Nozzle module connected to ink box and printing device having the same

Abstract

The present application relates to a nozzle module ink cartridge and a printing device having the same, which is suitable for installation at the bottom of the nozzle module, and includes an ink cartridge body slidably connected to the nozzle module; the main body of the ink cartridge body is a box-shaped structure, and the cavity provided inside the ink cartridge body is suitable for receiving waste ink discharged by the nozzle module; a slider is provided at the top opening of the ink cartridge body, and the slider matches the slide provided at the bottom of the nozzle module; the slider is provided along the side wall of the ink cartridge body, and the ink cartridge body is slidably connected to the slide at the bottom of the nozzle module through the slider, and a closed cavity is formed between the ink cartridge body and the nozzle module. It reduces the pollution of waste ink to the outside world, while taking into account the moisturizing function of the nozzle of the nozzle module, and the ink cartridge body has low processing difficulty and high reliability, which is of great help to improve the overall product quality of inkjet printers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of printer equipment, and in particular to a nozzle module connected to an ink cartridge and a printing device having the same. Background Art

[0002] For current industrial inkjet printers, the mainstream nozzle maintenance process will have a link to discharge waste ink from the nozzle. During the process of discharging waste ink from the nozzle, a container is needed to receive the waste ink discharged from the nozzle. At this time, the container for receiving the waste ink discharged from the nozzle needs to be placed under the nozzle, and the container is removed after the nozzle is done discharging waste ink. The conventional simple solution currently provided by the industry is generally to place a container on the substrate under the nozzle (such as a stainless steel food tray) to temporarily collect the waste ink before removing the container.

[0003] The above-mentioned method of using the waste ink collection container to temporarily receive the waste ink discharged from the nozzle causes the waste ink discharged from the nozzle to be directly exposed to the air, thus easily causing pollution to the air and the environment around the container. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present disclosure proposes a nozzle module connected to an ink cartridge and a printing device having the same, which reduces the pollution of waste ink to the outside world, while taking into account the moisturizing function of the nozzle of the nozzle module, and the ink cartridge body has low processing difficulty and high reliability, which is of great help to improve the overall product quality of the inkjet printer.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an ink cartridge for a nozzle module, comprising an ink cartridge body slidably connected to the nozzle module;

[0006] The main body of the ink receiving box body is a box-shaped structure, and the cavity provided inside the ink receiving box body is suitable for receiving waste ink discharged by the nozzle module;

[0007] A slider is provided at the top opening of the ink receiving box body, and the slider matches the slideway provided at the bottom of the nozzle module;

[0008] The sliding block is arranged along the side wall of the ink receiving box body, and the ink receiving box body is slidably connected with the slideway at the bottom of the nozzle module through the sliding block, and a closed cavity is formed between the ink receiving box body and the nozzle module.

[0009] In a possible implementation, a connecting plate protruding out of the cavity of the ink receiving box body is provided on the side wall of the ink receiving box body;

[0010] The connecting plate is arranged to have the same length as the side wall of the ink receiving box body;

[0011] The slider is in the shape of a long thin plate, and is fixed on the top of the connecting plate to form an "L"-shaped structure with the connecting plate;

[0012] Wherein, the sliding block, the connecting plate and the top of the side wall of the ink cartridge body form a sliding groove.

[0013] In a possible implementation, two sliders are provided, and the two sliders are respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the ink receiving box body;

[0014] Wherein, a handle is fixed on the front end outer wall of the ink cartridge body.

[0015] In a possible implementation, a locking member for locking the ink receiving box body and the nozzle module is provided on the front end side wall of the ink receiving box body;

[0016] The locking piece is adjacent to the top end of the ink cartridge body.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the locking member includes a screw hole, the screw hole passes through the front end side wall of the ink cartridge body, and the screw hole is suitable for being fixed to the nozzle module by means of bolts.

[0018] In a possible implementation, it further includes a permanent magnet;

[0019] The permanent magnet is fixedly mounted inside the cavity of the ink cartridge body and corresponds to the Hall sensor mounted on the nozzle module;

[0020] When the ink receiving box body completely slides into the slideway on the nozzle module, the permanent magnet is located below the Hall sensor.

[0021] In a possible implementation, a support platform is fixed inside the cavity of the ink cartridge body, and the permanent magnet is fixedly mounted on the top of the support platform;

[0022] Wherein, the support platform is located at the corner of the cavity of the ink cartridge body.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a printing device, comprising the nozzle module connected to an ink cartridge as described in any one of the above items;

[0024] The nozzle module is connected to the ink box and is slidably connected to the nozzle module in the printing device.

[0025] In a possible implementation, when a permanent magnet is installed inside the cavity of the ink cartridge body, a Hall sensor is also installed on the inner bottom plate of the nozzle module of the printing device;

[0026] The Hall sensor is located at a corner position on the inner bottom plate of the nozzle module.

[0027] In a possible implementation, a slideway is provided on the bottom side wall of the nozzle module, and the slideway is slidably connected to the slider on the ink receiving box body;

[0028] The inlet end of the slideway is a trumpet-shaped opening.

[0029] The ink cartridge of the nozzle module of the present application embodiment is formed into a box-shaped structure by making the ink cartridge body into a box-shaped structure, so that the ink cartridge body has a cavity that can receive the waste ink discharged by the nozzle module. When installing the ink cartridge of the nozzle module, the slider on the ink cartridge body can be slidably connected with the slideway on the nozzle module, so that the ink cartridge body can be quickly installed below the bottom plate of the nozzle module and a cavity can be formed between the ink cartridge body and the nozzle module, isolating the nozzle on the nozzle module from the external environment. During the nozzle waste ink discharge process after installation, the cavity of the ink cartridge body can well receive the waste ink discharged by the nozzle module, and because the cavity is formed between the ink cartridge body and the bottom of the nozzle module, the direct contact between the waste ink discharged by the nozzle module and the outside world is avoided, and the pollution of the waste ink to the outside world is reduced, while taking into account the moisturizing function of the nozzle in the nozzle module, and the ink cartridge body has low processing difficulty and high reliability, which is of great help to improve the overall product quality of the inkjet printer.

[0030] Further features and aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0032] Figure 1 An axonometric view showing the assembly of a nozzle module connected to an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 2 An isometric view showing an ink cartridge body of a nozzle module connected to an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 3 An exploded isometric view showing a nozzle module connected to an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 4 An exploded front view showing a nozzle module connected to an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 5 A front view showing the assembly of the nozzle module connected to the ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 6 The isometric view of the other side of the ink cartridge body of the nozzle module connected to the ink cartridge of the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0038] Figure 7 A structural diagram showing a guide rail for connecting a nozzle module to an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 8 An installation diagram showing a Hall sensor of a nozzle module connected to an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Fig. 9 An installation diagram showing an ink cartridge body where a nozzle module is connected to an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Fig.10 A structural diagram showing the ink cartridge body of the ink cartridge of the nozzle module of the embodiment of the disclosure after installation is completed;

[0042] Fig.11 A front cross-sectional view of the guide rails of the nozzle module connected to the ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Various exemplary embodiments, features and aspects of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings represent elements with the same or similar functions. Although various aspects of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless otherwise specified.

[0044] Among them, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention or simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0045] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0046] The word “exemplary” is used exclusively herein to mean “serving as an example, example, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0047] In addition, in order to better illustrate the present disclosure, numerous specific details are given in the following specific embodiments. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure can also be implemented without certain specific details. In some examples, methods, means, components and circuits well known to those skilled in the art are not described in detail in order to highlight the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0048] Figure 1 An assembly axonometric diagram of a nozzle module connected to an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 An isometric view of an ink cartridge body 100 of a nozzle module connected to an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3 An exploded isometric view of a nozzle module connected to an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 4 An exploded front view of a nozzle module connected to an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 5 The front view of the assembly of the nozzle module and the ink cartridge according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 or Figure 5 As shown, the ink cartridge of the nozzle module is installed at the bottom of the nozzle module, and the ink cartridge of the nozzle module includes: an ink cartridge body 100, the main body of the ink cartridge body 100 is a rectangular box-shaped structure matching the nozzle module, the ink cartridge body 100 has a cavity inside and an opening at the top, and the top of the ink cartridge body 100 faces the nozzle module, so that the cavity of the nozzle module can receive the waste ink discharged by the nozzle module. A slider 120 is fixed at the top opening of the ink cartridge body 100, and the slider 120 matches the slideway 200 opened at the bottom of the nozzle module. The slider 120 is arranged along the side wall of the ink cartridge body 100 (that is, the slider 120 is arranged along the length direction of the ink cartridge body 100), so that the ink cartridge body 100 is slidably connected with the bottom slideway 200 of the nozzle module through the slider 120, and a cavity is formed between the ink cartridge body 100 and the nozzle module.

[0049] The ink cartridge for the nozzle module of the present invention is formed into a box-shaped structure by making the ink cartridge body 100 into a cavity to receive the waste ink discharged by the nozzle module. When installing the ink cartridge for the nozzle module, the slider 120 on the ink cartridge body 100 can be slidably connected with the slideway 200 on the nozzle module, so that the ink cartridge body 100 can be quickly installed under the bottom plate of the nozzle module and a cavity can be formed between the ink cartridge body 100 and the nozzle module, isolating the nozzle on the nozzle module from the external environment. During the waste ink discharge process of the nozzle after installation, the cavity of the ink cartridge body 100 can well receive the waste ink discharged by the nozzle module, and because the ink cartridge body 100 and the bottom of the nozzle module form a cavity, direct contact between the waste ink discharged by the nozzle module and the outside world is avoided, reducing the pollution of the waste ink to the outside world, while taking into account the moisturizing function of the nozzle in the nozzle module, and the ink cartridge body 100 has low processing difficulty and high reliability, which is of great help to improve the overall product quality of the inkjet printer.

[0050] Here, it should be pointed out that the outer dimensions of the ink cartridge body 100 can be designed according to the bottom plate dimensions of the nozzle.

[0051] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 6 As shown, in a possible embodiment, a connecting plate 110 is provided on the side wall of the ink cartridge body 100, the connecting plate 110 protrudes from the top of the ink cartridge body 100 along the depth direction of the cavity of the ink cartridge body 100, and the length of the connecting plate 110 is the same as the length of the side wall of the ink cartridge body 100 (that is, the side wall of the ink cartridge body 100 here refers to the side wall directly connected to the connecting plate 110), and the thickness of the connecting plate 110 is less than the thickness of the side wall of the ink cartridge body 100. The slider 120 is in the shape of a long thin plate, the slider 120 is fixed on the top of the connecting plate 110, and the slider 120 protrudes from the connecting plate 110 along the direction toward the cavity of the ink cartridge body 100, so that the slider 120 and the connecting plate 110 form an "L"-shaped structure, and the slider 120, the connecting plate 110 and the top of the side wall of the ink cartridge body 100 form a slide groove for the slideway 200 on the bottom side wall of the nozzle module to slide. The slide groove can guide and stabilize the slideway 200 that is docked with the ink cartridge body 100.

[0052] Here, it should be pointed out that the connecting plate 110 is also in the shape of a long strip, the plate surface of the connecting plate 110 facing away from the cavity of the ink cartridge body 100 is flush with the outer wall of the ink cartridge body 100, and the side of the connecting plate 110 not connected to the ink cartridge body 100 is provided with a rounded corner. And the connecting plate 110 and the ink cartridge body 100 are integrally formed.

[0053] Here, it should also be noted that the length of the slider 120 can be less than the length of the connecting plate 110, and only one side of the slider 120 needs to be flush with the side wall of the ink cartridge body 100, thereby saving some materials and preventing the situation where the friction force is too large due to the length of the slider 120 being too long. Here, it should also be noted that the side of the slider 120 facing the cavity of the ink cartridge body 100 is flush with the inside of the ink cartridge body 100. Here, it should also be noted that the slider 120, the connecting plate 110 and the ink cartridge body 100 can be integrally formed.

[0054] In a possible implementation, two sliders 120 are provided, and the two sliders 120 are respectively provided on opposite sides of the ink cartridge body 100 (i.e., they can be provided on the left and right side walls of the ink cartridge body 100, where the left and right sides refer to the two sides in the length direction of the ink cartridge body 100). The provision of two sliders 120 can make the slideway 200 of the ink cartridge body 100 more stable.

[0055] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 6 As shown, further, in a possible implementation, a handle 400 is further included, and the handle 400 is fixedly mounted on the front end outer wall of the ink cartridge body 100, and the handle 400 is arranged in a "U" shape, and the opening of the handle 400 faces the ink cartridge body 100. Here, it should be pointed out that the handle 400 can be fixed to the ink cartridge body 100 by bolts. Thereby, it is convenient to control the sliding and assembly of the ink cartridge body 100.

[0056] In a possible implementation, a locking member is provided on the front end side wall of the ink cartridge body 100, and the locking member can lock the ink cartridge body 100 and the nozzle module, wherein the front end side wall of the ink cartridge body 100 is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the ink cartridge body 100.

[0057] Furthermore, in a possible implementation, a protruding eave is provided on the front side wall of the ink cartridge body 100, and the protruding eave is provided protruding from the top of the ink cartridge body 100 along the depth direction of the cavity of the ink cartridge body 100. Furthermore, in a possible implementation, a screw hole 140 is provided on the protruding eave of the ink cartridge body 100, and the screw hole 140 penetrates the protruding eave of the ink cartridge body 100 along the sliding direction, and the screw hole 140 is adjacent to the top of the ink cartridge body 100, so that the screw hole 140 can be fixed to the nozzle module by a bolt. The front side wall of the ink cartridge body 100 refers to the front side wall of the ink cartridge body 100 that is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the ink cartridge body 100. Here, it should be pointed out that the nozzle module is provided with a mounting hole at a position corresponding to the screw hole 140, and the specification of the mounting hole is the same as that of the screw hole 140.

[0058] Therefore, when the ink cartridge body 100 needs to be fixed for a long time, the screws can be passed through the screw holes 140 and extended into the interior of the mounting hole. By locking the screws, the ink cartridge body 100 is locked on the nozzle module, thereby further creating a closed environment, making it easier for the ink cartridge body 100 to take into account the function of moisturizing the nozzle.

[0059] In a possible implementation, it also includes a permanent magnet 300, which is fixedly installed inside the cavity of the ink cartridge body 100 and corresponds to the Hall sensor 500 installed on the nozzle module. When the ink cartridge body 100 completely slides into the slide 200 on the nozzle module, the permanent magnet 300 is located below the Hall sensor 500 (specifically, the permanent magnet 300 can be located directly below the Hall sensor 500).

[0060] The sensor feedback mechanism is formed by the cooperation of the Hall sensor 500 and the permanent magnet 300. When the ink cartridge body 100 is installed under the bottom plate of the nozzle module, the Hall sensor 500 detects the magnet signal of the permanent magnet 300 and shuts off the circuit of the motor that controls the movement of the nozzle module. The motor that moves the nozzle module is locked, ensuring that the nozzle module will not move when the Hall sensor signal is not released. In this way, the nozzle module is prevented from moving before the ink is discharged and the ink cartridge body is removed, thereby preventing the ink cartridge body 100 from causing damage to the nozzle on the nozzle module due to accidental collision, thereby increasing the safety performance of the nozzle module.

[0061] It should be pointed out here that the circuit of the motor for controlling the movement of the nozzle module by the Hall sensor 500 is a conventional technical means for relevant technicians in this field, and will not be described in detail here.

[0062] In a possible implementation, a support 130 is fixedly installed inside the cavity of the ink cartridge body 100 , and the permanent magnet 300 is fixedly installed on the top of the support 130 , wherein the support 130 is located at a corner of the cavity of the ink cartridge body 100 .

[0063] Here, it should be pointed out that the support platform 130 is a rectangular body, the front side wall of the support platform 130 is fixed to the inner wall of the front side wall of the ink receiving box body 100, and the left side wall of the support platform 130 is fixed to the left inner wall of the ink receiving box body 100. The permanent magnet 300 is fixedly installed on the top of the support platform 130. Therefore, the height of the permanent magnet 300 in the inner cavity of the ink receiving box body 100 is increased, so that the Hall sensor 500 can more clearly and easily detect the magnet signal emitted by the permanent magnet 300, and at the same time, it is avoided to face the inkjet portion of the nozzle module, and the position of the Hall sensor 500 on the nozzle module is more matched.

[0064] like Figure 2 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig. 9 , Fig.10 or Fig.11 As shown, based on any of the above-mentioned nozzle module connected to the ink cartridge, the present disclosure also provides a printing device. Among them, the printing device of the embodiment of the present disclosure includes any of the above-mentioned nozzle module connected to the ink cartridge. By installing any of the above-mentioned nozzle module connected to the ink cartridge under the bottom plate of the nozzle module of the printing device, when the nozzle module discharges waste ink, it can effectively ensure that the discharged waste ink is prevented from directly contacting the outer wall environment, thereby reducing the pollution of the waste ink to the external environment, and taking into account the function of moisturizing the nozzle, and containing a sensor feedback mechanism inside, the safety of the use link is greatly improved, and the existing technical level in the field is improved.

[0065] In one possible implementation, when a permanent magnet 300 is installed inside the cavity inside the ink cartridge body 100, a Hall sensor 500 is also installed on the inner bottom plate of the nozzle module of the printing device, and the Hall sensor 500 is located at the corner position of the inner bottom plate of the nozzle module, and the Hall sensor 500 is directly above the permanent magnet 300.

[0066] In a possible implementation, a slideway 200 is provided on the bottom side wall of the nozzle module, and the slideway 200 matches the slider 120 on the ink cartridge body 100, so that the slideway 200 is slidably connected with the slider 120 on the ink cartridge body 100, and the inlet end of the slideway 200 is a trumpet-shaped opening (i.e., a wedge shape that gradually decreases along the length direction of the slideway 200). The trumpet-shaped inlet end can make it easier for the ink cartridge body 100 to slide in along the slideway 200.

[0067] Here, it should be pointed out that the slideway 200 and the nozzle module can be connected by screw fixing.

[0068] Here, it should also be pointed out that there are two slideways 200 , which are arranged on opposite sides of the bottom plate of the nozzle module, and the two slideways 200 are matched with the two sliding blocks 120 respectively.

[0069] When assembling the ink cartridge body 100, the ink cartridge body 100 can slide in along the slideways 200 on both sides of the nozzle bottom plate. Specifically, the slider 120 of the ink cartridge body 100 slides in along the slideway 200, and the bottom of the slideway 200 slides in the sliding direction into the slide groove formed by the slider 120, the connecting plate 110 and the top end surface of the ink cartridge body 100. Under the above structure, the movement direction of the ink cartridge body 100 only retains one degree of freedom, and the slideway 200 has a stable structure, which is safe and reliable.

[0070] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, and the above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and changes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The selection of terms used herein is intended to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or improvements to the technology in the market, or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A nozzle module connected to an ink cartridge, suitable for installation at the bottom of the nozzle module, characterized in that: It includes an ink receiving box body slidably connected to the nozzle module; The main body of the ink receiving box body is a box-shaped structure, and the cavity provided inside the ink receiving box body is suitable for receiving waste ink discharged by the nozzle module; A slider is provided at the top opening of the ink receiving box body, and the slider matches the slideway provided at the bottom of the nozzle module; The slider is arranged along the side wall of the ink receiving box body, and the ink receiving box body is slidably connected to the slideway at the bottom of the nozzle module through the slider, and a closed cavity is formed between the slider and the nozzle module; Wherein, a connecting plate protruding out of the cavity of the ink receiving box body is provided on the side wall of the ink receiving box body; The connecting plate is arranged to have the same length as the side wall of the ink receiving box body; The slider is in the shape of a long thin plate, and the slider is fixed on the top of the connecting plate to form an "L"-shaped structure with the connecting plate; Wherein, the sliding block, the connecting plate and the top of the side wall of the ink cartridge body form a sliding groove; There are two sliders, which are respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the ink receiving box body; Wherein, a handle is fixed on the front outer wall of the ink cartridge body; A locking member for locking the ink receiving box body and the nozzle module is provided on the front end side wall of the ink receiving box body; The locking member is adjacent to the top end of the ink cartridge body; The locking member comprises a screw hole, the screw hole passes through the front end side wall of the ink cartridge body, and the screw hole is suitable for being fixed to the nozzle module by means of bolts.

2. The nozzle module connected to the ink cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes permanent magnets; The permanent magnet is fixedly mounted inside the cavity of the ink cartridge body and corresponds to the Hall sensor mounted on the nozzle module; When the ink receiving box body completely slides into the slideway on the nozzle module, the permanent magnet is located below the Hall sensor.

3. The nozzle module connected to the ink cartridge according to claim 2, characterized in that: A support platform is fixed inside the cavity of the ink cartridge body, and the permanent magnet is fixedly mounted on the top of the support platform; Wherein, the support platform is located at the corner of the cavity of the ink cartridge body.

4. A printing device, characterized in that: A nozzle module connected to an ink cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3; The nozzle module is connected to the ink box and is slidably connected to the nozzle module in the printing device.

5. The printing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: When a permanent magnet is installed inside the cavity of the ink cartridge body, a Hall sensor is also installed on the bottom plate inside the nozzle module of the printing device; The Hall sensor is located at a corner position on the inner bottom plate of the nozzle module.

6. The printing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: A slideway is provided on the bottom side wall of the nozzle module, and the slideway is slidably connected with the slider on the ink receiving box body; The inlet end of the slideway is a trumpet-shaped opening.

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