ink cartridge

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of ink cartridge, it includes shell, valve element, first elastic member and second elastic member, the shell includes main part and side cover welded to the main part, the main part has variable volume cavity and the air cavity corresponding to the variable volume cavity, the valve element is installed on the main part and has opening position and closing position, the first elastic member is set on the main part and can produce adaptive deformation in response to the volume change of the variable volume cavity;The second elastic member is installed on the main part corresponding to the valve element, for enabling the valve element to have the movement tendency switched to closing position, the main part is equipped with two installation parts, the second elastic member is equipped with the connecting part for and the installation part adaptation, the two installation parts are located on the opposite sides of the valve element.The ink cartridge in the utility model has the advantages of simple assembly and high yield.

Description

[0001] This utility model claims priority to Chinese prior art application filed on December 9, 2024, entitled "Ink Cartridge" and application number 202423036372.8, all contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This utility model relates to an ink cartridge. Background Technology

[0003] Traditionally, there has been a type of cartridge that uses one or more valves to address back pressure issues during liquid dispensing. Such valves can be complex, space-consuming, and unreliable.

[0004] An existing ink cartridge is detachably installed in a printer. The printer has an air pump, and the ink cartridge includes a variable air chamber that communicates with the air pump, an ink reservoir for storing ink, a large elastic plate that responds to changes in the volume of the variable chamber, a check valve, and a small elastic plate mounted on a side cover. The small elastic plate and the check valve are in contact. When the printer needs to control the ink cartridge to discharge ink, the pump controls the expansion of the variable chamber, and the small elastic plate located at the check valve rotates until the small elastic plate and the check valve no longer contact each other. At this time, if the ink reservoir contains ink greater than a predetermined volume, the ink cartridge can be discharged. The preset negative pressure causes the valve to open due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the ink cartridge, allowing air to enter the cartridge and reduce the negative pressure, thus facilitating better ink discharge. When the negative pressure inside the cartridge is less than the preset value, the negative pressure in the ink storage chamber is no longer sufficient to open the check valve, causing it to close and prevent ink from flowing out. When the cartridge stops discharging ink, the variable air chamber contracts, the small elastic piece returns to its original shape, and comes into contact with the check valve. The elasticity of the small elastic piece keeps the check valve sealed, thus maintaining a certain negative pressure inside the cartridge and preventing ink leakage from the ink outlet.

[0005] However, in the prior art, the small elastic piece is assembled on the side cover. During the ink cartridge production process, the side cover is welded to the ink cartridge body. Due to welding precision issues, the welding height may have some errors. If the welding height is too high or too low, the check valve will fail to function or fail to meet the requirements, thus causing the ink cartridge to lose its pressure regulation effect and resulting in a low yield. Utility Model Content

[0006] To at least partially address the shortcomings of the existing technology, the main objective of this utility model is to provide an ink cartridge that is easy to assemble and has a high yield rate.

[0007] To achieve the aforementioned main objectives, this utility model discloses an ink cartridge comprising a housing, a valve element, a first elastic member, and a second elastic member. The housing includes a main body and a side cover welded to the main body. The main body has a variable volume cavity and an air cavity corresponding to the variable volume cavity. The valve element is mounted on the main body and has an open position and a closed position. The first elastic member is disposed on the main body and can adapt to changes in the volume of the variable volume cavity. The second elastic member is mounted on the main body corresponding to the valve element, and is used to give the valve element a tendency to switch to the closed position. The main body has two mounting portions, and the second elastic member has a connecting portion for fitting with the mounting portions. The two mounting portions are located on opposite sides of the valve element.

[0008] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the second elastic element includes an elastic body and a connecting portion disposed on the elastic body. The elastic body is disposed corresponding to the valve element, and the connecting portion is assembled with the mounting portion.

[0009] According to one specific embodiment of the present invention, there are two mounting parts, which are located on opposite sides of the elastic body.

[0010] According to one specific embodiment of the present invention, the mounting part is a mounting post, and the connecting part is an annular body fitted onto the mounting post.

[0011] According to one specific embodiment of the present invention, the elastic body is a spring sheet.

[0012] According to one specific embodiment of the present invention, the second elastic element is configured to undergo adaptive deformation in response to changes in the volume of the variable cavity.

[0013] According to one specific embodiment of the present invention, the second elastic element is configured to undergo adaptive deformation in response to changes in the volume of the air cavity.

[0014] According to one specific embodiment of the present invention, the second elastic member is connected to the first elastic member and undergoes adaptive deformation when the first elastic member deforms.

[0015] This utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] In this invention, the second elastic element in the ink cartridge is directly mounted to the main body rather than the side cover. This eliminates the possibility of increased misalignment or even failure between the second elastic element and the valve element due to installation time errors in the side cover. Especially when the side cover is installed using a welding process, it avoids alignment deviations caused by welding height errors, further ensuring the stability of the valve element's function and improving the yield rate of ink cartridge production. Furthermore, with this structure, the side cover can still be assembled using welding methods without adversely affecting the assembly of the second elastic element and the valve element, offering the advantage of simple assembly.

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and advantages of this utility model, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of the ink cartridge of this utility model;

[0019] Figure 2 This is an internal structural diagram of the ink cartridge of this utility model;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a partially exploded structural diagram of the ink cartridge of this utility model;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional sectional view of the ink cartridge of this utility model;

[0022] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 The front view. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in conjunction with embodiments in order to provide a full understanding of the present invention. However, it should be understood that the following embodiments and detailed description are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] like Figure 1-2 and Figure 5 As shown, the ink cartridge of this utility model embodiment includes a housing 10, which includes a main body 11 and a side cover 12. The side cover 12 is disposed on the main body 11. The main body 11 has a variable volume cavity and an air cavity 14 corresponding to the variable volume cavity. When the ink cartridge discharges ink, the volume of the variable volume cavity can be controlled by a pump element acting on the air cavity 14. Specifically, the volume of the variable volume cavity decreases under the expansion and compression of the air cavity 14 to promote the discharge of ink. When the ink cartridge stops discharging ink, the volume of the variable volume cavity can also be controlled by a pump element acting on the air cavity 14. Specifically, the air cavity 14 is no longer inflated, so that the air cavity 14 contracts and its volume decreases, so that the volume of the variable volume cavity returns to its original state (increases), and the ink cartridge returns to normal.

[0025] In an optional embodiment, at least a portion of the variable cavity for storing ink is provided or formed by the outer wall of the air cavity 14. When the printer pump inflates, the air cavity 14 expands, thereby compressing the variable cavity containing ink and causing it to shrink in volume, thus expelling the ink. Specifically, the air cavity can be provided by an airbag, for example, the airbag itself can be a deformable air cavity, or the airbag and a part of the main body 11 can jointly form the air cavity, in which case the airbag part can be deformable.

[0026] The ink cartridge is further provided with a valve element 20, a first elastic element 30, and a second elastic element 40;

[0027] The valve element 20 is used to control the connection between the ink chamber in the ink cartridge and the external gas. It can switch between an open position and a closed position. When the ink cartridge is discharging ink, the valve element 20 is switched to the open position. At this time, air can enter the ink chamber through the valve element 20 to reduce the negative pressure in the ink chamber and make the ink discharge better. When the ink cartridge stops discharging ink, the valve element 20 is switched to the closed position. At this time, no more air enters the ink chamber to maintain a relatively constant negative pressure.

[0028] The first elastic element 30 is used to adapt to changes in the volume of the variable cavity. For example, it can be a spring structure, specifically a large spring with a large contact surface that directly contacts the variable cavity. When the ink cartridge discharges ink, the variable cavity expands and compresses the first elastic element 30. Then, when the ink cartridge stops discharging ink, the volume of the variable cavity gradually returns to its original state under the action of the first elastic element 30. As a variation of the above-mentioned fit, the first elastic element 30 specifically adapts to changes in the volume of the air cavity 14. For example, the first elastic element is in direct contact with the wall of the air cavity 14. Similarly, changes in the volume of the variable cavity are also adaptive changes corresponding to changes in the volume of the air cavity 14.

[0029] The second elastic member 40 corresponds to the valve element 20 being mounted on the main body 11, and is used to give the valve element 20 a tendency to switch to the closed position. For example... Figure 4-5 As shown, the valve element 20 includes a valve seat 21 and a valve ball 22. The valve seat 21 is mounted on the main body 11 or integrally formed with the main body 11. A channel 23 is provided on the valve seat 21. The valve ball 22 is disposed on the valve seat 21 and corresponds to the channel 23. The second elastic member 40 abuts against the valve ball 22 to block the valve ball 22 at the opening of the channel 23 to prevent air from entering the ink chamber through the channel 23.

[0030] Furthermore, a gasket 24 can be provided between the channel 23 port of the valve seat 21 and the valve ball 22. The valve ball 22 blocks the channel 23 port through the gasket 24 to ensure the effectiveness of the seal.

[0031] In this embodiment, the second elastic member 40 can be adapted to the volume change of the variable cavity, or it can be adapted to the deformation of the first elastic member 30. That is, the second elastic member 40 can be lengthened accordingly to abut against or form an integral part with the first elastic member 30, so as to be able to directly adapt to the volume change of the variable cavity. The specific configuration can be made as needed.

[0032] The second elastic element 40 is directly mounted to the main body 11; an exemplary mounting structure is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the main body 11 is provided with at least one mounting portion 13, such as a mounting post. The second elastic member 40 includes an elastic body 41 and a connecting portion 42 disposed on the elastic body 41. The elastic body 41 is used to form a contact engagement with the valve ball 22 in the valve element 20, and the connecting portion 42 is used to adapt to the mounting portion 13 for assembly. As an optional structure, the connecting portion 42 is an annular body adapted to the mounting post. This annular body is fitted onto the mounting post and, after complete assembly, is limited by other components and cannot be detached from the mounting post. In other embodiments, the second elastic member 40 can also be mounted to the main body 11 by other structures.

[0033] Preferably, for ease of installation, there are two mounting parts 13, located on opposite sides of the elastic body 41 to better support it. Since the elastic body 41 deforms, the two mounting parts maintain the stability and effectiveness of the installation. The elastic body 41 is preferably a spring sheet, the shape of which can be flat, bent, or other shapes depending on the installation requirements.

[0034] In this embodiment, the second elastic element 40 is directly mounted to the main body 11 instead of the side cover 12. This eliminates the possibility of increased misalignment or even failure between the second elastic element 40 and the valve element 20 due to installation time errors of the side cover 12. Especially when the side cover 12 is installed using a welding process, welding the side cover to the main body of the housing avoids alignment deviations caused by welding height errors, further ensuring the stability of the valve element 20's function and improving the yield rate of cartridge production. Furthermore, in this installation method, the side cover 12 can still be assembled using welding without adversely affecting the assembly of the second elastic element 40 and the valve element 20. It is understood that the side cover 12 can also be mounted to the main body 11 using other methods; this is not limited here.

[0035] When the ink cartridge in the embodiment is in its normal state, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the ink chamber is within a certain range. The valve element 20 is in the closed position. The second elastic element 40 is fixed to the ink cartridge body and has a biasing force toward the valve ball 22 to abut against the valve ball 22. At the same time, the valve ball 22 abuts against the gasket 24, and the gasket 24 abuts against the end face of the channel 23 and achieves a seal.

[0036] When the ink cartridge is in the ink discharge state, the volume of the variable cavity is expanded by a pump element, and the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the ink cavity is greater than a certain range, which squeezes the first elastic element 30. At this time, under the force generated by the pressure difference, the valve element 20 is opened. The force generated by the pressure difference also overcomes the bias force generated by the second elastic element 40, causing the second elastic element 40 to move (including rotate) around its fulcrum in the opposite direction to its bias force. At this time, the gasket 24 and valve ball 22 in the valve element 20 move and no longer block the opening of the channel 23, and air can enter the ink cavity along the channel 23, reducing or eliminating its negative pressure. The opening of the valve element 20 and the increase in the volume of the variable cavity squeeze the ink inside the ink cavity, so that the ink cartridge can discharge ink better.

[0037] When the ink cartridge finishes emptying, the pump element of the printing device stops pumping gas / liquid, and the volume of the variable cavity returns to its original state under the biasing force of the first elastic element 30. The negative pressure in the ink chamber continues to increase. At this time, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the ink chamber returns to a certain range. At the same time, the valve element 20 automatically closes under the biasing force of the second elastic element 40, and the ink cartridge returns to normal.

[0038] In addition, when the pressure inside the ink chamber is too high, the gasket 24, valve ball 22, and second elastic element 40 can all tend to keep the valve element 20 in the closed position under the action of this internal pressure, which helps to prevent ink from leaking from the valve element 20.

[0039] Although the present invention has been described above through embodiments, the above embodiments are only used to exemplarily describe possible implementations of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent substitutions or changes made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the present invention should also be covered by the scope of protection defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ink cartridge, characterized in that... The device includes a housing, a valve element, a first elastic element, and a second elastic element. The housing includes a main body and a side cover welded to the main body. The main body has a variable volume cavity and a corresponding air cavity. The valve element is mounted on the main body and has an open position and a closed position. The first elastic element is disposed on the main body and can adapt to changes in the volume of the variable volume cavity. The second elastic element is mounted on the main body corresponding to the valve element and is used to give the valve element a tendency to switch to the closed position. The main body has two mounting portions, and the second elastic element has a connecting portion for fitting with the mounting portions. The two mounting portions are located on opposite sides of the valve element.

2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second elastic element includes an elastic body and a connecting portion disposed on the elastic body. The elastic body is disposed corresponding to the valve element, and the connecting portion is assembled with the mounting portion.

3. The ink cartridge according to claim 2, characterized in that: The number of mounting parts is two, and the two mounting parts are located on opposite sides of the elastic body.

4. The ink cartridge according to claim 2, characterized in that: The mounting part is a mounting post, and the connecting part is a ring-shaped body fitted onto the mounting post.

5. The ink cartridge according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic body is a spring sheet.

6. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second elastic element is configured to undergo adaptive deformation in response to changes in the volume of the variable cavity.

7. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second elastic element is configured to undergo adaptive deformation in response to changes in the volume of the air cavity.

8. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second elastic element is connected to the first elastic element and undergoes adaptive deformation when the first elastic element deforms.

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