JP3486583B2 - Ink tank cartridge - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink tank cartridge constituting an exchangeable ink tank which is connected to an ink jet and stores ink supplied.

Further, the present invention relates to an ink tank cartridge which employs an effective structure for an ink tank cartridge having a specific internal structure, and uses an ink jet technique, such as a recording device such as a copying machine or a facsimile, a communication device, an office device, The present invention relates to an invention applicable to a composite device, a printer, and the like.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, ink jet recording apparatuses have been miniaturized, and many ones have been proposed for personal use. In particular, in a personal recording apparatus, a recording head section and an ink tank section which are integrated and can be replaced has become a preferable form because it can achieve a smaller size and a lower price. In such a device, monochrome recording using only black ink (recording centered on characters) has been predominant until now. However, such personal recording apparatuses have been diversified in their usage patterns, and the demand for color recording (including density recording) or full-color recording is increasing.

The easiest structure for performing such color recording is to prepare a required number of carriages on which the head / tank integrated cartridges are mounted, and fill the prepared carriages with the required color ink. An integrated cartridge is mounted. With this configuration, since a carriage is provided for each head tank integrated cartridge, the apparatus becomes large.

On the other hand, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-198861, the recording head portion and the ink tank portion can be separated in order to effectively use the recording head having a life much longer than that of the ink contained in the ink tank. The one that has been proposed. Further, in this publication, an ink tank cartridge portion for performing color recording has four colors (yellow,
A combination of magenta, cyan, and black) is proposed.

However, in such an ink tank cartridge with four colors integrated, the frequency of use of ink varies depending on the image of color recording, and black is generally consumed at a higher rate than other colors in image formation. Even though there are enough ink cartridges, the four color ink tank cartridges must be replaced.

In the case of such an exchangeable ink tank, as the number of times of replacement increases, the amount of bubbles intruding into the joint portion of the ink jet recording head and the ink tank from the outside at the time of replacement increases, and the bubbles cause ink jetting. In some cases, the ejection instability of the recording head was increased.

Further, as the number of times of replacement increases, the rate of damage to the filter provided at the joint portion of the ink jet recording head and the ink tank at the time of replacement also increases.

Further, in the case of dark and light recording as well, in order to realize multi-valued light and shade by performing image recording using inks having different densities, the usage rate of the ink having a low density necessary for image formation in the highlight portion is high, It had the same negative effects as color recording.

Further, when considering more personal use, use of special color ink is also conceivable. In this case, the pre-packaged ink tank cartridge cannot meet the demand.

On the other hand, when the internal structure of the ink tank cartridge is examined with respect to the above-mentioned entire structure, there is no known material effective when importance is attached to the replaceability or when the downsizing of the apparatus is considered. As a publicly known material, there is Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-522, which discloses a cartridge in which a single ink cartridge substantially holds only ink in addition to the above-mentioned entire structure. This includes
An ink cartridge integrated with an ink jet recording head is disclosed in which a small amount of a porous member is arranged between a primary ink storage unit located above and holding a large amount of ink and an ink jet recording head located below. .
According to the present invention, the use efficiency of the ink can be improved by disposing the porous member only in the ink flow path without incorporating it in the ink storage portion. Further, by providing the secondary ink storage portion as a space capable of holding ink on the side of the porous member, the air in the primary ink storage portion expands due to the temperature rise (pressure decrease), and the primary ink storage portion. It is said that the negative pressure on the recording head at the time of recording can be kept substantially constant by collecting the ink flowing out from the.

However, according to the invention of this publication, when not recording, the porous member is soaked with the ink from the primary ink storage portion which is located above and holds a large amount of the ink so much that the ink is too much. Therefore, the generation of negative pressure in the porous member itself is almost eliminated.
Therefore, there is a problem that the ink leaks from the orifice of the inkjet recording head with a slight impact.
Not suitable for practical use. In addition, the adoption of the exchangeable ink cartridge type in which the ink container is attached to the ink recording head has a problem that it cannot be put to practical use because the state of the porous member causes ink leakage.

On the other hand, there is also known an ink cartridge in which ink is enclosed in a bag and a spring structure is added to make the negative pressure of the bag constant, but it is not only expensive but also expensive. Maintaining the performance of the spring configuration and achieving mass production has been difficult.

In any case, an inexpensive (non-contact printing type) ink cartridge for ink jet is not provided in the field of ink jet printing, which is inexpensive and has a reasonable technical level.

[0015]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In addition to the above problems of the prior art of replacing an ink tank, the applicant of the present application also conducted the following examination.
As an ink container suitable for the technical field of inkjet printing, it is possible to satisfactorily supply the ink corresponding to the amount of ink ejected from the recording head during printing, and inconvenience such as ink leakage from the ejection port during non-printing. As a result of studying both sides of the above, there is, as a basic configuration, a first storage chamber having a negative pressure generating member and an atmosphere communicating portion for obtaining communication with the atmosphere, and the first storing chamber.
It has come to be an important premise for the characteristics of the inkjet printer to have a structure having a second storage chamber for directly storing ink for supplying to the first storage chamber in a substantially sealed state, which communicates with the storage chamber. It was

On the other hand, the Applicant of the present invention has studied the contact recording technique different from the technical field of the present invention.
We decided to reexamine the technical peculiarities of the inkjet printing field. In general, a pen for a recording instrument, which is in contact with a recording medium for recording, supplies ink to a recording core that has both ink absorbability and retention, so that the recording core itself is exposed to the atmosphere. On the premise that the ink impregnated body is supersaturated with ink, the area directly contacting the recording core is essential. That is, the contact recording technology is fundamentally different from the technical contents in the inkjet field.

As a result of an investigation, it was found that Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-16385
I found the publication. This publication discloses a recording instrument pen which is premised on the use of a recording core (a porous ink-absorbent core) for contacting with a recording medium to perform recording. It was only the ink overflow.

This publication describes the first contact with the lower recording core.
The liquid absorbent material and a second liquid absorbent material that slightly absorbs the ink on the upper air communication port side but is less likely to contain the ink than the first liquid absorbent material are provided, and the recording core is projected downward at the center. It is an invention in which a chamber and a hermetically sealed ink containing chamber that supplies ink to both sides of the chamber are essential components. According to this configuration,
When the ambient temperature rises, the air in the hermetically sealed ink storage chamber expands, the ink in the hermetically sealed ink storage chamber reaches the first liquid absorbing material, and the ink that cannot be retained by the first liquid absorbing material
The absorption of the liquid absorbing material prevents the ink from overflowing and falling from the recording core. Further, in this publication, when one of the two hermetically sealed ink storage chambers contains only air, a groove having a constant width is provided to allow the expansion of the air to escape to the atmosphere communication port side. It also discloses that it is provided from the lowermost end to the uppermost end of a side surface different from the partition wall.

The inventors of the present invention have focused on applying only this tank configuration to a non-contact recording ink jet head having few technical similarities. A new phenomenon of ink overflow was confirmed. Moreover, the first liquid absorbent, which is an ink impregnated body in a region in direct contact with the recording core, is supersaturated with ink, and therefore does not need to generate a negative pressure, and therefore has a commonality with inkjet technology. I was able to confirm that I could not see it. This new phenomenon has not been recognized in the field of recording instrument pens, and there has been no technical suggestion for stabilizing negative pressure in this field.

It was also confirmed that the groove of a certain width described in the above publication has a function of promoting the discharge of ink together with the air, and therefore further promotes the overflow of ink from the atmosphere communication port. Furthermore, the ink consumption from the ink storage chambers on both sides is
If the ink in one ink storage chamber is used up first, the ink jet recording cannot be performed even though a large amount of ink remains in the other.
This was a result of wasting the ink in the ink storage chamber, which was fundamentally contrary to the purpose of the inkjet technology. This was because a large amount of air had entered the first liquid absorbent material, and as a result, ink could not be supplied.

The applicant of the present invention has invented and applied for an epoch-making ink jet cartridge which has solved the above background problem. This accommodates the negative pressure generating member and has a first storage chamber having an atmosphere communicating portion for communicating with the atmosphere, and communicates with the first storage chamber, but the first storage is substantially sealed. It is an invention to provide a structure capable of effectively functioning as an ink jet to a cartridge having a precondition that has a second storage chamber for directly storing ink to be supplied to the chamber. According to this structure, since the tank structure is such that the negative pressure is substantially constant from the beginning of use to the end of use of the ink cartridge, the replaceable ink cartridge and inkjet that can also support high-speed recording. It is also possible to provide a head and a printer.

The inventors of the present application can further improve the ink storage amount of the carriage-mounted ink tank cartridge having the structure of these inventions, and can achieve the miniaturization of the apparatus and the stable ink supply property. It was added to one of the further objects of the invention to provide an ink tank cartridge. The purpose of this study is to assume a structure in which a further ink storage portion is added to the ink tank having the first and second storage chambers. As a result, it is found that providing an additional ink chamber behind the ink supply portion is Since the size of the additional ink chamber is increased, the amount of ink remaining in the additional ink chamber increases. In particular, when the additional ink chamber is provided above, the above-mentioned first storage chamber and the second sealed chamber
When exchanging the ink with the storage chamber and the air / liquid of the outside air, the ink supply speed of the ink in the upper additional ink chamber is equivalent to the head difference, and if there is a change in the environment, ink leakage or the ink absorption area of the absorber may be removed. There was also a situation where the ink supply ability was fluctuated to make the ink supply unstable.

When this additional ink chamber is provided, as a new problem, there has been seen a case where the ink supply property changes due to a change in the natural frequency of the tank. By solving this problem, it was another object of the present invention to provide an ink tank having a desired shape.

In addition, when an additional ink chamber is provided, as a new problem, it is possible to provide a rational overall structure of the partition part capable of preventing the strength of the tank from being lowered, improve the ink supply property, and prevent the ink remaining. It is also possible to provide the bottom position of the additional ink chamber that can further reduce the amount and the setting of the gap position that can improve the ink supply property of the partition in the additional ink chamber and improve the exchange of gas and liquid. It was another purpose.

Needless to say, the present invention achieves a stable ink supply by achieving a reduction in replacement frequency and an improvement in ink tank mountability with or without these internal tank configurations. It goes without saying that providing the above is also one of the objects of the present invention.

In any case, the present invention solves at least one problem of the above-mentioned conventional art and background art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet cartridge and an ink tank cartridge used in the apparatus.

Further, the negative pressure generating member of the premise of the present invention is accommodated and the first storage chamber provided with an atmosphere communication portion for communicating with the atmosphere is communicated with the first storage chamber. In an ink cartridge having a second storage chamber for directly storing the ink to be directly supplied to the first storage chamber in a hermetically sealed state (hereinafter, referred to as a prerequisite component), when an ink having a high surface tension is filled, On the contrary, there was a case where ink leakage occurred although the cause was unknown.

This phenomenon is a phenomenon that could not be predicted from the conventional technical point of view, and analysis of this phenomenon can provide conditions under which the function of the ink cartridge can be made more reliable. As such, it was first recognized by the present inventors.

In view of the above background art, a main object of the present invention is to perform initial filling or refilling which makes it possible to further stabilize the characteristics of the cartridge structure having the new first and second storage chambers for the ink jet ink cartridge. It is to provide a filling ink for.

[0030]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, and is an ink tank connected to each of the recording heads in a recording head portion integrally formed with a plurality of recording heads. A cartridge,
By inserting a connection pipe having a filter at the tip provided in the recording head into the opening of the ink tank cartridge and pressingly connecting the negative pressure generating member housed in the ink tank cartridge to the filter. ,
Ink can be supplied to the connected recording heads and is orthogonal to the scanning direction that divides a space in which one or more ink tank cartridges can be attached to and detached from a plurality of recording heads. In an ink tank cartridge mounted on a carriage that has a rib arranged upright and is scanned for recording,
Corresponding to a plurality of regions divided by the ribs in the space of the carriage, integrally formed, and at least at a position which is a bottom surface in a mounted state, the ribs correspond to the ribs in the scanning direction of the carriage. It is characterized by having a groove having a vertical surface.

That is, according to the present invention, color recording can be performed without causing an increase in the size of the apparatus, and an ink tank cartridge of one color, an ink tank cartridge of at least two colors, or an ink tank cartridge of at least double capacity is interchangeably mounted. The present invention provides an ink tank cartridge.

By using these ink tank cartridges of the present invention, the frequency of ink tank replacement is reduced,
The adverse effects such as the inclusion of bubbles in the joint portion at the time of replacement and the damage of the filter portion of the recording head were reduced. Also, labor for replacing the ink tank has been saved. In addition, the cause of instability in ejection was removed, and stable image formation became possible. Further, the control on the main body of the recording apparatus enables easy conversion of the print mode. According to the invention,
Color recording can be performed without increasing the size of the device, and it can be mounted interchangeably in the area of multiple conventional ink tank cartridges of one color, and ink of at least two colors or at least double capacity can be used. Can be held.

[0033]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire replaceable ink tank and head cartridge of the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the head cartridge main body 1 of this embodiment has an opening 4 in which a plurality of ink jet recording heads are integrated and a recording head 2 and a replaceable ink tank 3 connect them. It is a free joint structure. 5 is a head cartridge body 1
Is a carriage on which is mounted. Reference numeral 6 is an engaging portion for engaging the concave and convex portions of the carriage in the present invention, and specifically, space division and positioning when the replaceable ink tank is set alone. It is a rib provided on the carriage 5 used for the. Further, in the replaceable ink tank 3, a rib relief groove 7 for accommodating in the carriage 5 is dug in the composite integrated ink tank 3A.

In the present embodiment, the ink tank cartridge 3A that is integrated as a composite unit contains the yellow, cyan, and magenta colors as inks for full-color recording, and exists independently.
Black ink is stored in B.

By considering the use characteristics of the ink when forming an image in this way, by separately using the inks different from the other use states and integrating the other use states in almost the same condition, The handleability of the ink tank cartridge is improved.

Further, since the integrated ink tank cartridge has the rib escape groove 7 formed so as to engage with the rib 6 provided on the carriage 5, this rib 6 is used as a guide, and in this example, it is used. Secure mounting can be performed between the three heads. That is, the ribs 6 and the rib escape grooves 7 are engaged with each other and pushed in from the cartridge rear side toward the head side along the ribs 6, so that the three openings 4 are satisfactorily connected at substantially the same time without displacement.

As described above, even if the composite integrated ink tank cartridge 3A is used, the rib 6 used for partitioning and fixing a single ink tank cartridge in which all the ink tanks provided in the carriage are not integrated is avoided. Since the groove 7 is provided, compatibility with the independent ink tank cartridge can be maintained.

Further, the ribs 6 and the rib escape grooves 7 simply fix the ink cartridges 3A, 3B with respect to the carriage 5 so as to allow them to swing to some extent.
This is because the exchangeable ink cartridge 3 (3A, 3B) and the recording head 2 are connected by a so-called free joint in which the connecting pipe of the recording head is simply inserted into the opening 4 of the cartridge. This free joint realizes the yield improvement and cost reduction because the ease of ink cartridge replacement and the accuracy of parts such as the cartridge and carriage do not need to be so high, while ensuring the reliability of connection to some extent. is there.

By the way, in order not to impair such effects, it is desirable that the ink tank is mounted so as not to be completely fixed to the carriage. However, since the carriage 5 moves in the arrangement direction of each cartridge during recording, acceleration in that direction acts on the ink cartridge. In this case, in the free joint portion, the filter provided at the tip of the connecting tube 4 of the recording head 2 and the negative pressure generating member in the ink cartridge 3 are in pressure contact with each other. When the displacement of the pressure contact occurs and the displacements overlap, the negative pressure generating member may be worn or dust generated thereby may cause clogging of the filter. Further, air bubbles from the joint portion may cause ejection failure.

For this reason, in order to simply fix the ink cartridge 3, it is desirable to press the surface perpendicular to the acceleration direction at at least three points, thereby restricting the displacement of the pressure contact. The rib 6 and the rib escape groove 7 according to the embodiment of the present invention realize this, and the lower part of the cartridge is restricted to two or more places, and the upper part of the tank is restricted to one or more places by a lid rib described later in FIG. There is.

In this embodiment, the lower part of the ink cartridge is restricted to the entire cartridge length and the upper part of the ink cartridge is restricted to about half of the cartridge length, whereby the movement of the cartridge 3 is well regulated with respect to the movement of the carriage.

It should be noted that, in order to regulate the displacement of the ink cartridge, it is preferable that the portion where the rib abuts is regulated by a plane perpendicular to the acceleration direction acting on the cartridge, but it is not necessarily limited to this and it is not vertical. However, any method may be used as long as the movement of the ink cartridge can be regulated.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the entire carriage on which the ink cartridge 3 and the recording head unit 2 are mounted.

The carriage 5 is provided with a lid 50 that is rotatably supported at both ends of the portion on which the recording head unit 2 is mounted. The lid 50 covers the ink cartridge 3, and at this time, the rib 51 as the engaging portion of the present invention, which is formed on the back side of the lid 50, serves as the escape portion of the ink cartridge 3 described in FIG. The groove 7 engages with the groove 7 to contact the upper portion of the ink cartridge 3 to restrict the displacement of the ink cartridge due to the acceleration of the carriage movement as described above. That is,
The ink cartridge can be held more accurately by the engagement of the plurality of concave and convex portions of the engaging portion of the present invention.

The carriage 5 has (a) and (b) in FIG.
And an ink cartridge 3 of the form shown in (c)
D, 3C, 3A can be mounted, and at this time, as described above, the rib 6 provided on the carriage 5 engages with the escape groove 7 provided in the lower portion of the ink cartridge.

The relationship between the dimensions of the ribs 6 and the ribs 51 of the carriage 5 and the dimensions of the relief groove 7 of the ink cartridge 3D is shown in FIG.

First, the rib 51 provided on the upper lid 50 of the carriage 5 has a thickness of its root portion of 1.5 mm.
A 1.2 mm space is formed. As a result, when the rib 51 engages with the escape groove 7 of the inkjet 3D, a portion having a width of 12 mm enters the space from the side surface of the cartridge. At this time, the engagement depth of the rib 51 is 3 mm and the length is 3 mm. Is 21 mm with respect to the length of the escape groove 7 of 22.2 mm. Thereby, as described above, the displacement of the ink cartridge can be regulated.

The escape groove 7 is provided in the ink cartridge 3D.
12mm from the side surface of the groove width 1.7m
m, depth 6 mm and its length is 22.
It is 2 mm.

On the other hand, the rib 6 of the carriage 5 has a height of 13 m.
m, whereby the upper end of the rib 6 is engaged with the bottom surface of the 13.5 mm raised portion of the cartridge 3D. Further, the interval between the root portions of the rib 6 is 11.63.
mm, width 11 of the cartridge 3D in this space
Since the mm portion is inserted, the displacement of the cartridge can be regulated in the same manner as described above.

The ink cartridge 3 shown in FIG.
D and 3C are ink cartridges described in other embodiments described later with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8. Further, the carriage shown in FIG. 5 has four ribs 6 and is shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, but the above description relating to FIG. 5 shows another embodiment in which the number of ribs 6 is different. It is clear that it is also valid.

In this embodiment, the integrated ink tank cartridge 3A contains yellow, cyan, and magenta inks, respectively, and a single ink tank cartridge 3
B contains black ink. With such a configuration, full-color recording is possible.

Further, the integrated ink tank cartridge 3A and the independent ink tank cartridge 3B may contain inks of the same color and different in shade. In particular, by accommodating inks having different shades in the integrated ink tank cartridge 3A, it is possible to achieve recording with more excellent gradation.

Of course, it is needless to say that various ink combinations can be used depending on the usage pattern of the user.

For example, a composite integrated ink tank 3A
The inside is filled with the same ink having a low dye concentration or a low pigment concentration, and the remaining single ink tank 3B is filled with an ink having a dye (or pigment) concentration of a commonly used ink or a slightly higher concentration. It can be configured.

When printing was performed using this combination of ink tank cartridges, the highlight portion of the image could be drawn for a long time without tank replacement.

In addition, the composite integrated ink tank 3A
It is also possible to configure the ink inside the ink with a low dye concentration or pigment concentration, an extremely low ink concentration, or an ink slightly lower than the dye (or pigment) concentration of the ink that is normally used,
On the other hand, the remaining single ink tank 3B can be filled with ink having a dye (or pigment) concentration twice that of the normal ink. When printing was performed using this combination of ink tank cartridges, it was possible to realize a grayscale multivalued image with excellent gradation, which was frequently used, and the number of times of replacement of an ink tank with twice the normal density was small. .

(Embodiment 2) By the way, depending on the form of recording, the amount of ink used may be larger than that of other inks. In such a case, it is preferable to increase the amount of stored ink by forming the integrated ink tank cartridge on the side of the ink that is used in a large amount.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the integrated ink tank cartridge 3A, which is divided into three parts for accommodating three kinds of ink, and the volume of approximately two independent ink tank cartridges, and the inside is in communication. By using a combination of the large-capacity integrated ink cartridge 3C having the above configuration and an integrated ink tank cartridge of a different form, it is possible to reduce the number of times of replacement of an ink tank cartridge that is used in a large amount. Since the number of times of replacement can be reduced in this way, the possibility of invasion of bubbles that easily enter during replacement is reduced. Alternatively, the adverse effect on the filter provided at the joint portion of the head is suppressed.

(Embodiment 3) In FIG. 3, an ink tank cartridge 3C that is used in a large amount is in the form of an integrated ink tank cartridge, and another ink tank cartridge 3B is used.
The configuration is shown as a single ink tank cartridge.

With such a configuration, it is possible to deal with the case where the usage amount of each ink varies.

It should be noted that the ink tank cartridge 3C that stores approximately twice the amount of ink is configured such that the side adjacent to the single ink tank cartridge in FIG. One has a structure that does not have a connecting portion with the head.

Of course, both ink tank cartridges in which two individual ink tank cartridges are integrated are provided with a connecting portion to the recording head, and the connecting portion not used for the connection is closed by a seal or the like. It may have been done.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 4 shows a construction in which two integrated ink tank cartridges 3C each having two independent ink tank cartridges are connected to a recording head.

As described above, this example of the embodiment is composed of two sets of two composite integrated replaceable ink tanks, and each set of ink tanks is composed of the same ink combination. Here, dark ink and light ink are put in one group, and two recording heads capable of forming a three-value image of light and shade are used in a combined form, and not only high speed recording is possible but also each group It suffices to replace the ink tank each time, and it is possible to save the trouble of replacing the ink tank. As a result, the number of occurrences of damage to the filter portion of the recording head was reduced, leading to an increase in reliability of the recording head.

Further, each set of ink tanks contains a combination of different inks, for example, one set contains two kinds of color inks, black ink and cyan ink, and two color image formation is possible. The two recording heads that can be used may be used in a combined form.

Needless to say, four individual ink tank cartridges may be integrated to form an ink tank cartridge. In this case as well, it goes without saying that the groove 7 is provided between the ink storage portions so that the rib 6 of the carriage can escape.

Such an ink tank cartridge is extremely effective for a user who carries out recording so as to form an image in which the use ratios of the four colors are almost equal to each other and the time and effort for replacement are minimized. In addition, it has a configuration that leads to a reduction in manufacturing cost and is the most effective form for practical use.

The form of the ink tank cartridge used in the present invention may be of a type in which a porous absorber is entirely housed in the ink tank and the porous body absorbs and stores the ink. A more preferable form is a tank having the form described below.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the ink tank cartridge body 3A (3B, 3C) of this embodiment has an opening 4 for connecting with the ink jet recording head 2 and a book containing a negative pressure generating member 52. The negative pressure generating member accommodating portion 53 as the invention first accommodating chamber is adjacent to the negative pressure generating member accommodating portion via the rib 54, and the ink cartridge bottom portion 55.
The second aspect of the present invention that accommodates the ink that has been communicated with the communicating portion 57 of
It is composed of an ink storage portion 56 as a storage chamber.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 58 denotes an ink supply amount 58 of the recording head, an atmosphere communication port for communicating the inside of the negative pressure generating member accommodating portion 53 with the atmosphere, and 59 a rib for improving the strength of the ink accommodating portion 56. , 60 are openings for filling the ink tank cartridge 3 with ink, and 61 is a sealing material for sealing the openings. The rib 54 is provided with a groove 54A for performing gas-liquid exchange between the ink in the ink containing portion 56 and the atmosphere introduced into the negative pressure generating member containing portion 53 via the atmosphere communicating port 58. As a result, first, the ink in the negative pressure generating member accommodation portion 53 is consumed, and the accommodation portion 5
When the liquid level of No. 3 reaches the groove 54A, the ink in the ink containing portion 56 is supplied to the containing portion 53 side through the communicating portion 57 by the gas-liquid exchange and starts to be consumed.

Some features of the cartridge structure to which the filling ink of the present invention is applied will be described below.

Regardless of the storage state or the use state, the area around the atmosphere communicating portion of the negative pressure generating member is set as an area that does not hold ink in the above-described precondition, so that it is possible to cope with changes in environmental conditions. There is an advantage that the ink in the ink cartridge can be prevented from leaking from the atmosphere communicating portion. Especially when the seal member seals the atmosphere communication part,
It also has the effect of preventing peeling of the seal member. In addition, in the usage state, this area can efficiently supply the amount of air into the cartridge as needed, and also has an effect of suppressing the negative pressure change in the inkjet cartridge. It is preferable that the region in the vicinity of the atmosphere communicating portion is not wetted by the ink at all, because the permeation speed of the ink itself can be further reduced, but it may be a region in which the ink is removed after being previously wetted with the ink. .

The present invention is based on
By providing the ink supply opening or the compression (or compressible) region of the negative pressure generator by the supply pipe on the side facing the partition wall forming the minute communication portion, the second storage chamber A stable and substantial ink supply passage can be secured in the negative pressure generating body, and the ink supply opening can be positioned above the minute communication portion with respect to the lower surface of the ink cartridge so as to stabilize the ink supply passage. Can be mentioned. The "supply pipe" referred to in the present invention includes not only an insertion pipe peculiar to an ink jet, but also a valve structure and a connecting member attached to a cartridge for compressing and deforming a negative pressure generator. The action of this arrangement relation is a direction in which the substantial ink movement direction can be made constant, all the ink in the second storage chamber can be consumed, and even after this consumption, the air in the second storage chamber is under reduced pressure. By interposing the atmosphere so as to move from the partition wall side to the opposing opening side, the ink in the negative pressure generating body can be consumed and the residual ink can be reduced as a result.

In particular, with respect to the above premise, a region which is not compressed by the supply pipe of the negative pressure generator from the partition wall forming the minute communication portion toward the side facing the wall,
By having the regions compressed by the supply pipe of the negative pressure generator in this order, the above-mentioned one-direction ink supply path can be formed in the uncompressed region, and the same effect can be obtained. With this, the ink remaining amount can be further reduced.

Therefore, the more preferable premise constitution invention of the present invention can satisfy the above-mentioned three constitutions, but of course, the above constitutions alone or a combination of any two constitutions can obtain excellent effects. You can understand that

On the other hand, in the ink jet cartridge of the premise of the present invention, the operator's finger is touched, but normally it is less likely to cause inconvenience, but when pressure is applied strongly, the storage chamber for storing only ink is large. Depends on the size, it is easy to deform. Therefore, as a structure for solving the problem caused by the external pressure, it is preferable to provide a partition plate having a larger gap than the partition wall forming the minute communication portion in the ink-only chamber.

As an ink jet printer of the premise of the present invention, when the cartridge of the present invention is mounted, ink is discharged from the cartridge automatically or instructed by suction or discharge by suction means through a head. By doing so, since the ink state in the negative pressure generating body can be corrected before printing, the original function of the cartridge can be utilized without being influenced by the state of the cartridge left unattended. The height of the minute communication portion to the partition wall in the above-described premise is larger than the average hole diameter of the negative pressure generating member (preferably the average hole diameter in the vicinity of the minute communication portion) (practically 0.1 mm or more) and 5 mm or less. Is suitable. If more stabilization is expected, it is preferably 3 mm or less. Further, the ratio of the volume of the storage chamber of the negative pressure generating member to the volume of the storage chamber of only ink is in the range of 1: 1 or more and 1: 3 or less, preferably 1: 1.5 as a practically optimum range. be able to.

Next, the phenomenon of ink leakage seen in the above-mentioned preconditions is seen at the time of initial filling or refilling of the cartridge, and the cause thereof is an ink that does not cause a problem in the ink storage chamber. However, when it reaches the storage chamber that accommodates the negative pressure generating member, it travels between the negative pressure generating member and the inner wall of the cartridge, rather than being temporarily held inside the negative pressure generating member, and communicates with the atmosphere communication port and the ink. There is a large tendency to break the openings such as the supply port or the sealed area to leak. Therefore, in the present invention, when the ink conditions for the premise constitution were examined, when the ink surface tension exceeds 55 dyn / cm (25 degrees C), the tendency is remarkable, but when the ink surface tension is 55 dyn / cm or less, it becomes critical. This problem disappears, especially 50 dyn / cm
Below, it showed extremely stable characteristics regardless of the environment.

On the other hand, when it is 55 dyn / cm or less, stable progress is certainly exhibited in the negative pressure generating member, and a gas-liquid interface between air which is a gas and ink which is a liquid is present in the negative pressure generating member. In the case of the formed structure, the effect that the interface can be made stable over a long period of time was recognized. This is synergistic with the structure of the cartridge having the gas-liquid exchange promoting structure extending from the minute communicating portion to the position facing the negative pressure generating member in the first storage chamber, and the linear interface is obtained. Was preferable because it can be formed in a stable state.

On the contrary, the ink surface tension for the precondition is 20.
Below dyn / cm (25 degrees C), in normal use,
Although ink leakage does not occur, when an impact is applied, an ink leakage phenomenon is seen, and 20 dyn / c
It has been found that when the thickness is m or more, ink leakage is prevented by the synergistic effect of the advantage of the precondition and the ink characteristics, even if such an impact occurs. Also, in particular, 25 dyn /
In the range of cm or more and 50 dyn / cm or less, the above-mentioned effect, that is, extremely stable characteristics are exhibited regardless of the environment.

(Embodiment 5) FIGS. 7 and 8 show an ink tank cartridge according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, which is a modification of the large capacity type ink tank cartridge 3C shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a view of three surfaces and a cross section including a partially broken surface of the cartridge, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view partially broken.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the ink tank cartridge 3D of this embodiment has a main portion 10 having a structure substantially similar to that of the single ink cartridge 3B shown in the above embodiment, and the main portion 10 as a whole. The sub-unit 11 has a volume smaller than the volume.

The main portion 10 is provided with a negative pressure generating member accommodating portion 53 filled with the negative pressure generating member 52 and an ink accommodating portion 56 adjacent to the negative pressure generating member accommodating portion 53 via a rib 54. The ink contained in the ink container 56 is
As described above with reference to FIG. 6, it is supplied to the negative pressure generating member accommodating portion 53 side through the communication portion 57 by gas-liquid exchange.

On the other hand, the sub portion 11 is the ink containing portion 5 described above.
Similar to 6, it is a hollow portion and is composed of an ink containing portion 9 which is an ink containing closed portion of the present invention. The ink containing portion 9 is
The storage portion 9 and the ink storage portion 56 of the main portion 10 communicate with each other via a communication surface 8 that forms a boundary surface. That is, the storage portion 9 and the storage portion 56 have a continuous structure as a chamber, whereby the ink stored in both storage portions is accommodated in the negative pressure generating member storage portion 53 via the communication portion 57.
Will be supplied to the side.

The structure of the ink cartridge 3D described above is the same as that of the ink cartridge 3C shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. That is, the structure of the one-side half body of the ink cartridge 3C shown in each of the above-described embodiments is the same as that of the main portion 10 shown in FIG. 7, and partly has the negative pressure generating member accommodating portion. Also,
The other half has a structure including a hollow ink containing portion like the sub portion 11, and ink communication with the other half is performed in a part of the ink containing portion corresponding to the main portion. It is a thing.

The difference between the ink cartridge 3D of this embodiment and the ink cartridge 3C of each of the above-described embodiments is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the bottom surface 9A of the sub portion 11 (ink containing portion 9) of the ink cartridge 3D of this embodiment has the main portion 10
The ink cartridge 3C in each of the above-described embodiments has the same bottom surface, while the bottom surface is higher than the bottom surface.

Although the ink cartridge 3D of the present embodiment and the above-described respective embodiments 3C have the structural differences described above, an ink tank using only a negative pressure generating member, which is conventionally known, is used. It also has the following advantages over the structure.

That is, as described above, in the conventional known example of the ink cartridge, as described above, the sub portion 11 is used.
The portion corresponding to the (ink containing portion 9) is referred to as the main portion 1 above.
There is an ink cartridge arranged above the portion corresponding to 0. The ink cartridge having such a structure has an advantage that the carriage space is not increased, but the ink in the ink containing portion is not supplied to the ink supply port (similar to the opening 4 in FIG. 7) which is a connecting portion with the inkjet head. The range of the water head distribution (that is, the liquid level distribution in the storage part) becomes relatively large, and therefore,
The change in the pressure environment due to gas-liquid exchange and the like accompanying the ink consumption becomes large. Although the influence of such a change on the ink supply is mitigated by the negative pressure generating member, it may not be sufficient. On the other hand, in order to sufficiently mitigate such an influence, it becomes necessary to pay the cost such as increasing the capacity of the negative pressure generating member.

On the other hand, as in the ink cartridges 3C and 3D according to the embodiment of the present invention, by arranging the portion corresponding to the sub portion to the side of the portion corresponding to the main portion, as described above. The range of the water head distribution can be made as small as possible to reduce the fluctuation of the pressure environment due to the ink consumption.

In the ink cartridges 3C and 3D, the ink accommodated in the portion corresponding to the sub portion is located on the main portion side only through the rear portion of the cartridge (communication surface 8 in the example of FIGS. 7 and 8). Since the gas-liquid exchange is performed only in the ink passage on the main portion side, it is possible to reduce the burden on the negative pressure generating member that receives the ink supplied from the ink containing portion by the gas-liquid exchange. That is, even if the amount of the negative pressure generating member and the amount of gas-liquid exchange are determined in relation to the ejection amount of the inkjet head, etc., by limiting the gas-liquid exchange site as described above, The amount of ink received by replacement can be relatively reduced, and accordingly, the increase in the amount of negative pressure generating member can be suppressed.

In any of the structures of the ink cartridges 3C and 3D showing the embodiment of the present invention, the rib 54 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) of the main portion is relatively retracted (from the opening 4) because of the sub portion. It is provided at a distant position) and the volume of the negative pressure member accommodating portion is relatively increased. in this case,
Since the space of the ink containing portion 54 of the main portion becomes relatively narrow, the distance between the partition wall 54 or the cartridge container wall that divides the containing portion and other internal members of the container becomes a problem. That is, when the above-mentioned interval becomes too small, the capillary force may increase and the ink movement may be hindered.

In the structure of the ink cartridge of this embodiment shown in FIG. 7, for example, the projection plate 62 and the ink injection section 6 are provided.
The distance between 0 and the rib 54 or the wall of the cartridge container depends on the composition of the ink and the material of the container, but in the case of this embodiment, it is 2 m.
It is preferably m or more, and more preferably 3 mm or more.

Further, the ink cartridge 3 according to the present invention
In C and 3D, as shown in FIG.
An inner opening 58A of the atmosphere communication port 58 is provided near the center of the upper surface of the negative pressure generating member accommodating portion 53. More specifically, the center position of the inner opening 58A is 12 mm from the surface where the opening 4 is formed and 5.5 mm from the side surface where the rib 15 is formed in the cartridge. In this arrangement position, when the ink cartridge is filled with ink, particularly when it is unused, when the environmental temperature fluctuates or some physical shock is applied, the ink moves in the negative pressure generating member accommodating portion. In such a case, the ink is the most difficult to reach. The position of the inner opening 58A is not limited to the above example, and a range of 8 mm is desirable from the center of the negative pressure generating member accommodating portion to the surface side on which the opening 4 is provided. A range of 5 mm is preferred.

By considering the arrangement position of the atmosphere communication port as described above, the negative pressure generating member accommodating portion and the ink accommodating portion for accommodating the ink in the hollow portion are provided as in the ink cartridge according to the present invention. In a structure in which the main ink moves from the ink containing portion to the negative pressure generating member containing portion, a remarkable effect can be obtained particularly from the viewpoint of preventing ink leakage through the air communication port. .

In addition to the advantages that the ink cartridges 3C and 3D according to the present invention have in common as described above, the cartridge 3D shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 further has the following advantages.

That is, the following can generally be said for the ink cartridge having the structure shown in each of the embodiments of the present invention. Explaining with the example of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the ink in the ink containing portion 56 may be slightly left unused. This is determined by the negative pressure generating member 52 and the positional relationship between the position of the lower end of the rib 54 and the height of the opening 4.

First, regarding the size of the gap between the lower end of the rib 54 and the bottom surface of the ink containing portion 56 and the negative pressure generating member containing portion 53, from the viewpoint of gas-liquid exchange, from the ink containing portion 56 to the negative pressure generating member containing portion. In order to smoothly supply the ink to the air in the opposite direction to the ink, it is preferable that the ink is supplied to the ink jet printer 53.
1 to 20 mm, more preferably 0.5 to 5 mm
There is a condition of degree. At this time, if the height of the lower end of the opening 4 is equal to or higher than the height of the lower end of the rib 54, the ink is less likely to leak from the opening 4. Therefore, it is preferable that the height of the lower end of the opening 4 is equal to or higher than the height of the lower end of the rib 54.

Here, the amount of ink left unused is determined by the opening 4
Determined from the lower end to near the upper end. That is, the opening 4
From when the ink is supplied to the head by the joint portion (connection pipe) 51 shown in FIG. 6, when the liquid level in the negative pressure generating member 52 becomes equal to or lower than the upper end portion of the opening 4, air is supplied to the inkjet head through the upper end portion. May infiltrate, resulting in ejection failure. Therefore, the use of the ink tank ends at that point.

Further, when the joint portion 51 is sufficiently inserted into the negative pressure generating member 52, the invasion of air can be prevented, but the liquid level of the negative pressure generating member 52 is the opening 4.
Below the lower end of the ink, the ink cannot be used any more, and the ink amount of the liquid level is left unused in the cartridge.

From the above consideration, it is possible to conclude that reducing the volume inside the cartridge below the upper or lower end of the opening 4 can reduce the amount of residual ink.

Ink cartridge 3D shown in FIGS. 7 and 8
Is based on this viewpoint. That is, the position of the bottom surface 9A of the ink containing portion 9 is higher than the lower end surface of the opening 4,
Preferably, by making the height higher than the upper end surface, the inner volume of the ink cartridge located at the upper end or the end of the opening 4 or less can be decreased by decreasing the bottom area, whereby the ink remaining amount can be reduced and the use efficiency can be improved. Becomes

Ink cartridge 3D shown in FIGS. 7 and 8
In addition to the above structure, the internal rib 9
Two ribs B and 9C are provided, and five ribs 15 are provided on a part of the outer surface of the cartridge.

Internal ribs 9B and 9C as partition plates
As can be seen from FIGS. 7 and 8, the ribs are provided at positions different from the ribs 54 of the main portion 10 in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge, whereby the strength of the cartridge can be effectively reinforced. Internal ribs 9B and 9C
In addition to such a function, the side slits 91 are provided so as not to obstruct the ink flow and the air flow in the ink containing portion 9 by providing these ribs.
B, 91C and upper slits 92B, 92C. That is, the flow of ink from the ink containing section 9 to the ink containing section 56 of the main section 10 is as shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 6, air bubbles that enter the ink containing portion 9 mainly through the side slits 91B and 91C and by gas-liquid exchange in the ribs 54 of the main portion 10 cause the upper slits 92B and 92C to flow at the beginning of ink consumption. Will pass through. In addition, the presence of the ribs 9B and 9C can suppress the swinging of the ink in the ink storage portion 9 and further in the ink storage portion 56.

As shown in FIG. 7, the outer rib 15 is formed over the entire side surface of the main portion 10. That is,
The rib 15 has an ink storage portion 56 that makes the natural frequency different.
And the negative pressure generating member accommodating portion 53 are formed over both regions, whereby the respective natural frequencies are averaged,
It is possible to mitigate the pressure vibration inside the ink cartridge 3D caused by the ejection of the inkjet head.
As a result, it is possible to suppress the resonance of the pressure vibration and to supply the ink well by relaxing the vibration.

Further, in the cartridge shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the rib 54 is retracted from the central portion and the bottom portion of the ink containing portion 56 is made smaller than the cartridge shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of ink remaining on the bottom surface of the containing portion 56, although the ink containing portion 9 is added to increase the ink containing portion.

As described above, in the ink tank cartridge of this example, the main portion 10 is provided with the negative pressure control means such as the negative pressure generating member 52, and the sub portion 11 is only the containing portion for containing ink. As a result, it is possible to have the same function with respect to the ink retaining property, the ink supplying property, etc. by the rib structure and the design rule of the negative pressure generating member similar to those of the single cartridge 3B shown in the above embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an external perspective view of the ink cartridge 3D shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. As shown in the drawing, the atmosphere communication port 58 and the opening 4 are provided on one end surface of the main portion 10.

FIG. 9 shows the conversion in the ink jet recording apparatus 61 when the ink tank cartridge is exchanged or the print mode is converted, that is, the grayscale multi-value recording, the color mode, the monochrome mode, etc., as described in the above embodiment. The block diagram which controls is shown.

In this embodiment, in the ink jet recording apparatus, an apparatus corresponding to an ink tank and a head cartridge attached to the recording section 65 by inputting an instruction signal 64 to the control section 63 by the user operating the panel operating section 62. This is an embodiment in which the control unit is enabled, and the mode can be switched by the user's easy manual control. Even if the head cartridge and the ink tank are replaced, the apparatus main body can handle it, and the operability and versatility when the ink tank and the head cartridge according to the present invention are used are improved.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a printer as an ink jet recording apparatus using the ink cartridge according to the present invention.

In FIG. 11, reference numeral 101 is a printer, 102 is an operation panel portion provided on the front upper surface of the housing of the printer 101, and 103 is a paper feed cassette mounted through an opening on the front surface of the housing. 1
Reference numeral 04 is the paper (recording medium) supplied from the paper feed cassette 3.
Reference numeral 105 denotes a paper discharge tray that holds the paper discharged through the paper conveyance path in the printer 101. 10
Reference numeral 6 is a body cover having an L-shaped cross section. The body cover 106 covers the opening 107 formed in the right front part of the housing, and is rotatably attached to the inner end of the opening 107 by a hinge 108. A carriage 110 supported by a guide or the like (not shown) is arranged inside the housing.
The carriage 110 is provided so as to be capable of reciprocating along the width direction of the paper passing through the paper transport path, that is, the longitudinal direction of the guide 9 and the like.

The carriage 110 in this embodiment includes a stage 110a horizontally held by a guide or the like,
An opening (not shown) formed on the stage 110a in the vicinity of the guide for mounting the inkjet head, and the ink cartridges 3Y, 3M, 3C and 3B mounted on the stage 110a in front of the opening.
a cartridge garage 110b for accommodating k,
It is roughly configured with a cartridge holder 110c for preventing the cartridge housed in the garage 110b from coming off.

The stage 110a is slidably supported by the guide at its rear end, and the lower side of its front end is mounted on a guide plate (not shown). The guide plate may also function as a paper pressing member for preventing the lifting of the paper conveyed through the paper conveyance path described above, and the stage cantilevers with respect to the guide depending on the thickness of the paper. It may have a function of lifting up.

An ink jet head (not shown) is attached to the opening of the stage 110a with its ink ejection port facing downward.

The cartridge garage 110b has four
Through holes for simultaneously storing the individual ink cartridges 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk are formed in the front-rear direction, and engaging recesses for engaging the engaging claws of the cartridge holder 110c are formed on both outer sides. There is.

The cartridge holder 10c is rotatably attached to the front end of the stage 110a by a hinge 116. The size from the front end surface of the garage 110b to the hinge 116 is determined in consideration of the size of the front end of the garage 110b when the cartridges 3Y, 3M, 3C and 3Bk are housed in the garage 110b. . The cartridge holder 11
0c is a substantially rectangular plate shape. Cartridge holder 11
0c protrudes in the direction perpendicular to the plate surface on both sides of the upper part apart from the lower part fixed by the hinge 116, and when the holder 110c is closed, the garage 11c.
0b of the engaging recess 110d of a pair of engaging claws 110
e is provided. Further, the holder 10c is formed with a fitting hole 120 for fitting the handle portion of each of the cartridges 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk in the plate portion thereof.
These fitting holes 120 have a position, shape and size corresponding to the handle portion.

[0119]

As described above, by using the ink jet ink tank cartridge of the present invention, the frequency of ink tank replacement is reduced, bubbles are mixed into the joint portion at the time of replacement, or the recording head filter portion is replaced. The harmful effects such as damage were reduced. Also, labor for replacing the ink tank cartridge has been saved.

With the above effects, the factors that make the ejection unstable are removed, and stable image formation is possible.

Further, the control on the main body of the recording apparatus enables easy conversion of the print mode.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform color recording without inviting an increase in the size of the apparatus, and it is possible to mount the ink tank cartridges of a single color in an area corresponding to a plurality of conventional ink tank cartridges with compatibility. Ink can be held in at least two colors or at least double capacity.

Therefore, it is possible to provide the ink tank cartridge according to the usage pattern of the user.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment example of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment example of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing still another embodiment example of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the carriage and the mounting of the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the outline of the internal structure of the ink cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing still another embodiment example of the present invention.

8A and 8B are a perspective view and a schematic view showing the ink cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an outline of control of the inkjet apparatus main body.

FIG. 10 is an external perspective view of the ink cartridge shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Ink cartridge body 2 Recording head unit 3 ink tank cartridge 4 openings 5 carriage 6 ribs 7 groove 8 communication parts 9,56 Ink storage unit 10 Main section 11 sub department 53 Negative pressure generating member accommodating portion 54 ribs 58 Air communication port

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Masahiko Hikuma 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Toshio Kashino 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. Incorporated (72) Inventor Yuuki Tajima 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Ishinaga 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Yoichi Tanetani, 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (56) References JP-A-4-185355 (JP, A) JP-A-4-141446 (JP, A) Actual Development Sho 57-16385 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/175

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ink tank cartridge connected to each of the recording heads in a recording head unit configured by integrally forming a plurality of recording heads, the ink tank cartridge being provided at the opening of the ink tank cartridge. ,
By inserting a connecting tube having a filter at the tip and pressingly connecting the negative pressure generating member housed in the ink tank cartridge to the filter, ink can be supplied to the connected recording heads. A plurality of recording heads, which have ribs which are erected upright so as to be orthogonal to a scanning direction which divides a space in which one or a plurality of ink tank cartridges can be attached and detached, and are scanned for recording. In an ink tank cartridge to be mounted on a carriage, corresponding to a plurality of areas divided by the ribs in the space of the carriage, integrally formed, and at least at a position which is a bottom surface in a mounted state, It has a groove having a surface corresponding to the rib and perpendicular to the scanning direction of the carriage. Ink tank cartridge. 2. The ink tank cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the integrated ink tank cartridge contains the same ink. 3. A different ink is stored in each internal space corresponding to a region of the carriage space divided by the rib in the integrally formed ink cartridge. 1. The ink tank cartridge according to 1. 4. The ink tank cartridge comprises a negative pressure generating member accommodating portion for accommodating the negative pressure generating member, an ink accommodating portion for accommodating ink adjacent to the negative pressure generating member accommodating portion, and the ink. The ink tank cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising: a communication portion that is provided on a bottom portion of the storage portion and that connects the negative pressure generating member and the ink in the ink storage portion.