JP2023009790A - cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technology that can improve rigidity of a hollow liquid container.SOLUTION: A cartridge includes: a hollow liquid container for sectioning a liquid chamber for storing liquid; and a liquid supply part communicated to the liquid chamber and supplying the liquid from the liquid chamber to a printing device, where the liquid container has an uneven part having an uneven shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

The present disclosure relates to cartridge technology.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a cartridge is known that includes a liquid containing portion for containing a flexible liquid and a case containing the liquid containing portion (Patent Document 1).

WO2021/086171

In the conventional technology, the case has greater rigidity than the liquid containing portion, and the liquid containing portion is protected by containing the liquid containing portion in the case. When the liquid containing portion contains a large amount of liquid, the liquid containing portion supports the case from the inside, so that deformation of the case can be suppressed by the liquid containing portion located inside. However, when the amount of liquid contained in the liquid containing portion is small, the liquid containing portion cannot be supported from the inside of the case, and deformation of the case may not be suppressed by the liquid containing portion. For this reason, in a cartridge of a type in which the amount of liquid stored in the liquid storage portion is small, it may be necessary to provide the case with separate parts such as ribs in order to improve the rigidity of the case. Therefore, conventionally, there has been a demand for a technique capable of improving the rigidity of the case without providing a separate component. Such problems are common not only to cases but also to hollow liquid containers for containing liquid.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a cartridge is provided that is detachably attached to a cartridge attachment portion of a printing apparatus. The cartridge includes a hollow liquid container that defines a liquid chamber for containing liquid, and a liquid supply section that communicates with the liquid chamber and supplies the liquid in the liquid chamber to the printing device. , the liquid container has an uneven portion having an uneven shape.

1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a printing system as an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a cartridge mounting portion and a cartridge; FIG. 1 illustrates a process of mounting a cartridge to a cartridge mounting portion; FIG. 2 for explaining the mounting process; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the cartridge has been completely installed; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge and the cartridge mounting portion in the mounting completed state; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cartridge mounting portion; The figure which looked at the cartridge mounting part from the +Z direction side. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the first type cartridge; FIG. 2 is a first perspective view of the first type cartridge; FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the first type cartridge; The second perspective view of the first type cartridge. FIG. 2 is a side view of the first type cartridge; 14-14 sectional view of FIG. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the first type cartridge shown in FIG. 14;

A. Embodiment:
A-1. Configuration of the printing system:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a printing system 1 as an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 depicts three spatial axes, the XYZ axes, which are orthogonal to each other. The directions in which the arrows of the X-, Y-, and Z-axes point are positive directions along the X-, Y-, and Z-axes, respectively. The positive directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are defined as +X direction, +Y direction, and +Z direction, respectively. The directions opposite to the directions in which the arrows of the X-, Y-, and Z-axes are directed are the negative directions along the X-, Y-, and Z-axes, respectively. Negative directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are defined as -X direction, -Y direction, and -Z direction, respectively. Directions along the X-, Y-, and Z-axes, regardless of whether they are positive or negative, are referred to as the X-, Y-, and Z-directions, respectively. The same applies to the drawings and explanations that follow.

The printing system 1 includes a printing device 10 and a cartridge 4 that supplies liquid ink to the printing device 10 .

The printing apparatus 10 of this embodiment is an inkjet printer that ejects ink as liquid from an ejection head 22 . The printing apparatus 10 is a large-sized printer that prints on large-sized paper (A2 to A0, etc.) such as posters. The printing device 10 includes a cartridge mounting section 6 , a control section 31 , a carriage 20 , an ejection head 22 and a driving mechanism 30 . The printing device 10 also includes operation buttons 15 for the user to operate the printing device 10 .

The cartridge mounting portion 6 has a first device wall 67 located on the +Y direction side. The first device wall 67 has an insertion/removal opening 674 that is an entrance/exit to the housing chamber 61 for the cartridge 4 . The cartridge 4 is accommodated in the accommodation chamber 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 or removed from the accommodation chamber 61 through the insertion/extraction opening 674 . A plurality of cartridges 4 are detachably mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 6 . In this embodiment, four types of cartridges 4 are mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 6, one for each of the four colors of ink, black, yellow, magenta, and cyan, that is, four cartridges 4 in total. The cartridge 4 containing black ink is also called a cartridge 4K, the cartridge 4 containing yellow ink is also called a cartridge 4Y, the cartridge 4 containing magenta ink is also called a cartridge 4M, and the cartridge 4 containing cyan ink. is also called a cartridge 4C. In this embodiment, the cartridge 4K is configured to accommodate more liquid than the cartridges 4C, 4M, and 4Y. Therefore, the cartridge 4K is also called the first type cartridge 4A, and the cartridges 4C, 4M and 4Y are also called the second type cartridge 4B.

The printing device 10 has a replacement cover 13 on the front surface on the +Y direction side. The replacement cover 13 is configured to be openable and closable. By opening the replacement cover 13, the insertion/extraction opening 674 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 appears, and the cartridge 4 can be attached/detached. When the cartridge 4 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 6, ink can be supplied to the ejection head 22 provided on the carriage 20 through the tube 24 as a liquid flow pipe. In the present embodiment, the ink is supplied from the cartridge 4 to the ejection head 22 by utilizing the head difference. Specifically, the ink is supplied to the ejection head 22 due to the head difference between the liquid surface of the ink in the cartridge mounting portion 6 and the ejection head 22 . Note that in another embodiment, ink may be supplied to the ejection head 22 by sucking the ink in the cartridge 4 with a pump mechanism (not shown) of the printing apparatus 10 . Note that the tube 24 is provided for each type of ink. Here, the state in which the cartridge 4 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 6 and the ink as liquid can be supplied to the printing apparatus 10 is also referred to as the "mounting completed state."

The ejection head 22 is provided with nozzles for each type of ink. The ejection head 22 ejects ink from nozzles toward the printing paper 2 to print data such as characters and images. The printing apparatus 10 of this embodiment is a so-called “off-carriage type” printer in which the cartridge mounting unit 6 does not move in conjunction with the movement of the carriage 20 . The technology of the present disclosure can also be applied to a so-called “on-carriage type” printer in which the carriage 20 is provided with the cartridge mounting portion 6 and the cartridge mounting portion 6 moves together with the carriage 20 .

The control unit 31 controls each unit of the printing apparatus 10 and exchanges signals with the cartridge 4 . The carriage 20 moves the ejection head 22 relative to the printing paper 2 .

The drive mechanism 30 reciprocates the carriage 20 based on a control signal from the controller 31 . The drive mechanism 30 has a timing belt 32 and a drive motor 34 . By transmitting the power of the driving motor 34 to the carriage 20 via the timing belt 32, the carriage 20 reciprocates in the main scanning direction along the X direction. The printing apparatus 10 also includes a transport mechanism for moving the printing paper 2 in the sub-scanning direction, which is the +Y direction. When printing is performed, the printing paper 2 is moved in the sub-scanning direction by the conveying mechanism, and the printing paper 2 after printing is output onto the front cover 11 .

In addition, an area called a home position is provided at a position outside the printing area where the carriage 20 is moved in the main scanning direction, and the home position has a maintenance mechanism that performs maintenance for normal printing. is installed. The maintenance mechanism includes a cap member 8 that is pressed against the bottom surface of the ejection head 22 on which the nozzles are formed and forms a closed space surrounding the nozzles, and a cap member that is pressed against the nozzle surface of the ejection head 22 . It is composed of a lifting mechanism (not shown) that lifts and lowers 8 and the like.

In this embodiment, when the printing system 1 is in use, the axis along the sub-scanning direction along which the printing paper 2 is conveyed is the Y-axis, the axis along the downward direction of gravity is the Z-axis, and the axis along the movement direction of the carriage 20 is the Z-axis. The axis is the X-axis. Here, the "usage state of the printing system 1" refers to a state in which the printing system 1 is installed on a horizontal surface. In this embodiment, the sub-scanning direction is the +Y direction, the opposite direction is the -Y direction, the downward direction of gravity is the -Z direction, and the upward direction of gravity is the +Z direction. The X and Y directions are directions along the horizontal direction. When the printing system 1 is viewed from the front side, the direction from the right side to the left side is the +X direction, and the opposite direction is the -X direction. In this embodiment, the insertion direction D1 in which the cartridge 4 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 6 for mounting is the -Y direction, and the removal direction D4 in which the cartridge 4 is removed from the cartridge mounting portion 6 is the +Y direction. Therefore, the -Y direction side of the cartridge mounting portion 6 is also called the rear side, and the +Y direction side is also called the front side. Further, in the present embodiment, the arrangement direction of the plurality of cartridges 4 is the X direction.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the cartridge mounting portion 6 and the cartridge 4. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the cartridges 4K, 4M, and 4Y are shown in a mounting completion state in which mounting to the cartridge mounting portion 6 is completed. In FIG. 2, the cartridge 4C has been inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 6 and has been inserted. In the installation completed state, the rear wall 47 side of the cartridge 4 is located on the lower side of the gravity direction than in the insertion completed state.

A-2. Description of cartridge loading process and loading status:
FIG. 3 is the first diagram for explaining the mounting process of the cartridge 4 to the cartridge mounting portion 6. FIG. FIG. 4 is a second diagram for explaining the mounting process. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a mounting completion state in which mounting of the cartridge 4 to the cartridge mounting portion 6 is completed. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge 4 and the cartridge mounting portion 6 in the mounted state.

The mounting process of the cartridge 4 to the cartridge mounting part 6 includes a terminal connecting process and a supply part connecting process that is executed after the terminal connecting process. In the terminal connection process, as shown in FIG. This is a process of electrically connecting the device-side terminals of the cartridge mounting portion 6 and the cartridge-side terminals of the cartridge 4, which will be described later, into contact with each other. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the supply section connection process, the liquid introduction section of the cartridge mounting section 6 (to be described later) and the cartridge 4 (to be described later) are connected to each other while maintaining the electrical connection between the device-side terminals and the cartridge-side terminals. It is the process of connecting with the liquid supply part to be connected. Specifically, in the process of connecting the supply portion, the rear wall 47 side of the cartridge 4 is rotated about the rotation fulcrum 698 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 in the connection direction D2 indicated by the arrow, thereby connecting the liquid introduction portion and the liquid supply. part is connected. 5, the cartridge 4 is engaged with an engaging formation body 677 provided on the side of the first device wall 67 of the cartridge mounting portion 6, so that the mounting completed state is maintained. .

As shown in FIG. 5, when removing the cartridge 4 from the cartridge mounting portion 6, the user lifts the rear wall 47 side of the cartridge 4 so that it rotates in the direction opposite to the connection direction D2 with the rotation fulcrum 698 as the fulcrum. The rear end 47 side is rotationally moved in the disconnection direction D3. During this rotational movement, the engagement formations 677 are disengaged. After the cartridge 4 is rotated in the disconnection direction D3 to bring the cartridge 4 into the state shown in FIG. be

As shown in FIG. 6, when the cartridge 4 is completely mounted, the liquid supply portion 442 of the cartridge 4 and the liquid introduction portion 642 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 are connected. As a result, the liquid contained in the liquid chamber 450 of the cartridge 4 is supplied to the liquid introduction section 642 via the liquid supply section 442 . In addition, in the present embodiment, while the liquid is supplied from the liquid supply portion 442 to the liquid introduction portion 642, the air contained in the liquid storage portion 699 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 becomes bubbles, and the liquid introduction portion 642, It flows through the liquid supply portion 442 and into the liquid chamber 450 . Thereby, gas-liquid exchange in the liquid chamber 450 is performed. In another embodiment, the cartridge 4 may have an atmosphere communication passage that communicates the liquid chamber 450 with the outside, and gas-liquid exchange may be performed through this atmosphere communication passage. The atmosphere communication path is arranged at a position different from the liquid supply part 442 and is formed in the liquid container 401 forming the liquid chamber 450, for example.

In the mounting completion state of the cartridge 4 , the mounting completion state is maintained by engaging the cartridge engaging portion 497 of the cartridge 4 with the mounting engaging portion 697 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 . The mounting engagement portion 697 is formed in an engagement forming body 677 positioned on the first device wall 67 side of the cartridge mounting portion 6 .

A-3. Detailed Configuration of Cartridge Mounting Unit 6:
7 is a perspective view of the cartridge mounting portion 6. FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram of the cartridge mounting portion 6 viewed from the +Z direction side. In FIGS. 7 and 8, illustration of a part of the configuration of the cartridge mounting portion 6 is omitted for easy understanding. Regarding the cartridge mounting portion 6, the X direction is also referred to as the width direction, the Y direction as the depth direction, and the Z direction as the height direction. In the following description, each element will be described on the premise that the cartridge mounting portion 6 is in the initial arrangement state in which the cartridge 4 is not mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 6, unless a particular state is described.

As shown in FIG. 7, the cartridge mounting portion 6 forms an accommodation chamber 61 in which the cartridge 4 is accommodated. The storage chamber 61 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Slots 61C, 61M, 61Y, 61K, which are portions of storage chamber 61 for storing cartridges 4C, 4M, 4Y, 4K, generally correspond to external shapes of cartridges 4C, 4M, 4Y, 4K. . In this embodiment, the cartridge 4K has a larger dimension in the X direction than the other cartridges 4C, 4M, and 4Y in order to accommodate a larger amount of liquid. Therefore, in this embodiment, the width of the slot 61K is larger than the widths of the other slots 61C, 61M, 61Y.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the cartridge mounting section 6 has six device walls 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 forming a storage chamber 61 . In the present disclosure, the term “wall” is a concept that includes a single wall and a wall composed of a plurality of walls. The first device wall 67 forms an insertion/extraction opening 674 through which the cartridge 4 is inserted or removed from the storage chamber 61 . The second device wall 62 forms the −Y direction side wall of the housing chamber 61 . The second device wall 62 faces the first device wall 67 in the Y direction. The second device wall 62 is a generally vertical wall when the printing device 10 is in use.

The device upper wall 63 forms the wall of the housing chamber 61 on the +Z direction side. The device bottom wall 64 faces the device top wall 63 in the Z direction and forms the −Z direction side wall of the housing chamber 61 . The device bottom wall 64 is formed by a support member 610 . Device bottom wall 64 has a plurality of device openings 614 . In this embodiment, four device openings 614 are formed corresponding to the slots 61C, 61M, 61Y, and 61K. Device top wall 63 and device bottom wall 64 intersect second device wall 62 and first device wall 67 . In this disclosure, the terms "intersect" and "intersect" refer to (i) the condition in which two elements intersect and actually intersect each other, (ii) the condition in which one element intersects the other when extended, and , and (iii) a state in which mutual elements intersect when the mutual elements are extended.

The first device side wall 65 forms the +X direction side wall of the storage chamber 61 . The second device side wall 66 faces the first device side wall 65 in the X direction and forms the −X direction side wall of the housing chamber 61 . The first device side wall 65 and the second device side wall 66 intersect the second device wall 62 , the first device wall 67 , the device top wall 63 and the device bottom wall 64 .

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cartridge mounting portion 6 further includes a support member 610, a liquid introduction portion 642, a supply portion positioning portion 644, a device guide portion 602, and an engagement formation body 677. have. A plurality of support members 610 are provided according to the number of cartridges 4 to be mounted. In this embodiment, four support members 610 are provided. The support member 610 forms a bottom wall 64 of the storage chamber 61 on the side facing downward due to gravity. The support member 610 supports the cartridge 4 from the −Z direction side, which is the downward direction of gravity. The support member 610 is a member extending along the Y direction. The support member 610 has a concave shape. The support member 610 has a main wall 613 forming the device bottom wall 64 , a first support side wall 611 and a second support side wall 612 .

The main wall 613 forms a concave bottom located on the gravity downward side. A device opening 614 is formed at the end of the main wall 613 on the first device wall 67 side. The device opening 614 penetrates the main wall 613 in the thickness direction of the main wall 613 .

As shown in FIG. 7, the first support side wall 611 rises from the +X direction side end of the main wall 613 in the +Z direction, which is the upward direction of gravity. The second support side wall 612 rises in the +Z direction from the -X-axis side end of the main wall 613 . The first supporting sidewall 611 and the second supporting sidewall 612 face each other in the X direction.

The device guide portion 602 guides the cartridge 4 in the insertion direction D1 and the removal direction D4. A device guide portion 602 is provided for each support member 610 . The device guide portion 602 is provided on each of the first support side wall 611 and the second support side wall 612 . The device guide portion 602 is a protrusion provided on the first support side wall 611 and the second support side wall 612 . As shown in FIG. 8 , the first device guide portion 602 a provided on the first support side wall 611 is a protrusion that protrudes from the first support side wall 611 toward the second support side wall 612 . The first device guide portion 602a extends along the Y direction. A plurality of first device guide portions 602a are arranged at intervals in the Y direction. A second device guide portion 602 b provided on the second support side wall 612 is a protrusion that protrudes from the second support side wall 612 toward the first support side wall 611 . The second device guide portion 602b extends along the Y direction. In addition, a plurality of second device guide portions 602b are arranged at intervals in the Y direction.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the liquid introduction portion 642 receives liquid in the cartridge 4 . In the initial arrangement state of the cartridge mounting portion 6, the liquid introduction portion 642 is not positioned inside the storage chamber 61, but is positioned on the −Z direction side of the storage chamber 61. FIG. That is, the liquid introduction part 642 is located on the opposite side of the support member 610 with the storage chamber 61 interposed therebetween. This prevents the cartridge 4 from colliding with the liquid introducing portion 642 when the cartridge 4 is inserted into the housing chamber 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 . The distal end portion 642b of the liquid introduction portion 642 is arranged in the storage chamber 61 by rotating the support member 610 in the connection direction D2 around the rotation fulcrum 698 and pushing down the device opening portion 614 . In other words, the rotation fulcrum 698 rotates the support member 610 to displace the apparatus opening 614 in the downward direction of gravity. be placed inside.

The device-side supply portion positioning portion 644 shown in FIG. 7 is received by the supply portion positioning portion 448 to restrict movement of the liquid supply portion 442 with respect to the liquid introduction portion 642 . Thereby, positioning of the liquid supply part 442 is performed. In the initial arrangement state of the cartridge mounting portion 6, the device-side supply portion positioning portion 644 is not positioned inside the storage chamber 61, but is positioned on the −Z direction side of the storage chamber 61. FIG. In other words, the device-side supply portion positioning portion 644 is located on the opposite side of the support member 610 with the storage chamber 61 interposed therebetween. This prevents the cartridge 4 from colliding with the device-side supply portion positioning portion 644 when the cartridge 4 is inserted into the housing chamber 61 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 . The other end portion 644b of the device-side supply portion positioning portion 644 is arranged in the housing chamber 61 by rotating the support member 610 in the connection direction D2 about the rotation fulcrum 698 and pushing down the device opening portion 614. As shown in FIG. That is, the rotation fulcrum 698 rotates the support member 610 to displace the apparatus opening 614 , thereby moving the other end 644 b of the apparatus side supply unit positioning section 644 into the housing chamber 61 through the apparatus opening 614 . place it.

As shown in FIG. 8, the cartridge mounting portion 6 further includes the device-side terminal portion 70 and the device-side identification member 630 described above. The device-side identification member 630 is used to identify whether or not the correct type of cartridges 4C, 4M, 4Y, 4K have been inserted into the respective slots 61C, 61M, 61Y, 61K of the housing chamber 61 or not. The device-side identification member 630 forms different pattern shapes according to the colors of the liquids contained in the cartridges 4C, 4M, 4Y, and 4K. In FIG. 7, the device-side identification member 630 has the same pattern shape in each of the slots 61C, 61M, 61Y, and 61K for the sake of convenience, but actually has a different pattern shape. The device-side identification member 630 is provided on the main wall 613 of the support member 610 .

The device-side identification member 630 is formed of at least one or more ribs. The pattern shape is determined by the number and position of ribs. The cartridge 4 is also provided with a cartridge-side identification member formed by ribs. The cartridge-side identification member forms different pattern shapes according to the type of cartridge 4, that is, the color of the liquid contained therein. When the correct type of cartridge 4 is inserted into the corresponding slot 61C to 61K, the device-side identification member 630 and the cartridge-side identification member do not collide. On the other hand, if the wrong type of cartridge 4 is inserted into the slots 61C to 61K, the device-side identification member 630 collides with the cartridge-side identification member, and further insertion of the cartridge 4 is impeded. As a result, the possibility that the wrong type of cartridge 4 is installed in each of the slots 61C to 61K of the cartridge installation portion 6 can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 7, the engagement formation body 677 is formed on the +Y direction side of the support member 610 . In addition, the engagement formation body 677 is located on the −Z direction side of the insertion/extraction opening 674 . Four mounting engaging portions 697 shown in FIG.

A-4. Detailed configuration of cartridge 4:
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the first type cartridge 4A. FIG. 10 is a first perspective view of the first type cartridge 4A. FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the first type cartridge 4A. FIG. 12 is a second perspective view of the first type cartridge 4A. FIG. 13 is a side view of the first type cartridge 4A. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 14-14 of FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the first type cartridge 4A shown in FIG. 14. FIG. 9 and 10 of FIGS. 9 to 15 omit illustration of the film 200 closing the insertion opening 446. FIG. The difference between the type 1 cartridge 4A and the type 2 cartridge 4B shown in FIG. 1 is the volume of the liquid container 401 . Specifically, the width of the liquid container 401 of the first type cartridge 4A, which will be described later, is larger than the width of the liquid container 401 of the second type cartridge 4B, so that the volume of the liquid container 401 is different. Since other configurations such as the adapter 402 and the film 200 are the same between the first type cartridge 4A and the second type cartridge 4B, the detailed configuration of the cartridge 4 will be described below using the first type cartridge 4A. Note that the type 1 cartridge 4A is also simply referred to as the cartridge 4 hereinafter. In the drawing showing the cartridge 4, the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction are based on the insertion complete state in which the cartridge 4 has been completely inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 6. FIG. That is, the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction of the drawing showing the cartridge 4 are based on the state before the supply unit connection process in which the support member 610 is rotated.

As shown in FIG. 10, the outer shape of the cartridge 4 is substantially rectangular parallelepiped. In the cartridge 4, the direction along the −Y direction, which is the insertion direction D1 into the cartridge mounting portion 6, is the longitudinal direction, the X direction is the width direction, and the Z direction is the height direction. In the cartridge 4, the longitudinal dimension is the largest and the lateral dimension is the smallest.

The cartridge 4 includes a cartridge body 41 and a circuit board 50 shown in FIG. 11 attached to the cartridge body 41 . In this embodiment, the cartridge main body 41 is composed of two members as shown in FIG. Specifically, the cartridge body 41 includes a liquid container 401 , an adapter 402 attached to the liquid container 401 by fitting, and a liquid supply section 442 attached to the liquid container 401 . Note that in other embodiments, the cartridge body 41 may be integrated.

The liquid container 401 and the adapter 402 are each molded by, for example, injection molding a synthetic resin such as polypropylene. The liquid container 401 and the adapter 402 may be made of the same material, or may be made of different materials.

As shown in FIG. 12, the cartridge body 41 includes a front wall 42, a rear wall 47, a top wall 43, a bottom wall 44, a first body side wall 45, a second body side wall 46, and, as shown in FIG. and a corner portion 89 . Each wall 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 is also called each face 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 . The front wall 42 and the rear wall 47 face each other in the Y direction along the insertion direction D1. The top wall 43 and the bottom wall 44 face each other in the Z direction. As shown in FIG. 10, the Z direction is parallel to the central axis CA2 of the liquid supply section 442. As shown in FIG. The first main body side wall 45 and the second main body side wall 46 face each other in the X direction.

The front wall 42 is located on the insertion direction D1 side in which the cartridge 4 is inserted into the mounting portion 6 . That is, the front wall 42 forms an insertion distal end surface on the -Y direction side, which is the insertion direction D1 side. The rear wall 47 forms a surface on the +Y direction side, which is the removal direction D4. The upper wall 43 is positioned on the +Z direction side and intersects the front wall 42 and the rear wall 47 . The bottom wall 44 is positioned on the −Z direction side, which is the downward direction of gravity in the mounted state. Bottom wall 44 intersects front wall 42 and rear wall 47 . The bottom wall 44 is formed with an insertion opening 446 through which the liquid introduction portion 642 is inserted. When the cartridge 4 is viewed from the bottom wall 44 side, the insertion opening 446 and the liquid supply portion 442 are positioned to overlap each other. In this embodiment, the liquid supply part 442 is arranged such that the central axis CA2 of the liquid supply part 442 passes through the insertion opening 446 .

The first main body side wall 45 is positioned on the -X direction side, and the second main body side wall 46 is positioned on the +X direction side. A first body side wall 45 and a second body side wall 46 intersect the front wall 42, the rear wall 47, the top wall 43 and the bottom wall 44, respectively. The first body side wall 45 and the second body side wall 46 each extend along the insertion direction D1. The corner portion 89 is provided at a corner portion where the front wall 42 and the bottom wall 44 intersect. The corner portion 89 has an inwardly recessed terminal placement portion 90 . As shown in FIG. 11, the circuit board 50 is attached to this terminal placement portion 90 .

As shown in FIG. 9 , the liquid supply part 442 is a tubular member protruding from the container bottom wall 74 of the liquid container 401 facing the upper wall 43 . The liquid supply portion 442 has a central axis CA2. The liquid supply part 442 communicates with a liquid chamber 450 for containing liquid, and supplies the liquid in the liquid chamber 450 to the printing apparatus 10 . Specifically, the liquid supply section 442 is connected to the liquid introduction section 642 in the installed state, and supplies the liquid in the liquid chamber 450 to the ejection head 22 of the printing apparatus 10 via the liquid introduction section 642 . The liquid supply part 442 has a supply part tip part 442a as a tip part forming an opening through which the liquid is led out to the outside. A valve mechanism that opens and closes the flow path through which the liquid flows is arranged in the liquid supply section 422 . The valve mechanism opens when the liquid introduction portion 642 is inserted into the liquid supply portion 422 .

As shown in FIG. 9, the adapter 402 comprises an adapter front wall 82, an adapter rear wall 87, an adapter bottom wall 84, a first adapter side wall 85 and a second adapter side wall 86. As shown in FIG. The adapter front wall 82 forms part of the front wall 42 and is positioned on the distal end side in the insertion direction D1. The adapter rear wall 87 forms part of the rear wall 47 and faces the adapter front wall 82 in the Y direction. An adapter bottom wall 84 constitutes the bottom wall 44 . Adapter bottom wall 84 intersects adapter front wall 82 and adapter rear wall 87 .

The first adapter sidewall 85 intersects the adapter bottom wall 84 and extends in the Y direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the adapter 402 . The first adapter side wall 85 is a plate-like wall rising from the adapter bottom wall 84 toward the liquid container 401 . The second adapter side wall 86 faces the first adapter side wall 85 in the X direction, which is the lateral direction of the adapter 402 . A second adapter sidewall 86 intersects the adapter bottom wall 84 and extends in the Y direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the adapter 402 . The second adapter side wall 86 is a plate-like wall rising from the adapter bottom wall 84 toward the liquid container 401 .

The adapter 402 has a concave shape with the adapter bottom wall 84 as the bottom. The side of the adapter 402 facing the adapter bottom wall 84 is open, and the liquid supply part 442 is arranged inside the adapter 402 through this opening. A portion of the adapter 402 where the liquid supply portion 442 is arranged is also called a supply portion arrangement portion 831 . The adapter bottom wall 84 has an insertion opening 446 through which the liquid introduction part 642 is inserted at a position facing the supply part tip part 442a.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the adapter 402 further performs at least one of a mounting process in which the cartridge 4 is mounted in the cartridge mounting section 6 of the printing apparatus 10 and a mounted state in which the cartridge 4 is mounted in the cartridge mounting section 6 . It then has a mounting element 700 cooperating with the cartridge mounting portion 6 . The mounting element 700 mechanically cooperates, for example, by contacting, engaging, or being inserted through the cartridge mounting portion 6 . The mounting element 700 has a cartridge side identification member 430, a cartridge guide portion 447, a supply portion positioning portion 448, a cartridge engaging portion 497, and a circuit board 50 shown in FIG.

The cartridge-side identification member 430 shown in FIG. 10 is composed of ribs. The pattern shape of the cartridge-side identification member 430 is determined by the number and positions of the ribs. The pattern shape differs depending on the type of cartridge 4, that is, the color of the liquid contained therein. In the process of mounting the cartridge 4, when the correct type of cartridge 4 is inserted into the corresponding slot 61C to 61K, the cartridge-side identification member 430 will not collide with the device-side identification member 630. can pass between

The cartridge guide portion 447 extends along the insertion direction D1, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the cartridge guide portion 447 is single-hatched for easy understanding. The cartridge guide portion 447 extends along the insertion direction D1 from the portion where the corner portion 89 is located to the portion where the insertion opening portion 446 is located. With respect to the width direction of the cartridge 4 , the first cartridge guide portion 447 a is positioned on one side of the insertion opening 446 , and the second cartridge guide portion 447 b is positioned on the other side of the insertion opening 446 . . The cartridge guide portion 447 is guided in the insertion direction D<b>1 by the device guide portion 602 of the cartridge mounting portion 6 .

The cartridge guide portion 447 is formed on the first adapter side wall 85 and the second adapter side wall 86 by steps. The cartridge guide portion 447 is a surface facing the -Z direction. The cartridge guide portion 447 formed on the first adapter side wall 85 is also called a first cartridge guide portion 447a, and the cartridge guide portion 447 formed on the second adapter side wall 86 is also called a second cartridge guide portion 447b. When the cartridge 4 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 6, the surface of the device guide portion 602 on the +Z direction side and the cartridge guide portion 447 come into contact with each other. You will be guided to move to

In FIG. 10, the supply portion positioning portion 448 receives the apparatus side supply portion positioning portion 644 and positions the liquid supply portion 442 with respect to the liquid introduction portion 642 in the mounting process. Specifically, in the supply unit connection process of the mounting process, the supply unit positioning unit 448 receives the device-side supply unit positioning unit 644 and moves the supply unit positioning unit 448 in a direction intersecting the connection direction D2. By restricting, the liquid supply portion 442 is positioned with respect to the liquid introduction portion 642 . The supply portion positioning portion 448 is a recess formed in the bottom wall 44 and recessed from the outer surface of the bottom wall 44 . The feeder locator 448 is located in the bottom wall 44 between the insertion opening 446 and the end where the adapter front wall 82 is connected. Note that in other embodiments, the supply portion positioning portion 448 may be a hole penetrating the bottom wall 44 .

The cartridge engaging portion 497 is provided on the rear wall 47 , specifically the adapter rear wall 87 . The cartridge engaging portion 497 is a recess recessed from the outer surface of the adapter rear wall 87 . The cartridge engaging portion 497 is formed near the end of the adapter rear wall 87 that intersects the adapter bottom wall 84 . As shown in FIG. 6, the cartridge engaging portion 497 engages with the mounting engaging portion 697 when the mounting engaging portion 697 is inserted in the mounted state. This engagement maintains the mounting state of the cartridge 4 with respect to the cartridge mounting portion 6 .

The circuit board 50 is placed on the terminal placement portion 90 provided on the adapter 402, as shown in FIG. The circuit board 50 has cartridge-side terminals 521 that come into contact with the device-side terminals 721 in the mounted state.

As shown in FIG. 13, film 200 is releasably attached to adapter 402 over insertion opening 446 . Before the cartridge 4 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 6, the user peels off the film 200 from the cartridge 4. FIG. The film 200 is made of synthetic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate or polypropylene.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 15, the liquid container 401 is a hollow container defining a liquid chamber 450 for containing liquid. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the liquid container 401 comprises a container top wall 73, a container bottom wall 74 and four container side walls 72,75,76,77. These walls 72 - 77 form the outer shell of the liquid container 401 .

The container bottom wall 74 shown in FIG. 10 is the wall to which the liquid supply part 442 is connected. The container bottom wall 74 forms the bottom surface of the liquid container 401 in the completely mounted state in which the cartridge mounting portion 6 is mounted. A container upper wall 73 shown in FIG. 12 constitutes the upper wall 43 of the cartridge body 41 . The container top wall 73 faces the container bottom wall 74 in the central axial direction along the central axis CA2. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the four container side walls 72, 75, 76, 77 are walls that connect the container bottom wall 74 and the container top wall 73. As shown in FIG.

The four container side walls 72 , 75 , 76 , 77 are container front wall 72 , container rear wall 77 , first container side wall 75 and second container side wall 76 . The container front wall 72 forms part of the front wall 42 and is located on the distal end side in the insertion direction D1. The container rear wall 77 forms part of the rear wall 47 of the cartridge body 41 . The container rear wall 77 faces the container front wall 72 in the Y direction along the insertion direction D1.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the first container side wall 75 as the first side wall forms part of the first main body side wall 45 . The first container side wall 75 connects the container front wall 72 and the container rear wall 77 . The first container side wall 75 is a side wall on one side in the width direction of the liquid container 401 . As shown in FIG. 12, a second container side wall 76 as a second side wall forms part of the second main body side wall 46 . The second container side wall 76 faces the first container side wall 75 in the Y direction, which is the width direction of the liquid container 401 . That is, the second container side wall 76 is the side wall on the other side in the width direction of the liquid container 401 . A second container side wall 76 connects the container front wall 72 and the container rear wall 77 . Each of the first container side wall 75 and the second container side wall 76 has a larger contour than the container front wall 72 and the container rear wall 77 . In this embodiment, the outer shape of the first container side wall 75 and the second container side wall 76 are the same, and the outer shape of the walls 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 forming the liquid container 401 is the largest.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the liquid container 401 has an uneven portion 99 having an uneven shape. The concave-convex portion 99 is formed on the first container side wall 75 as the first side wall as shown in FIG. 10 and the second container side wall 76 as the second side wall as shown in FIG. and a second uneven portion 92 .

As shown in FIG. 10, four first uneven portions 91 are provided. The four first uneven portions 91 are formed side by side in the Y direction along the insertion direction D1 at predetermined intervals. As shown in FIG. 12, four second uneven portions 92 are provided. The four second concave-convex portions 92 are formed side by side in the Y direction along the insertion direction D1 at predetermined intervals. The four first uneven portions 91 and the four second uneven portions 92 are formed so as to face each other in the Y direction, which is the width direction of the liquid container 401 .

As shown in FIG. 15, the concave and convex portion 99 is formed by a concave portion 93 that is concave from the outer surface 401fa of the liquid container 401 toward the liquid chamber 450 side, and an inner surface 401fb of the liquid container 401 that is formed by the concave portion 93 and the liquid from the inner surface 401fb. and a convex portion 94 projecting toward the chamber 450 side. Here, the concave portion 93 of the first concave-convex portion 91 shown in FIG. 10 is also called the first concave portion 93a, and the convex portion 94 of the first concave-convex portion 91 shown in FIG. 14 is also called the first convex portion 94a. Further, the concave portion 93 of the second concave-convex portion 92 shown in FIG. 12 is also called the second concave portion 93b, and the convex portion 94 of the second concave-convex portion 92 shown in FIG. 14 is also called the second convex portion 94b.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the recess 93 has a circular cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the X direction in which the recess 93 is recessed. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the convex portion 94 has a circular cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the X direction, which is the direction in which the convex portion 94 protrudes. As a result, the outer peripheral surface 991 of the projection 94 does not have a horizontal surface when the cartridge 4 is completely attached to the cartridge attachment portion 6 . That is, as shown in FIG. 6, in the mounting complete state, the upper surface 998 of the outer peripheral surface 991 of the projection 94 is an arc-shaped curved surface that is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. In other words, the upper surface 998 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction so as to gradually move downward from the uppermost apex.

As shown in FIG. 14, a first tip 98a, which is the tip of the first projection 94a in the projecting direction, and a second tip 98b, which is the tip of the second projection 94b in the projecting direction, are adhered to each other. ing. The first tip portion 98a and the second tip portion 98b are each a circular flat surface. As shown in FIG. 14 , the convex portion 94 of the uneven portion 99 is arranged at a position off the center axis CA2 of the liquid supply portion 442 . In this embodiment, when the cartridge 4 is viewed in the direction along the central axis CA2 of the liquid supply portion 442, for example, from the direction in which the upper wall 73 of the container is located, the convex portion 94 of the uneven portion 99 is positioned so that the liquid supply portion 442 It is arranged in a second region Rg2 different from the first region Rg1 in which it is located.

The uneven portion 99 is formed, for example, by the following method. First, after heating the first container side wall 75 and the second container side wall 76 to soften them into a syrup-like shape, a cylindrical pin is pushed inward from the outer surface 401fa of the first container side wall 75 and the second container side wall 76. push forward in the direction of After pushing the pin forward until the tips of the first convex portion 94a and the second convex portion 94b formed by pushing the pin collide with each other, the liquid container 401 is cooled, for example, naturally cooled. Thereby, the first uneven portion 91 and the second uneven portion 92 are formed.

According to the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the hollow liquid container 401 has the concave-convex portion 99, so that the rigidity of the liquid container 401 can be improved without providing a separate part from the liquid container 401. can be improved. As a result, even if the cartridge 4 is dropped and the cartridge 4 receives an impact, the possibility of damage to the liquid container 401 can be reduced. Moreover, even when the internal pressure of the liquid chamber 450 becomes low, the possibility of deformation of the liquid container 401 can be reduced. In addition, by improving the rigidity of the liquid container 401 with the uneven portion 99, the desired rigidity can be secured regardless of the amount of liquid contained in the liquid chamber 450. Therefore, the amount of liquid contained in the liquid chamber 450 can be flexibly controlled. can be changed to Further, according to the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the first tip 98a of the first protrusion 94a and the second tip 98b of the second protrusion 94b are adhered to each other. Thereby, the rigidity of the liquid container 401 can be further improved. Further, according to the above embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, by providing the concave and convex portions 99 on the first container side wall 75 and the second container side wall 76 having a large outer shape, the rigidity of the outer shape tends to be lowered. The rigidity of the first container side wall 75 and the second container side wall 76, which are large walls, can be improved.

According to the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the concave-convex portion 99 is formed by the concave portion 93 that is concaved inward, which is the liquid chamber 450 side, from the outer surface 401fa of the liquid container 401, and the concave portion 93. and a convex portion 94 projecting from the inner surface 401fb of the liquid container 401 toward the liquid chamber 450 side. Thereby, the concave portion 93 and the convex portion 94 of the uneven portion 99 can be easily formed.

Further, according to the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, when the cartridge 4 is viewed from the direction along the central axis CA2, the concave-convex portion 99 is different from the first region Rg1 where the liquid supply portion 442 is located. 2 region Rg2. When injecting the liquid into the liquid chamber 450, for example, after the cartridge 4 is placed in the injection posture in which the tip end portion 442a of the liquid supply portion 442 shown in FIG. A rod-shaped liquid injection tube, which is a jig, is inserted into 450 . In order to suppress the generation of bubbles in the liquid chamber 450 during the liquid injection process, the liquid injection tube is inserted into the liquid chamber 450 so that the tip of the liquid injection tube is positioned near the upper wall 43, and the liquid is injected. Then, as the liquid level in the liquid chamber 450 rises, liquid is injected while the tip of the liquid injection tube is moved to the bottom wall 44 side, that is, positioned upward in the injection posture. In this case, since the concave-convex portion 99 is not arranged in the first region Rg1, when the liquid is injected from the liquid supply portion 442 into the liquid chamber 450, the liquid injection pipe, which is a jig, may collide with the convex portion 94. can be reduced. Accordingly, the liquid can be smoothly injected from the liquid supply portion 442 into the liquid chamber 450 .

Further, according to the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper surface 998 of the outer peripheral surface 991 of the convex portion 94 is an arc-shaped curved surface and is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction in the attached state. As a result, since the upper surface 998 of the protrusion 94 does not have a horizontal surface in the mounting completion state, it is possible to suppress the liquid in the liquid chamber 450 from accumulating on the upper surface 998 of the protrusion 94 . Therefore, the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid chamber 450 can be reduced. Further, according to the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the projection 94 has a truncated cone shape, and the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the projecting direction of the projection 94 is circular. As a result, the convex portion 94 can be easily formed so that the upper surface 998 of the outer peripheral surface 991 of the convex portion 94 becomes an arc-shaped curved surface in the mounted state.

B. Other embodiments:
B-1. Alternative Embodiment 1:
In the above embodiment, the uneven portion 99 is formed on the first container side wall 75 and the second container side wall 76 , but may be formed on another wall of the liquid container 401 . For example, the uneven portions 99 may be formed on the container front wall 72 and the container rear wall 77 . When the uneven portion 99 is formed on the container front wall 72 and the container rear wall 77, the container front wall 72 functions as the first side wall, and the container rear wall 77 functions as the second side wall. Further, for example, the uneven portion 99 may be formed on the container top wall 73 or the container bottom wall 74 . Also, the uneven portion 99 need not be formed on the two walls of the liquid container 401 that face each other. For example, the uneven portion 99 is formed on at least one wall of the container top wall 73 , the first container side wall 75 , the second container side wall 76 , the container front wall 72 , the container rear wall 77 and the container bottom wall 74 . may have been Further, the concave portion 93 and the convex portion 94 of the uneven portion 99 may be formed at different positions. Also, the shape of the convex portion 94 is not limited to a truncated cone shape. For example, the convex portion 94 may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape or a cylindrical shape.

The present disclosure is applicable not only to inkjet printers and cartridges used in inkjet printers, but also to cartridges installed in any printing device that ejects liquid other than ink. For example, it can be applied to various printing devices and their cartridges as follows.
(1) Image recording devices such as facsimile devices (2) Printing devices that inject color materials used for manufacturing color filters for image display devices such as liquid crystal displays (3) Organic EL (Electro Luminescence) displays and surface emission Printing device for ejecting electrode material used for electrode formation of displays (Field Emission Display, FED), etc. (4) Printing device for ejecting liquid containing bioorganic substances used for biochip manufacturing (5) Sample printing as a precision pipette Apparatus (6) Lubricant printing device (7) Resin liquid printing device (8) Printing device for pinpoint injection of lubricating oil to precision machines such as clocks and cameras (9) Micro hemispheres used for optical communication devices etc. A printing apparatus (10) that injects a transparent resin liquid such as an ultraviolet curable resin liquid onto a substrate to form a lens (optical lens), etc. A printing apparatus (10) that injects an acidic or alkaline etching liquid to etch a substrate ( 11) Any other printing apparatus provided with a liquid jet head that ejects minute droplets

Note that the term "droplet" refers to the state of liquid ejected from a printing apparatus, and includes granular, tear-like, and string-like liquid. Further, the term "liquid" as used herein may be any material that can be ejected by a printing device. For example, the "liquid" may be a material in a state when the substance is in a liquid phase, such as high or low viscosity liquid state materials, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, Liquid materials such as liquid resin and liquid metal are also included in the "liquid". The term “liquid” also includes not only a liquid as one state of matter, but also a solution, dispersion, or mixture of particles of a functional material composed of solid substances such as pigments and metal particles dissolved in a solvent. Also, typical examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiments. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks, oil-based inks, gel inks, hot-melt inks, and various other liquid compositions.

C. Other forms:
The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described below can be In order to do so, it is possible to appropriately replace or combine them. Also, if the technical features are not described as essential in this specification, they can be deleted as appropriate.

(1) According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a cartridge is provided that is detachably attached to a cartridge attachment portion of a printing apparatus. The cartridge includes a hollow liquid container that defines a liquid chamber for containing liquid, and a liquid supply section that communicates with the liquid chamber and supplies the liquid in the liquid chamber to the printing device. , the liquid container has an uneven portion having an uneven shape. According to this aspect, by providing the uneven portion, the rigidity of the liquid container can be improved without providing a component separate from the liquid container.

(2) In the above aspect, the uneven portion has a concave portion that is concave from the outer surface of the liquid container toward the liquid chamber, and a convex portion that is formed by the concave portion and protrudes from the inner surface of the liquid container. You may have According to this form, the concave portion and the convex portion of the concave/convex portion can be easily formed.

(3) In the above aspect, the liquid supply portion has a central axis, and when the cartridge is viewed from a direction along the central axis, the uneven portion corresponds to a first region where the liquid supply portion is positioned. may be arranged in different second regions. According to this aspect, when the liquid is injected from the liquid supply portion into the liquid chamber, the possibility that the jig for injecting the liquid collides with the convex portion can be reduced. Accordingly, the liquid can be smoothly injected from the liquid supply portion into the liquid chamber.

(4) In the above aspect, the upper surface of the convex portion may be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction in a mounting completion state in which the cartridge is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion. According to this aspect, it is possible to prevent the liquid in the liquid chamber from remaining on the upper surface of the protrusion. Thereby, the amount of liquid remaining in the liquid chamber can be reduced.

(5) In the above aspect, the liquid container includes a container bottom wall connected to the liquid supply unit, a container top wall facing the container bottom wall, and a container connecting the container bottom wall and the container top wall. and a side wall, and the uneven portion may be formed on the side wall of the container. According to this aspect, the rigidity of the liquid container can be improved by the uneven portion formed on the side wall of the container.

(6) In the above aspect, the container side wall has a first side wall and a second side wall facing each other, and the uneven portion includes the first uneven portion formed on the first side wall and the second side wall. and a second uneven portion formed in the second uneven portion, the first tip portion of the first convex portion as the convex portion of the first uneven portion, and the second convex portion of the second uneven portion as the convex portion The second tips of the two protrusions may be adhered to each other. According to this aspect, by bonding the first tip portion and the second tip portion to each other, the rigidity of the liquid container can be further improved.

(7) In the above aspect, the container side wall includes a container front wall located on a tip end side in an insertion direction in which the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion, a container rear wall facing the container front wall, and a container front wall. A first container side wall as the first side wall connecting the wall and the container rear wall, and a second container side wall facing the first container side wall and connecting the container front wall and the container rear wall. a second container side wall as a second side wall, wherein each of the first container side wall and the second container side wall has an outer shape larger than the outer shape of the container front wall and the outer shape of the container rear wall. good too. According to this aspect, the rigidity of the first container side wall and the second container side wall, which are the walls with the large external shape, tends to be low by providing the uneven portions on the large external shape first container side wall and the second container side wall. can be improved.

(8) In the above aspect, the convex portion may have a circular cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the projecting direction of the convex portion. According to this aspect, it is possible to provide an uneven portion having a convex portion with a circular cross-sectional shape.

In addition to the above embodiments, the present disclosure can be implemented in the form of a cartridge manufacturing method, a printing system including a cartridge and a printing device, and the like.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 printing system 2 printing paper 4, 4C, 4M, 4Y, 4K cartridge 4A first type cartridge 4B second type cartridge 6 cartridge mounting unit 8 cap member 10 printing Apparatus 13 Replacement cover 15 Operation button 20 Carriage 22 Ejection head 24 Tube 30 Drive mechanism 31 Control unit 32 Timing belt 34 Drive motor 41 Cartridge body , 42 Front wall 43 Top wall 44 Bottom wall 45 First side wall 46 Second side wall 47 Rear wall 50 Circuit board 61 Storage chamber 61C, 61M, 61Y , 61K... slot, 62... second device wall, 63... device top wall, 64... device bottom wall, 65... first device side wall, 66... second device side wall, 67... first device wall, 70... device side terminal Parts 72...Container front wall 73...Container top wall 74...Container bottom wall 75...First container side wall 76...Second container side wall 77...Container rear wall 82...Adapter front wall 84...Adapter bottom Wall 85... First adapter side wall 86... Second adapter side wall 87... Adapter rear wall 89... Corner part 90... Terminal arrangement part 91... First uneven part 92... Second uneven part 93... Recessed part , 93a... First concave part 93b... Second concave part 94... Protruding part 94a... First convex part 94b... Second convex part 98a... First tip part 98b... Second tip part 99... Uneven part , 200... Film 401... Liquid container 401fa... Outer surface 401fb... Inner surface 402... Adapter 430... Cartridge side identification member 442... Liquid supply part 442a... Supply part tip part 446... Insertion opening 447... Cartridge guide portion 447a First cartridge guide portion 447b Second cartridge guide portion 448 Supply portion positioning portion 450 Liquid chamber 497 Cartridge engagement portion 521 Cartridge side terminal 602 Apparatus guide portion , 602a... First apparatus guide part 602b... Second apparatus guide part 610... Support member 611... First support side wall 612... Second support side wall 613... Main wall 614... Apparatus opening 630... Apparatus side identification member 642 liquid introduction portion 642b front end portion 644 device side supply portion positioning portion 644b other end portion 674 insertion/removal opening portion 677 engagement formation body 697 attachment engagement portion 698...Rotational fulcrum 699...Liquid reservoir 700...Mounting element 721...Apparatus-side terminal 831...Supply part placement part 991...Outer peripheral surface 998...Upper surface CA2...Center axis D1...Insertion direction D2... connection direction , D3... disconnection direction, D4... removal direction, Rg1... first area, Rg2... second area

Claims (8)

A cartridge detachably attached to a cartridge attachment portion of a printing device,
a hollow liquid container defining a liquid chamber for containing liquid;
a liquid supply unit that communicates with the liquid chamber and supplies the liquid in the liquid chamber to the printing device;
The liquid container is a cartridge having an uneven portion having an uneven shape. The cartridge of claim 1, comprising:
The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the concave-convex portion has a concave portion that is concave from the outer surface of the liquid container toward the liquid chamber, and a convex portion that is formed by the concave portion and protrudes from the inner surface of the liquid container. A cartridge according to claim 2,
The liquid supply section has a central axis,
The cartridge, wherein when the cartridge is viewed from a direction along the central axis, the uneven portion is arranged in a second area different from a first area where the liquid supply portion is located. A cartridge according to claim 2 or 3,
A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of said convex portion is inclined with respect to a horizontal direction in a mounting completion state in which said cartridge is mounted in said cartridge mounting portion. A cartridge according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The liquid container is
a container bottom wall to which the liquid supply unit is connected;
a container top wall facing the container bottom wall;
a container side wall connecting the container bottom wall and the container top wall,
The cartridge, wherein the uneven portion is formed on the side wall of the container. A cartridge according to claim 5,
the container sidewall has a first sidewall and a second sidewall facing each other;
The uneven portion is
a first uneven portion formed on the first side wall;
a second uneven portion formed on the second side wall;
The first tip portion of the first protrusion as the protrusion of the first uneven portion and the second tip portion of the second protrusion as the protrusion of the second uneven portion are adhered to each other. there is a cartridge. 7. The cartridge of claim 6,
The container side wall is
a container front wall located on the front end side in the insertion direction in which the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion;
a container rear wall facing the container front wall;
a first container side wall as the first side wall connecting the container front wall and the container rear wall;
a second container side wall facing the first container side wall, the second container side wall serving as the second side wall connecting the container front wall and the container rear wall;
The cartridge, wherein the first container side wall and the second container side wall each have a larger profile than the container front wall profile and the container rear wall profile. A cartridge according to any one of claims 2 to 7,
The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion has a circular cross-sectional shape perpendicular to a direction in which the convex portion protrudes.

Images