JP2006181718A - Liquid vessel, circuit board for liquid vessel, and recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid vessel which can attain simplification of communication control between the liquid vessel and a recorder by simplifying control to a report part incorporated in the liquid vessel, and to provide a circuit board for a liquid vessel, and a recorder. <P>SOLUTION: A pad 102 electrically connectable to a control circuit 300 of the recorder side, a storage element 103B capable of storing information related to an ink tank, and an LED 101 capable of reporting the information are set at a substrate of the ink tank side. When a command is received through the pad 102 from the control circuit 300 of the recorder side, the information stored in the storage element 103B part is reported by the LED 101. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid storage container for storing a liquid such as ink, a circuit board for a liquid storage container provided in the liquid storage container, and a recording apparatus using the liquid storage container.

  With recent demands for higher definition and higher image quality of recording, the performance of inkjet recording heads has been remarkably improved. That is, by increasing the number of energy generating elements for ejecting the recording head and discharging ink, and by increasing the number of energy generating elements that are driven simultaneously, the recording speed and thus the recording throughput are improved. .

  In Patent Document 1, in order to know the life and replacement time of an ink jet recording head having such high performance, a storage element such as an EEPROM is provided in the recording head, and individual information of the recording head is stored in the storage element. The structure to be described is described.

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of Patent Document 1. In FIG. In this configuration, the substantial electrical signal wiring from the recording head 1105 provided with the EEPROM (storage element) 1018 is only the wirings 1016 (a) to 1016 (c), which are connectors on the recording head 1105. 1028 is connected to a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1300 of a control circuit unit of the recording apparatus main body via a flexible cable 1206. Reference numerals 1001K, 1001Y, 1001M, and 1001C denote ink cartridges that store black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) inks.

  Further, there is a configuration in which a storage element is also mounted on the ink cartridge so that the remaining amount of ink information stored in the storage device can be presented to the recording apparatus main body side. 15 and 16 are explanatory diagrams of two examples of such a configuration.

  In the configuration of FIG. 15, storage elements 1100A, 1100B, 1100C, and 1100D are mounted on a plurality of ink cartridges 1001K, 1001Y, 1001M, and 1001C corresponding to four colors of ink, respectively. The signal lines of these storage elements are grouped together with the signal lines of the storage element 1018 as a signal line group 1016 on the recording head 1105, and the signal line group 1016 passes from the connector 1028 on the recording head 1105 to the flexible cable 1206, It is connected to the CPU 1300 of the control circuit unit of the recording apparatus main body. In the configuration of FIG. 16, the storage elements 1100 </ b> A to 1100 </ b> D capable of storing various information are directly connected to the CPU 1300 of the control circuit unit of the recording apparatus main body without using the recording head 1105. The recording apparatus main body performs suitable operation control based on information from the storage elements 1100A to 1100D.

  As described above, there are a wide variety of electrical connections between the recording elements disposed in the recording head and the ink cartridge and the recording apparatus main body in accordance with the configuration of the recording apparatus.

  Further, in order to achieve the high-quality recording as described above, improvement of ink has been promoted in recent years. That is, in order to achieve high recording performance, inks are used in which components and composition ratios are set very complicated and precise in consideration of various characteristics. For example, in order to improve the weather resistance of the ink or the fastness of the recorded image, a pigment component may be used as a color material instead of the dye component, or a resin component for promoting fixing may be added to increase the recording speed. In consideration of multi-color recording, improved inks such as a composition that assumes that the inks of the respective colors chemically react with each other have been used. Furthermore, depending on the material of the recording medium (dedicated paper for inkjet recording, plain paper, resin sheet, cloth, etc.), and depending on the visual effect desired (such as the presence or absence of gloss, the use of gold and silver), the ink The type may change.

  As described above, by using an ink having a component or composition ratio different from that of the conventional ink, the recording quality can be further improved. When only the same kind of ink is used in the recording apparatus, the recording apparatus functions without any problem, and it is possible to perform high-quality recording by sufficiently drawing out the performance of the ink. . However, when different types of ink are used alternately in the same recording apparatus, different types of ink are mixed inside the recording head and the like, and the inks react with each other to cause aggregation and solidification. There is a possibility that the recording operation may be hindered by adhering to the ink supply path in the ejection portion of the recording head, the liquid path inside the ejection opening, or the surface (ejection opening face) of the recording head where the ejection opening is formed. For this reason, it is necessary to consider that different types of ink do not mix in the recording apparatus. For the ejection unit corresponding to a certain type of ink, a different type of ink is accommodated. It is strongly desired to adopt a configuration in which an existing ink cartridge is not connected.

  As a first method for that purpose, it is conceivable to use an ink cartridge having a different shape for each type of ink and to eliminate the compatibility of mounting of ink cartridges containing different types of ink. However, in this case, there is a drawback that the manufacturing cost of the ink cartridge is greatly increased, and the storage and management of ink cartridges having different shapes become complicated.

  As a second method, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, data indicating the type of ink stored in the ink cartridges 1001K to 1001C is stored in the storage elements 1100A to 1100D. It is a method of storing and using. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which a storage element of an ink cartridge is connected to an electric circuit of a recording apparatus main body so that the type of ink can be recognized by a difference in voltage value. Patent Document 3 has a configuration in which data indicating the type of ink stored in the ink cartridge, the date of manufacture, and the like are stored in the storage element of the ink cartridge, and the data is read and written by the control IC of the recording apparatus main body. It is disclosed. As described above, based on the information stored in the storage element of the ink cartridge, an ink cartridge containing a different type of ink is connected to the ejection unit corresponding to a certain type of ink. Or not. When an ink cartridge containing different types of ink is connected, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems caused by mixing different types of ink as described above by notifying the user of this fact. It becomes.

  Further, as in the configurations disclosed in these Patent Documents 2 and 3, the storage elements 1100A to 1100D of the ink cartridges 1001K to 1001C have the types of ink stored in the ink cartridges 1001K to 1001C, Information such as the remaining amount and the expiration date of use is stored, and the storage element 1018 provided in the recording head 1105 stores information such as the identification number and total print of the recording head 1105 as in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1. It is conceivable to store information such as the number of sheets. In such a configuration, the CPU 1300 of the recording apparatus main body reads the respective information of the storage elements 1018 and 1100A to 1100D, so that the type of ink in the ink cartridges 1001A to 1001D can be known, and the recording head 1105 and The life and replacement timing of the ink cartridges 1001A to 1001D can be appropriately determined. It is also possible to execute good recording by setting optimal recording conditions according to the type of ink, and by setting recovery processing conditions to make the ink ejection performance of the recording head good. It becomes.

  Further, Patent Document 4 discloses a configuration for appropriately notifying the life of the recording head 105 and the ink cartridges 1001A to 1001D and the replacement timing. In this configuration, a cartridge in which a recording head and an ink tank are integrated is provided with a light emitting unit in the form of an LED, and the remaining amount of ink can be notified according to information of a storage element that stores the number of times of recording energization of the cartridge. It is.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-076104 JP-A-6-155769 JP 2000-301738 A JP-A-4-275156

  When the storage elements 1100A to 1100D and 1018 for storing various information including ink types are mounted on the plurality of ink cartridges 1001K to 1001C and the recording head 1105 as in the configuration described above, all of these storage elements For 1100A to 1100D and 1018, it is necessary to electrically connect the CPU 1300 of the control circuit unit of the recording apparatus main body to perform information communication. When the number of storage elements increases in this way, the control pattern for communication between them and the CPU 1300 becomes complicated accordingly. In particular, in the case of a recording apparatus in which a large number of ink cartridges equipped with storage elements are mounted, a large number of control commands must be transmitted and received on a communication line between the storage elements and the CPU 1300, and the communication control thereof is performed. It becomes complicated.

  In addition, when the ink cartridge is provided with notifying means capable of notifying various information such as light emission, a command for turning on / off the notifying function of the notifying means is transmitted and received between the notifying unit and the CPU 1300. There must be. In particular, in the case of a recording apparatus in which a large number of ink cartridges each equipped with a storage element and notification means are mounted, a large number of control commands must be transmitted and received on the communication line between the storage element and the notification unit and the CPU 1300. These communication controls become even more complicated.

  In general color recording, ink of four colors (black, yellow, magenta, and cyan) is used, so four ink cartridges 1001K, 1001Y, 1001M, and 1001C, each containing ink of each color, are simultaneously mounted on the recording apparatus main body. The Therefore, the CPU 1300 of the control circuit unit of the recording apparatus main body needs to individually communicate with a total of four storage elements 1100A to 1100D provided in the ink cartridges 1001K to 1001C. Similarly, when each of the ink cartridges 1001K to 1001C includes a notification unit, the CPU 1300 of the control circuit unit of the recording apparatus main body needs to individually communicate with the notification unit.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid storage container and a liquid container capable of simplifying control of a notification unit provided in the liquid storage container and simplifying communication control between the liquid storage container and the recording apparatus. A circuit board and a recording apparatus are provided.

  The liquid storage container of the present invention is a liquid storage container that stores a liquid used in a recording apparatus, an electrical contact that can be electrically connected to the recording apparatus, and a storage unit that can store information on the liquid storage container. An informing unit capable of informing the information, and a control unit for informing the information stored in the storage unit by the informing unit when a command is received from the recording device through the electrical contact. Features.

  A circuit board for a liquid storage container according to the present invention is a circuit board for a liquid storage container provided in a liquid storage container for storing a liquid used in a recording apparatus, and an electrical contact that can be electrically connected to the recording apparatus. A storage unit capable of storing information related to the liquid container, a notification unit capable of reporting the information, and information stored in the storage unit when a command is received from the recording device through the electrical contact. And a control unit that is notified by the notification unit.

  The recording apparatus of the present invention is a recording apparatus in which the liquid storage container can be mounted, and includes a recording apparatus side electrical contact that can be electrically connected to an electrical contact of the recording apparatus, and the recording apparatus side electrical contact. Means for transmitting a command for informing the information stored in the storage unit of the liquid container by the notification unit.

  According to the present invention, the liquid storage container is stored in the storage unit in a self-contained manner simply by sending a notification command from the recording device to the liquid storage container including the storage unit and the notification unit. Since the information is notified by the notification unit, it is possible to simplify communication control between the liquid storage container and the recording apparatus. That is, communication control can be simplified by reducing the number of access commands for the storage unit and control commands for the notification unit that are transmitted and received on the communication line between the liquid container and the recording apparatus. In particular, when the recording apparatus is attached to a plurality of liquid containers, communication control among them can be simplified more remarkably.

  In addition, the system configuration on the recording apparatus side can be simplified, whereby a highly functional liquid storage container can be controlled by a simple control unit (CPU) on the recording apparatus.

  Also, since the liquid storage container controls the notification unit in a self-contained manner simply by sending a notification command to the liquid storage container, the recording apparatus itself or the host computer that controls the recording apparatus has no display function. However, the user can confirm the information regarding the liquid storage container by the notification unit.

  In addition, by transmitting identification information for specifying a liquid storage container in which a command is effective from the recording apparatus to the liquid storage container, when the plurality of liquid storage containers are mounted on the recording apparatus, the specified liquid storage Information can be notified only by the notification part of the container. Thus, it is possible to flexibly cope with a recording apparatus system that uses a plurality of liquid storage containers.

  By sharing at least a part of the communication line between the recording device and the plurality of liquid storage containers, communication can be performed on the same communication line without increasing wiring even if the number of liquid storage containers increases. it can. That is, it is possible to perform all access to the storage unit and control of the notification unit in the plurality of liquid storage containers on a common communication line.

  In addition, by enabling two-way communication between the recording apparatus and the liquid storage container, information on the storage unit of the liquid storage container can be transmitted to the recording apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Ink tank configuration example)
First, a configuration example of an ink tank as an embodiment of the liquid storage container of the present invention will be described.

  1A, 1B, and 1C are a side view, a front view, and a bottom view, respectively, of an ink tank according to an embodiment of the liquid storage container of the present invention, and FIG. It is a sectional side view. In the present description, the front surface of the ink tank refers to a surface that enables operations (attachment / detachment operation, etc.) and provision of information to the user (light emission of LEDs described later) by facing the user.

  In FIG. 1, an ink tank 1 according to the present embodiment has a support member 3 supported at a lower part on the front side. The support member 3 is formed of a resin integrally with the exterior of the ink tank 1, and is configured to be displaceable around a supported portion when performing a mounting operation to a tank holder, which will be described later. On the back side and the front side of the ink tank 1, a first engaging portion 5 and a second engaging portion 6 (in this example, integrated with the support member 3 that can engage with a locking portion on the tank holder side). These are engaged, and the mounting state of the ink tank 1 to the tank holder is ensured.

  An ink supply port 7 is provided on the bottom surface of the ink tank 1 to supply ink in combination with an ink introduction port of a recording head, which will be described later, when the ink tank 1 is attached to the tank holder. At the portion where the bottom surface and the front surface intersect, a base is provided on the bottom surface side of the support portion of the support member 3. The substrate may have a chip shape or a plate shape, and will be described as a substrate 100 below.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the interior of the ink tank 1 includes an ink storage chamber 11 located on the front side where the support member 3 and the substrate 100 are provided, and a negative pressure generating member located on the back side and communicating with the ink supply port 7. It is divided into a storage chamber 12, and both are connected via a communication port 13. While the ink is stored in the ink storage chamber 11 as it is, the negative pressure generating member storage chamber 12 has an ink absorber 15 such as a sponge or a fiber assembly impregnated and held therein (hereinafter referred to as a porous member for convenience). Is shown). This porous member 15 generates a negative pressure sufficient to prevent ink leakage from the ink discharge portion in balance with the holding force of the meniscus formed in the ink discharge nozzle portion of the recording head. . The negative pressure is an appropriate negative pressure within a range where the ink ejection operation of the recording head is possible.

  The atmospheric communication portion 12A provided on the upper surface of the negative pressure generating member storage chamber 12 relaxes the negative pressure that increases with the supply of ink to the recording head, and introduces outside air to maintain this within a preferable predetermined range.

  The ink tank 1 can be manufactured by preparing a main body of the ink tank 1 on which the substrate 100 is disposed and then injecting ink into the inside. In this case, the ink inlet can be formed on the upper surface of the ink storage chamber 11, and the ink inlet can be sealed by the sealing member 11A after the ink is injected.

  After the ink has started to be consumed due to the use of the ink tank 1, for example, after the remaining amount of ink to be stored is substantially lost, the sealing member 11A is removed or the inlet is re-formed by destroying the sealing member 11A. After injecting ink using a syringe or the like, the injection port can be sealed with the sealing member 11A or its alternative member as necessary. Alternatively, instead of using such an initially formed injection port, for example, an opening is formed in another part of the upper surface of the ink storage chamber 11 and ink is injected through this opening, and then it is used as necessary. It is also possible to seal.

  Further, a sealing member 7A for preventing ink leakage during distribution or storage of the manufactured ink tank 1 can be attached to and detached from the ink supply port 7. The sealing member 7A may be in any form, such as a cap or a tape-like member, that exhibits a predetermined sealing performance and is removable when the ink tank is attached to the recording head. Further, when the ink tank is removed from the recording head after the start of use, the ink supply port 7 can be sealed by the sealing member 7A or its alternative member.

  The internal configuration of the ink tank 1 is not limited to the form divided into such a storage chamber for the porous member and a storage chamber for storing the ink as it is. For example, the porous member may be filled in substantially the entire interior space of the ink tank. Also, instead of using a porous member as the negative pressure generating means, ink is directly filled into a bag-shaped member formed of an elastic material such as rubber that generates tension in the direction of expanding the volume, and this bag-shaped member A negative pressure may be applied to the ink inside by the generated tension. Furthermore, at least a part of the ink containing space is made of a flexible member, and only ink is contained in the space, and a negative force is generated by applying a spring force to the flexible member. But you can. In these cases, it is possible to manufacture an ink tank by performing ink injection similar to the above. Further, in these cases, the atmospheric pressure for introducing the outside air into the ink containing space in order to relieve the negative pressure in the ink containing space which increases with the ink supply to the recording head and maintain it in a preferable predetermined range. A communication part is provided. It is also possible to perform ink injection using the atmosphere communication portion.

  A detected portion 17 is provided at the bottom of the ink storage chamber 11, and the detected portion 17 is an ink remaining amount provided on the recording device side described later when the ink tank 1 is mounted on the recording device. It becomes possible to face the detection sensor. The ink remaining amount detection sensor in the present embodiment is an optical sensor (second light emitting / receiving unit 214) that uses a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The detected portion 17 has a prism shape made of a transparent or translucent material, and reflects light from the light emitting portion of the optical sensor when ink is not stored in the ink storage chamber 11. In order to be able to return to the light receiving part of the optical sensor, it has a slope part with a defined shape, angle, and the like.

  3A and 3B are schematic side views for explaining the function of the substrate 100 arranged in the ink tank 1, and FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views and front views of the substrate 100. FIG. It is.

  The holder 150 is integrated with the recording head unit 105 including the recording head 105 ′. When the first engaging portion 5 and the second engaging portion 6 of the ink tank 1 are engaged with the first engaging portion 155 and the second engaging portion 156 of the holder 150, the ink tank 1 is The holder 150 is mounted and fixed. At this time, a contact (hereinafter referred to as a connector) 152 provided on the holder 150 side contacts an electrode pad 102 (FIG. 4B) as a contact provided on the substrate 100 on the ink tank 1 side. And they are electrically connected.

  As the recording head 105 ′, various ink ejection methods using an electrothermal converter (heater), a piezo element, or the like can be employed. For example, when an electrothermal transducer is used, the ink can be foamed by the heat generated by the electrothermal transducer, and the ink can be ejected from the ink ejection port using the foaming energy.

  On the surface of the substrate 100 positioned toward the inside of the ink tank 1, a light emitting unit 101 that generates visible light such as an LED, and a control unit 103 that controls the light emitting unit 101 and the like are provided. The control unit 103 controls light emission of the first light emitting unit 101 by an electric signal supplied from the connector 152 via the pad 102. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the control unit 103 is mounted on the substrate 100 and then covered with a protective sealant. Further, a memory element to be described later is also mounted on the substrate 100. This storage element stores information such as the color of ink stored in the ink tank 1 and the remaining amount of ink, and can be mounted on the substrate 100 and covered with a sealant.

  As described above, the substrate 100 is disposed at a portion where the bottom surface of the ink tank 1 and the both surfaces forming the front face each other, and is disposed below the support portion of the support member 3. An inclined surface that connects the bottom surface and the front surface of the ink tank 1 is formed at this arrangement site. Accordingly, a part of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 101 is projected outward from the front side of the ink tank 1 along the slope.

  By using the substrate 100 having such a configuration, not only the recording device (and thus a host device such as a computer to which the computer is connected) but also the user can emit various types of information by causing the light emitting unit 101 to emit light. Is possible. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, in a recording apparatus in which a holder 150 is mounted on a carriage, the light projected in the upper right direction in the figure is received at the end of the scanning range of the carriage. One light receiving unit 210 is arranged. When the carriage moves to the end position of the scanning range, the recording device recognizes information related to the ink tank 1 and the like based on the light reception result of the first light receiving unit 210 by causing the light emitting unit 101 to emit light. be able to. Further, by causing the light emitting unit 101 to emit light by positioning the carriage at the center of the scanning range, as shown in FIG. 3B, the user recognizes information on the ink tank 1 and the like by visually checking the light emission state. can do.

  The information regarding the ink tank (liquid container) 1 is determined in advance in correspondence with, for example, whether or not the ink tank 1 is attached (that is, whether or not the attachment is complete) and whether or not the attachment position is appropriate (ink color). For example, whether or not it is correctly mounted at the mounting position on the tank holder 150, and whether or not there is a remaining amount of ink (whether or not a sufficient amount of ink remains). Such information can be presented depending on whether or not the light emitting unit 101 emits light and the state of light emission (flashing, etc.).

  In this example, the light emitting unit 101 itself is a display unit. However, the display function is separated from the light emitting unit 101, and light is emitted to a predetermined part in front of the ink tank 1 (for example, the support member 3 or the operation part 3 operated by the user) or a predetermined part in front of the tank holder 150. A portion to be provided may be provided, and light from the light emitting unit 101 may be guided to the portion through the light guide member. The light guide member may be provided on the substrate 100, the ink tank 1, or the tank holder 150. It is also possible to guide light emitted from the light emitting unit 101 to the light receiving unit of the ink remaining amount detecting sensor. In this case, the light emitting unit 101 is also used as the light emitting unit of the ink remaining amount detecting sensor. Will be.

(Configuration example of recording device)
FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of an ink jet printer 200 as a recording apparatus that performs recording by mounting the ink tank described above, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the main body cover 201 shown in FIG. 4 is opened. is there. The ink jet printer 200 of this example is a color printer capable of mounting ink tanks 1K, 1Y, 1M, and 1C into which inks of K (black), Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) are injected. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a printer (hereinafter also referred to as a recording device) 200 according to the present embodiment includes a printer main body, a paper discharge tray 203 located on the front side thereof, and an automatic paper feeder (ASF) located on the rear side. 202. The printer main body is provided with main parts of the printer such as a mechanism for performing recording by moving a carriage having a recording head and an ink tank for scanning, and these parts include a main body cover 201 and other cases. Covered by parts. The operation unit 213 provided in the printer main body is provided with a display, a power switch, and a reset switch for displaying the status of the printer in both the closed state and the open state of the main body cover 201. Yes.

  In the state in which the main body cover 201 is opened as shown in FIG. 6, the user may use the recording head unit 105 and the ink tanks 1K, 1Y, 1M, 1C (hereinafter, these ink tanks may be indicated by the same reference numeral “1”). The range in which the carriage 205 on which the (same) is mounted moves and its periphery can be seen. Actually, when the main body cover 201 is opened, a sequence of automatically moving the carriage 205 to a substantially central position (hereinafter also referred to as “tank replacement position”) as shown in FIG. The user can perform a replacement operation of each ink tank 1 at the tank replacement position.

  In the printer of this embodiment, the recording head unit 105 is provided with a chip-shaped recording head 105 ′ corresponding to each color ink. These recording heads 105 ′ scan a recording medium such as a sheet by moving the carriage 205 in the arrow X direction, and perform recording by ejecting ink onto the recording medium during the scanning. That is, the carriage 205 is slidably engaged with a guide shaft 207 extending in the moving direction, and is moved in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow X by the carriage motor and its transmission mechanism. Each recording head 105 ′ (hereinafter also referred to as recording heads 105 K, 105 Y, 105 M, and 105 C) corresponding to K, Y, M, and C inks is connected to a control circuit on the main body side via a flexible cable 206. Ink is ejected based on the ejection data sent from. A recording medium (not shown) fed from the automatic paper feeder 202 is conveyed to the paper discharge tray 203 by a paper feed mechanism such as a paper feed roller or a paper discharge roller. The carriage 205 is detachably mounted with a recording head unit 105 that is integrally provided with an ink tank holder 159. As described above, each ink tank 1 is detachably mounted on the recording head unit 105. Is done.

  During the recording operation, the recording head 105 ′ moves in the main scanning direction, and ejects ink onto the recording medium, whereby the ejection port array range in the recording head 105 ′ (discharge in the direction intersecting the main scanning direction). Recording is performed in an area having an effective width corresponding to the exit arrangement range. Then, between such a recording scan and the next recording scan, the paper feeding mechanism feeds the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow Y by a predetermined amount corresponding to the effective width or a width less than the effective width. . By repeating such an operation, images are sequentially recorded on the recording medium. Further, a recovery unit such as a cap is provided at the position of the end of the movement range of the recording head 105 ′ accompanying the movement of the carriage 205 to cover the formation surface of the ejection opening in each recording head 105 ′. The recording head 105 ′ moves to a position where the recovery unit is provided at predetermined time intervals, and recovery processing such as preliminary ejection is performed.

  As described above, the connector 152 corresponding to each ink tank 1 is provided in the recording head unit 105 provided with the tank holder 150 for each ink tank 1. Each connector 152 contacts the pad 102 of the ink tank 1 attached to the tank holder 150 in which the connector 152 is provided, and is electrically connected to the pad 102. Accordingly, it is possible to control the light emitting units 101 provided in the respective ink tanks 1 to light up or blink according to a predetermined sequence executed by the printing apparatus. Information on the state of the ink tank 1 can be notified by the light emission state of the light emitting unit 101.

  Specifically, at the tank replacement position described above, the light emitting unit 101 of the ink tank 1 whose ink remaining amount is low is turned on or blinked. These light emitting operations are completed simply by the printer 200 transmitting a command to be described later to the ink tank 1. In the movement range of the carriage 205, a first light receiving unit 210 having a light receiving element is provided in the vicinity of the end opposite to the position where the recovery unit is provided. As the carriage 205 moves, the light emitting units 101 of the respective ink tanks 1 pass through positions facing the first light receiving unit 210. At that time, the position of the ink tank 1 on the carriage 205 can be detected based on the moving position of the carriage 205 when the first light receiving unit 210 receives the light by causing the LED of the light emitting unit 101 to emit light. it can. Furthermore, as another control example of the light emitting unit 101, the light emitting unit 101 of the correctly installed ink tank 1 may be turned on at the tank replacement position. Such control of the light emitting unit 101 is similar to the control of ink ejection from the recording head 105 ′, and control data (control signal) is sent from the control circuit on the recording apparatus main body side to each ink tank 1 via the flexible cable 206. ) Can be executed.

(Outline of control system configuration example)
FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining an outline of a configuration example of the control system of the ink jet printer described above. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration mainly between a control circuit in the form of a PCB (printed wiring board) in the printer main body and a light emitting unit (hereinafter also referred to as an LED) of the ink tank 1 controlled thereby. It is.

  In FIG. 7, a control circuit 300 provided in the printer main body executes data processing and operation control related to the printer. Specifically, the CPU 301 executes processing to be described later according to a program stored in the ROM 303. The RAM 302 is used as a work area when the CPU 301 executes processing.

  As schematically shown in FIG. 11, the recording head unit 105 mounted on the carriage 205 includes recording heads 105K, 105Y, 105M, and 105C, which include black (K), yellow (Y), magenta ( A plurality of ejection openings for ejecting each of the inks M) and cyan (C) are formed. Ink tanks 1K, 1Y, 1M, and 1C corresponding to these recording heads 1 are detachably mounted on the holder 150 of the recording head unit 105. Note that the ink color and the number of ink tanks 1 are not limited to these, and may be arbitrary. It is also possible to mount ink tanks 1 containing inks of similar colors and different densities.

  As described above, the substrate 100 is attached to each ink tank 1, and the substrate 100 is provided with a light emitting portion (LED) 101, a display control circuit thereof, a pad 102 as a contact terminal, and the like. Yes. When the ink tank 1 is correctly attached to the recording head unit 105, the pad 102 on the substrate 100 comes into contact with the connector 152 on the recording head unit 105 side provided corresponding to each of the ink tanks 1. A connector (not shown) provided on the carriage 205 and a control circuit 300 on the main body side are signal-connected via a flexible cable 206. When the recording head unit 105 is mounted on the carriage 205, the connector on the carriage 205 side and the connector 152 on the recording head unit 105 side are signal-connected. With such a connection configuration, signals can be exchanged between the control circuit 300 on the printer body side and each ink tank 1. Thereby, the control circuit 300 can control lighting or blinking of the light emitting unit 101 according to a sequence described later.

  In addition, drive circuits and the like provided in the recording heads 105K, 105Y, 105M, and 105C are connected to the control circuit 300 via the flexible cable 206, the connector of the carriage 205, and the connector 152 of the recording head unit 105. Thereby, the control circuit 300 can control the ejection of ink in each of the recording heads 105K, 105Y, 105M, and 105C.

  The first light receiving unit 210 provided in the vicinity of one end of the moving range of the carriage 205 receives light emitted from the light emitting unit (LED) 101 of the ink tank 1 and outputs a signal corresponding thereto to the control circuit 300. As described later, the control circuit 300 can determine the position of each ink tank 1 in the carriage 205 based on this signal. An encoder scale 209 is provided along the movement path of the carriage 205, and an encoder sensor 211 is provided on the carriage 205. A detection signal of the sensor 211 is input to the control circuit 300 via the flexible cable 206. Thereby, the movement position of the carriage 205 can be known. The positional information is used for ink ejection control in each recording head, and is used for optical collation processing when detecting the position of the ink tank 1 as described later.

  In the vicinity of a predetermined position in the movement range of the carriage 205, a second light emitting / receiving portion 214 having a light emitting element and a light receiving element is provided, which is provided in each of the ink tanks 1 mounted on the carriage 205. A signal related to the remaining amount of ink is output to the control circuit 300. The control circuit 300 can detect the remaining amount of ink based on the signal. That is, when the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 1 becomes a predetermined amount or less, the light from the light emitting part in the second light emitting / receiving part 214 is reflected by the detected part 17 (see FIG. 2), and the first By returning to the light receiving unit in the two light emitting / receiving unit 214, the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 1 can be detected based on the signal from the light receiving unit.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of signal wiring constituted by the flexible cable 206.

  The signal wiring for the ink tank 1 is composed of four signal lines, which are common signal wirings for the four ink tanks 1 (so-called bus connection). That is, the signal wiring is composed of four signal lines: a power supply signal line “VDD”, a ground signal line “GND”, a signal line “DATA”, and a clock signal line “CLK”. The power supply signal line “VDD” and the ground signal line “GND” are wires for supplying power necessary for the operation of the control unit 103 that performs light emission of the light emitting unit (LED) in the ink tank 1 and drive control thereof. is there. Further, as will be described later, the signal line “DATA” and its clock signal line “CLK” receive a control signal (control data) related to processing for lighting or blinking the light emitting unit (LED) 101 from the control circuit 300. A wiring for sending and a wiring for sending a clock signal therefor. The number of signal lines is not limited to four as in the present embodiment. For example, the ground signal line “GND” can be omitted by sending a ground signal by another configuration. It is also possible to share the signal lines of “CLK” and “DATA” and configure them by a single signal line.

  The substrate 100 of each ink tank 1K, 1Y, 1M, 1C is provided with a control unit 103 that operates by signals through these four signal lines, and a light emitting unit (LED) 101 that is controlled by the control unit 103. ing. Such wiring is one of the configurations that minimizes the number of connection terminals with respect to the ink tank 1, and as shown in a drive timing chart described later, controls of the light emitting unit (LED) 101, acquisition of ink tank information, and / or Or an update can be realized.

(Details of control system configuration example)
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a specific circuit configuration of the substrate 100. In this embodiment, a description will be given assuming that the cartridge is an ink tank, the recording agent as a liquid is ink, the light emitting unit 101 is a light emitting diode (LED), and the substrates 100 provided in the ink tanks 1K to 1Y are 100A to 199D.

  A control unit (control unit) 103 in each of the substrates 100A to 100D includes a storage element 103B, an LED driver 103C (drive unit) for driving the LED 101, and an input / output control circuit (I / O CTRL) 103A (arbitration unit). ) And a drive pattern generation unit (P.GEN) 103D (drive control unit). The input / output control circuit 103A controls the LED driver 103C and the storage element 103B, and the drive pattern generation unit 103D generates a drive pattern for driving the LED driver 103C. The input / output control circuit 103A controls driving of the LED 103C and writing / reading of data to / from the storage element 103B in accordance with control data sent from the control circuit 300 on the printer main body via the flexible cable 206. Although FIG. 9 is a block diagram and is not shown, actually, the control data sent via the flexible cable 206 is not sent directly to the substrates 100A to 100D on the ink tank. It is sent through a carriage substrate provided in the carriage 205. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 110 denotes a control signal connector on the printer body side.

  The storage element 103B of this example is in the form of an EEPROM. In addition to the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 1, the color information of the ink stored in the ink tank 1, manufacturing information such as a unique number and a manufacturing lot number of the ink tank, etc. Can be stored. As the memory element 103B, for example, various nonvolatile memories such as a flash memory and a ferroelectric RAM can be used.

  The color information stored in the storage element 103B is written at a predetermined address of the storage element 103B corresponding to the color of the ink stored in the ink tank 1 at the time of shipment or manufacture. As will be described later, this color information is used as identification information of the ink tank 1, enables data to be written to and read from the storage element 103 </ b> B of the specified ink tank 1, and indicates the LED 101 of the specified ink tank 1. Enable to turn on and off.

  The data written to and read from the storage element 103B can include, for example, data on the remaining amount of ink. In this embodiment, the second light emitting / receiving unit 214 detects that the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 1 has decreased using the optical characteristics of the detected portion (prism) 17 on the ink tank 1 side. Further, the control circuit 300 counts the number of ink ejections for each recording head based on the ink ejection data, and calculates the remaining ink amount for each ink tank 1 based on the count value. The control circuit 300 can write or read the information regarding the remaining ink amount calculated in this way to the storage element 103B of the corresponding ink tank 1. Thereby, the storage element 103B can hold the remaining ink amount information at each time point. For example, this information can be combined with a detection system for the remaining amount of ink using the detected portion (prism) 17 so that the remaining amount of ink can be detected with higher accuracy, and the installed ink tank 1 is new. It can also be used to determine whether it has been used at least once and has been remounted.

  As described later, the remaining ink information stored in the storage element 103B is read based on a command from the control circuit 300 on the recording apparatus side, and the LED 101 is associated with the remaining ink information. The light emission is controlled according to the pattern.

  The LED driver 103C operates to apply a power supply voltage to the LED 101 when the signal output from the input / output control circuit 103A is on, thereby causing the LED 101 to emit light. Therefore, when the signal output from the input / output control circuit 103A is in the on state, the LED 101 is maintained in the lit state, and when the signal is in the off state, the LED 101 is maintained in the unlit state.

  Reference numeral 114 denotes a limiting resistor for determining a current to be supplied to the LED 101. The limiting resistor 114 may be built in the semiconductor substrate 102 or may be mounted on the substrates 100A to 100D of the ink tank 1.

  FIG. 10 is a block configuration diagram of a peripheral portion of the drive pattern generation unit 103.

  Reference numeral 111a denotes a data terminal of the input / output control circuit 103A, which is connected to a data bus on a communication line between the printing apparatus and the ink tank 1. Reference numeral 111b denotes a clock terminal for the input / output control circuit 103A and the drive pattern generation unit 103D, which receives a transfer clock for data sent from the recording apparatus. The recording apparatus sends a notification control command for driving the LED 101 to the ink tank 1 using a total of two signal lines for sending these two types of signals.

  In response to the notification control command from the control circuit 300, the input / output control circuit 103A first reads out the remaining ink amount information stored in the specific area (address X in this example) of the storage element 103B. Based on the remaining ink information, the drive pattern generator 103D generates a drive pattern for the LED driver 103C. The drive pattern generation unit 103D receives the start signal (START) from the input / output control circuit 103A, thereby generating the drive pattern of the LED driver 103C for a predetermined period in accordance with the cycle of the clock input from the clock terminal 111b. . The LED driver 103C drives the LED 101 based on the drive pattern. The resolution of the drive pattern is the period of the clock signal input to the clock terminal 111b. Reference numeral 113 denotes a terminal for connecting a load controlled by the LED driver 103C. As shown in FIG. 9, the limiting resistor 114 mounted on the substrate 100 of the ink tank 1 and the LED 101 are connected in series.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the relationship between the storage information of the storage element 103B and the drive pattern of the LED 101. FIG.

  In the case of this example, the address X of the memory map of the storage element 103B is set as a storage area for ink remaining amount information. For example, when there is data “0x00” at the address X and the data is read, the drive pattern generation unit 103D continuously turns on the LED driver 103C (always ON) based on the data. A drive signal is generated. Thereby, LED101 lights continuously. In addition, when “0x01” data is stored as the remaining ink amount information at the address X, and the data is read out, the drive pattern generation unit 103D determines that the ON and OFF times per unit time are ½ each. Drive pattern (50% duty drive pattern) is generated. As a result, the LED 101 emits light so as to be repeatedly turned on and off at the same time per unit time.

  In this way, the drive pattern generation unit 103D previously sets the drive pattern of the LED 101 associated with the data of the remaining ink amount information stored in the address X of the storage element 103B, and by the drive pattern generation unit 103D, By generating a drive pattern corresponding to the data read from the address X of the storage element 103B, the LED 101 can emit light according to the ink remaining amount information. In the example of FIG. 11, a pattern (25% duty) that sets the lighting time per unit time of the LED 101 to ¼ is set as the driving pattern corresponding to the data “0x02” of the remaining ink amount information. . In addition, as a drive pattern corresponding to the ink remaining amount information data “0x0F”, a pattern (always OFF) is set so that the LED 101 is continuously turned off. In addition, various drive patterns can be set.

  Thus, the drive pattern generation unit 103D constitutes a preset type pattern generator. The resolution of the driving time is the clock cycle input to the terminal 111b as described above. It is also possible to change the drive pattern from the outside using a command for setting the drive pattern of the LED 101. The drive pattern can be stored in the storage element 103B.

(Data write and read operations)
FIG. 12 is a timing chart for explaining data writing and reading operations with respect to the memory element 103B.

  When writing to the storage element 103B, the control circuit 300 on the main body side of the recording apparatus sends “start” to the input / output circuit 103A in the control unit 103 of the ink tank 1 via the signal line “DATA” (see FIG. 8). Data signals of “code + color information”, “control data”, “address code”, and “data code” are sent in this order in synchronization with the clock signal CLK. The “start code + color information” means the start of a series of data signals by the “start code” signal, and the ink tank 1 that is the target of the series of data signals by the “color information” signal. It is specified as described later. Since the clock signal also serves as a reference clock for the drive pattern generated by the drive pattern generator 103D, it is always output.

  The “color information” has codes corresponding to the ink colors “K”, “C”, “M”, and “Y”, as shown in FIG. The input / output control circuit 103A for each ink tank 1 relates to the color information indicated by this code and the color information stored in the storage element 103B of the ink tank 1, that is, the color of the ink stored in the ink tank 1. Compare color information. The input / output control circuit 103A performs a process of fetching the subsequent data signal only when the color information matches, and if the color information does not match, the input / output control circuit 103A fetches the subsequent data signal. Process to stop or ignore.

  As described above, by including “color information” in the data signal, the data signal is commonly sent from the printing apparatus side to each ink tank 1 via the common signal line “DATA” shown in FIG. However, the ink tank 1 corresponding to the data signal can be specified. That is, only the specific ink tank 1 corresponding to the data signal performs processing such as information writing / reading to / from the storage element 103B, turning on / off the LED 101, that is, processing based on the data signal after “color information”. Can do. In this way, since the LED 101 can be controlled to be turned on / off in addition to data writing by the common (one) data signal line for the four ink tanks 1, signals required for these controls It is possible to reduce the number of lines. In addition, it is clear from the above description that the configuration using such a common (one) data signal line is not limited to the number of ink tanks 1.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the “control code” of the present embodiment includes “CTRL” and “OFF” codes used to control the turning on and off of the LED 101, and “reading and writing of data to the storage element 103 </ b> B”. Contains the "READ" and "WRITE" codes. For example, in the writing operation to the storage element 103 </ b> B, the “WRITE” code follows the “color information” code for specifying the ink tank 1. The subsequent “address code” indicates the address of the storage element 103 to which data is written, and the last “data code” indicates the content of the data to be written.

  Note that the content represented by the “control code” is not limited to the above example, and for example, a control code related to a verify command, a continuous read command, or the like can be added.

  The configuration of the data signal for the reading operation with respect to the memory element 103B is the same as that in the case of writing as described above. Further, the code of “start code + color information” is taken in by the input / output control circuit 103A in all the ink tanks 1 as in the case of the above writing, and the data signals after that coincide with “color information”. Only the input / output control circuit 103A of the ink tank 1 takes in. The difference from the case of writing as described above is that, after the address of the storage element 103B is designated by the “address code”, the storage element 103B is synchronized with the rising edge of the first clock (the 13th clock in FIG. 12). The read data is output. In the case of this example, the ink remaining amount information data can be read by designating the address X. The input / output control circuit 103A performs arbitration so that the read data does not collide with other input signals even if the data signal terminals of the plurality of ink tanks 1 are connected to the common (one) data signal line. .

(LED 101 ON / OFF operation)
FIG. 13 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of turning on and off the LED 101.

  When the LED 101 is turned on or off, as shown in FIG. 13, first, a data signal of “start code + color information” is sent from the recording apparatus side as in the case of the above-described data writing and reading operations. It is sent to the input / output control circuit 103A via the line “DATA”. As described above, the ink tank 1 is specified by the “color information”, and the LED 101 is turned on / off based on the “control code” sent thereafter, and only the specified ink tank 1 is controlled. As shown in FIG. 12, the “control code” related to turning on / off the LED 101 includes a code of “CTRL” or “OFF”. When the “CTRL” code is sent, lighting and extinguishing of the LED 101 are controlled according to the pattern generated based on the ink remaining amount information stored in the storage element 103B as described above. The “OFF” code is forcibly turning off the LED 101 to turn it off, and forcibly stopping the driving of the LED 101 as a notification means (for example, when the cover of the recording apparatus is closed). ).

  Depending on the data stored in the storage element 103B as the remaining ink amount information, the LED 101 may be turned off even if the code is “CTRL”. That is, when the control code is “CTRL”, the drive pattern generation unit 103D generates the drive pattern based on the ink remaining amount information stored in the storage element 103B as described above. In the case of this example, the LED 101 does not light depending on the drive pattern corresponding to “0x0F” as the ink remaining amount information. The drive pattern generation unit 103D generates a specified drive pattern in accordance with the clock cycle, and outputs an on / off signal to the LED driver 103C. Until the control code “OFF” is output on the line, generation of the prescribed drive pattern is repeated. In the case of this example, the actual timing of turning on or off the LED 101 is after the seventh clock of the clock CLK, as shown in FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 13, first, an ink tank 1K that contains black (K) ink is specified by the leftmost data signal in FIG. The “control code” following the data signal is “CTRL”. At this time, when the ink remaining amount in the ink tank 1K is sufficient, “0x00” is written as the ink remaining amount information in the storage element 103B of the ink tank 1K. In this case, when the control circuit 300 of the printing apparatus transmits a “CTRL” command, the drive pattern generation unit 103D generates a drive pattern corresponding to the data “0x00”, and the LED 101 of the ink tank 1K is in the ON state. It becomes.

  Next, “color information” of the second data signal designates the ink tank 1M containing magenta (M) ink, and “control code” is “CTRL”. At this time, when the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 1M is low, for example, “0x07” is written as the remaining ink amount information in the storage element 103B of the ink tank 1M. In this case, when the control circuit 300 of the printing apparatus transmits a “CTRL” command, the drive pattern generation unit 103D generates a drive pattern corresponding to the data “0x07”, and an ink tank is generated based on the drive pattern. The 1K LED 101 repeats blinking in a prescribed pattern.

  The third data signal designates the ink tank 1K, and its “control code” is “OFF”. Since the “control code” instructs to turn off, the LED 101 of the ink tank 1K is turned off.

  Thus, the blinking control of the LED 101 can be performed by the control circuit 300 on the recording apparatus main body side specifying the ink tank 1 and sending a data signal including “CTRL” of “control code”. The ink tank 1 that has received such a notification control command generates a drive pattern according to the ink remaining amount information stored in the storage element 103B of the ink tank 1 by the drive pattern generation unit 103D of the ink tank 1. The light emission of the LED 101 is controlled based on the drive pattern. That is, the ink tank 1 generates a light emission pattern by merely receiving a notification control command from the control circuit 300 on the recording apparatus side, and controls the light emission of the LED 101 of the ink tank 1. Accordingly, the ink tank 1 generates a light emission pattern according to the ink remaining amount information in a self-contained manner and controls the light emission of the LED 101, and the light emission control of the LED 101 by the recording device is not necessary.

(Other embodiments)
When the ink tank 1 is inserted / removed while the power supply line or the communication line between the recording apparatus and the ink tank 1 is connected, that is, when the so-called hot-swap is performed, the memory being accessed is stored. The stored content of the element 103B may be impaired. Such an influence due to hot-swapping can be avoided by providing the ink tank 1 with a volatile memory. That is, data (including ink remaining amount information) stored in the storage element 103B as a non-volatile memory is moved to the volatile memory, the recording device accesses the volatile memory, and the storage element 103B For example, the recording apparatus may be configured not to access. The timing for moving the storage data of the storage element 103B to the volatile memory can be arbitrarily set, for example, when the cover of the recording apparatus is released.

  Also, the type of information stored in the storage element 103B is arbitrary, not limited to only the remaining ink information, and when various information is stored in the storage element 103B and a notification command is received from the recording device, The information can be notified by the LED 101. The notification command includes data specifying the information to be notified from among a plurality of pieces of information stored in the storage element 103B, for example, data specifying the address where the information to be notified is stored. Can be sent to the container 1. For example, by storing information on the life of the liquid storage container 1 and the replacement timing in the storage element 103B, it is possible to notify the user of such information. Further, by changing the light emission pattern of the LED 101 according to the contents of the information, the contents of the information can be notified to the user in an easy-to-understand manner. Further, the storage information stored in the storage element 103B can be rewritten by a recording device.

  Further, the characteristic information of the LED 101 can be stored in the storage element 103B, and the driving condition of the LED 101 can be changed based on the characteristic information. For example, as the characteristic information of the LED 101, the light emission amount is measured in advance and stored in the storage element 103B, and the LED 101 with a small light emission amount is controlled to increase the light emission amount. For the LED 1010 having a large amount of light, it can be controlled so as to reduce the light emission amount. When such control is performed, the range of variation in the light emission amount of the LED 101 can be suppressed to reduce the possibility that the notification information is erroneously recognized due to the large variation in the light emission amount. In addition, such control of the light emission amount of the LED 101 is performed, for example, by repeatedly turning on and off the LED 101 in a short time interval within a range recognized by the user, and the ratio of the lighting time of the LED 101 per unit time. It can be realized by changing.

  The notification unit is not limited to only the configuration using the LED 101 and is arbitrary and may be any unit that can notify the user of information. For example, a configuration in which notification is provided by light emitted from various light emitting elements, a voice, etc. The structure which emits a sound and alert | reports, the structure which combined them, etc. may be sufficient. The notification patterns of those notification units can be set in various ways according to the configuration of the notification unit. In the case of a notification unit that emits sound, for example, the pitch of the sound, the strength, the length of intermittent sound generation intervals It is possible to set a pattern combining the above. In addition, as a notification pattern of a notification unit that emits light, in addition to continuous lighting and intermittent lighting, a pattern in which the length of intermittent lighting intervals is short and a light emission form by a plurality of light emitting units may be set. it can. Alternatively, the characteristic information of the notification unit may be stored in the storage element 103B, and the driving condition of the notification unit may be adjusted based on the characteristic information. These notification units can also be used to notify whether or not the liquid storage container 1 is securely attached to the recording apparatus, and the notification is performed simultaneously with the completion timing of the attachment of the liquid storage container 1, for example. It can be carried out.

  Further, as long as the present invention exhibits the above effects, it is not affected by the configuration of the liquid storage container or the type of liquid stored. Further, the liquid storage container may constitute an ink jet cartridge together with the recording head.

  The present invention can also be widely applied as a liquid storage container for storing various liquids other than the ink used in the recording apparatus. For example, it can be applied to a recording medium to improve recording performance and water resistance. It is also possible to store a treatment liquid to be used.

(A), (b), and (c) are the side view, front view, and bottom view of the ink tank in the first embodiment of the present invention, respectively. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the ink tank of FIG. 1. (A) And (b) is a typical side view for demonstrating the function of the board | substrate with which the ink tank of FIG. 1 is equipped. (A) And (b) is the side view and front view of a board | substrate with which the ink tank of FIG. 1 is equipped. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ink jet printer in which the ink tank of FIG. 1 can be mounted. It is a perspective view when the main body cover of the inkjet printer of FIG. 5 is opened. It is a block block diagram of the control system of the inkjet printer of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the signal wiring between the inkjet printer of FIG. 5, and an ink tank. It is a circuit block diagram of the board | substrate with which the ink tank of FIG. 1 is equipped. FIG. 10 is a circuit configuration diagram around a drive pattern generation unit in FIG. 9. 10 is a memory map of the storage element in FIG. 9. 10 is a timing chart for explaining data writing and reading operations with respect to the storage element in FIG. 9; It is a timing chart for demonstrating the light emission pattern of LED in FIG. FIG. 6 is a circuit configuration diagram between a conventional recording apparatus and a recording head. FIG. 6 is a circuit configuration diagram of an example among a conventional recording apparatus, recording head, and ink cartridge. FIG. 10 is a circuit configuration diagram of another example between a conventional recording apparatus, a recording head, and an ink cartridge.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1K, 1C, 1M, 1Y Ink tank 100 Substrate 101 Light emitting unit (LED)
102,152 Pad (Contact terminal)
103 control unit 103A input / output control circuit (arbitration unit)
103B Memory element 103C LED driver (drive unit)
103D Drive pattern generator 105 Recording head unit 105 ′, 105K, 105C, 105M, 105Y Recording head 300 Control circuit 301 CPU
302 RAM
303 ROM

Claims (19)

In a liquid storage container for storing a liquid used in a recording apparatus,
An electrical contact that can be electrically connected to the recording device;
A storage unit capable of storing information on the liquid storage container;
A notification unit capable of reporting the information;
A control unit that informs the information stored in the storage unit by the notification unit when a command is received from the recording device through the electrical contact;
A liquid storage container comprising:   The liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets a notification pattern of the notification unit according to the content of the information.   The liquid storage container according to claim 2, wherein the control unit sets the notification pattern of the notification unit according to the content of the information with reference to the notification pattern stored in the storage unit. .   The liquid storage container according to claim 2, wherein the notification pattern includes a plurality of patterns that vary the drive cycle of the notification unit.   The liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein the information includes information related to a remaining amount of liquid stored in the liquid storage container.   5. The liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein the information includes information related to a type of liquid stored in the liquid storage container.   The liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein the information includes information on characteristics of the notification unit.   8. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein the information stored in the storage unit is rewritten by a signal input from the recording device through the electrical contact.   The liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the information by light and / or sound. The electrical contact forms a communication line capable of bidirectional communication between the recording apparatus and the liquid container,
The at least part of the communication line can be formed in common between the recording device and the electrical contacts in the plurality of liquid storage containers. Liquid storage container. The storage unit stores identification information of the liquid container;
The control unit receives identification information of the liquid storage container through the electrical contact from the recording device, and when the identification information received from the recording device corresponds to the identification information stored in the storage unit, The liquid storage container, wherein the command from the recording device is validated. The storage unit includes a nonvolatile information storage unit capable of storing the information, and a volatile information storage unit capable of storing at least a part of the information,
The liquid storage container according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the notification unit to notify information stored in the volatile information storage unit.   The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein ink is stored as the liquid. A liquid storage container circuit board provided in a liquid storage container for storing a liquid used in a recording apparatus,
An electrical contact that can be electrically connected to the recording device;
A storage unit capable of storing information on the liquid storage container;
A notification unit capable of reporting the information;
A control unit that informs the information stored in the storage unit by the notification unit when a command is received from the recording device through the electrical contact;
A circuit board for a liquid storage container, comprising: The storage unit includes a nonvolatile information storage unit capable of storing the information, and a volatile information storage unit capable of storing at least a part of the information,
The liquid control container circuit board according to claim 14, wherein the control unit causes the notification unit to notify information stored in the volatile information storage unit. A recording apparatus to which the liquid storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 13 can be attached,
A recording device side electrical contact electrically connectable with the electrical contact of the recording device;
Means for transmitting from the recording device side electrical contact a command for informing the information stored in the storage unit of the liquid container by the notification unit;
A recording apparatus comprising: A mounting portion capable of mounting a plurality of the liquid storage containers;
A plurality of the recording device side electrical contacts are provided in the mounting portion so as to correspond to each of the electrical contacts of the plurality of liquid storage containers mounted on the mounting portion, and the recording device and the plurality of the plurality of electrical contacts The recording apparatus according to claim 16, wherein at least a part of a communication line capable of bidirectional communication with the liquid storage container is formed in common.   18. The recording apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising means for transmitting update data of information stored in the storage unit of the liquid container from the recording apparatus side electrical contact. 19. The recording apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising means for transmitting identification information for specifying the liquid container in which the command is valid from the recording apparatus side electrical contact.

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