JP2022187596A - Recording device and liquid storage body - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the risk that the inside of a liquid storage part is difficult to be illuminated when a light emission part is arranged outside the liquid storage part.SOLUTION: A recording device 101 comprises: a liquid storage part 46 which can store liquid; a recording head 22 that ejects the liquid supplied from the liquid storage part 46 to a medium; and a light emission part 81, arranged outside the liquid storage part 46, which emits light. The liquid storage part 46 has a front surface 43F through which liquid volumes of the liquid in the liquid storage part 46 can be visually recognized from the outside of the liquid storage part 46 and a light guide part 47, arranged in the liquid storage part 46, which guides the light from the light emission part 81 into the liquid storage part 46.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

The present invention relates to a recording device and a liquid container.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-200001 discloses an inkjet printer, which is an example of a recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink, which is an example of liquid, onto printing paper. This printer includes a print head that ejects ink, and a liquid container that has a liquid reservoir that stores the ink to be supplied to the print head. This printer also includes a light emitting unit that illuminates the inside of the liquid reservoir.

JP 2016-182834 A

However, in the printer and the liquid container described in Patent Document 1, the light-emitting section is provided outside the liquid reservoir, which may make it difficult to illuminate the inside of the liquid reservoir.

A recording apparatus includes a liquid storage section capable of storing liquid, a recording head for ejecting the liquid supplied from the liquid storage section onto a medium, a light emitting section provided outside the liquid storage section for emitting light, wherein the liquid reservoir includes a viewing surface for visually recognizing the amount of the liquid in the liquid reservoir from the outside of the liquid reservoir, and a viewing surface provided in the liquid reservoir for receiving the light from the light emitting section. and a light guide section for guiding into the liquid storage section.

The liquid container is a liquid container that can be attached to the attachment portion of a recording apparatus, and that includes a recording head that ejects liquid, a light emitting portion that emits light, and an attachment portion, and is capable of storing the liquid. and a region of the liquid reservoir facing the light emitting unit is transparent or translucent when the liquid container is attached to the attachment unit, and the liquid reservoir is the a viewing surface for visually recognizing the amount of the liquid in the liquid storage portion from outside the liquid storage portion; and a light guide portion provided in the liquid storage portion for guiding the light from the light emitting portion into the liquid storage portion. , has

1 is a perspective view of a recording device as one embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the recording apparatus with the scanner unit opened; 3 is another perspective view of the recording apparatus with the scanner section opened. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a liquid storage device; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a liquid container; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing a d6-d6 cross section when the open/close cover and the cap lever are in the closed state in the liquid container shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts taken along line d6-d6 when the opening/closing cover and the cap lever are in the open state in the liquid container shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 4 is a side view of the inside of the liquid reservoir viewed from the direction facing the viewing surface; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a d9-d9 cross section of the liquid reservoir shown in FIG. 8; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a d10-d10 cross section of the liquid reservoir shown in FIG. 9; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the liquid reservoir when the light emitting part emits light; FIG. 4 is a side view of the inside of the liquid reservoir viewed from the direction facing the viewing surface when the light emitting section emits light; FIG. 11 is a side view of the inside of a liquid reservoir having a light guide according to another embodiment, viewed from the direction facing the viewing surface; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a liquid reservoir having a light guide according to another embodiment; The side view of the light guide part which concerns on another Example. The side view of the light guide part which concerns on another Example. The side view of the light guide part which concerns on another Example. The side view of the light guide part which concerns on another Example. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the recording device; FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a liquid reservoir having a light guide according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a d21-d21 cross section of the liquid reservoir shown in FIG. 20; FIG. 11 is a side view of the inside of a liquid reservoir having a light guide according to Embodiment 2, viewed from the direction facing the viewing surface;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below based on embodiments. In each figure, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

Also, in each figure, X, Y, and Z represent three spatial axes orthogonal to each other. In this specification, the directions along these axes are referred to as the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. When specifying the direction, "+" indicates the positive direction and "-" indicates the negative direction. is described as the - direction. The Z-axis direction indicates the direction of gravity, the +Z direction indicates a vertically downward direction, and the −Z direction indicates a vertically upward direction. A plane including the X and Y axes is referred to as the XY plane, a plane including the X and Z axes as the XZ plane, and a plane including the Y and Z axes as the YZ plane. Also, the XY plane is a horizontal plane. Furthermore, the three spatial axes of X, Y, and Z, which are not limited to positive and negative directions, will be described as the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis.

1. Embodiment 1
A schematic configuration of the recording apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. A recording apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped apparatus main body 102, a scanner unit 10 attached to the upper part of the apparatus main body 102, and a liquid container 103, and is installed on a horizontal plane. Note that the width direction of the medium intersecting the transport direction in which the medium is transported is the +X direction or the −X direction along the X axis, and the transport direction in which the medium is transported is the +Y direction along the Y axis.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the scanner section 10 is arranged above the apparatus main body 102 and attached to the apparatus main body 102 so as to be rotatable. In the scanner unit 10, a scanner housing 11 on which a document is placed and read, and a document cover 12 are stacked in order. The document cover 12 is a cover that protects the scanner housing 11 and is rotatable with respect to the scanner housing 11 . Furthermore, a display unit 15 is attached to the end of the document cover 12 in the +Y direction.

As indicated by the solid line and the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the display unit 15 is rotatable with respect to the scanner housing 11 together with the manuscript cover 12 and can be tilted with respect to the manuscript cover 12 . In other words, the display section 15 is attached to the end of the scanner section 10 and is rotatable and tiltable together with the scanner section 10 .

The display unit 15 is composed of a liquid crystal display module having a touch panel function. The display unit 15 has a function as a notification unit that displays guidance for operating the recording device 101 and notifies information about the recording device 101 and a function as an operation unit that performs various settings for the recording device 101 . The user can tilt the display unit 15 to a position where it can be easily viewed, and perform various operations in the recording apparatus 101 while referring to the image displayed on the display unit 15 . Furthermore, the user can tilt the display unit 15 to a position where it is easy to touch and perform various settings of the recording apparatus 101 via the display unit 15 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 15 is rotated together with the scanner unit 10, and the scanner unit 10 to which the display unit 15 is attached is opened with respect to the apparatus main body 102, whereby the liquid is removed from the replenishment container 90. The liquid storage container 40 of the liquid storage device 103 can be replenished.

As shown in FIG. 1, the recording apparatus 101 has a power operating unit 16 on the front surface of the apparatus main body 102 . By operating the power supply operation unit 16, the user can switch between an energized state in which the power of the recording apparatus 101 is turned on and a power-off state in which the power of the recording apparatus 101 is turned off.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printing apparatus 101 has a conveying section 25 for conveying a medium and a printing section 20 inside an apparatus main body 102 . The transport unit 25 transports the medium in the transport direction, which is the +Y direction. The recording unit 20 is configured to be able to record an image on a medium using liquid. As shown in FIG. 1 , the recording unit 20 has a carriage 21 , a recording head 22 mounted on the carriage 21 for ejecting liquid onto a medium, and a tube 23 for supplying liquid to the recording head 22 . . The liquid supplied to the recording head 22 is contained in the liquid containing container 40 of the liquid containing device 103 . The recording head 22 and the liquid container 40 are connected by a tube 23 . The tube 23 is an example of a liquid supply section. The recording apparatus 101 includes a recording head 22 that ejects liquid and a liquid container 40 . The liquid container 40 is an example of a liquid container.

The carriage 21 is supported by a guide shaft and is movable in the width direction of the medium intersecting the transport direction in which the medium is transported. The recording head 22 can move in the width direction of the medium together with the carriage 21 . The print head 22 has common liquid chambers, individual liquid chambers, ejection elements, and nozzles (not shown), and ejects liquid onto a medium. The recording apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment alternately repeats an operation in which the recording head 22 ejects liquid onto the medium while moving in the width direction of the medium, and an operation in which the medium is transported in the transport direction by the transport unit 25 . records the desired image on the medium.

Next, the liquid storage device 103 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 5, 8, and 9, the liquid storage device 103 includes a liquid storage container 40 that can store liquid, a housing 30 that stores the liquid storage container 40, an upper It has a wall portion 61 , an opening/closing cover 31 , a cap lever 50 , an opening/closing detection portion 71 , a lock mechanism 72 , and an illumination portion 80 . 4, illustration of the cap lever 50, which is a component of the liquid storage device 103, is omitted. In FIG. 5, the cap lever 50 is illustrated by a two-dot chain line.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the housing 30 accommodates six liquid containers 40 . The six liquid storage containers 40 include a liquid storage container 40K1 that stores a black liquid containing a black pigment as a coloring material, a liquid storage container 40K2 that contains a black liquid containing a black dye as a coloring material, A liquid container 40GR containing a gray liquid containing a gray dye as a coloring material, a liquid containing container 40C containing a cyan liquid containing a cyan pigment as a coloring material, and a magenta pigment as a coloring material. and a liquid container 40Y containing a yellow liquid containing a yellow pigment as a coloring material. The liquid container 40K1, the liquid container 40K2, the liquid container 40GR, the liquid container 40C, the liquid container 40M, and the liquid container 40Y are arranged in order in the +X direction.

The number of liquid storage containers 40 housed in the housing 30 is not limited to six, and may be less than six, may be one, or may be more than six. good too. The coloring material contained in the liquid contained in the liquid container 40 may be a pigment or a dye. Furthermore, the liquid stored in the liquid storage container 40 may be a liquid that does not contain a coloring material.

As shown in FIG. 5, the top surface 42 of the liquid storage container 40 is provided with an injection port 41a through which the liquid can be injected from the replenishment container 90, and an air introduction port 45. As shown in FIG. The atmosphere introduction port 45 communicates with the intermediate storage portion 41b, and can introduce the atmosphere into the intermediate storage portion 41b. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, the liquid storage container 40 has a liquid storage portion 46 that is positioned in the +Z direction with respect to the top surface 42 and that can store liquid.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the liquid reservoir 46 has a front surface 43F, a rear surface 43B, a bottom surface 43S, an upper surface 43U, a right side 43R, and a left side 43L. The front surface 43F is a wall surface that defines the outer shape of the liquid reservoir 46 on the +Y direction side. The rear surface 43B is a wall surface that defines the outer shape of the liquid reservoir 46 on the -Y direction side. The bottom surface 43S is a wall surface that defines the outer shape of the liquid reservoir 46 on the +Z direction side. The upper surface 43U is a wall surface that defines the outer shape of the liquid reservoir 46 on the -Z direction side. The right side surface 43R is a wall surface that defines the outer shape of the liquid reservoir 46 on the +X direction side. The left side surface 43L is a wall surface that defines the outer shape of the liquid reservoir 46 on the -X direction side.

A liquid can be injected into the liquid storage section 46 via the injection section 41 including the injection port 41a. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the injection part 41 is composed of an injection port 41a, an intermediate reservoir 41b, an inlet 41c, a relay channel 41d, and an outlet 41e. The intermediate reservoir 41b is located between the injection port 41a and the liquid reservoir 46 in the Z-axis direction and communicates with the injection port 41a. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the relay flow path 41d is provided on the left side surface 43L of the liquid reservoir 46, and has an inlet 41c that opens to the -X direction side surface of the intermediate reservoir 41b. and an outflow port 41e that opens to the left side surface 43L of the liquid storage portion 46, and the intermediate storage portion 41b and the liquid storage portion 46 are communicated with each other.

As shown in FIG. 9, the outflow port 41e opens at a position in the +Z direction from the lower limit liquid level LL when the amount of liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 is the lower limit amount described later. As a result, by injecting the liquid into the liquid storage section 46 via the injection section 41, the frequency of the liquid adhering to the inner surface of the front surface 43F and the area in the -Z direction from the liquid surface LS of the light guide section 47, which will be described later, can be reduced. can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper surface 43U of the liquid reservoir 46 is provided with an outlet port 49d connected to the tube 23. As shown in FIG. The liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 is supplied to the recording head 22 via the tube 23 and the outlet channel 49 including the outlet port 49d. Accordingly, the recording head 22 ejects the liquid supplied from the liquid reservoir 46 onto the medium. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the outlet channel 49 is composed of a discharge port 49a, a first connection channel 49b, a second connection channel 49c, and an outlet port 49d. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the first connection channel 49b is provided on the left side surface 43L of the liquid reservoir 46 and has a discharge port 49a that opens to the left side surface 43L. The discharge port 49 a discharges the liquid from the liquid reservoir 46 to the outlet channel 49 . The second connection channel 49c is provided on the +Z direction side of the upper surface 43U of the liquid reservoir 46, and connects the first connection channel 49b and the outlet port 49d.

The liquid reservoir 46 communicates with the atmosphere inlet 45 via the intermediate reservoir 41b. As shown in FIG. 9, the discharge port 49a opens at a position in the +Z direction from the lower limit liquid level LL when the amount of liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 is the lower limit amount described later. As a result, it is possible to reduce the frequency of the liquid adhering to the inner surface of the front surface 43F and the area in the -Z direction from the liquid surface LS of the light guide section 47, which will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 8, and 9, the front surface 43F of the liquid reservoir 46 is provided with a window member 43Fa. The window member 43Fa is made of a translucent or transparent material, so that the liquid stored in the liquid storage section 46, the liquid surface LS of the liquid, and a light guide section 47, which will be described later, can be visually recognized from the outside of the liquid storage section 46. The window member 43Fa is an example of a viewing surface. Polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyamide (PA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or the like can be used as the material constituting the window member 43Fa as long as it is a resin material.

The viewing surface in this embodiment is a surface along the XZ plane. The window member 43Fa is provided with scales 44 such as a scale 44a for notifying that the amount of liquid is the lower limit and a scale 44b for notifying that the amount of liquid is the upper limit. The lower limit amount in this embodiment is the amount of liquid when the amount of liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 becomes very small, and is the amount of liquid at which it is desirable to replenish the liquid storage container 40 with liquid. The upper limit amount in this embodiment is the amount of liquid that does not require replenishment of liquid to the liquid storage container 40 , and part of the air exists in the liquid storage section 46 . The lower limit amount and upper limit amount are examples of the predetermined amount. 8 and 9, a lower limit liquid level LL, which is the liquid level LS when the amount of liquid is the lower limit, and an upper limit liquid level LH, which is the liquid level LS when the amount of liquid is the upper limit. , are indicated by two-dot chain lines.

Further, when the liquid reservoir 46 is made of a translucent or transparent material, the window member 43Fa may be omitted. In this case also, the user can check the liquid stored in the liquid storage section 46, the liquid surface LS of the liquid, and the light guide section 47 from the outside of the liquid storage section 46 through the front surface 43F. Therefore, the front surface 43F is an example of a viewing surface. In other words, the liquid reservoir 46 has a front surface 43</b>F through which the liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 is visible from the outside of the liquid reservoir 46 .

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the liquid reservoir 46 has a light guide 47. As shown in FIG. The light guide portion 47 has a function of a so-called light guide member that guides light emitted by a light emitting portion 81 (to be described later) into the liquid reservoir portion 46 . When viewed from the Y-axis direction, the light guide portion 47 of this embodiment has a rectangular columnar shape with the Z-axis direction as the longitudinal direction and the X-axis direction as the lateral direction. Further, the light guide section 47 of this embodiment is made of a translucent or transparent material. Further, the refractive index of the material forming the light guide portion 47 is higher than the refractive index of the air and higher than the refractive index of the liquid stored in the liquid storage portion 46 . As the material constituting the light guide portion 47, if it is a resin material, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyamide (PA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or the like can be adopted.

For example, the light guide portion 47 of the present embodiment guides light entering from an incident surface 47b, which is a side surface of the light guide portion 47 on the −Z direction side, to a front surface 47a, which is a side surface of the light guide portion 47 on the +Y direction side. It is possible. The front surface 47a is a surface along the XZ plane. In other words, the front surface 47 a is a surface along the front surface 43</b>F of the liquid reservoir 46 . The front surface 47a is an example of a light emitting surface. In this case, the rear surface 47d, which is the side surface on the +X direction side, the side surface on the −X direction side, the side surface on the +Z direction side, and the side surface on the −Y direction side that defines the outer shape of the light guide portion 47, enters from the entrance surface 47b. It can be said to be a light guide surface that guides light toward the front surface 47a. The refractive index of the material forming the light guide section 47 is, for example, preferably 1.4 or more, more preferably 1.5 or more.

The rear surface 47d has a flat surface 47e located at the end of the rear surface 47d in the -Z direction, and a plurality of reflecting portions 47h located in the +Z direction of the flat surface 47e and arranged in the Z-axis direction. As a result, the rear surface 47d has a sawtooth shape formed by a plurality of reflecting portions 47h and extending in the Z-axis direction. A plane 47e is a plane along the front surface 47a and is an example of another surface on the rear surface 47d. The reflecting portion 47h has a convex shape projecting in the -Y direction from the plane 47e. Therefore, the reflecting portion 47h can also be said to be a convex portion of the rear surface 47d.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the reflecting portion 47h includes an upper reflecting surface 47f and a lower reflecting surface 47g that reflect the light entering from the entrance surface 47b toward the front surface 47a. The upper reflecting surface 47f is an example of an upper surface forming a convex portion, and the lower reflecting surface 47g is an example of a lower surface forming a convex portion. The upper reflecting surface 47f is inclined downward in the +Z direction toward the tip side, which is the end in the -Y direction of the reflecting portion 47h. According to this, when the liquid adheres to the rear surface 47d, it is difficult for the liquid to remain on the upper reflecting surface 47f of the reflecting portion 47h. The lower reflective surface 47g is inclined upward in the −Z direction toward the tip side, which is the end in the −Y direction of the reflective portion 47h. According to this, when liquid adheres to the rear surface 47d, it is difficult for the liquid to remain on the lower reflecting surface 47g of the reflecting portion 47h. Therefore, when liquid adheres to the rear surface 47d, it is difficult for the liquid to remain on the reflecting portion 47h.

The light guide portion 47 is provided at a position closer to the front surface 43F than the center of the liquid reservoir 46 in the Y-axis direction. In addition, the light guide portion 47 is provided at a position closer to the front surface 43F than the outflow port 41e of the injection portion 41 in the Y-axis direction. Also, when viewed from the Z-axis direction, a gap is ensured between the side surface of the light guide portion 47 and the inner surface of the liquid reservoir portion 46 . Therefore, in the liquid storage section 46, the area on the +Y direction side of the light guide section 47 and the area on the -Y axis direction side of the light guide section 47 are continuous without being blocked by the light guide section 47. ing. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, in the Z-axis direction, the position of the liquid surface LS of the liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 changes from the region on the +Y-axis direction side of the light guide portion 47 to the −Y-axis direction of the light guide portion 47. The same is true across the side areas.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9 , the light guide portion 47 substantially extends in the height direction, which is the Z-axis direction of the liquid reservoir portion 46 . As a result, the entrance surface 47b of the light guide portion 47 is located in the -Z direction from the window member 43Fa, and the side surface of the light guide portion 47 on the +Z direction side is located in the +Z direction from the window member 43Fa. In addition, the -Z direction ends of the front surface 47a, the rear surface 47d, the side surface on the +X direction side, and the side surface on the -X direction side of the light guide portion 47 are located in the -Z direction from the window member 43Fa. , located in the +Z direction from the window member 43Fa. That is, the −Z direction end of the light guide portion 47 is located in the −Z direction from the window member 43Fa, and the +Z direction end of the light guide portion 47 is located in the +Z direction from the window member 43Fa.

In other words, when the range inside the liquid reservoir 46 that can be seen from the +Y direction side, which is the direction facing the front surface 43F of the liquid reservoir 46 through the window member 43Fa, is defined as the visible range, the light guide 47 has a Z In the axial direction, it is provided over the viewing range. Further, the front surface 47a of the light guide portion 47 is also provided over the visible range. In this case, the light guide section 47 has a lower liquid level LL, which is the liquid level LS when the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 is the lower limit, and a liquid level LL when the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 is the upper limit. It can also be said that the upper limit liquid level LH, which is LS, is provided at a position crossing the light guide section 47 . It can also be said that the front surface 47a of the light guide section 47 is also provided at a position where the lower limit liquid level LL and the upper limit liquid level LH cross the front surface 47a. In other words, in the Z-axis direction, the light guide section 47 has a lower liquid level LS, which is the liquid level when the liquid amount in the liquid reservoir 46 is the lower limit, and a lower liquid level LL, which is the liquid level when the liquid amount is the upper limit. It is provided at a position corresponding to the upper limit liquid level LH which is the liquid level LS at a certain time. The front surface 47a of the light guide portion 47 is also provided at a position corresponding to the lower limit liquid level LL and the upper limit liquid level LH in the Z-axis direction.

Also, in this case, as shown in FIG. A region in the -Z direction can be seen. According to this, the recording apparatus 101 of the present embodiment can, for example, see the front surface 47 a of the light guide section 47 even when the liquid surface LS of the liquid in the liquid storage section 46 is difficult to see. Since the position of the liquid surface LS can be recognized, it is easier to recognize the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 than when the light guide section 47 is not provided in the liquid storage section 46 . The light guide portion 47 may extend to a position where the +Z direction side surface of the light guide portion 47 contacts the bottom surface 43</b>S of the liquid reservoir 46 . At this time, even when the liquid reservoir 46 is made of a translucent or transparent material, the inside of the liquid reservoir 46 can be seen from the +Y direction side facing the front face 43F of the liquid reservoir 46 through the front face 43F. is the visible range, it can be said that the light guide portion 47 is provided over the visible range in the Z-axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the illumination section 80 of this embodiment is provided outside the liquid reservoir 46 . The lighting section 80 has a light emitting section 81 that emits light. The light emitting portion 81 emits visible light. The light emitting portion 81 is provided at a position on the −Z direction side with respect to the upper surface 43U of the liquid storing portion 46 . Further, the light emitting portion 81 is provided at a position where the front surface 81 a of the light emitting portion 81 faces the entrance surface 47 b of the light guide portion 47 . Note that the light emitting unit 81 of this embodiment is attached to the housing 30 , but may be attached to the upper surface 43</b>U of the liquid reservoir 46 .

A window member 43Ua is provided in an area facing the front surface 81a of the light emitting section 81 on the upper surface 43U of the liquid storing section 46 of the present embodiment. The window member 43Ua of this embodiment also has a function as an attachment portion to which the light guide portion 47 is attached. The window member 43Ua is made of a translucent or transparent material, and the visible light emitted by the light emitting portion 81 enters the liquid reservoir 46 through the window member 43Ua. The lighting unit 80 of this embodiment has six light emitting units 81 arranged in the X-axis direction corresponding to the respective liquid reservoirs 46 of the six liquid containers 40 . Note that the window member 43Ua may be omitted when the liquid storage portion 46 is made of a translucent or transparent material, or when the window member 43Ua and the light guide portion 47 are integrally formed.

The light emitting portion 81 emits visible light to illuminate the inside of the liquid storing portion 46 including the liquid and the light guide portion 47 from outside the liquid storing portion 46 through the window member 43Ua. According to this, the recording apparatus 101 of the present embodiment can check the liquid stored in the liquid storage section 46 from outside the liquid storage section 46 and the liquid surface LS of the liquid, compared to the case where the illumination section 80 is not provided. Cheap.

Further, the light emitted from the front surface 81 a of the light emitting portion 81 enters the light guide portion 47 through the entrance surface 47 b of the light guide portion 47 . For example, of the light from the light emitting portion 81 that has entered the light guide portion 47 through the incident surface 47b of the light guide portion 47, the light that has entered the reflecting portion 47h on the rear surface 47d is reflected by the reflecting portion 47h and travels toward the front surface 47a. guided by

For example, when no liquid is stored in the liquid storage section 46, light guided to the front surface 47a of the light guide section 47 passes through the front surface 47a, passes through the window member 43Fa of the liquid storage section 46, and passes through the liquid. It reaches the +Y direction side of the liquid reservoir 46 outside the reservoir 46 . As a result, when the inside of the liquid reservoir 46 is viewed from the +Y direction side facing the front surface 43F of the liquid reservoir 46, the front surface 47a of the light guide 47 appears to shine. In other words, the light guide portion 47 transmits the light from the light emitting portion 81 that has entered from the entrance surface 47b, so that the light guide portion 47 passes through the inside of the liquid storage portion 46 from the +Y direction side, which is the direction facing the front surface 43F of the liquid storage portion 46. When viewed, it has a front surface 47a that looks shiny. The front surface 47a of the light guide portion 47 is an example of a light emitting surface.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, when the liquid is stored in the liquid reservoir 46, in the Z-axis direction, the position is the same as the liquid surface LS of the liquid in the liquid reservoir 46, or the -Z direction from the liquid surface LS. In the region on the side, of the light from the light emitting portion 81 entering the light guide portion 47, the light incident on the reflecting portion 47h on the rear surface 47d is reflected by the reflecting portion 47h and guided toward the front surface 47a. In FIG. 11, the path of the light from the light emitting portion 81 entering the light guide portion 47 from the entrance surface 47b is indicated by the dashed arrow.

The light guided to the front surface 47a of the light guide section 47 passes through the front surface 47a, passes through the window member 43Fa of the liquid storage section 46, and reaches the +Y direction side of the liquid storage section 46 outside the liquid storage section 46. reach. As a result, when the inside of the liquid storage section 46 is viewed from the +Y direction side, which is the direction facing the front surface 43F of the liquid storage section 46, the front surface 47a of the light guide section 47 has, as shown in FIG. In the Z-axis direction, an area at the same position as the liquid surface LS in the liquid reservoir 46 or a region on the -Z direction side of the liquid surface LS appears to shine.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, in the region on the +Z direction side of the liquid surface LS of the liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 in the Z-axis direction, the rear surface of the light from the light emitting unit 81 entering the light guide 47 is Most of the light incident on the reflecting portion 47h of 47d is not reflected by the reflecting portion 47h, passes through the reflecting portion 47h, and travels through the liquid in the direction of the -Y direction in the Y-axis direction. In addition, in the region on the +Z direction side of the liquid surface LS of the liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 in the Z-axis direction, out of the light from the light emitting unit 81 entering the light guide 47, the rear surface 47d of the light guide 47 Most of the light incident on the other side surfaces is not reflected by the side surfaces, passes through the side surfaces, and travels through the liquid in a direction different from the direction toward the front surface 43F.

This is because the refractive index of the liquid is close to the refractive index of the light guide 47 compared to the refractive index of the atmosphere, and the critical angle is very small, or the refractive index of the liquid is greater than the refractive index of the light guide 47. It depends. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, when the inside of the liquid reservoir 46 is viewed from the +Y direction side, which is the direction facing the front surface 43F of the liquid reservoir 46, the front surface 47a of the light guide section 47 has , the region on the +Z direction side of the liquid surface LS in the liquid reservoir 46 does not appear shiny. In this case, for example, even if the liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 is a transparent liquid, the area on the +Z direction side of the liquid surface LS of the liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 does not appear shiny.

According to this, even when the liquid surface LS of the liquid is difficult to see, the recording apparatus 101 of the present embodiment can detect the surface of the liquid by looking at the area of the front surface 47a of the light guide section 47 that looks shiny. Since the position of LS can be recognized, it is easier to recognize the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 than when the light guide section 47 is not provided in the liquid storage section 46 .

The reflective portions 47h of the light guide portion 47 are configured so that the front surface 47a can be seen to shine uniformly, the inclination of the upper reflective surfaces 47f, the slant of the lower reflective surfaces 47g, the amount of protrusion of the reflective portions 47h, and the reflection. The interval in the Z-axis direction between the portions 47h is adjusted. On the other hand, in the light guide portion 47, the appearance of the front surface 47a that receives the light from the light emitting portion 81 entering from the entrance surface 47b and shines can be changed by changing the reflection portion 47h of the rear surface 47d. For example, the uniform lighting of the front surface 47a shown in FIG. 2, the lighting may be changed so that bright portions and dark portions linearly extending in the X-axis direction are alternately arranged in the Z-axis direction to look like a scale. According to this, it is easy to grasp the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 by visually recognizing the light guide section 47 which looks like a scale.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, when the projection amount is defined as the dimension of projection in the -Y direction from the flat surface 47e of the rear surface 47d of the reflecting portion 47h, a plurality of reflecting portions having different projection amounts are formed on the rear surface 47d. 47h, 47k, and 47m may be provided. The reflecting portion 47k has a larger amount of protrusion than the reflecting portion 47h, and the position of the tip in the Z-axis direction is provided so as to correspond to the upper limit liquid level LH. The reflecting portion 47m has a larger amount of protrusion than the reflecting portion 47h, and the position of the tip in the Z-axis direction is provided so as to correspond to the lower limit liquid level LL. According to this, by providing the reflecting portion 47k and the reflecting portion 47m having different protrusion amounts from the reflecting portion 47h, in the front surface 47a that looks shiny, the region different in brightness from the other regions, the upper limit liquid level LH, A region corresponding to the lower limit liquid level LL can be provided. According to this, it is easy to grasp the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 by visually recognizing the area of the light guide section 47 that is different in brightness from the other areas.

Moreover, the amount of projection of the plurality of reflecting portions 47h provided on the rear surface 47d of the light guide portion 47 may be changed continuously. For example, in the light guide portion 47 shown in FIG. 15, the projection amount of the reflection portion 47h located on the +Z direction side in the Z-axis direction is greater than the projection amount of the reflection portion 47h located on the -Z direction side. provided to be more. Alternatively, the plurality of reflecting portions 47h may be provided such that the amount of projection of the reflecting portion 47h positioned on the -Z direction side in the Z-axis direction is greater than the amount of projection of the reflecting portion 47h positioned on the +Z direction side. .

In other words, the plurality of reflecting portions 47h are provided such that the reflecting portion 47h positioned on one end side protrudes more than the reflecting portion 47h positioned on the other end side in the Z-axis direction. According to this, it is possible to continuously change the brightness of the front surface 47a that appears to shine in the Z-axis direction. Alternatively, the plurality of reflecting portions 47h are configured such that the closer the reflecting portion 47h is to the intermediate position between the reflecting portion 47h positioned on one end side and the reflecting portion 47h positioned on the other end side in the Z-axis direction, the smaller the amount of protrusion. may be provided in The intermediate position may be a position where the distance to the reflecting portion 47h located on the other end side is shorter than the distance to the reflecting portion 47h located on the one end side in the Z-axis direction. The distance to the reflecting portion 47h located on the other end side may be longer than the distance to the reflecting portion 47h located on the one end side. Also, the intermediate position may be a position at the center of the front surface 47a in the Z-axis direction. For example, when the intermediate position is the center of the front surface 47a in the Z-axis direction, the brightness of the front surface 47a that looks shiny can be changed continuously in the Z-axis direction from the center of the front surface 47a.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 16, the reflecting portion 47h may have a surface along the front surface 47a and an inclined surface 47p extending in the +Y direction from the surface along the front surface 47a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, the front surface 47a, which appears to be shining, is made to look like a scale with bright portions and dark portions linearly extending in the X-axis direction arranged alternately in the Z-axis direction. can be done.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, the reflecting portion 47h may have a surface along the front surface 47a and a curved surface 47q extending in the +Y direction from the surface along the front surface 47a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, the front surface 47a, which appears to be shining, is made to look like a scale with bright portions and dark portions linearly extending in the X-axis direction arranged alternately in the Z-axis direction. can be done.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 18, the reflecting portion 47h may have a surface along the front surface 47a and a horizontal surface extending in the +Y direction from the surface along the front surface 47a. In this case, the rear surface 47d of the light guiding portion 47 has a flat surface 47e, a plurality of reflecting portions 47h as convex portions, and a plurality of connecting surfaces 47s connecting the plurality of reflecting portions 47h arranged in the Z-axis direction. 47 s of connection surfaces are located in the +Y direction side from the surface which follows the front surface 47a of the reflection part 47h along the front surface 47a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, the front surface 47a, which appears to be shining, is made to look like a scale with bright portions and dark portions linearly extending in the X-axis direction arranged alternately in the Z-axis direction. can be done.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the housing 30 has a viewing portion 34 and a wall portion 36 . The viewing portion 34 is provided with a through hole 35 that exposes the front surface 43</b>F of the liquid reservoir 46 . The wall portion 36 is arranged in the −Z direction with respect to the visible portion 34 . The user can grasp the amount of liquid stored in the liquid storage section 46 through the front surface 43</b>F from the through hole 35 of the visual recognition section 34 . Note that if the front surface 43</b>F of the liquid storage portion 46 can be exposed, instead of the through hole 35 , a notch shape obtained by removing a part of the visual recognition portion 34 may be provided in the visual recognition portion 34 .

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 20 to 22, the through hole 35 of the visual recognition portion 34 may be provided with a visual recognition member 34a made of a translucent or transparent material. If the material constituting the visual recognition member 34a is a resin material, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyamide (PA), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or the like can be used.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper wall portion 61 includes six cap lever attachment portions 62 corresponding to the six liquid containers 40, an opening/closing cover attachment portion 63, a first recess 64, a second recess 65, and a lock pin projection hole 66 . The cap lever attachment portion 62 is a cylindrical shaft extending along the X axis. The opening/closing cover attachment portion 63 is a cylindrical shaft extending along the X axis. One end of the opening/closing cover 31 is engaged with the opening/closing cover mounting portion 63 so that the opening/closing cover 31 can rotate around the opening/closing cover mounting portion 63 as an axis.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cap lever 50 has an end portion 53, an engaging portion 51, a cap 54 capable of closing the inlet 41a, and a projection 55 provided on the engaging portion 51. . By engaging the engaging portion 51 with the cap lever mounting portion 62 of the upper wall portion 61 , the cap lever 50 can rotate around the cap lever mounting portion 62 as an axis.

In FIG. 2, the cap lever 50 is arranged at a position where the inlets 41a of the liquid containers 40K1, 40K2, 40GR, 40C, and 40M are closed, and the cap lever 50 is arranged at a position where the inlet 41a of the liquid container 40Y is opened. are placed. As shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 7, the cap lever 50 rotates between a closed state in which the inlet 41a of the liquid container 40 is sealed and an open state in which the inlet 41a of the liquid container 40 is opened. be possible. As shown in FIG. 3, when the cap lever 50 is opened, the injection port 41a of the liquid storage container 40 is opened, and the liquid can be replenished from the replenishment container 90 to the liquid storage portion 46 of the liquid storage container 40. As shown in FIG. .

As shown in FIG. 6, the opening/closing cover 31 protects the cap lever 50 and the upper wall portion 61. As shown in FIG. The opening/closing cover 31 rotates around the opening/closing cover mounting portion 63, and is in a closed state in which six cap levers 50 (not shown) are covered, indicated by two-dot chain lines in FIG. and an open state in which the six cap levers 50 are exposed. As shown in FIG. 4, the opening/closing cover 31 has a regulated portion 31a.

When the amount of liquid stored in the liquid storage portion 46 becomes small and the liquid storage container 40 is to be replenished with liquid from the replenishment container 90, the user moves the opening/closing cover 31 from the closed state shown in FIG. 6 to the state shown in FIG. Open. Next, the user puts his/her finger on the end portion 53 of the cap lever 50 to open the cap lever 50 from the closed state, thereby sealing the inlet 41a of the liquid container 40 as shown in FIG. from closed to open. Then, the user inserts the tip of the replenishment container 90 into the injection port 41a of the liquid storage container 40 to replenish the liquid storage portion 46 of the liquid storage container 40 from the replenishment container 90 .

As shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, the first recess 64 is provided with an injection port 41a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the cap 54 is inserted into the first recess 64 when the cap lever 50 is closed. Further, as shown in FIG. 3 , when the liquid is replenished from the replenishment container 90 to the liquid storage portion 46 of the liquid storage container 40 , the tip of the replenishment container 90 is inserted into the first concave portion 64 . At this time, the first concave portion 64 functions as a guide portion that guides the position of the tip of the replenishment container 90 .

As shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, the cap lever mounting portion 62 and the opening/closing detection portion 71 are arranged in the second recess 65. As shown in FIGS. The open/close detector 71 is provided to detect either the closed state or the open state of the cap lever 50 . Six open/close detectors 71 are provided corresponding to the six cap levers 50 . The projection 55 of the cap lever 50 functions as a detected portion for detecting either the closed state or the unplugged state of the cap lever 50 .

The open/close detector 71 in this embodiment is a contact sensor having a movable detector 71a. The detector 71a is biased in the protruding direction and can be displaced between protruding and retreating. The open/close detector 71 is not limited to a contact sensor, and may be a limit switch, a pressure sensor, or an angle sensor that detects the rotation angle of the cap lever 50 . The open/close detector 71 is not limited to a contact sensor, and may be a non-contact sensor such as a transmissive photosensor or an ultrasonic sensor, as long as it can detect either the closed or unplugged state of the cap lever 50 .

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the detector 71a is pushed by the protrusion 55 and retreats in the direction in which the amount of protrusion of the detector 71a decreases. It will be in the state of detecting the closed state. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the detection element 71a protrudes without being pushed by the protrusion 55 and does not detect the protrusion 55, so that the open/close detection unit 71 detects the open state of the cap lever 50. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the lock mechanism 72 is provided at a position on the +Z direction side of the upper wall portion 61 . In addition, the lock mechanism 72 is provided at a position adjacent to the first concave portion 64 in which the injection port 41a of the liquid container 40K1 is arranged in the X-axis direction and on the -X direction side. The lock mechanism 72 is provided so as to be switchable between a locked state in which the open/close cover 31 cannot shift from the closed state to the open state and an unlocked state in which the open/close cover 31 can shift from the closed state to the open state.

The lock mechanism 72 of this embodiment is a solenoid that linearly moves a lock pin (not shown) by a magnetic force generated by applying an electric current to an electromagnetic coil. The lock pin is the moving iron core in the solenoid. The lock pin is provided movably between a retracted position where the tip of the lock pin is positioned within the lock pin projection hole 66 and a projected position where it projects in the +Y direction from the retracted position.

In the present embodiment, the lock pin at the projecting position restricts upward movement of the restricted portion 31a of the opening/closing cover 31 in the closed state. At this time, the opening/closing cover 31 enters a locked state in which the closed state cannot be changed to the open state. Further, the lock pin at the retracted position does not restrict the upward movement of the open/close cover 31 in the closed state. At this time, the opening/closing cover 31 is in the unlocked state in which the closed state can be changed to the open state.

The lock mechanism 72 in this embodiment moves the lock pin from the protruded position to the retracted position by energizing the lock mechanism 72 . That is, the opening/closing cover 31 enters the unlocked state by energizing the lock mechanism 72 and enters the locked state by stopping the energization of the lock mechanism 72 . Therefore, the opening/closing cover 31 according to the present embodiment is locked when the recording apparatus 101 is powered off.

Next, the electrical configuration of the recording device 101 will be described. As shown in FIG. 19 , the recording device 101 has a control section 111 . The scanner unit 10, the power supply operation unit 16, the display unit 15, and the open/close detection unit 71 are connected to the control unit 111 via an input interface (not shown). Further, the display unit 15, the transport unit 25, the recording unit 20, the lock mechanism 72, and the light emitting unit 81 of the illumination unit 80 are connected to the control unit 111 via an output interface (not shown). The display unit 15 and the display unit 215 as notification units have a function of displaying and notifying information received together with a display instruction in accordance with the instruction.

Here, the control unit 111 is connected to the display unit 215 of the host device 210, which is an external device, through a communication interface (not shown), a communication cable, a wireless communication line, or the like inside the device body 102. FIG. The control unit 111 transmits data and a signal requesting display of information based on the data to at least one of the display unit 15 and the host device 210, and causes the display unit 15 and the display unit 215 to display information based on the data. notification processing is performed. Examples of the host device 210 include personal computers, smart phones, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and the like.

The control unit 111 incorporates, for example, a CPU and memory (not shown), and performs various controls by the CPU executing a program stored in the memory. A CPU is an arithmetic processing unit. The control unit 111 has a function of displaying information on either the display unit 15 or the display unit 215 so as to inform the user of the information.

The control unit 111 outputs information about either the closed state or the opened state of the cap lever 50 based on the detection result of the open/close detection unit 71 detecting either the closed state or the opened state of the cap lever 50. Either the display unit 15 or the display unit 215 is notified. Further, if the opening/closing detection unit 71 detects that the cap lever 50 is in the open state when an operation to turn off the power of the recording apparatus 101 is performed, the control unit 111 puts the cap lever 50 in the closed state. The requested information is displayed on either display unit 15 or display unit 215 .

The controller 111 manages the amount of liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 in each liquid storage container 40 . When the user finishes injecting the liquid into the liquid storage portion 46 of the liquid storage container 40 , the user inputs information about the amount of liquid in the liquid storage portion 46 to the recording device 101 by operating the display section 15 or the host device 210 . The control unit 111 acquires the current amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 after the liquid is injected based on the input information regarding the amount of liquid. Further, the control unit 111 measures the amount of consumption of the liquid discharged by the recording unit 20, and subtracts the current consumption from the previous amount of liquid for each liquid container 40. It manages the current liquid volume in the section 46 .

The control unit 111 controls the recording unit 20 to perform a liquid ejecting operation of ejecting liquid toward the medium conveyed by the conveying unit 25 and a flushing operation of ejecting liquid unrelated to printing. The control unit 111 also controls a maintenance device (not shown) to perform a cleaning operation of forcibly discharging the liquid from the nozzles of the recording head 22 . The recording apparatus 101 includes a carriage motor (not shown) as a drive source for moving the carriage 21 in the width direction of the medium. Then, the recording head 22 that is being moved is caused to perform a liquid ejecting operation for ejecting liquid.

The control unit 111 controls the transport unit 25 to feed a medium from a medium storage cassette (not shown) and transport the fed medium along a predetermined transport route. The transport unit 25 includes, for example, a roller-type or belt-type transport mechanism and a transport motor (not shown) as a driving source thereof. The control unit 111 controls the transport of the medium by controlling the transport motor.

The control unit 111 controls the lock mechanism 72 by controlling the energization of the lock mechanism 72, and the lock state in which the open/close cover 31 cannot be shifted from the closed state to the open state and the open state from the closed state to the open state. To switch between a transitionable unlocked state and a transitionable unlocked state. For example, when there is a liquid storage container 40 in which the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 has reached the lower limit, the control section 111 shifts the lock mechanism 72 from the locked state to the unlocked state.

The control unit 111 notifies the user of the operating state of the recording apparatus 101 by controlling the light emitting state of the light emitting unit 81 . Further, the control unit 111 reduces the power consumption of the recording apparatus 101 by controlling the light emitting state of the light emitting unit 81 . For example, the control unit 111 turns off the light emitting unit 81 during printing and turns on when not printing. Further, for example, the control unit 111 turns on the light emitting unit 81 when the user operates the power operation unit 16 and the power of the recording apparatus 101 is turned on, and turns off the light emitting unit 81 during printing. Further, for example, the control unit 111 turns on the light-emitting unit 81 when the power operation unit 16, the display unit 15, the scanner unit 10, the opening/closing cover 31, or the like is operated, and turns on the light-emitting unit 81 when no operation is performed for a certain period of time. The light emitting part 81 is extinguished.

Further, for example, the control unit 111 turns on the light emitting unit 81 when the opening/closing cover 31 is opened, and turns off the light emitting unit 81 after a certain period of time has passed after the open/close cover 31 is closed. Also, for example, when the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 approaches the lower limit, the control section 111 lights or blinks the light emitting section 81 . Thereby, the user can be notified that the liquid storage container 40 needs to be replenished with the liquid. Further, for example, the control unit 111 lights or blinks the light emitting unit 81 when the lock mechanism 72 is in the unlocked state. Further, for example, when there is a liquid storage container 40 in which the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 has reached the lower limit, the control section 111 displays that fact on either the display section 15 or the display section 215, and displays the open/close cover. The light-emitting portion 81 corresponding to the liquid storage portion 46 whose liquid amount has reached the lower limit is lit or blinked until the liquid storage portion 31 changes from the open state to the closed state.

As described above, according to the recording apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

The recording apparatus 101 includes a liquid storage section 46 capable of storing liquid, a recording head 22 for ejecting the liquid supplied from the liquid storage section 46 onto a medium, and a light emitting device provided outside the liquid storage section 46 to emit light. The liquid reservoir 46 includes a front surface 43F that allows the amount of the liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 to be visually recognized from the outside of the liquid reservoir 46; and a light guide portion 47 that guides the light from 81 into the liquid storage portion 46 . According to this, even when the light emitting part 81 is provided outside the liquid reservoir 46 , the inside of the liquid reservoir 46 can be easily illuminated because the light guide part 47 is provided inside the liquid reservoir 46 .

The light guide portion 47 is provided at a position in the Z-axis direction corresponding to the liquid surface LS when the amount of the liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 reaches a predetermined amount. According to this, by visually recognizing the light guide part 47, it is easy to grasp that the liquid in the liquid storage part 46 has reached the predetermined amount.

When the range inside the liquid reservoir 46 that can be seen from the direction facing the front surface 43F is defined as a visible range, the light guide section 47 is provided over the visible range in the Z-axis direction. This makes it easy to grasp the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 by visually recognizing the light guide section 47 .

The light guide portion 47 has an entrance surface 47b through which the light from the light emitting portion 81 enters the light guide portion 47 and a surface along the front surface 43F. and a rear surface 47d which is opposite to the front surface 47a and guides the light entering from the entrance surface 47b toward the front surface 47a. According to this, the amount of liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 can be easily grasped by visually recognizing the front surface 47a that appears to shine from the front surface 43F.

47 d of rear surfaces have the reflecting part 47h which protrudes from the plane 47e in 47 d of rear surfaces. According to this, by providing unevenness on the rear surface 47d, it is possible to change how the light guide section 47 illuminates the inside of the liquid storage section 46. FIG.

The rear surface 47d has a plurality of reflecting portions 47h arranged in the Z-axis direction. According to this, the front surface 47a can be illuminated uniformly.

The rear surface 47d has a plurality of reflection portions 47h, 47k, and 47m with different projection amounts, where the projection amount is defined as the projection amount of the reflection section 47h as a projection from the flat surface 47e of the rear surface 47d. According to this, in the front surface 47a which appears to be shining, an area different in brightness from other areas can be provided. Also, by visually recognizing an area of the light guide section 47 that is different in brightness from other areas, it is easy to grasp the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 .

The plurality of reflecting portions 47h are provided such that, in the Z-axis direction, the reflecting portion 47h located on one end side has a larger protrusion amount than the reflecting portion 47h located on the other end side. According to this, it is possible to continuously change the brightness of the front surface 47a that appears to shine in the Z-axis direction.

The plurality of reflecting portions 47h are provided so that the projecting amount of the reflecting portions 47h decreases as the reflecting portion 47h is closer to an intermediate position between the reflecting portion 47h positioned on one end side and the reflecting portion 47h positioned on the other end side in the Z-axis direction. be done. According to this, for example, when the intermediate position is the center of the front surface 47a in the Z-axis direction, the brightness of the front surface 47a that appears to shine can be continuously changed in the Z-axis direction from the center of the front surface 47a. can.

The rear surface 47d has a plurality of connecting surfaces 47s that connect between the plurality of reflecting portions 47h arranged in the Z-axis direction. According to this, the front surface 47a, which looks like it is shining, can be made to look like a scale in which bright portions and dark portions linearly extending in the X-axis direction are alternately arranged in the Z-axis direction.

The reflecting portion 47h has a surface along the front surface 47a. According to this, the front surface 47a, which looks like it is shining, can be made to look like a scale in which bright portions and dark portions linearly extending in the X-axis direction are alternately arranged in the Z-axis direction.

An upper reflecting surface 47f forming the reflecting portion 47h is inclined downward toward the tip side of the reflecting portion 47h. According to this, when the liquid adheres to the rear surface 47d, it is difficult for the liquid to remain on the upper reflecting surface 47f of the reflecting portion 47h.

The recording apparatus 101 further includes a control section 111 that controls lighting and extinguishing of the light emitting section 81 . According to this, the control unit 111 can control the lighting and extinguishing of the light emitting unit 81 to change the light emitting state of the light guide unit 47 and inform the user of the operating state of the recording apparatus 101 .

The recording apparatus 101 further includes an injection section 41 capable of injecting the liquid into the liquid storage section 46 . According to this, the liquid storage section 46 can also be employed in a replenishment type recording apparatus 101 that is replenished with liquid.

2. Embodiment 2
Next, the liquid storage device 103 in the recording device 101 of Embodiment 2 as one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. It should be noted that portions common to the liquid storage device 103 of Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. Further, explanations of the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment are also omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, in the liquid storage device 103 of the second embodiment, the liquid storage portion 46 of the liquid storage container 40 has a light guide portion support portion 46H and a window member 43Ba. It differs from the liquid container 103 of Embodiment 1 in that it does not include 43Ua, that the illumination section 80 includes a common light guide section 82, and that there is one light emitting section 81. FIG. The light-emitting portion 81 is provided at a position on the -Y direction side with respect to the six liquid containers 40 and at a position on the -X direction side from the rear surface 43B of the liquid storage portion 46 in the liquid container 40K1. The light emitting portion 81 of the present embodiment is provided so that the light emitted from the front surface 81a is directed in the +X direction.

As shown in FIGS. 20 to 22, the light guide portion 47 of this embodiment has a triangular shape when viewed from the Y-axis direction and a columnar shape extending in the Y-axis direction. The light guide section 47 of this embodiment is made of the same material as the light guide section 47 of the first embodiment. The light guide portion 47 is provided on the left side surface 43L side, which is the −X direction side from the center of the liquid reservoir 46 in the X-axis direction. The light guide portion 47 of the present embodiment is provided in the liquid reservoir 46 so that the side surface on the -X direction side that defines the outer shape of the light guide portion 47 is along the left side surface 43L. For example, the light guide portion 47 of the present embodiment guides light entering from an incident surface 47b, which is a side surface of the light guide portion 47 on the −Y direction side, to a front surface 47a, which is a side surface of the light guide portion 47 on the +Y direction side. It is possible. The front surface 47a is a surface along the XZ plane. In other words, the front surface 47 a is a surface along the front surface 43</b>F of the liquid reservoir 46 . The front surface 47a is an example of a light emitting surface.

In this case, the three side surfaces extending in the Y-axis direction that define the outer shape of the light guide portion 47 can be said to be light guide surfaces that guide the light entering from the entrance surface 47b toward the front surface 47a. The light guide portion 47 is arranged such that the +X direction vertex of the three vertices of the triangular front surface 47a and the entrance surface 47b is located at the lower limit liquid level LL of the liquid in the Z-axis direction. is attached to the light guide portion support portion 46H of the . That is, the light guide portion 47 is provided at a position where the lower limit liquid level LL crosses the light guide portion 47 when the amount of liquid in the liquid storage portion 46 reaches the lower limit. In other words, the light guide portion 47 is provided at a position corresponding to the lower limit liquid level LL when the liquid amount in the liquid reservoir 46 reaches the lower limit amount in the direction of gravity.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 22, when the inside of the liquid storage section 46 is viewed from the +Y direction side, which is the direction facing the front surface 43F of the liquid storage section 46, the front surface 47a of the light guide section 47 is located above the lower liquid level LL. - A region in the Z direction is visible. According to this, the recording apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment can visually recognize the front surface 47a of the light guide section 47 even when the lower limit liquid level LL of the liquid in the liquid storage section 46 is difficult to see. Since the position of the lower limit liquid level LL of the liquid can be recognized, it is easier to recognize the lower limit amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 compared to the case where the light guide section 47 is not provided in the liquid storage section 46 .

The common light guide section 82 is made of a translucent or transparent material. As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the common light guide section 82 includes an entrance surface 82b, an irradiation surface 82a, and a rear surface 82r. The common light guide portion 82 of the present embodiment is a light guide member that guides the light entering from the entrance surface 82b toward the irradiation surface 82a. For example, if the material constituting the common light guide part 82 is a resin material, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyamide (PA), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and the like can be used.

The entrance surface 82b is a side surface of the common light guide portion 82 on the -X direction side, and is provided at a position facing the front surface 81a of the light emitting portion 81. As shown in FIG. The entry surface 82b is located on the -X direction side of the rear surface 43B of the liquid reservoir 46 in the liquid storage container 40K1.

The irradiation surface 82a is a side surface of the common light guide portion 82 on the +Y direction side. The irradiation surface 82a extends from a position on the −X direction side of the rear surface 43B of the liquid reservoir 46 in the liquid container 40K1 to a position on the +X direction side of the rear surface 43B of the liquid reservoir 46 in the liquid container 40Y. The irradiation surface 82 a is provided at a position facing the entrance surface 47 b of the light guide section 47 .

As a result, the window members 43Ba of the liquid storage portions 46 in the liquid storage containers 40K1, 40K2, 40GR, 40C, 40M, and 40Y are arranged in the Y-axis direction to accommodate liquid in the liquid storage containers 40K1, 40K2, 40GR, 40C, 40M, and 40Y. It is positioned between the light guide portion 47 of the portion 46 and the irradiation surface 82a. Also, the irradiation surface 82a is provided so as to correspond to the position of the lower limit liquid level LL of the liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 in the Z-axis direction. If the liquid reservoir 46 is made of a translucent or transparent material, or if the window member 43Ba and the light guide portion 47 are integrally formed, the window member 43Ba may be omitted.

The rear surface 82r is a side surface of the common light guide portion 82 on the -Y direction side. The rear surface 82r extends from a position on the −X direction side of the rear surface 43B of the liquid reservoir 46 in the liquid container 40K1 to a position on the +X direction side of the rear surface 43B of the liquid reservoir 46 in the liquid container 40Y. The rear surface 82r is formed by arranging a plurality of reflecting portions 82t in the X-axis direction and has a sawtooth shape extending in the X-axis direction. The reflecting portion 82t has a convex shape formed by a reflecting surface 82d and a reflecting surface 82e arranged in the X-axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 21, the light emitted from the front surface 81a of the light emitting section 81 enters the common light guide section 82 from the entrance surface 82b of the common light guide section 82. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 21, the path of the light emitted from the light emitting section 81 is indicated by a dashed arrow. The light from the light emitting portion 81 that has entered the common light guide portion 82 through the incident surface 82b passes through the plurality of reflecting portions 82t that form the rear surface 82r, the side surface of the common light guide portion 82 on the +Z direction side, and the side surface on the −Z direction side. , +X direction side surfaces guide the light in the common light guide section 82 toward the irradiation surface 82a.

The light from the light-emitting portion 81 guided to the irradiation surface 82 a enters the liquid reservoir 46 through the window member 43</b>Ba and illuminates the six liquid reservoirs 46 including the liquid and the light guide portion 47 . In other words, the light emitting section 81 is provided outside the liquid storage section 46 and illuminates the inside of the six liquid storage sections 46 including the liquid and the light guide section 47 via the common light guide section 82 . Further, the recording apparatus 101 of this embodiment illuminates the light guide portions 47 in the plurality of liquid storage portions 46 with one light emitting portion 81 via the common light guide portion 82 .

At this time, as shown in FIG. 22, the liquid surface LS of the liquid in the liquid storage section 46 is positioned in the -Z direction from the light guide section 47 as in the liquid storage containers 40K1, 40K2, 40GR, and 40C. It is assumed that the side surface of the light part 47 as the light guide surface is in the liquid. In this case, as shown in FIG. 21, most of the light that enters the light guide portion 47 from the entrance surface 47b through the common light guide portion 82 and enters the side surface of the light guide portion 47 is reflected by the side surface. Instead, it passes through the side surface and advances through the liquid in a direction different from the direction toward the front surface 43F along the Y axis. As a result, when the inside of the liquid reservoir 46 is viewed from the +Y direction side facing the front face 43F of the liquid reservoir 46, the front face 47a of the light guide 47 is not visible.

On the other hand, as in the liquid storage containers 40M and 40Y, the liquid level LS of the liquid in the liquid storage section 46 is near the lower limit liquid level LL and is located in the +Z direction from the top of the light guide section 47 . That is, it is assumed that at least a portion of the side surface of the light guide portion 47 as the light guide surface is in contact with the atmosphere. In this case, as shown in FIG. 21, the light entering the light guide portion 47 from the incident surface 47b through the common light guide portion 82 is guided through the light guide portion 47 toward the front surface 47a. As a result, when the inside of the liquid reservoir 46 is viewed from the +Y direction side, which is the direction facing the front surface 43F of the liquid reservoir 46, the light guide section 47 is positioned in the Z-axis direction, as shown in FIG. Of the front surface 47a, a region on the -Z direction side of the liquid surface LS appears to be shiny.

According to this, the recording apparatus 101 of the present embodiment, for example, when the amount of liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 is at the lower limit, even if the lower limit liquid level LL of the liquid is difficult to see, Since the position of the liquid surface LS of the liquid can be recognized by looking at the glowing area of the front surface 47 a of the portion 47 , compared to the case where the light guide portion 47 is not provided in the liquid storage portion 46 , the liquid storage portion 46 The amount of liquid in 46 is easy to recognize.

In addition, in the light guide portion 47 of the liquid storage portion 46 in the liquid storage container 40M, there is a region on the side surface of the light guide portion 47 that is in the +Z direction from the liquid surface LS. In this case, most of the light that has entered the light guide section 47 from the entrance surface 47b and entered this area is not reflected by the side surface, passes through the side surface, and travels through the liquid toward the front surface 43F along the Y axis. Go in a different direction. Therefore, when the inside of the liquid storage section 46 is viewed from the +Y direction side, which is the direction facing the front surface 43F of the liquid storage section 46, the front surface 47a of the light guide section 47 has a liquid surface LS like the liquid storage container 40Y. Compared to the front surface 47a of the light guide portion 47 when is located in the +Z direction from the light guide portion 47, it looks dark and shiny.

As described above, according to the recording apparatus 101 according to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

The recording apparatus 101 includes a plurality of liquid storage sections 46 and a common light guide section 82 that guides light from one light emitting section 81 to the light guide sections 47 in the plurality of liquid storage sections 46 . According to this, each light guide portion 47 in the plurality of liquid storage portions 46 can be illuminated by one light emitting portion.

The recording apparatus 101 and the liquid container 40 according to the above embodiment of the present invention are basically configured as described above. Of course, it is also possible to change or omit the configuration. In addition, the above embodiments and other embodiments described below can be combined with each other within a technically consistent range. Other embodiments will be described below.

In the above-described embodiment, the housing 30 in the liquid containing device 103 may not have the visual recognition portion 34 and the wall portion 36 . Further, for example, the liquid storage device 103 may have the housing 30 function as a mounting section that detachably stores the replaceable liquid storage container 40 . In this case, for example, the liquid container 40 according to the first embodiment is attached to the housing 30 of the recording apparatus 101 including the recording head 22 that ejects liquid, the light emitting unit 81 that emits light, and the housing 30. The liquid storage container 40 is provided with a liquid storage part 46 capable of storing the liquid, and when the liquid storage container 40 is attached to the housing 30, the area facing the light emitting part 81 of the liquid storage part 46 is transparent or translucent, and the liquid reservoir 46 is provided with a front surface 43F from which the amount of the liquid in the liquid reservoir 46 can be visually recognized from the outside of the liquid reservoir 46, and in the liquid reservoir 46, and a light guide portion 47 that guides the light from the light emitting portion 81 into the liquid storage portion 46 . According to this, even when the light-emitting portion 81 is provided outside the liquid storage portion 46 , the inside of the liquid storage portion 46 can be easily illuminated because the light guide portion 47 is provided inside the liquid storage portion 46 . Note that when the light emitting portion 81 is provided on the upper surface 43U of the liquid storing portion 46, the recording apparatus 101 does not have to include the light emitting portion 81. FIG.

In the above embodiment, the light guide section 47 may be made of a plurality of materials with different light transmittances. Also, the light guide section 47 may be made of a plurality of materials with different colors. In this case, the light guide portion 47 may be integrally molded from a plurality of different resin materials. For example, in the reflecting portion 47h of the light guiding portion 47 shown in FIG. 18, the surface along the front surface 47a may be made of a material having a lower light transmittance than the other portions. In this case, the material forming the surface along the front surface 47a may not be a resin material, and may be a metal such as stainless steel.

In Embodiment 1 described above, the light guiding portion 47 may have two or more different shaped reflecting portions 47h out of the differently shaped reflecting portions 47h shown in FIGS. 9 and 14 to 18 . For example, the light guiding portion 47 may have a rear surface 47d in which a plurality of reflecting portions 47h shown in FIG. 9 and one reflecting portion 47h shown in FIG. 16 are arranged in the Z-axis direction. In this case, the rear surface 47d has one reflecting portion 47h having a surface along the front surface 47a. Further, at this time, the position in the Z-axis direction of the reflecting portion 47h having a surface along the front surface 47a may be provided so as to correspond to the lower limit liquid level LL. Alternatively, the light guiding portion 47 may have a rear surface 47d in which a plurality of reflecting portions 47h shown in FIG. 17 and two reflecting portions 47h shown in FIG. 18 are arranged in the Z-axis direction. At this time, two reflecting portions 47h shown in FIG. 18 may be provided so as to be continuous in the Z-axis direction, and a connection surface 47s may be provided between them. Further, at this time, the position of the connection surface 47s in the Z-axis direction may be provided so as to correspond to the lower limit liquid level LL. In this case, the rear surface 47d has a plurality of reflecting portions 47h having surfaces along the front surface 47a and one connection surface 47s along the front surface 47a.

In Embodiment 1 described above, the light guide portion 47 does not have to have the projecting reflecting portion 47h on the rear surface 47d. In this case, for example, the rear surface 47d may be provided with a metal film such as stainless steel or a coating film of a coloring material as a reflecting surface. When the light guide portion 47 is made of a resin material, it can be said that the light guide portion 47 is made of a plurality of materials having different light transmittances. Furthermore, a plurality of linear metal films or coating films extending in the X-axis direction may be formed on the rear surface 47d at intervals in the Z-axis direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, the front surface 47a, which appears to be shining, can be illuminated in such a way that bright portions and dark portions linearly extending in the X-axis direction are alternately arranged in the Z-axis direction to look like a scale. good.

In Embodiment 1 described above, the light guide portion 47 may not have the projecting reflecting portion 47h including the upper reflecting surface 47f and the lower reflecting surface 47g on the rear surface 47d. In this case, for example, instead of the reflecting portion 47h shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of crescent-shaped projections extending in the X-axis direction and viewed from the X-axis direction may be provided in the Z-axis direction on the rear surface 47d. Alternatively, the rear surface 47d of the light guide section 47 may be subjected to a liquid-repellent treatment so that the liquid adhering to the rear surface 47d stays in the shape of a plurality of protrusions, thereby forming regions with different light transmittances on the rear surface 47d.

In the above-described Embodiment 2, the light guide portion 47 is configured so that the +X direction vertex of the three vertices of the triangular front surface 47a and the entrance surface 47b is positioned at the upper limit liquid level LH of the liquid in the Z-axis direction. Alternatively, it may be provided within the liquid reservoir 46 . In other words, the light guide section 47 may be provided at a position where the upper limit liquid level LH crosses the light guide section 47 when the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 reaches the upper limit. According to this, when the user replenishes the liquid storage container 40 with liquid, the control section 111 turns on or blinks the light emitting section 81 so that the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 reaches the upper limit. The position of the liquid surface can be notified.

In the above-described embodiment, the shape of the light guide portion 47 is not particularly limited as long as it has an entrance surface 47b and a light emitting surface. For example, the side surface of the light guide section 47 in the first embodiment on the +Z direction side may be positioned in the -Z direction from the upper limit liquid level LH of the liquid in the liquid reservoir section 46 in the Z axis direction. Further, for example, the light guide portion 47 of the second embodiment may have a columnar shape with a circular front surface 47a, or may have a prismatic shape with a quadrangular front surface 47a.

In the above embodiment, the color of the light emitted by the light emitting unit 81 may be made changeable, and the color when the control unit 111 lights or blinks the light emitting unit 81 may be changed. For example, in the first embodiment, when the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46 is greater than the lower limit amount, the control section 111 turns on the light emitting section 81 with green light to indicate the amount of liquid in the liquid storage section 46. becomes the lower limit amount, the light emitting section 81 may blink with yellow light. Further, for example, the control unit 111 may turn on the light emitting unit 81 with red light when the amount of liquid in the liquid storage unit 46 is less than the lower limit amount.

In Embodiment 1 described above, the color of the visible light emitted by each light-emitting portion 81 of the illumination portion 80 may differ depending on the corresponding liquid container 40 .

In the above embodiment, the colors of the light guide portions 47 in the plurality of liquid storage portions 46 may be different.

In Embodiment 2 described above, the liquid storage device 103 does not have to include the light emitting section 81 . In this case, for example, the light emitting unit 81 may be provided at a position on the -Y direction side with respect to the liquid containing device 103 in the device main body 102, or at a position on the -X direction side with respect to the liquid containing device 103. may be set to

In the above embodiment, the recording head 22 and the liquid container 40 do not have to be connected by the tube 23 . In this case, the recording apparatus 101 mounts the recording head 22 and the liquid container 40 on the carriage 21, and the recording head 22 ejects the liquid onto the medium while the carriage 21 moves in the width direction of the medium. A desired image may be recorded on the medium by alternately repeating the transport operation in which the medium is transported in the transport direction by the transport unit 25 .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Scanner part 11... Scanner housing 12... Document cover 15... Display part 16... Power operation part 20... Recording part 21... Carriage 22... Recording head 23... Tube 25... Conveying part 30 Housing 34 Visible portion 34a Visible member 35 Through hole 36 Wall portion 40, 40K1, 40K2, 40GR, 40C, 40M, 40Y Liquid storage container 41 Injection portion 41a Note Inlet 41b Intermediate reservoir 41c Inlet 41d Intermediate channel 41e Outlet 43B Rear surface 43Ba Window member 43F Front surface 43Fa Window member 43L Left side 43R Right Surface 43S... Bottom surface 43U... Top surface 43Ua... Window member 44... Scale part 45... Air inlet 46... Liquid storage part 46H... Light guide part support part 47... Light guide part 47a... Front surface, 47b... Entrance surface 47d... Rear surface 47e... Plane surface 47f... Upper reflection surface 47g... Lower reflection surface 47h, 47k, 47m... Reflection part 47p... Inclined surface 47q... Curved surface 47s... Connection surface 49... Outlet channel 49a Outlet 49b First connection channel 49c Second connection channel 49d Outlet 80 Lighting unit 81 Light emitting unit 81a Front surface 82 Common light guide unit , 82a... Irradiation surface 82b... Entrance surface 82d, 82e... Reflection surface 82r... Rear surface 82t... Reflection part 90... Replenishment container 101... Recording device 102... Apparatus main body 103... Liquid storage device 111... Control unit, 210... Host device, 215... Display unit.

Claims (17)

a liquid storage part capable of storing liquid;
a recording head that ejects the liquid supplied from the liquid reservoir onto a medium;
a light-emitting portion provided outside the liquid storage portion for emitting light;
with
The liquid reservoir is
a viewing surface on which the amount of the liquid in the liquid reservoir can be viewed from outside the liquid reservoir;
a light guide section provided in the liquid storage section for guiding the light from the light emitting section into the liquid storage section;
having
A recording device characterized by: The light guide section is provided at a position corresponding to the liquid surface in the direction of gravity when the liquid volume of the liquid in the liquid reservoir reaches a predetermined level.
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: When the range inside the liquid reservoir seen from the direction facing the viewing surface is defined as the viewing range,
The light guide section is provided over the visible range in the direction of gravity,
3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The light guide section
an entrance surface on which the light from the light emitting unit enters the light guiding unit;
a light-emitting surface that is a surface along the viewing surface and appears to shine when viewed from a direction facing the viewing surface by transmitting the light that has entered from the entrance surface;
a light guide surface, which is a surface opposite to the light emitting surface and guides the light entering from the entrance surface toward the light emitting surface;
having
4. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by: The light guide surface has a convex portion that protrudes from another surface of the light guide surface,
5. A recording apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that: The light guide surface has a plurality of convex portions arranged in the direction of gravity,
6. A recording apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the projection amount is defined as the dimension by which the convex portion projects from the other surface of the light guide surface,
The light guide surface has a plurality of convex portions with different protrusion amounts,
6. A recording apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that: The plurality of protrusions are provided so that the amount of protrusion of the protrusion located on one end side is larger than the amount of protrusion of the protrusion located on the other end side in the direction of gravity.
8. A recording apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that: The plurality of protrusions are provided so that the closer the protrusion is to an intermediate position between the protrusion located on one end side and the protrusion located on the other end side in the direction of gravity, the smaller the amount of protrusion. ,
8. A recording apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that: The light guide surface includes a connection surface connecting between the plurality of convex portions,
10. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized by: The convex portion has a surface along the light emitting surface,
11. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 10, characterized in that: The upper surface forming the convex portion is inclined downward toward the tip side of the convex portion.
12. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 11, characterized in that: The light guide section is composed of a plurality of materials having different light transmittances,
13. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized by: a plurality of the liquid reservoirs;
a common light guide section that guides the light from one light emitting section to the light guide sections in the plurality of liquid storage sections;
comprising
14. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized by: Further comprising a control unit for controlling lighting and extinguishing of the light emitting unit,
15. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized by: further comprising an injection part capable of injecting the liquid into the liquid reservoir,
16. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized by: A liquid container mountable to the mounting section of a recording apparatus comprising a recording head for ejecting liquid, a light emitting section for emitting light, and a mounting section,
A liquid storage part capable of storing the liquid,
In a state in which the liquid container is attached to the attachment portion,
a region of the liquid reservoir facing the light emitting unit is transparent or translucent;
The liquid reservoir is
a viewing surface on which the amount of the liquid in the liquid reservoir can be viewed from outside the liquid reservoir;
a light guide section provided in the liquid storage section for guiding the light from the light emitting section into the liquid storage section;
having
A liquid container characterized by:

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