JP2008074100A - Ink tank - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To smoothly and surely attach an ink tank, which has a supply port of contained ink and an electrical contact for information presentation, to an attachment part of a recorder side, and to surely connect an electric connecting part. <P>SOLUTION: The ink tank 10a has a constitution able to be attached to the attachment part by positioning a first engagement part to a first securing part of the attachment part side and securing a second engagement part 23 to a second securing part of the attachment side through rotation centering the first engagement part. The supply port and a positioning part for the contact are arranged with an ink tank width direction center line 61 on a bottom face of the ink tank 10a inbetween. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink tank, and more particularly to an ink tank applied to an ink jet recording apparatus.

  Along with the progress of high image quality of recording, in an ink jet recording apparatus, a technique of increasing the ink color used for recording is used in order to achieve high image quality in pursuit of photographic image quality. The use of multiple ink tanks that are independent for each color, such as those that have become widespread in desktop printing devices in recent years, can be removed independently. The frequency of Further, since the ink tanks are made independent, the wall thickness of each ink tank greatly affects the size of the recording apparatus main body according to the number of ink tanks.

  In view of the user's usability and from the viewpoint of downsizing the recording apparatus, there has been proposed an ink tank in which a plurality of color ink storage portions are integrated.

  In an ink tank provided with a plurality of ink supply ports corresponding to a plurality of color ink storage portions, each ink supply port is securely fixed to a holder on the apparatus side in order to perform stable ink supply. It is necessary to install. As a configuration for performing such mounting, there is a mounting mechanism including a mounting portion called a latch lever, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. Such a mounting mechanism is employed in many ink tanks as it can be easily attached and detached.

  On the other hand, a configuration has been proposed in which predetermined information related to the ink tank, such as the color of the ink stored therein, is held in the ink tank so that a required function is performed based on the information. Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration of an ink tank including a substrate on which an information storage element is mounted and means capable of electrically presenting stored information. The recording apparatus reads out the information when the ink tank is mounted and performs operation control so that a good recording output can be performed at all times. Patent Document 3 discloses a configuration for achieving both a reliable connection of an ink supply system and a good connection state of an information transmission system between an ink tank and a recording apparatus.

  14A and 14B are schematic cross-sectional views for explaining the configuration and operation of the ink tank mounting mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 3. FIG.

  The ink tank is provided with a substrate 1024 including a storage element capable of storing information and a contact portion for exchanging information with the main body. Further, a contact unit 1103 having contact pins that come into contact with contact portions provided on the substrate 1024 of the ink tank is provided in the ink tank holder portion on the main body side where the ink tank is mounted. The contact unit 1103 is movable in the y direction shown in FIG. 14, and is biased to the position shown in FIG. 14A by a spring 1017 when the ink tank is not attached.

  A positioning locking portion 1101 is provided in the ink tank so that the position of the information transfer connecting portion is correctly determined when the ink tank is mounted. On the other hand, the mounting portion (holder) on the recording apparatus side is provided with a corresponding engaging portion 1102 for positioning. A locking portion 1101 provided on the bottom surface of the ink tank forms a substantially triangular recess that can engage with the engaging portion 1102 on the holder side.

  When the ink tank is attached to the holder, as shown in FIG. 14A, the tip of the engaging portion 1102 first comes into contact with the end of the inclined surface 1104 of the locking portion 1101 located on the bottom surface side of the ink tank. In this state, when the user depresses the upper end of the ink tank, the distal end portion of the engaging portion 1102 slides on the inclined surface 1104 of the engaging portion 1101, and relatively enters the recess formed by the engaging portion 1101. go.

  When the mechanical mounting is completed, the electrical contact portion between them, that is, the contact portion of the ink tank substrate 1024 and the contact pad provided on the contact unit 1103 of the holder provided on the apparatus side come into contact with each other, Connection is possible.

  In the configuration between the ink tank and the recording apparatus, the connection portion for the ink supply system and the connection portion for the information transmission system are separated. In addition, since the holder-side component for the information transmission system connection portion is movable, both the ink supply system and the information transmission system can be well connected.

JP-A-8-58107 JP 11-291518 A JP 2006-116786 A

  However, a rubber seal member is provided around the ink supply port or the holder-side ink receiving portion connected thereto. This is to suppress ink leakage and ink evaporation when the ink tank is mounted. The ink tank receives a reaction force from the seal member when the ink tank is mounted, and may be mounted while tilting left and right (in a direction orthogonal to FIGS. 14A and 14B). Since the ink tank is inclined, there is a problem that the initial engagement of the information transmission system connection portion is not performed smoothly, so that the mounting property of the ink tank is lowered or the electrical connection is not correctly performed.

  This problem is a problem that occurs even in an ink tank that contains only one color of ink, and is particularly a problem in an ink tank that contains ink of multiple colors. That is, in an ink tank that stores inks of a plurality of colors, a plurality of ink supply ports are arranged on the bottom surface of the ink tank, but in this case, a reaction force due to rubber at the time of mounting increases. In addition, if the arrangement of the plurality of ink supply ports is not taken into consideration, the ink tank is mounted while staggering from side to side.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems. According to the present invention, the ink tank is smoothly and surely attached (improves the attachment property), and the ink supply system connection portion and the electrical connection portion between the ink tank and the recording apparatus are securely connected. It is intended to be done (improve connectivity).

Therefore, the present invention provides an ink that can be attached to and detached from a mounting portion of an ink jet recording apparatus that includes an ink receiving portion, a first locking portion that engages with an ink tank, a second locking portion, and electrical contacts. A tank,
A housing,
A supply port in contact with the ink receiving portion;
A tank-side electrical contact connectable to the electrical contact;
A positioning portion for the connection; and the supply port contacts the ink receiving portion at a contact center;
The supply port and the positioning portion are provided on a surface of the casing facing the ink receiving portion, and the positioning portion and the contact center of the supply port are on the surface of the ink tank. It is characterized by being arranged across a line passing through the center in the lateral width direction of the surface provided with the supply port.

The present invention is also detachable from a mounting portion of an inkjet recording apparatus having a plurality of ink receiving portions, a first locking portion that engages with an ink tank, a second locking portion, and an electrical contact. An ink tank,
A housing,
A plurality of supply ports in contact with the plurality of ink receiving portions;
A tank-side electrical contact connectable to the electrical contact;
A positioning portion for the connection, and the plurality of supply ports abut each of the plurality of ink receiving portions at a contact center,
The plurality of supply ports and the positioning portion are provided on a surface of the casing facing the plurality of ink receiving portions, and the positioning portion and the positioning portion of the plurality of supply ports are the most on the surface. The contact center of the supply port located on the side of the ink tank is disposed across a line passing through the center in the short width direction of the surface of the ink tank provided with the plurality of supply ports. To do.

  In the present invention, the ink supply port and the electrical contact positioning portion are disposed on the opposite sides of the central axis. When the ink tank is installed in the recording apparatus, the ink tank is placed on the side of the electrical contact positioning section due to the reaction force that occurs when the ink tank is connected to the ink receiving section provided on the recording apparatus side. Lean on. Therefore, the positioning portion of the electrical contact smoothly engages with the corresponding positioning portion on the mounting portion side. As a result, the mounting properties of the ink tank are improved, and the ink supply system connection portion and the electrical connection portion are securely connected.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  In this specification, “ink” includes liquid used for forming an image, a pattern, a pattern, or the like, processing a recording medium, or processing an ink by being applied onto the recording medium. For example, a liquid that can be used for coagulation or insolubilization of the colorant in the ink applied to the recording medium is also included.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied.

  In FIG. 1, the ink tank mounting portion 100 is positioned and mounted on a carriage 102. The carriage 102 is guided and supported so as to reciprocate in the x direction along a guide shaft 103 that extends in the main scanning direction and is installed in the apparatus main body. The carriage 102 is driven by a main scanning motor 104 via a transmission mechanism such as a motor pulley 105, a driven pulley 106, and a timing belt 107, and its position and movement are controlled.

  2A and 2B are perspective views showing a configuration example of the ink tank mounting portion 100. FIG. The ink tank mounting portion 100 includes a holder unit 50 and a head unit 30. FIG. 2A shows a state where they are separated, and FIG. 2B shows a state where they are combined. In FIGS. 2A and 2B, in order to clearly show the configurations of the holder unit 50 and the head unit 30, one side wall (the front side in the drawing) is omitted. The omitted one side wall is the left side wall when viewed from the y direction orthogonal to the x direction. The holder unit 50 and the head unit 30 constituting the ink tank mounting part 100 will be described as an example constituted separately, but may be constituted integrally.

  The holder unit 50 is attached to the carriage 102, and the head unit 30 is mounted on the holder unit 50, whereby the ink jet head is fixed to the recording apparatus main body and the ink tank mounting portion 100 is completed. The ink tank mounting unit 100 may be one in which the holder unit 50 is detachably or detachably mounted on the carriage 102 while the head unit 30 is detachably mounted on the holder unit 50.

  In the head unit 30, an ink jet head 31 in which nozzles for ejecting ink are arranged in a direction different from the x direction, for example, the y direction, is integrally provided at a position that becomes the bottom of the head holder 32. A plurality of nozzle rows are provided corresponding to the number of tones of the ink to be used. In this example, it is assumed that nozzle rows for each color ink of black, cyan, magenta, yellow, and photo black are provided.

  The head unit 30 is mounted with a black ink tank 10a that stores black ink on the back side (right side when viewed from the y direction) indicated as “O” in FIG. A color ink tank 10b filled with four color inks of cyan, magenta, yellow and photo black is mounted on the front side (left side when viewed from the y direction) indicated as “F” in FIG. A partition wall 34 is integrally provided on the bottom wall of the head unit 30 in order to divide the area where the ink tanks 10a and 10b are mounted as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the two tanks, a general description will be given with reference numeral 10. The partition wall 34 has a gently inclined portion that gradually decreases the depth on the back side in the y direction in which the ink tank is inserted.

  The head unit 30 is provided with an ink receiving tube 33 corresponding to each color ink supply port 14 provided in the ink tank 10 described later. That is, an ink receiving tube for one color of black is provided in the mounting portion of the black ink tank 10a, and ink receiving tubes for four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and photo black are provided in the mounting portion of the color ink tank 10b. ing. Each ink receiving tube 33 communicates with an ink nozzle row for each color tone via an ink supply path (not shown).

  A seal member 36 made of an elastic material such as rubber is attached around each ink receiving tube 33. The seal member 36 covers the periphery of the ink supply port 14 in a state where the ink tank 10 is mounted, thereby maintaining the sealed state of the ink supply system and preventing ink leakage and ink evaporation. is there. A filter 37 is attached to the end face of the ink receiving tube 33 to prevent foreign matters such as dust and bubbles from entering the inside of the ink receiving tube 33.

  During the mounting operation of the ink tank 10, the mounting guide portion 15 of the ink tank 10 moves while sliding on the partition wall 34, thereby guiding the ink tank 10 so as not to contact the ink receiving tube 33. That is, the partition wall 34 also functions as a damage prevention guide for the ink receiving tube 33 during the mounting operation of the ink tank 10.

  FIG. 2B shows an integrated head unit 30 and holder unit 50. 2B. The head unit 30 indicated by “L” in FIG. 2B has a rotational fulcrum at the back side in the y direction (left side in FIG. 2) during the ink tank mounting operation, and each ink tank at the time of mounting. Two first locking portions 35 each functioning as a fixing portion are provided. In the present embodiment, the first locking portion 35 is a concave portion, and the engaging portion (first engaging portion 22) provided at a corresponding portion of the ink tank 10 is a convex portion. It has become. However, these concavo-convex relationships may be reversed.

  The holder unit 50 indicated by “R” in FIG. 2B is provided with one second locking portion 51 for fixing when the ink tank 10 is mounted on the front side in the y direction (right side in the drawing). It has been. The second locking portion 51 also has a recess and can be coupled to a corresponding portion of the ink tank 10, that is, a convex engaging portion (second engaging portion 23) provided on the other surface facing the one surface. It is.

  The holder unit 50 is provided with a contact unit 53 including contact pins 52 that are electrically joined to a storage element of the ink tank 10 to be described later. The contact unit 53 is connected to the control unit of the recording apparatus main body by a cable (not shown). When the ink tank 10 is attached, data can be exchanged between the control unit of the recording apparatus main body and the storage element of the ink tank via the contact unit 53.

  Next, the configuration of the ink tank will be described.

  FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are perspective views as seen from the bottom direction for illustrating the configuration examples of the black ink tank 10a and the color ink tank 10b, respectively. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the color ink tank 10b, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the color ink tank 10b with its lid removed for explaining the internal configuration of the color ink tank 10b.

  The ink tanks 10a and 10b basically have the same internal structure except that the number of inks to be stored is different. Therefore, here, the color ink tank 10b will be described as an example.

  The ink tank generally has a casing 11 whose upper end surface is an opening, and a lid member 12 that closes the opening of the casing 11, and these define an ink container. The lid member 12 is a structural part that forms an atmosphere communication port 13 for introducing the atmosphere into the ink tank and a buffer space for preventing ink leakage from the atmosphere communication port 13 when an environmental change occurs. Ribs 19 are provided. In the space of each ink storage portion, a second ink holding member 21 for impregnating and holding yellow, magenta, cyan, and photo black inks and a first ink holding member 20 for supplying ink are stored. Yes.

  Specifically, referring to FIG. 5, the second ink holding members 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d are arranged counterclockwise from the place indicated by I in FIG. Cyan, yellow, magenta and photo black inks are impregnated and held, respectively. Since the rib 19 protrudes inward of the ink storage portion, a buffer space is secured between the second ink holding members 21 a to 21 d and the lid member 12. Also, the inner wall and the partition wall facing each ink storage section are provided with ribs 60 for air path formation from the bottom surface of the ink tank to the lid, so that a closed air space is not created in the tank. This increases the reliability against ink leakage.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the ink tank along the ink container for cyan and yellow ink, and the inside of the tank is shown as being partitioned into two.

  On the bottom surface of the housing 11, an ink supply port 14 for supplying ink is arranged at a position corresponding to the ink receiving tube 33 provided in the head unit 30. The first ink holding member 20 is provided between the second ink holding member 21 and the bottom wall of the ink tank so as to be in close contact with the second ink holding member 21 and to close the ink supply port 14 from the inside. It has been.

  Both the first ink holding member 20 and the second ink holding member 21 impregnate and hold ink, but the ink holding force (capillary force) of the first ink holding member 20 is the second ink holding member 21. It is higher than the ink holding power. Thereby, the ink held by the second ink holding member 21 is effectively guided to the first ink holding member 20, and the consumption efficiency of the ink held by the second ink holding member 21 is improved.

In the ink tank of this embodiment, in consideration of the frequency of use, magenta ink capacity = yellow ink capacity
The ink capacity was set so that> cyan ink capacity> photo black ink capacity. In FIG. 5, cyan ink is stored in I, yellow ink is stored in II, magenta ink is stored in III, and photo black ink is stored in IV. Since the volume of each ink satisfies the above formula, when the partition inside the housing is viewed from the top of the ink tank, the partition wall does not have a shape where two straight lines intersect. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the partition wall between the cyan and yellow ink containing portions (the wall between I and II) and the partition wall between the magenta and photo black ink containing portions (the wall between III and IV). Is a staggered arrangement.

  In this embodiment, the ink holding members 20 and 21 are formed using an aggregate of fibers made of a polyolefin-based thermoplastic resin. The casing 11 and the lid member 12 are also made of a polyolefin resin material of the same system as the ink holding member. Therefore, recyclability and reusability can be greatly improved, and an environmentally friendly ink tank can be provided.

  The latch lever 16, which is an elastic member, includes a protruding second engaging portion 23 corresponding to the second locking portion 51 for fixing the ink tank provided in the holder unit 50, and supports the second engaging portion 23 so as to be displaceable. Yes. Further, on the surface facing the latch lever 16, a protruding first engaging portion 22 corresponding to the first locking portion 35 for fixing the ink tank provided in the head unit 30 is provided.

  In the present embodiment, the first engagement portions 22 are provided at two locations on the “L” side of the tank shown in FIG. On the other hand, one latch lever of the ink tank provided with the second engaging portion 23 is provided near the center of the surface of the ink tank facing the back surface. The surface on which the latch lever is provided is the “R” side of the tank shown in FIG. Each engagement portion for mounting the tank is arranged so as to have a triangular planar shape including the two first engagement portions 22 and the tank side root portion of the latch lever 16. Hereinafter, the surface of the ink tank provided with the latch lever 16 is referred to as the front.

  Hereinafter, description will be made using the ink tank of FIG.

  In the corner area where the bottom surface and the front surface of the ink tank 10 intersect, a slope is formed at a lateral portion of the base of the latch lever 16. A substrate 24 on which a contact pad (not shown), which is a tank-side electrical contact that mounts an information storage medium and can be electrically connected to a contact pin, is mounted on the slope. Also, a substrate mounting positioning portion 25 is provided on the bottom surface of the ink tank in the immediate vicinity of the mounting position of the substrate 24.

  When the ink tank 10 is attached to the ink jet recording apparatus, the storage content of the information storage medium can be provided to the ink jet recording apparatus. The stored contents are information that can be used to perform necessary management related to the ink tank, such as the ink expiration date, the amount of ink in the ink tank, and the ink color. By using these pieces of information to notify the user that the expiration date of the tank has expired and prompting the user to replace the ink tank, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of recording defects due to ink discoloration or thickening. Further, it is possible to prevent a recording failure due to a defective ink tank mounting by detecting that the ink tank is correctly mounted through success or failure of information exchange.

  Various information storage media can be used as long as they can present information by mechanical contact with the contact portion on the recording apparatus side, such as a magnetic medium, a magneto-optical medium, an electrical storage medium, and a mechanical switch such as a DIP switch. It can be made the form. For example, it can be a flash memory or a write-at-once magnetic medium. When it is desired to add, change, or delete information from the recording device side, an electrically erasable EEPROM can be used. As the type of information, there are information on the remaining amount of ink and the amount of use based on measurement of image data.

  Next, an operation when the ink tank described above is attached to the recording apparatus main body will be described.

  FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective views for explaining the operation when the ink tank is mounted. First, in a state where the protruding first engaging portion 22 provided in the ink tank 10 faces the hole-like first engaging portion 35 provided in the head unit 30, the ink tank 10 is moved to the head unit 30 and the holder. Place on the unit 50.

  In this state, when the upper surface of the ink tank 10 is pressed in the direction of arrow P shown in FIG. 6A, the latch lever 16 is elastically displaced in the Q direction. Then, the ink tank 10 is displaced downward while the first engagement portion 22 of the ink tank is pushed toward the first locking portion 35 provided in the head unit 30.

  At the final stage of the mounting operation, as shown in FIG. 6B, the first engaging portion 22 is in the first locking portion 35 of the corresponding head unit, and the second engaging portion 23 is in the corresponding holder unit. It fits in the second locking part 51. In other words, the ink tank 10 is locked at three locations of the two first locking portions 35 and the one second locking portion 51, and is in a mechanically mounted state. At this time, the ink supply port 14 and the ink receiving tube 33 are joined, and the ink in the ink tank can be supplied to the nozzles of the inkjet head through the ink receiving tube and the ink supply path.

  In the process of the mounting operation, the guide portion 15 provided in the ink tank 10 shown in FIG. 3A slides on the partition wall 34 of the head unit, and the drop of the ink tank 10 into the mounting portion is restricted. . In the color ink tank 10b shown in FIG. 3B, the guide portion is not shown because it is located at the back of the drawing, but the configuration is the guide provided in the black ink tank 10a shown in FIG. Equal to part 15. By these guide portions 15, contact of the ink tank to the ink receiving tube 33 is avoided, and the mounting of the ink tank is realized while preventing the head from being damaged. In the present embodiment, the partition wall 34 between the mounting portions for the black ink tank and the color ink tank is commonly used as a guide when mounting both ink tanks. Note that the tilting of the ink tank in the side surface direction where no guide portion exists can be regulated using the side wall of the head unit or holder unit corresponding to the side surface.

  Next, the substrate positioning configuration when the ink tank is mounted will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the ink tank is mounted, a reaction force is generated due to the contact between the ink tank substrate 24 and the contact unit 53 of the holder unit 50. If this reaction force is transmitted to the ink tank mounting portion, the ink tank mounting position or the mounting position of the inkjet head on the main body may be shifted. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the contact unit 53 is provided separately from the holder unit, and the reaction force generated by the contact between the contact unit 53 and the substrate 24 is not transmitted to the positioning engagement portion or the like when the ink tank is mounted. It was. Specifically, the protruding substrate mounting positioning portion 25 provided in the vicinity of the substrate 24 of the ink tank 10 is engaged with the positioning portion on the contact unit 53 side, independently of the mounting positioning of the ink tank itself. The positions of the substrate and the contact unit are determined.

  A mechanism for that purpose (hereinafter referred to as a substrate positioning mechanism) will be described in more detail.

  FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C are schematic diagrams for explaining the configuration of the substrate positioning mechanism and the sequential operation when the ink tank is mounted.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7A, a convex board mounting positioning portion 25 projects downward from the bottom surface of the ink tank. The substrate mounting positioning portion 25 forms a substantially triangular convex portion that can be engaged with a substrate-contact positioning portion 54 provided in a holder unit 50 described later. That is, the substrate mounting positioning portion 25 has an inclined surface that gradually increases the height from the bottom surface of the ink tank from a portion near the substrate.

  On the other hand, the substrate-contact positioning portion 54 provided in the holder unit on the recording apparatus main body side is composed of a base member 55 having a concave portion that engages with the convex portion of the substrate mounting positioning portion 25. 53 is provided integrally. The substrate-contact positioning portion 54 or the base member 55 is supported so as to be movable in the horizontal direction with respect to the holder unit 50, and a flexible cable (not shown) for electrically connecting the recording apparatus main body and the contact unit is provided. It is attached. The substrate-contact positioning portion 54 can be biased to a position shown in FIG. 7A (a position biased to the holder unit 50) by a spring (not shown) when the ink tank is not attached.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, in the course of the mounting operation of the ink tank 10, first, the tip of the substrate mounting positioning portion 25 provided on the tank side is the substrate-contact positioning provided on the holder unit 53 side. It contacts the end of the portion 54. In this state, when the user depresses the front upper end of the ink tank 10 in the direction P shown in FIG. 6A, the ink tank places the first engagement portion 22 of the ink tank on the first locking portion 35 on the apparatus side. Position and rotate around this. The ink tank 10 rotates downward. The substrate mounting positioning unit 25 and the substrate contact positioning unit 54 move to the back side in the ink tank mounting direction (left side in FIG. 7A) while abutting.

  Then, the contact pins 52 and the substrate 24 provided on the bottom surface of the tank gradually approach each other. As shown in FIG. 7C, the positioning of the substrate 24 and the contact unit 53 is completed when the ink tank is completely installed. Therefore, electrical connection between the two becomes possible. In this state, the reaction force due to the contact between the substrate and the contact pin of the contact unit is received by the engagement portion between the substrate mounting positioning portion 25 and the substrate-contact positioning portion 54. The substrate-contact positioning portion 54 is configured to be movable with respect to the holder unit 50 in the Y direction shown in FIG. After the substrate-contact positioning unit 54 and the substrate mounting positioning unit 25 come into contact with each other, the base member 55 moves to the left as shown in FIG. The reaction force accompanying the connection operation between the contact pin 25 and the substrate 24 is absorbed by the base member 55 and the contact unit 53 that are movable with respect to the holder unit 50. Therefore, the ink tank and the head unit fixing mechanism are not affected.

  Next, the arrangement of the ink supply port of the ink tank and the substrate mounting positioning portion, which is a feature of this embodiment, will be described in detail.

  FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the black ink tank 10a in this embodiment.

  On the bottom surface of the black ink tank 10a, a black ink supply port is provided. The abutting center when the ink receiving tube 33 abuts on the ink supply port 14 is denoted by reference numeral 63 and is shown as an intersection of broken lines in the figure. As apparent from FIG. 8, the ink supply port 14 has a long hole shape extending in the tank insertion direction (y direction) with respect to the contact center. Thus, it is possible to avoid contact between the ink receiving tube and the tank bottom wall during the ink tank attaching / detaching operation.

  The contact center of the ink supply port 14 is located on the far side from the substrate mounting positioning portion 25 in the tank insertion direction. On the other hand, it is arranged on the opposite side of the substrate mounting positioning portion 25 across the center line 61 in the width direction (short side direction) of the ink tank. That is, with the center line 61 in between, the contact center of the ink supply port 14 is located on the right side of the figure, and the substrate mounting positioning portion 25 is located on the left side. With this arrangement, the ink supply port 14 receives the reaction force of the ink receiving tube 33 and the surrounding sealing member 36 immediately before the contact between the substrate 24 and the contact unit 53 during the ink tank mounting operation. Become. For this reason, the ink tank 10a is inclined to the left side of FIG.

  The advantages of the ink tank mounting operation with such an inclination will be described in detail.

  FIG. 9A to FIG. 9D are diagrams for explaining the mounting operation. Here, FIGS. 9A and 9B show a state in the initial stage of the mounting operation (before the ink supply port comes into contact with the ink receiving tube and the surrounding sealing member). FIG. 9A is a diagram of the ink tank 10a viewed from an oblique side. FIG.9 (b) is the figure seen from the front side. FIGS. 9C and 9D show the state of the end of the mounting operation (when the ink supply port starts to contact the ink receiving tube and the seal member). FIG. 9C is a diagram of the ink tank 10a viewed from an oblique side. FIG.9 (d) is the figure seen from the front side. FIG. 9 shows only the mounting portion of the black ink tank 10a.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 9A and 9B, the ink tank 10 a is not subjected to the reaction force of the ink receiving tube 33 and the seal member 36 in the initial stage of the mounting operation. The force applied for mounting from above the ink tank is applied evenly in the direction of arrow P in the figure.

  When the ink tank mounting operation is further continued from this state, the ink supply port on the bottom surface of the ink tank starts to come into contact with the ink receiving tube and the seal member as shown in FIGS. 9 (c) and 9 (d). Then, the ink tank receives the reaction force R shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the ink supply port contact center is displaced with respect to the central axis 61. Therefore, the ink receiving port and the seal member are disposed on the side without the ink receiving tube and the seal member, as shown in FIG. It will fall. In FIG. 9, the contact center 63 of the ink supply port is located on the left side with respect to the center line 61 of the tank, and the substrate mounting positioning portion 25 is located on the right side. In FIG. 8, the contact center 63 of the ink supply port is positioned on the right side and the substrate mounting position setting portion 25 is positioned on the left side with respect to the center line 61 of the tank. However, in the present invention, the ink supply port contact center and the substrate mounting positioning portion may be provided on different sides with respect to the center line of the tank. In any case, by adopting such a configuration, an inclination S of the tank accompanying the mounting of the tank occurs.

  As described above, since the ink tank 10a is tilted during the mounting operation, the substrate mounting positioning portion 25 provided on the tilted side approaches the substrate-contact positioning portion 54 side, so that both positioning portions for electrical connection are provided. Can be quickly contacted and more stable wearing is possible.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the latch lever 16 including the second engaging portion 23 is disposed on the opposite side of the substrate mounting positioning portion 25 with the center line 61 interposed therebetween. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 7, in the course of the ink tank mounting operation, the engagement of the positioning portions 24 and 52 for electrical connection, which are located on the far side in the mounting direction from the second engaging portion 23, is performed. This occurs prior to the engagement of the second engaging portion 23 and the locking portion 51. That is, before the second engaging portion 23 is coupled to the second locking portion 51 on the main body side, the ink tank 10 a first receives the reaction force via the substrate mounting positioning portion 25. Then, the ink tank 10a is tilted so that the second engagement portion 23 approaches the second locking portion 51 side in the same manner as the previous contact of the ink supply connection portion. Wearability improves.

  In this embodiment, on the bottom surface side of the ink tank 10a, a substrate mounting positioning portion 25 is disposed between the ink supply port 14 and the substrate 24 and in the vicinity of the substrate 24 provided with the tank-side electrical contact. Yes. Accordingly, even when ink is scattered from the ink supply port 14 during an ink tank mounting operation or the like, it is possible to prevent the ink from adhering to the substrate 24 due to the substrate mounting positioning portion 25 serving as a barrier. .

  Next, the color ink tank 10b will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the color ink tank 10b in the present embodiment. On the bottom surface of the color ink tank 10b, ink supply ports for cyan, yellow, magenta, and photo black are provided corresponding to the sections of the color ink storage portions (FIG. 5). Regarding the contact centers when the ink receiving tubes 33 contact the ink supply ports 14 respectively, the contact centers for the photo black ink, magenta, yellow, and cyan ink are denoted by reference numerals 26, 27, 28, and 29, respectively. Shown as the intersection of broken lines inside.

  As is apparent from FIG. 10, each ink supply port has a long hole shape extending in the tank insertion direction (y direction) with respect to the contact center. Thus, it is possible to avoid contact between the ink receiving tube and the tank bottom wall during the ink tank attaching / detaching operation.

  The ink supply ports 14 are two-dimensionally arranged as follows. First, as is apparent from the figure, the contact centers of the ink supply ports 14 are arranged in a state where they are all shifted in the y direction. Specifically, with respect to the y direction, the contact center 26 of the photo black ink supply port is disposed on the innermost side. Next, a contact center 29 of the cyan ink supply port, then a contact center 27 of the magenta ink supply port are positioned, and a contact center 28 of the yellow ink supply port is positioned closest to the front side. . In the x direction (ink tank width direction) orthogonal to the y direction, there is a row BM formed by the contact centers 26 and 27 of the photo black and magenta ink supply ports. Similarly, there is a row CY formed by the contact centers 28 and 29 of the cyan and yellow ink supply ports. These two rows BM and CY are arranged so as to sandwich the center line 61 in the width direction of the ink tank.

  By disposing the ink supply ports by dispersing the contact centers 26 to 29, the ink supply ports corresponding to the photo black, cyan, magenta, and yellow ink supply tubes correspond in this order when the ink tank is rotated. Connected. Further, the reaction force from the ink receiving tube in the order of the ink supply port 26 on the left side of the center line 61, the ink supply port 29 on the right side, the ink supply port 27 on the left side, and the ink supply port 28 on the right side. Will be received by the ink tank.

  Therefore, the ink tank does not receive the reaction force at the time of connection to the ink receiving tube as a mounting force at a time. While being able to disperse the reaction force, it is possible to realize stable mounting while suppressing excessive tilting of the tank during mounting.

In this embodiment, with respect to the relationship between the contact center 26 of the photo black supply port, the contact center 29 of the cyan supply port, and the contact center 27 of the magenta supply port which are the farthest in the tank mounting direction, the arrangement intervals are in order. It is getting wider. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the distance between the contact center 26 of the photo black supply port and the contact center 29 of the cyan supply port is a, the contact center 29 of the cyan supply port and the contact center 27 of the magenta supply port. When the distance between and is b,
a <b
It has become a relationship.

  The ink tank is attached with rotation. Therefore, the closer to the engaging portion at the back side in the ink tank insertion direction, that is, the rotation center at the time of mounting, the operation force at the time of mounting the ink tank can be reduced from the lever principle. Therefore, the interval between the ink supply ports on the side close to the rotation center is narrowed, and the interval between the ink supply ports is increased as the distance from the front side, that is, the rotation center increases. By arranging the supply port in such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the operation force to the ink tank that acts on the user and to reduce the variation in the operation force at each supply port position.

  However, since the ink supply ports are distributed to the left and right with respect to the center line 61 in the ink tank width direction, it is considered that the inclination of the ink tank during the mounting operation increases as the contact center interval increases. For this reason, reducing the gap between the ink supply ports on the front side, that is, the part farthest from the center of rotation, suppresses rattling on the left and right at the end of the tank mounting, and enables reliable tank mounting. Desirable above.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the interval between the contact center 27 of the magenta supply port and the contact center 28 of the yellow supply port is narrower than the contact center interval of the other ink supply ports. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, when the distance between the contact center 27 of the magenta supply port and the contact center 28 of the yellow supply port is c,
c <a <b
It has become a relationship.

  In addition, the contact center 28 of the ink supply port array that is closest to the front (in this example, the yellow ink supply port) is positioned on the back side in the ink tank mounting direction from the substrate mounting positioning unit 25. It has become. In addition, the contact center 28 of the yellow supply port is disposed on the opposite side of the substrate mounting positioning portion 25 with the center line 61 interposed therebetween. Immediately before the contact between the substrate 24 and the contact unit 53 during the ink tank mounting operation, the ink tank 10b is inclined to the side where the contact center 28 is not disposed (the left side in FIG. 10) across the center line 61. This is the same movement as the inclination S accompanying the mounting of the black ink tank 10a described in FIG. By arranging each ink supply port in such a configuration, stable mounting is possible.

  Further, similarly to the black ink tank 10a, in the color ink tank 10b, the latch lever 16 including the second engaging portion 23 is disposed on the opposite side of the substrate mounting positioning portion 25 with the center line 61 interposed therebetween. . Therefore, the color ink tank 10b is also tilted so that the second engaging portion 23 approaches the second locking portion 51, so that the ink tank can be easily mounted.

  Also in the color ink tank 10b, on the bottom surface side of the ink tank 10a, a substrate mounting positioning portion 25 is provided between the ink supply port 14 and the substrate 24 and in the vicinity of the substrate 24 provided with the tank side electrical contact. It is arranged. Accordingly, even when ink is scattered from the ink supply port 14 during an ink tank mounting operation or the like, it is possible to prevent the ink from adhering to the substrate 24 due to the substrate mounting positioning portion 25 serving as a barrier. .

(Second Embodiment)
The present invention is not limited to the ink tank of the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

  FIG. 12A illustrates an ink tank to which the present invention is applied as a second embodiment.

  In the ink tank of the first embodiment, when the ink tank is mounted on the holder unit 50, the first engaging portion 22 provided on the inner side of the tank is inserted into the first engaging portion 35 of the holder, and the first engaging portion It is inserted with the rotation of the tank around the joint 22. For the ink tank mounting, a guide plate 111 that defines the insertion direction is provided in the holder unit 50 so that the inner side of the tank provided with the first engagement portion is inserted first. By providing this plate, the first engagement part provided on the back side of the ink tank is made to be conscious of being inserted into the lower part of the plate, and the mounting procedure for inserting the back side of the ink tank and then pushing the latch lever side is performed. Is. However, as shown in FIG. 11, the user may accidentally insert the ink tank into the holder unit 50 from the latch lever side of the ink tank. In order to suppress such insertion, the ink tank of the second embodiment is provided with a step 110 on the lower side of the second engagement portion provided on the latch lever 16 as shown in FIG. It has a configuration. As shown in FIG. 13A, by providing the step portion 110, when the tank is inserted into the holder unit 50 from the latch lever side, the back side (first engagement portion side) of the ink tank is the guide plate. 111 abuts. Further, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the stepped portion 110 abuts on the upper wall surface of the holder unit 50, and the ink tank is prevented from being pushed into the holder unit first from the latch lever side. To do. The present invention can also be applied to such an ink tank.

In addition to the above, various modifications are possible as an ink tank to which the present invention can be applied.
For example, in the above embodiment, the latch lever is used to mount the ink tank, but the present invention can be effectively applied as long as the ink tank is mounted while rotating. A configuration using a latch lever is not essential.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the ink tank using the ink absorber made of the fibrous body has been described in order to impregnate and hold the ink and generate a preferable negative pressure balanced with the meniscus holding force of the nozzle. However, the ink absorber is not limited to a fiber body. Further, the ink storage portion may be divided into a storage chamber for such an ink absorber and a storage chamber for storing ink as it is. Instead of using an ink absorber as the negative pressure generating means, a bag-like member formed of an elastic material such as rubber that generates tension in the direction of expanding the volume may be filled with ink as it is. A configuration may be adopted in which a negative pressure is applied to the ink inside by the tension generated by the bag-like member. Furthermore, at least a part of the ink storage space is formed of a flexible member, and only ink is stored in the space, and a negative pressure is generated by applying a spring force to the flexible member. It may be a thing.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration using the black ink tank that stores the black ink and the color ink tank that stores the respective color inks of yellow, magenta, cyan, and photo black has been described. However, it goes without saying that the color tone (color and density) or the number of ink tanks used is not limited to this.

  In addition, the location of the ink storage section and the ink capacity for each color ink are not limited to the above description. In particular, the arrangement of the ink supply ports can be determined regardless of the ink capacity or the size and shape of the storage section. For example, even if ink storage portions having the same capacity and the same size are used for the four colors of ink, it is a matter of course that the ink supply port can be arranged as in the present invention.

  In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the mode in which the ink tank mounting portion is divided into the head unit including the inkjet head and the holder unit configured on the main body side has been described. However, the ink tank may be detachable with the head unit unit alone, or the head unit itself may be fixed to the recording apparatus.

  In the embodiments of the present invention, the configuration including the information storage element that stores the information related to the ink tank has been described. However, the information storage element is not necessarily limited as long as the ink tank and the recording apparatus are electrically connected. It does not have to be. For example, the ink tank is provided with a means for notifying the remaining amount of ink (such as a light emitting unit), and a contact is provided to supply an electric signal to the ink tank side in order to drive the means under the control from the recording apparatus side. There may be.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied. (A) is a perspective view which shows the structural example of the mounting part which mounts the ink tank which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (b) shows the state in which the holder unit and the head unit were united as a structure of a mounting part. It is a perspective view shown. (A) is the perspective view seen from the bottom face direction of the tank which shows the black ink tank structure which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (b) is the bottom face direction of the tank which shows the color ink tank structure which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the perspective view seen from. It is sectional drawing of the color ink tank which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view explaining the internal structure of the color ink tank which concerns on 1st Embodiment. (A) is a perspective view for explaining the operation when the ink tank is mounted according to the first embodiment, and (b) is a perspective view when the ink tank is mounted according to the first embodiment. (A) is a schematic diagram of a mechanism for positioning a substrate provided in the ink tank according to the first embodiment, and (b) is a schematic diagram when the ink tank according to the first embodiment is mounted (c). FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram when the ink tank mounting according to the first embodiment is completed. It is a bottom view of the black ink tank concerning a 1st embodiment. (A) is a perspective view for explaining the inclination when the black ink tank according to the first embodiment is mounted, and (b) is provided in the tank in the initial stage of the black ink tank mounting operation according to the first embodiment. The front view seen from the board | substrate, (c) is a perspective view for demonstrating the inclination in the black ink tank mounting operation | movement last stage which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (d) is the black ink tank which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the front view which looked at the state at the end of mounting | wearing operation | movement from the board | substrate provided in the tank. It is a bottom view of the color ink tank according to the first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which installed the ink tank which concerns on 1st Embodiment accidentally. (A) is sectional drawing of the ink tank which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, (b) is a principal part enlarged view of the ink tank which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (A) is explanatory drawing of the incomplete mounting state by the ink tank which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, (b) is the figure which expands and shows a part. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a structure of the conventional ink tank, (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the mounting state of the conventional ink tank.

Explanation of symbols

10, 10a, 10b Ink tank 14 Ink supply port 15 Mounting guide portion 16 Latch lever 20, 21 Ink holding member 22, 23 First engaging portion 24 Substrate 25 Substrate mounting positioning portion 26-29 Contact center 30 Head unit 33 Ink Receiving tube 34 Partition wall 35, 51 First locking portion 50 Holder unit 52 Contact pin 53 Contact unit 54 Substrate contact positioning portion 55 Base member

Claims (7)

An ink tank that is detachable from an attachment portion of an ink jet recording apparatus having an ink receiving portion, a first locking portion that engages with an ink tank, a second locking portion, and an electrical contact,
A housing,
A supply port in contact with the ink receiving portion;
A tank-side electrical contact connectable to the electrical contact;
A positioning portion for the connection; and the supply port contacts the ink receiving portion at a contact center;
The supply port and the positioning portion are provided on a surface of the casing facing the ink receiving portion, and the positioning portion and the contact center of the supply port are on the surface of the ink tank. An ink tank, wherein the ink tank is disposed across a line passing through a center in a short side direction of the surface provided with the supply port.   The said positioning part is located on the said surface between the said tank side electrical contact and the said supply port, and is arrange | positioned in the vicinity of the said tank side electrical contact. Ink tank.   3. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the supply port is provided on a side opposite to the tank-side electrical contact with the positioning portion interposed therebetween. An ink tank that is detachable from a mounting portion of an ink jet recording apparatus having a plurality of ink receiving portions, a first locking portion that engages with an ink tank, a second locking portion, and an electrical contact,
A housing,
A plurality of supply ports in contact with the plurality of ink receiving portions;
A tank-side electrical contact connectable to the electrical contact;
A positioning portion for the connection, and the plurality of supply ports abut each of the plurality of ink receiving portions at a contact center,
The plurality of supply ports and the positioning portion are provided on a surface of the casing facing the plurality of ink receiving portions, and the positioning portion and the positioning portion of the plurality of supply ports are the most on the surface. The contact center of the supply port located on the part side is arranged across a line passing through the center in the short side direction of the surface on which the plurality of supply ports of the ink tank are provided. Ink tank.   5. The storage device according to claim 1, further comprising a storage element that stores information related to the ink tank, wherein the tank-side electrical contact is for transmitting the information to and from the inkjet recording apparatus. The ink tank according to Crab. A first engagement portion that is provided on one surface of the housing and engages with a first locking portion of the mounting portion;
An elastic member provided on the other surface opposite to the one surface of the housing and having a second engaging portion that engages with a second locking portion of the mounting portion. The elastic member is the second engagement member. 5. The second engaging portion is supported so as to be displaceable so that the joint portion is locked to the second locking portion. Ink tank.   The ink tank according to claim 6, wherein a convex portion is provided in a portion of the elastic member that comes into contact with the mounting portion before the second engaging portion.

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