JP2010023458A - Ink tank and inkjet recording system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain highly accuracy in ink residual amount detection, electrical connection of an ink tank with an information holding means, and positioning of the ink tank to a recording device such as position detection of the ink tank. <P>SOLUTION: In the ink tank having an area for directly holding ink in at least a part thereof, the positioning hole, into which a positioning pin arranged in a tank holder on which the ink tank is mounted is inserted, is arranged between the ink remaining quantity detecting portion and electric connecting portion connected to the information holding means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording system constituted by a combination of an ink tank used in an ink jet recording apparatus and an ink jet printer provided with a tank holder for detachably supporting the ink tank.

  An ink jet recording apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium by applying ink to the recording medium using a recording head has advantages such as relatively low noise during recording and the ability to form small dots with high density. It is used for printing in various modes such as color printing. As one form of such an ink jet recording apparatus, a configuration including a recording head (ink jet head) that receives ink supply from an ink supply port of an ink tank that is detachably attached is known. This apparatus includes a carriage that mounts a recording head and scans the recording medium in a predetermined direction (main scanning direction) with respect to the recording medium. In addition, a transport mechanism that transports (sub-scans) the recording medium with respect to the recording head in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction is provided. Some of these perform recording by ejecting ink during the main scanning process of the recording head. In this apparatus, a recording head that discharges each color ink such as yellow, cyan, and magenta in addition to black ink is mounted on a carriage. Thereby, not only monochrome printing of the text image by black ink but full color printing by discharging color ink can be performed.

  In an ink jet recording system (ink supply structure) constituting such an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink tank that is detachably mounted on a holder (or an ink jet printer) and a recording head arranged in the holder can be connected and separated. It is configured. When the ink tank and the recording head are connected, an ink supply path from the ink tank to the inkjet head is formed. With this configuration, the supply path from the ink tank to the recording head can be shortened, and the recording apparatus can be easily downsized. Furthermore, there is an advantage that the ink can be replenished by replacing only the ink tank and the running cost can be reduced.

  In addition, an ink tank in which a detection mechanism used to detect the presence / absence of ink and the remaining amount is provided in the ink tank in order to inform the user of the remaining amount of ink in the ink storage unit that stores ink. Has been proposed. A typical ink remaining amount detection mechanism has a remaining amount detection unit that holds ink directly in the ink tank, and the light irradiated to the remaining amount detection unit is reflected by the light reflector, and the amount of reflected light is reflected. By measuring the change, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of ink in the remaining amount detection unit. By this ink remaining amount detection mechanism, the user can sufficiently use the ink in the ink tank without causing a printing defect due to running out of ink.

  In the ink tank configuration described above, since the ink tank and the recording head can be separated, it is desirable that at least the following conditions are satisfied. First, the ink tank is securely fixed with respect to the movement of the recording head in the main scanning direction. Secondly, regarding the user's installation and separation of the ink tank, the ink tank can be reliably installed at a predetermined position. Thereby, the ink remaining in the ink tank can be smoothly supplied to the recording head, and the remaining amount of ink can be detected with high accuracy by aligning the positions of the ink remaining amount detecting unit and the optical sensor of the recording apparatus.

  Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2 to Patent Document 3 show examples of conventional ink supply configurations. The ink tank in Patent Document 1 has a first fitting recess on a surface having an ink supply port, and a second recess on a surface facing the first fitting recess. The first fitting recess is fitted with the fitting convex portion of the recording head, and the second fitting recess is fitted with a locking claw of a fixed arm that fixes the ink tank. The ink tank is securely fixed by these two fittings. The ink tank disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which a positioning pin disposed on the bottom surface enters a positioning hole provided in the holder to position the ink tank.

  In addition, the ink tank in Patent Document 2 is provided with positioning pins on the side surface that is the bottom surface with the ink supply port disposed downward in the direction of gravity, and a hole for receiving the positioning pin on the holder side, thereby positioning the ink tank. It is configured to do. The purpose of the ink tank positioning in Patent Document 2 is to accurately align the positions of the ink remaining amount detection sensor fixed on the recording apparatus side and the prism in the ink tank.

Further, the ink tank in Patent Document 3 is characterized in that the ink is held in the absorber, has a notch structure on the surface having the air communication port, and the notch structure is used as a guide for mounting the ink tank. Yes. Here, the purpose of the notch structure is to prevent the absorber from being strongly compressed locally in the vicinity of the atmosphere communication port, and this makes it possible to increase the ink use efficiency.
JP 2006-21540 A Japanese Patent No. 3376299 Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 6-210870

  In Patent Document 1, the ink tank is fixed by two operations of setting the ink tank to the recording head and then fixing the ink tank to the fixed arm. In this configuration, not only the user's ink tank mounting operation is complicated, but also when the lid of the printing apparatus is closed without securely fixing the fixed arm, the carriage moves and the fixed arm comes into contact with the printing apparatus exterior. In some cases, damage can occur.

  On the other hand, there is a demand for further improvement in ink tank positioning accuracy in recent years. One is a configuration in which information holding means (information medium: memory) for holding information on the ink tank is disposed in the ink tank, and the ink tank is electrically connected to the recording head or the recording apparatus. The information medium stores the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank, the date of manufacture, ink information, and the like, and the recording device changes the processing based on the information, thereby enabling more advanced recording. Accordingly, it is necessary to electrically connect the recording head or the recording apparatus and the ink tank. In addition, due to the demand for higher image quality, there is an increasing number of cases where conventional ink tanks of four colors (black, yellow, magenta, cyan) or more are mounted. However, as a mechanism to prevent the ink tank from being attached to the wrong mounting position in that case, the position of the ink tank is specified by detecting a light emitting body such as an LED disposed in the ink tank with a sensor in the recording device. A configuration has been proposed. Even when such a configuration is employed, it is necessary to improve the accuracy of the ink tank fixing position in order to detect the position of the ink tank.

  In Patent Document 2, the purpose of accurately positioning the ink tank is only to improve the accuracy of ink remaining amount detection, and therefore only in the recording medium feed direction (sub-scanning direction: arrow B in FIG. 15) in the recording apparatus. It was only necessary to improve the position accuracy. However, in the electrical connection with the ink tank as described above and the ink tank position detection by the optical sensor, it is necessary to improve the positioning accuracy in the carriage movement direction (main scanning direction: arrow A in FIG. 15).

  Furthermore, Patent Document 3 has a notch structure in an ink tank in a configuration in which ink is held by an absorber. Since the notch structure may affect the compressibility distribution of the internal absorber, the position and size are restricted. In Patent Document 3, a notch structure is provided on the surface having the atmosphere communication port, so that local compression to the atmosphere communication port portion is avoided. However, in an ink tank having a portion that directly holds ink, the influence on the inside can be reduced by providing a notch structure in the ink direct holding region. Thereby, the freedom degree of the position and shape of a notch structure can be raised.

In order to achieve the above object, the ink tank of the present invention comprises:
An ink tank that is detachably mounted on an ink-jet printer, the ink tank having an ink storage part for storing ink, an ink supply port for supplying ink from the ink storage part to the outside, and an atmosphere in the ink tank An air communication portion that communicates with the light reservoir, and a light reflector that is used to detect the presence or absence of ink in an ink storage portion disposed on a side surface that is a bottom surface when the ink supply port is disposed downward in the gravity direction, and An information medium disposed in the ink tank and holding information relating to the ink tank, and a side surface that intersects the bottom surface when the information medium is used to transmit information to and from the ink jet printer. And a contact portion provided on the arranged substrate,
A side surface serving as a bottom surface of the ink tank, wherein the position of the ink tank is specified by engaging with a convex portion provided in the ink jet printer between the light reflector and the electrical contact portion. It is characterized by being provided with a recess used in the above.

The inkjet recording system of the present invention is
An ink jet recording system comprising: an ink jet printer provided with a holder in which an ink jet head is arranged and an ink tank is detachable; and an ink tank that is detachably mounted on the holder. ,
The ink tank includes an ink storage unit that stores ink, an ink supply port that supplies ink from the ink storage unit to the outside, an air communication unit that communicates the inside of the ink tank to the atmosphere, and the ink supply port that extends in the gravity direction. A light reflector that is used to detect the presence or absence of ink in an ink storage portion disposed on a side surface that is a bottom surface when disposed downward, and information related to the ink tank disposed in the ink tank. A held information medium, and a contact portion provided on a substrate disposed on a side surface intersecting the bottom surface, the information medium being used to transmit information to and from the inkjet printer,
The ink jet printer includes a light emitting element that irradiates light to the light reflector and a light receiving element that receives light reflected from the light reflector, and the holder stores information on an information medium of the ink tank. A contact portion of the holder for transferring between the contact portion of the ink tank,
The holder is further provided with a convex portion between the light emitting element, the light receiving element, and the contact portion of the holder, and is a side surface serving as a bottom surface of the ink tank, the light reflecting body and the electrical A concave portion that is used to identify the position of the ink tank inside the holder by engaging with the convex portion is provided between the contact portion and the contact portion.

  According to the present invention, the above-described configuration means allows the user to mount and separate the ink tank with a simple operation, and enables the ink tank positioning with high accuracy in both the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. As a result, it is possible to accurately perform ink remaining amount detection, electrical connection with an information medium, ink tank position detection, and the like.

  Next, details of the present invention will be described in accordance with the description of the embodiments.

  1, 2 (a), 2 (b), 2 (c), and 2 (d) are diagrams showing an ink tank according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2 (a). FIGS. 2 (a), 2 (b), 2 (c), and 2 (d) are a top view and a side view, respectively. It is a figure, a front view, and a bottom view. In the present example, the front surface of the ink tank refers to a surface that can be operated (attachment / detachment operation or the like) and provide information to the user (light emission of an LED described later) by facing the user.

  In FIG. 1, the ink tank 1 of the present embodiment has a support member 30 supported at the lower part on the front side. The support member 30 is formed of a resin integrally with the exterior (housing) of the ink tank 1, and is configured to be displaceable around the supported portion when performing an attaching / detaching 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 21 and a second engaging portion 32 (in this example, integrated with the support member 30) that can be engaged with a locking portion on the ink tank holder side, respectively. Is provided). These engagements secure the mounting state of the ink tank 1 to the tank holder. The operation at the time of mounting will be described later.

  The ink tank 1 functions as an ink storage unit that stores ink supplied to an ink jet recording head mounted on the ink jet printer. In order to supply ink in the ink tank to the outside of the ink tank, the ink tank 1 is coupled to an ink inlet of a recording head described later when the ink tank 1 is attached to the ink tank holder. Ink supply port 22 is provided. A substrate 50 is disposed on the bottom surface side of the support portion of the support member 30 at a portion where the bottom surface and the front surface intersect.

  The inside of the ink tank 1 is divided into an ink storage chamber 23 located on the front side where the support member 30 and the substrate 50 are provided, and a porous member storage chamber 24 located on the back side and communicating with the ink supply port 22. Both are connected via a communication port 25. These storage chambers function as an ink reservoir. While the ink 2 is stored directly in the ink storage chamber 23, the porous member storage chamber 24 is provided with porous members 41 and 42 such as a sponge for impregnating and holding ink. The porous members 41 and 42 are sufficient to balance the holding force of the meniscus formed in the ink discharge nozzle portion of the print head and prevent ink leakage from the ink discharge portion, and the ink discharge of the print head. This is to generate an appropriate negative pressure within a range where operation is possible. On the upper surface of the porous member storage chamber 24, the inside of the ink tank is communicated with the atmosphere and the outside air is introduced so as to relieve the negative pressure that increases as the ink is supplied to the recording head and maintain this in a preferable predetermined range. An air communication part 11 is provided.

  When the ink 2 in the ink tank 1 is led out to the outside from the ink supply port 22, first, the ink impregnated in the porous members 41 and 42 in the porous member storage chamber 24 is led out, and accordingly, the atmosphere communication unit 11. Introducing outside air. When the gas-liquid interface in the porous member 42 reaches the communication port 25, outside air is introduced into the ink storage chamber 23 from the communication port 25, and at the same time, the ink in the ink storage chamber 23 supplies ink through the porous member 42. Derived from the mouth 22 to the outside. Thereafter, the ink in the ink storage chamber 23 gradually decreases, and when the ink is consumed, the absence of ink is detected by the prism 60 disposed on the bottom surface of the ink storage chamber 23.

  Here, the ink remaining amount detection mechanism by the prism 60 will be described with reference to the schematic diagrams of FIGS. 9A and 9B. The prism 60 has a triangular prism shape and is made of a highly transparent material that transmits light (infrared rays). When the surface of the prism 60 is in contact with ink as shown in FIG. 9A, the light emitting unit (light emitting element) 162 of the remaining amount detection sensor 161 that is disposed in the recording apparatus and faces the prism 60 is used. The irradiated light is scattered and absorbed in the ink. When the ink is exhausted and the surface of the prism 60 is in contact with air as shown in FIG. 9B, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 161 is the first of the prism 60 due to the difference in refractive index between the prism 60 and air. The light is reflected by the surface 61 and the second surface 62 and is incident on the light receiving unit (light receiving element) 163. That is, by measuring the light incident on the light receiving unit 163, the states of FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B can be distinguished. That is, the prism functions as a light reflector for detecting the presence or absence of ink.

  At this time, if the positions of the prism 60 and the remaining amount detection sensor 161 are deviated, the light does not return to the light receiving unit 163 even when there is no ink as shown in FIG. There is sex. That is, in order to reliably detect the remaining amount of ink, it is necessary to accurately position the ink tank 1 with respect to the recording apparatus.

  Next, configurations and functions of the substrate 50 and the support member 30 will be described. The substrate 50 is provided on the side surface provided to intersect the bottom surface and the bottom surface of the ink tank. An electrode pad (electrical contact portion) 52 that is arranged toward the outside of the ink tank and can be electrically connected to the recording apparatus is arranged to transmit information. A light emitting body 51 that emits visible light, such as an LED, and a control element (not shown) for controlling the light emitting body 51 are provided on the surface of the substrate 50 positioned toward the inside of the ink tank 1 to form a unit. . The light emitter 51 and the control element control the light emission of the light emitter 51 by an electrical signal supplied via the electrode pad 52. In addition, when a memory element (information medium) for storing information such as the color of ink stored in the ink tank and the minute amount of remaining ink is mounted, it is also arranged on the inner surface. The substrate 50 is fixed to the ink tank by a fixing portion 53, and the light emitter 51 is disposed from the support member 30 of the substrate 50 as shown in the figure, and a space is secured around the substrate. In this embodiment, the substrate 50 is fixed by a caulking structure by fitting the substrate 50 to the pin-shaped fixing portion 53 of the ink tank and melting the tip end portion of the pin member with heat. It is not limited to this method. Further, the support member 30 is supported by the ink tank member by a fulcrum 34 in FIG. 2B, and the vicinity of the central portion (near the light emitter 51) in the width direction of the ink tank is a through hole. The light receiving unit 33 is configured at a position facing the above. The support member 30 is integrally formed of the same resin material as the ink tank member, and the support member 30 is displaced by being deformed near the fulcrum 34. In order to reduce the force with which the user displaces the support member 30, the fulcrum 34 is configured to be thinner than the other portions.

  Further, a positioning hole 70 configured as a recess is disposed between the prism 60 on the bottom surface of the ink tank 1 and the substrate 50. A method for positioning the ink tank using the positioning hole 70 will be described later.

  3 is a perspective view showing an example of a recording head unit that detachably holds the ink tank according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 4 illustrates a state immediately before the ink tank is attached to the recording head unit. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 4. 6 is a perspective view for explaining a state in which the ink tank is completely mounted on the recording head unit, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line EE in FIG. is there.

  The recording head unit 105 generally includes a holder 150 that detachably holds a plurality (four in the figure) of ink tanks and a recording head 106 (not shown in FIG. 5) disposed on the bottom side. Then, by arranging the ink supply port of the ink tank downward in the direction of gravity and attaching it to the holder 150, the ink introduction port 107 on the recording head side located at the bottom of the holder and the ink supply port 22 on the ink tank side are combined, An ink communication path between the two is formed.

  As the recording head 106, an electrothermal conversion element is provided in the nozzle liquid path, and an electric pulse is applied to the electrothermal conversion element to give thermal energy to the ink, and the pressure at the time of foaming (boiling) caused by the phase change of the ink at that time Can be used for discharging ink.

  When the ink tank 1 is attached to the recording head unit 105, the ink tank 1 is handled above the holder 150. The protruding first engaging portion 21 provided on the back side of the ink tank is placed on the bottom surface of the holder in a state of being inserted into the first locking portion having a through hole provided on the back side of the holder (FIG. 4). ). In this state, when the upper end on the front side of the ink tank 1 is depressed as indicated by an arrow P, the ink tank 1 rotates with the engaging portions of the first engaging portion and the first locking portion as a rotation fulcrum, and the ink tank The front side is displaced downward. In this process, while the side surface of the second engagement portion 32 provided on the support member 30 on the front side of the ink tank is pushed by the second locking portion 156 provided on the front side of the holder, the support member 30 also moves in the direction of the arrow Q. It will be displaced to. At this time, a positioning pin 170 configured as a convex portion configured at a position facing the positioning hole 70 of the recording head 105 is inserted into the positioning hole 70 on the bottom surface of the ink tank 1 (FIG. 5).

  When the upper surface of the second engaging portion 32 reaches below the second locking portion 156 as shown in FIG. 7, the support member 30 is displaced in the Q ′ direction by its own elastic force, and the second engaging portion 5. Is locked by the second locking portion 156. In this state (FIG. 7), the upward displacement of the ink tank 1 is caused by the first locking portion 155 engaged with the first engagement portion 21 and the second locking portion 156 engaged with the second engagement portion 32. Is suppressed by. This is a state where the ink tank 1 is completely installed, and at this time, the ink supply port 22 and the ink introduction port 107, the electrode pad 52, and the connector 152 are joined.

  Compared to the operation of the “lever”, in the process of the mounting operation as shown in FIG. 7, the engaging portion of the first engaging portion 21 and the first locking portion is a fulcrum, and the front side of the ink tank 1 is a power point. The connecting portion of the ink supply port 22 and the ink introduction port 107 becomes an action point, which is located between the force point and the fulcrum, preferably near the fulcrum. Accordingly, the ink supply port 22 is pressed against the ink introduction port 107 with a large force as the ink tank 1 rotates. In general, a relatively flexible elastic member such as a filter, an absorber, or a packing is disposed at the joint between the two for the purpose of ensuring ink communication and preventing ink leakage.

  Since the support member 30 is in a bent state in this mounted state, the ink tank 1 receives a repulsive force in the direction of the arrow R. As a result, the positioning pin 170 contacts the positioning surface 71 in the positioning hole 70 and the position of the ink tank 1 is determined in the direction of the arrow R (sub-scanning direction).

  In FIG. 8, the positioning pin 170 and the positioning hole 70 are also fitted in the side surface direction (main scanning direction / vertical direction in the drawing) of the ink tank, and there is a constant gap between the positioning pin 170 and the wall surface of the positioning hole 70. Below the value, the position is determined. In the cross-sectional direction of FIG. 8, the repulsive force unlike the support member 30 does not occur. For this reason, the positioning pin 170 is not surely in contact with the surface, but there is no problem in detecting the in-tank position described later by managing the diameter of the positioning pin 170 and the width of the positioning hole 70. The ink tank can be positioned at the level position.

  As a result, the remaining amount detection sensor 161 of the recording apparatus is accurately opposed to the prism 60 via the through hole 164 to detect the remaining amount of ink, and the remaining amount can be detected. For specifying the ink tank mounting position, the light of the light emitter 51 emitted from the substrate 50 electrically connected via the electrode pad 52 is guided in the support member 30 to reach the display unit 31 and is arranged in the recording apparatus. The position specifying sensor 165 receives the light. As a result, it is possible to detect an incorrect mounting position of the ink tank. In this case, since the mounting position in the side surface direction of the ink tank (main scanning direction / vertical direction in the drawing) is detected, accurate positioning is also required in the side surface direction of the ink tank. However, since the ink tank 1 is accurately positioned by fitting the positioning pin 170 and the positioning hole 70 as described above, the mounting position can be detected without any problem.

  In this configuration, the positioning hole 70 is disposed between the prism 60 and the substrate 50 and is close to both the prism 60 and the substrate 50. As a result, both the prism 60 and the substrate 50 can be accurately positioned. As is clear from FIG. 1, the positioning hole 70 is disposed at a position far from the communication port 25 of the ink storage chamber 23. As a result, in the process of consuming ink in the ink storage chamber 23, it is possible to smoothly draw out ink without causing resistance to drawing out ink.

  In addition, the material constituting the ink tank has the following limitations. The first is to use a material that comes into contact with the ink, for example, when the ink tank is stored, and that deposits on the nozzle portion of the recording head 106 and elutes foreign matter that affects ink ejection into the ink. I can't. Second, the ink tank must be made of a material that can transmit light in order to detect the remaining amount of ink in the prism 60. Third, since the ink tank is mounted by deformation of the support member 30, in order to achieve both proper mounting force and reliable mounting, the elasticity and rigidity of the material must be within a certain range. Don't be. On the other hand, for the tank holder, a material having a relatively high degree of material freedom and a high rigidity can be used. As for the positioning pin and the positioning hole, the positioning hole is structurally more resistant to load deformation. Therefore, for the reasons described above, it is more preferable to have a positioning hole in the ink tank and a positioning pin in the tank holder.

  The internal configuration of the ink tank 1 is not limited to such a configuration having a porous member storage chamber, and the remaining amount of ink can be detected by introducing air into the storage chamber that stores ink as it is. If it is. As a negative pressure generating means instead of a porous member, ink is directly filled in a bag-shaped member formed of an elastic material such as rubber that generates tension in the direction of expanding the volume, and the internal force is generated by the tension generated by the bag-shaped member. It is also possible to apply a negative pressure to the ink. Further, at least a part of the ink storage space is configured by a flexible member, and ink is stored in the space and a negative force is generated by applying a spring force to the flexible member. But you can. In the case of such a negative pressure generating member, the configuration may be such that the atmosphere is introduced into the ink storage chamber by a differential pressure valve configuration, a meniscus valve configuration, or the like.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining an ink tank according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D are respectively shown in FIG. It is a top view, a side view, a front view, and a bottom view. FIG. 12 is a perspective view for explaining a recording head to which the ink tank is mounted. FIGS. 13 and 14 are side sectional views taken along line BB in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, notches 72 a and 72 b are provided on both side surfaces of the ink tank 1. The notches 72a and 72b have a symmetrical shape, and are arranged between the prism portion 60 and the substrate 50 as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. The recording head is provided with a triangular pyramid-shaped projection (triangular projection) 173a in the vicinity of the partition wall of the ink tank, and the projection 173a is formed on the flat surface on the support member 30 side in the notches 72a and 72b by the mounting process. Are in contact with each other, and the position of the ink tank 1 is determined.

  In the present embodiment, since the side wall of the ink tank 1 is used as a notch, the ink storage chamber 23 is less affected and the amount of ink stored is increased compared to the first embodiment. It is possible.

  The configuration for detecting the remaining amount of ink is not limited to the above-described prism, and a configuration capable of detecting using a light emitting element and a light receiving element, for example, a light reflector such as a metal plate in the ink. It is good also as a structure which arrange | positions and displaces according to the quantity of ink.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the ink tank according to the first embodiment of the present invention. (A), (b), (c) and (d) are respectively a top view, a side view, a bottom view and a front view of the ink tank according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a recording head unit that detachably holds an ink tank according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a recording head unit for explaining an ink tank mounting operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is CC sectional drawing in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the recording head unit for explaining an ink tank mounting operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is DD sectional drawing in FIG. It is EE sectional drawing in FIG. (A), (b) is a schematic diagram explaining the ink remaining amount detection structure. It is a downward perspective view of an ink tank concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. (A), (b), (c) and (d) are respectively a top view, a side view, a bottom view and a front view of an ink tank according to the second embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the recording head unit which hold | maintains the ink tank which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention so that attachment or detachment is possible. It is side surface sectional drawing explaining mounting | wearing operation | movement of the ink tank which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing explaining mounting | wearing operation | movement of the ink tank which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a recording apparatus to which the ink tank according to the invention is mounted.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink tank 2 Ink 11 Atmospheric communication part 22 Ink supply port 23 Ink storage chamber 24 Porous member storage room 33 Light receiving part 50 Substrate 51 Light emitter 52 Electrode pad 60 Prism 70 Positioning hole 106 Recording head 150 Ink tank holder 152 Connector 170 Positioning pin

Claims (6)

An ink tank that is detachably mounted on an ink-jet printer, the ink tank having an ink storage part for storing ink, an ink supply port for supplying ink from the ink storage part to the outside, and an atmosphere in the ink tank An air communication portion that communicates with the light reservoir, and a light reflector that is used to detect the presence or absence of ink in an ink storage portion disposed on a side surface that is a bottom surface when the ink supply port is disposed downward in the gravity direction, and An information medium disposed in the ink tank and holding information relating to the ink tank, and a side surface that intersects the bottom surface when the information medium is used to transmit information to and from the ink jet printer. A contact portion provided on the arranged substrate,
A side surface serving as a bottom surface of the ink tank, wherein the position of the ink tank is specified by engaging with a convex portion provided in the ink jet printer between the light reflector and the electrical contact portion. The ink tank is characterized by being provided with a concave portion used for the ink.   The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion is a positioning hole into which a positioning pin constituting the convex portion is inserted.   The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion is a cutout portion into which a triangular protrusion constituting the convex portion is inserted. An inkjet recording system comprising an inkjet printer including a holder in which an inkjet head is arranged and an ink tank is detachable, and an ink tank that is detachably mounted on the holder,
The ink tank includes an ink storage unit that stores ink, an ink supply port that supplies ink from the ink storage unit to the outside, an air communication unit that communicates the inside of the ink tank to the atmosphere, and the ink supply port that extends in the gravity direction. A light reflector that is used to detect the presence or absence of ink in an ink storage portion disposed on a side surface that is a bottom surface when disposed downward, and information related to the ink tank disposed in the ink tank. A held information medium, and a contact portion provided on a substrate disposed on a side surface intersecting the bottom surface, the information medium being used to transmit information to and from the inkjet printer,
The ink jet printer includes a light emitting element that irradiates light to the light reflector and a light receiving element that receives light reflected from the light reflector, and the holder stores information on an information medium of the ink tank. A contact portion of the holder for transferring between the contact portion of the ink tank,
The holder is further provided with a convex portion between the light emitting element, the light receiving element, and the contact portion of the holder, and is a side surface serving as a bottom surface of the ink tank, the light reflecting body and the electrical An ink jet recording system, wherein a concave portion that is used to identify the position of the ink tank in the holder is provided between the contact portion and the convex portion.   5. The ink jet recording system according to claim 4, wherein the convex portion of the holder is a positioning pin, and the concave portion of the ink tank is a positioning hole into which the positioning pin is inserted.   The inkjet recording system according to claim 4, wherein the convex portion of the holder is a triangular protrusion, and the concave portion of the ink tank is a cutout portion into which the triangular protrusion is inserted.

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