JP4528707B2 - Manufacturing method of valve structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a valve structure, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing a valve structure suitable as a valve structure incorporated in an ink cartridge.

  Conventionally, a valve structure incorporated in, for example, an ink cartridge includes a valve seat, a valve body corresponding to the valve seat so as to be openable and closable, and a spring that biases the valve body in a closing direction with respect to the valve seat. I have. Normally, the valve body is closed by contacting the valve seat, and is opened when the valve body is moved by a supply needle or the like of an external device.

  However, when the valve structure is assembled to the container, the valve body and the valve seat may be assembled at an inclination, and in this case, the sealing performance with the valve body and the valve seat cannot be maintained sufficiently. Therefore, when this valve structure is assembled in a container that contains fluid, such as an ink cartridge, fluid leaks between the valve body and the valve seat and between the valve seat and the container due to long-term use. There was a problem such as coming out.

  For this reason, making a valve structure with insufficient sealing performance as a finished product as it is leads to a reduction in the quality thereof, so that the sealing performance is confirmed in the manufacturing process. However, a method that can easily achieve this sealing property has not been realized, and therefore, a manufacturing method that can ensure the sealing property at the assembly stage of the valve structure has been desired.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems existing in the prior art. Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a valve structure that can ensure the above-described sealing performance.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the first aspect of the present invention provides a supply unit for a container that supplies fluid to an external device, and ensures a sealed state between the container and the supply of the external device. In a manufacturing method of a valve structure comprising a valve seat fitted to a needle and a valve body that is always pressed toward the valve seat by a spring, the spring, the valve body, and the valve seat are provided in the supply portion. After assembling, the valve seat , the container, and the valve are checked by confirming whether the valve body is seated on the valve seat by pressurizing the upstream side of the supply unit or depressurizing the downstream side of the supply unit. There line confirmation of sealing with the body, the upstream side of the supply unit pressurizes the downstream side of the reduced pressure or the supply unit comprises a first step of confirming unseated from the valve seat of the valve body Is. Therefore, it is possible to confirm the sealing performance almost certainly and easily.

Invention of the second aspect of the present invention, after the first step, place the fluid inside the vessel, by the presence or absence of leakage of the fluid to the downstream side of the supply unit, the valve seat and the container and The method further includes a second step of confirming sealing performance with the valve body. Therefore, it is possible to confirm the sealing performance almost to an extent.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the film is deformed when the pressure inside the container in which the fluid injection hole is sealed with a film is lower than atmospheric pressure after the first or second step. The method further includes a third step of confirming the sealing performance between the valve seat, the container, and the valve body. Therefore, it is possible to confirm the sealing performance almost certainly and easily. In particular, since a deformed portion appears on the outer surface of the container, it is possible to check the sealing performance accurately and quickly using a laser beam or the like.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a valve structure according to any one of the first to third aspects, the fluid is ink and the container is an ink cartridge. is there.

  Therefore, when the fluid is ink and the container is an ink cartridge, the effect can be obtained particularly effectively when the present invention is applied.

  As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be obtained.

According to the invention of the first aspect to third aspect, almost certainly, and easily can confirm the sealability.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when the present invention is applied, the effect is particularly effectively obtained.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied as a method of manufacturing a valve structure adapted to an ink cartridge will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an ink cartridge 10 that is replaceably provided in a printer 30 that is an external device includes a cartridge main body 10b and a cartridge main body so as to form a substantially box shape as a whole by synthetic resin such as plastic. It is comprised by the cover member 11 which obstruct | occludes the upper surface opening of 10b. The lid member 11 is provided with an air hole 11a communicating with the atmosphere via a narrow groove 11b on the upper surface and an ink injection port 11c. The upper surface of the lid member 11 is covered with a film 25 for preventing moisture evaporation of the ink. Although the film 25 is actually thin, the thickness is exaggerated in FIG. 1 for easy explanation.

  A boss portion 10a that protrudes inward and outward of the cartridge main body 10b is provided in the lower left portion of the ink cartridge 10 in FIG. 1, and a stepped hole 12 that is a supply portion is provided downward in the boss portion 10a. It is formed towards. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a cup-shaped protrusion 13 having two opposing slits 13 a is provided at the upper part of the stepped hole 12 (upside down in FIGS. 2 to 7). A hole 13b having a slanted inner peripheral surface that expands downward is formed at the lower end of the protrusion 13. Further, the lower surface of the protrusion 13 around the protrusion 13 is one spring seat of the spring 16. A known porous member that holds ink (not shown) is disposed in the inside 14 of the cartridge body 10b.

  A valve structure 15 having a valve seat 18 made of an elastic member such as rubber and having a substantially cylindrical shape and a valve body 17 is disposed in the stepped hole 12. An annular protrusion 18b that seals with the inner peripheral surface of the stepped hole 12 is integrally formed on the outer periphery of the valve seat 18, and a center that is fitted to the supply needle 31 of the printer 30 is formed on the inner periphery thereof. A hole 18a is formed. The upper peripheral edge of the center hole 18a of the valve seat 18 protrudes slightly outward to form a seat portion 18c. On the other hand, the valve body 17 has an end 17b on the valve seat 18 side whose diameter is increased, and faces the seat 18c so as to be opened and closed. The end portion 17b serves as the other spring seat of the spring 16, and the valve body 17 is constantly urged toward the valve seat 18 by the spring 16. In the valve body 17, the lower surface of the end portion 17b is a seal surface 17c that comes into contact with the seat portion 18c, the opposite side penetrates the hole 13b, and the tip of the valve body 17 engages with the edge of the hole 13b. A retaining member 17a is formed. The retainer 17a is formed in an oblique shape whose outer peripheral surface is inclined downward.

  When the ink cartridge 10 is provided in the printer 30, the supply needle 31 provided in the printer 30 is fitted into the center hole 18 a of the valve seat 18 of the valve structure 15 from below. The supply needle 31 presses the valve body 17 to separate the valve body 17 upward from the valve seat 18 and supplies the ink retained in the interior 14 to the printer 30.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the valve structure 15 in a present Example is demonstrated.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2, the formed cartridge body 10b is turned upside down. Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the spring 16 is disposed on the spring seat around the stepped hole 12.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the valve body 17 is conveyed by adsorbing the seal surface 17 c by a pipe 20 connected to, for example, an air suction device. In this case, the outer diameter of the tube 20 is substantially the same as the diameter of the seal surface 17c, and the contact area of the seal surface 17c with the tube 20 is outside the contact area of the seal surface 17c with the seat 18c. When the valve element 17 in the state of being adsorbed by the pipe 20 is lowered, the end 17b of the valve element 17 presses the spring 16, and the retaining member 17a of the valve member 17 is both slopes of the hole 13b and the retaining member 17a. The hole 13b is expanded by the action of. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the valve element 17 is disposed in a state where the retaining member 17 a is engaged with the protrusion 13 by receiving the urging force of the spring 16.

  Next, the shaft portion 21a of the jig 21 is fitted into the center hole 18a of the valve seat 18, and the valve seat 18 is conveyed as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, while pressing the valve body 17 from the seating position with respect to the valve seat 18 to the lower retreating side by the tip end portion 21 b of the shaft portion 21 a of the jig 21 projecting downward from the valve seat 18. The valve seat 18 is attached to the stepped hole 12. Then, when the jig 21 is removed from the central hole 18a of the valve seat 18, the valve body 17 moves upward in the figure by the urging force of the spring 16, and as shown in FIG. Sit down. In the present embodiment, the jig 21 is a pressurizing unit and is a first and second shaft-shaped jig.

  Next, the sealing performance of the assembled valve structure 15 is checked. First, the upstream side of the stepped hole 12, that is, the inside 14 side of the cartridge body 10b is pressurized with air. At this time, when the seal surface 17c of the valve body 17 is not seated on the seat portion 18c of the valve seat 18, the air flowing from the upstream side to the downstream side of the valve structure 15 becomes larger than an expected predetermined amount. . Therefore, by measuring this flow rate, the sealing performance between the valve seat 18 and the cartridge body 10b and the sealing performance between the valve seat 18 and the valve body 17 are confirmed. Next, when the pressure on the upstream side of the stepped hole 12 is reduced, the seal surface 17c of the valve body 17 is now separated from the seat portion 18c of the valve seat 18, and at this time, the valve body 17 tilts and the seal When the surface 17c is not reliably separated from the seat portion 18c of the valve seat 18, the amount of air flowing from the downstream side to the upstream side becomes smaller than an expected predetermined amount. Therefore, by measuring this flow rate, the sealing performance with the cartridge body 10 b and the sealing performance between the valve seat 18 and the valve body 17 are confirmed.

  In this way, if the sealing performance is confirmed and it is determined that there is no problem, a porous member is inserted into the inside 14 of the cartridge body 10b, and the lid member 11 is vibrated, for example, with respect to the upper opening of the cartridge body 10b. It adheres by welding. Next, the porous member is filled with ink from the ink injection port 11c. At this time, the sealing property between the valve seat 18 and the cartridge body 10b and the valve seat 18 and the valve body 17 are also determined depending on whether ink leaks from between the valve body 17 and the valve seat 18 to the downstream side of the stepped hole 12. Check the sealing performance.

  Next, in order to stably hold the ink on the entire porous member, the inside 14 of the ink cartridge 10 is decompressed by an air suction device (not shown) or the like, and the film 25 is sealed on the lid member 11. At this time, if the sealing performance is maintained between the valve seat 18 and the cartridge main body 10b, the film 25 has portions of the air holes 11a and the ink injection ports 11c as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The air hole 11a and the ink inlet 11c are deformed so as to be pulled. If this deformation is confirmed by laser light irradiation or the like, the sealing property between the valve seat 18 and the cartridge body 10b is confirmed, and the ink cartridge 10 is completed.

  Next, effects that can be expected from the above-described embodiment will be described below.

  (A) In this embodiment, since the valve seat 18 is inserted while pressing the valve body 17 with the jig 21 instead of the valve seat 18, even if the valve seat 18 is inclined and inserted. The valve body 17 moves only in the axial direction and does not follow the inclination, and is seated on the valve seat 18. Accordingly, almost no force is applied to the valve body 17 in the direction other than the axial direction, and the valve body 17 can be prevented from being twisted and the sealing performance between the valve body 17 and the valve seat 18 can be improved. Further, since the valve element 17 is pressed by the jig 21, the valve can be pressed more easily and more reliably than when pressed through the valve seat 18 which is an elastic material. Further, since the valve seat 18 is held and assembled by the jig 21, it is possible to reduce a decrease in sealing performance due to a defective shape of the valve seat 18 and an inclination when the valve seat 18 is inserted, and to improve the sealing performance. The structure can be easily manufactured.

  (B) In the present embodiment, the seal surface 17c of the valve body 17 is adsorbed and conveyed by the pipe 20, so that when the valve body 17 is attached, the necessary space is as large as the diameter of the valve body 17. The supply section can be made small. For this reason, the space of the inside 14 of the cartridge main body 10b can be enlarged, and the amount of ink accommodated can be increased. Moreover, the connection structure part with an external apparatus can be made small, and it can contribute to the space expansion of the inside 14. FIG.

  (C) In the present embodiment, the valve body 17 is sucked and conveyed by the pipe 20 having the same diameter as that of the seal surface 17 c, so that only the outer peripheral side of the seal surface 17 c of the valve body 17 contacts the pipe 20. As a result, the actual seal area can be transported without being damaged. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the sealing performance from being deteriorated due to the seal surface 17c being damaged.

  (D) In the present embodiment, the valve seat 18 is transported by fitting the jig 21 into the center hole 18a of the valve seat 18. Therefore, since the jig 21 does not contact the outer periphery of the valve seat 18 that seals with the cartridge body 10b, the outer periphery of the valve seat 18 is hardly damaged, and the sealing performance can be further improved. .

  (E) In the present embodiment, the jig 21 conveys the valve seat 18, and the jig 21 presses the valve body 17 when the valve seat 18 is inserted into the stepped hole 12. The manufacturing process of transporting and inserting the seat 18 can be performed as a series of processes. Therefore, even if the valve structure with improved sealing performance is manufactured, the manufacturing time is not excessive.

  (F) In the present embodiment, after assembling the valve structure 15, the inside 14 of the ink cartridge 10 on the upstream side of the stepped hole 12 is decompressed to check the seal. The sealability can be easily confirmed.

  (G) In the present embodiment, after assembling the valve structure 15 and immediately after injecting ink into the ink cartridge 10, depending on whether or not the ink leaks, the valve seat 18, the stepped hole 12, and the valve body The sealability with 17 was confirmed. Therefore, the sealing performance can be easily confirmed with certainty.

  (H) In the present embodiment, after assembling the valve structure 15, the lid member 11 of the ink cartridge 10 is fixed, the film 25 is sealed on the lid member 11, and then the film 25 is once again deformed. The seal was confirmed. Therefore, the sealing performance can be easily confirmed with certainty.

  (I) In the present embodiment, the inside 14 of the ink cartridge 10 is depressurized when the sealing performance is confirmed by the amount of change of the film 25 coated on the lid member 11. Since the work is performed in order to stably hold, the sealing performance can be easily confirmed without adding extra steps.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the spring 16 and the valve body 17 are attached to the stepped hole 12 as shown in FIG. Then, the valve seat 18 is inserted into the stepped hole 12 while being pressed by the valve seat 18 so that the valve body 17 resists the spring 16 as in the conventional case. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the valve seat 18 may enter obliquely and the valve body 17 may be inclined. Then, next, the outer periphery of the valve seat 18 is divided into, for example, four divided areas A, B, C, and D. For example, after pressing the area A, the area B, the area C, the area D, the area A,. -Repress continuously in order over the entire circumference. Then, the valve seat 18 made of an elastic body becomes substantially horizontal and falls within the state shown in FIG. Of course, at this time, the valve body 17 contacts the seat portion 18c of the valve seat 18. However, since the valve body 17 is substantially horizontal, the seal surface 17c of the valve body 17 is seated on the seat portion 18c of the valve seat 18.

  Then, similarly to the first embodiment, the sealing performance of the assembled valve structure 15 is checked. If it is determined by this check that there is no problem in the sealing performance, a porous member is inserted into the interior 14 of the cartridge body 10b, and the lid member 11 is attached to the upper opening of the cartridge body 10b, for example, vibration welding. It sticks with. Next, the valve structure 15 is inserted into the decompression chamber, the ink is filled into the porous member from the ink injection port 11c, and the ink cartridge 10 is positioned in the decompression chamber, and the entire porous member is decompressed from the air hole 11a. To do. Then, the film 25 is sealed on the lid member 11 in a state where the porous member is decompressed. Then, the ink cartridge 10 is taken out from the decompression chamber. At this time, if the sealing performance is maintained between the valve seat 18 and the cartridge body 10b, the film 25 has the air holes 11a and 11a as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. A portion of the ink injection port 11c is deformed so as to be pulled into the air hole 11a and the ink injection port 11c due to a pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure and the inside 14. If this deformation is confirmed by laser light irradiation or the like, the sealing property between the valve seat 18 and the cartridge body 10b is confirmed, and the ink cartridge 10 is completed.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, in addition to the effects described in (b), (c), (g) to (i) in the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. Can do.

  (J) In the present embodiment, even if the valve seat 18 is inserted obliquely, the outer periphery of the valve seat 18 is divided into four parts and continuously re-pressed over the entire periphery. The inclination is almost corrected by the elastic force, and the valve seat 18 is inserted into the stepped hole 12 in a substantially horizontal state. Accordingly, since the valve body 17 is also disposed in a substantially horizontal state, the seal surface 17c of the 17 is securely seated by the seat portion 18c of the valve seat 18. Therefore, the sealing performance between the valve body 17 and the valve seat 18 can be improved.

  (K) In the present embodiment, after sealing the film in the decompression chamber, it is removed from the decompression chamber, the film is deformed by atmospheric pressure, and its sealing property is confirmed. The sealing performance can be confirmed more easily than in the first embodiment.

<Modification>
In addition, this embodiment can also be changed and embodied as follows.

  In the first embodiment, the valve seat 18 is inserted while pressing the valve body 17 with the jig 21 that is a pressurizing means. However, the valve body 17 is removed by, for example, a mechanical pulling device. The valve seat 18 may be inserted while pulling down the stopper 17a. That is, the valve body 17 may be moved to a seating position or a position retracted from the seating position so that the valve body 17 does not advance from the seating position with respect to the valve seat 18 by any means when the valve seat 18 is inserted.

In the first embodiment, when the valve structure 15 is assembled,
The upstream side of the stepped hole 12 was pressurized or depressurized to check its sealing performance. However, if a pressure difference is provided between the upstream side and the downstream side of the stepped hole 12 serving as the supply unit, the seal of the valve structure 15 can be easily confirmed with a certain degree of certainty. Therefore, the sealing property may be confirmed by pressurizing or depressurizing the downstream side of the stepped hole 12.

  In the first embodiment, the upstream side of the stepped hole 12 is pressurized or depressurized, the presence or absence of leakage of the injected ink, and the amount of change of the film 25, the valve seat 18 and the valve The sealability of the body 17 and the valve seat 18 and the cartridge main body 10b was confirmed three times, but it is not necessary to perform all of this, and the sealability is confirmed by any one or two. Also good.

  -In the said 1st Embodiment, the sealing performance of the valve structure 15 was confirmed by the deformation | transformation of the film 25 sealed by the cover member 11. As shown in FIG. However, the film 26 may be covered with the lower end opening of the protrusion 13 and the sealing performance may be confirmed by deformation of the film 26.

  In the second embodiment, the upper surface portion of the valve seat 18 is divided into four parts and continuously re-pressed over the entire circumference. However, the number of divisions may be any number. Moreover, in the said 2nd Embodiment, although several places were pressed in order from the area | region A with the least insertion amount, even if it presses several places in order from the area | region D with the largest insertion amount, the same effect is acquired. . Further, the order may be clockwise or counterclockwise, but it is necessary to sequentially move a plurality of places in order or a pressing position of a part of the upper surface portion of the valve seat 18. .

  A technical idea that can be grasped from the above embodiment will be described.

  In a method for manufacturing a valve structure, which includes a valve seat and a valve body that is constantly pressed toward the valve seat by a spring, and the valve body is attached to and detached from the valve seat, the spring and the valve body are arranged. After the installation, the valve seat is inserted while pressing the valve body by a pressing means.

That is, even if the valve seat of the valve structure does not fit with the supply needle of the external device,
If the valve structure is manufactured in this way, the sealing performance between the valve seat and the valve body can be improved.

FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of a part of the ink cartridge having the valve structure manufactured in the embodiment and an external device. Front sectional drawing of the principal part of the 1st manufacturing process of the valve structure in 1st Embodiment. Front sectional drawing of the principal part of the 2nd manufacturing process of the valve structure in 1st Embodiment. Front sectional drawing of the principal part of the 3rd manufacturing process of the valve structure in 1st Embodiment. Front sectional drawing of the principal part of the 4th manufacturing process of the valve structure in 1st Embodiment. Front sectional drawing of the principal part of the 5th manufacturing process of the valve structure in 1st Embodiment. Front sectional drawing of the principal part of the 6th manufacturing process of the valve structure in 1st Embodiment. Front sectional drawing of the principal part of the manufacturing process different from the said 1st Embodiment of the valve structure in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Ink cartridge 12 ... Stepped hole which is a supply part 15 ... Valve structure 16 ... Spring 17 ... Valve body 17c ... Sealing surface 18 ... Valve seat 18a ... Center hole 21 which is a cylindrical center hole 21 ... Pressure means , A first axial jig and a second jig 21a... A shaft part that is a tip part of the first shaft jig 21b... A tip part that is a tip part of the second shaft jig 25, 26 ... Film 30 ... Printer as external device 31 ... Supply needle

Claims (5)

A supply portion of a container that supplies fluid to an external device secures a sealed state between the container and a valve seat that is fitted with a supply needle of the external device, and is constantly pressed toward the valve seat by a spring. In the manufacturing method of the valve structure comprising the valve body,
After assembling the spring, the valve body, and the valve seat to the supply section, pressurize the upstream side of the supply section or depressurize the downstream side of the supply section, and then connect the valve body to the valve seat. By confirming the seating, the sealing performance between the valve seat and the container and the valve body is confirmed, the upstream side of the supply unit is depressurized or the downstream side of the supply unit is pressurized, method for manufacturing a valve structure, characterized in that it comprises a first step you sure unseated from the valve seat.   After the first step, a fluid is put into the container, and the sealing performance between the valve seat, the container, and the valve body is confirmed based on whether the fluid leaks to the downstream side of the supply unit. The method for manufacturing a valve structure according to claim 1, further comprising a second step.   After the second step, the sealing performance between the valve seat, the container and the valve body is reduced by deformation of the film when the pressure inside the container in which the fluid injection hole is sealed with a film is lower than atmospheric pressure. The method for manufacturing a valve structure according to claim 2, further comprising a third step of performing confirmation.   After the first step, the sealing performance between the valve seat, the container and the valve body is reduced by deformation of the film when the pressure inside the container in which the fluid injection hole is sealed with a film is lower than atmospheric pressure. The method for manufacturing a valve structure according to claim 1, further comprising a second step of performing confirmation.   The method for manufacturing a valve structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fluid is ink and the container is an ink cartridge.

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