink chamber containing the ink in the ink cartridge 1, when the ink sticks to the inner wall of the light transmitting portion 27 during use, the light passing efficiency of the light transmitting portion 27 is affected, and the inkjet printer may make a false determination on the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge 1; even if the inner wall of the transparent portion 27 is not adhered with ink, the light may be lost during the process of passing through the transparent portion 27, which may also cause the inkjet printer to make a false judgment on the remaining amount of ink.
Disclosure of Invention
The invention provides an ink box, although a light transmission part for detecting ink residual quantity is also arranged in the ink box, the light transmission part is not communicated with an ink cavity for storing ink in the ink box, and the relative position of the light transmission part in the ink box is changed along with the consumption of the ink, so that the light emitted by a light emitting part can be completely received by a light receiving part, thereby ensuring that an ink jet printer can accurately judge the ink residual quantity, and the specific scheme is as follows:
an ink cartridge detachably installed in an inkjet image forming apparatus provided with a light emitting element and a light receiving element, the ink cartridge including a housing forming an ink chamber for containing ink, an ink discharging portion formed on the housing for supplying the ink in the ink chamber to the outside, and a detection member for detecting a remaining amount of the ink in the ink chamber in cooperation with the light emitting element and the light receiving element; the light receiving part is used for receiving the light emitted by the light emitting part; the detection unit includes a light shielding member movable in a direction intersecting a traveling direction of the light emitted from the light emitting member, the light shielding member being movable between a light shielding position for shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member and a light non-shielding position for not shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member in accordance with a change in the amount of ink in the ink chamber.
Wherein, in the shading position, all the light rays emitted by the light emitting component are shaded by the shading component, and in the non-shading position, all the light rays emitted by the light emitting component are not shaded by the shading component; in other words, in the light shielding position, all the light emitted from the light emitting element cannot be received by the light receiving element, and in the non-light shielding position, all the light emitted from the light emitting element is received by the light receiving element.
When the ink cartridge is mounted to the inkjet image forming apparatus, the light emitting part and the light receiving part are respectively located at left and right sides of the detection assembly, and the light shielding part is movable in an up-down direction or a front-back direction.
The light shielding member comprises a light shielding part for shielding light emitted by the light emitting member, and the relative position between the light shielding part and the ink outlet part is different along with the light shielding member respectively positioned at a light shielding position and a non-light shielding position; when the light-shielding member is in the light-shielding position, the light-shielding portion is closer to/farther from the ink discharge portion than the light-shielding member is in the light-shielding position.
The detection assembly further comprises a guide member for guiding the movement of the light shielding member and a deformable member in contact with the light shielding member, the deformable member being variable according to a change in the amount of ink in the ink chamber; the guide member is internally provided with a guide cavity for accommodating the light shading member, the tail end of the guide cavity positioned above is opened, the tail end positioned below is provided with an opening, the deformable member seals the opening, and the guide cavity is not communicated with the ink cavity.
As described above, the light-shielding member in the detection assembly is not fixedly arranged any more, but is arranged to be movable in a direction intersecting with the traveling direction of the light emitted from the light-emitting member, and the light-shielding member is movable between the light-shielding position and the non-light-shielding position according to the change of the amount of ink in the ink chamber, and the light is not lost, so that the light-receiving member is ensured to receive all the light emitted from the light-emitting member, and the misjudgment of the ink remaining amount in the ink chamber by the inkjet imaging device is avoided.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional ink cartridge.
Fig. 2 is a partially exploded view of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the internal structure of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, taken along the vertical direction, in a state of being mounted to an ink jet printer.
Fig. 5A is a schematic diagram of the state of the remaining ink amount detection unit when the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink.
Fig. 5B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed in the front-rear direction, when the ink cartridge is filled with ink.
Fig. 6A is a schematic diagram of a state of the remaining ink amount detecting unit when ink is consumed to a predetermined value in the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 6B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed in the front-rear direction, when the ink is consumed to a predetermined value.
FIG. 7 is a partially exploded view of an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 8A is a schematic view showing a state of the remaining ink amount detection unit when the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink.
Fig. 8B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed in the front-rear direction, when the ink cartridge is filled with ink.
Fig. 9A is a schematic view showing a state of the remaining ink amount detection unit when ink is consumed to a predetermined value in the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 9B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed in the front-rear direction, when the ink is consumed to a predetermined value.
Detailed Description
Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following embodiments, the member for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge is modified, and thus, the same members as those of the background art will be referred to hereinafter with the same reference numerals except for the remaining amount of ink detecting member.
To make the description clearer, the ink cartridge 1 is first defined as follows: defining the installation direction of the ink box 1 as the front-back direction, and the ink box 1 is installed forwards, taking the angle of the ink box 1 during installation as the standard, the upper side of the ink box 1 is the upper side, the lower side is the lower side, the left side is the left side, and the right side is the right side; the following description of the orientation corresponds to the above description.
Example one
[ integral Structure of ink Cartridge ]
FIG. 2 is a partially exploded schematic view of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an internal structure of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, taken along the vertical direction, in a state of being mounted to an ink jet printer.
The ink cartridge 1 includes a case 2 containing ink, an ink outlet portion 3, a chip mounting portion 4, and an ink remaining amount detecting member (simply referred to as "detecting member") 6, the case 2 forming an ink chamber 20 containing ink and having a front surface 21 at the front and an upper surface 22 at the upper side; the ink outlet portion 3 projects forward from the front surface 21 and communicates with the ink chamber 20 for supplying ink in the ink chamber 20 to the outside; the chip mounting portion 4 is located in front of the front surface 21, a substrate 41 is mounted above the chip mounting portion 4, a plurality of contacts 42 are provided on the substrate 41, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to an ink jet printer, the contacts 42 are in contact with contact pins in the ink jet printer, and thus the ink cartridge 1 establishes a communication connection with the ink jet printer; the detection member 6 is arranged in the up-down direction, and at least a part of the detection member 6 is movable in the up-down direction according to the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20.
Along the upper and lower direction, chip installation department 4 is located the top of going out black portion 3, and further, ink horn 1 still includes inductor 23 and boss 24 that extend upwards from upper surface 22, wherein, in the installation of ink horn 1, inductor 23 is used for cooperating with the inkjet printer, makes ink horn 1 can be discerned by the inkjet printer, still is provided with screens 25 and handle 26 above boss 24, when ink horn 1 is installed to the predetermined position of inkjet printer, screens 25 are blocked by the inkjet printer, therefore, ink horn 1 is fixed a position in the inkjet printer, when ink horn 1 needs to be taken out, the user pulls out ink horn 1 backward through holding handle 26.
Further, the case 2 includes a bottom case 2a and a top cover 2b formed separately, the ink chamber 20 is formed in the bottom case 2a, the ink cartridge 1 further includes a sealing film 5 between the bottom case 2a and the top cover 2b, the sealing film 5 is used to seal the ink chamber 20 from the left side, and the top cover 2b is combined with the bottom case 2a in the left-right direction, so that the sealing film 5 is located between the top cover 2b and the bottom case 2 a. When the bottom case 2a and the top cover 2b are combined, the upper surfaces 22a and 22b of the bottom case 2a and the top cover 2b are aligned to form the upper surface 22 of the ink cartridge, and the sensing member 23, the boss 24, the detecting assembly 6, the detent 25 and the handle 26 may be formed on the upper surface 22a of the bottom case 2a or the upper surface 22b of the top cover 2b, and the positions of the components relative to the upper surface 22 are unchanged as a whole regardless of whether the components are disposed on the bottom case 2a or the top cover 2 b.
[ detection Assembly ]
The detecting member 6 may be disposed on the bottom case 2a or the top cover 2b, and the detecting member 6 is disposed on the bottom case 2a as an example hereinafter described. As shown in the figure, the detecting component 6 includes a light shielding member 61, a guiding member 62 and a deformable member 63, a light emitting member 71 and a light receiving member 72 (as shown in fig. 5B) are provided in the inkjet image forming apparatus, when the ink cartridge 1 is mounted to the inkjet image forming apparatus, the detecting component 6 enters between the light emitting member 71 and the light receiving member 72, if the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 cannot be received by the light receiving member 72, the ink jet printer considers that the amount of ink in the ink cartridge 1 is large, the user can use the ink jet printer normally, if the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 can be received by the light receiving member 72, the ink jet printer considers that the amount of ink in the ink cartridge 1 is insufficient, and at this time, the ink jet printer gives an alarm to inform.
In the embodiment of the present invention, the light shielding member 61 is movable in the guide member 62, and when the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20 is larger than a predetermined value, or the amount of ink in the ink cartridge 1 is large, the light shielding member 61 is located at a position where it can shield the light emitted from the light emitting member 71, and at this time, the light receiving member 72 does not receive the light emitted from the light emitting member 71; as the ink in the ink chamber 20 is consumed, the light-shielding member 61 is gradually moved to a position where it cannot shield the light emitted from the light-emitting member 71, and at this time, the light-receiving member 72 receives the light emitted from the light-emitting member 71; it can be seen that the light shielding member 61 of the present embodiment is movable between a light shielding position (first position) for shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 and a light shielding position (second position) for not shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member 71, where the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 passes through the light shielding member 61 and is received by the light receiving member 72, that is, the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 is not lost, thereby ensuring accurate determination of the remaining amount of ink in the inkjet printer.
The light-shielding member 61 is movable in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the light L emitted from the light-emitting member 71, specifically, for example, up-and-down movement in the up-and-down direction, or front-and-back movement in the front-and-back direction, or movement in a direction inclined to the plane in which the up-and-down direction and the front-and-back direction are located, depending on the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20. Regardless of the moving direction of the light-shielding member 61, generally, the movement of the light-shielding member 61 can be controlled by the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20, and it can be understood that the buoyancy direction of the ink to the object located in the ink chamber 20 is vertically upward, so that the buoyancy generated by the ink can be directly utilized to control the light-shielding member 61 when the light-shielding member 61 is selectively moved in the up-down direction; when the light-shielding member 61 is selected not to move in the up-down direction, the light-shielding member 61 can be controlled by converting the upward buoyancy generated by the ink into the direction of movement selected in the light-shielding member 61, that is, when the light-shielding member 61 moves in the front-back direction, the light-shielding member 61 can be controlled by converting the upward buoyancy generated by the ink into the front-back direction.
As a basis, an embodiment in which the light shielding member 61 moves in the up-down direction will be described hereinafter. As shown in fig. 2, 3 and 4, the guide member 62 is formed in the ink chamber 20 in the up-down direction, and has a first end 62a positioned above and a second end 62b positioned below, and preferably, the guide member 62 has a guide chamber 620 formed therein for accommodating the light blocking member 61, and the first end 62a is open, and the second end 62b has an opening 621, and the deformable member 63 is positioned at the second end 62b and contacts the light blocking member 61.
In this embodiment, opening 621 is sealed, and thus, guide chamber 620 is isolated from ink chamber 20, and ink in ink chamber 20 does not leak through guide chamber 620, that is, guide chamber 620 does not communicate with ink chamber 20; preferably, the deformable member 63 is an elastic membrane that is elastically deformable in accordance with a change in the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20; the opening 621 is sealed by the elastic film 63, and the light blocking member 61 may be exposed through the first end 62a when the light blocking member 61 is mounted to the guide chamber 620.
As shown in fig. 2 and 4, the light-shielding member 61 includes a light-shielding portion 611, a connecting portion 612, and a guide portion 613, which are sequentially arranged from top to bottom, of which at least the light-shielding portion 611 is made of an opaque material, or the light-shielding member 61 is entirely made of a light-permeable material, and the opaque material is attached to the light-shielding member 61, so that the light-shielding portion 611 is formed on the light-shielding member 61, and the light-shielding portion 611 is used to shield the light L emitted from the light-emitting member 71; the connecting portion 612 connects the light shielding portion 611 and the guiding portion 613, and the guiding portion 613 has a size larger than the connecting portion 612 and the light shielding portion 611 and slightly smaller than the guiding cavity 620 in the left-right direction or/and the front-rear direction, thereby ensuring smoother movement of the light shielding member 61 in the guiding cavity 620. As a simplified structure, the connection portion 612 may be omitted, and the light shielding portion 611 is directly connected to the guide portion 613, and it is obvious that, in the case where the dimension of the guide cavity 620 in the up-down direction is not changed, the dimension of the guide portion 613 in the up-down direction becomes longer, and thus, the material of the guide portion 613 is more used, thereby causing an increase in the overall material cost of the light shielding member 61, and thus, the provision of the connection portion 612 contributes to a reduction in the overall material cost of the light shielding member 61.
As described above, the guide portion 613 has a size larger than the connecting portion 612 and the light shielding portion 611 in the left-right direction or/and the front-rear direction, so that a step surface 614 is formed above the guide portion 613, and accordingly, a stopper protrusion 64 is formed extending inwardly from the inner wall of the guide cavity 620, and the stopper protrusion 64 is configured to be engaged with the step surface 614 to limit the amount of upward movement of the light shielding member 61. The lower portion of the guide portion 613 is supported by the elastic film 63, and thus, the light blocking member 61 can move with the elastic deformation of the elastic film 63 when the elastic film 63 is elastically deformed in response to a change in the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20.
[ detection procedure ]
FIG. 5A is a schematic view of the remaining ink detecting assembly when the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink; fig. 5B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed in the front-rear direction, when the ink cartridge is filled with ink; FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of a remaining ink amount detecting member when ink is consumed to a predetermined value in an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed in the front-rear direction, when the ink is consumed to a predetermined value.
As shown in fig. 5A, when the ink chamber 20 is filled with the ink 11, the elastic film 63 is completely immersed in the ink 11, and at least a part of the light-shielding member 61 overlaps the ink 11 when viewed in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction, but since the guide chamber 620 is not communicated with the ink chamber 20, no ink exists in the guide chamber 620, and the light-shielding member 61 is not directly subjected to the buoyancy of the ink 11, which is applied to the light-shielding member 61 through the elastic film 63. As shown in the figure, the elastic film 63 is not elastically deformed by the buoyancy of the ink 11, and the light blocking member 61 is supported by the elastic film 63 through the guide portion 613, at this time, the gravity of the light blocking member 61 is balanced with the buoyancy applied to the light blocking member 61 by the ink through the elastic film 63, and at least the light blocking portion 611 of the light blocking member 61 is exposed to the outside through the first end 62 a; alternatively, when the distance between the elastic film 63 and the ink surface in the ink chamber 20 is sufficiently large in the up-down direction, the buoyancy force applied to the light-shielding member 61 by the ink through the elastic film 63 is larger than the gravity force of the light-shielding member 61, at this time, the elastic film 63 is deformed upward by the buoyancy force, and accordingly, the light-shielding member 61 is also urged upward, and also, at least the light-shielding portion 611 of the light-shielding member 61 is exposed to the outside through the first end 62 a.
Further, when the ink chamber 20 is filled with ink, the light shielding portion 611 is located above the upper surface 22/the substrate 41 and the light shielding member 61 is located at the light shielding position in the up-down direction, as shown in fig. 5B, the light L emitted from the light emitting member 71 is shielded by the light shielding portion 611 and cannot pass through the light shielding member 61, and the light receiving member 72 will not receive the light L at all; the light shielding portion 611 does not exceed the boss 24 in the up-down direction, and the light shielding portion 611 protects the boss 24 in the front-back direction while preventing the light shielding portion 611 from interfering with the inside of the ink jet printer during the forward mounting of the ink cartridge 1 in the front-back direction.
As the ink 11 in the ink chamber 20 is consumed, the buoyancy of the ink 11 on the elastic membrane 63 is gradually reduced, and the guide portion 613 starts to press the elastic membrane 63 to elastically deform downward under the action of the gravity of the light-shielding member 61, so that the light-shielding member 61 moves downward as a whole; as shown in fig. 6A, when the ink level is lower than the elastic film 63, the elastic film 63 and the light shielding member 61 are not subjected to the buoyancy of the ink 11, the gravity of the light shielding member 61 is totally acted on the elastic film 63, the downward elastic deformation of the elastic film 63 reaches the maximum, the light shielding member 61 stops moving downward, at this time, the light shielding portion 611 does not shield the light L, as shown in fig. 6B, the light L emitted by the light emitting member 71 passes over the light shielding member 61 (the light shielding portion 611) and is finally received by the light receiving member 72 totally, at this time, the light shielding member 61 is located at the non-light shielding position, compared with the light shielding position, the light shielding portion 611 is located closer to the ink outlet 3, and since there is no "loss" during the travel of the light L, the inkjet printing can make an accurate determination according to the received light L and remind the user of the need to.
As described above, the elastic film 63 generates different elastic variation amounts according to the variation of the ink amount, so that the position of the light shielding portion 611 relative to the housing 2 in the up-down direction is changed, and the light shielding portion 611 can move between the position of shielding the light L and the position of not shielding the light L, that is, the inkjet printer can send different prompt messages to the user according to the variation of the ink amount in the ink chamber 20.
When the ink chamber 20 is filled with ink, the light-shielding member 61 is supported by the elastic film 63 at a position where it completely shields the light L by the buoyancy of the ink 11, the light L emitted from the light-emitting member 71 is completely not received by the light-receiving member 72, and the ink-jet printer gives a user information that the amount of ink in the ink cartridge is sufficient; as the ink in the ink chamber 20 is gradually consumed, the distance from the elastic film 63 to the ink liquid level gradually decreases in the up-down direction, the buoyancy force applied to the light-shielding member 61 gradually decreases, the light-shielding member 61 forces the elastic film 63 to elastically deform downward under the action of the gravity of the light-shielding member 61, the light-shielding member 61 also moves downward synchronously, the light L emitted by the light-emitting member 71 is gradually no longer shielded by the light-shielding member 61, in other words, a portion of the light L is located above the light-shielding member 61 and is no longer shielded by the light-shielding member 61 and is finally received by the light-receiving member 72, and another portion of the light L is still shielded by the light-shielding member 61, and at this time, the inkjet printer can determine the ink remaining amount in the ink chamber 20 according to the amount of light received.
Assuming that the light L emitted from the light emitting element 71 has a light amount of c, when the light amount received by the light receiving element 72 is also zero, the ink jet printer determines that the ink amount in the ink chamber 20 is in a full state, when the light amount received by the light receiving element 72 is c/2, the ink jet printer determines that the ink amount in the ink chamber 20 is in a half consumed state, and when the light amount received by the light receiving element 72 is c, the ink jet printer determines that the ink amount in the ink chamber 20 has been consumed; accordingly, the "time" when the light-shielding member 61 reaches the non-light-shielding position can be adjusted as required, and the design freedom is large, for example, a manufacturer of the ink cartridge can adjust the parameters of the light-shielding member 61 such as the size and the quality so that the light-shielding member 61 reaches the non-light-shielding position when the ink amount in the ink chamber 20 is half of the ink amount, and can adjust the parameter of the light-shielding member 61 so that the light-shielding member 61 reaches the non-light-shielding position when the ink amount in the ink chamber 20 is one fourth of the ink amount, and further, can adjust the light-shielding member 61 so that the light-shielding member 61 reaches the non-light-shielding position when the liquid level of the ink in the ink chamber 20 is lower than the highest point of the ink outlet portion 3, thereby fully consuming the.
In the present embodiment, as the light shielding member 61 moves downward, the light receiving member 72 gradually receives part of the light L from the time when the light L is completely not received, and then receives all of the light L from the time when the light receiving member 72 receives all of the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 and located above the light shielding member 61, the light which is not received by the light receiving member 72 is completely blocked by the light shielding member 61, and there is no "loss" of the light in the process of passing through the light transmitting portion 27, which results in an insufficient amount of the light received by the light receiving portion, as described in the background art, and therefore, with the detection assembly 6 according to the present embodiment, the inkjet printer can accurately determine the amount of the ink remaining in the ink chamber 20 according to the amount of the light received by the light receiving member 72, and send correct indication information to the user.
Example two
FIG. 7 is a partially exploded view of an ink cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
The present embodiment is different from the above-described embodiments in the structure of the detecting unit 6, and the light shielding member 61 in the present embodiment gradually moves upward as the ink in the ink chamber 20 is consumed. The structure of the detecting member 6 and the detecting process thereof will be described in detail below.
As shown in fig. 7, the detection unit 6 in this embodiment includes a light shielding member 61, a guide member 62, a deformable member 63, and a rotation member 64; the light shielding member 61 includes a light shielding portion 611, a through hole 615, a connecting portion 612 and a guiding portion 613 sequentially arranged from top to bottom, the light shielding portion 611 is arranged adjacent to the through hole 615, or the through hole 615 is located between the light shielding portion 611 and the connecting portion 612, and the through hole 615 penetrates in the left-right direction, so that light does not generate "loss" when passing through the through hole 615; the functions of the connecting portion 612 and the guiding portion 613 are the same as those of the above embodiments, and are not described herein again.
The deformable member 63 is still selected to be an elastic membrane, and at the same time, the elastic membrane 63 seals the second end 62b of the guide member 62 so that the guide chamber 620 is not communicated with the ink chamber 20. The turn member 64 is rotatably installed in the ink chamber 20 and is provided to rotate with a change in the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20, as shown in fig. 7, the turn member 64 includes a turn portion 643 and a first portion 641 and a second portion 642 connected to the turn portion 643, the turn portion 643 being a through hole, the housing 2 is provided with a rotation shaft 27, the turn portion 643 is coupled to the rotation shaft 27, the second portion 642 rotates about the rotation shaft 27 in accordance with the change in the amount of ink in the ink chamber 20 while rotating the first portion 641 which, during the rotation, shifts the light blocking member 61 gradually upward from a light blocking position which blocks the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 and reaches a non-light blocking position which does not block the light emitted from the light emitting member 71, in which the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 is all blocked by the light blocking portion 611, and in which the light emitted from the light emitting member 71 is all not blocked by the light blocking portion 611, at this time, all light is received by the light receiving element 72 through the through hole 615.
Fig. 8A is a schematic view showing a state of the remaining ink amount detection unit when the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is filled with ink; FIG. 8B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed in the front-rear direction, when the ink cartridge is filled with ink; FIG. 9A is a schematic view showing a state of the remaining ink amount detecting unit when the ink in the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is consumed to a predetermined value; fig. 9B is a schematic view of the ink cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed in the front-rear direction, when the ink is consumed to a predetermined value.
As shown in fig. 8A and 8B, the ink chamber 20 is filled with the ink 11, the rotation member 64 is subjected to the upward floating force of the ink 11 so that the second portion 642 is not in contact with the elastic film 63/light-shielding member 61, the light-shielding member 61 is at the light-shielding position at this time, and the light L emitted from the light-emitting member 71 is completely shielded by the light-shielding portion 611; in the present embodiment, the light-shielding member 61 is preferably made of metal, and thus the light-shielding member 61 at this time forces the elastic membrane 63 to be elastically deformed downward against the buoyancy of the ink 11 by its own weight.
As the ink in the ink chamber 20 is consumed, the second portion 642 of the rotary member is subjected to a gradually decreasing upward buoyancy, and the rotary member 64 is rotated as a whole about the rotary shaft 27 in the direction indicated by r by the own weight of the second portion 642, and the first portion 641 of the rotary member comes closer to the elastic film 63. In this embodiment, to ensure that the first portion 641 can push the light shielding member 61 upward smoothly, as shown in fig. 7, the light shielding member 61 further includes a guiding inclined surface 616 disposed on the guiding portion 613, when the rotating member 64 rotates in the direction r shown in fig. 8A, the first portion 641 is engaged with the guiding inclined surface 616, and gradually pushes the light shielding member 61 upward under the guidance of the guiding inclined surface 616, and finally reaches the position shown in fig. 9A, at which time the first portion 641 abuts against the bottom surface 617 of the guiding portion 613, as shown in fig. 9B, the light L emitted from the light emitting member 71 is received by the light receiving portion 72 through the through hole 615, and at which time the light shielding member 61 is located at the non-light shielding position, and at which time the light shielding portion 611 is farther from the ink discharging portion 3 than at the light shielding position.
Further, as a modification of the deformable member 63, as shown in fig. 7, the deformable member 63 includes an elastic membrane 631 and an urging protrusion 632 disposed on the elastic membrane 631, the elastic membrane 631 is used to seal the second end opening 621 of the guide member 62, the urging protrusion 632 is opposite to the guide portion 613 of the light shielding member 61, and when the rotating member first portion 641 rotates below the elastic membrane 63 in the direction r, the first portion 641 pushes the urging protrusion 632 to push the guide portion 613 upwards by pushing the elastic membrane 63, so that the light shielding member 61 moves upwards.
In the process that the light shielding member 61 gradually moves upward, the light shielding member 61 gradually moves to above the light emitting member 71, the through hole 615 gradually reaches a position opposite to the light emitting member 71, and the light emitted by the light emitting member 71 is all received by the light receiving member 72 through the through hole 615; similarly, the amount of light received by the light receiving element 72 in this embodiment is gradually increased from zero until all the light emitted by the light emitting portion 71 is received, and the amount of light received by the light receiving element 72 is not "lost", so that the ink jet printer can accurately determine the amount of ink remaining in the ink chamber 20 according to the amount of light received by the light receiving element 72 and send a correct indication to the user.
As described above, the detecting unit 6 according to the present invention is provided with the light shielding member 61 movable in the up-down direction, and when the ink chamber 20 of the ink cartridge is filled with ink, the light shielding member 61 is located at the light shielding position for shielding the light emitted from the light emitting element 71, and at this time, the light is completely shielded by the light shielding member 61 and cannot be received by the light receiving element 72; as the ink in the ink chamber 20 is consumed, the light shielding member 61 is gradually moved to a non-light shielding position where it does not shield all the light emitted from the light emitting member 71, and at this time, the light is not shielded by the light shielding member 61 and is all received by the light receiving member 72, that is, the light received by the light receiving member 72 is not "lost", so that the information of the remaining amount of ink fed back from the light receiving member 72 to the ink jet printer is more realistic and accurate, and the ink jet printer does not have a false judgment.
Claims (9)
1. An ink cartridge detachably installed in an inkjet image forming apparatus provided with a light emitting element and a light receiving element, the ink cartridge including a housing forming an ink chamber for containing ink, an ink discharging portion formed on the housing for supplying the ink in the ink chamber to the outside, and a detection member for detecting a remaining amount of the ink in the ink chamber in cooperation with the light emitting element and the light receiving element; the light receiving part is used for receiving the light emitted by the light emitting part;
it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,
the detection unit includes a light shielding member movable in a direction intersecting a traveling direction of the light emitted from the light emitting member, the light shielding member being movable between a light shielding position for shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member and a light non-shielding position for not shielding the light emitted from the light emitting member in accordance with a change in the amount of ink in the ink chamber.
2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein in the light shielding position, all of the light emitted from the light emitting member is shielded by the light shielding member, and in the non-light shielding position, all of the light emitted from the light emitting member is not shielded by the light shielding member.
3. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the light shielding position, all of the light emitted from the light emitting member is not received by the light receiving member, and in the light non-shielding position, all of the light emitted from the light emitting member is received by the light receiving member.
4. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting member and the light receiving member are respectively located on left and right sides of the detection assembly when the ink cartridge is mounted to the inkjet image forming apparatus, and the light shielding member is movable in an up-down direction or a front-back direction.
5. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the light shielding member includes a light shielding portion for shielding light emitted from the light emitting member, and a relative position between the light shielding portion and the ink discharging portion is different depending on whether the light shielding member is located at the light shielding position and the non-light shielding position, respectively.
6. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 5, wherein the light emitting element and the light receiving element are respectively disposed on left and right sides of the detecting unit, and the light shielding member is movable in an up-down direction of the ink cartridge, and the light shielding portion is located closer to the ink discharging portion when the light shielding member is in the light shielding position than when the light shielding member is in the light non-shielding position.
7. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 5, wherein the light emitting element and the light receiving element are respectively disposed on left and right sides of the detecting unit, and the light shielding member is movable in an up-down direction of the ink cartridge, and the light shielding portion is located farther from the ink discharging portion than the light shielding member is located at the light shielding position when the light shielding member is located at the non-light shielding position.
8. The ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the detection unit further includes a guide member for guiding the movement of the light shielding member and a deformable member in contact with the light shielding member, the deformable member being changeable in accordance with a change in the amount of ink in the ink chamber.
9. The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 8, wherein the guide member has a guide chamber formed therein for accommodating the light shielding member, the guide chamber having an upper end opened and a lower end formed with an opening, the deformable member sealing the opening, the guide chamber not communicating with the ink chamber.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202110244014.8A CN113022144A (en) | 2021-03-05 | 2021-03-05 | Ink box |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202110244014.8A CN113022144A (en) | 2021-03-05 | 2021-03-05 | Ink box |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN113022144A true CN113022144A (en) | 2021-06-25 |
Family
ID=76467816
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202110244014.8A Pending CN113022144A (en) | 2021-03-05 | 2021-03-05 | Ink box |
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| CN (1) | CN113022144A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2022184072A1 (en) * | 2021-03-05 | 2022-09-09 | 珠海瑧挚科技有限公司 | Ink cartridge |
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