Liquid container

Abstract

In a liquid storage container that holds a liquid containing sedimentary components, the objective is to enable the supply of a liquid of uniform concentration and to minimize the internal structure of the liquid storage section. [Solution] A liquid container comprising a flexible liquid container for containing a liquid containing a settling component, and a spout attached to the liquid container, wherein the spout has at least a first liquid suction port and a second liquid suction port, the centers of the first liquid suction port and the centers of the second liquid suction port are on the same central axis, the first liquid suction port opens in the direction opposite to the direction in which gravity acts within the spout, the second liquid suction port opens in the direction in which gravity acts within the spout, and when the opening area of ​​the first liquid suction port is A1 and the opening area of ​​the second liquid suction port is A2, the relationship between them is A2 ≥ A1.

Description

[[TECHNICAL FIELD]]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a liquid container used in a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid. [[BACKGROUND ART]]

[0002] Conventionally, liquid containers for supplying liquid to a liquid ejecting apparatus have been widely used.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a liquid container including a liquid storage portion that stores liquid containing sediment components. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for supplying liquid with uniform concentration in this liquid container, even when high viscosity of the stored liquid makes it difficult to suck the high-concentration sediment components on the lower side of the liquid container. [[PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS]] [[PATENT DOCUMENTS]]

[0004] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2021-3865 [[SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0005] In a configuration where the liquid storage portion of the liquid container is flexible and high degassing performance is required for the stored liquid, gas-liquid exchange does not occur as the liquid is consumed, and the liquid storage portion collapses. At this time, if there is a structure inside the liquid storage portion, the liquid storage portion may not collapse completely, and liquid may remain in the space that is not completely collapsed. Therefore, when a structure is provided inside the liquid storage portion, it is preferable that the structure is as small as possible.

[0006] Additionally, when storing or preserving a liquid container, components in the container may sediment, causing variation in the viscosity or concentration of the liquid. In such cases, it is necessary to keep the viscosity and concentration of the liquid uniform when supplying the liquid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the liquid container of the present disclosure includes a flexible liquid container for containing a liquid containing a settling component, and a spout attached to the liquid container, wherein the spout has at least a first liquid suction port and a second liquid suction port, the centers of the first liquid suction port and the second liquid suction port are on the same central axis, the first liquid suction port opens in the direction opposite to the direction in which gravity acts within the spout, the second liquid suction port opens in the direction in which gravity acts within the spout, and when the opening area of ​​the first liquid suction port is A1 and the opening area of ​​the second liquid suction port is A2, the relationship between them is A2 ≥ A1. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the liquid storage container of this disclosure, even if the concentration or viscosity of the liquid stored in the liquid storage section changes, a liquid of uniform concentration can be supplied. At the same time, the structure installed in the liquid storage section can be made smaller, and the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid storage container when the liquid is used up can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a liquid dispensing device equipped with a liquid container according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the liquid container in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid container in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the spout in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the spout in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a perspective view of the spout in the first embodiment when the positions of the liquid suction ports do not coincide when viewed from the Z-axis direction. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the spout in the first embodiment when the positions of the liquid suction ports do not coincide when viewed from the Z-axis direction. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows the film constituting the liquid containment section in close contact with the spout, as viewed from the -X direction. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a perspective view showing a spout composed of two parts in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a perspective view of the spout in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows the spout in the second embodiment as viewed from the -Y direction. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows the spout in the second embodiment as viewed from the +Z direction. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a perspective view showing a spout to which a filter can be attached in the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] In a liquid container where the liquid storage section is flexible and the stored liquid requires high degassing properties, as the liquid is consumed, gas-liquid exchange does not occur, and the liquid storage section collapses. At this time, if there is a structure inside the liquid storage section, the section may not collapse completely, and liquid may remain in the uncollapsed space. Therefore, if a structure is to be provided inside the liquid storage section, it is desirable that the structure be as small as possible.

[0011] For example, in a liquid container that requires three horizontally extending liquid channels in the horizontal or gravity direction (such as the one described in Patent Document 1), the internal structure of the liquid container becomes unnecessarily large. As a result, in such a liquid container, there is a risk that a large amount of liquid will remain unused when the liquid inside the container is used up.

[0012] Furthermore, when storing or preserving a liquid container, components in the container may sediment, causing variations in the viscosity or concentration of the liquid. In such cases, it is also necessary to keep the viscosity and concentration of the liquid uniform during liquid supply.

[0013] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above points.

[0014] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the subject matter of the present disclosure. In addition, some or all of the features described in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be combined, and not all of these features are essential to the present disclosure.

[0015] In the description of the liquid container of the present disclosure herein, directions may be defined by the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. These axes are indicated by directional arrows shown in each drawing. When the axial direction is indicated by arrows in both directions on each axis, this indicates that the object can move in either the "+" or "-" direction of that axis.

[0016] In this specification, when specifying the direction of each axis, the direction the arrow points on the X, Y, or Z axis is defined as the "+" direction of each axis. That is, for the "+" or "-" direction of each axis, the "+" direction is the direction the arrow points, and the "-" direction is the direction opposite to the direction the arrow points. In addition, when referring to the axial direction without specifying the "+" or "-" direction, it is simply referred to as "X-axis direction", "Y-axis direction", or "Z-axis direction".

[0017] In this specification, the terms “liquid” and “ink” are used. These terms are used in this disclosure as concepts that encompass all liquids that can be used for recording. Furthermore, “liquid” and “ink” refer to any liquid medium that, when applied to a recording medium, can be used for image formation, processing of the recording medium, etc. Accordingly, in this specification, the terms “liquid” and “ink” (including the term “ink W” in the term “ink”) are used interchangeably.

[0018] (Liquid discharge device) A liquid dispensing device using the liquid container of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figure 1.

[0019] The liquid dispensing device 100 shown in Figure 1 comprises a liquid dispensing head 101, a carriage 102, a transport roller 103, a recovery unit 104, a liquid supply unit 105, and a liquid supply tube 106. The liquid dispensing device 100 may have one or more liquid containers of this disclosure loaded into the liquid supply unit 105. The liquid dispensing device 100 is also loaded with a recording sheet 107, which is a recording medium.

[0020] The liquid dispensing device 100 shown in Figure 1 repeatedly performs reciprocating movement of the liquid dispensing head 101 [main scan (X-axis direction in Figure 1)] and transport of the recording sheet 107, which is the recording medium, at predetermined pitches [sub-scan (Y-axis direction in Figure 1)]. The liquid dispensing device 100 selectively dispenses liquids of multiple colors from the liquid dispensing head 101 in synchronization with these movements, and deposits them onto the recording sheet 107, thereby forming characters, symbols, images, etc. The recording medium can be any material that can be used to deposit small droplets of liquid for image formation, printing, etc. For example, various materials and forms such as paper, cloth, optical disc label surfaces, plastic sheets, OHP sheets, envelopes, and various substrates can be used as recording media. Hereinafter, the concept of recording in this disclosure is not limited to forming characters, symbols, images, etc., but is also applicable to industrial applications, etc. For example, the concept of recording includes applications such as the fabrication of biochips, printing of electronic circuits, and the fabrication of semiconductor substrates.

[0021] In Figure 1, the liquid dispensing head 101 is detachably mounted on a carriage 102, which is slidably supported by two guide rails and moves back and forth in a straight line along the guide rails by a drive means such as a motor (not shown). The recording sheet 107 that receives the liquid dispensed from the liquid dispensing section of the liquid dispensing head 101 is brought to face the liquid dispensing surface of the liquid dispensing head 101 by a transport roller 103, which is a transport means. The recording sheet 107 is then transported in a direction intersecting the direction of movement of the carriage 102 (the X-axis direction in Figure 1) (the Y-axis direction in Figure 1). The liquid dispensing head 101 has multiple nozzle rows for dispensing liquids of different colors, each serving as a liquid dispensing section. Corresponding to the color of the liquid dispensed from the liquid dispensing head 101, multiple independent liquid containers 200, each having a liquid flow hole 12 (see Figure 5, etc.), are detachably attached to the liquid supply unit 105. The liquid supply unit 105 and the liquid discharge head 101 are connected by multiple liquid supply tubes 106, each corresponding to multiple characteristics of the liquid (e.g., color). By the user advancing the liquid container and attaching it to the liquid supply unit 105, each liquid (e.g., ink of each color) stored in the liquid container can be independently supplied to each nozzle row of the liquid discharge head 101. The liquid supply unit 105 is equipped with a pump mechanism that can draw liquid from the liquid container and send it to the liquid discharge head 101.

[0022] In the non-recording area, which is within the reciprocating movement range of the liquid ejection head 101 and outside the passage range of the recording sheet 107, a recovery unit 104 is positioned facing the liquid ejection surface of the liquid ejection head 101. The recovery unit 104 includes a cap for capping the liquid ejection surface of the liquid ejection head 101, a suction mechanism for forcibly sucking out liquid while the liquid ejection port surface is capped, and a cleaning blade for wiping away dirt from the liquid ejection surface. The aforementioned suction operation is performed by the recovery unit 104 prior to the recording operation of this liquid ejection device. As a result, even if this liquid ejection device is operated after being left unused for a long period of time, the recovery process performed by the recovery unit 104 removes residual air bubbles in the ejection section of the liquid ejection head 101, viscous liquid (ink W) near the ejection port, etc. This maintains the ejection characteristics of the liquid ejection head 101.

[0023] In this specification, the direction in which the liquid container 200 is attached to and detached from the liquid supply unit 105 is defined as the Y-axis direction. The side of the liquid container that is attached to the liquid supply unit 105 is in the +Y direction. The width direction of the liquid container is defined as the X-axis direction. In this specification, the height direction of the liquid container (i.e., the direction of gravity) is defined as the Z-axis direction. The side of the Z-axis direction (direction of gravity) where gravity acts (also referred to as the gravity side or downward side in this specification) is defined as the -Z direction, and the side opposite to the gravity side in the Z-axis direction (direction of gravity) (also referred to as the anti-gravity side or upward side in this specification) is defined as the +Z direction.

[0024] The liquid container of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0025] (First Embodiment) A liquid container 200, which is a first embodiment of this disclosure, will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 9.

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the liquid container 200 of this disclosure, and Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid container 200.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the liquid container 200 mainly consists of a liquid storage section 1 that stores liquid (such as ink) and a liquid dispensing section 2. Also, as shown in Figure 3, the liquid dispensing section 2 consists of an adapter component 4 and a spout 3.

[0028] The adapter component 4 is a component with a positioning hole 5 and a mechanical ID 6 for positioning when attached to the liquid dispensing device 100, and a circuit board 7 is assembled to it. The circuit board 7 has an IC mounted on it that stores information about the liquid contained in the liquid container 200, such as the color information, material, and amount of ink W, and has contacts 8 formed on it. When the liquid container 200 is attached to the mounting part of the liquid supply unit 105, the contacts 8 on the circuit board 7 make contact with a connector provided on the mounting part, and conduction occurs. This makes it possible to read the information recorded on the IC from the liquid dispensing device 100. By making the adapter component 4 a separate component from the spout 3, it is not necessary to consider the liquid contact properties, heat weldability, etc. required for the spout 3. For this reason, it is possible to use highly impact-resistant polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, etc. as the material for the adapter component 4. The spout 3 and the adapter component 4 can be fixed and assembled to each other by snap-fit, heat welding, or indirectly by the spout fixing component 50. If necessary, it may be molded as the same part as spout 3.

[0029] The liquid storage section 1 can be filled with liquid (ink W, omitted in the figure) to store liquid (ink W) inside. The liquid storage section 1 is made of a flexible film formed into a bag shape by heat welding or the like. The shape of the liquid storage section 1 is not particularly limited as long as it approaches flattening when the liquid (ink W) is used up, but pillow type, three-sided type, gusset type, etc. are desirable. The flexible film is not particularly limited as long as it can store liquid (ink W). For example, the flexible film can be a laminated type film. For example, a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene can be used on the inside of the liquid storage section 1, which has good contact with liquid (ink W) and excellent heat welding properties. Also, a flexible film having a gas barrier layer such as aluminum, which has low gas permeability, can be used on the outside of the liquid storage section 1. Thus, an example of a liquid storage section 1 is one which has an inner layer made of the above thermoplastic resin as the liquid contact layer and a flexible film including the above gas barrier layer on the outside. Here, the aluminum layer can be laminated as a film by vapor deposition or lamination. Note that the flexible film does not necessarily have to be a multi-layer type; for example, in applications where gas barrier properties are not particularly important, a single-layer type of the desired resin is acceptable.

[0030] Next, the spout 3 of the liquid container 200 of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to Figures 4 to 9. The spout 3 is for supplying the liquid (ink W) from the liquid container 1 to the liquid discharge head 101.

[0031] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the spout 3, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the spout 3. First, the spout 3 will be described with reference to Figure 4. After assembling the components, the spout 3 is loaded into a mounting portion provided on one side of the flexible liquid container 1 and bonded. Bonding is performed airtightly to the liquid container 1, for example, by thermocompression bonding. The spout 3 is provided with an adhesive portion 9 for bonding to the liquid container 1. More specifically, it is preferable that the adhesive portion 9 is a welded portion that is thermocompressed. The adhesive portion 9 has a welding rib 10 that protrudes from the welding surface and is actively melted during thermocompression bonding, and a welding vane 11 provided at the end of the adhesive portion 9 that fills the step between it and the liquid container 1 by being melted. It is preferable that the spout 3 has a welding rib 10 that protrudes from the welding surface and is actively melted during thermocompression bonding. It is preferable that the welding rib 10 is bonded to the liquid container 1 by a method such as thermocompression bonding. This ensures high airtightness in the portion that is heat-sealed to the liquid container 1. When the adhesive portion 9 and welding rib 10 are bonded to the liquid container 1 by welding, the spout 3 is a molded part, and its material is preferably one that has good contact with the liquid (ink W), and excellent heat-welding properties and moldability. For example, the material of the adhesive portion 9 and welding rib 10 is preferably an olefin resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene. Similarly, the valve 18 (see Figure 3) assembled to the liquid flow hole 12 (see Figure 5) of the spout 3 is also preferably a part molded from an olefin resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene for the same reason. Furthermore, considering the heat-welding properties of the parts, it is preferable that at least the welded surfaces of the liquid container 1 and the spout 3 are made of the same material. Note that these parts do not necessarily have to be manufactured by molding, and other processing methods such as cutting may be selected as the manufacturing method. Furthermore, the compression spring 17 (see Figure 3) assembled to the liquid flow hole 12 of the spout 3 is preferably made of stainless steel from the viewpoint of wettability with the liquid (ink W) and corrosion resistance. Also, the joint seal (sealing member) 19 (see Figure 3) is preferably made of rubber or thermoplastic elastomer from the viewpoint of wettability with the liquid (ink W) and corrosion resistance.For example, rubber materials can include ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM), hydrogenated nitrile rubber (H-NBR), and others.

[0032] The liquid suction port 13 has a first liquid suction port 14 that opens in the +Z direction (anti-gravity side) and a second liquid suction port 15 that opens in the -Z direction (gravity side), and the first liquid suction port 14 is positioned on the +Z side of the second liquid suction port 15. That is, the first liquid suction port opens in the direction opposite to the direction of gravity (+Z direction, anti-gravity side) within the spout, and the second liquid suction port opens in the direction of gravity (-Z direction, gravity side) within the spout.

[0033] A compression spring 17, a valve 18, and a joint seal 19 are inserted into the liquid flow hole 12 of the spout 3 (see Figure 3). The valve 18 is constantly biased against and in contact with the joint seal 19 by the compression spring 17. The joint seal 19 is fixed to the liquid flow hole 12 by known means such as rubber lining, adhesive, or welding a retaining component to its outer circumference. By fixing the joint seal 19 in this way, the valve 18 is installed so that it does not come out even when biased by the compression spring 17. With this configuration, when a force moving in the -Y direction that bends the compression spring 17 acts on the valve 18, the liquid (ink W) flow path opens. On the other hand, when a force moving in the +Y direction acts on the valve 18, the liquid (ink W) flow path is closed, preventing air from entering the liquid container 1 and preventing liquid (ink W) from leaking. Here, in order to further reduce the risk of air inflow or unexpected liquid leakage or backflow, a configuration can be added to prevent liquid from flowing from the outside of the liquid container 200 into the liquid storage section 1. For example, a configuration can be adopted in which a check valve is provided on the liquid storage section 1 side in addition to the valve 18 at the liquid flow hole 12. Furthermore, the following configuration can be adopted for the purpose of improving the gas barrier properties before the liquid container 200 is installed and preventing foreign matter from entering from the outside. That is, a separate material such as a film (for example, a mouth film 20) can be welded to the mouth of the liquid flow hole 12, and a configuration can be adopted in which the film is pierced by an ink needle or the like when the liquid container is installed on the liquid dispensing device.

[0034] The spout 3 has at least the configuration shown in Figure 5. Specifically, the spout 3 is equipped with a liquid suction port 13 that is open to allow liquid (ink W) to be drawn in from inside the liquid container 1. The spout 3 is also equipped with a liquid flow hole 12 through which the drawn-in liquid passes and a liquid supply port 16 that is open to allow the liquid to be supplied to the liquid dispensing device 100. As shown in Figure 5, the liquid suction port 13 is provided in the direction of gravity (Z-axis direction). Also, as shown in Figure 5, the liquid flow hole 12 and the liquid supply port 16 are formed along the Y-axis direction of the spout 3. As shown in Figure 5, this Y-axis direction is along the longitudinal direction of the spout 3. In this specification, the axis along this Y-axis direction (longitudinal direction of the spout 3) is referred to as the "main axis of the spout 3" (also simply referred to as the "main axis" in this specification), and the direction of this main axis (Y-axis direction) is referred to as the "main axis direction" of the spout. The main axis direction of the spout 3 (the longitudinal direction of the spout 3) is perpendicular to the direction of gravity (Z-axis direction), which is the direction in which the liquid suction port 13 is provided.

[0035] According to the above configuration, when the sedimentary component in the liquid (ink W) inside the liquid storage section 1 settles, the low-concentration portion of the sedimentary component (on the +Z side) of the liquid (ink W) is drawn in from the first liquid suction port 14. In addition, the high-concentration portion of the sedimentary component (on the -Z side) is drawn in from the second liquid suction port 15. During these suctions, the low-concentration portion and the high-concentration portion of the sedimentary component are drawn in simultaneously, and the respective liquids (ink W) are mixed in the liquid flow hole 12, and supplied to the liquid ejection device 100 as a liquid (ink W) of uniform concentration. This suppresses variations in the density of characters, symbols, images, etc. formed on the recording sheet 107, and prevents failure of the liquid ejection head 101, which can occur when extremely high-concentration or low-concentration liquids are supplied to the liquid ejection device 100.

[0036] In the above configuration, in order to maintain a uniform concentration of the liquid (ink W) supplied to the liquid dispensing device 100, it is necessary to aspirate and mix the concentrated and diluted portions of the settled components within the liquid (ink W) at an appropriate flow rate ratio. Therefore, the relationship between the liquid inflow resistance R1 at the first liquid suction port 14 and the liquid inflow resistance R2 at the second liquid suction port 15 needs to be appropriately determined according to the characteristics of the liquid (ink W), such as the ease with which the settled components settle or the viscosity of the liquid (ink W). In other words, the relationship between the inflow resistance R1 and the inflow resistance R2 needs to be appropriately determined so as to maintain a uniform concentration of the liquid supplied to the liquid dispensing device 100. For example, in a liquid with a typical settling component where the viscosity is high on the lower side (-Z direction) and low on the upper side (+Z direction) within the liquid storage section 1, the relationship between the inflow resistance R1 and the inflow resistance R2 is preferably as shown by the following (Equation 1).

[0037] (Formula 1)...R1≧R2

[0038] To achieve this, the specific relationship between the shapes of the first liquid suction port 14 and the second liquid suction port 15 is preferably such that, when the opening area of ​​the first liquid suction port 14 is A1 and the opening area of ​​the second liquid suction port 15 is A2, the relationship is as shown by (Equation 2) below.

[0039] (Formula 2)...A2≧A1

[0040] Furthermore, the opening area A1 of the first liquid suction port 14 and the opening area A2 of the second liquid suction port 15 need to be appropriately determined by the concentration or viscosity distribution of the liquid (ink W) with the settled components inside the liquid container 1. For example, the following case can be given as a specific example when the liquid is ink W. The liquid container 200 was left for a sufficient period of time, and when the ink W had settled to its limit, 1 ml was taken from the highest position of the ink W in the liquid container 1 (the uppermost position of the liquid container 1 in the +Z direction). The concentration of the settled components (percentage when the concentration in a uniform state is taken as 100%) of the sample taken at this position was 56%, and the viscosity was 5.9 mPa·s. Also, the concentration of the settled components of 1 ml taken from the lowest position of the ink W in the liquid container 1 (the lowermost position of the liquid container in the -Z direction) was 199%, and the viscosity was 7.6 mPa·s. In this case, it is preferable that the relationship between the opening area A1 and the opening area A2 be as shown in (Equation 3) below.

[0041] (Formula 3)...A1÷A2=0.51 Furthermore, the state of the settled components after sedimentation, i.e., the above-mentioned relationship between R1 and R2 and A1 and A2, depends greatly on the type of liquid, such as ink W. For this reason, it is preferable to determine the optimal values ​​for the relationship between the inflow resistances R1 and R2 and the opening ratio of the opening areas A1 and A2 based on the type of liquid stored in the liquid storage section 1.

[0042] By using the above configuration, the concentration or viscosity of the liquid (ink W) increases due to the settling of the sedimentary components, making it more difficult to aspirate certain parts of the liquid (ink W). This allows for more active aspiration of these areas. As a result, it becomes possible to make the concentration of the liquid (ink W) supplied to the liquid discharge head more uniform.

[0043] As shown in Figure 4, it is preferable that the liquid suction port 13 has a simple round hole shape (circular shape). In addition, as shown in Figure 5, it is preferable that the centers of the first liquid suction port 14 and the second liquid suction port 15 coincide with the central axis in the direction of gravity when viewed from the Z-axis direction. That is, it is preferable that the centers of the first liquid suction port and the second liquid suction port lie on the same central axis. This simplifies the structure of the flow path. This makes it possible to significantly change the liquid inflow resistance R1 at the first liquid suction port 14 and the liquid inflow resistance R2 at the second liquid suction port 15. Specifically, by simply changing the opening area A1 of the first liquid suction port 14 and the opening area A2 of the second liquid suction port 15 according to the characteristics of the liquid (ink W) at the design stage, the inflow resistances R1 and R2 can be significantly changed. This makes it possible to easily adjust the inflow resistances R1 and R2 according to the liquid (ink W) contained in the liquid storage section.

[0044] Next, referring to Figures 6 and 7, we will consider a configuration in which the centers of the first liquid suction port 14 and the second liquid suction port 15 do not coincide when viewed from the +Z direction, as a reference example of this disclosure.

[0045] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the centers of the first liquid suction port 14 and the second liquid suction port 15 may not coincide when viewed from the +Z direction (and the -X direction in the case of Figure 7), as shown in Figure 6. Consider the state immediately after starting liquid supply from a state where the liquid container 200 has been left for a long period of time and the sedimentary components of the liquid (ink W) have settled. In this state, the low-concentration liquid drawn in from the first liquid suction port 14, which is closer to the liquid supply port 16, will be mixed with the liquid with a uniform concentration in the liquid flow hole 12. In this state, there is a risk that the liquid dispensing device 100 may be temporarily supplied with a low-concentration liquid. For the same reason, there is a risk that the liquid dispensing device 100 may be temporarily supplied with a high-concentration liquid if the positional relationship between the first liquid suction port 14 and the second liquid suction port 15 is reversed.

[0046] Therefore, in this embodiment, the shape of the liquid suction port 13 is preferably the shape of the liquid suction port shown in Figures 4 and 5. In the liquid dispensing device of this disclosure, the liquid container shown in Figures 4 and 5 can be used as the liquid container 200 of this disclosure. With this configuration, the low-concentration liquid drawn in from the first liquid suction port 14 and the high-concentration liquid drawn in from the second liquid suction port 15 immediately merge and mix, making it possible to always supply a liquid of uniform concentration.

[0047] Choking prevention ribs 21 are arranged around the liquid suction port 13. Preferably, the choking prevention ribs 21 are arranged to prevent the liquid storage section from adhering tightly to the liquid suction port 13 and blocking these ports. For example, they can be arranged close to or adjacent to the liquid suction port 13 so as to satisfy the relationship of (Equation 4) or (Equation 5) described later. Figure 8 is a view of the spout 3 from the -X direction when the film constituting the liquid storage section 1 is in contact with the spout. If the flexible film constituting the liquid storage section 1 deforms and adheres tightly to the spout 3, it may block the liquid suction port 13 and hinder the supply of liquid (ink W). However, with the presence of the choking prevention ribs 21, when the liquid storage section 1 adheres tightly to the spout 3, a pseudo-liquid suction port 24 is formed between the liquid storage section 1 and the spout 3, thereby suppressing interference with the supply of liquid (ink W).

[0048] As shown in Figure 8, the pseudo-liquid suction port 24 has a first pseudo-liquid suction port 24a on the side of the first liquid suction port 14 and a second pseudo-liquid suction port 24b on the side of the second liquid suction port 15. The first pseudo-liquid suction port 24a has an opening area A1', and the second pseudo-liquid suction port 24b has an opening area A2'. In this embodiment, it is preferable that the opening area of ​​the pseudo-liquid suction port 24 be as large as possible. In particular, it is preferable that the relationship between the opening area A1 of the first liquid suction port 14 and the opening area A1' of the first pseudo-liquid suction port 24a formed around the first liquid suction port 14 is as shown by the following equation (4).

[0049] (Formula 4)...A1'>3×A1

[0050] Similarly, it is preferable that the relationship between the opening area A2 of the second liquid suction port 15 and the opening area A2' of the second pseudo-liquid suction port 24b formed around the second liquid suction port 15 is as shown by the following equation (5).

[0051] (Formula 5)...A2'>3×A2

[0052] When the liquid container 1 is in close contact with the spout 3, the first pseudo-liquid suction port 24a and the second pseudo-liquid suction port 24b may create flow resistance. In this case, it may not be possible to suction the concentrated and diluted portions of the sedimentary components in the liquid (ink W) according to the flow rate ratio determined by the opening areas of the first liquid suction port 14 and the second liquid suction port 15. Even in such cases, by configuring the system to satisfy the relationships in (Equation 4) and (Equation 5) above, the flow resistance due to the first pseudo-liquid suction port 24a and the second pseudo-liquid suction port 24b can be sufficiently reduced. This suppresses large changes in the flow rate ratio when suctioning the concentrated and diluted portions of the sedimentary components in the liquid (ink W). Therefore, it becomes possible to supply liquid (ink W) of a stable and uniform concentration regardless of whether the liquid container 1 is in close contact with the spout 3.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the spout 3 can be configured as separate components, with the liquid supply unit 22 constituting the liquid supply port 16 and the liquid suction unit 23 constituting the liquid suction port 13, as shown in Figure 9. Alternatively, in this embodiment, the liquid supply unit 22 constituting the liquid supply port 16 and the liquid suction unit 23 constituting the liquid suction port 13 can be configured as an integrated unit.

[0054] When the liquid supply unit 22 constituting the liquid supply port 16 and the liquid suction unit 23 constituting the liquid suction port 13 are configured as separate components, the liquid supply unit 22 and the liquid suction unit 23 are connected along the main axis of the spout (see Figure 5) (along the longitudinal direction). This allows for the design of multiple liquid containers 200 for multiple different types of liquids (ink W), where only the liquid suction unit 23 is replaced according to the sedimentation characteristics of the liquid components, while the others can be used as common parts. This configuration reduces design and production costs. In this configuration, the liquid supply unit 22 and the liquid suction unit 23 can be made of the same material, and adhesive parts 9 (welded parts in the case of heat-compression bonding) can be provided on both parts for bonding to the liquid container 1. This allows both the liquid supply unit 22 and the liquid suction unit 23 to the liquid container 1 when bonding the spout 3 to the liquid container 1, and prevents both parts from being disassembled by external impacts. Alternatively, in this embodiment, the liquid supply section 22 and the liquid suction section 23 may be made of different materials to give the spout 3 further functionality. For example, the liquid supply section 22 can be made of polyethylene or polypropylene that can be welded to the liquid storage section 1 by heat compression, and the liquid suction section 23 can be made of a rubber material or the like that can deform in accordance with the collapse of the liquid storage section 1. In such a configuration, when the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid storage section 1 becomes small, the liquid suction section 23 deforms in accordance with the collapse of the liquid storage section 1, thereby reducing the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid storage section 1.

[0055] When the spout 3 is made up of separate parts, the liquid supply section 22 and the liquid suction section 23, it is preferable that the liquid suction section 23 is configured to fit inside the outer shape (shape of the outer frame portion) of the adhesive section 9 when viewed from the main axis direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the spout 3, particularly in the -Y direction. Furthermore, in such a configuration, an adhesive section (a welded section in the case of bonding by heat compression) for bonding to the liquid container section 1 can also be provided in the portion corresponding to the liquid suction section.

[0056] (Second embodiment) A liquid container 200, which is a second embodiment of this disclosure, will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 13.

[0057] The liquid container 200 of the second embodiment is, like the first embodiment, a liquid container 200 composed of a liquid storage section 1 and a liquid dispensing section 2 consisting of an adapter component 4 and a spout 3. The following description will focus on the shape of the spout 3, which is a difference from the first embodiment.

[0058] Figure 10 is a perspective view of the spout 3 in this embodiment. Figure 11 is a view of the spout 3 in Figure 10 from the -Y direction. In the spout 3 of this embodiment, a frame 25 is provided around the liquid suction port 13. As shown in Figure 11, it is preferable that the frame 25 is configured to fit inside the outer shape (outer frame portion) of the adhesive portion 9 when the spout 3 is viewed from the -Y direction (when the spout 3 is viewed from the main axis direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the spout 3). In addition, connecting ribs 26 can be provided between the area around the liquid suction port 13 and the frame 25. In this case, the frame 25 is connected and reinforced by the connecting ribs 26. It is preferable that the connecting ribs 26 be formed to fill the space between the area around the liquid suction port 13 and the frame 25. In this embodiment, from a functional standpoint, it is desirable to fill the entire space between the frame 25 and the liquid suction port 13. However, when forming the spout 3 part by injection molding, generally, the thicker the wall thickness, the higher the risk of warping or sink marks. Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure consistent wall thickness within the same component. Therefore, it is preferable to arrange as many connecting ribs 26, which have the largest possible volume, as possible to fill the space between the liquid suction port 13 and the frame 25. In this embodiment, a specific example is that when the connecting ribs 26 are molded as a molded product using polyethylene (PE), the wall thickness of the ribs is 5 mm or less, the thickness of the components is standardized to about 1.5 mm due to size constraints, and the number of ribs is increased as much as possible.

[0059] According to the above configuration, when the liquid in the liquid storage section 1 is used up, the space created between the spout 3 and the liquid storage section 1 can be filled with a structure such as a connecting rib 26, thereby reducing the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid storage container 200.

[0060] As shown in Figure 10, it is preferable to provide a notch 27 in the frame 25. In this case, it is preferable to make the opening of the notch 27 as large as possible and to provide multiple notches in the frame 25. For example, the opening area of ​​the notch 27 is 3.5 mm². 2 It is preferable that the size be greater than or equal to (for example, 1 mm x 3.5 mm).

[0061] This prevents the liquid flow path to the liquid suction port 13 from being interrupted or the notch 27 from becoming a significant resistance to liquid inflow even when the liquid storage section 1 is in close contact with the spout 3. Therefore, it prevents the situation where liquid cannot be drawn from the liquid suction port 13 even though there is liquid remaining in the liquid storage container 200.

[0062] Next, another modification of this embodiment will be described using Figure 12. Figure 12 is a view of the spout 3 from the +Z direction. In this modification, it is preferable to provide a through-hole 28 that penetrates in the Z-axis direction (gravity direction) in the space between the liquid suction port 13 and the frame 25. Here, within the area enclosed by the frame 25, sedimentary components of the liquid (ink W) may accumulate in the area between the first liquid suction port 14 and the second liquid suction port 15. In such a case, there is a possibility that the high-concentration portion will be drawn into the first liquid suction port 14, which is originally intended to draw in the low-concentration portion. By providing the through-hole 28, this possibility can be suppressed. Therefore, it becomes possible to supply a liquid of uniform concentration to the liquid discharge head.

[0063] The spout 3 can also be equipped with a filter function. As a specific example, as shown in Figure 13, a filter adhesive section 29, indicated by hatching, is provided on the frame 25, and a mesh filter is attached to it. This prevents aggregated components or unexpectedly mixed impurities in the liquid (ink W) from being supplied to the liquid dispensing head. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0064] 1. Liquid storage section 3 Spout 14 1st liquid suction port 15 2nd liquid suction port 200 liquid storage containers

[0065] <<Other Embodiments>> The disclosures described in each of the above embodiments include configurations represented by the following examples of liquid storage containers.

[0066] (Composition 1) It includes a flexible liquid container for containing a liquid containing a settling component, and a spout attached to the liquid container. A liquid container characterized in that the spout has at least a first liquid suction port and a second liquid suction port, the centers of the first liquid suction port and the second liquid suction port are on the same central axis, the first liquid suction port opens in the direction opposite to the direction of gravity within the spout, the second liquid suction port opens in the direction of gravity within the spout, and when the opening area of ​​the first liquid suction port is A1 and the opening area of ​​the second liquid suction port is A2, the relationship between them is A2 ≥ A1.

[0067] (Configuration 2) The liquid container according to configuration 1, wherein the openings of the first liquid suction port and the second liquid suction port are circular in shape.

[0068] (Composition 3) The liquid container according to configuration 1 or configuration 2, wherein the spout has suffocation prevention ribs around the first liquid suction port and the second liquid suction port, respectively.

[0069] (Composition 4) The liquid container according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the spout includes a liquid supply section including an adhesive section for bonding with the liquid container section, and a liquid suction section including a first liquid suction port and a second liquid suction port, the liquid supply section and the liquid suction section are formed as separate parts, the liquid supply section and the liquid suction section are connected along the longitudinal main axis of the spout, and the outer shape of the liquid suction section fits inside the outer shape of the adhesive section when viewed from the direction of the main axis of the spout.

[0070] (Composition 5) A liquid container according to configuration 4, wherein the liquid supply unit and the liquid suction unit are integrally formed.

[0071] (Composition 6) The liquid container according to configuration 4 or 5, wherein the liquid suction portion further includes an adhesive portion for adhering to the liquid container portion.

[0072] (Composition 7) A liquid container according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein the spout further includes a frame around the first liquid suction port and the second liquid suction port.

[0073] (Composition 8) A liquid container according to any one of configurations 4 to 7, wherein the spout further includes a frame around the first liquid suction port and the second liquid suction port, the frame being contained within the outer shape of the adhesive portion when viewed in the direction of the main axis of the spout.

[0074] (Composition 9) The frame further includes connecting ribs, as described in configuration 7 or configuration 8, for the liquid container.

[0075] (Composition 10) The liquid container according to any one of configurations 7 to 9, wherein the frame has through holes that penetrate the frame in the direction of gravity.

[0076] (Composition 11) The frame further includes a filter, and is a liquid container according to any one of configurations 7 to 10.

Claims

1. It includes a flexible liquid container for containing a liquid containing a settling component, and a spout attached to the liquid container. A liquid container characterized in that the spout has at least a first liquid suction port and a second liquid suction port, the centers of the first liquid suction port and the second liquid suction port are on the same central axis, the first liquid suction port opens in the direction opposite to the direction in which gravity acts within the spout, the second liquid suction port opens in the direction in which gravity acts within the spout, and when the opening area of ​​the first liquid suction port is A1 and the opening area of ​​the second liquid suction port is A2, the relationship between them is A2 ≥ A1.

2. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the openings of the first liquid suction port and the second liquid suction port are circular in shape.

3. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the spout has suffocation prevention ribs around the first liquid suction port and the second liquid suction port, respectively.

4. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the spout includes a liquid supply section including an adhesive section for bonding with the liquid container section, and a liquid suction section including a first liquid suction port and a second liquid suction port, the liquid supply section and the liquid suction section are formed as separate parts, the liquid supply section and the liquid suction section are connected along the longitudinal main axis of the spout, and the outer shape of the liquid suction section fits inside the outer shape of the adhesive section when viewed from the direction of the main axis of the spout.

5. The liquid container according to claim 4, wherein the liquid supply unit and the liquid suction unit are integrally formed.

6. The liquid container according to claim 4, wherein the liquid suction portion further includes an adhesive portion for bonding with the liquid container.

7. The liquid container according to any one of claims 1, 4, 5, or 6, wherein the spout further includes a frame around the first liquid suction port and the second liquid suction port.

8. The liquid container according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the spout further includes a frame around the first liquid suction port and the second liquid suction port, and the frame is contained within the outer shape of the adhesive portion of the liquid supply portion when viewed in the direction of the main axis of the spout.

9. The liquid container according to claim 7, wherein the frame further includes connecting ribs.

10. The liquid container according to claim 7, wherein the frame has through holes that penetrate the frame in the direction of gravity.

11. The liquid container according to claim 7, wherein the frame further includes a filter.

Images