JP2022100377A - system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system capable of maintaining a state of a liquid cartridge attached to an attachment portion while maintaining a liquid volume storable in the liquid cartridge.

SOLUTION: A system has an ink cartridge 30 and a cartridge attachment portion 110 to which the ink cartridge 30 is attached. The ink cartridge 30 has an elastic member 90 provided on an upper wall 39 of a casing 31 and a projection part 95 provided on a lower wall 42 of the casing 31. The cartridge attachment portion 110 has a cartridge holder 101 capable of holding the ink cartridge 30 in an inner space 104 partitioned by a lower wall 59, an upper wall 58 and a pair of sidewalls 60. The elastic member 90 is in a state of abutting on the upper wall 58 from below and being compressed by elastic deformation between the casing 31 and the upper wall 58 in an attached state, in which the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the cartridge installation portion 110. The projection part 95 abuts on the lower wall 59 from above in the attachment state.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a system including a liquid cartridge for storing a liquid and a mounting portion on which the liquid cartridge can be mounted.

Conventionally, a system including an ink cartridge and an inkjet recording device has been known. The inkjet recording device includes a mounting portion on which and from which the ink cartridge is mounted. The inkjet recording device includes a mechanism for maintaining the state in which the ink cartridge is mounted on the mounting portion.

For example, in the printer disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the lever provided in the mounting portion is pushed down, the lever is caught in the ink cartridge and the ink cartridge is prevented from coming out of the mounting portion. In the printer, the ink cartridge can be taken out from the mounting portion by operating the lever.

JP-A-2017-56706

However, the printer disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires a space for arranging the lever. As a result, the volume of ink that can be stored in the ink cartridge has decreased.

It is conceivable that the mounting portion does not have a lever, but the ink cartridge has a lever. However, even in this case, the fact that a space for arranging the lever is required is the same as that of the printer disclosed in Patent Document 1, so that the volume of ink that can be stored in the ink cartridge is reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a system capable of maintaining a state in which a liquid cartridge is mounted on a mounting portion while maintaining a liquid volume that can be stored in the liquid cartridge. To provide.

(1) The system according to the present invention includes a liquid cartridge and a mounting portion into which the liquid cartridge is inserted in an insertion direction intersecting the direction of gravity. The liquid cartridge has a housing having a storage chamber for storing the liquid, and the storage chamber is opened in front of the housing in the insertion direction when the liquid cartridge is mounted on the mounting portion. A liquid flow hole that communicates with the outside of the housing, a circuit board that faces upward in the mounting state and has cartridge-side contacts, and a circuit board that is above the storage chamber in the mounting state and can contact the mounting portion. The first contact surface facing upward and the second contact surface which is on the opposite side of the first contact surface across the storage chamber in the mounting state and can contact the mounting portion. , Equipped with. The mounting portion is a pair of the bottom wall, the top wall separated from the bottom wall in the gravity direction, the top wall and the bottom wall, and separated in the width direction intersecting the gravity direction and the insertion direction. The cartridge holder that can hold the liquid cartridge in the space partitioned by the side wall of the wall, the flow pipe that is in the liquid flow hole in the mounted state and the liquid flows from the storage chamber, and the top wall. It includes a connector having a contact that can be contacted with the cartridge side contact in the mounted state, and a wall extending downward from the top wall and extending along the insertion direction. At least one of the first contact surface and the second contact surface is an elastic member that can be elastically deformed in the direction of gravity. The elastic member is in a state of being compressed by elastic deformation between the housing and the bottom wall or one of the top walls in the mounted state.

According to the above configuration, in the mounted state, the elastic member is in contact with one of the bottom wall and the top wall in an elastically deformed state. Therefore, the elastic member is pressed against one of the bottom wall and the top wall by the restoring force. On the other hand, the reaction force of the restoring force of the elastic member acts on the surface of the bottom wall or the top wall that is in contact with the other. As a result, the surface is pressed against the other of the bottom wall or the top wall. As a result, the liquid cartridge can be maintained in the mounted state without adding parts such as a lever to the liquid cartridge. In addition, the user can take out the liquid cartridge by simply pulling it in the direction opposite to the insertion direction without moving the liquid cartridge in the direction of gravity.

(2) For example, one of the first contact surface and the second contact surface is on the elastic member. One of the first contact surface and the second contact surface abuts on the top wall from below in the mounted state. The first contact surface or the other of the second contact surface abuts on the bottom wall from above in the mounted state.

(3) The first contact surface or the second contact surface abuts on the wall from below in the mounted state.

According to the above configuration, the wall extends in the insertion direction. Therefore, even if the position of the liquid cartridge with respect to the mounting portion is displaced in the insertion direction, it is possible to increase the possibility that the wall can be maintained in contact with the first contact surface or the second contact surface.

(4) Of the first contact surface or the second contact surface, the surface that contacts the wall extends in the insertion direction.

If the wall and the surface are in point contact when the liquid cartridge is viewed from the side, at least one of the wall or the surface is easily creep-deformed by the action of a force from the contacting partner. However, according to the above configuration, both the wall and the surface extend in the insertion direction. Thereby, in the side view, the wall and the surface can be in line contact. As a result, the creep deformation described above can be suppressed.

(5) Of the first contact surface or the second contact surface, the contact surface that abuts on the wall is longer than the wall in the width direction. The distance W1 in the width direction between the one end in the width direction of both ends of the wall in the width direction and the one end in the width direction of both ends of the contact surface in the width direction is as follows. Equation 1 is satisfied.
W1 <(L2 / L1) x W2 ... (Equation 1)
However, W2 is the length of the cartridge side contact in the width direction, and L1 is the contact position between the cartridge side contact and the contact from the contact position between the flow pipe and the surface separating the liquid flow hole. It is the distance in the insertion direction to the contact position, and L2 is the distance in the insertion direction from the contact position between the flow pipe and the surface to the contact position between the contact surface and the wall. ..

According to the above configuration, as long as the contact surface and the wall are maintained in contact with each other, the width direction of the cartridge side contact is irrespective of the length of the positional deviation of the contact surface with respect to the wall. The length of misalignment can be suppressed within the length in the width direction of the contact on the cartridge side. As a result, as long as the contact surface and the wall are maintained in contact with each other, it is possible to prevent the contact between the contact and the cartridge side contact from being released due to the positional deviation of the cartridge side contact in the width direction. can.

(6) In a plan view in the mounted state, the contact position between one of the bottom wall or the top wall and one of the first contact surface or the second contact surface is the bottom wall or the top wall. It overlaps with the contact position between the other of the above and the first contact surface or the other of the second contact surface.

Temporarily, in a plan view, the contact position between one of the bottom wall or the top wall and one of the first contact surface or the second contact surface, and the other of the bottom wall or the top wall and the first contact surface or the second If the contact position of the contact surface with the other does not overlap, the following problems may occur. That is, the liquid cartridge may be tilted in the width direction or the insertion direction due to the force acting downward from the top wall on the liquid cartridge and the force acting upward from the bottom wall on the liquid cartridge. However, according to the above configuration, in a plan view, the contact position between one of the bottom wall or the top wall and one of the first contact surface or the second contact surface, and the other of the bottom wall or the top wall and the first. The contact position with the contact surface or the other of the second contact surface overlaps. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the tilt of the liquid cartridge as described above and stabilize the posture of the liquid cartridge.

(7) The contact position between one of the bottom wall or the top wall and one of the first contact surface or the second contact surface is the front end and the rear of the housing in the insertion direction in the mounted state. It is behind the insertion direction from the middle position of the end.

If the contact position between one of the bottom wall or the top wall and one of the first contact surface or the second contact surface is in front of the intermediate position in the insertion direction (the back side of the mounting portion), the liquid cartridge If one of the first contact surface and the second contact surface is caught on the mounting portion when the is taken out from the mounting portion, it is difficult to release the catch. However, according to the above configuration, the contact position between one of the bottom wall or the top wall and one of the first contact surface or the second contact surface is rearward in the insertion direction from the intermediate position (front side of the mounting portion). Therefore, even if one of the first contact surface and the second contact surface is caught by the mounting portion when the liquid cartridge is taken out from the mounting portion, it is easy to release the catching.

(8) For example, the mounting portion is provided on the top wall, and includes a rod extending along the width direction and supported by the pair of side walls. The first contact surface is in contact with the rod in the mounted state.

(9) The mounting portion is provided on the top wall, and includes a rod extending along the width direction and supported by the pair of side walls. The rear end of the elastic member is behind the rod in the insertion direction in the mounted state.

According to the above configuration, since the rear end of the elastic member is behind the rod, the elastic member is not caught by the rod and damaged when the liquid cartridge is pulled out from the mounting portion.

(10) The connector includes a wall which is behind the circuit board in the insertion direction and whose lower end is below the contact in the mounted state. The circuit board is supported by the housing so as to be movable between a first position and a second position below the first position. The liquid cartridge further includes an urging member that urges the circuit board to the first position. The circuit board at the first position moves toward the second position by abutting against the wall in the process of inserting the liquid cartridge into the mounting portion.

According to the above configuration, in the mounted state, the circuit board is in front of the wall in the insertion direction, and the lower end of the wall is below the contacts. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the contacts and the contacts on the cartridge side from being touched by the user or the like in the mounted state by the wall.

Further, according to the above configuration, when the liquid cartridge is inserted in the horizontal direction with respect to the mounting portion, even if the circuit board interferes with the wall, the circuit board is pushed downward by the wall to urge the member. It is possible to move to the second position against the urging force of. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the wall from obstructing the insertion of the liquid cartridge into the mounting portion.

According to the present invention, it is possible to maintain the state in which the liquid cartridge is mounted on the mounting portion while maintaining the liquid volume that can be stored in the liquid cartridge.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer 10. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the cartridge mounting portion 110. 3A is a perspective view of the connector 130, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of IIIB-IIIB of FIG. 3A. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge 30 in an upright posture. FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the ink cartridge 30 in an upright posture. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the elastic member 90 and the circuit board 64 in the standing ink cartridge 30, and FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the circuit board 64 in the standing ink cartridge 30. be. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a state in which the ink cartridge 30 is being inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110. FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view showing a state in which the ink cartridge 30 is being inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 and is inserted all the way from FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view showing a state in which the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110. FIG. 10 is a view of the ink cartridge 30 and the cartridge mounting portion 110 in the state of FIG. 9 as viewed from the rear. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the detection of insertion of the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the detection of insertion of the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110. FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional view showing a state in which the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 provided with the shaft 145. FIG. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an ink cartridge 30 in which an elastic member 90 is provided on a lower wall 42 and a convex portion 95 is provided on an upper wall 39, and the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110. FIG. 15 is a vertical sectional view of the ink cartridge 30 of the modified example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. It is needless to say that the embodiments described below are merely examples in which the present invention is embodied, and the embodiments can be appropriately changed without changing the gist of the present invention.

[Overview of Printer 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 records an image by ejecting ink droplets onto paper based on an inkjet recording method. The printer 10 includes a recording head 21, a cartridge mounting portion 110 (an example of mounting portion), and an ink tube 20. The cartridge mounting unit 110 is mounted with an ink cartridge 30 (an example of a liquid cartridge) in which ink (an example of a liquid) supplied to the recording head 21 is stored. The ink tube 20 connects the recording head 21 and the cartridge mounting portion 110. An opening 112 is formed at one end of the cartridge mounting portion 110. The ink cartridge 30 and the printer 10 constitute the system of the present invention.

The ink cartridge 30 is inserted into and mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 through the opening 112. Further, the ink cartridge 30 is taken out from the cartridge mounting portion 110 through the opening 112. FIG. 1 shows a mounting state in which the ink cartridge 30 has been mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110, and FIG. 9 shows the ink cartridge 30 and the cartridge mounting portion 110 in FIG. 1. There is. That is, FIG. 9 shows the mounting state of the ink cartridge 30.

The direction in which the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110 is defined as the forward direction 51 (an example of the insertion direction). Further, the posture of the ink cartridge 30 when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted forward into the cartridge mounting portion 110 and mounted is defined as an upright posture. That is, in the mounted state, the ink cartridge 30 is in an upright posture. 1, FIGS. 4 to 10, and 13 to 15 show an ink cartridge 30 in an upright posture. Further, the direction in which the ink cartridge 30 is taken out from the cartridge mounting portion 110, which is the direction opposite to the front direction 51, is defined as the rear direction 52. In this embodiment, a horizontal direction orthogonal to the gravity direction is defined, and the horizontal direction is parallel to the insertion direction. The front direction 51 and the rear direction 52 are parallel to the horizontal direction (direction orthogonal to the direction of gravity). The front direction 51 and the rear direction 52 are directions that intersect the gravity direction. Further, the direction of gravity is defined as downward 53, and the direction opposite to the direction of gravity is defined as upward 54. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the directions orthogonal to the forward direction 51 and the downward direction 53 are defined as the right direction 55 and the left direction 56. More specifically, when the ink cartridge 30 is in an upright posture (posture shown in FIG. 1) and the ink cartridge 30 is viewed from the rear to the front as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 (A), it is right. The direction extending to the left is defined as the right direction 55, and the direction extending to the left is defined as the left direction 56.

Further, the front direction 51 and the rear direction 52 are defined as the front-back direction. Further, the upward direction 54 and the downward direction 53 are defined as the vertical direction. Further, the right direction 55 and the left direction 56 are defined as the left-right direction.

Further, when the ink cartridge 30 is in an upright position, the left-right direction is the width direction of the ink cartridge 30, the vertical direction is the height direction of the ink cartridge 30, and the front-back direction is the depth direction of the ink cartridge 30.

In the standing posture, the ink cartridge 30 is inserted forward into the cartridge mounting portion 110 through the opening 112 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) and mounted (see FIG. 9). The ink cartridge 30 is pulled out rearward from the cartridge mounting portion 110 in the upright posture.

The ink cartridge 30 stores ink that can be used by the printer 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the ink cartridge 30 and the recording head 21 are connected by an ink tube 20 in the mounted state. The recording head 21 includes a sub tank 28. The sub tank 28 temporarily stores the ink supplied through the ink tube 20. The recording head 21 ejects the ink supplied from the sub tank 28 from the nozzle 29 by the inkjet recording method. Specifically, a drive voltage is selectively applied to the piezo element 29A provided corresponding to each nozzle 29 from the head control board (not shown) provided on the recording head 21. As a result, ink is ejected from the nozzle 29.

The printer 10 includes a feed tray 15, a feed roller 23, a transport roller pair 25, a platen 26, a discharge roller pair 27, and a discharge tray 16. The paper fed from the feed tray 15 to the transport path 24 by the feed roller 23 is transported onto the platen 26 by the transport roller pair 25. The recording head 21 ejects ink to the paper passing over the platen 26. As a result, the image is recorded on the paper. The paper that has passed through the platen 26 is discharged to the discharge tray 16 provided at the most downstream side of the transport path 24 by the discharge roller pair 27.

[Cartridge mounting part 110]
As shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge mounting portion 110 includes a cartridge holder 101, a tube 102 (an example of a distribution tube), a tank 103, an optical sensor 113, a rib 114 (an example of a wall), and a connector 130. It is equipped with.

[Cartridge holder 101]
The cartridge holder 101 shown in FIG. 2 constitutes a housing of the cartridge mounting portion 110. The cartridge holder 101 has a box shape. An internal space 104 (an example of space) is formed in the cartridge holder 101.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge holder 101 includes a back wall 57, a lower wall 59 (an example of a bottom wall), an upper wall 58 (an example of a top wall), and a pair of side walls 60. The lower wall 59 extends rearward from the lower end of the back wall 57. The upper wall 58 is vertically separated from the lower wall 59, and extends rearward from the upper end portion of the back wall 57. The pair of side walls 60 extend rearward from the right end and the left end of the back wall 57. The side wall 60 extending from the right end of the back wall 57 is connected to the right end of the lower wall 59 and the right end of the upper wall 58. The side wall 60 extending from the left end of the back wall 57 is connected to the left end of the lower wall 59 and the left end of the upper wall 58. That is, the pair of side walls 60 are separated in the left-right direction, and each connects the upper wall 58 and the lower wall 59.

The front end of the cartridge holder 101 facing the back wall 57 in the front-rear direction is an opening 112 connected to the internal space 104 of the cartridge holder 101. The openings 112 face each other when the user uses the printer 10.

The internal space 104 of the cartridge holder 101 is partitioned by a back wall 57, a lower wall 59, an upper wall 58, and a pair of side walls 60. The internal space 104 of the cartridge holder 101 is divided into four rooms by a partition wall (not shown). The tube 102, the tank 103, the optical sensor 113, the rib 114, and the connector 130 are provided corresponding to the respective rooms of the partitioned internal space 104. The number of internal spaces 104 of the cartridge holder 101 is not limited to four.

[Tube 102]
The tube 102 shown in FIG. 2 is made of a cylindrical resin. As shown in FIG. 2, the tube 102 is located below the back wall 57 of the cartridge holder 101. The tube 102 projects rearward from the back wall 57 of the cartridge holder 101. The rear end (tip) of the tube 102 and the front end (base end) of the tube 102 are open.

A valve 115 and a coil spring 116 are housed in the internal space 102A of the pipe 102. The valve 115 moves along the front-rear direction to open and close the opening 102B formed at the tip of the pipe 102. The coil spring 116 urges the valve 115 rearward. Therefore, the valve 115 closes the opening 102B in a state where no external force is applied (a state in which the ink cartridge 30 is not mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110). Further, the rear end portion of the valve 115 urged by the coil spring 116 protrudes rearward from the opening 102B in a state where no external force is applied.

A notch (not shown) is formed at the tip of the side wall of the pipe 102 (specifically, the side wall behind the portion of the valve 115 that closes the opening 102B (the front end of the valve 115)).

[Cover 111]
As shown in FIG. 1, there is a cover 111 near the opening 112 of the cartridge holder 101. The cover 111 can expose or cover the opening 112 to the outside by opening and closing. The cover 111 is supported by a rotation shaft 109 extending in the left-right direction near the lower end of the opening 112 of the cartridge holder 101. As a result, the cover 111 can rotate from the closed position (see FIG. 1) that closes the opening 112 so that the upper end of the cover 111 moves forward, and can rotate to the open position. When the cover 111 is in the open position, the user can insert the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge holder 101 through the opening 112 of the cartridge holder 101. When the cover 111 is in the closed position, the user cannot insert or remove the ink cartridge 30 into or out of the cartridge holder 101.

[Tank 103]
As shown in FIG. 2, there is a tank 103 in front of the cartridge holder 101. The tank 103 has a box shape capable of storing ink inside. The upper part of the tank 103 is opened to the outside by the atmospheric communication port 124. As a result, the internal space of the tank 103 communicates with the atmosphere. The internal space of the tank 103 communicates with the front end of the tube 102 via the ink tube 20. As a result, the ink flowing out from the internal space 102A of the pipe 102 is stored in the tank 103. Further, the internal space of the tank 103 communicates with the recording head 21 by the ink tube 20. As a result, the ink stored in the internal space of the tank 103 is supplied to the recording head 21 through the ink tube 20.

The cartridge mounting portion 110 may not include the tank 103. In this case, the rear end of the tube 102 communicates with the recording head 21 by the ink tube 20 without passing through the tank 103.

[Optical sensor 113]
As shown in FIG. 2, there is an optical sensor 113 near the upper wall 58 of the cartridge holder 101. The optical sensor 113 includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The light emitting portion is arranged to the right or left of the light receiving portion at a distance from the light receiving portion.

The optical sensor 113 outputs different detection signals to the controller 1 (see FIG. 1) depending on whether or not the light emitted from the light emitting unit along the left-right direction is received by the light receiving unit. For example, the optical sensor 113 outputs a low-level signal to the controller 1 on condition that the light emitted from the light emitting unit cannot be received by the light receiving unit (that is, the light receiving intensity is less than a predetermined intensity). On the other hand, the optical sensor 113 outputs a high-level signal to the controller 1 on condition that the light output from the light emitting unit can be received by the light receiving unit (that is, the light receiving intensity is equal to or higher than a predetermined intensity). The controller 1 controls the operation of the printer 10, and is composed of, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like.

[Cover sensor 118]
As shown in FIG. 1, a cover sensor 118 is provided near the upper end of the opening 112 of the cartridge holder 101. The cover sensor 118 includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. When the cover 111 is in the closed position, the cover sensor 118 outputs a low level signal from the cover sensor 118 to the controller 1 because the optical path of the light emitted from the light emitting unit to the light receiving unit is blocked by the cover 111. When the cover 111 is not in the closed position, in other words, when the cover 111 is separated from the cover sensor 118, the optical path of the light emitted from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion is not blocked by the cover 111, so that the high level signal is transmitted from the cover sensor 118. Is output to the controller 1.

[Rib 114]
As shown in FIG. 2, the rib 114 is provided on the upper wall 58. The rib 114 is behind the optical sensor 113. The rib 114 projects downward from the upper wall 58 and extends along the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 10, the rib 114 is provided at the center of the upper wall 58 in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower portion of the surface 114A facing the rear of the rib 114 is an inclined surface 114B facing upward toward the rear. It should be noted that all of the surfaces 114A may be inclined surfaces 114B.

[Connector 130]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connector 130 includes a contact 132 and a case 131 accommodating the contact 132.

As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate 133 is fixed in the vicinity of the upper wall 58 of the cartridge holder 101. The substrate 133 is behind the tube 102 and the optical sensor 113 and in front of the rib 114. The substrate 133 is fixed to the cartridge holder 101. The case 131 of the connector 130 is fixed to the lower surface of the substrate 133 with screws, solder, or the like (not shown). That is, the connector 130 is fixed to the upper wall 58 of the cartridge holder 101 via the substrate 133. The connector 130 does not necessarily have to be fixed to the cartridge holder 101. For example, the connector 130 may be detachably attached to the lower surface of the substrate 133 by fitting or the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, the case 131 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The case 131 is formed with a notch 135 from the lower surface 131A through the front surface 131B to the upper surface 131C. Four notches 135 are formed at intervals in the left-right direction. The four notches 135 form four internal spaces in the case 131. One contact 132 is arranged in each of the four internal spaces. That is, the connector 130 includes four contacts 132. The number of notches 135 is not limited to four. That is, the number of contacts 132 included in the connector 130 is not limited to four.

The contact 132 is supported by the case 131 in the internal space formed by the notch 135. The contact 132 is made of a member having conductivity and elasticity. The lower end 132A of the contact 132 projects downward from the lower surface 131A of the case 131. The lower end 132A of the contact 132 is elastically deformable upward.

The upper end 132B of the contact 132 (see FIG. 3B) is mounted on the substrate 133. As a result, the contact 132 is electrically connected to the electric circuit also mounted on the substrate 133. In other words, the contact 132 is conducting with the electric circuit. The electric circuit is electrically connected to the controller 1 (see FIG. 1).

The case 131 includes a rear wall 136 (an example of a wall), a front wall 137, a right wall 138, and a left wall 139. The rear wall 136, the front wall 137, the right wall 138, and the left wall 139 are walls protruding downward from the lower surface 131A of the case 131. The lower ends of the rear wall 136, the front wall 137, the right wall 138, and the left wall 139 are below the lower end of the contact 132.

The rear wall 136 is behind the lower end 132A of the contact 132. The front wall 137 is in front of the lower end 132A of the contact 132. The rear wall 136 and the front wall 137 are arranged in the front-rear direction. The right wall 138 is to the right of the lower end 132A of the contact 132. The left wall 139 is to the left of the lower end 132A of the contact 132. The right wall 138 and the left wall 139 are arranged in the left-right direction. The front end of the right wall 138 is connected to the right end of the front wall 137. The rear end of the right wall 138 is connected to the right end of the rear wall 136. The front end of the left wall 139 is connected to the left end of the front wall 137. The rear end of the left wall 139 is connected to the left end of the rear wall 136.

[Ink cartridge 30]
The ink cartridge 30 shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 is a container in which ink is stored. The ink cartridge 30 is housed in each room of the internal space 104 (see FIG. 2) divided into four parts of the cartridge holder 101 of the cartridge mounting portion 110. That is, in the present embodiment, the cartridge mounting portion 110 can accommodate four ink cartridges 30. Each of the four ink cartridges 30 corresponds to each color of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Ink of each color is stored in each of the four ink cartridges 30. The number of ink cartridges 30 that can be accommodated in the cartridge mounting portion 110 is not limited to four.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the ink cartridge 30 includes a housing 31, a sealing member 76, a protrusion 67, an elastic member 90, a convex portion 95, a concave portion 43, a support piece 44, and a coil spring. 45 (an example of an urging member) and a circuit board 64 are provided. In the following description of the configuration of the ink cartridge 30, unless otherwise specified, the front-back direction, the up-down direction, and the left-right direction are defined assuming that the ink cartridge 30 is in the upright posture.

The housing 31 includes a front wall 40, a rear wall 41, an upper wall 39, a lower wall 42, and a pair of side walls 37 and 38. The front wall 40 and the rear wall 41 are separated from each other in the front-rear direction. The upper wall 39 is located between the front wall 40 and the rear wall 41, and extends from the upper part of the front wall 40 to the upper part of the rear wall 41. The lower wall 42 is located between the front wall 40 and the rear wall 41, and extends from the lower part of the front wall 40 to the lower part of the rear wall 41. That is, the upper wall 39 and the lower wall 42 connect the front wall 40 and the rear wall 41. The upper wall 39 and the lower wall 42 are separated from each other in the direction of gravity. The side wall 37 and the side wall 38 are separated from each other in the left-right direction. The peripheral edges of the side walls 37 and 38 are continuous with the front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the upper wall 39, and the lower wall 42.

In the standing posture, the direction from the rear wall 41 to the front wall 40 coincides with the front direction 51, the direction from the front wall 40 to the rear wall 41 coincides with the rear direction 52, and the direction from the upper wall 39 to the lower wall 42. Corresponds to the downward direction 53, the direction from the lower wall 42 to the upper wall 39 corresponds to the upward direction 54, the direction from the side wall 38 to the side wall 37 coincides with the right direction 55, and the direction from the side wall 37 to the side wall 38. Corresponds to 56 in the left direction. Further, in the standing posture, the front surface 40A of the front wall 40 faces forward, the rear surface 41A of the rear wall 41 faces rearward, the lower surface 42A of the lower wall 42 faces downward, and the upper surface 39A of the upper wall 39 faces upward. The right side 37A of the side wall 37 faces to the right, and the left side 38A of the side wall 38 faces to the left.

The front wall 40 is composed of a front wall 40B and a front wall 40C behind the front wall 40B. The lower wall 42 is composed of a lower wall 42B and a lower wall 42C above the lower wall 42B. The lower wall 42C extends rearward continuously with the lower end of the front wall 40B. The lower wall 42B and the lower wall 42C are continuous by the front wall 40C.

Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the ink cartridge 30 is described as being in an upright posture. That is, assuming that the ink cartridge 30 is in the upright posture, the vertical direction, the front-back direction, and the left-right direction are defined.

As a whole, the ink cartridge 30 has a flat shape in which the dimension along the left-right direction is smaller than the dimension along the front-rear direction, and the dimension along each of the up-down direction and the front-back direction is larger than the dimension along the left-right direction. ..

The ink cartridge 30 is inserted and mounted forward with respect to the cartridge holder 101 through the opening 112 of the cartridge holder 101 of the cartridge mounting portion 110, and is withdrawn toward the rear.

As shown in FIG. 5, the housing 31 includes a storage chamber 32 for storing ink inside the housing 31. The storage chamber 32 is formed between the front wall 40 and the rear wall 41, between the upper wall 39 and the lower wall 42, and between the pair of side walls 37 and 38. In the present embodiment, the surface of the front wall 40 opposite to the front surface, the surface of the rear wall 41 opposite to the rear surface 41A, the surface of the upper wall 39 opposite to the upper surface 39A, and the lower surface 42A of the lower wall 42. The surface opposite to the left surface 37A of the side wall 37, the surface opposite to the right surface 37A of the side wall 37 (left surface of the side wall 37), and the surface opposite to the left surface 38A of the side wall 38 (right surface of the side wall 38) define the storage chamber 32. ..

In the housing 31, at least the rear wall 41 has translucency so that the liquid level of the ink stored in the storage chamber 32 can be visually recognized from the outside.

The housing 31 includes a cylinder 75 protruding forward from the front surface 40A of the front wall 40B. The cylinder 75 extends in the front-rear direction. The through hole 75A (an example of the liquid flow hole) of the cylinder 75 also extends in the front-rear direction. The direction in which the cylinder 75 and the through hole 75A extend coincides with the insertion direction of the ink cartridge 30. The rear end of the through hole 75A communicates with the storage chamber 32. An opening 75B is formed at the front end of the cylinder 75. That is, the through hole 75A of the cylinder 75 opens forward in the front surface 40A of the front wall 40B. That is, the through hole 75A penetrates the front wall 40C and communicates the storage chamber 32 with the outside of the housing 31.

A valve 79 and a coil spring 80 are housed in the through hole 75A. The valve 79 opens and closes the opening 75B by moving along the front-rear direction. The coil spring 80 urges the valve 79 forward. Therefore, the valve 79 is in close contact with the seal member 76 when no external force is applied. On the other hand, when an external force is applied, the valve 79 separates from the seal member 76. As a result, the ink stored in the storage chamber 32 is supplied to the outside through the opening 75B through the through hole 75A. The configuration for switching the communication of the through hole 75A with the atmosphere is not limited to that of the valve 79, and the opening 75B may be closed by attaching a seal to the cylinder 75, for example.

An atmospheric communication port 140 is formed on the upper wall 39 of the housing 31. Before the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110, the atmospheric communication port 140 is sealed by the seal 141. The seal 141 is removable from the atmospheric communication port 140. The seal 141 is peeled off before the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110, so that the storage chamber 32 communicates with the atmosphere through the air communication port 140. The storage chamber 32 may be communicated with the atmosphere by means other than peeling off the seal 141. For example, a valve may be provided in the atmospheric communication port 140, and the presence or absence of atmospheric communication in the storage chamber 32 may be switched by the valve.

The front wall 40, the rear wall 41, the upper wall 39, the lower wall 42, and the pair of side walls 37, 38 may be composed of a plurality of walls such as the front wall 40, or may be composed of a plurality of walls such as the rear wall 41. It may be composed of one wall.

Further, the front surface 40A of the front wall 40 of the ink cartridge 30, the rear surface 41A of the rear wall 41, the upper surface 39A of the upper wall 39, the lower surface 42A of the lower wall 42, the right surface 37A of the side wall 37, and the left surface 38A of the side wall 38 are not necessarily 1. It does not have to be two planes.

The front surface 40A of the front wall 40 is a surface that can be visually recognized when the ink cartridge 30 in an upright posture is viewed from the front to the rear. The frontmost surface of the housing 31, and the frontmost surface and the surface in front of the center of the front-rear dimension of the rear surface 41A are included in the concept of the front surface of the present invention.

The rear surface 41A of the rear wall 41 is a surface that can be visually recognized when the ink cartridge 30 in the standing posture is viewed from the rear to the front. The rearmost surface of the housing 31 and the surface rearward of the center of the front-rear dimension between the rearmost surface and the frontmost surface of the housing 31 are the rear surfaces of the present invention. Included in the concept.

The upper surface 39A of the upper wall 39 is a surface that can be visually recognized when the ink cartridge 30 in the standing posture is viewed from above to below. The uppermost surface of the housing 31, and the uppermost surface and the surface above the center of the vertical dimension of the lower surface 42A are included in the concept of the upper surface of the present invention.

The lower surface 42A of the lower wall 42 is a surface that can be visually recognized when the ink cartridge 30 in the standing posture is viewed from below to above. The lowermost surface of the housing 31, and the lowermost surface and the uppermost surface of the housing 31 below the center of the vertical dimension are the concepts of the lower surface of the present invention. include.

The right side surface 37A of the side wall 37 is a surface that can be visually recognized when the housing 31 of the ink cartridge 30 in the upright posture is viewed from the right side to the left side.

The left surface 38A of the side wall 38 is a surface that can be visually recognized when the housing 31 of the ink cartridge 30 in the upright posture is viewed from the left to the right.

[Seal member 76]
As shown in FIG. 5, the seal member 76 is in the through hole 75A. The seal member 76 is made of an elastic member such as rubber. The seal member 76 is a ring-shaped member and has a circular through hole 76A in the central portion. The diameter of the through hole 76A is smaller than the diameter of the tube 102 (see FIG. 2) of the cartridge mounting portion 110. As shown in FIG. 5, the seal member 76 is arranged in the vicinity of the opening 75B of the through hole 75A of the cylinder 75 so that the through hole 76A coincides with the position of the opening 75B. The diameter of the sealing member 76 is larger than the diameter of the opening 75B. As a result, the seal member 76 is pushed into the opening 75B, and the space between the seal member 76 pushed into the opening 75B and the cylinder 75 is hermetically sealed.

The seal member 76 is prevented from coming off the cylinder 75 by a known means. For example, the seal member 76 may be fixed to the cylinder 75 by being sandwiched between the cylinder 75 and a cap (not shown) covered with the cylinder 75, or may be fixed to the cylinder 75 by being adhered to the cylinder 75. It may have been done.

[Protrusion 67]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper surface 39A of the upper wall 39 has a protrusion 67 projecting upward. The protrusion 67 extends in the front-rear direction.

The right surface or the left surface of the protrusion 67 is a surface to which the light emitted by the optical sensor 113 (see FIG. 2) of the cartridge mounting portion 110 hits. The surface of the protrusions 67 that is exposed to light can also be referred to as a light blocking surface. In the present embodiment, the protrusion 67 is a resin plate containing, for example, a color material (black pigment) capable of blocking or attenuating light. As another form, a material such as aluminum foil that cannot transmit light may be attached to at least the light blocking surface of the protrusion 67.

[Elastic member 90]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the elastic member 90 is provided on the upper surface 39A of the upper wall 39. The elastic member 90 is behind the protrusion 67. The elastic member 90 is in the range R1 behind the intermediate position P1 between the front end (front surface 40A) and the rear end (rear surface 41A) of the housing 31 in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 (A), the elastic member 90 projects upward from the upper surface 39A and extends upward toward the rear.

The elastic member 90 is elastically deformable. In the present embodiment, the elastic member 90 is a leaf spring whose front-rear dimension is longer than the vertical dimension. The elastic member 90 is elastically deformed in the vertical direction when an external force is applied, so that the tip portion (rear end portion) can be bent so as to move up and down (see FIG. 9).

The upper surface 90A (an example of the first contact surface) of the elastic member 90 faces diagonally upward in the front. In other words, the upper surface 90A faces forward and upward. The upper surface 90A is above the storage chamber 32. The front-back dimension LA of the top surface 90A (see FIG. 5) is longer than the left-right dimension LB of the top surface 90A (see FIG. 10). That is, the upper surface 90A extends in the front-rear direction. The left-right dimension LB (see FIG. 10) of the upper surface 90A is longer than the left-right dimension LC (see FIG. 10) of the rib 114. The dimension LA may be equal to or less than the dimension LB. Further, the dimension LB may be equal to or less than the dimension LC.

In addition, in FIG. 10, only one room of the internal space 104 divided into four rooms is shown, and the illustration of the other three rooms is omitted.

[Convex portion 95]
As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 (B), the convex portion 95 projects downward from the lower surface 42A of the lower wall 42. The convex portion 95 is in the range R1 behind the intermediate position P1 in the front-rear direction. When the ink cartridge 30 is viewed along the vertical direction, that is, in a plan view, at least a part of the convex portion 95 overlaps with the elastic member 90. The rear surface 95A of the convex portion 95 is inclined upward as it goes backward. The front surface 95B of the convex portion 95 is inclined upward as it goes forward.

The lower surface 95C (an example of the second contact surface) of the convex portion 95 is located between the rear surface 95A and the front surface 95B. The rear end of the lower surface 95C is connected to the front end of the rear surface 95A. The front end of the lower surface 95C is connected to the rear end of the front surface 95B. The lower surface 95C faces downward. The lower surface 95C is below the storage chamber 32. That is, the lower surface 95C is on the opposite side of the elastic member 90 with the storage chamber 32 interposed therebetween.

[Circuit board 64]
As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 (A), the upper wall 39 includes a recess 43 recessed downward from the upper surface 39A. The recess 43 is behind the protrusion 67 and in front of the elastic member 90. The coil spring 45 is arranged in the recess 43. The lower end of the coil spring 45 is connected to the bottom surface 43A of the recess 43. The upper end of the coil spring 45 is connected to the lower surface of the support piece 44. The support piece 44 is a member having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape in the present embodiment, but may have a shape other than the rectangular parallelepiped. At least a part of the rear surface 44A of the support piece 44 (in the present embodiment, the upper part of the rear surface 44A) is an inclined surface 44B that is inclined downward toward the rear. At least a part of the front surface 44C of the support piece 44 (in the present embodiment, the upper part of the front surface 44C) is an inclined surface 44D that is inclined downward toward the front. In addition, all of the rear surface 44A may be an inclined surface 44B, and all of the front surface 44C may be an inclined surface 44D. The support piece 44 supports the circuit board 64 on its upper surface.

The rear surface of the circuit board 64 may be inclined like the inclined surface 44B, or the front surface of the circuit board 64 may be inclined like the inclined surface 44D.

The circuit board 64 has a substrate 63 and an electrode 65. The circuit board 64 is a board 63, which is a rigid board made of glass epoxy or the like, on which a memory (not shown) and four electrodes 65 (an example of cartridge side contacts) are formed. The number of electrodes 65 is determined according to the number of contacts 132 (see FIG. 2) of the cartridge mounting portion 110, and is not limited to four. Further, the circuit board 64 is not limited to the rigid substrate, and may be, for example, a flexible substrate having flexibility.

The substrate 63 is adhered to the upper surface of the support piece 44 by a photocurable resin. The circuit board 64 may be adhered to the upper surface of the support piece 44 with an adhesive other than the photocurable resin. Further, the circuit board 64 may be crimped or may be attached to the upper surface of the support piece 44 by other means other than adhesion.

Information about the ink cartridge 30 is readable and stored in the memory by the controller 1 (see FIG. 1) of the printer 10. The information about the ink cartridge 30 is, for example, data indicating information such as a lot number, a manufacturing date, and an ink color. A battery may be mounted on the substrate 63. The battery supplies electricity to the memory and is electrically connected to the memory.

As shown in FIG. 3B, each of the four electrodes 65 corresponds to each of the four contacts 132 of the cartridge mounting portion 110. That is, the number of electrodes 65 is not limited to four as in the contact 132. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6A, each of the electrodes 65 extends in the front-rear direction and is arranged so as to be separated from each other in the left-right direction. Each electrode 65 is electrically connected to the memory.

The circuit board 64 can be moved to the first position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and the second position (not shown) by the coil spring 45 contracting and extending in the vertical direction, that is, elastically deforming in the vertical direction. The second position is a position below the first position. That is, the support piece 44 at the second position is inserted into the recess 43 more than at the first position. When the coil spring 45 has a natural length, the circuit board 64 is in the first position. When the circuit board 64 is in the second position, the coil spring 45 is contracted from its natural length. That is, the coil spring 45 urges the support piece 44 and the circuit board 64 upward, that is, to the first position in a state of being contracted from the natural length.

[Operation in which the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110]
Hereinafter, the operation of mounting the ink cartridge 30 on the cartridge holder 101 of the cartridge mounting portion 110 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the ink cartridge 30 that is not mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110, the atmospheric communication port 140 is sealed by the seal 141, so that the storage chamber 32 does not communicate with the atmosphere. Therefore, the seal 141 is peeled off before the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110. As a result, the storage chamber 32 is opened to the atmosphere. Further, in the ink cartridge 30 before being mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110, the valve 79 is in close contact with the seal member 76. This prevents the ink stored in the storage chamber 32 from flowing out to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 through the through hole 76A.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the cartridge mounting portion 110 to which the ink cartridge 30 is not mounted, there is no other member between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the optical sensor 113. This allows light to travel from the light emitting section to the light receiving section. At this time, the optical sensor 113 outputs a high-level detection signal to the controller 1 (see FIG. 1). Further, in the cartridge mounting portion 110 to which the ink cartridge 30 is not mounted, the valve 115 closes the opening 102B, and the rear end portion of the valve 115 projects rearward from the opening 102B.

The ink cartridge 30 is inserted forward into the cartridge holder 101 through the opening 112 of the cartridge mounting portion 110 (see FIG. 7). In the present embodiment, the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge holder 101 in an upright posture, but the ink cartridge 30 may be inserted into the cartridge holder 101 in a posture inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted forward into the cartridge holder 101, the tube 102 of the cartridge mounting portion 110 penetrates the through hole 76A (opening 75B) of the seal member 76 to form the cylinder 75. Enter the through hole 75A of. At this time, the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 102 and the inner peripheral surface of the seal member 76 (the surface defining the through hole 76A) are in close contact with each other. As a result, the space between the cylinder 75 and the pipe 102 is sealed so that the ink does not leak into the cartridge holder 101 in the mounted state, and the cylinder 75 is positioned.

Further, the pipe 102 that has entered the through hole 75A comes into contact with the valve 79 and is pushed backward. As a result, the valve 79 is separated from the seal member 76 against the rearward urging force of the coil spring 80.

Further, while the tip of the pipe 102 abuts on the valve 79, the valve 79 abuts on the valve 115 from the rear and pushes it forward. Then, the valve 115 moves forward against the urging force of the coil spring 116. As a result, the internal space 102A of the pipe 102 communicates with the outside of the pipe 102 through the opening 102B.

As a result, the ink stored in the storage chamber 32 can be distributed to the tank 103 and the recording head 21 via the internal space 102A of the pipe 102. At this time (in the state shown in FIG. 7), the circuit board 64 is not yet in contact with the cartridge mounting portion 110.

Further, the ink cartridge 30 is inserted forward into the cartridge holder 101 with the convex portion 95 supported by the lower wall 59. When the ink cartridge 30 is inserted forward into the cartridge holder 101 with the lower surface 42A of the lower wall 42 supported by the lower wall 59, the convex portion 95 abuts from the rear to the rear end of the lower wall 59. .. In this case, the rear end of the lower wall 59 is guided relative to the front surface 95B of the convex portion 95, so that the convex portion 95 rides on the lower wall 59. As a result, the convex portion 95 is supported by the lower wall 59.

When the ink cartridge 30 is further forward inserted into the cartridge holder 101 from the state shown in FIG. 7, the inclined surface 44D of the support piece 44 comes into contact with the rear wall 136 from the rear. When the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted forward from this state, the rear wall 136 is relatively guided along the inclined surface 44D by the reaction force acting from the rear wall 136 to the inclined surface 44D. As a result, the support piece 44 and the circuit board 64 move from the first position to the second position against the urging force of the coil spring 45. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the support piece 44 and the circuit board 64 move below the rear wall 136.

Further, when the ink cartridge 30 is further forward inserted into the cartridge holder 101 from the state shown in FIG. 7, the upper surface 90A of the elastic member 90 comes into contact with the surface 114A of the rib 114 from the rear. When the ink cartridge 30 is further inserted forward from this state, the upper surface 90A is guided along the surface 114A by the reaction force acting from the surface 114A to the upper surface 90A. As a result, the elastic member 90 is elastically deformed. Specifically, the elastic member 90 is elastically deformed downward at its tip (rear end). That is, the elastic member 90 is elastically deformed so as to be in a state of being compressed downward from the state of not being elastically deformed. As shown in FIG. 8, the elastically deformed elastic member 90 has an upwardly convex curved shape.

In the state shown in FIG. 8, the ink cartridge 30 is subjected to a rearward urging force from the coil springs 80 and 116. When the ink cartridge 30 is inserted further forward than the state shown in FIG. 8 against the rearward urging force of the coil springs 80 and 116, the circuit board 64 reaches below the contact 132. At this time, the support piece 44 and the circuit board 64 are in front of the rear wall 136 and are separated from the rear wall 136. Therefore, the support piece 44 and the circuit board 64 move from the second position to the first position by the urging force of the coil spring 45. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, each electrode 65 of the circuit board 64 comes into contact with the corresponding contact 132 from below. When the electrode 65 contacts and conducts with the corresponding contact 132, a voltage Vc is applied to the electrode 65, the electrode 65 is grounded, or power is supplied to the electrode 65. Further, due to the conduction between the contact 132 and the electrode 65, the memory mounted on the circuit board 64 conducts with the controller 1 (see FIG. 1). As a result, the controller 1 can access the memory. As a result, the data stored in the memory is input to the controller 1 (see FIG. 1). The state shown in FIG. 9 is the mounted state.

Hereinafter, the states of the ink cartridge 30 and the cartridge mounting portion 110 in the mounted state shown in FIG. 9 will be described with reference to FIG. 9.

As shown in FIG. 9, the tube 102 of the cartridge mounting portion 110 has entered the through hole 75A of the cylinder 75. As a result, ink can be distributed from the storage chamber 32 to the internal space 102A of the pipe 102.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the protrusion 67 is located between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the optical sensor 113. As a result, the protrusion 67 blocks the light from traveling from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion. That is, the protrusion 67 is on the optical path of the light emitted from the light emitting portion in the mounted state. That is, the optical sensor 113 is in a position where the light blocking surface of the protrusion 67 is located on the optical path of the light emitted from the light emitting portion in the mounted state. At this time, the optical sensor 113 outputs a low-level detection signal to the controller 1 (see FIG. 1).

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the front wall 137 of the connector 130 is in front of the circuit board 64 in the mounted state. Further, the rear wall 136 of the connector 130 is behind the circuit board 64. From the above, in the mounted state, the front wall 137 and the rear wall 136 sandwich the electrode 65 from the front and back. That is, the rear wall 136 and the front wall 137 are arranged in the front-rear direction so as to sandwich the electrode 65.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, in the mounted state, the right wall 138 of the connector 130 is on the right side of the circuit board 64, and the left wall 139 of the connector 130 is on the left side of the circuit board 64. Further, the lower end of the right wall 138 and the lower end of the left wall 139 are below the electrode 65. From the above, in the mounted state, the right wall 138 and the left wall 139 sandwich the electrodes 65 from the left and right. That is, the right wall 138 and the left wall 139 are arranged in the left-right direction so as to sandwich the electrode 65.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the upper surface 90A of the elastic member 90 is in contact with the rib 114 from below in the mounted state. At this time, the elastic member 90 is elastically deformed as described above. That is, in the mounted state, the elastic member 90 is in a state of being compressed by elastic deformation between the housing 31 and the rib 114.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the lower surface 95C of the convex portion 95 is in contact with the lower wall 59 from above in the mounted state.

As described above, in the mounted state, the upper surface 90A of the elastic member 90 abuts on the rib 114 from below and the lower surface 95C of the convex portion 95 abuts on the lower wall 59 from above while the elastic member 90 is elastically deformed. By doing so, the resistance to the backward movement of the ink cartridge 30 acts between the upper surface 90A and the rib 114, and between the lower surface 95C and the lower wall 59. Due to this resistance, the ink cartridge 30 is held in the cartridge holder 101. In other words, the ink cartridge 30 is in a state of being press-fitted into the cartridge holder 101. The vertical distance from the lower surface 95C to the upper end of the elastic member 90 is longer than the distance from the floor surface of the lower wall 59 of the cartridge holder 101 to the downward surface of the rib 114.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, in the mounted state, a part of the contact position P2 of the upper surface 90A and the rib 114 is the same position in the front-rear direction as a part of the contact position P3 of the lower surface 95C and the lower wall 59. Is. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, in the mounted state, the contact position P2 of the upper surface 90A and the rib 114 is the same position in the left-right direction as a part of the contact position P3 of the lower surface 95C and the lower wall 59. That is, in a plan view in the mounted state, the contact position P2 of the upper surface 90A and the rib 114 overlaps with the contact position P3 of the lower surface 95C and the lower wall 59.

note that. It is preferable that the contact position P2 and the contact position P3 overlap in a plan view in the mounted state, but the contact position P2 and the contact position P3 may not overlap.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, in the mounted state, the contact position P2 of the upper surface 90A and the rib 114, and the contact position P3 of the lower surface 95C and the lower wall 59 are behind the intermediate position P1.

note that. In the mounted state, the contact position P2 and the contact position P3 are preferably behind the intermediate position P1, but at least one of the contact position P2 or the contact position P3 may be in front of the intermediate position P1. ..

Further, in the present embodiment, the following (Equation 1) is satisfied in the mounted state.
(Number 1)
W1 <(L2 / L1) x W2 ... (Equation 1)

In (Equation 1), W1 is a distance W11 in the left-right direction between the right end of the rib 114 and the right end of the upper surface 90A, as shown in FIG. W1 may be a distance W12 in the left-right direction between the left end of the rib 114 and the left end of the upper surface 90A. In the present embodiment, W11 = W12, but when W11 and W12 have different values, it is preferable that the smaller value is W1.

Further, in (Equation 1), W2 is a dimension of the electrode 65 in the left-right direction as shown in FIG. 6 (A). In the present embodiment, the left-right dimensions of the four electrodes 65 are the same, but when the left-right dimensions of the four electrodes 65 are different values, the smallest value is preferably W2.

Further, in (Equation 1), as shown in FIG. 9, L1 has the electrode 65 and the contact 132 from the contact position P4 between the pipe 102 and the surface (inner surface of the seal member 76) that partitions the through hole 75A. It is the distance in the front-rear direction to the contact position P5 of.

Further, in (Equation 1), L2 is a distance in the front-rear direction from the contact position P4 to the contact position P2 between the upper surface 90A and the rib 114, as shown in FIG.

It is preferable that (Equation 1) is satisfied, but (Equation 1) does not necessarily have to be satisfied.

When the ink cartridge 30 is pulled out from the cartridge holder 101 of the cartridge mounting portion 110, the user grips the ink cartridge 30 and pulls the ink cartridge 30 backward. At this time, the ink cartridge 30 is pulled backward by a force larger than the above-mentioned resistance force, so that the ink cartridge 30 moves backward. As a result, the user can take out the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge mounting unit 110.

[Detection of mounting the ink cartridge 30 on the cartridge mounting portion 110]
Hereinafter, the detection of insertion of the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 11 and 12.

As shown in FIG. 11, the controller 1 (see FIG. 1) determines whether the cover 111 is in the closed position depending on whether the signal output from the cover sensor 118 is a low level signal (see FIG. 1). S10). When the cover 111 is in the closed position (S10: Yes), the controller 1 determines whether or not the memory 66 of the circuit board 64 of the ink cartridge 30 is accessible, that is, whether or not the memory 66 can be written or read (s). S20). When the contact 132 is in contact with the electrode 65 of the circuit board 64 and conducts, the controller 1 can access the memory of the circuit board 64. When the contact 132 is not in contact with the electrode 65 of the circuit board 64, the controller 1 cannot access the memory 66 of the circuit board 64.

When the controller 1 cannot access the memory 66 of the circuit board 64 (S20: No), the controller 1 determines that the ink cartridge 30 is not mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 (S30). In this case, the controller 1 displays a message on a display panel (not shown) provided in the housing of the printer 10, a buzzer or a voice from a speaker (not shown), and the like, "the ink cartridge 30 is attached to the user". Not done. "

On the other hand, when the circuit board 64 is accessible (S20: Yes), the controller 1 determines whether the signal output to the controller 1 by the optical sensor 113 is either high level or low level. When the protrusion 67 is located between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the optical sensor 113, the optical sensor 113 outputs a low level signal to the controller 1. When there is no protrusion 67 between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the optical sensor 113, the optical sensor 113 outputs a high level signal to the controller 1.

When the signal output by the optical sensor 113 to the controller 1 is at a high level (S40: High), the controller 1 determines that the cartridge mounting unit 110 is mounted with an abnormal ink cartridge 30 (S50). In this case, the controller 1 displays a message on a display panel (not shown) provided in the housing of the printer 10, a buzzer or a voice from a speaker (not shown), or the like, to inform the user that the ink cartridge 30 is not normal. Is installed. "

On the other hand, when the signal output by the optical sensor 113 to the controller 1 is low level (S40: Low), the controller 1 determines that the normal ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110 (S60).

In the flowchart of FIG. 11, the controller 1 determines whether or not the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 based on whether or not the circuit board 64 can be accessed, and is based on the level of the signal output from the optical sensor 113. It was determined whether or not the ink cartridge 30 mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 is normal.

However, the controller 1 determines whether or not the ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 based on the level of the signal output from the optical sensor 113, and the cartridge mounting portion is based on whether or not the circuit board 64 can be accessed. It may be determined whether or not the ink cartridge 30 mounted on the 110 is normal. Hereinafter, the determination procedure in this case will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 12, the controller 1 determines whether the signal output by the optical sensor 113 to the controller 1 is either high level or low level when the cover 111 is in the closed position (S110: Yes). Judgment (S120).

When the signal output by the optical sensor 113 to the controller 1 is at a high level (S120: High), the controller 1 determines that the ink cartridge 30 is not mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110 (S130). In this case, similarly to step S30 in FIG. 11, the user is notified that "the ink cartridge 30 is not installed".

On the other hand, when the signal output by the optical sensor 113 to the controller 1 is low level (S120: Low), the controller 1 determines whether or not the circuit board 64 of the ink cartridge 30 can be accessed (S140).

When the circuit board 64 is inaccessible (S140: No), the controller 1 determines that an abnormal ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 110 (S150). In this case, similarly to step S50 in FIG. 11, the user is notified that "an abnormal ink cartridge 30 is installed".

On the other hand, when the controller 1 can access the circuit board 64 (S140: Yes), the controller 1 determines that the normal ink cartridge 30 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 110 (S160).

[Action and effect of this embodiment]
According to the present embodiment, in the mounted state, the upper surface 90A of the elastic member 90 is in contact with the upper wall 58 in a state where the elastic member 90 is elastically deformed. Therefore, the elastic member 90 is pressed against the upper wall 58 by the restoring force. On the other hand, the reaction force of the restoring force of the elastic member 90 acts on the lower surface 95C of the convex portion 95 in contact with the lower wall 59. As a result, the lower surface 95C is in pressure contact with the lower wall 59. As a result, the ink cartridge 30 can be maintained in the mounted state without adding parts such as a lever to the ink cartridge 30. Further, the user can take out the ink cartridge 30 simply by pulling it backward without moving the ink cartridge 30 in the vertical direction.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the rib 114 extends in the front-rear direction. Therefore, even if the position of the ink cartridge 30 with respect to the cartridge mounting portion 110 is displaced in the front-rear direction, it is possible to increase the possibility that the rib 114 can be maintained in contact with the upper surface 90A.

Further, if the rib 114 and the upper surface 90A are in point contact when the ink cartridge 30 is viewed from the right or left side, at least one of the rib 114 or the upper surface 90A is affected by the force from the contacting partner. It is easy to creep and deform. However, according to this embodiment, both the rib 114 and the upper surface 90A extend in the front-rear direction. As a result, the rib 114 and the upper surface 90A can be brought into line contact in the side view. As a result, the creep deformation described above can be suppressed.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since (Equation 1) is satisfied, the positional deviation of the upper surface 90A with respect to the rib 114 in the left-right direction is maintained as long as the state in which the upper surface 90A and the rib 114 are in contact with each other is maintained. Regardless of the length, the length of the positional deviation of the electrode 65 in the left-right direction can be suppressed within the length of the electrode 65 in the left-right direction. As a result, as long as the state in which the upper surface 90A and the rib 114 are in contact with each other is maintained, it is possible to prevent the contact 132 from being released from contact with the electrode 65 due to the positional deviation of the electrode 65 in the left-right direction. ..

Further, if the contact position P2 of the upper surface 90A and the rib 114 and the contact position P3 of the lower surface 95C and the lower wall 59 do not overlap in a plan view, the following problems may occur. That is, the ink cartridge 30 is tilted in the left-right direction and the front-back direction due to the force acting downward from the upper wall 58 on the ink cartridge 30 and the force acting upward from the lower wall 59 on the ink cartridge 30. There is a risk. However, according to the above embodiment, the contact position P2 and the contact position P3 overlap in a plan view. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the tilt of the ink cartridge 30 as described above and stabilize the posture of the ink cartridge 30.

Further, if the contact position P2 of the upper surface 90A and the rib 114 and the contact position P3 of the lower surface 95C and the lower wall 59 are in front of the intermediate position P1, when the ink cartridge 30 is taken out from the cartridge mounting portion 110. If either the upper surface 90A or the lower surface 95C is caught on the cartridge mounting portion 110, it is difficult to release the catch. However, according to the present embodiment, since the contact position P2 and the contact position P3 are behind the intermediate position P1, when the ink cartridge 30 is taken out from the cartridge mounting portion 110, one of the upper surface 90A and the lower surface 95C is Even if the cartridge mounting portion 110 is caught, it is easy to release the catch.

Further, according to the present embodiment, in the mounted state, the circuit board 64 is in front of the rear wall 136, and the lower end of the rear wall 136 is below the contact 132. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the contact 132 and the electrode 65 from being touched by the user or the like by the rear wall 136 in the mounted state.

Further, according to the present embodiment, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted horizontally with respect to the cartridge mounting portion 110, even if the circuit board 64 and the rear wall 136 interfere with each other, the circuit board 64 has the rear wall 136. By being pushed downward, the coil spring 45 can be moved to the second position against the urging force of the coil spring 45. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rear wall 136 from obstructing the insertion of the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110.

[Modification example]
As shown in FIG. 13, the cartridge mounting portion 110 may include a shaft 145 (an example of a rod). The shaft 145 extends in the left-right direction near the upper wall 58 of the cartridge holder 101 and near the opening 112. The shaft 145 is a rod-shaped member extending in the left-right direction over the internal space 104 of the cartridge holder 101. The shaft 145 is, for example, a metal cylinder. Both ends of the shaft 145 in the left-right direction are fixed to a pair of side walls 60 of the cartridge holder 101.

In the configuration in which the cartridge mounting portion 110 includes the shaft 145, the upper surface 90A of the elastic member 90 may abut on the shaft 145 instead of abutting on the rib 114. That is, as shown in FIG. 13, in the mounted state, the elastic member 90 may be in a state of being compressed by elastic deformation between the housing 31 and the shaft 145. Further, in the mounted state, the rear end 90B of the elastic member 90 is preferably located behind the shaft 145.

According to the configuration shown in FIG. 13, since the rear end 90B of the elastic member 90 is located behind the shaft 145, the elastic member 90 is caught by the shaft 145 when the ink cartridge 30 is taken out from the cartridge mounting portion 110. Will not be damaged.

In the above embodiment, the elastic member 90 is provided on the upper surface 39A of the upper wall 39, and the convex portion 95 is provided on the lower surface 42A of the lower wall 42. However, as shown in FIG. 14, contrary to the above embodiment, even if the elastic member 90 is provided on the lower surface 42A of the lower wall 42 and the convex portion 95 is provided on the upper surface 39A of the upper wall 39. good. In this case, in the mounted state, the elastic member 90 is in a state of being elastically deformed and compressed upward when the lower surface 90C (an example of the second contact surface) abuts on the lower wall 59 from above. Further, in the mounted state, the upper surface 95D (an example of the first contact surface) of the convex portion 95 is in contact with the rib 114 from below. When the cartridge mounting portion 110 is configured to include the shaft 145, the convex portion 95 may abut on the shaft 145 from below.

Further, the elastic member 90 may be provided on both the upper surface 39A of the upper wall 39 and the lower surface 42A of the lower wall 42.

In the above embodiment, the elastic member 90 or the convex portion 95 abuts on the rib 114 or the shaft 145 from below, but the elastic member 90 or the convex portion 95 abuts on the rib 114 or the shaft 145 from below at any part of the upper wall 58. be. For example, the elastic member 90 or the convex portion 95 may abut on the lower surface 58A (see FIG. 2) of the upper wall 58 from below.

In the above embodiment, the elastic member 90 is a leaf spring, but the elastic member 90 is not limited to the leaf spring. For example, the elastic member 90 may be a coil spring.

In the above embodiment, the circuit board 64 is supported by the upper wall 39 via the coil spring 45, but the circuit board 64 is supported by the upper wall 39 via an elastic member other than the coil spring 45, for example, a leaf spring or rubber. You may.

In the above embodiment, the convex portion 95 abuts on the lower wall 59 from above in the mounted state, so that the ink cartridge 30 is held in the cartridge holder 101 in cooperation with the elastic member 90. However, a portion of the ink cartridge 30 other than the convex portion 95 may perform the function of the convex portion 95 (the function of holding the ink cartridge 30 in the cartridge holder 101 in cooperation with the elastic member 90). For example, the ink cartridge 30 may not have the convex portion 95. In this case, the lower wall 42 of the housing 31 comes into contact with the lower wall 59 from above in the mounted state. As a result, the lower surface 42A of the lower wall 42 cooperates with the elastic member 90 to hold the ink cartridge 30 in the cartridge holder 101. That is, in this case, the lower surface 42A is an example of the second contact surface.

In the above embodiment, the through hole 75A is switched to communicate with the outside by the valve 79. However, the opening 75B may be sealed with a seal instead of the valve 79. More specifically, a sticker is attached to the front surface of the cylinder 75 in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is not inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 110. As a result, the through hole 76A is sealed by a seal. Therefore, the ink in the storage chamber 32 does not flow to the outside of the ink cartridge 30 from the through hole 76A through the through hole 75A. In the process of inserting the ink cartridge 30 into the cartridge mounting portion 110, the sealing is released when the tube 102 breaks through the seal.

The ink cartridge 30 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, 13 and 14. For example, the ink cartridge 30 may have a configuration as shown in FIG. In the configuration shown in FIG. 15, the outer shape of the ink cartridge 30 is substantially a rectangular parallelepiped, and the ink cartridge 30 does not include a protrusion 67, a cylinder 75, a valve 79, a coil spring 80, or the like. The through hole 75A is closed by the seal 142.

In the above embodiment, the ink is described as an example of the liquid, but for example, instead of the ink, a pretreatment liquid to be ejected to paper or the like prior to the ink at the time of printing may be stored in the liquid cartridge. Further, water for cleaning the recording head 21 may be stored in the liquid cartridge.

30 ... Ink cartridge (liquid cartridge)
31 ... Housing 32 ... Storage chamber 51 ... Forward direction (insertion direction)
53 ... Downward (gravity direction)
58 ... Upper wall (top wall)
59 ... Lower wall (bottom wall)
60 ... Side wall 64 ... Circuit board 65 ... Electrode (cartridge side contact)
75A ・ ・ ・ Through hole (liquid flow hole)
90 ... Elastic member 90A ... Top surface (first contact surface)
95 ... Convex portion 95C ... Bottom surface (second contact surface)
101 ... Cartridge holder 102 ... Pipe (distribution pipe)
104 ... Internal space (space)
110 ・ ・ ・ Cartridge mounting part (mounting part)
114 ... Rib (wall)
130 ... Connector 132 ... Contact

Claims (10)

With a liquid cartridge,
The liquid cartridge is provided with a mounting portion, which is inserted in the insertion direction intersecting the direction of gravity.
The above liquid cartridge is
A housing with a storage chamber for storing liquid,
A liquid flow hole that opens in front of the housing in the insertion direction in a mounted state in which the liquid cartridge is mounted and communicates between the storage chamber and the outside of the housing.
With the circuit board facing upward and having the cartridge side contact in the above mounted state,
The first contact surface, which is above the storage chamber in the mounted state and is capable of contacting the mounted portion and faces upward,
It is provided with a second contact surface that is on the opposite side of the first contact surface across the storage chamber in the mounted state and is capable of contacting the mounted portion.
The above mounting part is
It is partitioned by a bottom wall, a top wall separated from the bottom wall in the gravity direction, and a pair of side walls connecting the top wall and the bottom wall and separated in the width direction intersecting the gravity direction and the insertion direction. A cartridge holder that can hold the above liquid cartridge in the space to be used,
A distribution pipe that is in the liquid flow hole in the mounted state and allows liquid to flow from the storage chamber.
A connector on the top wall that has a contact that can contact the cartridge side contact in the mounted state.
A wall extending downward from the top wall and extending along the insertion direction.
At least one of the first contact surface or the second contact surface is on an elastic member that can be elastically deformed in the direction of gravity.
The elastic member is a system in which the housing is compressed by elastic deformation between the housing and the bottom wall or one of the top walls in the mounted state. One of the first contact surface or the second contact surface is on the elastic member.
One of the first contact surface and the second contact surface abuts on the top wall from below in the mounted state.
The system according to claim 1, wherein the first contact surface or the other of the second contact surface abuts on the bottom wall from above in the mounted state. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first contact surface or the second contact surface abuts on the wall from below in the mounted state. The system according to claim 3, wherein the surface of the first contact surface or the second contact surface that abuts on the wall extends in the insertion direction. Of the first contact surface or the second contact surface, the contact surface that abuts on the wall is longer than the wall in the width direction.
The distance W1 in the width direction between the one end in the width direction of both ends of the wall in the width direction and the one end in the width direction of the end in the width direction of the contact surface is as follows. The system according to claim 3 or 4, which satisfies the formula 1.
(Number 1)
W1 <(L2 / L1) x W2 ... (Equation 1)
however,
W2 is the length of the cartridge side contact in the width direction.
L1 is the distance in the insertion direction from the contact position between the flow pipe and the surface separating the liquid flow hole to the contact position between the cartridge side contact and the contact.
L2 is the distance in the insertion direction from the contact position between the flow pipe and the surface to the contact position between the contact surface and the wall. In a plan view in the mounted state, the contact position between one of the bottom wall or the top wall and one of the first contact surface or the second contact surface is the other of the bottom wall or the top wall. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which overlaps with the contact position between the first contact surface and the other of the second contact surface. The contact position between one of the bottom wall or the top wall and one of the first contact surface or the second contact surface is between the front end and the rear end of the housing in the insertion direction in the mounted state. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is behind the insertion direction from the position. The mounting portion is provided on the top wall and includes a rod extending along the width direction and supported by the pair of side walls.
The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first contact surface is in contact with the rod in the mounted state. The mounting portion is provided on the top wall and includes a rod extending along the width direction and supported by the pair of side walls.
The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rear end of the elastic member is behind the rod in the insertion direction in the mounted state. The connector comprises a wall that is behind the circuit board in the insertion direction and whose lower end is below the contacts in the mounted state.
The circuit board is supported by the housing so as to be movable between the first position and the second position below the first position.
The liquid cartridge further includes an urging member that urges the circuit board to the first position.
According to any one of claims 1 to 9, the circuit board at the first position moves toward the second position by coming into contact with the mounting portion in the process of inserting the liquid cartridge into the mounting portion. The described system.

Images