1. A friction agitation welding method of forming a weld across a joint between superposed plate workpieces disposed and grasped between a rotatably driven friction agitation welding tool and a back-up tool which are opposed to each other in a predetermined axis of welding, said friction agitation welding method comprising the steps of:
preparing superposed plate workpieces comprising a first plate workpiece made up of one or more plates and a second plate workpiece made up of a single plate having a joint bore formed therein,
disposing and grasping said superposed plate workpieces between said rotatably driven friction agitation welding tool and said back-up tool with said joint bore being faced to said back-up tool;
rotating and advancing said friction agitation welding tool toward said back-up tool in said predetermined axis of welding to cause said friction agitation welding tool to penetrate into said first plate workpiece while urging said friction agitation welding tool and said first plate workpiece together whereby generating frictional heat to create a plasticized region in a workpiece material around said friction agitation welding tool and cramming a plasticized workpiece material into said joint bore of said second plate workpiece; and
allowing said plasticized workpiece material to solidify to complete a weld across said joint.
2. A friction agitation welding method as defined in claim 1, wherein said plasticized workpiece material is partly extruded out of said joint bore so as to spread out of said joint bore.
3. A friction agitation welding method as defined in claim 1, wherein, while urging said friction agitation welding tool and said first plate workpiece together, pressure is applied to said second plate workpiece in a region around said joint bore from the outside and is relieved from said first plate workpiece in a corresponding region.
4. A friction agitation welding method as defined in claim 1, wherein said first plate workpiece is different in material from and lower in hardness than said second plate workpiece.
5. A friction agitation welding method as defined in claim 4, wherein said first plate workpiece is made up of at least one aluminum plate and said second plate workpiece is made up of a single steel plate.
6. A friction agitation welding method as defined in claim 4, wherein said first and second plate workpieces are made of a same material.
7. A friction agitation welding device for forming a weld across a joint between superposed plate workpieces that comprise a first plate workpiece made up of one or more plates and a second plate workpiece made up of a single plate having a joint bore formed therein, said friction agitation welding device comprising:
a rotatably driven friction agitation welding tool adapted to penetrate a joint between said superposed plate workpieces from said first plate workpiece as to plasticize a material of said plate workpieces with frictional heat generated resulting from rotation of said rotatably driven friction agitation welding tool; and
a back-up tool aligned with said rotatably driven friction welding tool in an axis of welding and supporting said superposed plate workpieces from a side of said second plate workpiece, said back-up tool having a top cavity whose opening diameter is greater than a diameter of said joint bore of said second plate workpiece.
8. A friction agitation welding device as defined in claim 7, wherein said rotatably driven friction agitation welding tool comprises a cylindrical shank and a cylindrical friction agitation spindle extending from said shank and having a diameter smaller than said shank.
9. A friction agitation welding device as defined in claim 8, wherein said shank has an annular groove formed in said shank coaxially with and around said cylindrical friction agitation spindle.
10. A friction agitation welding device as defined in claim 7, wherein said back-up tool is provided with an annular wall surrounding said top cavity.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An ink cartridge comprising:
an ink chamber configured to store ink therein, wherein the ink chamber is defined by at least one wall, and an air layer is formed in the ink chamber between a surface of the ink and at least a portion of the at least one wall; and
a pump configured to selectively supply air to the air layer and to draw air from the air layer, the pump comprising:
at least one wall which defines an air space therein, and the air space is in fluid communication with the air layer, wherein the pump is configured to change a volume of the air space;
a tube, the tube having:
an inner space formed therethrough by an inner surface of the tube;
a first end; and
a second end opposite the first end, wherein the inner space is configured to be in fluid communication with the ink chamber via the first end, and the inner space is configured to be in fluid communication with an atmosphere via the second end; and
a movable member positioned in the inner space and configured to selectively move in the inner space in a first direction such that the air space decreases and in a second direction opposite the first direction such that the air space increases, wherein a portion of the movable member contacts the inner surface of the tube, and the movable member prevents fluid communication between the ink chamber and the atmosphere via the movable member regardless of whether the movable member moves in the first direction or the second direction.
2. The ink cartridge of claim 1, wherein the pump is configured to selectively supply a predetermined amount of air to the air layer and to draw the predetermined amount of air from the air layer.
3. The ink cartridge of claim 1, further comprising a rod extending from the movable member to an outside of the tube through the second end.
4. The ink cartridge of claim 3, wherein the rod comprises a rack gear formed thereon.
5. The ink cartridge of claim 4, further comprising:
a front face; and
an ink supply portion positioned at the front face, wherein the rod is configured to extend from the front face.
6. The ink cartridge of claim 1, further comprising an ink tank comprising the at least one wall defining the ink chamber therein, wherein the ink tank has a height in a height direction, a width in a width direction, and a depth in a depth direction, the width direction being perpendicular to the height direction, and the depth direction being perpendicular to each of the height direction and the width direction, wherein the height is greater than the width, and the depth is greater than the height.
7. The ink cartridge of claim 6, wherein the tube extends from the first end to the second end in the depth direction.
8. The ink cartridge of claim 1, further comprising an air communication valve positioned adjacent to the ink chamber, and configured to selectively allow or prevent a communication between the ink chamber and the atmosphere therethrough.
9. The ink cartridge of claim 8, wherein the air communication valve is actuated by the movable member.
10. The ink cartridge of claim 1, wherein the movable member comprises:
a piston comprising a peripheral wall facing the inner surface of the tube, the peripheral wall having a groove formed therein, and an elastic member fitted in the groove, the elastic member contacting the inner surface of the tube.
11. An ink supply system comprising:
a first ink tank comprising:
an ink chamber configured to store ink therein, wherein the ink chamber is defined by at least one wall, and an air layer is formed in the ink chamber between a surface of the ink and at least a portion of the at least one wall; and
a pump configured to selectively supply air to the air layer and to draw air from the air layer; and
a second ink tank configured to store ink, wherein the first ink tank and the second ink tank are configured to be in fluid communication with each other, and the first ink tank and the second ink tank are configured such that ink flows from the ink chamber to the second ink tank when air is supplied to the air layer and ink flows from the second ink tank to the ink chamber when air is drawn from the air layer.
12. The ink supply system of claim 11, further comprising a tube connected to the first ink tank and to the second ink tank, wherein the tube defines a non-circulating path extending from the pump to the second ink tank via the ink chamber.
13. The ink cartridge of claim 11, wherein the pump comprises:
a tube having:
an inner space formed therethrough by an inner surface of the tube;
a first end; and
a second end opposite the first end, wherein the inner space is configured to be in fluid communication with the ink chamber via the first end, and the inner space is configured to be in fluid communication with an atmosphere via the second end; and
a movable member positioned in the inner space, wherein a portion of the movable member contacts the inner surface of the tube, and the movable member selectively prevents fluid communication between the ink chamber and the atmosphere via the movable member.
14. The ink supply system of claim 13, further comprising:
a rod extending from the movable member to an outside of the tube through the second end, wherein the rod comprises a rack gear formed thereon; and
a pinion gear configured to engage with the rack gear.
15. The ink supply system of claim 14, further comprising:
an ink cartridge comprising the first ink tank and the pump; and
a cartridge mounting portion configured to detachably receive the ink cartridge.
16. The ink supply system of claim 15, wherein the ink cartridge is configured to be mounted to the cartridge mounting portion in a particular direction, and the ink cartridge comprises a front face, wherein the rod is configured to extend from the front face.
17. The ink cartridge of claim 13, wherein the movable member comprises:
a piston comprising a peripheral wall facing the inner surface of the tube, the peripheral wall having a groove formed therein: and
an elastic member fitted in the groove, the elastic member contacting the inner surface of the tube.
18. The ink supply system of claim 11, further comprising:
an ink cartridge comprising the first ink tank and the pump; and
a cartridge mounting portion configured to detachably receive the ink cartridge.
19. An ink cartridge comprising:
an ink chamber configured to store ink therein, wherein the ink chamber is defined by at least one wall;
a side wall having a first opening formed therethrough;
a particular wall extending from the side wall toward the ink chamber, having a second opening formed therethrough,
a valve accommodating chamber defined by the particular wall and configured to be in fluid communication with an outside of the ink cartridge via the first opening, and to be in fluid communication with the ink chamber via the second opening;
a valve accommodated in the valve accommodating chamber, the valve configured to move in the valve accommodating chamber to selectively allow and prevent fluid communication between the valve accommodating chamber and the outside of the ink cartridge via the first opening; and
wherein the second opening is positioned above both the valve accommodating chamber and the first opening.
20. The ink cartridge of claim 19, further comprising:
a joint having a third opening formed therethrough, the joint being fitted in the first opening; and
an urging member positioned in the valve accommodating chamber and configured to urge the valve toward the joint to close the third opening.
21. The ink cartridge of claim 20, wherein the first opening has a center line which is substantially perpendicular to the side wall, and the valve is configured to move along the center line, and the urging member is configured to urge the valve along the center line.
22. The ink cartridge of claim 19, wherein the valve accommodating chamber comprises an end opposite the first opening, the particular wall comprises an end wall defining the end of the valve accommodating chamber, and the end wall has a third opening formed therethrough, wherein the valve accommodating chamber is configured to be in fluid communication with the ink chamber via the third opening, and the third opening is positioned below the second opening.
23. The ink cartridge of claim 19, further comprising a communication path, and the ink chamber comprises an upper portion, wherein the communication path extends from the valve accommodating chamber via the second opening to the upper portion of the ink chamber.
24. The ink cartridge of claim 23, wherein an air layer is formed in the upper portion of the ink chamber between a surface of the ink and at least a portion of the at least one wall of the ink chamber.
25. The ink cartridge of claim 24, further comprising a pump configured to selectively supply air to the air layer and to draw air from the air layer.
26. The ink cartridge of claim 23, wherein the communication path comprises:
a first portion extending from the valve accommodating chamber in a first direction, wherein the first portion has a first end connected to the valve accommodating chamber, and a second end opposite the first end; and
a second portion extending from the first portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the second portion has a first end connected to the second end of the first portion, and a second end opposite the first end of the second potion; and
a third portion extending from the second portion in the first direction, wherein the third potion has a first end connected to the second end of the second portion, and a second end opposite the first end of the third potion, wherein the first direction is a direction in which the side wall extends.
27. The ink cartridge of claim 26, further comprising a buffer chamber provided in the second portion of the communication path.
28. The ink cartridge of claim 23, further comprising a particular check valve provided in the communication path, wherein the particular check valve is configured to selectively prevent and allow fluid to communicate between the valve accommodating chamber and the ink chamber via the communication path.
29. The ink cartridge of claim 28, wherein the particular check valve is provided in the second portion of the communication path.
30. The ink cartridge of claim 28, wherein the particular wall has a third opening formed therethrough, wherein the valve accommodating chamber is configured to be in fluid communication with the ink chamber via the third opening.
31. The ink cartridge of claim 30, further comprising a further check valve provided at the third opening, wherein the further check valve is configured to selectively prevent and allow fluid to communicate between the ink chamber and the valve accommodating chamber via the third opening.
32. The ink cartridge of claim 23, further comprising a movable member disposed in the ink chamber, wherein the movable member is configured to move when an amount of ink stored in the ink chamber changes.
33. The ink cartridge of claim 19, wherein the particular wall has a third opening formed therethrough, and the valve accommodating chamber is configured to be in fluid communication with the ink chamber via the third opening.
34. The ink cartridge of claim 33, further comprising a further valve provided at the third opening, wherein the further valve is configured to selectively prevent and allow fluid to communicate between the ink chamber and the valve accommodating chamber via the third opening.