JP2000071471A - Liquid container, cartridge including liquid container, and recorder employing cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect residual quantity of liquid accurately by forming a prism out of light transmitting member projecting into a liquid containing part from the bottom thereof and making a groove for absorbing liquid through capillarity around the prism. SOLUTION: Ink introduction grooves l81, 182 are made slightly deeper than the inner bottom face of an ink containing part around a prism of light transmitting member projecting into the liquid containing part from the bottom thereof. Ink remaining on the inclining face of the prism 180 is sucked by the capillarity of the ink introduction groove 181 and introduced thereto and then it is passed through the ink introduction groove 182 and absorbed by an absorber 320. Since drainage performance on the inclining face of the prism 180 is enhanced, ink is removed quickly from the inclining face of the prism 180 when ink in the containing part runs out and residual liquid can be detected accurately.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid container, a cartridge including the liquid container, and a recording apparatus using the cartridge, and more particularly to a liquid for supplying ink to a recording head that performs recording in accordance with an ink jet system. The present invention relates to a storage container, a cartridge including the liquid storage container, and a recording apparatus using the cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a device for detecting the remaining amount of ink in an ink tank containing ink, a method in which electrodes are provided in an ink tank and a method of measuring the electric conductivity between the electrodes, and a recording head Is known which employs a method of optically detecting ink droplets ejected by the above method. In general, the method using electrodes complicates the structure of the ink tank itself, so that a method of optically detecting the remaining amount of ink is often used.

[0003] Particularly, in the case of an ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging ink contained in an ink tank from a recording head, a transport means for transporting a recording medium, a recording operation of the recording head, and a reciprocating movement of the recording head. And control means for controlling the above. In such a device, further, if the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank falls below a predetermined amount during a printing operation, the supply of ink to the print head becomes insufficient, and a discharge failure may occur.
A device is provided for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank or the presence or absence of ink.

As an example of a recording apparatus provided with such a device for detecting the remaining amount of ink, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-112907 discloses an ink tank having an ink tank having a negative pressure generating member such as an absorber or a foaming agent. In order to perform the amount detection, an ink jet recording apparatus using a method of detecting a change in light reflectance at a boundary portion between the wall surface and a negative pressure generating member by passing light through a part of the wall surface of a transparent ink tank is used. It has been disclosed.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-218321 discloses that
An ink tank including an optical ink detection unit formed of a light transmitting member formed of the same material as the ink tank and having an interface with ink at a predetermined angle with respect to an optical path is disclosed. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-174877 discloses a detection system for detecting the presence of an ink tank and the level of ink in the ink tank. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-29989 discloses an ink jet recording apparatus capable of detecting the presence / absence of ink and the presence / absence of an ink tank by a single photosensor having a common light emitting element and light receiving element. .

[0006] In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-89090 discloses a negative pressure generating member accommodating chamber accommodating a negative pressure generating member and having a liquid supply port and an air communication portion, and a negative pressure generating member accommodating chamber. A device for detecting the presence or absence of a liquid stored in a liquid storage container having a communication portion that communicates with a liquid storage chamber and having a liquid storage chamber that forms a substantially sealed space is disclosed.

Here, a conventional ink presence / absence detection mechanism using a light-transmitting prism will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a light transmitting prism provided on the bottom surface of the ink tank, a light emitting element for irradiating the prism with light, and a light receiving element for receiving the light.

As shown in FIG. 13, the prism 1060 is provided integrally with the bottom surface 1061 of the ink tank by molding. Light from the light emitting element 1062 enters the prism 1060 from below the outside of the ink tank.

When the ink is sufficiently filled in the ink tank, the incident light follows the path from the optical path to the optical path 'and is absorbed in the ink, and does not return to the light receiving element 1063. On the other hand, when the ink is consumed and the ink tank is depleted, as shown in FIG.
The light is reflected at the oblique side of 0, and reaches the light receiving element 1063 via the optical path → the optical path → the optical path. Thus, the light emitting element 10
The presence or absence of ink is detected based on whether or not the light irradiated from 62 returns to the light receiving element 1063.

The light emitting element 1062 and the light receiving element 106
3 is provided on the recording apparatus main body side.

The above described ink presence / absence detection mechanism is a reasonable method for detecting the level of ink in the ink tank or the presence / absence of ink at low cost.

[0012]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, the ink tank is exposed to a severe environment such as a high temperature or a low temperature when the viscosity of the ink becomes high in a low temperature environment or the like. When the ink easily sticks to the prism, as shown in FIG. 14, even if the ink inside the ink tank is almost completely used, even a small amount of the ink 1067 may remain on the prism surface.

In such a case, the light emitted from the light emitting element 1062 is
It should be reflected on the oblique side of 060 and return to the light receiving element 1063 via the optical path →→, but since the ink 1067 remains on the prism surface, the light emitting element 1062
From the light enters the ink tank via the optical path → ′, and as a result, the amount of light returned to the light receiving element 1063 becomes smaller than expected.

For this reason, there is an inconvenience that it is determined that ink still remains in the ink tank even though no ink remains in the ink tank.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional example, and can accurately detect the presence or absence of a residual liquid even when a liquid or a container containing the liquid is exposed to a severe environment. It is an object to provide a liquid storage container, a cartridge including the liquid storage container, and a recording apparatus using the cartridge.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, a liquid container according to the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, an accommodating portion for accommodating a liquid, a first surface for receiving light incident from an external device, a light for receiving light reflected by the first surface, and an optical path of the received light are defined as follows. A second surface that changes an optical path so as to face an external device, is formed by a light-transmitting member, is provided at a bottom portion of the housing portion, and extends from the bottom of the housing portion toward the inside of the housing portion. A liquid container having a prism that protrudes and a groove or a protrusion around the prism or on the first and second surfaces for absorbing the liquid by capillary force.

Here, the prism and the groove or the protrusion are desirably molded integrally with the liquid container.

Preferably, the groove is provided at the bottom of the housing so as to surround the prism.
A first space for accommodating only the liquid and a second space for accommodating an absorber for absorbing and retaining the liquid are provided in the accommodating portion, and the liquid is provided at the bottom of the second space. The prism is provided on the first space side, and another groove for guiding the liquid from the groove to the second space side is further provided. It is desirable to be provided.

Further, the groove may be provided along the ends of the first and second surfaces, and the protrusion may be provided along the ends of the first and second surfaces. You may do it.

The liquid referred to above may be ink, and the ink may be applied to the recording medium in order to improve the fixability and water resistance of the image recorded on the recording medium or to improve the quality of the image. The processing liquid to be discharged may be used.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge including the liquid storage container as described above, wherein a recording head for discharging the liquid stored in the liquid storage container, and a holder for holding the liquid storage container. Is provided.

Here, it is desirable that the liquid container is separable from the holder.

The recording head is an ink jet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink. Further, the head generates thermal energy to be applied to the ink in order to discharge the ink by using the thermal energy. It is desirable to have a heat energy conversion body for the conversion.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium using the cartridge having the above-described configuration, wherein the prism irradiates light and receives reflected light from the prism. Optical means, detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of the liquid stored in the liquid storage container based on the reflected light received by the optical means, and based on a detection result obtained by the detecting means, And a control unit for controlling a recording operation by the recording head.

With the above arrangement, according to the present invention, when the liquid remaining in the liquid container is exhausted, the liquid is promptly removed from the surface of the prism.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a recording apparatus provided with a recording head for performing recording according to an ink jet system, which is a typical embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the recording head 1 is connected to an ink tank 7 for supplying ink to the recording head 1 and integrally forms an ink cartridge 20. In this embodiment, the ink cartridge 20 has a configuration in which the recording head 1 and the ink tank 7 can be separated as described later, but an ink cartridge in which the recording head and the ink tank are integrated may be used. .

On the bottom of the ink tank 7, an optical prism for detecting the remaining amount of ink is provided. This configuration will be described later in detail.

Further, the recording head is provided with a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for discharging ink, particularly in an ink jet recording system. By using a method in which a change in the state of the ink is caused by the thermal energy, higher density and higher definition of recording are achieved.

In FIG. 1, a recording head 1 is mounted on a carriage 2 in a posture for ejecting ink downward in the figure, and ejects ink droplets while moving a carriage 2 along a guide shaft 3 to form recording paper. An image is formed on a recording medium (not shown) as described above. The carriage 2 is moved left and right (reciprocated) via the timing belt 5 by the rotation of the carriage motor 4. An engagement claw 6 is provided on the carriage 2 and engages with an engagement hole 7a of the ink tank to fix the ink tank 7 to the carriage 2.
When printing for one scan of the print head is completed, the printing operation is interrupted, the printing medium located on the platen 8 is conveyed by a predetermined amount by driving the feed motor 9, and then the carriage 2 is moved along the guide shaft 3 again. To form an image for the next one scan.

On the right side of the apparatus main body, a recovery device 1 for performing a recovery operation for keeping the ink discharge state of the recording head 1 good.
The apparatus 10 includes a cap 11 for capping the recording head 1, a wiper 12 for wiping the ink ejection surface of the recording head 1, and a device for sucking ink from the ink ejection nozzles of the recording head 1. A suction pump (not shown) and the like are provided.

The driving force of the feed motor 9 for conveying the recording medium is transmitted to the original recording medium conveying mechanism and also to the automatic paper feeder (ASF) 13.

Further, on the side of the recovery device 10, an infrared LE
An optical unit 14 for detecting the remaining amount of ink and detecting the presence / absence of an ink tank is provided. The light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 16 are mounted so as to be arranged along the recording paper conveyance direction (the direction of arrow F). The optical unit 14 is attached to a chassis 17 of the apparatus main body. When the ink cartridge 20 is mounted on the carriage 2 and moves rightward from the position shown in FIG.
4 above. Then, the presence or absence of the remaining ink can be detected from the bottom surface of the ink tank 7 by the optical unit 14 (details will be described later). Next, a control configuration for executing the recording control of the above-described apparatus will be described.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit of the printing apparatus. In FIG. 2 showing the control circuit, 170
0 is an interface for inputting a recording signal, 1701 is M
A PU 1702 is a ROM for storing a control program executed by the MPU 1701, and a 1703 is a DRAM for storing various data (such as the print signal and print data supplied to the print head 1). A gate array (G.1704) controls supply of print data to the print head 1.
A. ), The interface 1700, the MPU 170
1. Data transfer control between the RAMs 1703 is also performed. 170
5 is a head dryer for driving the recording head 1, 170
Reference numerals 6 and 1707 denote motor drivers for driving the feed motor 9 and the carriage motor 4, respectively.

The operation of the above control configuration will be described. When a recording signal is input to the interface 1700, the gate array 17
04 and the MPU 1701 converts the recording signal into recording data for printing. Then, the motor driver 17
06 and 1707 are driven, and the head driver 1
The recording head 1 is driven according to the recording data sent to 705, and recording is performed.

Reference numeral 1710 denotes an LCD 1711 for displaying various messages relating to the printing operation and the wiping state of the printing apparatus, and LEDs of various colors for notifying the printing operation and the state of the printing apparatus.
The display unit includes a lamp 1712.

The operation of the remaining ink amount detector 25 for detecting the presence or absence of remaining ink in the ink tank 7 integrated with the recording head 1 is controlled by the MPU 1701. The details of the remaining ink amount detection unit 25 will be described later. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the ink remaining amount detection unit 25.

In the configuration shown in FIG.
Based on the control signal from the PU 1701, the controller 32 outputs a pulse signal having a predetermined duty (DUTY) ratio (%) to the LED drive circuit 30, and the light emitting element 15 configuring the optical unit 14 according to the duty ratio.
To irradiate the bottom of the ink tank 7 with infrared light.

The infrared light is reflected by an optical prism (hereinafter, referred to as a prism) 180 at the bottom of the ink tank 7 and returns to the light receiving element 16 constituting the optical unit 14. The light receiving element 16 as a phototransistor converts the received light into an electric signal, and outputs the electric signal to a low-pass filter (LPF) 31. Low-pass filter (L
The PF 31 cuts high-frequency noise out of the electric signals input from the light receiving element 16 and sends only the signal with a low frequency to the controller 32. The controller 32 A / D converts the signal of the low-pass filter (LPF) 31 and converts the signal into a digital signal. Then, the converted value is the MPU 170
Transferred to 1.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the light-emitting element 15 is an LED that emits infrared light 28, and the light-receiving element 16 receives infrared light 29, and responds to the intensity of the received light. A phototransistor that outputs an electric signal. As shown in FIG. 1, these LEDs and phototransistors are arranged so as to be arranged in the transport direction of the recording paper.

Next, an outline of the configuration of an ink tank to which the present invention can be suitably applied will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of a head holder 200 provided with the ink tank 7 and the recording head 1. In this figure, (A) shows a state where the ink tank 7 is separated from the head holder 200, and (B) shows a state where the ink tank 7 is attached to the head holder 200. Also,
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing the internal structure of the ink tank 7.

First, the ink tank 7 in this embodiment has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the upper wall 7U is provided with an air communication port 120 which is a hole communicating with the inside of the ink tank.

Further, an ink supply cylinder 140 having an ink supply port is formed on the lower wall 7B of the ink tank 7 so as to protrude in a cylindrical shape. In the physical distribution process, the air communication port 120 is made of a film or the like.
Are closed by a cap as an ink supply port sealing member.

Reference numeral 160 denotes a lever member integrally formed on the outside of the ink tank 7 so as to be elastically deformable, and a locking projection is formed at an intermediate portion thereof.

Reference numeral 200 denotes a recording-head-integrated head holder on which the above-described ink tank 7 is mounted. In this embodiment, for example, ink of each color of cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) is used. Tank 7 (7C, 7M, 7
Y). At the lower part of the head holder 200, a recording head 1 for ejecting each color ink is provided integrally. A window is provided at the bottom of the head holder 200 so that an ink presence / absence detection unit described later can detect presence / absence of remaining ink in cooperation with the optical unit 14 and the remaining ink detection unit 25.

The recording head 1 has a plurality of discharge ports formed downward (hereinafter, the surface of the head on which the discharge ports are formed is referred to as a discharge port formation surface).

The ink tank 7 is moved from the state shown in FIG.
40 is engaged with an ink supply cylinder receiving portion (not shown) provided on the recording head 1, and is pushed so that the ink passage cylinder of the recording head 1 enters the ink supply cylinder 140. Then, the locking projection 160A of the lever member 160 engages with a projection (not shown) formed at a predetermined position of the head holder 200, and the proper mounting state shown in FIG. 4B is obtained. The head-integrated head holder 200 with the ink tank 7 mounted thereon is further mounted, for example, on the carriage 2 of the recording apparatus as shown in FIG. In such a state, a predetermined head difference (H) is formed between the bottom of the ink tank 7 and the ejection port forming surface of the head.

Next, the internal structure of the ink tank 7 will be described with reference to FIG. The ink tank 7 in this embodiment communicates with the atmosphere through the atmosphere communication port 120 at the upper part, and communicates with the ink supply port at the lower part, and has a negative pressure generating member that accommodates the absorber 320 as a negative pressure generating member inside. A storage chamber 340 and a substantially sealed liquid storage chamber 360 for storing liquid ink are partitioned by a partition wall 380. The negative pressure generating member storage chamber 340 and the liquid storage chamber 360 are separated from each other by a partition 380 near the bottom of the ink tank 7.
The communication is made only through the communication port 400 formed in the communication port.

A plurality of ribs 420 are integrally formed in the upper wall 7U of the ink tank 7 forming the negative pressure generating member storage chamber 340 so as to protrude into the upper wall 7U. Abuts on the absorber 320 accommodated in the container. Thus, an air buffer chamber 440 is formed between the upper wall 7U and the upper surface of the absorber 320. Absorber 32
Numeral 0 is formed of a heat-compressed urethane foam, and is housed in a negative pressure generating member housing chamber 340 in a compressed state so as to generate a predetermined capillary force as described later. The absolute value of the pore size of the absorber 320 for generating the predetermined capillary force depends on the type of ink used, the size of the ink tank 7,
It depends on the position of the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 1 (head difference H) and the like.

In the ink supply tube 140 forming the ink supply port 140A, a disk-shaped or column-shaped pressure contact body 460 is disposed. The pressed body 460 is
For example, it is formed of polypropylene felt, and does not itself deform easily due to external force. In the state shown in FIG. 4A in which the press-contact body 460 is not mounted on the head holder 200, the press-contact body 460 is held in a state where the press-contact body 460 is pushed into the absorber 320 so as to locally compress the absorber 320. For this purpose, a flange is formed at the end of the ink supply cylinder 140 to be in contact with the periphery of the pressure contact body 460.

In the ink tank having such a configuration, when the ink in the absorber 320 is consumed by the recording head 1, the ink is supplied from the liquid storage chamber 360 to the negative pressure generating member storage chamber 340 through the communication port 400 of the partition wall 380. It is supplied to the absorber 320. At this time, the pressure in the liquid storage chamber 360 is reduced, but air passing from the atmosphere communication section 120 through the negative pressure generating member storage chamber enters the liquid storage chamber 360 through the communication port 400 of the partition wall 380, and the inside of the liquid storage chamber 360 is reduced. Decompression is reduced. Therefore, even if ink is consumed by the recording head 1, the ink is filled in the absorber 320 according to the consumed amount, the absorber 320 holds a fixed amount of ink, and keeps the negative pressure on the recording head 1 substantially constant. Therefore, the ink supply to the recording head 1 is stabilized. Thereafter, the liquid storage chamber 36
When the ink in 0 is consumed, the ink in the absorber 320 is consumed.

Therefore, a prism 180 which is a part of the remaining ink amount detection mechanism is provided in the liquid storage chamber 360 of such an ink tank, and the user is notified that the ink in the liquid storage chamber 360 has been consumed and the tank is replaced. This makes it possible to use the recording apparatus without worrying about running out of ink.

FIG. 6 shows the ink tank 7 as indicated by a line A- in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A ′ and viewing the bottom of the ink tank 7 from above.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 181 denotes an ink introduction groove provided around the prism 180, and reference numeral 182 denotes an ink introduction groove communicating with the ink introduction groove 181 and the absorber 320.

FIG. 7 shows the prism 180 as indicated by a line B- shown in FIG.
It is sectional drawing of the prism 180 and its periphery cut | disconnected along B '. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the prism 180 and its periphery obtained by cutting the prism 180 along the line CC ′ shown in FIG. As can be seen from FIGS. 7 and 8, it is understood that the ink introduction grooves 181 and 182 are provided slightly deeper than the inner bottom surface of the ink tank 7 around the prism 180.

In this embodiment, the prism 180 and the ink introduction grooves 181 and 182 are integrally molded with the main body of the ink tank 7, and the molding material is excellent in ink resistance, gas barrier property and transparency, and Uses inexpensive polypropylene.

Accordingly, by providing the ink introduction groove around the prism 180 as described above, the ink remaining on the inclined surface of the prism 180 is absorbed by the capillary force of the ink introduction groove 181 and guided to the ink introduction groove 181. ,further,
Since the ink is absorbed by the absorber 320 through the ink introduction groove 182, the amount of ink remaining on the surface of the prism 180 can be extremely reduced.

In order to smoothly discharge the ink, the capillary force of the tank introduction grooves 181 and 182 is reduced by the absorber 320.
It goes without saying that the capillary force is smaller.

In this way, by improving the drainage of the slope of the prism, if the ink in the ink tank runs out, the slope of the prism quickly loses ink.
It is possible to accurately detect the presence or absence of the remaining ink without the high viscosity ink remaining on the slope and greatly affecting the detection of the presence or absence of the ink.

In the embodiment described above, the ink introduction groove is provided around the prism in order to improve the drainage of the slope of the prism, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, ink introduction grooves 183 and 184 may be provided at both ends of two slopes of the prism 180. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the ink tank 7 taken along a line AA 'shown in FIG. 5 and the bottom of the ink tank 7 viewed from above. FIG. B2-B
It is sectional drawing of the prism 180 and its periphery cut | disconnected along 2 '.

By providing the groove having such a structure, the ink remaining on the inclined surface of the prism 180 is removed by the ink introduction groove 183.
And 184 are absorbed at both ends by the capillary force, so that the ink remaining at the center of the slope of the prism 180 can be extremely reduced.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 12, ridge lines 190 and 191 may be provided at both ends of the inclined surface of the prism 180. Here, FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the ink tank 7 taken along the line AA ′ shown in FIG. 5 and the bottom of the ink tank 7 viewed from above, and FIG. It is sectional drawing of the prism 180 cut | disconnected along B3-B3 ', and its periphery.

By providing ridges at both ends of the slope of the prism 180 in this way, the ink remaining on the slope of the prism 180 is absorbed at both ends by capillary force having the corners of the ridges 190 and 190. The ink remaining in the central portion of the ink can be extremely reduced.

In the above embodiment, the description has been made assuming that the droplets ejected from the recording head are ink, and that the liquid stored in the ink tank is ink. It is not limited. For example, an ink tank may contain a processing liquid discharged to a recording medium in order to improve the fixability and water resistance of the recorded image or to improve the image quality.

Further, since the recording apparatus described in the above embodiment can perform high-density and high-speed recording operation, the output means of the information processing system, for example, a copying machine,
Facsimile, electronic typewriter, word processor,
Printer as output terminal, such as workstation
Alternatively, it can be used as a handy or portable printer provided in a personal computer, an optical disk device, a video device, and the like. In this case, the recording device takes a form corresponding to the functions, usage patterns, and the like unique to these devices.

Therefore, the applicable range of the ink tank as the liquid container according to the present invention is not limited to the recording apparatus, but extends to various devices such as a facsimile apparatus and a copying machine. The present invention can be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), and to an apparatus including one device (for example, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, etc.). Good.

[0069]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the liquid remaining in the liquid container is exhausted, the liquid is promptly removed from the surface of the prism, for example, due to changes in various environmental conditions. Since the viscosity of the liquid does not change and adhere to the surface of the prism and remains, the presence or absence of the remaining amount of the liquid can be accurately detected.

Further, since the prism and the accommodating portion constituting the present invention are integrally molded, there is an advantage that the presence or absence of the remaining liquid can be accurately detected by a simple and low-cost method.

[0071]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus including a print head that performs printing according to an ink jet system, which is a typical embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control circuit of the printing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of an ink remaining amount / ink tank presence / absence detection unit 25;

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of a head holder 200 including the ink tank 7 and the recording head 1.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing the internal structure of the ink tank 7.

6 is a cross-sectional view of the ink tank 7 taken along a line AA 'shown in FIG. 5, and the bottom of the ink tank 7 viewed from above.

7 is a sectional view of the prism 180 and its surroundings, taken along the line BB 'shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the prism 180 and its periphery, taken along the line CC ′ shown in FIG. 6;

9 is a cross-sectional view of an ink tank 7 having a prism according to another embodiment, taken along a line AA 'shown in FIG. 5, and a bottom portion of the ink tank 7 viewed from above.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a prism 180 taken along a line B2-B2 ′ shown in FIG. 9;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the prism 180 and its periphery, taken along the line.

11 is a cross-sectional view of an ink tank 7 having a prism according to still another embodiment, taken along a line AA 'shown in FIG. 5, and a bottom of the ink tank 7 viewed from above.

12 is a diagram illustrating a prism 180 taken along a line B3-B shown in FIG.
It is sectional drawing of the prism 180 cut | disconnected along 3 ', and its periphery.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a conventional light transmission type prism provided on the bottom surface of an ink tank, a light emitting element for irradiating the prism with light, and a light receiving element for receiving the light.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an optical path when ink is slightly attached to a prism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording head 2 Carriage 3 Guide shaft 4 Carriage motor 5 Timing belt 6 Engaging claw 7 Ink tank 8 Platen 9 Feed motor 10 Recovery device 11 Cap 12 Wiper 13 ASF 14 Optical unit 15 Light emitting element 16 Light receiving element 17 Chassis 20 Ink cartridge 30 LED drive circuit 31 Low pass filter (LPF) 32 Controller 120 Atmosphere communication hole 140A Ink supply port 180 Prism 181 to 184 Ink introduction groove 190, 191 Ridge 320 Absorber 340 Negative pressure generating member storage chamber 360 Liquid storage chamber 380 Partition wall 400 Communication port 420 rib 440 air buffer chamber 460 pressure contact body

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Koshikawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo F-term in Canon Inc. (reference) 2C056 EA29 EB20 EB52 FA03 KC11 KC13 KC15 KC16 KC22 KD06

Claims (14)

[Claims] A container for accommodating a liquid; a first surface for receiving light incident from an external device; a light receiving member for receiving light reflected by the first surface; A second surface that changes an optical path so as to face an external device, is formed by a light-transmitting member, is provided at a bottom portion of the housing portion, and extends from the bottom of the housing portion toward the inside of the housing portion. A liquid container, comprising: a protruding prism; and a groove or a protrusion around the prism or on the first and second surfaces for absorbing the liquid by capillary force. 2. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the prism and the groove or the protrusion are molded integrally with the liquid container. 3. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the groove is provided at a bottom of the container so as to surround a periphery of the prism. 4. The storage section is provided with a first space for storing only the liquid and a second space for storing an absorber for absorbing and holding the liquid, and the second space is provided. The liquid container according to claim 3, wherein an outlet is provided at a bottom portion of the container so that the liquid flows out. 5. The liquid according to claim 4, wherein the prism is provided on the first space side, and another groove for guiding the liquid from the groove to the second space side is further provided. Storage container. 6. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the groove is provided along an end of the first and second surfaces. 7. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided along an end of the first and second surfaces. 8. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the liquid is ink. 9. The processing liquid discharged to the recording medium in order to improve fixability and water resistance of an image recorded on the recording medium with ink, and to enhance the quality of the image. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein: 10. A cartridge including the liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein: a recording head that discharges the liquid stored in the liquid storage container; and a holder that holds the liquid storage container. A cartridge comprising: 11. The cartridge according to claim 10, wherein the liquid container is separable from the holder. 12. The cartridge according to claim 10, wherein the recording head is an inkjet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink. 13. The ink jet recording head according to claim 12, further comprising a thermal energy converter for generating thermal energy to be applied to the ink in order to discharge the ink using thermal energy. A cartridge according to claim 1. 14. A recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium using the cartridge according to claim 10, wherein the prism irradiates light and reflects light reflected from the prism. Optical means for receiving light, detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of the liquid stored in the liquid storage container based on the reflected light received by the optical means, based on a detection result obtained by the detecting means A control unit for controlling a printing operation by the printing head.