JP2004351935A - Ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink cartridge which can be simplified in the structure for position regulation of an electrode group, and can be made compact. <P>SOLUTION: The ink cartridge consists of a bottom wall face for constituting an ink container, a first side wall intersecting the bottom wall face, a second side wall intersecting the bottom wall face and opposed to the first side wall, an ink supply port 4 formed at a position biased to the first side wall side of the bottom wall face, a projection 12 formed closer to a front wall face of the second side wall, a securing member 9 formed at the first side wall and having an engagement part to be engaged with a part of a recording device, and the electrode group 14 which is connected to a storage means set in the ink container and is formed at the projection. The projection 12 has a side part regulated by the recording device in a state while the ink cartridge is set in the recording device by being pressed by a member which constitutes the recording device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink cartridge for supplying ink detachably mounted on a carriage having a recording head for printing data such as an image by ejecting ink droplets from nozzle openings.

  An ink cartridge detachably mounted on a carriage is required to be easily removable for replacement while maintaining a reliable liquid-tight state with a flow path forming member such as an ink supply needle communicating with a recording head. Further, in the case of a cartridge provided with storage means for storing ink information, an electrode is provided on the ink cartridge in order to make contact with the recording apparatus so that the ink cartridge can be reliably contacted with the contact means of the recording apparatus. It is necessary to store the ink cartridge in the cartridge holder.

For this reason, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, an ink supply port is formed on one wall constituting an ink container, and a storage means and an electrode group are provided on one of the opposing walls so as to sandwich the wall. Two first projections are provided so as to sandwich the contact group, and a lever urged in the expanding direction is provided on the other wall surface.
The ink container receiver of the recording apparatus cooperating with the ink container is provided with a first protrusion, two upper protrusions, two second protrusions that are engaged at the side, and a concave portion that is engaged with the lever.
With such a configuration, the container is obliquely loaded into the ink container receiver so that the first projection first engages with the second projection, and then the other side is pushed in. In this process, the ink supply port comes into contact with the ink supply flow path forming member, and the ink container is fixed to the ink container receiver in a state where ink can be supplied by engaging the lever with the concave portion.
In a state in which the ink cartridge is fixed to the ink container receiver, the ink container is always pressed upward by a spring provided in the ink container receiver, so that the two first protrusions of the ink container and the two first protrusions of the ink container receiver are used. The two protrusions are engaged in two directions, up, down, left and right, respectively, so that the ink container is regulated at the up, down, left, and right positions to the reference position, and the electrodes of the ink container reliably contact the contacts of the ink container receiver. Maintain state.
However, since two positioning protrusions are required on both sides of the electrode group of the ink container, there is a problem that the structures of the ink container and the ink container receiver are complicated and wide.
In addition, since the lever is expanded by its own elastic force, it cannot exert a strong elastic force. That is, when the lever is deformed toward the container side and compactly accommodated in a box or the like, the engaging force of the lever is reduced. Have the problem of decreasing.
Furthermore, since the ink container needs to be rotated and moved when the ink container is mounted, a large bending force acts on the flow path forming member when the flow path forming member that engages with the ink supply port is long. There is a problem that the forming member is damaged and the packing loaded in the ink supply port is damaged.
On the other hand, Patent Literature 2 discloses an invention in which an electrode group is arranged on a side surface of an ink container having a cubic structure and fixed at a predetermined position of a holder by a loading lever.
WO 01/54910 pamphlet JP 2002-254673 A

According to the invention described in Patent Literature 2, in order to secure the contact between the electrode groups in order to hold the ink cartridge at a predetermined position of the holder by the pressing force of the loading lever, the structure of the loading lever is required. Ingenuity is required, and the structure becomes complicated.
The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge capable of simplifying a structure for regulating the position of an electrode group and miniaturizing the same. is there.

  In order to solve such a problem, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to an ink cartridge used in a recording apparatus in which a cartridge accommodating section having an ink supply member communicating with a recording head is provided on a carriage, the bottom constituting an ink container. A wall, a first side wall and a second side wall that intersect and oppose the bottom wall, and are formed at positions offset from the bottom wall toward the first side wall to enable the ink supply member to be inserted. An ink supply port, a locking member formed on the first side wall and having an engaging portion for engaging with a part of the cartridge accommodating portion, and a side portion formed on the second side wall near the bottom wall; Are formed by a convex portion regulated by a rib formed in the cartridge accommodating portion, and an electrode group connected to the storage means disposed in the ink container and disposed in the convex portion. I have.

  According to the invention of claim 2, a guide projection is formed below the locking member and extends in a direction in which the container is loaded.

  In the invention of claim 3, a concave portion is formed on another wall surface adjacent to the wall surface on which the convex portion is formed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a valve body which maintains the ink supply port in a normally closed state by urging means, and a seal which abuts the valve body and resiliently contacts an outer periphery of an ink supply member formed in the recording apparatus. The member is accommodated.

The invention according to claim 5 is a lever in which the locking member is provided with an engagement portion that engages with a part of the recording device, and when the recording member is attached to the recording device, the upper portion of the lever is forcibly outward. A projection is formed on the lever.
In the invention according to claim 6, the projection is provided on both side surfaces of the lever.

  In the invention according to claim 7, the width of the projection is formed smaller than the width of the ink container.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the electrode group includes a plurality of electrode rows, and the electrode groups are arranged vertically in a line parallel to an axial direction of the ink supply port.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lever provided with an engaging portion in which the locking member is engaged with a part of the recording apparatus, and the lever generates an elastic force for displacing the ink container toward the convex portion. It is configured to

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the ink supply port accommodates an elastic sealing material that engages with an ink supply member of the recording apparatus.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, a concave portion or a convex portion for holding the ink cartridge is formed on the second side wall.

  In a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the second side wall is a surface that is vertically long in the cartridge insertion direction.

  The invention according to claim 13, wherein the electrode group and the storage means are provided on a circuit board mounted on a surface parallel to the cartridge insertion direction of the projection and opposed to the first wall surface, The group is formed on the front side of the circuit board.

  In a fourteenth aspect, the electrode group includes a plurality of vertically elongated electrodes.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the electrode group and the storage unit are formed on a circuit board, and the electrode group is formed so as to be biased toward the bottom surface of the circuit board.

  In the invention according to claim 16, the identification pieces formed as individual blocks are fixed to the ink container by fixing means.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the identification piece and the projection are configured as a block so as to be the same member, and are fixed to the ink container by fixing means.

  According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, means for positioning are formed on the back surface of the block and the wall surface of the ink container.

  According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, the side surface of the projection is a surface parallel to the cartridge insertion direction.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the position of the second side wall on which the electrode group is arranged is positioned in the lateral direction, that is, in the lateral direction by the side wall of the projection, and the electrode is accurately positioned at a predetermined position. can do.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the ink cartridge is loaded, the ink supply port side can be reliably guided to the ink supply member, and at the time of completion of the mounting, the front and rear width direction positions of the ink cartridge are securely positioned at the predetermined position. Can be held.

According to the third aspect of the invention, when the ink cartridge is removed by rotation, the rotation at the time of removal can be guided along a predetermined trajectory, and the external force to the flow path forming member due to the lateral displacement can be applied. Can be made smaller.
In addition, when the ink cartridge is taken out linearly, even if the ink cartridge is displaced in the rotation direction, it is possible to prevent interference of the ribs of the cartridge holder that regulates the position in the row direction.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the cartridge is resiliently fixed via the locking member by the urging means of the ink supply port without the necessity of the urging means on the recording device side, and the vibration is caused. Sticking can be prevented. In addition, ink leakage can be prevented by the valve element when not attached to the recording apparatus and by the seal member when attached to the recording apparatus.

  According to the fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention, the elasticity of the locking member can be increased to ensure engagement, and a click feeling can be given at the time of mounting. Further, when the locking member is deformed from the predetermined shape, the lever can be returned to a normal position by the projection, and the engaging portion of the locking member can be securely engaged with a part of the recording apparatus. .

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the ink cartridge is accommodated in close contact with the cartridge accommodating portion of the carriage, that is, the interval between adjacent cartridges can be made as small as possible, and the ink cartridge is reliably positioned while the carriage is compact. be able to.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the plurality of electrodes are arranged in the convex portion regulating direction in the convex portion whose width direction is regulated, the positioning between the electrodes and the contact on the recording apparatus side can be performed reliably. .

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to urge the electrode group of the convex portion to the contact point of the recording device to make sure the contact.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the force applied to the cartridge is reduced by the elastic sealing material to prevent a local force from acting on the ink supply member of the recording apparatus, thereby reducing damage to the ink supply member. be able to.

  According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, only the intended cartridge can be selectively attached / detached by the locking member and the holding concave / convex portion even if the narrow ink cartridge is arranged close to the ink cartridge.

  According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, since the protrusions can be arranged on the vertically long surface in the insertion direction, the side surfaces can be used efficiently. In addition, since the surface on which the convex portion is formed is vertically long, the width of the carriage for mounting the cartridge (width in the carriage moving direction) when a plurality of cartridges are adjacent to each other can be reduced.

  According to the thirteenth aspect, the plurality of electrodes can be appropriately arranged on the projection without an angle with respect to the insertion direction. Further, the electrodes can be formed by the printed circuit technology by effectively utilizing the flatness of the circuit board, and the reliability of the contacts can be improved. Further, by forming the concave portion on the convex portion side, the storage element on the back surface can be accommodated in the concave portion, and the entire front surface side can be used as an electrode arrangement region.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the electrodes can be intensively arranged in a region having high positioning accuracy near the convex portion functioning as the left-right positioning portion of the cartridge, and the contact can be formed with high reliability.

  According to the invention of claim 15, it is possible to dispose the electrode group in an area of the ink cartridge where blurring is minimized by engagement between the ink supply port and the ink supply needle.

  According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the electrode group can be formed on a block which is smaller and easier to handle than the ink container. Further, since the container can be used in common regardless of the liquid to be stored, the variation of the container body can be reduced as compared with a case where a container is prepared for each liquid.

  According to the seventeenth aspect, the identification piece and the projection can be fixed to the ink cartridge by one assembly operation. Further, the manufacturing can be performed while maintaining the matching between the identification piece and the storage means mounted on the circuit board on the projection.

  According to the eighteenth aspect, the block can be assembled to the ink container with high accuracy even by the automatic assembling apparatus.

  According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reliably control the width direction of the convex portion, and to perform reliable electrode positioning.

Therefore, the details of the present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiment.
1A and 1B show an embodiment of the ink cartridge of the present invention.
In this embodiment, the ink cartridge 1 has a flat container including a container body 2a and a lid 2b, and an ink supply needle that forms a flow path forming member of a recording head on one wall surface (bottom surface) 3 of the container body 2a. And an ink supply port 4 for supplying ink by engaging with the ink supply port. The ink supply port 4 is disposed at a position deviated to one side from the center in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge (that is, on the wall surface (side wall) side where the lever 9 serving as the locking member is formed). As shown in FIG. 2, a valve body 6 that maintains a normally closed state by a spring 5 that exerts a biasing force is attached to the distal end side of the ink supply port 4, and engages with a flow path forming member outside, that is, the distal end side. The annular elastic sealing material 6a is loaded.

The two wall surfaces (side walls) 7 and 8 which are substantially orthogonal to and opposed to the wall surface 3 where the ink supply port 4 is formed are provided with elastically deformable engagement surfaces on the wall surface 7 near the ink supply port 4. A lever 9 serving as a stop member is formed so as to extend in the upper direction so that the lower end is on the wall surface side and the upper portion is away from the wall surface, and a guide projection 10 is formed on the lower portion.
The lower end of the other wall surface 8 has a surface capable of supporting an elastic piece to be described later, for example, a convex portion 12 having a flat surface 12a, having a width smaller than the width of the ink container including the container main body 2a and the lid 2b. The upper part thereof is formed with a concave portion 2c large enough to receive a thumb. The flat surface 12 a of the convex portion 12 forms a pressed portion pressed by the elastic piece 40. On the surface 13 of the convex portion 12 parallel to the wall surface 8, a plurality of electrodes 14 forming a contact with the elastic contact member 41 of the recording apparatus, in this embodiment, three electrodes in an upper row so as to be arranged in a plurality in a horizontal direction, Four electrodes are formed at the lower stage so as to be staggered up and down.
The electrode located in the center of the upper stage is located on a line obtained by projecting the central axis of the ink supply port 4 perpendicularly to the surface on which the electrode 14 is formed, and other electrodes are arranged so that the electrode located in the center is the center. I have.
By disposing the electrodes in such a form, even if the ink cartridge is loaded and the backlash is generated around the ink supply port, the displacement of the electrodes 14 can be reduced.

The electrode 14 is formed on the surface of the circuit board 15 as shown in FIG. 3A, and is formed by fixing the circuit board 15 to the surface 13 of the projection 12. On the back surface of the circuit board 15, as shown in FIG. 3B, a storage means 18 such as a readable and writable semiconductor storage element such as an EEPROM that stores information of ink contained in the ink container is mounted. It is conductively connected to the electrode 14.
By mounting the storage means 18 on the rear surface in this way, the concave portion 13a (FIG. 1) is formed on the surface 13 of the convex portion 12 by utilizing its thickness, so that the storage element 18 is accommodated in the concave portion. The entire surface side can be used as an area where the electrodes 14 are arranged.
Further, the electrodes can be formed by a printed circuit technique by effectively utilizing the flatness of the circuit board 15, and the reliability of the contacts can be improved.

  Further, on the side where the convex portion 12 is formed, a rotation support concave portion 17 is formed to cooperate with a carriage positioning member described later to support the rotation at the time of removal. The recess 17 for turning support is provided with an oblique slope 17a whose lower side is the side of the wall surface 8 and whose upper side is receded toward the other wall surface 7 side.

  The lever 9 has a lower portion serving as a fulcrum 9a and is provided on the wall surface 7 of the container body 2a so as to be elastically deformable. Above the fulcrum 9a, a claw serving as an engaging portion detachable from an engaging portion 38 of the carriage. The portion 19 is formed so as to protrude outward, and between the fulcrum 9a and the claw portion 19, protrusions 20 are preferably formed on both sides so as to protrude laterally from the lever body.

  FIGS. 4 and 5 show an embodiment of a recording apparatus suitable for the above-described ink cartridge in the form of a carriage. The carriage 30 is substantially provided so that a plurality of ink cartridges can be inserted from above. A concave portion 31 which is configured as a box-shaped cartridge holder and engages with a guide member formed by flattening a frame or the like of a recording device on a side surface near the bottom thereof to regulate a movement path; A guide surface 32 that slides on the plane of the second guide member is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the ink cartridge accommodating portion of the carriage 30 has a plurality of ink cartridges, three color ink cartridges formed in the same form in this embodiment, and black ink modified so that only the thickness is increased. A rib 33 and a rib 34 also serving as a width-direction regulating member and a rotation assisting member are defined between the cartridges so as to accommodate one cartridge. In particular, the rib 34 is formed to have the same width at the lower portion, but is formed with a slope 34 a at the center of the upper portion which cooperates with the rotation supporting concave portion 17 of the cartridge 1. Since the rib 34 has such a structure, the lower side surface of the rib 34 abuts against the side surface of the positioning projection 12 of the cartridge to regulate the position in the width direction. 17, the rotation locus of the cartridge can be regulated.

  In the accommodation area of each ink cartridge, a flow path forming member 36 that engages with an ink supply port that supplies ink to a recording head 35 provided on the lower surface. In this embodiment, the tip is formed in a conical shape, and the other part is formed. A hollow needle formed as a body is implanted. A plurality of fine through holes capable of holding a meniscus are formed in the conical surface of the conical portion of the hollow needle, and ink is supplied from the fine through hole to the recording head via the body of the hollow needle. .

  As shown in FIG. 5, a groove 37 for engaging with the projection 20 and an engaging portion 38 for engaging with the claw portion 19, and a concave portion in this embodiment, are formed on the wall surface of the ink cartridge 1 facing the lever 9. I have. The groove 37 is formed with a slope 37a whose upper part expands toward the cartridge side. With this slope 37a, when the ink cartridge is loaded, the projections 20 on both sides are picked up by a wide mouth regardless of the opening degree of the lever 9. In the mounted state, the lever 9 is forcibly expanded toward the side of the wall surface of the carriage, that is, outward. In particular, when the projections 20 are formed on both sides, even when the lever is twisted, the lever can be reliably guided to the proper position.

  Further, a second groove 39 is formed below the groove 37. The groove 39 is engaged with the convex portion 10 for guiding the ink cartridge immediately before the completion of the loading, and prevents rattling in the width direction of the ink cartridge when the mounting is completed. In this embodiment, the guide projection 10 and the groove 37 are provided in the ink cartridge and the ink cartridge accommodating portion, respectively, so that the volume of the ink cartridge is made as large as possible. Also, even if the convex portion 10 is formed in the ink cartridge accommodating portion, the same effect can be obtained as the guide function.

  As shown in FIG. 5, an elastic piece 40 for positioning is formed in each cartridge accommodating area on the other surface of the carriage 30, with the upper end 40 a serving as a fulcrum and the lower end 40 b abutting on the flat surface 12 a of the projection 12. . An elastic contact 41 that is in conductive contact with the electrode 14 formed on the projection 12 is disposed below the elastic piece 40.

  FIG. 7A shows an embodiment of the structure of the area where the elastic piece 40 and the elastic contact 41 of the carriage 30 are assembled. The area facing the ink cartridge 1 is enlarged in FIG. As shown in the figure, an opening 34c having a groove 34b on both sides located on the inside of the rib 34 and having an open upper portion is formed. As shown in FIG. 8 (a), a contact forming member 42 comprising a substrate 41b having elastically deformable claws 41a on both sides as shown in FIG. An elastic piece unit 50 formed with a plurality of elastic pieces 40 shown in FIG. In the elastic piece unit 50, a convex portion 51 that engages with the groove 34 c is formed on both sides of each elastic piece 40, and the claw 52 prevents movement in the vertical direction. Since each of the elastic pieces 40 is disposed so as to cover the contact forming member 42, the elastic piece 40 also has a function of protecting the contact forming member 42. In the drawing, reference numeral 53 denotes a projection for guiding.

  In this embodiment, when the ink cartridge 1 is positioned in a predetermined area of the carriage 30 as shown in FIG. 9, the protrusion 12 collides with the elastic piece 40. When the ink cartridge 1 is further vertically pushed down in this state, the elastic piece 40 is pushed by the convex portion 12 and deformed as shown by the arrow B in the figure as shown in FIG. It descends further through the piece 40.

  In this process, the projections 20 on both sides of the lever 9 of the ink cartridge 1 are picked up by the inclined surface 37 a forming the enlarged portion, and the projection 10 for guiding enters the groove 39. When the cartridge 1 is further pushed in, both sides of the projection 12 are guided by the ribs 34, and the ink supply needle 36 enters the ink supply port 4 to push up the valve 6 against the spring 5.

When the ink cartridge 1 is pushed to the prescribed position in this way, as shown in FIG. 5, the lever 9 pivots around the area fixed at the predetermined position outside by the inclined surface 37a of the carriage and becomes strong. The claw 19 falls into the engagement portion 38 due to the elastic force, and emits a strong single click sound. According to this, the user can confirm that the cartridge is securely mounted on the carriage.
In addition, almost simultaneously, the elastic piece 40 loses the support force of the convex portion 12 and returns to the original state, so that the lower end 40b of the elastic piece 40 comes into contact with the upper surface 12a of the convex portion 12.
At this time, since the ink cartridge 1 moves in the direction in which the elastic contacts 41 are located, there is almost no rubbing between the electrodes 14 and the elastic contacts 41, and while preventing the electrodes 14 and the elastic contacts 41 from being worn or damaged, Conduction can be established between the electrode 14 and the elastic contact 41, and damage to data stored in the EEPROM, which can occur when inappropriate contact occurs, can be prevented.

  In this state, in the vertical direction, the ink cartridge 1 is regulated by the convex portion 12 and the lower end of the elastic piece 40 on the near side and by the claw 19 and the engaging portion 38 on the far side, and in the horizontal direction (width direction). As for the front side, since the front side is regulated by the width direction regulating convex parts 34, 34 on both sides of the convex part 12, the back side is regulated by the guiding groove 39 and the guiding convex part 10, so that the electrode 14 41 and normally form a conductive relationship.

In this manner, when the ink cartridge is completely mounted, the ink cartridge is held in a positional relationship close to the diagonal between the lower part on the front side and the upper part on the rear side, so that the ink cartridge is mounted at the predetermined position without impairing operability. Will be surely maintained.
Further, the elastic force acting on the lever 9 acts to move the ink cartridge toward the elastic contact 41, so that the electrode 41 reliably maintains the conductive relationship. Since the elastic sealing material 6a of the ink supply port 4 has an opening having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the ink supply needle and has elasticity, it is slightly elastically deformed while maintaining airtightness with the ink supply needle 36. Thus, local contact with the ink supply needle 36 is reduced, and damage due to local force acting on the ink supply needle 36 is prevented. More preferably, it is preferable to use an elastic sealing material having a centering property in which a portion in elastic contact with the ink supply needle is movable with respect to a portion fixed to the cartridge.
Further, since the convex portion 12 is formed to have a width equal to or smaller than the width of the container main body 2a, as shown in FIG. Even if they are accommodated so as to be close to each other, that is, they can be accurately regulated in the row direction.

On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 1 is to be removed from the carriage 30, for example, the lever 9 is held by the index finger, the holding recess 2c is held by the thumb, and the lever 9 is deformed so as to be pulled toward the front side, that is, the container body side. 9 is elastically deformed, and the claw 19 is disengaged from the engagement portion 38. The ink cartridge that has lost support by the engagement portion 38 moves slightly upward due to the urging force of the spring 5 of the ink supply port 4, and the claw 19 of the lever 9 is positioned outside the area of the engagement portion 38.
At the time of this removal, the ink supply port 4 is biased toward the side of the wall surface 7 where the lever 9 is provided, so that the ink supply port 4 contacts the lower end of the elastic piece 40 as schematically shown in FIG. An elastic sealing material that can be disengaged from the ink supply needle 36 as a flow path forming member with a large turning radius L in the direction of arrow G in the figure around the contact point F and elastically contacts the cylinder body of the ink supply needle 36. The action of the bending force on the ink supply needle 36 can be reduced in combination with the buffering action by 6a.
When the ink cartridge is rotated to take out the ink cartridge, the rib 34, particularly the inclined portion 34 a, tries to interfere with the side surface of the container body 2 a of the ink cartridge. However, since the concave portion 17 is formed here, the interference with the rib 34 is prevented. Avoid and easily remove.
In addition, the distance between the contact point F where the elastic piece 40 that regulates the center of rotation abuts and the lower end of the center line C of the ink supply port 4 is L, the maximum value of the entry length of the ink supply needle 36 is H, When the rotation angle of θ is θ, the deviation ΔL between the center of the ink supply needle 36 and the center of the ink supply port 4 is:
ΔL = L− (H / tan θ)
Can be represented by
Note that the above-described rotation angle θ refers to a state in which the center point of the tip of the ink supply needle 36 is located outside the end face of the ink supply port 4 from the state where the ink supply needle 36 is engaged with the ink supply port 4. Means the angle of rotation of the ink cartridge until the state is reached.
The above-mentioned maximum value H is a line parallel to the bottom surface of the ink cartridge (a line orthogonal to the center line C) in the direction from the contact point F shown in FIG. Is defined for the sake of convenience with respect to the length of the intersection E at the time of subtraction and the lower end of the ink supply port 4.
In a real ink cartridge, the mounting length H of the ink supply needle 36 is 5 mm, the turning radius L is 28.8 mm, and the turning angle θ is about 10 degrees. The deviation amount ΔL from the center of the supply port 4 is ΔL = 0.4 mm.
That is, assuming that the deformation amount at which the elastic sealing material 6a loaded in the ink supply port 36 can be deformed by a force that does not damage the ink supply needle 36 is ΔL, the rotation radius L is
L ≧ H / tan θ + ΔL
What should I do?
In addition, since the rotating force acts on the tip of the lever 9 that is located at the most diagonal position farthest from the protrusion 12, the lever 9 can be easily removed.
Furthermore, by this rotation, there is almost no rubbing between the electrode 14 and the elastic contact 41, and the conduction between the electrode 14 and the elastic contact 41 is prevented while preventing the electrode 14 and the elastic contact 41 from being worn or damaged. The data stored in the EEPROM can be prevented from being damaged, which may occur when an inappropriate contact occurs.
It should be noted that a similar effect can be obtained by providing a convex portion that is easily caught by the thumb instead of the holding concave portion 2c.

  On the other hand, on the other side of the ink cartridge 1, since the protrusion 12 is obstructed by the lower end 40 b of the elastic piece 40, when the lever 9 is lifted up as shown in FIG. As a fulcrum, it is guided by the rib 34 as the width-direction regulating projection, and rotates as shown by the reference numeral C in FIG. At this time, the rib 34 defining the cartridge accommodating area enters the rotation assisting concave portion 17 on the side surface of the ink cartridge 1 and reaches a predetermined angle, that is, the position where the flat surface 12 a of the convex portion 12 is displaced from the lower end 40 b of the elastic piece 40. At this stage, the ink cartridge 1 can be detached from the carriage 30 by lifting it up at an angle.

  FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of the ink cartridge according to the present invention. In this ink cartridge 1 ', the container body 2a' is different from the above-described ink cartridge 1 in the depth D, but the lid D is different. Other structures such as the body 2b are configured identically. The convex portion 12 is formed at a position deviated to one side in the width direction of the container body 2a '. The center of the electrode group 14 in the width direction is the same as the center axis C of the ink supply port 4' as in the ink cartridge 1 described above. Are arranged so as to be located on a line C ′ parallel to (Note that the line C ′ represents a line obtained by vertically projecting the central axis C onto the surface on which the electrode group 14 is formed.)

In the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the mounting operation is performed by linear movement. However, when the convex portion 12 is first loaded and the lever 9 is rotated with the convex portion 12 as a fulcrum and mounted, the mounting operation is performed. Also, the lower end 40b of the elastic piece 40 abuts on the flat surface 12a of the convex portion 12, with the contact area as the center of rotation, and the width direction on the near side is defined by the width direction regulating convex portions 34, 34. Since the electrode 14 is regulated by the guide groove 39, the electrode 14 normally forms a conductive relationship with the elastic contact 41 almost without rubbing.
Since the ink supply port 4 exists at a position away from the lever 9, that is, a position away from the convex portion 12 serving as a rotation fulcrum, the ink supply port 4 moves as parallel to the ink supply needle 36 as possible, It is possible to prevent the sealing material 6a from being forced to deform.

Next, the configuration of an ink cartridge and a carriage used therein according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIGS. 14A and 14B show a second embodiment of the ink cartridge of the present invention, respectively. The cartridge 101 has substantially the same configuration as that of the first embodiment.
That is, the ink cartridge 101 is related to a flat container including a container main body 102a and a lid 102b, and an ink supply needle forming a flow path forming member of a recording head on one wall surface (bottom surface 103) of the container main body 102a. An ink supply port 104 for supplying ink is provided.
Specifically, the ink cartridge 101 has the longest width W1 in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the cartridges are arranged, the height H1 of the cartridge is slightly shorter than the width W1, and the thickness D1 is a surface parallel to the direction in which the cartridges are arranged. Is formed to have a length of about 1/5 of the height H1, so that the length in the arrangement direction can be made as short as possible when a plurality of cartridges are arranged.
The ink supply port 104 is disposed at a position deviated to one side from the center in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge (that is, on the side of the wall surface on which the lever 109 serving as the locking member is formed). As shown in FIG. 2, a valve body 6 that maintains a normally closed state by a spring 5 that exerts a biasing force is attached to the tip side of the ink supply port 104, and a flow path forming member is provided outside, that is, on the tip side. An annular elastic sealing material 6a to be engaged is loaded.

  An elastically deformable locking member is provided on the wall surface 7 near the ink supply port 104 of the two wall surfaces 107 and 108 substantially orthogonal to and opposite to the wall surface 103 where the ink supply port 104 is formed. A certain lever 109 is formed. The lever 109 has a lower portion serving as a pivot fulcrum 109a, and is provided on the wall surface 7 of the container body 102a so as to be elastically deformable. Above the pivot fulcrum 109a, a detachable engagement with an engagement portion 136 of the carriage is provided. Claw 119 is formed so as to protrude outward, and protrusions 120 are formed between the pivot fulcrum 109a and the claw 119 so as to protrude laterally from the lever body, preferably on both sides. ing. Further, a projection 110 is formed below the lever 109 to regulate a guide function and rattling in the width direction of the cartridge.

Further, on the other wall surface 108, a lever pressure receiving portion, in this embodiment, a convex portion 111 is formed at a position where a loading lever of the carriage described later can be pressed. Below the convex portion 111, a convex portion 112 is formed which protrudes from the wall surface 108 of the cartridge and has surfaces 113, 112a, 112b regulated on both sides by the recording apparatus and parallel to the loading direction (axial direction of the ink supply port). Here, a plurality of electrodes 114 forming a contact with the elastic contact member 140 of the recording apparatus, in this embodiment, are formed in a staggered manner in two rows in the upper and lower stages so as to be arranged in the horizontal direction.
Since the wall surface 108 is narrow in the width direction, electrodes having a required area are formed in a plurality of rows both vertically and horizontally by forming a vertically long shape, and positioning accuracy is determined in the vicinity of the surfaces 112a and 112b functioning as left and right positioning portions of the cartridge 101. The electrodes 114 can be arranged intensively in a region having a high height. Thereby, the contact reliability between the electrode 114 and the elastic contact member 140 is improved.

The electrode 114 is formed in the same manner as the circuit board 15 shown in FIG. 3A and the electrode 14 formed thereon, and is fixed by fixing the circuit board 115 to the surface 113 of the projection 112. Is formed. On the back surface of the circuit board 115, as shown in FIG. 3B, a storage means 18 such as a readable and writable semiconductor storage element such as an EEPROM storing information of ink stored in the ink container is mounted. It is conductively connected to the electrode 114.
A convex portion 111 is provided for receiving a force for positioning the cartridge 101 downward at a position that does not greatly deviate from a virtual extension surface above the surface of the circuit board 115 on which the plurality of electrodes 114 are arranged, and positioning of the electrode 114 due to kinking when the cartridge is loaded. Failure is prevented, and accurate contact between the electrode 114 and the elastic contact member 140 is realized.

15 to 17 show an embodiment of a recording apparatus suitable for the above-described ink cartridge in the form of a carriage. FIG. 15 shows an overview of the carriage, and FIGS. It is a figure showing the state where it was normally mounted.
The carriage 130 includes a cartridge holder main body 131 formed in a substantially box shape so that a plurality of ink cartridges can be inserted from above, and a loading lever 132. The loading lever 132 has a window 132a at the top. The holder main body 131 is rotatable by a shaft 133 such that one end of the holder main body 131, in this embodiment, the side facing the convex portion 111 of the cartridge 101 is the lower side. Is pivoted to.

  The cartridge holder main body 131 is partitioned by a rib 134 so as to house a plurality of ink cartridges, and a groove 135 that engages with the protrusions 120 on both sides of the lever 109 on a wall surface of the ink cartridge 101 that faces the lever 109. An engaging portion 136 that engages with the claw portion 119, in this embodiment, a concave portion is formed.

  The groove 135 is formed with a slope 135a whose upper part expands toward the cartridge. The slope 135a allows the projections 120 on both sides to be picked up by a wide mouth regardless of the opening degree of the lever 109 when the ink cartridge is loaded. In the mounted state, the lever 109 is forcibly expanded to the side of the wall surface of the carriage, that is, the outside of the ink cartridge 101. In particular, when the projections 120 are formed on both sides, even when the lever 109 is twisted, the lever 109 can be reliably guided to the proper position.

  Further, a second groove 137 is formed below the groove 135. The groove 137 is engaged with the convex portion 110 for guiding the ink cartridge immediately before the completion of the loading, and prevents the ink cartridge from rattling in the width direction when the mounting is completed. In this embodiment, the guide projection 110 and the groove 135 are provided in the ink cartridge and the ink cartridge accommodating portion, respectively, so that the volume of the ink cartridge is made as large as possible. Also, even if the convex portion 110 is formed in the ink cartridge accommodating portion, the same effect can be obtained as the guide function.

  When the loading lever 132 is closed to a predetermined position, each cartridge accommodating area on the other wall surface of the cartridge holder comes into conductive contact with an electrode 114 formed on a circuit board 115 fixed to the convex portion 112. An elastic contact 140 is arranged.

In this embodiment, when the ink cartridge 101 is aligned with a predetermined area of the carriage 130 as shown in FIG. 18, the ink supply port 104 of the ink cartridge comes into contact with the ink supply needle 138 of the carriage 130 and the predetermined position. Stop at
When the ink cartridge 101 is vertically pushed in this state, the protrusions 120 on both sides of the lever 109 of the ink cartridge 101 are picked up by the slope 135a forming the enlarged portion as shown in FIG. Enters the groove 137. An ink supply needle 138 constituting an ink supply member communicating with the recording head 139 enters the ink supply port 104 and pushes up the valve body 6 against the spring 5.

  When the ink cartridge 101 is pushed to the prescribed position in this way, the lever 109 rotates around the area fixed at a predetermined position outside by the inclined surface 135a of the carriage 130, and the pawl 119 is moved by the strong elastic force. It falls into the engagement part 136. In this state, the other side of the ink cartridge 101, that is, the side of the wall 108 is in a free state to some extent, so that the contact point between the claw 119 and the engaging portion 136 is used as a fulcrum, It is in a state of being rotated by the angle Δθ.

  When the loading lever 132 is rotated and closed in this state, in this process, the pivot side of the loading lever 132 is lowered to a predetermined position and presses the convex portion 111, and as shown in FIG. Normally form a conductive relationship. At the same time, in this state, as shown in FIG. 16, the lower convex portion 112 is regulated on both sides (both sides) by ribs 134 provided on the carriage, and the direction perpendicular to the convex portion 111 in this embodiment, that is, the vertical direction in this embodiment. Therefore, accurate and reliable contact between the plurality of electrodes 114 and the plurality of elastic contacts 140 can be maintained.

  On the other hand, when removing the ink cartridge 101 from the carriage 130, the loading lever 132 is released from the main body 131 as shown in FIG. As a result, the other side of the ink cartridge, that is, the convex portion 111 of the wall 8 is released from the pressing of the loading lever 132, and becomes slightly free in the vertical direction.

  In this state, for example, when the index finger is put on the lever 109 and the thumb is put on the holding concave portion 102c, and the lever 109 is deformed so as to be drawn toward the cartridge, the lever 109 is elastically deformed and the pawl 119 is moved to the holder main body 131. Is disengaged from the engaging portion 136. The ink cartridge that has lost support by the engagement portion 136 moves slightly upward by the distance ΔL due to the urging force of the spring 5 of the ink supply port 104 as shown in FIG. It moves outside the area of 136. At this stage, the ink cartridge 101 can be removed from the carriage 130 by lifting it up.

  As described above, even when one cartridge is replaced, the other cartridge is released from the pressing of the loading lever 132, so that the cartridge is pressed by the spring 5 of the ink supply port 104 as shown in FIG. In addition, when the mounting is completed, the mounting lever 132 is again pressed by the loading lever 132 and moves in the opposite direction, so that the plurality of electrodes 114 are rubbed by the contact points 140, respectively, so that poor contact due to dust or rust can be eliminated.

  If the user tries to close the loading lever 132 in a state where the mounting of the ink cartridge is incomplete, that is, in a state where the projection 119 of the lever 109 is not engaged with the engaging portion 136, the loading lever 132 is moved as shown in FIG. Since it collides with the cartridge 101, the loading lever 132 cannot be moved to a position where it can be locked. That is, when the projection 119 of the lever 109 is engaged with the engagement portion 136, the loading lever 132 can be engaged with the carriage only by slightly rotating the angle θ, but the lever 109 is released. In this state, the ink cartridge is also increased by ΔL. In this state, if the ink cartridge is rotated by the loading lever 132, the backlash of the ink cartridge with respect to the carriage increases, and the wall surfaces 107 and 108 of the ink cartridge hit the carriage. Movement is impossible with normal pressing force. Therefore, the user knows that the ink cartridge is not installed at the proper position, and pushes down the cartridge to a position where a click occurs, and re-installs the cartridge.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the convex portion 111, which is a lever pressure receiving portion pressed by the loading lever 132 for holding the cartridge, is configured separately from the convex portion 112 of the electrode forming portion, thereby saving material and reducing weight. However, as shown in FIG. 21A, the convex portion 112 as the electrode forming portion may be formed so that the upper surface 111 ′ is located at a position where the upper surface 111 ′ is pressed by the loading holder. It has a similar effect.
According to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21 (b), by forming the convex portion 112 up to the upper portion, the size of the surface 113 on which the electrode 114 and the like are formed is enlarged, so that the arrangement of the electrode 114 has room. Short-circuiting by ink or the like, and more reliable contact with the elastic contact member 140 of the recording apparatus.

The features of the above-described ink cartridge will be described in more detail below.
The ink cartridge is formed such that, when the ink cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holder, a side surface substantially parallel to the arrangement direction is vertically elongated in the mounting direction of the cartridge. In the color ink cartridge of this embodiment, the height H1 is formed to be about five times the width (thickness) D1 of the cartridge. According to this, when a plurality of cartridges are mounted on the cartridge holder as shown in FIG. 16, the width of the cartridge holder in the cartridge arrangement direction can be reduced.

  Further, the above-described circuit board 15 is arranged at a position as close as possible to the bottom surface of the vertically long side surface, and the electrodes 14 on this circuit board are also located at positions near the bottom surface (lower side in the figure) on the surface of the circuit board 15. And are arranged as densely as possible. In this embodiment, a plurality of electrodes (seven electrodes in this embodiment) are densely arranged in a staggered manner such that the electrode row on the bottom side is longer. Since the plurality of electrodes are arranged in a staggered manner, even when the elastic contacts 41 of the recording device abut on the electrodes 14, even when the elastic contacts abut on the circuit board 15 and move to form an appropriate connection, Since the elastic contacts in contact with those of the upper electrode row 142 pass between the lower electrode rows (path indicated by the dotted line R in FIG. 3C), they move without contacting these lower electrodes 141. This makes it possible to prevent data stored in the storage element 18 from being damaged when an inappropriate contact occurs. Further, the electrode 14 is formed as a vertically long electrode in which the direction of insertion of the cartridge is longer in order to realize reliable conduction while preventing short circuit between adjacent electrodes. On the other hand, when the vertically arranged electrodes overlap in the vertical direction as in the invention of Patent Literature 2, there is a possibility that a short circuit may occur during loading, so it is necessary to precisely adjust the timing of extracting the signal. There are inconveniences such as complicated control.

  Further, a large number of electrodes are efficiently arranged in a dense manner on the narrow side of the width (thickness) D1 of the ink cartridge, and the circuit board 15 is located on the innermost side of the cartridge holder with little rattling when the cartridge is inserted. Is positioned. In this case, although the bottom surface of the cartridge is located at the innermost side of the carriage, the ink supply port 104 is formed on the bottom surface. The side surface is preferable, and the side surface farther than the side surface close to the ink supply port 104 is more preferable for the problem of ink adhesion.

  The side walls 112a and 112b of the protrusion 112 are formed so as to be located as close as possible to the left and right ends in the width direction of the cartridge of the circuit board, and more preferably to positions near both ends of the electrode row. It is possible to accurately position the elastic contacts 41 formed on the fourteen cartridge holders 30.

  Further, the convex portion 111 serving as a lever pressure receiving portion is located immediately above (at the rear side in the insertion direction) at least the convex portion 112 on which the electrode 14 is arranged, and applies a rotational force to the electrode 14 of the cartridge. Accurate positioning can be performed without any problem. More preferably, it is located within the width of the electrode row, and more preferably, it is located symmetrically on the center line of the electrode row.

  The projecting height h1 from the side surface of the cartridge is formed lower than the projecting height h2 of the projecting portion 112 of the projecting portion 111 which is a lever pressure receiving portion, and the cartridge holder located near the projecting portion 111 is brought closer to the cartridge. In addition, the size of the cartridge holder is prevented from being increased, and the rigidity of the convex portion 111 is increased, so that the rigidity is such that the cartridge 111 does not deform when positioned by the lever of the cartridge holder. Furthermore, the convex portion 111 is formed integrally with the case main body, which also enables the convex portion 111 to be formed with high rigidity and with high positional accuracy, thereby realizing accurate connection between the electrode and the elastic contact. Can be.

  Further, at least a surface of the convex portion 111 which is in contact with the lever is formed so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the surface on which the electrode 14 is formed, whereby the cartridge pressing direction of the lever is parallel to the electrode forming surface. Direction, and accurate connection between the electrode 14 and the elastic contact 41 can be realized. In the cartridge of the present embodiment, the surface of the above-described convex portion 111 that contacts the lever is formed substantially parallel to the bottom surface or substantially perpendicular to the surface on which the convex portion 111 is formed, and the electrode forming surface is It is formed substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface and substantially parallel to the side surface on which the convex portion 111 is formed.

  The convex portion 112 is formed such that its width D2 is smaller than the width D1 of the cartridge main body, and the space Δd1 formed between the convex portion 112 and the side surface of the cartridge (see FIG. This is an area into which the rib 34 for positioning the electrode 15 of the cartridge formed on the holder 30 is inserted (see FIG. 6). According to this, a member for accurately positioning the electrode 15 on the cartridge holder 30 can be formed without unnecessarily increasing the distance L between the adjacent cartridges.

  Preferably, if the convex portion 112 is positioned so as to be deviated to one side in the width direction of the cartridge 1, one side surface 112b of the convex portion 112 and the side wall of the cartridge main body can be substantially flush with each other. The cartridge can be positioned using the side wall of the cartridge. Further, according to this configuration, in a cartridge configured by joining the container main body 102a and the lid 102b as in the present invention, a fixing portion of the convex 112 can be formed on the container main body 102a side, and the container main body 102a Accuracy at the time of joining the protrusions 112 can be improved.

  The position of the protrusion 111 is preferably substantially the same as the position of the claw 119 of the lever 109 formed on the side wall opposite to the side wall on which the protrusion 111 is formed in the cartridge insertion direction. According to this, since no force in the unnecessary rotation direction or the like acts on the ink cartridge, particularly near the ink supply port 4, damage to the ink supply needle of the cartridge holder can be reduced.

FIGS. 22 (a), (b), 23 (a), and (b) show a third embodiment of the color ink cartridge of the present invention, respectively, and are basically shown in FIG. The ink cartridge has the same structure as that of the ink cartridge shown in the second embodiment, but the feature of this embodiment is that an identification piece 60 for preventing erroneous mounting is provided.
Needless to say, since the identification piece 60 for preventing erroneous mounting is for preventing erroneous insertion in correspondence with the groove formed on the side of the carriage where the ink cartridge is inserted, the erroneous ink cartridge is mounted. Cannot enter the groove, cannot enter the position where the ink supply port of the ink cartridge reaches the ink supply needle, and therefore, the electrode 114 cannot form a contact with the elastic contact member 140.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the identification piece 60 protrudes outward from the surface 113 on which the plurality of electrodes are formed. According to this, since the electrode surface does not directly contact the external surface, damage to the electrode can be prevented.
Furthermore, if the side surface of the identification piece 60 is parallel to the side surface of the convex portion 112, it is possible to suppress lateral movement and perform more reliable positioning. This effect is particularly remarkable when a plurality of identification pieces 60 are provided.

  Note that, as shown in FIG. 24 and FIG. 25, the black ink cartridge formed only in the width different from that of the color ink cartridge has the same container as the black ink cartridge 1 ′ in the first embodiment described above. The main body 102a 'is different from the above-described ink cartridge 101 in depth (thickness) D3, but has the same other structure as the lid 102b. The convex portion 112 is formed at a position deviated by Δd2 to one side in the width direction of the container body 102a ′, and the center of the plurality of electrodes 114 in the width direction is the center of the ink supply port 104 similarly to the ink cartridge 101 described above. It is arranged to be located on a line parallel to the axis.

As described above, since the black ink cartridge has a different shape of the main body from the color ink cartridge, the identification piece 60 for preventing erroneous insertion is essentially unnecessary. However, the identification piece 60 has not only an identification function but also a protrusion. Since it also functions as a guide member similarly to the portion 110, it is desirable to provide it.
Furthermore, when two types of black ink, dark ink and light ink, are used in order to realize high quality printing, it is possible to reserve for a member for identifying the density of black ink.

In this embodiment, the identification piece 60 for preventing erroneous mounting is formed as a block 61 integrally with the projection 112 that forms the surface 113 for fixing the circuit board 115 described above.
The block 61 is formed as a separate member from the container main body 102 a, the lid 103, the ink supply port 104, the lever 109, and the protrusion 111 that constitute the ink cartridge 101, and is pressed by the loading lever 132 for holding the cartridge. Is mounted on the lower part of the convex part 111.

  In this manner, by forming the convex portion 112 for fixing the circuit board 115 and the identification piece 61 as a separate member from the cartridge in the block 61, the container main body 102a, the lid 103, and the ink Even if the supply port 104, the lever 109, the projection 111, and the like are formed in the same shape by injection molding using the same mold, a block 61 corresponding to the ink color is prepared, and the block 61 is attached to the container body 102a. By mounting the ink cartridge, an ink cartridge corresponding to the ink color can be configured.

In addition, since the protrusion for fixing the circuit board 115 is formed on the block 61 formed as a separate member, the block 61 which is easier to grasp than the container body constituting the ink cartridge is set in the automatic assembly apparatus, and 115 can be automatically installed.
Furthermore, it is also possible to verify the color information of the ink written in the storage element of the circuit board while checking the identification piece for preventing incorrect insertion, thereby preventing inconsistency between the incorrect insertion prevention piece and the data of the storage element. Can be.

  FIG. 26 shows an embodiment of the block of the above-described color ink cartridge. One end of the block 61 is provided at a predetermined position, that is, at a position corresponding to the ink color designation groove formed on the carriage. Identification pieces 60, 60 are formed, and a projection 62 that forms a surface for fixing the circuit board 15 is formed on the other end.

  On the back surface 63 of the block 61, there is formed a positioning projection 63a to be inserted into a positioning recess formed at a predetermined position of the container body 102a. In addition, a concave portion 64 is formed on the surface, and an engaging hole 64a through which the projection 102e of the container main body 102a penetrates is formed.

  With such a configuration, the block 61 inserts the positioning projection 63a into the positioning recess 2d (FIG. 29) formed in the container main body 102a, and heat-squeezes the projection 102e of the container main body 102a projecting from the through hole 64a. It is fixed. The same operation can be achieved by fixing the block by using an adhesive or by fitting the projection and the recess.

  When a color is designated, the number of identification pieces 60 is changed for each color, or the number of identification pieces 61 is made the same as shown in FIG. Is also good.

In the block 61 of the black ink cartridge, as shown in FIG. 28, the number of identification pieces 60 formed at one end is different, and the width w of the identification piece 60 is wider than that of the identification piece 60 shown in FIG. Is formed. The other configuration is similar to that of the color ink cartridge, in that the other end has a projection 62 forming a surface 113 for fixing the circuit board 115, the rear surface 63 has a positioning projection 63 a, and the container body 102 a The projection 102e is formed by forming a through hole 64a to be fitted therein.
In this way, by changing the width of the identification pieces 60 themselves, or by changing the number of the identification pieces 60 and the interval between the identification pieces in accordance with the type of ink, the number of identifiable ink cartridges can be increased.

  In the above-described embodiment, the blocks are configured in consideration of the fixation of the circuit board. However, in an ink cartridge that does not require a circuit board, the block is configured as having only the identification piece. It is clear that also exerts a similar effect.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views showing a first embodiment of the ink cartridge of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of an ink supply port of the ink cartridge. FIGS. 3A to 3C are perspective views showing the structure of the front and back sides of a circuit board constituting an electrode formed on the convex portion of the ink cartridge, respectively, and a diagram schematically showing a path of a contact contacting the electrode. is there. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a carriage of the recording apparatus suitable for the ink cartridge. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the ink cartridge is mounted on a carriage. FIGS. 3A and 3B are a plan view showing a state in which the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage, and an enlarged view showing the vicinity of a convex portion forming a circuit board fixing surface. FIGS. 3A and 3B are a perspective view showing an embodiment of an assembling portion of a contact forming member and an elastic piece unit of the ink cartridge, respectively, and an enlarged perspective view of an upper end portion of a rib. FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views showing one embodiment of a contact forming member and an elastic piece unit, respectively. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the ink cartridge is positioned at a predetermined position of a carriage. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the ink cartridge is pushed in until the elastic piece is deformed by the protrusion. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a process of removing an ink cartridge. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a locus due to rotation when an ink cartridge is removed. FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a modified example of the ink cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views showing a second embodiment of the ink cartridge of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of a carriage of the recording apparatus suitable for the ink cartridge. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state where the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage, with a loading lever removed. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the ink cartridge is mounted on a carriage and fixed by a loading lever. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the ink cartridge is dropped into a carriage and an ink supply port collides with an ink supply needle. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the ink cartridge has been pushed down to the position where it is locked by the lever, but is released from the loading lever. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the ink cartridge is engaged with the ink supply needle but the lever is released from engagement. FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views showing modified examples of the second embodiment. (A) and (b) are perspective views showing a third embodiment of the color ink cartridge of the present invention. FIGS. 1A to 1C are a side view and a bottom view of the same color ink cartridge, respectively. FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views each showing an embodiment of a black ink cartridge. FIGS. 1A to 1C are a side view and a bottom view, respectively, of the above black ink cartridge. (A) to (D) are a top view, a front view, a side view, and a rear view, respectively, showing an embodiment of a block mounted on the color ink cartridge shown in FIGS. 22 and 23. FIGS. 1A to 1D are a top view, a front view, a side view, and a rear view, respectively, showing an embodiment of a block mounted on another color ink cartridge. FIGS. 5A to 5D are a top view, a front view, a side view, and a rear view, respectively, showing an embodiment of a block mounted on another black ink cartridge. FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views showing one embodiment of fixing means formed on the container body of the black and color ink cartridges for fixing the blocks, respectively.

Explanation of reference numerals

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1 'Ink cartridge 2a, 2a' Container main body 2b Lid 3 Wall surface 4 Ink supply port 7, 8 Wall surface 9 Lever 10 Convex part 11 Convex part used as lever pressure receiving part 12 Convex part which forms circuit board fixing surface 12a Plane 14 Electrode 17 Rotation support concave portion 19 Claw portion 20 Projection 30 Carriage 32 Loading lever 34 Width direction regulating convex portion 37 Groove 38 Engaging portion 40 Elastic piece 41 Elastic contact 60 Mis-insertion preventing identification piece 61 Block

Claims (19)

In an ink cartridge used for a recording apparatus in which a cartridge housing portion having an ink supply member communicating with a recording head is provided on a carriage,
A bottom wall forming an ink container, a first side wall and a second side wall that intersect and oppose the bottom wall, and are formed at positions offset from the bottom wall toward the first side wall; Ink supply port that allows insertion of
A locking member formed on the first side wall and having an engaging portion that engages with a part of the cartridge housing portion;
A convex portion formed near the bottom wall of the second side wall, and a side portion of which is regulated by a rib formed in the cartridge accommodating portion;
An electrode group connected to storage means provided in the ink container and provided on the projection. 2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a guide projection extending in a direction in which the container is loaded is formed below the locking member. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a concave portion is formed on another wall surface adjacent to the wall surface on which the convex portion is formed. A valve body that maintains a normally closed state by a biasing means in the ink supply port, and a seal member that is in contact with the valve body and that elastically contacts the outer periphery of the ink supply member formed in the recording apparatus are housed. The ink cartridge according to claim 1. The locking member is a lever having an engagement portion that engages with a part of the recording device, and the projection for forcibly displacing an upper portion of the lever outward when the recording device is mounted on the lever. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the ink cartridge is formed on the ink cartridge. The ink cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the protrusions are provided on both side surfaces of the lever. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a width of the protrusion is smaller than a width of the ink container. 2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the electrode group includes a plurality of electrode rows, and is arranged perpendicular to a line parallel to an axial direction of the ink supply port. 3. The locking member is a lever having an engagement portion that engages with a part of the recording apparatus, and the lever is configured to generate an elastic force for displacing the ink container toward the convex portion. The ink cartridge according to claim 1. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein an elastic sealing material that engages with an ink supply member of the recording apparatus is accommodated in the ink supply port. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a concave portion or a convex portion for holding the ink cartridge is formed on the second side wall. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the second side wall is a surface that is vertically long in a cartridge insertion direction. The electrode group and the storage means are provided on a circuit board mounted on a surface parallel to the cartridge insertion direction of the projection and opposed to the first wall surface, and the electrode group is provided on a surface of the circuit board. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, which is formed on the side. The ink cartridge according to claim 13, wherein the electrode group includes a plurality of vertically elongated electrodes. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the electrode group and the storage unit are formed on a circuit board, and the electrode group is formed so as to be biased toward the bottom surface of the circuit board. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the identification pieces formed as individual blocks are fixed to the ink container by fixing means. 17. The ink cartridge according to claim 16, wherein the identification piece and the protrusion are configured as a block so as to be the same member, and are fixed to the ink container by fixing means. 18. The ink cartridge according to claim 17, wherein positioning means is formed on a back surface of the block and a wall surface of the ink container. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a side surface of the protrusion is a surface parallel to a cartridge insertion direction.

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