JP4235659B2 - Liquid storage container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid storage container (hereinafter also simply referred to as an ink tank) applied to a recording apparatus that performs a recording operation by discharging a recording agent such as ink. In addition to a general recording apparatus, the present invention is an apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile having a communication system, a word processor having a printing unit, and an industrial recording apparatus combined with various processing apparatuses. Can be applied.

  The ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, an ink tank for connecting to the recording head and supplying ink to the recording head, and a carriage on which the recording head can be mounted. During recording, ink droplets are ejected according to image data from a fine ejection port provided in the recording head while moving the carriage relative to the recording medium. The ink droplets land on the recording medium to form a desired image.

  Conventionally, in such an ink jet recording apparatus, it has been a mainstream to use an ink containing a dye as a coloring material (hereinafter simply referred to as a dye ink). However, dye inks generally have problems in terms of light resistance and gas resistance, and the recorded matter sometimes has difficulty in providing sufficient image fastness in applications such as outdoor posting.

  In order to cope with such a problem, a recording apparatus using an ink containing a pigment as a coloring material (hereinafter simply referred to as pigment ink) has already been provided. This is because the pigment is excellent in light resistance and gas resistance, and the recorded matter can exhibit sufficient image fastness. However, pigment ink has various problems in terms of handling compared to dye ink. For example, the problem of the dispersibility of the coloring material in the ink is one of them.

  The pigment molecules are not dissolved in the ink solution like the dye molecules, but are suspended in a dispersed state. Therefore, if the ink tank is left standing for a while, the pigment particles in the ink tank gradually settle according to the gravity, causing a concentration gradient of the pigment particles in the height direction of the ink tank. That is, a layer having a high color material density is disposed at the bottom of the ink tank, and a layer having a low color material density is disposed at the top. When recording is started and continued in this state, a density difference occurs in the output image between the initial use stage and the late use stage of the ink tank.

  For the sake of specific explanation, consider an ink jet recording apparatus configured to supply ink to the recording head from the bottom of the ink tank. In this case, when the ink tank having the above-described density gradient is mounted and recording is started, the ink is supplied from the lower layer having the higher color material density, so that an image having a higher density than necessary is output. Thereafter, as the number of recording sheets is increased and the ink in the tank is consumed, the image density gradually decreases. And when the amount of ink in the tank becomes small, only ink with a color material density lower than the original color material density remains, and even a recorded matter recorded according to the same image data as the original, Only insufficient concentration is expressed. In particular, when the diameter and specific gravity of the pigment particles are large, the tendency of sedimentation is significant, and a concentration gradient occurs so that the image is affected only after the unused state continues for several days.

  As described above, the problem that the color material density of ink ejected due to the use of the ink tank fluctuates not only causes a difference in density in the output image between the early and late use of the ink tank. In a color ink jet recording system that uses a plurality of color inks and expresses a desired hue based on a predetermined color balance, the color balance is lost, which is recognized as a more prominent image problem.

  In order to avoid the above problem, it is necessary to maintain the color material concentration of the ink droplets ejected from the recording head within a desired range regardless of the amount of ink remaining in the ink tank. For this purpose, it is desired that the pigment molecules are uniformly dispersed at least in the ink tank during recording.

  In order to realize the uniform dispersion, a configuration in which an agitator for agitating pigment molecules inside the ink tank has already been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  Specifically, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an ink pack (or tank) including a stirrer that can be manually operated as first and second embodiments. Here, the stirrer is shaped to be inserted from the outside into the ink pack or ink tank. The part of the stirring member protruding outside acts as an operation part for operating the stirring part extending in the ink pack (or tank). In any of the above embodiments, the user can directly stir the ink in the ink pack (or ink tank) and disperse the pigment molecules by swinging the stirring unit periodically or as necessary. The possible effects are described.

  Further, according to Embodiment 3 of the patent document, an ink tank provided with a stirring member that stirs the ink in the tank using the inertial force when the carriage moves during the recording operation is disclosed. For example, a stirrer formed integrally with an ink tank case is shown. In this example, the stirrer extends so as to hang down from the ceiling of the ink tank case toward the bottom, and a cylindrical weight is formed at the lower end thereof. The stirrer swings in the carriage scanning direction with the base portion of the ceiling as a fulcrum by the inertial force accompanying the acceleration / stop / reverse operation of the carriage scanning, and stirs the ink in the tank.

  In addition, Patent Document 1 discloses, as another example, an agitator that is not fixed to the ink tank case and can freely move on the bottom surface in the ink tank. Such a stirrer can move the bottom surface in the tank and stir the ink by an inertial force accompanying acceleration / stop / reverse operation of carriage scanning.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, as the carriage moves, a shaft-like weight that swings left and right around the center axis of swing due to inertial force, and a plurality of pieces that swing left and right integrally with the shaft-like weight. An agitation mechanism with fins is disclosed. According to this configuration, since the plurality of fins are arranged in parallel in the height direction of the ink tank, the ink can be evenly stirred from the upper layer portion to the lower layer portion in the tank.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-066520 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-216761

  However, in the structure of the above-mentioned patent document, the effect of stirring for constantly obtaining the preferable dispersibility of the pigment particles is not always sufficient.

  For example, in the manual stirring members described in Embodiments 1 and 2 of Patent Document 1, since the degree of freedom of the stirring members is small, only a limited region in the tank can be stirred. In particular, in the vicinity of the joint portion between the stirrer serving as a fulcrum and the ink tank, the moving range of the stirrer member is narrow, and sufficient stirrability cannot be obtained.

  Further, in the configuration of Embodiment 3 of Patent Document 1, although inertia force is efficiently used, there is a disadvantage that the range in which stirring is possible is not sufficient. For example, in the stirring member integrated with the tank member, the stirring performance near the fulcrum may still be insufficient. Further, even when a stirring body that can freely move on the bottom surface in the ink tank is used, stirring in the vicinity of the bottom can be expected, but stirring in the upper layer region away from the stirring body cannot be expected.

  On the other hand, with the configuration described in Patent Document 2, since a plurality of fins are arranged in the height direction of the ink tank, the uniformity of stirring in the height direction can be expected to some extent. However, since the amount of rotation of the fin is small near the central axis in the tank, the stirring effect is small. Furthermore, since the stirring member having a plurality of fins and the rotating shaft has a complicated structure, the ink tank itself becomes expensive.

  Originally, in an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by mounting an ink tank on a carriage, the width of the ink tank in the main scanning direction is designed to be as narrow as possible in order to avoid an increase in the size of the apparatus. Therefore, there is a limit to the amount of displacement in the main scanning direction even with a configuration in which an agitator is provided inside the ink tank and the inertia force of carriage movement is used. That is, how to efficiently stir the entire ink remaining in the tank while using a limited amount of variation is an important issue of the stirring member configuration. When recording is performed using an ink tank that has been left standing for a long period of time, a stirring operation such as carriage vibration must be performed before recording, but if this operation efficiency is poor, a large amount of time is required for warm-up. It is necessary.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to efficiently and evenly stir the entire area of the ink remaining in the tank even after use for a long period of time. . The object is to provide a liquid storage container for pigment ink having a stirring system that can shorten the stirring operation time at the start of the recording operation as much as possible.

The invention For this purpose, a liquid containing portion for accommodating the liquid, and the outside supply supply unit the liquid from the liquid containing portion, and an agitating member for agitating said liquid, in the liquid container equipped with the stirring One of the members is rotatably supported on the inner wall of the liquid storage portion, and the other is configured to be displaced more than the one, and one of the stirring members and the middle of the other can be bent. The stirring member is displaced with one of the bent portions supported by the inner wall and the bent portion as a fulcrum as the liquid container is moved.

  The agitating member is a member having a specific gravity greater than that of ink and having a weight capable of moving in the ink by an inertial force due to the movement of the ink tank.

  According to the present invention, even if some of the bent portions of the stirring member become unrotatable, the rotation by the other bent portions is continued. The inside of the section can be stirred efficiently and evenly.

  Hereinafter, a basic configuration and an operation of an ink tank according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The ink jet recording apparatus on which the ink tank of this embodiment is mounted is a so-called non-impact recording method, and hardly generates noise during recording. Further, since it has a feature that it can be recorded on various recording media at a high speed, it is widely adopted as an apparatus that bears a recording mechanism such as a printer, a word processor, a facsimile, a copying machine, and the like.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus applicable to the present embodiment. The recording apparatus mainly includes an apparatus main body M1000 that performs recording on a recording medium, a paper feeding unit M3022 that supplies the recording medium into the apparatus, and a discharge tray M1004 that receives the recording medium after recording.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram for explaining an internal mechanism of the apparatus main body M1000. Main internal mechanisms of the apparatus main body M1000 are installed and protected in a chassis M3019. Reference numeral M4001 denotes a carriage which can be reciprocated in the main scanning direction in the figure in a state where a recording head cartridge (not shown) is mounted. When a recording operation command is input, one of the recording media stacked on the paper supply unit M3022 is fed in the sub-scanning direction in the figure and conveyed to a position where recording can be performed by a recording head cartridge mounted on the carriage M4001. Is done. Thereafter, by repeating the recording main scanning in which the recording head discharges ink according to the image data while the carriage M4001 moves in the main scanning direction, and the conveying operation in the sub-scanning direction of the recording medium by the conveying unit, Sequential images are formed.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the ink tank is mounted on the recording head cartridge applied in this embodiment. The recording head cartridge H1001 includes a recording head H1000 capable of ejecting ink as droplets, and an ink tank 1 for supplying ink to the recording head H1000 can be detachably mounted from the opposite side. The recording head cartridge H1001 of this embodiment is configured so that the ink tanks 1 for six colors can be mounted independently.

  A plurality of fine recording elements are arranged in the recording head H1000, and each recording element is provided with a mechanism for ejecting ink. For example, in a configuration in which an electrothermal conversion element having a heating resistor is provided, a voltage pulse is applied to each electrothermal conversion element in accordance with an ejection signal. As a result, the ink in the vicinity of the heating resistor is rapidly heated, and ink droplets are ejected from the ejection port by the action of film boiling.

(Ink tank overall configuration)
FIG. 4 is an external view of the ink tank 1 applied to this embodiment. The ink tank 1 is a container having an ink storage chamber therein, and its external appearance is mainly composed of a container body 10 and a lid member 20. An ink supply port 30 for supplying ink to the recording head is provided at the bottom of the ink tank 1.

  FIG. 5 is an exploded configuration diagram of the ink tank 1. The container body 10 of the ink tank 1 is made of, for example, polypropylene, and inside thereof stirring members 40A and 40B, a spring member 50, a plate member 60, and a flexible film 70 for stirring ink are as shown in the figure. They are accommodated in an array and sealed by a lid member 20. The plate member 60 and the flexible film 70 are configured as a liquid storage member, and both the plate member 60 and the flexible film 70 are displaced in a direction in which the internal volume of the ink storage portion 13 decreases as the ink is consumed. A meniscus forming member 31 is provided at a portion where the ink supply port 30 at the bottom is formed. The meniscus forming member 31 is made of, for example, a capillary member made of polypropylene fiber material and having a capillary force, or the capillary member and a filter member (transmission size is about 15 to 30 μm, and the material is, for example, a stainless material or polypropylene). It is a combined absorber. The meniscus forming member 31 and the inside of the container main body 10 communicate with each other through an ink flow path so that ink can be supplied from the ink storage chamber in the container main body 10 to the recording head. On the other hand, a meniscus by ink is formed in the meniscus forming member 31 so that bubbles from the outside do not enter the container body 10. The meniscus forming member 31 is held down from the outside by a holding member 32. A flexible film 70 is welded to the peripheral portion of the opening of the container body 10 to form an ink storage chamber (liquid storage chamber) 13 ( 8) is formed. That is, the ink is stored in the ink storage chamber 13 formed by the flexible film 70 and the container body 10. The flexible film 70 may be a film member having a thickness of about 20 to 100 μm, such as a polypropylene thin film.

  The spring member 50 urges the flexible film 70 outward via the plate member 60. Due to the urging of such spring force, the inside of the ink storage chamber 13 is in a negative pressure state. On the other hand, the lid member 20 is provided with an air communication portion (not shown), and the outside of the ink storage chamber 13 is maintained at atmospheric pressure. The spring member 50 and the plate member 60 are made of, for example, a stainless material.

  When the ink in the ink storage chamber 13 is consumed by the supply to the recording head, the spring member 50 contracts, the flexible film 70 bends, and the volume of the ink storage chamber 13 decreases. The ink tank of this embodiment can consume ink in the ink storage chamber 13 until the plate member 60 contacts the inner wall of the container body 10.

(Agitating mechanism configuration)
FIG. 6 is a view showing an installation state of the stirring members 40A and 40B, which is also a feature of the present invention. The stirring members 40A and 40B are installed on both sides of the inner wall of the container body 10 so as not to contact the spring member 50. The stirring member is a plate-like member having a specific gravity greater than that of ink and having a weight capable of moving in the ink by an inertial force due to the movement of the ink tank.

  FIGS. 7A to 7C are schematic enlarged views for explaining the configuration of 40A, which is one of the stirring members. In FIG. 7A, the stirring member 40A includes two stirring plates 41A and 42A connected in the height direction. Agitation plates 41A and 42A are made of a stainless material. However, the material is not limited to this, and any material having a higher specific gravity than the ink stored in the container body 10 may be used.

  FIG.7 (c) is the figure which expanded and showed the connection part of these two stirring plates 41A and 42A. A connecting shaft 49A is prepared at the connecting portion, and the upper stirring plate 41A is rotatably attached to the connecting shaft 49A by a hook 47A provided at the lower part thereof. On the other hand, the lower stirring plate 42A is rotatably attached to the connecting shaft 49A by hooks 45A and 46A provided on the upper side. With the above configuration, both of the two stirring plates 41A and 42A can be displaced so as to be folded using the shaft 49A as a fulcrum. At both ends of the connecting shaft 49A, a step is provided that has a diameter larger than the diameter of the portion with which the hooks 45A and 46A abut, thereby preventing the lateral displacement and dropping of the stirring plates 41A and 42A. However, the means for preventing the lateral displacement and dropout is not limited to this, and for example, another member such as an E pin may be provided at both ends of the connecting shaft 49A.

  FIG. 7B is an enlarged view for explaining the installation state of the upper stirring plate 41 </ b> A with respect to the inner wall of the container body 10. The stirring plate 41A is rotatably attached to the connecting shaft 48A by hooks 43A and 44A provided on the upper portion thereof, and the connecting shaft 48A is attached by being lightly pushed into the hook portion 15 provided on the inner wall of the container body 10. Has been.

  As described above, the stirring member 40A composed of the two stirring plates 41A and 42A that can be bent with respect to each other rotates about the connecting shafts 49A and 48A fixed to the inner wall of the container body 10 and moves into the ink storage chamber 13. It serves to stir the ink. In addition, although the stirring member 40A on one side has been described here, the stirring member 40B has the same configuration. In the present embodiment, the agitating members 40A and 40B are disposed at substantially symmetrical positions on the inner wall of the main body container 10 with the spring member 50 interposed therebetween.

(Operation and action of the stirring mechanism)
FIGS. 8A to 8D are side sectional views of the ink tank 1 for explaining the operation of the stirring member of this embodiment. The cross-sectional view is obtained by taking AA ′ as a cut surface in the external view shown in FIG. FIG. 8A shows the first state of the stirring member 40A. The first state indicates a state where the carriage M4001 is moving at a constant speed in the direction C1 or C2, or a state where the carriage M4001 is stationary. At this time, no inertial force is applied to the ink tank 1. Therefore, the stirring member 40 </ b> A is in a state of hanging along the inner wall of the container body 10.

  FIG. 8B shows a second state of the stirring member 40A. Since the carriage M4001 reciprocates within the print width of the recording medium, when the traveling direction is reversed, the carriage M4001 is decelerated, stopped, and accelerated in the opposite direction. At this time, an inertial force acts on the ink tank 1. When the inertial force is applied in the C2 direction, that is, when the carriage is reversed from the C2 direction to the C1 direction, the stirring member 40A is in a state of sticking to the inner wall of the container body 10, that is, in a state equivalent to FIG. On the other hand, when the inertial force acts in the C1 direction, that is, when the carriage is reversed from the C1 direction to the C2 direction, the stirring member 40A is displaced in the ink storage chamber 13 with the connecting shaft 48A as a fixed fulcrum. Then, the free end side of the stirring member 40 </ b> A contacts the plate member 60 in the ink storage chamber 13. In this way, the state in which the inertial force works in the C1 direction is referred to as the second state here. If the stirring member does not have a bending fulcrum (bending portion) other than the fixed fulcrum (that is, 48A) to the container body 10 as in the prior art, this second state is the maximum displacement of the stirring member, and FIG. The hatched area is the displacement area of the stirring member.

  FIG. 8C shows a third state of the stirring member 40A. The stirring member 40A comes into contact with the plate member 60 in the second state, but when the inertial force continues, the connecting shaft 49A is bent as a bending fulcrum (bending portion), and the inside of the ink storage chamber 13 is as shown in the figure. Moving. The stirring member 40A moves until the bent portion with the connecting shaft 49A as a fulcrum contacts the plate member 60, and becomes the maximum displacement amount here. In the figure, the displacement region from the second state to the third state is indicated by hatching.

  As the carriage M4001 that has been scanned in the C2 direction is decelerated / stopped and accelerated in the C1 direction, the stirring member is pressed against the inner wall of the container body 10 and returns to the first state again. Thereafter, the reciprocating motion of the carriage M4001 is repeated along with the recording operation, so that the stirring member 40A repeats the first state → the second state → the third state shown in FIGS. The ink in the ink container 13 can be stirred.

  In the stirring member 40A of the present embodiment, in addition to the fixed fulcrum (48A) to the container main body 10, by providing another bending point (49A), the displacement region in the ink containing portion is expanded as compared with the conventional case. There are features. That is, the displacement region from the second state to the third state shown by hatching in FIG. 8C is larger than the conventional one, and the inside of the ink containing portion 13 can be efficiently stirred by that amount. In particular, from the second state to the third state, an ink flow indicated by an arrow in FIG. 8C is generated with the rotation of the stirring plate 41A, so that the pigment particles that tend to settle at the bottom are removed from the ink containing portion. It is possible to lift up to the upper layer portion and stir the inside of the ink containing portion 13 evenly.

  FIG. 8D is a diagram showing a fourth state in which the ink is consumed to some extent in the ink tank of the present embodiment. In the ink tank configuration of the present embodiment, since the atmosphere is not introduced into the ink containing portion 13, the flexible film 70 is moved to the container body 10 side (left side in the drawing) with the plate member 60 as much as the ink is consumed. The volume of the ink containing portion 13 gradually decreases. That is, the ink stored in the ink storage unit 13 not only decreases downward due to gravity but also decreases in the side wall direction. In such a situation, when the inertial force in the C1 direction acts on the stirring member 40A, the stirring member 40A comes into contact with the plate member 60 earlier than in the full tank state. However, since the connecting shaft 49A can be moved as a bending fulcrum, ink can be efficiently stirred even in the ink storage chamber 13 where the moving direction of the stirring plate is narrow.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the stirring member that is rotated by the inertial force is provided with a plurality of bending points (bending portions), so that a part of the stirring member contacts the inner wall or the arrangement component in the ink containing portion. Even in the fixed state, the fluctuation continues further around another bending point (bending portion). As a result, the agitation region in the ink storage unit is expanded, and the entire ink storage unit can be efficiently and evenly stirred without being greatly affected by the internal volume of the ink storage unit.

(Modification of stirring mechanism configuration)
In the above description, the configuration in which the two stirring plates are coupled by the hook and the coupling shaft has been described. However, the configuration for realizing the operational effects of the present embodiment is not limited to this.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an installation state of the stirring members 80A and 80B as a modification of the present embodiment. The same constituent members as those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. In this modification, the stirring members 80A and 80B are installed on the inner wall of the container body 10 and on both sides of the spring member 50, as in the above example.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic enlarged view for explaining the configuration of 80A, which is one of the stirring members in FIG. In the figure, the stirring member 80A includes two stirring plates 81A and 82A connected in the height direction, as in the above embodiment. Openings 84A and 85A are provided in the lower part of the upper stirring plate 81A and the upper part of the lower stirring plate 82A, respectively, and the resin sheet 87A passes through the two openings 84A and 85A. It is welded and joined in a ring shape. Thereby, the stirring plates 81A and 82A are arranged in a movable state with respect to each other via the resin sheet 87A.

  FIGS. 11A to 11C are side cross-sectional views for explaining the connected state of the two stirring plates 81A and 82A of the present modification, and FIG. 11C shows the connected state by the resin sheet 87A. It is the figure expanded and shown. The resin sheet 87A is welded and joined in a ring shape at Y1 on the back surface side, and connects the two stirring plates 81A and 82A. As the resin sheet 87A, a PP (polypropylene) single-layer sheet having a thickness of 20 to 200 μm can be used. However, the resin sheet 87A is not limited to this as long as it does not change in quality due to reaction with ink. Further, the resin sheet 87A has flexibility and can be freely deformed in accordance with the operation of the stirring plates 81A and 82A. With the above configuration, the two stirring plates 81A and 82A can be bent with respect to each other at the connecting portion by the resin sheet 87A.

  On the other hand, an opening 83A is further provided above the upper stirring plate 81A, and a resin sheet 86A made of the same material is passed therethrough. FIG. 11B is an enlarged view showing a connection state by the resin sheet 86A. The resin sheet 86A is welded and bonded in a ring shape at Y2 on the back surface side, and is further welded and fixed to the inner wall of the container body 10 at Y3. The resin sheet 86A is also flexible like the resin sheet 87A, and the stirring member 80A is capable of rotating around the welding fixing portion Y3 to the container body 10 as a fulcrum.

  Thus, also in this modification, the stirring plate and the connecting means of the stirring member and the container main body can be bent with respect to each other. The effect can be realized. However, it is more preferable that a material and a configuration are selected at the connecting portion so as to minimize the reaction force when rotating and bending, that is, the resistance component.

(Agitating mechanism configuration)
The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Also in this embodiment, the ink tank can be mounted on the recording apparatus described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, and the configuration of the ink tank is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the stirring member. Therefore, in the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 12 is a view showing an installation state of the stirring members 280A and 280B of the present embodiment. The two stirring members 280A and 280B are installed on both sides of the inner wall of the container body 10 so as not to contact the spring member 50, as in the first embodiment. Since the stirring members 280A and 280B have the same configuration, the stirring member 280A will be described in detail below.

  The stirring member 280A includes a single stirring plate 281A and a resin sheet 286A connected to the stirring plate 281A. The material of the stirring plate 281A and the resin sheet 286A can be the same as that of the first embodiment, but is not limited thereto. An opening 283A is provided in the upper part of the stirring plate 281A, and the resin sheet 286A is passed through the opening 283A at the position Y22 (FIG. 13) on the inner wall of the container body 10 as in the first embodiment. It is fixed by welding. However, in this embodiment, the resin sheet 286A is designed to be long so that the distance between the stirring plate 281A and the welded portion Y22 is longer than that in the first embodiment, and the resin sheet 286A itself is the same as the stirring plate. Playing a role.

(Operation and action of the stirring mechanism)
FIGS. 13A to 13C are cross-sectional views of the ink tank 1 for explaining the operation of the stirring member of this embodiment. FIG. 13A shows a first state of the stirring member 280A similar to that of the first embodiment. When the inertial force is not applied to the stirring member 280A, or when the inertial force is applied to the C2 direction, the stirring member 280A is in a state of being close to the inner wall side of the container body 10.

  FIG. 13B shows a second state of the stirring member 280A. As the carriage M4001 scanning in the C1 direction decelerates / stops and accelerates in the C2 direction, an inertial force acts on the ink tank 1, and the agitating member 280A rotates around the welding fixing portion Y22 as a main fulcrum. The end side contacts the plate member 60 in the ink storage chamber 13.

  FIG. 13C shows a third state of the stirring member 280A. The stirring member 280A contacts the plate member 60 in the second state. However, if the inertial force continues, the stirring member 280A bends at the joint portion A of the stirring plate 281A and the resin sheet 286A and further moves in the ink containing portion 13. To do. Thus, the stirring member 280A of the present embodiment is characterized in that the container body 210 and the stirring plate 281A are joined via the resin sheet 286A having flexibility and a certain length. With such a configuration, the displacement region from the second state to the third state shown by hatching in FIG. 13C is expanded as compared with the conventional case, and the inside of the ink containing portion 13 is efficiently increased accordingly. It can be stirred evenly. Also in this embodiment, as in the above-described embodiment, a stirring force acts on the upper portion of the ink containing portion. Therefore, the pigment particles that tend to settle to the bottom are lifted to the upper layer portion of the ink containing portion, and the inside of the ink containing portion 13 is stirred. I can do it.

  As the carriage M4001 that has been scanned in the C2 direction is decelerated / stopped and accelerated in the C1 direction, the stirring member is pressed against the inner wall of the container body 10 and returns to the first state again. Thereafter, the reciprocating motion of the carriage M4001 is repeated along with the recording operation, so the stirring member 280A repeats the first state → the second state → the third state shown in FIGS. The ink in the ink storage unit 13 is stirred.

  FIGS. 14A and 14B are views respectively showing a first state and a second state in a state where ink is consumed to some extent in the ink tank of the present embodiment. When ink is consumed, the plate member 60 is affected by the head pressure of the ink, and may gradually approach the stirring member 280A in an inclined state as shown in the figure. Then, for example, the resin sheet 286A of the stirring member 280A comes into contact with the point B shown in the figure. That is, the stirring member 280A is pressed against the inner wall by the plate member 60. Here, when a stirring member is comprised from one member, the fulcrum part of a stirring member will be pressed by the plate member 60, and a stirring member will become impossible to move.

  However, even in such a state, since the vicinity of the point B is constituted by the flexible resin sheet 286A, the stirring plate 281A can be rotated about the point B as a fulcrum. That is, as shown in FIG. 14B, the stirring member 280A in the second state is rotated by the point B as a rotation fulcrum by the inertial force, and even the ink storage portion 13 having a reduced volume is stored. The ink thus obtained can be efficiently stirred.

  The inclined state of the plate member 60 is affected by a slight rigidity or the like of the flexible film 70, and the contact position on the stirring member 286A varies accordingly. However, since the resin sheet 286A of this embodiment has a relatively large length, the allowable range of the contact point with the plate member that can be a rotation fulcrum is wide. Therefore, whatever the inclination state of the plate member 60 is, the inside of the given ink storage portion 13 can be suitably stirred.

  According to the present embodiment, a part of the stirring member that is moved by the inertial force is configured by a flexible resin sheet, so that a part of the stirring member is in contact with and fixed to the inner wall or the arrangement component in the ink containing portion. Even in the state, the fluctuation continues around the bending point on the resin sheet. As a result, the agitation region in the ink storage unit is enlarged, and the entire ink storage unit can be efficiently and evenly stirred.

(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiments, the configuration has been described in which the ink in the ink containing portion whose volume is reduced is efficiently stirred by the stirring member attached to one side surface in the ink tank. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. A feature of the present invention is that an ink tank is provided with a stirring member having two or more bent portions, and the ink in the tank is efficiently transferred as much as possible by changing the stirring member into various shapes with these bent portions as fulcrums. It is to stir evenly. Therefore, the position in the tank to which the stirring member is attached, the number of bent portions, and the ink tank configuration other than the stirring member are not limited to the above two embodiments.

  FIGS. 15A and 15B are cross-sectional views for explaining another example of the ink tank applicable to the present invention. In the figure, reference numerals 1401 and 1402 denote stirring plates made of the same material as in the above embodiment. Reference numerals 1403 and 1404 denote connecting shafts made of the same material as in the first embodiment, and these connecting shafts and the stirring plate are connected in the same manner as in the first embodiment. However, in this example, a hook for the inner wall is formed on the ceiling portion of the ink tank, and the two stirring plates 1401 and 1402 are installed in such a manner that they are suspended at the substantially central portion of the ink tank width. ing. When the recording operation is not performed, the agitating member 1400 is in a stationary state as shown in FIG. 14A, but when the carriage reciprocates and an inertial force is applied, the stirring member 1400 is in FIG. 14B. It vibrates left and right like

  When the stirring plate is composed of one sheet, the rotation ends when the tip of the stirring plate comes into contact with the left and right inner walls. However, if another bending point 1404 is provided in the substantially central portion of the stirring member as in this example, the two stirring plates 1401 and 1402 continue to rotate with the bending point as a fulcrum. I can do it. Thereby, the area shown by hatching in FIG. 14B is further enlarged, and stirring can be performed efficiently and evenly over the entire area of the ink tank.

1 is an external perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus applicable to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the internal mechanism of an apparatus main body. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an ink tank is attached to a recording head cartridge applied in an embodiment of the present invention. It is an external view of the ink tank applied to the Example of this invention. It is a disassembled block diagram of the ink tank applied to the Example of this invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an installation state of a stirring member in Example 1. (A)-(c) is a typical enlarged view for demonstrating the structure of a stirring member. (A)-(d) is sectional drawing of an ink tank for demonstrating operation | movement of the stirring member of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a view showing an installation state of a stirring member as a modification of the first embodiment. It is a typical enlarged view for demonstrating the structure of the stirring member in a modification. (A)-(c) is a sectional side view for demonstrating the connection state of the two stirring plates in a modification. It is the figure which showed the installation state of the stirring member of Example 2. FIG. (A)-(c) is sectional drawing of an ink tank for demonstrating operation | movement of the stirring member of Example 2. FIG. (A) And (b) is the figure which showed the state by which the ink was consumed to some extent in the ink tank of Example 2. FIG. (A) And (b) is sectional drawing for demonstrating another example of the ink tank applicable to this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink tank 10 Container main body 13 Ink accommodating part 20 Lid member 30 Ink supply port 31 Meniscus supply member 32 Holding plate 40A, 40B Stirring member 41A, 42A Stirring plate 50 Spring member 60 Plate member 70 Flexible film 80A, 80B Stirring member 81A, 82A Stirring plate 280A, 280B Stirring member 281A, 281B Stirring plate 1400 Ink tank 1401, 1402 Stirring plate

Claims (6)

A liquid containing portion for accommodating the liquid, and the outside supply supply unit the liquid from the liquid containing portion, and an agitating member for agitating said liquid, in the liquid container equipped with,
One of the agitating members is rotatably supported on the inner wall of the liquid storage portion, and the other is configured to be displaced more than the one, and the middle portion between one and the other of the agitating members is A liquid storage container, wherein the liquid storage container is a bendable part, and the stirring member is displaced with one of the inner walls supported by the inner wall and the bent part as a fulcrum as the liquid storage container moves. The liquid container according to claim 1 , wherein the bent portion is formed of a flexible member. The liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein the liquid storage portion has an internal volume that decreases as the liquid is consumed. 4. The liquid storage according to claim 3 , wherein the stirring member is displaced by bending of the bending portion in a state where a part of the stirring member is in contact with the liquid storage portion as the internal volume decreases. container. The liquid storage container according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of the stirring members. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein pigment ink is stored in the liquid storage unit.

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